today was a great day despite the gators loss. simple and enjoyable. i woke up and went to church, and realized i found my church all along. i just happened to go to it first. but i went back today and realized how much i liked it. that just started it off. i made some friends, real Godly kids who are in the same position as me. wanting to get plugged in, figuring stuff out. i came back and caught up on some much needed sleep then kept hammering away at school. (i aced two tests this week! ballin') things are going good right now and i'm just trying to soak it all in. the pinnacle moment was when i was walking back to my dorm and looking up at the huge oaks shading me, the tall brick buildings, and i realized this is what its like to be on your own. trust me, thats a very cool moment.
i constantly find myself just thanking God for everything that is going right right now. sure, things aren't perfect. but i'm trying not to dwell on whats wrong. phillippians 4:6 states "worry about nothing, pray about everything." it sounds impossible, but i'm gonna try. if we constantly rejoice in Him, it has to evoke a response of love in our hearts right? it sounds right to me. i'm gonna give it a shot.
things are going good so far. i have another two tests in these next two weeks, then i'm going to come home for a few days. i'm looking forward to that, it will be cool to see whats changed in the couple months i've been gone. i can't wait to see shannon again, my family, my nieces. look me up when i visit.
dolphins win!
the dolphins just beat the new england patriots. not by a little. not by a fluke play. they just came in, played smashmouth football, and beat em soundly. its not often that you can be excited to be a dolphins fan, but today is one of those days. go dolphins! woo!
Still Unemployed
so i got replies back from all the churches i sent my resume to, to be a youth pastor. all of them said they had filled the position, one said they filled the position only a few weeks ago. but i am not depressed or saddened about it in any way. i put it all in God's hands. i was really nervous about applying, and the possibilities of what would happen, and how it would affect me. but i figured it was my job to apply, and God's job to put me where He wants me. i feel like a burden was lifted, because now i dont have to choose to take a job or not, or where to go, or what my hours will be like, or if i can handle it with school, or if i will be able to go back home. now i'm looking for a place where i can intern or just volunteer. there are plenty of places up here where i can make an impact. and a lot of places that could use some new thought and vision about how to bring kids to His Kingdom. but i see it as God telling me to stay focused on school, and that i need to learn more skills before i can serve Him and create the best ministry He can make through me. so the search continues...
another tuesday
so i'm now entering the long haul of school. for the next month and a half i will be up in G'ville with no trips to see shannon, and no trips home or anything. everything is good, school is manageable at the moment. and i'm really zoning in on my stuff to do. i'm excited about the possible ministry opportunities and in a way, planting my roots in gainesville. we'll see how it goes. i'm just praying that God puts me in the right place. if i get one of those jobs as a pastor then i will have to stay up here year round, and i was looking forward to some easy BCC credits, and learning some skills (specifically tech, lights, and slides) at FRC over the summer. but its not in my hands, so we'll see what happens. keep praying for me, wisdom, faith, and direction. i love all you guys, and i'm looking at coming home late october-early november. see you then!
faith and politics
i just watched a little bit of Rick Warren's civil forum, where he got both Barack Obama and John McCain to come and sit down with him at his church. he asked some pointed questions and they both gave good answers. it was an interesting piece and it shed some light on where these candidates stand on faith charged issues. i encourage you to check out before you vote.
drain
so i just got back from math class, which was a struggle, because last night i couldn't sleep at all. i tossed and turned til about 4 in the morning. i had a lot of things running through my head, i dont want to sound all super holy, but i had a lot of ministry ideas in mind. i was getting excited about the possibilities of it all. hopefully God will provide a place that i can pour out into, soon. i can't wait to be part of a ministry again and watch it grow. right now, i have a little time for a short nap before history, so i should capitalize on it.
sunday
so today i got up to go to church. i was trying a new one, still looking for one that fits. anyways, i go out to my truck and find some hot dog buns and burger wrappers left on my hood. i guess with the game yesterday, some people in the parking lot decided to take advantage of my truck as a party spot. i was a little upset, but theres nothing i can do about it now. so i clean off the hood and head off to church. i drive out to this little town north of gainesville and go to this old baptist church. it was good, there is a large congregation and what they're doing there is clearly working for some people. but it wasn't for me. i was a little disappointed, but that's life. next week i continue my quest to find a church. i was walking out to the parking lot and when i got up to my truck, i saw an old lady look at it and shake her head in disgust. i was a little confused, i didn't know why my unassuming truck would offend this lady. well, i put the truck in reverse and when i turned around to look out the back window, i saw a mountain of beer cans in the bed of my truck! i guess those people decided to use my bed as a trash can and i completely missed it when i was cleaning up. at that point, there was nothing i could do but laugh.
preach social change
i just got back from an FCA meeting, its a christian group on campus. and the preacher mentioned this phrase, "preach social change"
i got to thinking about how important this is. if we preach social change. if we use the Word of God and preach about Him for social change toward His will. if people grasped that, if we all were centered in His will, if we were doing what he said we ought to. how amazing would that be?
it is such a big concept that i think a lot of preachers don't like to focus on such large and abstract ideals. don't get me wrong, the focused sermons on specific ways to improve your life are invaluable to me. but i think that we always need to take a look at the big picture and reenergize each other, the congregation, and the global church, and remind everyone what we're striving for. heaven on earth.
if we live the life that God wants us to, and we do what He has in mind for us, if we can affect the little bit of world around us. then, people around you can affect the world around them, and so on. this leads to a revolution in thinking, and global attitude.
its an amazing thought that we have the key to change the world, but we can't seem to do it yet. we have to buy in to the philosophy and strive to reach perfection.
yes, we are human and will come across failures, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. changing the world is a long process, but a million mile journey starts with a single, first step.
if we can start an altruistic revolution, we can radically change the world toward God's original design, and trust me when i say that world would be a better place.
i got to thinking about how important this is. if we preach social change. if we use the Word of God and preach about Him for social change toward His will. if people grasped that, if we all were centered in His will, if we were doing what he said we ought to. how amazing would that be?
it is such a big concept that i think a lot of preachers don't like to focus on such large and abstract ideals. don't get me wrong, the focused sermons on specific ways to improve your life are invaluable to me. but i think that we always need to take a look at the big picture and reenergize each other, the congregation, and the global church, and remind everyone what we're striving for. heaven on earth.
if we live the life that God wants us to, and we do what He has in mind for us, if we can affect the little bit of world around us. then, people around you can affect the world around them, and so on. this leads to a revolution in thinking, and global attitude.
its an amazing thought that we have the key to change the world, but we can't seem to do it yet. we have to buy in to the philosophy and strive to reach perfection.
yes, we are human and will come across failures, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. changing the world is a long process, but a million mile journey starts with a single, first step.
if we can start an altruistic revolution, we can radically change the world toward God's original design, and trust me when i say that world would be a better place.
i hate tuesdays.
so today is my full day, i have 6 hours of class spread out across the day from 8 am to 8 pm. i only have one more 3 hr block left so thats good. i think i made my mac and cheese wrong and made myself sick. :) this college life is no joke, doing homework and trying not to screw up laundry. by the way, why was everything wrinkled when i was done?? but thats a side note. things are looking up. this is my only bad day of the week and its almost over. my dad, some of my friends, and a bunch of people from church come up this weekend to watch the UF-UM game, i'm pretty stoked for that. it should be a massacre but you never know how those games turn out. i think a lot of people are overlooking miami's speed and athleticism. but i hope we put up 50 points on them. anyways, i should get going, i have to get some stuff done before psych class. thanks for checking in on me, readers.
