Wicked Wednesday - 20100630

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Wickedness. We are like other memes in that we will ask you ten questions each and every Wednesday. But our little "twist" is that each week we will pick a famous person and pick ten of their quotes. Each of our questions will be based on the quotes. Got it? Great! Let's begin this week's meme!

Today we picked Lady Gaga. Here's Wednesday Wickedness!

1. "Peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." Do you keep your cool no matter what is going on around you?

I would like to think that i do.  While i have never been in actual combat i have done a lot of training under intense and prolonged circumstances (which i am not saying comes close to the real thing) and i feel that i have been able to keep my cool.  My Beloved seems to think that i am not as proficient as i would like to think i am... so... not really sure.

2. "Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore." Do you feel that career should be more important than your love life?

Speaking strictly from a male perspective, i feel that there needs to be a balance between the two.  Ones career should not trump your love life, nor should your love life trump your career.  It is important to not treat either as an idol in your life.  Since i consider myself "samurai" i feel that it is our duty to serve others.  Your spouse (or significant other) is a part of you.  That relationship is NOT a 50-50 deal.  Both partners need to give all of themselves 24x7x365.  However, ones career is what provides the things that we need to sustain our lives.  It provides barter (usually in the form of currency) that is then in turn used to pay for shelter, food, etc.  Unless you own your own business you are serving someone else. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24, ESV).

3. "You have to be unique, and different, and shine in your own way." In what way(s) do you feel that you are unique?

Um...  not really sure how to answer this, but i like "geek humor", i like sappy predictable movies, i have a thing for post apocalyptic movies. I enjoy Celtic Folk music... but one of a kind unique... i guess the combination of things that make me, me.

4. "I want women -- and men -- to feel empowered by a deeper and more psychotic part of themselves. The part they're always trying desperately to hide. I want that to become something that they cherish." Do you feel that there is a part of you that you need to hide from most people?

Yes... my inability to feel 'normal' in a crowded room.  At any given moment i have several thoughts flowing through my mind that have absolutely nothing to do with the conversation. The fact that i have virtually no ability to empathize with what others are going through. I could go on... but...

5. "Love is like a brick. You can build a house, or you can sink a dead body." Have you ever held on to a relationship even though you truly knew it was already over?

When i shipped off to basic training i was dating a young lady, who by the time i got back had started dating my brother.  But, she didn't tell me that she.  When i finally found out (by her going to his graduation when she didn't come to mine, and came back engaged) i tried over and over to hold on to her.  I was pretty pathetic.  in the end i told my brother that of all the fights we got into as kids, i was glad that he won that one.  (When they finally got a divorce she took him for everything except a small retirement account and his truck - which didn't survive the divorce proceedings).

6. "Sometimes in life you don't always feel like a winner, but that doesn't mean you're not a winner, you want to be like yourself." Would your friends say that you are a winner in this game of life?

I think so.  My father once asked if i would be willing to be the executor of his estate (he has since changed thank, for which i am thankful).  I have had friends tell me that they would entrust their children to me if something would happen to them.  But in the end i am not trying to "win" in this life.  My ultimate goal is to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25, ESV)

7. "A glamorous life is quite different to a life of luxury. I don’t need luxury. For years, I was practically broke but I was still very vain and glamorous. And I still am." Can you tell us about a time when you were broke and yet still happy?

Shortly after i became a Christian i spent about five month unemployed.  I was living with a house full of other men from my church, but God provided enough money for both my rent and a monthly giving amount i had pledged.  I ate a lot of tuna fish and macaroni and cheese, but i was very content.

8. "I’m single right now and I’ve chosen to be single because I don’t have the time to get to know anybody. So it’s okay not to have sex, it’s okay to get to know people. I’m celibate. Celibacy’s fine." Do you think staying celibate between relationships important?

YES!  I know most of the Western World will disagree with me, but i feel that sex is to be between a man and a woman, and even then only after they become husband and wife.  Having said that, i did NOT live up to this standard.  But i also knew, that once we crossed that line i was prepared to marry my Beloved.  It does change thing.  There is something that changes, and not just between the partners.

9. "Fight and push harder for what you believe in, you'd be surprised, you are much stronger than you think." Tell us about an incident where you were stronger than you thought you were.

All through my childhood (and i only found this much later) my mother was never home.  Sometimes she was on binges, or would even try to kill herself, so i was often left alone for hours, or a couple of days.  Well, not alone, my brother was with me. I managed to get to school on time (before i stopped caring about it), get myself fed (breakfast/lunch/dinner/whatever), and keep the house relatively clean.

10. "I lie in bed and try to pray and breathe. I have a very overactive mind. I’m the sort of person who’d never take medication to calm myself. It’s maddening. But I love what comes out." Do you feel that you always have the ability to calm yourself?

Mostly.  There are times when i have trouble sleeping, but i never feel out of control.  Even during the times when i having troubles sleeping, i pray and lift it up to God.  In the end, it is all in His hands.