Friday, December 29, 2017

That’s The Worst

I may be sick now but you know those cold winter days where you go out and your car won’t start, this is bad but that, that is the worst.  (For those who get what I’m referencing 😉😄). 

Yeah, so the last couple days have been a bit crazy with car troubles.  Monday my car was giving warnings that the coolant was low, the the car didn’t overheat.  Tuesday the car wouldn’t start.  When I tried it gave warnings that the was no oil, no coolant and that i needed to STOP.  Wednesday my car yet again wouldn’t start.  It has been getting a bit cooler at nights, and my car is outside so I figured that something was freezing in the motor.  Whenever I tried to start it the battery sounded strong.  If you remember back to last December, while I was up in Canada I had my battery replaced, so it shouldn’t be anything with the battery now.  In the afternoon on Wednesday, I tried jumping it (at the recommendation of my dad).  I was home alone with grandma Baurer and she was sick.  So I backed her car out if the garage and pulled it around on the road to face my car.  I tried starting my car several times with the jumper cables hooked up to both batteries and my grandmas car running, yet my car wouldn’t start.  So I put it all away and called my dad.  He suggested to let grandmas car stay connected to my car a bit longer and then try to jump it again.  So I hooked them up again and tried it again.  I tried a handful of times to start my car, each with 2-5 minutes of charging.  By the last try, my battery sounded pretty low.  My dad was out of town with some family along with my sister and brother (Jonathan) and grandma was sick in bed.  So I waited until my dad got home.  

When he got home we pushed the car in neutral perpendicular with the road but lined up with my grandmas driveway - we couldn’t push it by hand up the hill on her driveway.  So my dad used his car to bumper push me up the driveway and into the garage.  Once in the garage we popped the hood.  (Oh yeah, also while it was out on the road I had checked the oil twice several hours apart and it showed really low so I added 2qt of oil).  Under the hood we found that the fuel was too gelled and frozen to move they the fuel filter.  At the suggestion of a guy who used tow irk on this car Ben Koch, we decided we needed to replace the fuel filter.  Now my dad and sister were supposed to leave early Thursday morning to head back to Texas, but my dad decided to stay till noon to help me out.  Wednesday night as we dug into the fuel filter unattaching everything so we could take it out to replace it the next day, we found yet another small little plastic piece had broken.  We guessed it would cost $5-10 to replace.  The next day we found that the retail value of that piece was about $55 but we were recommended to a guy in Peoria by Princeville Automotive that had one left in stock and was able to sell it to us for around $13 - Praise God!!!   We got that piece and the filter.  Plush we picked up some fluid that I need to put into my tank whenever I fill up to prevent his from happening again. I had already bought some Desicl 9-1-1 (another fluid to help).  Come to find out also, all those warnings my car was giving were false including the oil level- I now have 2qt too much oil in my car.  I hope to take it to a shop soon and have them do an oil change.  

Anyways as we got back to grandmas we started reassembling the car.  My dad left and I finished it up, well mostly.  Just as I was finishing up, the Mickey Mouse Pin  That holds the filter piece to the filter tumbled down into the darkness of my engine.  People online said this is the last thing you want to happen because it will take forever to find it.  I never found it.  I then drive into Princeville to see if either of the automotive shops had one.  Neither did nor had heard if it.  Princeville Automotive again suggested that I go to the guy I went to earlier with my dad.  I didn’t want to drive that far.  But I did drive to a closer part of Peoria and went to AutoZone and Advanced AutonPaets And neither of them had it.  One of them recommended me to try the Peoria VW dealer just down the road.  So I did, but they didn’t have it either.  So I set off to the guy I had gone to earlier.  I went in and asked him for the part, shows him the picture and part number and he said he would look and see if he had it.  He seemed unsure.  A little bit later he came out out and said, “have you ever played the lottery?” indicating that finding the part in his shelves was like playing the lottery.  But (Praise and Thank God) he just happened to have one left in stock for a whopping $4.95.  I was so happy.  Yes it took me nearly 3-4 hours to get it, but I got it.  

Once I got home and was putting everything together (it was nigjtby now), I couldn’t get the filter cap to go all the way into the filter. It seemed like I had tried everything.  I the. Started thinking that I would wait until Jonathan got home to get his help.  I needed another thought on this.  Just the. I heart Gods still small voice say, “you can ask my thought on this”.  I kind of rolled my eyes in thought not knowing if I should 1) trust the voice in was hearing as I’m still struggling in lea God’s voice and 2) how I would be able to know that what was said was him and not me.  But I replied with, “how do I do this God?”   H simply told me to push down on the left side.  So I started to push down on the bottom (in a way it could be considered left based on this piece) and the piece went down a tad further but then got stuck again.  As I kept trying, I heard God ask me if I was pushing the left side.  So I pushed the left side, which I had already done seemingly thousands of times, and click it fit right in.  Boom!  Thank you God.  

My car now runs good and is thaw.  I am glad that I was able to get it done (with lots of help) before the real cold hit.  Starting tonight till Tuesday, the temperature is continually going to drop.  Up until Tuesday where the temperature will be in the -20’s Fahrenheit plus wind.  Thank you God for all you have allowed and all you are!!!!


Monday, December 25, 2017

Moana - More (Repraise - Outtake)

If you are planning to read this post now, I ask that you set aside 20 minutes to read, listen, and think through this post - if you are going to rush, save this post for another time when you can take 20 minutes.  Thank you.  

Over the last 8-10 months I have been more and more attracted to the animated movie “Moana”.  When I first watched it I really liked it and wanted to watch it again.  As I watched it a second time I invited God to join me and He revealed to me something new in the movie.  As I continue to watch this movie over and over He keeps revealing more and more.  He uses what He shows me to encourage me, expand my boundaries, increase my understanding, and to reveal Himself more.  

Since falling in love with this movie, I have downloaded the films entire soundtrack on my phone.  There were a couple of songs that I deleted out of it, but most of the songs really speak to me and really encourages me, as God works thru them, to pray and believe.  Several songs on that soundtrack album are an outtake and is not actually in the movie.  One of them particular I will be talking about today.  

Below is what I listened to, wrote, and read last night in a meaningful and powerful time with God.  Please listen to the songs and read the words in the order that they appear below.  



LYRICS: 
She showed me day after day
How to find my way
She taught me how to rely
On the wind and sky 
She named me after the sea
She believed in me

MY NOTES:
“She showed me day after day”
God, my Father, my Dad, shows me day after day
“How to find my way”
He shows me the way and how to find the way - to seek Him
“She taught me how to rely”
Abba Father shows me, He teaches me, gently, how to rely
“On the wind and sky”
He shows me how to rely on Him and His Word; how to rely, on full trust, on His Spirit in me: How to depend on what I cannot see (Wind / Him - the Holy Spirit) and trust what I cannot touch or fathom the expanse of (Sky / Him - His work - His understanding; His will)
“She named me after the sea”
Daddy gave me a name on purpose, The God, Lord of all, named me!!!
“She believed in me”
My Father believes in me; He has called me to a purpose and has entrusted me with His empowerment; He believed in me, He believes in me! 

LYRICS:
I know we use to be bold
From the tales she told
I know she left me prepared
From the things she shared 
The was more she wanted to see

MY NOTES:
“I know we use to be bold”
From what we read in the Word, the early church was bold and courageous;
“From the tales she told”
We see this in both the Word and History 
“I know she left me prepared”
‘God does not call the equipped, He equips the called.’  God has called me and has equipped me: I know that God is in me and I in Him (John 14:20, John 15:4); I know that God is for me and will never fail; I know that God will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5): I am prepared by God!
“From the things she shared”
I know this by the experiences He has shared with me; by the words He has spoken to me; and by His Word: the Bible
“There was more she wanted to see”
God has so much more for me; He has so much more He wants to show me. 

LYRICS:
Staring at the barrier together on the shore
We practiced all the names of everyone who came before me
Voyagers, warriors, ancestors in our line
Their blood runs in mine

MY NOTES:
“Staring at the barrier together on the shore”
God is with me; He will stand with me as I face barriers in life
“We practiced all the names of everyone who came before me”
He encourages me to move forward. He encourages me by reminding me who He says I am and who He is
“Voyagers, warriors, ancestors in our line”
He reminds me of His faithfulness throughout the Bible; He reminds me of who He chose and worked through in the Bible
“Their blood runs in mine”
And that I am a member of the church, the body of Christ, today just as much as the members of the early church including the apostles themselves. 

LYRICS:
She always knew more 
She hungered for more
She taught me more
And somehow I know 
She’d want me to go

MY NOTES:
“She always knew more
She hungered for more
She taught me more”
God is role modeling this for us to follow: that there is always more to know, He knows more; that we are to desire more of Him, His Word, will and way; and that we are to teach more of Him: to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)
“And somehow I know
She’d want me to go”
He tells me not only in His Word but also in life, the still small voice, and others, that I am to know Him, to seek Him, and to magnify Him (to know, to hunger, to teach/live). 

LYRICS:
To navigate, you have to keep your island in your mind
You’ll know what lies ahead if you remember what’s behind you
Want to know the answers to the questions you still don’t know
You just have to go, find more

MY NOTES:
“To navigate you have to keep your island in your mind”
To successfully navigate life with God, you need to remember and to learn and remember where you were
“You’ll know what lies ahead if you remember what’s behind you”
And if you know where you were, you can know where your going. You can’t go from point A to point B without point A, likewise how can you rejoice in what God has done in your life or will do, if you don’t remember where you were before God brought you to point B?
“Want to know the answers to the questions you still don’t know”
I have lots of questions.  But to find answers to those questions 
“You just have to go, find more”
I need to Just Go, with God.  Go where? to Find More! find more of God,

LYRICS:
I wanna know more
There’s always more
How can I stay
She taught me the way

MY NOTES:
“I wanna know more
There’s always more”
I want to know more of God, there is always more of Him I can learn
“How can I stay
She taught me the way”
How can I stay where I was if I know where I can be?  God has shown me that the way is thru Him.  

LYRICS:
Every turn I take
Every trail I track
Every path I make
Every road leads back to the sea
I am sailing to the edge of the sea

MY NOTES:
“Every turn I take 
Every trail I track
Every path I make”
Everywhere I go, no matter what I do, no matter what I decide, 
“Every road leads back to the sea”
It All leads back to God. Really?  Are you sure? If I am s child of God, then yes, I am positive.  Because God’s Word says that He will work All things together for Good (and He is Good-Psalm 136:1- and everything good comes
From Him-James 1:17) for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28) - He takes care of His children.  I believe that if I am His child and I wonder off; if I make a bad decision; if I mess up, He will correct me, re direct me, and work it for Good. 
“I am sailing to the edge of the sea”
I am going to dig into God ; Know, Seek, and Magnify Him, as much and as long as I can. 
“And it calls me-“
And better yet, God Himself has called me!

LYRICS:
Moana go now
Moana don’t stall
Don’t worry about how
Just answer the call of the sea
There’s nothing there holding me

MY NOTES:
“Moana go now”
Joshua (your name) Go Now
“Moana don’t stall”
Joshua (your name) do not delay any more
“Don’t worry about how”
Trust.  Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7). Do not lean on my own understanding. Trust God with my whole heart (Proverbs 3:5). I cant understand it, I won’t understand it now, and I don’t have to.  I am called , therefore/thus/because I am called, I do not have to worry about how
“Just answer the call of the sea”
I Just have to follow God when He takes a step.  My job is to Go (the action), God’s job is the how (the process).  My Job is NOT THE HOW! Leave to God what is God’s, Don’t worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34), just, only trust God and Go 
“There nothing there holding me”
With God no one, no circumstance, no situation, not even Satan Himself can hold me.  God is greater and God is with me. 

LYRICS:
If I had time
I’d say good bye 

I will cross the divide, I will ride
I will see what’s on the other side
With the ocean as my guide, on the tide
I will go where no one’s ever been before 
There always more

MY NOTES:
“If I had time
I’d say good bye”
I have not been given all the time in the world/ all my life to sit in my comfort and resist God.  I have been given my life to know, seek, and teach (to magnify/live) Him - to make disciples. 
“I will cross the divide, I will ride”
I will take a deep breath, remember that God is with me, and cross the divide from my comfort to His call for me
“I will see what’s on the other side”
I can only see what God has for me after I have crossed the divide 
“With the ocean as my guide, on the tide”
With God as my guide, on the foundation of His Word 
“I will go where no one’s ever been before”
God will take me to unimaginable places
“There’s always more”
There is always more with God
There is always more to God

There is always more of God 

Monday, December 18, 2017

Texas, Cards, & Travel

So, once again, I am behind in my blogging.  Currently I am down in Texas with my family.  Prior to heading down here I, after much thought and prayer, too the step and got new tires for my car. I feel that God’s hand was over it all as I was able to get 5 new winter name-brand tires, plus installation, plus ridding of the old tires for under $350 USD.  Now that is one great deal!!! No I didn’t have the money, but I was able to take a loan for it from my dad.  I got my tires at Sams Club - it seems that it was good that I paid the $45 for a Sams Club membership that I haven’t used until now.  Having the membership saved me a lot more than $45 in tire expenses, so it was well worth it.

Last Thursday my dad flew me down there Austin Texas. It was actually a two part flight.  I flew from Bloomington Illinois to Atlanta Georgia.  Then from Atlanta to Austin.  My dad picked me up in Austin around 5pm Thursday evening.  My dads friend, an old friend from when we used to live in Texas 10 yeas ago, Mike Hardcastle, invited dad and I over for supper.    He made us vegetable spaghetti (spaghetti squash, cooked veggies, etc...) it was really good. After supper another one of their friends came over for some games.  Mike taught us a new card game called Five Crowns - it was a ton of fun!   Then we played Pictionary.  I stayed with my dad until Sunday afternoon.  During the weekend we had some really good chats, played some Rummy - it wasn’t my night for it (he creamed me), we watched Thor 2 and some other episodes from a tv show that Jonathan has gotten into. We also played a racing game that we really like on my dad Xbox.

On Saturday my dad and I drove up to Waco Texas and met Abi for brunch.  Then we went to a theater and we watched the new Star Wars. I would rate the it a 7, it was good and well done, but I wouldn’t say it was great.  I would like to go watch it again though.

Sunday I was hoping to go to the small home church that my dad goes to but the pastor was sick so we went to Austin Stone (the north campus).  The main campus of this church is where Chris Tomlin was the worship pastor before he started recording. It was a really good service. We had to leave abit early though as we hand planned to meet my mom in Waco (at least an hour away) by 2pm.  We hit some traffic and we’re late.  When we met up with my mom I went back to her house with her and dad went back to his house.  When mom and I got to her house we did a short partially “family” Christmas.  It wasn’t the same without dad.  After that we watched some Top Gear and another episode of Jonathan’s tv show.  We ate supper, went over all of our Johnson O’Conner results and then went through some old memories by looking through our school files from the last 15 years.

Then the four of us sat around the kitchen table and played Dutch Blitz and ERS (Egyptian Rat Slap - a really fun card game)

Monday, December 4, 2017

Christmas Is Coming!!! - buuuuut school is too

As School is coming to a close as Christmas approaches times are getting busier and plans for the holiday are beginning to set.  First, I have nearly 5 weeks of break over Christmas!  Which is Amazing, especially compared to high school.     So, on Thursday, December 14 I will be flying out of Bloomington, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia and then from Atlanta to Austin, Texas.  I will then spend just a tad over a week in Texas with my mom and dad and Jonathan and Abi.   Then I will drive back with my dad and siblings to Illinois just before Christmas.  

But before all that happens I have a busy week, or so I thought.  Going into this past weekend I sat down and calculated about how much time I expected of homework over the next week.   This is the last "week" of school, next week is finals.  However I won't be here for finals next week as I don't have any finials to take in class - I have two-ish (not really finals, but rather end of the semester tests) and they are online over the weekend before.  Anyways I estimated about 21 hours of work. Now with not having a computer most of that has to be done at school.  I was able to get a good chuck done on my phone (which I am very grateful for) though it was quite a bit more of an inconvenience. This morning (Monday, December 4th) I had planned to come to school for 9am.  Thankfully, praise God, that worked out.   I don't have any classes on Monday until 6pm.   I've spent the entire day here working on getting assignments done.  I knocked the estimated 21 hours down to an estimated 1.5 hours.  And I am proud to say that I got a lot more done than I expected.  Though I'd have to say as I sped up with the quantity of work that was done, the quality of the work dropped.   Yet, 6 papers and over a chapter of online reading, quizzes and assignments later, I am glad to be done with it all.  

Oh and I was suppose to give a speech on Wednesday in Biology on Nutrition and Diabetes Type 2, but I asked the teacher if I could do it tonight instead (so I can get it over with and that I can go to church on Wednesday night) and he let me.  So I will be doing my speech tonight!  

Thank you God for the productive day and all that you have blessed me with, I am truly blessed!

Orchestra & Chorus

Saturday - I joined the Schlipfs in going to my cousin's Christmas concert at Illinois State University.   He was part of it, though there were many, many other students as well.  I absolutely loved it!  It was full of beautiful singing from the Glee Club, Madrigals, and many others along with a fabulous orchestra and energetic and passionate Conductors.    It was an exciting 90+ minutes!  I had great joy all throughout it, especially at the end.  As I was watching it I asked God to show me something through it and let it all, whether intended or not, to be a glory and praise to Him.  And He did!  It was so amazing and joyful!  Praise God!