Back every Sabbath

This blog is coming to an end

2005-12-03T22:45:00.000+01:00

I wonder if anyone can possibly keep up with updating two weblogs. I've got to admit that I certainly cannot. As you might have noticed, I haven't put much effort in the updating of this blog the last few weeks. My other blog, which is in Danish, however, I could update anytime.

I guess what makes the difference is the language. I thought having an English blog was good excersize, and I might just be all right about that. Nevertheless, there's no fun in doing excersizes. I kind of got the feeling that updating this blog was like doing my homework. And I am not gonna do more homework than absolutely necessary. Especially not on Sabbath.

But those of you who actually speak the heavenly tounge of Danish, you should have noticed by now that I have this great and really interesting blog at dorlandmind.blogspot.com. The rest of you, please teach yourself some Danish or contact me by e-mail. In case you don't have it already (which I think you do), my e-mail adress is lars [a] dorland [dot] dk. Sorry, I write it this way, but I've been told that's the way of saying your e-mail adress if you'd like to avoid unwanted messages, because lots of bad programs don't recognize it.

Hope you enjoyed your Sabbath. I did. And I always will. :-)

Week 45

2005-11-19T21:50:00.000+01:00

Monday, I'm usually loaded with homework, especially English. It's a long day. I go to many classes. Then eat supper, then homework. And I don't even get it all done for Tuesday.
Tuesday is even worse. I have 9 lessons. I usually get up 7:30, go to school, have an hour's break, and then back to school. School ends at 4:45. Supper's at 5:30. Assembly at 6:15. First then, I can get to do some my homework. Have to prepare for Café117 at 8, though. It ends at 10. Then get the rest of my homework done, including a math assignment. I never get it done till Wednesday night, although it's actually for Tuesday. I ought to begin on the math Sunday night. Wednesday, I don't spend so much time at school. Instead, I go to bed because I feel so exhausted. So I usually feel good Wednesday night.
Thursday, things are starting to look better. Except for four rather boring lessons. I like reading history, but I hate the history classes. I always attend them, though. And I feel somewhat the same about the society classes.
Friday, things get busy once again. I go to scool, but only short. At 3:30, I must prepare for the radio program. So I spend couple of hours in the studio, working, then we eat at 5:30, and that's when I realise it's Sabbath. At 7:30, we go to Church. One might feel like doing what God did the Seventh day, but that's no excuse. You have to go. School's policy. So, some weekends I just go home to rest. At home, there are no obligations, no weekend duties, only my loving mother and four cuddly dogs.

Now, this Sabbath was very different from other Sabbaths. Nobody woke us up early in the morning to tell us to go to Church. Church wasn't till afternoon, because it was some alternate service arranged by children's school. I have lot of radio duties this weekend, so I've been busy, but after Church, I could finally relax.

When the sun was gone, we (all boys in this mini-dorm) sat to watch some videos. We watched Cellular (with Kim Basinger, Chris Evans and Jason Statham) and the Bourne Supremacy (with Matt Damon and Julia Stiles). First one's no masterpiece, second one is great. I've watched it before, though.

Another week coming up. Don't know if I'm gonna update this blog next weekend. Lot of things are going to happen down here. Hope you had a great Sabbath like I had. May your week 46 be blessed.

Café117 debut ...

2005-11-12T16:22:00.000+01:00

So, what happened this week?

I was at some education arrangement. We had to go. It was part of school (we missed some school lessons), and it was compulsory. It was boring, too, and it wasn't really relevant to me. I mean, I allreade know what I'm gonna do, and I wasn't really interested in how to be an engineer, police officer or psychologist for that matter.

We had our Café117 debut. It was pretty good. Thanks to Thomas Rasmussen for being our guest, leading worship and have the speech. There was a calm and pleasant atmosphere. I hope, students will take this opportunity of spending some social time with God every Tuesday night. He's not supposed to be the Sabbath-God. He should rather be the everyday-God.

Anyway, Happy Sabbath. :)

The Week of Inspiration: Mission Possible

2005-11-04T23:29:00.000+01:00

We've had a week of inspiration, which means that we've had guests at Vejlefjord from Newbold College. Each morning and each evening, these four young pastors-to-bees inspired us through stories from the Old Testament. The theme was "Mission Impossible".

Monday night, Daniel told about Prince Jonathan who sneaked to the filistines camp at night and started attacking them. They had this pretty (extremely) big army (was it 30.000 carriages and 5.000 troopers?), and then Jonathan just killed 20 men like squashing bugs. Then God joined him with an earth quake, and the filistines ran off. Thanks to the power of God and the faith of Jonathan, son of Saul. Daniel is a great and calm storyteller, knows how to express himself clearly, and in short.

Tuesday, we heard about David as he attacked Goliath (you probably know that one). Isaac, who has definitely been given the gift of performing, both told and acted, how this young fella got caugt up as he felt the anger of God pointed towards the filistine who said bad things about God. Good entertainment, and very good points.

Wednesday, it got a bit too long, sorry to say. It's somewhat silly to say that, beacuse if it's good, how can it be too long? And it definitely was good, and Risto must've had great courage to talk about this. He had some really important issues about sex, about attraction, the difference of being beautiful and being sultry. His starting-point was the story of Tamnar, daughter of David, who gets raped by her half-brother, who "loves" her in a bad sense. Risto may have talked 50 minutes and at the end he obviously hurried a lot, seemed stressed. But I'll say this, he had some really important issues, strongly relevant for young people, vejlefjord no exception.

Thursday (yesterday), Robert told us the story of Jehud, a Benjamite, who were not able to use his right hand. He stuck a sword into a big fat king's enormous belly (using his left hand) to free Israel. And he succeeded. God used him, got him involved with his master plan, didn't care that Jehud had a cripple hand.

Friday night, end of the week, beginning of Sabbath. Three people were baptized. Today's subject was Mission Possible. "Here's the deal, during this week God has been working for you. Now, it's your time. Here's what you can do for him." Or something like that. He did very well, pointed out from the bible the meaning of getting baptized, and he asked every believer to come up front to join in praying for the future.

I've been very troubled with homework, lately. But it's been nice going these meetings, returning to this peaceful spiritual dimension every night. What would I do without this opportunity of going to God now and then? How do non-believers manage? Do they? I'd do a lot, just to share with them this simple feeling I get every Sabbath when a voice inside my head calmly says, "It's time for a break. No more homework, no more stress. This time belongs to you and to God."

(Please ignore bad grammar and/or bad spelling.)

First week after the extended Sabbath

2005-10-28T21:54:00.000+02:00

I'm not always tired, you know! But don't you know these nights when you just observe how the clock turns 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 1:15, 1,30, 1:45, 2:00, 2:20, 2:40, 3:05, and perhaps 3:30 ? Last night was one of these nights. What would I do if God hadn't blessed the seventh day of the week and settled for us that we could rest that one day? Right now, I just need it more than ever.

It's been a tough week. I guess, it's always kind of tough to return at school or to get back to work in general. I was just getting used to this extended Sabbath I had. My entire body seems to have problems switching back to ordinary life. For instance, I caught a cold Tuesday night. My immune system may be weakened because of a high stress level. Or it might just be because the dorm is not very well insulated. But according to personal statistics I catch a cold approximately twice a year, at early spring and at late summer (or is it early autumn?). So I had it coming.

Wednesday, Mum got back one of last year's puppies. So now, we suddenly have four dogs in the house, a week ago we only had two. But we are not gonna keep this one. She's going to help the owners sell him. They've had him for a year, but he still isn't house trained, and he's been biting and gnawing their furniture. I think, It's odd. There has been no problems with the other puppies we've sold, and there are no problems with the dog's temper, it seems. He likes people, he's very happy, a bit too sex fixated, though. He can't make any of our bitches pregnant, because something's wrong about his testicles. Doesn't keep him from trying, though.
But we might know some of the explanations to the problems, they've had with him. If you ever get a male dog, don't expect him to go outside to do the farting stuff all by himself. You'll have to teach him this procedure! What else could you expect from a pet? If you leave him alone in the house from early morning till late noon, then don't expect him to stay on a certain spot behaving like an angel who keeps his poop inside - as if humans would. Trust me, he'll do whatever you don't want him to do. He'll tear apart your magazines and newspapers and spread the pieces in the living room. He'll scratch your couches, eat your rubbish and throw it up in your bed, next to his other personal leavings (you know what I mean).
Of course, we don't know for certain what's been going on. But I personally suspect they have not taken the responsibility as they should have. I hope mum will find some people who are willing to pay more time on him. By the way, his name is bambino. If you'd like to take the responsibility it takes and want to have a kind and active Cavelier King Charles Spaniel in exchange for only 6000 kroner (Danish money, less in $ and £)... nah, what are the odds? ;)
It's a great dog, though.

Besides the dog and my cold, I have no interesting news for you.
But have a Happy Sabbath. :-)

Mum's home, new family member

2005-10-22T21:29:00.000+02:00

I couldn't fall asleep last night. I had watched a movie, and I had a lot of things on my mind. Finally, I fell asleep, but I woke up shortly afterwards. After that, I slept until 11:40, though.

Somehow the next four hours just passed. I was waiting for Mum and Jens to come back. Jens left last night to get Mum in the airport very early in the morning. As soon as they'd come, we all left to fetch Kristian in Aarhus - and our new puppy, Chikita.

Guess that was today's news. See you next Sabbath. :)

Danish blog

2005-10-21T17:35:00.000+02:00

I've decided to make another blog in which I'll deal with my thoughts rather than what's going on with my life. It's in Danish, so I encourage any Danish reader who enters this blog to pay Dynamics of my Mind a visit.

And Happy Sabbath to all of you. I'll return to this blog tomorrow night to tell you about my Sabbath. :)

Autumn Holidays

2005-10-19T16:38:00.000+02:00

I'm on holiday. One week of pure relaxation. It's somewhat like an extended Sabbath. I still have certain obligations, though. I've got to find a few speakers for Café117 and agree on some dates. I've almost covered every Tuesday until Christmas. And as a moderator I have to keep an eye on a Christian message board. I might want to write an assignment, too. Otherwise, I'll have to do it the minute I return at Vejlefjord.

I didn't blog last Sabbath because I was in Norway at the Scandinavian Youth Retreat 2005. Young adventists from Sweden, Denmark and Norway (of course) had united for the sake of Christian fellowship. We discussed different matters on the topic, the Good Life, and did a lot of worship. Except for the 11 hours of driving and sailing (twice), it was really great! Unfortunately, we were few Danes. I think any Danish young adventist would've enjoyed being there. Anyway, if you want to see some pictures, go to Andreas' flickr.

The last few days, I've had company. My brother, Jens, is home during the holiday. Besides him, Jakob was here. He taught me some poker (got ripped), and we ordered pizzas and relaxed in front of a movie, Bad Boys II. It was hyggeligt (a Danish word which means nice, cozy, pleasant, enjoyable).

See you next Sabbath (probably)

Michael W. Smith Live

2005-10-12T22:44:00.000+02:00

Yes, it's Wednesday. I guess it couldn't be less Sabbath. But I warned you, didn't I? ;-)

Last night, almost fourty students went to "Herning Messecenter" to be at the Michael W. Smith concert. Imagine 5,300 Jesus Freaks gathered to worship the Lord. Michael was terrific, and it was a blessing to hear about his strong relationship to God through his songs and his testimonies. There was a great atmosphere among the audience. God was there that night, no doubt about that. To get a better description of this huge event, check out my cousin's blog (apparently, he was there, too).

Tomorrow, holiday begins for my part. I'm going to Norway over the weekend, as mentioned, and then I'll be at home. I was planning on going to some classmates' party at the end of next week, but I guess it'll be too expensive for me to go to Copenhagen. And I will need to rest before I go back to Vejlefjord to continue school.

Have a nice weekend when you get that far (and Sabbath, too). :-)

Visiting Daugaard (in the town of Daugaard)

2005-10-08T22:29:00.000+02:00

I'm absolutely full. I've been eating ever since we visited one of our teachers, Holger Daugaard, this afternoon. It's always nice to visit Holger and his wife, Elsebeth. They're kind, they have good senses of humour, and they certainly know how to cook. We had some chicken fillets, leek pie, mixed salad and potatoes. After that we had pudding with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Later on, we had some chocolate cake with frosting and some fruit (pineapple, pear, and apple). We went back to the school, extremely full, and as we watched tonight's football game, we had some snacks, too. Actually, I have a bag of sweets in my drawer, but I think I'll just keep it there.

I really enjoyed watching the football game. We had several chances, but we only made one goal. Fortunately, our opponents, the Greek, made no goals at all. They had a lot of yellow cards, though. I think they behaved like small children fighting over toys.

Yesterday, I forgot to tell about the fire. Well, it's not really that interesting. But last Tuesday, a tractor catched a fire. Our school principal, who is also our religion teacher, suddenly had to go because of the fire. Well, he didn't make any significant difference in the matter of putting out the fire, but of course he should attend it as the school principal. Most students did. Nobody really knows how it happened. But now, we know how charred tractor smells. Nobody was hurt.

Anyway, I'll probably return to this blog during this week or the week after that. I might return to tell you about the concert with Michael W. Smith this Tuesday. I think I'll have problems publishing anything next Sabbath as I'm going to an Adventist Youth Meeting of some sort in Norway.

God bless! :-)

The Race, the Public Library, Mum travelling and so on.

2005-10-08T08:10:00.000+02:00

Finally! It's back! The Seveth Day which God blessed for the sake of man. We're meant to rest. Not just physically rest (although I think that's part of it), but spiritually as well. Do as I do. Think about your week. Think about your relation to God. Think of how he may have interfered with your everyday life. And rest in the joy and peace of knowing that he's been with you all week, and now he thinks it's time for you to slow down. Make yourself comfortable. Do the things you haven't had time to do the last six days.

It's been an interesting week!

My mum went to Australia last Sabbath morning. She had a few days in Singapore, though, before she went on to Sydney. It's 30 degrees down there. In Singapore, she was picked up by a Chinese cap driver who introduced her to jewellers and tailors. She rejected most of the offers but had to say yes to some clothes as the salesman had thought she looked 10 years younger than she actually is. So, if you're low on self confidence, go to Singapore. And get poor at the same time. Anyway, I think she's had a fun trip so far.

I really need the car back! It's getting repaired. At least, I haven't heard anything else from the mechanic. He's supposed to inform my aunt and uncle when he knows the estimate price. It broke down, just Thursday before Mum left. I really needed it this week as I had to go to the library and return some books. Fortunately, my cousin brought me there, and I had dinner with her and my aunt and uncle. That was yesterday.

Today, lessons were cancelled for the sake of a running race. It's a tradition to run this certain route at this time of the year. Well, usually we'd do it on the first Friday of September, but for some reason they thought they'd move it this year. It didn't matter, though. The weather was fine. Of course, I didn't run because I'm one of the 3.gs (pronounced third gees). As the oldest students at the school we have the privilege of dressing up and throw water at all the other students, except the very small and innocent ones and the top ten boys and girls.

That'll be all for now.
Happy Sabbath, y'all. ;-)

End of First Sabbath

2005-10-02T10:24:00.000+02:00

Now, it's the night before Sunday. I should get some rest. A new week is waiting.

Anyway, this weekend we were very few at Vejlefjordskolen (where I live). Most students have gone hom because they've been on different trips the last week and may be rather exhausted. ADRA Danmark (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) had the service this Sabbath. They showed a lot of pictures from Rwanda and had a lot of interesting stories to tell. And they said some words about forgiveness.

The Unity Choir had a concert tonight. It was terrific, worth every penny. Well, I didn't pay because I'm a student. I could attend it for free.

I've been thinking a lot about the next year lately. My plan is to be "A Year for the Lord", working for the Church, but nothing is settled. At the moment, there are no agreements. One thing is for sure, I don't want to go to work and do everyday jobs with some minister. I want to be involved with Church Planting projects, Youth Meetings, probably some administrative jobs as well and far more interesting things where you get to meet and talk to people. If I just went to serve some congregation I'd be wasting my time, because that's not what I'm gonna spend my time on as a minister.

Thomas Rasmussen and I talked discussed some of this after he had had the meeting in the Church friday night. He had just talked about the biblical parable as it is told in Luke 15:

Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

But, as he said, in the real world 99 sheep are lost, and we must leave the one that we've put so much effort in pleasing in the past. I never thought of the parable like that, but I certainly agree. We should fire all ministers and hire some missionaries and evangelists instead. I don't want to become a minister to serve the inner circle. I want to serve those who've never heard of no circle and are (living and) dying to hear about it.

The First Sabbath

2005-10-01T09:06:00.000+02:00

I've become used to MSN Spaces. In a sense, that means that I've become tired of MSN Spaces. It just doesn't work with Firefox when you wanna update it. And everything on MSN Spaces looks so small. And I don't want to support Microsoft's monoply more than I need to. For instance, I don't use Microsoft Office but OpenOffice.org.

Anyway, this will be my blog in the future. I might not publish anything very often, but at least I hope to update it every Sabbath to tell you something more or less interesting about my life. :-)