The Value of Family

First off, I would like to apologize for my little blogging hiatus. I really needed to back away for a couple weeks for two reasons.

1 - I really needed to just catch my breath. It has been such a blessing to be able to spend a couple of weeks away from school to kinda of get my bearings. I have been using this to work on relationships that are very important to me.

2 - I cared too much about the wrong things. If you have a blog, then you most likely have an analytic as well. Analytic tell you how many people have visited your site on a daily basis and much more. The second I started caring how many people have visited my site, and was getting upset when too little did, I knew I had to take a break. I want blogging to be something that I enjoy, and a place where I can be real with people everywhere... so there you go. Moving on...

Throughout my blogging break I have learned something really incredible, if you haven't guessed it yet, it was the value of family. Throughout my last couple of months of busyness, I have managed to accidentally ignore some of the people that are most important to me, my family. We all fall trap to this so easily! I hold such a high value in family, and have absolutely taken advantage of the fact that they will always be there for me. Throughout my break I have spent some great times playing board games with many cousins, aunts and uncles. I have spend a couple of hours playing some music with an incredible cousin. I have just spent an incredible night dining with my uncle and my grandparents that are even my neighbors! The conversations are amazing with the people who know where you have come from. I really hope that as I go into a new semester I remember the people that are truly important in my life. I love them very much, and I always will...

Being Followed By Death.

As if it wasn't already enough to swallow the death at my hockey game, a friend of mine, Mike Skinner or "Ski" was killed this morning in a deadly automobile accident. It was a hard thing to accept, it was shocking. He was one of the most loving, kind, and fun people to be around. There is one difference that set his death apart from many others that I have experienced.

Death is completely different when Jesus Christ is in the picture.

Accepting death, and mourning death are very difficult things to do. But I was absolutely in awe of what people have been saying about Mike's death. I was on his facebook today, and everyone had been leaving him little "goodbye" notes. There is a common theme that I have found. Sure, people are hurt, and people are shocked. But these Christians are also happy deep down that this incredible guy is finally reunited with his loving and perfect father. He is the luckiest guy to be rid of pain. It is going to be very hard for his family and his many, many friends. But when God is the center of everything you do... even a tragedy can be a time of celebration. Under interest on Mike's Facebook... the number one thing... Jesus.

R.I.P Michael Skinner March 26, 1986 - December 16, 2008

To give you a small example of what death can be like in the eyes of people who know what comes next, I want to share a couple of the posts on Mike's facebook from today. This is absolutely incredible... this is what sets us apart:

--- Hey Mike,When I first heard I couldn't believe it and sometimes I still can't. It's upsetting and you are missed already. So yes I'm going to send this comment bcuz u will probably see all of our messages in heaven. Make sure you check your facebook when you get to your mansion :) (lol). One thing I know is that we must stay positive about your ... absence here on earth. I know you are so much at peace where you are. I guess you were just so great that God wanted you right next to him. :) You are such a genuine and sweet-spirited person and I'm so happy to have met you. You were a blessing to so many people and definitely loved by Eastern University. Tell God I said wasup ;)

--- you were such a blessing to us all, mike. you had a heart for the lord and a passion for people. may we use your life as an example of what it means to be like christ. we'll see you soon ♥

--- Even though its mad hard for us to understand and we're so sad, I can still smile, because I know you're buggin out right now--in the presence of the Lord. Thank you for everything. I'm sure I didnt express to you how much I appreciated you. I am honored to know as a friend, co-worker, and brother. I hope one day to show half as much joy and pure ... Read Moreacceptance to others as you did. love you and cant wait to see your crazy smile again. If its that bright on earth, cant even imagine what Ill be lookin at in heaven . . .

--- Rest In Peace, my friend. Make those angels laugh like you made us laugh. See you in a while...

A big win and a bigger Loss...

Just got this picture from the Pottstown Rink's Website. It was a great season with these guys, but our next season started off real rough. On my teams first game, a guy on the other team had a heart attack on the rink, and died on the spot. It really brings everything into perspective. So many times we think we're invincible. And to top it off we sweat the small stuff so much... until something like this happens. You'd be surprised how something like that can do one of two things. It can really bring a team together, or it could really tear one apart. I hope it does the first of the two...

Traveling the World, Right at Home...

Sorry about the little blog break friends, I have been studying for finals, doing papers and taking tests for about two weeks now, I am finally free!

Anywho, tonight was a very interesting night. Melissa's birthday was on Tuesday, so I decided to wait until tonight to take her out so that we don't have to deal with school.

Melissa and I both want to see the world very badly, but I thought hey, since I don't have a couple of thousand dollars to go see other countries, I will bring the countries a little closer! I got a tip off from a friend about a very cool restaurant. It consisted of traditional Moroccan cuisine! The restaurant was called Marrakesh, and it was amazing.

First off, the restaurant is hidden in a small little alley way in Philadelphia. To get into the restaurant, you go to this little door in the alley and knock on it, someone comes a minute later to let you in.

As soon as you go in, a guy dressed like Aladdan (cap and all) shows you to your table. Your table is actually a cushion type deal with a ton of pillows.

You eat off this one giant tray/plate. Before the meal, they come to your table and wash your hands by pouring hot water over them and catching it in a pale. It was quite the dining experience, here are a few other things I really enjoyed.

1 - A SEVEN course meal. Yes you heard me right, seven. We had plate, after plate, after plate; followed up by the best dessert I have EVER had... incredible! It gave Meliss and I SEVERAL hours to chat over dinner.

2 - Belly dancer! Of course I could not really thoroughly enjoy the belly dancer because she was a little under dressed, but the thought of the custom was really neat! I have never seen a traditional belly dancer before!

3 - Community. It was a very tight, homey room that we ate in. We were very close to other people eating, and had the opportunity to chat with several of them throughout the meal! It was pretty cool.
4 - Music. They played some traditional Moroccan music in the place, it was really different, but very cool!

People generally have no idea what other places in the world are like. We have some kind of ignorance or even intolerance for people we don't understand. I really enjoyed seeing what different customs are like in a country that I hope to visit someday! I recommend this place to anyone. It's not that expensive either. 5 STARS!

My First Championship!

Tuesday was an awesome night. My hockey team won the championship series! I have never won a championship of anything, so this was pretty cool! To even top it off, I even got some cool battle scars.

As I was going for the puck, I got tripped, a stick then hit me in the face, and then I got kicked in the face with skates. It was pretty intense. I just want to say, the tough guy I am, got right back up. I then proceeded to look for my gloves and stick that all flung when I went down! It left some pretty serious markage and swellage right next to my eye though.

I want to share with you a dialogue that I had with my dad. We have kind of a different relationship than many fathers and sons. We don't speak through hugs or anything like that. We have conversations that are a little more like this one that show the relationship pretty well...

Sal: What happened to your face.

Me: I got drop-kicked in the face with skates and a stick.

Sal: Now that's what I call a hockey player.

Me: That's what I'm talking about!

I also want to thank my beautiful girlfriend for coming to a bunch of my games, including my championship. Just like that Edwin Mccain song, she's my biggest fan, and I am hers!

A REAL award show...

The other night, just before Meliss headed home, we plopped down on the couch and watched a little bit of the tele'. I was just going through channels and I landed on one of my personal favorites, CNN. They were in the middle of an award show that was unlike anything I had ever seen! It was called CNN HEROES. It was an entire award show dedicated to people who love people better than anyone I know.

It was an award show for people that ACTUALLY deserve awards. I almost felt like crying every time there was a presentation.

There was a short video of what the person does. They people were from all over the world, doing things that none else wanted to do.

I couldn't help but feel so... convicted.

I wondered how many of these people did this because they were Christians. One guy, David Puckett came up and gave God all of the glory, it was pretty breathtaking. He builds prosthetic limbs and gives them to people in need in Mexico free of charge. He helped many people walk for the first time.

I'm not sure if you remember, but Jesus was in that line of business. He helped people see for the first time. I know there is a big difference, but they are both miracles in my eyes.

Another lady, Phymean Noun, went to Cambodia and took children that were as young as 4 that were working picking trash in a huge landfill and took them to a school. (watch video below) She has 900 students. She doesn't charge them a thing. I don't know how, but she does it.

These people inspire me to get uncomfortable, and do something that really shows people God's love. These people get God's greatest commands right, the command to love those in need.

The winner was this lady, Liz McCartney. She created an organization that helped 120 families rebuild their homes in the years following Katrina. She is just one of a many unrecognized people who have GOT IT RIGHT. I hope that one day I can feel like I am truly loving people recklessly...

Check out this video of one of the winners... I was in awe. It really help me put my life and the things I worry about in perspective:

My Christmas Wish List-ish.

So all I really want for Christmas is to make someone less fortunate than me really, really happy. I am actually giving a message about Christmas December 14th. I am so excited about that one, I actually already started writing it! However, If God didn't ruin my life (in an extremely awesome way) then I would have a holiday wish list that looked a lot like this!

1 - A Yellow 2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

2 - 10,000 Flyer Miles.

3 - A Macbook Pro with all the bells and whistles.

4 - Enough Dough to pay off my Student Loans.

5 - A Nintendo Wii.

6 - A giant flatscreen with surround sound.

7 - A Honda CBR 1000RR Bike

8 - iPhone

9 - A classic Patterson surfboard.

10 - A New York Studio Apartment...

With all of that said... I certainly believe you can buy happiness... It can always be taken away, but you can definitely buy it! It will also never be able to buy you JOY... big difference.

Nashville Day Two - Seriously Ridiculous...

At first I didn't quite understand the theme of this years convention, "Seriously Ridiculous." As time has gone on here, I think I am finally learning why they picked it...

Jesus Christ, and the job that he has appointed us is... well... seriously ridiculous.
It's something that makes perfect sense, and at times no sense at all. It's a life that directs you to give up everything, but at the same time to gain everything. It's a life full of sacrifice and love. It's a love that is to be mirrored from the one who has perfect love. It's seriously ridiculous.

Today was one of those days, where it all made sense. It started with an amazing speaker, Mark Yaconelli. That name may sound familiar because his father, Mike Yaconelli, was a huge person in the youth ministry world. I actually named my last blog, "Dangerous Wonder" after one of his books. (my favorite) Mark had some amazing things to say about how we don't need to have fear to be passionate. He finished his sermon with a story about how he went to a disco dance back in the day. He said everyone was scared to dance and 2 hours into the dance the DJ was about to cancel the dance, he then went up to the DJ and said "wait... don't do it..."

The lights in the room then went out, and when they came back on he was in full disco gear and a disco ball started spinning, the room went CRAZY! I could never do this story justice.

All of that to say, this man was so passionate. He was not scared to look stupid, he was not scared to be transparent, he was not afraid to let loose and just ... be.

As this was all happening the band was getting set up. Lincoln Brewster came up and played Everlasting God, and I was just, in awe. I then realized at that moment just how broken I am. God had softened my heart so much today. I truly hope I am a changed person. I can't wait to come back and speak to CCV Impact and Riot with the passion I feel inside of me now...

I want to give you a couple highlights of my day.

- Mark Yaconelli - Lincoln Brewster for Worship - Hours of conversation with my two professors at Panera. - Concert with Matt Wertz - 4 Comedians including one ventriloquist that was freaking hilarious. - Late Night Waffle House Stop

Nashville Day One - A Rekindled Flame

So I finally found some time to sit down at the ol' laptop and catch up on some blogging! I am currently down in Nashville, Tennessee for the National Youth Workers Convention. The NYWC is a conference where tens of thousands of youth workers come together for workshops, worship and relaxation! I very quickly learned after I got here that...

This is exactly what I needed.

I was so in need of having my "spiritual tank" poured into. If you have an empty tank and you are trying to do ministry it will only do more damage. I have been at that point for a while, this could not have come at a better time! This trip has been full of all of the things that make me feel alive: Worship, Traveling, Friendships, The City and something new and exciting!

The day started off interestingly when last night we left Eastern University with snow coming down pretty hard. From that point on we found ourselves in and out of blizzard conditions for the next 14 hours on the road. I have never seen it snow like that in November for as long as I can remember!

Anyway, as soon as we got out of the van we jumped right into the first main session. Session was incredible, we enjoyed an incredible sermon by Francis Chan. He spoke about how he felt burdened by the message of Jesus Christ, a message that was not fun to give, and certainly not popular. He really challenged my view on some of the things we should talk about at church. He was phenomenal.

I then got to rock out and worship with Mercy Me and David Crowder Band! It was so weird seeing them finally after listening to about 100 of their songs for years. After the first song I almost felt my heart say, "I'm BACK." That is a feeling that is hard to explain in words. I also got very close and took some really awesome pics.

A few other highlights of the trip so far:

-Running into an old friend from C.I.Y. who I toured with the summer before last.

-Speaking only Spanish at a Mexican restaurant to the waiter.

-Free Stuff out the wazoo.

-Escaping from the norm for a while.

-Late night Dominoes Pizza delivery.

So all in all, this is going to be a trip of self discovery and spiritual replenishment. I already feel both of those very much so after only one day. God is up to something big, I am excited to see what it may be...

Coming Back For More!

In the last couple of weeks I completed my application to join C.I.Y (Christ In Youth) for a second term as an intern starting this May!

If you can remember back, the whole reason I started this blog was so my family and friends could keep track of me while I toured around the country. That summer was one of the hardest and most beneficial summers of my whole life. I got to see such incredible places, meet such incredible people and witness things that are truly indescribable.

I won't find out if I am accepted until January 15th, so I get a nice long wait period.

Some reasons I really enjoyed my summer with CIY is because...

A - I LOVE to travel. My last term with CIY brought me to many places I have never seen in the U.S. I got to see the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen, I got to see lake Michigan, and I got to see the St. Louis Archway, just to name a few!

B - My home base is Joplin, Missouri. Although it sounds like a little random Midwestern town there are two things I really liked about it! 1 - They have 4394324324932- restaurants, and 2 - they get some HUGE thunderstorms!

C - The staff at CIY. The staff over there are some of the most fun, compassionate and talented people I have ever met in ministry. To even go beyond that I met dozens of youth pastors and renown speakers from all over the country! Great memories and awesome networking! Some of my best memories are going out to dinner with out crew after a long night of serving! I also was challenged at the same time by Jayson French. He was the director of the crew that I was with. He was a tough guy, but tough love taught me so much, he has been great influence on my life.

D - Worship. I love to worship. Few places know how to worship like C.I.Y does. When I had that all summer my relationship with God was in such a great place. These are only a few reasons of many that I hope this internship works out! I will keep you posted as I find out.

So I thought I would throw up a couple of pictures from my last summer with C.I.Y. Enjoy!

Pic 1 - The opening skit for the week was an awesome drama with Satan, Jesus, Adam and God the Father. I got to play Adam (obviously). This is me walking on Jesus' arms to get me back to God.

Pic 2 - This was my summer family, Me, Jess, Tara, Jennifer (Administrative Assistant), Brad and Jayson French (Director of Conferences).

Pic 3 - This was one of the few days we had to relax when on the road. It was a beautiful beach at New Holland, Michigan.

Where I Wish I Was

I hate the cold. If you know me, then you know me as a the guy who will try to wear flip flops as long as possible. I remember how insane it was last February going from a snow storm and then a week later being in Fiji! Pennsylvania is cool and all, but I think we should all go and live there. Hey, even islanders need to hear about God! Here are some pictures from my trip you may not have seen!

Have you ever been on a 24 hour ferry ride? How about a 24 Hour Ferry Ride with no bed? How about a 24 Hour Ferry Ride with no bed when you are running a 103 degree fever? How about a 24 hour ferry ride with no bed when you are running a 103 degree fever when it's 95 degrees outside?

To Complain or Not To Compain.

So tonight couple of friends and I went over the Regal 24 to check out the newest installment of the long running James Bond flicks. This blog isn't about the movie (however if it was I would recommend waiting until it comes out on DVD), but more about what happened after the movie.

After the movie we then proceeded to go to a restaurant that will remain nameless. Once there, it was almost 30 minutes until we were asked what drinks we wanted. (keep in mind there were maybe 20 people in the whole restaurant) It was probably another 30 minutes until we got our food and still we were missing food.

Now, as a Christian, is it okay to complain about the service to a manager?

I want you to keep in mind several variables or questions that are going through my mind before I answer this seemingly easy question:

1 - Perhaps the waiter or waitress is having a rough night... she is a real human being with real life joys and hurts.

2 - On the other side, a job is a job. You can't just use that as an excuse for poor service.

3 - As a Christian in a broken world, we should be thankful that we even have the ability to go out and have SOMEONE ELSE serve US food! That idea would baffle many parts of the world that die from hunger every single day. Actually, when I say many parts of the world, I mean majority.

4 - Perhaps it helped the manager improve his service so that they don't lose more customers, in a round about way, you are helping him.

5 - What if that waitress came to the church I work at some day... would she see me and turn right around?

6 - Is it okay if I complain in a classy fashion? If I'm not a jerk about it then perhaps it won't be as bad... or is it always bad?

So I still don't know where I stand. I ended up asking to talk to the manager and got a bunch of stuff off of our bill. But at what cost... I still feel like crap knowing that perhaps I hurt the waitresses feelings, or perhaps she got yelled at. I don't like to be responsible for that, I don't know her. Anyway... you may feel the same way, maybe not... what do you think?

If I Could Be Anything

The question was asked by a friend of mine to a whole group of people, "If you could have any job in the world... what would you do?" Now perhaps some of you need to think and meditate on that answer for a while. However, it is not the same case for me. perhaps you ARE like me, and you already know the one thing that you would want to do!

Well I have always had this idea of a dream job... and that dream job is DUN DUN DUN... A Storm Chaser!

I mean, I guess it's the next closest thing to Youth Ministry... It's unpredictable and you always feel like you're cleaning up for weeks after!

That in itself is somewhat funny if you know me, and you are one of my family members. Back in the old days there were definitely not expectations of me enjoying storms. I remember when there were really bad storms I would run into our bathroom (only room with no windows) or into my basement with a blanket wrapped around me and my walkman blaring into my ears.

To tell you the truth... I don't really know when the switch happened! There is something so incredible and mysterious about something that powerful and unpredictable. It's a little bit of God's wrath mixed with science. You get to travel a LOT, and see thunderstorms all the time!

When I was working at Christ in Youth in Joplin, Missouri I remember one really awesome night. Ps. Joplin is smack in the middle of our nations "Tornado Alley". Anywho, some really big storms were coming really close until finally the towns tornado sirens started going off! HOW AWESOME IS THAT! Many people would be quick to want to get into a basement... I wanted to go outside! Of course the people who lived in Joplin made fun of me because they are used to that type of weather, but I still thought it was neat.

So yea, very exciting. We are actually in a Tornado Watch until 7pm tonight, so you can expect me to be keeping my eyes to the sky for a while!

Also, I have been watching an awesome new show on discovery about the life of Storm Chasers... you should check it out, they actually drive a tank INTO THE TORNADO, then maybe you will understand my awkward enjoyment of weather!

If you could do any job, what would it be?

One Funny Night

So my church hosted an event this evening at the beautiful Radisson Hotel in King of Prussia. We had a comedian named Michael Jr. come and make us laugh until we peed our pants. I knew the night was going to be interesting from the second the first guy came on stage. His first pair of jokes were poking fun at going to Bible college. I guess you could say I could relate.

I then knew Michael Jr. would be funny from the first joke that he gave...

"Hey... why'd you guys dim the lights... so I would think there are more black people here?"

Hah, it was pretty funny, perhaps it's one of those I guess you gotta be there moments.

Anyway, it was a really awesome time. The ballroom was gorgeous, the company was incredible, the jokes were funny, the meal was awesome and the only thing missing was my beautiful girl. I look forward to comedy night next year, I would bet we would do it again after that fun, sold out show.

Anyway, I am exhausted, I will catch up with you guys soon. Here is a little clip of the comedian we had tonight!

Quite the Adventure

48327493279723 Breakable Items - 4.7 million dollars.

20 Miles of gas for 2 cars - 20 dollars

Cool Furniture for the Youth Group Lounge - 500 dollars...ish

Two Interns Taking 9 Senior High Students to Ikea to shop...

Priceless!

It's kind of funny how we speak every week on stage, have countless hours of conversations about God with students, but some of my most cherished times are doing something completely different. NOW, I'm not saying I don't love those other times. BUT, there is something special about spending time with students where they are just being... well, who they are! We're all being real, laughing, joking, yelling at the guys for having swivel chair races down the isles and joking with April about her navigating skills (or lack there of).

It's times like that when I know I'm where I'm supposed to be...

Why Are We So Scared?

We just finished a very successful series in student ministries centered around this concept of fear called, "fearless." Each week we talked about different things that cast fear into our lives. I really got to think about the series and realized just how scared we are.

When you think about it, all of our biggest roadblocks stem directly from fear. So many of us have a fear of being transparent, we have a fear of being wrong, we have a fear of being alone, we have a fear of the unknown and much much more.

I want to pose a question... What does it look like to be fearless...

Now I want you to close your eyes and imagine someone in your head who you see as close as possible to bring fearless... Maybe it is a quiet, confident and conserved woman, perhaps it is a very muscular battle scarred warrior.

Maybe they look like this...













Or maybe you think they look like this....











But now, what I want you to do is get both of those pictures out of your head and pretend in your head you are looking into a mirror. FEAR is something that YOU effect. People are not willing too many times to conquer their own fears. If you are scared of being uncomfortable, make yourself uncomfortable. If you are scared of being transparent, tell someone close to you what is going on in your heart.

The worst thing that can happen is you get burnt, in which case you get back up, brush the dirt off, and go at it again.

Just know that you are not going to be able to conquer these fears on your own. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear". Let me tell you what ladies and gents... perfect love only comes from perfect selflessness. We need to stop being scared, and start living fearlessly...

When the balancing act fails.

I'm hoping to shoot for a moment of transparency, so here we go...

Do you ever feel like you are just involved in one big balancing act. You are trying to balance your budget and your bills, you are trying to balance your friendships that you have with people, you are trying to balance your family, you are trying to balance your spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend, you are trying to balance your schoolwork, you are trying to balance your job, you are also trying to balance in some personal time, you are trying to balance time to read the Bible, pray, exercise, take a trip, do your hobby, clean the house, make/find meals and the million small things that are stacked up on top of that.

What do you do when you feel like I do.

You have been balancing it all, and then in one misstep or small crack in the road you feel it all beginning to fall down all around you.

The bills are adding up, your friendships aren't being tended to, your relationship isn't getting the attention it deserves, your grades are slipping, your job is not how you expected, your free time is non-existent or spent worrying about all of that other stuff and you don't know how to start picking up the pieces.

Well I havn't gotten to the part of the blog where I package up what you need to do in 3 simple and easy steps. I don't think this one works that way... not right now anyway.

I've got to go, I still have 9 more hours strait of class today before I go home and study, do a paper and play catch up.

Never Bet With A Student

So I lost a bet.

I was giving a ridiculously challenging message on Faith and Science tonight when it occurred to me, hey the Eagles are playing tonight! In a second of confidence I did what no man should ever do... bet on the Eagles to win. I made the bet with a senior high student named Josh.

The Bet:

If the Eagles win, Josh will have to wear a dress on stage the next Sunday night.
If the Giants win, I will have to wear a dress when I go on stage next week.

The Eagles lost...

Of course the Eagles always give you enough hope to keep you watching, but not enough to get you anywhere. So if you are interested in seeing me in a dress, (which I am sure many of you are) then come to Impact or Riot next Sunday and enjoy the show! I am assuming it will look something like this:

My Blog Change!

As you can see, my blog page is not exactly as it appeared before! As my faith has grown, my blog has matured, and my direction has been more clear to me, I have decided to continue with my blog in a new direction! Check out the 'about me' area for a little explanation! I hope you enjoy it, some feedback would be GREAT!

Can Faith and Science Coexist?

This is going to be a fun week in student ministries! We're in this series that "big church" did a year or two ago called Googling God. The idea behind it is, if you could Google God any question, what would it be. Every week they get these googling god cards and they fill them out to provide us with the question we will have to teach on the following week.

There are always a lot of very insightful questions. Some of the most popular being: What is God's will for my life? Whats the deal with evolution? Is the Bible just meant to be taken as stories that didn't happen to teach us something?

Of course you may always get some not deep questions like we have throughout this series such as: Why do boys suck? When am I going to die? and my favorite, What's going on?

As much as I would like to give my lesson about one of those last questions, this week I am going to be speaking on "can faith and science coexist?"

It should be a fun topic, and I enjoy theology a LOT is the upside. The down side is, when people start to hear things they don't agree with in this subject, (which WILL happen) then they can easily tune out from our lessons. So we'll see, wish me luck, and pray I don't mess it up!

I will post again in the next day or two with my answer to this question.