A little bit older, maybe a little bit wiser

So i've now collected another year to the 22 I've already collected so far. I managed to head back early from southampton and was treated to a meal at tampopo by Claire.
It's been quite a year with ups and downs. Highlights including getting engaged to my beautiful fiancee Claire, fp as a whole, the packed out carol concert and many other things means there's lots to remember. This time last year I was working at a recruitment agency wondering what my fp year would look like... Now i'm sat wondering what marriage and full time employment at rfc will look like... I know that this coming year is one of a big transition...
The best thing of all is that I can testify about God's faithfulness and goodness throughout and how I know this will follow me through all my years. Thank you to the many many people who have blessed me this year, i'm so grateful to God for you. Looking forward to being able to talk about all the great things that have happened this time next year.

Graduation Fail

So my blog is descending into simply a blog of videos I come across and less to do with deep thoughts but oh well! In the spirit of my graduation at 5pm today, I thought I would share this... hopefully this won't happen today! Can't believe I'm graduating but still at least I've got here in the end

Exams...

It would seem that the exam period has descended on all of studentdom and therefore blogging (as well as most other vaguely interesting things) have to take the back foot... I only have 4 so not long now! 13 May is not far away and then it shall be happy days :) I shall still blog sporadically though (so actually nothing is really changing!)

a standing cat will have to do for now...

"Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear"

Was listening to a sermon and the preacher mentioned this famous personal statement. You may have heard it before, but I'm sure you'll still be amused by it! The guy who wrote it Hugh Gallagher apparently wrote it for an essay competition...

"I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook thirty-minute brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by Juventus, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my shed. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. Last summer I toured Burkino Faso with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I chant Latin whilst working casually as a freelance ambassador. I perform short operas in the street to raise money for injured stunt dolphins, and regularly powerlift garden furniture for an entire afternoon.

I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on holiday in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a pot noodle and a small spoon.

I breed prize winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling awards at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken to Elvis.

But… I have not yet been to university."

Wrestling with God

Genesis 32:24-31


So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.
Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."
Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

So about 2 weeks ago I had the privilege of getting to attend Reading Fam's worship leaders meeting. Was a brilliant time in which those of us who lead and those who would like to lead met up, chatted about why we do what we do, were challenged in areas but also was a great time of encouragement. Towards the end Liz said that she planned for that we should pray for one another individually and practice stepping out in terms of hearing for God. To be honest alarm bells went off in my head, as i've never thought of myself as a particularly  strong prayer (an area to improve in) but also that I had said i wanted to step out in prophecy so I knew that now was the time!

Anyway so we got individuals to stand in the middle and we gathered and prayed for them. Some amazing words came out and people seemed really stirred and encouraged. As it came for my turn, I wondered what it would be... God delights in my songwriting?... God will bless me with even greater skill  (HA! i make myself laugh) with my guitar? etc... no God intended to challenge me deeply -> that I should be striving to "wrestle with God", that I need to push myself to grow a spiritually broader shoulders were 2 that stood out and this is so that I might become the man God intends me to be. The idea of wrestling with God is a terrifying one but I take refuge and delight in the passage from Genesis. Not only did Jacob do it, but he was blessed because of it.

So I decided to accept what God is saying, let Him humble me and choose to delight in Him. It's quite clear that I've gotten myself into a mindset where I think that I read the bible enough, or that I spend enough time with Him (which clearly isn't true) and so I've probably gotten very relaxed in my ways. The way I would usually spend my free time at the moment during this holiday would be to play some fifa (or some other game of sort), browse various football sites, listen to music or watch a film. I've decided to put the hunt for new music (that seems to be a constant one) on a bit of a hold and choose to listen to podcasts/sermons on my way to work as well as trying to read more and focusing on songwriting. I'm attempting to wrestle and take delight in my Saviour in my spare time and hopefully I won't be limping afterwards like Jacob... hopefully....