I got a flu shot in my right arm today. Actually, my mom forced me to get a flu shot. She brought home a shot from work and had my nurse, sister Jodi stick it in my arm and push [I'm not positive this whole scene was supposed to make it to the world wide web.  Just keep it on the down low, ok? Thanks].

I can barely move my arm now. I’m showing serious heroism even as I type now.

I made that up. My arm is just a little sore [I am the worst at homophones. Is it possible to sue 3rd grade teachers for not learning important lessons?] like most every time I get a shot.

I just turned the German kezboard on, and I can never remember how to turn it off.

I actually remembered this time. So now I can give zou these [üö] or these [ߧÄÖ] whenever I want.  Boo yah.

Really, I’m just blogging because I’ve fallen off the wagon again.  This time I have a fairly good reason.  I’m working two jobs.  I’m still at Home Goods, but I’m moonlighting at Gymboring Gymboree so I can pay that student loan bill and maybe save some money.

Speaking of money.  I have decided to put myself on a spending freeze.  I have already qualified it with allowing myself to go see Where the Wild Things Are and eat lunch with my friends this Sunday after church, but that’s it.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to get in the habit of taking my lunch to work and buying less crap in general.  I own crap by the butt loads.  Anyway, I plan for this freeze to last for at least a month.

I am somewhat hopeful for this due to the success I’ve had in the book reading department.  You may remember, back in July I said I wanted to read more books and asked for your suggestions.  Well, I have actually followed through with this.  I even purchased a separate journal solely devoted to my reactions to my readings.  It’s definitely been good.  I’ve even took the advice the Cliffords suggested like Searching for God Knows What [Miller], and Soul Cravings [McManus].  I’ve liked everything I’ve read so far.  However, I am in need of some more fiction.  Right now I’m mainly getting  [spiritual] Self-Help stuff which can start to mess with your brain after a while.

I’m still doing the stupid college search.  I’m scheduled to go look at MTSU in about 10 days.  I’m just ready to pick at this point.  I want to pick, hunker down, and get that stupid degree already.  Alas, I was miserable the last time I made a rash decision like this.  So I would appreciate your prayers in  this department.  It seems it’s one of those things I can’t really pray about with conviction anymore.  I want to but just can’t.

Speaking of prayer.  There is this Mocha Club trip I’m praying about.  It’s to Ethiopia.  3 days after Christmas. to January 9th, 2010.  The reason I didn’t go back to school this semester was because there was a possibility I would go to Haiti.  However, that trip fell through.  It obviously wasn’t for me to go on that one.  But it could be for me to go on this one.  I have this voice [or something; I don't know what to call it] telling me to go on a trip like this before I go back to school.  Like I said, I’m praying about it.  I would love for you to do the same. Gracias.

Speaking of Mexican food…

I have tried with no avail to get this song on here.  So follow these simple steps.

1. Go here.

2. Go to song 3.

3. Listen and enjoy.

4.  Bring me a Chimichanga.

I love you.

Travis

22.

Today is my birthday.

It is also Independence Day for Mexico.

I thought I would do a list of things about me that corresponds with my age.

1. I pick one song from each Beyonce cd to like [It's more of a osmosis thing. I don't listen to every song from her cds and then pick one. That would be weird.] It is “Halo” for her most recent cd.

2. So far I don’t mind getting older. The world just makes more sense the older I get. I enjoying learning how to love better and how to be loved.

3. I think I would probably have the same Meyers-Briggs as Donald Miller. I’m an INFJ.

4. I think about death a lot.

5. I think about heaven a alot.

6. I think that makes me a morbid optimist.

7. I only like dealing with round numbers when I add or subtract. When I add 7+5. My mind says, “7+3=10 and 10+2=12 so 7+5+12.”

8. I like History because I enjoy observing people. I’m not really all that into memorizing dates and all. My brain does remember them pretty well, but I would rather be able to learn from the situation I’m studying than remember the exact date that it happened. Sometimes this confuses people.

9. I’m really good at internet stalking people. I try to only use my powers for good.

10. One of my favorite Bible verses is James 3:18, “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James kicks my butt every time I read him.

11. I can be a bit territorial with music.  If I introduce a friend to an artist, I expect to be credited for said introduction every thereafter the artist is mentioned.  I accept APA, MLA, or Chicago style notations.

12. My sweet tooth is out of control. I had a chocolate bar for breakfast/lunch.

13. I have this thing for Chick-fil-a. It started when I went to WKU because it was the fastest thing to grab on my way down the hill to class. It has intensified since my discovery of Chick-fil-a sauce.

14. I suffer from PTTD. Mine is caused from an extra bone. That’s right. I have an extra bone in my right foot; this bringing my bone count to 207. Yes, it makes me cooler. Yes, you should feel sorry for me because someday the doctors will have to shave it off and then reattatch my tendon to a sucher [I know it doesn't look like the real spelling to me either, but I asked google and that's what google said.] on the top of my foot.

15. This makes me laugh every time.

16. I’m underwhelmed every time I have pie for dessert.

17. I never really got to believe in Santa thanks to my sisters. I’m thankful for that.

18. I really love the Food Network.

19. I don’t really believe in losing friends.

20. My top three favorite movies in no particular order are Nacho Libre, Forest Gump, and Chariots of Fire [I couldn't think of the title of this for a second, so I googled "Slow Motion Running".  It was fruitless, but a spirited effort nonetheless.].

21.  I LOVE dodge ball.  Sadly, I have given it up due to hurting too many of my friends and their little brothers.

22.  I have been trying to use the word progeny in conversations more often. So far I’ve been fairly successful.

and one to grow on…

23.  This has been on heavy rotation lately.

[Don't worry it's not Beyonce.]

Just because.

1. This is the song of the week.  Oh Brooke Fraser, I do love thee.  It’s actually a Hillsong United song, but she wrote it and sings on it.

There are two videos. The second one is longer, but if you have the time watch that one. It has an awesome testimony at the beginning.

2. I have decided that I will visit Hillsong United in person one day. It is going to rule. You may join me if you want.

3. I am now an employee of Home Goods in Hendersonville. Getting up at 6:30 in the am to get ready for work has never felt so good.

4. I think I have vertigo.

5. This happened over the weekend.

"Eagle powers come to me!"

6. I have been drinking a whole lotta NesQuick lately.

7. v
F*(T guiYnlm’?> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE33ejdgWIY?

Brandon wrote that because I stole his phone.

8. James 3: 18 is in the top 10 of  my favorite verses.  “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (ESV).”

9. I maintain that Mary did know.

10. I’ve been grumpy the past couple of days.

11. This also happened over the week end.  This was on the road home.

Bro. Giles and Me

Do you ever think in a series of pictures or movie scenes.  Not necessarily things you have already seen, but things that are too big for your normal thought pattern?

Maybe that doesn’t make sense.

Maybe I’m mostly crazy.

Anyway, I’ve had a few of these experiences lately.  The last time was Tuesday.  I was at the Youth thing at church.  I think that it was during prayer, but now I’m not really too sure.

A thought hit me out of no where.  It was about burden, luggage, and moving.

Have you ever helped friends and family move?  It can be such a pain.  Especially when they have really nice or heavy furniture.  The worst is when they are moving to an upstairs apartment.

I’ve done my fair share of helping people move.  There is an art to this.  The best is when you’re there with experienced movers.  They know how to angle awkward tables.  They know about using blankets to cushion glass or mirrors.  They don’t take one box at a time.

But no matter how much of a professional mover you might be, exhaustion will find you.  However, there is a way to get rest and still appear to be working.  This is also an art.  You just find a couple of people carrying something large.  You put your hands underneath it, make your face look strained, and walk really slowly. You don’t take on more than a couple of pounds.  It’s all about the appearance of bearing weight.  After a few times of doing this you will be ready to carry the next armiore, china cabinet, or sectional couch.

Ahem or that’s what I’ve heard.

But my thought was about Matthew 11:29-30.  It reads, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus does not give us a heavy load.  He knows that we are moving from our earthly home to our heavenly one.  He knows what furniture, armiore, sectional couch we need to bring with us.  He also knows that we probably don’t need any of it.  That could be why His load is so light.

The other reason why the burden is light is because of the church.  He works through his people.  The early church was a picture of communal living.  Each person took responsibility.  Stephen, the first matyr, simply fed the elderly Greek widows.  He was doing his part, and he was the only one ever recorded as seeing Jesus standing at the right side of God’s thrown.  Stephen was willing to take on the burden and responsibility of the new Christian cause.

So maybe as the church, we are apart of that light burden that Jesus is talking about in Matt. 11:29-30.  Maybe, Jesus is in the middle carrying the heaviest weight of the sectional sofa, but he also allows us to help maneuver and feel that burden one of our friends [This was the actual thought/picture].

It wouldn’t be the first time someone helped some one else move.  Remember Matt. 27:32?  “As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  They compelled this man to carry [Jesus'] cross.”  Isn’t that something crazy?  Jesus had help carrying his cross.  Can you imagine?  The Son of God needed help.  But it wasn’t help from God or something divine.  It was just some guy.  It almost seems obscene.

How humbling!  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords had some random guy help him carry his cross.  It wasn’t even one of his disciples.  Apparently, Simon was just some dude they picked out of the crowd.  I don’t know that I would have even been able to handle the few feet Simon was forced to carry it.  He shared the buren of the cross where my Jesus died for the sins of the entire world. Past, present, and future.

So now it’s my turn.  I have to be ready to carry some burden.  It can’t appear to be carrying weight.  I actually I have to become responsible for my church, my friends, my family, my Jesus.  I have to take responsibility for speading the Gospel  to White House, TN, and  the ends of the earth.  I can’t stand in the crowd any longer.  I have to take some weight on my own shoulders.  After all, I really don’t have anything to fear if I believe Jesus.  His yoke is easy.  His burden is light.

This is probably one of my favorite hymns.  Some very talented young ladies at church did an amazing rendition back in November.  You can listen here.  The recording doesn’t do it justice though.  The italicized verse is kicking my butt right now.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Groceries

Yesterday, I went to Trader Joe’s for the first time.  It was pretty cool.  I like how small it is.  I hate going to the grocery store because it’s so intimidating.  I get overstimulated and just leave most of the time.

OK, who am I kidding, the reason I don’t go to the grocery store is because I don’t have any money.  BUT if I did have money and did go to the grocery store, I would rather go to Trader Joe’s than Kroger or the Walmart.

This is not complete nonsense.  I bring up Trader Joe’s because I did actually buy a few things while I was there yesterday.  3 to be exact.   I am now addicted to one of them.

It’s the Organic Tea and Lemonade.  That’s right an Arnold Palmer mixed to perfection.  I love it.  It’s almost gone.  I’ve had it for a little more than 24 hours.

Speaking of…

Addictions  [That is probably one of the worst segues in the history of the world].

I can’t stop listening to “Something Beautiful” by Needtobreathe.  It is a new song off their newest cd.  The cd doesn’t come out until August, but they have given the free world a taste of The Outsiders on their myspace.  Give it a listen. I know I already blogged about this, but I run the show around these parts.  I will do as I please.

The real reason I am blogging

I have been thinking lately that I need to start reading more.

I tend to be what I refer to as a binge reader.  I find a book and read it as fast as possible.  Then I find another and so on and so forth.  I do this for about a month.  Then I don’t really read anything for another 3 months.

I want to have a more healthy reading habit.

This is where you come in

I want all 3 of my readers to give me some suggestions for books to read.  I am looking for a semi-narrowed category of subjects/genres.

1. History/Biography-  I am still a History major.  I need to start reading more history.  I am about to start a biography of Napoleon.  Then one of Lincoln.  However, I would really like to find a few good books on early church history.

Also, some of my favorite books have been biographies or portions of lives like The Hiding Place, The Cross and the Switchblade, and God’s Smuggler [my favorite book].  I would love some more of that.

2. Self-help/religious-  I’m talking about books that will help me be a better human.  Not how to get a date type stuff, more on the lines of leadership, bettering my Christian walk, and maybe a bit of psychology [men vs women thinking, raising children, teaching, relating to the human race, etc].

3.  Theology-  I’ve read some C.S. Lewis and a little bit of Bonhoffer.  I think I will actually reread my Bonhoffer stuff.  I’m not super into theology at the moment, but I have a feeling  my interest will continue to grow over time.

4.  Financial-  I am very interested in learning how to manage my money better.  I have Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey.  That is on the to read list.  Any other suggestions?  I would really like to read more on budgeting.

5. Fiction/Classics-  Right now I’m almost to the middle of the unabridged The Count of Monte Cristo.  I enjoy some good fiction every now and again [Not like Twilight].  The minimum about of explicit material the better.  Obviously.

6.  Writing-  Over the last year I have come to realize that I enjoy writing .  I have now helped to write 3 plays for church [OK 2 were Bible Man].  I have written in a journal for many years.  I have this blog.  Like the quote from Chariots of Fire [one of my favorite movies] says, “I can feel God smile when I…”  In the movie it was when he ran, for me it is writing.  I don’t know that writing would ever be for anything more than that simple pleasure, but I would like to be better at it.  I desperately need to brush up on my grammar skills, as well as vocab, and use of commas [They still confuse the dickens out of me].  I would also be interested to read about the business of writing and publishing.  I’m seriously considering adding  English as a minor when I go back to school.

7.  Your favorite book that might not fit in any of these categories.

I will of coarse continue my Bible reading.

This will hopefully make me a deeper person.  It will also hopefully amass a library.  If I ever get a study, I want there to be books on every wall.

Maybe I’ll make a list and keep you guys updated here.  Maybe it’s just a day dream.

But still, I want to hear from you.

Go nuts.

Hit me with your best shot.

Fire away.

Travis

P. S.

Some say I never do anything on time.

Those people are mean.

In a previous blog, I stated that I would like to know where I am going to school by July 1.

It is now July 6.

I am filing for an extension.  Mainly because there are things in the works that I am not at liberty to write about on the interweb quite yet.  So I’ll keep you updated.

Here’s this.

Travis

and I have to be up by 5:30.

I am going camping tomorrow with a bunch of random guys from church.  It should be interesting, and fun, and stuff.  I plan on catching at least one fish, eating smores, reading my Bible, finishing a book, journaling [that's not a real word], looking a the stars,  and not getting hurt–safety first.

You see I don’t have a great history with Land between the Lakes.  I almost died via tornado when I went with my 2nd grade class on a week end trip.  True Story.

The second time, my best friend broke my arm.  It was a father-son retreat with church.  The dad’s were up talking at the campsite while the some of the sons were playing some tips at the basketball goal down the hill.

Play by Play

A ball rolls out off the court [there are no out of bounds in tips].  Travis runs for the ball at full speed.  Jeff also runs for the ball.  Travis is in front of Jeff.  Jeff pushes Travis.  Travis lands arm first on hard ground.  Ground snaps Travis’ right fore arm.  Travis looks at arm and calmly says, “Someone go get my Dad.  I think my arm is broken”.  Travis shows arm to guys.  Guys react in various ways ["OOOO" "AAAAHHH" "NO WAY!" "Maybe it will leave a cool scar!" "At least it wasn't your leg!" "Suck it up, whimp"].  Brandon runs to top of hill at full speed to get Travis’ dad.  Dad comes.  Paramedic Shane confirms the break and makes splint from pillow.  Dad takes Travis to the hospital.  Todd comes too.  Dad and Todd eat dinner while Travis gets X-rays. Doctors put arm in sling and give pain meds.  Dad and Todd refuse to get Travis dinner on the way back to camp site.  The end.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I broke my first bone.  It really wasn’t as bad as expected.  The worst part was not getting dinner that night.  I still don’t know why they wouldn’t get me something.  I ended up staying for the whole retreat.

I’m pretty sure it was worse for Jeff.  The guys picked on poor Jeff for the rest of the retreat, and I always had the whole “Hey, you broke my arm” line if I ever need some leverage.  I’m not going to lie.  I still pull it out when needed.

I still have use of my right arm today.  Thus is the medical history of my right arm.

So What  Was That About?

[Really I just wanted to ask a question and use bold font just then.]

This is why I listed safety in the things I would be doing on this trip.

Back to the Reason I’m Blogging

I’m not really sure why I decided to blog right now.

I actually have had a lot of bloggable thoughts this week [someone should make a shirt that says 'bloggable' on it.  I bet it would make a couple thousdand bucks.].

It turns out I’m not going to actually share any of those thoughts.

I am going to turn you onto the new single from Needtobreathe though.  I am pretty excited for their newest cd to hit Itunes.  I’m not really sure about the date, but it’s soon.  I’m going to guess August.  Actually I’m going to look it up right now.

Yep, looks like the end of August.  It is to be called “The Outsiders”.  Like the book but different.

Here is the song.

I like the foot stomping.

It has a weird part in the middle.  It doesn’t really sound like that when you buy it from Itunes.  That’s right you can buy the single from Itunes right now.

I am going to bed.

I love you,

Travis