JohnMassie.com

Well, here it is another thanksgiving. It always makes me stop and think about what I’m thankful for, who I’m thankful for, and have I expressed this thankfulness to God and people alike? This year has been awesome and I honestly wouldn’t change it. For years I’ve searched for real friends, who want you to be around. Friends who call you instead of you doing the calling, who know when to back off and when to step in. Friends who accept you no matter what. They accept and love every ounce of your true being. Someone who you don’t have to be fake around.  For 19 some odd years, I could never find people like this. That is, until this year. I reconnected with some old friends that we had lost touch (My Marysville Group!) and then the more recent ones who just fell in my life these last few months (and you guys know who you are). It’s amazing how if you just wait God will answer you soon enough. These are times where I see God working in my life, because it was by no “accident” or “coincidence” that I ran into these people this year. Obviously I also have my exceptions (VanAtta and others) who have been there for me all these years but sadly I could never find more than one or two people to accept me like they did. Now, I’ve found that…

eBay… Well, I have three things on eBay. I’m hoping they sell… I’ve spent some decent time listing them, I’m hoping with the holiday season coming up that they’ll sell so I can buy some stuff for the house and some upgrades.

The Stove. Well, I moved into the house and it had a really old stove. It only had three working burners and the oven was “ok” to say the best. Well, then the larger burner, stopped working and the other ones got extremely slow at warming up. Well, I went out Sunday and purchased a NEW STOVE. I got a Kenmore black electric stove with a self cleaning oven and solid radiant heat glass top. I LOVE IT. Thanksgiving cooking will be much easier.

Well, that’s about all right now. I’m sure I’ll post some long post later regarding Thanksgiving, blessing and what not. Just some thoughts I wanted to share with the Blog since I saw that I’m getting more consistent visitors and some NEW people! Welcome!

God Bless You All,
- J -

So, I have come to the conclusion that drama follows me around like a dark rain cloud. I’ve come to accept it, and just let drama happen and move on in life. However, with drama, I always get the generic “I don’t like you, you’re fake, you aren’t a Christian, you’re a bad friend…” I used to take it to heart, and now I just sit there and go… “I don’t have any complaints from my real friends and I have plenty of people who like me. Just because I didn’t fit some standard at which you set for me (and obviously wasn’t conveyed) then, I really don’t care to be your friend.”

HOWEVER, ironically (in what I believe would be God’s great timing) I was sent a forward from a friend who never sends me a forward and at the top it said,
“Now why did I think of you when I saw this, I’m not sure but here it is………..”

This, is what it read:
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do Good Anyway

If you are successful, you will win some false friends, and some true enemies.
Succeed Anyway

If you are kind, people may accuse you of being selfish and having ultior motives.
Be Kind Anyway

What you spend years building, someone might try to destroy overnight.
Build Anyway

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be Honest and Frank Anyway

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have Anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway

You see, in the final analysis, it’s between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

Thanks Bill for that, it brought a smile to my face and a comfort to my heart.

Just felt like I should share. I hope you all are doing well. Thanksgiving is this week, I will try and post as much as I can.

Good Night and God Bless,
- J -

Since I’ve been getting questions lately on these items here is the going prices:

Apple PowerBook G4, 17″, 1.33GHz, 512MB, DVD-RW, Bluetooth Mouse, AppleCare: $1000.00 + Shipping
Apple iMac G5, 20″,  2.1GHz, 512MB,  DVD-R, Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse, and Original Packing: $1200.00+ Shipping
Custom AMD System, HTPC Case, VFD, DVD-RW, AMD 3700+, 1GB, NVidia 7800GTX, 2x36GB 10000RPM Raptor Drives, 1x120GB SATA 2 HD, Divco HD Tuner, Hauppauge TV Tuner, Sound Blaster Audigy 2, Logitech THX Certified Surround Sound speakers 5.1, Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, Snapstream Media Firefly Remote: $1300.00+ Shipping
White Westinghouse 26″ LCD HDTV Widescreen - $300.00

That’s the list for now… I’m going to go home and look around and find some more stuff to sell. If anyone is interested, please let me know!

Thanks,
John

Well, here in a little bit I will no longer be a teenager. Yeah, I’m finally going to be 20. I always stop to take a look at the past year(s) and think about what I’ve accomplished in life and to see if I had a good year and if I made good use of the year. I’d say my last year was HUGE for me. I made a jump in career, got a house, changed cars three times, and gained two kittens.  God’s been with me and I’m thankful for all that He’s done for me and provided for me. I only can pray that this year is just as great and that I can accomplish this year’s goals.

A little about what’s been going on. This weekend was one long blur. My great friend Lucas came over on Friday and we hung out. Then on Saturday we met up with Katy and we had breakfast together (mmmm…. Bob Evans…. yum). After that Josh and Hope found their way to my house and we played some really fun games. Nothing like a board game night with a good group of friends. It’s nice to finally get to use the house and have people over.

Let’s see, for my birthday I got two kittens. They’re named Linus and Lucy (did I mention that I am a Peanuts fan?). They’re really nice to have around, they entertain each other all the time by running around the house, it’s quite funny. They tend to dive bomb off the ledges in the house so it’s quite funny to watch them do that. I also got a gift card to BestBuy (YEAH!), I also got Scene It: FRIENDS Edition (which I TOTALLY ROCK at), some very beautiful and cool Christmas decorations (which I will put to good use here soon!) and last but certainly not least… I GOT A PLAYSTATION 2 AND GUITAR HERO! I know I know for all you crazy console gamers I know PS3 is coming out in the next few days… but at $400 and $600, I think I’ll pass. My mom and Grandma got me the PS2 and Guitar Hero (mom even got me the silver PS2 which is the one I wanted). So I thought that was cool.

FYI: I’m currently selling a 20″ iMac G5 2.1GHz, 17″ PowerBook G4 1.33GHz, Custom AMD 3700+ Gaming/Media Center PC, and 26″ White Westinghouse LCD TV. Yeah, pretty much all electronics in my house are getting sold this week. I’m preparing for the Day After Thanksgiving. So, if anyone is interested, contact me and we’ll discuss price.

This week is filled with work, work, and did I mention…. work? I don’t know what this weekend will entail besides watching the OSU vs. (or beat… whatever you prefer) Michigan. Church on Sunday… Dr. Spann is doing this awesome series called: Extreme Makeover (which deals with issues of the family, personal and home). I’m so glad to be a part of Highland Baptist Church.

So, that’s what’s going on right now. For some reason people think I’m sad… and I’m not. Well, at least I’m not feeling sad for me, let’s put it that way. There’s just a lot on my heart and mind like I said before. I’m working through it all, day by day. Thanks for the concern though! At least I know that I’m loved (and yes Mom, I know you’re reading this, and yes I know you love me and you love me the most…

Well, I need to do some stuff before I go to bed, so I’m going to jet.

Good Night and God Bless,
- J -

So, I changed the theme, it’s what’s been on my heart. To get the lyrics and explanations, see the About The Theme page. I have a lot on my schedule, mind, and heart right now. So much that I want to share, but can’t. So much I wish I could answer, but can’t. So much I want to know, but can’t. As the week unfolds and time comes to me I’ll work on a major post to bring everyone up to speed as to what’s going on in life right now. I ask for your prayers, call it unspoken, but God knows… Just a mention of my name in prayer, would be awesome. I’m thankful for all you readers, I pray that God blesses each one of you. (A comment once and a while would be great so I know who actually still reads this, well… besides Katy and Hope, but they can feel free to comment as well… haha).

Good Night and God Bless,
- J -

So, the blog is under construction. I’m hoping that this weekend I get some time to work on the design and a new post. I’ve been really busy and just wanted to say “Hey, I’m alive”. I’ll post more later…

- J -

So, contrary to popular belief, I have a creative side that is tucked away most of the time. I haven’t had a good outlet for my creativity and sometimes it tends to spill over onto this blog. I also can put this with my passion to make people think and concentrate on what I have to say. So, I have a playlist on iTunes that I feel somewhat describes how I feel. As I listen to the songs I’ll write some lines of lyrics. They may apply to how I feel, they may say a message to someone who needs to hear it, and the may just be words that mean something to me. So, here we go (brownie points if you can name the songs without using Google or another search engine).

The Playlist (My New Mix)
1. Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

2.  I don’t quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
But not enough

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

I don’t know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

3. Words fall out of my mouth
And I can’t seem to trace what I’m saying

When the light falls on your face,
Don’t let it change you
When the stars get in your eyes,
Don’t let them blind you.

Spell it out in a song,
Bet you never catch on to my weakness

You’re beautiful
Just the way you are
And I love it all
Every line, and every scar

4. Did I dissapoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
‘Cause I saw the end before we’d begun.

You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind but then I knew it,
My heart was blinded by you.

And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be

I’ve seen you cry, I’ve seen you smile.
I’ve watched you sleeping for a while.

I know your fears and you know mine.
We’ve had our doubts but now we’re fine.

5. Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I’m not sure I could.

I know you said
Why can’t you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around

6.I can’t take
Seeing you with him
‘Cuz I know exactly what you’ll be,
In his gallery

7.  What goes around comes around
Baby I thought you knew
Do somebody wrong for too long,
its gonna get done to you

You can tell someone, that you’ll be there
And then walk away, like you don’t care
You might decide you want me back but it’ll be too late for that
That’s all I have to say

Just like the way that this world turns
Play the game that way and you’ll get burned

8. I’m looking at you through the glass…
Don’t know how much time has passed
How do you feel? That is the question

And while your outside looking in
Describing what you see
Remember what your staring at is me

How much is real? So much to question

Before you tell yourself
Its just a different scene
Remember its just different from what you’ve seen

And its the stars
The stars
That shine for you
And its the stars
The stars
That lie to you…

9. Your suddleties
They strangle me
I can’t explain myself at all.

Maybe it’s best you leave me alone.

When darkness turns to light,
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.

A falling star
Least I fall alone.
I can’t explain what you can’t explain.
You’re finding things that you didn’t know
I look at you with such distain

All these thoughts locked inside
Now you’re the first to know

10.You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now … here he comes!

We’re burning down the highway skyline

And sometimes you close your eyes
and see the place where you used to live

He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus
But more than you’ll ever know

So that is how I feel in a playlist. Now, for those of you who are sitting there going “is that for me?” if you have to question, then no. Maybe on the “not so obvious” lyrics you can question, but maybe that’s your cue to find out a little bit more about me. Props to those who can identify the music, double props if you can explain what some of these lyrics really mean to me. I’ll be waiting for the comments and e-mails!

Night,
- J -