"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
The heart is astonishing. Thoughts, desires, and emotions are all related to the heart. What you set your heart to be after affects your way of life. If you set your heart on making big bucks, you'd mold your life to set yourself up for some high-earning profession and work your way up the income ladder to achieve the annual income you want as quickly as possible. If you set your heart on mastering the guitar, you would buy a guitar, take lessons, experiment day and night with your guitar until you felt fully confident with a guitar, until the instrument would become a part of your body whenever you pick it up. If you set your heart on making pancakes for breakfast, you would... well, make pancakes so you can eat them. Simple.
Your heart, abstractly, allows other people to get "closer" to you. Share your heart with another, and mutual understanding forms. Of course, "sharing the heart" is easier said than done. However, there comes a point in the relationship between two people where "sharing the heart" is "permitted". The point is entirely subjective, some trust earlier than others. However, when you wish to share with a friend, most of the time, the friend will listen. And relationships "deepen" from such sharing.
Where exactly am I going with this?
I suppose this is really, a giving of thanks.
Thanks to those who listen. Thanks to those who spend their time listening to what I have to say, important or not.
Thanks be to God for helping me break those walls to which I have once kept my own heart behind. Thanks be to God for allowing me to feel with my own heart things the heart was meant to feel. Thanks be to God for allowing me to set my heart to what the heart was meant to be set on.
The heart is amazing.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
What a tank of gas
What a strange week it had been... let's start from the first.
Hello, November first! Six more weeks of school! Let's do this! I ate lunch with a freshman at DA I knew for a while from church. This was the first time I actually got to talk to her for real. Good and meaningful conversations we had. She brought up high school relationships : /
On Tuesday, while driving to school on the 280, I saw the remains of a very recent car accident. I could not have arrived more than a few minutes after the accident actually occurred, for I was forced to brake from 75 mph ish to 0 with a Suburban SUV enlarging itself in my windshield. To the left, in the safety lane, was a red Honda Insight which didn't seem damaged. In front of the Insight was some other red car to which I do not remember about, except for the fact that it didn't look damaged either. On the four lanes were endless shards of glass, quite dangerous, especially if somebody were to receive a flat tire upon trekking through the glass to get on with their commute. To the right, as I was passing the wreckage, was a red GMC truck. Two men were getting out in similar red shirts, looking to the wrecked car behind them. The wrecked car behind this red GMC truck was, to my fear, a C-class of the same model I drive. The hood was smashed up, the bumper was gone (I almost ran over it while performing a lane change), the air bags deployed, and a person was helping the person in the driver seat out of the car. As for the car itself, the owner had spent, probably, $3000 just on his rim and tire and suspension modifications. The car was lowered, and on some expensive rims (which must be used with more expensive tires). On this same day, I filled up a tank of gas and decided to see how many MPG's I could get if I drove more economically, by sticking to the speed limit, refraining from high-revving accelerations, and generally unnecessary use of the gas pedal.
Wednesday, the traffic built up on the 280 much like yesterday, except there wasn't a car accident as far as I could see. I credit the traffic to the Giants parade.
Friday. As I was going to school, I passed yet another car accident. Stevens Creek and De Anza Blvd. junction. Apparently, a white Prius had managed to crash into the sides of a red GMC truck (again?), a blue Toyota Sienna, and a black Honda Civic. The Prius looked badly damaged, as was the Honda Civic, to which the front end had been decimated by what seemed to be the Prius running into it. The Sienna suffered front end damage, whereas the GMC truck was hit at the rear left fender and wheel well area. Don't think I am kidding either, because I am not:
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_16532556?source=rss
I learned that a friend accepted Christ as his personal savior this weekend. Praise God!
What. A. Week.
Of course, there's always Sunday!
I was given a book on small group ideas named "Discipleship Journal's 101 Best Small-Group Ideas" and in preparation of the discussion on the seventh, I read ideas 1-10. From just these ten ideas, I was able to come up with a more cohesive, more organized, and more engaging "lesson plan" compared to the last couple ones I had. Although I wrote it out Sunday morning, I must say, the discussion the group had this time around was livelier. I asked more questions, more answers came up, more people talked, there was a bit of personal sharing.
I thank God so much for His hand in these Sundays. I ask from Him to give me what He wants me to say, I ask from Him to open hearts, to defeat fears, I ask from Him a good time of fellowship in His eyes. Every week I know He hears my prayers. Praise God.
Hello, November first! Six more weeks of school! Let's do this! I ate lunch with a freshman at DA I knew for a while from church. This was the first time I actually got to talk to her for real. Good and meaningful conversations we had. She brought up high school relationships : /
On Tuesday, while driving to school on the 280, I saw the remains of a very recent car accident. I could not have arrived more than a few minutes after the accident actually occurred, for I was forced to brake from 75 mph ish to 0 with a Suburban SUV enlarging itself in my windshield. To the left, in the safety lane, was a red Honda Insight which didn't seem damaged. In front of the Insight was some other red car to which I do not remember about, except for the fact that it didn't look damaged either. On the four lanes were endless shards of glass, quite dangerous, especially if somebody were to receive a flat tire upon trekking through the glass to get on with their commute. To the right, as I was passing the wreckage, was a red GMC truck. Two men were getting out in similar red shirts, looking to the wrecked car behind them. The wrecked car behind this red GMC truck was, to my fear, a C-class of the same model I drive. The hood was smashed up, the bumper was gone (I almost ran over it while performing a lane change), the air bags deployed, and a person was helping the person in the driver seat out of the car. As for the car itself, the owner had spent, probably, $3000 just on his rim and tire and suspension modifications. The car was lowered, and on some expensive rims (which must be used with more expensive tires). On this same day, I filled up a tank of gas and decided to see how many MPG's I could get if I drove more economically, by sticking to the speed limit, refraining from high-revving accelerations, and generally unnecessary use of the gas pedal.
Wednesday, the traffic built up on the 280 much like yesterday, except there wasn't a car accident as far as I could see. I credit the traffic to the Giants parade.
Friday. As I was going to school, I passed yet another car accident. Stevens Creek and De Anza Blvd. junction. Apparently, a white Prius had managed to crash into the sides of a red GMC truck (again?), a blue Toyota Sienna, and a black Honda Civic. The Prius looked badly damaged, as was the Honda Civic, to which the front end had been decimated by what seemed to be the Prius running into it. The Sienna suffered front end damage, whereas the GMC truck was hit at the rear left fender and wheel well area. Don't think I am kidding either, because I am not:
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_16532556?source=rss
I learned that a friend accepted Christ as his personal savior this weekend. Praise God!
What. A. Week.
Of course, there's always Sunday!
I was given a book on small group ideas named "Discipleship Journal's 101 Best Small-Group Ideas" and in preparation of the discussion on the seventh, I read ideas 1-10. From just these ten ideas, I was able to come up with a more cohesive, more organized, and more engaging "lesson plan" compared to the last couple ones I had. Although I wrote it out Sunday morning, I must say, the discussion the group had this time around was livelier. I asked more questions, more answers came up, more people talked, there was a bit of personal sharing.
I thank God so much for His hand in these Sundays. I ask from Him to give me what He wants me to say, I ask from Him to open hearts, to defeat fears, I ask from Him a good time of fellowship in His eyes. Every week I know He hears my prayers. Praise God.
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