Christmas Break

Well, here I am over Christmas Break, and it feels like I'm still in school. I have three college applications to complete before the first of January, and I'm slogging through them. I'm going slow because I want to do my best, and it seems like the effort I put into the last one wasn't enough. I feel like I have all the necessary requirements to attend these schools, I just need to communicate well. Of course, if God doesn't want me somewhere I won't get in. (I'm still struggling with Mr. K's comments on my last blog about predestination, I need to reconcile my beliefs on this.)
Anyway, I knew this would happen if Stanford said no, it was really a bet I took and lost. I try not to complain because this is my own fault for not doing the apps earlier. I am doing some fun activities, though. I have been to a few parties, played basketball, and went duck hunting. And Christmas was awesome, of course. I got a bunch of cool presents, now I just need to write thank-yous.
My reading has suffered the most from being busy writing essays over break, thus the dearth of more intellectual postings. This isn't so much a blog post as an explanation of why there haven't been any. I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and are relaxing over the break.

Diligent Work

I'm really glad Christmas break is here - I can sleep and read a lot. I need to make sure, though, that I spend my time on quality, soul-building things. My diligence this year towards the work I ought to do has been a little lacking - I've hit the senior doldrums. I need to pick myself up and realize that God has given me the tasks for each day. To not do them is to avoid what God has planned for my life.
Moreover, time is like money in that it can be "borrowed." By procrastinating, what I'm really doing is taking out a loan of time which will need to be paid back later when the work I have is due. I've defaulted on a couple assignments this year because I ran out of time to pay back. In my metaphor, I borrowed more time from the future than I could pay back. If I live like I should in the future (which I write for myself and no one has preordained) I won't have to default on any loans of time.

Alright - new topic. I'll just get this over with: I got a reply from Stanford that said I was deferred from the early admission pool to the regular application pool. A final decision will be administered in early April. I'm really depressed, I expected to practically sail in. I guess the only thing to do is to work diligently...

Be Thankful

Youth group this Sunday was simple and straightforward - be thankful because Jesus was thankful. The speaker said that if we want to be Christlike, to be filled in the Spirit as Ephesians 5:18 says, we must deal with situations as He did. As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." What a challenge.

I need to be careful to be very patient at all time and give thanks for every situation. I was frustrated just yesterday by someone driving slow. :( I always go the speed limit and so for the past six months (the summer) I've had cars piled up behind me, not the other way around. Now that it's winter, some people actually drive below the speed limit on the icy roads, and yesterday when I thought what I had to do was so important, it was infuriating. I forgot to be thankful that I was arriving safely, or that I even have my own car to drive around.

In the holiday season I start looking forward to a break from school. Maybe in anticipation of that, I expect that things will begin to get easier. In reality, there's a crunch to get everything done in time and the alleged break turns hectic. I pray that I can continue strong this next week before the break actually starts and work on the fruits of love, peace, and patience.

A Dove

Well, this is the last poem I've written in the past and never shown to anyone before. This is also the oddest. =)

A Dove
I desire peace and love;
Let this world's symbol be a dove,
Whose whiteness stands for purity
Who sails on seas of tranquil blue,
Above our red and tainted lands.

Let new emotions take their stands
Let faith in God, trust in man
Be our guide, the dove shall lead
Us to a redeemed earth.
I desire not what man desires.
Richard Gianforte 2/6/2007

This poem is about the sinfulness of man. There won't be peace on earth until Christ returns. Sure sure we can try to make it come about, but the depravity of humans stands in our way. Men don't want peace if it will make them surrender some of their desires or liberty. A peacemaker can have high aspirations, but ultimately they are fighting uphill.