"Everybody's looking forward to the weekend, weekend"

Somehow, strangely, today has been a really good day. It started with a peaceful ushering into consciousness, where I fleetingly considered skipping philosophy class. And then a brief text conversation with one of my favorite people three hours in the past. And after an uneventful commute through the rain, I scored a sweet parking spot and sat through another scintillating lecture on Aquinas's five proofs. I don't know, the class has been interesting to this point, but now it's just gotten fascinating.

The professor wraps up the ontological argument for the existence of God, and turns to the class and asks who's convinced. And of course, no one is. As I'm reading this book on the emergent church [and coming to terms with how post-modern I am in my thinking] I'm intrigued by the relationship between reason and faith. I love what Aquinas has to say about the relationship between the two, how they must be informed by each other, how reason equips faith but can only go so far without it. There is so much logic in Christianity! And yet, that's not the wondrous thing, is it? Faith is the whole point! Aquinas himself despairs of the ontological argument because the argument is concerned with the mind alone, and not real life. Real life is what's convincing; we exist in reality and ought to be concerned with reality and reason. This is the part of my testimony that is irrefutable: my personal experience. One can quibble over logic, but can't challenge the reality of a changed heart.

I had the opportunity to give the gospel [straight-up, textbook, role-play, practically circle-diagramed gospel, it was entirely uncanny] to two of my friends on Wednesday. And though their curiosity was sated [or piqued, Lord willing?] they were of course unconvinced. Why? What is this mysterious thing we term "conviction"? What is it made of? How does it work? I have come into conviction, I have been drawn through it, seen it made real in my life before I thought to ask if it wasn't. And so, more than ever I am deeply intrigued by "rescue stories", the explanations of the steps from skeptic to subscriber. What does it take surrender to that way of thinking? It's so much to swallow . . . and yet here we are. What do I have that my unbelieving friends don't have? Oh Father God, have mercy.

Anyway. After philosophy class I worked. And took an exam. And went back to work. I was happy because all day the store was really busy and there was lots to do and I felt wonderfully productive and competent. And when the last customer finally left, and I concluded my dance sesh to "Two Princes" [okay, I'm going to bless you here, best Pandora station ever: Jessie's Girl Radio. Try it and see.] and literally skipped out of the store. I left school feeling gleeful. Three exams behind me, a stressful speech over and done with, no catch-up work to do in school, I was set! Plus, I got a free DVD rental from Redbox, and buy-one-get-one-free ice cream, and gasoline for $3.53 a gallon, and I came home to my sisters and my house and the blessed, blessed weekend! This is what they mean by TGIF! I can't even bring myself to feel cynical about this facet of the over-privileged American lifestyle. I just totally get where Rebecca Black is coming from! Gotta get down on Friday. Word.

Veritas Forum on Monday. Hm.

One of the girls I work with found out today that I have a blog. "What do you write about?" she asked me. Ummm. I like to think my blog is a step up from an internet journal, with intentional entries that read more like articles than a diary. But obviously, I have been deluding myself. :P [I mean, obviously. I just used an emoticon!] It seems my blog is about how I see living, and I'm okay with that. Thanks for humoring me.