A Rundown of Thoughts

Hey guys! It's winding down to the end of a freezing weekend! I don't know what the weather has been like where you guys are, but the south can get pretty frigid. I had a great weekend! A few friends, Lauren and Bethany paid me a visit. I went to see the movie Defiance which was so great. And I have some news about church...but first, I mentioned last time that I wrote a piece about "abortion" for my class last week. I thought I would share with you my final copy. (It's edited down short because all of our pieces can be no shorter than 400 words and no longer than 500). Enjoy!

An Empty Silence

Thump thump. Thump thump. The two separate heartbeats pulsated together with rhythmic precision like they were keeping a beat for the Philharmonic. The tone of the ultrasound echoed in her mind constantly since she discovered her pregnancy. Tears flowed from her face, slowly forming a soaked spot on the hospital gown that got bigger with each teardrop. She was alone in the room with all of her nerves and support grasped onto the handle on the side of the surgical chair, while the tissue paper she laid on crinkled with every movement.
Nothing could prepare her for this moment. She tried to recite Bible verses that would calm the tension, but nothing came to mind. She felt even more alone while the ultrasound continued to echo. Thump thump. Her parents didn’t know. Couldn’t know. Their knowledge and resulting disapproval would only make her feel more abandoned. She tried to ignore the fact that abandoning someone is exactly what she is about to do.
The nurse stepped in. The needle punctured her arm. She visualized a stab into the second heartbeat within. Snapping the glove tight against his wrist, the doctor looked her in the eyes with a comforting gaze. Her feet started to slide out of the stirrups. She was struggling to hold on with her hands, and now her feet.
The doctor sat on the stool and rolled towards her to position himself between her legs. Her grip clinched even tighter. The doctor grabbed the curette, and slid it in her cervix. He began to slowly scrape along the wall of her uterus to dislodge the tiny life inside. The shot wasn’t helping her fall asleep. She could feel, and will remember everything. The doctor then slid the forceps into position to collapse the baby’s skull and pull the tiny life out through her cervix. The procedure was finished.
Was it a boy or a girl? Either way, the Philharmonic duo had come to an abrupt end. There was no musical coda that would continue the beautiful harmony into another stanza. The soaked stain on the hospital gown increased in diameter as she lay there burying her face in her hands. The tiny heartbeat echo would resound evermore in her thoughts. It is a lifeless melody, but in reality an empty silence. Thump thump.

So yeah, that's that. This week, our assignment was to take our favorite word and write a similar story around that word. My word is "contribute," and I think I'll be writing about how we all have something to give to each other. Might be cheesy, but I'm going to do my best for it not to be.

A lot has been on my mind lately regarding where I fit in down here in Atlanta. Since moving here in September, it has been a struggle to fit in at a liberal school when the majority of people are not believers in faith like I am. There are maybe a handful of us who try to practice Biblical principles in our lives. It can get very discomforting. I do my best to fit in around the school, but I don't believe personally that I need to abandon my morals and personal judgment to do so. I have made a lot of friends, but on most weekends a lot of them like to go out to bars/restuarants/clubs to drink and let loose. Or parties at other people's apartments. I want to say upfront that I personally don't judge people like this. I have drank a time or two, but I don't personally enjoy it. I think going further by getting drunk is completely immature and confusing. In most cases, not everyone is even getting drunk. Mostly just a hangout with alcohol involved. Even still, I'm not a party kind of guy if all they were drinking is Dr. Pepper. I'm much more of a board game party person than dancing around each other and all of that. Call me crazy, but I find more excitement in a fierce competition of Hungry Hungry Hippos than I do over a game of poker. Granted, that qualifies me to be between the age of 7-12, and also highly illegal and classified as a child molestor if I play with those kids. There lies the hurdle haha. I do try and go hang out more with people from school, and everyone is well aware of my beliefs and personal choices. No one forces me to do anything I don't want to, which is quite a relief. I guess I just enjoy staying in my apartment and watching a movie. But I promised a few people I would socialize more and come t parties. They are aware that the moment I get uncomfortable I'm leaving.

The main thing has been trying to find a group of friends who are believers like I am. It was very easy in college since I attended a flippin' Christian institution. Now it's like that world completely flipped over. And don't get me wrong, everyone at school is a lot of fun. There is not one person at school who I don't get along with and bond with, etc. It's just I really want a group of friends also that I can go to church with and build Christian fellowship. The hard thing is trying not to appear snobbish or that I'm better than everyone at school. I'm not. I DO have a better spiritual life in my heart and soul that I hope everyone sees. I just don't believe I need to sacrifice myself in order to make deep friendships at school and fit in. Success comes to those who are passionate and pursuit it wholeheartedly.

At church this evening...since I missed the morning service (Buckhead Church...a satellite church of North Point with Andy Stanley) I got information on Fusion and GroupLink, which are two outlets of small groups at church for people who want to connect and get more involved. It's definitely something I have been longing to do there. There seem to be a lot of people my age in there. The first gathering I think is this coming Sunday. I should get a call this week with more details. I pray that it works out. Like I said, nothing against school people...zero judgments. I just want to also find other friends who can keep me in my roots at the same time.

In other church news, I have a friend who knows someone who works at the church on the media team who might be able to offer me a chance to take photos every now and then or be a part of the media team. I don't know much more detail than that, but it sounds awesome! I'll keep you posted.

That's all for now. I hope you guys have a wonderful week! God Bless!

More to come...