Feeling complacent

So fly me to the moon, tonight I'm ready

I'm ready to be lost among the stars

To soar above the clouds that once were heavy

A little closer to where You are

They say that senioritis is natural. I can't even complete this thought. That's how bad it is.

I'm ready to start a new adventure. 4 years doing the same thing can wear a person down. I think that's why I was made for adventure. Travel the world, or even just the US. It's big enough. There's a time for everything, and I know that my leap of faith is not supposed to be now. So I'm just waiting for the moment that I can jump.

There are a number of decisions I need to make. Some of which I can 'control' others which are in the hands of others, all of which are in the hands of God. Be faithful with what I've been given, and more will be given. I'm not feeling too faithful with this paper. Oh, and by the way: I'm finally ready to be complimented. It's a pretty big moment.

Something's missing. Not in the sense that I am incomplete, but in the sense that there is something that will be here that is not here. Relationship? Vocation? Really cool recording contract? Wisdom? It's like West Side Story...

could be...
who knows...
there's something due any day
i will know right away
soon as it shows
it may come cannonballing down from the sky
gleam in it's eye
bright as a rose
who knows...
it's only just out of reach, down the block, on a beach
under a tree
i got a feeling there's a miracle due
gonna come true
coming to me
could it be? yes it could!
somethig's coming, something good
if i can wait...
something's coming i don't know what it is
but it is gonna be great
with a click, with a shock
phone will jingle, door will knock
open the latch...
something's coming don't know when, but it's soon
catch the moon
one handed catch
around the corner
or whistling down the river
come on, deliever to me
will it be? yes it will!
maybe just by holding still
it'll be there
come on something, come on in
don't be shy, meet a guy
pull up a chair
the air is humming
and something great is coming
who knows...
it's only just out of reach
down the block, on a beach
maybe tonight...
maybe tonight...

It's time to pray big prayers. To pray hard. To put my billboard ring into practice.

Shadowboxer

You made me a shadowboxer, baby
I wanna be ready for what you do
I been swinging all around me
cause I dont know when youre gonna make your move
--Fiona Apple

I talked to my friend Cori for an extended period of time tonight. I love talking to that girl. She's such a soul sister. The Lord constantly has us on the same page, teaching us the same things. It's almost as if we're reading eachothers mind. I guess that's a taste of what the Bible meant when it says the believers were of one mind...haha.

Anyways, we were talking about how Satan is (in the words of my friend John) such a bastard. How we seem to be tempted most when we're on the right track. It's like, why when we feel so close to the Lord do we suddenly end up so far?

I've been praying for a renewed love for the Bible, and (solely inspired by my quest into Judaism to understand Christianity), I've been reading thru Matthew. It's the gospel that constantly points out Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. I was reading Chapter 4 which is when Satan tempts Jesus. MAN, that jerk is crafty! He uses 3 different tactics to cause Jesus to stumble, all of which are thwarted. First, he tells Jesus to satisfy His hunger (Jesus was fasting for 40 days...my friend Seth can barely make it 24 hours). This is Satan trying to distract Jesus from His devotion. Fasting is a form of prayer that really causes us to rely on the Lord and focus on Him. So satisfying that hunger, although legitament, was a way to distract Jesus's focus, possibly in preparing for His ministry.

2nd, Satan uses SCRIPTURE to tempt Jesus to test God. This is a tricky one. It's when we take Scripture out of context to justify our actions. "The Lord promises angels will catch you, so jump!" Never rely on Satan's interpretation of Scripture. This is why we need to pray continually that the Holy Spirit would reveal to us the meaning of the Bible, because otherwise, we might totally misinterpret it, and jump, and then die. Morbid...I know.

Finally, He promises Jesus all the world's kingdoms if He will bow to him. What's so amazing about this verse is that Jesus IS King of these kingdoms. The Bible says that Jesus was raised to the right hand of the Father and was given power over everything. Satan, knowing this was Jesus' destiny, does 2 things: He offers immediate gratification and also redirect who will receive glory. Jesus would recieve the world once His purpose on earth was completed, and God would be honored. Satan "promises" to give it to him AT THAT MOMENT in return for worship. Man, I'd say if anything, this is the tactic that gets me the most.

I wonder about myself in these verses. Do I want God's plan on my time? Immediately? Do I use Scripture as my justification or basis of my actions? There's a thin line. Do I allow Satan or myself to distract me from worshipping the Lord and doing His will?

Fiona Apple has a song called "Shadowboxer" which I have now dedicated to Satan. We constantly have to be on guard, not just anticipating his attact or temptation, but ready with a defense (or heck, offense). And only by the power and strength of the Holy Spirit can we defeat him. Jesus fought Satan with Scripture, nothing else. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Take that, bastard.

Why I should go to Australia

If you ever have egotistical moments like me, every once in a while you'll google your name. I used to have pictures on google, but they have sadly been taken down (too deep into newspaper archives I guess).

Today, I decided to look up Hindmarsh for the umpteenth time. See, as weird as my name is, its surprisingly popular over in Australia. I know I have family there. How they got there I'll never know. Although I bet it had something to do with the shipment of English prisoners to Australia back in the day. See, the Hindmarsh name is English (not German) and apparently I had quite a few outlaw ancestors. No wonder I have a rebellious streak. Anyways, yeah, we're pretty popular over in Australia.

SO popular, that there is a stadium named after us.

That's right, people. If you go to South Australia, you can visit Hindmarsh Stadium, one of the locations of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. With a capacity of 16,500, this stadium was renovated for the Olympics and is the home of Southern Australia soccer. Overall, visitors rate it above average. For more information and pictures, you can visit http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=54.

So yeah, add South Australia to my places I'd like to go before I die. Hang out with the kangaroos, play with a koala, and see a soccer game in my stadium. Sounds like a plan :)