Called Out

So today in class i felt convicted of not really seeking to understand everything that i read.  Sometimes i honestly think i read for class with out really caring much if i understand it or not, but just so i can check yes that i read 100% if the prof. asks.  Today when Tim kindly pointed to me to help him out with a question I had no ideas what the answer was.  Our prof. for new testament is going to randomly asks ppl questions from the reading for every class so i feel this will help assist me in wanting to understand what i read so i will really be getting something out of it.  Thanks Dr. Kellum

Life in general

Well we had our first official meeting for Awaken our college ministry last sun night.  It went really well, there were a couple of new faces and i got to share the vision we had for our church as well as college ministry.  It was good times.  I am looking forward to what God will accomplish through this.  Last night was the craziest night ever working, i didn’t get off till 9:45p i was supposed to get off at 7:30.  This is just the nature of my job, you never know what kind of orders you will get or where they will be.  Pray that God would show me how to organize my time most effectively this year.  Seminary has been going good, I think I am really going to have a renewed desire to be in the word more this semester with taking new testament and hermenutics, it’s exciting stuff.  This year is def gonna be a challenge to keep up with everything, but def. rewarding as well.  I can’t wait to see what God is going to show us next!

The Flow

Well lately i’ve been getting into the flow of how things are going to be this year.  God has really answered some huge prayers these past couple of days!  The first day working by myself went really well.  Some of it was hard work, but i came away really feeling confident like I could do this job for as long as i needed to.  God also really showed up monday night.  We palyed kickball on campus with Awaken and 25ppl showed up.  I was only expecting around 10 and God completely came through.  The best part is 15-20 of the ppl there were new that I had never met before.  It was really encouraging since this was our first event of the year, there’s no telling what God is going to do through this ministry and how he’s going to use it to help our church to grow.  Be praying that God will raise up college students who catch the vision of our church and what we are doing out in reedy fork and want to partner with us! 

I also had classes for the first time today up at SEBTS.  It’s going to be good having Jason, Tim and Allan in class with me, but be praying that I can get the most out of it.  Sometimes seminary can become like work and i don’t want this to happen, it was that way at times last semester, but I really want to take advantage of being up there this semester and absord all that I can.

I really want to start praying together more like we talked about last sunday.  There’s alreay been two times this week that I had the opportunity to pray for someone, I just want to always take advantage of those times!

See you all this week or Sunday!

Case of the Monday’s

So Friday I finally got done with my orientation and training with my new job at Adanced home care.  It’s a huge relief to be done with all those classes, but now I am expected to know how to do everything and will start working by myself on Monday.  Please be in prayer for me tommorrow and that this work schedule will work for me along with everything else I am doing that being College Ministry, Patio, Seminary and still able to keep up all my relationships with people.  These next couple of weeks are probably really going to stretch me and until I get in a routine and learn how to really manage my time and get used to taking classes and learn all of the details of working at my job, it might  be a little stressful, but at the same time it is exciting and I can’t wait for our college ministry to begin this year and all the things God is going to do in our community, as the irish would say it’ll be great!

Solider

Tonight we were playing volleyball when someone said a quote from the movie 300.  It wasn’t what they said that was so great, but it got me to thinking about the movie.  I love in that movie where the Spartan leader takes his 300 men to fight when they run into the other army.  The other leader says “This is all the solider’s you’ve brought?”, and he asks some of his men what is their profession they say locksmith, stable boy etc…. then he says Sparta “What is your profession”!  And they call back Hooo Hoooo Hoooyaa!  and he says see we have brought more soliders than you my friend!  They were all soliders, that was their profession.  We as a church may not have large numbers like other churches, but when you look at other churches and see the number of people who are truly committed to it no matter what, their numbers may be different.  It is amazing to be involved with a group of people who are so committed to our vision no matter what!  It’s not a competition and we may not be great in number right now, but I believe we’ve got more sold out committed soliders for Christ than many other churches may have, Praise God for that!

The Pointe

So today was a fun day.  I got to go to emerald pointe today with some cool people.  I think it’s  funny how people are.  We pay to go to a park to ride down some big slides with water just to get a thrill.  The biggest ride at the pointe is dare devil drop.  I think the scariest thing about this ride is that once you get to the very top and sit in the slide with all the water rushing over you, you literally can’t see two feet below you the ride is so steep.  Once you work up the courage to push yourself off you scream the whole way down and it last only a few seconds.  This is really similar to following Christ.  You can’t see what’s in front of you before you leap off, but it ends up being the biggest thrill of your life!

Be

I’ve been realizing lately that I really stink at spending time alone with God.  Jason’s blog got me to thinking about my own life in this regard.  I don’t know why I feel like God is somehow more pleased with me the more I try and do for him.  I really enjoy sometimes being really busy.  In fact I would actually rather be really busy than have nothing to do.  I know that I am going to be extremely busy this entire year probably, that is why I need to really learn now how to just BE with God and not always come to him with an agenda or to ask for something like Jason said.  There’s a song by Josh Byrd that lyrics are “All I want is to Be at your feet and Be content with all you are.”  and then he says “Just Be, Just Be.”  Why is it so hard to just Be with God sometimes and not ask him for this and this and pray about this, but just Be.  Sometimes I feel like I treat God as more of a genie in a lamp, who I ask to come out when i want him to grant me my wishes.

Side note:  I think it’s really cool how the African American culture has way more family reunions it seems than most people.

Job

Well last week I sucessfully finished my first week of work.  It has been really good getting adjusted to working 9-5, I will start working 9-7:30 in a few weeks on M,W,TH,F.  This is really the only schedule I can work since I have class at Southeastern on Tuesday’s.  I’m looking forward to getting into this schedule and for UNCG to start so our college ministry to kick off!  This semester is probably going to stretch me in ways I have never been before, but it’s really gonna make me more disciplined and focused in the long run.  I still want to be apart of our community at the patio the best I can, I know it’s going to be different once I start working, but I hope my time out in the fork won’t change that much.  Be praying for me to be a bold witness at work, it feels a little weird to be thrown into a workplace surrounded by non-chrisitans after you have been spending most of your time