Ohhhhhhhhh snap!!!

I'm such a sucker for flashy trailers...

http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/wanted/wanted_large.html

What? No rumble at the Anselm??

The setting: New Hampshire debates on Saturday night. It's intermission, and both the Republican and Democratic hopefuls meet up on stage between debates

I haven't actually gotten to this part yet (yes, I TiVo'd the whole thing and yes, i'm a nerd), but I've seen clips of it in a segment ABC World News did. Said segment is the topic of this post. The segment was basically a discussion of how wonderful it was to see all the Democrats and Republicans smiling and talking, and how we all wish we could know just what was being said to prompt the smiles and friendly exchanges.

I'm confused...

What in the world did everyone (or at least ABC News) think would happen? A knife fight?? I mean come on, it's a minutes long meet and greet on national television. I don't think the fact that a few smiles were cracked amongst acquaintances while network TV cameras were rolling is anything to write home about.

I guess they had to give that smugly dashing David Muir something to report on to appease all those female viewers...

Hm. Redo.

Hmmmmmm... I'm not pleased with the entry I posted yesterday. I was in a sort of dramatic mood. I guess all the stuff I wrote is true, it just reads more dramatic than it should.

I guess what I want to say is last year was a very rich year. It seems like each year life just gets better and better as I grow in my walk with God. As Brian Regan says, "Can life get any better?? I submit that it can NOT!!" Last year was definitely not easy, not hardship free, but just...richer. In many ways I'm a completely different person than I was last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. That's one thing I love about being a Christian. As I learn to trust and know God better, He is constantly moving and shaping me, helping rid myself of old flaws, showing me new ones, maturing me, disciplining me. The fact that life and the future is so uncertain used to be such a huge source of anxiety. Now I find that reality exhilarating. Who knows what the next step is for me. It could be here it could be there. How long will the "next step" last before the "next step" after that begins? Who knows if I'll even make it to the next step?! Not even the next 30 seconds of my life are guaranteed to me, or to anyone for that matter. How awesome is it that God is faithful and in control whether the circumstances in my life are great, exciting, and fun, or difficult, slow, and painful.

"And that's all I have to say about that."

That "end-of-the-year" post...

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."

Ecclesiastes 3.1

Well, 2007 has come and gone. Time is so strange. I can think back to an event from mid January of last year and the images and memories are so fresh it feels like yesterday. Yet when I think back to my last quarter of quarter of college that ended just 6 months ago, there seems to be an enormous gulf of lapsed time from then to now.

I don't really believe in new year's resolutions. If I need to change something, I should change it immediately and not drag my feet waiting for some "magical" time of the year. And anyway, a new year passes every single day; we just don't stop to celebrate it until our birthday or January 1st. Still, I must admit there is something unique about this time of year. For me, it's a refreshing, painful, and hopeful time all rolled into one.

Refreshing because it's typically been time away from school and work. Time to spend with family and friends relaxing, celebrating, sleeping, eating. The enjoyable things of life.

However (at least with me), time to relax means time to think and reflect, giving rise to a remembrance of some of the painful events of the year. I can't and don't live life plagued with regrets, but it's impossible not to consider the hardships from the past year that have molded me to be the person I am right now. There is the sadness over my flaws and the consequences they carried, a sadness over missed opportunities with people and pursuits, a sadness over the time wasted on meaningless pursuits, and sadness over the pains that came into the lives of the people I love.

Yet these trials in life give me an opportunity to better know and trust God, whose grace is ever sufficient. Thus this time of year is also hopeful, as I look back and see His faithfulness in my weakness, and look forward to the great adventure that is living this short life for Him. Who knows where I'll be in a year. If you told me on January 1st of last year that I'd be living at home again and working full-time for a Christian non-profit, I would've thrown a brick at you then kindly requested you get out of my presence. So who knows? God is loving and faithful. He always has been, He is now, and He will continue to be. And in my uncertainty over the future, that's all I can cling to. And that's more than enough.