I came across a picture right before I was going to bed, that for whatever reason took my breath away... I want to share this picture with you...
Something about this just captivates me. It's something so precious and so hard to explain. The bond between a mother and her baby. The love that she has to feel for that baby leaves me dumbfounded and trying to describe something that is simply... indescribable.Sometimes I see God in the strangest ways. I would have to say this is one of them. Only God can be the explanation of something so magical. Something so tender and pure. It's enough to make any tough man soften. It's enough to conquer any hardship. It is something that only a parent could understand I would assume. Although I am certainly in no rush to have kids, (they're lucky if they make the 10 year plan) I certainly would not mind one day experiencing something like this. So when my mom tells me she couldn't sleep because she was worrying about me, perhaps one day I will truly understand.
I just wanted to end my post with some pictures I dug up just now... A precious moment 21 years and 8 months ago... 02/14/1987
So I was involved in some serious pranks tonight when my brother told me someone was coming to toilet paper my car, it was awesome. It still was not close to prank week this summer that a bunch of our interns had with a bunch of students. It is hard to top 1,000 post it notes successful posted to a small car of a friends! But it was still pretty good! I wanted to find, however what this whole mischief night thing is about. So here is a little history!
Mischief Night, as it is most commonly known in the United States, has been around in its present form for at least 50 years, when it became a day for playing "tricks" while Halloween itself was reserved for the little one to gather "treats." The practice goes back hundreds of years before that, though, to a time when Halloween and misbehavior were inextricably linked. Causing mischief has been a part of the Halloween tradition since the very beginning.
The most ancient roots of Halloween come from the Celts of Great Britain, who believed that the day before their Nov. 1 New Year was a time when spirits came back to haunt and play tricks. On Oct. 31, people dressed up in scary costumes, played games, lit bonfires and left food out on their doorsteps for the ghosts in celebration of this otherworldly event, which the Celts called Samhain...
To stem the vandalism, concerned parents and town leaders tried to ply kids with candy, encouraging the forgotten tradition of trick-or-treating in costume in exchange for sweets, bumping the mischief element from the celebrations of Oct. 31 altogether. It was then that the troublemakers, neighborhood by neighborhood, adopted Oct. 30 as their day to pull pranks.
One thing I also did find was the different names it had in different places...
Michigan Devil's Night
Yorkshire Miggy Night Tick-Tack Night Corn Night Trick Night Micky Night
In every life we have some trouble But when you worry you make it double Don't worry, be happy.
Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style Ain't got no gal to make you smile Don't worry, be happy. 'Cause when you worry your face will frown And that will bring everybody down Don't worry, be happy...
Bobby McFerrin was definitely going in the right direction when he wrote us the worry free theme song of a lifetime, "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
But what did he understand that we just don't get?
As I lay in bed, here are only a few of the thoughts that go through my head:
Well, I did my budget sheet today, and I'm pretty sure when it ends in a negative number that is a bad thing... what should I do? I have a huge paper due on Wednesday, when the heck am I going to find the time to do it! When am I going to make time for my friends, my girlfriend, my family and all of the extra stuff I have to do for work and still have some free time to stay sane. When am I going to write my message for Sunday? Is it even good, will the teens like it? How the heck am I going to pay to take that Extra class in May, pay to go to my sisters wedding in the Dominican, afford next semesters tuition, why the heck does it cost 32 thousand dollars to learn to be a pastor, do I have enough gas in my car to drive to class tomorrow morning, I guess a trip for spring break is out of the question...
And there I lay... restless...
If worrying is the most stupid thing we can do... Then WHY do we all do it all the time!?
It's almost like a bridge to nowhere.
So this is what we're going to do, we're going to check out what the WORD has to tell us about worrying, and then we're going to get together some alternatives.
Matthew 6 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?... You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing? ... for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
So some pretty bold statements there... The first point makes so much sense.
Alternatives:
When has worrying EVER added a single hour to your life? If for every second you spent worrying, you were calmly thinking about solutions to the problems, you would certainly not have as many worries!
Instead of worrying about Money (bills for the house, clothes, food) try trusting. If you do believe in a God out there... then you have to believe that if you lay your trust in Him, he will get you through whatever you are going through. Sometimes the solutions He will give you are simply opportunities to get past the obstacle yourself!
Here comes a point from my last post... Get Help. If you are worrying about simply being overwhelmed, know that it is okay to ask for help if you can't do everything yourself (which you can't).
Lastly, (warning - this is where I lose sympathy.) Stop whining and moping, and fix the problem! Worrying just brings brings down the people around you. If the problem is time, rework your schedule. I strongly believe you have time for what you want time for. If the problem is money, then rework your budget, you may have to cut stuff you don't want to, but you will not be taking years off of your life by worrying!
Ultimately remember we are only on this earth for a blink of an eye, and then we are gone. You could die tomorrow, you have no idea! I think that together we need to spend a little more time really chasing life and less time worrying.
I want to finish with something that always makes me happy, no matter how stressed I am, Enjoy!
Alright, once again Adam decides to start a blog with something completely out of left field, what's up with this guy?
People are really good at covering up what they aren't good at. People in general always seem to have their "stuff" together. I can tell you that I am definitely one of those people. I suffer from a common, but hidden disorder called "supermanosis"
If you are like me, and you have supermanosis, you feel like you have to have your stuff together. Some symptoms include, but are not limited to:
-Having a hard time letting people help you.
-Pretending to be good at what you really aren't good at.
-Feeling that you have to be strong for everyone.
-Frequent and explosive bowel movements.
Okay, so I made that last one up... But the rest are all frequent signs. I don't know where it started, but I ultimately have a really awful time being truly transparent. As a leader this is something that I am ashamed to throw out there. After a while though, all of that penned up "stuff", can come out in ways that aren't very productive.
Feeling like you aren't liked, or aren't good enough, or mediocre are some of the worst feelings you can have. I think that is why this disease is so prevalent. But there is good news:
You can make a full recovery, but unfortunately the recovery time can be years and years...
Some of the processes are as follows to begin your recovery:
1) Admit you have a problem I can come across to people as arrogant on many occasions. I guess sometimes it's hard to figure out when you are being confident and when you are just being plain arrogant. I love all of the people I interact with, and I would never want them to feel like I am being condescending in any way. I think it stems back to never feeling like I am good enough, and that I have something to prove.
2) Make a conscience effort to fix it, stop pretending you are superman Now that I am free to admit I have a problem, I hope that I can overcome it. Just telling people I suck at something is half the battle.
3) Accountability If I were physically sick and in the hospital, many of you would come bedside to do anything you could, or even to just be there. the same goes for being spiritually or emotionally sick. If a brother in faith is struggling, don't watch him drown, help him out. Simply letting me know when I am being arrogant, or helping me talk to certain people a certain way can be such a helpful thing!
4) Prayer God, I want to be humble. I think of all characteristics to describe Jesus, that would be one of the most important. I'm not always sure what it looks like to put others before yourself, but that is where I would like to be. Help me. -Amen
I'm not perfect, so I'm not going to keep pretending that I am, care to join me?
Today my beautiful girlfriend Melissa sent me information for a great opportunity. She sent me a link to a scholarship for full time college students who blog! I fit the bill woo hoo! Anywho, I got very excited about it and applied immediately! What happens is the judges will review all of the blogs, their content and personality and pick a top 10. The top ten will be posted online for the public to begin voting. If you win top place you get a $10,000 scholarship! (check it out HERE) That would be such a blessing. It would be the first time since I have been in college that I don't have to find out the day before classes that I had enough money in to start school. I know there are some pretty incredible people out there with such awesome perspectives to share, but a man can dream...
I thought I would post the essay I submitted for the scholarship, perhaps you will learn something new! (had to be less than 300 words:)
"So I don’t have some incredible story of how I escaped death, and I definitely don’t have anything very political worth paying attention to. However, jumping into the “blogosphere” has been more than an adventure for me. People always ask me why I blog, and there is never a simple answer. It is not because I am on some big ego trip, or that I think I have something better to say than anyone else... But I do have something different to say. I had originally started my blog so that friends and family could keep in touch with me as I toured the country with an organization called C.I.Y. throwing huge conferences. I spent each week in a different city, and the things I saw and the people I met were definitely worth telling anyone who cared. After my travels I took a small break from blogging while going to school full time and doing full time youth ministry. I then quickly rediscovered a whole new reason to pour my thoughts, my emotions, my joys and my weaknesses onto a screen for the world to see. I had picked up a book called “Dangerous Wonder” by Mike Yaconelli. He is a man of strong faith and great conviction, he pushed people to live a life full of adventure, mystery and at times hardship. It meant stepping out of your comfort zone, getting out of your box, and learning to live dangerously. This opened my eyes. There is a whole lot of life out there that I had not been living. It only takes one person to make a change. If through reading what one reckless 21 year old man of faith says, one person in this world makes their life more uncomfortable... my blog was a huge success..."
It is really easy for someone to think that the world is confined to the 10 by 10 miles square that the majority of us are spending the majority of our time in. Or even going beyond that, perhaps my little world even spreads to Philadelphia! WAIT... My world is as big as Pennsylvania? What if your world was as big as... the world... Sometimes when you have the Internet, and you can easily access much of the beauty and wonder that the world has to offer, you seem to think that the world is confined to just the little bubble that you are in.
To tell you the truth, I am frustrated... there is so much of the world that I have not seen! You can never quite capture the beauty of a place just from a picture... for example... This picture:
This is a picture I took in a small plane while flying over Fiji. You will never understand the view from hundreds of feet in the air. You have no idea how loud the engine was. You don't know what it's like to be able to reach out and touch the pilot while he is flying. You have no idea how scary it is to fly into a thunderstorm in a plane that small... You will never know just how beautiful and breathtaking it was... well... unless you go there.
The world is so big, yet for some of us, it is so confined.
Whenever I write an e-mail, I always close it with "Love and Adventure, Adam." I think that I need to work on doing both of them much, much more...
Here are a few pictures of places that I have not been, but will have to adventure to as soon as my legs and wallet can get me there. When I see these pictures I just can't help but be amazed at just how big and beautiful the world can be... enjoy:
So I wanted to take a quick journey through my life using a few key songs that represent where I was at that time. I'm going to try to be as transparent as I can, so enjoy.
So I wanted to start with: Green Day - When I Come Around.
This song was on the first CD I ever bought called "Dookie." I got it in 1994 from good ol' Blue Tone Records that used to be in the Trappe shopping center. This was the fun loving punk attitude that I had from the age of 8. It's funny teaching kids in foxes and frogs who like green day, and were born 6 years after I bought this cd. Things were good at this time. My aunt referred this CD to me at the weekly family gatherings that we used to have. This song only lasted so long before things got a little more dark.
This leads me to the next song that I played often: Limp Bizkit - Faith
This song came blaring from my speakers though the years of my life I like to call the "dark ages". These are the years that are right in the middle of some really awful fights with my father and when my mother was in the middle of fighting alcoholism and my sister was leaving the house to go to college. I fit in with some friends who were really big into being "Gothic" and into really loud angry music. The influence that these friends had on me at this time was almost embarrassing as I look back.
All of these moments lead me to this song that changed my life: Simple Plan - Perfect
Still before anyone in my family had found God there were a lot of issued between me and my dad. The only time we interacted was at 4 in the morning. He was getting up to go to work, and I was about to go to bed. Things had gotten so bad at this point that one morning I had given him my Walkman (yes, a portable cd player) with a CD in it that I had burnt with one song on it... this one. Some of the words read, "Hey Dad look at me, Think back and talk to me. Did I grow up according To plan? Do you think I'm wasting My time doing things I Wanna do? But it hurts when you Disapprove all along..." I think things between us changed from that day on, things got a little bit easier... or at least I found a new way to deal with it...
This brought me into the party days... The song that goes with this time isChumbawamba - Tubthumping
I like to call these the "party years". Those years with stupid hook ups, drinking, bad grades, a ton of friends, and no real reason to have any responsibilities. I had a car, a job, some money, and endless possibilities. I thought I was cool during these years. Probably the only years I thought I was cool for that much. I chased Melissa throughout these years and it usually ended up with her saying no, and me going drinking with the boys. It all came to a crashing halt when I got in trouble with the police at a party. I felt like my life had become completely meaningless with no purpose. From that point on I ended up randomly on a Christian retreat in Tennessee where two days later I ended up being what I never thought I would be... A Christian...
This leads me to my next song: Kristian Stanfill - Jesus Paid It All
The next couple years of my life can only be described as a modern day miracle. During these years I grew incredibly in my faith. I asked Melissa to go out with me, and haven't let go since. I decided to go into youth ministry, then later on took control of the very same youth ministry that I found Jesus at. I toured the country with CIY. I made the best friends in the world at Eastern University. I traveled to Fiji and New Zealand chasing God, and I could not have been happier.
This leads me to the last song on my journey... one that I have posted before: I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
I have been chillin and exploring life ever since. I hope to spend the next couple of years on endless adventures that hopeful end up with me relaxing somewhere beautiful with people I enjoy... who knows. My life still has many songs that are yet to be played... until then...
I never thought when your parents and friends tell you to aim high with girls that I was ever going to aim that high, and that I especially was going to win over the heart of any of those kind of girls. Has anyone ever told you not to go for someone because they are in fact "way out of your league." Well you know what... I went for one way out of my league... and many years, many dollars and lots of hard work later, I get to see just how lucky I really am.
I went to Melissa's homecoming this past weekend, and it was quite the busy day. You know how you think your girlfriend/wife is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And all of you guys think that because to you she is the greatest!
I however managed to grab a girl that really is that special.
NOT to my surprise Melissa had won Homecoming Queen. I couldn't tell you how many times I kept saying to myself, "Adam... she is way out of your league." As the five million guys come up to me telling me how lucky I am, I just kept saying, "Adam... she is way out of your league."
This word goes out to all of you hopeless romantics out there. When you find a girl that is truly worth it, when you find the girl that is truly Godly, when you find the girl that loves people so much, you go get her. You keep loving that girl until eventually she sees the love that is worthy for even a queen...
CORNY ALERT: Right after Melissa won, she left the field and everyone and their sister was coming up to her to congratulate her and take pictures with her. One mother came up to Melissa and said: "mommy, I want to go see the princess...". It was the most adorable thing in the world. The funny thing is, that little girl got just a little glance of how I see her every day!
His amount of experience is irrefutable. People say that with age comes experience, well then he should have a whole lot of that. Everything from his years of service and being a POW to his years serving in the senate, he has certainly been around the block. He is obviously a worthy person for office. If he can make it through what he has been through in the last couple of months, then I am certain he can make it through a term as president.
Barack Obama:
I obviously support Barack because he brings something completely new to this country. Many people look to him for "hope" and "healing" in a country that has been very hurt. Watching the debates you would never know his lack of experience, and his ability to speak and connect with his audience makes him a great candidate for this years election. Almost every country in the world is rooting for this man to win the election, because they see him as someone who can repair. When you watch movies like Hotel Rowanda, what candidate do you see most likely to get involved and help?
BUT...
Here is the mistake that people are starting to make... YES, a new president can do some really good things for this country, YES it is a really good thing to look forward to that kind of change...
But if you think that is really going to get that much better, you have been severely mistaken.
What you need is not a new President... What you need is a Savior.
Yes, I know that sounds "churchy" as crap, but when you start to hear people saying that they are looking to a human for "healing", then I have to tell it like it is... Ultimately, Jesus is going to be the only thing that flips this hurting world around. So yes, you should get involved with the presidential race and look forward to the change they can bring out. But please do not put too much hope in something or someone who is human enough to let you down...
Sunday night, Melissa is speaking on the stage, so I take my normal position in the "hot spots" of the audience. I normally position myself right behind the group that will most likely be the most disruptive. As predicted they were chatting and giggling throughout the message, perhaps not taking in parts of a sermon that could change their lives! After that I got them all together and looked at all of them and said, "guys... you were so disruptive to the speaker. I don't want to see this again, I think you awe her an apology." That was it... in an instant I made myself 20 years older.
Lets fast forward, Now I sit here... The night before a very large test in "Jesus and the Gospels". I am in my very good friend Josh's dorm room. We have probably messed around 95% of the night, and I have probably studied 5% of the time. We went and played ping pong, talked about life and watched pointless YouTube videos... including this one like 5 times that made us both laugh for the majority of the night, check it out:
Want to know how much of me regrets it? 0%. Ultimately I am not going to remember this test in this class. Perhaps I will remember some of the information. I know I will pass this test, but probably not with flying colors if I don't study more. I will remember spending the whole night messing around with one of my boys. I will remember trying to imitate the guy from the video you just watched, and thinking about buying one of his shirts.
I used to love this movie named "Van Wilder" in my high school days. I would not necessarily recommend this movie to anyone who is a student or over 30. It's a movie you want to watch if you are somewhat amused by crude humor and you don't feel like thinking much. When I was young and dumb I looked up to this Van Wilder character... He wasn't a very hard worker, but I felt like he had life down to a tee. At one point in the movie he is sitting with this very goal oriented girl in a empty hockey rink and he just says, "Gwen, you can never take life too seriously, or you'll never make it out alive."
Well you know what... I think he's got something there. When you start to take life too seriously you sweat the small stuff, you yell when you should laugh, you miss the small moments of life that are hardly ever enjoyed, and you rush a stressful life that will ultimately be your demise.
I think God also wants us at times to spend the night messing around, and spend other times studying for hours. When you find your life becoming too serious, just remember the wise words of Van Wilder, and lighten up.
Holy CRAP I just found the clip... Watch It... NOW:
TIMEOUT! Before you shut off your computer and deem me a heathen, I wanted to take a chance to talk about another one of those things that don't necessarily get talked about in todays church circles all to often... swearing. (or cussin' if you're from the south.)
I want to talk about a famous sermon from Tony Campolo. Throughout my journey around the country last summer with Christ in Youth, I was around many Bible College students. Many of these students asked me what college I went to, and I proceeded to tell them Eastern University. My school if definately famous for being very liberal, and being the home of Tony Campolo. You can imagine the impact his sermons may have in the conservative Bible Belt of America. His Sermon went as followed:
Walks on stage...
Alright ladies and gentleman, I have three simple points for you all today...
1) The first fact is that 25,000 children will die today from starvation.
2) My second fact is that you people just don't give a shit.
3) And my third fact is that almost all of you in this room care more that I said 'shit' in fact two, than you care about fact one....
Walks off stage...
You have to admit, he had a bit of a point there. I mean, I think we have turned swearing into one of those "super sins." And you know what I'm talking about. Drinking alcohol, dancing, missing a week of church, swearing... I'm talking about those things you can do around your non-christian friends and not think twice. However if you do them in your Christian circle... you have all eyes on you!
I want to turn to the Bible, but then I wan't to really ask ourselves what it is saying.
James 3:7-10 says:
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
So those are some pretty strong words. The first thing that catches my eye is the power of an "untamed tongue." It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. Hey I want you to think of that next time you french kiss someone.
Hey baby... so... do you wanna run our untamed tongues fill of restless evil and deadly poison.?
Let me know how that one goes for you.
So anyway... It also tells us that we do good with our tongue, and we also do bad. "Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing." A lot of times when we read that we're like. OH YEAH. We do worship, and then we go home and say the infamous "F" word (DUN DUN DUN). Well... I don't think that is necessarily what it's saying. Like I said, when you are with your Christian friends, and you drop the F bomb, everyone is just in awe. But answer me this...
Why do we not have the same reaction when we are in that same circle and somone in gossiping about someone else? Why do we not have the same reaction when someone is talking about something that dishonors God. How come when we do these things we don't have the whole group looking at us in disbelief, and there is a whole line of people ready to call you out.
I feel like at times the traditional church can steer us into the wrong direction when picking what battles we pick to fight. Note that I am not saying swearing is okay. How others see you is important when you are a man or woman in faith. They want to see you striving to be holy, and some people who may not understand can quickly write you off if you have a foul mouth. On that same spectrum, I know a good friend of mine who ministers to so many troubled people that I never could. She has a bad mouth, but connects with people in such an incredible way. These people would never think that she is sinful with her words because she is constantly lifting people up.
So I leave you with this... Next time you are about to call someone out for cursing. Think twise about it and ask some of these questions. Are you calling out the other sins in their life that are actually destructive in nature? If two people are having a conversation, and one is gossiping, and the other uses swear words, who is really in the wrong? Is swearing wrong if it is in a positive connotation? There is technically nothing negative about it right? (ex. Hell yeah!)Are you looking for the speck in a friends eye, when you have a plank in your own?
Friday night had to be one of the more uncomfortable evenings that I have had in quite some time. On Friday I was invited by Melissa to join her to the Albright College Trustees Dinner. They were celebrating a successful campaign to raise money for the school... I couldn't help but walk in the door and think... Wow... these people are so rich...
Now don't get me wrong, it was for an amazing cause. These people gave sooo much money so that future students have opportunities that they would have not been able to have any other way. And Albright does a great job to do that exact thing. I just wanted to clarify that I don't know these people, but I DO know that they are huge givers, and I admire them.
Going on, have you ever walked in a door and immediately felt completely out of place. Well then you felt a lot like I did that night, or at least for a little bit.
Let me take you back a little. Growing up, most people are constantly being wired and told that you need to be successful, you need to make a lot of money, and you have to get as comfortable as you possibly can. Well, I was told that. My parents wanted me to be successful so I didn't have to deal with the financial struggles that they deal with. Relatives want you to get rich so you won't have to fight with your spouse about money. People and school want you to get smart so you can go to a good college and then get a high end job where you can make a ton of money, then in turn be happy.
Well when you are wired that way for your whole life, it is a hard thing to unwire.
The second God laid it on me that I was built for something so much bigger, I had to let all of that go. I had to learn that nothing I will ever have is coming with me after it all ends. I had to learn that I can never find hope in any THING. I can never be saved by any thing. They will give you some temporary happiness... but permanent joy you will not find.
I really learned what is was like to truly be happy like when I was in Fiji, and I drank rain water, bathed with well water and ate what we grew. I learned what it means to truly have when I got to go a build a house for a beautiful family in Juarez, Mexico.
It's funny because when I was at the trustees dinner, I would look around at the dozens of people who have given so much money and I would say... Wow... these people are SO RICH... I would miss all of the giving, and huge hearts of these people, and just wonder how they have so much.
It's kind of ironic, because when I was in Mexico, when we were surrounded by all of the local people at the dedication ceremony it was kind of the same thing. Even thought we were doing the same thing that the trustees were doing, building them a place to live and learn, when they walked in, they probably thought the same thing... Wow... These people are so rich.
So here I am... Months later learning that I have this whole wealth thing backwards. This Mexican family, they have each other. They have what they need to survive and they depend on each other for the rest. They were such a happy bunch. I have never seen a kid smile as much as when we gave him a soccer ball...
So I sit here at my desk... and I think about this whole wealth thing, and materialism, and the battle for class and status. But then my mind turns to that family in Mexico and it hits me, Wow... These people are so rich.
Tonight was a very interesting and sporatic night. I was outside of the caffeteria tonight when someone handed me a piece of paper saying that Donald Miller was going to be speaking at our school tonight. There were two things that I thought were very cool about that. ONE - Donald Miller is an incredible author who wrote one of my favorites, "Blue Like Jazz." This book is cool because it is the book that I would hand to anyone who is interested in Christianity. He is a real person and he writes it like he feels it. TWO - He was coming to represent Barack Obama and talk politics with a bunch of fired up political college students.
That is a dangerous gig if you ask me.
ESPECIALLY because he decided to talk about the dreaded A word... Oh yeah... Abortion.
He has worked with Barack for quite some time now. He found out how faith is a huge part of life and wanted to get involved with what he was doing. He made note that Barack is the only senator with a Faith Initiative Group inside of his office. I thought that was neat.
Anyway, things got very heated in the auditorum with a woman who wanted to let Mr. Miller know how she felt about abortion. He was explaining in a nut shell that it isn't that Obama likes abortion. He hates it, but is a realitic person. He believes that the way to go would not be to try to attempt the nearly impossible to overturn Roe v Wade. Even in countries where it is illegal the numbers aren't much different. He wants to starts with initiative plans to help teen pregnancies and mentorship with tax initiatives for the men involved. He is starting a program called 95-10. I believe it is to reduce abortions by 95% in 10 years. There is a lot more that I could learn about this, but you should check it out also!
NOW DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER. I just thought it was bold that he travels the country taking on what people are scared to talk about. After things got pretty heated you KNOW that I had to ease the tention. I simply raised my hand and when I got called on said "Umm... I think I'm going to have to go ahead and change the subject." The whole crowed applauded. I was then able to ask questions about how the future president is going to be able to help me pay for college. Interesting stuff! So yes... It was a night full of adventure.
1 - I got a new insight on the one thing I was leaning with in voting for Obama.
2 - I got to talk to Donald Miller (whom I am a big fan of)
3 - And I got to ease the tension in a room of 400 people.
Thats a good night for me!
If you have any more Obama questions or rebukes... check out Obama's plans at BarackObama.com. I do not argue politics on my blog. I don't ask you to agree, just to think and enjoy!
I couldn't even tell you how many times I have students that hit rock bottom because they just feel like no one cares. It is one of the hardest things to hear as someone who works directly with youth, because no matter what you tell them... they are still going to feel like no one cares about their hearts. I wanted to explore this idea a little more, and perhaps get to the root of the evil so we can fight it together more effectively. So here are a few things that I have come up with on my journey...
Reasons why these teens think that no one cares:
1) Bad Parenting - Oh man... He said it. I know what you are thinking... Adam, how could you possibly say something like that when you have never had kids! Well friends... I have never jumped into liquid hot magma either, but I would still not recommend swimming in it. One of the first things I hear from any student who feels like no one cares about what is going on in their life or the pain that they have is "my dad is always so busy", or "my mom just yells at me all of the time". Well parents... I have two recommendations for you. First, I understand being a parent is tough, and sometimes you have to raise your voice. I may not be a parent, but I have to deal with 150 teens weekly... it's a job. Try LISTENING to your kids. Not just listening, but really LISTENING. You don't need to say anything... just listen, it can change your kids life. My second recommendation, get your ass off the blackberry, and go love on your kid. (if you are a student, I was referring to a donkey...yea...) I am sorry for the strong language, but I can not emphasize this enough. There is no possible way I could get this across in simple text. So many teens feel so lost from their parent not being there to listen and guide when necessary...
So now that anyone over 21 hates me... I want to continue to my second reason why students think that no one cares.
2 ) Few actually do - It is so frustrating living in a world where the number one goal is to usually look out for "number one." The whole Bible is littered with instructions on how to love people: To listen to them, to put others above yourself, to serve people especially when it isn't convenient and to love those that are especially difficult to love. If you think that you have this down... then student ministries at CCV would love to have you! I feel like we all need to go to the roots of loving people and do it abundantly.
We have a leader at our youth group who gets frustrated at times when they feel like they one of the few having the really tough conversations... The ones where students drop a bomb on you. If we had more people who were up to the challenge of CARING, then it wouldn't be as difficult of a task!
3) Self Reliability - For this one I am guilty as charged. If I have a problem, I don't want to lay them on anyone else. I guess you could say that I hold it in. I always have to feel confident and strong and seem like I have it all together. Well many students are the same way. They feel like they have to have it together, they have to have it figured out. Well this may be big news to some and old news to the more wise... but we DEFINITELY DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER. Especially in your teen years, these are the years of messing up and learning from your mistakes. These are the years of questioning things and doubting things in order to grow. As Christians we need to begin to set an example of transparency.
Listen... say it with me... "I do not have my crap together... neither do you... and that is OK with me..." Didn't that feel good?
I am not saying we all have to be pansies. Men... We in no way have to resemble Mr. Rogers because we are showing that we are weak. I REAL MEN can admit his weaknesses and show those around him that he is striving to better that weakness.
So whether you are a teen or a parents perhaps some of this insight was helpful... or perhaps just frustrating. But either way I just wanted to end telling you that I CARE... Do you?
If you are like me, then you are very aware of the current economic "distress" that our country is battling with right as we speak. About five minutes ago I just witnessed the House pass the one time rejected 700 billion dollar bailout plan to save the unethical banks. Only this time it passed because it has all of the bells and whistles that it needs. So I thought to myself... Self... Just how much money is 700 Billion dollars. I means... It's just fun to say...
Think Dr. Evil here...
(Pinky finger pointed at your lips) Seven-Hundred-BILLLLLION ZILLION FAFILLION Dollars!
Let me break it down for you, with 700 Billion dollars we can:
~~Have 12 Bill Gateses
~~We could give $2,300 to every man, woman and child in the country.
~~We could buy almost ALL of the circulated coins and bills in the country.
~~We could build a stack of dollar bills that goes 1/5 of the way TO THE MOON.
~~We could take 700 years of all of Mcdonald's hamburgers sold.
~~We could buy 39 million Ford F-150's.
~~We could buy 350 fully functional Space Ships! AND UNFORTUNATELY
~~We could cover the whole 2007 budget of the U.S. department of health and human services
~~It's NINE times the amount spent on education last year.
~~It's 35 times the amount spent on all foreign aid most years AND LAST OF ALL
~~It's about the same amount of money given to all charitable organizations in any two year span...
~~Last but not least, it is the total yearly income of most youth pastors in America... (go ahead... keep a strait face when you say that one)
It is really easy to gain momentum or have a spiritual "high" when you are put in a position that breeds those feelings. From the very first time the idea came out of taking a group of us that want to Juarez, Mexico and turning it into a small group or HomeTeam I will admit I was a bit skeptical. Let me tell you why:
When people come together and have some type of "high" experience such as missions trips, conferences etc... They try to recreate or find that same feeling that they had in that particular circumstance.
We certainly had an INCREDIBLE time on the trip, but then it was time to come back and then face the real world. I wasn't sure how it was going to pan out. Everyone on the trip stated that they wanted to continue to feel the way they did down there, but year round. That is a hard thing to do...
Nearly impossible.
BUT, something truly incredible has come out of the whole deal. About two months back we thought we would give it a try. We would form a small group. However, there was one decision made that was the difference between failure and success... We did it OUR way.
Now this group is obviously a group of people with a heart for feeling uncomfortable, taking risk, giving to the poor and getting dirty if we had to. So knowing that, why would we take every week and just spend it just talking about those things. We would utilize those things instead! We spent several weeks just getting our roots planted and then from there are looking to do a service bit every other week. I couldn't be happier with this incredibly diverse and talented group of people of all ages, shapes and backgrounds. I look forward to spending lots of time serving with them
If you are looking for a HomeTeam, look on the moviechurch.com website and go to connect, then adults! Or check out OUR Hometeam at ServeHometeam.com
Also, enjoy this little video I just found of right before we left for Mexico.
From time to time it is important to have a little reminder in your life that you are getting your priorities messed up. I am sitting here in the Biard Library at Eastern studying for my Spanish test that I have at 12. I could pull my hair out right now. Some of this Spanish mine as well be gibberish. I am getting so frustrated because I really want to get a good grade in this class! I want to get a good grade in all my classes. If not to impress my family and friends, but to have more job options. Perhaps it's to prove to people that I am capable of such grades while still working full time. Or last of all it is because in the Bible it says that we should do everything as we would for the Lord.
I think I have it all wrong. I am stressing over quite possibly the dumbest thing ever. Let me throw you my priorities real quick.
1) God... My relationship with him, applying him to every part of my life, acknowledging that He is the only thing that will be consistent throughout eternity.
2) Family... Family is and in most cases should be the most meaningful and worked on relationships in your life. As far as this world goes, this is your support and people that will be there for you when everyone else isn't. Plus, my mom makes SICK grilled cheese.
3) Melissa... This is not just a normal friend. This is who I believe I will be spending a very long time with. She's my best friend and well, an obvious very important relationship. She will possibly be moving up the ranks sooner or later. ; )
4) Friends & Students... Taking care and loving on these people in my life is a very important thing. Jesus spent most of his life taking care of these people.
5) Everyone Else
6) Me... Taking care of myself falls in here.
7) Work... I love my job and I take it very seriously. The well fare of many teens depends on me and Frank and April and whoever doing their jobs well.
8)School... I guess a stupid piece of paper (degree) matters so much to this country that this priority has to fall here.
WHAT ARE YOURS?
So there they are... I am sitting here worrying about, and dumping all of this time into something that isn't even in my top 5 priorities. I'm sorry, I just don't believe that "there is a time for everything, including being a student" is a good excuse to EVER neglect what is truly important in your life...
As for doing everything as I would for God... well this verse makes a little more sense of that... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend upon your own understanding. In everything you do, acknowledge Him and he will direct your path." -Proverbs 3:5
I can say that in any situation God would choose the path that brings love. It is our greatest command and our most ultimate goal. I think that perhaps instead of worrying about a test that I know I will pass, I can spend the time I would have spent worrying doing something productive like chatting with a friend. For chatting with a friend is something that I have neglected big time in the last 6 months. For that I am ashamed, but am starting to lean not on my own understanding.
FILL IN THE BLANK
I spent so much time doing _______ or worrying about ________ that I missed out on some much needed time I could have had _________ .
IF YOUR PRIORITIES ARE DIFFERENT THAN MINE... LEAVE A COMMENT LISTING YOUR PRIORITIES
–noun. ad⋅ven⋅tur⋅er - A person who has, enjoys, or seeks countless adventures to fully and unpredictably live the life that our incredible God created us to live .
