Wisdom of a Mick

Its a fancy to see me posting on here once again, isn't it? Well I Stumbled across some of these quotes and wisdoms, and I thought I would share some with you. Some funny and some not so funny. So here we go.

"The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scotts as a joke, but the Scotts haven't seen the joke yet."
- Oliver Herford

"Those who drink to forget, please pay in advance."
- Sign at the Hibernian Bar, Cork City.

"I tell you this - early this morning I signed my death warrant."
- Michael Collins, after signing a treaty on December 6, 1921 with England creating the Irish Free State as a dominion within the British Commonwealth. He was later assassinated by partisans unhappy with the deal.

"When I told the people of Northern Ireland that I was an atheist, a woman in the audience stood up and said, 'Yes, but is it the God of the Catholics or the God of the Protestants in whom you don't believe?" - Quentin Crisp

"This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever."
- Sigmund Freud (speaking about the Irish)

"Well, it takes all kinds of men to build a railroad."
"No sir, just us Irish."
- Railroad barons in "Dodge City," Warner Bros., 1939

"We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English."
- Winston Churchill

Waste Of A Good 27 Days

You know it is a silly thing when we get busy. Things that we love, activities that we have a passion for all get tossed to the back burner with the coils black and cold. This blog has unfortunately been victim of that dark cold corner. When I started writing, I was excited about sharing all of my thoughts and stories with all my friends and any random person who just happened to stumble upon it. Well it turns out that after the excitement faded, so did my writing. I became to "busy" to write and share things. The last couple days I have really been struggling with this situation. I want so badly to share my life with people but at the same time, whether it be work or school, I toss this and many other things back. To me this has been a waste of a good thing, I get to work on improving my writing skills and I get to post all my thoughts, prayers, hopes, and dreams out there for people to read. I have failed at doing so. On the positive side, I can see my failure and I can see an opportunity to grow in all of this. If I am going to start something, I better be able to give it 100%. To me this is practice for something bigger and better. God teaches us something in every situation we face we do, and even though this may not be a big deal, I can still take a nugget of truth from it and glorify the God that gave it to me. In life I am gonna stumble and make mistakes, it's what I will do with those mistakes that really matter.

Car Bombs And A Playlist

I know I haven't really posted anything this past week. I would have but I was out of town. While I was gone, I received a couple of messages telling me to post some new stuff. That would have been a fantastic idea, and I would have, but I could not get your messages, let alone get on a computer. So back off before I put a car-bomb under your little cars like my ancestors would have done! Sweet, well... On to more important things now. The music I have been indulging in lately fallows in a list, but no specific order.

1. A whisper & a clamor-Anberlin
2. The Heart's cry- Bill Whelan
3. The fight-Classic Crime
4. Marching bands of Manhattan- Death Cab For Cutie
5. The coldest heart- Classic Crime
6. Returning the smile you have had from the start- Emery
7. Dismantle, repair- Anberlin
8. The sound- Further Seems Forever
9. Last Day of 1888- Kids In The Way
10. Someone else's arms- Mae
11. January 1979- mewithoutyou
12. I need you- Relient K
13. Take my hand- Shawn McDonald
14. You're ever so inviting- Underoath

Holiday With Oranges And Angels

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to California for spring break. It was a much needed holiday away from all the regularities in my life. No computer, no school books, no t.v. (even though i don't watch very much), no xbox, and very little cell phone use. It seemed like I was isolated from the rest of the world. The only contact out of the group I had, was with Rachel and that was maybe 20-30 minutes a night, which was the hardest part about being away for a week. Even though that feeling of being so far away never left me, I still had an amazing time in Irvine, California. I got to spend a lot of time with God and wrestled with the things I struggle with. I also got to hang out and worship with all the young men and women that I get to disciple. We had a lot of time together. All 60 or so of us packed into a 3 bedroom house full of sleepless nights and cold showers from the hose in the back yard. Girls upstairs and guys down. We did everything from worshiping in the family room to Magic Mountain in L.A. One day we even had a three hour solitude time in this sweet park.The day we had solitude was new and interesting to me. I have never spent that much time thinking and talking to God. It was pretty hard and it challenged me too take that time and use it intentionally. I am terrible at that, so it was good for me. One of my favorite things about the trip was the food! Every morning we awoke to an amazing cooked breakfast that our host( Bob my bosses father) slaved over. It was AWSOME!!! He also makes the best tacos I have ever had, and I am not joking either. Keep in mind, I haven't eatin the real thing with Aaron in mexico. Well to wrap this all up, our last day was on the beach. It consisted of; burying a dumpster 10 feet into the sand, rock climbing by the shore, and one of those stereotypical, final day, group pictures. What a beautiful way to end the holiday.

Top Of The Mornin Keano

So I know this is the second footy video ive posted in the last 11 hours, but this player deserves a tribute. Hes a simple, tricky little mick of a player. He is by far my favorite player in the world. I have a very similar style of play that he has; scrappy tricky, and quick. That is why I enjoy watching him so much. So if you have the time, take the next 3 and a half minutes to watch this pikey Irishman celebrate some legend goals.

A Blues Day

This goal got Chelsea into the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League. After coming back from a 0-1 deficit, Michael Bollack seals the victory for the Blues over Porto to end it 2-1 and overall out scoring them 3-2 on aggregate. I love the Champions League! I just love it! Its always top quality football! It just might be the best tournament in the world! Even though Chelsea isn't my favorite team and I dont like the coach very much, I hope they win the whole she-bang!! There will be more Champions League posts coming! I might even post the sweet exclusive theme song!!

Im Dating A Memphis Superstar

We have a new superstar in our midst and she is the girl of my dreams! Conference USA player of the week!!! Her name just happens to be Rachel Alexandra Larson!!

Conference USA Superstar of The Week

Rendezvous in Memphis

I got on a plane and departed Colorado and arrived in Memphis, the city of love. Well... at least the city of my love. This was the beginning of four days that my best friend and I had to celebrate our four year relationship. It started off with me standing in baggage claim waiting for my measly one duffel bag while eagerly anticipating the arrival of the love of my life. I waited there a few moments wondering when or if she will ever come. I finally turned back towards the escalator that funnels the rest of my fellow travelers towards the baggage carousel. As I glanced back, I saw if she had funneled out out behind me. I saw this beautiful brunet with a huge smile on her face. I turned back to see if my bag had made the journey with me, but I quickly turned back and took a double take of the smiling brunet and realized she looked very much like Rachel but with a haircut. I looked more closely.... It was Rachel... with shorter hair! I walked toward her a couple, of steps and we met each other and finally embraced for the first time in over a month. We hugged, gazed at each other, and I would be lying if I said we didn't kiss too. It all seemed so new after a month of being away from her! It seems like every time we get to see each other, it's almost like she's a new person. Even though she is the same person, just new qualities added on to the old Rachel. We waited together for a few moments just enjoying each other while we waited for my bag. At that point my bag popped out of the carousel but reality of me being able to touch my best friend hadn't fully set in. It didn't seem real, it was like I was stuck in one of my many daydreams about finally feeling her soft, warm hands in mine. I picked up my bag and as we started to leave the baggage claim into the humid, Memphis chill, Rachel stopped, turned to me and said "welcome to Memphis, hunny" as we passed by a mural of Elvis and BB King. Walking out the automatic doors with her was a very pleasant experience, we just had some simple small talk, held each others hand, and enjoyed each other's company. We got to the car and tossed all my bags into the boot and in turn got into the faithful Honda Accord. By this time it was about 2:40 in the afternoon and I still had not eaten any lunch. We talked the day before about what I would like to eat when I got there, and I decided that I would like to try another BBQ place called Rendezvous. So we headed out to Rendezvous in downtown Memphis. We drove down and parked right by the Mississippi river. The view is so amazing, especially in a place like Memphis when compared to the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado, doesn't hold much outer beauty(in my opinion). We gazed out across the water together and took in the view, it was a beginning I never wanted to end.

Persecution and Grace

I just wanted to share with you about a man named Farooq Keiser. Farooq is in both my ethics and old test. class. He is a christian who converted from Islam with a pretty intense story. This is his testimony.

I was born in 1973 in a middle class Muslim family in the east part of
the Nepal. My father was a religious leader of the community. As I was
growing up, my parents taught me the basic teachings of Islam. It
began with 'Kalima" which said: "there is no deity but Allah and
Mohammed is the prophet of Allah", because of this statement I was
brainwashed to believe that this was the only truth. I was taught that
there is no better religion than that of Islam and that only Muslims
are the true followers of God. All the other religions were called
"KAFIR", means paganism. Up until then I was never able to find peace
and love in my family. My father had problems with my uncles about
property and my grandfather had problems with his sons. Later, I found
that most of the robbers, thieves, murderers, and terrorists were
mostly Muslims. I began to question that if the Muslims are the
followers of the only true God then why were they so bad? Secondly I
was wondering why Muslims were one of the poorest communities in the
world and why they were always at war etc? Beside these questions, I
had asked so many other questions to my father but he had never been
able to satisfy me with his answers. Now, slowly I started to doubt
and hate Islam.

At the age of 12, I was trying to find a musical radio station on my
radio after finishing my homework. I was suddenly stopped when I heard
a voice and began to listen to it carefully trying to find out the
title of the song. To my surprise, the person never mentioned anything
about the movie song; instead it said "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT
HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM, SHALL NOT
PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." Then there was a brief story about
Jesus Christ that came into this world by virgin birth, performing
many miracles, as well as dying on a cross for sinners and who on the
third day raised to life again. Even though I did not know who Jesus
was I started weeping. I have never heard such an incredible story
before in my life. Since then I became a regular listener of that
program and after 5 to 6 months, I came to a conclusion that if there
is any loving, forging and living God that must be Jesus Christ. I
confessed my sin and accepted Jesus as my Savior. At that time there
were neither church nor any Christians in that area. After some time I
went to Delhi for higher education and started to attend a church and
got baptized in 1991 in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Still, I was a nominal believer, without anyone strong
discipling, along with a desire for personal fame.

In 1992 I went to Mumbai with the purpose of joining Bollywood to
become a movie director. As I was working there in an attempt to
accomplish my dream, I had to leave Bollywood because of Hindu and
Muslim riots. I went to Thailand on business where I was discipled by
a friend and began to know God more intimately. As I started to grow
in intimacy with God, I got a vision and burden for the lost souls of
Nepal. Therefore, I resigned my job and returned to Nepal in 1996.
After attending a short training school I started preaching the
gospel. The Muslims of my community got very angry and starting making
plans to kill me. My family kicked me out of the house because of my
faith and asked me never to come back again. My mother said, "Son, I
had 4 sons but from today on one son has died for me." I have never
imagined that a mother can say that to her son. Full of tears I left
home never to come back home again. The love of Christ gave me grace
to forgive my family and love them. After one and a half years of
fervent prayer, most of my family members are walking with Christ and
have started a fellowship at home. Besides that, several other Muslims
responded to the Gospel. At present I am leading two Hindu and five
Muslim background Churches in Nepal. I often face death threats and
persecution is very common.

However I have made a commitment that "If I live I live for Christ and
if I die I die for Christ. Nothing can separate me from the love of
God."

Your brother in Christ,

Farooq Keiser

Job of a lifetime

Well its been really busy around these parts of town. I have been swamped with class, papers, and my wonderful job that I'm so thankful for. I am an Intern of Student Ministries at Calvary Bible Church, Boulder and Erie campuses. It has been an amazing experience thus far. I am learning a ton of new things right now. Whether it's planning a dodgeball tournament, hanging with students, or teaching on a Sunday morning or Tuesday night. The people I work with are so uplifting, easy going, and happy all the time. It is exciting and fun everyday I get to go in and be apart of the team. Right now, my partner in crime (Stephen Milburn) and I are planning a corn maze for next Saturday. We have had fun making a video for it and putting a bit of a twist into the actual corn maze activity. But before we get to Saturday, we have to get the program together for this weeks TNT (high school youth group, short for Tuesday Night Thing.... its real creative isn't it). Right now we are in a Dodgeball series and we are starting the first week of playoffs tommorow night. We are giving away $800 to the winning team of 8 players. Intense huh? Its a ton of fun. I ususally get to ref and call out crazy vulgar mouthed high schoolers for getting hit by the blury yellow ball. Its GREAT watching them get so pissed off just because i "saw" them get hit by the rhino ball. They slam the ball they have in their hand down to the gym floor, and more than likely they will also slam down "Oh F-Bomb!!" It is truly a God given moment. Then I tell them they are going to Hell for that. After I tell them they are going to Hell, I envite them to come listen to me teach on how they can be saved from going to Hell on the following Sunday morning. So I guess some of them won't be going to Hell. Anyway.... This Sunday I am teaching for the first time at Crave (the high school Sunday School) I dont know what I'm gonna teach about yet other than the fact our Series is The Apprentice. So please pray that i don't blow it, and suck it up (half joking laughter)!

Unfriendly Roomie

So in the last two weeks, I have had two different confrontations, with two different house-mates. Both, unsurprisingly have the notoriuos bad temper and bad communication skill combo. Im just gonna share with you one of these fun filled encounters, and save the other for a later time. Sunday Sept. 2- I had just gotten home from a nice fun filled day of paintball. I was a bit hungry so I decided to mosey on into the kitchen to get a bite to eat. The kitchen was filled with this Southern Baptist choir music (I really wanted to take the radio and drop kick it out the window). I started walking towards the fridge when I saw someone at the table out of the corner of my eye. I looked at him and said "hey Brad, how are you doin today?" As I kept walking towards the fridge, waiting for a response, I looked back and he was just staring at me. I stopped, turned around, and started back at the table he was sitting at and asked once again "hows it goin today Brad?" Oddly enough, he kept staring at me. So one last time (as I stood at the side of the table) I asked how he was doing. His deep intense stare gave me the most uncomfortable feeling. He proceeded to stare at me for a few more seconds and he finally turned back at his food and shook his head in disapproval. Now im no communications major, but I think he showed some fantastic communication skills right there. He showed me that he has good eye contact, that he didnt like me, and he didnt want to talk to me all in 3 simple acts. So in the future if you dont like someone, and you dont want to talk to them either. Just do what Brad does and stare deeply, dont talk, and shake your head in disapproval.

P.S.
Brad is not this individuals real name. I changed it for protection of this individuals rights.

Prime location

So, the school year is off and going once again. C.U. students roam the sidewalks like cattle trying to get to class on time, and car horns and screeching tires fill the lovely street of Broadway. The "hill" is packed with people winding through its all of 10 or so streets. Ahhh yes! Being back to this frantic and high energy town is amazing! All that is missing is the first drunken weekend. For everyone who doesn't know, tonight will be the first of many loud and obnoxious nights. It is also the first of many great opertunities to put the wonderful location and design of the Lewis house balcony to use. Hassling the gaggle of intoxicated partiers. Water baloons will soon fill the air like flamming arrows in the dark starry sky! The peircing screams of suprise will finally break through the night and bring justice to this "sin city."