Helping my friend

I was having emotional problems. A good friend of mine, Arman Filat, has started doing naughty things because of issues with his family. Naughty things such as stealing the bread and having noisy parties. It really stressed me out, and not just because I was getting the blame for stealing the bread. I was really worried about Arman Filat, and the worry grew worse when I couldn't think of a way to help him. Then God revealed to me this while I was studying 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 1:23-24
I call to God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

The church in Corinth was unhappy with Paul for many reasons, one of which included his change of plans. He didn't visit them when he previously said he would. In these verses he reveals that he wasn't going to visit in order to benefit them. As a leader Paul wanted to work alongside them and help them grow in their faith. They weren't going to grow very much if every time they had a problem he showed up and dealt with it for them. They were at a stage where they were quite capable of doing things themselves, even if they were still prone to making errors (e.g. 2 Corinthians 2:5-8).

What this means if you're leading someone: Sometimes when we love someone and want the best for them we have to do things they will not like, they will not understand and they will not agree with. The church in Corinth didn't understand why Paul changed his mind, and they weren't happy with this or his previous letter. When you have spiritual authority over someone, or you are looking after someone, you need wisdom. You need to know how to act and what advice to give. You need to know when to act and when to offer advice. You need to know when to intervene, and when you should take a step back so they can deal with it themselves. You need wisdom from God. If you rely on your own wisdom, your own reasoning and your own understanding you will probably make mistakes.

Sometimes you don't need to do everything for them. You just need to work alongside them.

What this means when you come under someone else's authority: Sometimes when someone loves you they will do things to you that you will not like, you will not understand and you will not agree with. Even if you don't quite understand, you still need to submit and act in obedience.


Okay, so this is some rebellious emo kid and not Arman Filat (Arman Filat is a possum) but hey, I'm just trying to make this aesthetically pleasing.

For me this means that I can't just fix Arman Filat's problems for him. I will help him when God opens the door for me, but until then I will just pray for him and just be a good friend. Stressing over it won't help anyone.

Art- tips for young players

Firstly, Sam, I did not steal the bread. I don't like bread. I like easter eggs and shopping bags.

Moving on. I share a room with someone weird. I can't tell you who. She will get upset. One day I came home from school to find this:



That's right. A drawing of Jared Leto. And from this angle it doesn't look too bad. BUT IT IS! YOUR BRAIN IS TRICKING YOU!

Closer examination revealed that it was actually pretty bad, and because I'm pretty good at criticising artworks I thought this would be a good time to point out some things to keep in mind if you ever take up drawing with pastels.

1. Proportion is important.


Jared Leto should not look emaciated. His pretty face should be more rounded. Being a little more conscientious when shading could have saved him from the starving orphan look.

2. Take care with fine details.


Surprisingly, this mouth is the best mouth our amateur artist has ever drawn. It isn't bad. She likes pretty mouths; maybe that's why. The nose, however, is shocking.

3. Don't cheat. It looks ugly.


Just because your subject's hair gracefully falls over one eye does not mean you can slack off and do a dodgy job. People can still see that eye.

4. Pastels are smudgy. Be careful.


This is especially important if you enjoy drawing dark haired pretty boys with pale skin. I know for a fact that our friend spent an awfully long time trying to make the skin nice (she has skin tone issues normally), and then all her hard work was destroyed by accidentally smudging black hair onto the skin. It's a good idea to use something like blank paper to protect your picture from smudging while you work. It's also a good idea to be patient, and not rush to get it finished.

Overall, the picture isn't really good enough to submit as an art piece (poor Jared Leto!), but it's not bad considering it probably only took two hours to make max. And even though I didn't show this, word on the street is the awful artist is actually very pleased with the way his neck and shirt turned out.

Sponge cake eaters- everything you needed to know about them

Sponge cake eater (noun):

A term, usually offensive, used to describe a person who ascribes to the philosophy of the sponge cake and searches for inherent sponge cake qualities in everything. If such qualities are not found the person will then dismiss the assessed item as intrinsically flawed and therefore of no positive value.

The term sponge cake eater cannot be applied to anyone who eats a sponge cake. A person may eat sponge cake, and possibly even enjoy eating sponge cake, without being a sponge cake eater. To be classified as a sponge cake eater a person must enjoy eating sponge cake and dislike other items because they lack the properties of sponge cake, for instance, dryness, airiness, and an over abundance of cream.

Sponge cake eater (alternative definition):

a person suffering from a medical and psychological condition with similar manifestations as above, only the person enjoys eating sponge cake and dislikes items dissimilar to sponge cake through involuntary means, such as previous head trauma or drug-induced psychosis.

Etymology:

A term with a contemporary origin first used to describe a person on the 12th of May, 2009 (click here for original reference).The term was derived from two terms:

sponge cake- a cake made from egg whites, flour, sugar and other stuff that originated by the early 19th century. It has a light, airy (and dry) texture and generally isn't the best type of cake.

eater- a living organism that consumes things.

Example of the use of the word:

Sam loved that her vegetarian cupcakes did not have a dry, airy texture. She was no sponge cake eater.

The Quest for the Hidden Treasure

Journal entry, 22nd April:

18:00 hrs. Haven't had the internets for some time now, but didn't even notice. Rumours of special treasure have occupied all thoughts. Must find treasure. Must satisfy chocolate cravings!

18:30 hrs. Start mission. Initiate Despa-cam. Relay file sequence to computer for posterity.



18:40 hrs. End transmission.

Mission status: complete.