the cure

have you ever had trouble sleeping? i have, and thought i tried everything. i've tried drinking a glass of milk, to counting sheep, to staring at my ceiling with intense focus trying to will myself to sleep. (that last one may have actually made it harder to sleep) but I, my friends, have found the cure. 2 cures actually. if you want to fall asleep, make yourself a stack of pancakes, or waffles if no pancakes are available, preferably of the chocolate chip variety, get some butter or margarine on that bad boy, and pour syrup until all the little squares in the eggo are overflowing. dig in and welcome the slumber. logically, there should be a sugar rush, but i think because of the pancake/waffle's heavenly goodness, you just get sleepy. i just downed a short stack of eggo waffles following this recipe, and i'm ready to take a nap. in fact, i have some free time in my schedule, that's what i'll go do. aurrevoire. (that may not be how you spell it, what do i know? i'm not French.)

soul harvest

here's a number for you: compared to last year's attendance of the same date, last weekend, sawgrass student ministry has increased 900%. yes. 900%. that's what i'm talking about. praise the LORD!

life's not a popularity contest

today at church, we had a chance to talk about the influence of friends and the importance of hanging out with the right crowd. it is common sense that if you hang around foolish people, stupid stuff happens to you. but one of my kids brought up a very valid point. he said he'd rather hang out with the foolish kids at lunch, than eat lunch by himself. now, this is from the middle school perspective, but if you look at it in a bigger way, then it may be easier to see where he is coming from. a lot of people make poor decisions in who they are around just because they don't want to be alone. we all strive for acceptance, its a fact whether you admit it or not. everyone is seeking approval, everyone likes to be liked. but we have to be careful about who we surround ourselves with. when we become obsessed with popular opinion or worry about our own image, we become completely self centered. this becomes a root from which many problems grow. the main flaw in this way of thinking is that it keeps us from being God centered. you see, as Christians, we don't need to be concerned about popular opinion or image at all. we have the love of the Savior and the ultimate approval from the Almighty. we don't need to live for anyone but for Him. this is an important message in the middle school and high school crowd. school is harsh and if you're not careful, life can become about popularity and soon you will start conforming to the crowd and being who they want you to be. this is the opposite of happiness. you're going to be miserable if you go down that road. its simple, if you want true happiness, live for God. if you make your life God centered, all of the other pieces will fall in place. maybe not how you planned it, but how He planned it. seek Him and all of your other concerns will be satisfied. i promise you that if you truly seek His will, that your life will be much better than you could have ever personally dreamed. one of my favorite verses to comfort me when i'm crippled by indecision, worry, or fear is "'For I know the plans i have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." -Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

dolphins

i would like to remind everyone that we are about a month away from the NFL draft. i hope everyone is prepared (bust out the lawn chairs and coolers in the living room). in case you haven't heard, the dolphins have the number one pick in the draft. this is due to our less than stellar 1-15 season. but lets keep it on the positive. the number one pick! woo! a chance to rebuild your team. a chance to find the perfect cornerstone of the franchise. the one guy to build a dynasty around. someone to carry the team and franchise on his back all the way to the superbowl. too bad this draft doesn't have anybody like that. it looks like if the dolphins don't trade away the pick we'll either go with QB Matt Ryan from Boston College, OT Jake Long from Michigan, or DE Chris Long from Virginia. they all might be solid players, but i don't see any of them as franchise players. ryan is overrated, chris long has weak run defense, and jake long is the safe pick with a low ceiling. so, even though the dolphins have the first pick in the draft and have the rights to choose any college football player in the entire world, i still have no hope for next season... welcome to miami.

hormonal ranting

my sister is currently pregnant with twins and she is staying with us this weekend because her husband is out of town for some national guard competition. it has been quite interesting watching the family interact with her hormonal ranting. as of right now she is complaining about the lack of "cute maternity clothes." this is after she just scarfed down 19 mini pancakes. so a word of advice for everyone out there, avoid pregnant women at all costs... all the time.

passion

why do we do the things we do? what drives us in life? its a tough question, and i dont believe ive got the handle on it, but i'm pretty sure that passion is a big part of it. i'm still searching for my passion. i know it is doing something for God, but i'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is. i believe that if you follow your heart and your passion that you will be happy, and if you're passion is God and you follow Him that you will be even better off. i just hope that everyone out there knows that it is never too late to pursue your passion and if things dont feel right, reevaluate your passion and make sure you are on the right path towards it. and always do this in prayer because "He will keep our paths straight" -Proverbs 3:6.

brain drain

this week is going pretty good, i got a lot of random stuff on my mind, i figured i'd share.

-sawgrass had over 300 people in back to back weeks for the first time, that was pretty cool. our student ministry is growing too, some new leaders are stepping up which is always awesome to see.

-school is school, but it is ok. english was short today, and my professor really liked my paper, so thats good. my other paper is about the effect of hall of fame quarterbacks on multiple super bowl wins, so i don't think she will like it as much.

-today was busy, i felt like i traveled the world. i had to run errands and it took almost 3 hours, but i got a lot done. valentines day is only a couple of days away? guys, are you prepared? i still have to work out the final logistics, but it should all be good.

-shannon started flag football today, so she is dead. poor kid does so much, but i am proud of her, shes the hardest working and most driven person i know.

-tomorrow is free pancake day at ihop, go get yourself a free short stack.

-i found a cool verse that spoke to me especially at this stage in life where kids can get too caught up in what their grades are, what car they drive, where their girl is going, whos hanging out with who, i dont know, i think it is pretty applicable: "a relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away" -Proverbs 14:30

-so people, relax.