I was a snake herder today. And someone gave me an apple pie. Cool.

I had a good weekend. Two things occurred to me tonight. First, groceries are good. Second, I don't think I'm feeling depressed anymore. Since going home for Christmas I have been feeling a lot more upbeat about everything.
I went to a friend's house for dinner and rearranged all of their living room furniture while the food was cooking :-) Actually, another friend had moved in there so they just had a lot of random stuff in the room, so they asked me to help organize it all. The two roommates who weren't there were probably a bit surprised when they got back from Bible study.
How can you tell when a pastor is out of touch with his younger crowd? After the sermon, we chatted briefly with the pastor of the church we visited. He asked me what grade I was in and whether I was in highschool. I calmly told him I was actually working on my Master's Degree of Applied Linguistics (I didn't mention that my friend was working on his PhD).
While taking a break from pingpong tonight, a friend showed me how to play Linus and Lucy, the Peanuts theme song. It has been my goal for years to learn how to play that, so now I just need to practice for hours. A different friend is teaching me bit by bit how to play the guitar.
I got to watch monk, hang out with people, play cards, and play ultimate frisbee this weekend. I worked at the library and didn't burn the place down. I found out Ning got engaged! That's five couples at the moment. I'm enjoying reading through Exodus. Ok, I need to go now, but I will try to write more this week.

This has been an interesting weekend. I didn't really do a whole lot, mostly eat and watch movies. Of course there was a lot of homework to do, so that's what all of today has been. I'm taking a lexicography course, which is how to make dictionaries, but the last week has been all about theoretical linguiistics, metaphors, and semantic blends. I had plenty of that at Rice, so I'd rather focus on the other parts that I haven't heard before.

Oh, I also went out to eat three times this weekend (partially due to the fact that I haven't been to the grocery store since the beginning of December), which I found funny because I think I only went out to eat three times all of last semester. However, I think all three meals this weekend only added up to around ten bucks.

A thought that willl hopefully last through the new year

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer… What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord’s mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father’s face... The motto for this year must be, “Continue in prayer.” - Spurgeon

Caleb's Top Ten Songs for 2004

1. Still Breathin' - BOMFOG
2. The Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns
3. I Have Been There - Mark Schultz
4. Love Song - Third Day
5. If I Stand - Rich Mullins
6. Ride the Wind - Broken Walls
7. Man After Your Own Heart - Gary Chapman
8. Dear Slim, Part Two - KJ52
9. How Great Thou Art - Eleven.Eleven
10. Gone - Switchfoot

Not really a 'happy' collection.

So I'm back in Dallas and I'm starting up classes again. I had a really relaxing Christmas, which I really needed. It was a real good Christmas gift. So let's see, my apartment is still here. It was amusing to see how gift trends go in my family. We have a cousin gift exchange thing and the two hot items this year were starbucks and beef jerky. I got three or four separate packages of jerky.

I spent almost all of my devotional time thinking about the angels' announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-14. Their message introduced Jesus and the things he would bring to fulfillment.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

They said not to be afraid, which John later repeated, saying "perfect love drives out fear." (1 John 4:18). Next its 'good news of great joy'. That's what the gospel is. Then they said that the gospel would be for all people, not just the religious, not just the Jews. Then the angel said mentioned the town of David, showing that Jesus would fulfil the prophecies about the coming Messiah. Next he says that He is our Savior and then immediately follows it by saying he is Christ and Lord. Then the angel gives another sign to prove who Jesus was. But he also foreshadowed how Jesus would live a life of poverty and shame. But then the all of the angels burst forth and show how the glory will go to God. Finally, they show that He will bring peace to those who God favors.

Having those themes established at His birth really makes them fuller to me. Christ final few hours were not the only important aspects of His life. Its a lot more than just getting us to Heaven. It would be interesting to hear a full sermon on how Jesus' birth introduces His life's purpose and themes. This feels like I'm rambling, but maybe you can get something out of it.

Well I'm back in frosty Colorado. We got in yesterday afternoon after a 20 something hour drive. This time there were five of us in the car so it was a little more cramped, but we listened to most of the Bourne Identity trilogy on tape. I say most because the second tape of the third book is messed up so we never got to finish it. The books are really different from the movie. These were only abridged (which I generally try to avoid, but couldn't in this case) but the plot was way thicker than the movies.

I spent my last bit of time Oregon at my aunt's beach house and visiting friends. For the people I missed, sorry, not that hardly any of you read this anyways. Most of the people I wanted to see and missed were out of town and I simply didn't have enough time to drive anywhere. My aunt's beach house is one of my favorite places in the world. I haven't been there in at least nine years but it hasn't hardly changed. It was real nice to have one place stay the same when almost everything else has been changing while I've been gone. Some of my happiest childhood memories were at the beach house and I found that going there for the one night was probably the most relaxing thing I've done in a very long time.

Tonight I watched the extend version of the Return of the King. I don't think I've actually seen the extended version of either of the other two movies. I thought it did a good job of fleshing out the story (although it still changed some parts). As always, when I saw Aragorn for the first time I immediately thought of Ning's recital posters. I really, really enjoy those movies because they deal so much with strength and fear, hope and determination. I always have to take some time afterwards to process them. For some reason, I identify strongly with Aragorn. Maybe it has something to do with struggling to face a partially realized destiny. Hmmm.