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Bloemster
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Name: Paul
Country: United States
State: Michigan
Metro: Grand Rapids
Birthday: 8/3/1988
Gender: Male
Interests: Music, Hanging out, Movies, Television, Math, Science, yada yada yada, I'm not gonna bore you.
Expertise: I have magic fingers... other than that, just plain being Lanky, I think that sums it up...
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  Bloemster
Member Since:
1/17/2004
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| Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are.
I had to find you, tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart.
Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions,
Oh lets go back to the start.
Running in circles, Comin' up Tails
Heads on a science apart.
Nobody said it was easy,
It's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be this hard.
Oh take me back to the start.
I was just guessin' at numbers and figures,
Pulling your puzzles apart.
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart.
And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start.
Runnin' in circles, Chasin' up Tails
Comin' back as we are
Nobody said it was easy,
Oh it's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be so hard.
I'm goin' back to the start.
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| Well, the first semester of college is over, and I can't really believe it. So strange how fast things go these days. Anyway, I'm not going to write a long, drawn out nostalgic post. I'm enjoying break so far, it's nice to see everyone again and hang out like we used to. Watching the Grinch last night was a good time.
We had a great sermon in Church yesterday morning. It was about deep cleaning, and how just because we know we're saved doesn't mean we can become complacent and just float through life without trying to improve. The pastor made a fantastic point that I guess I had never heard before. I knew that it was the case, but it was great to hear nonetheless. He said that just because we're good compared to someone else doesn't mean we're righteous. I feel like that's the way a lot of people think most of the time. I know I have. He used the example of a rapist saying, "Well, at least I haven't killed anyone... I'm good compared to that murderer." It's almost scary to think about how terrible we all are, and it really puts into perspective the fact that some people try to argue against Christianity by saying, "Oh please, God wouldn't send billions of decent people to hell just because they didn't 'accept' him. That would be totally unfair!" The fact is, as the Bible says, all have fallen short of the glory of God, and just because someone has committed murder doesn't make him any less deserving of heaven than someone who has committed the "accepted" sins of our day like greed or pride. Just because something is a lighter shade of black doesn't mean it is white.
Very interesting.
Anywhop, I'm about to get to work... lots of stuff to do there this week, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Making some extra cash, hanging around the office, etc... good times. I'll catch you all later!
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| So it's been a very long time since I've posted, but I've been reading some posts by others, and thought it would be a lot of fun to actually post on my good ol' Xanga again. I just miss the community on here... the fact that I could always know what people had going on in their lives... that I could keep track of friends even when I wasn't in contact with them throughout the day. College is a great place, but it ends up being like a giant bubble, and it's hard to know what's going on outside the bubble. During high school, there was a bubble, but there was plenty of time spent off campus, and it wasn't that hard to keep up with what was going on in the outside world. I'm fairly certain that I have no idea whatsoever about the current state of affairs in other countries, or even our own for that matter. I've turned into a bit of a drone that simply does school work, hangs out with friends, and squeezes as much sleep as possible out of each twenty-four hours. Lame? A bit I suppose, but I'm having lots of fun with it. (Not that that's a good reason to do things, I'm just saying...)
Another thing I've noticed about college is that time absolutely flies by. It doesn't just go "a bit faster" than before, it truly does fly by. I am almost done with my entire first semester of classes. In under a week I will be taking my first college exams. I still sit in my room thinking to myself, "Hold on, didn't I just move in?" I'm so used to my room, but if I look around, it's strange to think I'm living in a room with one of my friends, and to know that I don't have a room at home anymore. (Who knows what will happen during the summer... hopefully I can get a room back.) It's even stranger to think that after next summer I'll be moving out of the house for good. Weird. I don't even know what to think about that. Crazy.
Time hasn't just flown by in terms of school though. Everyone probably saw this coming and has been poking their eyes out for a while, but I'm going to press on regardless. Today, December 5, marks ten months with Amy. That boggles my mind. The more I think about it, ten months is a very long time, but it has flown by so fast. The last ten months have been amazing, mind-boggling, interesting, mysterious at times, hilarious, fun, fantastic, and ultimately perfect. I wouldn't change a thing. Granted, college is a sucky place to have a relationship. It's dangerously close to impossible to find alone time where it's not important to put on a front for everyone, where you can say exactly what you want to say instead of what you need to say because you're around hundreds of other people. It's hard to find a place to do devotions together, it's hard to find a time to watch a movie curled up under a blanket, and it's a well established fact that anyone going for a walk around campus at night holding hands is going to get honked at and probably mocked for weeks. Still, these are all minor challenges compared to the reward of knowing that I have someone who is going to be there for me no matter what. It is an amazing feeling to know that if I've had a bad day, she has the power to cheer me up almost instantly. (I'm not quite so successful sometimes, but I'm getting there...) Ten whole months. Wow.
I can't wait to see what the rest of this year, and the coming years of college bring. I can't wait to find out which classes I'll end up loving, and which ones I'll end up hating. I can't wait to find out what my calling really is in life. I can't wait to continue making friends, maintaining old relationships, and just plugging away at this thing called life. Lots of fun, lots of stress, but amazing either way. God's been good to me this year so far, and I can't wait to see what He's got in store for the future.
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| Well, I've wanted to write this post for a while now, and I think it's time I did. I'm sitting on my couch with nothing to do for a little bit, and I decided to put down some of the things I've been thinking over the past couple months. Enjoy, or don't, I don't really care.
Coming to Calvin was one of the easiest "big" decisions I've ever made in my life. Theoretically I had my pick of which college I wanted to go to. I did exceptional on my ACT's, had a great GPA, and with a bit of motivation, could write a heck of an application essay. In practice however, it didn't really matter. I applied to one college, and once college only. Clearly that college was Calvin. This is probably mostly because most of my relatives have been students here, including but not limited to my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, brother, cousins, etc. I had heard nothing but praise for the college, and surely didn't want to miss out on the experience. I don't doubt that I could have a good college experience elsewhere, and I am most certainly not saying that Calvin is "better" than any other colleges in particular, just that this is THE perfect place for me to be right now. I suppose I should explain myself.
Since my enrollment and the start of classes here at Calvin, I've noticed things that are just different than anywhere else (that I've seen) in a way that really makes me feel at home. Professors are kind, willing to help, and truly have the well-being of their students in mind. They give you their office hours, phone numbers, and are never too busy with their work or research to give assistance. Classes in general at Calvin are much different than anywhere else I've heard of. I haven't had a single class yet where the teacher doesn't know the names of at least most of the students. I haven't had any classes in giant lecture halls where the teacher walks in, talks for an hour, and then walks out again. In each class, it feels as if instead of them feeling obligated to talk at you for a period just so they can continue with their research and personal endeavors they really want to be there helping you to understand the subject they are passionate (and in all cases I've encountered, incredibly knowledgeable) about.
Also, the friendly student body is amazing. Rather than having tens of thousands of students who are perfectly satisfied to be completely apathetic to everyone around them, Calvin students routinely hold open doors, smile, and greet strangers on the paths between classes. It's something I can't imagine happening anywhere else, but it truly adds to the uplifting nature of the college.
Finally, and most importantly, I find that the spiritual aspect of Calvin College blows me away. It really hit me while in chapel on Friday, which is when I decided I wanted to write this. As I was standing in the chapel with hundreds of my peers, some adults, and even quite a few of the faculty and professors, I realized that although it was a common experience for me, it was positively amazing that this was happening on a college campus. The more I think about it, the more it boggles my mind that I have been blessed in such a way that I go to a school where classes are deliberately scheduled so that no class will EVER interfere with the 20 minutes after ten o'clock, simply to allow any student who wishes to attend the chapel service. Incredible! As I stood in that chapel, singing praise songs, watching my classmates raise their hands in worship, I realized that this place, hands down, is where I need to be and want to be. I can't imagine growing mentally or spiritually at any other institution.
So that's my plug for Calvin... Have a fantastic day.
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| C'mon, it's wonderful weather for a sleigh ride together with you!
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