When Winter Sets In...

Sooo...I'm going to be the vice-president of CKI next year.  ...How did this happen? lol  I seem to just walk into these things, but I like to think that God and I share many humorous moments in our relationship. =~)
I love Circle K International, though, and am excited for its wonderful members and amazing potential.  So it should be fun.

I've been trying to write a Christmas song, and thus far it has been to no avail. =~(
I have a scribble here and a scribble there, but I feel like I'm failing to capture the essence of Christmas.

Anyways, though, I thought I'd share one such "scribble" before I logged out of blogger.  You can make of it what you will.  Here it is:

God lit
a candle in this darkness,
and named this newborn Jesus
to offer warmth and light.
Dare we carry
this candle to remember--
to remind us each December--
when the earth is cold and dead:
that Jesus
is with us
and His love
is still burning when
winter sets in.

Chapel and the Library Books

So today at chapel may just be my most favorite chapel ever.

This morning Fiat Lux (I think that's how you spell it) did an accoustic set, which was alright.  Then, and this is super exciting!, the SEU wind ensemble performed a Middle Eastern piece called "Arabesque" (again, idk about these international word spellings).  And finally, and this is my favorite part, an organization called Broken Voices came.  A man named Andrew got up, shared some of his story, his passion, his desires.  He shared a little about their outreach.  And then he mentioned the Idea Farm, an event held by Broken Voices.

Idea Farm is a four-day lakeside retreat that students go to in July, where they pour out their big idea for a service or outreach, something inventive and impacting, and Broken Voices works with them to help them see it come true!

I don't so much have a "big idea" on my heart, but when they announced that Andrew would be at lunch at 11 o'clock for anyone who wanted to join, I went.  I wish I could say I jumped at it, but I was quite hesitant.

It ended up being like a 20-person setting, though, very fun and very fascinating.  We took part in such intriguing conversation, shared about ourselves and our hearts, and sharing our excitement for God's plans for our lives.

So, in essence, this morning was really good. =~)

(During the time when I was trying to work up the courage to go have lunch with Andrew, I went to the library and had Jesus time.  After Jesus time, I caught sight of two different books: Difficult People (which tells you how to effectively work with, well you know, difficult people) and Get Out of Your Own Way at Work...and Help Others Do the Same (there are chapters in this one on people pleasing, how to say no, how not to panic, and many other helpful things).  So we'll see how it goes.

I'm so excited!

I think...

I don't ever have time, it seems, to update this blog because I have to make two posts a week for my Intro to Literature blog, and then comment three times a week on top of it.  While I am also reading for Christ, Culture, and the University and Life of Christ, it would seem that school reading takes up all my time anymore.

So I think I'm going to start sharing my thoughts on my reading.  It's what's consuming my life, anyways.

So yes? ...Well I think I will, anyways. =~)

So Open Mic went very well!  Thanks to everyone who came out and to everyone who had such nice things to say!
Thanks to Francie for videoing it and putting it on Facebook.  Thanks to Corey for inviting me to help out with Unveiled worship this upcoming Sunday!  And thanks to Jimmy for the recording comment.
As a last thing, here are a few words I was playing around with this afternoon after church.  We'll see if they amount to anything! =~D

For the days
When I wake...up
Run out...of luck
Don't know what to do
My spirit is weak
Where do I draw my strength?

I can testify
To having lied...to myself
Saying things...like everything is well
What else
Could I say?
Where do I draw my strength?


I hope everyone has just an amazing week!  God bless =~)

Sunset through the Southeastern Trees

I am reminded, every day on this campus, just how creative a God I serve. What a remarkable artist!


Look at the colors He uses: such vivid greens amidst the grass and tree tops, the icy blue that is the lake behind the trees. And this is just what a camera phone could capture!

You should have been there. There were white caps on the waves as the wind blew by. And, with the wind blowing, the limbs swayed, giving the shadows and spots of bright green the appearance that I was inside a nightlight, shining against a large wall.

I am telling you, God is SURELY good! The world that he created EMBRACES peace. All that we have to do is pay attention...

Open Mic!

Hello, out there!  I know it's been a couple of weeks and I apologize.  So I thought this would be a fun post to make up for it.  These are the words to the song that I wrote for Open Mic night this Monday in the Hennesy Plaza here at school.  I'm so excited!  Taylor and Benjamin might be playing guitar and cajon (drum box) for me.  It's gonna be great!
I'll let y'all know how it goes, but in the mean time, here is Come-What-May, a song about doing God's work but getting tired and crying out to God, but also acknowledging that He's there for us and so we can keep going, even through the hard parts.  Hope you like it. =~)

Come-What-May


by Zac Smith

September 28th, 2010

[Verse 1]

Look how Your teachers teach
And look how Your ministers preach
And look how Your people grieve
We can’t carry on
Without You there to help us carry on

Look how Your hands, they reach
And look how Your Word, it speaks
And look how Your people breathe
We’d find ourselves
In despair without You as our air

[Chorus]

But You see the need here
And You meet the need here
And as You lead the way
I will follow You
Into
Each new day,
Come-what-may

[Verse 2]

Look at the lost sheep searching
And look at their gods deserting
And look at how they’re hurting
They try to heal their wounds
But only You can heal a wounded heart

But don’t look at me losing hope now
‘Cause I look for ways to keep going, somehow
Why do You insist on being proud?
Telling me
Your plans for me are great
That I could shine for You
Be a light for You, I need not be afraid

[Chorus]

But You see the need here
And You meet the need here
And as You lead the way
I will follow You
Into
Each new day,

[Ending]

Come-what-may,
I will keep the faith
As I keep to the straight and narrow
As long
As Your eye
Is on
This sparrow

Conversation with Myself (lol)

I had an interesting conversation with myself just now. It went something like this:


Me: (Something about what I thought)

Me: (At this point I raised a good point that questioned what I thought)

Me: Oh, that was a good point. Perhaps I don't believe that, then.

Me: (Getting frustrated) Well how can we have an argument if you don't know what you want to believe?

Me: Oh, we were arguing? (Honestly apologetic) I apologize, I thought we were seeking to discover the truth.

Reasons why...it was Good to Go Home

Here are some reasons why it was good to go home:

1)  I LOVED seeing my family.  I was already with Taylor and Benjamin, but getting to be home with Dad, Mom, Oreo, Crimson, and Piano was just easy and right and wonderful.

2)  I LOVED seeing my youth group family.  I had the best reassurance of all in this visit: I found out that I was missed but not needed.  It was important for me for this to be so.  You guys are awesome!

3)  I got to eat home-cooked food.  Yummm!

4)  My books!  Tomorrow, for Intro to Lit, we are meeting in Chartwell's and are supposed to bring some literature to discuss.  Well most of my books are at home.  But I got to goooo home. PTL!

There are so many more, of which most are incredibly significant to my life but are far too plentiful in numbers to list.  Thanks, everybody, for an amazing and heartwarming trip home. =~)

Relearning

So today brings me the second round of classes (still under way), the second chapel service, and the upteenth orientation event.

"So what's blowing your mind?" you ask? Or "I definitely did NOT just ask that" you say?  Well, either way, here it is in a macadamia nutshell:  I am having to RElearn God's will!  Thanks to the spiritual saturation of the entire campus, I spend every waking moment thinking about His will.  It is both exciting and madenning; my heart is pumping adrenaline like steroids and my brain is begging for sleep like it's a 5 Hour Energy or something.

Each new day, though, God would have me reevaluate the new day like it's going to serve a huge purpose in my life...so wait, then...EVERY DAY has this big purpose thing going on?!?

Prayer:  Lord, give me strength.  But, even more than that, give me more passion....  Because this child is determined to follow this through, to see that You get every last ounce of the glory and happiness you deserve.  It's going to be impossible, but it will be accomplished!

Alone, with a billion other people...

It's almost surreal, posting my life on a billboard in the virtual downtown of Earth, where traffic is an understatement for the overhwelming flow of people going through.  And yet, to have a blog that no one reads, to be alone.

Ha!  I have a blog and it is the most private activity I can participate in on the Internet.  How ironic.

I must say though, it is rare thing to find peace and quiet amidst the planet that never sleeps.  While people shop, socialize, and/or demoralize themselves, just as a microcosm of an actual downtown city population would reflect, I am tucked away in my own little corner of this pixelated concrete jungle, typing away for my own entertainment.

I am truly alone, with a billion other people.

Canoeing

We set sail (with no actual sails) tomorrow on a great voyage down the river. We are going canoeing! I'm not exactly...proficient in my canoeing skills, but it's all about fellowship. It's all about fellowship...
It's all about fellowship.
I have just about convinced myself. Ha. hahaha...ha-he-haha...

I am kidding, of course. Perhaps, though, it would help to have gotten more than the beautiful four-and-half hours I am about to attempt to get, but the thought of going to sleep, for some reason, is not as fun as the thought of being asleep.

Soo...This is what it's like...

Blog...blog blog blog (sung to the melody of the villanous bum bum bum!).

I always kinda wondered what it would be like to have a "blog."  So this is it?  Hmm...

Yokay, I guess I'll see ya later =~)

Much love,
Zac Smith


P.S.  You should totally go to my profile and read my other blog.  Give constructive criticism and what not.  Thanks so much.