The problem set is done… my granddad is awesome. Not only did he previously teach Calculus at Covenant for the last 15 years (around there), he also lives three minutes away from the college. I went over to their house this morning with Bets and he helped me with a lot of the problems I was struggling with. Such a blessing! We ended up staying for an amazingly simple but delicious lunch… toast, butter, steaming hot soup, Dutch cheese, oranges, and Dutch spice bread. Mmmm….

I need to get going. I have class in 30 minutes, followed by an afternoon and evening of studying Finite Math. Tomorrow is going to be such a long day. I have the test at 12:00 p.m., along with five of my regular classes. Oh boy. Here I come.

My eyes are hurting from staring at the computer screen… I spent three hours writing a Business Management paper that’s due Friday. Two pages, single spaced, 11 point font… and it took me three hours. Wow.

Now I get to freak out about Finite Mathematics. I have to hand in 12 problems tomorrow (and I’ve only done 3), and then I have my first test on Friday. I’m so lost… pray for me. I have a feeling the next two days are going to be stressful. I just hope I don’t have a mental breakdown.

“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God…”

I went bowling tonight with a bunch of people — bowled a 121 my first game and a 133 the second. I was pretty impressed, I’m not going to lie. I think it was the highest cumulative score that I’ve bowled in two games. It was good to get off the mountain for a while.

The last week has been rough – I’ve been feeling really unmotivated, and I’ve had anything and everything but school occupying my thoughts. It’s been hard not to get discouraged with where God has me right now. I miss home…

It’s late, and I have to hand in a sonnet for class tomorrow. The following is the fruit of my labor from the last several hours of pondering, phone calls, and tedious writing… I know, I know. You don’t have to tell me. I’m the new John Donne or possibly even Shakespeare. It’s that good…

A Sonnet about How Hard It is to Write a Sonnet
By Philip Codington

My pen in hand and words sitting, waiting
Watching for a small but clear hole
To slip into my mind and away the toll
That this short song on my mind is taking.

How hard is it to write a short sonnet?
How hard is it to think of words that rhyme?
I shall keep on sorting through all the grime
And grub to find and write some sort of sonnet.

Pick up the phone and call my mom and dad
“Would there be any thought of what a song
Like this entails?” But no, no words belong;
So I shall stop and cease to be so mad.

And now that I have just finished venting
I shall embark on this journey of sonnetting.

It’s hard feeling alone. I have never understood the feeling of being so alone when you’re surrounded by people… even your own friends. Yet I’m all too familiar with that feeling.

I was talking with a good friend of mine tonight. He’s been feeling a lot of what I’ve been feeling lately – loneliness. I was thinking about it and wondering why we get that feeling. Why do we? I know for me, I’ve been trying so hard to fill that void in me with relationships and friendships… I have yet to understand what it means to be complete and whole in my relationship with Christ, and I feel that only now am I truly beginning to come to a better understanding of what that means. Click to continue »

I have to write a sonnet for CHOW 2 for Friday… does anyone know how to write a sonnet in iambic pentameter with a rhyming scheme of abba, cddc, efef, and finally gg? We’re studying some of John Donne’s poetry, and the guy was a genius (at least as far as writing sonnets is concerned). To give you a taste, here is one of his famous sonnets…

Sonnet 1: “Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?”

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it t’wards hell doth weigh;
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour my self I can sustain;
Thy Grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like Adamant draw mine iron heart.

Classes were canceled all day today due to freezing rain. I woke up around 9:30 this morning, and checked my emails and heard that there were no classes… I looked outside in disbelief. We had about 2 inches of snow a couple days ago and only got classes canceled until 10:00 a.m. Today there is NO snow… just a thin layer of ice over campus. It doesn’t take a lot to cancel school on the mountain.

But hey, I’m not complaining. I only had one class today anyway, so it doesn’t really affect me… but admittedly, it’s nice to not have Finite Math today.

It’s been an encouraging day. I woke up feeling cold, tired, and sick… you know those nights when you fall asleep on your arms (yes, both of them), and then they pretty much become dead weight? That definitely happened to both of my arms twice during the night. And when my alarm finally went off at 7:15 a.m., I felt like I had been hit my a mack truck. Wow was it hard to get out of bed… and then I made myself some hot anis tea because it was something like 8 degrees outside (something like that), and in the process of taking the first sip I burned my tongue AND the whole roof of my mouth. I’ve never done that before (kids, don’t try this at home – it hurts). What a great start…

But seriously, it has been an encouraging day. I wasn’t being sarcastic when I first said that.. ok, maybe a little. I read in My Utmost for His Highest before going to my 8:00 a.m. Management class. Chambers was talking about falling in love with God again.

“You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were.” He says, “I remember . . . the love of your betrothal . . .” (Jeremiah 2:2).

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So I am sitting here with a sweater, coat, and scarf… and still freezing my royal behind off. I just got back from having waffles at the Anderson’s house. They had a fire going, along with the football game – New York vs. Green Bay. It was nice to just sit in a home and relax for a while.

I miss home. Carrie, Johnny, Peter, Davy, Marianna – if you guys are reading this.. I miss you guys. Tell Mom to save me some of those French crepes when she gets back.

Church at New City was really good this morning. The pastor preached from Colossians 3:1-11… about being dead to sin and alive in Christ. Click to continue »