You Gave us the Most Beautiful of Days

Katharine Weislak wants her name in this post.

So I haven't updated this blog since last year. Weird.

Quick run-through of 2010 so far:

1. January 1st began at Encounter (http://www.midsouthcru.com/encounterblog/). I had been there for a while just loving God and His people. :) I'm so at peace with where God has me and what He has me doing these days. The theme of #CruTru09 was Encounter Christ the Truth. It was really great.
2. After praying in the New Year, we danced the night away. Well most of us did. I danced my 45 minutes of free time away. Then I left for the most epic domestic trip of my life. We titled it "There and Back Again" and it included the following:
   1. 6 Men
   2. A 2001 Pontiac Montana ("The Queen")
   3. 24 states
   4. 8.5 days
   5. 7432 Miles...
   
   
   Them's mah pics:
   • Album 1
   • Album 2
   • Album 3
3. Got back the night of the Carolina Campout. Everyone else was freezing. I was wearing a tee-shirt and hoodie. The -36 (-60 with windchill) degree weather of Montana kind of ruined me towards feeling cold in North Carolina. It was a good night.
4. Classes started. I'm taking Film Production. That's great. Most of my other classes are pretty uninteresting.
5. We started studying James in my Bible Study. That is great.
6. I went to the 20-20 Conference at Southeastern. God is doing really great things. :) So glad I get to join Him in them.
7. LOST returned. That made me so happy. I watch it with Wes and Deepak. That's really good.
8. After LOST, I go to prayer. Tuesdays are so great. Justin Wong has taken over leading it. I'm always so encouraged at seeing God work here.
9. I figured out where I'll be living next year. Michael Orr, Jay Linderman, and I will be living with a few guys in the COOLEST house ever.
10. Collin came over and just wanted to hang out. I was so encouraged because he asked if I was gonna be leading Bible Study again next year. The devil has been trying to convince me that I shouldn't be doing this, or that it isn't affecting people. But it is. God is faithful to use us when we let Him. I'm so encouraged. Patrick is a servant team leader! Collin came to leader's retreat! Matthew continues to show me how much I can learn about Christ. Jesse keeps surprising me with how awesome he is (e.g. Slap Bet Commissioner tee-shirt). I see Will & Bentley all over, and I yell to them. And they always know it's me, haha. Brandon is such a great co-leader. I don't see him as much as I used to, but we're still BFF. :)
11. Wednesday, I found out that I made David Monsees' best friends list. That made my day.
12. Thursday, I saw God. He reminded me that He works everywhere. You don't have to be in Peru to have a God-room experience. That's really cool to me.
13. Friday, I went to visit the Furniture Capitol of the World! Not for that reason, though. Justin, Caleb, Suzanne, and I went to go trade Justin's car for some other ones. That was fun. I really like semi-spontaneous trips where we get to meet friends' parents. They're so great. :)

So that's a quick run-through. A lot more happened, but it's kinda blurring together for me right now. It snowed a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about that (thanks El Niño). But I feel like this was a pretty good summary.

Now I'm sitting in Gordon and Michael's room blogging, while JWong, Caleb, Monsees, Kweezy, Michael, and Gordane (minus Jordane. sad) play halo. We're listening to Hungry Like the Wolf, and I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have the friends that I do and a relationship with the God of the universe, who loves me for who I am. Dang.

It's always nice to look out the window
And see those very first few flakes of snow
And later on we can go outside
And create the impression of an angel that just fell from the sky

When February rolls around I'll roll my eyes
Turn a cold shoulder to these even colder skies
And by the fire my heart it heaves a sigh
For the green grass waiting on the other side

It's always winter but never Christmas
It seems this curse just can't be lifted
Yet in the midst of all this ice and snow
Our hearts stay warm cause they are filled with hope

It'd be so nice to look out the window
And see the leaves on the trees begin to show
The birds would congregate and sing
A song of birth a song of newer things

The wind would calm and the sun would shine
I'd go outside and I'd squint my eyes
But for now I will simply just withdraw
Sit here and wish for this world to thaw

And everything it changed overnight
This dying world you brought it back to life
And deep inside I felt things
Shifting everything was melting
Away oh away
And you gave us the most beautiful of days

Cause when it's always winter but never Christmas
Sometimes it feels like you're not with us
But deep inside our hearts we know
That you are here and we will not lose hope

I don't think I can do that. You better bring it!

Thanks for reading, guys.

Flip it, stick it, seeyoulaterbye!

Caleb

Recent music favorites: CONTRA (Vampire Weekend), Black & Gold (Sam Sparro), I Need a Dollar [How to Make it in America Theme] (Aloe Blacc), Jim Avett, Carolina Roadkill, MGMT, Annuals, United States of Pop, Aim and Ignite (Fun.), Gold Motel - EP (Greta Salpeter, of The Hush Sound), First Days of Spring (Noah and the Whale), GLEE, Fall Be Kind (Animal Collective), Pomplamoose♥, The Fame Monster (LadyGAGA), and a renewed love of worship music that only comes from Christ. God is so good. I love seeing that more and more.