I love cats. Seriously. They are like my favorites animals. So much personality. I have been sitting here studying for a test now for a couple hours now, and I really want one of my cats to sit on my lap. If our apartment allowed cats, I would definitely bring one of mine here from my house. We have four. Alice, Isabella, Peek-a-Boo, and Felix. I love them all, in fact. But, today, I would want Isabella here. She is huge and loves people. Basically, everybody her best friend, and she loves to be held, etc. I think it’s comforting to have a little companion when I read or study. It just makes the time more enjoyable. I love cats much more than dogs. I hope to never have a dog. Kudos to all you dog people, though, I am convinced the way to go is a great cat. They hold all the qualities of a great buddy- you can’t go wrong! I think God is a cat guy- I mean, Jesus is, afterall, the Lion of Judah ha, I am such a cheese-ball….

 

Okay. Back to my cat-less studies. Have a great day, folks. You are all such great people, and I love you all!

 

Cheers and love,

Anthony J.  

I am currently in the library studying. My exam is on Friday, but I thought it would be best to get a jump start on things. The last few days have been a whirlwind. My body is exhausted, and it really needs to rest; yet, I have some “pressing” (I say that lightly, and maybe even sarcastically) things due, so when I actually try and rest, I cannot. Not only is my body tired, I am tired on the inside. It’s funny how it all works in my life. If I am not taking care of myself physically, then the first thing I abandone is God. Mainly, I do this because I attempt to take care of everything on my own when I am tired. It’s like I try and trick myself into thinking I have to work extra hard to get things accomplished. But, I know, from many painful days’ experiences, that this is not the best idea. If I keep Christ at the center, I will find my strength. He will be my portion. My ever-present Help in time of need. 

 “When the oceans rise
   And thunders roar
   I will soar with You
   Above the storm
   Father You are King
   Over the flood
   I will be still and know
   You are God”

Love you friends!

 Cheers, Anthony J

So, I posted yesterday, but it did not work. Blast. So, here is my attempt to, once again, blog. 

 

     Jordan, my roommate, always makes fun of me because of the wordpress “presentations” I choose. He says they are really girly. Now,  in my defense, the one I had chosen with the flower, hummingbird, and butterfly was a complete accident. I had thought it was menagerie of neat shapes. Apparently, I was wrong. Next, I had a background of just a random shape–really this time, it was just a shape–and I was again laughed at. This time, I chose by background because it reminds me Africa. So, I do not care if it is a little “girly”, as it were. 

 

     Last night, I fell really, really ill. It was the worst I had felt in a long time. A fever broke out, my body was writhing in pain. The worst part, was, I got sick in the middle of my chem exam. I had to rush through it, and I did not do well. So, needless to say, I was really bummed out. However, I started thinking this morning, my life is not dependent on whether I did well on that chem exam. I had a revelation that my worth is not based on a test score. While I want to do well, and work at everything with my whole heart, I need not link what I do with who I am. My worth is found in Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, not in some stupid chemistry exam. So, we’ll see what happens. 

 

    Well, I am going to get my day started. Shower and stuff. I am looking forward to seeing what this day will have to offer. Lately, I’ve realized that we should always see our days through Christ’s eyes. Each day is full of excitement, joy, and people we love. Even on my worst day, I never have the right to complain. I want to find joy in all things. Purpose in all things. So, everybody, have a great day! I love you all and am praying for you all! 

 

Cheers,

Anthony J. 

It’s Friday. And, this makes me really happy. However, I do have a lot to do this weekend. Next week, I have three exams. Chemistry, Functional Neuroscience, and Physiological Psychology. While I do thoroughly enjoy all of these classes, three exams in a week is a little much for me. I just need to make sure I prepare this weekend and not squander the time. This week went by so quickly. It’s hard to believe. It was an exciting week, however. 

 

The weekend will be nice though. I hope to do a little relaxing and spend some time with Christy. Last night, while at clinical, she was able to observe three births! She was so excited, and it made me so joyful that she was able to experience it. We prayed that women would be in the birthing mood, and alas, they were, ha. On Tuesday, she was able to observe open-heart surgery. How awesome is that! I am really excited that she gets to have all of these medical experiences.

 

This morning I was reading in Exodus about God’s promise of deliverance for the Israelites from the Egyptians. As I was thinking about this, I realized that God’s promise of deliverance is the same today as it was in the time of the Israelites. He gives us freedom from sin and slavery. While we aren’t held as slaves by people anymore really, we are often held captive by slave-masters of our hearts. So many things in life have a way of subtly sneaking  in and slowly gaining control over our lives just as slowly, over time, the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites. Soon we find ourselves buried in burdens and shame, way over our heads, much farther than we had anticipated going. Yet, at our deepest, darkest point, God extends his gracious, merciful hand and promises us freedom. He will be our God, and we will be His people. That is His wonderful promise to us. The next time God reaches, we should take His hand.

 

Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

 

Cheers,

Anthony J. 

     I love looking back on my life and seeing different themes. Some are rough, some seem great at the time. But all in all, these smaller segments of life fuse together to paint one beautiful theme. Everything in our lives can be used for the glory of God, and likewise, God can be seen in everything. Lately, I have been seeing my need for Christ. Everyday, I realize that without Him, the One who first loved me, I am utterly useless. His selfless sacrifice burst open the door to the Father. It obliterated sin into the depths of forgetfulness. Through Christ, I am a new creation. In Christ, I can know the God of creation; the same God who created my heart. The blood of Christ changed the world forever. Our themes come and go, sadness, happiness, inquisitiveness, etc. However, I pray that this theme is one that will never fade. That with all my heart, I will always depend on Christ- his grace, his mercy, his love, his blood, for all the things I need in this life. This should always be our theme-the most beautiful of them all. In conjunction with these thoughts, this old hymn has been a dear prayer of mine for some time now.  

 What can wash away my sin? 

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

 

Oh precious is the flow!

That makes me white as  snow

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

check it out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wej1jHtiH-M&feature=related 

 

that’s all for now, dear friends! hope all is well for everybody!   

 

Cheers,Anthony J.  

This semester is rolling along, full steam ahead. We’ve just finished the third week of the semester, and that, in itself, is crazy to me. Things are going well, busy as usual! So here are just a few quick updates:   + I am doing research in a neuropsych lab and am able to work with some really neat, knowledgeable people.   + I am on the worship team for ACF and DRC. It’s pretty fun. I get to work with some quality people.   + I have been getting to know some different people this semester. Some really neat people.   + I have been doing some research on graduate programs. The future looks to be really exciting.Basically, I have learning more and more the importance of being continually in prayer. Learning each day to enjoy every detail. Anyway, I don’t really have too much to say, so, yea, I love you all, and pray you are all well! take care. cheers,Anthony J. 

Something very interesting happened to me the other night. Over the last few days, I was having trouble breathing. I noticed this labored breathing Wednesday night after a game of Ultimate Frisbee with Christy’s family. Along with breathing, I was experiencing severe discomfort in my chest as well. But, I decided to wait it out. I hate going to the doctors only to find that nothing is wrong. However, after spending the night in Williamsport with Jared and Jordan E. and their family, I knew that I needed to get my problem checked out. So, after having worship practice at the Assembly of God for the joint service on Sunday, I decided that I must go to the Emergency Room. I could barely catch my breath to sing! My sister took to me the ER where I was later met by my dad. So we waited and waited and waited. It took a really long time to be seen by a physician, and I was beginning to regret my decision to go to the hospital. But, alas, the x-ray results came back and much to my dismay, I had a collapsed lung! Oh my. The doctor told me I would have to have an operation to insert a chest tube which would “pump” my lung back to its normal state. However, after some thought, the surgeon thought of another procedure which would do the job without anesthesia. My chest was numbed with a local, the doctor snaked a catheter through my rib cage into my pleural cavity (sac surrounding the lung) and pumped some of the leaked air out which, in turn, allowed my lung to re-expand. I had a chest x-ray taken right after the procedure, and then again an hour or so later. And, hallelujah, this worked. I was able to go back home that night not needing to stay in the hospital. While I wish this on nobody, the night was actually kind of fun. I was surrounded by my family, cool health care workers, and my beautiful girlfriend. Everyone was so wonderful, and we got to spend time talking in a relax manner, because, well, we couldn’t go anywhere else . I am glad to say, however, that I am recovered well, and do all the things that I love to do. So, needless to say, this was my adventure over christmas break! Hope everyone is well, and will continue to update when I have the chance! Cheers,Anthony J. 

Merry Christmas, friends!      

      I hope everybody has had a delightful celebration over the past days. One filled with family, friends, gift-giving, and some gift-receiving. Once again, I am astounded at the love that overflows my heart as I am surrounded by the people I love the most. My family is a such a beautiful group of people. On Christmas Eve, our home was busting at the seems with grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. It was so great to chum around with my cousins, laugh with my aunts and uncles, and talk to my grandparents. Later in the evening, I was able to spend time with my nuclear-family (sammy included!) watching Elf and playing Yahtzee. We laughed so hard it hurt. Also, I have been able to spend a lot of time with Christy and her family. Christy’s brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Joyce, are in town from Japan/California. They had been living in Japan on business for four months and now have just returned to the states. Amy, Christy’s sister, is in from California. I was also able to meet Jason, Amy’s boyfriend. It’s been really nice to hear a bit about each of their lives and what they are doing since we aren’t often able to see them or hear from them. I love getting to know Christy’s family more and more and being super comfortable with them all the time! Christmas morning was a very wonderful time as well. My parents woke my sister and me up. Together, we read the Christmas story from Luke and prayed for dear friends and family who had been on our hearts. Afterwards, we opened our gifts, one by one, and were just overcome with joy and thankfulness for each thing we had received. It was really fantastic. I cherished every minute of it. Later, dad, sammy, and I made breakfast for everyone. Then we lounged around, watched a movie, and just enjoyed everyone’s company. After going on a walk with Christy and her family, my family travelled back to our hometown and visited age-old friends of ours. It’s been a Christmas tradition for some time now, and it is always filled with great fun as we chat and play games. So,  I’ve just recently returned home, and will probably be heading to bed soon, and I will certainly sleep with a heart content. How blessed I am. Sometimes I can’t even understand how God would love me so much to give me such a beautiful life. It certainly makes me want to always be willing to give some of it away and be there for others who may have some harder times. In the coming year, God, help me to always remember the abundance of blessing with which you’ve saturated my life. With that abundance, let me always remember to give it away to those around as well. Thanks God; thanks for everything you’ve done. Merry Christmas….merry christmas.     

Cheers and Love, dear friends!

Anthony J. 

i love this old hymn. this old declaration of Christ’s faithfulness. i sing it a lot and meditate on it a lot. i am awestruck every time thinking that though the circumstances of life twist and turn, the sovreignty of God remains the same. He always was. He always is. He will always be. 

Solid Rock 

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
So on Christ the solid rock I stand

When darkness veils his lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In ev’ry high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

His oath, his covenant, his blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

When he shall come with trumpet sound
Oh, may I then in Him be found
Dressed in his righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before the throne

umm, basically, i have been really busy; flying around from here to there. i probably won’t be posting much until break starts, but stay posted for future updates. peace, love, and happiness. and, peace on earth, goodwill to men.

cheers,
anthony j