Super Short Post

So I haven't posted in almost a month.... Oh well. 

It's kinda funny that even though I haven't posted, I've gained a follower over the past week or so. That's cool.

Anyways, on to the real post. At care group tonight, we talked about evangelism. The discussion covered the usual topics about evangelism, such as fear of man, prayer, "just open your mouth", etc.

But there was one thing that someone said that grabbed my attention-

"How much do we have to hate a person to not share the gospel with them?"

I have never thought about it like that... and you can swap it around too-

"How much do we have to love ourselves to not go out of our comfort zone and share the gospel?"

Really something to think about.... I know that these might seem exaggerated, but still...

~Mark

It's about time

I want to change. Right now. No more am I going to be a "by-the-books-Christian".

I'm so happy right now. Why has it been so long?

Edit 1: I need you God. Without you I am nothing. I have nothing in me that can save me from Hell. Why do I resist so much? Get behind me Satan! I need your grace, Lord! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

Edit 2: You saved me when I was running full speed towards Hell! Thank you for your mercy, Lord! Thank you! You sacrificed your ONLY son, a PERFECT son, to save me, a horrible blight upon the universe! I have done NOTHING to earn your grace! Praise the Lord!

ROFLMHOATTIMFFTHOTAV!!!!111!!

Wow, I haven't posted in weeks

Spectacled Imminence

So, this morning, my right eye really fritzed out. Like went totally bonkers.

End result- I am now getting glasses. But just as back up for contacts. I am getting a new subscription for my contacts today, because I think my old ones were really irritating my eyes. So yeah that will be entertaining. 

And thats all.

~Mark

Weekends Rulezorz.

So, today was awesome. I worked from 5 in the morning (haha yeah that was awesome, i blared screamo music for the first hour and a half before we opened. Good stuff) until 2 in the afternoon. Work in general was awesome because like every single "fun" person at CFA worked today, which made it immensely entertaining.

Then I had a band practice with my band for like the first time in two months. Yeah, it's been so crazy these past few months that we haven't been able to get together, but today was a good practice. We sketched up the framework for a new song, and did a cover of the song "All It Takes For Your Dreams To Come True" by A Skylit Drive. If you like post-hardcore then check them out.

And then I got to spend the rest of the day until right now with my cousin. That was hilarious. We drove over to the church property with a camera and filmed completely random movies with no scripts or whatever, we just winged it. We also ran into Nathan there, but didn't say much beyond "Hey". Haha he saw us filming this one hilarious part.... *when I was standing on top of my car, for your benefit Nathan* 

Anyways, the best quote from that whole time hanging with my cousin at the church has to be this- "Eekten Gleeben Globben Gloaben. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Haha rofl wow. Anyways, he's an awesome kid (my cousin).

And now I'm looking forward to Sunday and church tomorrow. And also (FRISBEE!!!!!!!)

Go Cardinals. I figured if they beat us they might as well win the super bowl. 

Have a good night yall, and continue being awesome as you are.

~Mark

I have so much time....

So, I'm sitting here at CPCC's Levine Campus in Matthews. I've got 1 hour and 15 minutes until my next class. I'm so glad that CPCC has computer labs....

I've got so much stuff I want to do right now. I want to play music. I want to listen to music. I want to play frisbee. I want to go camping. Yes, I want to go camping RIGHT NOW. I want to play football. I want to armwrestle one of my coworkers at CFA. I'll beat him one of these days. I want to play certain computer games. I want the Ipod Touch that I ordered last night to arrive right now. I want to graduate high school right now. I want to get a new car right now. I want to hang out with all my friends. I want to see some of my friends that I haven't seen in years. I want to be 18 right now. There are so many others.....

But, I've still got a lot of time before any of this happens. Some of it may happen tonight, tomorrow, in the next couple days...... Some of it may happen in weeks, months, years.... I've got so much time before me.

What am I going to do with all that time? The 'practical American' inside me says, "Save up money!! Finish college!! Buy your own house!!"

But that isn't what I really need to be thinking about. After all, what am I even here for? To praise God, and carry out the great commission. With that in my mind, why am I so bothered by all these other things that I "don't have time for"? I don't need to have time for them. They are not what's important.

Well, I've still got an hour until my class. Guess that I better get busy...

~Mark

Awesome things.

Jonathan Edwards-

"Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will."

"Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life."

George Whitefield-

"Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death."

"We are immortal until our work on earth is done. "

D. L. Moody-

"Character is what you are in the dark."

"The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible."

"No man who has ever been sent by God to do His work has ever failed."

Billy Sunday-

"Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile."

"More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent."

~Mark

Wow.

It's not really original.

Hey, check it out, I came up with an original post title....?

BE WARNED. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME, LEAVE NOW. 

And this is the post where everyone says "What is this kid on about?" I'm sure everyone has had a post where they just go completely off the hook and talk random nonsense about how the seals that live off the coast of Russia are dying due to nail polish remover. Which is, incidentally, very serious stuff. And who even knows where Azerbaijan is? I don't. I might look it up though.

This new blog format chupathingy reminds me of pumpkins. I wonder how long it will stay. I'm sitting here thinking, 'Wow, I'm wasting my time and everyone else's too." But actually, odds are you only get on to look at this blog if you have nothing better to do than waste your time. So, feel free to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I can guarantee that this may or may not be time well spent. 

Whoops. Brain clot. Now I can't think of anything humorous to say that might make you all giggle, laugh, or holler out loud. Sorry for the disappointment folks. I think it's hilarious that.

Sorry, I lost my train of thought. I forget what was supposed to be hilarious, but for the sake of finishing the thought, I suppose that elephants dancing around in hula skirts waving around empty chapstick tubes would be pretty funny. It all depends on your mood, I guess. In which case, my current mood could be defined as not necessarily bored, but sorta wanting to do something interesting and exciting, but since I'm feeling rather tired, I will just sit on the couch and type silly things into a cyberspace blog.

In the immortal words of Michael J. Caboose- "Spiky kittens. That....makes....me....really....mad!!!!"

Wow. Tune in next time. I promise I won't forget too.

Have fun deciphering that one kids.

Alright guys, I love you all, peace.

~Mark

Revenge.

Alright, so a bunch of you probably know (or maybe you don't) that several weeks ago my sister's fiance shrink-wrapped my car. Yes, shrink-wrapped. He did it in the middle of the night with one of his friends, and in the morning when I got up to go to work at 5:45, it was completely frozen. And once I got the shrink wrap off, there was ice underneath that needed to be scraped off.

Such a nice guy.

So last night, I had one of my friends over to spend the night. And it just so happened that my sister's fiance was at my house too. So me and my friend got an awesome idea. While my sister and the soon-to-be-victim were sitting out on my back porch next to a fire (this was at about 10:30 at night), me and my accomplice set to work.

We toilet papered his ENTIRE car, so it looked like a christmas present. And then we sprayed water over everything, so it froze. 

I was so exuberantly exhilarated last night. Especially whenever it came time for my soon-to-be-brother-in-law to leave. Revenge. All I can say was, it was priceless. He stepped out the front porch, saw his car, and stopped. He looked at me, then back at the car. Then he looked at me again and gave me a little nod, almost as if acknowledging that we were even.

And it was a pain to get off. I, of course, being the fair and generous person I am, did not help him at all, but sat back and watched. 

Wow. Sometimes I can be evil.

(Again, I so need a camera, I would've taken pics of the car)

And then I stayed up most the night and drank two huge cups of coffee this morning. And I feel great. And Mickey's message was great too. It really encouraged me in the area of evangelism. 

Oh, and my eye is  like totally fine now. So if any of you guys prayed, thanks.

Have a good week yall.

~Mark

It's been decided.

I need a camera. Seriously.

Most of the picture's I've posted have been from off the internet or something... I guess I should start saving now..

Anyway, I haven't really had much to post about lately. The last time I posted was Wednesday, so I'll do a rundown of my past three days, and maybe that will equal a decent post. So here goes.

Thursday- School, school, and lots more school. Wow what a fun day.

Friday- Worked in the morning until 1, then school. And then that night my right eye freaked out and started watering and wouldn't stop. Yeah that wasn't fun.

Today- When I woke up, my right eye was sealed shut. Seriously, I was like, "What..?" Then whenever I cleared it out it was all puffy and red. And that wasn't fun. I went to work at 11, and got sent home early at 5. And here I am sitting, with a puffy eye and nothing to do. I'm feeling a bit down, so prayer would be great. Thanks yall.

Oh yeah, and I got a haircut. Back to the old spiky-haired Mark.

Cyall tomorrow.

~Mark

A good day and some lyrics.

And a lame title. At least as far as my expectations for my own titles go. The title should've been, 'What A Fantabulous Day, And Now It's Time For Lyric Time With Mark!"

But that's a bit obnoxious, isn't it?

Anyway, so back on topic. It was a really good day for me. Busy, but good. I worked an 8 hour shift, finished all my school, and just got back from spanish class a little bit ago. And therefore I am happy.

And when I was driving back from Levine campus in Matthews, I wrote a song in my head, and just typed it up a couple of minutes ago. And here it is.

(Be aware that this is the product of about 15 minutes worth of thinking and inspiration, so it might not be the most polished song ever written. I might edit and improve it as time goes on, but you get the basic idea)

Verse 1:

I know a man who told me, “Don’t waste your life.”

He said, “You’ve got so many years, so son please use them right.”

I said, “Father, can you tell me how to make the right choices?”

He said, “Son, all you’ve got to do is put your faith in God.”

 

Chorus:

Then I said, “Father, I want to make you proud.

I want to live my life the way you’d want me to,

The way that I’ve been taught.

Father, I know sometimes it seems

I don’t put enough effort into living

But please believe me when I say,

I want to make you proud.”

 

Verse 2:

When I’m older, and maybe have a son of my own

I’ll never forget the man that guided my young life

And when I have the chance to talk to my son

I will simply tell him, “Don’t waste your life.”

 

Bridge:

Father, I won’t waste my life

Father, I’ll make the right choices

Father, I’ll put my trust in Christ

Father, I’ll make you proud

Have a good night yall.

~Mark

I have nothing more to say except....

We did it.

~Mark

Ladies and gentlemen of the world, the time has come...

....To cross your fingers! If at all possible, try to cross all four of your fingers, and then link your thumbs together. This figure, which I created (or at least I think so, I've never seen anyone else do it), is known as The-Uber-Finger-Crossage-Sign, and almost guarantees that whatever you are wishing for will come true.

DISCLAIMER: There is a sizable chance that everything I just said is complete nonsense and will do nothing but ruin your hopes and dreams. To minimize a complete sense of failure, please do not actually attempt this sign at home. And if you do attempt it and you succeed, but nothing happens, please refrain from hurling bricks through the windows of Mark's house and spray painting his car pink. He would greatly appreciate it. If you do this sign, and it does actually make something come true by complete luck and chance, feel free to build a statue of Mark in any easily accessible and visible area. Again, use this sign with extreme caution, and have a friend on hand to dial 911 if need be. Also please consult with your parents before attempting. Always wear safety goggles. You have been warned. Go now, in peace....

I almost forgot to tell you what we are wishing for, though of course it should be obvious.....

SNOW!!! There is supposed to be (from the last I heard) up to 5 inches of snow tonight. Which would be awesome if it stayed until tomorrow. So yeah, fingers crossed guys.

I think I might have taken to much Advil.... because I feel awesome.

Haha today at Chick-Fil-A we blew up a gallon of water. Awesome. 

And I can't think of anything else to say. Except that this post is over.

~Mark

Aim, Fire, Rinse, Repeat

Today was awesome. Seriously. I spent the entire day snowboarding. By the way, it's really weird to switch from mountain weather back to the weather here around Charlotte. When we got back it was like 30 degrees, and I was like, "Man, it's hot." Wow. Well, it was 4 degrees when we were snowboarding, and I wasn't really cold then... Anyways, I think I can truthfully say, without a doubt, with no hesitation whatsoever, that I was by far the fastest snowboarder on the slopes, period.

Key Word: Fastest.

That doesn't AT ALL mean skilled. I can also say, without hesitation, that I was one of the worst snowboarders there. But I didn't care at all. 

Here is how snowboarding works for Stuart, whom I was with. He starts at the top (obviously), and very methodically weaves his way from right to left down the slope, at a nice brisk pace, weaving in and out of slower travelers as he goes. He generally doesn't say much, and concentrates on not falling down and keeping his balance. (He only fell down like 3 times the whole day)

Here is how snowboarding works for me. I stand at the top of the slope. I look down, and find a spot where I got a clear shot, with nobody in front of me, and with nothing to avoid or turn away from. I start going. Here is my general dialogue-

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!! I CANT STEER!!! HAHA STUART YOU LOSER I PASSED YOU!!! SLOWPO-"

And that is generally when the world turns upside down.

But it's so much fun. I really only had 2 bad crashes. One of them I did a cartwheel, and the other one I belly flopped over a jump. I would pretty much zoom past everybody, and then gain so much speed that the slightest bump would send me flying. But it was awesome. I'm kinda sore right now, but it was so worth it.

Haha, Stuart said I'm not a snowboarder, I'm a guy who stands on a snowboard and goes down a hill on it. 

And now I'm looking forward to frisbee tomorrow after church, which will be the first in a really long time.

I'm gonna go to sleep now, cause I'm super tired. See you guys at church.

~Mark

Hairspray rulez.

So, as most of you know, I've been growing my hair out longer. And I've found a new favorite toy.

That's right, hairspray.

It's probably best to skip all the nonsensical gibbering to which blogs are very commonly prone to be susceptible to and get right to the pictures.

Sorry about the aviators. I thought it added to the effect. :)

My hair had actually fallen a bit when I took the pictures. Imagine it about an inch higher.

And this has been Another-Pointless-Post by Mark!

EDIT: I felt bad about leaving you guys with such a pointless post with such bad pictures, so I decided to end on a high note with this picture-

Yeah, that's origami. Folded up paper. Pretty awesome, I know.

Cheers guys.

~Mark

Time to buckle up

So......

It finally hit me that this semester is going to be really long and hard, and is going to require a lot of diligence and hard work. Despite 2 out of my 3 college classes having good teachers, the subject material itself is pretty rough. 

So it's time for me to settle in and get a new perspective for things. Lately I've been really trying to rush through school, work, etc. so that I could get to a point in my day where I have nothing scheduled to do, and I can just blah. I love blah-ing. Being able to do whatever I want, and not having any obligations or responsibilities at all. Yeah. 

Right now you're thinking, "Wow, this is one lazy kid who has some issues he needs to work out."

And guess what. You're right! I love being lazy. But it's a weird kind of lazy. I love being lazy when I'm allowed to be lazy, if that makes sense. What I mean is, I hurry up and get all my school, chores, and all responsibilities like that done so I can be lazy. I don't procrastinate. You might almost call me an anti-procrastinationist (or whatever). I don't like being lazy whenever there is something pending I need to do. That means my mind isn't really at rest, and it won't be until I get my chores or whatever done.

Is this making sense? I want to stop all of that. I want to get all of my school and stuff done of course (and not hurry to do it), but then I want to use all of my 'free time' doing something productive. What 'productive' necessarily entails, I don't really know. 

What I do know is that this new perspective will really help me survive this semester. This doesn't mean of course that I'm not going to ever relax, but why can't I relax while doing something productive? There is one old saying that stuck in my head- "Idle hands are the devil's tools", or something like that.

So time to get to work. 

~Mark

That day that will live in infamy....

So, first day of college..... Done! And what an awesome day it was! In the past, I have really had bad luck when it comes to teachers, with two or three very possibly being expert mental terrorists working for Al-Qaeda, but this semester so far I've had awesome luck. I've only gone to 2 of the 3 classes I'm taking, with those two being Calculus and Accounting. The Accounting teacher is an old redneck lady, and the Calculus teacher is a middle aged guy who looks like he could be a wilderness explorer or something. And while he was reading the syllabus he said "blah, blah, blah....", which is awesome.

Now I've just got to hope that my 3rd class, Spanish 2, has a good teacher. If it does, this semester will be a snap. 

I'm kinda tired to do a worthwhile post right now, so I'll postpone that until tomorrow. You guys have a good night.

~Mark

My neck is sore...

EDIT: I'm getting an Ipod! Which means I can headbang anywhere! w00t!

I love being alone in my house. The reason being, it is a simply amazing excuse to CRANK UP THE MUSIC AND HEADBANG!!!!! *makes 'rock on' sign at the computer screen*. And that is why my neck is sore. But I don't care. If I want to headbang, I will headbang. I am in an awesome mood, so from now on each sentence in this post will end in an exclamation point! (I can actually hear the mirrors in the house rattling, maybe I should turn it down a bit!) 

It's my awesome cousin's birthday today! Keri is now an adult.... wow..... (!) I've still got 2 more months! I don't really think it will be any different being 18 over 17 though! 

I love this song (Numb!) (!)

Time to take a break from reading and look at a picture!

What!?!?! I mean, seriously, what?!?! There is no possible way that guy could ride in a car, walk through a door, or so many other important functions! Wow. (!)

This is turning into a long post!

:Exclamation-Point-Free Area:

I'm in such a great mood that I felt like finding a Bible verse about joy. Therefore-

Psalm 66:1 "Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.'"

Praise God! 

(So much for the exclamation-point-free area!)

:End of Exclamation-Point-Free Area:

Well, I think I'm done with my ranting! I hope you all have awesome weeks! God bless all of you!

(Awesome colors!)

~Mark!

End of sadness and more lyrics and a new week and a long title

Alright, so the loss of the Panthers has finally ceased to be depressing. Now I am looking forward to the new week, and especially looking forward to starting my college semester. I love college. Except that two of my classes are at CPCC's Levine campus, which is down in Matthews.... And that's like a 45 minute drive 3 times a week. And those classes are Calculus and Accounting. Awesome. Oh well.

Here are some more lyrics (come to think of it, I don't really know why I am posting lyrics, if you guys are getting bored with them let me know haha). They are about my grandpa, who died a few years ago. 

Verse 1:

I remember

All the things that we would do

And I remember

Every single walk we took

But things have changed

Now that you’ve gone away

And even though it’s been so many years

My heart still hurts inside

 

Chorus:

And I know you’re not coming back

But even though I try so hard

I can’t travel to the past

Why does it have to be so difficult

To just let this go

I won't be seeing you for a while

But at least I still remember

 

Verse 2:

Every time

You laughed along with me

Each tear

Shed for someone else

Why did you have to be

The next one in line?

I miss you so much, but if you can hear me

I can’t wait to see you again

 

Bridge:

I know you’re happier

Happier where you are

But why did you

Did you have to leave so soon

Couldn’t we have had

Had a few more years together

Or was it all

All part of some big plan

 

I don’t want to forget.

Have a great week guys. 

~Mark