Just a little poem

I had a blog post before about writing poetry and well I haven't really written much of anything lately so I figure I will give it a try. Hopefully it doesn't turn out too bad.

I spoke to God about my life;

more specifically about my wife.

I wanted to ask for a girl that would see

The very different side of me.

But before I could speak,

God started to teach.

While I'm just a young man,

He still has a plan.

He will send me someone that won't judge my past,

a real love that will truly last.

A girl that will put Him first

even when things are at their worst.

He told me to wait and see

All good things will come to be.

Welp, that is it! Not the best but I mean, I tried.

I like eggs

Hey folks! It certainly has been a while since my last post and I think I owe everyone an apology for not blogging like I had hoped for. It isn't that I was too busy, I just didn't have much motivation I suppose. That is all going to change now! I am very excited to continue posting for everyone that enjoys reading what I have to say. So with that said, onward to my new blog post!

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Man oh man, what an interesting semester I have had. From changing my major to considering changing schools, it has been pretty hectic. I have probably thought more about my life as whole these past few months than I did all through high school and in my first year of college.If there is one thing this semester has really taught me, that would be that you always need to remain true to yourself!

As all of you all know, I wanted to teach for a very long time and well, part of me still does. Through prayer and some thoughts though, I believe that I have a different purpose in life. I still want to teach, but I want to do that through Sunday School for sure, with the possibility that I still teach math later on in life. I believe that God has given me a gift in my mathematics abilities and I know He wants me to use that. Where I go with that is completely up to him but I do plan on pursuing a degree in Math. All I know is that I need to apply myself and do the best that I can. Uncharacteristic of me to an extent, but I believe in myself and I know I will do great things with the help of God.

So how does this really relate to me or anyone for that matter remaining true to themselves? Well, I mean I grew up with numbers. I was scoring higher on an RGIS company test than the employees themselves at 10 years old. I was in Algebra 1 as a 6th grader and had it not been for my awful work ethic and no motivation back then, I would have probably been in a much better position mathematically than I am now. What I am saying is that I miss the numbers and I miss the fun in solving things. I am sure that sounds crazy to some people out there, but it is the truth. I LERVE MATHS!

Haha! Anyways, that is not the only reason/relation to remaining true to yourself, I have plenty more to share. So this is where it gets a little more serious, hide yo kids, hide yo wife if you scurred... If not read on!

Throughout this semester I have had my ups and downs. I have been depressed at times and happier than ever other times. Through those experiences, I have learned one important thing, the only person you owe anything to is God. Granted, I still like to be honest with my friends and family just because that is me, but God is who you should worry about first and foremost. I think I got caught up in worrying about people/myself...mostly girls... rather than worrying more about God. I suppose what I am trying to say is that sometimes I tried to force stuff to happen that God obviously did not want for me in my life. I am thankful that he opened my eyes and now I am back on track. Patience is a virtue, I have always lacked that but now I just feel better about it, I really don't know how to explain it. All I know is that through prayer, anything is possible and God continues to show up in my life and I couldn't be more thankful for what He has done.

So what I am trying to say is that through being honest with God and admitting my mistakes, seeking guidance from Him rather than doing it myself, I realized that anything is possible. It may not happen today, tomorrow or next week but if I give it time and I continue to care for the seed God has planted, it will grow into something beautiful.

I know that this blog is sort of a huge ramble and maybe makes no sense or doesn't flow...idk, it's my blog! SHUDDAP!

I love yall

peace out cubscouts!

Just some thoughts

My backs against the wall, 

with nowhere to go at all.

My eyes are on the prize,

instead of to the skies.

Only time can tell,

whether or not I fail.

It is that moment when,

His truth finally sinks in.

Don't believe the lies,

just look through his eyes.

Only then will I be so wise,

to understand how to truly rise.

Reaching the Unreachable

I suppose I will start out this blog with a simple question: Is there someone in your life that you should be reaching out to?

Simple right? Of course. I am sure we can all think of someone that we should be reaching out to help. Do we actually reach out to them though? Typically what I have noticed is, no, we don't; we fail to do anything at all. Why? Sometimes we are just afraid to stand up and do what is right, other times we truly don't know how to go about it. Most of the time, we run away instead of just having a little faith and jumping on in. Grab your Bibles folks; let's jump in.

Acts 9:1-19

What is this?!!?!? - For those of you that don't have a Bible with you or just haven't looked it up, let me explain: These are key verses in the Bible for Saul, you know that pretty bad guy that seemed to hate everyone. He had been "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (v.1) so obviously he was not a follower of Christ or devoted to God.

So one day, on the road to Damascus, Saul encountered the light from heaven. He was blinded and fell to the ground. Then Jesus spoke to Saul, telling him to "enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do" (v.6). The men Saul had with him then led him to the city of Damascus.

Now for my favorite part and whole point. Along comes a dude named Ananias, a disciple of the Lord. Ananias was told by the Lord to go to the street called Straight; guess who he is going to see? Saul, of course! Ananias is somewhat weary about what the Lord has asked him to do, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." (v.13-14) Clearly Saul is a very powerful man and is feared by many, The Lord knows this but he also knows that Saul is going to play a huge role in spreading His word.

Even if he did not fully understand, Ananias obeyed the Lord and went to the house of Judas and laid his hands on Saul, saying " Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." (v. 17) As soon as those words were spoken, Saul regained his sight and was then baptized. (v. 19)


To me, we are all Saul at one point in our lives, meaning we are all blind until we finally come to Christ. It is not until we receive the Holy Spirit that the scales fall from our eyes, giving us true sight. Then once we see, we become Ananias of sorts. Given a task to reach out to those in need of the Lord. The only thing that remains is actually pushing forward. If you recall, Ananias seemed pretty scared of going and speaking to Saul, but he also had complete faith and trust in the Lord. That is where we are different from Ananias. We are given the task to reach out to someone, but until we overcome the fear and we trust that God will guide us and God will help us, we can not reach them. If we just trust in God and His word, reaching the unreachable will be possible.

If you just trust Him and be an Ananias, you will reach your Saul. You will change someones life. You can't give up though, no matter the challenge. It may your be your best friend, your parents, your siblings, no matter who it is God has called upon you to reach, you must not give up. His word will guide you and His word will help you. When you feel like all is lost, just cheer up buttercup. Be strong, don't be afraid, God is with you.

It sure is good to be back.

Cleveland Mission Trip

Hello everyone! Well, as you all should know, this past week I was on a mission trip in Cleveland, Ohio. Yup, you know how I do it... For real though, in that short week there, I learned so much about my life and the lives of others. So let me get started...

Sometimes I truthfully take what I have for granted. I always want more and more and more, I am never satisfied with what I already have been blessed with and I am truthfully never thankful enough. But after this past week, I have truly learned to stop all that, be happy with what I have and give all the glory to God. The children that I worked with, well and the people in general, were all so... Inspiring... The more I think about it, the more I realize, I have lived my whole life away from this, sheltered from this pain and suffering. I have never gone hungry and I have never been alone. My parents have always been there for me and I think always will. But for the children that were with us this week, they probably didn't have three full meals a day, they weren't completely supported by their parents and they were at times alone. Yet, they were never broken. They were still strong and kept pushing forward.

There are times when I look at my life and I say "Dang, I have it rough" but in reality, I have it so much easier than these kiddos. If I had to deal with what they do each and every day, I would be broken inside, I would probably not last a week, much less then 5-10 years of their lives that they have gone in the conditions they are in. So yes, to me, it is inspiring to see them stay strong, faithful and together as brothers and sisters... In a place where you are raised by your grandmother because your mother can't take care of you and your father is in jail, all you really have are the kids around you to protect you, it is amazing the bond they share with one another...


I believe working with them has honestly made me a better person and Christian. After seeing what they go through, I know that my life isn't as bad as I may think. I certainly won't take it for granted, but I do know I will use what I have in my life to help others less fortunate than myself.

So with that said, I am going to stop my "First" blog about the trip (I don't count the other one I did just because it was about the first day only...) There will be more to come, but here is just a taste of how it has changed me. Sometime I will tell you more about what we did and about what I learned, but enjoy this one for now!


Peace out cubscouts!

Day 1

Hey folks. I am making my first post ever from my phone so it is going to be short and sweet... We are in Cleveland right now and I must say I am glad to be here. I have a cool roommate in Wayne Hodges and our home is sweet! I really look forward to the events to come and just spreading God's word... So with that said, I am alive and healthy and that is all I can ask for. So until we talk tomorrow, peace out cubscouts!

Hello there my dear readers! Long time no blog right? Sorry about that folks. I know, I am such a slacker. I guess I can't defend myself completely, I have been very busy lately but I am sure there were times that I could have typed up a blog just for your enlightenment/enjoyment. Well, since I didn't, I am oh so sorry ladies and gents.

But hey, I am back. Ready to type and roll! What am I gonna talk about tonight? Well honestly I don't know, so let's just roll with it.

Well, tonight was the 4th week we did the Kid's Zone at church! There were 5 people and I am completely fine with that. You have to start somewhere you know? With all that said, we had a great time going over our devotional and playing some basketball and frisbee golf! Noah and Nathan won the basketball game and there was like a 4 way tie for first in our golf game. I think the kids overall are having a lot of fun with the meetings and are hopefully learning about God. My prayer is that sure they have fun with the activity we do for the night but that they also think deeper about God's word.

Tonight for our devotion, I changed it up a little bit. I decided to sort of create my own, using what Houston had actually gone over during the children's sermon on Sunday. I used 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. This has got to be, so far, my favorite scripture. Why? Well because it has simply taught me that I need to be true to myself. Meaning I don't need to hide my faults because they are what makes me stronger. And well neither should you, yes you reader of this blog. Don't hide your weaknesses, show them to the world, be a rock for others and show your faith in the Lord.

With that said, I am sure there are some faults I have hidden that are slowly starting to come out, well technically have been coming out for the past 7 months or so. So don't think I am perfect or anything like that because I am far from it. Just know that from my own experiences, I know these words to be the truth. Well plus the fact that it is God's word, I know it to be truth.

But anyways, I hope the kids left with something useful from my brain, if anything they at least learned what happens when you kick a ball to the ceiling, not too pretty I must say. I did teach them how to fix it, lol...

Moving on! Well our mission trip is just around the corner, I must say I am very excited. I can't wait to get there and work with the kids, that is obviously my favorite thing to do. I feel as if God is leading me here to help out and it is just a super feeling. Planning has had it's fair share of bumps and bruises but it looks as if things are rolling right along. We have the facility, the schedule (MOSTLY) and well the people. Now all we need are the kiddos, NO PROBLEM! I really am praying that we have a great turn out and we teach them as much as possible about God and Jesus. Shoot, I am so ready for this, if I could I would drive there right now and start helping. This is honestly one of my dreams, to get kids involved in sports and well, get them involved in the word of God. I hope to remain in contact with all the people in Cleveland that I meet, I would love to see how things grow from just this mission. I know there are many plans already in the works and all I can say is praise God for everything.

Well guys, it is getting late; I work tomorrow and I am just really tired, so I am going to stop the blog here. I PROMISE to keep you all more updated and what not, especially next week during our mission, I hope to blog each night. We will see if that actually happens, but who knows.

Anyways guys, pray for us as we finish preparing for the mission and for the lives God is going to touch next week. I pray we stay safe and spread the word to the weak.

Love ya guys,

Peace out cubscouts.

Can't Wait to Teach

Hello everyone! Lately I have really been struggling to find a topic to write about, shoot even my Sunday post wasn't going to well. So here I am, thinking about everything in my life and what it has even meant so far.

I may not be that old, 19 just in case you are wondering, but I have been through a whole lot. I mean I am the son of divorced parents, technically they have both been divorced twice; I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters, that are all scattered between households; I dated a girl for just about two years, if you don't count all the break ups; I made mistakes in school, I made mistakes out of school; I cussed and I got mad, I was lustful and full of pride; I lived for myself. Looking back I realize that I lived day by day. It was as if time was just dragging on waiting for something to change, something to knock me down and make me realize that life is about something more than myself. It sure took a while, but it finally happened.

It has been just about a half year since I started regularly attending church, sort of crazy now that I think about it. I feel like it has been longer, it is pretty much my second home now. I am there every day of the week nowadays; I don't mind making the 20 minute drive, getting extra early Sunday mornings, never sleeping in. Why? Honestly, it is because of the children.

I have grown so attached to the children not only that I help teach, but to really all of them. I love the random hugs and high fives, I honestly love it when they jump all over me or try to tackle me. Maybe I am crazy, but so what? I am crazy, sure. There is nothing like making them smile, seeing their faces light up when they learn something new or are just happy to be at church. Shoot, there is nothing like one of them saying that she wants to also pray for me during prayer (Thanks Brianna, you are so sweet). I am a big teddy bear I tell you what. I love that kind of stuff.

I just hope that I have being the role-model they deserve and need. I don't want to just be another person teaching the Bible or supervising them while they are outside, I want to be involved in their lives, I want to know what is going on. I think it is because I know what it is like transitioning from Elementary to Middle School and I know the temptations and the pressures they will soon face. I don't want to see them go down the wrong path, I realize that God has a plan for each of them and I hope that I am part of it. To be someone strong in their life they can trust with anything. I want them to take what I have learned and what I have done in the past and live better. I just want to see them grow up to be the best they can be.

I just pray for each and everyone of them, that they use their talents for good, that they take what they learn and apply it. I pray that they truly listen and understand rather than just hear it. I pray that they realize the true meaning of life isn't about themselves...

The past few weeks, I have sort of taken two under my wing, Da Hoppas! Yes, you read it right, my two buddies Nathan and Noah. The reason is because they remind me a lot of Justin and myself. Why? Well they are so close, being twins and all that is obviously understandable. But they do everything together just like me and Justin. They are so energetic and hilarious and well just darn awesome! I however would like to point out, Jessica, I am not stealing your brothers from you. Please do not hate me! Also, Nathan and Noah, if you ever read this, stop picking on her and listen to your mom and dad. Also, stay off the Dora bikes... Sheesh... Gotta love them, oh and while I am at it, thanks Lisa for those brownies and supper and water and the car ride! Oh And Island, you are the bomb!... Oh and I also look forward to some more board breakin tournaments and baseball! Keep up the good work young grass hoppers.

So I am running out of time and well, words. So this is where my blog comes to a close. I just want to say thank you to all of the kids at church, for just showing up and being willing to learn about God. Thanks for being you all and I can't wait to see you all grow up into wonderful men and women! Love you guys.

#FinallyRealizeTheLoveTeachersHaveForTheirStudents

Wow, I will never do a hash-tag again...

Peace out cubscouts!

Father's Day

Howdy yall... Wassup, what's good, how's it hanging, what's crackalackin? Well it is that time of the day again, bloggin time! It has been exactly 8 days since my last post and I know you all are just so sad that I haven't had one in so long. So I decided to treat you all with a fathers day blog! So shall we hop to it? I think so.

So, my dad became a father at some time during the day (lol) December 6th, 1992. I was his first son and he decided it would be cool I guess to name me after him. Thank you father, way to confuse the whole world. Just kiddin I love it. Since then he has been the best dad a son could ask for!

I'm positive that we have had our ups and downs, I am positive I drive him totally bonkers at times, but sorry dad you do the exact same to me. Especially when you get mad for no reason, at least I think it is no reason usually. Also when you complain about stupid stuff... Yeah that's right I said stupid stuff! Please don't ground me when you read this. I loveee you.

Just kidding everything you say is pure genius and none of it is dumb...

I have to say dad, you are one hard working man, especially these past few weeks when you have been killing yourself with doubles practically every day working 60+ hours. You are crazy!

Also, I am sorry that I used to not ever want to go fishing with you, I wish I did because now you won't ever take me because you are a big baby and don't want to hear complaining. I blame myself for not making you get used to it when I was little. Hahaha.

Daddy-o you da bestest. I hope that one day I am half the dad you have been. There is a lot more that I could say but yeah. That is it for you father.


Moving on! Next up is Mike Duffy, only the world's greatest stepdad. This guy is the one that got me into computer games, which is good and bad at the same time. He stepped in even when he didn't have to and acted like my second dad, which I guess that is what it sort of makes him when hes my stepdad... If there was ever someone I'd have wanted to call that, it would be him and I thank the Lord for the chance he has given me.

Although he technically isn't my stepdad anymore, there is no way I will ever stop referring to him as that. It is impossible honestly! I loved coming to your house all the time and kicking your butt on UT, which you still suck at, just sayin! But it is just crazy now because of work and us being further away and everything! But I will for sure make time to see yall!

But hmm, to both of you, thank you for teaching me to be the best that I can be, for pushing me to be the best and teaching me to love and care for others. Thanks for all the memories on the baseball field and at home, you are both the most positive male role models in my life and I'm so thankful to be blessed with that. I wouldn't trade either of you for the world! I love you both.


Sooo, this is it folks! I dare say it is past my bedtime and I need all the sleep I can get. So I hope you enjoy this even though I think it is awful. Once again, I am sorry for slacking and not posting in a while, I hope to change that.

peace out cubscouts!

My challenge to you.

Hello fellow readers,

I am going to do something completely different tonight. I would really like to read stories of how God has been working in your own lives. I want to hear your stories, whether it be the highest of the highs or the lowest of the lows, I want be able to pray for you. I believe everyone has a unique story and I would love to hear some, no matter what they are. Heck mine is just getting started, I'm sure you all can think of something.

I may be 19 years old but I want to pray and be there for each and every one of you. That is just what I do; I like helping people, I like listening and knowing. So just send me something. Anything please! Maybe the only way I will ever get more feedback is if I make it my posts more personal to you!

So yeah, message me them or post them on the Changing Directions facebook wall, shown here http://www.facebook.com/takingtheotherroute. I promise if you do not want me to share anything you tell me, I will keep it between just us.

I'm just a kid wanting some more inspiration, don't do this if you don't want to but please consider it!

So until tomorrow, peace out cubscouts!


*PS!!! Heck you don't even have to have a story about God, if you just want to talk to me about something, do it. I would love to! If you wanna just talk about God, leggooo, I'm pumped!

The best week of my life.

This is no exaggeration. No joke, no lie. Write it down folks, June 3rd-June 9th of the year 2012 has been the best week of my life. Wanna know the best part about it? It is not even over yet...

What has made this week so wonderful? Well let me tell you what right hurr, I was a VBS guide/helper/teacher dude. Yeah that is right. I did it all. It was amazing learning and teaching God's word with wonderful people. Each day I was drawn closer to the Lord, He kept adding to my spiritual high. I was literally doing things I never thought I would do, I mean seriously, I was dancing in front of a ton of people I didn't know. I can't even dance or sing but I was doing it. It didn't really matter to me how good I was but the fact that I was doing it to support the kiddos, to show them it wasn't so bad once you take a chance, a leap of faith and have a little fun.

One of my students in particular really won my heart over, the first night. We were talking about just random things because I was trying to get to know her and find an idea to do during the talent show and in the process I learned that she loved to dance but was extremely shy and didn't ever get up in front of a group. So what do I do, well being me, I told her I'm gonna make you get up there and do it because it isn't so bad. Lead by example folks. It actually worked too, I tell you what she sure can dance, once she saw me making a complete fool of myself she was all smiles and ready to do it too. That was just the first night. Every single night after that she would ask me if she could dance with me again and we did when we were allowed.

Maybe this doesn't mean much to the people that read it, but I type it because it means a lot to me. It actually makes me cry tears of joy honestly. I've already said it on facebook but I will say it again here, God really worked through her this week. On Tuesday Brother Tommy prayed with the older students and my class was there to listen and pray also. Autumn, whom all this is about, prayed Brother Tommy's prayer in her heart. She prayed it and meant it and was ready to be saved and so she was and didn't even friggin tell me until just last night. But nonetheless, I was excited for her and she will be baptized Sunday I think. So in celebration of said feat, she got to get on stage tonight at family night and embarrass herself with a hula-hoop or however that is spelled. Technically the only one getting embarrassed was myself, I lasted 2 seconds she could have kept hoopin the hula all night I bet. She and all the others on the stage took my nonsense like champs and I am proud that they kept on smiling.

But okay I am going to cut that short because there is just so much I want to say but I don't want to bore you all. So moving on folks:

The reason this was the best week of my life is because I was able to grow a lot closer with God and friend's. Who woulda thunk I'd be saying this not that long ago? Not I for sure. All I know is I sure am glad this happened, is happening and will continue to happen. God is great! I learned tons of dances and bible (My favorite being Jeremiah 32:17, it is simple yet powerful in my opinion) and I made great friends. My little brother and sister went and loved it, hopefully they come back. I was able to help out with the craziest kids in the whole church. Hopper was the ring leader of the crazies! I learned to tell DA HOPPAS apart too, I guess that will be good for Wednesday nights! Shoot fire, I don't know what else to say honestly, There is just so much it was full of excitement and joy.

Oh to the little girl that sang Jesus Friend Of Sinners, I love you! That is one of my favorite songs and I thought you did a terrific job.

To everyone that helped out God bless you all, to all the kids that attended, I hope you learned something and will live your life for Christ.

I'm so thankful for all the people that were there. It was an awesome week!

So It is my bedtime since I work tomorrow morning, but I promise more blogs soon! I have slacked off a little, I was just super busy guys, but I will give you lots and lots of blogs to read. One of them is going to be very important to me! SO until then folks, peace out cubscouts.

Step One: Being Honest With Yourself

Hello again everyone! I hope you all had a great, safe Memorial Day weekend and Memorial Day. I was out in the sun for quite a while and ended up getting a little burnt but hey, who cares? YOLO. Wow, I can't believe I just used that. Facebook statuses must be getting to me, shoot I tell you what. Ah oh well, anyways back to my ramblings.

So, my question tonight is, are you doing everything you can for the ones around you?

I will go ahead and answer that, no, most of us probably aren't. We say we do or will but in all reality we really just try something once or twice and then give up. Wow, we suck. Just saying.

Let me give you an example in my own life of how I say I will do everything I can for the ones around me but I don't. My brother Jacob is the most annoying person in the world, but I love him to death. I say I will help him with baseball, but I really never do, I always make excuses like I'm too tired or its too hot. Well, it doesn't really help him much when he is actually wanting to get better and would like his OLDER brother to help him out. I should jump all over that, but I don't. Dang, I'm just lazy.

My best excuse so far is, you don't ever do anything for me, why should I do something for you. Well shoot fire, looks like I contradict just about everything I blog for. That statement makes me pretty selfish and really not taking my own advice. I mean I'm pretty sure I have been preachin to help others no matter what, yet I say that to my own brother. Well dang, I caught myself red-handed. Yikes!

I suppose this is the part where I apologize to my readers for not following my own words, so hey I'm sorry. I will do better, that's a promise.

Funny thing is, I didn't originally want to write this blog to just tell you all how lazy I actually am or to let you know I messed up. It just lead into that I guess, but the real reason is because of a man named Jonathan Sperry. If you have seen The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry, well bravo, it is a great movie and if you haven't seen it...GO WATCH IT YA LOSER! (J/K you aren't a loser)...But for real, Mr. Sperry is what made me think about this question tonight. I'm going to straight up spoil the ending to the movie, so I'm sorry, still you need to watch it. In said movie, Mr. Sperry has a young lad mow the lawn of a man across the street that does not get out much due to his crippled form. He pays the boy to do it and to help the man, hopefully to give the man some hope, the way I see it. To cut to the point, at the end we find out that the man had actually been driving drunk four years prior and killed Mr. Sperry's wife.

Now why on Earth would Mr. Sperry want to pay someone to help someone else, when that someone else killed his wife? Well, Jonathan was one heck of a Godly man. He was able to forgive the man of what had happened and was wanting to give him faith in the Lord, something I assume the gentleman lost after he killed Mr. Sperry's wife. Obviously he lived in regret and Mr. Sperry wanted to help him get past it, so that is where the boy came in.

Okay I don't want to tell you all the whole movie, considering it is kind of long and well I'm tired so to make this simple, Mr. Sperry lived and died by the Bible. Period. Case closed. So how does this relate to my original question and my experience? Well let's see, Mr. Sperry was willing to do anything for the man that killed his wife because he loved God and had faith in the Lord's word, I don't want to help my brother because he's annoying. Jonathan Sperry wins by KO!

Blah blah blah, what's your point? Well, my point is, when we say we are living by the Bible and are willing to do anything no matter what, are we really? I'm sure there isn't anywhere in the Bible that says I must play baseball with my brother when he wants to. But I do know it says this, " Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act". I believe that everyone deserves good no matter who they are or what they do, for the Bible tells me that, therefore this from Proverbs 3:27 means this to me: I should not make excuses for not wanting to help, I should just simply help. I'd need to be dead tired to not want to help of all people my brother. So I'll be sure to stop slacking.

But are you going to continue making excuses for why you aren't helping someone? Even if they have done wrong to you, are you willing to give them your other cheek (Matthew 5:38-42) and do all that you can to help them seek the Lord? All it takes is a little bit of honesty within yourself. Honesty to admit to the world that you have done wrong and are ready to do what's right. By you doing the right thing, others will follow.

Who knows if you all understand my message tonight... It sure sounded good while I was thinking it in my head, maybe I should type these before it gets an hour past my bed time, oh well I suppose. Peace out cubscouts!

Timeline

So this is just going to be a completely random post about my timeline on facebook. It is actually really useful in being able to go back and read all of your old stuff. I honestly like that part about it and find it really cool. Just going back and reading some of my posts, I learned a little bit about myself. I was an obnoxious boyfriend in every one of my relationships and I was extremely annoying. Really just reading the posts it reminds me of what my brother posts now. Stuff to get attention. Lots and lots of stuff, like 10 posts a day, that is crazy!

I can honestly see why people thought I was annoying, if they even don't now. I can also see why I didn't date much lol. I think I had a post each day about my girlfriends at the times I read, it is crazy just going back and seeing that. I never really realized that is how I acted. I guess that all comes with growing up, you get out of some attention seeking phase or some annoying high school kid phase and realize it isn't all about you. Literally all my posts were about me, me being obnoxious and what not.

So hey, sorry for all the dudes and dudettes that read all that before, pretty annoying I'd assume.

Sunday 5/27/2012

What to expect when you're expecting?

^ I wanted to obviously keep my general theme for Sunday blogs titled "Sunday XX/XX/XXXX" but I could not resist using the above title name! To answer everyone's number one question, no we did not have a church trip to the movies to see this and my post is not about this movie. Granted I haven't seen it, so by some weird chance it could be related, but that would be crazy.

In other news, if you are a first time reader of my blog, welcome, hopefully you enjoy it! If you are back for more of my thoughts, well thank you for actually being interested. I hope everyone enjoys this post from church today and also to what Nick wanted to read about last night. Here goes nothing.


Earlier today, once again I did not speak my mind in Sunday school class as I said I would. I'm not sure why, maybe it is my fear of being wrong and embarrassing myself, actually I think it is mostly just being wrong. I can live with embarrassing myself, I do it every single day, I am an expert at it and have come to accept that is just me. It is surprising to me though I still don't speak my mind, just goes to show how much easier it is to type it all out and let me read it rather than talking in person and actually having to be there with that person. But let me back track to the first sentence, earlier today a man in class said something about us expecting God to do things for other people we pray for and it just got me thinking, we can't expect God to do anything honestly. God expects and demands things from us, but it just isn't possible to expect or demand things from him. I think He would probably just laugh and say that we are crazy and foolish. Who knows... I'd just like to point out, I completely understand what was being said in class, it is just the more I got to thinking, the more I decided this would be what I blog about and give my opinion on... When I hear "I expect..." I think of something physical following right after, like "I expect that money now." or "I expect you to clean this mess up", hmmm, maybe those are awful examples, but what I am getting at is when you expect something you want to see what is going on, you want proof. Well this is where I think faith kicks in.

Faith to me is the absence of proof, the absence of physical evidence, it is the belief in the unseen. God wants us to be faithful to him no matter what, through the good and bad. Everyone is tested at some point or another in whether or not they have faith in the Lord. Those that do have faith will triumph because they do not need proof of His presence, but those that are unfaithful will falter because they require/expect what God will not give. When everything you have is taken from you and you still remain faithful to the Lord, you will reap the rewards. Don't believe me, go read Job, it is good. Just sayin.

There are many reasons to remain faithful in the Lord: To at some point meet God, to show others what faith can do, etc. The point is really, without faith, I don't really see any way you can get to heaven to meet God. Maybe someone else sees it differently, but that is just my opinion. I look at it as why would God want to meet you if you never had faith in His power or Himself? I don't think he would. But that is just me.

For me, I know that he has had a plan for me my entire life, he has sent me on one crazy ride and I guess I never really had faith until recently. Whatever it was that kicked on inside of me, well it seriously kicked me! I believe I have changed for the better and the only reason I can explain it is because I put all my trust in God and I am willing to continue the ride, but this time with him. I don't expect anything from God because I know I am undeserving. I only hope and have faith that he will get me through everything. But He owes me nothing, I owe him everything.


Well, that is really all I have right now folks. I am sure I can add more, like I have done for a few others, I will comeback and touch it up, but hey at least you got a new post from me for the first time in forever! I hope it maybe opened some eyes or made you think. If not, well I guess that means I suck. I don't know, but hey, peace out cubscouts!

The Back Talkin' Back Hand

To all the parents that are reading this, yes you can steal that and threaten your kids with it from now on. If you actually go to using it though, you for real gotta yell out "Back Talkin' Back Hand Arghhh!" Kind of like "Hulk Smash" except longer and funnier. I want videos also if you do that, just saying.

But hey, I assume we all know what my next blog is going to be about right? Well if not, don't fret, take a deep breath, get your eyes checked and if those are okay well then you must be suffering a side-effect of the Back Talkin' Back Hand that you received at some point in your life and have obviously pushed/forgotten that memory. It's okay, we are all here to support you.

Blah blah blah, let us dive into tonight's blog, kind of like a high jumper dives into a pool or a deer dives in front of your 60mph car on the Natcher. Let's go with the swimmer, the only thing splattering everywhere is water, with the deer, well you know...

But hey, I'm typing this tonight because, well tonight I back talked to my step-mom. I actually do feel kind of bad about it because I was just mad at the time from other stuff and I felt like I was being accused of something I didn't do, which looking back on it, I wasn't. So, Bridget, I am sorry for being a butthole, that may have lessened my chances of that new phone sooner, but I would like to encourage you to think long and hard before you make a decision... Did I mention I love you?

But for real kiddos, back talking isn't cool. It causes more problems than it fixes and is disrespectful to the person you do it to. Whether you think they deserve it or not, that is a matter of opinion best left to yourself, unless you want to suffer the consequences and probably whine some more about whatever it is.

The first of the ten commandments says to "Honor your father and mother", well folks mouthing off and what not to them isn't really honoring them. Far from it to say the least. I'd say that doesn't please God very well since you are ignoring what he has commanded of you just because you can. I keep using you but really, I just did that so I should be using I. Maybe some people will read this and say I am being too dramatic about it but hey, here's how I see it: I let down my parents and my mammaw, I was a bad example to my little siblings and I let down God. Well shoot fire. Not exactly how I wanted my night to go on top of everything else but it is a lesson learned. Slow down and think about your actions before you make them actions, if that makes any sense to anyone but me.

Disobeying God is disobeying God, no matter how you look at it, some people may look at this as something little, I look at it as sin is sin and yeah, sin isn't good. People get into trouble when they start comparing things. I guess it is a way to maybe lessen the severity of something and say it is okay to do it because it isn't as bad as something else. True in some aspects, but when it is really looked into, comparing acts of sin or disrespect or whatever you want to call it is just an excuse to continue doing that act over and over again because it isn't near as bad as something else.

^ I realize this may be confusing because I am awful at putting my thoughts down into a clear format, but I think everyone gets the gist of my post so far. How that relates to back talking is, it becomes a habit really after so long because you think it isn't the worst you can do. As I have said, sin is sin, so don't do it! I actually try to be respectful and to not backtalk or complain about things anymore because I mean, things are just easier that way. I'm pretty sure that it has been quite some time sense I have really done that to my parents and I am disappointed it happened tonight no matter the circumstance.

Parents deserve more respect than they typically get. So I am once again sorry!

Moral of the blog: Sin is sin no matter the severity, don't back talk your parents unless you want the back hand. Trust me, dad has given it to me before, it hurts. I wouldn't advise any kids to actually seek it out.

"Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise
-Ephesians 6:2

"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
-Deuteronomy 5:16


I am sure I could have added more but I am worn out and I need some sleep for work tomorrow, I will come back and edit this at some point but for now, I hope everyone enjoyed it and what not. If not, oh well...

*DISCLAIMER* This blog post was not intended to get a new phone. Simply to tell the world about back talking. The phone will come in due time.

Peace out cubscouts!

Cleveland 2012

What's up folks? Your friendly neighborhood Jeffrey Sumner here with another wall of text heading your way. Ehh actually probably not, really I am typing this to inform my readers something pretty awesome!

Drum roll please...

I am going on my first mission trip ever this summer in late July to Cleveland, Ohio. Woohoo! I'm pretty excited about spreading God's word, helping others and learning with some great people. I thank God for the opportunity he has given me to actually do this and how the heck could I pass it up? Exactly! I couldn't no matter what, so yup, I'm going for sure and I am pumped...

Since this is the first time I have actually done something like this, I am kind of nervous honestly. I don't know what to do or expect, I will just let God lead the way I suppose. I do know it will be great for me to participate in and it will be a great way to get to know some people in my church a little bit more!

I pray all goes well while we are there!

But hey, peace out cubscouts...I'll be back!

Sunday 5/20/12

Hello my fellow friends, family, co-workers, haters, lovers, whatever you are. I just want to say I am sorry for not posting much lately, I would like to say I have been busy but that would be lying. I've been tired from work and honestly struggling on how to word some blogs so I didn't want to publish anything yet. But it is Sunday and as I have promised, I will post a blog about Church/Sunday school.

To start out, today was a pretty good day actually. I went to two church services, one at Lewis Lane Baptist with some very nice friends of mine and my own, Buck Creek Baptist. It was nice just experiencing how another place worships and actually, it helped me a whole lot with this blog post. I have been trying to think all week on how to put this together and struggled to do so, but now I feel as if I can! Thanks to Genesis 4:1-16...

Ahem, that means turn there pretty please or Google it right...about...now!

So, for those of you that actually looked for the passage, well you are going to obviously not be lost. For those of you that didn't bother to take a few seconds to search Google or pull out your Bible, well I'm sorry that you didn't. Way to not be cool. Anyways, shall we begin? Uh doi!

So first off in Verses 1 and 2 we really just learn about Cain and Abel being born and that Cain works the soil while Abel keeps the flocks. Pretty simple, no explanation or my input really, I don't think. Unless there is some hidden meaning I am missing. That is a completely serious statement, if there is a hidden meaning, let me know. That is also a serious statement...

Verses 3, 4, and 5 is where I believe it really gets interesting if you think about it. Each brother takes an offering to the Lord and each receive a different "response" of sorts from the Lord. Abel takes fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock while Cain some of the fruits of the soil. Now I am no genius, but I think the responses each received were totally warranted. God was essentially pleased with Abel but not with Cain. Hmmm, I wonder why? Well honestly, Cain's offer didn't seem very special. Heck, it just says "some fruits of the soil". Wow, really? It is almost as if he is not sacrificing anything honestly. Granted, in some cases I am sure God would be pleased, but from Cain I am sure God was wanting more of an effort. Especially when he see's Abel sacrificing fat portions from some of the FIRSTBORN of his flock. I don't know much about flocks and what not, but I would just guess that the firstborn are probably bigger and better than the rest. To give up your best for the Lord is obviously the sacrifice he wants, but all we are told from Cain is just some fruit. Woooohooo! I mean wow, today in Sunday school, I learned that Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac because he was told to by the Lord himself. He went literally to the last second until God stopped him, Abraham proved his faith in the Lord just as Abel did, but Cain did not. Yet Cain is angry.

In verses 6 and 7, God asks Cain why is he so mad and downcast, he also tells him that if he just does what is right things will be okay but if he does not do the right thing, sin will be there ready to take him. So really, if he had given more of a sacrifice everything possibly would be okay, but he didn't so he is really in a heap of trouble.

In verse 8, Cain lets the sin take control of him and he kills his brother Abel. He let the jealousy and anger that God had said would be there waiting for him, control him, he didn't master the sin, the sin mastered him.

Even further in 9 through 12, Cain sins yet again by lying to the Lord and saying he did not know where Abel was. Obviously God already knew so Cain was really just digging himself a deeper hole which is kind of ironic because he is the keeper of the soil. but anyways God knows what has happened and curses Cain from the ground. No longer will he yield crops for his deeds. This pretty much shows us that although sin may be a temporary pleasure, it bites us in our butts because we will pay for what we have done. Also, Cain is told he will be a restless wanderer on the earth...

To speed this up, in 13 through 16, Cain complains about his punishment and says that God is the one doing this to him, when really it was his sin that did this. The blame was all his and not God's, yet he did not see that and did not accept that. He also says that he will be killed but God says that is not true and puts a mark on him. Killing a sinner for vengeance is sin itself, kill someone either way is sin honestly, but yeah! It goes on to say Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, therefore we know for sure that it was Cain that left God, not God that left Cain.


Okay if you are still with me, I am sure you are wondering what the heck I just typed all that for. Well let me get to my point, that point is having complete faith in the Lord. It is shown through the text that Abel's offering was made purely of faith, strong faith in that where as Cain's was not. Obviously God is going to be more pleased when you work through faith rather than just getting by. Having faith is a sign of a follower of Jesus, no faith signifies a wanderer or as I like to call it, a fan (Thank you "Not A Fan"). Therefore do things through faith and you will reap the rewards, no matter the case keep the faith and master this sin. Sometimes it is hard to keep faith, but for real, go read Genesis 22, if you think whatever it is you are going through is hard, stand in Abraham's shoes and then come talk to me. I understand that we each have our own problems but if we maintain our faith in the Lord we will get through them.

When we let sin enter our lives even for just a second, we begin to lose faith. Like we were told earlier, all it takes is just one time. One time drinking, one time smoking, one time of whatever to suck you in, to sweep you off your feet when you least expect it. One time to destroy your life. You can't use the excuse it is just this once no big deal because that shows you don't have complete faith in the Lord to guide you, you are being disobedient because you can, that is not what God wants. He wants your trust and that one time breaks it. As I have said in another blog, it is all in or nothing, so in God's eyes, just this once means you aren't willing to give sin up and you aren't completely committed.

I will be completely honest, I used to say just this once to sin, but it didn't work, it isn't ever just this once and it will never be for anyone. Now I am all in to God, I will not change that stance no matter what people say.

I was just reading the other day a post by a friend and it said at the very end the Bible was just an inconvenience, well if that is really what you think. If sin is how you really want your life to be lived, so be it, I won't judge you but I will pray for you. The Bible's teaching are only an inconvenience to those who let it be, to those that choose to make it their own custom creation. If you choose to only obey bits an pieces, isn't that a bigger inconvenience because it honestly won't get you anywhere. What would be the point in obeying at all? I mean I just said this and I will say it again, it is all or nothing... I want to drill that into your brains, if you pick out what you want, don't bother even doing that. It isn't meant to be a shopping spree where you get what you want and leave the rest on the rack, you get the whole truth or nothing.

So yeah, this ties into what I have said before, so nothing really new... But I mean I believe it is important to realize and understand. So hey, I hope you all liked this post and maybe learned something. I don't know when I will post again, but hopefully soon, I really like being blunt about things so expect a lot more about that, who knows... Well thanks for reading, maybe you liked it, maybe you didn't, that is on you, not me. I'm just giving my opinion and trying to further understand what I learn. But I am thankful you read this, whether you liked it or not.

Sunday 05/13/2012...Sorta

Hello again everyone! I'm sorry to say that I have been slacking off on blogging, these past few days have been pretty crazy actually since I've started my new job. Getting up at 5 am to be at work at 6 is actually pretty draining and it has only been two days! But I know that no matter what God has a plan for me and I have been reminded these past few days that I will go through the good and the bad but I must always praise the Lord no matter what. Where ever he takes me, I am thankful, I will maintain my faith in him!

But hey let's get down to the good stuff, shall we? After some debating amongst myself, I have decided to change up my blog for Sunday to not be about Sunday School but rather about our evening service, to an extent. I hope that everyone enjoys it and learns something, if not, well I tried my best... As a side note, if you do want to learn more about the Lord and become closer to God, come to Buck Creek with me! I'll pick you up for real! Just let me know and I'll be thrilled to make a stop.

Okay, okay, okay! Serious mode on, Bible open, notes on the table, missiles ready, laptop... Whoa, whoa, whoa... Missiles ready? This really is serious... Let us begin, with a question!


Do you wish your life were to have turned out differently? Take a minute to think about that, if you answer yes, please please please please read on. If no, well keep reading on anyways!

Tonight it is my goal to take those of you that said yes, which I'd assume is a vast majority of you, and make you reconsider your stance. I myself "was" a yes just the other day. Then with a few emails, listening to Brother Tommy and sitting on my breaks thinking, plus this quote right here, " God doesn't call me to be successful, He calls me to be faithful" (Mother Theresa), I realized that my life is just the way He wanted it, so why should WOULD I want it to be any different?... Okay flipping amazing I just learned how to strike out words, sooo cool, anyways... Well, thinking about it, I really wouldn't at all. I realize that I have lived this life for a reason, simply because that is how God wanted me to.

Before really thinking about it, I just said dang, I love God but I wish things were different, I wish my life were different... Heck I think I even mentioned that in a blog. But now I honestly am happy with my life, I have a renewed faith in the Lord. I praise the Lord for how things turned out, the good and the bad because they are lessons learned. Like Mother Theresa said, He doesn't call you to be successful, he calls you to be faithful. Sometimes I had wanted so bad to be a success in so many ways. A majority of my life, I didn't really listen to God or his word's or really anyone's words for that matter. I was unfaithful to the Lord and I was really not that happy with how things were going. I guess that I didn't even buy into going to church and following God, maybe because I was just foolish or something. I didn't think that it really mattered or meant anything honestly. I mean I didn't judge people that did or didn't but I said "that isn't for me", but now I know that God is all I need.

Reading back through this, I realize that I am sort of rambling and not getting to my point at all, so what is my point to go with all this you say? Well for one, God has lead you through your life whether you believe it or not. Every single one of the ups and downs is the Lord's doing and you should appreciate that, praise him for those. I believe that people need to realize that their lives have been perfect just the way they are. Why? Because it is how God wanted them to be. He is always there, if you just remain faithful you will see that. If you stop living for yourself and live for him, you will see. Don't look back on your past and say, I wish that happened differently, simply look back on your past and use whatever it may be as motivation for your future. You will always make mistakes, trust me I do all the time, some pretty big mistakes at that, but it is how you take those mistakes and learn from them that you can make up for them. Well that and asking God for forgiveness. Just don't regret what you have done, because if you are truly trying to be different there is no reason to show regret. Show faith in the Lord and seek his guidance.

I realize that this is not the best of my blogs, I was actually hoping it would be a big hit but dang, for some reason I couldn't string together my message! Sorry for this being sloppy, I promise to tweak it at some point or maybe redo it!

But I do hope I at least made some people think. Don't look at your past as something bad, God will always be there waiting for you to renew your faith in him and once you do you will learn that your past was perfect because it led you to/back to him.

Also, I didn't really talk about all I wanted but, Having faith and being unsuccessful is much better than being Successful and having no faith. God wants to know you trust him, he will test you, if you remain faithful, trust me there will be much success to come.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed it somewhat, I need to head to bed because work is right around the corner!

Peace out cubscouts!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello folks, it sure has been a few days since my last post so hey, why the heck not post on an such an important day as this? If you are completely oblivious to the fact that it is Mother's Day, well wake up buddy, IT IS MOTHER'S DAY!

I would like to give a special shout out to my Mom and Step-mom, you two are pretty awesome I don't know what I would do without you all. I am sure there are plenty of times where you two are a pain in my butt, well I suppose you all can say the same about me, but just know I love you both a ton and appreciate all the things you do for me.

Personally, I feel blessed because I get to say I have two great moms instead of just one. I've gotten to learn different things from both of them and each has helped me grow up in a different way. I don't know what I would do without either one of you, I'm sure it would be something along the lines of nothing... Yeah I guess that means you both keep me straight.

To Mom: Thanks for always taking me to baseball games and school things as a kid, thanks for giving me, Justin and Jake that huge freaking room at our old house because that was awesome...that thing was ginormous!!... Thank you for putting up with me being a jerk for a long time. Umm thank you for just being weird and posting weird things on my wall that embarrass me sometimes... It's all good, I understand that I am your little baby and you can't help but posting that weird stuff, so keep on doing it if you want I won't be mad. Oh and thanks for all the time and effort and well money you have put in on all my junk. Thanks for being one cool mom and teaching me some math stuff at like the age of 5, remember when I did your RGIS worksheets and got the answers right when like 30 year olds couldn't, yeah that's how awesome I am... I'm pretty sure I don't say thanks enough and show that I am appreciative, so thanks! I loveeee you...

To Bridget: Thanks for being super cool and making us do chores. You read that and laugh because it sounds like sarcasm, but I am serious for once! I think it has helped me a ton with growing up and listening to my parents. I learned to not back talk and complain and all that jazz. (Side Note) Some of you readers may not care or think I am dumb, but I'm sure she gets it, so get over it! <3... Ummm, thanks for putting up with me when you want to shop for school and stuff, I know I am a complete pain when it comes to that because I HATE it with a passion, but I am really grateful you do that for me and you treat me as your own son. Thanks for being there for me no matter what and yeah! I loveeee you too...

Hopefully both of you are aware, no matter how much of a pain I am, that I love you and yeah...Yall Rock!

Happy Mother's Day to you two and all you moms out there that read my blog. I'm grateful that you take the time to actually click on a link and spend 5 minutes reading for me, you all rock also!

Oh and a special shout out to my "foster mom" of sorts haha, Lee Ann Edmonson! Thanks for adopting me at church and for the awesome gifts you sent me, especially those sunflower seeds and powerades... Friggin awesome gifts! Thank you a ton too and I look forward to helping out at church!

The End of the Beginning

So, I'm sitting here going completely against my slacking off blog and not studying for my last final. I can't help it honestly, I just got out of a three hour long intense NASCAR tournament between my roommate, Joshua Edmonson. I just want to throw it out there that he beat me 4 total tracks to 2. I lost some cash in the process, but it was worth it. I now know that the "No Rules" rule sucks. That has to be the worst rule ever because we both end up wrecking each other to win. Oh well I suppose, Josh, I know you are going to read this, I demand a rematch this summer. I won't lose again!

But hey, I don't want to leave the impression that I am in a bad mood because of that, I'm actually pretty darn happy. I have one more final and then I am free for summer break. Oh and I forgot to mention I'm pretty sure I got an A in French and for sure in Psychology! SO heck yes!

This has been one great semester in college, I've absolutely loved it. I had a pretty cool roommate that has kept me somewhat motivated and I somewhat kept him motivated, but I'm pretty sure overall, we both have had some pretty good laughs and just a ton of fun. Too bad I can't live in his apartment next year, that would be pretty crazy just saying.

But enough about that loser, I started this semester wanting all A's and thinking it was going to be easy for me. Why I thought that, I have no idea, but I soon realized that it was going to be a struggle to even pass. It is totally different being on your own, I mean sure having friends to push you is good, but that only goes so far. All my life, my parents have hounded me about grades and even last semester they did, but now I am an hour away and I stay down here a bunch of the weekends, so this is all on me. I don't want to sound like I am complaining or anything because I really like the independence. My only problem is how naive I had been. This totally goes back to my slacking blog, nothing comes easy. You have to literally work your butt off to succeed and I didn't really do that much at the start, I just breezed by. At the class drop-date, I realized that I really needed to get my grades up before I screwed up my first semester away from home. By my standards my grades weren't that good, I had 3 C's, 1 B and 1 A. After that drop-date though and switching from Astronomy to French, I kicked it into gear. I'm proud to say that I should be finishing up this semester with 3 A's, 1 B and 1 C.

That B is actually the final I am taking tomorrow, there is a 6 point curve plus 10 bonus points. I'm praying that I can get the bonus right and then half of the test right, if so, I get a B. If not, well I tried and that class was freaking hard so I will be happy with a really high C. Who knows though, we shall see tomorrow at 8 am!

Let's see, what other things can I say about this semester. I went caving for the first time ever, that was a blast, played some ultimate frisbee and I am hopefully going to have time to play on the team for real next year. Umm, what else, Brody, Josh, Ethan and I went to Baron river and Shanty Hallow lake a few times, then ate at this place with a HOT waitress, we all missed our chance at getting her number and we totally need to go back again sometime, I'm getting that woman's number. She was purdy.

Although I am glad to go home for the summer and start a new job, I really can't wait for next semester, I will be going deeper into my major and I can't wait to get closer to finally getting to teach. Not to mention, I will also be back in the same dorm room, able to yell at people walking in the Poland lot.

We sure are going to miss Josh on campus all the time... One good thing is, he can't bum off me anymore! Jk man, you know I never cared since you pay for my crap at times. NASCAR parties in my room anytime next year so stop on by.

But hey, I'm going to go ahead and wrap this up, I need to get to bed for that final tomorrow. So hey folks, a good message that I had for the day is to not give up no matter what, keep pushing on and your hardwork will pay off.

One last time, here's to all my friends that made this semester awesome, to all my new friends and to God for getting me through everything even when I am not worthy. Thanks all you peeps, love yall.

Peace out cubscouts

Sunday, May 06, 2012

Hello again fellow friends that actually read this. My next blog may not be something some of you want to read, but nevertheless, I want to post about. I am going to "try" each Sunday to post something about Sunday school and what we learned/talked about. My view may be wrong but it is just how I interpret what I read. I would also like to say that I will be honest with what I am thinking, if I think it I will more than likely write it down for everyone to see. I don't want to offend anyone with what I say and if I do, I'm sorry in advance.


Starting off, we talked about Deuteronomy 6:6-15. This is where you get your Bibles out and begin reading before reading more of this.

Honestly, before today I had not read this passage of scripture in the Bible. I found it very interesting and fun to interpret. What I really want to focus on is 6-9, in our Sunday school book, it is titled, "Share Your Life Message"... This is actually part of the reason that I wanted to start blogging about Sundays also, because I made this blog to send a message to my readers, to teach them my mistakes in hopes that they learn from them or are inspired by something I have said. Maybe the case is only one person is out of the 300 or so that have already read the blog, but that to me is successful because I have touched one person. I would also hope that that one person has also become closer to God while reading... But back to the whole reason I am posting this, 6-9 goes a little something like this:

"(6)These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. (7)Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (8)Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. (9)Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

First of all, the words are given to you in 1-5 but, for those of you that did not get your Bible out, Moses is saying to all of Israel to fear God, to love him with all your heart, soul and strength. As the title in our book says, " Build on the Right Foundation", Moses is laying out the foundation for our walk with God. As I have said before, you can't love him halfheartedly, once again, it is all or nothing.

That is just a short and sweet summary, of what is going on, if you want to get the full scripture, I suggest you pull out your Bible...

Onto the good stuff! As I have already posted above, 6-9 can be quite puzzling. What exactly does this passage of scripture mean? Well, honestly I'm sure to each person it can mean something different, so here is how I look at it, while combining some of what I learned earlier. In verse 6, I simply believe that we are to carry in our hearts, God, the same way we do our own families. God should be at the top of the list in your heart. The words Moses has given us of God should be remembered and stored in our heart that way if someone were to try to take them away from us, the only way to get it would be to cut out our heart. That to me shows that you fear God more than any man, like scripture says. You would rather keep the message in your heart and suffer death with a heart for God facing the Lord rather than an empty heart facing the Lord.

Verse 7, I look at this verse signifying prayer. What better way to talk about the words, spoken previously, with your children than through prayer? The passage says to talk while you sit in your house, walk along the road, when you lie down and get up. I believe that the one thing I have found so far that can relate to all of these is prayer. Prayer to me is the most powerful way to spread God's word and love, it is the most powerful way to spread your "life's message". Repeating through prayer is a way to teach in my opinion. If you hold the words true in your heart as the scripture says, then you could very well teach by praying from your heart. Granted, this is just my opinion. I don't want to cause any arguments because I know there can be MANY more interpretations. This is just more to think about and consider.

Anyways! In verse 8, I believe as was said in Sunday school, this can be taken literally, as you can bind the sign on your hand or forehead, but I also feel this could be something as simple as, what if your hand was the sign and your forehead was the symbol? Some of you are like "what is this crazy kid talking about" but let me explain, your hand can bear the story of the message and so can the knowledge you have stored in your head. Maybe it has been that you have let the words spoken be shown through your actions (hence your hand). Maybe those actions came when you walked along the road, you helped lead another person on a broken path, to God. To me that is a sign bound to your hand, showing your love with all your heart, soul and strength. When you continue to lend a hand when the path has become rugged and worn.

To me, you can see the knowledge you have learned following the words on your forehead. You can see it in the wrinkles and the scars. Maybe each is a different story. It is just an idea that I'm throwing out, so you don't literally look at it, well literally. Maybe the spreading of that knowledge, leading others to Christ, fearing that without doing so, you have not done enough to please the Lord, or once again doing it with all your heart, soul and strength to show your love for the Lord. Who knows what is really meant? My idea may be a little crazy, but is just an idea.

Lastly, I believe that verse 9 is simple. If you are living a lavish lifestyle, and you never have the heart to give, or you give a small amount and save a majority for your own selfish needs, then maybe you're not giving everything and you certainly aren't fearing God. The way you can write the words on the doorposts and gates is by really living a life towards God and only God. Giving up the lavish lifestyle for a simple on, giving the most you can give and not the least saved for your own selfishness. Maybe it is in those doorposts and gates that people will find the true love for God, the true meaning of sacrifice for God. Having the faith and determination to follow his plan and not their own, no matter the cost.

I am going to be completely honest right now guys, it is 1:20, I have been thinking about this blog for quite a while now and I am still not finished, I am going to go ahead and post it and finish it tomorrow. But once again, This is just an opinion to go along with what had been discussed. I am in a learning process and I am not afraid to be wrong, if I am, so what at least I expressed an idea, getting shot down then back up is the perfect way to grow. So hopefully if you disagree or want to add any points to this you do and we can discuss it further. I am sure it is mumbo jumbo, but I assure you, it is the fact that I am extremely tired...

But anyways,

Peace out cubscouts.

Who are we to judge?

The past few days have made me realize something pretty important that I think we all do. That happens to be judging people. Don't read this and lie to yourself saying you don't do that because I am willing to bet all the money in my pocket (That happens to be 71 bucks) that you do. There are various reasons why people judge other people, the way they talk, look, walk, act, how smart they are, their past, their parents, and the list just goes on and on. Granted there are some times that people make "good" judgements of others, but a majority of the time they are unjust, uncalled for and quite frankly rude. My question is to all of us is, who are we to judge?

Think about it, what gives us the right to judge somebody else? Is it that we feel superior? To make ourselves feel better? I suppose that is how I have acted. Sure I admit I do judge people and I make stupid comments about them to crack a joke or to sound cool with a bunch of friends. But the truth is, after about an hour, that makes me look like a major douchebag. I guess I haven't really realized that until this weekend, for that I am sorry to all the people that I have passed unjust, cruel judgements on. I don't have the authority to, I never will have the authority. The only person that should be allowed to make a judgement is God. I fear how God will judge me because of how I have judged others. If he uses what I have gone by so many times, I'm sure his judgement of me will not be very good. I think everyone should fear this, but sadly most people don't care.

The worst thing is, when you judge someone or just say something about someone and then it gets back around to that person... Yeah bummer right? Kiss that friendship goodbye. Some people that may have been the best of friends, ruined because of a few stupid words. I know I don't want that to happen to me, but I am sure it has in the past.

I believe though, that instead of just saying something about someone to other people, you bring it up to that person and have an intelligent conversation like real adults, then life would be much easier. Maybe they do the things they do because that is just how they were raised, maybe they have actual problems in their life that cause them to act differently, who knows really? My point is you have to respect other people and not judge them for every little thing. I hate being judged and then hearing about it and I feel bad doing it to others. I say that I am a good person but I don't think good people say bad things about other people, so I am going to try my hardest to change that.

God is the only person in my opinion allowed to pass a judgement. His opinion is all that matters, so if you have been judged or you judge other people cruelly, remember that. Remember to fear his judgement and not others. Theirs doesn't compare to that of the Lord's. Don't retaliate and stoop to their level for God will also remember that, simply turn your other cheek as the Bible says and pray for them.

But hey, maybe I'm wrong and stupid. Who knows? I know I am not the smartest person and I know I am still a young Christian, in my eyes at least, but this is what I believe, if it contradicts what you think, I am sorry, go make your own blog and write it the way you see it.

Until my next blog...which is probably going to be within the next few hours, Adios!

Peace out cubscouts.

Ps go read Luke Chapter 6.

Hangin in the Garage

I decided that tonight, I wanted to come and hangout in the garage dad built to think and really type. Minus the heat, awful smell and clutter of junk in here, it isn't so bad. This could very well be my summer hangout spot. Heck, maybe I will help him clean it up and finish it off. One day I am going to figure out how to post pictures on here so you can see his amazing ceiling. It's a bunch of freaking Red Man banners, yes the chewing tobacco. I sure do have one crazy dad but you gotta love him.

I just want to point out, I am trying to make my posts be a lesson of some sort. That way when someone reads it, maybe they will learn from my choices and mistakes and will become a better person. Or even from the inspiring posts, if you think I have any, they will want to do something bigger than themselves. So, lets continue on, it won't be long or anything and hopefully you learn something... Don't blame me if you don't, I learned something...

Anyways, sitting out here is helping me sort through all the things going on in my head. First of all, today pappaw would have been 61. I stop and think about it for a minute and realize that, dang, he was just 53 when he passed away. To me, that is way too young.

I'm honestly not wanting to start a sobfest on here, but I want to just point out that life is too short. There will always be some missed opportunities, but you should relish the chances you are given and seize them. I made the biggest mistake of my life, missing the last night to talk to my Pappaw because of a video-game. Looking back on it, it has opened my eyes a little bit more. My priorities haven't always been where they should be and because of that I have had to pay. But in doing so I have learned to forgive myself and to help others. Although I do regret what happened, I now view it as a learning experience, something that not only I can build off of, but something that everyone can. So happy birthday Pappaw, that you for the lessons you taught me and the memories we had, one day I will type up a blog all about the good ole days with you... but until then, I love you and miss you.

Give it your all or don't bother

This next blog may somewhat relate to my previous blog in the sense that it is about working hard. Today after watching my brother's baseball game, I admit I left somewhat disappointed. I was expecting to see him play as well as he had told me he has all season. I got to see an error and two strikeouts, one he was caught looking on. I bugged him after the game about it and he told me his head wasn't in it today... Ruh Roh Bro.

Come on dude, the moment you step on that field, everything else needs go away. It should only be you and your team out there, no other distractions. When you let small stuff get to you that is when you mess up. I hope you read this post and think about it and maybe listen to me. You have to be completely dedicated in order to succeed. As I said in the last post it isn't halfway in its all or nothing. In a team, when one person struggles, everyone struggles. That is why you have to change modes, you have to shut off all the outside distractions and focus.

So hopefully tomorrow you will bounce back, pitch a perfect game, hit a homer and strike out every batter you face... Not likely but I have high expectations for you bro.

I don't want to totally embarrass him, so I am just going to stop here folks! I will probably post something else later on, so stay tuned! Sorry this one sucked!

Peace out cubscouts

Courage

To the chains that bound me once before,
I’ve shattered and left on the floor.
To the voices that said “It can’t be done”,
I’ve shunned and begun to outrun.
To the people that ever had their doubts,
I’ve ignored and chosen the other routes.

With the courage that God has given this guy,
I will not stand idly by
Because some ideas are meant to fly
I’ll use that courage to soar the sky.

Taking the Easy Route

Who's with me?! Hopefully none of you said yes. I mean come on folks, what do you learn from making everything easy in your life? Absolutely nothing. If anyone knows about this, it is me. I've taken the easy way out of things pretty much all my life. I am pretty good at just sliding by and doing the least amount possible. But who really wants to be known for that?

The next good bit I'm going to say is pretty humiliating to me, but I want people to understand that the easy path eventually sucks... You know I've said before I love baseball, I love it with all my heart. It is my passion. Guess what, now that I think about it, that can't be entirely true because I gave up on baseball. I quit during Babe Ruth. Wanna know why? Because I hated running. For someone as myself, that loved the game so much, loved being on the field more than anything to just quit because he didn't want to run in practice anymore is pretty pathetic. I'm not afraid to say it and I'm not afraid that people will think I was stupid or foolish to stop just because of that. Believe me, I know. I am the one that has dealt with it for the past 6 years. That is pretty much as lazy as you can get, I wanted to sit around and play video games all day and night because it didn't involve, well really anything.

Sometimes I just want to kick myself in the butt for doing that, for being lazy when I was little, for taking the easy route. But I think, instead of beating myself up with the anger, I should probably use it to teach a lesson to others. That lesson is to push yourself and never give up on something just because there is an obstacle. Life is not meant to be easy, because if it were what lessons could you ever possibly learn? If you fail, don't be discouraged, if you aren't the best don't give in to the critics, if you fall get right back up. You learn from your failures and mistakes and you use them to better yourselves and others. My hope is that people will read this not to just read it but to actually apply it to their life. I don't want people to be like me, the world doesn't need more lazy people. What it needs is more people that are willing to fight for everything, people that will push forward when things seem as if they are too much to handle.
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Following God isn't easy either. You can't be halfway committed or a fourth in, it's all in or nothing. I have learned that in the past few months and sometimes I still fail. I believe it is a learning process though, learning from your mistakes and putting all your faith in the Lord, praising him through the good and the bad. There will be times that you mess up of course, but it is after those times that your pray to God and get things right with him then the next time around when you are tempted you walk away with your head high. Each and every day will be a struggle but without that struggle, you haven't really met the Lord and you aren't really a follower.
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Well folks, I need to study for my French oral exam so I am going to stop this here, I may edit it and add more at some point but I believe you all get the point. Before I go, here are two more things I'd like to share:

1) Read "Not a Fan"  by Kyle Idleman. This is one heck of a book and I am grateful that it was given to me as a baptism gift. It has taught me a lot about my walk with Christ and I urge people to read it whether you believe you are a follower or not. Maybe it will make you rethink things. It sure made me.
2)"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." [Winston Churchill]


Peace out cubscouts

Oops, where's my mojo?

Back in the day, I loved writing poetry. I could pretty much think of a topic, get a few words going and then have a decent poem in no time. But now, I can't seem to do that and it really stinks because I would love to be able to write some poems again. Poetry is just an easy way to express how you feel in just a few words and it was pretty fun to type up. Hopefully I find my mojo sometime soon because I'm wanting to post a poem in the near future just to change things up.

Ramblings...

I can't think of any way right now to really tie everything in my head together at the moment, so this next blog is going to be just a big ramble of my thoughts. Who knows, maybe it will all connect at the end, maybe it won't...We shall see.

First off, to anyone that really cares, I am sorry for not posting in a few days (Not that that's many of you). I had a few drafts started but I eventually gave up and I shall combine those ideas together. Here goes nothing...

I have been wanting to talk about one of my favorite mottos, "Play hard, play smart, most of all play to have fun". You probably recognize this as a motto from little league baseball, at least that is the only place I have heard it. For me, this is a lifestyle. In little league, all I could think about was baseball, it was my passion and if I had the choice I would have slept behind home plate each night. Those of you that don't know me, yes I am crazy. But those words were my life, I would try my hardest each game and played as smart as I could to help my team. At the end of the day I had as much fun as possible on the field. To me the game wasn't ever about winning, I mean heck if it was I would still have a grudge on my brother because he dropped the easiest catch in the world in our Minor League championship game. We killed all season but lost that game, but who cares? I had a ton of fun on the team, made a bunch of new friends (granted I don't talk to any of them now) and learned a lot from my coach.

I guess my point is nowadays, it seems as if the motto has been changed. People are teaching kids, "Play hard, play smart, most of all play to win". Play to win should only be in the MLB where you are making the big bucks and a win can mean the difference in a season (Don't tell me one win doesn't make a difference, go ask the Braves and Red Sox). In little league the game should really only be about fun. Winning is fun, but winning isn't everything. In my opinion, if you come out a loser, with your head held high and you tried your best, you are a winner too. But kids now seems to only strive to win. When I watch a game I see teammates yelling at each other because someone accidentally missed a ball. To quote Brother Tommy, "Really?!" Come on now, you guys are supposed to be supportive of one another, on the field you are supposed to always have each others backs. Go watch The Bad News Bears, prime example of how to have fun on a baseball field. Or even The Sandlot, that one is even better if you ask me. Parents it is time to educate your kids the right way, it isn't always about winning, its about going out there and making the best of your abilities and having fun with 10 or so other kids.

I want to teach my children about character. The talents that people have are great, it helps to be talented, but talent is nothing without character. One of my role models is Tim Tebow, yeah I'm sure some of you readers are thinking "Geez you are gay" but I'm serious. Tebow to me is one of the most talented players in the NFL. He has the skills to be great regardless of what anyone says but he has the character to be a legend. How often is it that you see someone pray to God during every game. Tebow praises God for the good and bad. No matter what happens he looks to his Father and thanks him for what he has. He doesn't put blame on his teammates, if anything it is on himself. He is a very positive player that rubs off on everyone around him. Now I know there are tons of people that think he sucks and shouldn't even be a QB, but I really think you are wrong. He is a leader and a fighter. He is exactly who I would want leading my team into each and every game. For me, character is the key...

Oh before I stop rambling, I want to add the following:  "Nice guys finish last."- I think this goes right along with character... Who ever said that nice guys cared? I mean since when did they care where they finish? I like to think that I am a nice guy, I know that I haven't been perfect and I have been in the wrong before, but I think I am nice, maybe too nice. I don't care about where I finish in something. As long as whatever it is I do, I do showing respect and dignity I am fine. To me, it is always better to lose while doing what is right than to win while being in the wrong.

On that note, before I hit 1000 words and lose all motivation to type my essay, I am going to stop. I'm sorry that this one was pretty sloppy and a huge ramble/rant. Oh well I suppose. Until next time, which is possibly going to be later tonight, au revoir.

Forgiving

There are a bunch of people in the world today that want to be forgiven about things they have done, yet they have never done any of the forgiving. I am one of those people... Actually, I take that back, I like to think that I have changed that about myself... Before I go any further...I'm going to be honest the rest of this post may or may not be a little bit emotional, so you can either read it and like it and apply it to your life, read it then hate it and shut up or just flat out not read it at all. Hopefully you fall in the first category, but hey, lets continue on.

There have been times in my life were I have been lied to and I have been put down by people that I loved most. There have been times that I have done things that I know I shouldn't have done and things that I just am not proud of. I never asked God for forgiveness during any of those times. I never really talked to him honestly, until this year. The sad thing is, when I started talking to him, it was to help myself only. I was very selfish and naive about everything. I begged for forgiveness for what I had done, but I wasn't willing to forgive anyone else for their mistakes. I believe that that is one of the most selfish things a person can do, ask for forgiveness but not want to give any in return, I mean come on how is that supposed to work? That is kind of like asking someone to come over and help you with your problems, then when they need your help you say I'm too busy or just ignore them completely... The answer to that obviously is that it doesn't work!

The event in my life that I'm referring to is just before I moved into WKU. I was driving to my stepdads house at midnight to see my brother and sister that I had pretty much blown off for a while. The whole way there I was actually pretty upset because I know that I wasn't the best big brother or really the ideal big brother to them. I mean I had said that I was but I really know deep down I sucked. I didn't do everything possible to spend time with them, I made myself preoccupied with less important things rather than hanging with them. So naturally, I prayed to God, I wanted him to forgive me and I wanted them to forgive me. But as I was praying, I realized that what I was doing was good but for the wrong reasons I suppose. I wanted to be forgiven but I had no intention to forgive anyone else. So I did what any grown man would do when he realized that he was living an unjust life... I cried, a lot. I also called my mom... My whole family knows I have always had a grudge with my mom about things she has done in the past. I've always seemed to shun whatever she did and acted like I didn't care because I wasn't willing to forgive her. But that night I did. I told her that I was sorry for acting the way I did and I was ready to forgive her for everything because I knew she was trying her hardest to be different. I never cut her any slack or gave her any praise, heck I barely even saw her. But realizing that in order to seek forgiveness I must forgive others first, it helped me lift the grudge and say sorry for being such a douche for a son and I love you.

That night it was as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulder. I believe God was there helping me realize that I couldn't hold a grudge and I had to forgive. Once I did he helped me find the forgiveness that I longed for...

So, hopefully through all of this, everyone gets the message. I'm sure it sucked reading it, I probably rambled a lot but who cares... the whole point was the following:

 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

- Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)

You can seek forgiveness from God but if you aren't willing to forgive others he won't forgive you.

Teaching

As crazy as it sounds, I have become attached to a group of fourth grade students in just four visits to the classroom. It really stinks thinking about how Friday is the last time I get to teach them, but I'm grateful for the opportunity. They have taught me a lot about myself and what I want to do with my life. I thought I had things all figured out (I've actually thought that multiple times in my life) but in all honesty I didn't. Those teaches and observations made me realize that I was not taking the right path. I was not doing what I really wanted to do with my life but really something people urged me to do. Working with them made me realize that I want to teach elementary students. I hope to be a strong role model in my future student's lives and I want to form a strong foundation for their future early on. I hope to inspire my students at a young age, to get them interested in learning and staying in school. I hope to be entertaining but also effective as a teacher. One day I want to be sitting in a retirement home or something, turn on the tv and yell at some old fart because I can't hear one of my old students giving a speech or hitting a grandslam in the World Series. I just want to make the most positive impact on my student's lives as possible!

That's all for now folks, until next time! Thanks for reading...

Slacking Off

So I believe that in my first blog I said that I would be posting another the next day... Obviously that did not happen quite frankly because I am a huge slacker. I don't really know why I am this way, I guess it started about 7th grade when I had to retake Algebra because I switched schools. That made me really not care and got me into procrastination. I really wish that I didn't start that habit back then because it is extremely hard to break! But either way, I still seem to slack off in a lot of things I do.

So here is my resolution: After I stop rambling in this post, I'm going to start over with everything, this time with a no slacking attitude. My ultimate goal is to finish this semester with a 3.6 GPA, something that I haven't had in quite some time now. In order to get that, my Calculus 2 and Stats grades need to magically become B's and my Psychology grade needs to become an A. Honestly I think I can do it but assuming I keep my slackertude (aptitude for slacking...yes I just invented that, get over it) in the past and focus on the work. I am going to stick to it and work my butt off for those grades. I don't believe in saying oh well if I don't get it, because if I do that now, I will just revert back to my slacking ways. Sooo, I have to get those grades. No excuses...

Heck, I am going to be a teacher one day and I want to be a positive role-model for my future students. I mean I don't want a slacker for a teacher and i don't want to be a slacking teacher. What better time to break some old bad habits than during the last few weeks of my freshman year of college... Well to answer that question, the better better times are long gone, so this is the best of the better times is now...so yeah, I don't wanna type anymore, peace out.