billgrip's Xanga

An Interesting Title That Doesn't Draw You In At All...

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:45:51 GMT

I suck at titles. Unless it is song titles, then I'm really good. Unfortunately I possess no musical talent whatsoever, so me thinking of song titles is like an anorexic thinking about pizza hut. Not gonna happen. Luckily, I own a macbook and am able to create music with garage band with no musical talent. So my song names may come to use after all...Here's a few examples-

The Future is Purple
Chickens can't fly, so let's eat them
The Coming Paradox
Blue Light Special on Acid

and if I ever went hardcore...

Screaming into Deaf Ears
Tight pants, no underwear
Loud noises that don't make sense
Tina Turner wore Prada
Eating a Beating Heart
Moshing Bugs Bunny to Death

Too bad they don't hire guys just to write song titles. I'd be a millionaire. And now it's time for the boring part of the blog.

Lately there's been some H1N1 (Swine Flu) going around at Maranatha Bible Camp...for rizzle my nizzle. Now before you all freak out and run around screaming saying "OH NO WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!"... please know a few things. H1N1 isn't even as deadly as the REGULAR flu that no one seems to worry about every single year. The epidemic is the people who freak out over nothing. You just get a fever, cough, and sore throat for a few days and that's about it. It CAN be worse, but usually isn't. I'm pretty sure if everyone in this country got it, way fewer people would die than do every single day by abortion. So lets worry about something that actually matters.

However, because we are a Christian camp, the leadership felt that it was best to shut the camp down for a few days to try to prevent the spread because it has been hitting our staff...almost half the staff has gotten it now. I haven't yet, but still could. The staff who did get it last week were isolated and we took all precautions to prevent the spread, but it was still spreading. It first came to camp two weeks ago with some campers from Texas. It was an unfortunate time to have this occur, because the 4th of July is a pretty big deal at Maranatha Bible Camp, and usually over 1,000 people are out here for an all day bash that ends with a big fireworks show.

But this year it was just staff, and Lindsay and I got to plan the activities. It was a really fun day with sand volleyball, powerboating, a cookout, a movie, and then we still did the fireworks show.

The fireworks show was the best. I got to help light the fireworks, and I expected this little tiny show of lighting 1 or 2 at a time with for 10 minutes and then doing 3 or 4 at a time for the grand finale. I was VERY wrong. It was insane. There was 7 guys who each had their own station and a set of fireworks to shoot off. For a half hour it was "fire at will" and it basically consisted of huge explosions all around me as I frantically ran back and fourth trying to load my station and light it as quickly as possible. It was a great adrenaline rush and I felt like I was in a war zone risking my life...which the risking my life part was partially true, lol. We had a few that blew up a little early...which meant they blew up about 3 feet from us. It was intense, but tons of fun! I can't wait for next year.

And that concludes my update. Pray for the camp that the flu will go away and we can carry on camp like normal the rest of the summer. Thank God for the wonderful things He's doing out here. Pray for Lindsay and I as we continue to adjust to life out here.

Thanks!

-Bill

June Update!!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:23:30 GMT

Alright so I need to be running the climbing wall in about 5 minutes, so I'll make this short.

What's been going on in the life of Bill and Lindsay Griepenstroh lately? Oh not too much, just living life at Maranatha Bible Camp. Now that I am well acquainted with this place, things are going quite well. Every day here is a little bit different, and for those of you who have monotonous jobs, you'd understand what a blessing that is. The people here are very kind, and they really love each other. In fact, I dare to say that I really haven't seen this much love from people that barely know me anywhere in my entire life. But then again, I haven't really been around people that don't know me very well very often.

I like my job here, right now I mostly work with people, and not so much media. It has been nice though, to have a little break from media, because making 100's of videos can get old after a while.

Speaking of video, I haven't had too much time to make youtube videos lately, although I have wanted to. It is a bummer though, to see youtube change from the great community site into the website it is now where half the videos that are force-fed to you on the homepage are with slutty chicks because they get more views and sell ads better. But whether or not they know it, youtube still needs people like me, smaller people who make videos with good clean humor and don't really care about making money.

Blah blah blah, I could go on for days about youtube but I will spare you. Ummm, I saw a mountain lion. I actually talk about it a little in this video that no one has watched- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiA5jGSu2dk&feature=channel_page so if you are bored watch that.

Yesterday I did a mini-triathalon. I swam about 1/4th of a mile, then I biked 3.2 miles and ran 2 miles. It was sweet. I have really been obsessed with exercise since I moved here, and I usually run around 3 miles per day. I'm not really losing any weight unfortunately, because the food here is so good. But the way I see it I would be way fatter if I wasn't exercising so I guess I'll keep it up.

If you want to pray for us, pray for the summer staff out here that we remain united for the rest of the summer and that true conversions will be made out here rather than fake ones that people hold onto as their "salvation moment" as they continue to live in sin. I hope everything is going well for all of you out east, and hopefully once the summer is over Lindsay and I will get to come home and visit several times!

In Christ,

-Bill

Maranatha Bible Camp

Mon, 18 May 2009 02:25:35 GMT

As most of you know, Lindsay and I took a job out at Maranatha Bible Camp near North Platte. Its hard to believe that this is already my 4th night here, but there are many more on the way. First I'll write a little about my first few days here, and then I'll right a little about my personal feelings...because everyone loves to share their feelings :D

So last Thursday was moving day. Our parents came and helped and Lindsay's dad brought his trailer. I also recruited a few friends to help, but mostly I just wanted them to come along to hang out. Moving out was a breeze, and it took us like 20 minutes to load all of me and Lindsay's five possessions into the trailer. We arrived at Maranatha a few hours later and it didn't take too long to get everything unloaded. Then everyone hung out for a while and then everyone left us. Lindsay and I then kinda looked at each other and realized, "This is really happening." It was really hard for me that first night unpacking everything and realizing that I wasn't going back to be with the people I have lived near all my life for quite a while. That night we had supper and met a whole lot of new people, most of whose names I still don't know.

Friday we woke up and kept getting our house in order. Once we reached a stopping point, we went into town and did various important things, like getting texting on our cell phones, making a deposit at the bank, and spending three hours in Wal-mart. That evening was pretty relaxed.

On Saturday we got up bright and early around 6:00 AM and helped run the booth for Maranatha at a local 5k event. We brought paintball guns and let anyone who wanted to try shoot some bowling ball pins. It lasted several hours. Then we went to Wal-mart again, and came home to work on our house and I got to take a nice nap.

Today we went to church in North Platte at the Berean. Afterwords we went to Wal-mart again and then came home for lunch. Then it was time for the staff to arrive, and we spent the next 7 hours over in the dining hall area waiting for the staff to arrive, cleaning, eating supper, and playing ice breaker games. It was fun.

Anyways, now for personal feelings time. To be honest, it has been a hard transition to make so far. Things are just different here. I don't know anyone. I'm sure that eventually I will make friends with everyone here and that I will be able to build some strong friendships...but not yet. That takes time.

Coming here, I had no idea what to expect, and I still don't know what to expect. I miss my home and my friends that I have been blessed to be around for the first 21 years of my life. Most people don't get to have the great friends that I have had and the great family support that Lindsay and I have both had. I love being at camp, but this isn't Covenant Cedars and I miss Covenant Cedars. This is really the first time in my life I have ever really truly been out of my comfort zone, and it just isn't all that easy for me. I know that God has great things for us and that above all things we will glorify God in this place, but it will take time for me to adjust, and I feel that there will always be a part of me back in Central City, back in Hastings, and even back at Nebraska Christian that I will miss. However, this is where God wants us, I am sure of it, and this is where I will stay and where I will grow in my faith. Please pray for us here, and come out and visit sometime!

The dawn of another big change...

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:15:59 GMT

I love Saturday mornings. I get to sleep in, walk around the house in my underwear, and write a good long blog entry. In about two hours the NFL draft starts, and I am going over to watch it with my friends while eating some donuts. Woot!

Lately my life has been in a repetitive mode. I'm not saying its a bad thing, because sometimes its nice to find some rhythm in life, especially after being married 4 months ago and going through the single biggest change I have ever experienced. People still ask me, "So how's married life?" And my answer is still, "It's good" and I mean that. It started out awesome and it keeps getting better every day.

So let me tell you about the rhythm in my life right now. I work Monday at 10:45AM-(app.) 3:00PM. Then the rest of the day is mine...usually I watch heroes at 8:00PM and hang out with the wife all evening. Tuesday- I have class at 1:30 PM and 5:00PM and I workout inbetween. I get home from class around 8:00PM and hang out with the wife. Wednesday, usually I work in the evening, but lately things have been going on on wednesday. Like last wednesday Lindsay and I went to Lincoln for a special dinner for All USA scholarship nominees at the capitol building...Lindsay was a nominee from CCC last semester. Thursday I have class at 1:30 PM and thats it. Friday I usually work in the morning and sometimes I work in the evening too. Saturday I work in the evening. Sunday I go to church in the morning and work in the evening. I like my life right now...my schedule is fairly laid back.

But thats all about to change. Lindsay and I have a job waiting for us at Marantha Bible Camp 2 1/2 hours from where we have lived our entire lives. We will be moving there in less than a month and leave everyone we know here and meet an entire new set of people. It is a little scary, but we know it is where God wants us and we would be fools to run from it. I'll be putting my two weeks notice in at work tomorrow. Crazy how life can change so fast. But time always keeps moving, bringing us all ever closer to the judgement.

What the heck its almost April?

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:21:42 GMT

Crazy how time goes by, huh?

Well here I am, once again, up later than I should be writing a blog. Why am I writing a blog? I don't know. Nothing is really new in my life. I'm still married, I still live in Nebraska, I still work at Ruby Tuesday, and I still get enjoy the smooth taste of orange juice in the morning.

My dearest wife and I recently made some fairly big purchases due to our somewhat decent tax returns and our wise financial planning. She bought Adobe CS4 Design Suite, which was more of an investment than anything else considering her graphic design work. I also invested in something that will help me save gas and get less fat- a peddle bike. Here is a picture...

Mine is the blue Schwinn. I'm pretty excited about it. In case you are wondering, the bike right behind it is Lindsay's bike (hers isn't as good). Mine was the best bike I could by at Wal-Mart, and although most of Wal-Mart's bikes and other products for that matter aren't that great- this bike is an exception to the rule. I've already ridden it several miles. It is handy when I want to go somewhere in town on a nice day, such as my friends' house or the bank. I've been wanting a bike since last summer when I rode this one kid's bike all the way from covenant cedars to central city several times and realized that I could pretty much own Lance Armstrong in a race. But I didn't want a crappy one, I wanted to spend some money and get a good one. So I waited.

Speaking of money, for the most part, Lindsay and I have done better than expected since being married. When you are first married, you will be poor no matter what, thats a given. But, if you are smart with your money you will still be able to enjoy the finer things in life every so often. Like seeing a movie. Just make sure you don't pay to see a really crappy and morally poor one with blue male nudity like Watchmen.

I've also been getting obese again lately as I've been off my diet for like two weeks. The past two nights I've been having ice cream with oreos in it. Luckily tonight we ran out of oreos and Lindsay and I don't exactly have an oreo budget so we won't be able to buy more. The ice cream is almost gone too. So I'm thinking that after spring break is over I will get back on that diet and become a male model. But right now I feel really obese and fat and unable to move at times. Good thing I have a bike.

Well alrighty then, I guess thats all for now. Keep it real as always. Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait for warm days, green grass, leaves, baseball, camping, thunderstorms, chipper moods, and my yearly attempt to get a tan that will certainly end in failure.

-Bill

I've been intending to do this...

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:31:47 GMT

I have this problem with blogging. You see, I see those blogs on xanga that people write that pertain to subjects other than themselves, or are about themselves to the point that other people could learn something from them...rather than just meaningless nothings about their boring life that no one cares about. I could see myself on that side of things, but I just don't know how to jump in. I love writing, and I have never-ending interesting opinions to share, but no one would read it because I'm really bad at meeting other bloggers. I did okay on youtube- meeting people, finding subscribers, making online friends...but this website has never quite worked out for me.

I know why though, and that is because I choose to write long and boring narratives on my personal life that only an insane person or stalker would actually love reading. (No offense to those of you who do read my blogs, I love you all but I don't understand why my life is interesting). You see, I've said this many times before, but this is my journal. It may be public and online, but I love going back and reading things about my life that I would have otherwise forgotten. I have a big head, but still my memory can only hold so much.

So now I begin the narrative. Right now it is 3:30AM, and I am still awake because I was silly and drank 2 energy drinks yesterday. Normally I wouldn't have done that, because I have been on a diet. In fact, I have actually lost about 10 pounds on this diet in about 2 1/2 weeks. It does however, allow me a splurge day, and yesterday was my splurge day. I do know that I want this diet to continue, and I'd like to see another 10 pounds or so come off in the coming months. Don't worry, I'll keep ya posted.

Beyond the diet, I have been married for about two months now. I love being married. It's my favorite. My wife is so cool. First of all, she is asleep right now and I am rudely typing on the computer at 100 mph in the same room. Luckily, she is either a sound sleeper or just really nice.

My life is pretty simple now, if you ask me. I work part time at Ruby Tuesday as a server. I love working with people, and that is what I get to do as a server. Some people are buttheads, but others are cool and fun. This past month and a half has been rough because the economy is bad now and no one seems to want to pay a pretty penny to eat out. If no one eats out or tips well (another effect of a bad economy and tight-wads that live in Central Nebraska), then I don't bring very much money home to the wife. Hopefully things will improve in the coming months or else I might have to find another job.

And then there is school. It's crazy to think I am still a student. I don't feel like a student anymore because I am married now, but I still am. I go part time on Tuesday's and Thursdays. Two of my classes are self-paced and that was a challenge at first for me, but now it is as easy as pie. My other class is also fairly easy. I might be in school longer than this semester, even though I will have my degree...because I feel that it might be in my best interest to get another degree, and possibly a third. We'll see. I like going out there on Tuesday's and Thursday's now because I work out on those days. I gotta get all rough and tough so I can beat up bad guys who might try to break into the house considering we live in the ghetto of Hastings.

Anywho, it just snowed 6 inches today and that was the most snow we've had at once all winter. What ever happened to the good ole' days when we got 10 inches of a snow every month all winter? Oh well, I want spring. Now I should go to bed.

-Bill

I'm married.

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:24:23 GMT

Everything went as planned. On December 20th, I married the love of my life. People say that there is nothing better than being young and in love, and I'm really starting to believe that.

So far we've been married for a week, and I must say that it has been the best week of my life. I'm happier than I've ever been, I get the best sleep I've ever gotten, and everything I do seems to have more purpose. Getting married has been the best thing that could have happened to me thus far, and I have no regrets. I realize that in the coming years there will be times where it will be hard, but I am ready to face those times.

Right now my new wife and I are working on the long and arduous task of getting the millions of things we received for our wedding and Christmas put away in our new apartment. Recently we purchased a new computer desk from Wal-mart. I'm pretty excited because I put it together myself over the course of a few days and I feel like I just did an entire semester of shop class putting this thing together. Now my computer is sitting on it and I'm pretty excited about it.

Other than that, we got millions of other gifts/money. As my new sister in law once said "Getting married is like the best get-rich-quick scheme ever!" It's so true, but I can only attribute all the things we got to people's generosity. I would like to thank everyone for their generosity to us- it can be very scary to be married and have nothing, and that was the situation Lindsay and I were in until all the people who love us stepped in and got us some things that we need.

I highly recommend getting married. If you are dating the person that you know you will spend the rest of your life with and you are old enough to make somewhat wise decisions, then don't waste any time! Don't make excuses and wait around. God will take care of you! My wife and I have each other, and that is all that matters. For that reason it was the best Christmas ever.

-Bill

8 days.

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:09:10 GMT

There are 8 days left until I get married. I know that it is God's will, and Lindsay is perfect for me. I am excited to be her husband. But my life is about to completely change.

It is always a temptation to pursue our own plans and dreams. I am a social guy, and I love making people laugh. I also love being the center of attention, I'll admit that...as long as it is in a positive way. Over the years I've learned that you can be the center of attention in a bad way, so I try to stay away from that. I've always wanted fame, it is part of my overly-social persona. However, it has at times distracted me from God's plans. I have learned that what I want and what God wants for me can be two totally different things.

Luckily, I've always wanted to get married. It's a question in my life that I don't have to ask anymore. Every single guy out there wants to know who he will marry. I've wanted to know ever since I was 14 and I figured out that I liked girls. Now I know, and in 8 days its going to happen.

So how will my life change?

Priority #1. Be a good husband and someday father.
Priority #2. Seek God's will in every decision.
Priority #3. Will there be any time left for any more priorities?

Sounds pretty simple, huh? The hard part is that I have to give up things to make that happen always. If there are any other priorities, such as being famous on YouTube, playing video games, or something along those lines...they have to move down or off the list completely. And remember priority #3? My list of priorities could be short.

I have 8 days left and that is what I intend to make my priorities from the second we are pronounced husband and wife. I guarantee I won't be perfect at it, but it will take time and learning. God will help me to follow those priorities because He knows it is my true desire.

In summary- it's about time I got my priorities straight.

-Bill

P.S. Seeking God's will in every decision is already a top priority for me and has been for some time. If it weren't, I wouldn't be marrying the girl of my dreams :)

Our Elected Officials Should Study Up...

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:20:30 GMT

I'm not aware of whether or not you guys saw this, but I read an article the other day that said that our elected officials failed a basic U.S. history and government quiz. Curious, I looked into it further and found that the average grade of elected officials on this quiz was a 44%. That's right, 44%! The average citizen did better than our elected officials!

I decided to take the quiz. Keep in mind, I haven't really been in a history or government class since I was in high school, nor do I care much about such things. I was still able to get a 64% on this quiz, which was slightly challenging, but with a little studying, I'm sure I could have done a little better. The average citizen only got a 49%. Regardless, I should still be able to pat myself on the back for getting a higher grade than an elected official.

I was unable to find Obama's score, but considering that rumor has it that he isn't even a naturally born citizen, I'm guessing he probably had a hard time getting even a 40%. This is alarming. We are getting dumber, it's true. SAT tests have been made easier just to try to turn a blind eye to all of this. Can we elect some people who at least understand that our electoral college is the group of people who actually elect our president? C'mon! Only 22% actually know how a government should respond in a recession. Tax less, spend more, duh. Hello? Aren't we in a recession and these are the people who are supposed to bring us out?

I've always had this theory that stupid people are everywhere. I guess I was right. Stupid people elect even dumber people to run our country. This is an embarrassment. Is anyone else upset about this? Maybe there should be a basic history and government entrance exam for those who want to run for office...something, please.

-Bill

(To take the quiz, click this link- http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx )

kids these days...is there any morality left?

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:18:36 GMT

Have you ever heard an old person say, "kids these days..." I don't know about you, but when I was a teenager, I knew everything. And now that I'm older, I guess I must know less (sarcasm). I came across an article tonight, and I found myself thinking, "kids these days..." If you have any sense of morality, you will find the content in this article to be appalling to say the least.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27706917/?GT1=43001

Now what appalled me most out of this article was the survey results about teens and sex. I went to a Christian school, and sex was something that no one talked about. If it was discovered that a student was engaging in sexual activities, the student body was, for the most part, disappointed in that person. For some, the concept of being a virgin until you are married to actually makes sense believe it or not. I sure know it makes sense to me. I love the person I am going to marry with all my heart. When I was 15 years old, however, I didn't know who I would marry, but I still decided that I wanted to respect that person enough to not give myself away for the sake of a little pleasure. Very few kids are mature or wise enough to understand the consequences of having sexual relations at a young age and the benefits of waiting.

In one sense, I am glad that secular society is actually recognizes the fact that this is not a good thing. Unfortunately, without God in the picture, there is no way to fix the problem, and attempts to fix it will likely make it worse. Fifty years ago, we didn't have this problem. In fact, these statistics probably would have shocked a prostitute.

First, they thought that the problem was kids not knowing about sex. So they added sex ed classes to schools. Then, when kids became more aware of sex, they were more inclined to try it. So the school system decided that kids were going to have sex no matter what, so they should at least wear protection to prevent STD s and pregnancy. Sex ed classes even handed out condoms to kids and demonstrated how to use them using props. Guess what, now you are not only teaching the kids how to have sex, but you are actively encouraging it as long as they use protection. Hmmm...well 52 percent of kids still aren't using protection...so that ship seems to be sinking.

Sex ed classes have begun in classes as early as kindergarton. That makes a lot of sense, because in kindergarton I was mature enough to know that I shouldn't have sex before marriage. I didn't know what sex was then, but I sure wish someone had told me so that my curious little elementary mind would have made me want to try it before I was old enough to understand 2+2. What a pity it is that I went to a Christian school... (this is where the sarcasm ends).

It is disgusting and wrong. How far, America, will you slide into immorality? Where are the parents of these kids? They probably wouldn't even care if they knew. I am saddened greatly by this, and I encourage anyone who is a Christian out there to pray that God will do something to end this madness. I firmly believe that it is the parents who are at fault, not the school system or anything else. Parents need to teach their kids about God, and build up in them a sense of self-worth that will make them respect themselves and value sex. Kids these days need to quit giving themselves away like sex is just a fun activity to do in between classes with Joe Nobody who has 15 STD s. I'm upset. Please leave your opinion on this subject.

-Bill