Blog Closing

The Bad News:

This blog is utterly finished... forever.

The Better News:

LaughterIsMyMiddleName.com is my new website, with a new blog that just opened today!

My personal blog is now over at TrentWilliams.wordpress.com


See y'all over there!

- Trent

2010 Year End Report

I have been away from blogging for so long I am starting to lose what few blogging tips I learned. Notice I posted on a Tuesday…when the experts say most blogs are read on Thursday. Also, everything I have written is slightly exaggerated to make things more interesting. Other than that, I rather like this post… hope you do too! – T

Dear Family and Friends (and anyone else who is crazy enough to be reading this),

I have neglected writing you these past long months. Henceforth and furthermore, I have decided to plague you with this lengthy example of my writing inability. Now, what do you want to know?

I’ll start with girls. In my estimation, the complete number of girlfriends I have had over the years can be expressed in a figure strongly resembling the letter O (O, as in odd – odd, as in Trent). But those aren’t the type of girls I was thinking about anyway. I was thinking of sisters (O.K. I wasn’t thinking of them, but I had to say something or you would think I was campaigning my eligibility.)

Since my family will possibly write more about them in a much boringer, traditional newsletter… I have decided to repeat them. My sisters are cute, cuddly, cutthroats. I do not exaggerate. I have simply used the throat the mascot for all the body parts they bruise on a daily basis. My sisters recently inspired two characters in a short story I am still working on. The name of the older sister is Seraphim. The name of the younger… (I think you can guess). Both these angelic forms protect the evil goddess of life, who does not truly represent my mother (although it would be more fun to say that she did). My older sisters, this includes Cimrey even though she is a whole six years younger than I am, made a pact with all of themselves to ignore me. I have no idea why. I mean I know why they are ignoring me, but I don’t see any practical reason for it.

I guess I will have to go into every delightful detail. First, I decided this last year of teenagerhood to make up for all the other years I missed. Since everyone in my home tries to be smart, stuffy, and/or snobbish (except for Mom and the younger ones); I took it upon myself to balance things out, besides, the younger ones should have a good solid example of immaturity. Things took their course and here are the results: I turned to comedy, the younger ones to violence. Secondly, which is also lastly, I discovered that comedy is a skill I have. I have been flattered on several occasions into believing I could be a professional comic. I placed first in a Toastmaster’s humorous speech competition at my local club and then beat all the clubs around here in an area competition to go on to Austin (where I was soundly defeated!). So I can make people laugh. My sisters are not impressed. In fact, they have even quit giving reasonable feedback to jokes I occasionally am foolish enough to believe are original creations. Now all they do is nod and say “Yes its great,” just so I won’t tell them a slightly altered version of the same joke five minutes later.

And now here I am sitting on the couch wearing an ugly green t-shirt a size too big with an equally too big long sleeve over top. This last article of fashion has been banned by Tierany (an older sister) because of its repulsive black and green check-like pattern. But I am quite satisfied to flaunt it in front of her! Other than that, I’m the president of my Toastmasters club for the next six months (Toastmasters is an organization devoted to training people in public speaking skills). I’m looking forward to muddling through my term. Everything else is still the same, except I wish I could take a course in writing. Nothing much has been started, and most everything has been postponed.

I must end this. Till my Birthday, Merry Christmas!

- Trent

Blog Move

I was going to wait for my birthday...

But I know you deserve the very best right now.

That's why I'm letting you in on a secret...

*whispering* I'm working on a new blog!

Why?

You'll just have to mosey on over thar and see for yurself!

Why?

Because I've awarded a movie (you can watch it at the new blog), I've uploaded a picture of myself that will start the tabloids talking, and in March I'm going to start a series on Calvinism!

Enter for your own enjoyment:

TrentWilliams.wordpress.com

(Note: I withhold the right to switch back to this blog at anytime. I am testing out Wordpress with hopes of switching over permanently.)

Skeptics (blown) Away! - Round 3

Round 3

Skeptic: God was trying to tell you something else…

Trent: This is the most reasonable objection. Ruling out demonic intermeddling, we are left with two possibilities:

1. Fleshly reasons obstructed God’s message leaving me with a distorted version. (Why would God allow his message to be distorted? Maybe… maybe not.)

or

2. I really was called to preach!

Honestly there are all sorts of possibilities, but the easiest to believe is #2.

(Editor's Note: Read the other posts in the series! Round 1 , Round 2)

Skeptics (blown) Away! - Round 2

Round 2

Skeptic: You just imagined it!

Trent: That’s strange, I imagined being called to a life that (at the time) I despised, twice.

(Editor's Note: One more in the series - coming next week! Read Round 1.)

Skeptics (blown) Away! - Round 1

Round 1

Skeptic: What if the devil fooled you into thinking you were called to preach?

Trent: I don't see how the devil would get any advantage out of this trickery. Last I checked Satan wasn't tricking people into studying their Bibles, it doesn't exactly further his evil causes.

(Editor's Note: Two more in the series! Check out Round 2.)

Bound 4 Life: Houston March

Trajectory Shift

What I am about to say is very, very serious: it, quite literally, will affect everything.

I’m talking about callings. I’m focusing on what God wants me to do with my life (I know that sounds somewhat cliché, I apologize for not coming up with a better way to say it). I believe that I have been called to a particular duty.

Preface

I want to be the first to say that I’ve always felt a little irritated when other young people said they were, “called to preach” or, “called to foreign missions” (this was not true of respectable adults or relatives). I’m not sure why this offended me, but I think I thought they were being holier-than-thou, as if the only thing in the world one could be called to was preaching or the mission field. I also thought it was all too simple. They had it easy. They knew what they were supposed to do, they also knew that I didn’t and were rubbing it in my face, at least that was my impression. Pride doesn’t always make sense.

I hope that I make this already overhyped announcement in a way that doesn’t offend you. I know God has a plan for you. You may be called to something boring like me, or it may be something grand like running for President. His ways are not our ways. Sometimes what we least except is what He wants. Also, God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Just because your calling is to the lost souls in Haiti, doesn’t mean you are more important, or more loved, or more worthy, than the clerk at Wal-Mart.

Beginning

I had the idea once after reading the autobiography of W.A. Criswell that I would make a good preacher. My sister immediately pointed out the searing truth that nothing could be further from the truth. If you have ever met me you already are laughing at the idea, it really is, from a human perspective, immensely absurd.

But…God’s ways are not mans ways.

Around that time I was nagged by the sense that God might be calling me to preach. I dislike nagging, so I pushed it off. The idea that God was calling me persisted.

Finally, I told God, “Sure, I’ll preach”.

That was easy, I thought, now I won’t be bugged by that.

Preach? Sure. Be a preacher? Now that was a different matter entirely. I mean really, the Bible commands us to preach the gospel. I know I’m supposed to do that anyway. I can agree to that.

Climax

Some stuff came up, as stuff will always do, and I forgot all about it, but God didn’t.

It’s one thing to agree to do something you were planning on or something you thought about doing – at the time you were thinking about doing it, it’s another to agree to someone else’s seemingly ludicrous plan.

I’ve been called to preach, and be a preacher.

I could try to question and define away till I get every iota of what God actually means by that, but I have a feeling it’s better if I don’t know. God will show me when I need to know.

I finally said to God: “I’ll do it”.

It’s already shifting my trajectory.

Where I’ll end up I don’t know, but who’ll be with me, ah… that’s for sure!

David Barton and I

Wow, what a scary facial expression (I think I was trying trying to smile...)! I'm glad David Barton didn't get a copy!

Patriot Academy, August 2009

Photo by: David Personius

2009 is Left Behind

I only have one wish for you...

I only know you'll need one thing...

It's very simple, but extraordinarily hard.

As I look back on the goals I made in a year of slow plodding that burned up like a quick grass fire that someone had added gasoline to, I have to say, in the words of John Wayne: "Not hardly." No, I didn't accomplish what I had set out to do. No, my plan didn't groove so well. God had a different plan (I tell you more about it January 14th, but know that is nothing I ever was planning or looking for... it's a whole lot better!).

"What God's plan for your life?" (or something similar) was asked me semi-recently. It rocked my boat, and I don't mean rocked in the "cool", hip sort of way that it's used today. Somewhere along the line I conveniently forgot about God's plan. I knew a good thing to do. I knew what my few skills were. I could handle life. I had a plan.

God knows how to handle life a whole lot better, and I really do mean "handle". His ways are higher than our ways. His plan is long term. He knows tomorrow, he wrote it.

Marvelously, you are in God's plan. Do you know what your role is? My one wish for you in the Year of our Lord 2010 is to find that role. God has a plan. You have a role. His way is best.

- Trent

Breaking Anouncment: I Won!

Surprise!

I just learned that I won a bookmark contest!

Yes, I know some of you have moved on to higher things... but I would like to remind you that I will be receiving the prize money not you! : )

Uniquely, the contest was supposed to be an art competition, yet I took first place - the world is full of paradoxes...

- Trent Williams, Award Winning Bookmark Artist

Captors Revealed (Part 2)

After much searching, I have learned my captors identities:

Procrastination, Distractions, and Busyness

WARNING! If you see these thieves in your neighborhood BEWARE!

Even if you have not noticed them you may need to take a closer look. You must watch diligently. You should analyze studiously. You can't be too careful. Tragically, even if you do not find them, you cannot rest. Any moment, your life could be stolen.

Life is time: your life is your time. Guard your time and you will keep your life.

- You Know Who

Reappearance (Escape from Kidnappers Part 1):

I disappeared from the blogosphere months ago, kidnapped by some of the most dangerous and deadly villains in history. Recently I was able to break free from my captors. I am writing from an undisclosed location in the US. My time is limited. The technology my captors possess enables them to track my location if I access the internet for more than fifteen minutes.

I hope this message finds all of you safe (not fleeing from lethal desperados). I also hope you are not as pressed for time as I am.

My progress this year has been restricted… I will give you an update soon (exactly when is not appropriate to say – for health reasons).

I hope you are all studying the wise men and the shepherds. Their approach to God’s commands helped them become the inspirational, instructional, and influential men we read about each year.

I hope to give you a closer view of these characters in God’s marvelous story… but for now I must run…

May each of you have a merry and blessed Christmas,

-You Know Who

GOP beats pretty much everybody (including themselves)...

November 3rd election results are mixed. The GOP's incompetence has miraculously been overshadowed by their successes in Virginia and New Jersey.

Upstate New York is what I'm talking about. I'm originally from that area (I mean this in an extremely general way - almost the entire state is upstate!) so this one is close to (my former) home. Why couldn't the GOP step in and endorse/fund the conservative guy (why not just say "Ooopps! Our Chairman over in New York just blew it and picked someone who doesn't represent our values at all so were funding this Gentleman that does?)? Just because he was beating them fair and square?

[My info was gained partly from Politico.com and the Republican Michigander blog - which I recommend you visit for their take on this]

Texas Results:

Official Results site

Although a red state, Texas passed all of it's proposed constitutional amendments. OK that was the bad news... what's worse is that not even 10% of my county turned out to vote.

The almost, but-not-even-close-to-being, good news:

The closest contests were on two bad propositions...

Prop. 1 "The constitutional amendment authorizing the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to a military installation for the prevention of encroachment or for the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation."

(Why? Tax increase plus, governmental growth is BAD)

AGAINST:

44.80%

FOR:

55.19%

Prop. 4: "The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund."

(Increase in funding, especially at this time is BAD).

AGAINST:

43.26%

FOR:

56.73%

I think I very well may try to become Precinct Chairman...

- Trent

First Time Voting!

I voted because of the beaches. An amendment to the Texas Constitution would make it a constitutional right to access public beaches, not just a right, a constitutional right. That's right folks, a constitutional right.

Proposition 9: "The constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico."

Wouldn't you want a constitutional right to access beaches (even if they were already privately owned)? Actually I voted against the proposition (did I mention we already have an "Open Beaches Act"?), how much of a right do we need to make visiting the beach?

This first time voter was elated to cast a vote creating measures that will lower property tax!

Proposition 2: "The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead."

Proposition 3: "The constitutional amendment providing for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes."

First time voting, but not the last!

- Trent

P.S. I just realized I missed posting in the month of October completely! I beg your forgiveness.

PPS. Unfortunately I wasn't able to organize a rally against government health care because of some things that came up (too bad).

Rally for Health (Say "No!" to Government 'Care' )

This is the project I am thinking about....

A rally (similar to the tea parties) that starts with protest and ends with a prayer meeting for anyone interested. Included would be speakers and a sign judging competition...

Need:

Sound System

Meeting Area

Water

Church (for prayer meeting

Estimated length: 3 hrs.

Speeches - 2 hrs.

Prayer - as long as people want to go.

I'll let y'all know if I pull off the planning. You won't be left out or not invited - I promise.

- Trent

P.S. - Hey what about an online rally!

I'm Back!

Arrived in Texas last Sunday (the 13th). Unfortunately is wasn't as brown as I had expected, due to rain.

Things I learned from the trip:

1. Postcards are expensive.

2. People are weird no matter where you go (not referring to relatives)...

3. People are concerned about this country no matter where you go... some are even doing something about it.

4. Fill a van to capacity including four kids under four years old and you get one wild ride!

Unable to post at length... working on projects.

-Trent

Traveling On...

My family's annual trek to visit our distant, in terms of travel length, relatives is winding down.

The Latest:

Saw the Creation Museum near Cincinnati Ohio. Outstanding!

Staying in a Comfort Inn, near Louisville, Kentucky.

We're on our return trip and I'm excited to see my favorite state: Texas (I'm just now getting used to the green up here!).

Updates:

Quick updates on what I'm up to are located on the very topmost part of the sidebar. If you want to know the latest look there. It's faster for me (to use twitter to upload the sidebar) so that's where I'll be.

Later,

-Trent

Wedding Dress Photo!

This is way overdue...

The 2009 Grand Champion in Sewing:

This is the wedding dress I, with long suffering instruction from my expert seamstress sisters, was able to enter in the Bell County Youth Fair where it netted the highest award possible in the sewing category.

For those of you who have been waiting for this photo since February...

You can advertise on my blog for two months at no cost! : )

Thanks for waiting,

-Trent

P.S. Did I mention the dress is for sale?

(Editors Note: Read the story of my first impression on hearing I had won Grand Champion at the 2009 Bell County Youth Fair: Wedding Dress Wins! - also includes contact info.)

Back From Patriot Academy

Patriot Academy 2009 was phenomenal!

If you are interested in politics, or are confused by government, Patriot Academy is the place for you.

Update

I have some good news and some even better news...

1. My bill (ending no-fault divorce in Texas) passed!

2. Michael Bullock won the race for Speaker of the House!

I ran for Speaker, learned a lot, and did a whole lot better than my first few attempts at campaigning. In the end I lost, but it was a outstanding experience.

I rank my race as:

Terrible

Respectable

Out-Of-This-World