Thoughts of a Warrior

Haiti

2011-07-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody- don't know if any of you guys remember me anymore since I haven't posted in over a year so... let me reintroduce myself. My name is Jake Monseth. I'm a Christian, and I am homeschooled, although next year I'll be going to public school.
In less than 48 hours, I'll be on a plane heading for Haiti. Remember the country that was ravaged by that massive 7.0 earthquake in 2010? - that's Haiti. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. This is for the most part my first missions trip ever. Pretty much my first glimpse of severe poverty. And right now, I'm supposed to have prepared a testimony that I can be ready to share there if needed. It's not prepared- not even started. So, first of all, I'm asking for prayer that I'll be able to prepare an effective testimony before I leave at 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning. The testimony will be my only tool for witnessing in Haiti, so it's pretty important.
Secondly, I'd also like to ask prayer for my neighbor who lives right across the street- Blake Robinson. I think he's 16... and I'm pretty sure God has something powerful to do in his life in these next 2 weeks. Blake isn't a Christian. I truthfully don't know what he believes, but I think it's atheism. So, why I'm mentioning him is because a little over a week ago, his mom heard about the missions trip and asked if she could send Blake along. There was room for more to come, so Blake will be coming to Haiti. Blake, a non-Christian, is going to be surrounded for two weeks by Christians serving the Haitians. Think about what an influence and a light that could be to him! I KNOW God is at work right now. So please, if you're reading this right now, pray for Blake. Pray that his heart will be changed by this experience.
Lastly, could you pray for me? I feel inadequate. I feel like it's a waste that I am going to Haiti when there are so many others who's presence would impact the people down there so much more powerfully and beneficially that my own. Pray that I would be able to fulfill whatever God's will is for me while I'm in Haiti.

Philippians 4 : 6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Jake

Meet Frodo...

2010-07-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

my family's new puppy. We just got him yesterday, and he's the best dog on the planet.

I know, I know, Frodo shares pretty much no features with the Lord of the Rings Frodo: no curly dark hair, no huge, grayish blue eyes, ect. But hey, you have to admit, it's a great name for a dog.

It's funny how the name came about though. So my mom was searching the Internet for pics of dogs, since my family has been set on getting one since the start of 2010. My mom came across a photo of this huge poodle with mounds of long, loooong white-gray hair. My mom asked me what I thought about it, and I laughed and replied sarcastically, "It looks great. We could call him 'Gandalf'." That conversation led to other Lord of the Rings names until we came to Frodo- which my family actually took seriously. And therefore- Frodo became the name of our new miniature Golden doodle.

And he's a GREAT Golden doodle. He never barks- only when he's really scared, like the first time we put him in his kennel yesterday. He completely freaked out and started clawing frantically at the cage. After that display, my family dreaded putting him in his kennel for the whole night, but when we did- he did nothing but sit and lay contentedly and peacefully on his blanket... for the entire night. It was really cool. And then he's extremely mellow- I mean, he's not wild by any means. When he plays, he's gentle and constantly wants to be petted and have attention. All in all, he's an amazing puppy. And looks awesome too-

I haven't posted or commented in a while cause I haven't even been home since two days ago. I've been in Colorado on vacation. And trust me- it was an incredible vacation. I'll try my best to post about it tomorrow, but with blogging and me, you never know, cause if there was a contest for most inconsistent blogger, I'd easily take first prize. *groans*

Later,

Jake

Are... You... Kidding Me?!

2010-06-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

1/3 of summer... is gone.
...
...
...
I can't believe it. Everything is happening so swiftly. Everyday is filled with activity. It's a whirlwind. And now- I can already see that shiny, brand-new Algebra textbook smiling sinisterly at me from my desk- not to mention a new heinous history curriculum. Argh. But hey, I'm not going to complain about this first segment of summer- these last couple weeks have been incredible.
To start it off, I received the opportunity to perform the worship for my church three weeks ago with my brother Alex, my guitar teacher Andy Schultz, and Hannah from Aspire. And I didn't only play acoustic guitar- I sang too, which was a pretty bold step for me. I'm not the most comfortable guy when placed in front of an audience or large group of people so I was pretty apprehensive. But it was a great experience. The highlight of performing was when, during the last song, The Stand-

Chorus:
I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe, of the one who gave it all
And I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to you surrendered
All, I am, is yours

(ring a bell?) numerous members of the congregation were just raising their hands to God in praise and worship. It felt so good to be a part of that- that my youth or inexperience didn't hinder me from being able to serve God and my church in that way.
Also, three weeks ago, I was invited back to Roselawn Stables horse camp which I've been attending for five years (I wasn't intending to go this year since it was quite expensive) to help out with my younger brother, Matthew's, five day camp there along with my good friend Hunter Fraser (Travels of a Teen). Eagerly, I accepted the invitation and was able to assist the camp for the week. I helped construct a goat pen, assisted campers who were struggling with their horses, worked hard rolling huge stacks of hay weighing 80+ pounds (just to let you know, I weigh 79 pounds, so they were heavier than me and required pretty much back-breaking strength, for me at least, to move), and ran various errands for the head instructor of the camp. It was a fantastic experience, and something I can put on my resume. ;)
Finally, my baseball team is 7-0-1 right now. Seven wins, zero losses, and one tie, making us the top team in my league. :D It's SO awesome. What's more, I even have some awesome nicknames which include Frank Sinatra (Franky) and Oceans 11- whose meanings shall remain unknown.
Now, enough about me, music is what's dominated most of this first period of the summer. Blink, Revive, Spacebound EP, Group 1 Crew, Stories, Addison Road, and Life, Beckah Shae, all just released this June, have kept me consumed with music, not to mention the songs, Lead Me, Sanctus Real, Something Glorious, Revive, Walking On the Stars, Group 1 Crew, Yours to Take, Jimmy Needham, Empty My Hands, Tenth Avenue North, and Avalanche, Manafest.
Phew... and that's only half of what I've done this June- there's so much more that's happened... and I still have a whole two more months of this bliss.
Suddenly, that sardonically smirking Algebra textbook and heinous history curriculum seem farther off than I once thought. :D

Jake

A Post (FINALLY)

2010-06-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm not even going to bother apologizing for my inconsistent, negligent posting- I've done it on virtually half of all of my posts. But, I thought I should update you guys on what's going on in my life. Well, in my last entry, I talked about Tenth's new album, Light Meets the Dark.... *drumroll* UNDOUBTEDLY, COMPLETELY, INDISPUTABLY BETTER THAN OVER AND UNDERNEATH! And I was stunned when I came to that realization. Over and Underneath was amazing but LMtD? WOW! It was totally worth the iTunes purchase. Also, I've been listening to another artist lately- Train. I don't know if you've heard of them- I have no idea how popular they are, but I'm crazy about their song, Drops of Jupiter. I showed it to my brother and cousin, and they mocked me for liking it. *glower* jk. But anyway, I was flabbergasted, cause I thought the song was AMAZING. I've practically memorized the whole song now. Just to add to the mix: Walk on the Water, Britt Nicole, Everything Falls, Fee, and Lead Me, Sanctus Real- Incredible.
What else have been doing besides listening to music? Well, I'm just starting to finish my books in school- I finished two language arts books today and will be finishing my math textbook this week. But history- *moan* I'll be doing that until July. I have to read practically 130 or more pages a day for the history reading. Right now, I'm reading one book called, "Blue Willow". *gag* It's about some nine-year-old named Janey who is sad because she doesn't want to move from this big desert plain but might have to. Then the story continues with her getting to stay and meeting a friend called Lupe, which is pronounced "Loopy". *laughs* They go to this fair, and Janey wants to read books so she goes and reads books while Lupe goes on rides. Ugh... But don't get me wrong, there's some good books, too. But "Blue Willow"? ... All I can say is that I've lost all respect for blue willows.
Also, for the memorial weekend, my dad, three of my brothers, some of my neighbors, and I got to venture to the Boundary Waters (up in southern Canada) for a weekend of respite and relaxation. And did I ever RELAX! I'd say half of the trip was consumed with reading and playing chess and Settlers of Catan. But if that was all I did, that would've been one boring trip. Therefore, I also swam numerous times and had canoe races with my brother, Alex, and friends Mitchell and Brandon.
One more thing- I just got back from my first baseball game of the season. My brother and I are on the same team, which I think is pretty cool, and I performed reasonably well in the game, despite my nerves. You see, it's a little intimidating playing on a baseball team where the majority of your teammates are at least a foot taller than you. Just to let you know, I'm not very tall. A little under-average so yeah- I was pretty apprehensive. But I did well. I played at second most of the game and didn't allow a ball past. I batted three times, hit a nice single, and then struck out twice. ARGH! But I can promise you I nicked the last pitch of BOTH those strike outs! Well, at least I'm pretty sure...
Anyway, I'm going to leave it at that. Little House on the Prairies on, and it's a really good episode.
Later,

Jake

Just a couple more hours...

2010-05-10T17:17:00.001-07:00

until The Light Meets the Dark comes out. I'm in ANGUISH!!! All I've done this whole week is wait expectantly, anxiously, painfully- for this. And now I'm only 5 HOURS away from finally getting the cd. I can already see myself, armed with a 15$ iTunes gift card, treasuring every type as I insert the gift card's code, the delight as the 15$ appears on my iTunes account, more than enough to purchase the entire album. *sighs longingly*
I've been listening to the songs on Over and Underneath, Tenth Avenue North's first album, and I've come to realize that Love is Here, By Your Side, and Hold My Heart, aren't the only inspiring tracks on the cd. I mean, I've always overlooked the others, but now I'm finally seeing the power and meaning behind each song, and everyone one of them is a masterpiece. A lot of bands make a couple good tracks on their albums then the rest are either tedious or terrible. But Tenth? No, every song is amazing. Times, Beloved, Satisfy, ect. They're all spectacular. And now I'm even more exuberant for all the new songs on Light Meets the Dark. I've heard some clips of them on Tenth's "Preview Light Meets the Dark" website, and also some of the singles on iTunes (I haven't bought any of them cause I'm waiting to get them all when the cd comes out), and they all sound extremely good. Well, I better stop ranting- we'll all be able to behold the splendor and sublimity of Light Meets the Dark in 4 hours. :D

Jake

I DID IT!!!

2010-05-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my homeschool co-op's "Family Award's Night", where all the kids received awards and also put on a talent show for the adults... and I performed with my brother, Hunter Fraser, and Ben Howe (we're a band) one of our songs called Where Have You Gone. But why is that significant in any way at all? Well, for one thing, I managed to conquer my insufferable fear of performing in public. It's TERRIBLE and has haunted me for SO long. Not to say I wasn't nervous or apprehensive about doing the song- my stomach would not stop squirming and churning, and I'm really glad I hadn't consumed anything before performing, or else I probably would've regurgitated. No joke. But what am I most proud of? I sang... ! ! ! ! !
If you know me really well, you will know I'm extremely reluctant to sing in front of people. It freaks me out. Seconds before I started the verse 1 singing- I wanted to roll up and die. I wanted to some how get myself out of that building!!! However, I didn't want to let my friends down. If I backed out and didn't sing, I'd ruin the night for them. Therefore... I went through with it. And... actually did well. I'll just leave it at that. The band and I got a ton of compliments from the audience after the talent show, and I was so encouraged. I'm so glad I got it over with though. *sigh of relief*
Sorry for taking so long to post- and for my lack of commenting (I seem to have to say this every entry I make!)- but lately, I've been going to my Journal instead of my blog to record my thoughts, but I'll definitely start to pick up the pace with my blogging and commenting over the next couple weeks.

Jake

PS: Tenth Avenue North, Light Meets the Dark, comes out in 9 days!!! :D

The Light Meets the Dark

2010-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Above: the cover of Tenth Avenue North's new album: The Light Meets the Dark.

The album is coming out on May 11, and I seriously cannot wait. Tenth Avenue North is PHENOMENAL. In their last cd, Over and Underneath, they produced three of my all-time favorite songs: Love Is Here, By Your Side, and Hold My Heart. And, I think they've just created another one: Healing Begins. The song, a sneak-preview of the album, has been played on Air1 a couple times already and is GREAT. If my Mixpod is working correctly (it's been malfunctioning a lot lately), you're listening to it right now. But it isn't just a "great" song- it's meaning does deeper. This is what the band said about Healing Begins:

"This is a call to let your walls fall down, let your masks fall down, let your pretense fall down, because guess what? Your walls are glass anyway. We can see through them. You are fighting a losing battle and this is where the healing begins, when you let the light expose the darkness." - Mike Donehey (Lead Vocalist/Acoustic Guitar).

Isn't that AWESOME?! I don't know about you, but I am exhilarated. This is going to be one, amazing album- one that I won't hesitate to purchase on iTunes the minute it comes out. :D

Jake

A480

2010-04-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

I GOT A CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a Canon PowerShot A480, and it is SO awesome. I mean, it can't compare to the caliber of a camera like Bekah's Nikon D3000, but I don't plan on creating a photo blog with it or anything- I just really enjoy taking pictures, and I've been DYING to obtain my own for so long! So far, I've taken a multitude of random pics of whatever I come across, just to get the feel of the camera, but nothing yet that I'm going to post. I'll make an entry filled with pictures later when the pics are of something actually interesting or absorbing. Well, I actually have taken one good pic. My brother Alex despises my camera because he dislikes me constantly flashing pictures of everything around me- including shots of him. Since over the past day it's become increasingly harder to snap a picture of him before he evades me, I concealed myself on my bed in the room we share and waited as he used our family's boy bathroom which is in our room. And then, straining my ears, I listened and waited for him to emerge. Training the camera on the place where his head would materialize, I focused the camera and... FLASH- I caught Alex just as he came out, and he was looking straight at the A480 with undisguised irritation. *grins* It was AWESOME. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted the shot. *groans*

Last night, I celebrated my real birthday for the day I actually turned thirteen with my family, and it was blast. I received the A480 (obviously), a capo for my guitar, (really needed one for a couple of songs I recently received), and a pre-ordering of Rick Riordan's (the author of the Percy Jackson series) new book. All in all, it was the best family birthday I've ever had. It's strange though cause I thought I'd feel... different when I turned thirteen. But- I feel exactly the same. No sudden, magic transformation into an older, taller person- no sudden outbreak of acne or anything- no inward feeling of teenager-ness. *shrugs* Oh well.

__________________________________________

Also, on my birthday yesterday, I had to present a speech for a writing class I take- in front of 20 to 30 people (I'm not sure precisely). *shudders* I was really freaked out. At one point, I even slipped out of class and entered the bathroom where I just prayed that God would calm me down- and he did. When I gave my presentation, It was so... easy. The second I got up in front of everyone, things just seemed to go along smoothly and effortlessly. I'm just hoping I get a good grade now, cause the presentation was one of the must crucial assignments in the writing class. But I'm just glad I finished with the speech, cause now- I have no more "school" writing for the rest of the school year!!! My schedule just got a LOT less busy. :D

Jake

13!

2010-04-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well, not quite- I'm still 12 *sighs heavily*, but I will be 13 on Wednesday. :D Although it was early, I celebrated my birthday with my friends two days ago since it was a Friday, and it was the only way I could do a sleepover. It ROCKED! Okay, first of all, we had this "mystery dinner" thing in my family's garage. It was crazy. All of us received these menus with these nonsensical names on them standing for anonymous foods. Then, we each selected three names on the menus and then "waiters" (my dad, mom, brother Matthew and his friend Ben) took them and went inside our house to get our orders. There were all sorts of wacky foods. For example- "Yard" on the menu turned out to stand for a handful of spinach *grimaces* and "Little Poopies" (I know, crude, but I didn't make up the names!) stood for these milk duds that literally sealed your mouth shut when you chewed while "No Moo Moo" stood for cheese pizza with no pepperoni or sausage while "Dotted Moo Moo" stood for pizza with those toppings. Oh, and all the while, we were in the garage with the garage door open all wearing these cone birthday hats- y'know, the ones four and five year old's wear at their parties. We had to cause it was the "restaurants" so called policy. So while we laughed our heads off ordering stuff off the mystery menus, random neighbors and pedestrians (some that I knew, embarrassingly) were walking by on the street casting us scornful, mocking glances at our "childishness". I mean, I would too if I walked by someones garage and inside were a bunch of teenagers with those cones on. *laughs* Afterwards, we all walked up to a store about one third of a mile away to purchase toppings for ice cream- while still wearing the cones. :D Just for the fun of it, we waved and smiled stupidly at passing cars, and people actually waved back.*grins* What was really funny though was that my brother Alex and friend Josh were deliberately distancing themselves from us, trying to avoid being singled out as friends of the rest of us "cone-wearers". So we arrived at the store, and the employees managing the cash registers could hardly keep a straight face while we purchased the sugar and junk food we needed. Then we jogged back home, took off our beloved cones, devoured ice cream and cake, and then hastened outside for two hours while it was still light out to play two games of intense basketball. Afterwards, we headed out into my backyard and rested in chairs around a blazing bonfire to play Mafia (the best unphysical game in the word). Luckily, I was never Mafia so I didn't ruin the game with laughing and giving myself away. We played a couple games, then went inside, drank root beer, snacked on sour gummy worms and popcorn, and then watched I Walked on the Moon, a film where the comedian Brian Reagen displays his comedy, (he's hilarious! Even, in my opinion, funnier than Tim Hawkins) and also Remember the Titans. Once we were finished with those, it was 3:00 a.m., and we settled down for the night and just talked. Then: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
All in all, it was an awesome party. I have incredible friends. :D
Oh, one more thing: Thank you SO much Josh for the Fray cd! If you haven't listened to them yet, you've gotta hear Never Say Never and Say When by them- especially Say When. They're amazing.

Well, I've gotta go- Little House on the Prairie!

Jake

Bekah's Giveaway

2010-03-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, here's my answers for the Upon My Return Blog Parade questions:

1. If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would you say:

Jocular? :D

2. If you could go anywhere in the world with anyone you wanted to, where would you go and who with?

Indisputably to Hilton Head, a beautiful island connected to South Carolina by bridge. There you'll find the shimmering blue Atlantic, crystal beaches, and a variety of resplendent restaurants and other places for entertainment *gazes longingly out the window*. Who would I take? My friends Hunter, Caleb, Ryan, Josh, Zach, Seth, and Noah. :D

3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

If I could have one superpower it'd be the power to pretty much makes books come... alive, I guess. Sort of like in Inkheart. Like I could just will them into being so instantly I could make Narnia real, Alagaesia real, the Underland real, The Realm real and with all their characters too. Wouldn't that be awesome?!

4. What is one habit that you get teased about a lot?

I laugh WAY too much. I know it's good for your health but the way I sometimes do? I'm going to suffocate myself someday. For instance, last night at a sleepover with my friend Hunter I got into one of my hysterical moods and nearly choked from laughter. It's kind of scary- jk, but yeah, my friends are always using it against me and making me laugh at the most crucial moments. *laughs*

5. What is your food obsession?

Anything CHINESE!!! *thinks wistfully of Spicy Chang's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and the Great Wall of Chocolate cake at P. F. Changs*

6. What is the best April Fools prank you pulled on someone or that someone pulled on you?

Okay, let me make this declaration: I could NEVER pull off an April Fools prank without laughing and giving it all away. I just can't keep a straight face in those situations.
Someone pull a prank on me?! *scoffs scornfully* Why, I'm far too intelligent and cunning to be deceived by an April Fools pra- here's another habit: I'm way too gullible. You could tell me I'm related to Thomas Jefferson, and I'd believe you, so it's easy to pull a prank on me. But right now, I just can't recall one... I must have fallen for pranks so many times they're all just vague cycles of me being humiliated by impassive, heartless people. *sniffles* jk lol

7. If you were an inanimate object, what would you be?

Umm... a tennis ball?

8. Let's say you could change the world in one way. How would you change it?

I'd either evangelize through writing or music and touch peoples lives, and hopefully then the people would pass on the passion to others.

9. You have a million dollars. How do you spend it?

$1,000,000!!! Wow... Well, first, I'd put away about $200,000 of it in a bank for use the of my five brothers and I for college and cars (I know- I'm a saveaholic). *grins* But you never know. In a couple of years, America's recession could intensify and money would be really scarce. Secondly, I would donate about $300,000 to my church to pay for a building of our own cause currently we meet in a middle school. Thirdly, with 499,950, I would give money to various Christian organizations which can put it to good use. And with the last $50? *grins* Barnes & Noble here I come. :D

10. What is the one thing that always takes your breath away?

The first thing that comes to mind is the ocean. Whenever I go to Hilton Head, SC for vacation, I'm left breathless when I walk out on the beach and behold the undulating expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, glistening under the sun. It's a magnificent testament to God's power and majesty.

11. You are granted three wishes. What do you wish for?

First wish: Okay, this is going to sound really... I don't know, puerile? But I'd wish to be "warped" into the Middle Ages where swordplay and chivalry flourished and become a knight. *grins*

Second wish: I would wish (it's actually more like a prayer) that I would become bolder and more courageous for God and not shy away from his will, whatever it might be.

Third wish (the grand finale): I'd wish for 1,000,000,000,000 more wishes. :D

12. You can spend the day with one character from a book or series you've read. Who is that character?

*gasps* Only ONE!? Oh my word... Well, since I just finished the books and still remember everything about him and how awesome he is, I'd pick Gregor the Overlander from the Underland Chronicles.

13. What is something odd or interesting about you that is not commonly known?

I lived in Saudi Arabia (more specifically in the United Arab Emirates) for the first four years of my life.

14. What is one thing that you can absolutely positively not stand?

Tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, any kind of tomatoes- I despise them! I take like five minutes each time I put sauce on my spaghetti, trying only to get on the noodles only hamburger and sauce and not the repugnant red fruit. *grimaces*

15. Say you committed a crime. The judge gives you a choice between sentences: twenty years of complete solitude in the mountains or never having another moment alone for the rest of your life. Your choice?

Undoubtedly twenty years of solitude. I would go crazy if I was never alone for the rest of my life, but I think I could survive being alone that long. Anyways, I'm always wanting peace and quiet whenever I read, which doesn't happen much in a house of five boys, so it might be the perfect time. :D

16. What is one benefit that blogging has given you?

The awesome ability to share my experiences, passions, and life whenever I desire. Whenever there's something bubbling inside of me, pleading to get out, I just post it. With blogger, I can post about anything that's on my mind and get my thoughts out. I know, it's an obvious answer, but it's the truth.

17. A perfect day in your eyes would be?

7:30-wake up, brush my teeth, shower, dress, and go downstairs to find a voluminous meal of cinnamon rolls, strawberries, and salted and peppered fried eggs awaiting me

8:00- leave the house and go on a 20 minute drive to Roselawn Stables, the place where I take horse riding lessons, and hang out and ride with my favorite horse Champ for three hours

11:00- return home and have a bunch of friends over to play an intense game of basketball for two hours

1:00- get takeout for lunch from China Dragon and purchase some blackberry Izzes (these incredible sparkling juice drinks)

2:00- play my guitar for 30 minutes

2:30- pop in some earphones and listen to my brother's iPod Nano while I jog to the nearest Caribou Coffee to meet with six of my favorite authors-Suzanne Collins, Christopher Paolini, Rick Riordan, John Flanagan, Wayne Thomas Batson, and J. K. Rowling, and to get a strawberry smoothie and a hot, chocolate mocha

4:00- jog back home and read for two hours :D

6:00- devour a supper of crescents, my mom's white bean soup (SO good), and afterwards have a desert of two ice cream sandwiches

7:00- settle down on the couch and watch American Idol with my family

8:00- then watch an episode of Little House on the Praire (I'm addicted to them) *grins*

8:45- head over to my friend Hunter's house where all my other friends are gathered for a sleepover

9:00- play a game of Settlers of Catan while drinking Butterfinger and Peanut Butter M&Ms shakes

10:00- go and watch the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy

4:30 (a.m.)- read for another hour while the rest of my friends slumber

5:30 a.m.- ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Jake

Winnie, The Bell, and the Underland Chronicles

2010-03-28T13:04:00.001-07:00

That's the name of the dog we're "dogsitting" this week, and for the last two days, I've been assigned to watch, play, and feed her... and she's a LOT of work! But the really aggravating thing is... the bell. Winnie's owners have trained her to report if she has to go to the bathroom by taping a bell to their front door and instructing her to ring it when she needs to go. Frankly, she doesn't use it for its intended purpose. Because it turns out it's her way of dragging me outside to run around and play with her. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's fun. But listen: yesterday, I took her on THREE jogs around our neighborhoods block and played and ran around with her in my backyard for two hours. And guess what? Every time when we got back inside, she went and insistently rang the bell again and again until I responded and went back outside. I despise the bell. I can hear it right now as she rings it with that wicked grin on her face. jk But seriously, can't people come up with other ways to teach dogs to get attention? Why not the simple "innocent puppy-eyes" routine or something? Anything but the bell! Oh well, at least I'm getting paid. $-) But, to be honest, Winnie isn't a bad dog at all. She's actually AWESOME. She's surprisingly obedient for her age and really fun to be with. It's just... *glances darkly at his front door* the bell...
Anyways, I'm on spring break so NO school tomorrow! :D My three youngest brothers are gone at my grandparents house up in northern Minnesota for the week so my parents, brother Alex, and I pretty much have the place to ourselves, making it REALLY quiet around here. Perfect for reading. So... I stayed up till midnight last night and finished the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. They were incredible and COMPLETELY original. There wasn't ANYTHING in the series that's common or regular like elves and dragons or any "over-used" and redundant plots. It's totally fresh and fabricated by Collins, who's an excellent author. I don't really know where to rank her though. Sometimes, it gets to the point where you've read so many phenomenal books, you just can't tell which are the best. Their all so spectacular in their own way. To be blunt, I never thought I'd read the Gregor the Overlander series. I mean seriously- it's about colossal cockroaches, ruthless rats, behemoth bats, scheming spiders, and complaining, insatiable fireflies for pity's sake! But I learned something important after reading them: you can't judge a book by it's characters (even if their cockroaches), cause it turns out, I wouldn't of liked the series half as much as I do if they, or the bats, or rats, or even fireflies hadn't been in them! It's crazy but Suzanne Collins can make you like ANYONE in a novel, no matter what or who it is.
Well, I have 180 youth group in a few minutes so I should probably get ready.
Later,

Jake

Band

2010-03-23T12:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I know my bro Alex has been posting all about it, but this is my first entry I've ever written about the band I'm in. We're not exactly a band cause we only have about four songs finished, but we're working on more and it's a lot of fun. We recorded on the of the songs, "When You Turned Away", last, last Thursday, and we're about to have another recording session this Thursday, but back to the point- Hunter (pretty much the band's leader) called Alex and me today, saying that the worship director for a nearby city had listened to their songs and liked it. Therefore, he invited us to perform in the city's park for this Music in the Park event thing in July. Although you might think I'm ecstatic, I am actually freaked out- cause in the song, I was the vocalist and would have to sing at the event. I mean, it's different playing guitar, piano, or a different instrument, but singing? *shudders* I don't know. It's out of my comfort zone, that's for sure. But lately, I've been reading Do Hard Things with my dad and brother, and it goes and challenges teens to do stuff hard and out-of-your-comfort-zone. So... I'm pretty torn. I know fear can't rule people's lives. How are we supposed to live the life God wants us to if we're constantly impeded and hindered by fear? I'm just going to have to pray about it... and practice. Maybe at this next recording session I can sing like crazy in front of everyone in the house to practice so I'll be prepared for the park- although that would probably be pretty annoying... So yeah, there's my predicament. Thought I'd just make a quick post about it cause I know lately I've been TOTALLY unfaithful in my blogging and commenting.
Now, to go and read The Code of Claw, the concluding book in the Underlander Chronicles by Suzanne Collins...

Jake

Dull

2010-03-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for such a long break from blogger. Life's just been... unbloggable, I guess. Nothing of significant interest, unless you enjoy hearing about suffering from two permanent teeth being removed at the dentist and lamentations about school. There's been ONE thing though, that sparked my interest today: Timed essays. Today in the writing class I take, we did them. The essay topic was something like: Does Cooperation or Competition Produce More Success? I was practically twitching with excitement when I heard we we're doing them today. I think I did okay. Being rated on the standard timed essay scoring system: 6 being the best, 1 being the worst, I'm predicting I either got a 3 or possibly a 4. Well... That's pretty much it. All I have to post... *laughs at his pathetic-ness* Now back to the Underlander Chronicles...

Jake

Of Black Diamonds, Bunny Hills, and a Hindering Fear

2010-02-20T19:08:00.000-08:00

"There is no neutral ground: every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan." -C.S. Lewis.

That was my favorite quote presented at the Worldview conference I've attended this weekend. It's been hectic, since my dad, my brother Alex, and I have been going constantly back and forth from our house to a church in a neighboring city to listen to all the messages given by the speakers for Worldview Academy, the organization that headed up the conference, but it's been SO worth it. The conference began Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and went until 9:30, when we were dismissed to go home and sleep and ready ourselves for the next day of numerous conferences. I awoke early, my clock reading 7:05, since we didn't have to leave until 8:15. Curling up on a comfortable couch, I delved into Happenstance Found by P.W. Catanese when, suddenly, fifteen minutes later my dad charged down the stairs, exclaimed that we only had 20 minutes before the conferences started, meaning we had that much time to shower, dress, and complete the 15 minute drive to Nowthen, where the conferences were held. Slapping the book shut, I dashed back upstairs, vigorously shook my brother awake, and then showered and brushed my teeth probably the fastest I have ever done so in my life. Ten minutes later, we were all in my dad's Chrysler Cirrus racing into a McDonald's drive through and ordering breakfast, not having time to eat at home. *grimaces* I shouldn't have gotten a McGriddle. I should've known it would unsettle my stomach. McDonalds food always does- besides Snack Wraps and McDouble's, that is. :D Thankfully, we arrived in Nowthen at the church just in time for the first conference of the day, which I thoroughly enjoyed. But my most favorite were the 2nd and 4th sermons that day. First I'll summarize the second:

Christianity vs. Evolution
Yeah, an EXTREMELY debated and controversial subject. At the sermon, I was immensely enlightened. Christians and Atheists have debated over the origins of the universe for years, but it all comes down to two options: Will you cast your trust in the words of man or the words of God?
A well-known evolutionist wrote: "Christianity has fought, still fights, and will fight science to the desperate end over evolution, because evolution destroys utterly and finally the very reason Jesus' earthly life was supposedly made necessary. Destroy Adam and Eve and the original sin, and in the rubble you will find the sorry remains of the son of god (not capitalized because of the scientist's views). Take away the meaning of his death. If Jesus was not the redeemer who died for our sins, and this is what evolution means, then Christianity is nothing!" -Richard Bozarth.
Here are numerous things that evolutionist's believe. In life there is:

no God
no absolutes
no after-life
no angels or demons
no purpose/meaning
no miracles
no souls
no conscience
no mind or thought
no freewill or dignity

Yep, evolutionist believe it all. The one I found most surprise (more like shocking) was that they believed we have "no freewill". WHAT?!?! No freewill? So we're mindless robots, machines that don't have the abilities to make our own choices and decisions? Well, according to evolutionists, that's totally what we are. An Atheist taught a class on writing poems at a college (or school, can quite recall). But there was a problem- people have no freewill how can they make poems? We can't create anything either, since we have no mind of thought (instead, they believe we only have brains-not minds or thoughts-that respond to outside stimuli). So, the evolutionists took the next logical step by solving the problem by saying we just already have the poems "within" us. We don't "create" poems, we "have" the poems." So we have beautiful, mellifluous poems within our souls (oh, scratch that, evolutionists don't believe in souls) our brains I mean, that are just... there. We don't create them, conjure them, they're there. Okay then... *raises eyebrow skeptically* But the terrible thing is, most Christians do nothing to combat Atheists/Evolutionist's views. For some reason, there's something that holds us back, keeps us from defending our faith. What is it? Well, we all know, cause we all experience it. Fear. Fear of man rather than fear of God. During the conference, the speakers spoke about the students they taught at a campus in Texas, and how, every Wednesday, they just sent them off to neighboring cities and college campuses to evangelize and question others about their beliefs. As I listened, my heart was clutched callously by the cold hand of fear. Imagine just going out and speaking God's word to others. Telling others about Him. It's such a coveted thing, but people are hindered by the powerful impediment of fear. I am, and I felt ashamed, because in doing so, I obey our culture's message. Our culture says: Keep your faith in your church and homes- DON'T BRING IT OUT OF THOSE BOUNDARIES!!! DON'T SPREAD IT!!! KEEP YOUR FAITH TO YOURSELF!!! And that's what I do... I don't go out and tell others. I just keep it personal. I don't share the love that Jesus' gives. Why? Fear. Hindering, obstructing, impeding FEAR. And I'm ashamed of that. It's something that I have to get rid of in my life. But there's also another factor. What do you tell non-believers? Well, that leads me to the 4th conference.

"Those who wish to succeed must ask the right preliminary questions" -Aristotle. And that's totally true. We must ask the right questions to unbelievers, and the speakers at the conference gave advice on how to question them- the four killer questions:

What do you mean by (blank)?
How do you know that to be true?
What difference does that make?
What if you are wrong about (blank)?

For example, you engage an Atheist in conversation: (this is the conversation which was played on video at the conference)

Christian: "What do you believe happens once you die?"

Atheist: "I die- the end. Everything just ends there."

Christian: "How do you know?"

Atheist: "Because that's what science says."

Christian: "But what if you're wrong?"

See? The Atheist is stuck. Now he has to think. What if he's wrong? What if you don't just die? The speakers explained that often, that's the best you can do when talking to an evolutionists: make him/her think.

Everyone has faith. Evolutionists have EXTREME faith. They must have exceeding faith to convince themselves that all the beauty and ingenuity in the designs of this earth were created by chance. That we, extraordinarily complex beings, are all simply mistakes. Imagine you're walking on a beach, and you find a computer chip in the sand. Nobody in their right mind would believe it was just created by chance. A computer chip is a complex device! Everybody would agree to that. Then what about our brains? Why are they proclaimed by evolutionists to be created "by chance" if they are so much more complex than any insignificant computer chip! It makes utterly and completely no sense!

There is no neutral ground: every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan - C. S. Lewis.

I know I already typed that quote at the beginning of this post, but it's important. Evolution and Christianity aren't compatible. Christianity fights, still fights, and will fight science... - Richard Bozarth. They're two different beliefs. Belief in man... and belief in God. As Christians, we must be have a firm Christian faith and worldview, and this these conferences really showed me how ignorant I am. Right now, if I were to be confronted with a knowledgeable atheist, I would probably be defeated in a debate. 1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer- I might not always be prepared to give an answer, which is why it's so important to construct a solid Christian worldview. I can't let my faith be shaken by all the people who speak out against it and challenge it. I have to be able to defend it.

One of the most memorable moments at the conference was when one of the speakers got up and spoke about a passive faith and an active faith by comparing it to the ranks of ski hills. If you're a passive Christian all your life and always stay on the bunny hills and green circles... what kind of life for Christ is that? But if you really starting thinking and acting like an active Christian, your life will be like a black diamond- but that's where you'll truly be alive. That's where the joy comes: from actively serving God. And at the end of your run, there'll be such great satisfaction and the joy as your ski instructor (God) congratulates you. But if you always stay on those uneventful green circles...

All in all, this Worldview conference was one of my favorite conferences ever. The speakers there had the skill of even the speakers at the FLY convention, which, if you've been following my blog for a while, you've seen me post about. My faith has also been encouraged from it, and I'm going to start praying that I can break through the fear that I of sharing their faith so I can lead a black diamond life. Because seriously... who wants to sit around on the bunny hill?

Jake

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

2010-02-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Rick Riordan's, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, new novel! AHHH!!!

I'm EXHILARATED!!! Thank you SO much Glow Fish for posting about the book! If you've read the Percy Jackson series, you should understand my excitement. Rick Riordan is phenomenal. Even if I've sounded pretty derogatory about the new Lightning Thief film, my scorn was only, I repeat, ONLY directed at the movie, not the series. The series is incredible. Rick Riordan is totally as good (possibly better) than John Flanagan, Wayne Thomas Batson, and, yes, it's true, J. K. Rowling. His writing is so fresh, realish, and modern. He doesn't even use that big of a vocabulary in his works, but still, that's part of the reason I like his books so much. They're so easy, enjoyable, and enticing to read, and I literally cannot wait for this new series he's begun to exhibit to come out! According to the Red Pyramid website (which you can access HERE), the new novel comes out 5/4/2010. On the website, you can read the first chapter of the book also, so yeah. :D

Also, has anyone read the Books of Umber by P. W. Catanese? I'm starting the first book in the series, Happenstance Found, tonight, and I was wondering if anyone could give me their thoughts on it...

Later,

Jake

A Corrupt Country

2010-02-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's America. As I was checking my e-mail inbox, I descried this e-mail from a Christian website called Citizen'sLink that periodically updates me on happenings throughout the U.S. Here's what the update stated:
"President Obama's proposed budget would allocate $410 million for programs overseen by his new 'safe school czar,' gay activist Kevin Jennings. That's an increase of $45 million.
Family advocates are concerned, because Jennings used the so-called 'school climate' phrase as a tool to promote homosexuality in schools as the founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Candi Cushman, education analyst with Focus on the Family Action, said parents should be concerned with how Jennings might spend the money."
According to the update, Keven Jennings, the new 'safe school czar' (who is a gay activist and founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network), is now a powerful influence in America's public schools. *shakes head in disgust* This is pretty sad. This year I'm studying American history, and this country was so... promising. But now I'm not so sure. I mean, look at the update- homosexuality used to be nonexistent. It was something that was completely avoided back then in the past. But now? Now people are promoting it in schools. And there's still worse. Where Christianity used to be the most prominent faith in this country, now it's "Evolution" and other fallacious theories. Also, there are all these reports of Christian youth losing their faith as they grow older and are subjected to our sinful society.
In the last two months, I've been reading all about the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Now as I reflect, I'm wondering: was that all for nothing? Did America's men fight and give their lives for freedom and unity, when in the end, they were only saving a nation which was doomed to become like this? A country supporting all these ungodly things? Abortion, atheism, homosexuality, gay marriages, and so forth. I'm just so glad I'm homeschooled so I'm not buffeted in public school with teachings that promote them. I'm not trying to say public schools bad. It's good to be out in the real world sometimes, just as long as you're faith stands firm. Things are harder for adolescents now faith-wise. This country's Christian youth are surrounded by ungodly, immoral influences. It's everywhere. In the shows we watch, the things we hear- In Percy Jackson, much of the story line was changed to show in the movie immodesty and immoral things. For those who've seen the move but not read the book, one of the most prominent cases of this was when Grover is forced to stay in the Underworld while Percy, Annabeth, and Percy's mom return to Earth-nope. It was Percy's mom who said she'd stay in the Underworld. They just made it in the movie so Grover stayed so they could get the Grover and Persephone (who's already married to Hades) thing going.
I've also been watching American Idol for the past couple months, and this year, during the beginning auditions, the show has been featuring numerous gross, ungodly auditions instead of skipping over them. What's with that? Does American Idol think America is so corrupt that it enjoys that stuff? Apparently.
It's a terrible transformation in our country. It was gradual and subtle at first, but now, the sin and immorality that has engulfed this nation is evident and enormous. It's disheartening to think of the glorious beginning of America and to now examine what it has become.

Jake

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

2010-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

For President's Day, my mom took my brother Alex and I to The Lightning Thief, knowing how much we enjoyed the books. And, after watching it, I'd give it three stars. This movie was an example of books superiority to movies. It didn't entice me like the books did- didn't live up to my expectations. The movies excluded numerous main characters whom I thoroughly enjoyed in the book, and what's more, they completed contorted the plot! I don't want to say anything, as it will spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but the ending combats were COMPLETELY fabricated by the producer. It didn't follow along the lines of the novel at all! Also, the movie included a little too much inappropriateness when it came to the way the people in the film were dressed, which was a constant, disturbing element in the movie. The last thing that disappointed me greatly was how fast-paced the move was. I mean, there was barely ever a time when the characters just... talked. They were always on the run- fighting, fleeing, ect.

I won't be a total pessimist. There were really cool factors in the move too, including sweet skirmishing scenes and awesome special effects. Another thing that was cool, which is totally irrelevant to the film, is that the guy who played Percy looked sooo awesome, fitting the way I pictured him in the novels perfectly. But the person who played Annabeth... ugh. She was nothing like the Annabeth I knew in the books. Her features, her portrayal- ARGH! But Grover was another story. He rocked, and I'm so glad he was played by an African American! The actor was really funny and cool. :D
So yeah, 3 Stars, is my rating.

Jake

Can't Get Over "Tonight" and "Ranger's Apprentice"

2010-02-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

Finally! Tobymac, just yesterday, came out with a new cd: Tonight!

I don't know about you, but Tobymac is one of my favorite artists. His music is just so... well... it gets you going. It's invigorating, reviving, ect. One of my fave songs on the album is Get Back Up, which, if my Mixpod is working, you're listening to right now. :D

Also, I just got Erak's Ransom from the library! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been waiting for a whole THREE DAYS to get it! THREEE HUUUUGE DAAAYS!!! Okay, I know I'm being overly dramatic but seriously, these books are the real deal. I can't get them off my mind their so good!
Alright, I have to go watch American Idol. It's group performance night. *rubs hands together in anticipation* I can't wait to see these groups fail! jk. But this week in Hollywood is usually the most intense so I can't miss it. *grins*

Jake

Back from SidexSide

2010-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

The title's not exactly true. There were two groups of kids at the retreat: Kids in SidexSide made up of people 7th grade and older. And kids in "Snodaze" for people 7th grade and younger. To my surprise, my youth leader decided that all 180's 7th graders were going to go to Snodaze, so that's where I was placed. At first, I was dismayed. I mean... I kind of wanted to go to SidexSide because I figured the sermons and music would be more... Well... "Olderish" I guess. And I have to admit, the music in Snodaze was a bit childish. We sang songs I sung in third grade at my church for pity's sake, but, the sermons were excellent. Snodaze's preacher, Todd Erickson, was really good. The theme of the weekend was "Fearless." Pretty much being able to proclaim and speak out fearlessly about God and not being hindered by fear. In the first sermon we learned about Slavish and Childlike Fear. As it says in Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge- What is that fear?
Slavish Fear results when we fear the punishment of God. We do everything out of fear of wrath and not out of devotion to Him.
Childlike Fear results when we love and want to please God so much, that we're desperate to follow God's will and our fearful of doing anything not according to God's plan because we're so anxious to follow him.
A verse that goes with this is 1 John 4:18, which over the course of the weekend, has become one of my fave verses: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
So it says: "There is no fear in love." And then it reinforces this statement in the following sentences of the verse. If we're fearing God's plan and will for us, our relationship with Him isn't right. "The one who fears (slavish fear) is not made perfect in love."
That's something I struggle with. I mean, what if God wants me to go and be a missionary in Iran or something? I'd be extremely fearful, but I would do it, but, to be honest, I don't know if it would be out of Slavish Fear or Childlike Fear. *sighs* It's something I have to work on.

The next sermon focused on Childlike Faith. In Mark 10:14, it says: When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children."
What's so amazing about those children? They wholeheartedly and easily rely, trust, and have faith. For example, if my Dad were to tell my little brother Caleb to jump four feet down off my top bunk, and that he'd catch him, he'd trust him in a heartbeat. No hesitation. They're so trusting that doubt or indecision never even crosses their mind. That's Childlike Faith. Whatever God says to do, we do it, casting complete, unwavering faith in him. Childlike Faith is to trust that whatever He desires for you to do, you do it, trusting him just like a believing, relying child. What exactly is faith? Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Does faith save you? This morning, I brushed my teeth, having faith completely that water would spew out of the faucet and out onto my toothbrush. Obviously, it did. No, faith alone isn't enough. But faith in Jesus is a whole different story. The story of Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego is an extraordinary example of faith in Jesus, a superb display of Childlike faith.

After these two, there were three more sermons. One focusing on God's constant companionship with us and his omnipresence, the next on Ephesians 6:10-20 about the full of armor of God, and the last one on our Hope given to us from Jesus by his resurrection. Without that act, our faith would be futile. If His death on the cross had been the end... Well. There would be no "hope". One of the questions asked in the sermon was: What is your hope? It's not like a "I hope so!" hope, it's a firm, certain hope. If we cast our faith on people, we'll be disappointed cause we all mess up. But in God our Hope is as solid as a rock. We'll still be confronted and persecuted on this earth, but every time we fall, we'll fall on a Hope as a powerful and substantial as that.

Aside from all the sermons, I had a LOT of time to just hang out with my friends around the campus. With Caleb from Ballin' With God and Joey (my cousin), I played basketball practically non-stop. I even gave up tubing off this massive tubing hill to do it. It was pretty much an obsession during my time there. *grins* I also bought and ate junk food (much to my mom's dismay) including a Twix bar (best candy bar in the world; anyone who disagrees... well... you're missing out :D), a Mountain Dew, and peanut butter M&M's. Not much but immensely filling. Oh, and I forgot to mention, every night the people in my dorm and I had these awesome devo periods and on Saturday night, Jimmy, my youth group leader, put me in charge. I felt pretty good about that knowing Jimmy trusted me enough to lead it so yeah, it was really cool. :D

*goes back and looks over what he's written* Wow, I wonder if this is the longest post I've ever made... *laughs* I know, compared to most people's longest, this entry is mini, but to me: it's a record.
Alright, well I better close this post before it gets too long.

Jake

Retreat

2010-02-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

Alex and Hannah have both already posted about this so I'll make this entry brief. At 5:00, my youth group, 180, is taking a bus to Wisconsin to massive retreat center for youth. We'll get back Sunday afternoon (thankfully before the start of the Superbowl *grins*) so this an adios for the weekend. :D

Later,

Jake

Atrocious Articulation

2010-01-31T13:31:00.001-08:00

Found this on my friend Seth's blog and then received permission to use it here at Thoughts of a Warrior. Check it out and you'll understand the title. *grins*

I wonder what a Lennon goat is anyways... *shrugs*

Jake

Going... Going... And Going again...

2010-01-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

This has been an extremely eventful day. How so? Well, woke up at 7:00, had a half-an-hour to shower, eat breakfast, ect and then headed out to Minneapolis to Orchestra Hall to view an orchestra play theme songs from popular movies such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings :D :D :D, and Fantasia (ugh). It was... fun. I guess... Well, no, not really. I mean, the Star Wars and LOTR was awesome- aside from the fact that during the LOTR performance this really, really high-pitched, sixth grade boy got up and sang like a girl. *laughs* I barely suppressed laughter. I'm not even kidding. The only reason I didn't burst out laughing then and there was because my cousin Ryan cast me this threatening glance that clearly communicated: Don't you dare. So yeah, I held it in there. But then there was this other song. One that went on, and on, and on, and on... And it was so boring and dumb that I couldn't help myself so I laughed quietly into my fist. *grins* Thankfully, the production only lasted about two hours so I was saved. :D
After Orchestra Hall, my family navigated the way back to our car and headed out to a friend's house to eat lunch, and then, immediately after, headed out to a community center as an activity for one of my homeschool coops ROCK. It was a lot of fun playing basketball and other cool stuff, but when I swam, I found that swimming with contacts in is pretty irritating. I mean, every time water gets into your eyes they move all over and sting, so yeah.
And now, during this short respite I have at home, I'm about to get going. Again. But I'm really excited. :D I'm going to one of my best friend's (Hunter) birthday party/sleepover. *grins* I can't wait. :D
Also, I'm glad I got to read at least a little today while I was on the road. Anyone heard of the Ranger's Apprentice series? I'm rereading them and I have to say, they're completely incredible. That is not an understatement. I know I say this about A LOT of books, but this is genuine. Really. Whoever hasn't read them MUST check them out.
And with that, I will close this post.

Jake

Crushed, Despondent, Utterly Disconsolate, ect.

2010-01-24T19:25:00.001-08:00

Vikings lost to the Saints in a HEART-BREAKER. Literally, it was devastating. We HAD the WIN!!!!! askfjsdkfjsdkl IT WAS OURS!!!!! AHHHH!!! So close and then Favre HAD to go and throw an interception. WHY? We could have kicked the field goal then and there and been victorious and guaranteed a spot in the Superbowl! We blew it... We SO blew it... Arghh!!!

A very crestfallen,

Jake

180 Tubing

2010-01-23T06:41:00.001-08:00

So last night, from like 7:00 p.m. to 10:00, my youth group, 180, went tubing at this monstrous tubing hill. There were four tracks where we could race and it turns out, we could have linked too and gone in groups, but the tracks were so icy from the rain (yes, it was raining while we were there :D) that the surveyors didn't allow it for the night. But because of the ice, the tracks were SO fast. My hat pretty much threatened to blow off every time I went down it was so swift. After a while, some of the boys got a little bored so we decided to start a new trend. Taking off our coats and sweatshirts so we were just in our t-shirts, we raced down the slope amidst the falling rain and snow. Okay, I'm not going to lie. It killed. Ice and snow buffeted my bare arms and face until they were throbbing and freezing. But, being as stupid as I am, I decided to, with my friend Caleb, take the next step upward in our experiment... going down the slope... with no shirts. *grins* I'll admit it, it was a really stupid thing to do, but it was AWESOME!!! We were flying while being pelted by all sorts of winter elements and I LOVED it. I can't wait until next time I go tubing to do it again. :D So yeah, that was my daring tubing endeavor. *grins*

Just a little side note that is completely irrelevant to the main post: CURSE OF THE SPIDER KING IS AWESOME!!!!!!!! Batson has done it again!!!

Jake

A Reading Rampage

2010-01-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting, but, by looking at the title, you can probably tell what I've been doing. :D Well, last time I posted I mentioned the Bartimaeus Trilogy. I was just starting it; not sure how good or bad it was as I knew no one who had read the trilogy and would give me an opinion on it. Thus, I plunged in the manuscript not knowing what to expect; and now as of two days ago, I have emerged utterly and totally amazed.

I'm not kidding. This trilogy was something else (in a good way). I mean, it had me hooked! I couldn't put it down. It was incredible. (Don't be warded away by the kind of creepy book cover- it's just a gargoyle). The author, Johnathan Stroud, is such an enticing author. The trilogy is intense, action-packed, deep, and extremely humorous as you'll find out if you read it. :D

Now, enough about the Bartimaeus Trilogy. There's another novel that right now has me completely engrossed- The Curse of the Spider King. :D

It's awesome! I love it. I'm on page 200-something and so far, it's great! Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper really cooked up something good.

And now to get back devouring it... *grins*

Jake

Bible?

2009-12-28T06:49:00.000-08:00

Reading your Bible- I never thought it could be so... difficult sometimes. Y'know when sometimes you feel your so disconnected and in a slump with God? Like there's been too long of a time of no communication, and you feel terrible about it, but you're just too... absorbed with everything: Christmas, presents, things to do on your days off from school, that you just brush aside time in the day for God? Well, that's what I've struggled with the past week or two. I mean, for me, the slump starts when I wake up, and on that day, I don't go immediately and read my Bible. If I break the cycle, it's easier to continue doing so until I've completely stopped reading. The good thing though, is that whenever I stop, I'm convicted in a way. Whenever I'm at church or listening to a sermon, I feel... distraught. Like half of me is listening to the message, but the other half is screaming that you're not even spending time with God, how is this going to help you? And so I finally went to my Bible this morning. Not novels, not computer, not any kind of other distraction; my Bible. And I feel so good after reading it and just praying... Personally, I think the Bible's essential to me in my faith. It somehow... Just gets me back on track with God. I don't know how. It just... does...
My two favorite quotes about the Bible are these:

Sin will keep you from this book,
but this book will keep you from sin
-Anonymous

And then:

Show me a Bible that's falling apart,
and I'll show you a life that isn't.
-Anonymous

They're amazing and a 100% true.
I don't know if any of you have ever gotten in a slump like that, where you've just needed something to pull you out. And for me, it's God's Word.

Jake

Chistmas is Here

2009-12-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

One word- CHRISTMAS!!! Since my family is leaving tomorrow for Pipestone, Minnesota for Christmas with my mom's side of the family, my parents decided to have our own family Chrstimas today. P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S-!!! I got such awesome ones. First of all, I received a hooded aeropostale sweatshirt (I needed one of those so badly) :D. And secondly... *drum roll* the newest cd from Hawk Nelson, Live Life Loud!

And thirdly... (this one is totally the best) Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper's latest novel, Curse of the Spider King!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D AHHHHH!!!! I can't wait to read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And lastly, $20.00 dollars to Barnes & Noble. *grins* Now I can get another book! *rubs hands together in anticipation* I wonder what I'll buy...

And that's it! I'm so happy. :D

Well, there's really only one thing left for me to say...

Have A Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Jake

Horseback Riding

2009-12-20T06:29:00.001-08:00

My dad is AWESOME! He made this video for me last night and just showed it to me. *sigh* I miss riding... The thing is, the place I have been going to is so expensive! I mean, like 400 dollars for five days of riding, and, since I'm only twelve and don't have a job, is a real struggle to make...Oh well.. Enjoy! :D

It's One of Those Amazing Moments...

2009-12-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Amazing is almost an understatement. I cannot believe this... Okay, I'll stop rambling and tell you what's so incredible: 41-39. That was the score of my game at my team's Middle School. We were triumphant... against Buffalo: the city boasting the best seventh-grade school basketball team in our conference. And we defeated them! It came to the last 10 seconds, where Buffalo was desperately trying to intercept the ball when it was passed in bounds and score a basket to tie up the game. But our team managed to hold'em off. We WON!!!!!!!!!!!! *tries to stop shaking with exuberance* Ah, the looks on the Buffalo team's faces when we beat them. They were astonished. It was David and Goliath moment kind of. The team with a record of 1 win and 9 losses taking on a team, flawless and undefeated. When we won, all my teammates when crazy. I'm still going crazy! I'm awed, flabbergasted, astounded- AMAZED.
So enough about my amazement, here's an update on how my mom's doing: She went into surgery Monday and stayed in the hospital overnight. Then late in the afternoon Tuesday, she came back with my dad. She was extremely nauseous and in reasonable pain. On Wednesday, she was feeling a little better, but still just laid in bed and slept most of the day. And today, she's starting to be her normal self again. Although still tired and achy, she's feeling a lot better. Want to know what's awesome though? The doctor's who extracted half of her thyroid said that when they took it out, it didn't look cancerous! I'm so happy about that, but still, it's not a final judgement. The complete report comes Monday I think, so yeah... My family just has to wait and see.
By the way, does anyone know anything about the Bartimaeus trilogy? I'm starting the first book, and I want to hear other people's opinion on it before engross myself in it. Is it bad? Okay? Good? Great? Outstanding?

Namarie,

Jake

At last... Victorious

2009-12-08T18:21:00.001-08:00

After eight games for basketball, my team finally emerged as the victor in one. It was an amazing game, and the score was astounding: 69-4. We demolished this team. I mean, it was steal after steal, swish after swish. We were unstoppable! I'm so glad we've finally won. I've stopped making it so the losses are all about me and how I performed, but still, it's kind of frustrating continuously losing. So yeah, I'm exhilarated.
I haven't posted forever so here's a brief update on how Thanksgiving went:
One word, AWESOME. I attended three thanksgiving dinners: One at one of my best friend's (Hunter) house, one with my mom's side of the family, and one with my dad's side of the family. It was a blast and very satisfying devouring so much food. (contented sigh) :D It's crazy cause now Christmas is in less than THREE WEEKS!!!!!!!! I can't wait. My whole house has already been adorned in Christmas accouterments, and our Christmas tree is up in our family room. *rubs hands together in anticipation* It's going to be great.
But amidst all the awesomeness, there's one thing that's troubling me... My mom has been lately having numerous doctor appointments concerning a growth on a section of her neck called the thyroid. Although scanned and scrutinized, the doctors can't distinguish wether the growth is harmful or not. Two days ago, they informed my mom that there's a fifteen percent chance it's cancer. So... It has to be removed. Luckily, they're only removing half of her thyroid and leaving the other half so she won't have to use medications for the rest of her life to perform tasks completed by the thyroid. She's going in Monday for surgery to get the growth extracted to be examined more closely to discover what is causing it. I'm praying it's not cancer... I'd appreciate if you'd keep her in your prayers too. It's pretty scary for her and my family having to wait to find out about something so serious...

Jake

Decisions and Discernment

2009-11-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

Since I last posted, I've had two more games for basketball. Each of them a loss. *shrugs* We'll win next time though; I can feel it. I mean, the biggest reason we lost today was because there was this guy who was practically six foot tall and he was really explosive and aggressive. Although my team hasn't had any victories yet, I was promoted to point guard!!! So now I take the ball up court on all our offensive possessions and am pretty much one of the main passing people on my team. I've found it to be a lot of fun, but in a way, extremely challenging. First of all, is the decisions. With a defender in my face trying to swipe the ball while I survey the court, I have to be ready to make a decision swiftly and pass the ball precisely. If I don't, the ball will be stolen, ripped from my grasp, or I will panic and make too quick a pass, going straight to the opposing team instead of my intended receiver. Secondly, if there's no one open, I'm all alone. It's up to me to make some kind of play that will enable my team to recuperate and get a basket. It's difficult. If you hesitate, the person guarding you will seize the opportunity to overwhelm you. By now, you might be wondering why I'm telling you all this... Well, because it's the same way in life: We're confronted with sin and darkness and it does not want us to get past it and into the light or make any kind of pass that enables us to move closer to God. It will try to steal first place in your life from God and attempt to rip Him away so they can gain possession of your heart. And sometimes, we're going to be all alone with sin standing maliciously and deceptively in are paths, discouraging us from doing something, advancing, making a play that helps us grow closer to Him. There's only one decision that will aid us. One that will get us closer to God. But it's hard and blocked by sin. I have to fight through it. I can't just sit there and allow my defender (sin) to come nearer and nearer until I'm buffeted and overwhelmed by it. If I'm not moving forward, I'm moving backwards. In our lives. we all have to make the decision to go towards God no matter what's in the way. The crowd tells you it's not cool. Sin displays before you things that tempt and coax you. Satan deceives you and tries to blot out Him with earthly things. But there's only one choice that will lead to salvation and ultimately, God.

Philippians 1: 9-10. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

1 John 4:1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Even though we are confronted by so many spirits, deceptions, temptations, our own evil nature, and even Satan himself; we must be able to discern the one true path. The one true decision that will deliver us safely through any opponent and into God's compassionate, protective embrace.

Jake

Pride and Selfishness

2009-11-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well, basketball hasn't been as awesome as I anticipated. First of all, my team has lost both of its first games. They haven't been complete blowouts. Today's game was pretty close, but still, we've lost both and it's kind of depressing. Today, I was put in as point guard for my team, and I did pretty good. No big passing mistakes and no one got a steal off me. But in the game, for both my two lay-up attempts, I missed and they were really easy shots. At the end, the score was 26 to 29. If I'd made them, we would've have won our first game of the season. Sitting on the bench and watching as the game came to a disappointing end, I sulked and mentally reprimanded myself for missing the shots. When I got home, I kept sulking, still angry about my performance. And it wasn't until about an hour ago when my mom asked what was wrong that I finally stopped. I told her it was all my fault my team had lost the game, that if I'd done better we would've won, and whole bunch of other complaints about how I played. Then she said it: "It sounds to me like you're just being prideful, Jake."
I was speechless. Me? Prideful? I'm beating myself up for missing two layups! How am I being prideful?
I asked her how, and she replied, "You're only thinking about yourself. How you did. How your game went." In other words, it was all about me. Nothing else mattered. I sulked cause I didn't do great, I didn't impress everyone, I didn't make the shots and win the game. It was all about how I did. It really got me thinking and I realized that I'm like that a lot. Countless times I only contemplate how I'm doing and how I look doing it. And I don't spend one second thinking about anything else. How others are feeling. How others are doing. I'm completely oblivious to everybody else while locked away in my own little bubble where everything is about ME.

Proverbs 16:18-19
18: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
19: Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

I like what it says in Psalms 16:19. It pretty much says: It's better to not do great but be humble and have humility. Then to do great and be prideful. *sighs* I really messed up. Hopefully I won't be as susceptible to pride and selfishness next time but instead, have a humble attitude and be considerate to how others are feeling and not just myself.
Just thought I'd share that...

Jake

Amazing Song

2009-11-07T19:16:00.001-08:00

Alright, click here and it'll bring you to a video of the new Switchfoot song: Your Love is a Song from their new cd Hello Hurricane. Utterly awesome. I can't get over it...

Jake

A Team

2009-11-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm utterly astounded. Two weeks ago, my basketball started for the seventh grade school team. It runs every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3 to 5 and is a lot more strenuous than my practices last year, but it's been soooo awesome. And what's better, I made the A team!!! Everybody on the school team (21 of us in all) are divided into two groups. The A team: More experienced, B team: Less experienced. I can't believe it. Everyone there is really good and I missed two vital practices so I thought I had no chance whatsoever. But I'm really glad I was proven wrong. :D It's not permanent though. My position for the year depends on how I do in the games, not just the practices... *takes a deep breath* Hopefully I'll do well. :D
Ugh, I knew I'd regret not doing NaNoWriMo!!! argh... Everyones having a blast (or tearing their hair out) conjuring up awesome stories while I'm sitting around doing nothing... *slaps forehead* Oh well... I hope all your novels are coming along smoothly!

Jake

Books, Words, ect.

2009-10-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

I woke up really early this morning to get to my library's huge book sale with my dad and my bro's Alex and Matthew. It was awesome. Unfortunately, the sale was already packed with people so we hurried to see what good books remained. In the end, I bought (for only 1 dollar!!!) two books: Webster's New World Thesaurus and the first book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy. By the way, has anyone read the trilogy before? It just looked pretty good but I don't really know anything about the series...
The thing that aggravated me was that I didn't look through the thesaurus until I'd already purchased it, and that's when I found out it didn't have the words: ameliorate, halcyon, gregarious, abscond, ebullient, voluminous, and a bunch of other really good ones. What kind of thesaurus doesn't have those incredible words? *groans* Oh well, I guess it's still an okay thesaurus. On the way back from the sale, I was thinking how awesome it would be to collect thesauruses. Wouldn't that be cool?
Right now I'm reading This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti: It's awesome. Totally, absolutely, completely awe-some. I'm not far enough yet to give a good report of it but if you're looking for something to read, get it!!!

Namarie,

Jake

Band Tag

2009-10-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Josh, from Blog of the Rejects tagged me for the five, favorite band tag. These are my faves:

1. Switchfoot (utterly awesome and amazing)
2. Tenth Avenue North (really, really good Christian music)
3. Kutlass (Awe-some. Check out there song: What Faith Can Do)
4. Hawk Nelson (cool band, :D)
5. Tie between Run Kid Run (I know, weird name but check out my playlist and you'll see their amazing song, Freedom. In fact, it's probably playing right now for you) and Matthew West.

I tag anyone who would put in their top five, favorite bands one of these five.

Jake

A Freezing 5k

2009-10-10T17:23:00.001-07:00

Well, never mind checking Sunstar's blog to see the debate. She deleted all posts and comments related to it, so yeah... :( Just remember to keep her in your prayers because she really needs to see the truth.
Something absolutely awesome happened today. It *drumroll* SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But there was one thing bad about that: at eight o'clock in the morning I was scheduled to run a 5k (3.2 miles I think) and now, I had to run it in the freezing cold. I managed to survive and finished 41st out of about 250 people although unfortunately, I failed to make it into the top rank of my age group, meaning I didn't get a medal. *shrugs* It was still fun though and I had a blast. :D
I can't wait for tomorrow! In my church, I'm an assistant small-group leader for the kindergartners and it's a lot of fun. The best part is the beginning where the kids come in and I pretty much just have the job of playing with them and making sure they all have fun. *grins* I can't wait.
Also, I'm now in a homeschool co-op called ROCK, and what's so cool about it is that the kids get to do everything. Plan awesome event, create cool websites, and pretty much just take charge of everything we do. One of the coolest things we've done so far is started up a writing and reading club where we're going to post writings, do writing contests, vote on books to read as a group, and then once we have, discuss them. :D It's awesome.

Namarie,

Jake

Prayer Alert

2009-10-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Alright, there's a girl in the blogger world who goes by the name of Sunstar and she has recently decided to deny and reject God. For the last two days debate has been raging in her blog about her announcement and many bloggers have been trying to witness to her and show her the truth. But she hasn't faltered in her choice. Right now, I'm asking all of you to please pray for her. I don't know what else to tell her, but I know even if we don't know the words to say: God does. Here's her blog: http://tangleshadowsunclan.blogspot.com/ Check through the first four or five posts and their comments and you'll be able to see the debate.

Jake

B-U-S-Y-!!!!!

2009-09-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

School has been extremely laborious the last couple weeks. It's been fun, but its been really time consuming, explaining why I haven't posted or commented for a loooong while. The subject that's really taking forever is my history. I have about a billion books I have to read every day which takes at least TWO hours!!! Not to say the books aren't interesting, but it just gets kind of tedious spending all that time learning American history... *shrugs* so yeah.
Although the last three weeks have consisted mosly of school, I've also had time for a lot of reading, a plethora of writing (I've been working on a novel of my own for a while. I think it's about a hundred and thirty pages double-spaced so far), and this year my uncle convinced me to try out fantasy football and I have to say: It's awesome. The competition is just really fun and exhilerating. :D
Sorry to cut this entry short, but I've got to go start working on my writing class draft before my dad edits it tonight... *groan*

Namarie,

Jake

School

2009-09-01T14:18:00.001-07:00

About a week ago I would of said I was dreading the arrival of school, but now, I'm anticipating it. First of all, a homeschool, education-center called WEST opened up right in my neighborhood within walking distance of my house. There, I'm taking a writing class from my awesome writing teacher who's classes I've attended for the past two years.
Secondly, my math is looking a lot more fun this year as I'm moving into more interesting sections of it.
Last of all, science is looking more enjoyable as well, so yeah. I'm really excited to begin! :D

So what have I been doing lately? Well... a lot of writing. I just figured out the book I'm working on has reached a hundred some pages (double-spaced). A lot of reading... And mostly just relaxing until school starts on September eighth. Once it starts I probably wont' be able to post much though, so yeah, just a little heads up if I'm absent from the blogging world for a while.
Well, that's pretty much it. Hope you guys all have an awesome start to school!

Jake

Cabin

2009-08-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Right now I'm typing from the cabin my family rented for the week. It's been sooooo awesome so far. I've swam countless times, written a little on my story, read a ton, played track ball (extremely addicting) and have made time in the morning for an hour of devotions and just sitting and marveling at God's beauty. Every night so far my family and the Frasers (the family that came with us to the cabin) have been doing kind of mini sermons around the campfire and everyone gets one night to do one. Mines tomorrow and I'm doing mine off Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. It's probably my favorite verse. :D
I can't believe school is starting up so soon!!! Ugh, summer went by so fast. But I'm kind of anticipating school also. Especially the writing class I'm doing up at WEST (a homeschooler education place that teaches various classes). Well, I better wrap this post up.
Cya guys later,

Jake

Tagged by Hannah

2009-08-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Before I start the tag, I just want to say that yesterday was completely amazing. Before playing with the worship band I'd prayed that I'd perform all for God's glory and not my own and I had one of the best times of my life. I loved playing up front with the band and at the end, even though I made a couple mistakes, it didn't really matter cause I didn't care what everyone thought. It was how God viewed me while playing up on stage that mattered.

After Church, my youth group, along with my friend Hunter from Travel of a Teen, attended the Rock the River concert. It was incredible. The crowd gathered was absolutely HUGE and I had a great time. The only bad thing was that their was only one rather small cluster of concession stands to feed all the people. Unfortunately, over half of my time at the concert was spent standing in line to get supper. One time while I stood in line to get one little bowl of deep-fried oreoes, I had to patiently wait for THREE hours!!! That was a little crazy but overall the bands were great and it was a really fun time. :D

Alright, now for the tag:

Who is your favorite male character and what book is he in? (Pick only one!!!)
Wow... This is a REALLY tough one. I have to say Aidan from the Door Within Trilogy.

Who is your favorite female character and what book is she in? (Pick only one!!!)
Ugh... Another hard one. It's a tie between Arya from the Eragon Series and Gwenne from Door Within.

Who is your favorite author favorite book/series by him?
Nope. There's no possible way I can name only one favorite author. Here's a list of my faves and their novels. Wayne Thomas Batson: The Door Within. Christopher Paolini: The Inheritance Cycle. Bryan Davis: The Echoes from the Edge Trilogy. Brandon Mull: Fablehaven Series. Rick Riordan: The Olympians Series. C. S. Lewis: Chronicles of Narnia. And John Flanagan: Ranger's Apprentice Series.

If you are writing a book, answer this question: Who is your favorite character in the book/series you are writing?
Mine's probably the main character of Eggbearer (the title of the novel I'm working on) named Cadyn.

If you are not writing a book, answer this question: Who is your favorite character in a book you know someone else is writing?

Any other favorites you want to mention?
Yeah, four more male characters I really like are Eragon (Inheritance Cycle) Nathan Shepherd (Echoes from the Edge) Percy Jackson (Olympians Series) and Will Treaty (Ranger's Apprentice Series).

Least favorite characters in a book you've read?
Daryl (Echoes from the Edge) and Rachel Elizabeth Dare (Olympians Series)

I tag: Seth (Musings of a Levite), Caleb (Ballin with God), Saerwen (Baking with a Red-headed Halfling) and any others who really want to do this tag. :D

Namarie,

Jake

Tomorrow: Guitar Day

2009-08-15T16:51:00.001-07:00

Wow, Sunday's coming so fast! I'm really excited but I've also been praying. You see, after practicing guitar yesterday, I finished and I was unsatisfied with my performance. I acted all selfish and I-wish-I-could-do-better-ish if I could put like that. Then when I went downstairs in my mopey attitude my mom saw me and asked what was wrong.
I told her I bet I was going to do terrible tomorrow playing guitar with the worship band on Youth Day.
And she said, "When you go up and play for Church, Jake, it is not about you. It is about God. No matter how it goes, the only reason you should play is to glorify God."
That really hit me and I saw so much truth in it because the whole time I had been thinking all about me. Would I do good? Would I look cool strumming my guitar up front? Would I make a fool of myself? I ignored the true reason people even play music in worship bands and praise in Church. It's to honor God! To praise Him! Not me. Not to make myself to look good. It's to point people through my actions to God.
So lately, I've been praying that however things go tomorrow with the worship band, that I'll do it to honor and worship God and not for any other selfish reason.
I just thought I'd share that with you guys...

Jake

PS: My friend, Seth, just made a blog. Here's the URL: http://sjskogerboe.blogspot.com/
It's really awesome, so check it out!!! :D

Rock the River and Worship Band

2009-08-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at my Church is Youth Day, so my Church is trying to involve youth in a lot of things during the church service and afterwards we're all going to Rock the River:

It's a huge concert featuring (I'm pretty sure) these seven bands: Superchick, DecembeRadio, Flame, Flyleaf, kg52, Kirk Franklin, and Lecrae. I'm so excited. During the Youth Day service I, along with my bro, Alex, from Journeys of a Jesusfreak, Hannah from Aspire, and my friend Seth received the opportunity to be apart of the worship band. Alex and I both got two songs to perform on guitar with the band. He gets to play Dare You To Move and My Glorious, and I get to perform Your Grace is Enough and Wholly Yours. :D We arrived last night for band practice, which was awesome and exhilarating because I had never played with an actual band before. I really enjoyed it. It was awesome! *grins*

Also, if any of you guys haven't checked out the Big Red Button yet, scroll to the bottom of this page now, and click on it. It's hilarious! :D

Later,

Jake

Tagged by Marian

2009-08-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Marian for two tags. :D Here I go:

First Tag:

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Hmmm, tough one. I have to say New Zealand...

If you could go to any fictional place where would you go? The Realm in The Door Within Trilogy or Rivendell

Do you love to write or do you just like writing? or do you write at all? Writing-is-AWESOME!!! I love it. I'm currently writing my own story, so yeah. Writing rocks. :D

What do you want to be when your a grown up? My biggest goal would to be a published Fantasy novelist.

Favorite animal? Horses!!!

Favorite song? As of now, my two favorite songs are "Ocean Wide," by The Afters and "Beautiful Ending," by Barlow Girl.

Do you like school? Sometimes... depends on the subject

Are you a people person because I'm getting the idea that you are? I don't know!

Do you like to talk? Yeah, I guess so.

Favorite food? Chinese and Pizza

Hobbies? Check out my profile.

Favorite Author? Author as in ONE author? No way, that is impossible to decide. I think I can narrow it down to four though. Wayne Thomas Batson, Christopher Paolini, Rick Riordan, and Bryan Davis.

Favorite weapon? Broadsword.

Is this a fun tag or are you getting bored? I'm having fun. :D

Do you like Hannah Montana and all those girly people and movies like High School Musical? Well, I have to admit: I used to really like High School Musical. But don't worry, I don't anymore. :D

What are you scared of? Confined spaces

Favorite flower? Uh, I must confess I don't really know many flower names. But I'll just say... Roses I guess.

Do you always use the same password or do you use different ones? Confidential information. *grins*

Do you like blogs? Yes

What is the expression on your face? Ummm, normal?

Color of your eyes? Blue

Second tag: The question is: Who is your favorite Character in history, Why, and can you give a little history about that Character?

Wow... This is a difficult question... Y'know what, I'm going to pick Martin Luther. Although I don't have much time to give a summary on him, I can say that he trusted deeply in the Lord and fearlessly and eloquently preached the Word. Not to mention that he's probably one of the best Christian role-models of all time.

And with that, I conclude my two tags.
I tag:
Alex and Ryan

So yeah! Oh, and anyone else who wants to do them, feel free. :D

Namarie,

Jake

Horse Camp

2009-08-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

Alright, so my horse camp at an amazing ranch called Roselawn Stables ended Friday, but I haven't been able to post on it yet because yesterday my families computer was shut down because of a huge storm and today, I've been gone at Church, working on props for a section of my church, and going to my youthgroup, 180, so yeah. :D
Anyways, now I have the time to summarize it:
AWESOME. I could wrap it up with that one word but that would make this post pretty ridiculous so here's the rundown. I arrived early Monday morning extremely nervous (cause I hadn't been at camp for a year and because this year I was also taking a step up into the intermediate camp for more experianced riders). I was astonished because there were about a billion girls and only... 3 boys. Yes, you heard me right. T-H-R-E-E-!!!!! It was crazy. I already knew one of them (Hunter from Travels of a Teen) and the other was named Toemose. He was really cool and we became friends fast.
Entering the stables, I was estatic as I saw all the horses I'd become so well acquainted with over my years of going. The one in particular that caught my eye though, was the tall, large, American Quarter Horse called Champ. I'd ridden him my last two years and he was by far my favorite horse. This year though, we were told we would not be riding one, single horse. We'd be riding a wide variety of different ones, which was a prospect that greatly excited me. Luckily, we would still be choosing a horse to groom every morning so I immediately chose Champ. :D
Now, to get to the riding. Honestly, this had to be one of the most beneficial years for me in developing the skill. I received the oppertunity to ride bareback, Western saddled, and English saddled on all sorts of horses. On bareback, I practiced trotting, lopping, and tandem (two people on one horse). Hunter and I teemed up for this part and it was so much fun. We took turns riding in the front and back, and when in the back, we occasionally were instructed to close our eyes while the person in the front turned the horse in all sorts of disorientating angles, making the person behind develop a good sense of balance while bareback. English saddle was pretty fun too, but not as fun as I thought it would be, so I won't dwell on it. Western Saddle: Amazing. I love it. I got to practice barrels, keyhole, four-in-a-row, and poles in a lope and tons of other awesome things.
Friday, the final day of camp, came all to soon for me, but I had anticipated it since it was the day of the show: when all the parents came and watched while all of us displayed techniques and skills we'd learned throughout the week. I loved it. The best thing was that I got to ride Champ!!! There were alot of people requesting him to ride for the show and I was SO lucky I got him. :D The show was awesome. I rode and didn't make any serious mistakes besides knocking down a pole while demonstrating four-in-a-row. So yeah, I really enjoyed it.
Man, I wish I had pictures! I was supposed to get some e-mailed to me so I could post them on my blog but I guess Roselawn's administrator must have forgotten. I'll post the pics if I get them though.

Just a quick update. I finished "The Echoes from the Edge," series by Bryan Davis a little while ago... And it was so good. Very well written. If any of you are searching for a novel series to read, check them out!!! :D

By the way, thank you Elrania for the award! And also, thanks Marian for the tag! I'll do it as soon as I can. :D

Cya,

Jake

Hanover Harvest Festival

2009-08-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted! Since this morning, I've been working at a festival in Hanover (a city close to mine) with my church to raise money to pay off the expenses of the FLY convention. Although it was tiring, I enjoyed it.
I was placed in charge of the "Golfing Range." An area where kids paid a dollar to putt and chip golf balls to win candy bars, sodas, ect. At first it was extremely tedious because we had absolutely no customers for about an hour. And then suddenly, people just started showing up. Soon, there was a crowd of kids just huddled around, sipping the pops and eating the candy they'd won while watching the numerous participants lined up test their luck at the golfing as well. Our church's goal was to earn 1,000 dollars at the fair. In the end, it was estimated we had gained 2,000 dollars, so everyone was pretty pleased by the outcome. :D

Also, my horse camp begins on Monday! Since I've been attending it for four years, I've qualified to go to the "Intermediate Camp" for more experianced equestrians. I'm so excited. The camp runs from Monday to Friday and is incredible. The horses are awesome, and the people there are really cool, so yeah, I can't wait!!!

Quick shout out to Josh and Bekah: WELCOME BACK!!! :D The missions trip sounded so AWESOME!!!

Jake

Whitewater State Park

2009-07-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting! I've been gone on my family's annual camping trip to Whitewater State Park: a beautiful, mosquitoe-less camping range up in northern Minnesota. It was a blast.
First of all, my old friend Jackson who moved to Pennsylvania a couple years ago and his family went camping with us also, as well as some other awesome friends. We spent the time exploring the various rivers and creeks, swimming at Whitewater's FREEZING cold beach, biking, and just lounging around camp having fun. :D There, I was also introduced to the game, Bannagrams, and it's awesome. I'm totally addicted. It's alot like scrabble and me and my bro, Alex, had some pretty intense matches piecing words together in an effort to win our best-out-of-five wins competition. It stunk cause he won in the final game... but oh well. :D
One of the highlights of the trip was climbing this massive, abandon fire tower atop this giant hill. I thought it would be a piece of cake at first, but once I had only climbed the first flight of stairs leading to the top of the tower, my stomach told me otherwise. But anyways, I made it to the top, and the view was incredible. It was so much fun.
So yeah, the camping trip was amazing! :D

Also, thank you Elrania for following my blog! :D :D :D

Namarie!

Jake

Tag from Abby

2009-07-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

What time is it? 6:46 PM

What was the last, outdoor activity you did? A game of basketball with my cousin, Joe

Do you have an e-mail adress? Yes

How many followers do you have? 16 :D

How long have you been on the computer today? Ummm... Maybe thirty minutes?

Who was the last person you talked on the phone with? This librarian who informed me the book I'd ordered had finished being transfered to my local library. :D

Are you happy right now? Yeah. But I'm also really tired cause I've been outside pretty much all day.

Do you want to get a horse someday? Yes! That would rock! I've been taking a horsecamp at this ranch up in Northern Minnesota for the past four years and it's been really awesome. It would be really cool if I could have my own horse. :D

How many pets do you have? Well... My family used to have an awesome dog named Casey, but he died about a year ago because of cancer... So all we have now is a little baita fish. :(

Do you have a playlist? Yes, it's at the bottom of this page.

Are you having a fun summer? Yeah, it's been busy but fun, so yeah, I'm enjoying it.

What books are you reading now? Eternity's Edge, book 2 in Bryan Davis' Echoes from the Edge trilogy, and book four of the Fablehaven series.

What is the most advanced book you've read? I don't really know...

Do you like your blog? Yeah

How many tags have you gotten? Ummm... 3 I think

What is the most recent award you've gotten? The C for Contagious Blog Award and the Smiley Award :D

Who gave you your first tag? Wow, I can't even remember...

Who gave you this tag? Abby from Contemplations

Do you have a three column template? Yeah, I think so

What are you doing tomorrow? Well, my aunt and uncle with their three kids have been missionaries in Uganda, Africa for about three years now, and they just returned to Minnesota for a six month stay back in the states. So they're coming over to my house tomorrow to hang out. :D

How long have you been on blogger? Umm... I think since December or January. Can't remember which one.

How many times have you changed your profile pic? About four times

What is the most comments you've gotten on a post (not including yourself) ? I think 8 comments

Are you having fun on this tag? Yep

What is the one thing you want right now? Followers! Oh, and a laptop! :D :D :D

Is your profile name your real name? Yes

What is your favorite animals? Horses

What is your favorite movie (chose only one) ? Ugh, this is tough... I have to say the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I mean seriously, what can beat it?

Have you seen Star Treck? Nope

What are you favorite fictional characters?
Aragorn from LoTR
Aidan Thomas from Door Within
Percy Jackson from the Olympians
Will Treaty from Ranger's Apprentice
Eragon from Eragon

Are you hungry? No

Should you get off the computer right now? Yeah, probably. :D

I tag anyone who wants to do it!

Namarie,

Jake

Beyond The Reflections Edge

2009-07-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

I just finished a novel by the author, Bryan Davis, called Beyond The Reflection's Edge; the first installment in his relatively new series, Echoes from the Edge... and I really enjoyed it.

Publisher's Review: This fast-paced adventure fantasy trilogy starts with a murder and leads teenagers Nathan and Kelly out of their once-familiar world as they struggle to find answers to the tragedy. A mysterious mirror with phantom images, a camera that takes pictures of things that can't see, and a violin that unlocks unrecognizable voices... each enigma takes the teens farther into an alternate universe where nothings is as it seems...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first I thought it sounded a little strange, but once I got into it I was immediately intrigued by it. Bryan was so adept at building his plot, developing his characters, and displaying the action that I was completely captivated. So yeah, if you're looking for something to read, I strongly recommend Beyond the Reflection's Edge. It's a really great book.

Jake

Utterly Awesome

2009-07-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

I arrived back from FLY early Sunday morning on a coach bus filled with youth from my church and various others and I have to say: the convention was probably the greatest, or at least one of the greatest experiances in my life. I won't go into depth explaining each and every day but seriously, it was absolutely incredible. We had two main sermons each day; the morning service, and the evening service and the speakers were spectacular, and I mean move-you-so-much-that-you-go-back-to-your-dorm-sobbing spectacular. They talked and preached with such conviction that pretty much everyone in my youth group had tears streaming down their faces by the end of the first night! One speaker I'd like to point out was named Eric Ludy, and he, was definitely my favorite. This man was SOLD-OUT for Christ. He even remarked during his sermon, "People hate me because of my beliefs, and I love it!" I remember going back to my dorm room that night, sitting down on the floor with my back against my bed, and sobbing. During Eric's message, I realized I hadn't been living all for Christ. Sometimes us Christians just try to slip by, holding on to all these temporary things and making our daily decisions ourselves without God leading us. And I saw that I was one of these Christians, holding onto MY dreams, MY plans, MY ambitions, MY stuff and not letting Jesus come in and take over. I'd been basically putting my goals and things ahead of God, and that night in my dorm I finally said I'd had enough. Enough of plotting out my own course in life, enough of clinging to earthly things. I prayed, "Lord, I can't do this on my own. Please come in and take complete control over my life." And surprisingly, I didn't feel all morose or gloomy about giving these things up. All of those things just suddenly felt so meaningless...
The rest of the week was awesome as well. From 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. all the youth received free-time to spend as they chose. So during this period I had the oppertunity of climbing a massive mountain called Emerald Peak (or something like that), playing tons of basketball, competeing against my friends on this minigolf course FLY has and in ping-pong, and pretty much just hanging out. Oh, and me and Ryan signed up for this archery session the convention provided using recurve bows which was lots of fun. :D
So after going to FLY, I can tell you one thing. If you ever have the chance to go, GO!!! It was utterly incredible and you will NOT be disappointed. I can promise you that.

Well, that's my overview of FLY.
Namarie,
Jake

FLY

2009-07-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, I'm leaving for Estes Park, Colorado for the FLY convention (a week-long, collosal christian convention for youth). I get to ride a coach bus with a bunch of my friends for twenty-two hours until we reach Colorado on Monday. :D At the convention, there's going to be TONS of different bible studies and sessions which I can attend and there will also be alot of free-time for the youth in which we can do many, awesome activities. Plus, the location for FLY (Estes Park) is nestled high up in the Rockies and is surrounded by breathtaking, snowcapped mountains, towering trees, and various other incredible views so yeah, I'm really excited! :D
Since I depart for the convention at 2:20 p.m. tomorrow, this is probably going to be my final post until I return from the trip... So I guess this is goodbye... *sobs* jk, lol. But yeah, I hope you all have a fantastic Fourth of July and I'll cya y'all later!

Jake

Tag

2009-07-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Lord of the Rings vs. Narnia

Gimli vs. Trumpkin?
Gimli

Gandalf vs. Professor Cornelius?
Gandalf

The White Witch vs. Saruman?
Hmmm, that's a tough one... Probably the White Witch

Gandalf vs. Aslan?
Aslan definitely

Aragorn vs. Aslan?
Aragorn

Narnia vs. Middle Earth?
I have to say Middle Earth

Prince Caspian vs. Frodo?
Frodo

Susan vs. Arwen?
Arwen

Edmund vs. Merry?
Edmund cause he's more heroic and valorous

Lucy vs. Pippin?
Pippin

Peter vs. Haldir?
Peter!!!

The Dancing Lawn vs. Lothlorien?
Hmm... Lothlorien

Centaurs vs. elves?
Elves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D

Peter's sword vs. Anduril?
*thinks really hard* probably Peter's blade, Rhindon...

Susan's magic bow and arrows vs. Legolas's bow of Galadrim?
Legolas's Bow

Wargs vs. Werewolves?
Werewolves

The Witch's castle vs. The Tower of Barad-dur?
The Witch's caste

Gryphons vs. Eagles?
... tie

Uruk-hai vs. Telemarines?
Uruk-hai

Catapults vs. Oliphaunts?
Oliphaunts!!! They're awesome!!!

Cair Paravel vs. Rivendell?
Oh, this is the toughtest Q yet... Ugh... Cair Paravel

Alright, I tag anyone who wants to do this tag, although I think pretty much everyones already done it. :)

Jake

Polls

2009-07-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Results for my three polls are in.

First of all, the book poll: The Door Within Trilogy vs. The Dragonkeeper Chronicles... The Door Within recieved 8 votes. The Dragonkeeper Chronicles received 3 votes. And there were also 3 votes for Tie. The Door Within Trilogy is victorious!!!

Now for the Lord of the Rings character poll: Aragorn: 5 votes, Legolas: 6 votes, Gimli: 2 votes, Frodo: 0 votes, Haldir: o votes, Gandalf: 0 votes, Eomer: 0 votes, Arwen: 1 vote, Boromir: 0 votes, Eowyn: 2 votes, Faramir: 0 votes.
First place with 6 votes: Legolas
Second place with 5 votes: Aragorn
Both tied for third with 2 votes: Gimli and Eowyn
What!? Legolas beat Aragorn???!!! *groan* NOOOOOOOO!!! :-( Grrrr, why does everyone think Legolas is better? Aragorn is just so AWESOME!!! Well, at least Aragorn only lost by one vote...

And finally, the name poll. The top two titles are Saerlin and Beltor. Hmmmm, interesting... very interesting. I'll use those names in my story. :D

Thanks for voting!
Namarie,

Jake

New Background

2009-06-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

Alright, so what do you guys think of the new background? I think its medieval feel goes along better with my blog title than my old one did... so yeah, if you all could comment and tell me wether or not you like the new background, that'd be great!
Thanks!

Jake

Hilton Head, South Carolina

2009-06-22T18:33:00.001-07:00

The reason I haven't posted for so long is because for the past ten days my family has been in Hilton Head, South Carolina, enjoying our summer vacation. Hilton Head is an island off SC filled with beautiful, forested landscape and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. My family stayed at a resort really close to the ocean, so close that we could just take one look out of one of our villa's windows and we could see it. Unfortunately, out of the six days I was there, I was healthy for only one. On the second day I caught a fever, sore throat, and cough that lasted throughout the rest of my stay. Since my parents thought it was strange I'd had a fever for so long, my dad took me into the doctor on our last day in Hilton Head. The doctor suggested that I take this type of medication called "z-packs" to try to prevent my condition from evolving into something worse like pneumonia. Ironically, it turned out I was allergic to the z-pack medication because that night a bad case of hives (an extremely itchy skin rash) broke out all over me, making my last night miserable.
After two days of driving, my family arrived back in Minnesota and I have to say I was thankful to be home. Right now I'm still a little under the weather with a case of pneumonia (I luckily caught it quick enough that I can deal with so it doesn't become serious) and the hives so if you guys could pray for me that would be greatly appreciated. :D

Also, I've been lately reading the novels by the christian author, Ted Dekker, and they are awesome! So if you're looking around for something to read, you might want to try out his Lost Books of History chronicles or his Circle Trilogy. They are all very well-written.

Namarie,

Jake

Lord of The Rings Tag

2009-06-01T18:50:00.001-07:00

Alright, I was tagged by Bekah for the favorite places on Middle-Earth tag:

1. My first favorite place on Middle-Earth is Gondor, where Aragorn (my fave LoTR character) and Arwen reign.

2. My second favorite location on Middle-Earth is Rivendell.

3. My third favorite place in Middle-Earth is Rohan, home of Eomer, Eowyn, and the Riders of Rohan.

4. The Shire, the home of the ring-bearer Frodo and his companion Sam, is my fourth favorite site on Middle-Earth.

5. And lastly, Isengard is my fifth favorite location in Middle-Earth. I don't know why I like it.... I guess maybe because of the massive battle waged there between the Orks and the Ents.

And those, are my five favorite Middle-Earth locations!!! I tag any LoTR fan who wants to do the tag!!!

Jake

Life

2009-05-30T11:45:00.001-07:00

Last night, I went with Josh, Alex, Bekah, and Hannah to see Night in the Museum Two, Battle of the Smithsonian... And it is totally AWESOME!!! The whole movie is packed with action, humor, and battle and I would definitely recommend seeing it if you haven't already. After watching the film, we snacked on ice cream cones at McDonalds while laughing our heads off about scenes from the Night in the Museum 2.

Hmmm, so what else is new with me... Last weekend me, my dad, my brothers, and some friends of ours from church went on our annual Boundary Waters trip. We had a blast canoeing, exploring, skirmishing with wooden blades, slingshotting, and just relaxing in the quiet, peaceful terrain of northern Minnesota.
I've also got a bunch of awards lately, so for all you guys who've awarded me, thanks!!!

Well, I think I'm going to go read more of "The Lightning Thief" (first book in the Olympians Series written by Rick Riordan). The series is so good, that I'm rereading it.

Namarie!

Jake or Neurion (Nur-ee-on) in elvish

Confirmation and Polls

2009-05-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

I just got confirmed yesterday and it was one of the best days of my life. Half-way through the church sermon on Sunday about seven confirmation students and I were called down to be obviously, comfirmed. All the student's parents came as well and we stood in front of the entire church congregation while our pastor and parents prayed for us and then let us participate in communion. I broke down while the church leaders were praying for us. I just felt so... I don't know, loved? It was just very cool and I felt a really deep connection with God as I confessed that He is my Lord and partook in communion. After doing communion, the confirmation students and I watched our testimonies (which we wrote and then said on camera earlier) were played in front of the church.

The results for the Eragon vs. Harry Potter poll are in: Eragon: 13-Harry Potter 0
Wow... That was a total blowout. I haven't actually read the Harry Potter books but they are talked about so much, I wanted to see how it would compare with one of my favorite series: The Inheritance Series. From looking at the poll, I guess Harry Potter can't really compare with Eragon at all!!! :-D
There were also 8 votes for Don't like Either, 2 for Tie, and 0 for Never heard of them.

Well, since that poll is over, I've created a new LoTR character poll, a name poll, and a book poll comparing two different series. The book poll is comparing the two series:

The Door Within Trilogy

&

The DragonKeeper Chronicles

What are you waiting for? Start voting!!!
Until next post, Namarie!!!

Jake

Tag and Confirmation

2009-05-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

I'm sooo sorry for not posting in, let me check... No way, this is crazy. It's been FIFTEEN days since I last posted!!! That's really, really bad... I'll try to write entries more often from now on...

Anyway, I saw this free tag on a blog and I thought I'd try it out...

~Favorite~

Color? Maroon

Candy? Twix or Airheads

Main Dish? Hmmmm... idk

Desert? Death By Chocolate: This amazing cake blended with whip-cream, heath bars, chocolate fudge, and a bunch of other unhealthy ingrediants...

Drink? Grape Soda's

Veggie? Brocolli and Red Peppers (Not the Spicy Kind!!!)

~Do You?~

Go to Starbuck's Coffee Shop? Occasionally... The only things I ever order their are smoothies and chocolate mocha's though...

Go to the mall alot? No!

Talk on the phone everyday to someone who is not family? No

Read your Bible everyday? Yes, mostly everyday, but sometimes I forget

Do lots of reading? YES!!!

See your grandparents everyday? Yeah, most days I do

Bake a lot? NO! I'm probably the worst chef on the planet. Pretty much the only thing I can make kind of well are fried eggs.

Clean your room everyday? No, not usually...

Have to say you're sorry to someone everday? Sometimes

~A Certain Thing You Dislike Of Each Category~

Veggie? Spinach

Color? Pink!

Drink? Can't think of one I dislike at the moment

Animal? Snakes and Lizards...

~Do You Have A?~

Pet? No, I used to have a dog but it died from cancer...

Gift Card At The Moment? No

Sewing Machine? No

Big Mess Under Your Bed? No

Back of Gum in your Bag or Purse? Yeah...

Computer in Your Room? No, but I really want one!!!!!!!!!!!

~Have You Ever?~

Been on a Plane? Yes

Been Out of State? Yeah

Out of the Country? Yeah, I spent four years of my childhood in Saudi Arabia (my parent's were missionaries there) and I've visited England

Been in an Eighteen Wheeler? No

Been in a Car Accident? Thankfully No!

Read about a hundred and fifty page book in an hour? Depends on if the books good or not... But yeah, I've read some books with 150 pages in an hour...

~Your Favorite Place To?~

Go Shopping? Ummm, probably Aeropostale

Eat Out? P.F.Changs, but it's pretty expensive so I don't eat there very often... Oh, Subways really good too!!!

Read a good book at? Shut up somewhere like in a closet or small room where it's quiet...

~Random~

What color is your room? Yellow

Do you share a room with anyone? Yeah, my bro

Have you ever gone swimming in a pond? Don't think so...

How old are you? 12

What year were you born? 1997

Are you related to anyone important or famous? Queen Victoria I think.

Have you ever met a vice president? No

Are you getting bored yet? Nope

What are you thinking? ...

Who will you tag next? This tag is for anyone who wants to do it!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, I'm finished... I better get some sleep because tomorrow I'm getting confirmed!!! I'm really excited and can't wait!!! The only bad thing is I have to wear this showy white and blue striped shirt and plad shorts that look... I don't know, punkish, for-a-seventeenyear'old-ish?

Anyway, I have to go to bed...

Namarie,

Jake

Archery and The Door Within

2009-04-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

Man... I'm a terrible poster!!! Sorry for not writing an entry for ages!!! Anyway, I recieved the oppertunity to, with my coop, try archery at this suvival class thing... And it-is-AWESOME!!! First off, our instructor talked about safety but then afterwards he told us all to find out which of our eyes was dominant. Once I discovered I was left-eyed, he produced a lefty bow for me... Then he taught us how to position ourselves, hold the bow, pull back the bowstring, how far back to pull the string, ect. until we finally we started shooting. I was really nervous because I didn't think I'd be able to handle the compound bow well with my left hand, but I attemped it nevertheless and was instantly rewarded with a shaft pinned on the target's bulls-eye. Exhilerated, I continued to practice until unfortunately, are archery period ended...

Another highlight of the this week has been reading. I'm currently rereading the Door Within Trilogy, and I'm constantly amazed by the author's (Wayne Thomas Batson) skill. He's incredibly talented at writing and his books are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! If any of you haven't already devoured his Door Within Trilogy, I strongly recommend reading it!!!

Well... I don't really have anything else to say so I think I'm going to end this post.
Until next time! Namarie! (I think that word means Good-Bye in elvish but I'm not certain) :-)

Jake

Thoughts of a Warrior

2009-04-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

It's settled!!! The title "Thoughts of a Warrior" earned the most votes, so it has officially replaced the name "Jake's Auspicious Blog" and become my blog's new, and permanent blog title!!! The quote under the title is from one of my favorite books, The Door Within: One of the best novels In The WORLD!!!!!!

Aside from getting a new blog title, I've also been tagged twice now by Earwen and Hannah... So just to let you guys know, I'll try to do those as soon as I can when I have enough time.

Alright, I gtg, cya y'all later!!!

Jake

Easter and... A New Blog Title???

2009-04-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

Well, Easter just finished... On Good Friday I attended a service at a Church (Open Door) where I watched and listened to a both touching and eye-opening presentation of everything Jesus went through to save all of us sinners and wretches. Then on Sunday, I celebrated Easter at my church, and with my relatives... It was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!
Alright, so lately, I've been wondering wether or not I should change the title of my blog... I mean, doesn't it sound kind of lame??? "Jake's Auspicious Blog." I'm making a poll right now so I can see what you all think so please vote so I know what to do!!! Thanks!!!

Jake

Spring Break, Award, and Followers

2009-04-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Alright, my spring break just ended, and it was one of the best weeks of my life!!! I was able to hang out with friends alot, visit MOA (Mall of America) where I tried out the Nick Theme Park and read fantastic new novels at Barnes & Noble, and went to IKEAH where I devoured a delicious meal of Swedish meatballs... *contented sigh* It was a blast!
Anyway, I just recieved my first award!!! Alright, so it is kind of girly, but hey, I've been really wanting an award lately so thank you Hannah for awarding my blog!!!

Hmmm, what else to say... Well, I really want more followers so don't hesitate to follow my blog if you aren't already doing so. Thanks!!!

I'm going to go write now so cya y'all later and God bless!!!

Jake

Prologue

2009-03-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is my first blog post this month... Yikes, I've been a very unfaithful blogger lately.
Anyway, last month I published a post in which I was talking about a story I was planning out... Well, I've been working on it the last couple of days and I wanted to show you guys the prologue for it... PLEASE comment and tell me if it's good or not!!! Thanks!

Prologue

“I will make you an offer,” Saurilin rasped, crossing his arms and lowering his head, letting his midnight black hair veil one of his dark blue eyes. “You do your share of the work, and I will give you whatever you and your kin desires: gold, land, power ... anything you seek. Just promise me you will do everything in your strength to ensure the end of them.”
A deep laugh echoed through the candlelit room and a voice answered, “We will do this work. But you must promise me that you will hold to your offer. We are not fools. When this is over and if you have your way, you will betray us.”

In less than a second, a sword appeared centimeters from Saurilin’s neck. The figure moved nearer to Saurilin until they were uncomfortably close. Saurilin grimaced as a sickening stench descended upon him causing nausea to settle in his stomach.
“If you trick me,” the figure said pressing his scimitar against Saurilin’s neck, drawing a trickle of blood, “You. Will. Die.”
Mustering up his composure, Saurilin responded, “There will be no trickery from me, I assure you.”
The dark figure hesitantly removed his sword from Saurilin’s neck and slid it back into its sheath.
“What are your orders?” the creature questioned. A malicious grin flashed across Saurilin’s face and he replied, “For your first task, you will go to the realm of Bel’trake, and once there, to Awlen. Destroy the village… Show no mercy… Let no one live…”

YOOOOO

2009-02-08T14:08:00.001-08:00

Hello Y'all,

What's Going Down??? jk

I'm soooo tired right now!!! But the cause of my weariness was awesome!!! I got to spend the weekend at the ARK (a christian organization). The ARK, used to be a USA army base, but now it's been transformed into a marvelous, christian, retreat center. While I was there I got to bunk in this dorm room called Shunem Dan with some of my friends. We got to play basketball, go tubing on this massive ramp connected to a water tower, and learn about and worship God, the King of kings. So yeah, now I'm just sitting here, typing on a keyboard, staring at a computer screen, and killing my brain cells.

I've been planning out a story lately and I like how it's turning out. The main character (I know you think this is "name stealing" blah blah blah) is called, Aedan. He's a fifteen year old elf who lives in Eslandor, the Elfin Kingdom in some city with a name I can't remember...
His village resting on the boundaries of Eslandor is attacked by Vorgouls (these bad creatures I made up) causing an urgent need for evacuation. His parents are killed in the vorgoul incursion so Aedan doesn't know what to do. Is friend Cadeyn joins the elven army while is other friend Nyara leads an evacuation into the southern mountains. Gazing into a clear river, Aedan contemplates what he should do with his now broken future. Then he sees a glimmering object in the river, grabs it, and then discovers its a dragon egg. I could tell you more but I think I'd be typing here for another hour if I did...

Alright, I have to go...
I'm going to see what my brother's doing... (Dun Dun Dun!) jk

See Y'all Later,
Jake

Yawn=My Poetic Powers

2009-01-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

I just got home from an excruciating basketball practice... We ran two down and backs, two half court-full courts, one killer, and one nightmaker (equals one killer, and 3 down and backs)!!! It was fun though...
Tomorrow I'm out of the house immediately for a piano lesson and a writing class session (I take this writing class in Plymoth). My bones are aching, and my heads starting to... spin...
Alright I've really quickly composed a poem about my weariness... (It's kind choppy (terrible!) but bear with me). :-) :-) :-)

I played basketball from evening to nightfall my harms now feel like lead...
I feel so tired and weary, I'm now considering going to bed...
My heart beat is dull and I almost can't breath, I'm gasping for every breath...
I weakly turn my head sideways and see a picture with a person on it called Jeff...
With a cough I know i must stay strong
With a shake I know I must stay awake
With a punch and lunch and a piece of pie I finally sigh... "I will SURVIVE!!!"

Okay, my poetic impulse had gone away now... *yawn*
I'm going to bed, to rest my weary head... *sigh* I'm a tired guy
WHYYYYYY, I can't stop this RYHME!!!
I'll be stuck like this for a very long time!!!
This should be a crime!!!
The person responsible for this should get fined!!!
I feel so resigned...

Okay, NOW i'm done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This isn't any fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't like puns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, what a... a... nothing ryhmes!!! the spells broken!!! haha!!!

Okay, sorry, I can be that way sometimes, off in crazy cool land... *distant look*
Alright this is getting to long, and in this message there was to much song!!!
That was so wrong, uhhh MON!!!

Alright, cya

Jake

Finished

2009-01-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

After working late on school for the past two days, I think I've competed my Nero assignment!!! O'yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sigh* I'm so glad I'm done!!! The assignment was to collect five sources about Nero, reading through all of them thoroughly, then create a page filled with all five source's biographies... So yeah
Wow, Nero was a ruthless tyrant!!! He killed a lot of his family to get to the Roman Throne, including his mother, wife, and his trusted mentor, Seneca!!! YIKES!!!!!!!!! I don't believe that Nero was playing his lyre while Rome burned in the Great Roman Fire, but I think he did set it deliberately so he could clear out space for his magnificent palace, "The Golden House."
Sorry, you guys probably have no idea what I'm talking about... Wow, I ramble on alot!!! lol

Jake

Back

2009-01-25T13:55:00.001-08:00

Okay, I've been gone most of the day due to church activies, and now I'm finally home!!!

I have this dread lingering on my shoulders cause tomorrow school starts, thus singaling the start of another tedious, laborious (sometimes interesting) 5 days of school... To make it all the worse, I have to complete an assignment for an essay about Nero, the Roman Emperor next week!!!

gasp I know I said I like writing but not the kind where I'm writing a report or essay about a historical person... I'm more of a fiction writer person!!!

Jake

Additions

2009-01-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Alright, I just added a pacman game and a background to my blog!!!
Hmmm, I'm not sure if the background fits though...
What do u guys think???

Jake

Victorious

2009-01-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, I justs came back from a VERY intense basketball match!!! It was my team, the Nets, vs. our opponents, the Timberwolves. The game was tied at the start of the last period 22 to 22, and I went in to play my position at Point Guard. In the end, we won, 27 to 22!!!
Basketball is soo much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jake

All Set

2009-01-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Alright, I've been working on this blog for maybe 1 hour and it's finally starting to take shape!!! Whohooooooo!!! Wow, everyones always told me how much fun blogging was, but I never tried it, until today! They were correct, blogging is fun!!!!!!!!!

Jake

Writing

2009-01-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hello All, welcome to my first blog!!!

If there's one thing you should know about me is that I love writing and reading. Writing is my all-time favorite subject! Anything that has to do with words, letters, sentences, grammary, ect!!! I've many times attempted creating stories, but abrupt changes in my imagination cause me to start over numerous times to get a story that I can sink right into. My role-model authors would definantly be, Christopher Paolini, John Flanagan, Wayne Thomas Batson, and Rick Riordan. They're all fantastic writers, that I'd recommend very highly!!!

Jake

Thoughts of a Warrior

Haiti

Meet Frodo...

Are... You... Kidding Me?!

A Post (FINALLY)

Just a couple more hours...

I DID IT!!!

The Light Meets the Dark

A480

13!

Bekah's Giveaway

Winnie, The Bell, and the Underland Chronicles

Band

Dull

Of Black Diamonds, Bunny Hills, and a Hindering Fear

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

A Corrupt Country

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

Can't Get Over "Tonight" and "Ranger's Apprentice"

Back from SidexSide

Retreat

Atrocious Articulation

Going... Going... And Going again...

Crushed, Despondent, Utterly Disconsolate, ect.

180 Tubing

A Reading Rampage

Bible?

Chistmas is Here

Horseback Riding

It's One of Those Amazing Moments...

At last... Victorious

Decisions and Discernment

Pride and Selfishness

Amazing Song

A Team

Books, Words, ect.

Band Tag

A Freezing 5k

Prayer Alert

B-U-S-Y-!!!!!

School

Cabin

Tagged by Hannah

Tomorrow: Guitar Day

Rock the River and Worship Band

Tagged by Marian

Horse Camp

Hanover Harvest Festival

Whitewater State Park

Tag from Abby

Beyond The Reflections Edge

Utterly Awesome

FLY

Tag

Polls

New Background

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Lord of The Rings Tag

Life

Confirmation and Polls

Tag and Confirmation

Archery and The Door Within

Tags

Thoughts of a Warrior

Easter and... A New Blog Title???

Spring Break, Award, and Followers

Prologue

YOOOOO

Yawn=My Poetic Powers

Finished

Back

Additions

Victorious

All Set

Writing