Jotted some stuff down today. Thought I'd share.

As far as my religious beliefs, these are just the basics, the tip of the iceburg:

I believe God created earth, time, light, animals, veggies, minerals, thought, purpose, etc. I believe we were complete in him until Adam and Eve took the first step into sin (transgression of a religious or moral law). I believe that sin made us incomplete beings, seperated us from God, and created a need for the law and eventual salvation. I believe because of this, we are always searching for that thing that makes us whole, that will save us.

I believe that Jesus is the one who made us complete because of his sacrifice (i.e. through death on the cross and resurection from death breaking the need for and power of the law). I believe that the new covenant is as simple as the Bible states in Luke 10:27: "He (Jesus) answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" I believe that Jesus, after he defeated sin and death and the law, went to heaven to prepare a place for everyone who believes in him and everyone who on this earth who were never able to be held accountable and/or make a decision, and promised us the comforter, who is the Holy Spirit.

I believe the Holy Spirit is on the earth, everywhere, all God, all God's Spirit, unctioning and guiding as we allow personally, a believer of Judeo-Christianity or not. I believe that the Holy Spirit's guidence is intimated and personalized according to each person's need and will always direct people toward truth (i.e. Luke 10:27).I believe that Jesus, as he promised in his word (Revelations 22) will return again to have the final say, and those that believed will have a place with him, and those who wanted no part of him will have no part of him.

Nice way to put it, no?

I do have beliefs about the devil and the talking ass and all sorts of other biblical things, but I just thought that would end up being too much information.

As far as personal, "political" views are concerned:

I believe we have a choice. We have many choices and those choices have consequences, good or bad. Cause and effect. As far as predestination is concerned, I believe we are all predestined to end up at the same place, but I believe that choice hinders our graduation to that place sometimes.

I believe it is a woman's choice to abort. I don't believe that I will ever personally make the decision to do so, but one man's left is another man's right and I don't get to say who has the best answer.

I believe science is man's cry to fully know God in a way that we'll never know on earth. I believe that discovery is the Holy Spirit's unctioning and revealing of a piece of God's nature. And I believe if life is ever found on another planet, no, they may not know the name "Jesus Christ," but God will have created them different from us with different needs and a different means of filling those needs...maybe they'll be the lucky ones who are made complete and were smart enough to remain that way.

I believe that Bush is an incomplete man, as are Kerry, mother Theresa, Billy Ghram, Ghandi, Hitler, and the homeless guy in downtown Omaha who I always see asking for change. Good, bad, what have you, they're all searching for the same thing and all make steps to find it. Rarely are they the same steps you or I would take.

I believe that slavery is not loving your neighbor as yourself.
I believe adultry is not loving your neighbor as yourself.
I believe my fist encrouching on your nose is not loving my neighbor as myself.
I believe that any harm against a person, be it verbal, physical, emotional, or any of a number of other things, is not loving ones neighbor as themself.

I believe that as long as a homosexual person loves the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind, that they're on the road to completion. If they don't, they're rockin people who I'll love as myself.

I believe that this is getting way long.

Mmmm...Better Than Ezra.

So, the days are getting longer, and thank God they are. All that darkness was really beginning to get to me. I mean, yes, it's rainy and sloppy outside right now, but hooray for the fact that it's not bitter cold! Yes, I've resolved to talk about the weather. Forgive me.

For the interesting tidbits now:

1) I've applied for a new schedule at work. I've decided that my manager and I have irreconcilable differences and am taking the means necessicary to free myself of her. If that means I move back to swings, so be it. Mom also told me that if I go to Xenon, I can start going part-time. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

2) I've been hanging with jr. highers again--nothing super spiritual, just hanging. This time, though, it's with the ones at my folks' church. They're kids that have grown up knowing me and decided on their own that I was cool...without me having to prove I am. I love being reminded that I am lovable...I forget sometimes.

3) The U2 concert here sold out in 33 minutes. I'm pissed like you wouldn't believe. Ticketmaster wouldn't let me get tickets. There better be a solution for this problem. Soon.

4) Kristin's gonna pop any day now. She only has a week and a half worth of hours until she's able to graduate. I'm praying that as soon as they hand her the piece of paper, her water breaks...cause that'd be awesome on so many levels.

A friend of the family's died today. She was in a car accident last night. She swerved to miss someone who cut her off and her car flipped over. She sustained massive head trauma and was brain dead by the time she got to the hospital. This was about 2100-2200 last night. They took her off ventilation about 0730 this morning and she died sometime around 1000. She was twenty-one years old.

Michelle was a good kid -- terribly rebellious, slightly abusive, and at times ornery as sin, but when she was good, she was great. She was always slightly out of place, but always the kind of girl who put you on the edge of your seat. Her days were extreme, not moody, but powerful...she lived her life, whether we all agreed with her or not. I believe she struggled with the concept of God's changing power, but still understood his love and his consistency in her life. I know she's moved on to the rest of her life, and part of me is jealous because I knew where she stood, but part of me mourns her and the role she played in my life.

In spite of this tragedy, I believe God has a plan for Michelle's life. I don't know who it will touch, but I believe that through her struggle, someone else will find faith.

If you read this, and you are willing, if you could send out a prayer for Michelle's family. They're taking this pretty hard and they could use the comfort that your prayers will bring them. Thank you.

So I went a'driving today in my lovely new little town. There's a lake about a three minute drive from my house. It rocks the Casbah. It does. It's clean, it's around new construction, and it has: a fishing dock, boat dock, picnic tables, a playground, a place you can take your horses (I have none) and ride down trails, and a cement trail with benches the whole way around the lake for walking, jogging, and biking. There are mostly baby trees out there, so in the dead middle of summer it may suck for lack of shade in places, but it's still beautiful. I don't know if they'll allow swimming, but I don't get the feeling that's what the lake is there for.

This whole Papillion thing is beginning to grow on me.

My room is almost finished. I need to find some art to put up (I have something in mind) and find a rack for my dvds, but other than that, things are looking really great. Even the rest of the apartment is beginning to perk. I'm also thanking God that my bedroom door has a lock on it. It's been nice, even if my parents keep knocking. Now if they'd just lay a little sod...