It was so cold today… the leaves are changing colors on the mountain. I love it. Thanksgiving is coming up soon! So ready for it. School is going well. God has definitely given me a lot of motivation the last few days to keep my head down and work hard on classes. I’m probably heading down to a coffee shop in a little while to study and read… maybe Rembrandts or Stonecup? We’ll see.

My dad showed this video to me. Louie Giglio is a Christian pastor/evangelist and founder of Choice Ministries and Passion Conferences, a ministry devoted to the proclamation of the glory of God to college students around the world.

Watch this video and take it however you want to. Some people might think this is just coincidence or whatever you want to think, but I believe that I serve a living and all-knowing God who designed every part of the human body for a reason – even a miniscule protein called laminin.

Laminin is the major non-collagenous component of the basal lamina, such as those on which cells of an epithelium sit. Basically, laminin is a protein found in the “extracellular matrix”, the sheets of protein that form the substrate of all internal organs also called the “basement membrane”. It has four arms that can bind to four other molecules. The three shorter arms are particularly good at binding to other laminin molecules, which is what makes it so great at forming sheets. The long arm is capable of binding to cells, which helps anchor the actual organs to the membrane.

The laminin protein is made up of three separate parts, called the A, B1, and B2 chains. That gives it a total of six “ends”, which accounts for a lot of its flexibility in connecting up various kinds of molecules. Because of this, scientists who create biomaterials are extremely interested in the whole family of laminins. They are a family of glycoproteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding in almost every animal tissue. Laminins are secreted and incorporated into cell-associated extracellular matrices.

Laminin is vital to making sure overall body structures hold together. Improper production of laminin can cause muscles to form improperly, leading to a form of muscular dystrophy. It can also cause progeria.

Essentially, the purpose  of laminin is to keep our body from falling apart. And every human being has laminin. This is what it looks like.

Starbucks and intermediate accounting homework… a combination that’s consumed the vast majority of my night. It’s almost 9:30 p.m. My mom is driving to Lookout right now to spend the weekend with my Oma and Opa. My Opa (Dr. Wim Schaffers) isn’t doing well. His liver and kidneys are failing which is causing a build-up of ammonia (a toxin that the liver usually elminates) in his body. It makes him sleep a lot, and he’s lost his ability to do anything for himself. He’ll be going home soon. Pray for my family (aunts, uncles, and my family) – it’s a hard period of time right now. Pray for my Oma – she’s exhausted from taking care of my Opa.

I’m excited to see my mom in a few minutes. And I get to go home this Sunday to see the rest of my family!

It’s my last full day in Dallas before heading back to Covenant for school. It’s been such a relaxing and good break.  I love it here. My days are so relaxing.. sleeping, talking, reading, writing, listening to good music, drinking smoothies, playing chess, hanging out in downtown Dallas, watching movies, driving, playing football, taking pictures, sitting around in the kitchen talking politics, swimming… it’s been such a nice getaway from the mountain.

I think we’re going into town later today to hang out. I’ve just been reading and relaxing most of the morning. I’m reading through a book for my 20th century world history class called The Rape of Nanking. It’s a really hard book to read.. I won’t go into detail about it here, but if you haven’t read it and you like reading about history and real life, I would recommend it. It’s a brutal and bloody testimony of one of the worst massacres in history. It rivals that of the Holocaust in World War II. (Dad, if you’re reading this, you would be interested in the book – it’s by Iris Chang).

Anyway, I definitely feel refreshed from this break… and ready to dive back into school. I’m preparing myself mentally for the next couple weeks of school. It’s been a hard start to the semester, and I feel like my motivation and discipline has been lacking. I’m trying to prepare myself for a strong second half of the semester.

In my last post on “Abortion and Obama,” I wrongly said that I believed that the President ultimately had little say in the issue of abortion and that it was a decision to be made or reversed more on the state and local level. After having several conversations with people, I stand corrected..

The issue of abortion and any possible reversal of the Roe vs. Wade court decision to legalize abortion rests largely on the shoulders of the Supreme Court justices. There are three (potential) positions to be filled by new Supreme Court justices in the upcoming Presidential term, provided the current justices retire (which is likely, but from my understanding, the justices are waiting for more liberal justices to follow in their steps). The President nominates the new Supreme Court justices who remain in office until they die or retire (or under extreme situations, are removed by a 2/3 vote in both the House and the Senate – virtually impossible unless the justice performs some illegal act… he cannot be removed based on a specific ruling). Because the President is responsible for nominating the Justices, abortion does still remain an important issue. If McCain is elected, he has promised to nominate new justices to reverse the Roe vs. Wade court decision. However, if Obama is elected, he will most assuredly appoint justices who will make sure Roe vs. Wade remains.

So although the President does not directly have the final say in the matter, due to the current positions opening up in the Supreme Court, this Presidential election will be an important one in regards to the issue of abortion.

However, the issues of foreign and international affairs, new energy, the economic crisis, health insurance, education, taxes, and numerous others still remain very important in this upcoming election. Abortion is important, but not the only important issue to be considered.

I drove for seven hours straight today.. longest drive I’ve done. Dallas, TX is my new favorite place. I think I’m going to move here one day.. :)

The great lone star state… here I come!

Here’s a few encouraging words of wisdom on prayer from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest.

“The Key of the Greater Work”

…I say to you, he who believes in Me,…greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father —John 14:12

Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a “wise” man does not (see Matthew 11:25).

Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, “I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . .” (John 14:13). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

I went to Knoxville last night for a concert called AFTERdark. It was hosted by Kanakuk Kamps. There was a speaker named Joe White, and Matt Wertz, along with a few other artists, sang and played worship music. It was right on UT campus… in the fraternity park called Fiji Island. It was incredible. I went with Olivia, Jen, and Pelts.. three good friends from school.

There is a group on facebook that talks about what AFTERdark is and what their mission is. Check it out here.

I’m driving 12 hours to Dallas, TX tomorrow to spend an amazing five days away from textbooks and studying. Fall break, here I come! I’m going with like 10 or 12 other people… it’s going to be a blast.

p.s. I don’t like long car rides… :(

In this day and age, our society in America staunchly emphasizes its freedoms… something that I cannot say that I dislike having in any way, shape or form. I enjoy my freedom as an American citizen, and I thank God for allowing me to be brought up in other cultures outside the US because I have grown to appreciate my freedom as an American all the more..

However, I do think we oftentimes abuse our freedoms (and I speak to myself here, just as much as to anyone and everyone else). In particular, I think the “freedom of speech,” as set down in the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution, is often used irresponsibly… namely in the form of internet discourse, blogging, emails, and forms of communication that do not require one to face up to the actual reality of one’s words. Honestly, I dislike the way that our fast-paced society and ever-changing and new technology has made it the norm to have increased conversation through mechanical devices rather than through actual face-to-face conversation… namely because it takes away the responsibility, as well as having to face the consequences that your words might bring. This may seem ironic seeing as I am writing this on an internet blog… but in all humility, ask me to repeat anything that I say on this blog in person and I will.

Proverbs has a lot of wisdom in the area of speech, I guess you could say. Perhaps I’m being overbearing in using seven different verses as examples… but I was told once that if something is said once it has relevance, if it is said twice it is important, and if it is repeated three or more times you had better take heed.

Proverbs 10:23 – A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
       but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

Proverbs 18:4 -  The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters,
       but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 10:14 – Wise men store up knowledge,
       but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

Proverbs 10:19 – When words are many, sin is not absent,
       but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 12:18 – Reckless words pierce like a sword,
       but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 14:3 – A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back,
       but the lips of the wise protect them.

Proverbs 16:23 – A wise man’s heart guides his mouth,
       and his lips promote instruction.

I would encourage you, my brothers and sisters and friends… take the high road. Be careful in throwing out rash comments and strong words over the internet simply because it is so easy and often without consequence. “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth…”