only the wicked relish the dark

I walked home tonight and had a good conversation with God. I really hope that his is a beginning of a heart change for me and that I will remember it is not about me.

This is how my blog would have started before tonight:

So, I am just not really sure about this Christian dating thing. I just don't know about the whole "love them as a sister in Christ first." I'm sure it works, but I just don't get it and I wish it was as easy as secular dating.

That would be the intro piece into the blog post where I not only would vent my frustration on the aforementioned subject, but also as a feeble attempt to "test the waters" with a certain blog reader, but that's not how it started.

I see the world a bit differently now and the role I play in it. It really is not about of me, it is all about Him and His will. If that means that I am going to be single for a while longer and that I have to suck it up and work hard in my classes; that is what I am going to do.

As much as I really would like to be in a relationship right now, God has made it clear that right now a relationship would not be in service to Him. That kind of sucks for me, but God has been good and I am no longer afraid of being single. I did not even acknowledge last year, or even more accurately, realize that I was afraid of being single again and that did shape my actions significantly.

As for school, I just have to start doing it again; plain and simple.

One other thing. Listening to Ashley speak at IV this past Thursday, I finally realized that doubting is not a sin and to wish it away as those huge supermarket door-fans send flies away is not the way to look at life. Doubt will come and go, the only thing that matters is perseverance and obedience.

To sum things up nice and cliche-y, right now I need to run the race with endurance and focus only on the road ahead.

Reinventing the whip

new gripzzz
Originally uploaded by erik_found

Warning: double meaning above. So, I've had the new bar + stem combo for a while, but was waiting on the brake/shifter levers to get everything setup. I got some (specialized s-works) bar tape and (jag wire) cable and housing from Absolute Bikes, as well as the most expensive, but most worthwhile tool--the Park Tool cable and housing cutter--I have bought in a while. The only problem is that although I had two spare tubs for the front wheel, both of them were close to the age of the bike itself, so the rubber was a bit gnarly and I don't have the most gentle approach to changing tires (to be honest, it's my least favorite task in terms of bike maintenance). To get back to the flight controls, the shifters, although they are used Tiagras, they seem to shift exceedingly sharply and from initial tests, will work perfectly with the bargain basement derailleurs (shimano SIS?). I do either need to get a headset spacer or a pipe cutter to account for the shorter stem before I can really tear it up.

The only thing keeping me from unleashing the beast, really is that dang tube, but as soon as a start moving myself towards the door, I'll get down to the bike shop and pick up a tube.

I am getting sooo ansty waiting to ride a bike with wheels less than an inch in width! That brings me to the other bike. It arrived in PD last week and if I want to see it anytime soon, it has to get shipped up to flag on my own dime. Stupid crosslakes bikes. They're cheap, but not very smart.