It’s Amazing Grace

I had a good time at the mutemath concert last night. There were some wild and crazy people there. I laughed inside at some of the cazy things they did. People were jumpin’ around and shouting. The band was breaking things on stage. And believe it or not the lead singer jumped into the audience! They were a little slow in realizing he wanted to be lifted up and carried. Matt Richie said, “Yeah, I got to give him a little shove, but then I was like grossed out after touching him because he was soaking wet!” It was awesome to see the whole band put down their instruments and all start playing keyboards. I was pumped after I saw that. This was my first ever concert. I was nervous about going, but I’m glad I decided to go. Actually, I’ve had a couple of first’s lately…I dare to say.

Ok, I made it through a week of posting regularly atleast every other day. What next? I don’t know! But I feel more at ease now to post…whatever! I do miss writing about my deepest thoughts. I think I will write something this week about that.

These past few days I have been loosing my mind because of my weekly schedule. For the past three days I thought I had lost things like my cell phone, a dress shoe, $100 and my keys all on separate days! Luckily nothing was really lost. I have been very forgetfull lately. While, just tonight I was suppose to go to worship team prayer. As I was walking out the door to go to church at 8pm, Curtis, told me night church started at 7pm. I thought it was at 8pm…you see what I mean! I’m loosing it! I was so bummed that I missed prayer…I really wanted to go…Oh well. Now I’m stuck here at my computer trying to finish assignments for my on-line classes that were due by 11:55pm…and yes I know it’s 1:22am.

Oh man! I never realized how difficult it is to write about silly things. But even though it’s hard I do feel more comfortable writing about anything now without any pressure. I guess Leah’s idea is helping. I have to admit, I was doubting it two days ago.

I can’t stand paying somebody to fix something that I can probably learn to fix myself! I feel like I’m being ripped off! What I mean is…if they can fix it…can’t I possibly learn how to do it and fix it myself and save a whole lot of money. Lots of times I will go to many lengths to try and fix something before I decide to take it in and get it fix. That recently happened with my keyboard. One of the keys broke and I called Music Mike’s to see how much they would charge to fix a pedal and a broken key…$65/hour is a lot of money, especially if they take their “sweet time” fixing it! And why would I pay $65/hour for a broken pedal, when I can buy a new one for $25? Does that make any sense?! My keyboard must of had about 25-30 screws in it. Well, I was determined to figure this one out for myself. I took out every screw and laid them out on the floor in front of me in the exact order they were on the keyboard…so I could remember which screw goes were. When I opened up the keyboard I was amazed at what I found. The basic inner workings of a keyboard seemed so clear to me. Well I glued my key back together and put it back in place…and in the process I figured out how the keyboard keys are able to make sound. Now I don’t have to use electrical tape to hold down my key anymore. That makes me feel good because my keyboard looked getto! Now all I have to do is figure out how to buy a replacement key for the key I glued back together. Then I can open my keyboard up again and fix it myself!

I called Music Mike’s again to see if they would let me buy a new white key through them. He was speechless. I mean, he thought it was so unusual for someone to call for replacement part. He said, “Huh! Would you like us to fix your keyboard?” I said, “No. I can fix it myself. All I need is the part.” He didn’t help me, but Sam Ash Music Store’s sales representative did. I have the phone number and website to korg’s keyboard website, which is the name brand of my keyboard. That is one less thing I have to worry about getting ripped off from. Now, if I can just figure out the “BIG ONE”…how to fix my car so that I can stop getting ripped off by auto-mechanics!

Yesterday, I played Ultimate Frisbee with Scott and our cross-country athletes for 45 min. continuously. Basically, all you do is throw a Frisbee to your teammates down the field until you reach your goal and score a point. Well, sometimes Scott and I can become a little too competitive and our extreme competitiveness rubs off on our athletes.

The wind was blowing heavy coming from the east yesterday. So, if you throw the Frisbee into the wind it’s going to come back towards you, and most likely go over your head. Well, the whole game I’m screaming at my team, “Don’t throw it into the wind…Don’t throw it into the wind”! Didn’t they listen? No! Atleast not until the last 10 min! It took those knuckleheads almost the entire game to figure out that simple concept!

Scott decided to cheat and have his team huddle in a circle, passing the Frisbee to each other, walking toward their goal. Oh yeah! It turned into a wrestling match. Athletes were falling on the ground. I was trying to wrestle the Frisbee from six athletes who had a grip on the Frisbee. While I notice their still moving and inching their way toward their goal! So I decide to wrap my arms around as many people in the circle as I possible could and push the entire circle sideways away from the goal. Well, it didn’t work because they eventually scored. Those cheaters!

One of my athletes on my team, Jerome, said that him and Frankie were going to hold the Frisbee and sprint down the field with it toward our goal. I said, “OK”. I knew I was wrong but I wanted to see if we could get away with it. Of course, Scott complained and said they weren’t passing it. He tried to rationalize how what they did was, Less Wrong, than what we did. Is there even such a thing as, Less Wrong! I gave up and said, “OK, I’m done arguing! From now on we will throw the Frisbee to our teammates!” In the Bible, isn’t a sin a sin no matter what sin it is. Therefore, isn’t a wrong a wrong no matter what. Now come on, really…I’ve never heard of levels of wrongness. We were both wrong and that’s all to it. Scott and I let things get out of hand because of our extreme competitiveness and wanting to win. Well, my team did win on the last play when we started playing fair and throwing the Frisbee to each other. And we all did have fun being goofy. But I think from now on we will have to set some ground rules so that we don’t turn the game into a wrestling match anymore. Afterall, it is cross-country and the athletes are suppose to be running continuously. You can’t do that if your always on the ground wrestling someone for the Frisbee. End.

 Lately, I have received many compliments about my writings on this blog. And I have to admit they have been very encouraging…maybe a little to much to the point where I am feeling this enormous pressure to live up to my writing style. So, in order to reduce the pressure and increase the number of posts I write each week I have decided to go on a “Seriousness Fast” with Leah. I want to try an write a post every other day to see if I can do it. Therefore, I want to be silly and talk about nothing…sort of like that comedy show that’s about nothing…you know…maybe you have heard of it. Does “Seinfeld” ring a bell?

Leah said I should talk about my curly hair. I know…it’s really curly. Did you know it takes me at least 2 hours to redo it. Lot’s of times my fingers cramp up. Did you know that if I were to straighten my hair it would fall somewhere in the middle of my back. Maybe you don’t believe me. But if you pulled on one of my curls, I’d make a believer out of you! I’m asking myself right now…what did I just talk about? Nothing. Or maybe it’s…something…to you.

At Worship team prayer night when we were talking about how we were being affected by the minstry and how the ministry was being effective I felt encouraged. I was encouraged because I know that just by my being there I am growing in relationship with others.

It got me thinking about around this same time last summer how hopeless and discouraged I felt about relationships and my marriage. I remember crying before service. Leah came to me to talk to me. At the time I didn’t know how she could help me. But…I can see now how she is helping me. She is a good friend! Right after she came, Carlos came over and pulled me out side. He talked to me. When I told him what was wrong he gave me the number to CIFT, a christian counseling center in Chino. Little does he know that he has changed my life for the better. Carlos has blessed me more that he will ever know! I am truly grateful and will be ever thankful for his faithfullness to be a servant of Jesus Christ.

When they got back on stage they played the song “Marvelous Light”. I sung softly because my crying and the pain I was feeling inside made it difficult to sing loudly…but still I sang. This song will forever have new meaning in my life. The words…some of which were “In to marvelous light I’m running” and “sin has lost it’s power, death has lost it’s sting” gives me encouragement now because I remember how hopeless I felt when I sung them back then…and now I sing them because I know there is hope…hope exists…hope lives in me.

I started my first day of work as a permanent instructional aid and X-country and track coach at the new high school in the Corona-Norco Unified School District. It’s awesome working at a brand new high school with an all-weather track and artificial turf football field. Scott is a good friend and an awesome teacher. He is teaching me how to interact with people and have appropriate social interactions in the work setting. I am learning that sometimes I need to hold back my honesty…so that I can keep my job. Social interactions seem very complicated to me. You have to know what situations it’s ok to say somethings and when not to say those same things in different situation…Whew!

Scott and I are listening to David Crowder and James Blunt. James sings the song, Your Beautiful. I really like that song a lot. I remember one day last week I was listening to that song and all of a sudden I felt inspired to get up and write about a different topic, but it still brought forth the same emotions. I wrote what I consider a song in about 25 minutes. I am enjoying my new found way of expressing what’s inside my soul and heart…that is through writing in my journal, poems and songs. I never thought I would ever be doing these kind of things because I use to be horrible at writing…especially in English classes. It wasn’t until I got my M.S. degree from CSU,Fullerton and had to write a thesis when I learned how to write and expand my vocabulary.