KJV - Only?

I'm in the midst of a very important decision. And I have a feeling that it's going to take quite a while to get through it. I know where I would like to end up, but I don't know that that is what's best.

Since meeting Zack I've been spiritually challenged about things that had never before been an issue for me. (Some a lot more important than others.) Rock music. Church attire. Bible interpretation. And obviously, the question of "Which version??" It's been good; difficult and trying; stretching and testing; emotionally draining; and I felt so mentally exercised I couldn't think any more. It's been a long time since I've felt like that. It was good like sore muscles are good. He's made good points; I've made good points (a few). We've made each other think. It's good but it's hard.

There's a reoccurring problem that I see within the Van Kleeck family when we argue. It's always This or That. It's as if we can't ever see another option. And so often, there is, in fact, another option. For example, the lying argument. So many times I heard "So you're not going to lie? You're just going to turn them in? You're going to say, 'Here they are'?" No. . . . Just because I'm not going to lie doesn't mean that I have to say where they are. How does one equate to the other??

I'm beginning to wonder if that doesn't apply to the version issue. Now, don't worry. I'm not making any leaps and bounds here. I'm trying to be slow and thoughtful and careful, and it was just something that popped into my head while thinking. I haven't studied anything nearly enough to make any decisions (thus, why I said it's going to take a while). It was just something that occurred to me and I'm wondering.

I'm thinking about blogging about the music argument at some point. I don't like feeling like people think I've been duped when in fact, I came to a conclussion after a discussion that spanned a couple months. I didn't meet a guy and morph to his whims. I couldn't do that - not about right and wrong. I would hope that my own family knows me better than that. . . . But maybe they don't. And if they don't, it's probably my own fault. :/

How much do you trust someone else's judgment? When a good friend introduces you to one of their friends, how cautious are you? If the new person told you something that seemed rather unlikely, do you trust them for the sake of your friend? Or do you take it as if you had met the person without your friend's recommendation? Do you assess their character just like you would any new person? Or do you take into account that your friend has some level of trust for them?

I wonder about strange things. lol

Change

It's an interesting topic. A paradox. Change is constantly occurring, and yet if it stopped, that would be a change. It's inevitable, unstoppable, hoped for, dreaded. We heard all about the need for change during the previous presidential campaign. It doesn't matter if you need or think you need it - change comes. Sometimes it plods along slowly like an old work horse; sometimes it blasts through like a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier and leaves your ears ringing.

The funny part is when a person steps away from their friend and expects the friend to stay exactly how they are at the moment until the person can return. Things change that they can't imagine and they come back and are shocked. I find it amusing, whether watching my reactions or the reactions of other people. It's bizarre that we are so self-concerned we don't realize that other people are changing every second whether or not we're around to behold it. The tree that falls in the forest without anyone to see it still fell.

Change is powerful. It can hurt; it can bring euphoria. It can disappoint; it can awe. And it can even do all these things at once.

The idea of change is good. Without it, we couldn't grow, couldn't think. We'd be forever stuck in an everlasting moment of nothing. Which would obviously be awful in a number of ways. Change is also just as subject to our wicked imaginations as every other amoral thing, which brings about people worrying about change. But the worrying is often a change for the worse in itself.

The way change comes is not predictable. All we know is that it's coming, not how, not when, in some ways, we don't even know why. We know it's coming; we know it's of God's plan; we know that He'll work it for good. But if we knew the rest, what would life be? I wrote once that I wished we were born with a walkthrough attached to help us get through life. A script to obey. I've changed my mind. ;) The lack of details are what make life . . . fun. The change is what makes it interesting. You think you're going one way and then, "Oh look. A brick wall. Huh." Didn't stop King David. So he couldn't build the temple. He prepared. He needed to do something. He needed to keep moving forward.

Yesterday's messages were great. They made me. . . . spiritually thirsty. I don't think they'd have had even close to the same impact a month ago. . . . Why? Change.

What do you do when change comes and one person sees it as good and another sees it as bad? When what one person considers progress is what another person considers deterioration? Do you hide it? Avoid it? Do you attempt to explain? Change is frightening. It's hard to try to prove that something that someone is afraid of really isn't a bad thing. (Like Beauty and the Beast - Gaston holds up the mirror and they see the Beast looking what appears to be ferocious and vicious when he's really just in mourning. Belle knows better. What happens? She attempts to explain and they lock her up and try to kill the Beast.) It's not easy to change the minds of fearful people. It's not easy to let go of fear of something that looks so obviously terrifying even when someone you trust is telling you it's okay.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

That was a squeal of excitement in case you weren't sure. =D I bought my ticket to California. =) Don't worry - I bought one to come home, too. lol It's exciting. After seven years, I finally get to meet Robin. . . lol ;) 'Bout time.

It's weird. . . Being twenty suddenly seems not that old. /shrug

But anyway. Here I am again at 2:30am. . . After lying in bed for nearly two hours without even getting tired, I've had enough. lol My dad told me this would happen. He said of sleeping in, "Enjoy it while it lasts!" Well, I did, but it didn't last very long. ;) lol

I don't know what to do. . . . I suppose I could clean my room a bit again. . . . It could use it. I need to dust. lol I hate dusting. . . . Maybe that'll be my task for tomorrow - clean room. I'll probably get sick of it before I get to the dusting part. lol That's what usually happens. ;)

I don't really have anything to blog about. . . . :P /shrug At least other people have started up again. :) Yay!

This day

Today in 1862 the first income tax was collected. One hundred years later, Jamaica gained independence from Britain. :) Yay, Jamaica! :)

Where did I find those interesting facts? I'd rather not tell because then you would already know them and they would no longer be interesting facts. . . . Is that selfish? Hmm. Fine, it's an add-on on igoogle. "Today in History."

Another fun add-on is the World Clock. :) London, Spain, Tokyo. Most any major city you can think of. =) Neat thing.

Useless Knowledge is a good one too. Random facts are fun! They make good conversation filler. It's like saying "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" but without the mess of actually saying that enormous and meaningless word. :)

I put out some applications yesterday. I know, I know - it's about time. I need a job. Don't want one, but I need one. Maybe. I suppose if I don't get one, then I won't have needed one. . . . lol /shrug

It's getting hot again. August always tends to be our hottest month. Or so it seems to me. . . . My perception could be off though.