Hope is rising

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalms 27;13-14

When Darkness Reigns

So I still have to do another post on PhillyGO, but not now. Soon.

I had an incredible time at Summer Camp. It was the best camp so far. It was amazing to see kids step up into the calling of wanting Christ to be the very reason for everything that they do.

It was also the toughest five days of my life for me personally. And the days after will be just s tough. I've rediscovered things about me that I don't like, that I abhor. I can't stand that I hurt other people. I've wanted to run away from my problems, to get a fresh start. I've wanted to kill myself. For some reason, God is bringing me face with the lies of Satan that I've bought into, and everything else that is not of God, that has had a foothold in my life. Its not pretty, I'm sure you've seen it if you've been around me in these past few days.

At the same time through all of this, I've been reminded of God's faithfulness and His love for me. He has reminded me that I am valuable to Him and that I have an incredible impact on the lives of others. He has blessed me with the prayers of others who care for me. He has blessed me with friends who believe in me.
He is with me. He hasn't given up on me. He will see me through.

So now what? What does life look like right now?
It looks like someone who hates that he has made things difficult and frustrating for others, and is torn up inside because of it. It looks like someone who has to wrestle with the dark things inside, but will prevail.

So, I leave you with a song that just messed me up in a good way tonight. Yes, I know if you are like me you just glance over the words and think, "Aww, that is nice." But truly look at the words. better yet, listen to the song and read the words. Tear Down The Walls, by Hillsong United.

Tear down the walls see the world
Is there something we have missed
Turn from ourselves
Look beyond
There is so much more than this

And I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this
Fire deep inside my heart

Look to the skies hope arise
See His majesty revealed
More than this life there is love
There is hope and this is real

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You

Oh for all the sons and daughters
Who are walking in the darkness
You are calling us to lead them back to You
We will see Your spirit rising
As the lost come out of hiding
Every heart will see this hope we have in You

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You


So there you have it. I'm failing at the contest to be stoic. But that is okay.

This life is yours... and hope is rising...

PhillyGo through the eyes of a adult-type person.

Its about time I posted, so here we go...

PhillyGo was the sixth consecutive (mission/evangelism)trip that I have been on with NMC Senior High. We stayed at a Presbyterian church in the Kensington area, which is on the NorthEast side of Philly. There were 21 students and 6 leaders on this trip.

This like every trip I've been on, this trip was unique. We had many opportunities to serve the community, whether it was the various Salvation Army locations, serving at a ministry to the homeless, or playing and building relationships with the children of the neighborhood. We also had many opportunities to share our faith in these areas, as well as out right starting conversations to share the Truth.

From before the trip started, there was an evident theme of breaking out of comfort zones and being obedient to whatever God called us to do. It was awesome to witness this is action. I saw the quiet students become more vocal and confident. I saw encouragement gone rampant(granted it was pushed on them at first, but they took it and made it their own). I saw students become bold in their faith. I saw Christ move in their hearts. I saw lives messed up and wrecked because of and for Jesus Christ.

And it hasn't stopped so far. I look back at the other trips I've been on, and I can truly say there is something different about this trip, about these students. It may be too early to truly say, but maybe not. I see a change that can only have happened from those who have truly met with and surrendered to Jesus Christ. This not to say that the other trips weren't powerful, or lives weren't changed, I'm just saying that this trip seems different.

I'm excited.

I'm excited to see what is going to tke place at Summer Camp.

I'm excited to see what is going to take place once school starts.

I'm excited to see what God has in store for the Barbarians from Philadelphia. I pray that I will be one of them as well.

Video Blog

AIM took some time to interview several of our students while in Philly. Check it here.

Back from Philly.

Hello again, I'm back from a week long trip to Philadelphia, Pa With NMC Student Ministries on the GO trip. We spent a lot of time, here. I hope to elaborate on this trip soon. Still trying to figure out some of what God is saying to me.

Late night ponderings.

Do you ever spend time with toddlers or little children? What goes on in your mind while you play/interact with them?

I love playing with kids. I love trying to make them smile, and chasing them as some horrible monster, which leads to me getting beat up(Pastor Rockstar's children are good at this, I discovered).

One thing I've come to realize that happens in those situations is that those that I interact with...they are the only ones in the world to me at that point in time. I automatically forget about what is going on next, what do I have to do, or any other thing that is so "important" and consumes my mind.

Every once in a while I will have a conversation with someone and I will end up with the same feeling... that nothing else in the world matters at the point of in time, but that conversation.

What do I take away from these different examples? That those things that consume my thoughts and worry about aren't always all that important. That I need to continue to be a better listener. And being silly for the little ones is always okay.

Let us pray, let us pray...

• Dustin Eby. Leaves tomorrow to start his trip that leads him to Rwanda.
• Caleb Bislow. Leading the charge on this Rwanda trip.
• NLF Impact team currently in Nicaragua.
  
• Philadelphia trip. Students and leaders doing Lord knows what.
• Jeffrey Simpson. A leader that is going on above trip. Pray that his life won't be gripped by fear as to being a leader, being vulnerable, being an instrument of God. Pray that he doesn't get distracted. Pray that God would rock his world when it comes to falling more in love with the heart of God and His desires.
  

Where do you go for...

Encouragement? Do you go to the Bible, and if so, is that enough? Do you go to your friends, kick a can and stare at your feet and mope around until they cheer you up?

Goodbye, Lord Denethor.

Do you ever get impulsive about something? Every once and a while, I do. Last night I decided to get rid of something that I have wasted so much of my time and life in the last two years or so.

Its been something that had been on my mind for a while, and last night I decided to do get rid of it, and today I went through with it.

I'm sure I'll miss it, but I'm excited at the possibilities without it. I've been meaning to do a lot of reading.( I was a reading fiend in high school.) I think that without it, I will be a better human and Christ follower.

Only time will tell.

Hello from the Point

Here I am in Sandusky, Ohio at the Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point. I'm here with Bauer, Mish, Chunk, and Paul Wall.
I'm convinced that coming to Cedar Point the night before is the way to go. You are here. You get to sleep well. You get in the park an hour before the public if you stay in a Cedar Point owned resort thingy. You go home not completely exhausted.
I've always loved this trip in May. High School is still in session and Summer is not in full swing. 15 min waits in line or walk-ons are the norm.
This trip has slowly evolved. it started with me and Bauer and a bunch of others, to us two and one of our close friends, to finding a fourth to even out on the rides. This year that close friend couldn't make it, but Mish who came last year and loved it is back, plus die hard Cedar Point guru Chunk, and Mish's live in guest Paul Wall.

I'm excited.

For me this trip has become a time to put life on pause, not worry about life, work, whatnot, and have fun.

We've listened to great music, we've laughed a good bit, and we've had some serious conversations. I'm sure more is to come... we haven't even got to the rides yet.

Star Wars vs Star Trek

Yes, I pulled this off of someone else's blog:

Back.

I'm back from being away. It was good to be away for awhile. I wish it could have been longer. I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I desired.
Some things I learned while I was gone:
Life goes on without the internet.
I could seriously work for the DNR here, here, or here.
Going to bed at 10 and waking up whenever is where it is at.
We try way too hard at complicating Christianity and sucking the joy and fun out of it.
The trials and circumstances that plague us are mostly complicated and compounded by us.

Star Trek

Its official. J.J. Abrams does nothing but brilliant work. This movie was awesome. The nerds will love it, as well as the people who deny the nerd within them.

127

Today is day 127 of no pop whatsoever. For you keeping track at home, that's over 1/3 of a year.

Taco Bell Song

What made the human mind dark enough to kill?

Its been ten years. Ten years ago today, April 20, 1999. I remember where I was when I first heard the news. I was working at a warehouse for grain distribution parts in New Paris on that day. I was still 18, not much older that the two boys who did the unthinkable to their classmates.


So much pain. So much hurt. So much darkness. Yet through this horrible tragedy, Christ has been glorified over and over through the friends and family of those killed that day.

I love that the Living God who I serve, the God who out of darkness brings a new hope.
Here is your freedom.

Homesick

Have you ever been homesick? I can remember I was stuck with a bunch of strangers in Pennsylvania. I wanted nothing to do with anything, or anybody. I just wanted to be home where it was safe and familiar.

Today I got homesick.

Except today, it was a little different. I had this longing to be home with Jesus. I mean, there is always a longing to be home, but this was magnified today. The question I am asking myself is, "What am I going to do with this longing?"

My best answer is to echo the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:

"...your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven..."

So, can any of you relate out there? Has life beaten you up? Are you so busy doing things for God, that you lose focus of why you where doing those things to begin with?
May you take time to realign your focus, not to just be busy, but to have purpose in the things you do.

What is that?

Have you ever driven by something along the side of the road and wanted to take a closer look? Maybe I'm the only one weird like that. Anyways, I was making multiple trips into town for work and saw something that I thought I recognized, but wasn't sure if it was what I thought it was.

So, after work I grabbed my camera, hopped in my Jeep, and went to investigate. Sure enough, what I saw was what I thought I saw.

The Verdict.

Ten years ago this summer, I went out to Kingdom Building Ministries in Aurora, Colorado to participate in The Laborer's Institute. My first Wednesday night back at church following TLI, I decided to race a Jr. Higher to the room that we meet in. There are two ways to get to this room, I chose the back way. On my way to the room, I kinda landed on my foot wrong going down a half flight of stairs. It made some noises an ankle shouldn't, and almost immediately started to swell up. It turned black and purple and was hard to walk on for about two weeks.
I never had my ankle looked at, and always wondered what I really did.

A couple of weeks ago, I started to run. Two Fridays ago, my foot started to hurt. After an x-ray, a bone scan, and consulting with an orthopedic dude, I discovered that I have a stress fracture in the cuboid(#7).

Now when talking to the orthopedic guy about my stress fracture, he asked me if I had a previous injury to my foot. So, because of my second injury, I did find out that I messed up my ankle ten years ago.

The verdict? I'm not as young as I used to be, and I need to be more careful.

Validation

The One and only Byron Bauer pointed this out on facebook...