Mynd

Then Sings My Soul

2012-02-06T21:19:00.001-05:00

I recently read the third book in Robert J. Morgan's series about Christian hymns, called Then Sings My Soul. Although there seemed to be some points or stories that were repeated, and Morgan seems a little eccentric to me, I did enjoy the book.

Then Sings My Soul taught me quite a bit about Christian songs, the history of hymns, and stories behind some of the hymn writers. It also renewed and bolstered my appreciation for hymns. Being a musician, reading this book has made me want to write songs of my own as well as re-arrange old hymns and bring some to the church in their original arrangements.

The book starts with a brief history of hymns from Biblical times to the present age. It then gives insight into several hymns. That is followed by a small number of stories that go into more depth about some hymns. It ends with a discussion of the importance of hymns.

While it is not an exhaustive book, it offers a wealth of knowledge and has inspired me to dig deeper on my own. I wouldn't say the book is an entertaining, quick read. Nor is it difficult or arduous. For some it might be quite enjoyable, while for others it might be more like a textbook.

I would suggest it for any Christian, but especially for Christian musicians, specifically worship leaders.

I received a copy of this book free for review from the BookSneeze program.

For your own copy, you can go to Thomas Nelson or Amazon.

I Am Second

2012-01-05T12:56:00.002-05:00

I Am Second is not only a book by Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett, it is a movement. Most importantly, God is first. God is glorified, and salvation is shared through the testimonies of football players, a skateboarder, a Pastor, a Biggest Loser, business people and others. Moreover, the book is just a part of what is available from the I Am Second movement. I definitely suggest you check out the website, check out some of the videos and stories, join a group, share it with others, be encouraged and encourage others. That is what this movement is all about, sharing God through personal testimony and encouraging each other through the struggles we all face.
This book is different from any other book I have read. Each chapter is the story of a different person and their journey with God. There are several people you may have heard of and/or seen on TV. There are people who have dealt with drug addiction, sexual addiction, divorce, abuse, and much more. I definitely suggest this book for everybody. I hope this movement will continue to grow. I intend to become a part of it. I know that if we continue to encourage each other to keep God first, we will be amazed by what he does.
This book was sent to me free for review through Book Sneeze.
You can find it at Thomas Nelson or Amazon.

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

2011-12-22T12:07:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for a book to read cover to cover with one continuous story or theme, this is not the book for you. However, The Lucado Inspirational Reader by none other than Max Lucado is a great book to refer to for anecdotes, quotes, and inspiration on various topics related to Christ and Christian living.
I read through it as if it were a novel, but I would suggest taking more time to read and digest.

Lucado has an interesting style of relating Bible stories and characters to modern times and giving a personality to various situations and characters. His style is very relational and comfortable. If, like me, you are interested in reading some inspiring quotes from Max Lucado without buying a whole set of his books, this book gives you excerpts from many of his writings, categorized for ease of reference.

I plan on keeping this book around and may refer to it from time to time depending on the various stages I might be going through. I think that is what this book would be most useful for, reading it as you need it. And I don't think it will disappoint in those times of need.

I would suggest this book for anybody to keep around. You can get a copy of it at Amazon or at Thomas Nelson.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review program.

Mount Pleasy

2011-12-07T16:52:00.001-05:00

Big News!

Kassie and I believe God is leading us to move back to the land of the pleasant mountains, aka Mount Pleasant.

That's about all we've got for now. Thanks for your prayers and support.

What Am I Doing?

2011-11-15T09:49:00.001-05:00

What am I supposed to be doing? Sharing God with everybody, everyday, everywhere.

What am I doing? Watching TV, playing games on facebook, thinking about myself and my problems, going through the motions.

I guess something needs to change. What are YOU doing?

Weddings

2011-11-11T10:07:00.001-05:00

I am excited to see my family this weekend and witnessing my sister Kelsey getting married to Joe Nowell.

I am also looking forward to a trip to Chicago next month, seeing my family again, and seeing my other sister, Amy, get married to Alex Vimont.

I have a wonderful family. Praise God and thanks for being so great!

Our Last Great Hope by Ronnie Floyd

2011-10-27T14:40:00.002-04:00

Many of us have heard of "The Great Commission." Some of us may have even memorized the verses that contain the charge from Jesus to share the gospel throughout the world. How many of us, though, as a individuals and churches, actually live out the great commission in our daily lives?
This book Our Last Great Hope by Ronnie Floyd encourages and challenges believers to do just that. It is a book that should not and cannot be taken lightly. Once you start reading it, you must either be willing to change your thinking and your life or you must stop reading.
It took me quite a while to read this book. I tend to have several books that I am reading at one time. The one I finish first is usually the most entertaining and easy to read. This book was not the one I finished first. However, it is one that I will likely pass on to others. In fact, after reading part of the section which discusses our use of money I offered it to my pastor to use in his upcoming sermon.
Our church is currently in a process called ReVision in which we are rethinking what our purpose is as a church, how we are doing at fulfilling that purpose and how we can change to fulfill that purpose more effectively. I hope to interject many of the ideas of Our Last Great Hope into this process and will encourage other leaders to read it.
I did not always appreciate the delivery. At many points throughout the book I felt as if the author were writing from a "holier than thou" position. Yet, I cannot escape the message. Whether humbly conveyed or not in this book, the message it contains is one that Christians, especially Christian leaders, need to hear and allow to change their life.

This book was provided free for review by BookSneeze®.

Harbor Beach People

2011-09-17T18:42:00.002-04:00

Today is Saturday, and it was one of those "not much is planned, but there's a lot to do" kind of days.

This morning Kassie, Aurelia and I met with Pam Schantz and the Pysklos to discuss Remix. We had a good conversation and figured out something things we need to accomplish before the informational meeting next week. During the end of that meeting a somewhat familiar face came into McDonalds Deli, a blast from the past. It was the mother of Chris, Bruce and Dean McNeal. I haven't seen any of them or heard from them in quite a long time but it reminded me of the time when Chris and I were friends.

This afternoon, I went to Saginaw to run some errands for our family and for the youth group. Of course, many Harbor Beach people end up, or at least pass through, Saginaw usually due to connections with SVSU or another college in the area.

I stopped at the strip mall containing The UPS store, Guitar Center, Best Buy, etc. As I was pulling in, I noticed Harbor Freight Tools (I think that's what it's called) was having a sale. Being a man, I was interested in a sale on tools. Plus we needed a hammer. So, I went in. After looking around for a while, overwhelmed by all the tools I wish I knew how to use, I was stopped by one of the employees, who happened to be Nick Sanislo. It was cool catching up with him a little bit and interesting to find out that his family is in the middle of a busy wedding season, similar to my family.

Next, I went to the UPS store where I was surprised by the efficiency of the visit. I had ordered something and needed to return it. The company I had gotten from sent me a shipping label. So, all I had to do was give the package to the guy there and walk out.

After walking out I went to Dunhams where I thought I might look for some soccer cleats and/or check out the toe shoes if they had any. I didn't see any toe shoes, and there selection of soccer boots wasn't impressive.

I went on to Guitar Center to try out some acoustic guitars. I thought mine was having problems recently but realized it was just my cable. Nevertheless, my guitar isn't great quality (it's from China), and we are almost out of debt so we might be able to save up for a new guitar sometime. Clinging to that hope, I entered Guitar Center and was met by none other than Jason Guitar. We had a brief exchange and he went on his busy way as I went to try out guitars. I found one I liked quite a bit, a Martin. I tried all kinds, Ibanez, Seagull, Takamine, Taylor, some brand I had never heard of, and another brand I had heard of but don't remember. I ended up really liking a Martin, though. I wanted to buy it right then, but I don't think that would have made Kassie very happy.

Well, it's time for dinner. Gotta go.

Vent

2011-09-09T16:24:00.000-04:00

I ordered an Xbox 360 with Kinect for the youth group and got it and am trying to set it up for the 5th quarter party tonight, but I am having some difficulties and I am on my 3rd support person.

The first one was from the company I bought it from and they just kept saying to put in a game and that will fix it.

The second told me to download an update and put it onto a USB flash drive and insert that into the console, but that did nothing either.

We'll see what happens...maybe no Kinect for 5th quarter tonight. Maybe God is trying to tell me that I shouldn't be spending the youth budget on video games and stuff.

On a more positive, but equally (if not more) weird, note, I also received something else I had ordered for the youth group, some guitar strings. I ordered one set of strings and ended up getting 10 sets, for the price of one, and that price was good to begin with! I am not sure whether to tell amazon to see if there was some kind of mistake or to see if I can get another box of 10 sets for the price of 1.

2011-09-09T11:44:00.001-04:00

Hello Dear Friends,

We had what I believe was the highest attendance since I have been leading the Uncommon Youth Ministry at Kingston Wesleyan Church. Wednesday was our kick-off event for the school year. We had Matt Moore and Josh THO bless us not only with their music but also their smiles, stories, and hearts for God.

It was awesome!

We also had pizza (you shoulda been there)

Blown

2011-09-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

My mind is a little bit blown right now.
Not only is today the first day of school for the students I work with, which means many different types of ministry are starting, rebooting, or simply changing, but I am also in the middle of a likely position change.

I don't know how much of the following I have mentioned in my blog, but at least some of it will be new. The two ministry job thing isn't really working. I would like to do more with each but am limited by time, being one person, etc. I had convinced myself as well as both of my bosses, I think, that the best direction for me, and for us, would be to transition to being full-time with YFC while maintaining involvement but not employment at the church.

The summer has been difficult for Kassie and I, but recently it has begun to change, for the the better. And along with working on our marriage and talking more freely and openly with each other and others, a new possibility has come up, one that I did not think was a possibility. That is, the possibility of transitioning to a full-time position with the Kingston Wesleyan Church instead of Youth For Christ.Since its inception, the idea has developed into a probably direction. Kassie, most importantly, is on board with it. Secondly, Pastor Len seems to welcome it. Thirdly, Todd Cramer seems to be surprisingly supportive of it.

At this point, I can't say that it will happen, but I can say I would appreciate your prayers and hope this update is helpful as you pray for us.

Also, thanks for reading.

Fall and Rise

2011-09-01T11:13:00.002-04:00

Well, this summer has been a summer of ups and downs as Kassie and I have had quite a bit of stress in our relationship and things with my job have gone back and forth.I definitely got to a breaking point multiple times, but I finally feel like God is lifting us out of this in a real way. Throughout the summer, and much of our marriage, the ups have consisted of basically forgetting about our problems and pretending they aren't there. This time we are actually working to change, together. God is providing.So this Autumn, as the leaves are falling with the temperature, we will rise in our relationship lifted by God's strength and guidance.Also rising will be the amount of activities I will be doing in ministry, such as 5th quarters, music ministry, walk-thrus, breakfast club, etc.I am actually excited and feel somewhat prepared, infinitely more prepared than I was last year.Praise God!

Oh, Life

2011-08-25T12:11:00.002-04:00

First of all, I am glad I changed my blog background. It makes me happier than the old one.

Our big pine tree is down. Some people showed up and felled it this morning. Now I need to mow the lawn.

Kingston Days this weekend! I don't really know what to expect. We are having a garage sale. Hopefully we can get rid of some stuff and maybe even make a little money.

I am having a hard time with life right now. Please be praying for our family. Thanks.

Surprised By Oxford by Carolyn Weber

2011-08-17T17:27:00.003-04:00

I enjoyed my time at college. I really didn't pay a whole lot of attention to school when I was at college. I was kind of in a rebellion stage from that, trying to get away from everything that high school was to me, or something like that. Instead, I spent much of my time making friends and becoming involved with His House Christian Fellowship. It was definitely a time of spiritual development for me, though I have been a Christian since I was very young.
Similarly, the author and subject of Surprised By Oxford, Carolyn Weber gained great spiritual insight during her first year at a place of higher learning. Whereas I have been a Christian most of my life, "Caro" as she is often referred to in the book began this journey of faith during her time at Oxford.
While this story is mainly about her journey of finding God and the decision to put her faith in Him, it includes many stories of her life that relate to that decision and her first year at Oxford. It often brought me back to my college experience, though Central Michigan University is much different from Oxford.
Her story was full of quotes from poetry or other literature, some of which I appreciated and some of which I didn't quite understand. Another thing I appreciated was the way her journey to faith was not blind, it wasn't based on her parents' or anybody else's faith, it was thought through. She was encouraged by many strong, intelligent Christians while at the same time facing opposition within the academic community and even her own home.
While the story was quite long, it was enjoyable and thoughtful and varied enough to keep one's interest.
I would recommend this book for those who don't think intellectuals can believe in God or for those who are intellectual and do believe in God or for those who appreciate literature. It's a good book.
I received this book free for review from BookSneeze®.
You can check it out at http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9780849946110

Joy

2011-08-16T10:24:00.001-04:00

I have decided to attempt joy.

Fact or Fiction

2011-07-23T11:25:00.002-04:00

I realized again why it is not good for me to read fiction books when I received The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer free from the Waterbrook Multnomah blogging for books program and finished it within three days. I am not necessarily a fast reader and don't normally read that much at a time, but this book, like many novels, had me hooked.
The book centers around a school teacher who gets dragged into a battle of good versus evil. As he searches for answers, he gets pulled deeper and deeper into the web of a plot that has originated in the Vatican.
Although it was somewhat dark and the things that it pointed out were negative aspects of the world, it was a good reminder of the evil that exists all around us an the spiritual battle that is taking place, even within places like the Vatican. As the author pointed out in the book, lack of belief in the existence of demons is very helpful to their cause. If you don't believe they exist, you aren't doing anything to fight them.
One thing the book lacks is hope. My hope comes in knowing that while there is evil, there is also good. Moreover, Jesus has already overcome death and his Word promises that good will triumph over evil in the end. This was not really portrayed in any way in the book. Furthermore, the ending left matters somewhat unclear about the existence of evil. For me, it is obvious that evil exists, but for some who might have read this book, it does not necessarily make anything clear.
My attention was kept by the book, but I don't know that I would suggest it to anybody for the reasons given above.

I do want to again show my appreciation to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with free review copies of books, including this one.

Musical Missionary

2011-07-19T15:00:00.002-04:00

I wrote not long ago about the idea that I am made for music.

God has used several people, events, and ideas this summer to develop a certain vision of the type of ministry God has created me for.

One part of this was a retreat with some leaders at the church I am part of. Our church is going through a process called ReVision to evaluate God's purposes for our church and our place in the community and the world.

The core leaders of the process will be involved in 4 retreats throughout the year. The first of which was near the beginning of the summer and was focused on us as individuals and what God has created us to be and do.

One of the things that stuck out is that we are God's workmanship, and part of the retreat was creating a sticky note timeline of our life's important events and people.

Through that and other things at the retreat, I realized some of my core values and some of the things God has created me and prepared me to do. Some of the things that are part of who I am are music, global ministry, and a desire to wake up the American Church to the realities of the world and empower us to change.

Not long ago, I also realized that Kassie could be a great drummer. Our wednesday night drummer was absent and Kassie sat in and surprised me, in a good way. She is now working on some basics, but what I really appreciate about her drumming is that it is musical, creative...it isn't just keeping the beat.

Anyway, with those things and others, we have decided to start a band. I have had many ideas about what the band will be and do. I am not sure what will all pan out, but I am trying to remember that God must be the front and center.

Please, be in prayer about this and let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, ideas, etc. Thanks

A Challenge to Change

2011-07-06T22:19:00.002-04:00

I think I had been at sort of a spiritual plateau for a while. And actually, it was probably more of a downward slope since it wasn't upward.
Anyway, God has been recently showing me that I really need to put him at the center of my life. An important verse for me has been the one in Matthew that says to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and He will take care of the rest.

Speaking of verses, one thing I decided to do was to take Bible memorization more seriously, so I decided to start in Matthew chapter 5 and am currently on verse 25, which says, "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer and you may be thrown into prison." I am trying for a verse a day, although these past few days I have been slacking a little.

Anyway, right before that ties into the book I just read by Andy Stanley, called Enemies of the Heart. I picked this book mostly because I have heard good things about Andy Stanley.

I think God used this book to bring about some change in me, and to humble me to realize that there definitely are some changes that still need to be made. But along with that, God has encouraged me with the knowledge that I can change, I don't have to settle for who I think I am or who I have been, but I can trust that God's not finished with me. So that's been really cool.

This book has been helpful in that process. Actually, at one point, I realized that if I were going to keep reading the book, it was going to tell me some things I needed to change and I wasn't yet willing to do those things, so I stopped reading it temporarily.

I soon resumed after some time with God, and it was good.

I like the author's writing style along with the content of the book. I appreciate that it doesn't give steps that will automatically make you better but does lead you down a path that will clean out your heart, which will in turn change your life if you are willing to work at it.

I would recommend this book for anyone, specifically anybody who has ever had any problems at all.

This book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.

Created for...Music?

2011-06-27T22:34:00.002-04:00

What did God create me to do?

Not long ago, I was talking to a group of middle schoolers and let them know that we were all created by God for a specific purpose. I used the illustration of an automobile. Automobiles are created for transport, but different automobiles are created for different types of transport. Some cars are designed for short distances or to get good gas mileage. Certain trucks are made for hauling or carrying large loads. Some cars are made for speed.

In the same way, humans are created by God to have a relationship with him and to bring him glory. We were also created by Him to give him glory in certain ways.

I am trying to figure out the second part. Obviously, the best way to do that is to ask God, since he is the one who designed me. However, I guess I am a little impatient. Here's what I have so far:

Before moving to Ohio and multiple times since then, I have felt a push towards music. That's why we moved to Ohio. While I was a worship leader at a church there, I felt a push to pursue music further and joined a band. Then, various things happened and we left Ohio.

So, I was looking for jobs and a youth ministry position opened and I took it, thinking, "I'll give it a try. I am sure I can do it, whether it is what I am called to or not." I am pretty sure it is not what I am gifted for or called to, but I enjoy some parts of it.

I have recently felt the push towards music again, and have been thinking about what type of ministry I could do with music and how Kassie could/would want to be involved. We went to the Big Ticked Festival last week, and I feel like there was something I was supposed to learn or get from it or something that is holding on to me that I can't quite figure out.

Also, last week, Kassie and I were discussing the possibility of doing some sort of ministry and she told me that God told her that I am supposed to do some sort of music ministry. But that's as far as she knows.

I appreciate your prayers and any insight you can provide. Thanks.

I hav

Soccer!

2011-06-05T14:20:00.004-04:00

I was finally able to play soccer after going for quite a while without playing at all. On Friday it was a great day and I decided to get some people together to play. It was a lot of fun.
A few things I got out of it:

1. I learned how out of shape I am. (I have playing church league softball but that does nothing for getting me in shape or indicating how out of shape I am)
2. I re-scraped my leg where I scraped it when sliding into second playing softball on Tuesday
3. I lost part of my shoe. My bright orange soccer cleats have served me well for about 7 years but now the bottom of the right one is no longer attached, so I will have to look for some new ones.
4. Fun.

We might start playing on a more regular basis, so if you are in the Kingston area and want to play, let me know.

Christian Hedonism

2011-06-02T21:18:00.002-04:00

Desiring God is a book by John Piper that has now been made into a 12 part study.
The main concept of the book is the idea of Christian Hedonism. It is basically seeking pleasure in God and the things he calls you to do.
Basically, rather than trying to resist our desire for pleasure, Piper tells us to redirect it to the things that can truly fulfill.
I had a related thought within the past year about how we should be selfish. When we really think about it, to be selfish is to want what's best for ourselves and what's best for us is what God has for us. So to be selfish is to want what God wants, basically.
That was my idea. John Piper has a similar, but more thought-out idea.
I have not read the actual book, Desiring God, but from the DVD series and study guide, it seems like quite a good book.
Personally, I think I would rather read the book than watch the DVD and go through the study guide. I didn't really like the questions or format of the study guide, and the DVD consists of Piper talking in a lecture style, which isn't all that entertaining.
I realize it isn't meant to be entertaining, but there was just something about Piper's presentation of his ideas that made me think I would rather read about them than listen to him talking about them.
I think the ideas are great, insightful, and a little bit edgy. I can't comment on the presentation of the ideas in the actual book, but I wouldn't recommend the DVD series and study guide to my church or Bible Study unless I felt really compelled to share Piper's ideas and couldn't find any better way.

The DVD and study guide were provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.

McDonalds

2011-05-16T12:58:00.002-04:00

I am sitting at McDonalds using the internet.
I had a pretty good walk thru at the Cass City Middle School where I talked to some students and advertised the Jam Band that I am starting today after school.
I am anxious to see if anybody shows up.

I think quite often about my job and what I like about it and what needs to change. Today I wrote some things down in my prayer journal and then talked to Kassie about them and it was a good chance to be reminded that Kassie and I are partners. I think too often in my mind we are in a responsibility battle or something. I am thinking "I have to do all of this stuff and you only do this" and she is thinking the same thing and it gets us nowhere but if we can work together and make an effort to see things from the other's perspective, it could make a huge difference.

It's amazing how our perspective has such a big impact on everything we do and perceive.

I guess that's all for now. I should probably get back to work.

Happy birthdaY

2011-05-11T14:41:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday and it's been pretty happy so far.
I got to sleep in, although I still didnt feel like getting up and doing what needed to be done.
I did the dishes and folded the laundry before Kassie got home from Clare and before I had to leave for a walk thru.
The walk thru was fun. During the high school lunch I played hacky sack with some cool guys.
During the jr high lunch I talked to some people and then passed a football with a couple guys I don't know very well.
Also, this was the first time I have been to the KHS since I shaved my beard so many people were surprised. Overall, the reaction has been positive. There are a few people who are disappointed, such as one girl who doesn't really talk to me except to say 'nice beard' every time she sees me.
It's been interesting some of the reactions I have gotten, like "I was wondering when you would get rid of that ugly thing!" and similar honest comments that let me know what people really thought of the beard, and "You look like you could be a senior at this school" or better "You look 20 years younger!" (which makes me wonder how old they thought I was looked with the beard...40?)
When I got home, I got to see my wife and baby for the first time in a couple days other than the quick passing as they were coming and I was leaving.
Also, my wife gave me my birthday present, which was a combined present from several family members...a mandolin! I am pretty excited. I have learned some chords on it so far and look forward to getting to know it better.
Thanks to everybody for happy birthday wishes, presents, money, and whatever other wonderful things you have sent or would like to send me!

Sunny Days

2011-05-10T15:48:00.002-04:00

Well, today is not really sunny, but the weather has been nicer lately and it has really enhanced my mood. I am enjoying being outside more.
I really enjoy the fresh air.
I enjoy playing sports in fresh air.
I am going to be playing softball tonight, which isn't my favorite sport but it will be fun anyway.
Do you like fresh air? Do you like softball?
I like soccer.
Have a great day!

Homosexuality and Christianity

2011-05-10T14:55:00.002-04:00

I don't always enjoy non-fiction, but I tend to enjoy non-fiction that tells a story. Out of a Far Country not only tells a story, but it is a story that can be helpful and relevant to people in various ways.
This particular story is one of a man who deals with homosexuality and how God uses different situations to bring his mother to Christ and eventually bring him to Christ.
There were parts of the book that I thought might have dwelt on the sinful world the man was involved in, but that also could allow certain people to relate to his story more.
He got into drugs, got kicked out of college, became a major drug supplier, and eventually went to prison. The mother dealt with family issues, marital stress, past issues, in-law expectations, etc.
I think it is a great redemptive story that is compared to the prodigal son. I would recommend this book to many people and highly recommend it to certain people.
For people dealing with homosexuality, it could be a good resource as well as the other issues that I mentioned are in the book.
This book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah Group.

Whoops...I wasn't supposed to read this.

2011-04-18T21:12:00.003-04:00

I just finished reading the book For Women Only. You may have seen that I read the book For Men Only not too long ago. They are pretty similar in writing style and setup. Also many of the topics were similar but told from different perspectives.
In some ways, reading a book about how men think was boring because I am a man and I know how I think. However, it also made me think about how I think in some new ways and was in some ways affirming to know that men, not just I, think about certain things in the same ways.
As they make clear in the book, while they make many blanket statements, they do not mean that the statements are true of all men. I found myself to be an exception to some of the statements. However, I could relate to the main ideas.
For example, one of the topics addressed was that husbands like to see that their wives are making an effort to be healthy and to look good, even when just around their husbands.
I agree that I like to see my wife making an effort to be healthy. Currently, she is trying to eat healthier and include more exercise in her lifestyle, which I think is great. However, I don't really care if she puts effort into how she looks around me most of the time. In fact, while the book said men prefer that their wives do things such as put makeup on even if just the husband is around, I prefer that my wife doesn't wear makeup. I think she looks better without makeup. I would prefer she never wear makeup. However, like I said, I can relate to the main point of that section.
In conclusion, I think it is a valuable book and I would suggest it for women, and men if they want.
However, if men read it, they should be careful not to feel entitled to special treatment. We can't expect our wives or significant others to completely understand and apply everything in the book. It would be good to balance it out with reading For Men Only.
For the women who read it, there is a warning in the beginning that I think needs to be emphasized. The book could seem to oppress women or make them feel like they should be doing all the work in the relationship. Which is not true. The Bible says that women should submit to their husbands, but it is also clear that men should love their wives as Christ loves the church (which is a much bigger task). If both of those are happening together, it is a beautiful thing.
So, while this book is one-sided, it needs to be understood that the relationship shouldn't be one-sided, and I don't believe that is what the book or the author is promoting.
Checkout this book and/or order your own copy here http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781590523179
This book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Encouragement

2011-03-30T22:45:00.002-04:00

I just want to share something that happened to me recently. It started a while ago, a few weeks, a month, a few months, I am not sure exactly.

I think quite a bit about my job and what I like and what I don't like and what I need to spend more time doing and what I need to spend less time doing and how I can do certain things better and so on...

One of the things I thought might be cool to try is a jam band. I thought it would be cool to get people together who like to play music and/or want to learn to play music and just jam and learn from each other and stuff. I was thinking it would be a cool outreach/discipleship time in Cass City with middle/high school students.

I talked about the possibility to Kassie who thought it might be neat and mentioned it to a Cass City highschooler who I thought might be interested, but didn't really talk to many people about it.

Then one day I was at lunch at CCHS and a couple girls mentioned a Jazz concert that evening. Kassie and I decided to go to what was a Jazz Lounge/Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser Thingy (not the official name).

At the jazz thingy a couple came and introduced themselves as the parents of one of the students I talk to regularly who comes to breakfast club. They go to the church across the street from the school, so I told them that I had been thinking about doing a jam band and was thinking their church might be a prime location.

The woman told me the church has actually been praying for more ways to use the church building and/or to reach out to the community and that the church building was actually built across from the school for the purpose of ministry similar to what I want to do.
She also informed me that her husband is on the board at the church, and he told me he could pretty much guarantee the board would give me approval to do the jam band there and he would call me to let me know.

I wasn't sure of the idea at first, but it seems like the more people I tell, the more positive responses I get, and it seems like God is behind this idea too.
Please be praying that this will open doors for relationships with Cass City students and that we will get approval to jam at the church across from the school.

Trying to Understand Women

2011-03-28T14:49:00.002-04:00

For Men Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn gives explanations and tips for men to better understand and relate to women, specifically significant others.
Based on a seemingly large amount of research, the quotes and figures offer interesting insight into the thoughts and feelings of females.
Written from a man's perspective, this book offers the information in a way that is able to understood by men on common relationship topics from listening to sex.
There were a few things I didn't like about this book, but mainly in the formatting and writing style. For example, every page or every other page has a certain sentence that is given emphasis by repeating it in its own little paragraph in the middle of the page, much like in many magazine articles. To me, this is distracting and not helpful in any way.
However, overall, the book could be life-changing. I wish it could be life-changing without any work on my part. However, many of the tips require intention on my part. Of course, marriage isn't easy, and this book is actually written to make it easier. Rather than fighting an uphill battle, the insight and tips from this book offer things the reader can do that will take work but will ultimately make life easier.
It was a quick read, and hopefully I will remember to put some of these things into practice.
I would recommend this book for any married man and probably some who aren't married.

This book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah

Music

2011-03-17T01:10:00.002-04:00

I enjoy music.
It seems God often reminds me of this gift he has given me.
I am not sure what to do with it.
So far, I help lead the worship team at church.
I am thinking about starting a jazz combo with some people from church.
I am also thinking about starting a jam band with people from Cass City.
I like playing guitar and singing. I also like playing bass. Recently, I have really wanted to play drums in a band or at least with other people.
Tonight the Sunday worship team had our first Wednesday night practice and I'd say it was pretty sweet.
Today was also my first shoeless day in several months.

Identity

2011-03-14T21:19:00.000-04:00

What is it like to have no identity? To feel like having the identity of ugliest boy in the world is better than no identity at all? To only know and be known by somebody who lies for a living?
Most of us, fortunately, do not fully know the answers to those questions. But in the book I recently read, The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers, the main character, Grady, knows exactly how it feels.
This boy, not remembering his birth and early childhood, must rely on what Floyd tells him. Truth from Floyd, however, comes about as often as a jackpot from a stingy slot machine. Floyd makes a living as a showman, by "skinning" the kind citizens of each town he passes through.
He shows off Grady as a real live He-feechie when there is a feechie scare on the island. When the people stop believing in feechies, Floyd decides to make money by showing Grady as the ugliest boy in the world. After getting cocky and going to a larger city where there is an uglier boy than Grady and losing all of his money, Floyd angrily takes Grady back to a place frequented by showmen, where he can win the tools of another show trade from a "friend" in a poker game.
After several different types of hoaxes, Floyd decides to create a feechie scare of his own, to bring back the feechie trade. This works quite successfully, although, the feechie trade it calls for is different than the previous one. Floyd ends up abandoning Grady in an angry mob where his only help comes, at first, from a beautiful young lady, and then from another unlikely person.
Through all of this is woven a tale of identity, loyalty, trust and the lack thereof. Grady wrestles with a desire to be useful or talented in some way, to be loved, even to be known. He struggles with the question of leaving Floyd to trek on his own or stay with a bartender he has met a few times or to stay with the only person he has ever known, even though he is a selfish liar.
I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed being taken to another time and another place, to a life that is so different from my own, yet has questions and concerns we can all relate to in some way or another.
I enjoyed the book, but I don't know that I'd recommend it to many. I would possibly recommend it for those who are looking for a relaxing fiction novel. That is exactly what I was looking for when I requested the book, so I am happy.

The book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Mulnomah. Check out their site for some great books!

Aurelia Jane

2011-02-26T11:07:00.002-05:00

She's cute; she's cuddly; she's learning 3+ languages; she can jump, fly, and dance; who is she?
Aurelia Jane Hill!

I figured you would rather read about Aurelia than about another book I recently read, or even about me, personally. So here's what's happening:

First of all, she's been cute and cuddly since she was born. I sang her a song last night while burping her about her being the best baby in the world because she's the cutest. I tend to make up a lot of peculiar songs when spending time with Reli (I like this nickname, pronounced RAYL-ee, but am not sure about the spelling. I like nicknames whose spelling comes directly from the original name like Matt from Matthew as opposed to John from Jonathon or something, but Reli looks more like rely than raylee...also I am not sure if I like Reli more enough than Aurie to bother with the spelling.)

Okay, enough babbling.

I have been talking/singing to Aurie in Spanish as well as English and have been teaching her my complete knowledge of Arabic, which consists of approximately 5 words. Also, I talk (I don't really know this language so my talking is more gibberish than anything) to her in that clicky African language so that she will be able to learn it easier when she gets older if she needs to.

I like to make her jump (really I just lift her up high and bring her back down, with little to no effort being made from her). If nothing else, this offers a brief distraction from whatever she has been fussing about (constipation, lately). Her eyes open wide as she tries to take in the sights that are flying past her field of vision. She then sits there getting reoriented for a few seconds before getting back to her fussing, which sometimes she forgets about altogether, at least for several minutes.

Well, maybe there was enough babbling before, but I seem to be good at producing more.

Flying is very similar to the jumping except that I walk around the room and sometimes roll her over and stuff like that. I am not sure if she enjoys it or not.

You may have seen the very popular facebook video of Aurelia dancing. If not, check it out. Kassie posted it, and you should be able to find it more easily than I could provide a link for you.

Bonus: Gracie (the cat) seems to be afraid of Reli. Gracie doesn't always run away or stay away from Aurie but has been known to do so on occasion.

As far as the boring stuff like how much Aurelia's eating and pooping and her height and weight and everything like that, I guess you'll have to ask her mom for more details. I'll just sum it up by saying she's progressing sufficiently.

Finding Who God Created You To Be

2011-02-26T10:33:00.002-05:00

Lately, I have been doing some thinking about my job and whether it is where I am supposed to be, what I was made to be doing. Honestly, I think the answer is yes and no. I think that this is where I am supposed to be now, but I don't think it's permanent.
With these thoughts and questions going through my head, I picked out the book Soul Print by Mark Batterson.
The subtitle to this book is "discovering your divine destiny." It is meant to make you look into your own life, your meaningful experiences, your abilities, etc. and figure out who God made you to be.
I will discuss the ideas of the book, but first there are a couple things I don't like about the way it's written. First of all, it seems to me that it could have been organized better and written more succinctly. Since it is a small book, anyway, I am led to hypothesize that maybe Mark wanted to write a whole book out of little information. This seems to have led to him saying the same thing repeatedly, over and over again, redundantly. At least, that's how it seems to me.
I would say there should be more focus on God, but I think the author made a good effort to keep the focus on God. Instead, the problem isn't a lack of focus on God, it is just too much fluffy writing (which goes back to the writing style problem).
Overall, I might have found some of his ideas useful and intriguing, but I don't think this is a book I would widely recommend.
Honestly, I didn't have high expectations for the book before reading it, and I was neither pleasantly surprised nor disappointed after reading it.
On a positive note (also a sort of disclaimer) this book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.

New Perspectives

2011-02-14T09:55:00.002-05:00

The Chasm by Randy Alcorn is a book of imagery and symbolism. It is obvious imagery, at least to a believer. I found it interesting and maybe a little enlightening. Overall, though, it did not really give me much insight or new understanding.
I think this book might be good for a new Christian or a non-Christian. I am not really sure of the effect it might have. For me, it did not have much effect. That may be due, at least in part, to the time during which I read it or something.
I am not very good at judging who a book might be good for or what a person's reaction might be, but I would say this book is worth reading for anybody. It is interesting enough and short enough that whether a person gains understanding or perspective from reading it, they should at least be entertained.

Okay, so what is the book about? The book is a fictional story of a guy who is in another land, which is really a parallel to the world we live in. There are many paths before him, all but one of which meander through nothing but meaningless pleasure and eventually lead death, eternal death.
He is led along parts of those paths by a person named Joshua who tells him to choose whatever he wants, whatever makes him feel good. Through these journeys he sees himself in places of neglecting his family and taking part in the meaningless pleasures.
Eventually he sees Joshua for the evil he is and allows himself to be led by an old man who takes him down the red road, the only road that leads to the chasm before death.
The imagery and parallels continue with the man eventually believing in Jesus and joining other Christians on the path to eternal life.

As I said, I would recommend this book to anybody. I hope you enjoy it.

I received my review copy for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of the blogging for books program.

WOAH!!

2011-02-01T13:41:00.003-05:00

I'm a dad!!!
I'm excited for this new journey in our life. Aurelia Jane Hill is so far a very good baby. She has a fairly regular eating schedule and doesn't cry or fuss too much except when she is hungry or uncomfortable. Our sleep schedules are definitely different than what we're used to, but we have at least been able to get a couple hours of sleep here and there.

Kassie is doing great. She is such a wonderful wife and mother. We take turns feeding Aurelia (me using the bottles she fills up), and she has been good to me by being conscious of my work schedule and when I have to be up early.

Even though we were only in the hospital two days, I felt like I had missed a lot at work, but I am starting to get back in the swing of things, while also taking time to be with my girls and also time to rest and get some sleep.

Speaking of girls, we added not just one but two members to our family last week. Along with Aurelia, we got a cat, Gracie, from her owners. They were looking for somebody to take her because they have another cat who doesn't get along with Gracie and have had to have Gracie in their basement for a while. She's a great cat and we are glad to have her so far. She came with everything we need to care for her. SHe hasn't caused any problems and seems pretty low maintenance. She also provides some entertainment, such as when Kassie wakes up to find her laying in the bathroom sink.

Let us know if you want to come visit to see our beautiful baby and/or Kassie, Gracie, and I.

I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the female imbalance in our house, so if you are a female who wants to come visit, you have to bring at least one male with you. Just kidding...but seriously, think about it.

Radical

2011-01-25T13:01:00.002-05:00

Many of you have probably already heard of or even read the book Radical by David Platt.
If you haven't, you should.

It is a challenge for believers to do and be what God has called us to be. It is a reminder that the Bible calls us to leave behind the comfort and security the world says we need to live a life of obedience to God.

David Platt is a pastor of a mega church in Birmingham, AL. But don't let that scare you away. He shares stories of his own experiences in other countries as well as stories of people from his church and stories of others who accepted God's call for their life.

This book has been a good reminder for me of what being a Christian is really about and what it looks like. One thing I also especially like about the book is that it encourages living this life of faith as part of a group of believers. Although I have always been part of a church, I often feel like the convictions and calling I have are individual. While, it's true that we are each called to different ministries and such, it is also important to remember that we must work together to be completely effective,

Another thing I like about this book is that it gives certain things at the end of the book that help practically apply the concepts from the book to your own life.

Again, I would encourage everybody to read this book. Also, I would appreciate accountability in following through with some of the concepts and applying them to my own life. Thanks.

This book was provided free for review by Waterbrook Multnomah. Look up Waterbrook Multnomah to buy the book or go to Amazon or something like that. Also, I have a copy that can be borrowed after Kassie reads it.

You Call Us Your Children

2011-01-11T13:22:00.002-05:00

First of all, the title is from a song I was listening to when I wrote it. But isn't that a sweet concept? that God calls us His children. Wow.

I have such a small concept of God, such a small understanding of everything.

Speaking of that, I think I might have wrote in my blog or somewhere else that when I thank God for everything and I actually think about it, I feel like my thank you is really insufficient.

Which makes me realize, as least as much as I can, that everything I do is insufficient. Everything I do is puny. Yet, God appreciates my piddly little efforts. God uses my next-to-nothingness and uses it for something.

How often, though, do I try to take things into my own hands? How often do I get caught up in myself rather than getting caught up in God? Well, honestly, the answer is almost always.

Also, speaking of honesty, I really didn't have any direction for this post. It could have ended up like the one that said I don't blog very consistently. But instead, God has used it to direct me to Him, and I hope you get the same thing.

Stimulation

2011-01-03T16:44:00.002-05:00

New Year, new day, new moment, new sletter...actually, newsletter. I need to write one for my YFC supporters and am lacking motivation and inspiration, so I am using this blogspace to stimulate my brain and get my writing gears in motion.

I had a pretty awesome time with family and friends and now I am trying to get back to home and normal life, as it were. I am hoping to make some changes in this new year, although I haven't particularly specified what they are to myself or others. I think I have an understanding of what I want to change.

One thing it comes down to is, like Kirstin is trying to acquire, self-control/self-discipline, that type of thing.

I am having a hard time writing right now. I can't think of any of the words I want to use.

Anyway, I also would like to be more _____ about spending time with God. I have been reading the Bible, and the book Radical, lately, but I haven't really set aside time to pray much or really spend time with God.

Although I am not sure this helped my writing gears, I am going to try to write that newsletter now.

Consistency

2010-12-20T17:59:00.001-05:00

I am not a very consistent blogger as you can probably tell.

Homelessness and the Holidays

2010-12-09T14:32:00.002-05:00

What is Christmas about?
First of all, it is a time to remember Jesus' birth and give thanks to God for such a wonderful gift.

Second of all, it is a time of giving. Santa Claus is based on a real person. A real generous Christian man from Turkey.
Whether it is by dropping some change or bills in a red bucket of the Salvation Army or helping out at a local food pantry, this season is a great time to remember those who have less than us and to give back from what God has blessed us with. This reminder can really hit home when paired with the book I just finished reading.

Waterbrook Multnomah gave me this free book to review, called Under The Overpass. It is actually on old book but this is an updated version with a couple additional features.

Mike Yankoski, the author, was a middle class Christian college student. He felt nudged, called, or whatever term you like to use, by God to gain a better understanding of homelessness and to minister to homeless people. He did this by spending 5 months homeless. He found a friend and some supporters who sent them for 5 months with nothing but a backpack with some books and the clothes on their back and a sleeping bag a guitar to 6 different cities in the U.S. to live with the homeless, as the homeless live.

This book tells some of their stories and gives great insight into the culture of homelessness. Not only that, it challenges the reader to act. Not only is there homelessness all around us, along with other needs, but there are similar and some different or more intensified needs all over the world.

It challenges me not just to let myself be comfortable in accepting God's blessings and praising him for them but to also use them to bless others, even when it's difficult or uncomfortable.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. As far as the updated edition, I think it is mainly a marketing ploy to get people to read basically the same book. However, on one hand I am glad they are trying to get more people to buy this book. It is definitely a good book for many people to read. On the other hand, in my opinion, the additions to the edition did not really add to the book, although it was nice to hear a little more about the author's life after the journey of homelessness.
I think the previous ending makes a good point and an effective challenge that might in some ways be lessened by the additional material.

Read the book. You can get it from Waterbrook Multnomah directly online or various other stores.

Laptop

2010-12-08T21:28:00.002-05:00

Kelsey helped me get my laptop to boot up. It hadn't been responding at all to the power button.

Now I have to figure out what I want to get off of my laptop before it totally dies, and where to put the things I get off of it.

My wonderful wife, Kassie, took care of the main part of the youth group tonight. All I had to do was the music. It was nice to have a break.

Dream Car!

2010-12-05T21:10:00.002-05:00

Many people, especially guys, I would say, have a dream car. For some it is a Mustang, Corvette, Lamborghini, Cadillac or something else expensive. I must admit, the first car I remember really liking was a Camaro. After that, though, my tastes changed a little bit.

I went from Camaro to Neon to Metro. After that, I just stuck with metro but wasn't too interested in cars for a while. I ended up with a Lumina as my first car, given to me by my parents as a wedding gift. I am pretty sure a lumina is nobody's dream car. It wasn't mine. But I enjoyed it while it lasted.

After that started giving us problems we were in the market for a family friendly vehicle and ended up with another vehicle from my parents, their Dodge Grand Caravan Sport. They gave us a great deal and we really appreciate.

Around the time we got the van, we were thinking it would be very convenient and maybe even "necessary" to have a second car, and because of the deal we got on the van, we could afford to spend a little on another cheap car. I started looking around. Then somebody brought up the reality of paying insurance on two cars, which kind of mitigated my idea of getting another car.

Then, I realized that to have a second car would not only be convenient, but if I could find one with good gas mileage, it could save enough money in gas to pay for the extra insurance. Now back to my dream car.

As I said, I liked the metro. Well, I continued in the vein of economy cars but started liking more boxy cars, like the VW Golf which is generally out of our price range. I then saw a Ford Festiva. I liked it. Well, I thought I liked it. Then I learned more about that specific one that was for sale, and liked it less the more I new about it...this is wrong and these window decals and this might have to be fixed...you know the deal. So I kept looking. After looking at a Ford Aspire, a couple Metros, and trying to chase down a Yugo, I found another Festiva.

To make a long story short, I got a 1991 Ford Festiva, royalish blue with pink stripes along the sides. It has a few aesthetic problems, but seems to be mechanically sound. And it's a stick. I have never regularly driven a vehicle with a manual transmission. I have, however, learned to drive a stick a couple times, never getting completely comfortable.

I spent a little bit of time yesterday re-learning the stick, and it went pretty well...I would say smooth, but that was not necessarily the case, as I imagine is true for most people learning stick.

In summary, I got my dream car, and I am excited. Hopefully I'll get the Title transferred and get a plate for it tomorrow.

Also, I am looking forward to Kassie's dad helping me clean it up a bit.

Christmas Decorations

2010-11-29T20:47:00.002-05:00

I have never been a huge fan of Christmas decorations, but I like them. I get slightly mesmerized looking at the lights on the tree and for some reason that is enjoyable.

Kassie also enjoys them, much more than I do.
Having the Christmas decorations somehow makes me more acutely aware of our lack of wall decorations. Kassie doesn't really like my large painting and discourages my attempts to hang it.

The church looks nice too. I have been gone for a few days and all of a sudden there are a bunch of Christmas decorations, which I heard were put up by the Boyls. Good job Boyls!

I am also very appreciative of Jesus. I often thank God for everything he has done for us or given us and then think "Wow, that thank you really doesn't even nearly begin to be enough, nor do I even understand how much I am attempting to thank God for." Yet, God's pretty cool and understanding, and I think he enjoys even our meager attempts to give him thanks. Really all year should be Thanksgiving, and as far as a Holiday, I think Christmas should definitely also be Thanksgiving.

Auction

2010-11-20T21:15:00.003-05:00

Today was the first YFC auction I participated in as an official staff member. It was pretty sweet. It was quite exhausting, but a good experience nonetheless.

I watched the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy a couple nights ago and wasn't impressed. The book was much better.
The book seemed much more intelligent than the movie, or something.

I made some friends this weekend and met some pretty sweet people through the auction. I like that about YFC. There are many things I like about YFC. It's cool.

Rainy with a chance of rain

2010-11-18T13:23:00.002-05:00

I am going to try to post more often on this thingy. We'll see how long it this lasts. I probably won't post everyday, but I never know what to expect when it comes to this Josh Hill character.

Kind of like the weather in Michigan and probably many other places. Today it is kind of a little bit slightly rainy off and on around the Thumb area. I ran into one or two patches of light rain on my way to and from Pigeon today.

In other news, I finished listening to the Hitchhiker's Guide. I now feel much more prepared for galactic traveling. in fact, I think the book mentions multiple galaxies, so I might look into doing some inter-galactic traveling as well.
I am not really sure of the point or plot of the book, but I think it raises some interesting theological/philosophical questions, such as how many roads must a man walk down. the answer to that, according to certain mice, is 42.

Well, now, Kassie and I are off to the big town of Caro.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

New Bed

2010-11-17T10:57:00.002-05:00

I picked up a new bed yesterday on the side of the road. I think it is a kid's bed. It is in pretty good shape and looks pretty nice. It took a little bit of work getting it into the van and it barely fit.

I have been listening to a book on CD recently. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's quite interesting. I think I am glad I am listening to it rather than reading it, not only because it would be hard to drive and read at the same time, but because it is read by the author who has a sweet British accent.

Next week is Thanksgiving! I have a lot to be thankful for, of course. I am thankful for my wife. Right now she is sitting with a blanket that has a big picture of a cat on each side. It is actually kind of strange, especially when folded so that the cat face is all that you see.

This blog post was inspired by my wife telling me about the Waterbrook Multnomah blogging for books program being back in action. For some reason, she got an email about it and I did not.

Kelsey did it...

2010-11-02T12:02:00.002-04:00

Well, I was inspired by Kelsey's most recent post to write something in my own blog.
But then I realized I don't really have anything that I feel like writing about

Truth

2010-10-04T22:53:00.002-04:00

I am currently reading a book called The Veritas Conflict by Shaunti Feldhahn. I think she is my favorite fiction writer. She also writes non-fiction, some of which is somewhat boring, but in her fiction she is able to include things from her non-fiction and make it interesting and applicable in a pretty cool way.

For example, I read a book non-fiction book by her about women in the workplace, and she does a lot of gender-based research and writing. I also read Lights on Tenth Street, another one of her fiction books, and it showed some of the gender-based stuff, how men differ from women and applied those to marital relationships, and other real life situations (well, they were made up but were still very real) in the book.

Both books also have great imagery of the spiritual warfare and the angels and demons around us all the time along with the power of prayer to empower the angels and allow them to fight off the demons giving God control in our lives.

Anyway, this isn't a review or anything. I am just writing because I really like this book and the other fiction one of I have read by the author. Sometimes I try to stay away from fiction because I tend to get sucked in and it tends to be meaningless or not have much affect on my life. I enjoy these books because they are fiction and they suck me in, but they also give me great reminders and new perspectives on prayer and other issues.

So, life is going well. going to Cedar Point this weekend. Lots of people from Cass City and Kingston going.
Baby is healthy. we couldn't find out the sex today but will eventually. Kassie's doing pretty well. We're both still adjusting to our new life in Kingston. God is good. life is good with God.

New Start

2010-08-31T21:12:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody,
Kassie and I are now in Kingston! It's a small town in the thumb about 45 min-1 hr East of Saginaw.

I got an interesting job. it is a double job, kind of. A partnership. I am working "part time" for Youth For Christ and "part time" as a youth pastor at Kingston Wesleyan Church.

We are both really excited about it.

The church seems great and so does YFC. Actually, I am working with Jason Gaffke who is like an older brother to me.

The church provided a house for us. It is their Youth Pastor Parsonage. It is a nice little three bedroom house. Especially nice coming from apartments. You should come visit us soon.

We just moved in today. Well, we brought most of our stuff over yesterday with the help of my mother and Jeff Kettle and with the use of Bickle's trailer. We brought more stuff today, and this will be our first night here.

I found internet in one little spot in the house. It is not a great connection but at least it's something. It's right in the doorway to our spare room. I looked for it in most of the house and only found it here.

Well, if you want more details or anything, just ask.

God is good. Praise God!

Vanishing Act Review

2010-08-18T17:16:00.002-04:00

An author I know once wrote a book called Vanishing Act; I once read it and now will review it.
Nora James is separated from her father and her true identity due to one horrible night. Now she must face the same bad guys again.
This time, though, she has help, and not just any help. Investigating the case is the handsome and capable FBI agent Nate Andersen. Can Nate figure out who he is trying to help before the enemy gets to her? Can they keep their emotions from putting them both in danger? You'll have to buy it for yourself to find out. You will also have to read it once you buy it. But first you might wonder, "What did Josh Hill think about this book?" How convenient that you can find out right here and now.

This book is great for those who enjoy this suspenseful romance. I tend to prefer more suspense with less romance, but for those who enjoy the romance more than the mystery this is the book for you. I like the books that are suspenseful because you don't know what's going on until it all comes together. This one is more suspenseful because you are wondering when the people will finally wise up to what's going on around them.
Like I said, though, for those of you who are reading for the romance, this will probably give you what you're looking for with a good story to go along with it.

By the way, the author's name is Liz Johnson, and she's a great person.

It's Good to Be Selfish

2010-08-03T19:56:00.002-04:00

I was in a melancholy mood today after getting in an argument with Kassie and started thinking about God and selfishness and life and stuff.

I will not even pretend to begin to understand my thought processes or expect you to understand them, but I will try to explain what I can.

I was thinking about how the humans and everything else that God created was made to worship him, to give God glory. That's selfish, but I'm sure God has the right to be selfish since he is completely. I don't really understand all that stuff about God's glory and how it is a priviledge to give him glory and everything.

So, I was thinking I would rather not exist. I realized I am stuck. Either I follow God and have eternal happiness or don't follow God and have eternal bad. Since I didn't feel like following God and because I was thinking about what true free will means, I was thinking God should have given us an option just to stop existing. It would be like eternal suicide, not that we would be constantly dying but that we would be completely gone when we died.

I also thought about how Hinduism is kind of right about the cycle of rebirth (reincarnation). However, it isn't complete reincarnation, instead, I believe in physical reincarnation. Since matter can be neither created nor desroyed, the body breaks down into substances that fertilize the ground and maybe become part of a plant, and maybe that plant gets eaten and parts of it become part of the animal that eats it. So, maybe we are all kind of cannibals. I don't know the exact science of it, but it seems like humans must become something else or at least a bunch of little parts of other things.

As far as selfishness, going back to the idea that we either follow God and things end up good or we don't and things end up bad, I was thinking that we are supposed to be selfish. Except it is more of an ultimate selfishness rather than a temporal selfishness. A temporal selfishness says, "I want everything to myself," or "I want to do whatever feels good for me at the time." An ultimate selfishness, though, is more like, "I want to do whatever will make me the happiest in the end, which is to do whatever God wants me to do." Therefore, the discussion about whether one can do something completely altruistically maybe can take a different form. We may be serving somebody for the selfish reason that it makes us feel good, but it makes us feel good because it is what God wants us to do.

Like I said, I don't necessarily completely understand any of it, nor do I expect you to. I also realize these are probably thoughts that have been had by others. Let me know what you think.

Back in Painesville

2010-07-19T17:58:00.002-04:00

I realized I haven't posted for quite a while. I was just reminded of my blog recently when talking to somebody about blogging for books.
Many people have joined our facebook group Josh and Kassie's adventures in Painesville or something like that and receive updates on our life that way.
There's a lot going on in our lives lately, but I want to focus this post on what God has been doing in my life. I have been to several different churches in the past few weeks since leaving Crossway and it has been refreshing. I have also been reading some books that have been making me think and giving me new perspective.
When I read fiction books, even Christian ones, I don't necessarily expect them to make me think or change my views or anything but that is just what has been happening with the Christian fiction book I am currently reading. No this isn't a review of a book for a book blog. It is just a book I am reading that has given me some good reminders.
I think the book is called Lights on Tenth Street by Shaunti Feldhahn. I am not sure if I spelled that name correctly. She is also the author of a book I did read for Blogging for Books. It was a non-fiction book about women in the work place. Shaunti has done a large amount of research about gender differences and it definitely shows in her fiction writing as well as her non-fiction writing.
Aside from interesting insight into the way men and women think and react differently, though, one of the characters in the book is kind of a mentor to another lady and she suggests an hour with God each day. It seems simple enough. It is something I have done in the past, but I must admit spending time with God has not been a priority in my life lately.
Instead, it has become something I do quickly to get onto the next thing if I do it at all.
So, today I decided to make sure I spent an hour with God, and it was really good. It didn't completely change my life or make me a better person, but it was good, and I am sure if I continue to do it on a regular basis, it will affect my life in large ways.
Prayer is emphasized in the book and I could also tell it was very important to the church Kassie and I went to yesterday. Spiritual warfare was brought up in both the church and I have been reminded again of the power of prayer.
I really need to get better at remembering that and believing it, living my life based upon the truth that God listens and that prayer is powerful.

Unsettled

2010-05-25T16:06:00.005-04:00

Kassie and I have continued to have an unsettled feeling, even as we get more used to the area and our apartment and everything. One thing we are lacking is community/friends. We enjoy our church and have gotten involved in a couple other things but as far as people to hangout with on a day to day basis, we don't really have that.

The Census has been somewhat stressful but it almost done for both of us. The current operation should hopefully completed by next week and we will not be able to participate in future operations due to our busy July schedule.

Crossway is going through some changes. We are going to be done with our contract with YMCA (where we meet each Sunday) at the end of June and will be looking for another place to meet. We are considering partnering with another church in the area, basically our whole church joining another church and merging ideas in ministries in some way. on that topic, I talked to the pastor of one church in the area that could be a good possibility for us to join. Ironically enough it is called His House Ministries. he will be talking with our pastor this evening, and we'll see what happens from there.

Kassie and I decided today that we will most likely be taking the month of July off from our responsibilities with the church and stuff. We will be participating in a mission trip with Crossway in New Mexico during that time though. We are also thinking about spending some time in the beginning of July at the cottage and the making our way to and from New Mexico making some stops along the way.

We have discussed the possibility of moving away, but I think we will probably be staying in this area. I am hoping the "merger" with His House works and that creates more of a community for us. We will be pursuing the possibility of Kassie taking some classes at a local community college. She also has been in contact with a local coffee house that might be hiring in August, so she could get a job there. There is a lot of uncertainty, but not matter what happens, we are trusting God to provide.

Another idea we have had is to live in a van. We plan on honoring our lease for our current apt for the rest of the year (ending in December) and after that possibly moving into a van. Although, that would not be the best time of year to do so, so depending on circumstances we might continue to rent our current apt monthly until it warms up a little bit or something.

I am continuing with Broken Buildings and that is going well. Our first concert was exciting and I think it went really well. We definitely need to work on some things and it was a good learning experience. We have another concert coming up on the 18th that we are preparing for. We will be playing for about twice as long as our last concert so we are working on some new material and some covers.
We are also excited to be playing at Convoy of Hope the following weekend, I believe the 26th.

Well, that's kind of an update on our crazy life. It is hard at times but God is always good.

The Last Christian

2010-05-25T16:06:00.004-04:00

If you like futuristic ideas mixed with suspense, infused with Christianity, this is the book for you. Abby, a woman who was raised in the isolation of the jungles of Papua New Guinea, emerges to find somebody to stop the plague that is killing her tribe. Upon leaving the jungle, she receives a message that she is being called to bring Christianity back to America.
With all the new technology and ideas of this future age, along with confusing messages from all directions, Abby has a wild ride ahead of her, more wild to her than the jungle she came from.

I really enjoyed and appreciated this book for many reasons. First of all, it was entertaining; it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Second of all, it made me think about my faith and beliefs in different ways and reminded me of things I tend to forget. I appreciate being able to read a book that keeps me entertained while also strengthening my faith.

One red flag I do have to put up, something that I do not like about the book is the way it portrayed the Big Bang Theory and Evolution as if they are proven facts. I know it is common for Christians to not really know about about how the Creation described in Genesis fits in with scientific evidence. I, for one, have just recently started becoming enlightened on that topic. Because of that, it frightened me that the faithful Christian in the story explained to a questioning college student that the Big Bang was most likely used by God in creating the earth. It goes on to say that the story of Genesis isn't meant to be taken literally, or something of that sort. I disagree with this, due to recent research I have done and would suggest that anybody who has questions about this should take a look at answersingenesis.org.
I hope you find the site to be as interesting and insightful as I have.

As far as the book, I would suggest it to friends but would make sure to include a warning or explanation about that red flag.
To get your own copy of the book, go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400074976

This book was provided free for review by WaterBrook Multnomah

Math and Raccoons

2010-05-14T08:48:00.002-04:00

I know many of you might have been slightly hesitant to read this after seeing "Math" in the title. No worries. Math is just what I got out of the title "Indivisible."
That's a book I've recently read. It's a book about raccoons. Well, raccoons aren't the central figures in the story.
Rather, they are part of a mystery that Police Chief Jonah Westfall can't get out of his mind. Others tell him to leave it alone, that it's nothing more than a prank. But Jonah Westfall has a hunch that there is more going on than meets the eye.
Speaking of meeting the eye, the Chief has had his eye on somebody for a long time, but can they get past their past?
This book is all about people who have something in their past affecting them in a major way in the present. We all have things in our past that affect our present. This book reminded me that people are not always who they seem to be. Some people just have walls up or disguises on because of their past.
Well, you'll have to read to find out more. Overall, I thought it was a good book, even though I had gone into it thinking it would be a mystery thriller, and it was actually more about relationships.
The book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.
Here is a link to an audio interview with the author http://www.multnomahemails.com/wbmlt/audio/Kristen_Heitzmann.mp3
If you want to buy the book, you can go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073092
If you want to borrow the book, you will have to talk to my mother, who currently has my copy of it.
Thanks for reading.

Census 2010

2010-04-29T15:43:00.002-04:00

Well,
Life has kind of been crazy, mostly due to the census. I have learned that you never really know what to expect with the census. In fact it is quite a quirky operation. I mean, what do you expect when the majority of the work is done once every ten years by thousands of temporary employees?
Anyway, I started off being a QAC Rep., sitting at Lake Erie College, waiting for people to ask questions about the census, how to fill out the questionnaire, or asking for a Be Counted form. Nobody really came. I think I talked to 5 people about census-related topics in the 3 weeks(?) I was there. Then I got called to be an enumerator, for which the training would start this week. The next day Kassie got called to be an enumerator, and I got called again, this time to be a crew leader instead for which the training started the week following the phone call, which was also supposed to be my last week at the QAC. They said I could just close the QAC (Questionnaire Assistance Center...I know you've been dying to know what that stands for) early and do the Crew Leader training. So, I did. At the end of the training, I was told they had no spot for me as a crew leader but that I would be a Crew Leader Assistant with a crew that was currently working on the early enumeration. The early enumeration was slightly different from the normal enumeration and was done so that off-campus college students could be counted before they left for the summer. So, I did that for a week and finished it up.
That was last week. This week I have been as Kassie calls me 'a government gopher.' Basically visiting training sites and taking paperwork back to the office and stuff. When I am not running errands, I have been doing office work. Until...
Today I went into the office because they didn't have any errands for me. I did a little office work. Then Christine, one of the office people (I don't know her exact title, but I think she is somewhat high up there) told me she had a job for me. If I hadn't heard her talking on the phone earlier, I wouldn't have thought anything of it because she had been the one assigning jobs to me all week in the office. When I was working earlier, though, I had heard her asking about possible people who could do a replacement training next week. As it ends up, I am the person to do it. Which means, for the rest of this week I am preparing to train enumerators.
This is a little bit different from the normal enumerator training though for a few reasons. First of all, it is in the evenings rather than the day. Secondly, since it is a replacement training, I won't be their crew leader after the training. Instead, they will be placed with other crews that by that time will have already been working for a week and may need more people. And I...I don't know what I will do after next week, but I am assuming I will probably be assigned as a CLA with one of the crews, possibly the same crew I worked with for the early enumeration.
So, it's been an interesting few weeks, not knowing what I will be doing from week to week or sometimes day to day or hour to hour. But it has been a blessing to have a job, not only as a source of income but for something to do each day.

Not Just A Review

2010-04-18T21:33:00.002-04:00

I realize I haven't been posting much other than book reviews lately, but here is a real post.
As some of you know, I have been working for the Census Bureau. Last week I had training to become a crew leader. Basically, the enumerators are the ones who go out and knock on people's doors to get them to fill out the questionnaire. Crew leaders supervise the enumerators. Field operation supervisors (FOS) supervise the crew leaders and so on.
At the end of training last week i was told that I was going to be a CLA (crew leader assistant) rather than a crew leader because there are already two crews out in the two districts we live on the border of. They started in the Early Early Phase (official name, no joke) to try to get the college students before they leave since LEC (Lake Erie College) lets out at the end of April.
So, they won't need a new crew leader in those districts, but I might be joining one of those crews, which actually might combine, as a CLA, meaning I would have some enuerator duties and some supervisory duties. I don't know for sure yet but my FOS is supposed to call me tomorrow morning to let me know.
Crazy census stuff.

In other news, the band I am in, Broken Buildings, played acoustic versions of some of our songs at an open mic night this past week and it went really well. I am excited for the May 28 concert.

Today, I went to a rally/march to raise awareness about human trafficking. It was at OSU in Columbus, OH. I went down with people from Annex and met up with my good ole pal Rebekah Benish. It was interesting. It was a good trip overall, although I didn't get a whole lot out of the actual event. I would like to maybe use our band to raise awareness about human trafficking or something though.
Also, I randomly met up with a couple friends from Cornerstone, Jesse ... and Ben Rezendzian or something like that. It was cool to see them unexpectedly. THey both go to a private college near Columbus.

Kassie is doing pretty well in Arizona. I miss her a lot. She is supposed to be coming back on Tuesday. Things have been a little rough. Please pray for her brother and his family. Thanks.

Amnesia

2010-04-13T18:15:00.002-04:00

I have had a couple incidents with amnesia lately. I haven't personally had amnesia, although I can't say I'm not a forgetful person. Rather, I both read a book and watched a movie dealing with somebody who had a blow to the head that caused temporary memory loss.
Here, I'm going to focus on the book. Forget Me Not is quite a thriller with a twisted plot and an intricate web of connections. As you read, the plot unwinds and parts of the web are revealed.
A woman is running...you don't know from what, and she doesn't even completely know, but she lives her life running from something, somebody, some group of people. She has lived that way for a few years and is getting tired of picking up and going. Through it all, though, she is helping others by creating safe places for them to go and get help. Until one day, she is caught. She wakes up barely alive, not knowing who she is or where she is.
All she has are hunches, feelings that tell her what to stay away from. Somehow she seems to have escaped, or actually, it is more like she was let go by her captors. As she recovers at a crisis center, she starts remembering pieces and her past comes back to haunt her, the things she was running from catch up to her, and she has to face them. Only by the grace of God does she stand a chance.
This book is a captivating mystery novel that weaves faith into fiction. It kept me interested and wanting to read more and more. I would recommend it for anybody who likes this genre or anybody who would be willing to give it a try.
If you want a copy, go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422057
This book was provided free for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Review of This Little Prayer of Mine

2010-04-07T08:25:00.002-04:00

This Little Prayer of Mine is a cute, rhyming book that teaches children to pray. The illustrations by Mark Elliot do a good job of giving examples of the things that are prayed about.
I remember when I was little memorizing the book Green Eggs and Ham. While it was a fun book to read and easy to memorize, it didn't really have much substance, other than maybe teaching kids that it is good to try new things.
This Little Prayer of Mine, on the other hand, would also be fun to read and easy to memorize and is a good resource for parents and Christian educators to teach kids to pray.
I would recommend this book for any parents of young children as well as Christian educators.
I think it is an enjoyable little book that would be fun for parents and children to read together and would help teach a very important lesson.
If you would like to get a copy of this book, go to http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307458049
This book was provided free for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Life

2010-03-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

I am starting to enjoy my job. It isn't always a barrel of fun, but it also isn't bad at all. I just sit at a desk for 3 hours. It is out in the open in the student center at Lake Erie College, so people pass through. Not a lot pass through during my hours. I work until 11:30 and it doesn't start getting busy until after 11. However, I have gotten to meet a couple people.
I have seen people from Annex, the Christian campus group meeting I have gone to a couple times. I have also met a couple others. In particular, I met a girl named Lisa. The first day, she was the only one around for a while. I went up to her and asked where a drinking fountain was. She didn't know but offered to buy me a water from the snack bar with the extra money on her meal plan. Since then, she has come by every day to chat. Yesterday, we got into a pretty lengthy and interesting discussion about Christianity vs. atheism. She calls herself an atheist, although she was raised Catholic. From what she has said, it seems like she grew up with an interesting/false understanding of Christianity.
I have been realizing more and more how incomplete or skewed many "Christian's" and others' view of Christianity is.
As I expected, she didn't right away turn from her beliefs when I shared my own, but we will have the opportunity to continue the discussion, and she seems interested in doing so.
It is good for me in that it challenges me to look for answers to questions I have dismissed or not thought about. As Paul said in Philemon verse 6 "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of ever good thing we have in Christ." Sharing our faith isn't just good for those we share it with...in fact, it might not have any significant impact on them, but it can definitely impact our own lives.
I also get to spend time on the internet and playing solitaire at work. Until yesterday, I hadn't had a single person come up to me legitimately asking me about the Census. Yesterday, I had 3! It was a busy day. In fact, I was going to post on my blog yesterday but had to postpone it until today. Until next time...think about Philemon verse 6.

Candles

2010-03-22T08:33:00.003-04:00

You know those times when the electricity goes out and you have to get out the flashlights and/or the candles? Well, I hadn't ever really thought about what it would be like to live without electricity and to depend on candles for light, long-term, until I read the book Here Burns My Candle.
I must admit, this isn't really my favorite style of book, so my expertise in this area is definitely lacking.
This book by Liz Curtis Higgs portrays an upper-class, family in Scotland during a tumultuous time of revolt. The family consists of a Dowager (a widow whose husband was titled...Lord, Baron, etc.) and her two sons, Donald and Andrew, and their wives, Elizabeth and Janet, respectively.
The book focuses mainly on Elizabeth, who is from a completely different social status, and the development of her relationship with the Dowager. It is meant to be related to the story of Ruth, although this book does not go any further than the 18th verse of the first chapter of Ruth.
While the book was, in my opinion, longer than it needed to be and didn't cover much of the book of Ruth, it did give an interesting portrayal of what life was like in the society of the time, set in 18th century Scotland.
While it was not a book I would normally pick out, I did not dread reading it each time I picked it up. Rather, I found myself getting caught up in the story, going through the ups and downs, mostly downs, of the family.
Speaking of downs, the book was somewhat depressing. Many things in the family's life were falling apart, but it was encouraging to see the faith and hope of Elizabeth through all of the hard things she and her family were going through. It was also encouraging to see the changes in the Dowager, including her return to faith in God.
This book is definitely meant for a certain portion of people. I would recommend it to somebody if they generally read similar books. It is a good enough book for the type of book it is, but honestly, it is not my type of book.
If you would like a copy of this book, you can find it here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070015.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nPMBA_rgM to see a trailer for Here Burns My Candle.
This book was provided free for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Review of Start Here

2010-03-18T15:57:00.003-04:00

The Harris brothers team up for another book about doing "hard things." Start Here is a follow-up on their previous book Do Hard Things. Although they are just in college, the two have definitely done hard things for God with their lives, including writing books, doing speaking tours, and encouraging thousands of others to do hard things as well.
This book does a great job of encouraging people to do things that are difficult, big and small, rather than living complacent apathetic lives. The brothers recognize that doing hard things is not the basis for gaining salvation in Christ, but it is an important component of living for Him. They offer many examples of hard things that others have done, with letters from teens and young adults and their stories, as well as a list at the end of the book of hard things ranging from "[Writing] my parents a letter thanking them for all they do," to, "[Organizing] citywide baby showers for a crisis pregnancy center."
While this book is aimed at teens, I believe it is a valid and helpful exhortation for Christians of all ages. I have not read the first book and am not a teen, but I was encouraged by the book to make changes in my own life, and I think others will be too.
I would definitely recommend this book for teenagers, and I would also recommend it for people of all ages, especially those struggling with complacency or apathy or people who just need some encouragement to get off the couch.
I would like to thank WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing this book free for review.
If you would like this book, go here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422705

Maria Rides Again!

2010-03-10T14:44:00.003-05:00

It turns out we don't need a new car. Our Lumina has nothing wrong with its head gaskets.
At least that's what Snyder's told us.
Our landlord suggested we go to Snyder's to get a second opinion, so we did today.
The guy looked and said the head gaskets are fine. He said there is just a leak in the intake of the coolant, or something like that. He told me he had some kind of pellets to put in there that would seal it up.
Also, the engine had a tick or something that he got rid of by putting something in it that lubricated something. I don't really understand much about cars, but basically instead of paying a bunch of money or just selling the lumina and getting a new car, we got it fixed for less than $100. Hopefully it actually works.
He seemed like a nice, trustworthy guy. And our landlord, who is also a nice, trustworthy guy, is the one who recommended him as the only place he would go around here.
We'll see.

Job

2010-03-09T19:22:00.002-05:00

I don't remember what I wrote about last.
I got a job! I don't know how long it will last. It is for the 2010 Census. It is a desk job. 3 hours a day 5 days a week at the college across the street. I have training next monday and start after that. I am excited to have more income and have something else to do.
The band is going well so far. I met with Nate today and went over some harmonies and stuff. We have our next practice on Friday which will be my first as an official member of the band.
We are still looking for a car. My awesome parents were nice enough to not only let us borrow the van but also to drive down and bring me up to MI for a few days so I could then go and pick up Kassie from MP and spend a couple days there before heading down here.
God is doing some sweet stuff with our church. We aren't really sure what direction it's headed, but it's going to be awesome.
I love you all.

Broken Buildings

2010-03-01T23:49:00.002-05:00

I recently joined a Christian progressive rock band. It's called Broken Buildings. The drummer and lead singer have played together for a couple years and the lead singer has been writing music for about 9 years. I met and played with them once and it was good stuff.
I am playing bass and singing backups. I am excited to see what happens with this new adventure. For a long time I have wanted to be in a Christian rock band. And quite a while ago I decided the ideal position for me would be playing bass and backup vocals. More recently I decided, with God's urging, to pursue this dream.
I'll keep you posted. Just wanted to let you know.

Seek First His Kingdom

2010-02-22T12:20:00.002-05:00

Today, it is raining, which naturally creates a certain moodiness within a person. I am actually glad it is raining, and I like the rain. Nonetheless, I cannot deny the effect the gloomy(Even to call the sky gloomy assigns affect to it.) sky has on my mood.
This only adds to the melancholy of my wife being gone for the week. While I am happy for her to be with family and friends and to hopefully get some rest and connect with God, it is hard for me to be without her.
Furthermore, I watched the movie "Copying Beethoven" this morning, which in some way affected my mood. Movies about music often have a mixed effect of inspiring me in my own musical pursuits while also accenting my lack of creativity and skill.

Now, I don't mean to be a downer, and despite all that, I would say my outlook is rather positive. Having said all that, I was reading the verse for Monday from a weekly verses thing I get in my email.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

Reading it, I had this feeling that I should be asking God for something...to make me more creative, more wise, to help me get a job, to give me guidance...which lead me to realize I need to be asking for Him. That reminded me of the following verse:

Matthew 6:33

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

This vindicated my previous conclusion that I should be asking for God, but also reminded me that I need to do more than just ask. I need to seek Him.
Together the verses tell us, "Seek God above and before all else. In doing so, we will find God, and he will take care of everything."

I guess I am a little slow in learning this because it is something I think God has been teaching me for a while. I continue to seek other things, trying to find my own way and asking God if it's right or asking for His blessing, rather than seeking Him first and waiting on Him.

Review: Hear No Evil

2010-02-16T12:14:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but when I hear the phrase "hear no evil" I think of little monkeys on a shirt covering their eyes, mouth and ears.
This book was nothing like that. I don't think monkeys were mentioned at all, in fact.
Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner is about...well, unfortunately I am still trying to figure out the point of the book (I did finish it).
I think it was an interesting book giving an account of the author's life as it related to music. There were some things I could identify with, songs and artists I recognized, odd beliefs about what we can't do as "Christians."
I think some readers could get a new perspective of life realizing, "Wow, people actually grow up thinking that listening to rock music will make you go to Hell?" similar to the perspective you would get reading about the life of somebody from a third-world country. I do admit, some of the things the author talked about were surprising to me. Some of the beliefs the author and his family held to reminded me of the verse Colossians 2:8 which warns, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
Another surprising thing to me was how much he admired Amy Grant and her music. I guess coming from a different generation and a different upbringing can change many things based on what we are exposed to. I am sure there are and will be many people who don't and won't understand my enjoyment of certain music or other things.
While this book is somewhat funny and entertaining and might make you think about perspectives, I don't think I would really recommend it to anybody. As I said, I didn't really get the point of it. I wouldn't recommend against it, either. I don't think it's a bad book. I am not sorry I read it, but I most likely would not read it again unless to try to find the meaning of it.
If you would like to get your own copy, you can find it at http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074723.
This book was provided for review for free by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Review: Love and War

2010-02-10T18:00:00.002-05:00

Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge is all about marriage.
The couple gives it to you straight. I think they give a very realistic look at marriage with stories from various couples and their own lives. They pointed out that marriage is hard, very hard. They also gave ideas and pointers to make it work. They tossed away the lies of the world and brought in a new perspective... Actually, it is quite an old perspective, God's perspective. God is the one who created marriage. Yet, we turn to everything but God to find answers when marriage doesn't seem to be working or we feel like something is missing. The authors do a great job of turning the focus back to God.
They also do a great job of portraying the way marriage can and should work, with each person taking personal responsibility rather than trying to change the other and the two working together as one.
Being married, I can relate to many of the things they said. I could agree with some of the advice and other parts offered new ideas to chew on. I think it is a great book for married or pre-married couples.
I am sure singles can get a great deal out of it, too. It shouldn't scare a person from getting married, but it does make it clear that marriage requires hard work.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends who are married or thinking about marriage.
Many times after spending a long time reading, I will feel a little out of it, in my own little world, or like I have been wasting time. After reading this book, I was excited to love my wife and seek God. To me that definitely says something positive about the book.
Go to http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385529808 if you would like to get a copy of this book for yourself or a friend.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Music

2010-02-08T13:32:00.002-05:00

Kassie played bass guitar at church yesterday! I think she enjoyed it, and it was nice to have the bass sound.
We have both decided that we want to pursue music more or something like that.
I have decided I am actually going to try to get better at guitar rather than just playing the same chords I have played for the past 6+ years.
We also want to start some kind of band, possibly a jazz combo or something.
I want to start writing music.
This is kind of an offshoot of God's previous guidance, I think. He gave me reminders of how much I like music and some motivation to pursue it as a worship leader. Now, I want to pursue outside of being a worship leader. I am not exactly sure what that means, but we'll see.

Meeting the Housemates

2010-01-28T17:50:00.002-05:00

A couple nights ago Kassie decided to make cookies to hand out to people who live in our house, not really our house, but the house we live in. (For those who don't know, our apartment is part of a large house).

Last night we went to deliver the cookies. I believe there are 5 other apartments with current residents in the house. We met one several weeks ago, and he is our landlord. We met two more last night.

The first one is named Emily. She works at Lake Erie College across the street. She calls this place "the Mansion."
The second one is Andrea. We don't know where she works. We interrupted her phone conversation, but she was nice enough to answer the door and introduce herself and stuff.

Both of them seem nice. Hopefully we will get to know them better and also meet our other housemates.

Prayer Walks

2010-01-24T23:53:00.002-05:00

As you may or may not know, Kassie and I live right across the street from Lake Erie College, a small liberal arts college.

Just a few facts about the college:
-one of their main focuses is equine studies (horses)
-their football team is just 3 years old, I think
-their marching band just had its first season
-there are somewhere between 1000-2000 people who attend the school

When we came here, especially after finding this apartment, we had the idea of doing some kind of college ministry at LEC. We didn't know if anything like that was already present but from what we heard from people, it seemed like maybe not.

Kassie suggested a few days ago that we go on a prayer walk around the campus. So, we did. We then decided to do it everyday. I likened it to Joshua leading the people around the city of Jericho.

Today was our third day and as we were coming to one of the buildings near the end of the walk (we haven't gone into the buildings, but we take a path around the outside of the campus...we don't really miss anything on the inside of campus because it is so small I am pretty sure there is only one building we don't directly go past) we saw a group of people gathered in the lounge area (there are big windows in the lounge area, actually in many of the buildings on campus). I noticed that one of the girls had a guitar and the people were facing a screen which I saw had the lyrics to "Marvelous Light" by Charlie Hall.

We were encouraged to see that there is apparently some sort of Christian group on campus, and we hope to be able to partner with them in some way, even if it is just that we continue praying for the campus and for that group. Praise God

1984

2010-01-22T11:25:00.005-05:00

I guess we go to the library quite a bit. Has anybody read the book 1984? If so what do you think of it? If not, what don't you think of it?

Well, I have heard from several people over several years that it is good, a must read, and have kind of gotten a feeling that I can't be educated if I haven't read it.

A week ago when we were at the library I looked for the book,except I was looking for 1982, and I didn't really search hard and didn't find it. Last night, however, is another story. Well, it is actually just a different part of the same story.

We went for a quick trip right before the library closed because we both had a hankerin'* to watch a movie. As we were leaving we both noticed the "free" cart in the entryway which has books to be given away...at least that's what we assume since they all say "free" on them. And guess which book just happened to be on that cart...no, not Clifford the Big Red Dog...it was 1984. Well, Clifford might have been there too. We didn't really look very long but I took 1984 and started reading it last night.

It seems interesting so far. I am really glad our world/country isn't like the one described so far in the book. I am pretty sure that is how the author wants the reader to feel in order for him to make a point sometime later in the book or maybe a series of points.

The point of the story is, I found 1984 and am reading it, so I will soon be an educated person.

You might be wondering why you just read this. That is a normal feeling, and there is no medical treatment necessary for such a feeling.

On an unrelated but equally important note, Kassie and I beat Mario 3 on Super Mario All Stars last night!

*I don't know where the term hankerin' came from or where it went...maybe people in certain areas still use it regularly. I do know it should always be used with an apostrophe instead of a "g," and it is somewhat enjoyable to say.

Daddy?

2010-01-19T20:06:00.002-05:00

This afternoon,we were at the library and I was looking at movies while Kassie was on a computer. There was a little girl, probably about 2 who was with two ladies, one of which I think was her mother.
She was staring at me (the little girl, not the mother) while I was looking at some movies and I would look over and make a weird face at her every once in a while. Then I moved to a different section and her mother (I think) came over to the same section holding the girl who resumed her stare.
I looked over and she (the little girl) said Hi to me so I said Hi back and then she said "Daddy?" Her mom was like What? No. That's not Daddy. Definitely not. You're dreamin'...or something like that. I didn't really know what to say so I just kept looking at movies as they left the area.

Being lazy and comfortable or waiting?

2010-01-19T11:15:00.003-05:00

Lately we havent had a whole lot to do. There are things we need to get done to fully transition into this new life ans such but it doesn't keep us busy throughout the day.

I have been getting a little restless. Yet, I don't really know what to do.

Today I read from My Utmost For His Highest about waiting on God rather than doing your own thing impatiently. "Sweet," I thought, "so I am just supposed to be waiting for whatever God has for me. I should probably be spending time with him and be looking out for opportunities to serve him while I wait, but basically just wait."

Then I proceeded to read part of Vince Alongitalianlastname's book I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T Shirt. Part of what I read today was a chapter on not being lazy or comfortable but dying for ourselves to live for God. "Hmmm," I thought, "maybe I am not supposed to be playing so much Mario, and I should get out and do something instead."

Now, I feel somewhat conflicted. Maybe there is a balance that I am not seeing. Am I supposed to get out and do something, or am I supposed to wait on God? Maybe I am just not supposed to give in to all of my desires, like beating Mario 3 on Super Nintendo or eating a bunch of chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles on top (you may be thinking that sounds too good to be true or too sugary to be good or something like that. nevertheless Kassie decided to make those last night, and then I made a few more).

Maybe I am supposed to be reading God's Word even when I don't feel like it, and praying for Haiti and for my friends and family even when I would rather watch a movie. Maybe what I should be doing is not necessarily what I think of as active, rather it is actively waiting on God, actively spending time with him rather than wasting time on other things, saying "no" to chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles on top (or at least saying No to eating more than one at a time) to treat my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Review of The Male Factor

2010-01-11T10:35:00.004-05:00

I recently joined the WaterBrook Multnomah blogging for books program. By recently, I mean a couple months ago. If you want more information about that, let me know.

My first review for the aforementioned program is about the book The Male Factor by Shaunti Feldhahn.

I would like to preface by mentioning that the book is targeted at women, and I am a man (for those of you who didn't know). I hope I am able to give a helpful perspective, but you must realize that some of my perceptions of the book may be very different from the perceptions of those who belong to the target demographic, namely females. Furthermore, it is about the workplace. While I have worked at several places both alongside and as a subordinate to women, I wasn't really able to relate my work experiences to those written about in the book. I think this may be at least partly due to my ignorance to the issues brought up in the book. While these things may have affected me, I did not really think about them. This gives support for the purpose of this book, to educate and raise awareness about issues for women in the workplace.

Now, I want to express my appreciation for certain topics covered in the book. Some specific sections I could relate to especially or think are important for women to read about include the section on emotions, the "Give Me the Conclusion Up Front" section and the section about dress. It was helpful for me, as a man, to understand some differences between men and women. I think it would be helpful for my wife and other married couples or anybody in any male/female relationship to understand certain differences. Shaunti offers some great insight based on much research and experience.

I think many of the topics are good for both men and women to be aware of, and that changes made by women using this information would be helpful both to them and to the men around them.

One thing that is interesting about reading this book as a man is that I was able to realize som of the things that women don't generally realize about men. In other words, as a man, I assume that women think like I think or have a common understanding about things that might not necessarily be true. It is important for me to try to understand their perspective and to help them understand mine rather than making assumptions.

One thing negative I have to say about this book is that in my opinion it is too long. I especially think the beginning part was too long. It seemed like I was reading a formal research document or something. While I think it important for the reader to understand the authority and credibility of the author and information in the book, I think that section could be cut down or at least formatted differently to make it more palatable.
Similarly, I think some of the content areas could be cut down somewhat. However, it may have seemed to me like certain sections had too much explanation because I am a man and already have an understanding of certain things about men that women might need more explanation about.

I also think some of the information that is boring is necessary. For example, I think the author does a good job of explaining herself in a way that is inoffensive to both men and women while much of the content could otherwise be perceived as mean or judgmental.

Finally, I appreciated the Christian reminders at the end of the book which point the focus toward pleasing God rather than ourselves or others.

Overall, I think much of the information is very important and helpful. However, the book itself was difficult for me to get through. I would highly suggest certain sections for various people, but unless a person likes to read textbooks, it might be hard to get through the whole book.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know. If you would like to purchase the book you can go to randomhouse.com (http://www.randomhouse.com/).

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Music, Sports and Wii

2010-01-06T00:19:00.003-05:00

I like music, sports and Wii. I also enjoy many other things.
I recently got a new bass guitar for a sweet deal (I can tell you the whole story if you want). Also, my father* is starting to show some interest in learning bass, so I taught him a few things tonight. I will probably be showing Mike (the pastor I will be working with) a few things on the bass too.

*I decided to use Kelsey's asterisk idea, which I guess isn't really hers, but her blog is the one I've seen asterisks used in...now for the reason for the asterisk...I don't usually use the word father. Rather, I call him my dad. However, I have recently begun to like father and mother better than mom or dad. I still use the terms mom and dad most of the time but I like mother and father. I also like the word soda better than pop although I usually use the word "pop" because that is what I am used to. I am not sure what they call it in Northeast Ohio.

I enjoy active things, sports included. Sports has actually become a very broad term. Maybe it has always been a broad term, but sometimes I wonder about whether things are actually sports. I can think of any good example right now but I am sure you can come up with some of your own. Anyway, in the winter I sometimes have a hard time motivating myself to go outside but when I do I usually feel better. In the past week or two i have gone sledding, ice skating, snow shoveling, walking, etc. It's just nice to get out. I also played some sports in a gym with my family...mostly floor hockey, but also a little soccer and then some Dance Praise.

My parents have a Wii and while it is more active than most video game systems, I think I could become addicted in a way that would take away from more important things in life. It has been fun to use while we're here though.

Sad but Exciting

2009-12-28T11:04:00.003-05:00

I was thinking/writing today about it being the end of the year and almost the beginning of the new year and all the other endings and beginnings going on in my life.
It was a time of mixed emotion. I had my last day at Pathway last week, and although it wasn't the most exciting job and I wasn't there long, I did enjoy it for the most part and got to know some of the other employees. Today is my last day at Cook's. I have worked here (I say here because I am at work as I am typing this) for almost 2 and a half years. Although I sometimes get bored here and lack social interaction, it has been a great job for me, especially while I was in school. It also allows me time to read and get stuff done (like blogging).
We are definitely going to miss many people from His House. It's been great being part of the ministry for the past 4 1/2 years and we are sad to go. We are looking forward, though, to the ministry we will be joining in Ohio and the people we will meet and everything.
We will also miss being close to our families in some ways. However, it is nice to know there are some friends and family near Painesville.
I was also thinking about all the changes that have happened in my life this past year, including graduation, marriage, first apartment, some new friends, new job, etc.
God is doing so much in our lives and I am grateful that he cares about each one of us enough to make such an intricate plan for us full of opportunities for excitement, adventure and serving him.

Got the job!

2009-12-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

Yay, I got the job in Painesville, OH. Kassie got a job at the church too. Wohoo. You all probably already know this. If not, feel free to ask me more about it.

leaving

2009-12-10T11:12:00.002-05:00

I think I have a hard time leaving people.
I also think I tend to make myself hardened to that.
We are probably leaving Mount Pleasant soon, which means leaving His House, which means leaving many people I have known for 0-4+ years.
It's pretty tough.
Last night Kassie went to hangout with some old roommates and I was wandering around, visiting some people and stuff. I eventually went to the library and checked my email and realized the worship team was hanging out at the church at 8. When I noticed this it was 8:48 but I decided to check it out anyway.
I walked along the windy, icy paths and made it to the church a little after 9 to find Joey V., Matt Martin, Jesse V., and Kristen Klenkster on the stage.
Interestingly, when I was thinking about the people I would miss the most, or at least the people I have spent the most regular time with this past semester, I thought of the worship team (for some reason that didn't remind me that there was a worship team hangout).
So, we were sitting and eating and talking. Joe was telling us some things he has been learning and thinking about lately, and he ended it by having us reflect/listen/pray/meditate for 10 minutes while listening to music.
As I was laying on the stage, between the speaker and the REAL Christmas tree, I was thinking about how much I would miss the church, being able to go there and worship with people and jam or just go and spend time alone with God or practice piano or whatever.
The church we are most likely moving to doesn't own a building. While it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, I am going to miss having a church building.
I am going to miss many things and especially many people. I guess without hardening myself to the sadness of leaving, I need to learn to say goodbye while also looking forward to what God has planned for the future.

Enjoy Haiku

2009-12-06T16:43:00.001-05:00

Guitar and Singing
These things I enjoy so much
Other things as well

More than a road trip

2009-11-18T15:01:00.002-05:00

This weekend I am excited to hangout with some friends and family in Shaker Heights, OH.
I am excited to get out of Mount Pleasant more than 40 miles, out of Michigan even.
I'm looking forward to a great road trip and an adventurous weekend.

Along with that, Kassie and I have the opportunity to visit a church in Painesville, OH, called Crossway Christian Church.
This part of the trip is very exciting to me. You might be wondering "Why would you be so excited about a random church in Ohio? Is it a large church? Is the pastor famous? Is the David Crowder Band going to be playing there?"

Those are all valid questions; let me explain. First of all, it is not a large church, I don't think the pastor is famous, and the David Crowder Band won't be playing there this weekend as far as I know.

It all started in the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth (or maybe even before that), but let me skip ahead to last Saturday. I was doing some online searching for worship leader positions, and I came across a church in Ohio. It looked like I church I might fit well with, so I emailed the contact person with my resume.

He responded within a few hours with an encouraging message but also a warning that they are not able to provide a full salary, and we would need other jobs to support ourselves.

I let him know that I would be willing to do that if this is what God wants. Also, Kassie made the suggestion that we could visit their church this coming weekend when I mentioned that it isn't too far from Shaker Heights, so I let him know about that possibility and told hiim I would call on Monday.

Kassie and I were immediately excited about the prospect of ministering at this church, for whatever reason, even though it is in Ohio, a State neither of us had ever really thought of moving to and even though it wouldn't provide a living wage.
During Sunday and Monday, we both talked and prayed about it together and individually. I talked with Michael Rice(from the church-elder or pastor) that night and grew more and more excited as the conversation went on and we talked about what they are doing with missions, possibilities for ministry among the population of Painesville, etc.

I think both Michael and I left the conversation thinking it would be a great match for Kassie and I to minister there. He did not say as much, although he did express his excitement at several points throughout the conversation.

Kassie and I have continued to be excited about it. I think that God has had his hand on this and that it is the right thing. We are going to be meeting with Michael on Sunday after the service, and hopefully can get things moving forward from there. Nothing is official yet, but we would appreciate your prayers especially for the meeting on Sunday and whether this is what God wants for us.

If you want more details of just want to talk, feel free to call me. 989 488 7378

Up in the Air

2009-11-09T23:24:00.002-05:00

I am still working toward finding a worship leader position. I haven't sent out much to churches yet. I have sent resumes to a couple churches though. We'll see if anything comes of that. God opened me up to the possibility of moving anytime, whereas before we had planned on staying in Mount Pleasant until the end of the school year.

I don't know what's going to happen.

On the other side of things, I got another job here. It's just a temporary thing, though. I am going to be working at Pathway Christian Books in Midland for the month of November, filling in for somebody who had a family emergency. It should be a good experience and will provide a little more income. It could turn into something more than just the temporary position. We'll see.

I also had an interview with Staples that seemed to go well. They said they would be making calls soon for a second interview.

So, that's kind of an update on the whole job thing. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

Preparing for the Future

2009-10-29T00:09:00.005-04:00

Well, I think my last post was pretty depressing.

I didn't really know what to do with my life, but God has given me some direction. I am currently looking for a worship leading position. God has made it clear to me that worshipping him through music and leading others in doing so is a passion he has given me.

He has given me some ideas about recording some music and probably some type of video resume type of thing as well as creating a new blog with links to these things to allow churches to see who I am and what God has gifted me to do.

Moreover, I am blessed to have the encouragement and support of one of the pastors at His House (I could probably have the support of others but haven't really told them about it) and today we started doing some preliminary recording.

If anybody reading this has any resources or knows anybody that has resources that could be useful for recording music, making a video resume, making a "regular" resume, or something else that might be helpful, let me know. Also, if you know of any pastors or churches or people who might know of pastors or churches who might be looking for or know of somebody looking for me to be used by God to lead their family (church, congregation, etc.) in musical worship, let me know.

This process has been good for me for several reasons. It has given me a sense of purpose for my life now, has allowed/motivated me to connect with people that I wouldn't normally take the initiative to connect with or ask for help, and it will allow me to improve my musical, technical (sound,video, etc.) and other skills. Praise God!

I almost forgot, so this is a reminder to me as well as you that prayer is definitely a necessary part of this process, and I am asking you to pray, enter into God's plan, as I will do the same and cool things will happen.

Also, I started helping out with Crave, the youth group at Mount Pleasant Community Church and it has been cool to connect with some high schoolers as well as reconnect with people I met when I first came to Mount Pleasant who help out with Crave. Moreover, I have learned that the youth group people seem to start off every meeting with a meal. mmm.

Update on jobs

2009-10-20T15:56:00.002-04:00

Well, I think that God either doesn't want me to find a job, is trying to teach me perseverance or has something else up his sleeve.
Whatever the reason, I have not gotten a job. It started with a couple months of applying with no more than a phone call from a company asking for more info about me.
In the past month I have had 3 interviews, none of which have been fruitful.
I think I have applied for about half of the places in Mount Pleasant and a few outside of MP.

I could use prayer that God would guide me in this time of joblessness. Also, it would be nice to know for sure if he doesn't want me to have a job right now, or what his plan is for this time.

This has been kind of discouraging. I know I am over-qualified for most of the jobs I have applied for, but for whatever reason, they haven't wanted me.

God has been teaching me some things, and we have had a pretty good relationship lately, but it seems to me like we could maintain that relationship even if I had a life.

Little things, big things, and sleepy things

2009-10-18T22:25:00.002-04:00

First of all, Kassie and I are sleepy things because we got back from the His House Fall Retreat today. Despite our 3+ hour nap this evening, we are both still sleepy.

Do you ignore the Holy Spirit? Do you ever feel/act like prayer is powerless? Do you have a boring and/or unfulfilling life?

Those are all things God has been dealing with me about lately. Bryan, Ashley, Kassie and I have been doing a weekly Bible study/hangout/dinner thingy for a few weeks. Each week we pick scripture to focus on and part of that to memorize. Last week the scripture was Romans 8 and the memory verses were 26-27.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

That was written from memory and I didn't check it so there might be a couple mistakes but the overall idea is there.

Also, last week I took a bunch of books from my parents, and I read The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, founder of Teen Challenge. It had some good stuff about prayer and the Holy Spirit, including times when David asked for specific signs to discern His will and stories of heroin addicts asking for the Holy Spirit and being filled, speaking in tongues, and becoming free of addiction.

Other things have happened too that have made me think things like, "maybe the Holy Spirit is an awesome part of the trinity who I need to know in order to really know God," and "maybe God can do stuff without me, much bigger stuff than what I can do."

I know those thoughts are a little bit shocking, profound, and revelatory. the most significant part for me is that they weren't just thoughts, they were realizations; not mental acknowledgments but actual realizations that can make a difference in my life.

As we were driving home from the retreat today and I was getting some of my thoughts out to Kassie, some things became clear and other thoughts became more complete. Based on those recent realizations, it became clear that seemingly mundane actions can be eternally significant. Take for example going to class. We might think that is boring and unfulfilling and seemingly insignificant, but God can do some great things with it if we are tuned to Him and living purposefully. To us it might not be a big thing to smile to somebody on our way to class, but I have heard stories of just a smile preventing a suicide. Maybe talking to somebody before class could lead to inviting them to church or talking about God or becoming friends or who knows what. Maybe the way you pay attention to the professor rather than slouching and drawing could show them that you care and make them feel better about themselves or something. The point is, God can take little things and make them into big things, especially if we are tuned into the Holy Spirit and have that daily, even moment-to-moment connection with God.
We aren't expected to change the world. We aren't even expected to change one life. God just wants us to be seeking him and listening and obedient. God is the one who changes lives, and I know he can definitely do that better than I can.

A couple more things:
Don't be discouraged by thinking about the times when you might have done the opposite of what God wanted and could have ruined somebody's life. Again, God's in control and he wants what's best for us. I don't think he would let our little mistakes ruin a person's life. Second of all, I messed up this weekend. It was our "quiet time" at the retreat on Saturday morning and I was reading and praying and there was a lady not too far away who was crying, seemingly broken by what God was teaching her and doing in her life. I felt like I should go pray for/with her. I didn't. Instead, I sat there for about 10 minutes trying to focus on what I was reading while really thinking about reasons not to go over and pray with the lady or ways to go about it. She eventually left, and I prayed for her by myself feeling guilty for not going up to her. I prayed that God wouldn't let my mistake keep her from finding him or getting baptized or something. That night, sure enough, the very same lady was one of those who gave their lives to Christ and got baptized.

That definitely showed to me a few things. First of all that my mistakes won't necessarily ruin a person's life. Secondly, God can do work without me being present, without anybody being present. Along with that, God has definitely set in me a desire for unreached people groups to be reached. While I am obviously not among those groups right now, I can pray for them. It's hard for me to pray sometimes without seeing results, or even if I do see results, not actually seeing the one I am talking to is difficult for me. However, God has been giving me some good reminders that he doesn't need me to be present in order for him to do work. He doesn't even need to pray anything eloquent; The Holy Spirit can interpret my silly humanness. He doesn't even need me to pray; He can do anything. But he does want me to pray; he wants me to seek him and develop my relationship with him and know that my prayers are powerful and effective.

The Office Has Taken Over

2009-10-09T14:31:00.002-04:00

Kassie and I have been watching the show The Office way too much lately. We have been going through all of the season consecutively, although we recently also caught up on the current season online.
It doesn't help that our good friends Bryan and Ashley happen to have seasons 1-5 on DVD. We are on season 4 right now.
I have noticed that everything that happens in real life has been reminding me of an office episode. For example, if anybody says the word "false" it of course creates a direct link in my mind to Dwight.
Also, you know how when you spend a lot of time with somebody, you tend to pick up some of their mannerisms? Yeah, it's bad. Sometimes, I make a Jim face but then realize there is no camera there. Moreover, while in my head I realize I am making a Jim face, it probably looks nothing like Jim in reality.
You thought I was done with that? Nope there's more. I have been kind of frightened (maybe not quite frightened...disturbed? concerned?) at how excited Kassie has been about Jim and Pam's wedding. We watched it today, so that might be over. We'll see. Sorry if I spoiled that for anybody, but honestly if you care at all about The Office you would have known anyway.
We do actually have real lives, apart from The Office, but I think I've written enough for now.

Connections: Small world and all that jazz

2009-09-27T21:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I was working at Cook's and a lady came in. As is encouraged, I asked the lady if she was or would like to be on our customer list. After her affirmative response to the latter, I noticed that her address was on Dover Rd in Clare, the same road my in-laws live on. So I asked if she knows the Bays or Ricolos. She asked which Bays, and I clarified. She informed me that she is family friends of Kassie's grandparents and also knows Kassie's mom. So, that was my excitement for the day at work.

Today, Grant(one of my men's house roommates both years I was there)'s parents were at church and they came up to me excitedly and explained that they were looking at Kassie and my wedding pictures on facebook. Grants dad was looking at them, for whatever reason, and got excited and called over his wife. As it turns out, he worked with my Grandpa Max for several years in Royal Oak. Pretty crazy. What a mind-blowing or maybe world-shrinking weekend.

*Bonus*
That's right, you get extra credit for reading this story, or something like that. It's about a dream it's real life correlations. I will start with the dream as well as I remember it:

I was sitting on a brick wall, a short terrace wall (like the ones going down to the lake at the cottage, except taller, for those who know the cottage), talking to somebody and I saw one of my SpringHill campers in a mass of people in front of us. She then left and went over to a field where people were partying and stuff. Soon after, I followed her to the field to see if I could find her, but most of the partiers had left. I was surprised, though, to see me friend Kristen kicking a soccer ball with somebody (not that she can't kick a soccer ball, but I just wasn't expecting her to be in the field or to be kicking a ball in the field). I asked her what she was doing there and if she was going to come to ____. I don't remember what event I was asking her about or inviting her to, but she informed me she would not be going because was about to go eat. I asked her why she was eating so late and she told me it was because she had been making a fake mustache earlier and hadn't had time to eat.

Connections with real life: I had been at Hot Dogs last night sitting on the swing on the men's house porch talking to Katie Bennett overlooking the mass of people getting hot dogs, playing lightning, talking, etc. I noticed one of my SpringHill campers there and saw her leave with a couple people and then come back. When I was leaving I looked for her but didn't find her. I also saw Kristen at hot dogs, but I don't know where the soccer ball or fake mustache come in. Also, last night I was walking home and had some kind of thought that I thought was nightmarish, so I prayed that I wouldn't have nightmares but would instead have a good dream that I would remember. So, I guess that was it. Cool

Livemocha

2009-09-22T20:31:00.002-04:00

Well, I am not sure how many of you I have already told, but I think I should get paid for how much I advertise the site livemocha.com. It is a language learning site. You can take some free lessons, connect with people from all around the world who are trying to learn English and other languages, correct people's submissions in their lessons, and so on. It seems to be a great way to learn languages. I have been brushing up on Spanish. I also started to learn a little hindi but then decided to go for Mandarin Chinese instead since I have four Chinese conversation partners this semester, plus a good friend from China I met last year.

Speaking of Ou, he came over to have dinner with Kassie and I tonight. I tried out some of my Chinese on him. He had some laughs and helped me out a bit. It turns out, funny sounds an awful lot like tall, and strong sounds a lot like poor.

Since my chinese is limited, I was trying to say I am tall and poor. he thought I was full of myself, saying I am funny and strong. I also learned from him how to call Kassie pretty, which she seems happy about. When I asked him how to say crazy, Kassie warned him not to, so Ou just fed me the word for pretty again. Smart guy.

Life is going pretty well. I think this week has been a foreshadowing of the winter to come, kind of dark and cloudy. This tends to dampen my mood somewhat, and there were also a couple things to bolster that feeling.

On the positive side, though, I tried to stay positive about things and have noticed Kassie having a positive attitude as well. This has been very encouraging. It's much easier to stay positive when there is somebody with you who stays positive too.
It's also very helpful to focus on God, which we have done, in small ways, more lately than we had for a while.

I resumed my job search this week after about a week off. So far, I have applied to about 3 places this week. We'll see if anything comes from it. I know God's got our back and everything (literally everything...you know that "He's got the whole world in his hands" kind of thing).

Praise God!

Life, Love, and Happiness, and then the Hoy Ghost

2009-09-14T11:33:00.002-04:00

Well, I am talking to Amy right now about some things that are going on in my life and decided to share them with whoever reads this.

I still havent found a job. I am trying to continue to trust God with that. In fact, I am taking a little break from looking at the job websites and stuff to get my focus in the right place, depending on God rather than myself. I know that I can't just expect God to do everything for me, but I feel like he is telling me to do this.

Other things are starting to pick up a little bit. the Drama ministry started on Friday and I went to that meeting. I don't normally consider myself much of a drama person but I think I will enjoy it. Kassie is one of the leaders, and I had fun at the meeting on Friday.

Also, Kassie and I started Financial Peace University, a finance course by Dave Ramsey that is offered through His House. It should be good to start a budget and stuff.

I was assigned to two international students as a conversation partner through the English Language Institute at CMU.

So, those are some of the things going on in my life. I also just finished a book called Bruchko about Bruce Olson, a missionary to the Motilone tribe in South America. It was a really good book, and now I am reading In The Gap about missions which is pretty convicting.

Kassie and I are trying to figure out where we are going to go from here. Kassie will be finishing her Associate's degree in the Spring. After that we plan on moving away, anywhere from New Orleans to New Zealand. In other words, we're not sure where.

I have thought of the possibility of teaching English in another country, such as Korea of China, or just moving to a developed english speaking country, such as New Zealand and getting some type of job to pay of loans and such.

You can be be praying for us now, as we have completely different schedules or lack thereof and for the future. Thanks.

Gifts

2009-08-29T11:58:00.003-04:00

I think sometimes I avoid the topic of spiritual gifts. People seem to have different ideas about them, and I don't know what to think about them. Plus, they aren't generally tangible things like you might receive for your birthday.

Although, my sister, Kelsey, claims to have the spiritual gift of buying slushies for people. I haven't seen that one listed anywhere, although it could, in rare circumstances, fall into the broader gift of contributing to the needs of others (Romans 12:8).

Today, though, I was reading in the beginning of 1 Corinthians and I came across 1.7 which says, "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." One thing I have wondered about is whether people can have only one or a couple spiritual gifts or if everybody could have all of them at different times.

I looked at some different scriptures:

1 Cor. 12.6 - seems to say that everybody can have all of the gifts.
.7-11 - different gifts are given to different people
.31 - some are greater than others. interesting to note that it says "eagerly desire the greater gifts" right before going into the love chapter.
1 Cor. 14 - "eagerly desire". everybody should seek the gift of prophecy which is better than the gift of tongues. also that gifts should be used to build up the church.
Romans 12.6 - different gifts are given according to grace given us

In conclusion, I think it is interesting and must be significant that Paul says at least twice to "eagerly desire" the spiritual gifts. I don't think I often do that. The basic idea I got from studying this topic today is that we should desire the spiritual gifts and the Spirit will choose which gifts to give which people at which times. It is not up to us to decide the spiritual gifts. Rather, we should ultimately seek to love each other and glorify God, and the gifts will be manifest in our means of doing so.

Along the same lines, I was struck by something Paul said in chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians. In verse 7, he writes "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?"

To me this speaks not only of pride but also jealousy and competitiveness/comparison. I often compare myself and "my" abilities with others, but "my" abilities are only what God has given me. So, instead of comparing, I should be praising God for what he has given to each of us. When complimenting somebody or receiving a compliment, I should be mindful that God is the creator and giver of all things.

I said "along the same lines" because this can definitely apply to spiritual gifts. Rather than comparing our spiritual gifts, we should be using whatever gifts we are given gratefully and lovingly.

These were some good reminders to me and I hope they will be to you as well.

Exploding grape juice

2009-08-26T13:20:00.002-04:00

This morning Kassie and I went out to the car as I was taking her to work and found that one of the bottles of sparkling grape juice had exploded. Fortunately it was in the back part of the car and not the front.

After I dropped her off, I came home and got some cleaning stuff before going to teach Moses a guitar lesson. I was able to clean most of it up. It seemed to come out surprisingly well. Although maybe when it is dry it will reappear or something. We'll see.

Then I was planning on going to the beginning disc golf class that Brooke is taking, but I had some extra time so I stopped at Target.

Then I went to the disc golf course and talked to a guy before brooke came. I guess I am not good under pressure...I am not the greatest disc golfer anyway, but when there is a whole class watching me, I do worse. So I had a bad first shot, and then my third shot went into the water. Brooke's first throw went into the water along with our instructor's. Mine was somewhat close to shore, unlike Brooke's, so I decided to wade in and get it.

Well, it turns out it was a little deeper than expected and I went about up to my shoulders. I did find it though, even though I couldnt see it, by feeling for it with my feet. Brooke and I might go back later.

As we rounded the bend of the course, Brooke and I decided to break off from the group as others had already done, so we continued, successfully (without going in the water) around the pond while the instructor and others continued the actual direction of the course.

It was a good time and Brooke and I might go disc diving later. Unfortunately, my phone got a little wet and isn't working quite right, but Brooke said putting it in rice dries it out, so I am trying that.

Fun times. We'll see what more is in store for this afternoon!

Being and Doing

2009-08-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

I read "The Shack" in the past two times I worked at Cook's. It is an interesting book. I really liked it for the way it made me think about God and my own life and love.

There are some things in the book that are quite controversial, and I don't think I agree with everything in it, but it does bring up some interesting concepts.

One thing I got from it is something that I have been learning in many different ways, and still not quite understanding or living. Basically it is about loving God and others before myself, thinking of what I can do to love rather than what I should/could/"need" to do for myself.

It is hard to think like that. I am so accustomed to thinking of myself and my agenda and my needs, along with my body reminding me of needs for food and water and stuff. It's pretty cool when people actually put others first.

God is good. He gives us all we need. Rather, he Is all we need.

Yesterday seems so far away

2009-08-11T11:54:00.002-04:00

Actually, yesterday doesn't seem that far away, but this post IS about yesterday.

I got up pretty late after staying up somewhat late the night before.

I spent some time with God and Kassie called me saying she was on her 75 minute lunch break. I decided to go visit her. I took some cards and we played two handed euchre.

I stopped by the men's house afterwards and talk to matt monroe a little bit.

Then I was heading home, or so I thought. God prompted me to go downtown, so I thought, not really sure if it was God's prompting or just a thought in my head, I would at least take that route to get home. As I was riding my bike down main and closing in on broadway I noticed some asian women looking somewhat lost and I deduced that they were probably Korean teachers on the downtown scavenger hunt (there's a group of Korean teachers at CMU taking some classes and doing activities in the afternoons and stuff).

so I went up to them and asked if my assumption was correct, which it was. I helped them find the place they were looking for, in the opposite direction of where they were headed and we talked. then they were going to go to sit down at a coffee shop so I was going with them and they met up with another group. I answered some of their questions and then my mom called.

As I was talking to my mom, the Koreans were standing on the corner trying to decide where to go next and Julie, one of their facilitators, came up. The Koreans went off to find their next destination and Julie stayed with me as I finished my phone conversation, distracted from what mom was telling me.

I had met Julie in the Spring due to my leadership of the international ministry at His House and her position as an ELI instructor at CMU. We talked for a little while and then met back up with some of the Koreans and they wanted to take pictures of me with bare feet. I had bare feet not only because that's how I like to be, but also because I had forgotten my flips at the men's house.

As we were taking pictures and talking, my friend James, from SpringHill/South Bend/Honduras(I met James at SpringHill, his family lives in South Bend, and he teaches English in Honduras) came out of Max and Emily's with Sandra Russel. I am not sure exactly why James was in MP. He had been up earlier this summer and I got to see him but I didn't expect to see him again. It was a great surprise. He started talking to the Koreans who were excited to meet somebody who taught English in another country, and I talked to Sandra. And guess what! ..... Did you guess? ... no, she was not wearing a purple and pink striped skirt ... she lives right across the street from Kassie and I!

So then I bid James and Sandra farewell as they went to eat and the Koreans went on with their activity. I talked to Julie more. We were talking about jobs and God and life and such when I got another phone cal...from an unknown number...who could it be???...it was a guy from Wendels!...I had forgotten that I had called them about a job posting I saw. So he asked me some about myself, and then informed me he would give somebody else my information and they would contact me. Wendels used to be on the corner of Pickard and Mission and I thought it was great because I had a friend nicknamed Wendel, and I like that name. but I think it upgraded and moved down further on Pickard and became Wendel's Home Furnishings. Anyway, hopefully I will get a job there and it will be good.

Anyway, there was more that happened in the day but that was kind of a crazy cool afternoon.

What's going to happen today? I guess I will soon find out, and you might find out later. God already knows, so maybe he would tell you sooner. mystery.

Oldest Mini Golf Course in Michigan...or so they say

2009-08-09T23:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Kassie and I went up to Alpena for the wedding of our friends. It was a nice little road trip. It was kind of drizzly all day, so we didn't really know what to do between the wedding and the reception...

Interruption by random though: we went through Atlanta, MI. First of all, I didn't know there was an Atlanta, MI until some ladies came into Cook's a few days ago and said that's where they're from. And then I went through it. What a coincidence, or something like that. Secondly, it is supposedly the eld capital of Michigan and we didn't see any elk, just some horses and cows.
End of interruption.

So, when we were driving around, either to find the wedding church or the reception church, we noticed a few things.

1. We noticed there were people setting up for live music at a bandstand near the lake (Lake Huron-the greatest of the Great Lakes...not really, but I grew up near it).

2. I noticed a music shop.

3. Sometime in there we noticed a 7-11 and got a slurpee, not as good as the 7-11 on CMU's campus, but good nonetheless ( I like the word nonetheless because it is three words in one...it kind of reminds me of those band names that are similar-two or three words put together.).

We decided to go the bandstand and check it out. It was in some kind of a park which had a sign for restrooms, which we were both in need of...actually we were hoping the 7-11 would have restrooms, which it didn't, at least not for public use. so we were looking for the restrooms but only found some portable toilets which were actually rather nice. they even had a thing next to them that had faucets and soap to wash your hands.
the band hadn't started playing yet, and it was kind of drizzly and stuff, so we didn't really feel like hanging out too long...

Interruption #2, special news anouncement from Kassie:
She wants to officially become part of the family by joining the blogging fellowship, so you can read her blog at kassiehill.blogspot.com.
end of interruption.

we decided to go to the music shop because it would be indoors and we could look around and maybe jam on the instruments or something. we found it and it turned out to be a pretty bustling place. it wasn't very big and there was a lesson going on in part of it and another guy just playing a guitar for fun and stuff. so we looked around for a bit and then left.

with about an hour left before the reception, we found a mini golf place outside of the music shop. it cost 3.50 per person and was a decent looking course, so we decided to go for it. I looked in my wallet and found only $6 and some change. we looked in kassie's wallet and in the car for more change and eventually came up with 6.89, 11 cents short. We decided to ask the guy if the both of us could play for 6.89 and he readily agreed.

it was a pretty sweet course. it had some cool holes, including one with a chip shot...yeah, there was actually a wedge hanging by the tee of the hole to use for the first shot of the hole. you had to go over a water hazard and to a green which also had a water hazard on the far side.

there was also an eccentric dog. according to his owner, the guy working at the place (possibly the owner of the place) without any training, the dog found out that if he sat in between two humps on one of the holes and set his tennis ball down on the top of the first one, it would roll to the tee of the hole. then he would wait there until somebody bounced or threw the ball to him, so that he would get off the green and they could complete the hole.

the owner also informed us that the course was supposedly the oldest mini-golf course in Michigan, with very few alterations, and was probably the only one with a chip shot, and maybe the cheapest one to play.

We had a good time and took some nice pictures that I may post at some point. We decided that we would like to go back to that mini golf place and are thinking about going camping up in that area for that reason, along with it being quite pretty up there.

If I were an elephant...

2009-07-30T21:57:00.002-04:00

I think I am going to write about one of my recent dreams. I enjoy dreams and sometimes write them down when I remember them.
Sometimes they are meaningful. Maybe they are always meaningful but I just don't figure out the meaning. Feel free to offer interpretations of the following:

I was in a store, like Goodwill or something, except I dont remember clothes there, just the other random stuff. I was shopping with Kelsey and we were getting some things. Except, in this dream I think Kelsey was a mix of Kassie and Kelsey or something, like two people in one. On one hand, we bought some stuff together for our apt. On the other hand, she was buying some stuff for her Kelsey self separately. Then she was gone from the dream and Mom came in. I think I was expecting Kelsey to come back at some point but she never did. I showed mom some of the stuff we were getting and I think I had picked something out for Kelsey after she had left, just because it was orange, or something like that.
Mom wanted to learn how to bowl and I was going to show her. There were some bowling balls in the store but none of them fit my fingers so I made a poor attempt of showing her with a ball in each hand how to swing it, while Amy pointed out (I don't know if she was physically there or just a voice in my head) that I am not that great of a bowler anyway and probably shouldn't be giving lessons.
Giving up on the bowling thing, we were going to check out. So we saw that people were at the checkout desk but then noticed another checkout desk way in the front, too far away to actually be in the store. In fact, it wasn't really inside at all, with only a wall directly behind the person at the desk. The wall being about as long as the desk allowed sight of some kind of town square or big shipping yard or pier or boardwalk or something behind it. The Asian lady behind the desk said she had to go see her family before she could ring us up. To our chagrin and despite our protests, she left to do so as we waited. Fortunately she was quick in seeing her family and returned shortly to ring us up. My total came to $9.46 or something like that, which was much less than I expected, although I couldnt recall anything I was buying to figure out how much it should cost. I was pulling out a 10 and somewhere in the transaction I woke up or switched to a different dream or something.

Let me know what you think.

Transliteration...I am not really sure what enabling it does other than make my titles turn into question marks, but I am pretty sure that's what the

2009-07-21T01:14:00.003-04:00

...problem was. I just wanted to see how long a title could be. I was looking through my titles and noticed that they tend to be once word, so I wanted to go with something longer this time.

When I was changing the colors of my blog, I was looking at the settings and stuff and decided to enable transliteration, mostly because I didn't know what it was and didn't really think it would affect anything unless somebody tried to translate the page or something.

It did affect something other than that, though. It made my title into question marks.

Today was a lazy day, and I am trying to figure out if that is good or bad.

Kassie and I did not really do much today. I got up to go for a research study I am taking part in. I had to sit in a 90 degree chamber for a while and then do some exercise in it and get pictures taken and stuff. I go two more times to do the same thing at different temps. I get paid for it, so that's nice.

Anyway, after that, I went to the library to take back a couple movies (we can check out movies from the CMU library for free; they don't have a large selection but they have some interesting movies, including quite a few foreign films.) and check out a couple more. Then I came home and woke Kassie up...she doesn't work on Mondays, and I rarely work on mondays (rarely work in general, although I have gotten more hours this month than previously and one employee is about to leave because she got a different job so I might get more hours).

After that we were just lazy around the apartment all day, spent some time with God, made some food, watched one of the movies I got, took a nap, watched the other movie, got a slurpee, etc.

On the one hand, I felt lazy and bad for not really doing anything productive.

On the other hand, I think my mind is often in a productivity mode that is not necessarily good, and I think it was good for us to spend some time together without worrying about the things that need to get done and stuff.

I guess I am still trying to figure out God's will in some ways. It has been nice just getting back to spending quality time with him and getting to know him again, but I often feel like I should be "doing" more.

Well, I should probably sleep soon since I have to wake up tomorrow for the research thingy.

कुएस्शन marks

2009-07-21T01:10:00.002-04:00

for some reason, my title keeps turning into question marks. once I complete a word in the title and put a space the word becomes question marks...

Change

2009-07-18T12:42:00.002-04:00

You may notice some obvious differences in the colors of my blog.

However, the title refers not only to those changes but also to what I read today.

As I believe I mentioned in the previous post, I am reading Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I have found that the letters offer great insight into the human mind as well as the spiritual battle for our souls.

Screwtape, a demon writing to his nephew, writes that the "Enemy" (many things in the book are somewhat "backwards" in the book because it is from the perspective of evil - from this perspective, the Enemy is God) has created in the human mind a desire for monotony which co-exists with another God-given desire for change, which must be held in some sort of balance.

Often, we exaggerate the need for one or the other in order to serve our purposes.

The book gives an example of how evil uses the desire for change to distract humans from what is important, by creating fads and vogue which call for us to utilize our resources on fitting in, which is also related to materialism.

Anyway, along with these ideas, one thing that stuck out to me is that it said, "For the descriptive adjective 'unchanged' we have substituted the emotional adjective 'stagnant'(Lewis)." Again, this is from the perspective of a demon, saying that evil forces have affected society in this way.

I think I am so often caught up in a need for change that I don't realize the value of the present, which leaves me unable to do anything useful, namely praise God, serve others, etc. This coincides with a broader understanding that if we are focused on ourselves and what we need to do or on the future and what we want to happen or even what God might have in store, we are not focused on what God desires for the present.

In conclusion, I really appreciate this book and recommend it highly.

Which Book?

2009-07-17T12:46:00.002-04:00

Well, today, I was tempted to play online games again, as has become a habit in the past few days. maybe not a habit, but a daily activity. today, however, I decided instead to write in my blog and do some other things.

List:

1: I have become a gardener?

yesterday I stumbled upon a farmer's market as I was riding my bike through downtown (related to #2, if I choose to number it that) and into Island Park. Kassie and I have talked about having plants in our apt and we have quite a bit of space on the large window sills which are about 10" deep or so, and we have pretty wide windows, too. so I got a Parsley plant because I was looking for something that could be useful and the lady said Parsley would be good for growing indoors. So I planted that and also got some green onions and carrots and stuff.
I was thinking maybe i could replant the green onions too, or at least part of them, and sure enough, I looked on the internet and found that you can use the end with about an inch of the white stuff and the roots to regrow the scallions if you just put it in a dish with water and sunlight. I tried it, and voila, today they started growing enough to notice, but not really enough to cut off and use in a meal today.
(that ended up longer than I had originally planned)

2: Youth Ministry:

In the process of looking for jobs, my parents informed me they met a guy who happens to be an elder at a church here in Mount Pleasant that may be looking for a youth director and/or worship leader. I happen to be interested in both and thus submitted my interest to the man using the contact info from my parents. He sent my info on to another guy, the current youth director who is leaving, who informed me that they are not really sure what they are going to do about the open positions yet but that I should talk to the pastor (actually an associate pastor who will be staying...the head pastor left this past winter) in a couple weeks.
I was also told by another company with a possible position that they wont be making decisions for a couple weeks.
During this waiting period, God has opened me up to realize that I do have a passion for youth ministry, specifically working with high schoolers. He has also been leading me towards doing some things while looking/praying/waiting for a job.
One thing, a couple days ago as I was biking home from the men's house, I felt God leading me to downtown to possibly talk to people who were around. I basically told him I didn't plan on going up to anybody to talk to them and he basically told me that he would send them to me.
So, I went to where there is kind of a park with a flag pole and benches and stuff on the corner of Main and Broadway (downtown). After noticing a group of teenagers hanging out by a tree, I sat by an opposite tree and read the newspaper. Not too long into my reading, a couple girls came over an started talking to me. Soon, one of them said she had to go (conveniently) leaving me with the other one (I am pretty sure it was a setup). So, I talked to her for a while and she told me about her life, depression, not getting along with her stepfather, her grandma and her best friend dying, etc. I really wanted to do something but didn't know what I could or should to, especially under the circumstances of how we met and stuff. Anyway, that was a big part of what made me realize that I want to work with high schoolers, get to know them, show them the purpose they have in God, give them something productive to do, etc.
(that was also quite a bit longer than I meant it to be)

3. Title:

The reason I titled this which book is because in the past two weeks I have read two Ted Dekker books, mostly at work. I have realize that it takes a little more than a half day and a full day of work to read one of his books because that is how much I have worked each of the past two weeks and I have almost finished a book each time, causing me to take it home to read the rest.
This week, again, I work a day and a half (1/2 day today and full day tomorrow, so I will probably read another Ted Dekker book)
I did not really mean to ask y'all what book I should read, but if you have any suggestions (especially a Christian book that might be at the store I work at, and doesn't necessarily have to be Ted Dekker) let me know.

I have also been reading Screwtape Letters by Clive Lewis and have gotten alot out of it but I have already written to much. Maybe I will just make a new post and write about it when I am at work or something.

writing

2009-07-03T13:35:00.002-04:00

I decided today that I should write more

I havent been writing much lately, but I think writing is good for me

It is a good way for me to make sense of thoughts and stuff...maybe I haven't been thinking as much lately either.

My prayer journal is something I write in quite frequently but I want to write in it more and make it more sincere rather than writing I want to pray for this person and this person and this person.

Anyway, speaking of reading, I read a fiction book this week. I don't read fiction very often but I "worked" all day Tuesday and had 5 customers in the 8.5 hours I was there. I decided to read Adam by Ted Dekker. It was a good book and I realized how much fiction tends to suck me in. maybe not all fiction but Ted Dekker is a good writer, i would say. I finished the book last night after reading more at work yesterday afternoon and then checking the book out to take it home and read last night.

I wasn't sure about reading fiction, whether it would be a productive use of my time or not, but I think it was. It was an interesting experience. As I said it sucked me in. One thing I got from the book was a renewed appreciation for the spiritual realm. as the book said, it's easy for people to forget there is a spiritual realm or to not believe in it at all, but it is very real and I think it is good to be aware of.

well, I am kind of not sure what my life is doing right now, but I know God has plans for me. sometimes I get tired of doing the daily things and the other things that we have to get done and I just want to do what God wants me to do, but I am trying to remember that what God wants for me is at least just as much about my attitude as it is about what I am actually doing "do everything without complaining or arguing" "be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances" etc.

Sleep less to be less tired

2009-06-22T23:42:00.003-04:00

Lately I have been feeling tired all the time. I am pretty sure I am not sick or anything.

I tended to not get much sleep during the school year, or maybe for the past few years with working at various places during the summer and school throughout the year.

Anyway, this past semester was pretty crazy busy, but then after graduation and the wedding and stuff i started sleeping quite a bit for a couple weeks.

Generally, when I get alot of sleep, my body likes it a little too much and wants more, so I am now trying to sleep less to be less tired. Or maybe it's just that when I sleep less, I have an excuse for being tired, but when I sleep alot and am still tired it seems like something must be wrong.

Anyway, life is good. I am reading a book called Servolution which is pretty sweet. I am currently trying to get back my relationship with God and also learning how to lead "our" (Kassie and I) relationship with God. and I am kind of trying to find some purpose in my life right now

it's not that I think my life is worthless right now but I feel like I should be out doing something. I know it is good to spend some time working on marriage and stuff, but it seems like there should be something more...

I think part of it is not having a job or anything and reading these books about people doing sweet stuff and serving in cool ways with big faith and everything.

Right now Kassie and I are memorizing Philippians 3. Ask me about it sometimes..

Catch you kiddos later...(kiddo is my new word for people for some reason)