Hey, well it's been a couple of days since I've written anything, sorry.  Now that I have moved in, started at the church I hope to be writing more frequently.  I like this blog thing because I can just write whatever and its cool.  I like that.  

I am really pumped for the rest of this year and the first few months in Brownsburg.  I am blessed with an amazing staff to work with, some awesome volunteers that I am excited to hang out with and work with as well as obviously all the awesome students that I have met so far.  I look forward to really spending valuable life experiences with everyone and I hope that we all can make tremendous impacts on each other's lives and make even more of an impact on the town and people of Brownsburg and the world.  

Have a blessed rest of the week and I hope to be begin writing more consistently next week.  

Continue to do well.

Rocks

Hey..

I was just looking at the rocks in my parents landscaping today.  I know maybe odd and random, but I was picking out some of the cool looking smooth ones.  I was thinking while I was doing it, "Why am I looking for the good looking ones to take rather than the ugly, deformed ones?"  

Why do we do that?  Why did I do that?  

How come when we look for something that we want the most, we try to find the best looking, the best performing, etc.?  

I know why.  Because we can't see the potential the ugly, deformed, devastated, unloved, poor and weak ones have.  You know what, it isn't that we can't see the potential, it's that we are unable with eyes of this world.  

Cool thing is this, Jesus, Christ, God chose/chooses those of us who are ugly, deformed, devastated, unloved, poor and weak.  Why would anyone in this world want to do such a thing?(Well at least that is what the world has to say)

Christ came here, to humanity and lived.  However, he did not live the way life had been lived. Christ chose to live with the unlikely followers of a King.  Jesus was proclaiming a new kingdom throughout his ministry.  If you are going to do such a thing in a society where the Roman kingdom was the only kingdom, you needed to have the most powerful and amazing people on your side.  Christ did not necessarily.  Look at his disciples.  Ordinary men, some with a little bit of status in the society, but nothing to promote a kingdom.  

Jesus came and proclaimed a new way of life.  An upside down way of living.  Life is not about you having your best life now.  Life is not about receiving and receiving until you feel "full".  

Matthew 25:35-40, 42-45

"'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'  Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?'  The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'  ...  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'  They also will answer, 'Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or need clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'  He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"

God bless.  Do well. 

 

Hey...good morning!

I am reading 1 Timothy this morning before I head off to church.  I'm reading chapter 1 and came across a verse I wanted to share that is descriptive of my heart and how I feel about what God has set before me at Calvary:

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service." -1 Timothy 1:12

Have a great Sunday!

umm..... so.... Hey!

So this is my first post on my new blog!  I always liked posting stuff online for anyone to read and hopefully give me feed back about.  So I thought that this would be a great way to do that.  

Also, now that I am the new youth director at Calvary United Methodist Church in Brownsburg, I thought it would be a cool tool to just write stuff with (and Todd and Michelle both have one and we all know how cool they are so....!!).  

Therefore, here goes on my first post.  Just a thought today.  I was just listening to some music that lyrically is all about expressing their thoughts about politics, religion and social struggles that America specifically "deals" with.  As I listen, as I agree and disagree and as I love the tune they are portrayed in I think, "Good for these guys."  Why good?  Well to be honest, I find it great for these musicians to be combining their talent for music and the opinions they have for anything and everything.  

So what?  I just think it is important to talk about anything and everything.  I love to talk, but I always want to encourage everyone I know and meet to do the same.  If you have conversation about something, be in the conversation.  

Two things to a conversation: listening and speaking.  So you HAVE to listen!!  But make sure to talk as well.  Whether it be a conversation about your opinion or just about facts that are current in the world, make sure to discuss, listen and talk.  For me I think this is one of many ways to learn a lot.  By you talking, you get feedback from others who may agree and disagree with you.  That is soooo good.  Then you can have a better view of what others think.  That helps you stay selfless and really helps you think others in all of your opinions and conversations.  By listening, you will learn much that you did not think of or know.  

So there.  I did it.  First post.  Right on, cool.  God bless.