Drive, Doctor, Bison, Sleep, GRACE, love

It is 12:02AM, I should probably be sleeping, but I have to bring these things to people, because if I don't....how else will you see them???? More importantly, how else will I remember them???So, here goes.My day started off with some driving. About 2 hours and 15 minutes of driving. My car doesn't have cruise control, and when you get up past 65, it is a little bit shaky. No big deal by any means, I am so thankful for that shaky car it isn't even funny. It just proves to be an interesting drive. It wasn't much of a pretty drive, and music just didn't have the appeal I thought it might have. So, I just talked with God most of the time. And, well thought. I think a lot when I drive. God is often in the fore front of those thoughts.

The whole reason I was driving was because I had a doctors appointment at the Indiana Center for Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunopathological Diseases. LOL. Right when I got there I said, to the sectretary/receptionist, "so how is The Indiana Center For Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunopathological Diseases treating you today?" She kind of chuckled, and said under her breath, "say that one again." So I did, and she gave me a smile. Then it was off to the waiting room. And waited.And waited. I actually waited in that little room for 63 minutes before anyone saw me. They didn't forget me, just went to lunch. LOL, acutally I dunno why it took so long, they are usually quick. The important thing is, the main doc. Dr. Kolar wants to keep me on the Tysabri, and said I looked good. Actually, they could tell I have been working out. The other Doc. who checked me out and did all the physical tests said my hearted sounded different. Like I had been working out. I said, in the MANLY MAN voice, "yea well I lift weights every now and then." (clears throat)I got there at 11:50 and didn't leave till 2:10, I was a little hungry to say the LEAST. I really wanted FISH, but set out on a search to find something unique and yummy. I found Ted's Montana Grill. And, holy diver was it good. They serve Bison meat there. It is actually a chain of stores owned by Ted Turner, yes the T.V. guy (CHECK THIS FOR MORE INFO.) started these aweome restaurants that serve Bison meat. It is sooo good too. This is a picture of a Bison Burger. It was amazing, and delicious. This place was so nice inside, and I am so glad I found it!!

Since I was in Indianapolis(which is a big city compared to Fort Wayne) I decided to take advantage of what it had to offer me in the food department. So I also stopped for Ice Cream at Maggie Moo's. It was good, and when I finished, I set back off for home. But let me tell you, all that food and the boring drive home started to make me super sleepy. I found myself dozing off, so I had to pull over into an empty parking lot and take a little nap. HA!! This is something I have never done before. But I wasn't going to fall asleep on the road and possibly hurt someone else, so I just took about a 30-45 minute nap. When I got home I went to Campus Crusades, something I had also never been to. It was on the IPFW campus, and it was cool. It was good, but while I was in it, I got a phone call from my cousin Matt. He felt as though he was in trouble, and in reality, probably was/is. It all came down to much phone calls, and my willingness to come get him if need be. Well, long story short, I prayed with him many times, asking God to just take over in the situation. There was one point when I was in my back yard, very late at night, in the dark, where Matt said some things that were directly God driven. Some thoughts and ideas that only Christ can implant in us stupid and sinful humans. I rejoyced, and now I am sharing it with anyone who chooses to read this, and myself of course, so I can come back on this moment and remember the joy and gloriousness of Christ!

G'Night!!!!!!!

first Mobile Blog

Today was a good day, I am not going to do a typical blog post because I literally just got done blogging for Fri, Sat, & Sun. I am too tired to do a typical sit & post Blog update. SO, I am going to try out this whole blog from phone concept a.k.a. MOBILE BLOGGING. This picture was taken while I rode to BSF with my pops. Beautiful sky if I may say so myself. Today was busy, busy, busy!!! I am currently sending this entire post from my cell phone. This will not be a typical post, but for today it is all I got. I am just entirely too TIRED!!

-Grace & Peace

It's Sunday, LISTEN UP.

I woke up early this morning after a Young Life sleep over/weekend thingy got over. Well, I still had promised my cousin that I would take him to church. SOOOOO, I got my booty home, in the shower, and out to where my cousin is staying. Picked him up, and we went off to church.It was the 11:15AM service, so it was set up a little different than last week's 9AM service. It was a more traditional set up, they still had tables towards the back, which personally I think is awesome. But all the chairs and attention was faced towards the front. This is a church of house churches, which again is great. My cousin is being very interested and I think that is just great.

What I think is even greater is Dave Church. Or the Sunday evening church I have been going to for quite some time now. I made this poem up about it.

Ode to Dave Church
Rough week
Spirits low
Work is constant
I need a break

Computer crashing
Selfish Sister
Urinary problems
I need a break

Work imposing
Children yelling
Car is stalling
I need a break

Familiar faces
Friendly smiles
love prevailing
I found a break

Word of God
Compassion tugging
Man of faith
I found a break

Feeling welcome
Always gentle
Laughs are hearty
I found a break

Dave, this may be insignificant, but I promised you I would write you a little something something. Take it for what it is my friend. Love you Dave.

today is motivate Saturday

Saturday, ohh Saturday you did me well. Indeed today was much needed, both for inspiration and motivation in Christ. Young Life is very rewarding and without a doubt part of God's play of early ministry in my life. But, like any commitment, it can be difficult to get past the initial PUSH into action. So, today served as a great reminder for why I am involved with YL, and gave me the extra PUSSSHHH I needed to get involved and stay seeking kids. We started out at 10AM this morning at a committee members house on the South side of town(the rich side of the South part of town). We had this big beautiful house to use for Saturday and Sunday morning. We did a lot of meeting time as a group. It was the people that are involved with the school I am in, and then a group that we referr to Young Life SOUTH. They go to schools south of Fort Wayne, and yea are close but not in the same school as me. Great group, and glad to have them around. It was really quite awesome how God showed up during praise time, talk time, all time, and renewed my spirit and spurred me on in that good yummy feeling God sort of way.

I tried to get one of the girls to snap a picture of when we all went to an open field near a church to play the Young Life Cup! But, she either didn't, or forgot. It was a blast though. We played 4 innings of wiffel bal, followed by 4 innings of kick ball. It was a close call too. But, my team was down by one. I did get an amazing double play after missing a vital catch. I totally redeemed myself.
After the Young Life cup, we had some time to kill, so one of the Juniors at Snider was playing in his band at a local coffee shop near by. We went and stopped by to have a listen. They were so good, it the music wouldn't have been so loud, I would have recorded some of it so you all could have a listen. It was like a mix between Sigur Ros, and Bright Eyes. No lyrics though. Very emotional, and at times had a very industrial feel to it. I LOVED IT!! Landon, the kid that goes to Snider is leaning over all the way to the right. I think he was adjusting something on his foot pedals or something. They were so rocking good though. Seriously talented and right up my alley for a genera of music I really appreciate and enjoy listening to. So, as soon as the set got over, we went to an independent film that was about American Teenagers. The film was called.....American Teen. I think everyone who has ever been a teen, or anyone who has a teen should see it. Yea, that means everyone should see it. Especially Hoosiers. The film was a documentary on this group of High School kids that went to Warsaw high school. A film crew just followed them around, and had full access to every part of their lives. The school is like less than 45 min away. I have been there before, and the film was just all too familiar in every way. I GIVE IT TWO THUMBS UP!God is good, God is great, and I thank him for this day.
:-)

Unique experiences.

Something strange happened today. This is worth telling too, because it is just delightfully bizarre. I am walking into IPFW to work on a project that I have been putting a lot of time into for one of my classes. There was this girl who was standing outside the bus stop. I suppose she wasn't really standing either, more like pacing. She just had this look on her face that said stressed and disconnected. Well, I walked by her, then had a tug on my heart. Ughh, so I turned around and asked her, "are you waiting on a ride or for a bus?" She said she was waiting for a bus, but that she thought she had just missed it. She had this giant purse, full of books and quite possibly all of her belongings. She was acting strangly too. She was maybe 24 or so. She said she needed to get to the mall, and since it was only maybe 10 minutes away with traffic. I told her I would be happy to take her. As soon as she got in my car she acted very tense. She leaned forward covering up her bag, and looked like every muscle in her body was flexed. I asked her if she was stressed out about anything, and she said, "I am so sick of people asking me that, I had a cop ask me the same question eariler today." She said nothing more after that. I didn't bother asking any more on that subject either. So I kept driving and talking to her. When I asked her if she was from Fort Wayne, she replied, "No, I just moved here from Elkart, IN." Elkart is about 2 hours North West of Fort Wayne. I said, "ohhh I have family near there." She said, "it's a horrible town, I hate it." I asked, "why?" She told me, "well I got 666'ed three times there." I kind of looked at her, expecting her to explain. But, she didn't, so I had to ask, "well, what does it mean to get 666'ed?" From what she explained, she told me that several times she had machines print out a receipt and all it said was the three numbers 666. She said that one time she was at a coin machine, and all that printed out was the numbers 666. This also happened at an ATM, and I forget what the third instance was. I asked her, "well, why was it happening?" She told me that THEY, were sending her a message. I had to ask, who are they? She explained that "they" are the electronics. She kept saying, I just hope I get paid soon. It has to happen eventually. In my head, I am thinking, this girl is either possesed, on acid, or just nuts. I tried to understand what she was saying, but couldn't get through to her. I shared Christ with her as best as I could, but couldn't really get through to her. Or maybe I did, I dunno. It was just an extremely strange situation.I went back to IPFW, and got some serious help from the Media Help center. This place ROCKS!! This guy from Napal, hooked me up with some serious photoshop skills.

When I left school it was late, so I went to get some food. Chinese food that is, and after I ate, I started handing out these surveys to people that I have to give out for my OLS project over Australia. It is a 6 question test with general knowledge questions. I gave some to a handfull of Chinese guys. It was good stuff.

When I got done with that, I called my friend Andy. I needed to ask him a question, but then found out he was playing Tennis with his cousin/my friend Alex at a park. It was like 11PM, but I had a tennis racket in my trunk, so I said, "i'm on my way." After a bit of tennis, I went back to his house and played on the Wii, and then a little garage disc golf (pig). It is just like playing pig in basketball, but you take different shots with a disc, into a disc golf hole, or catcher, whatever they are called.

I got home super late, and that was my Friday.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight...

(kind of like that Phil Collins song)
I can just "feel" that a new LOOK for my BLOG is just around the corner. Something really awesome and sweet is going to take place on this here online journal of mine. I am going to make it sweet & simple. Then, I am going to bring the masses to it. I think I have a lot of good to share, and people need a good "life" blog to follow. Heck, if more people BLOGGED like I do, I would follow them. I like the every day in's and out's of life.

Okay, so something happened today that is worth sharing. I totally got locked out of the house. I was coming home after my 10:30AM-11:45AM class today when I realized I was locked out of the house. I got the garage door opened, but the door to the actual house was locked mysteriously for some reason. UGHHHH!!! This was a problem, because I had to PEE like a race horse. I was really determined to get inside. Well, not because I had to pee, because I ended up taking care of that in the back yard....."hoping no neighbors were home and looking into their back yards. Anyways, I knew one of the screens only locked in on half the side on one of the windows on the second floor. So......I got out the extension ladder, and propped it up against the side of the house. Ahhh, relief set in because I made it inside, and could start my lunch. So happy! I put some water on the stove top to bring it to a boil, and started preparing things for lunch. "Ohhh, I forgot something in my car, I must go get that," I said. So out to my car I went, and when I went to go back inside. Well, I remembered I hadn't UNLOCKED the DOOR!!!! This is what I looked like.It was more urgent this time, because I had water boiling. After I had to laugh it off for a second, I repeated the same ladder trick, and made it in, once again through the window. Ate some lunch and badda bing, badda BOOM.

The latter part of my day was spent in STUDIO-M at IPFW. I was working on the brocure for my OLS group project.

One last thing. I got my test back for that first OLS test. I got a 90% and was pretty pumped about that.

G'Night (11:16PM)

The cat house I guess??

After I visited Snider High School today, I was driving back to campus, when I came up to a busy intersection. It is especially busy during, near, and right after lunch time. Well, there was a lady broke down in the front of the turning lane. There was a whole line of people super upset with her, but not willing to get out and help. So, I drove by and yelled, "hey, can I help you push your car to the gas station?" She had this look of relief on her face, so I told her I would be right there. She had her small son with her as well. Her son was, ohhh maybe 8. LOL. I parked my car and crossed heavy traffic and came up to her. Only to find her young son in the drivers seat, and her ready to push the car with me. I assured her I wouldn't have any problem pushing her car, and asked if she would please steer the vehicle. She agreed, and as soon as we got the arrow, I PUSHED and PUSHED and PUSHED the car through the intersection, through the Speedway gas station, and she continues to say, "keep going, just a little further," I mean she had used the braked several times....and my legs were turning to jellow. As soon as we got directly in front of the gas station, this big guy came and helped me out. It all worked out just fine and dandy. :-)

Good work, today. I got to talking about EYES with several of the kids. We talked about how pretty eyes can be. To prove my poing, I was taking pictures of different kid's eyes, and showing them off. Check out this little girls eyes. Very pretty mix of blueish green & brown. Even better that my work day was my WORK OUT session at the YMCA. I saw two guys I had not seen in forever. One of them was one of the guys I spoke about who I thought was "ignoring" me. We talked and talked and remembered old times. The other guy, I hadn't seen in quite some time. We talked about God, and the impact he is having in our lives. Great talks really.

Then I come home to ms Kitty.This is not the same cat, because this one is not a Siamese, and it has a very short stub for a tail. This cat had bells and a tag with phone number on it. Very super friendly too. I played with her for a bit.

My days are tiring, but satisfying. I can't wait to this weekend. Big Young Life volenteers get together thingy. If I only hadn't lost my bathing suite.....DO'OH!!!!!

G'Night (11:10PM)

631 today

Today is my Six Hundred and Thirty-First post. That is a lot! I suppose if I am going to be addicted to something, I would much rather it be typing into my computer every day religiously, than any kind of substance or unhealthy act. Yes, indeed BLOGGING has taught me self-discipline and brought me joy. It reminds me of things, and people point things out to me that I would otherwise ignore, not realize or just pay no attention. It is a good thing in my life.

Today I had my first test for my OLS class. I think that I could have done really good......or I could have totally failed miserably on one of three Essays, which would drastically lower my final score. UGHHH, I did my best though, I really did. Also, I got back my first paper for that class. It was only a 4 page paper, but I got a 100% on it! Yes sir, that always feels good, easy assignment or not.

I went to see my cousin Matt after work today. I took him a piece of blueberry pie that my mom made for her and my dad when they went to a friends house. I also took him an old phone so that he has something that can work as an alarm clock. I want Matt to do good so badly, I would do almost anything to help him succeed.

When I left his place, I went to an old pizza place I use to visit often. Good ole MJ's Pizza. I love this place, and they have great pizza. After the pizza eating, I went to the YMCA and worked out my muscles. It is funny, because I often run into people that I went to high school with, and it seems that more often than not, I find people not wanting to make eye contact with me. They know who I am, and our "connection," but choose not to make eye contact with me. Strange, but not important. I gotta finish reading the BSF notes, and then go to bed. (10:17PM)

G'Night!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Today, after English class I spent much of my time in the Media M room. It's so great, it is a really awesome tool that the university offers. I have been working on a brochure for my OLS group project. I don't know a thing about photo shop, but they give me help, and it is really starting to come together. I AM SO PUMPED!! This place helps with power point, video stuff, anything Media. I left a bit early, because my old pal from last year wanted to meet up for lunch. Good ole Brandin A, who I know only because I always saught him out at school for the majority of last year during lunch time. All I did was took an interest in him. He has never once gone to anything Young Life related, but dangit if he doesn't keep calling me. So, for lunch we met up. You might remember brandin from a little community service project not too long ago. If you do not, then CLICK THIS LINK and you will soon understand what I speak of. (side note)~this is one of the things I really enjoy being able to do with a BLOG. I can look back on life, and pull up dates or thoughts from 5 months ago with just a press of a button. It refreshes the memory, and reminds me of my past train of thought. Anyways, brandon and I met up at Fazoli's and my sampler platter was pretty pathetic. I didn't complain, but my lazugauna was not cooked. :-O, but at the same time there are kids dying because they have not had food all week, so I need to just shut the heck up and count my blessings.

ABOUT BRANDIN
Well, his father was diagnosed with Prostate cancer, and left today for the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis Minnesota. He is going there to have it removed. I'm not going to go into specific's, but it is a huge worry on brandin, his sister(22), mom, and of course FATHER. If you could please just lift him and his family up in prayer. I would so greatly appreciate it. Him and his sister are flying on Wednesday, to be there for the procedure. I just pray that everything goes smoothly, and that no other complications are involved. I also pray that I get put in a situation that I can impact my buddy in an eternal way.

BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) was awesome tonight. This lesson for this whole week has been over Exodus 2:1-10, but as the lecture told, they really pack a punch.

• Trusting God with the outcome. Do everything you can in His will.
  

1. Hebrews 11:23 Faith is trusting in God and ACTING on it.
   

*(interesting comment) It is God's responsibility to maintain our Faith.

• Soverign God determins the outcome of all things according to his own wise purpose and the good of his children.

1. God rewards those who trust in Him. "This was shown in Exodus in how Moses's mom got to keep him, that he was picked up by the Pharoah's daughter, that his sister Miriam knew what to say/do, by parents risking lives to keep Moses, etc."

Then, in closing tonight we sang a hymn. Great is Thy Faithfulness. Well, about 2/3 way through it, my dad locked arms with me. Now, my father is not a very kissy touchy kind of guy. He is proably not like this because his father was not like that. But, I would be a lier if I didn't say, "it felt good for him to be able to do that." We don't deserve anything in life, but boy if we did, my dad would deserve a son who he can lock arms with and sing Great is Thy Faithfulness. That was really cool, on so many different levels, it was really cool!

I have my first OLS test tomorrow at 12:00PM!! I have studies my butt off, we will just see how this guy set's up his tests, and I will be able to plan accordingly after this initial one. Peace!

Grace & Peace

So much to say.

I'm just going to go for it. Okay, I started out my day with a super positive. Now, a "super positive" is something that far surpasses your ordinary positive. Dictionary.com has many different definitions of POSITIVE>> I like #9, {emphasizing what is laudable, hopeful, or to the good; constructive: a positive attitude toward the future; positive things to say about a painting.} With that definition in mind, you can only imagine what SUPER POSITIVE means. Today started off by me taking my cousin Matt to a church near him, a really good church. It was set up differently, all chairs were focused inwardly to the central point of the room. Matt and I sat at a table, and it was really unique, but he liked it, and it was legit.I should have stood up on a chair to take this photo, because this picture doesn't really do the set up, justice. Mat felt encouraged and a sense of belonging, and THAT is what God's love is all about. I am just going to go with the God flow and help Matt in any way that I possibly can. To love him the way I am commanded to love him. To be relational and put my all into him. It's all very good stuff.

After I dropped Matt off at Kroger, I went to IPFW, of course to finish studying for my OLS test on Tuesday. I am feeling like I am pretty prepared.

Then off to Collateral I went. LOVED IT! We had such an amazing worship time. It was so extremely powerful, and the Holy Spirit was in it to win it. We touched on some heavy stuff tonight tool

To live is to die, but to die is to live.

• Luke 9:48 Be least or last
• Matt 23:12 Be humble
• 2 cor 12:5 Do not boast in yourself, only in Christ
• John 12:24-25 Just like the song, "Bids me come and die, to find that I, may truly live."

This awesome quote is something that I must repeat. The guy giving the talk tonight did not come up with it on his own, but I do not remember where he quoted it from, so I will just quote it without giving the creator credit.

If you are born once, you will die twice.
If you are born twice, you will only die once.

This example was given about having real freedom in Christ. I had never seen it this way before, and when I really thought about it, it blew me away. When God told Abraham to take his only son Issac and kill him as a sacrifice to God, found in Genesis 22:1-19, my brain always wants to go directly to how amazing it is that Abraham was willing to do it. Well, when we were discussing this tonight.....I realized how amazing it is that Issac was willing to lay there and take it. A young kid vs. an old man, he could have very easily gotten away or over powered his father. BUT, he knew God's promises to be absolute and Gracious. He knew what God had promised his father. He was willing to take a knife in the heart. That is where his faith was at. BAM!! To live is to die, but to die is to live. I get it, I really do. It is such a beautiful thing. This God thing that is so important in my life. I really can't see myself living any other way and actually feeling fulfilled in life. I know there just isn't any other way for me. Not even in the rhelm of possibility.

I ended the night with some good ole fashion Campus Golf, HA!! Good times Brad.

dé·jà vu/opportunity

I forgot to add this video to yesterday's BLOG. But, well before I got out of work yesterday. I had to do something that I have never done before, nor is it even normal for me to do. Ya see we have this thing at YMCA called the CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) program; helping parents who need finicial aid. Well, there is a little credit card sign in and out thingy for parents to use. And, well every Friday the machine must be plugged in and all the sign in's and out's must be sent to headquarters...where ever it may be. Well, I had plenty of trouble getting the thing to plug in and connect. So much so that I called my Site Director (BOSS) and told her I couldn't get it to work. Well, I figured I would try it one last time. Dé·Jà VU!!!!! It is such a weird and creepy feeling. I remember dreaming this very moment some time ago. Such a strange feeling, I don't understand it one little bit. Well, it was so strange and familiar, I knew I had to start recording the moment so I could remember it indefinitely.

I'm not kidding, this very moment when the machine started printing, just hit me like any other past memory with extreme familiarity would. I swear that I had dreamed this moment before. This very moment in the office. It was just so strange. I remembered the office chair, the plugs that I had to mess with, the copy machine and everything!! I have never done this before, I have never even seen it done before. HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DREAM SOMETHING UP THAT I HAD NO CURRENT INFORMATION ON WHAT SO EVER?!?!?!?So my cousin Matt called me today and asked if I would pick him up from the movies. He had gotten there via the City Bus. The Bus system in Fort Wayne sucks hardcore. Mainly because there just aren't enough people using it to make it run efficiently. So, it took him like 2 or 3 hours to get there. He called me right after he watched his first movie, to see if I would be able to pick him up for the second one (new Batman) he wanted to watch. I told him I could absolutely do that, and planned on picking him up at 6PM. He needed to know if I could or could not pick him up, because if I couldn't, then he would have had to leave for the bus right away. When I did pick him up, I called my mom and we decided to have him over for dinner. During and after dinner, he talked about how he wanted to go to Church. Push come to shove, I told him I would take him tomorrow to a church out by where he is staying. The church is called Grace Gathering. It is supposed to be real good, and I have many friends who go there. I have never been there though. I am so pumped to take Matt. I have prayed for this moment. I have prayed for God to ignite a fire under him. I am excited, but not not putting any pressure on him. I just see God a working. Working real good!!

I had a good time working out at YMCA today too. Felt real good. Studied from like NOON to about 4:15PM. Still have one chapter left to study tomorrow after church.

infusion, kitty and puke

An odd title for a BLOG post I must admit, but fitting none the less. I had my 7th infusion of TYSABRI today. It was nice, and I had a very delicious while I waited.Ya know that the darn sticky tape hurts about three times as much as the actual needle and hour long infusion. I'm not kidding! I have kind of hairy arms, so when that thing gets jerked off, it hurts like heck!! I usually say, "ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch" in my head of course. I just grin and bear it with sort of a half smile bulgy eye, tilted brows sort of look. But it eventually ends.

When I was finishing up at work, I got a phone call from my mom asking if I would pick up some pizza on my way home. I did, and when I got home I saw the strangest sight. There was a Siamese cat sitting on the hand railing in the front of our house. Just looking into the house. It was such a strange sight, I just had to snap a picture of it.Well, after the cat sighting, I contemplate a difficult decision. To go to the Snider game (homecoming) or go work out. I was just not in a very happy smiley energetic mood....so I chose the latter of the two and went to the Y to work out. That decision backfired on me. Ya see I had 5 pieces of pizza. And well Mozzarelli's Pizza isn''t exactly the leanest pizza on the block. It is quite greasy and fatty. It tastes so good though! 5 was too much, and the cramps continued to tell me this the whole time I was working out. I really didn't feel like riding a bike for 25 minutes tonight, so instead I decided to go for a run. The YMCA has this trail that is 1.8 miles that goes all around the property and what not. It's a nice trail, and I got some really good quiet time in with God while I was on it. But, definately puked 5 times. So much for burning off those calories! Then, on my way home I got a chance to see the most pecuilure of sights. It was the charger cop car that got my attention at first, then I saw why he was stopped.....Check this out.Now I COULD tell you about the Bar that the driver was probably coming from. I COULD also tell you about how the driver was not at the site because he had "somewhere to go" and the lady talking to the officer was kind enough to stay. But I am not going to, because I don't need to make assumptions or anything of that nature. He sure did a number on that median though.

God is so good. I got a letter in the mail again from a friend who is in a really healthy place, and well it gave me so much joy.

Bountiful frosting lake of blue and orange

Today was average to say the least. I followed the Thursday routine. Work in the AM (6:30-8:40), then my OLS class (9:00-10:15), then straight to my Phil class (10:30-11:45). As soon as I got out of philosophy I went straight to the computer lab to work on some things that needed to be accomplished, a STUDY TIME if you will. I had a bag of granola that served as my lunch. I didn't budget time to go back home before afternoon work (3:00-6:00PM). I got the things that needed to be accomplished, finished and was happy with that. Once I got out of work I went home and ate some much needed dinner.

I had the Urine problem again today, if it continues I am going to have to tell my neurologist. I don't want to risk the chance of getting a Urinary Tract Infection again...I say again because it has happened to me multiple times in the past. (BIG SIGH) If you can imagine what it would feel like to piss lava, well that is about what it felt like. Very ouchy!

After dinner I wanted to make it to the YMCA to get a good work out session in. I need to sleep through the night. Something I have not done for the past 2 evenings. I am dead now after that work out. On the drive to the Y, I encountered the most beautiful sky. I just had to share it. The majestic swirls of orange, pink, blue and gray swept the sky. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road with such a beautiful colors in the sky.

Anyways, that is a beautiful sky and that was my beautiful day.

It can't be....can it?

This morning we had the kids color pictures and enter them into a contest. I was asked by several children why I wasn’t drawing a picture. I responded, “Well, I don’t know, I guess I can draw a picture.” So I did. Here it is in all its beauteousness.There is my little Mexican Boy. Starting off this morning I had a horrible head ache(first oddity). It was not a normal feeling pain either. I know this pain, and it is the pain before the MonSter attacks. Immediately I told myself, that I mustn’t think like that. It is always best to keep an optimistic point of view. What good does worrying do? So, I go to class and gain insight and humor from my Eng W233 prof. He does such a great job of connecting the class together. I look at the way people watch him when he speaks, and they know he cares for them. Being sincere has such a way to impact people, a beautiful thing really.Well, as soon as class was over I had to go to the little boys room. This is where I started to lose my optimism for just a moment. I had to go to the restroom, it was getting close to being and EMERGENCY. I held my composure though, then when I stood at the toilet..........nothing is happening. I have to go so badly, but my body is locking up on me. I thought I was done having this problem!! I thought this was in the past, that I didn't have to worry about this anymore because of the Tysabri. I think I thought wrong. I prayed over it, and went to Snider to get in some contact work during their lunch times.This is the entrance of the High School that I always go through. I met up with some kids that I am starting to form relationships with, and it made my day to see them. It's all worth it right there, to see a kid have his day brightened just because someone chose specifically to impact him or her. That is what it is all about. Relational ministry is a very real and powerful thing. Quoting scripture and biblical knowledge has it's place, this shouldn't ever be overlooked. BUT, it's the "people aspect" that I thrive on. God is going to do so much through Young Life this year, I can just sense it.

I went back to work, and my head was pounding, and my urine was trickling. BUT, the kids always make me so happy. The "possible" health issues aren't anything big either. The pure fact that I am even mentioning them is more or less because I want to have documented evidence for my Neurologist and my own records. When work got out, I went and saw my cousin Matt. If you are an avid reader, you might remember Matt from this post, ~CLICK ME~ Well, because matt just recently went through some serious drama with his sister and her estranged boy friend/babies' daddy. Well, he got the boot, and is now living in a motel in a place that I can not mention just in case someone is reading.......Anyways, here is matt now.Now if you click on that picture, you might be able to enlarge it and see the war wounds from the accident. He has a gnarly scar that runs right through his right eye. God bless him he is trying hard. I told him, "man we are family, I am going to do everything I can to help you out." He just needs support and love to help keep him out of "THAT LIFESTYLE." I remember praying over him when he was coming in and out of consciousness while in the hospital. I have real love for him, and he is trying so hard to do right. I have to respect that, and do all that I can to help him where he is at. What a great ministry opportunity as well. If you pray, say a prayer for my cousin Matt. That God provides, and that Matt takes in order to better himself.....whatever that may mean.

the lawn mower is to the grass, like sand is to the beach.

I did the whole work and school thing today, then I came home and mowed the lawn like I promised my dad. It's been a while since I have mowed the lawn, but I actually enjoy mowing for some reason. I didn't get a chance to study today, It is not a good thing either because I have plenty to study for. I need to continue to prepare for my first OLS test, among other things.

I had a date today! Yes, that's right I had a date today. Well, sort of....Ya see, one of my really good friends mom is going through some things right now that are making life kind of "out of the ordinary" difficult. Well, I talked to Britt (friend), and asked her if I should stop by and meet with her mom. I have always gotten along so well and like her so much, it just seemed like the right thing to do. So, I sent her an E-Mail over the weekend, and we set it up so she would cook dinner for me and we could chat. We did just that, and I have to say, she is in a much better place than I expected her to be. The thing that is difficult in her life right now is the fact that after 29 years of marriage, her husband left her. Well, I expected to see her down in the dumps and in a really low state of mind. It was quite the opposite. There was one thing that overcrowded all the rest of the conversation. A verse she put on a stone and hung it in her kitchen.

Ephesians 6:10

Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.

That is why things are keeping together for her they way they are. It was so good to see that. SO GOOD!! After we got done eating the FISH she made for me (I LOVE FISH). I got to eat this amazing dessert. :-) ummmmm, life is good. When I got home, I passed out, because I was more than tired. I had a full tummy and was just DONE.

MOON, grasshopper, Dad

I woke up this morning and looked out the front door (which faces East) and saw this light peering over the tops of trees. It was so crazy bright, it looked like stadium lights or a large city off in the distance. There was a glow to it, and it was captivating. I leave the house for work around 6:15AM, and let me tell you, the moon was BIG. It was a full moon, and the clouds were daunting to say the least. I'll explain it the best way for my own memory, then i'll try to expand on it. It was like a Nickelodeon Halloween special program. The clouds drifted eerily across the sky. The full moon shown so brightly behind the clouds, I felt like a black cat and a grave yard should have been around the bend. Maybe with a swing moving back and fourth with no human in sight. Humm, it's feeling more and more like fall every day. As I had almost exited my addition, I had to at least attempt to take a picture of it. Keep in mind, this was taken with my cell phone.I think that this picture gives the general idea of what I am talking about. The sad part is you don't get the really awesome looking effect of the big slow moving clouds creep in front of it.

Work was good, and then came class. I was challenged.I think I am going to re-visit the topic of my big paper in my English class. I thought I had a topic all picked out and was settled on it. BUT, my professor challenged me today in class by some of the things he said. I think I want to write about UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. I think that is what I want, that is something I am passionate about. And, it will be fun to learn and put authentic interest on paper. I will be able to write on this topic, stay interested, learn, and be motivated. In my opinion, these are all major advantages when writing a paper.

Got home from class, went to work out at YMCA and had something "funny," eeesh happen. Well, I had just bench pressed 185lbs 4 times. I wanted to get 6 reps in, but couldn't muster up the strength. Being the determined individual that I am, I took off 10lbs making it 175, and tried to get in 4. If I could have accomplished that, I would have been happy and content. I got it up 2 times, and it would not go up again. (big sigh here & a little giggle) Well, there were two freaks of nature next to me benching 345lbs, and as I struggled with my weight on my chest, I said in a sheepish voice, "ummm, hey guys do you think you could give me a hand?" They both had head phones on, but luckily another guy saw my struggle and came to my rescue. The moral of this story is......either have a spot, or bench an amount that you know you can get up.

Work was awesome, and I really love children...A LOT! I am so going to make an awesome father. We got to play outside today, which was nice because it is going to start getting kind of chilly outside, so there probably won't be too many of these days left. Anyways, there was a grasshopper on the play ground equipment, and the kids were just fascinated by it. They would scream and squeal about how HUGE it was. I had to snap a picture of it.

Then I was off to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), which was stupendous. It was so much fun to go over the notes for the past week, and get other peoples input, and thoughts on different scripture that we were challenged to get into. I really like the format of the accountability groups if you will. It is going to be really sweet to get to know these men on a deeper and more meaningful level.
This is a picture of my Dad taken while we were all in a big group listening to the lecture. It is just so cool that I get to go with my dad to BSF now. I know that in the past, especially when I was in High School; making really bad decisions, my father found comfort and support from places like BSF. It would not surprise me one bit if there are men in there who have lifted me up in prayer. And now I get to go to it and learn with him. Just a pretty cool picture ya know?

YL up & running

I woke up this morning at 8:30 I believe. Church doesn't start until 10:30, but I wanted to get some things done and go to church and then go to school and study before I had to go to a meeting on the South side of town (I live on the North), where the very first Young Life gathering would be held. I ended up sleeping in way to long, and not even going to Pathway like I wanted to. I did get over to school for maybe an hour and 45 minutes, but didn't accomplish much. I liked the meeting, although my heart was not in it completely. I really wanted to be at Dave church because my friend George finally agreed to go with me, and I was extremely excited. But, I had to call and tell him that I wasn't going to be able to make it this week/take him because of this first YL, start off the year assembly of old and new leaders. It was a good meeting because it was motivating and set the pace if you will for the year to come. I dunno, I should have been all in it though.

It rained some more today, I so enjoy driving in the rain though. I just don't like it when people crash because of poor vision or slippery conditions. When I am able to drive without any of those things happening though, I really love it to death.

After the meeting was over I high tailed it outa there to make it over to Collateral. I wanted to be with my brothers, and get some church in. So I did, and we were going over MOSES. I guess they are going to start a small study on Moses. Guess I just can't get enough of that guy. ;-) Anyways, we went over Exodus 2-4 in brevity. This is what I walked away with.
Collateral, Moses, grace, mercy, willingness, power through Grace.

• Moses wanted to fight against God and His will for him. But you have to make major adjustments in your life to join God in what he is doing. Moses had to make some extreme changes in his life and heart in order to get in God's will. There was nothing special in or about Moses. He was just willing to accept God's challenge and will in his life. Once he accepted it, God did amazing things through him.
  

When collateral was over I went to Kroger with Matt and Brad and Brad got some food before we went over to Nick Hudsons house. Nick and his wife had put the children to bed, and we gathered, made some frozen pizza's and ate them. All the while enjoying each others company and conversation. It was really nice, and healthy. Mentally and spiritually healthy for me.

Rained some more

I started my Saturday off pretty early, and got my butt to school to get some study time. I want to be super prepared for my first test in OLS. I don't want to just assume his tests are going to be super easy like I think they will be, so I will be extremely prepared instead. Here was a picture I took during my lunch break. You can see the bottled water and Pop Tarts that I was eating. ;-)When I drove onto campus this morning, there were big huge balloons hanging and tons of people gathered out in the rain. I asked one of the officers what was going on, and he said it was a walk for heart health day. Apparently these were the people that were walking around for heart health awareness, or fund raising, i'm not too sure. But the walked, and made a lot of noise while they did it. Well, later in the day, once things were dryed off and it got really humid, my friend Tony wanted to go pick up this motor bike he bought. It get's like 80 MPG, and he is happy with it. I had to drive behind him, cuz it wasn't legal or anything.

After we got back to his house, We (Tony, Chris, Josh & myself) went and got hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. It is a funny movie, and Mos Def is really funny in it. His character is quite enjoyable. It kind of slams religion, and just a lot of things, but the overall story is interesting and very witty. Josh kept slamming religion too. He claims to be Agnostic, but with many overtones of actually "knowing truth," but just not wanting to live by it. It's frustrating, because sometimes he puts out some some low blows....I usually just don't hang out with him or those guys for a long time. I'd rather be by myself than hear that constantly.

i'm going to do my BSF study and go to bed.

it's my Friday

I am finished with math for my college career. This is of great excitation to me because I am not in sync with mathematical excitability. Just let those 5 dollar words sink in for a second....good, okay so my thought is that I should try to sell my calculator before it becomes obsolete. I posted it on CraigsList.com and if anyone who reads this BLOG might be interested, or know someone who would be interested, I am willing to send it through the mail if need be.

When I was leaving school today after my morning English class, I saw this red escort in the parking garage, and well it reminded me of my friend Chris. He use to have an escort, and we had many good times in it. He always talked about how he wanted to "pimp" out that car, and make it all nice and rally worthy. This car just gave me a kick, so I wanted to be able to share it with others. Good stuff. That car was in good shape for a late 80's vehicle. Paint was perfect, it even had some nice lil rims on it. It reminded me of the good ole days. Chris and I have a lot of memories from that old car. His was silver, and a bit more beat up than this one, but I figured an escort is an escort. Some of our friends use to really mess with him in the parking lot after school. One guy inpaticular (Eric), would go up to him and nudge him on when ever he had the opportunity to do so. Chris would get so furious, it didn't really matter, there were a million bumbs and scratches in that thing, but Eric knew it really set him off. One of the MANY memories I have of that car. Another one was when Chris and I were coming back from sking in Michigan. He had a little tiny crack in his windshield, more towards the passenger side. On the way back, I decided to test it's strength. I made a fist with my hand, and gave it a punch. Well, as soon as I made contact with it, the tiny crack (made probably from a rock falling off a truck), turned into a full blown, full length crack from top to bottom in a matter of minutes. OOPS!! I remember laughing extremely hard and some type of liquid coming out of my nose. I think that may have been the same road trip where a bottle rocket was lit off in the car, while we were driving. OOPS, DIDN'T KNOW THE WINDOW WAS DOWN!!! lol. So many of these types of memories associated with his old car.

It has been raining like crazy today. It started last night, and has not stopped. I mean like a constant drizzle at all times, with some spots of HARD RAIN. I saw an accident on the way home from work. One of the cars must have spun out, but man it hit a light really hard. I mean really hard. No one was hurt though, I saw both drivers out walking about. The first picture illustrates the size of the pole that was knocked down, and it's approximate position if it were still standing.
The second picture shows that the driver is still okay, and shows the pole lying next to the vehicle in the median area. Seriously, he must have been going fast, I am so thankful no one was killed.

My evening ended with a grand Bible study. I went with the guys, and boy we just talked about and read scripture that had really been talking and moving in our lives. It is so good to have that. I love those guys. The prayer time we had tonight was amazing! The Holy Spirit was in that room. I laid on the ground, to just humble myself before the Lord by making myself as low as I possibly could. The prayers of the men in the room were sincere and powerful. They were of gratitude, appreciation, thanks, awe, hope, thirst and humbleness. Also, Matt (the Matt that has been struggling with Wife and things) is in a place of peace and change. Also, he hasn't talked to his brother in months. His bro has separated himself from Matt. Well, he called Matt last week out of no where. Told Matt that he had made changes in his life, that he had accepted Christ's path, and wanted to know how to study scripture. :-O Matt was blown away, completely blown away. He has been praying for his bro for so long, and BAM, just like that God grew that seed. Man's calling may be to plant the seed or water it, BUT, only God can grow it. It sprouted in Mark (Matt's bro) and it is just so powerful to see things like that unfold.