Yo

Hey there everybody. Just filling you in on what's been going on. I am back up in Gainesville, on week 2 of my second year. Things are going great. I am now living off campus in an apartment with two of my friends from Campus Crusade. Shannon has transferred up here, and she is living in the same apartment complex. I have never eaten better at college than I have with Shannon here. I have gone from frozen corn dogs to Chicken Alfredo. It is great to have her up here, and my classes are going well so far. We are just getting started, but I am getting a handle on my classes, I'm sure in a couple more weeks I will be past the learning curve. I only have to go to campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I am taking a few classes online. It is definitely keeping me busy, but its great being up here, the change of scenery, and the change of atmosphere. The other thing coming up is football season. Only a few days away, I am stoked! I'm hoping for a Gators repeat and the Dolphins to make the playoffs.

So in summation, I'm going to be pretty busy the next few weeks, I will try to keep you updated, and whenever I am inspired, I promise to blog about it.

See you soon.

Freshman Life

The end is in sight.

I'm almost done with my first year of college. It has gone by pretty fast, though moving up here seems like a long time ago. I feel like I have changed a lot and grown up as well. From little things to big things, I've learned how to semi successfully do loads of laundry and I've also learned a lot about real world financial operations(even less fun than laundry.)

I'm thankful that God led me to Gainesville, I love the city and am now a huge supporter of going away to school, I recommend it to everyone.

However, not everything is easy. You really have to stay disciplined to succeed when you are on your own. You're going to make mistakes, luckily I've been able to get through my first year without any major ones.

If I had to give people some tips about college I would say to get organized and plan a lot more.

Try to relax and not freak out about college, you can handle it if you work at it.

For us Christians, it is brave to avoid sin, and foolish to put yourself in bad situations and try and "stand up" to temptation. The flesh fails you.

Definitely stick to your beliefs. I've seen too many people compromise what they stand for, and end up losing themselves in the process. This has drastic effects.

All in all, it has been a great year so far, I just have to wrap up this last month and a half and finish strong. I look forward to being home soon, but won't mind coming back.

Spring Semester

Last week, I made it back up to Gainesville for the Spring Semester. By the end of my two week break I was actually missing school a little. Not for the classwork but for the atmosphere, the people, being out on my own, and the sleep. After two weeks of constant visiting and just busyness, I missed all the sleep I get here. At this point, I couldn't imagine going to school anywhere else, and really like it. If Shannon was up here with me, and I found an awesome church, there would be nothing keeping me away from this town.

Plus, the Gators just won the National Championship in football, so I feel privileged to be going to the only school that could have that celebration this year. It was insanity up here, celebrations in the streets just turned into huge mosh pits, but it was a lot of fun. It's good for my degree, because admission standards keep getting higher with every National Championship. Sad, but true.

I went to church today and was not impressed by anything it really had to offer and decided that I'm not going to settle just because I'm worried people will think I'm picky. I hope to find a place where I can get something out of going to that church, even if that something is that the church is reaching a lot of people. I wasn't even getting that today. So, I'm still on the hunt for a place where God is visibly at work and I can join in. It is hard moving from a church where I was actively involved and made a lot of close friendships to a new place with new people. But I haven't lost hope.

I guess that's all that is going on. My classes are okay. As good as they can be, and don't look to be too rough. My schedule is great, with a lot of down time. That is awesome.

I'm about to have a floor meeting, so I'm out. I have something else to post on afterwards.

back home from the down home

i drove back up to gainesville monday. luckily missing most of the holiday traffic, the day before. thanksgiving was great. as a broke college student, there are very few things that make me more excited than lots of free food. so i pigged out on turkey and hung out with my family all weekend. i spent a lot of time with shannon, and watched her sing at theRUSH. she has some serious talent, i know i'm biased, but still. after thanksgiving, our family turns right around in support of the next holiday. we went out and got our christmas tree, and decked out the house in lights. its fun for the first 10 minutes, then you just kind of want to be done. but it looks good. but like i said, i drove up to g ville the next day, and had classes all tuesday. now is my day off, and i'm studying for finals coming up. its weird to think that my first college semester is already in the books, and how i'm so used to this lifestyle after a few months. its really not too bad, and its only going to get better. thats about all thats going on in my life. i plan to update on a random topic sometime later this week, if i get around to it. thanks for reading.

veterans day

hey everybody, sorry i haven't updated in quite a while. i guess i could tell you all i've been busy with other stuff, or just haven't found the time. but to be honest, nothing that interesting has happened to me. i've spent the last month up in gainesville, and haven't seen shannon in that span. most of my time up here goes to class, homework, the gym, then doing a whole lot of nothing. school stuff is good though, i was able to get ahead since i didn't have anything to distract me, and i'm pulling pretty good grades, so that's the plus. my pitiful loneliness is the downside. i'm just kidding, its not that bad.

anyway, to the better. with veteran's day and my awesome schedule, i ended up with a 6 day weekend. i used this to travel. i went home and visited with the family. the babies are getting bigger everyday, they make a lot more noise and laugh a lot more so that's cool. my sister is in the process for some big positive transitions, so thats good. and my parents are the same as they've been for the past 30 years.

i also got the chance to go see shannon, which is always a blast. long distance relationships are hard. but i have learned to really enjoy my time with her because of our situation. we did a whole lot of nothing this weekend. we hung out, watched tv, she did some homework, we went to church, and just relaxed. it was great to recharge and just be with her. i love her company and miss her as a friend, and as my girlfriend. but God has a bigger plan in the end, and this is just a step.

so that's whats been going on in my life if you were wondering, i'll try to put something deep up in a little bit.

thanks for reading.

home and back again

so i went home this weekend. i dipped earlier than expected because i had mid terms, so a couple of classes were canceled. i went down and surprised shannon, it was pretty good, i got her to go outside expecting to see a comet, but instead she got me. so i just sat in her dorm for a couple of days while she went to class, and then we went home on thursday night. it was fun, but definitely busier being home than in gainesville. i got to hang out with my family, and my little nieces. i was surprised how big they'd gotten since i left, especially kayla's head (its ginormous). i hung out at church a lot, got to see theRUSH and help out. i even saw sawgrass youth doing theRUSH and it looked good. the kids seemed excited and going to one service has definitely created a lot of energy. i left today, which is always a horrible day. leaving day is emotional and generally sad. but i made the long drive back up to school and realized how different it is.

its weird, i feel at home in gainesville, relaxed and adjusted. but its still not home. i guess it never will be. going home this weekend wore me out more than if i would have stayed up here. but there was a lot of positives from going home. looking back this weekend wasn't as "easy" as i thought it would be. i was busy, had to see a lot of people, experienced a few changes, and had some hard conversations. but i think i'm the better for it. me and shannon really grew closer this trip and had some important conversations. stuff that we'll both have to adjust to, but will make us stronger. life is full of adjustment. its not always easy, but we can always rely on God to ease our burdens. i'm trying to stay focused on Him, i know i say that a lot. but i feel like every day you have to renew yourself and refocus on where He is at work. i'm starting to ramble, time for me to get off.

this is life huh?

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.

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!

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.

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.