Well this is shaping up to be a jam-packed week already!!! We are having our first “Revival” like meeting at journey in history(Were calling them “Renewal Gatherings ;)), the Nail Benders trim crew is here this week, I am teaching this wednesday night at Refuge and I still have 150 hours to go on my internship with the YMCA that is due in 5 weeks!!!
How am I going to survive?
Well all I can say is that I am going to need an abundance of the Holy Spirit to guide me this week!! I know the Lord will be my driving force when I feel like I have nothing left. I will also need your prayers!! Tracy and Jeff will need them as well.
I want to close by giving you guys a informal invite to journey these next couple night for out renewal time. We will be starting at 6:00pm each night at journey church.
Hope to see you there. If it is anything like what we experienced this past sunday we are definately in for a life changing week. You can listen to Jeff’s message on repentance later this week when the podcast is up on the journey website!! Listen!! It was super impactful.
This past sunday at journey I was given the amazing honor of baptizing my first person!!! It was was such a blessing baptizing one of our college students, Joe Matthews, and a very dear friend.
Two fridays ago I was going through my first discipleship session with Joe when I got to the part where I asked him whether or not he had been baptized. I was shocked when Joe told me that he had not been baptized since he had given his life to Christ when he was 16. Joe, like many others, had said a prayer when he was very young and really didn’t understand what he was doing. When Joe was in high-school he realized that he was lost and he gave his heart to Christ for the first time!!!
The Lord had been dealing with Joe for the past year about being baptized again but he had kinda procratinated getting in done. I asked him if he would like to be baptized and he said he wanted to go right then and do it!! It was just under 50 degrees outside but he didn’t care. I called Jeff and he talked us into waiting till this past Sunday.
It was awesome seeing an outward sign of complete obedience. I encourage you guys as well as myself to seek ways in our own lives where we can show our complete obedience to our Lord!!
I have posted a link to the video of Joe’s baptism.
Well as of Sunday morning I was not intending on coming to the convention this year. We have a lot going on in Monticello with the new BCM building and other things and it did not make a lot of sense with Tracy having to be here for me to be here as well.
Talking with Jeff before worship Sunday I decided to come up with him after class today. We met with Jackie Flake earlier tonight and with Neal Nelson later on in the evening. Both meetings were very fruitful and just very learning oriented for a young guy like myself. I am seeking the Lord’s guidance in possibly being a team leader for Axis, which is a disciple focused summer ministry opportunity, under Neal’s leadership. The meeting definitely gave me a better feel for what was expected of me and has me looking forward to spring!!
Tomorrow we are meeting with Ed Stetzer about missions opportunities in central and eastern Europe. I am very exciting about this one!! Maybe during some of my free time I will get to catch some of the convention!!
Well I am about to embark on a 9 mile run this morning. I have upped my running by over ten miles this week and I know I am going to be feeling it in the morning!!! Thankfully tomorrow is a day off!! I am excited about the homecoming game tomorrow and about Becca’s family coming down!! Hopefully my parents will get to meet her family!!
Well I am sorry for being short but why don’t some of you let me know what you have been up too!!!
Well today I started my base training for the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 series inaugural race in New Orleans next April. I am also training for the White Rock Marathon in Dallas this coming December. It was fun to get back out on the bike for the first time in a couple of months and I had a nice run afterwards. I have kinda been in an emotional funk lately and I believe this helped snap me out of it!!!
I hope to begin keeping a training log on here as well as updates through out the next couple of months. I also would like you guys to check out the racing team I am on at www.sweatblooddirt.com .
I know this comes as a complete shock to some of you but if you have not noticed I have not updated my blog in about three weeks!!! My bad :( Ever since the nailbenders got on campus I have seemed to have been swamped with a million things to do!! Don’t get me wrong I loved every second I got to serve and serve with those guys!! It was amazing to see how quick we got that building put up!! You can go to the BCM webpage and view pictures of the building from start to finish!!!
Last week the roofers came down from Tennessee and in three days our roof had been completely done!! I only got to help two days with these guys but it was cake compared to doing Justin’s roof this past spring!! I never knew that he was preparing me for one day putting a roof on our BCM building…Thanks Justin!!!
So this brings us to this week. Other than Bible study on tuesday night, Pancakes yesterday morning and Refuge last night, I seem to have found time to breath!!! So now I sit here and update my blog for the first time in a month!! Hopefully this can be recieved as a proper illustration of the life of a campus ministry assistant!!!
So my girlfriend has turned me into a softie…..seriously. I have never liked small dogs or enjoyed their presence at all until Becca bought Ryker. Ryker is a mixed bred of Shitzu and lopso apso. When I first saw him I was like……oooo how cuuutteee, but I was really like….What is that little ball of fur that fits into your hand?
He has since grown to about four pounds and has grown on me as well!!! Everyday while Becca is in class I get to keep Ryker over at the BCM. I can honestly say I enjoy it!!! I feed him, take him out for potty breaks, and hold him while he naps!! Everyone around here loves him and helps out quite a bit. I love being a doggie sitter.
So I don’t know if I have seen it rain this much in a long long time!!! I can’t honestly say that I don’t like it though!! I was supposed to have my first Chemistry test today but I lucked out and didn’t have it due to the electricity being out!! My other class was canceled as well so I am currently going to have 6 days off from school!!! Its kind of a mini spring break!!!
I do however have the utmost sympathy for all the families that have been affected in a not so good way from this current storm. I also pray that the storm that is coming behind it will not be as large as Gustav.
Joe came to me yesterday and shared with me his concern and willingness to plan something for us to do for the evacuees that are staying in our town!!! This made me smile on the inside as I wait to see his follow through. Hopefully he will inspire some of our other students to get their face out of their lap tops and get our and do something!!! I also loved how he seemed to be the only one who stood up for his idea when Justin put in his always pessimistic “2 cents”.
I came across a blog listed on Michael Kelley’s blog today and I want to ask you guys to please be praying for Allen and Gillian. Their son Joseph just recently died from a rare brain tumor. Their words are so heart breaking and warming all at the same time(if that makes sense). I left their site in tears and challenged to display that kind of faith that I am envisioning through their words.
They are trusting in the unfailing love of our Father through the tragic loss of their precious 4 year old little boy. The lives that will be changed through this short life and the continued life of Allen and Gillian is what I believe to be apart of the Glory that God will receive from the life and death and Joseph.
Well after an uneventful weekend it is time to get back to work!!! It was great to be back leading worship at Journey yesterday!! It had been before we left for New Mexico since I had last been able to be there. Jeff taught a great message on the “Harvest” which can be heard at Journey Churches website here.
I actually have been being the model student as of late!!! Entering my second go around with Chemistry I have decided to actually do homework!!! We have had two assignments and I have turned them both in!!! I was very discouraged to find out that I made a 10 out of 10 on my first assignment and she did not record it!!!
I am excited to see what God is going to do through the students this week!!! I sure hope that we will be ringing that bell soon!!! Pray for us!!! Pray that we will be obedient to the call Christ has put on our lives to go and make disciples.
