Three things of note today:

My girlfriend is pretty much amazing. She takes my breath away. She is my own precious little treasure which I would sell all my possessions to attain. Every moment spent with her is fantastic, and when I don’t see her (even for a day or two) it feels like an eternity. I can’t believe that I didn’t see how amazing she was before we met. Just peering into those wild blue and dovelike eyes takes my breath away, holding her hand as we drive down the interstate is mesmerizing, holding her close and smelling her hair is breathtaking. Sitting in the park, walking around Newport, and whatever else we do holds a sacred place within me. I look forward to classes just because she is in them. Wow. Wow.

I want to be an author. Courtney and I went to Newport today and sat on the “beach”, looking at the Cincinnati skyline. She asked, “What did you want to be when you were younger?” “A paleontologist,” I told her; “You?” She replied, “I wanted to be an author.” “Why don’t you become one, then?” What does it take to be a good author? In my mind, it takes talent, skills, desire, and determination. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. I have been in a slump of “writer’s block” lately, so one of my current works has come to a halt around eighty pages. I find myself sitting at the computer just trying to write, but not having the… ability… to do so. It is quite aggravating. Perhaps I will turn my attention upon my collection of horror short stories; “The Shadow of the Wolf” was quite good, and I am working on a zombie one now that holds quite a sparkle of promise. I have two other ideas—one involving vampires, the other monsters under the bed—but I have no idea what the fifth short story will be. Anyways, I need to really begin clamping down on my writing, honing it in and developing it, and then—maybe—I will become an author one day. It is something I’ve always dreamed about; being an author up-to-par with Stephen King. We’ll see what happens.

The path of discipleship. My sister back home is dating a boy named Tom, and he is proud to be a Buddhist. He grew up Catholic, was turned-off by all the rules and regulations, and he explored different religions and faiths until coming to an appreciation of Buddhism. He is a practicing Buddhist, not one of those who claim Buddhism as a religion just so they can indulge themselves in making life pleasing. He has changed many of his bad habits to bring about a better life for himself and those around him. He is a great guy, from what I can tell from talking with him and spending time with him at Starbucks. This made me think: “Here is someone so attracted to the teachings of Buddhism that he abandons those things that run against it in order to be truly devoted… How come Christians—such as myself—often claim allegiance to Christ but ignore or discredit or simply toss away his teachings?” Let me be very honest here: I’ve made mistakes, I haven’t stuck to Christ’s teachings more than once, and God forgives me. But at the same time He beckons me forward to enrich myself more fully in His kingdom; He beckons me to enjoy Him more; He invites me to taste the joy, tranquility, and warmth of a dynamic friendship with Him. What stands in the way? My iniquity—sins that I keep returning to despite knowing they are wrong. I must forsake these iniquities and embrace Christ. I must take Jesus’ teachings, explore them and meditate on them, and then apply them to my life, “fleshing them out” in how I live my life. This has really been on my mind as of late, but I must not just keep it on the brain but bring it to fruition in my heart—and thus let it overflow into my life.