Balanced Christian Lifestyle

You can't take and turn the christina life into an attack on someone else.  Here In the states I am questioning what God wants with me here in Collegedale.  Pastor Ken Rodgers had a sermon today about living inside of a box.  Going with the flow of how the world is, and taking it as normal.  I don't want to be normal anymore.  I don't want to live a sedentary lifestyle. I see my family here and they are living the normal life.  Get married, get a job, have some kids, get some dogs and treat them like little humans.  Well, I just don't think I am up to it.  I don't think that is all God has in store for me.  Ministry wise, how am I getting involved? Today there was a skit at church about this guys spiritual life.  And it spanned his life from 6 till when he was 70.  It presented how he wasn't involved in the church or community too much through the years. And how at the age of 70 he is just now getting involved, going overseas to work at an orphanage.  I don't want to be like that, as sweet as his story is, his heart is in the right place.  I don't want to wait 47 more years before I start doing things for God.  I want to be a missionary overseas, away from the norms of our society.  And I want to become a pastor and work for God.  And pastor the people who have struggled with sexual temptation like me.  I want to shed light to the darkness.  My grandparents have recently talked seriously about going to Africa for a year or two.  And it has been the cause of discussion in our family, many are for it, and many are against it.  I happen to be one of the one's for it.  I really think this would be the best decision of their lives.  I really challenge the rest of our family to accept their decision whichever way they choose.  And start thinking about becoming missionaries themselves.  Because we all have a lot of growing to do, and it can't all be accomplished in Collegedale, as much as I wish that were true my whole life.  

Mid Term Memories and things left unsaid

Joanna & Brett's apartment is here where I am.  In other times this would be a casual experience but you see we are here in Maryland far away from the happy valley we know.  It has been fun, but we are nearly ready to go home.  But before we do we will have fun tonight seeing a crazy hippie named Donavan Frankenreiter.  Friday me and Austin took two steps back into our childhood of the mid 90's, we bought legos at target.  It was funny but it made me realized one thing; don't be afraid to be a kid again.  As long as you are not playing with legos everynight, and dreaming of coloring and working playdo into dinosaurs.  In fact, I would go so far as to say it is healthy to connect with your child at heart.  Their is a humbleness to it that cannot be found elsewhere, remember and showing your childlike heart is fun, especially when my little cousin Bryden is around.  That kid has been renewing the kid in me for five years now, and it is such a joy to let go of being a stressful fun hating adult and just let myself get dirty in the mud, driving four wheelers, and jumping on a trampoline.  I love being a kid, sometimes growing up you forget the important things about what it means to be a kid, and try to hold on to some things people tend to call childish.  But what can you do?  

Elderly Conundrum

Being a Long Term Administration Major, I am beginning to look the elderly straight in the eyes.  I am beginning to see them as they really are, and how exactly it would be working for them.  Today I had an epiphany with the way some of them work, notably my nemesis from the ARW Club at the Collegedale church.  It is interesting for me to note that I am always at the church working when they come and do their once a month meetings, some might call this a mere coincidence, but I see it as Irony.  You see there is always this older lady, and maybe you have seen these type too, that thinks the world is hers.  You have heard the old addage, God's gift to the world, well she thinks the world was God's gift to her.  So I come into the church this morning at 9:30 to witness her going into a fit.  She was making points to the general populous; well anyone who could stomach her, with such flawed logic even Ted Kennedy would laugh at.  I am going to simply break down all that the "boss" had to say.  1.  While surveying the many chairs that were left up from the sabbath school class yesterday, for the 9:75 sabbath school class she said; "It seems that the Collegedale church cares more about the youth than the elderly, since we have to move all these chairs".  Really?  There is a two point response I want to make on this one; in a pure economical, utilitarian approach, since the youth has more, talent, energy, and years of service to offer the church, than yes the church should care more about them.  Secondly, there are more elderly in the church today, in fact the church is predominately elderly, the generation that you are concerned with the church caring too much about is a small fraction of the church, and it is because of attitudes like yours that the numbers are small.  Additionally, you are locked into the church, although you need care, love and attention just like everybody else you are not going to "leave" the church at your age.  The Youth in which you look down at could leave the church at any moments notice, the facts are their that prove after college the majority of Youth stop attending church.  Now do you want to choose their side or are you going to sit on your thumbs as our church's average age gets older and older? 2.  After I had been in there for several minutes helping them stack chair after chair making headway towards fixing the problem that she so overtly didn't care about fixing she makes the statement "where is the sexton, is he not going to help us?"  Really? I come to your blessed meetings every sunday that you choose to have them, and in that time never once have I showed up late, or not helped you.  I am a hard worker, and it is because of me that you get the setting up done when you do.  Also have you ever asked other men to come set up tables and chairs since we have to do it every time?  No, you simply drag your husband (Which is a saint by the way) to every meeting so that me and him can set up everything, while you tell us what to do, and then proceed to get in our way by putting table cloths on the tables.  Table Cloths! When we haven't even put chairs around them!  Also do you ever thank me?  Actually I don't know you may most the time, but not today!  And do you even know my name?  I have told you multiple times, and in multiple ways, spoke it to you, wrote it down for you, sung a song to you, I even had it sky writed for you once, but do you know my name, and do you care?  No.

3. "We were here at 8:30 and nobody was here and the door was locked, we couldn't get in!"  Really?  You have it scheduled every time you come for the doors to be opened at 9:30 and yet every time you try to get here earlier, a lot earlier, and you are somehow surprised every time that this is the situation.  And also what do you come in that early for?  You don't start eating till 12:30, the hardest part of setting up is putting up the chairs and tables, and you don't do that!  So then why in the world do you want to get here at 8:30.  Is it because you like to feel more important than you are, and that you like holding stuff against people and non profit organizations such as the Collegedale Seventh-Day Adventist Church?  I think I struck Gold, solid Gold.  You see I have no problem with the elderly, I don't stereotype, and I don't hold grudges, I just don't want to be there anymore where this woman is scraping her nails on a chalkboard.

On a lighter note, I heard a great joke by George Akers at the ARW meeting.

You've heard about the Texan haven't ya?  His father told him that if you want to live to 100 years old, you need to sprinkle a little gun powder on your oatmeal every morning.  He did that and he lived to be 103.  Now when he died his family had him cremated.  He left 6 children 24 grand children and a hole 30 ft wide under the crematorium. 

Divinity or Human nature?

Ever since I was a child I wanted to be an amazing baseball player.  I wanted to be known for my abilities at Americas favorite past time.  When I started realizing that dream wasn't going to happen it was a troubling, and humbling experience.  To shift my focus from something so narrow, and straight forward, to something so amazing and yet complicated.  Growing up a christian and yet idolizing something is a bit of an oxymoron.  I always had some problem or Idol as a kid, Video games, Lust, TV, Macoroni and Cheese, but to me the biggest idol for me growing up was competitive sports.  I loved them, I would venture out to say I loved sports more than God.  It was all that I would dream about at night, and I would combine all of my guilty pleasures as well.  Before the games I would play video games, eat my maccaroni and cheese, then would go to the games and hope beautiful girls would come, so that I could impress and feel whole.  It wasn't untill College that I truly understood my sins.  That I figured out that all I had put up so high in life, was not important, not only was it not important, but it was not significant to my salvation or anybody else's salvation.  You see college was where I became a christ centered human being, its where I finally started to get uncomfortable with my sinful nature, its where the divinity of God came into my life and showed me how sinful I was.  How much I needed christ.  This time, and place has showed me how much I need Jesus, and how much he needs me.  Softball is not as important to me, its not what keeps me going anymore.  And my dream of being known for my softball skills is going to end tonight, when I will play for the fifth and final time in the all night softball tournament.  You see with this sport, and this venue, all-night softball, I have received much notoriety.  I have become known for my skills in this sport.  But that is going to end.  And what is next? What will I put all my effort into after this fateful night? Christ died for my sins, and I as well have died to myself this day.  God has been preparing my heart for the last 23 years for ministry for him.  And although I have worked for him, preached for him, gone door to door, and shared my faith for him before tonight.  This is a crossroads of the Jay that was, and the Jay that will become.  For 23 years I have felt that I couldn't be like christ, that I shouldn't even try to be like him, what is the use at trying to be divine.  And today I understand that only through christ can I become like him, only from the divine. Christ is at the center of my life today, he is who I want to live for, he is who I want to dream about at night, not some softball tournament championship, not some 15 minutes of fame, but rather his sacrifice for me, and his eternal kingdom.  So tonight, as I retire from competitive softball, and competitive sports at Southern, I pick up another uniform.  Which is the armor of God, and I will journey into some of the biggest adventures that the world has to offer, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for my gift of softball for many years of impressing, wowing, and befuddling people in the stands, people that I admire. But I am more thankful of my spiritual gifts the holy spirit has given me.  Because it is by these gifts that I can fulfill  not a human superficial plan, but God's plan for my life, a divine plan, that will help me fulfill my purpose on this earth, and secure my eternal destiny.