Month / August 2002

by adam anderson

OB Move In Day

Whelp, today is the big day… in a couple more hours the freshman will be pouring in and I’ll have to be at the top of my game, but I’m so excited. This is what I’ve been spending an entire summer and semester previous working in…

There’s a passage that we all know that really stood out to me this morning as I was thinking and preparing:

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Especially that last part. This week (and every week, y’know how that is) I want to be able to have God use me and have His glory be seen in the heart of every freshman I meet today. I want them to see the God in me.

I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready. Game time.

by adam anderson

Back At School

Well, yes. It’s time for me to stop saying “Wednesday is the day”… Wednesday is today, surprisingly. And as such, I’m here at school.

It’s been fairly boring after unpacking. My friend John and I have been looking up and down campus, and later tonite Travis will be back and we’ll rock out hardcore, and I’m gonna see Rachel sometime.

Tomorrow it’s getting my major changed, followed by OB responsibilities, and then out with Nancy to do some Mentor Group work. I looked at all the pictures of my mentor group… I’m very excited. =)

I’ll write more later, but hey… glad to be back!

by adam anderson

Meh.

That’s what I said. Meh. Thanks go out to Jen Rose for helping me add one more word

Today I’ve got to try to get my homework done today. I’ve got probably 15 pages left, and when you notice I’ve done 35 or so already, it doesn’t seem too bad.

It’s an exercise in futility – I’m no longer and English/Secondary Ed major (Business is calling my name now… and I must answer), but so many people skip out on their responsibilities, and I, for one, don’t really want to say “well, I observed a classroom for a week, switched majors, and then didn’t do a work”… sounds shady, eh?

So, I do the drudgery.

After that though, it’s smooth sailing till I get back on Wednesday. Shopping Friday, out with the grandparents Saturday, Church and friends on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday will be packing and tying up loose ends, then Wednesday… well, we all now know what Wednesday is. Save Elizabeth and Aby (well, Aby is ALWAYS in school… GO NEOUCOM!) I’m the first to go. That’s not bad though – I’m one of the first out too. =)

Well, hopefully I’ll give you all a “Yo” when I get done with all this work.

Peace, Love, Popcorn

by adam anderson

Something new from Adam’s Journal

Hola.

I almost decided not to write and entry today, but you know, I’ve done so well lately, and I really don’t want to stop the momentum. SOOOO…

I wanted to do something different. I’ve had a book for awhile entitled “The Book Of Questions” by Gregory Stock. It contains 217 thought provoking questions. It’s great for just thinking, and that ever-important intervis “Oh man the movie I wanted isn’t on the network” emergency.

But, since I don’t really have much to talk about, I figure “why not put a question up, answer it, and see if anyone comments?”

QUESTION 103
Does the fact that you have never done something before increase or decrease its appeal to you?

Increase. I’m always up for something new and to try some sort of adventure. New almost always equals exciting.

Thursday I might not be able to get away after all… but I’m not upset. In leiu of disappearing I might go out with the guys again before we all go back to school. Many of them I’ve only seen once or twice, so I’d like to see them one more time.

I need a picture for my LJ, but I just haven’t found the right one yet. I wanted to use my buddy icon of late (the king… he’s nifty!) but it won’t fit. Baby Bob might be a good selection too, but I don’t know if that’ll fit either.

Oh well… endless rambling, you see.

Tomorrow I’m going to get more of that homework done. 25 pages? Na… we’ll go for 30.

Catch you all sooner or later… and please, if you feel like it, post a comment!

a.

by adam anderson

A vague entry… I realize….

but my head’s swirling, and I just wanted to place some stuff down for the sake of rememberance.

Isn’t it funny how so many of the things you do come back to you in the end? I mean, and I’m not just talking about the good stuff that you do, like when you give a dollar to a man on the street and he actually turns out to be a millionare, saying “because of your benevolence, I shall take care of all the expenses you incur for the rest of your life!”, but also the bad stuff. Everything you wanted to bury, everything you wanted to have erased off of your permanent record is still there, and it all comes back in ways you just don’t expect (as in a hangover or something). No, your parents find out through the grapevine, your pastor hears it on his CB radio, you lose friends from repercussions, see the same exact things happening that you did that you know are wrong happening with friends.

I know God is doing this for a reason. I know that for a fact this is helping me. I’ve prayed for months to be a better, stronger man of God – someone my church can be proud of, my family can smile about, and someone who deserves my future wife. Most importantly, God is doing this to say “C’mon, kid. Join me. This life – this old life of yours – it wasn’t so hot. You were doing things that you shouldn’t have done… and that’s okay. I know you had to rebel against me, I know that you’ve gotten tricked a time or two into Satan’s ways. I even tried to help, but you weren’t listening. But, I don’t really care about all that other stuff… all I want is for you to join me here. Today. Now. That old life, well, it doesn’t exsist anymore. You’re new. So, what are you waiting for?”

I still don’t know what I waited for.

Now, I’ve been given an opportunity to face my past and my future all in one nice little situation. Every fiber in my being wants to say “well, I never heard all of this, and to be completely honest, it’s probably not even true… so why don’t I just pretend like it didn’t happen? Yeah, I like that…. didn’t happen…” But there’s this one part of me, the part that’s starting to take hold in me that says “hey, it did happen. And you know what you have to do, so just do it… you know you’ll feel better”… like I said, my past and my future in the present.

Crazy.

…If you want some levity… click here —->

Last night I had a great time. Phil was AWOL, so it just ended up being Brian, Charlie , Joe and I at one of my favorite places to eat. It’s called Davidson’s, and it’s a little out of the way (about 25 minutes from my house), but it’s well worth it. We were the first ones in for dinner, and it was great to, at least for a few minutes, be as loud as we wanted. Brian is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. Each story he tells in funny in its own right, but made much more so by the way he tells it… the emphasis, the guy there. I will say for as long as I live he should be stand-up comedian… it’s his calling.

Well, after that we hung out at my house. Brian had to go out with Ashlie, so Joe, Charlie and I went out back and shot the .22 at some pop bottles. Charlie is a natural…. third time shooting he knocks the bottle right off from 50 yards. It took Joe 5, took me about 7. Kudos to him.

Then we came in, played Grand Theft Auto III, then headed to Mary’s house for a birthday party. We ate cake (Choclate and Zucchini… I liked it!) and played pool volleyball for 3 hours… now that was hot. Some of my best friends from home dukin’ it out to only the few lights around the pool. It was a great time. I’m looking forward to next Sunday when we get to do it ALL over again at Aby’s. =)

Oh well… tomorrow entails doing that homework, making lists. Then Wednesday I’m out, Thursday I might just be semi free… which really means I’m disappearing to regain my own thoughts, Friday it’s out shopping, Saturday I’m out with my grandparents, Sunday it’s church and Aby’s, Monday hopefully out with Valerie, Tuesday packing, Wednesday morning at school!

I HEART THE END OF THE SUMMER…. ;-/

Anyway, peace, love, dictionaries, and if you think of it, pray for me. God’s started me on this journey this summer, and I think the first exit is approaching. I want to stay on this highway.

by adam anderson

Hey – What do you know? More than one entry this week!

Yepsirree Bob, Sue, and Larry. You’re getting another entry from yours truly. I guess I’ve come to the point where I’m saying “Self, you know, you’ve had this thing for an entire year, yet you don’t choose to do anything about it. Remember all those times you wanted to talk to someone about something, but didn’t really want to go searching for ’em? Well, here you go… you’ve got a LiveJournal where you broadcast your random thoughts to the anonymity you call the Internet. If people want to respond, you’ve got the ‘Post Comment’ section. That’s hot. Otherwise, hey, they read, laugh, and click on.”

As a result, you’ve got me later at night, actually writing.

Something I’ve been thinking about. One of my close associates is feeling somewhat down, and I came to realize that on the whole, I’ve seen a lot of my friends and family go through personal struggles this summer, myself included. I mean, sure, I haven’t lost a leg or a dog or a World Series ticket, but that doesn’t mean my hurt doesn’t hurt any less. It makes me realize I’m lucky, but still hurt. I came to a point where I broke down and cried myself home from work because it was such a difficult struggle for me, and I’m not one to cry often. The “Sensitive 21st Century Man” hasn’t quite done all of its emasculation, but it’s grown on me enough to realize a real man isn’t going to hide his emotions.

(enough with that rant…) But, throughout all of that, I came to find a peace. And that’s wierd… you struggle with things… hate what they do to you, but if you say “hey, yeah, it’s happening, and there is a silver lining… God promised it wouldn’t ever rain for 40 days and 40 nights again” there’s a peace and a strength. Ex – great friend of mine, and a blessing in my life was struggling to get through her senior year, and I could understand why. Each time she turned around she was trod upon, taken advantage of, and basically demoralized. And that’s especially tough when you do all you can to support your High School… become a pillar. You do everything you possibly can in the school; if there is an office to be held, you’ll do it. But, man, she got ripped into. I remember talking to her on the phone late at night and just hearing the sadness in her voice was tough. But, there came a point when the countdown became more important than the pain, and a peace came over her, which was truly nice to see. Then she recieved a big scholarship from her school, and it makes you wonder – looking at it from hindsight – why were you so upset to begin with? But you never realize that when your there, doing it, living it, trudging through it.

Another example… my good friend is doing a summer internship at her church, and has had to deal with some pretty shady stuff from her coworkers. It’s stretched her to the limit of her faith, and now she’s looking at it being almost over. One more missions trip and she’s back at to the normalcy of college (to deviate for a second… a friend of mine and I were talking… isn’t it funny how in the freshman year of college one finds themselves totally displaced, and then yearns to return to it the next year because it’s a haven of normalcy? Probably has something to do with the whole inventing your own life and how that’s great because hey… it’s yours… but that’s for another time and entry). I’ve personally been really encouraged through all of her hard work – she busted her butt for the Lord, even through Satan’s attacks. I’m not saying any of the people she works with are Satan, but I’ve learned that kid uses even the smallest spark of difficulty and creates a bonfire of pain.

To get some sort of wrap on this whole mind dumping, I guess I can say that I’ve never seen more of the Lord and how He really IS here through these trials. Each time someone has gone through a trial, they inevitably do one of two things: turn their backs on God or run to Him with abandon. Each time something has happened to any of the people above (the first friend, myself, and the two others), they have ran to God, laid it all at His feet and have said “Look, I got the message. There’s something up. I can’t do this. I forgot that Satan is there… I forgot that though I am part of you and I have faith that moves mountains AND I AM NOT DUMB DUST, apart from you I’m like a branch off the tree… help me hear you and help me hear my heart” and God has not ignored them yet. He’s set them straight, but has come back and healed the wounds they suffered, and showed them His path again. God’s really revealed so much of Himself… well, let me rephrase that. God’s always had Himself fully revealed to me… it isn’t as though He’s been hiding somewhere and last week came out and said “psssst…. SURPRISE!”, rather some of the scales from my eyes have been removed… whether I had decided to shut my own eyes, whether I need Jesus to come and place His hands upon them and help me to see, or whether it was just time for me to see things differently, I have. I’ve seen it through senior years, internships, my struggles in work, and struggles with one questioning her worth. God’s exploded on the scene for me in a way that I think a year ago, two years ago I couldn’t have handled, or maybe could have handled but would have had no clue what to do with. It’s a quiet calling to take a different road and to put on a new pair of glasses and see the world as a battle and I as a warrior with the most powerful Claymore around – the Holy Spirit. No longer am I worthless and saved just because hey, God was a nice guy, or dumb dust as pastors have said for so long… no longer am I tied to the bonds of Satan. I’m me, Adam William Robert Anderson, part of God and His creation on the frontlines of the battle.

Not a bad title, eh? And, slowly, I’m starting to think that this road will make all the difference.

Well, I was just thinking about that, and come about 10 on I get honest.

Tomorrow I’m going out to eat with Charlie, Phil, a friend of Phil’s, and Brian. Zane is still in Florida, and I would like to see him, catch up on some stuff.

Anyway, it’s getting late… church tomorrow, and like I said, out to eat. Then Monday it’s the drudgery of doing reflections on a classroom observation followed by the joy of talking to Nancy on the phone. The rest of the week (sure to be chronicled) will probably entail shopping, relaxing with the family, going out with friends, and, probably most important, eating the last consistently good food for about 9 months (I do get a month’s reprieve come Christmas…)

Peace, Love, Souflee!

by adam anderson

A little something I got from Nancy’s journal, from Alissa’s journal.

This was done Monday, by the way, and I just got around to getting it ready to go.

Thank you to the both of you. =)

ten things you say daily?
Hey
I love you
Word
A laugh or two a day… but do you say a laugh?
What’s up, homediddy? (To my brother)
My room IS clean!
For awhile, when friends asked me my job… “I make sinks”
I’m going online
This supper is great (at home… it’s “supper’s lousy” at school)
Thank you God

nine things you wear daily?
clothing
something on the feet if I’m going out
a smile (cheezy, yeah… but 9 things!?!)
underwear
a ring from Christmas
Usually a necklace
Socks if I’m wearing shoes
my leg hair! WEE!

eight movies you’d watch over and over?
Monsters, Inc.
Fight Club
Sleepless in Seattle
You’ve Got Mail
Office Space
Zoolander
White Christmas
It’s a Wonderful Life

seven albums that you’d listen to over and over?
Invitation to Eavesdrop – Shaun Groves
Come By Me – Harry Connick, Jr
The Look Of Love – Diana Krall
The Midnight Blues – Wynton Marsalis
Adam’s Dance CD IX – My own collection
Let’s Just Kiss – Harry Connick, Jr
When we make it… the activeingredient CD

six items you touch every day?
my bible
friends and family
toothbrush
food
computer

five things you do every day?
check email
read my bible
listen to music
talk
listen
…I didn’t even need to change that one!

four things that you couldn’t live without?
Jesus
my family and friends
music
My mom’s filet mingon

three of your favorite songs at this moment?
Nelly – Hot In Herre
activeingredient – Lavender Sweater
Shaun Groves – Satellite

two people that have influenced your life the most?
mom and dad

one thing you could spend the rest of your life with and not get tired of?
A wife…

could build your house anywhere, where would it be?
Somewhere close to a city, but not in it. Maybe Columbus, Cleveland, or Pittsburgh.

what’s your favorite article of clothing?
My blue mock turtleneck sweater… best $8 sweater I’ve ever bought

what’s your favorite feature of the opposite sex?
smile

what’s the last cd that you bought?
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

where’s your favorite place to be?
with my friends and family

where’s your least favorite place to be?
in a classroom, taking any sort of exam

what’s your favorite tv show?
Ed

what’s the last movie you saw in theater?
Can’t remember exactly… the one I do remember was Death To Smoochy

what’s the last thing you said?
What was the last movie with Morgan Freeman in it?

who do you confide in?
My whole family, Phil, Charlie, Dave, Mike, Travis… lots of people have been around me and have helped me.

When is the last time you got your hair cut?
About a month ago

If you could meet anyone who would it be?
Aunt Ada – the more stories I hear about her, she seems so cool, but she’s dead now =(

If you could go anywhere in the world?
Somewhere with a white sandy beach and blue ocean and a cool breeze – good choice… it stays… thank you Nancy =)

If you could be anything?
A husband and a father

What is your favorite book?
“Wild At Heart”

What cd is in your player right now?
U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind

What dvd/movie is in your player?
Haven’t been home to know =)

What cd is in your car stereo?
Essental Jazz Collection Volume 1, Disc 2

What is your favorite color?
Dark Green

What is your favorite food?
Anything my mom makes =)

What is your favorite sound?
The sound of waves crashing on the rocks in Maine… the smell is just about my favorite, too.

Why did you fill this out?
I needed something to pass the time while waiting to get home, and figured why not?

I’m in Canfield right now… 20 minutes from home!

by adam anderson

AHHHHH

I was working on an entry, and then it POOF… dissappeared.

I promise I’ll be better with my entries. Each time I start one, 1234893051412347892340 things come up (the real number, too, I checked), and I just don’t get around to it.

Anyway, today it’s painting at the grandparents… as if I didn’t do enough of that at American Standard. But, I’ve got 2 great bosses, and one of them makes me lunch everyday =)

Also, my good friend Phil comes home today from Camp, and I’d love to go see him before I head out. Any of my friends who are reading this… any ideas for anything to do?

Monday I’m going to call one of my other friends. She seemed kinda down in the dumps the last time we talked, so I hope to see what’s up.

Well, it’s time for me to get going. I’m ready to take this day by the horns.

by adam anderson

On The Road Again

I figured because my laptop battery is now dead I’d write my entry on REAL paper and then transfer it onto the computer here.

An odd thing happened last night. After I wrote that entry I came to realize all of the sadness had to do with a general feeling of loneliness. After being gone from my school friends for 3 months and only seeing my home friends once or twice, I was feeling discontent. It was a lot of self pity, but on occasion I think we’re all allowed a little (just a little)…

Anyway, right afterwards I started getting IMs from so many different people – people in High School I never really talked nor associated with talked with me about my band, and an old girlfriend and I caught up, which was nice. It’s always amazing for me to see that if I’m faithful, God always carries and provides. Just a great guy, that God.

As of today I have 17 days before I get back into the swing of school stuff, and I think when I get home I’ll be all excited… college is exactly what I need to be doing right now, and I love every minute of it. I’m almost sure I’ll be switching my major to business, and that’s kinda scary because it’s uncharted territory, but I feel confident it’s the right way to go, and if it isn’t, God will be sure to give me the wisdom I need.

Let’s see, what else… oh! I’ve written a new song for the band, and that brings the total up to 5 this summer. I love doing it, because it’s a way to release all that pent up emotion we all place in ourselves. I’m excited about the band too, because it’s something I’ve always wanted… TO BE IN A BAND!

Well, that’s enough musing. Peace be with all of you.

by adam anderson

Coming off of vacation

Yeah, now Charlie is doing it too, so I figure I SHOULD continue to write in my LiveJournal.

I’m coming back from vacation, and it was relaxing and peaceful. Bar Harbor is a place where you can just see God coming from all directions. I would go on the rocks and just see the the waves crash on the shore and the sprays 30′ up in the air. I love that. It’s a place where I’m alone. All I see in front of me is the ocean, and behind me is the world and all the stuff I left behind.

Now I’m heading back.

Schoolwork, people and their problems, my own problems that I could run away from. Just blah right now.

It doesn’t happen often, but now it is.