a mystery gained...

i feel like i need to know. lots of things i mean. like mysteries - i like mysteries. but i only like them when i get to find out what happens in the end. that's why i think i have a hard time sometimes with regards to my faith. it's a mystery. and though i know what i believe and i know what i think i know, i don't necessary believe what i know.

so for example, i believe in the following (otherwise known as the apostles creed):

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

and i know these things are true because i read them in the bible, because the longing in my heart shows me the truth and becuase experience tells me so. and yet, there is still so much left to mystery, a mystery in which i can believe in the ending and know it's true, but i won't experience it for awhile.

this is hard for me.

it's not like the end of a movie when you know the mystery will end, or at the end of american idol when they boot someone off the show. you get to know the end. you solve the mystery. maybe i'm a product of the modern world - i want things now. i don't want to wait for the mystery to be unveiled. the mystery of life. the mystery of christ.

but i was reading in colossians a day or two ago and was comforted. read if for yourself. the mystery in which i place my hope is not of this world or of this time or of this place. the mystery is eternal love and sufficient grace and unbreakable hope - it is CHRIST.

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 1:24-2:3

$1318 per second

Are you serious...? This is rediculous.

Exxon Mobil makes over $10 billion
No. 1 U.S. oil company earns $1,318 a second -topping forecasts - but comes in just shy of a record.
By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer
July 27 2006: 10:09 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Profits at Exxon Mobil surged 36 percent to a near record $10.4 billion in the second quarter as surging oil prices helped the world's largest publicly traded company soundly beat Wall Street forecasts.

The company's profit - which amounts to a cool $1,318 a second - is the second biggest ever reported by a U.S. company, behind only the $10.7 billion Exxon itself earned in the fourth quarter of 2005.

Big oil dominates
One look at the largest corporations in the world and a single conclusion jumps out: Natural resources are driving the global economy as never before.

PO'd at the pump
Some small business owners are turning their frustration over high oil and gas prices into big bucks.

Big Oil's pain
While record prices have produced record profits, they have also helped make crude a lot more expensive to pump.

The earnings equaled $1.72 a share, topping the $1.64 a share analysts had forecast on average, according to First Call.

The $1,318 a second would buy enough gasoline, even at the current $3 a gallon average, to drive a Hummer H3 between Los Angeles and New York three times.

New York-based Exxon Mobil caught considerable flack from the general public for its record fourth quarter, which came soon after gasoline prices hit record highs.

Compounding matters, the company gave its outgoing CEO Lee Raymond a retirement package worth about $350 million around the same time.

That combination of events led to a public outcry calling for restrictions to CEO pay, and from lawmakers who wanted to institute a windfall profits tax on the oil industry or even break up some of the oil giants that merged in the 1990s.

But the industry says that oil prices fluctuate widely over time and that, in the long run, it's actually less profitable than a number of other industries.

Officials have also argued against a government-forced break up, saying oil companies need to be big to compete in a global market against foreign state-run firms, some of which are larger than Exxon Mobil.

Surging oil prices helped Exxon in the quarter, when crude prices jumped 31 percent.

Exxon said spending on exploration and production rose 8 percent in the quarter, to $4.9 billion.

That may be good news for investors, who have been concerned that high oil prices would lead to company to boost spending even further.

But it might be bad news for consumers hoping that more oil on the market would help lower gas prices.

Industry experts say that it's getting increasingly expensive for oil companies to get easily refinable crude oil out of the ground.

At the same time, high prices have led to surging demand for exploration and drilling equipment, and workers, causing the price of such services to jump roughly 15 percent a year over the last several years, industry executives and analysts say.

Then there's the geological fact that new, large, high-quality oil fields are simply getting harder to find.

Meanwhile, new production hasn't kept pace with surging demand - not only from the United States, but from China, India and other rapidly growing economies - which has driven prices up nearly fourfold, from around $20 a barrel in early 2002 to a trading high of $78.40 earlier this month on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Tensions in the Middle East and other parts of the world and speculative buying by big investment funds has also helped fuel the runup.

way too fat!!!!

Check out this article about obesity in America. This is crazy:

Study: More Americans too fat for X-rays, scans

It's especially crazy cause my next door neighbor was just telling me about how in New Orleans he had to use extra long needles on some people to get the epideral into the spine - because they were too fat. Yikes

more from the road

Photo Wednesday

I haven't posted in quite some time now, but I thought I'd come back with some shots of my recent road trip to Durango, CO. What a beautiful drive. If you ever get the chance - take a ride to Durango.