God moves in mysterious ways. Some believe it to be coincidence, others believe it to be miracles, and still others believe it to be a combination of both. Perhaps God created coincidence? Only he knows that. The point is, it is my belief that God has moved a lot in my life lately. I am thankful towards every aspect in my life, because God is in every aspect of my life.

Balance has always been a constant strive for me to achieve. Just like nobody is perfect, balance can never fully be achieved. Still some may have it more than others; and much more than me. The striving is still there for me. I am playing electric violin for my church's worship band, which is an absolutely amazing and in my opinion, postmodern sounding band. I'm thankful to have become just a fraction of the music being played. I am one to have perfect pitch and I'm learning to discover this talent more and more. For example, my first song on my autobiographical playlist is U2's "Desire", which is in the key of D Minor. Notes appear like colors to me and I'm grateful for that gift God has given me. A band in it's self strives for balance, and in many ways, a band is like a person. The drum-like routine of day to day life, the philosophical depth of life being like a Bass that provides depth to music, the Guitar and singing/lyrics being the heart, and finally the fun and icing on the cake in life and music: the Violin. I am happy to be one of the people help encourage others to worship. This comes most from my heart, and provides much of the depth in my life.

Athletics plays yet another role for me. It seems that every new sport I try, I get sucked into it. Skating obviously has played a big role in my life because it now provides me a job which I can't be more thankful for, even though all jobs can be stressful at times. I coach kids ages four to eleven and it's awesome sharing my talent with people. I have also been playing more hockey because I wish to better myself in that area as well. It is truly a job of the heart and God works through my heart; God moves in mysterious ways. Weightlifting is a great activity that I have been into since my second year in high school and it hasn't gone away from me yet. I am a person that is into rhythm. The structure and timing of repetitions, sets, pyramids and diamonds of sets obviously is a tale-tell sign of rhythm, which in turn is very much like the drums in a band. Balance, connection to other aspects in life is very key while glancing at my life. Boxing and grappling are the newest interest of mine and hopefully one of them will continue to grow on me. Just as I mention on my profile, I am fascinated by the dazing and dynamic experience of combat sports. It's important to take care of yourself in case something bad happens while riding the bus across town late at night from school twice a week.

Finally school is the last major aspect of my life that God has really moved in. During all my years of the public school system, I was interested very little in school activities. It was tough for me and still is in some ways for me today. College has changed that a lot for me. It is a place where one can take a class, study and exercise the material however and whoever they want to study it with, and then speak his or her mind about the material being discussed. Getting into an argument with a professor is a fairly new and fun experience for me. Just as one would fight for their belief in God, I would fight for my perspective or opinion about the material being discussed in class. Did I do this in High School? Absolutely not, and the arguing and questioning in college has effected my grades in a positive way. Very much a cliche but true at the same time, school is very much like a gym for the brain. People have relative routines and learning styles, and college allows this.

Einstein's Theory of Relativity comes into play here. As I move on in life, I learn that people have relative perspectives toward every aspect of life. I ask a task to be made to help you understand a simple model of Relativity. The next time you are on a train, pay close attention to other trains that pass slowly by. If you stare at it long enough, you will begin to wonder three things: Is your train moving? Is the other train moving? Or are both trains moving? Relativity states that they all could be right! And did God create Relativity? Only God knows that, but I believe that he did. So, as people have different roles in life, and people do different things, the fact is that we are all living life. And since aspects in life can be relative as well, all aspects in life should be worked on, and therefore God should work in every aspect of your life. I am grateful he has worked in mine.

So the million dollar question is: What will happen next? I meet new people, and new friendships arise and fall just like the seasons. Doesn't that get tiring after a while? Perhaps a lot of people in Bakersfield are ignorant to understand where I am coming from; or are there any exceptions? Of course there are, but these are the people that I know will care for me. Perhaps one person will listen. Another thing is: So many options to chose from. Which door will God lead me down for the rest of my life? It's an interesting and exciting question to think about! That's why I'm grateful for the point in life that I am at right now. God has place this before me and he works in mysterious ways.

And as the year of 2009 dawns and new music, classes, sports, levels of strength, and friendships arise, I am very fond of the name of the band U2's new album being released, which very much suites the foreshadowing chapter of my life whether it be tomorrow or ten years from now: "No Line on the Horizon".

Everywhere is God

Perhaps people will put aside their ignorance to read this blog as well. I have been happy with many aspects of my life during this current time and period. I am discovering new characteristics about myself, all while striving to better the already existing talents that I have. God has given me a mind that can overcome an overwhelming variety of different materials; from playing the violin, all the way to getting pounded in boxing and grappling and overcoming the daily obstacles on the trashy streets of Bakersfield, all the way to feeling the warmth and taste of the Atlantic Ocean and the pounding rugged waves of the Hana, Hawaii Pacific all while memorizing the city of Las Vegas like the back of my hand from living there over three summers. The point is, people don’t know enough about me and don’t even care or want to. People are ignorant and are happy being that way; it’s a sad society.

I recently played music for St. Patick’s Day at Fishlip’s Bar downtown for Black Dog and Mento Buru. Yes, it is a bar and I know what goes on in bars on St. Patrick’s Day. But the point is, I was doing one of the things that I love and that is playing music. The fact that I was under age going into a bar shows how much the people who put the show together wanted me to play. And I am VERY appreciative of that. And furthermore I have another upcoming show on April 5th and 6th at Riverwalk Park. People around town appreciate Black Dog, and from appreciating Black Dog, they appreciate me. And I really appreciate that. God gives me oppritunities to play music and I am very happy about that. The thing that makes me upset, HOWEVER, is the fact that I barely get any feedback from my church. I go in circles asking when I can play for this new "young adult" group that is going on which I am really looking forward to contributing to. I play a very passive role while sitting in the church on Sundays, but I’m passive for a reason. I listen to what God has to say, not to mingle in a group. When or if I get the oppritunity to play for this new group, THEN I will start opening up my diversity to everyone. Until then, all I can do is listen to what God has to say and hope that people will go past their ignorance to really want to understand how I feel about going in circles with the church’s music group. It’s annoying, and it’s up to you to understand why going in circles is annoying to me.

This goes towards people who aren’t straightforward as well. I really hate playing games and beating around the bush and it makes me mad. Most of the time I already can figure out what is really going on. People aren’t very good at hiding certain things and I wish people could just come out and tell me how they really feel. I don’t care if someone is afraid to say something, don’t be because I know the majority that does care for me far outweighs the opposite. I say all this stuff because I really care about the people I know. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. So open your mind, don’t be ignorant, and try to understand the reason why I am communicating this information. I hope everyone has a great day.

All I ask is for people to put aside thier ignorance for one second and at least read this. That is a bit harsh, but it is somewhat true, even for myself to some degree. Today I was asked to lead a small group for church after the main service. I was to lead the small group in analyzing what the pastor was talking about in his speech. Keep in mind that I was by far the youngest in the group, everyone else was at least 35 and above; these are adults that have lived some life.

In a nutshell, the lesson was about applying knowledge and goodness to your faith. I couldn't help to notice how one of the bible verses in the lesson paralleled so closely to one of Socrates' quotes: "We only know what we don't know". I agree with both statements: 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 and Socrates' quote. The passages tell us how people think they know something, some process, some method, or perhaps some theory. Keep in mind the word think, people THINK they know something, but are they always right and do they ever want to admit that they are wrong?

I see this a lot in today's society. More speciffically the younger generation; MY generation. Is this ignorant flaw in society mostly in Bakersfield? Or is it universal? These questions, I do not know. But as far as questions go, I will throw out a few to provide some examples: Is it right to ignore someone who is trying to contact you for the right intentions, even if you THINK it is the opposite? Is it right for the city of Bakersfield to put off building the extension of the Crosstown Freeway because they THINK they have valid justifications? Is it wrong for a woman to date a younger guy because they ASSUME they are not as mature, they don't "have it all together", or they don't have as much money? What is mature, a state of mind or somebody who just has a car? Is reading a sheet of music REALLY better than playing music by ear?

These are just a few questions that I raise, but raising the questions isn't the problem. The problem is that some people may not even take the time to read this blog. Perhaps many people. The fact that a person won't even take the time to read a blog shows me that they are just doing the regular routine of THINKING they know something: ignoring a person who is trying to get to know you better, putting off upgrading Bakersfield's road system, girls not wanting to date younger guys, matureness being the ownership of a mere car, and a person reading a sheet of music.

This is why the lesson that I LED examining today in small group with older adults concerns me. It is the mere fact that people may not even take the time to read this blog. The simplicity of this fact reflects how society acts, at least in this town or county. So, to close, whether this ignorant flaw in society is just in Bakersfield, or it is universal, it is truly a scary and concerning thing to think about. I have talked to older adults about this and they don't seem to disagree very much. If they do, it is not completely. That is the concerning lesson that I have learned today.