Inge's Progress

May 23

2005-05-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

Today's Monday. My second Monday at work and everthing's going smooth so far. This summer is my third summer to work for my dad, and is also the best summer working for my dad. Before I was a nobody, a gopher, and replaceable hirling who was, by default, somewhat indolent (there was not much I could do). Not this year. I've been in the cabinet shop apprenticing and masteringe the art of millwork (the pay is mucho better too, but after 20% taxes there's not much left!) Must go. - Josh

May 11

2005-05-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

YES! I just took my last real final. I just have a little CAD drawing to do tonight. I'm pretty confident that I'll get a 4.0 this semester, so thank you God, really. It's a fight; everytime I go into a new semester I never expect to get an A, but I just do my part and somehow it works out. I know that prayer for every test helps. I was accepted to UTA yesterday so I'm about to sign up for classes for my fall semester there. I'm a UNT right now and pretty dolorous. I'm about to go to the greatest rec center in the nation for the last time. I'm walking this beautiful campus for the last time, and it just had to be such a beautifully sentimental day. The sun is shining, but not too bright/the birds are singing, it all feels right. I like UNT and I'm going to miss it, but I know what I'm suppose to do and there is no stopping. Peace - Josh

Call Me Boone

2005-05-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

I'm about to take my English final so I only have a minute. My last final is tonight, that would be CAD. After today, I'm a free man, until Mon. when I start working. Call me Boone, Daniel Boone. Monday night at around 9:00 that little dog we got started barking in the back yard. I went out there and I didn't see anything, but I knew there was something out there. I went to my room and got my .22 rifle. The dog was looking up the tree; he had treed a raccoon. I had Amy get a flashlight, and I found the 'coon in the tree. Amanda came out and spotlighted her (It was a female coon) for me and I shot it right in the face, perfect shot. I shouted to Amanda, "Run!" We were standing almost directly under it and it was going to fall, and I didn't know if it would be wounded and angry and try to tear our legs off. But, she just fell and that was it. Next step, skinning. It took over an hour, but I got a decent fur off it. I was real proud of Amanda staying out there and helping me cut into it and pull its skin off, not many girls can handle that. It's on a board now drying out. - Josh

The Pic

2005-05-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

This new picture of me is a little retarded, but has a substance to it. The substance is cars. We have four drivers at our home, so we each have our car + the family van. Also, the camera went off at the wrong time, that's why I am in the rather awkward position I am.

May 4

2005-05-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

It drizzled all day today. Rather pleasant really. Nothing eventful, except I have a fair amount of pressure with my trig. final coming up, spending a lot of time studying for that. Just one more week and all my classes will be over. So, about May 16 I'll start working.
Oh, one thing did happen today. I was shooting some hoops in the rec center, and there was a basketball game going on the court next to me. I was half-way watching the game when I heard a loud "SNAP." Just like a very brittle stick broken in half, only it was a kid's shin bone (is that the Femur?). He was a pretty built kid, and you wouldn't think that someone coming down from a rebound and landing on his leg would snap it, but it did, and how. He stood there on one foot holding his broken leg like he was stretching his quad for about 2 minutes before he really started to yell that he needed help. The other players laid him down on the cushy chairs where spectators sit, and I ran to the front desk for a medic. I don't think I conveyed the urgency of the issue the first time (I didn't really realize it was totally broken myself) so the rec staff took their time getting there. After a minute of waiting no one had shown up to help yet, so I ran back and put a fire under one guys kiester and got him over there. About five minutes later the medics from the ambulance and fire department arrived, they took over and that's when I left to go work out my bi's and tri's.
#1 That kid really broke it. Like, you held the lower part of his leg up and his foot would fall.
#2 I shot a few more hoops after I learned he had broken it, and every time I came down I was aware of the pressure on my shins and was hoping they wouldn't break. That would hurt.
- Josh

May 2

2005-05-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. Well, on Wed., five days ago, I recieved news that sent me into a state of euphoria. I felt weightless, like I was on a drug that released from the heaviest cares of life. I was exempt from taking my Physics final! Totally a God thing. If people hadn't been praying I never would have made an 85 on the second test which directly resulted in my exemption. So, I just have a poli sci final and a trig final, which are both pretty big deals, and then engl and CAD finals which should be relatively simple.
My grandparents came in yesterday to go to Abigail's ballet recital tonight. Also, this stray mutt which looks something like a dachshund maundered into our vacinity and wouldn't leave. After much turmoil and conversing my dad caved in to the pleas of three young girls and his wife. The dog stays. I got a flat tire yesterday, one more problem to deal with, but I don't really have that many problems except for when it comes to money.
Ask anyone who knows me well, and they'll tell you that I'm always behind the times, but I eventually catch up. While living in a world where every Jr. High kid has a camera phone, I, at the age of 18, just now got a cell phone. No camera, but I don't care. Phones are power.
- Josh
P.S. 817-401-5236

April 23

2005-04-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday. I mowed the lawn today and it was exhilarating; maybe not, but it wasn't bad either. Put a couple hours in on the guitar, about half an hour skateboarding and spent this morning working on an 8 page research paper that's due Mon. I think we're about to go out to eat somewhere. Let's go back a few days:
Fri. - Normal school day, except I missed Physics for the first time ever. I got in the class room, sat down, and said to the guy I always sit next to, "Why am I in here? From here on out he's not teaching anything that's on the final and attendance does not affect my grade at all. I'm going to go get a sandwhich. I'm walking out of here, going to Chick-fil-a and getting a chicken sandwhich." So that's what I did. At 4:30 I played ultimate frisbee like I have for the past four Fridays in a row.
Thurs. - fairly uneventful. Navigators was awsome; we went to the Chapmans who are missionaries.

Movie Review

2005-04-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

I do not watch TV, except the four or five times a year I go to my grandparents house. However, I do watch a few movies every week; it fluctuates unpredictably. At any rate last night I finished studying for my poli sci test and caught up on my vegetating. First, I watched Garfield. Hilarious, immature, and predictable. I was not tired yet, and it just so happened that I had rented another movie. So I watched 'Finding Neverland'. Yes, good old Johnny Depp. It was a very different type of movie. It was basically like literature, intriguing and interesting but slow and uneventful. I was fairly bored throughout, and my blood overheated when I realized that they were portraying Depp abandoning his wife and finding emotional fulfillment in widow with four little boys in a positive light. But I was glad I watched it. It was a philosophical and thought provoking movie with no garbage. Also, last week I watched the Ten Commandments for the first time since I was like 6. That was cool. God bless John Wayne and Charlton Heston.
- Josh

Sometimes Stupid

2005-04-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

I was hungry. Really hungry. It wasn't because I hadn't eaten; I had eaten more that day than normal, but it was just one of those days were I get really hungry and can't stop eating. I had my cereal and protein drink for breakfast, three nice size oatmeal cookies that I bought at the Union for a snack, and a Chick-fil-a sandwich for lunch. That was normal. But when 4:00 rolled around I was hungry enough to make a detour to Tommy's Hamburgers. It was Wed. so I was driving from Denton to Weatherford for my CAD class. I got of 820 and went east instead of west on 30. Tommy's is right off 30 in the Best Buy, Ridgemar Mall vacinity. I exited and got on the service road. Normally service roads are one way, but this one was a two way with two bright solid yellow lines down the middle. I'm sitting at the stop light dreaming of the burger that waits for me. I'm far off in the fairy land of burgers. Burgers are running through fields of green grass and the yellow sky is raining down sheets of mustard upon them. The wind kicks up the pepper dust and covers the happy patties. The buns are lying in the part of the field where the sun is shining and being toasted brown. Then all of a sudden an ugly orange Hyundai sporty looking car drives by me on the left side. I snap out of it. "Wait a second," I think, "If this is a two way that guy shouldn't be in that lane. I'm a genius. So was the guy in front of me. He was in a red Ford Explorer, but when he jumped out (actually he slowly lowered himself to the ground because F=ma and the mass was rather large so when multiply that by 9.80 m/s2 you get a powerful force) he was a police officer in full uniform. He had a gun. He ran over to the car and just as it did the light turned green; the car lurched forward. The sports car had its passenger window rolled down and before it could take off the cop placed his hand on the door and had a few words with the brilliant driver. The cop was nice about; I couldn't hear him but I could see it. The cop walked back to his SUV, the sports car made its left turn, and right as the cop climbed back in to his the light turned red. That Hamburger was still a few minutes away.
- Josh

April 15

2005-04-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Stayed up too late last night; I went to bed at 1 a.m. For most college students that's early. I frequently overhear cohorts mumbling, "Man, I didn't get to bed till 3 this morning." But, as you know, I'm not most college students. I found a pattern in my life, and that is that I do what I have to. When I use to have classes at 8:00 a.m. I would get up at 5:45 because that's what it took to make to class on time. Now that I have my first class at 10:00 a.m. I never get up before seven and usually it's seven-thirty. It's hard to get up an hour and a half earlier knowing that you're doing so just so that you'll have that time to do homework. Well I've adressed one of life's fundamental issues (sleep) so I've done my deed for the day. - Josh

April 13

2005-04-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Things are smooth right now. School is slowing down and from here on it's just prep for finals. We're talking about education in political science right now and man does that get me fired up. I get mad at the public school system for all the money it's robbing me of, but at the same time I grow joyous at the thought of it self-imploding. It's screwed. My only worry is that when it self implodes, and I believe it will on the track it is presently, that the FED will step in, take over, and we'll have government, FED government every where we turn. Thanks a lot Bush. I voted for him, but I'd like to give him a kick in the pants for many of his policies, especially education.
I have an eight pg. research paper over The Sun Also Rises. Have to do that, but right now I'm going to the rec center.

April 10

2005-04-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a rough day. I've always said that I never have bad days, and I don't. But somedays I feel compelled to be in a sour mood, not because I mind what happened to me, but because if I was all happy and jumping around after not getting to do something people would think I didn't care. I'm going to have to figure out how to get around that.
The day started off well. We had a good family devotion and then went to Spring Creek for lunch. We came home and I played guitar and did some physics for a few hours. We left for our Sunday afternoon bike ride. We got 2.5 miles down the trail and it started pouring down rain. We turned around and went home. I then watched a really old John Wayne movie. It was the only really bad John Wayne movie I've ever seen. Time to leave for the Shepherd's. I havn't seen them in over half a year and was really stoked about going. We got the end of the neighborhood and it was raining so hard we turned around. Literally less than a minute later the inpentratable rain and hail had stopped. Dad checked the weather and after much turmoil we decided to just stay home. Then we went and got dinner at Sonic and rented five movies (a record). I'm going to go watch Gladiator. I'll make it some day. - Josh

April 9

2005-04-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Good times. Did some homework (why do I always leave it until Sat.?) Dad bought a new chainsaw and we cut three dead trees in the wild part of the yard. My dad grew up a prep, always wearing polos and slacks. Then he went to pure construction worker not caring what he wore. Then he went to Contractor wearing shortsleeved button downs and khakis. Now he's added genuine cowboy boots and, around the house at least, a cowboy hat. Not necessarily bad, just different, and I'm not a fan of cowboy anything. I don't like horses. I don't like the hats and boots and belt buckles. I hate country music. I love the country.
Been playing guitar a substantial amount lately. I worked out for a long time on Fri. and then played Ultimate Frisbee with the UNT Navigators. Rock my socks off - Josh

Summer

2005-04-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

The days of summer are here. The moods of men and women, elderly and children, change with the weather, to an extent. You want to stay up later and perform more adventurous actions. Mowing the lawn isn't as bad as it seems. When you've accomplished a goal and smell like the sun and grass shavings and sweat runs down your chest you don't regret it. It's all so simple, simple as a change in the weather. I can prove that the weather affects peoples emotions and moods. In the Northern States the weather is cold and consequently so are the people; they're cold hearted and mean, generally speaking. You won't find a friendlier place than Texas, and you won't find a warmer place. People's hearts are warmer here and most greet one another with big smiles. Sunny with a high of 75 is the song for the summer
(Relient K). So go get your tank tops and flip-flops, and throw on a warm smile while your at it. Summer is here.

April 6

2005-04-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Another day in the city, or on campus. Not much happened. I took an hour nap in my car today before my night class. I was dead tired which doesn't happen very often; I think it's because I worked out for so long (and hard) today. Got to draft some stuff. - Josh

April 4

2005-04-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

BREAKING NEWS: Pope John Paul II died on April 2. Remember, you heard it here first.
Well, I could go into the fortune-telling business this week without dabbling with demons. I could predict what's going to be on the headline news for at least the next week. Two words: John Paul. That's one biblical name; I wonder if he changed it to that when he became Pope.
Here's what I've been doing that was so important that I couldn't talk to you guys:
Saturday - Got up late (10:00am) intending to do homework. Ended up going to the Blue Angels airshow with my family. It was actually more like going to a 3 HOUR traffic jam and getting to see some air planes for an hour. It was worth it, though, because before I went to that my sister and I went to Arlington and saw Judge Roy Moore (I can't believe that flippin Canadianloving-Ihateamericathat'swhyIliveinit-socialist Micheal Moore violated his last name!) He was signing his book at the christian bookstore and there were only a couple of people there. It was incredible. He is a modern day forefather. As I stood directly in front of him and listened to him talk I felt like I was listening to George Washington. He held the same beliefs, such as the fact that the law of this country comes from the Bible. Judge Roy Moore for President. I can think of no other person I would rather have as President. Saturday ended without cracking open a textbook.
Sunday - Got the homework done and went bikeriding with dad and all the sisters. Had to resolve a flattire issue, but finally got underway and went about 10 miles. Next week I'll try to go the normal 16.
Monday - That's today. Stayed up late posting on my blog that I hadn't written on in too many days, but you know that already. English was good. My English teacher is the best; he never makes us do anything except the actual papers and gives us forever to write them. Physics is rolling along; there's a small chance I'll be exempt from the final exam. That would be a gift from God. Played some basketball and worked out.

Say On

2005-04-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

I try to read my One Year Bible everday (I'm already 10 days behind this year.) and then listen to the Bible on cd while I drive to school. I was listening to Luke this morning and Jesus went to Peter and said, in essence, "I want to tell you something." Peter responded, "Say on." Jesus then went into a parable of, if I remember correctly, of how two men owed a man money. One man owed much and the other a small sum. The creditor forgave both of the men theirs debts. Jesus asks, "Which one will be more grateful?" Peter responded, "The one who had a large debt." After all the years of reading through the Bible I've never really remembered this parable. It answers a lot of questions for me which I will expound on at a later time. The main point now is when Jesus says he wants to tell you something, just say "say on." We might learn something from the creator of the universe.

Mar. 30

2005-03-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah! I didn't think it was physically possible for me to get any higher than a 70 on my last physics test, and I got an 85. Definitely only by the grace of God. Good day. They got a boxing bag at the Rec Center with real wraps and gloves. I did that Mon. and today; I have a new appreciation for Rocky. Boxing will tear you to pieces. All my classes are going well, and life is just good in general. Life's always good, and I never have bad days. It's just easier to exercise the fruits of the Spirit on some days more than others.

Mar. 28

2005-03-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

"I've been gone, but I'm back again." Hey, Hey, Hey, it's Lil' J! Okokok. I had a great spring break. Did not reach very many of my goals except the easy ones. The only thing I read was "A midsummer night dream." I've got to hand it to him, Shakespeare had some skills. Life was rough for a while. I studied hardcore for physics and my trig. teacher didn't give us spring break off! (I guess because it's an online class.) Went to six flags on Fri. (25rd). Every line was at least a two hour wait, so I wandered aimlessly in circles for until the concert started. Had a rockin' time with some bros watching Hawk Nelson, KJ-52, Toby Mac (brought down the house), and AudioA. Spring break was nice, but it really through off my groove. I'm ready to get back into the monotonous cycle of school, for a while. Smell ya later, - Josh

Mar. 15

2005-03-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

Tuesday. Spent Monday and this morning studying for trig. (Don't ever go to two colleges simultaneously.) ; spent the afternoon driving out and taking the test. That leaves me with this evening to do Taebo, my pushups, read a book, skateboard, and play guitar. I did my pushups yesterday (well, ok, only 175) and played a fair amount of guitar. Need to work on reading and leather. My cd player in my car quit working today, definitely constitutes a crisis. Later - Josh

Spring Break Starts

2005-03-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

UNT spring break starts today. All I have to worry about is my online course at WC (trig.). I'm going to have my awsome college student spring break; I'll sit at home. Going camping was an option, but I don't think that's gonna happen. So, here's my ten spring break goals:
#10 Be sure to get plenty of sleep
#9 Read two books
#8 Skateboard, a bunch
#7 Play guitar, more than I skateboard
#6 Complete one leather project (maybe a wallet)
#5 Do 200 pushups a day (let's see what kind of results we get)
#4 Study for physics, etc...
#3 Don't run out of ideas
#2 Keep brain working
#1 Too late, I can't think of anything else

Mar. 11

2005-03-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

Always have good days, just some are better than others. Yesterday was better. Played guitar most of the day. I got KJ-52's new album "Behind the Music". There's one excellent song on there (track 2) and the rest is good. Today's another good day despite the fact I feel like I'm getting an ulcer thinking about my trigonometry mid-term. This test is 40% of my grade! Well, I'm burning time I should be spending studying. Later, - Josh

Mar. 9

2005-03-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

Today has just begun so there's not much to talk about, but yesterday is in the archives of history so I may open the file and enlighten you on the highlights. Umm... Can't think of any. Oh, wait; I read "The Sun Also Rises" yesterday. That's right, the whole thing in one day; it took me about 5 hrs. I need to work on my speed reading. At any rate it is not that wholesome or captivating, but it was literature and there is plenty to think about in Ernest Hemmingway's first novel. That was the school I did yesterday. I also skated (I think I could set a world record for most hours put into skateboarding with the least amount of results. But, I'm addicted. What can I say?) and did Taebo. Try doing an hour of Taebo 30 min. after eating a big plate of mom's Jambolay (How do you spell that?) for dinner and see what happens to you. Good times, God's time. - Josh Inge

March 7

2005-03-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Turned in my paper on Antigone today, wasn't quite as happy with it as my last paper. About to start reading Hemmingway's "The Sun Also Rises." The title was actually taken from Ecclesiastes but this suicidal liberal was a far shot from anything Christian. Well, good times, about to go to lab and demonstrate my mastery of the concept of centripetal force and then hit the gym. Work out from about 5:00 - 7:00 then go study trig. in the library and finally get home around 10:00.
I went to a worldview weekend like 9 days ago and received some convicting teaching on witnessing. Consequently I've been trying to witness a little more and have had quite a week of it. My friend and I talked to a devout atheist who was such a moral relativist that he thought that Hitler's atrocities were justifiable. Then I preached Jesus, as opposed to the blessed mother Mary, to some Jr. High catholic guys. Interesting stuff, quite thrilling really, and most vital for a healthy spiritual life. If you aren't growing and bearing fruit you're lying dormant like the man who buried his talent in the ground. The man who buried his talent was thrown out into the weeping and gnashing of teeth. You ever thought about the gnashing of teeth part? It's like ever one in hell is crazy (who wouldn't be in such a place?) and gnashes their teeth, maybe that's where "crazy as hell" comes from.
Peace out, Josh

Feb. 25

2005-02-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

The bad news: I got my first Physics test back on Wed. I got a 50/100. The good news: the majority of the class got less than that, so the prof. nullified the test and changed his whole testing policy. I'm suppose to be working on a thesis for a paper right now that I'm going to write on Antigone. How does this sound?: "The supremacy of moral law over man's law is considered in Sophocles' play Antigone." If anything besides school happens in my life I'll let you know.
Later, Josh

Feb. 23

2005-02-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

I only read the necessary amount of literature while in highschool because, frankly, I hated it. But, as I head toward being an octogenarian for some reason I've started to enjoy literature. It kinda scares me; like, last night I stayed up till midnight reading Antigone and Hamlet. Antigone was mandatory, but I read Hamlet for the fun of it.
I overslept this morning, didn't get up untill 8:20, I was out the door in 15 min. cause my first class, Engl II, starts at 10:00.
Later, Inge

Good Morning Feb. 18

2005-02-18T06:43:00.000-08:00

The morning at first glance seems inviting, then I step outside and look to the North. From there comes dark clouds riding swiftly upon the steady force of the wind. Fear creeps into the depths of my bones as I realize that these merciless bearers of rain will descend upon me and release their tons of contents upon me with indisputable vengeance. What is to be done? How am I to make through the day if my hair gets wet? I shall defeat nature. It may be massive and unstoppable, but not inescapable. I shall don my 87 cent Wal-mart rain poncho and stay dry as a bug in bed. I like that idea better, why don't I just stay at home in bed? No, rain can not stop me. I shall cover myself in the transparent yellow plastic and look like a cross between a convict on the side of the road picking up garbage and a walking deformed banana. Looks are of no consequence, I shall beat the rain. One more trial in life that I will over come.
Ok, that was interesting, or weird, or both. Just have a blessed day, rain or shine.
Josh Inge

Feb. 16

2005-02-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

One question for God when I get to heaven: why does Texas weather change so drastically like every twenty four hours? I was sweating in shorts and t-shirt yesterday and now I look like a hardcore eskimo cause it's so crazy cold. Dude, I'm talking about the weather; that's a sure sign of lack of material, you would think. Actually there's is a little more news. The dude I play the guitar for, it's his band which he calls Jed, just released his three track demo. I'm not on the cd but I play the appropiate parts when we play gigs. The demo is pretty decent, all stuff that Jed wrote. Did I mention that I ollied a four set while at the Navigators conference? Yea, it was pretty sweet skatin up the Ft. Worth Convention center until the security cop came out and ran me off. Go skate. The four set was really easy, I know I could pull off a five and I'd like to try a six. So, I've covered the weather, music, skating, what else is there? Oh yes, I've been doing these Billy Blank Taebo videos. They're awsome. They work your legs, abs, and you know what into iron. More power to ya. Had an awsome prayer time last night with the family cause we had Mama Faye over. She's a lady we used to go to church with who is like, over 80 yrs. old, but she is annointed in praying. Her and the Holy Spirit are good friends and when she prays the Holy Spirit comes down, it's a blessing. I shall now leave you good people to go hone my skills at becoming a polymath. (look it up, unless you are one.) Josh Inge

Feb. 11

2005-02-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not as faithful as I should be on this blog I guess, but life does get boring at times. Yet, simultaneously I am consistently occupied in endeavors of self improvement such as guitar, working out, and school. This has been a spiritually challenging month for me. I went from a state of struggling and questioning with God to one of submission and childlike faith. This change took place primarily because of the principles learned and applied at the Navigator's conference. It was about getting your heart right before God. Humbling your self and allowing the Holy Spirit to take over. Many things that were taught I had heard before, and then again many things were deeper insights that I had never thought of. But I believe the reason it was so powerful and really changed me is because of the sincerety of the people there which invited the Holy Spirit to come into the place and work on renewing hearts. I hope that whatever you're struggling you can somehow apply the above facts. That's my mini-sermon for the day.
Now for a question: "A small can is hanging from the ceiling. A rifle is aimed directly at the can. At the instant the gun is fired, the can is released. Ignore air resistance and show that the bullet will always strke the can, regardless of the initial speed of the bullet. Assume that the bullet strkes the can before the can reaches the ground." If any of you geniuses work out a proof let me know. Rock On. Josh Inge

Feb. 7

2005-02-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Today's monday and english class is about to start. I'm having to write a literary analysis on "The Glass Menagerie". Awsome; not really. So school drags on, yet in the midst of it there was an oasis, that being this past weekend. I went to the Navigators Conference at the Radison Hotel in Ft. Worth. It was the greatest spiritual encouragement I've had since I went to the Summit. About two hundred college students where there, and solidarity could be felt in the air. No hidden agendas, no propaganda or backbiting or schemes. We were just there to worship Jesus, to get to him, our Majestic King. The fellowship was awsome, something I never experience since I don't live on campus. Was privileged to hang out with the best people in the world. Also, I got to talk to Jordan, the frontman for Destination Known. I hope someday I can be like him and just be extremely talented in music and worship. I did so much this weekend that you'll be hearing about it for some time.
Extirpate - to uproot, obliterate. Extirpate the weeds of sin from the soil of your life.
Josh Inge

Illegal Immigrant

2005-01-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Illegal Immigrant - a rhyme written after the inspiration of YCT culminated upon my mind. They hosted an illegal immigrant day at UNT and handed out literature about the drain that illegal immigration is to our economy and a threat to national security. We don't mind other people coming to America, as long as they do it legally. Most of this was written during my political science class. Enjoy. Get angry. Get inspired. Agree; or not. What thinkest thee?

There is a family that lives south of us/ their roof is leaky, their floor is dust/ they're a strong family, four mouths to feed/ but they are powerless, for they lack sufficient means/ America, the best on earth/ No, not perfect but invaluable in worth/ here freedom and opportunity reign/ just ask the family living in the south in pain/ the know opportunity lies in the north/ they long to cross the river and get on board/ they risk imprisonment and death just to have a life/ a life that isn't determined by throw of dice/ but the Hernandez family can't cross the river/ they've been shut out by the freedom giver/ how base of the U.S. to deny the inherent right/ to pursuit of happiness, liberty, and life/ Why would they do this?/ How could it be?/ that the most charitable nation won't give everything/ the U.S. was open/ it trusted other nations/ it was hurt on 9/11/ and forced to replace the/ open arm policy/ with doors bared closed/ it's lenient airports/ were now fear homes/ thousands of lives/ had fallen from thousands of feet/ as a dolorous request/ for higher security/ But wait, what's this?/ The borders are still open it seems/ for in yonder river/ Mr. Hernandez is swimming/ will he be caught?/ will he be shot?/ will he be imprisoned for doing that which he should not?/ No, it seems/ Yes, the guard has been doubled/ but so have the immigrants/ and with them brought trouble/ America loves Mr. Hernandez/ and feels his pain/ but he must enter legally/ or he is the same/ as a terrorist with a bomb/ strapped to his back/ who's next target/ could be more devastated than Iraq/ Mr. Hernandez lived here three years working hard/ as a PHD/ post hole digger in yards/ he sent all his money home/ to wife and kids/ and he himself lived on welfare/ even though he didn't pay taxes/ he drains the economy by taking what isn't his/ but thankfully its not as bad/ as it could have been/ he could have been an extremist/ with a sandwich size bomb/ headed to Washington D.C./ were he would deliver his arms/ and turn order into chaos/ life into death/ love into hate/ joy to sadness/ Keep the border tight/ let them in/ but let them in right/ do we not hold life so dear?/ as to protect us from those who bear fear?/ keep the border tight/ sleep well tonight/ keep the border tight/ preserve American life.
Josh Inge

Jan. 21 2nd day

2005-01-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

2nd day -
College has started. It has been destined that it shall consume me for the next 3 to 4 months. I will rise and do homework. I will lie down and do homework. I will memorize formulas while driving. You know how it goes. But, to be fair, it is as one friend said about me, "He's a glutton for punishment." I signed up for 19 hrs. Here's a quick run down of the 13 hrs. of courses I'm taking at UNT:
9:00 British Literature from 1790 - present: this is the class your mom warned you about. The prof. lady is a relativist and assigns some disturbing readings.
10:00 Engl Comp II - not so bad. Pretty cool teaching, but I have arrived at the dolorous conclusion that there's going to be a lot of smart people in hell, namely proffesors.
11:00 Physics - need I say more?
12:00 Political Science II - good class. easy.
All of these are on MWF. Once I drudge through the lectures, I grab a quick and danty bite to eat and hightail it to the recreation center. I usally spend just under 2 hrs. in there playing basketball, stretching, weightlifting, and sometimes swimming. It's nice to be back really, just challenging. I don't think I could survive without some kind of challenge.
So, the other 6 hrs. I'm taking from Weatherford College. A Wed. night CAD intro. class, and an online trigonometry class. This trig class is proving to be the hardest.
Well, I'm sure it was tons of fun reading my schedule, but, it is my life.

Jan. 17

2005-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

College starts in two days, I'll have plenty of material to post then. I'm just enjoying the last days of rest before embarking on the longueur. Friday night was great, went to my friends, the Shepherds, house for a worshipful/rockful experience. Sat. I just hung out, which is really different than most Sat. of my life; usually I spend them working around the house, but now our house is close to being completed. Sun. we had an intense home church. Good worship, mom taught on the tabernacle, Dad put in his two cents (rather, more like two dollars), and watched a Ken Ham video on defending the existence of God. And we had some enlightening family discussions on church and the meaning thereof. Well, much more later.
Josh Inge

College

2005-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

A short essay on college and the meaning thereof,
DAY 1 - Feels like D-Day. The invasion has begun. The attacker is strong, in mind and heart. He is rooted and grounded in the faith. All concepts of passiveness have been eradicated by the resolutions of the warrior. The warrior is shod with peace, truth, the Spirit, faith, righteousness, and salvation, and thousands are waiting to be captured. The warrior makes a fatidic statement that this semester he will show the power of the Lord to at least 10 people.
The enemy - Satan. Father of lies and calumny. Angel of light and god of this world. Legions of demons and henchmen at his command. How can a solitary warrior survive? Well, he has God on his side.
The target - liberals and conservatives. Atheist and Buddhist. Cosmic humanist and Marxist-Leninist. They disagree with one another so avidly that they couldn't imagine that they have anything in common, but they do; they are wrong. Their minds have been deceived into anything but believing in the one true God, and it is up to the warrior to reveal truth unto them.
So what does the warrior do on day one? He walks into class, receives his syllabus, and goes on to the next one, and finally home. Didn't talk to any one about Truth; he wants to wait until he gets to know some of his classmates before he starts witnessing to them.
DAY 2 - Gets homework. Scans classroom to see who he could talk to. "Well, I don't want them to avoid me the rest of the semester, so I'll tell them at the end of the semester. Also, I hardly have an opportunity to talk to any of them anyway." By the end of the semester the warrior has found it easy to not talk to these people about Truth. The zeal and resolution has been eradicated. The battle for the classroom is lost.
DAY 3 - "I'll just talk to the people who are walking around outside," he thinks. With every person the warrior comes up with a very good excuse of why he can't approach them. This inkhorn of Biblical concepts just keeps all that he has been given inside. As the semester wears on, the hiatus enlarges between desire to speak and desire to be silent.
The enemy is intimidating, make no mistake. The warriors fears are not unfounded; he probably will be laughed at, mocked and ridiculed. As a matter of fact, this is promised unto him. But he must over come his fear and desire to be dear to the world. Lay down the pride fool.
College is a preparatory stage for "the real world". If you don't witness now, you won't do it later. College is the ideal place to learn, everything. Storm the towers of the enemy; if you aren't taking ground you're losing it because the Witch-King is always advancing. That is the meaning of college, to learn. And the most important thing to learn is how to share with others your faith. First, by reading and being instructed. Secondly, by doing it yourself. And last, teach it to others. Ezra 7:10, Romans 1:16.
Josh Inge

Jan. 14 "mmhmm"

2005-01-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry, computer had issues so I couldn't get on to write to all you wonderful people, whoever you may be. Well, I got the new Relient K cd, I dig it. The first thing I did when I got the cd, before I ever listened to it, was scan the lyrics. I was disappointed; I didn't see the name Jesus anywhere and God not to often. I'm sick of bands starting out Christian and then abandoning Christ once they have their money, power, and fame; like Chevelle and possibly P.O.D. But, the reconciled themselves. As I listened to the cd I found it was full of Christian ideologies and concepts. It rocks.
I finished "Can America Survive?". The gist of it - there are many hardcore liberals, (not all liberals), who do not believe in equal opportunity. America is the land of opportunity. What liberals believe is in equal rewards. As Marx infamously said, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." Liberals want to give equality to everyone, as long as they are the ones defining and controling what equality is. Also, America is the best; let the world know. How many liberals jump on a boat and head for Cuba? None. Why? Because Cuba is a crapper because of comunism, which is, for some devilish reason, what liberals want to turn America into.
Started the book "The Unhappy Gays" by Tim LaHaye. It's somewhat explicit, recommended for older audiences, but vital in today's homosexual culture. We must understand the enemy to defeat him.
Skateboarding is rad. Gotten good at rock and rolls, and 50-50 stalls on the top of ramps. Still need to ollie higher.
I think I achieved a much greater level of skill on the guitar over the break. Got down the opening song to Napolean Dynamite "Fall is here, hear the yell..." Relient K's "Still waiting for".
At any rate, the highlight of my week would be the Navigators bible study last night. Enlightning, challenging, and encouraging is the best way to describe it. Prayer. It's important. Enough for the moment,
Vote Conservative, Josh Inge

Jan. 10

2005-01-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Slow day. Got up early with great aspirations, did some Tae-Bo and threw some weights around, and everything went downhill from there, as far as getting anything done. I read World magazine, which always consumes an hour of my time the day it come in the mail. I mastered the Relent K song "Getting into You", and did a few chores. The rest of the day seemed to slip away. Lesson learned: Get up, make a list of goals, DO NOT stop or slow down until the objective is obtained. Messed around with editing home videos, that was fun. I found out how to make still images from video footage; it's awsome. Stills of me and my friends getting air on skateboards and dirtbikes. Makes us look alot better than we really are. Sleep well.
P.S. Watched a Ken Ham video tonight during family devotions, more meat to chew on. Great stuff defending the Bible, esp. Genesis.

Jan. 9

2005-01-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

So, I fulfilled some of yesterday's goals. I learned the Delirious song Touch and ollied out of the ramp onto a piece of plywood. Didn't work on Taj Mahal though, and I went witnessing with Colten today instead of yesterday.
The streets of usually boisterous downtown Ft. Worth are quite and sparsely populated on a Sunday afternoon. The city gets its day of rest along with the people. Two young men walk out of the looming parking garage that rests on the East side of the city. One of them is 18 yrs. of age, short in stature, and overall, young looking. The other has breathed, without stopping for any extended period of time, for some 16 yrs., is thin, and towers over the elder by some 9 inches. They're on a mission. They drove just under hour to these quite city streets for one reason, to tell others about Jesus. To bring conviction and sight to the hearts of numb and blind people is their goal. The walk blocks searching for someone to talk to, but there are few people to chose from, and the few that are there are already engaged in a conversation or hurriedly walking by. Both of their hearts are flutter a little when they see a lonely black lady walking toward them, first opportunity of the night. The opportunity jumped at them. The lady asked, "I'm trying to get enough change to get on the bus, could you spare any?" Haveing been witnessing before Josh knew to leave any money he didn't want to give away in the car, but he brought one dollar just for such a thing as this. He gave it to her, even though her eyes were so bloodshot it was unlikely she would use it to get on a bus. "Excuse me mam", said Josh, "Do you know the ten commandments? "Well I know them, yes, not in order though," the lady said. "Well do you believe that we are all sinners and need Jesus to save us from our sin because we've broken his law, such as the ten commandments?" Josh continues. "Yes I do", she responded. "Do have the ten commandments in one of those?" she asks, addressing the stack of gospel tracks he is holding in his hand. "We'll I might", he responded he gave her three different ones, hoping that one of them did and Josh and Colten walked on.
This first encounter wasn't ideal, but it was a start. Josh should have dug a little deeper. Next opportunity. A man walking alone. Colten and Josh hastily approach and catch him right as the pedestrian sign turns to "walk". In the middle of the street while they're walking Josh asks, "Do you believe in God?" "What?" the man inquired. "Do you believe in God?" Josh repeated. The middle age man snickered, looked at the two as if to say "idiots", and said, "I believe I'm hungry." He made a sharp left turn and took off double time. The first diss of the night.
Then there was an older black man sitting down, just wasting time on a city. A golden opportunity. Colten takes advantage of it, "Excuse me," Colten says while easing himself onto the bench next to the man, "I heard a statistic the other day that ten out of ten people die. What do you believe happens to you when you die?" Awsome. Josh sat next to Colten and let him do the talking. Only a minute later a homeless man, but not quite so desperate looking as most walked by and was eager to talk to me when he got wind of what we were doing. Mr. L, (I forgot his name, but it starts with an L) was a struggling Christian. He seemed a Christian in the things he said and the insite he showed into his understanding of Christianity, but he needed strength. He told Josh he had a situation; his mom had died and he needed to get back to New Mexico. Heard it dozens of times before, oldest story in the book. But, when Josh told him he'd just given the rest of my money away, he said, "Oh, no. I don't want your money. Some people think it's all about money when the greatest thing is the Word." Sure he wouldn't have minded some money, but even after he found out Josh didn't have any he still seemed hungry, for the Word. Josh shared with him some encouragement, and then prayed with him. First time Josh had prayed with someone he'd witnessed to. He started crying and seemed truly grateful. Hopefully he will pursue after God harder now. Now Colten is still carrying on with this other man, whose name is Chester. The man had just said something and there was some dead air for about 5 seconds. "What's that?" Josh said. Chester and Josh were soon deep into it. Basically, Chester believed in God but couldn't believe that Jesus was the only way. Josh addressed some other issues and made some headway on those, but honestly was stumped on Chester's objection. Josh just said, "Well I can't prove it to you, but that's were faith comes in." It went on, a kindly and interesting conversation. Josh was thinking, "I can't argue with this guy, I just need to tell him the message and what I know, the rest is up to the Spirit." Once he had, Josh said, "Well, I hope you're not wrong." Chester said, "So do I." They shook hands and Josh and Colten were on their way home.

Jan 8

2005-01-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

Good morning. Nice Saturday. Started a book this morning called "Can America Survive?" by Ben Stein, good stuff. Goals for today: #1 Ollie out of the 20in quarter pipe I built yesterday (Amanda can already do it on her roller blades). #2 Play guitar alot - learn some Switchfoot, blues, and Delirious?. #3 Work on my leather project (trying to carve a picture of the Taj Mahal into leather, kinda rough.) #4 Go street witnessing with Colten.
Thoughts for the day: #1 There are people who hate America and America is in worse trouble than I thought, mainly with God. When a country rejects God he turns them over to the burning desires of their flesh, and I'm afraid this is what has happened to America. I am optimistic however on the condition of America, our President is a Christian, we still have all our freedoms, but the church is, as Keith Green said over 20 yrs. ago, Asleep in the Light. Therefore, today I will pray for the condition of America, and especially the church as well as try to go and talk to people about it.
#2 thought: Be exceedingly grateful and humble to the point of tears. Two nights ago I watched a documentary on a man named Nellie. He has never been able to use his arms or legs and has suffered more torment than I could ever imagine, but he loves others and keeps going and has strong faith in God. Also, last night I watched the movie Radio again. I have absolutely no reason to ever lose my temper or feel like I am treated unfairly. I'm thankful just for the use of my limbs and mind. I have no rights, I am a bond servant to Christ. Josh Inge

Day 1

2005-01-06T23:16:00.000-08:00

Good Day. Yes, it was. I've already realized the dangers of blogging; I write down my impulsive emotions and read them later only to think, "That was stupid. That was bad grammar. I could have said that better." I'll probably look back at this and think, "Nobody wants to read about that." But, here in lies my point and foreward. This is like my journal or diary. I've never kept one before, but now I think it would be beneficial to. This is a fun and useful way of accomplishing this goal. Here's a sample of what my typical blog will look like:
Got up early (6:00), Bible time (One Year Bible, Oswald Chambers, Ray Comfort, memory verses), finished When Character was King (God bless Ronald Reagan all idealogical Reaganites).
I'm on break from school, so I take my time doing things. Worked on some projects around the house for mom, played play-dough with my 3 yr. old sister (Allyson), skated on the 2ft quarter pipe I made yesterday ("You got like 3 ft. of air that time" Napoleon). Watched awsome videos tonight; way to intellectually stimulating. Documentaries on how gay San Franciso really is and other films from the San Antonio Christian Film Festival (I do not any way shape or form condone all or half of the films from this organization; the majority of them are retarded, but there are a few gems) .
Maybe this was a way to detailed blog therefore not typical. Once school starts I'll be doing good to write anything; then again, maybe not. Only time will tell.

2 hrs. in

2005-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is really cool. Now everyone who wants to can get to know me even if we never see each other. A kid named Blake inspired me to start this blog. I met Blake in the Aug. 2004 when we went on a trip together with Texas Right to Life to Washington D.C. We were roommates for a week and found out we had some mutual friends. At any rate, I haven't seen Blake since then, but I found out he had his own blog page. After spending half an hour reading his archives, I new more about him than I do my current best friends. Jesus not only died a sacrificial death; he lived a sacrificial life. He was humble, got to know people, reached out. I strive to be like Him and I believe this a powerful tool to fulfill that mission. Also, Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "Consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, forsaking not the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, so much the more as you see the Day approaching." I've found that even Church can be the opposite of exhorting. I hope this is a way to always stay in touch with friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.
Waiting for the DAY (I'm stoked about IT) Josh Inge

Do You Know?

2005-01-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Do you know Josh Inge? He's this kid who's like, 18, looks like he's 14, and has recently done something that is surprising to even himself. Inge has started writing. The same kid who wouldn't construct a sentence unless mandatory to a good grade in school has become interested in recreational writing. Maybe you noticed that as you grow older you have more ideas, and that you want to express those ideas to others but don't always have the opportunity. This is what happened to Inge, and he has now found a method for communicating his ideas and passions and humor (dry and sparse as it may be) to others. Writing.