Saturday, social Saturday

Frisbee didn't happen, but I managed to drive around a little today. As I had little to do, I ended up writing another driver today; I've been working on saturday's to make up some for the vacation I'm going to take at the end of the month; more work now, less vacation days that need to be taken later, or at least that's the theory. Randy hosted game night tonight, to which I went, tied for second in "Puerto Rico", and fell just short in Sitting Ducks. Oh well, maybe next time I'll actually win.

For some reason, I have a clearer sense of purpose than I've had in a while, though I'd be hard pressed to know why. It's not so much of a "I know what to do with myself", but more of a "I feel the green light" kind of thing. No, Warren, it wasn't cause of what you said, ... happened a little earlier, but thanks anyways :-).

Ironically, I'm totally keyed up right now, partly from having just spent the most social hours that I've had all week, partly from said clarity, partly from having soul-fill-up day just a few hours away, partly from having just had cause to realize how many cool algorithmic tricks I know from grad school and thereby feeling useful in Christy's problem-solving, and partly for no good reason at all. It's like I just had a shot of caffeine, even though I haven't had it in months. Maybe that 7up _did_ have caffeine in it; strange.

After writing that, I realized that Cream soda has caffeine in it; I didn't think it did, which is why I had 2-3 glasses of it tonight. I'm going to get a splitting headache in two days from going back off caffeine, and I'm not going to get to sleep tonight for at least an hour or two. Caffeine didn't used to do that much to me, but when you're off it for months,... it makes you to haywire. I don't know what I'm going to do; I have no more work I can get done, it's midnight, and I need to be up in 8 hours. God helping me I will actually get to sleep before too long.

Great is Your faithfulness
to carry on with a sinner like me
--Newsboys

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.
-- Isaiah 58:13 a.k.a. where the 4th commandment rubber meets the road

I don't think people are meant to be by themselves

It's been another long day of bug-fixing; it's had it's ups and downs. After a phone conference in the morning, I was asked to back out a few changes I'd spend a decent amount of time on, in favor of someone else's seemingly shoddy code, keeping the status quo until next month's release. I shouldn't take it personally when I'm not listened to, but I guess it hits me every now and then. No volleyball after prayer meeting tonight; it's difficult to play in or after rain.

At Keith's insistence, I took a test yesterday designed to diagnose Asberger's syndrome. To both his and my amazement, I scored an "unaffected" with a score smack in the middle of their control group. It was funny, as I answered questions, to realize that I'd probably have answered those questions a lot differently just a few short years ago. I'm not _that_ bad at reading people, I just don't always act accordingly; I guess it boils down to self-control.

"I don't think people are meant to be by themselves."
Dr. John "J.D." Dorian, Scrubs

Irony points for the day: Ice-T plays a police detective on TV.

Bulls take it in the 8th

It's now 2 hours later, and I'm at the Joyce with keith after sucking out on trivia with a literally mean score of 15. The Bulls took control of the game in the 8th inning, scoring 3 on an off-the-wall double to take a 7-5 lead with which they held on to win. I'll probably head home now, unless Keith feels like playing pool. It's his birthday today, for what it's worth. All in all, it's been a fun-filled day.

Take me out to the ballgame

It's been a busy day, with lots or bugs to fix. I guess I bring it on myself, since I caused them, but it still takes a good chunk of time. I skipped out early to hit a Bulls baseball game with Stephy, Matthew and Esther, who are in town for a week or so from Scotland. Mary wanted to come but was unable to. It's been a pretty good game [it is ongoing, in the 8th inning], but we're still losing by a run or two. In an hour I'll be at the Joyce attempting to do decently at trivia; we haven't done that well of late.

It's amazing that I have a job for which I can do work while watching a ballgame. I am such a nerd, typing a blog while watching a ball game. W00t we just got a double play... back to the game.

Make religion the every-day business of your life,... or else

There are preachers that can preach, and then there are preachers who are deliver such a Spirit-drenched message so as to defy even predestination, if it were possible. If anything, it's a proof of the superhuman grip that sin has on the heart, that one could hear a sermon like I've heard today, not once but twice, and remain distant from Christ. Pastor William Hughes was in town for the weekend, standing in for Iain Murray, and he filled those shoes famously. I only hope I can properly digest what I've been privileged to hear today.

In the Sunday school, we were treated to a detailed survey of the life and ministry of David Livingstone. While hailed as an extraordinary explorer, his spiritual zeal to open the then-unknown continent of Africa to the gospel is often overlooked. One thing that stuck out in my mind was the death-bed counsel of a childhood mentor of his, as follows:

"Now, lad, make religion the every-day business of your
life, and not a thing of fits and starts; for if you do, temptation and
other things will get the better of you."

In the morning, he drew from 2 Corinthians 5, reading chapter 4 as a background to Paul's words of confidence at the onset of the 5th chapter -- "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." Pr. Hughes focussed his comments on Paul's analogy of heaven, making the point that, in the words of Richard Sibbs, "If a believer is gloomy all the time, he has forgotten what Christ has done for him. If he is happy all the time, he has forgotten what Christ is yet to do for him." He also noted Paul's complete absence of any mention of punishment to come, as taught by the supposed doctrine of Purgatory, which is not surprising since it is completely contradictory to Paul's understanding of redemption. Paul's confidence is rooted primarily in the believer's union with Christ through faith, which results in adopted sonship, the basis for a reconciled relationship with God.

An established relationship with God is predicated on the activity of all three members of the Godhead-- the election of God the Father, the blood sacrifice of the Son, and the presence of the Spirit, given at conversion as the guarantee of our future inheritance. To those who would claim that believing one to be permanently in grace is presumption, I would counter that Paul had no such hesitation. To quote, "we KNOW that we have a building from God", speaking of heaven. Such a belief is not presumption, but simply taking God at His word. To say that such knowledge is not possible is to deny not only Paul's words, but those of Peter ["but you, make your calling and election sure"], and more importantly, those of Christ ["he who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out"]; and these are just a sampling of what is assured to the believer all across the New and Old testaments.

In the evening, Pr. Hughes delivered a heart-string-pulling exposition of the words of Christ at the end of Matthew 11, "Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of hear, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." I really can't capture it here, you'll have to listen to it off the website at www.grbc.net if you can handle it.