Mac

I was on the Mac website today, looking at some things. I thought it would be funny to see how expensive I could get one computer to cost. Here it is:

2.5GHz Quad-core PowerPC G5
Memory: 16GB 533 DDR2 ECC SDRAM- 8x2GB
Hard Drive: 2x500GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
Graphics Support: QUADRO FX 4500 512MB SDRAM
Displays: Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
Secondary Displays: Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
Wireless Options: AirPort Extreme + Bluetooth built-in
Modem: Apple USB Modem
CD/DVD drive: 16x SuperDrive DL (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Fiber Channel Card: Fibre Channel PCI Express Card (w/ SFP-SFP cable)
Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse - U.S English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Apple Software solutions: Final Cut Express HD + Motion 2 preinstalled
Accessory kit

It's a beast. And at 21,549, it will cripple you financially. Interestingly enough, that about the same price for at new 2005 Chevy Malibu Maxx. Let's look at that

Highlights:
201-hp 3.5L V6 engine
Multi-Flex 60/40 sliding/reclining rear seat
Fixed rear skylight with dual retractable sunshades
16-inch fascia spoke painted silver wheels
Rear cargo panel system
Flat-folding front passenger seat
Available head-curtain side-impact air bags(2)
Available Rear DVD entertainment system

Well that's a weird comparison.

Some pictures

Here are some pictures taken with the SD400. It was fun.

2nd

Mike asked me if I was going to get out of November with only one post.

I guess not, Mike.

Cru

WOW, the blogging world must be on overload. Mike Edwards with a whole new blog! Brilliant! Joel Manahan with another signature lengthy blog (not a criticism)! This is amazing! So I figured I better not be left behind. If Mike and Joel are updating then I really should be.

Tuesday night I was again annoyed. Some people were talking about an upcoming church service in which 4 people were going to be sing a song. The comment was made "I'll definitely be there" with much excitement. It bugged me that a song would be the motivation to be present in church. What about the preaching of the Word? What about witnessing to someone you don't know? What about praying for eachother? Fill my bucket, fill my bucket, fill MY bucket! That's not what this is all about.

In other news, I went with Stuart to Cru last night. It was the first time I had gone to Cru. The Tapes played, it was good. Michael Brown talked about the questions behind the questions. I know it is a seeker sensitive place, so I wasn't expecting deep Biblical teaching about some passage in Numbers but, I did leave with questions. Which is good because it made me think. There was a part when M. Brown was asking a bunch of questions about God, in my head I had a personal answer for practically everyone. It was good to feel strong in my faith. The other thing about going to Cru was a weird feeling within me. I almost felt nervous. Okay let's think about this. Why would I feel nervous? Am I not sure of my faith? Am I going into a new environment? with new people? who I don't know? Do I really know what to expect? Let me say this, I haven't really been a part of something this size (people-wise) who are my peers for a faith-based meeting. I've usually been older or, there was a more diverse crowd, older people and younger people (like church). But that feeling subsided. It was a good night. And I have a question for Justin, where do you get those number puzzles? Could I join in on the fun? That's all for now.

I Love you Nealey

Convo., Prayer

I had another really good conversation with M. Edwards. It seems like these conversations sneak up on us. We don't really have the preset purpose. It not like "Okay, this is the time when we talk about things". It's just our lives verbally expressed.

I actually had the feeling in my to earnestly pray for someone. Don't get me wrong. I pray for people. I care, I'm not an empty person. Nealey and I pray together and I honestly feel and yearn for these things to happen. I really felt it recently. The power of prayer is awesome. I felt the need to pray. So I did.

Rescue is coming

There is darkness in my skin
My cover is wearin' thin, I believe,
I'd love to start again
Go back to innocence and never leave

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We could be found

And there's nothin' wrong with me
It's just that I believe things could get better
And there's nothing wrong with love
I think it's just enough to believe

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We could be found

Rescue is coming,
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming

And there's nothing wrong with you
And nothing left to do but believe something bigger
And there's nothing wrong with love
I know it's just enough to believe

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We will be found

Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming

Now, Now...

-David Crowder Band, Resuce is Coming (B Walk Down Stairs), A Collision

This may be one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard. So well written, musically and lyricly. It is such a song of hope. Rescue is coming and it is Jesus Christ. What if the rapture comes tomorrow? Do I live like it? What if we are rescued from the slings and arrows of everyday life? What if tomorrow I'm standing before my Creator? Do I look like I have that hope in me? Do I look like that is a real possibility? Is the joy there? Because if you are a believer, you better believe this is one of the most joyous moments.

Sweet

Alright. You have all seen the sad king, now witness the king transformed. I give you...Happy king.



I had a great conversation with Mike yesterday night at GBC. It started with TMSE practice in the basement, after that Mike stayed and banged on the piano. You can really see his music is heartfelt, it's deep, not shallow. I heard a lot of the new family project and the solo project. It was good to sing along with some classics. Can we call them classics yet? After we had some really good conversation about being Christians and being human. It was good.

Ben (not Genson), Mike (not Jordan), Justin (not Timberlake) this afternoon/evening.

Sad king

Here is the sad king. He sits alone...

Me

Think I can get any sponsors for my blog?

Anger

I've been a bit angery lately. By lately I mean, from after worship practice tuesday to waking up today (wednesday). I know why, but then again I don't know why. I'm trying my best here. It seems like I have so many people to not let down,

Parents
Girlfriend
Girlfriends Parents
The Board
The Youth Board
The Youth
Friends
Teachers
Students
Boss

and above all, God. I trying not to let anyone down. I'm trying my best. The Youth Board doesn't want me to let down the Youth, shouldn't they go to the Youth to see that? I really am tired of people just wanting things and not giving any effort for them. I am trying to submit to God first and foremost, and I don't know if they see that. I'm not doing it in order for them to see that, I'm doing it for the reasons that matter, because let's face it, the Youth Board aren't the ones directly touch by my ministry, I'm doing it for the Youth, the future. I'm doing it for God, to be a submissive servant, a teacher, a guide. I'm trying my best. I'm putting in a lot of effort.

Here it is!

Alright. With the help of Joel, I have successfully got my "song" loaded. I had fun making it, that's what counts right?

HERE

Crazy

Life has been kind of busy right now. There are lots of things going on. I am thankful that I work every morning or else I probably wouldn’t get up and be able to get stuff done. I continue to forget the weekly journal for Dr. Meel’s class. Mike, I won’t make fun of you for telling me how hard it is to remember. This past Sunday was so crazy. I lead worship at Grace so, I woke up at 5am, did the powerpoint at church, turned the sound system on, got some mic’s set up and levels correct. At around 8am people started arriving for worship practice, which was good because they were actually on time. Everyone gets there; we are ready to go, but not really. No one has their music ready, no one knows what order the songs are going in. AHHHH, I really thought we had this ready earlier in the week on that one day, what’s that called?.. oh yeah, WORSHIP PRACTICE! Oh well I finish this later, I gotta do a proof.

Song

I recorded a song. It's not really a song. I recorded some notes put together. I'm not sure how I'll get it out.

I had another dream

Let me first start by saying that Monday night's dream also included Justin Edwards getting married. I was like, whoa!, I thought I was the one getting married soon.

Tuesday night's dream was pretty crazy. Jeremy had taken an eight million dollar loan from a church. (I know it doesn't make sense). I got stung in the foot by a bee. I had this weird feeling in my foot after I got stung. Also, Eric Barton was shooting me with a revolver and I killed him with a rifle. (Note: If you just skipped down to here, this is a description of a dream I had last night, not actual events). It was kinda crazy.

I also tried to solve a math problem in the shower today. I was drawing on the shower door, doing some algebra. I think I've sunk to another low.

Youth group is at Covenant Church, come on out and support Pawn and the Tapes.

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given.

Gentleman's Club

Today I feel so thankful. For everything. I thank God for my blessings and my troubles. Gentleman's club was amazing last night. I went in with the idea that it was going to be real light, nothing too serious, we were making a video about GC. That is exactly when God kicked my butt. God is really developing our group. Tonight, prayer requests were the most intense ever. I could really feel God working. The sense of a being with your brothers was overwhelming. I really do consider each person there my brother. The privilege of prayer is way under-rated. What an honor, blessing, opportunity to communicate with the all powerful creator. I feel so blessed in my current state. Thank you God!

"I want a girl who will let me rebel and revel in it"

Truck, Church

For those of you who don't know, my truck was broken for about 3 days. I felt powerless, useless, immobile. Yesterday after church. The amazing mind and hands of Mike Kruger and the wallet of Mr. Barton came together to fix my truck. Something actually physically broke off that was vital to the serpentine belt. I had no power steering which is a fun adventure for those of you who haven't experienced it. But, now it is fixed, well... drivable. We will do more work in the future on it.

Oh yeah, church. It was great, I wore my hair back in a pony tail, it was fun. My head looked so small in my shadow. Jack was preaching, is was a great message. Partly because he wasn't 100% comfortable with it. You could see that the message was very much alive and in motion within him and his life. Forgiveness is a an amazing gift.

I had a dream last night, Mike Rich was doing the dishes. Alas, it was only a dream.

Twas much fun at Sam and Josiah's house last night. So many people in one place. I think almost everyone was there. Except my beautiful Nealey. It was a great time.

Question: What does it feel like to be shot?

Okay,

I've got a lot to say. I am also %100 positive that I won't be able to say it all on this post. Since my last post, I have seen the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind It brought up some interesting thoughts.

1) How much of my life have I just forgot?
So many things I have experienced, I can't even remember them even happening. How different would my life be if I had that knowledge? People always complemnt me on my good memory, is it really that good? I can tell a lot of things that most people don't remember but, I can't remember my checking account number without looking at the card it is written on. I don't remember my dreams for more than 1 day unless I tell someone. I know what your're thinking I need a journal.

Ok, So I haven't been very good at this

Ok, sorry for all those who experienced edwards or manahan syndrome while checking my blog only to find a site in dire need of a new post.

School has started. It is going to be a semester of work. SI position will also offer some good times. I really want to put up a quality post, it will have to be in the near future.

Lots of things

Well, I wanted to post about a bunch of things I'll list them here so that I can remember them.

Smells
Dreams

Okay. Let's start with the smells. I was driving home to BG one night. I had just crossed the maumee river and the smell hit me. It was a smell that I had smelled before. It was a welcomed smell that brought back good memeories. The smell reminded me of going to play Zombie. In summers past, wen I was living in Toledo, I would get a call from Mike or Joel or someone and be invited down to play. I would hop in my truck and speed down I-75. The smell had happend almost every time. There was the smell of the outside, and the mind set that you would be outside, running around in the woods, acting like little kids. It was great. This summer will hold more of that. We will start Zombie back up. We will reclaim the night. I asked Mike if he ever get smells that reminded him of anything. He said yes. Somtimes he catches a whiff of Kenya. I guess that means I'm not crazy after all.

Dreams. Man I had one of the wierdest dreams i have ever had last night. Justin and Mike were in it. We were at my old church in Toledo. Our Lady of Lourdes. However it was not a catholic chuch in my dream. There was a huge conference going on there and I saw an old teacher of mine from St. John's. Br. Moriconi was holdng a session at this conference I walked up to him and it seemed like he did not remember me. I told him he probably did not recoginze me with my long hair. He said, "Actually, I've gone blind. The opperation went wrong and my eyes were not able to be salvaged". Wow. crazy. This session was held in the evening when the sun was going down. It was for adults only. Mike and I had other responsibilties. Since the conference was for adults only, there was going to be a lot of kids with nothing to do. Mike and I were to tell stories to the kids. The Gospel. I think we called it the sermon on the mount because there was a hill there. So, I didn't really expect a lot of kids, but as we walked outside, there were kids covering the whole hill. I looked at Mike and smiled, "This is awesome, I'll get the camera". So I went to a basement where Justin was sleeping. I asked him if I could borrow the camera. He said sure, if and only if you have a tape for it. No problem, I got that. So I got the camera, it was huge. As big as a guitar. I walked outside with the camera and then we started. It was so perfect. So many kids listening to the Gospel. So into it. I felt blessed at that moment. Mike and I shed tears as we walked to the hill and saw all the kids. Such an opportunity. Such a perfect night to learn about God. The sun setting, a campfire burning, each kid glued to the story of God. It was one of the weirdest and most emotional dreams that I had ever had.

Church, this past Sunday.

This past Sunday, April 24, 2005, was my preaching debut. It was over the passage Matthew 5:43-47. Of course Chapter 5 contains 48 verses, however, the last verse is a full encompassing of all that has been spoken on earlier in Matthew. Sunday was great. I felt really comfortable. Praise God for getting His message across to the congregation. It was really exciting and enjoyable to be up there. People paying attention to you rather than not. Not to say that the Youth Group doesn't pay attention, but sometimes I don't know if they really are listening. I used Justin Edwards song "Wrestling with Greatest Love" for part of the sermon, it was a great fit. I think people were into it. Thanks to all the support, prayers, and people who came out on Sunday. It was very exciting to see my parents in church. Mike, Joel, Stuart, Andrew, Ben, Jenny, and of course Nealey all came out, it was great to experience this with you guys there. I am going to talk about smells in a later post. We'll see how that goes.

Why I love my girlfriend

Why do I love her? That wonderful, beautiful girl Nealey Hearns. She is so special to me. She laughs at my jokes, unless they aren't funny. She gives me hugs, those are nice. She trys so hard at everything. 110% isn't trying enough in her book. She encourages me, not guilt trips me. She has good taste in music, most of the time. She's got a Mac. She's flippin' sweet! Did I mention she has a Mac? She answers my phone calls to her at any time. She's got really small feet. She can kick a ball really far. She respects my decisions. She loves the Bangkok Kitchen. She makes really tasty food for me to eat. She has a sweet green jacket. She uses words I don't understand sometimes. She lets me play my music in her car. She is afraid of car washes, the automatic kind. She reads her Bible. She lives a life worthy of being called a Christian. She's got a great style. She smells good. She wears her glasses at night. She can blow bubbles with gum. She's got an awesome digital camera. She collects thermos that come with bank accounts. Oh yeah, and SHE LOVES ME!

Math, Math, Math, Math

I think I've done it. When I look forward a couple of semesters this is what I see:
(Credit hours) Call Number, Class

Summer '05:
(3) IPC 102, Interpersonal Communications
Fall '05:
(3) MATH 341, Probability and Statistics
(3) MATH 402, Modern Geometry
(3) MATH 332, Linear Algebra
(3) MATH 313, Mathematical Logic
Spring '06:
(3) MATH 417, Advanced Math Topics for Early to Adult teaching
(3) EDFI 402, Assesment & Evaluation in Education
(3) EDTL 420, Development of Reading Content Area
(3) EDTL 367, Computer Utilization in the Classroom
(3) EDTL 474, Mathematics Secondary Section
Summer '06:
Breathe
Fall '06:
(15) EDTL 497, Student Teaching

Looks kinda crazy busy. It's all there. Everything, barring I don't re-take or fail anything, but we'll deal with that when it comes.

Camera

Camera
Originally uploaded by kcray.

Here she is:

Goodness

I was driving home from school on friday. I saw this girl walking on the sidewalk. She had a black sweatshirt on and it said something in white writting on it. My first impression was that it said "got Jesus?" ya know, like that got milk? commercial. I thought to myself, yeah, BG is certainly getting more Christian these days. As she walked closer, I noticed in actuality that it said "got beer?". Man, that seems to be right. What a contrast. Then I thought about the lost here in BG, what can we do to be more effective?

This was one of the most busy weekends I've had in a while. I did most of my homework on Saturday. Saturday was filled with homework. Abstract Algebra is really tough but very interesting. I was also able to be involved with a Friday Night Alive promotion seen on Justin's Website.

Sunday, I went up to Y-town to go to church with my wonderful girlfriend Nealey. I got there a little early and the weather was beautiful, so we decided to take a walk. During our walk we found some drug parifinalia on the ground. That was pretty weird. Church was great. After church Nealey and I went to Best Buy to purchase a digital camera for Nealey's up coming Mission trip to Chad, Africa. (See picture above.) It was a crazy busy weekend but also so nice to spend some time with Nealey. Nealey's sickness of the week is Typhoid, pray for her. Also, Mike Edwards scored at 1/3 last week. So far this week he is 1/1. We'll see if that lasts.

A night of Youth

Congratulations Sammy, you have won the NCAA bracket challege of winners and losers. What do you win? As promised, you win a dinner with your favorite youth leader (me, of course) and my assistant, Mike Rich. There will be three locations to choose from. The place that is pronounced WHO-NAN buffet, Skyline Chili, or Panera Bread. Choose wisely... In other Youth news, like I said, I'm not going to hound you about coming to BNYC, if God has put a desire in your heart, tell me and I will put you on THE list. Also, last night at Youth Group, we were playing soccer in the side yard, the good team was winning, and all of a sudden, a window was broken. The ball went flying toward my House and broke the top storm window as well as the top regular window. It was a fitting end to a hard fought game. We'll talk more later.

A great season

After out scoring their opponents 2414 to 1864 over the entire season. Then end up losing both their games by a total of 6 points. I'd say they are still one of the greatest teams in many years.
Nice job Orange Crush.

Now that's more like it!

Wow this weather has been great. I hope it continues. (it's starting to get more cloudy as I type) Everything has been really crazy lately. Lot's of homework. What's that all about? We're in college I shouldn't be expected to do anything outside the classroom. Easter was nice. It went really fast. Church was great. It was a pretty big service. I need to miss a week of church soon. It has been too long since my Sunday morning was given to something else. Of course I'm kidding. I love church. Sometimes it can seem a little irrelevant but it somehow always comes around. Sometimes it feels like we hear the same message week after week after week. I'd like to mix it up a little. Ah well, our own little Christian community. Youth Group went great last night. Galatians 3, Baby! It was good to teach again. That's about it. Pray for my yellow fevered girlfriend Nealey, the vaccine wasn't too nice to her.

Music

Hey, come on out to see Michael Edwards do his thing tonight. The Banjo will be rockin' and the clarinet will be laying down some smack as well. Don't forget the flute, the smooth rhythm's will fill the room. 7 o'clock shape, at the UCF on Thurstin. Eric Barton will also be creating some mighty fine sounds tonight as well.

And we're back!

Almost like we never left. Break was good. It was nice to just relax and not worry about school work or having to get up early. The break started nicely with a TMSE show on Sunday night. I think Ben broke a string on purpose so that my guitar would get some stage time. I got to visit with Nealey for a couple of days during the latter half of break. It was nice. Then this Sunday night came. 11:30 at night, time for some homework due monday. It went surprisingly fast though.

If you are a student from grades 6-12, and want to go to BNYC (Brethren National Youth Conference), July 23-30, let me know. Also, if you are following along with BNYC Bible study schedule I created, You should have read or will read sometime today Galatians 2. Tomorrow and the day after that are devoted to Galatians 3. I hope you are getting all jazzed up reading the Word of God. I know I am.

Life

I've been flirting with boredom already during these first couple of days of spring break. The very first day of "break", Saturday, I did absolutely nothing. Now, when people say "I didn't do anything", they usually mean I didn't do anything that amounted to something. Granted they did stuff, it just did not amount to anything. My Saturday, I DID NOTHING. The most stimulating events were receiving phone calls (2) and taking a shower. The rest of the day was compromised of sitting on the couch. In the words of Mike Edwards, "It would suck to live a long time like this".

My boredom has somewhat subsided. Music is awesome to me. I've really been getting into new (to me) bands. Eisely is good. Pedro the Lion is powerful. TMSE, You're never gonna get it, I don't think I could count how many times I've listened to it. Kent, Notwist. Music has seemed to be even more powerful to me lately. The lyrics and notes hit deeper. God has definitely blessed us with the gift of song. I once heard "God gave us music, that we may pray without words". I'm not going to say that every song is a prayer, nor would I limit what a prayer could be. God has really been awesome. He always is, it's just when I come around to acknowledging it that it blows me away.

Game

http://www.geocities.jp/lledoece/nanaca-crash.html

Possibly one of the most enjoyable games on the internet.

Eisley

So Mike was over and we were "narrowing down" our topics for our History of Math project. That didn't take long because we basically blurted out anything that we thought we could write about. Afterward, we listened to a bunch of music. Included in that time was a band called Eisley. (See their website www.eisley.com) Let me say that I really don't have any favorite women singers or women led bands. I have listened to and enjoyed Amiee Mann and some Sixpence but nothing to make me pursue further music. Eisley is really good, and really solid. The Vocals are strong yet soft and elagent. Their music spans multiple genres in the Album "Room Noises". I really enjoyed their style and continue to listen to them. Check em' out. On a side note, I think I will share the full story of the History of Math project/HW/Midtrem in a following post.

1st post

Hello web-surfers. This is my first post. I hope there are many to follow. I hope you will enjoy future posts and see them as insightful, interesting, offending, encouraging, and/or all or none of the above. Thanks