A Lot of Nothingness . . . Or is it?

Yeah, this eighteen credit-hour thing, not so great an idea. Or maybe it will be, once I get past this week and keep on top of life. Of course, it's probably not as bad as I think it is. Still, so much to do and so little time to do it, but then again today is Monday (the worst day of the week), so it's not really a good indicator of how the rest of the week will go.

OK, so now that I feel a little bit better about ranting about this week, how about getting to the point of this post? Really, I just titled it this because I have so much to put in it about so many random topics. So, instead of posting lots of posts (because I haven't gotten around to posting more often), I have decided to post one big gigantic one. Next topic.

I shall rant a bit more for starters, this time about the organ. Out-of-tune, squeaky pedals, individual notes that don't work, and while I can live with all of this, I can't stand the shudders that are stuck open. I have no control over my volume; that annoys me a bit. End-of-story.

Continuing on, I'd like to take this opportunity to comment on social life, in particular my lack thereof. I do see that I've grown a bit since coming to college. It has helped coming to a school where I started out knowing no one (save the one person that came from my high school who I rarely see). It forced me to get to know people. Like I said, it has gotten easier in some respects, but still, I find it hard to talk to people I don't know very well, and to find the courage to go and ask questions of people when I need help. Oh well, it is only the start of my second semester, so I do still have time to learn and grow.

Unlike the above few points, these next few paragraphs are more serious and important, I feel. I started going to IV(Inter Varsity) this semester. For whose who may not know, IV is an on-campus Christian organization that regularly holds Bible studies and get-togethers. So what, big deal! Why include this bit of information in a post? For me, it is a very big deal because I was raised as a very traditional and conservative LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) Lutheran, and as such, I hold very firm to my beliefs. I have nothing against others who maybe more contemporary than I, but I am a person who fears the unknown. I fear ending up in discussions about topics that are theologically and doctrinally different and being unable and unprepared to defend my position. However, after much thought, I have come to the following conclusions.

• I need to be in fellowship with others my age. Unfortunately, at the Lutheran church down here, I am the only college student that attends on a regular basis. While I do need to go to church, I also need to be with other Christians my age because, even if they do not share exactly the same beliefs, they provide something that the older adults in the congregation can not.
• So what if our beliefs aren't the same? They will bring new perspectives to the table that will teach me something I never knew, and likewise, hopefully they will learn something from my unique perspective.
• I will have questions. This is a good thing because it will force me to do some study and research that I might not otherwise do. If I don't know the answer, I can always say "I don't know, but give me a week to do some research and I'll get back to you on it." Besides, I have some great resources at my disposal: several pastors, my grandparents (my grandpa is a pastor), and a Concordia Self-Study Bible. Plus, I could always contact someone at Higher Things (a Lutheran youth organization) since they are specifically trained to help high school and college age students.

Above all, the best thing that I can do is pray. I may be difficult at first, but I have come to acknowledge that being a part of IV is a great opportunity, and I look forward to growing in my faith through this experience.

I have more to say, but this is turning out to be a lengthy post, and it's almost eleven o'clock at night, so I'll save the rest for later.