Final Four

Ever since I could remember, basketball has been my favorite sport. Ask my Dad, he will tell you that my dream was to play in the NBA ever since I was young. I get so excited every year filling out my bracket and then watching it fail miserably. Today my message is simple, why aren't we as excited about God? I wish I would have the same charisma and emotion about anything Spiritual.  So basically this is my goal: I'm going to try to place more importance on God and everything involving him. Hopefully I can achieve this and give Him the glory. 

Andy P-izzle Dizzle

Home Sweet Home

Spring break, is never long enough. I wish it was 2 weeks, or maybe a week and a half. Anyway, I'm finally back at school after a very enjoyable spring break. I went hiking with my girlfriend's family, I went and visited some old friends at Harding, and hung out with my mom and dad. I had a great time. Now back to the grind...

It seems like now we are in the final stage of the year. Just 6 more weeks, and my freshman year will be over. It's all moving so fast, and there's still so much to do. Tests, papers, and projects, all due at some point in the next 6 weeks. I need to keep my head on straight and keep working,  I just hope I can enjoy every day like I enjoyed my spring break even with all these things to do. 

Andy

Bowl Cuts and Goofy Smiles

For about a week now my roommate, McGee has been contemplating getting a bowl cut for a day before he cuts his hair off. Purely his decision, I didn't come up with it, or pressure him to do it. Last night he gave me the pleasure of cutting it for him. I don't think anything in recent memory has given me this much joy. I have spent my entire day taking pictures of him, giggling, and seeing the reactions of the entire student body of Lipscomb. This little act, has brought so much joy into my life, in this week that is a killer already. Josh has made me remember that school isn't the biggest deal, that friendship and just enjoying life is what it's all about. God wants us to be happy. Will we always be happy? No, but that doesn't mean we can't try our best. I'm happy, and today it's without trying. 

Andy

P.S. That was the first haircut I've ever given, also don't worry McGee is gonna cut the "bowl" off tonight. 

Long Week Ahead

5 days left...

3 tests...

1 paper before one due after...

Several hours of studying left...

That's all that I have to look forward to this week before Spring Break is here. My prayer today was that God would help me to stay focused to get all my studying done, so I can go into Spring Break ready for a rest. Because I need some rest: literally, spiritually, emotionally, and I want to see my Mom. I know God will help me, but I also need to make sure that I meet Him halfway and do my part. And my part is the hard part, because I actually have to study. 

A.P.

Lazy Saturdays

There is absolutely nothing better than sleeping in on Saturday. It feels good to get some much needed sleep, and just take a deep breath during the day. I try not to schedule anything on Saturday, so I can just go with the flow. The rest is exactly what I need. I think Saturdays are my favorite day. 

Today some friends and I went down to Centennial Park and just played frisbee for a few hours. So relaxing. Then we got some Chinese take-out and watched Children of Men. This has been one of the better days I've had in awhile. I'm gonna thank God for this day, because it was great. 

P-Izzle Dizzle.

Contemplative Prayer

So the past 2 weeks or so, I've been trying something new in my personal walk with Jesus. It isn't "new" necessarily, because it has been around for centuries, but it's my first go around, so it is new to me. It's called contemplative or centering prayer. Basically it is just meditation, or communing with God. You pick a word, mine is "peace" and try to use that word to focus on clearing your head, for an extended period of time.  

I am absolutely awful at it. I've been starting small trying to keep my mind clear for short amounts of time, before I go to the full normal amount. It is so hard. I probably can't go five minutes without going off on a tangent in my head about what I ate, or movies, or reading. It sucks, but I've been told it takes a long time to get it down. Right now my time is at 15 minutes, and I believe I'll stick to that until I can successfully give God that much time. Then I'll move it up.

The positive side of all this, is that I can feel the power of it. Even though I'm not doing it exactly how it is intended, it is working. It relaxes my mind, at least a little bit, and allows me to find that peace in my soul that I need. Helping me to balance out worry, and mostly with things that frustrate me, because I am so much more calm afterwards. 

There are a few variations you can add, like saying the Lord's Prayer at the end, or praying at the beginning, which I might have to try. Most of all, I just hope that at some point, I will be able to hear God through this, perhaps even audibly, maybe not. It might just be that I get a clearer perspective on life, if so, then it will be well worth it, regardless of other outcomes.

-A.P.