get/give.

it's amazing how God manages to throw precisely the thing you need to hear into your face.*

tonight that thing was a sermon preached at Hillcrest a few weeks ago by my buddy Tim.
he posed a question to the congregation "Why are you here?"

backstory: just an hour earlier i was having a conversation with one of my dearest friends about whether or not i should go to Ichthus. for the last many months i've really struggled with whether i should continue attending Ichthus. It has been my community here for 3.5 years now, and some of the individuals i care about most in the world - for sure here in manhattan - are a part of that community. but i haven't gained much insight from the talks for such a long time. not to say that it isn't terrific - it is - but i struggle to connect with the teaching style basically. but i've been in this interesting situation where i love the people but i've felt like i've been drying up inside for a while.

so, now. why am i at ichthus?

Tim started listing the reasons people usually pick out churches (good worship, good youth programs, good sermons, its close by), but then he paused and asked another question.

are you here to GET or to GIVE?

the rest of the sermon was super quality, but that in itself was enough for me to realize what my mistake has been for so long. whether i get anything out of the talks or not - maybe that isn't my place in ichthus anymore, but the reason i still go isn't to GET. it is to GIVE.

Hillcrest, my church in KC, is a place where i have always felt hydrated. i've always felt like i left that church with more strength in Jesus than i had when i set foot in the building...and some mornings i wouldn't even listen to a sermon. i would go and help out with middle school and high school services and never even sit down to hear the sermon. however, my growth from those sundays was SO much greater because i went with the intention of GIVING to the MS and HS. and that is how i grow.

so anyway. here i am, finally understanding (i think) what needs to happen in order for me to appreciate Ichthus again. i need to give more of myself.

so i didn't go to Ichthus tonight, but that isn't going to become a trend.

-ap.

* - then again, it is also possible that i just need to hear about 900 different things so God really didnt have to dig too deep into his Bag O' Sermons to find one that worked in my ballpark. either way, He's good.

crushes.

one thing that i have going for me in this whole sex-crazed world we live in today is that i am much more inclined to have two types of crushes instead of your typical guy/girl crush.

1) man-crushes: the list includes - billy walker, michael cera, kanye west, lebron james, john buck, justin timberlake, vince young, chris brown, jared allen, dwayne bowe, jamaal tinsley, will smith, nick welch, so taguchi, relish, adrian peterson, danger mouse, john mayer, kevin durant, jeremiah johnson.

there are probably many more on the list, but for times sake i'll move on.

2) fictional-female-characters-crushes: the list includes - hermione granger.

thats pretty much the story. some might argue that i've had my fair share of celebrity crushes in the past (mandy moore, kelly clarkson, serena williams), but those are only half serious (well, kelly and serena are anyway). i think somewhere in my mind i know that those are COMPLETELY irrational though.

how's that for making no sense at all? i think what i mean is that i can't dream of those. i can always dream of hermione and no one can ever think i'm shallow and no one can ever be jealous or think i'm being dumb. cause they all THINK its a joke.

and as far as the man-crushes go - guys are just too awesome. and no one can deny that the list i've layed out above is made up entirely of awesome individuals. (possibly with the exception of relish - there is the occasional ketchup and mustard loser out there).

anyway. thats that.

-ap.

sick.

so i'm really sick. which is a strange and new feeling for me.

i'm not sure if i've ever been sick other than getting the chicken pox in first grade. i mean, i probably as sick from time to time in elementary school or something, but i honestly cannot remember ever feeling this way in my life.

i've been pumping through vitamin c and gatorade (which i've thought was spelled '-aid' until about 4 seconds ago when i glanced at the bottle and read '-ade') and relying heavily on dayquil and nyquil to get my by. it seems to be working pretty well. i've gone from having crazy chills and a splitting headache to just having normal cold symptoms. i've been told i have the flu. sounds good to me.

the only real concern i have is that the kstate/ku game is tomorrow night and i was PLANNING on getting in line for it at about 6:30 am. obviously this cute little ailment may set me back a few rows at the game, but i will NOT miss it. biggest game of my college career hands down.

and weeza gonna weeen.

-ap.

black superhero music.

jay-z's latest cd, American Gangster, is referred to by Jay as "black superhero music".
how many black superheros can YOU think of? so far i've got three:



Earth (Captain Planet)
Storm (X-Men)
Frozone (The Incredibles)*



lets see what you can do here.

or i should say, "show me what you got, shawty."

-ap.

* - jon gets credit for this one.

heath.

i'm assuming most people have heard by now that heath ledger was found dead in his apartment yesterday. how tragic. there were a bunch of pills next to him i guess - the detectives have put two and two together and labeled it a "drug overdose". smart cats those PI's.

its sad, i agree. but the thing that has struck me as most interesting in this situation (besides the now-heightened creepiness of The Black Knight) is that it is such an enormous deal in today's world. maybe its just that i never really developed an attachment to Ledger's movies, but it seems like this is all my friends want to talk about and i dont think i really care too much to be honest. i think it's sad, but not really any more than if any other individual i never knew died.

i don't really think it will change how i live my life. except that i'm sitting in the union at 9 am blogging about it - probably wouldn't be typing about it if it hadn't happened. hm.

of course, i also wouldn't be here if my 8:30 criminal justice systems class hadn't been called off. would've been nice to know before i walked to campus. it was 9 degrees out an hour ago. since then it has blossomed to a balmy 15 degrees. goodness gracious. grab your sunscreen.

now i'm going to go kill my remaining time in the union browsing through the overpriced posters they have for sale just outside this room.

-ap.

purpose-driven field.

NEW ORLEANS — Pastor and author Rick Warren has signed a deal to purchase the New Orleans Saints football franchise for $320 million from current owner Tom Benson, and has pledged to pour his time and energy into helping the city and team rebuild.
"This is the start of the Saints' turnaround," a Warren spokesman said. "America is going to see what a purpose-driven team can accomplish."
The Saints have desperately needed a home and a vision since Hurricane Katrina devastated their season. They were keenly disappointed with the NFL's response to their plight.
But Warren took an immediate interest in the team on visits to the damaged city, and he surprised his church in November when several Saints players joined him onstage. The church prayed for the team, which won its next game. Warren took this as confirmation of his plan to buy the franchise.
"I like the guy," says one player who met Warren at a practice in San Antonio. "I was skeptical about a minister owning a team, but he wants to win, just like us."
The centerpiece of Warren's purchase will be Purpose-Driven Field, to be located just north of New Orleans. Stadium construction will create thousands of jobs for the local economy, and will give Warren's ministry a foothold in the South, where he hopes to gain greater influence. During the week, Purpose-Driven Field will host conferences, outreaches and short-term missions groups stopping over on their way to Central America, or helping to rebuild New Orleans. Warren already refers to the New Orleans location as Saddleback South, friends say.
The Saints will now operate differently than most NFL teams. Players will be required to go through the 40 Days of Purpose program. Alcohol will not be served in the stadium, and every attendee will receive a copy of the Purpose-Driven Life. Halftime shows will offer "edgy, cool" evangelism and worship concerts, says a spokesman. Warren intends to be as visible as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who often walks the sidelines during games.
"We're marching into New Orleans," Warren told partner churches recently to rousing applause.•

link to article.


i'll be looking forward to the "edgy, cool" worship concerts myself.
hopefully Chris Tomlin and his 3-day GQ scruff will show up.

-ap.

four point oh/i hope so.

i might as well just get a 4.0 this semester.
my classes are going to be really interesting i think - as long as i go i ought to ace them all.

intro to sociology
social organization
juvenile delinquency
intro to music
criminal justice systems

criminal justice is the only class i'm remotely worried about.
its at stinkin 8:30 am in the most uncomfortable classroom there is.
cardwell 102. yuck.

just thought i'd share that. just two more semesters to go after this one.
cmonnnnn summer 09. can't get here fast enough.

television on dvd rules.

welcome to my life the last three nights. and tonight.

i watched season one in three days back in 2006.
then i watched season two with my friends in manhattan.
and then i started season three til it went on a 3 month hiatus.
then i lost interest.

BUT season three is in progress right now and it is so great.

i've forgotten how addictive this tv show is. so good.
and i feel like FINALLY we're starting to get some answers.
i got legitimately angry at Lost partway through season two cause nothing got resolved and cause my favorite character disappeared cause he was getting homesick being on set in Hawaii all the time.
i'm still keeping my fingers crossed that Walt will make a comeback, but i'm not counting on it. it'd be a glorious surprise to kick off season four with, but the kid is now three years older and probably wouldn't be my favorite anymore anyway.

anyway. i think we're supposed to finish season three tonight, but i'm nervous that i'm going to want to watch season four when it starts soon. i don't really want to be emotionally attached to a television show right now. especially when the chance of it going on a serious hiatus is high (writers strike and all).

but i'm more cautious cause i've realized taht this show HAS to be watched back to back episodes. there are too many questions to wait a week between answers (if you get any). so i may just watch season three and then wait til next christmas and watch season four on dvd.
we'll see.

point of this post: don't give up on Lost quite yet. if you're not to season three disc 5...keep on keepin on.
best of luck. ready break.

-ap.

playing ketchup.

another unintentional hiatus.
i dont really understand how these things happen.
lets see if i can catch you up.

developments in my life since christmastime.
- i've decided to work at hillcrest covenant church summer 08. holla back.
- i've had to trade in my red phone for a silver one. it's "more mature."
- i have a girlfriend. her name is karlie.
- classes have started up again (today) and they're not bad.
- i'm completely out of money. sigh.
- i've been playing a lot of scrabble. i'm dece.
- i've also been partaking in quite a bit of detective work.
- i'm going to guatemala over spring break with hillcrest. we leave on my birthday.

thats pretty much it.
hopefully this post will be a launching pad back into blogging.
this seems like more of a sthanga post than a blogspot post.
that was so 4 years ago.

go relish.

-ap.

hahahaha.

-ap.