Hindsight is better than Foresight.

This year I am not going to make a New Years resolution. I am going to look back on 2007 and list the blessings and smiles I found along the way.

Here they are in no particular order.

My Going Freelance
The Lord has taught me a lot through this, mainly in His provision for me. I always knew the Lords provides, but never have I seen it so up close. He has humbled me in a very precious way. I get stressed, but through prayer He soothes me and reminds me oh His promises for me. And it is awesome to be my own boss. :)

Substitute teaching is awesome too.

Family & Friendships
Family- I can honestly say I love you all more and more each day. And I know we can get on each others nerves form time to time, but as lame as it sounds I am so thankful that we are close enough to actually achieve that. :)

Old Friends- Weather from School, work, or CCCV I love you all so much. Many of you I don't see too often, but when I do I am blessed so much by your open arms and warm hugs. Thank you for your patience with me and hope to see you more this upcoming year.
New Friends- I have made so many new legitimate friends this year. I want to list them but I am afraid to in fear of forgetting some. But I will try.

1) BUB's Buddies: Ian my roomie and partner in crime. Ryan and Amy two of my best friends who got married back in May. Matt and Amy who are practically my brother and sister. Matt and Amy I see the Lord so clearly in your lives, it is such an encouragement to me (most of these guys I have known for a while).
2) Potter Pals: All my fellow nerds and Potter lovers! July was our month! I met so many of you and it was a blast! Especially John, Bre, Sue, Melissa, Rita, and Sam. I am blessed to know you guys.
3) BIOLAites: All my friends 2 blocks away. Emily and all her friends who made me feel at home there. Abby, Johnny, Taryn, David, Jo, Karina, Angi, Royce, Melody, and so many more, too many to list! It always put a smile on my face when I got asked what dorm I lived in. I was like an honorary BIOLA Student.
4) Relient Schneck: Last and far from least Mr. Jonathan Schneck! It has been a huge blessing and honor to call you Friend this year! You are so good to me! Thank you for all the free shows, and vanguarding my art to the rest of the band. It was a career goal of mine to do something for you guys! You made that happen! And to top it off you are a super cool guy who also love comics! :D

Worship
Back in college I was spoiled by the beautiful worship of the SH3KINAH worship team. This year I was blessed enough to be spoiled again.You all know who you are and I thank you and the Lord so much for your wonderful gift. Continue to give that it back to Him!

Telephone Pictionary
My life will never again be the same.

Poker Nights @ Newman's
Jeremy thank ya so mush for many fun filled and late nights at the poker table! I always have so much fun with you guys! Even though I have the short term memory of a fruit fly when it comes to the two cards in my hand. I look forward to many more this coming year. Lets face it, we are all just so HC.

C.S. Lewis
I fell in love with his work all over again this year. Thank you for getting me through some really dark seasons.

Harry Potter & J K Rowling
The final book came out. It was so bitter sweet. I know I sound like a nerd, but I do not care! I looked forward to Deathly Hallows so much, but at the same time I dreaded it. I didn't want it to end! Early last year when the relseas date was announced I was talking to my friend Matt online, trying to explain to him my mixed emotions about it. He coined it perfectly, "It's like seeing your best friend, but you know its the last time". So true! Looking back over the series I see J K Rowling, and I respect her work so much. Her talented, and how well she has handled her fame and money. Not many people can handle that with out being seduced by it. To the contrary she grows even more generous, with time and money. Her charity work is so encouraging and powerful.
And lets not forget all the other fun more frivolous stuff that comes along with it, like the PodCasting and my involvement with Leaky (www.leakynews.com). And all my friends who read the whole series this year b/c of my constant harpping. And a HUGE thank you to Melissa Anelli who was cool enough to give Mrs. Rowling herself in person an actual drawing of mine! I say all this to basically say thank you Jo!


I will leave it at 7. Thank you Lord for 2007 and I look forward to the many lessons, blessing, and corrections of 2008.

The Lady

Right now I am finally finishing Perelandra, By C. S. Lewis. The second book in his Space Trilogy. I stated it last year but got distracted and never finished it. And if I put a book down it is very hard for me to pick it back up... I dunno why. I actually hate that about myself. What is frustrating and kinda funny is that I stopped reading it right before it got really meaty. It predominately a story of temptation to do something you know is against the will of God, or Maledi as He is referred to in the book. It's very much like The Screwtape Letters, and that is my all time favorite book. So I can't wait to finish this puppy.

Ransom, one of the protagonists in the story, is in a monologue where he is discussing temptation and its function and purpose it can have. There some lines that spoke wonders to me and is still echoing around in my head. It's something that I already knew but i guess I just didn't quite understand.

"If the Lady were to be kept in obedience only by the forcible removal of the Tempter, what was the use of that? What would it prove? And if the temptation were not a proving or testing, why was it allowed to happen at all?"

I needed to hear that like nothing else. When I think about temptation and the Lords hand in it, or lack there of, it is comforting, scary, challenging, and frustrating all at the same time. I already knew that the Lord allows us to be tempted and tested, but those few sentences somehow acted as a prism. They broke down the light/reality of it, and now I can see all the different colors/truths of this dynamic relationship we have with temptation. And the role it has in the Lords refining process for us. The Lord will take the bad things in our life and use it for His glory. Remember what Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [His] purpose." Now I wont be so foolish as to ask that temptation be removed from my life and walk, but be encouraged to be in word and prayer and be ready for it. That I might be proven.

And now a nice segway into art...

I am trying to draw The Green Lady. She is supposed to be beautiful, have confidence, but also innocent and "naive". I am having difficulty finding that balance. But it is a lot of fun trying!