You Spend Every Moment...

In John Ortberg's Book, Life You've Always Wanted he tells us a story about his youngest daughter Malory. Malory was just a few years old and John was helping her take a bath, when the unexpected happened. As she finished her bath Malory ran in to her room lacking clothes and started singing, De Dah, De Dah, De Dah. John followed closely behind as she continued belting her tune... De Dah, De Dah, De Dah. John then did what most parents at this point would do and he simply told Malory to stop. She responded with a quick and simple answer, Why? John Ortberg was baffled, then gradually he came to the conclusion that he honestly didn't know why. From that very moment he had decided that you spend every moment either living or waiting to live.

This is a great point and a valuable lesson. This is something I tried to remind myself over and over again going in to this summer. I talk a lot of exploring and adventures, but it's one thing to talk about it and another thing to DO IT. I therefore decided that this summer I was going to quit waiting to live and just simply... live.

Already I have done some really exciting things out here in Arizona, with a couple more on the way. To be honest I haven't had a whole lot of free time, but with the time I have had open, here are a couple of things I have been able to experience this summer:

1 - Rock Climbing - There is nothing more exciting than hanging from a rock over 70 feet in the air. This week I got to climb this incredible cliff that hung right over a beautiful lake. I got this exhilarating feeling over my whole body and just hung there for a second to look at the view and remind myself how incredible God is.

2 - Throwing Clay - As part of Melissa and my weekly date night, I decided to surprise her and take her to this cool place called Desert Dragon Pottery. I know what you are thinking, what a perfect opportunity to act out that scene from the movie "Ghost." Well it was a ton of fun, and I think I may even be a natural!

3 - Phoenix Zoo - It was real neat finally seeing a new Zoo. Although it was hot, Meliss and I got to hang out with some Giraffes, get up close and personal with some Apes, and have hours of awesome conversation!

NEXT ON DECK:

This Friday a couple of us are going to take the ten mile trek to this incredible waterfall called Havasupai Falls nestled into the Grand Canyon. We're going to camp out under the falls and then hike out the next day. It's going to be tough, but from what I hear this place is completely worth it. In a week in a half I will be heading to the California Coast, and then shortly after that I will be visiting Sedona and Las Vegas.

I truly believe that God designed us for adventure. He did not design us for the mediocre lives that most of us are living. Get out there and talk to a stranger, do something to get your blood pumping, do something to show you're not afraid. At this point you have two options; you can sit at home, and never quite live or you can really truly ask yourself, have you had a De Dah day lately?

Continuously Molded

I figured just before bed I would give you a quick post, I have to get up a little early to go to the Phoenix Zoo with Meliss!

So let's get in to it! I want to tell you that I am absolutely pumped that they are going to give me an opportunity this summer to speak to the high school group. I have never spoken to a group quite this large. It's an awesome opportunity to just allow God to do what he does best. Anyway, on June 28th I am kicking off this series called "Made." The center of my message will be around this idea of being molded by the people and experiences around you. I'll be talking a little bit about how I've had some pretty crappy potters mold me in the past and talking about how the "Master Potter" has truly shaped me in to something awesome. It has given me a great opportunity to sit back and ask myself, who have I been molded by? It truly made me realize that God has not been doing it solo.

The longer I'm out in Phoenix, the more I am just encouraged by the incredible people who have helped mold me over the last 5 years, to get me here to begin with. Actually just this month it's been 5 quick years since I let my life be ruined, controlled and given meaning. If it wasn't for the dedication of my youth pastor, Matt Silver, I would have never gone to church, let alone decided I wanted to go in to ministry! If it wasn't for the dedication of my youth coaches back then (Noonan, Finney etc...) I would not have stayed nearly as faithful. If it wasn't molded by my mentor Bob Connor, I would have had a hard time seeing what truly living out one's faith looks like. I have had guys like Chris Pick and Ryan O' Rourke who have showed me the kind of man of Christ that I aspire to be someday. I have the best bunch of friends the world has to offer, my whole Eastern Crew has shown me what loving your neighbor really looks like. If it wasn't for my CCV family I would never have know what the power of hundreds of people serving God looks like. I have had several moms when one just isn't a enough sometimes, Mary, Jess, Meg and Mama C! I have gotten the opportunity to work on the ccv staff with people who are doing exactly what God wants them to be doing at CCV. If it wasn't for Brian Jones, I know a lot of these people wouldn't be where they are today. I now know the kind of place and type of people I want to work with for the rest of my life. Of course foremost I am being constantly molded and inspired by the beautiful Melissa who continues to blow my mind every single day. And Lastly I have always been molded and cared for by the most awesome family. If it wasn't for my mom's patience and trust, my dad's discipline and hard work, my brother to wrestle with and vent to, and my sister to lean on when things really sucked I would not be half the man that I am now. That's not even counting the dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who have always had my back.

All of that to say just this one last thing:

I have been molded in so many ways by so many people. This list could go on and on and on. If I didn't say your name, don't be discouraged, these are all just examples of SOME of the people who have changed my life. I am the most blessed person I know. From time to time people will tell me how proud they are of who I have become. The funny thing is I have just become the man that all of the right people have molded me to be! (with some incredible precision work from my father above)

So from me to you, I just want to say Thank You. No words could explain what you all mean to me.

A Change in Direction

To this point, coming to Arizona has already been a very special gift. I was always wondering before my trip what it would change. I knew I was going to be stretched in several ways right from the beginning. I knew it would be a very different thing being semi-independent with only Melissa to count on (in person anyway). I also knew it would be a lot of change stepping in to a church that is so large.

But those are not the things that have challenged me the most.

The one thing that has been the most incredible and hardest transition has also been a huge lesson in humility. My internship back in PA was a little bit different than most internships. With Matt being called down to Maryland I was given an amount of responsibility that in all honesty I probably wasn't ready for yet. As tough as that was, being thrown in to the fire taught me more than I could have ever learned any other way, and for that I am thankful. I was challenged in speaking and in leading many different activities and groups. The challenge I am faced with here is a little bit of the opposite.

Out here in Arizona I am now given the task of following, the task of listening, the task of giving my hands. In many ways it is pretty similar to my internship at CIY. It's leadership but from the bottom up, servant leadership. I have already felt in my heart the desire to speak, to know the answers and to lead. I hope that God continues to soften me and to smack me when I feel like deserve more than nothing.

Jesus was an incredible leader and obviously spoke to the masses. We forget sometimes that the strongest moment in Jesus leadership was when he got on his knees and taught to wash feet.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. - John 13:12-17

Another Great Burger

Today was a great day, I got to experience something that was very special. A bunch of guys went out to In-N-Out Burger today for lunch.

If you have never been to In-N-Out, then you are missing out. It is a Christian run organization, kind of like Chic-Filet. They have awesome food, hard workers and John 3:16 printed on the bottom of their cups!

See, I have never been to In-N-Out, so to juice goodness of a burger for lunch was definitely a plus for the day. It's a shame that I have been running every day since I have been out in Arizona, the burger was a bit counterproductive. But anyway, I'm sure I will continue to experience many more new and exciting things while I'm out here! I'll try to keep my peeps back in PA in the loop. CYA!

Ps. I got this sweet hat there, can't wait to sport it off back home!

Free Hugs?

You know what... I'm going to be completely honest with you for a quick second. I used to see people who wear "free hugs" shirts and hold "free hugs" signs up at major events or at school and I used to always think they were so weird. Well today I stumbled upon this short video and it kind of hit me in an odd way. Watch the clip.



There is something deeply profound in that one line of the song that says, "I'll love you for who you are." Here are couple things about this video that I think are deeply true:

1 - People have become very calloused to others.
The other day I was in the airport in Atlanta and we were in this little trolley car going to the next terminal. I look over to the guy next to me and asked him how he was and he looked like a deer caught in headlights. I then proceeded to tell the whole car how I think we have all become to scared of strangers that we forget to realize that we're all brothers and sisters. I got a couple of people smiling and even a couple people telling me that I was right! I remember a line from that movie crash that said something like, "sometimes people crash in to each other, just so they can feel something.

2 - We need to have faith in people.
Something I have learned over time is that many people are inherently good. People want to be LOVED so bad. Unfortunately many people find it in all the wrong places. It's one thing that is so incredibly awesome about being Christian is just the feeling of love that will never leave you, love that will never cheat on you, love that will never break and erode... We need to have faith in those very people looking to love and be loved.

3 - We need to see that it only takes one.
It only takes one person to affect many. Just as this guy walked down busy street and hugged one person, one became two, then two became three. Then another woman took a sign and she hugged even more people. We need to LOVE RECKLESSLY. You never know when that one will become two and the two will become three and the three might become 6.4 billion. Love is contagious, do it often.


³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:36-40

His Church, Her Church, Their Church, MY Church.

This idea of "the church" is something that I have been thinking about a lot, and encountering a lot over the last couple of weeks between my tour of churches for school and my journey to CCV out in Arizona.

Something that is part of my grade for the class I am taking is comparing all of the different churches and how they do ministry. The thing is... I think that's the very problem that we all have. We are so quick to speak of the many differences that we all have, that it ends up being what is more important. It kills me how divisive the "church" is. You are now part of the _________ denomination. They don't really believe the same as __________ denomination, and you definitely want to stay away from the ________ denomination. If you really don't know what to do, then you become non-denominational... um... which is by very nature a denomination.

I want to tell you about a moment I had tonight that was quite profound that brought this up:



We are on a retreat at CCV with the "family ministry" division which includes children's ministry, youth ministry and youth sports ministry. There is about 50 of us that came out to this GORGEOUS camp called Lost Canyon about 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon. Tonight during our group session three of the staff members were given the opportunity to give their testimonies, and then we worshiped for a little. As they were telling their story, I couldn't stop thinking... "wow... they are just like me." They are also just like many of my talented and broken friends and family from back home. We are so quick to say you are from that church, and I am from this church. "You do it that way, but we do it that way."

You know what... we are truly forgetting to say, We're all from THE church. God intended for one church, THE church to worship him and honor him. I think this is an idea we need to use to our advantage instead of to create division.

Not to be morbid... but it's almost like the body of believers has thrown itself on to a grenade. There are different body parts scattered around, and they obviously are not going to be working together. The cool thing about this little problem is that it's not permanent. We are always able to come back together and start functioning with all of our parts intact with with Christ as our head.

We not only are one, but we are accountable to each other to top it off. One of the pastors who just asked me what I was doing gave me a great scripture to close out with... I want you to really think about this verse, and just like I will, think about what we're doing to bring the body together. As one giant army of God we can do some serious damage for the Kingdom... I mean SERIOUS.

Romans 12:5 - So in Christ we who are many form ONE body, and each member belongs to all the others.

FINALLY in Arizona!

I think it is safe to say that we have definitely done enough driving for the week! We have finally arrived in Peoria, Arizona. We got in at about 4:30 yesterday, dropped off our stuff at both of our houses that we are staying at, and then went to the church to check out their middle school service!

I just wanted to share a couple of initial thoughts about the area and the church:

1 - 30 miles will make a heck of a difference!

We drove through flagstaff, Arizona and it was a mild 74 degrees. There was lots of trees and grass, it kind of reminded me of home. After we got out of Flagstaff (which has an elevation of about 6000 feet) we drove down a hill that never seemed to end. In less than an hour, the temperature went from 74 degrees to a smokin' hot 103 degrees! I don't care who tells you it's dry heat, you definitely feel it. When you walk outside it's almost like getting punched in the face. To be completely honest, I really like it so far! It's always sunny, there are beautiful mountains and it feels nice at night. I am being told though that it's going to get to 107 today and up to 116 in July... yikes!

2 - CCV is both HUGE and PERSONAL... is that possible?

The first thing that I noticed about CCV is that it is absolutely gorgeous and absolutely huge. I always wondered how it was possible to form genuine Christian community when the church is that big. I haven't been here long, but I have already learned so much. The church has this really cool thing called neighborhood ministries. All of the small groups and a lot of the children and youth ministry stuff is divided by neighborhood and area. It creates this awesome feeling of knowing the fellow believers that live around you and share in the joys of Christ with you. It has a real awesome ACTS 4 community feel to it. People can help those in need and join with them in prayer and study! It really does make such a huge church feel really personal, I like the idea. I was able to check out children ministries this morning, and I had just as much fun as the kids did!

3 - I am in my element!

It has been such an awesome adventure so far! Granted, I started to get a little cranky in the car on the 3rd day, but since I got here, it has been so fun to meet new people. All of the staff I have met so far have been so gracious to share how they do ministry here. I feel like I am going to learn a lot from them this summer. It has been so helpful just beginning to see how other churches do things. The family Melissa is staying with have been so helpful in helping us get acquainted. They even cooked and incredible meal for lunch today before youth group, it was amazing. Another big thing is that the church is also very in to adventurous stuff. It was one of the main reasons I went to this church. When I went on their website and they said they were about loving people and living an adventurous faith, I really felt God was pointing me in this direction. The one guy who I will be living with runs this ministry called "the edge" that is all about doing crazy adventure sports. I love the idea and I hope to get involved in the ministry!

Anyway, I could say much, much more, but I think I want to take a little nap before group. I will posting pretty often, so please keep in touch!

Love and Adventure, Adam

DAY 2 DRIVING (click to enlarge)


DAY 3 DRIVING (click to enlarge)


This is the position I sat... and sat... and sat!


This is when the view finally got pretty... the mountains out here are awesome!


Lastly, this is when we got to Arizona. The welcome center was cool, and it meant that we were finally getting close!

Let the Road Trip Begin

Here I sit in Lincoln, Illinois after one very long and exhausting day of driving. Over 800 miles down and we are still only 1/3 of the way there! Although it is discouraging, it is still hopeful! We are staying with my good buddy and fellow intern Brendon Foulke and his wife to be Amanda Enlow at Lincoln Christian College. They are both graduating in 4 days and then Brendo is starting his new position at the CCV in PA! Very exciting!

Anyway, it was a good drive today through the mountains and the rain. We went through Indianapolis which was cool and just started seeing miles of cornfield. I look forward to another good day tomorrow, so I should probably hit the sack.

Tomorrow we should see some cool stuff, we will be taking the ol' historic Route 66! If you read this tomorrow, it would be cool if you could take a second and just pray for us youngins out on the road! We hope to make it to Amarillo, Texas tomorrow, so we'll see what happens!

HERE IS A MAP OF TODAY'S ADVENTURE!
(click to enlarge)



Love and Adventure,

Adam

Arizona here i come!

Church Tours - Day ONE

Only one day after buying my new Honda Civic I get to take it on a little drive! As I quickly approach my trip to Arizona, I find myself on another trip just days before the 2400 mile haul to Peoria, Arizona.

I am taking a class for the very beginning of the summer called "Discipling Youth." Basically, for this class we are touring around to different churches, youth ministries, and church camps to get a feel for how different people and different denominations do church. I think this is a great experience for the same reason why I think my trip to Arizona is going to be very beneficial, because too many people think the way that they do things are always how they should be done. So, now that you get the gist of things, let me tell you about my first day this far:

I woke up and headed to the church to pick up the rest of the group to head to Bethlehem. It's a small group consisting of two friends of mine, Jon, Laura and of course the girl I see everywhere I go, April Tatta! You can check her blog out HERE. Anyway, we got to Bethlehem at 8:30 to go to First Baptist Church. The service was pretty good. The worship pastor sounded a lot like Jimmy Buffet, the Senior Pastor seemed to know his Biblical Theology and I really liked how you had children, teens and older folks all in the same service.

They had a contemporary worship service, followed by a gap for Sunday school (which I got to hang out with some teens at) and then a more traditional worship service with a choir. One thing I really enjoyed about the service was that they had this part in the service called "Children Chat." During this time, all the children come up and listen to a short Bible story and they ask the kids questions. It's really awesome just hearing their simple answers and applying that to how Christ asks us to have a child-like faith. That was my favorite part.

Tonight we are at Camp Ichthus up in Palmerton, Pa. We're going to have a class up here and then go to see the new Star Trek movie! From there we are going to have a camp fire and then hit the sack. We're heading up to Syracuse tomorrow, so I look forward to it. I certainly know that I will sleep well tonight from being up late putting the finishing touches on my mothers day gift! LOVE YOU MOM!

PS - Happy Mother's Day to all the rest of you mothers out there in the bloggisphere! You are all eternally under-appriciated!

Arizona, Here I Come!

First off I would like to apologize for my little blogging hiatus. Between how crazy things are at the end of the year along with trying to figure out why I blog, I decided to give it a little break!

Now that I am back, I want to fill in anyone who in the bloggesphere who may not know what is going on. A couple months back I accepted an internship at a DIFFERENT Christ's Church of the Valley out in Peoria, Arizona. I was hooked up with this job from my Senior Pastor Brian. I will be heading out on Thursday, and I will be out there until the end of August. (minus a break for some stuff, I will explain later)

I have had an incredible experience over at CCV in Pa over the last year. Giving my last message this week was incredible and at the same time hard. I love these kids so much, I look forward to seeing them when I get back!

So some of you may be asking, "Why do you need to go all the way out there when you have a great church here?"

Well the answer to that is simple... Experience.

All of my ministry experience has been from the same place, with the same people, with the same idea of how ministry should be done. As incredible as that has been for me, it will be a difficulty when I go in to full time ministry and have the perception that there is only one way to skin a cat. So this will be really for me to get a very well-rounded education on ministry!

There are a couple really awesome things about this internship as well.

1 - Melissa will be coming with me! She got accepted for their children's ministry internship, and will be living at a different "home stay" in between mine and the church.

2 - Traveling! As most of you know, I love to travel. On Thursday I will be road tripping across country with my wonderful fiance and our two great friends Damo and Renae! We'll have the opportunity to see the Grand Canyon and take a drive down Ol' Historic Route 66.

So I am pretty pumped about this. Of course in the fall I will be back at Eastern to finish my last semester and graduate! I will also be needing a job for that last semester, so if any of you have something I could do, let me know!

Here is a short video about the church!

One last thing I wanted to do was give you a quick schedule of events, because I explain this a lot, and it's somewhat complicating!

The Schedule

Sun, May 10th - 13th -- Summer Class Trip For School to Syracuse.
Thurs, May 14th - 16th/17th -- Road Trip from Pa - Az. (aprox 2,374 miles)
Mon, May 18th - 20th -- Intern/Staff Retreat to Lost Canyon in Williams, Az.
Thurs, May 21st -- Fly back to Philadelphia with Damo and Renae
Sun, May 24th -- Melissa's Graduation
Sat, May30th -- My Sisters Wedding in NJ.
Sun, May 31st -- Fly back to AZ for the summer!
July10th - 15th - Orange, California for C.I.Y.

When You Know He's Grown Up

As most of you may know, I have a little brother who is just now graduating from high school very soon. You may also know that I am quite reluctant calling him my little brother because for some crazy reason, he outgrew me about a year go... messed up.

But regardless, he is still that little brother. If you have a little brother, you know that little brothers fight and argue about everything... and of course, the older brother is always right. Watching the last couple of months unravel has been the most interesting thing I have witnessed in our family. As most of you probably also know, my brother started talking about enlisting in to the Army about a year ago. Not too many people took it too seriously, I think a lot of them thought that he might back down. There were many times where he would say things, and do things that made me think he was way too young and immature for such a serious task. Well here I am, 3 days from his 18th birthday, and he's all set to sign the papers. He just told me a couple of minutes ago that he will be leaving in early July.

That that brings me to right now. I just decided to check out his blog, and I read his newest post directed to my mom. I guess you could say it was an "ah ha" moment. I read the post and for the first time realized... He's grown up, he's leaving, and I'll miss him. Good luck man. Make sure you duck.
Read his post: EVAN'S BLOG

To Blog or Not To Blog...

...That is the question.

I was confronted by a good friend a couple of weeks ago who had read my blog a couple of times. This is a guy I can genuinely say cares about me. He is one of those friends who I can honestly say wants me to be a better friend next year than I am right now, and the year after that. If you're reading this, and you know who you are... thanks. Everyone needs to have a friend like that. Here is a quick verse that this guy reminded me of...

Proverbs 27:5-6

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.

He told me very boldly that... he didn't like blogging. I asked him why, and he gave me a response that I wasn't quite ready for. He said that when you blog, it is almost like you are saying, "Hey, look at me! I have something good to say!" He said that there is a certain pride in blogging that isn't really representative of a true follower of Christ. I'll admit, at first I was ticked off. I was thinking in my head..."how dare you insult something I love to do, and make me sound like some arrogant jerk!" That is what I wanted to say... but instead I sat there. I thought. I wondered. Then I asked myself the question that every man hates to ask. Am I wrong???

I mean, to some extent he is definitely right. Jesus Christ is the guy that every Christian wants to strive to be like. This is the same man who constantly taught humility in every word and action. This is the same Jesus Christ who got down on his knees and washed the disgusting feet of every follower of his at the table. This is the same Jesus Christ who said in Matthew 23:

⁵"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

⁸"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. ⁹And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

That verse makes it seem pretty clear. But then again, there were some very humble people who were sent in to the world to tell other of the "good news" of Jesus Christ. It's actually the charge we are given! We are told to go, make disciples, baptize and then teach.

I do view blogging as a way to go out in to the world. I see it as a small way to plant a small seed that perhaps other people in their life can then water or vice versa. Although it is one way to spread the good word, we all need to remember that it can never replace forming true, genuine, loving relationships to draw those near to Him.

So what I've done is created a couple of small guidelines to make sure if you are a blogger you are doing it for the right reasons...

BLOGGING GUIDELINES!

1 - Always ask the question, "am I honoring God with these words?" If what you say causes anyone to stumble, then you are on the wrong track.

2 - NEVER blog for the purpose of being exalted or praised... EVER!

3 - If you are blogging to get more hits on your analytics, then you need to stop blogging immediately.

4 - If you are blogging to market yourself, be true to who you are, no fake persona.

5 - It is okay to blog to get something off of your chest that you need to let out, just remember everyone is going to see that... potentially forever. It will never go away. Don't blog out of anger or frustration. Let it sit for a while.

6 - Blog when you actually have something to say. Don't sit at your computer thinking about what useless blog you could throw up next.

7 - It's okay to make people laugh! If you want to throw something up there just to brighten one persons day, go for it!

8 - Get your facts straight. You look like a moron if you put something up on your blog that may not be true. People mess this up all the time when using a Bible verse without knowing its background and its context.

9 - Remember legal and logistical implications. You could potentially lose a job or find yourself in a bind because of something you publish in the public eye for all to see.

10 - Don't be afraid to be bold. Saying all of that other stuff first, don't be afraid to be real. Share genuine struggles and joys in life (as long as you keep all of that other stuff in mind!)

So that is all I have for you tonight. Continue to have fun out there all of you fellow bloggers. Make sure you are asking yourself if you are blogging for the right reasons!

Be Still...

Last night was a good night.

After spending my whole entire day from 7am-11pm running all around the world, I ended up at a good friend's house to work on my car a little bit and just chat. Working on my car is usually something I do for me. I do it when I have some free time and I just want to do something that is basically mindless. We worked on the car until about 12:30am and then after that just stood under the stars outside and had a real honest conversation.

This is what I admitted to him and myself...

"I am too busy... When I'm not busy, I immediately find something to do so I am busy. The problem is, relationships in my life have suffered from my busyness. That is a real shame. When it is all said and done, my cars, my resume, my money, none of that is going with me. But these people I interact with... now that is something that will come, that is where the time should be spent."

I find myself, a day later, with a day that isn't so busy. I'll be honest, I am bored out of my mind. I'm already contemplating heading over to get my hair cut, then perhaps I will go to the gym for a while before I find out what some friends are doing so I can go hang out with them. The problem is, when I'm not busy, when there isn't so much noise, I am confronted with myself. I am just alone with God and my thoughts. Sometimes that's enough to make us say to ourselves, "wow... I really don't like that about me," or "what was I thinking?" You know, all of those questions you don't get to ask yourself and definitely not think about throughout all of the hurriedness.

As my life has gone on, I have learned more and more about the discipline of meditation. It is the hardest discipline for me to learn. Learning to pray has been easy for me in the hours and hours I spend alone in the car in a week. Learning to read scripture has become a joy for me as I became educated on what exactly it is I'm reading. But learning to shut up and listen to the whisper that God usually shows up in... now that has been difficult.

For some reason I keep thinking of this same verse over and over again. In Psalm 46 verse 10, "Be still and know that I am God..."

Perhaps that is my prayer today... to be still and be aware of God's presence. I'm sure it's something that all of us can try to do a lot more. Starting with me.

Knocked Out by the Spirit

I am so sorry if you are on my blog looking for something insightful or deep, but you are not getting it today. My good friend Jeremy Morelock just showed me a YOUTUBE video that made me laugh a whole lot.

Disclaimer - I believe that God can work in incredible and mysterious ways, I am in no way mocking the ability of the Spirit to heal people. HOWEVER, I also think this guy is crazy. Enjoy.

Bad Taste in my Mouth

I saw a picture today when I was reading the daily yahoo news that really put a bad taste in my mouth. I wrote a post a while ago of people having hope in the wrong things or people, I think this picture pretty much summed up everything that I had to say. Perhaps the photographer didn't mean to do this intentionally, but is it just me, or does this look like a halo?

Pastors Mess Up Too?

I know it is a hard idea to wrap your mind around, but pastors are in fact human! I just thought I would share a couple of those minutes of weakness with the whole world do that they might see the truth! This might in turn safe people from expecting their pastors to be superman!

I don't mean to lower the expectations of of people upon their ministry leadership... but sometimes you just have to put the truth out there and hope for the best! I would like to share you a couple of famous quotes I have heard lately.

Our first mess up coming in at 3rd is from a very charismatic preacher who made a very key mistake, and did not have as easy of a time picking up the pieces! Tell me what you think?



The next mess up comes from a preacher who had a little something else on his mind the day he was preaching! He did a pretty good job recovering if you ask me...



Coming in 1st place is our very own Pastor Brian Jones. He is actually introducing to us a new profession that he was thinking about going in to that involved fire engines and passing gas? Check it out HERE.

Partial Christianity Doesn't Work

If you were to ask me what the most counterproductive aspect of the Christian faith is, I would tell you that it is Partial Christians. Too many times the motions of the average Christian is completely deprived of the word ACTION.


I gave a 20 minute message on Sunday night about the life of Paul, and about how when he was healed by Ananias he then made an ALL or NOTHING decision about following Jesus. As we have come to find, Paul, in that instance decided to choose ALL.

The problem I see today is that the majority of Christians want to follow Jesus, but only so far. Going 50% for Jesus until things get too hard, complicating or uncomfortable simply does not work for me. We do not see following Jesus as an ALL or NOTHING ordeal.

I with shame say that I am one of those Christians, and I feel convicted. Every year I do this cleanup trip in Chester, Pennsylvania, and I can't help but ask really hard questions. It's hard for me to know I am going to school down on the Main Line (One of the wealthiest areas in Pennsylvania) less than 15 minutes from the poorest. You know 70% of all Americans say that they are Christians. 70%. Do you have any idea what 70% of 280 million people following Christ would look like if more people were choosing a faith that is all or nothing? I will tell you that it looks nothing like it looks right now. I am sick of partial Christianity.

Perhaps you are familiar with the Invisible Children movement that has happened around the country over the last couple of years. It is a large group of people who are taking a stand for the abduction of child soldiers in Uganda. They are doing everything they can from going over there, to giving support right from home. I was watching the latest video they released today and I could not help but feel so hurt inside that there are not enough people helping such an ungodly thing from happening. I suggest you please watch the FULL video HERE. There are people who are sacrificing so that someone else may have a better life, so someone else may see and follow Jesus.

Check out an update of the situation in this video:



Following Jesus ALL the way is hard. It just downright sucks sometimes. Regardless, it is what we are called to do. I'm tired of the excuse, "Well someone people are called to do that, but I am called to do this." That may be true in some ways, but we are all called to get off our lazy butts and take action in any way, shape or form.

When I continue talking about the all or nothing mentality that Paul had, we see the different hardships that he went through in 1 Corinthians 11:23-31:

"Are they servants of Christ?... I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. ²⁷I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked...

But If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever."

Paul went through all of that, and continues to Praise his name, not only in words or worship, but through action.

The faith of a Christian must CONSTANTLY be paired with the word ACTION.

Invisible Children has opened up tons of doors and ideas on how to join their movement. I suggest you watch the movie, and consider joining me in a small donation of $3 a week as a part of their TRI movement to help them with their continuing mission. What stupid stuff have you bought for more than $3 this week?

Time for Action is now.

Florida Adventure, PART 1

So for all of my friends and family digging themselves out of all the snow, I thought I would share a little warmth from good ol' Florida! I just want to share a few highlights from my trip and a couple of pictures to go along with it. This trip has been a much needed vacation for my soul!

The trip started with snow, but rained pretty much the whole way down. I took the 6am - 10:30am shift to drive the jeep. During that time we were in a tornado watch, at one point I had to put on the four ways, and guess where the road was.



We stopped at an awesome restaurant in New Smyrna Florida, where Bryan's mom lived to grab some awesome food. The only time the sun came out is when we finally made it to West Palm Beach, only to find it was absolutely beautiful there.



I didn't waste any time to get in my shorts and flip flops. We spent the next two days at the beach.



After the beach yesterday, I had the best burger of my life at Cheeburger Cheeburger. We also met our waiter, Alex. He didn't like his job, so we offered him some encouraging words!



The water was warmer than I think it ever gets in Jersey, so that was nice too. I forgot I was wearing my sunglasses and lost them to the Atlantic. But it still felt reaaaal good in that water!



We also did a little jam session on the beach with the guitar and the djembe. I had to hand it over so I could film, but I had a blast doing it! It doesn't get much better... Check out the video.



Although it is warm and beautiful here... I wouldn't trade it with hanging out with all of the people I love at home ever! I look forward to seeing you all when I get back! Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to have a little "me" time.

-Love and Adventure

God, Where Should I Go?

As I quickly approach graduation there becomes more and more blanks that need to be filled in. The problem is, at this point you start to have a countdown timer on when these blanks need to be filled in. Here are just a couple of the questions that remain unanswered.

What will I do?
What do I really feel passionate about doing?
How much will I need to be paid to pay back student loans?
What else do I need money for?
Who is coming with me?
Will I need an apartment?

And even more importantly...

What does God want me to do, and where does he want me?

We ask this question so many times in our lives, yet for some reason we expect some type of lightning bolt to shoot out of the sky engraving the location we should go into a rock in the back yard. I guess I've kind of been waiting for my lightning bolt. Instead of doing it that way, I want to explore some questions we can ask to begin to understand more thoroughly where God wants us to go.

1 - Where do you want to be?
This is a question that many times can get overseen. Or perhaps we meet this question, and assume that is selfish of us to want to go somewhere when there is a need somewhere else. I personally believe that God works in many ways. For some people it is making them very uncomfortable. If you haven't been uncomfortable, then I believe that you may be very limited in your understanding and dependence on God. Perhaps you know what it is to be uncomfortable, and it is simply a matter of being happy where you go to do either ministry or your own daily ministry at your own job. This has been a very important question to me because I want to be selfish. I want to go somewhere WARM. I am actually writing this post from West Palm Beach, Florida in Starbucks. I look around, and know that I would be very effective in this area because I enjoy the warmth. That can't be enough though. I also look around and see that these people have money, and yet something is lacking. There is a need. When it is a place you enjoy, and there is also a need, that is a clear option for the future.


2 - Where is God opening doors?
This is a very important question. What may be even more important is asking the question of why is God closing certain doors. At times God has a funny way of manipulating the direction we go in. I know that most of us at any given time can look back and go "if (fill in the blank) didn't happen, then (fill in the blank) certainly would not have happened! What this does NOT mean is that we have to look for some deep meaning every time we miss some opportunity, or have another one offered. We do however have to prayerfully be looking at opportunities that God seems to be pointing at with a large neon sign.

3 - Where are wise and loving friends and mentors pointing us?
There are so many variables to think about when looking at where to start your ministry. Unfortunately we weigh our own point of view to the max, and the others are easily drowned out. We need to be quick to listen and slow to speak when it comes to listening to what people who love us are telling us. A new point of view on the whole situation can be very helpful from someone who knows and loves you. They can be a very helpful judge of the whole situation without your own personal bias.

Ultimately there are a couple things we need to remember that are of incredible importance. Regardless of whether we go where God was pointing us, we will be used. God does not give up on your life's purpose just because you went a direction you possibly should not have. No matter where you go, God is with you. Another thing to keep in mind is that WHERE we are will never be as important as WHO we are. James 4:13-14 says:

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Our lives on this earth are just a blink of an eye in the view of eternity. What will make the difference will be if you truly loved the people who you ended up spending your time with like Jesus has taught, regardless of where you are. That brings hope. These are some good (starter) questions to help you go in the right direction. Even the wrong directions can bring out the most incredibly fulfilling life if you are truly thinking about the WHO, and not the WHERE.