The First Two Months Real Fast!

• · First two weeks – introductory; lots of getting to know names; ropes training*
• · Began Covenant meetings (see next post).
• · Knocked over a huge, dead tree… found baby squirrels living there… [bad times]
• · Started P2 in the mornings… [soreness]
• · Started classes.
• · Began reading Life Together.
• · We went somewhere.
• · More classes, more assignments.
• · Finished Life Together.
• · I’ve worked 4 weekends so far – 1 conference, 3 retreats [tons of fun!]
• · Went home this weekend for med school interview at MU!
• · Visited Rolla for about 3 hours after said med school interview.
• · Finished Covenant. (see next post)
• Yeah, that pretty much covers it.
• *NOTE: I hate heights, but ropes training mitigated a lot of that fear. Did you know a zip tether’s breaking strength was around 10,000 pounds?

Here at the Forge…

Everything is perfect. All right, that’s not true, but it’s also not far off.

When I was at Rolla, I was always looking for time to just get away from the busy-ness of life to really think about what was important, to learn more about myself, and dig into the Bible. But, school always disrupted my thoughts, breaking them up. However, the Forge focuses time for each of these subjects and more. Thus, I’ve really enjoyed the first two months here.

Now, I can’t just talk about anything here, since we are sworn to secrecy by Matt (the director). So, I’m going to be bluntly vague sometimes, and you’re just gonna have to deal with it! But really, if you’re seriously considering doing the Forge, just don’t read this… it’ll be much more fun that way!

365days

Just wanted to let anyone who reads this know about a little project I've been doing. It's called 365days - basically, you take a creative self-portrait everyday for a year. You can check out my pics so far here on flickr.

365days

B

The News

The news scares me. It frightens me in a big-picture way, for two reasons. The first, less important, lies in what the media calls "news." By following what is news, we can see what is important (at least what the media thinks is important) to our society. All I hear now is about the Jonas Brothers, the Hills, finding blame for Michael Jackson's death, or another celebrity's latest mishap. Some of the things that make the headlines... c'mon!

The other thing that worries me is scarier. With every story of a horrific act, I wonder what would have to happen where people would say, "This is it. This is the final straw of hope in our values." Would it be a murder? A rape? A war? What would it have been one hundred, two hundred years ago? Imagine explaining to a revolutionary war fighter why we had to drop a bomb which killed 75,000 people instantly in Hiroshima. He would spit in our face and tell us we've lost our moral compass. Then, we'd tell him about Nagasaki...

What scares me the most is when I try and think about the most horrific act that could ever be done by man - I can't come up with anything that hasn't been done. Are we holding on to a sinking ship? Are we past the point of no return? Are we, as a whole, beyond redemption?

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On an unrelated note (really, it's unrelated), check out this video.

The Fire

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Bryce

Summer Plans

Summer is two-thirds over already, so I'm going to take a look at a list I put together while in school of what I wanted to accomplish this summer.

-Exercise- check. Off and on at times, but definitely a check.

-Work-check. Thank goodness.

-God - semi-check... it's been a tough summer in this area.

-Tint off car - check! I totally de-tinted my car!

-get rid of crap - check. Did this the first week.

-visit Texas - check! Just did this!

-organize basement - no check. Haven't gotten there yet...

-save money - check. This is hard.

-read lots of books - sorta check. 1.9 books down.

-walk dog - check! Unfortunately, Pluto is getting very old now. He has arthritis and can't go for long walks...

Well look at that. About 8 more checks than I would have imagined. Still, a few more things are necessary:

-buy Forge books- bargain hunting!

-visit Rolla- freshman week baby!

-medical school applicationing - sent off the first round, waiting for the second round.

The summer ain't over yet. But, August always seems to fly by. Well, let's hope it does, cause I can't wait for the Forge!

Bryce

"Love - it's the last transmission" ~ MAE

Watch This Space

I'm feeling fiesty... mmm. So, watch out for some new posts coming up here.

Bryce

The Best Song Ever

It'll change your life.

"Help me out here" by the Cobalt Season
(you can listen to it here - help me out here

Rain falling down on my face
Wash me clean, wash my sins away
Take me back where I used to run
Fast and free like the kingdom come

Like the kingdom come

Still we go marching on blood on our hands
Dirt on our skin, heads in the sand
In some other town or in the here and now
How far where we go all that we allow

Help me out here, I'm getting tired
Help me out here, I'm getting tired

And pardon me, if I say too muhc
I could never ignore that which i ought not touch
Curiosity might be all I got and some cynicsym from experienced rut
Cause my experience brought me here

They say we must go on, never looking back
Lest we ever learn the wisdom that we lack
Curiosity, it might be my death
Though I may stop from time to time to catch my breath

Would you help me out here? I'm getting tired.
Help me out here, I'm getting tired.

And all that we need to see, and all those we need to hear
We tie their hands behind their backs and look away

Yes we tear the shirts right off their backs
And then donate cash for all they lack
Fancy ourselves philanthropists
Save justice for another day

And we wonder how we got so far
Making money off each others scars
"Still it's never my fault, I mean what other options did I have?"

Buying someone else's tyrannic dream Of force and greed and foolish schemes When there is light to help illuminate the way? Still we choose to tell each other lies That this kingdom could never be realized The master never could of meant the words he said...

I'm getting tired.

Where do we go from here? God only knows.
Perhaps that's just some bullshit spiritual prose.
Perhaps we're the ones, we've been waiting for.

Perhaps God has just been waiting at our door.
He's waiting at the door.

I'll try to be the first to tell you when I'm wrong
Write a book about it right here in my song.

Here is where I start to try and start again
Learning to become father and a friend.

Would you help me out here? I'm getting tired.