C_raig's Xanga

Almost a YEAR LATER!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:28:38 GMT

WOW, I forgot I had this thing. Again. Hhaah, hilarious. Life moves fast, doesn't it!? I just got back from the Philippines mission trip, and I'm back to living in Grand Rapids right now. I'm working on finishing my Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration (one more semester), and I'm still trying to figure out how to follow Jesus the best I can. I'm reading my Bible every day and growing through listening to sermons and seminary lectures you can find for free off the internet (Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Ravi Zacharias are the Pastors (well, Ravi is more of an evangelist, but you know) and I've gone through Christian History I and II, Revelation, and now I'm working on the History of Missions from Reformed Theological Seminary and Covenant Theological Seminary). I REALLLLY recommend taking advantage of the all kinds of free information on the internet that can really help your spiritual growth.

I'd be happy to get you in the information, my email is still inthearmor@gmail.com. So check it out!

In other news, that Carrie girl was craAAAaaaaaazy. It's actually a pretty hilarious story, but I don't want to bother typing it out. Long story short she wen to a crazy church descended from the 16th Century Anabaptists (radical Christians with generally terrible theology= radically wrong people claiming to follow Jesus). When she wouldn't leave the church, I broke it off with her. And I don't regret it in the least! I could never belong to a church that doesn't care about reaching people for Jesus, believes in a perfect "sinless" church by shutting out the world, and is just plain creepy and weird. So, she has decided to waste her life in that crazy church (even though she knows, ADMITS it's wrong and stupid).

I guess when I put it that way, the story isn't funny. It is actually heartbreaking to see a friend waste his or her life. But there were these hilarious parts where I correct her father on what Galatians 5:12 means and he was all like "WHAaaaa!!??? You're right, wow!" and some other funny stories.

Now I'm just figuring out what's next... hmm. I've got no idea, but my heart does break for Japan. We'll see where and how God leads me. I've also been interning at Crosswinds, my new church. Crosswinds is a plant from Westwood where my dad is the Pastor. So I haven't really left Westwood, I'm just helping out the same church in a different building and congregation. Good times. With that, I'm off!

21

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:28:16 GMT

So it is 1:18 AM, and I have been 21 for an hour and 18 min. now. Apparently being 21 is exhausting! I'm going to go to bed.

WOAH, I'm updating

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:16:44 GMT

No, this is not some trick. After many months of anxiously waiting by your monitors, pining away in lonesome solitude, itching for just one juicy morsel of knowledge to be dropped from the proverbial table of my life... I have finally returned! It shall likely be a brief return. With no scheduled updates to follow. But I will briefly catch you up.

SOOOOOOoooo I'm in Nashville. Going to Belmont University. I'm getting a Bachelor of Science in Songwriting with a minor in Music Business. I have no idea how the future will pan out, and everything is foggy. But on the bright side, I have discovered the love of my life. That's no exaggeration, actually. Much of my updating is laden heavy with lies and deceit, but that is in fact true. Her name is Carrie Steffen and she's cool. She loves Jesus, Lord of the Rings, nature, reading, me, and she's PURE. It's incredible, I am blessed to have a chance to be with this girl. I, on the other hand, am a fool and I praise God she's willing to settle for less. I hope to hold her back from achieving her dreams the rest of her life... aahhh.... good times. I still say good times by the way. That much hasn't changed.

Spiritually, I have grown by leaps and bounds for which I also praise God. He has taught me much, and continues to teach me more every day. I read my Bible daily and pray frequently, and implore you to do the same.

Leaping from topic to topic, I spent the summer working as a senior councilor at Center Lake Bible Camp, my second summer counciling there. I had a blast, and got to know Carrie there as well, though I knew her before hand (She was a councilor there this summer too, due to my invitation and recomendtation to Don, the program director). I've already by asked to consider being Core staff next summer as the Worship Leader Guy Thing, and I would love to take that role. The questions remains if I actually can, however. Sketchy. Lots of classes to take this summer.

SO. I love Jesus. Always will. I commend my life into His hands and will follow Him wherever He leads. Things are going to get crazy, and life is just starting to pick up momentum. Pray that I never stray from the works he has for me to do.

God bless you all,

Craig Bradley

Friday, November 16, 2007

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:32:45 GMT

So when I lay down to take a nap when it's day and wake up when it's night I feel rather displaced.

After a certain amount of time I find my affection to my cat grows in direct correlation to my view that the fact I have so much affection for my cat is rather sad. But those views aren't furry, so in the end the cat wins.

Sometimes you gotta look yourself in the mirror and go: "Hey, at least I'm not pregnant!"
... unless you are. In which case...congratulations!

Of all my faculties I find my sense of smell to be one of my least prominent ones. This I am grateful for.

I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell.

But If I think one of the symptoms of being crazy might be starting essays for my Recording Tech class like this: and yes, I am actually going to turn this in.

Bill Putnam, the “father of modern recording” as many recording tech teachers named Tim Helt have called him, is a man how has contributed much to the field of recording technology. It takes a certain kind of person to look at things a new way; to see paths where others see only dense forestry. To see circles where others see only rhombuses. To fly in jetpacks while others move around in Flinstone-esk cars! Yes, Bill Putnam flew in his jetpack of ingenuity deep into the expansive blue of audio recording, into the ledgers of history, and undoubtedly into our hearts.

“And pray tell what precisely did the powerful Mr. Putnam purportedly procure?” you may well ask. Much, my friend. He was the first to experiment and develop artificial reverb by the using the men’s room of all places; a fitting place from which the 80’s repugnantly emerged years later. But that is just the start! He also inspired and brought....

yeah, it goes on.

MMmmhmmm.

*sigh*

where's my cat?

*EDIT*

I guess the life has been really hard lately. But I'm trying!

God knows I'm trying. The bravest thing of all is always hope, Reese Roper said. I never thought much of it until now. Hope is hard sometimes.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 02:24:55 GMT

Ryan's home, so I'll spend the weekend with him. Zombies vs. Humans tomorrow night, we'll see how that goes! We got some (Nerf) guns today and I plan to use em'! Should be sweet! Yay.

We didn't get to record an episode this week for the talk show! Grr. Next Thursday maybe?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:05:57 GMT

Something I realized in the shower about 10 min. ago was that my relationship with God hasn't been as good as it has been the last couple of weeks. Months. Not to say that it is bad, far from it. I've noticed my relationship is at its worst when I'm at my best. Well, that's a generalization. I'm not at my best. I guess I'm just noticing the less I hurt the less I rely on God. Maybe this is why God gives us hard times, among other reasons?

My goal then is this: to make my relationship with God as good in the happy times as it is in the sad.

Yeah.

In other news, I'm starting up a talk show if you didn't know. It's called Tomatoes Are People and it is sure to be terribly funny, with heavy emphasis on the terrible part. The show consists of Pat, Adam, Tony, and myself. We'll have guests after a couple of episodes while we cement the show down. We did our first recording last Thursday and I hope to schedule another recording for this Thursday tomorrow. I'll post a link when we get a website up.

Ok. Ok. I need to be happy.

1. 2. 3.

Go. ....
..
..
holy crap, that worked!!!!

No, seriously, it did!

I must be crazy.

Quick thought on that: sometimes when I'm bored I'll take the scene I'm looking at and fantasize an Uruk-Hai into it. A rather cordial one. Well, that's not true. Usually there are more than one.

He's not mean, just misunderstood! That boy isn't scared of him, he's scared of the Euro and rising inflation.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:05:02 GMT

So what about you
Will you join us
Will you admit that the waters around us have grown
You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone
Do you stand with us or do we stand alone
It’s time that we stand up, enlist for the war
I’ve tasted battle and now I want more
I’ve known the truth and been cut to the core
But I’m back in the game to even the score
And I mean to go out with both my guns blazing
Amazed at a God who’s so truly amazing
To triumph in battle as the spirit enables
Can’t turn back the clock but we can turn the tables

The O.C. Supertones

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 03:48:54 GMT

Bed time. Here's a song I'm writing from the heart. It's not done. Unless it is. No title yet.

My feet have never known me I’ll admit

My tracks pound the gavel where I’ve slipped

I lost my resolve

See where I have crawled

And now I look for light my eyes can take

Oh God, my God, I pray that morning breaks

The cold dew sets my teeth Oh Lord

But how can I complain?

How will the seeds you’ve planted grow if not for the rain?

No more smiles, a statue now the pedal I sustain

If it be your will Oh God then straight my lips remain

Relentless world, corporeal nightmare

Often hearts forget that you’re there

When in this night we bend and fall

It’s by your grace we stood at all

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:10:49 GMT

Life is changing. For the better. I'm dropping my Aural Comp class hopefully, which should take considerable amount of stress off of my life. Shades of Blue is really tiring and demanding. I'm drained, and at this point I've had a break down. As the waters crash around me I'm struggling to keep the sails from tearing against the wind. My only choice is toss some barrels over the side or risk the rocks.

Tired. Really tired.

I'm glad God sees me fit to suffer for him as I have though. Praising God while at the limits of mind is real. So that's what I do.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:16:51 GMT

WEeellll I'm doing fairly well, just incredibly busy. I've got 10 classes. Yeah. 10. Turns out Shades of Blue, the vocal jazz group I got accepted into is a class. I had no idea. Good times! Life has been really tough the last couple of months, so I'm super happy to settle into monotony and busy work. It's a blessing in disguise. My life has been shaken up so much I'm very fascinated to watch the grains of myself settle like Italian Dressing and see where I'm at.

Long story short, I love God and I love life. Still.

Thanks for your prayers.