Seth’s World View

Editorial:
Though I expected to write Part 2 of my Special Edition this month, it will have to wait till later, as there are lots of things to communicate right now. I do hope everyone is having a good year so far. If you are new or relatively new to my list, you can view the archive of my website, in the writings section. Speaking of my website, I updated most of my sections, so check them out: http://dupre.thunderbeach.net

Current Events:
Last month, I studied for and took a Windows 2000 Professional test. It was quite exasperating, and in the end, when I was sure of my failure, I passed, so that was a relief, making me a Microsoft Certified Professional.
Work at NTU has been eventful. We have been having merger talks with a company, and recently went through some layoffs. Fortunately, I’m still there, cause I love my job, by my heart goes out to those no longer there. That’s all I can say for now. Overall, though, it’s good, and I look forward to seeing what happens.
At the Rock, I’ve been working with our art team, which we recently named Nouveaux Art Productions (and yes, I did get the name from the band, though they got it from the French language). We are in the process of having people submit writings so we can put them in book form, so that’s rather exciting.
It was really good to see the fam last month, and to spend 11 days away from Fort Collins, with the New Year spent in Denver. The time away gave me a chance to do nothing and refocus for the upcoming year, and I’m actually having a good year so far. Marathon training has been going, well, fairly consistent, which means running 20+ miles per week till the end of April, sigh.
I’m finally working through the Dune series and the Lord of the Rings series, being that I’ve never read these highly revered books. It’s a nice change, really, spending more time reading and using my imagination than passively watching TV. Considering how much TV and how little reading I did when I was younger, it’s all balancing out I guess.

Reflections:
“Whenever God gives a vision to a saint, He puts him, at it were, in the shadow of His hand, and the saint’s duty is to be still and listen…God will make you in accordance with the vision He has given you if you will wait His time… Never try and help God fulfill His word” (My Utmost For His Highest). Perseverance has never been my strong suit, and patience has never been close to my heart. It is easy to daydream, but hard to follow the path before my eyes. Without the dream, though, I may never have the foresight to change paths, or to make the current one more beautiful.
There is also the practical side of myself, that knows what to do, and where to go – what would Jesus do? Many times in this struggle called life, doing things for God seemed the right way to go, and dreams cried out to be fulfilled. Yet, though my mind said to accomplish “great” things, my heart couldn’t hear it, and there was the disconnect. The world rests on my shoulders, and should I fail to act, all fall down. This, then, was a sign of two dangers: being so devoted to serving God that truly knowing and trusting God took a back seat, and putting so much ‘ought to’ on myself lest it never happen showed staleness in my walk.
It must have been hard to be Joseph, to have a dream of being a leader, only to waste away as a servant and prisoner. If it were me, I would have been bitter, but Joseph was faithful and thankful in all the little things, and eventually God raised him up. As this year progresses, I find myself fulfilling dreams with a measure of faith previously unknown to me. At the same time, life’s curves are reminding me of my limitations, as one person can only drive so far. Even with vision, my sight cannot grasp all the future holds, but the faithfulness of one person can accomplish more than one realizes. There really is no path to happiness for me, only to make a difference in people’s lives, for no other horizon seems worthwhile anymore.
So, I enter my 28th year with some optimism – not in myself, but in what He can do in His time. The only major “?” is that whole girl thing, which of course has always been such. Perhaps that’s just a matter of the right time, His time, cause my wisdom certainly can’t figure it. Thus, “Maybe Tomorrow” by Nouveaux (the band this time) is my answer to this question, as no song expresses it better.
Life will work itself out. My goal is to enjoy every moment, as I love and serve those around me. If only I really realized how many opportunities I have every day to practice this, and how little I do. One can certainly miss many details when focused on the road and it’s destination.