Power Outage

So I'm sitting in my living room playing on my computer watching Tv a normal everyday activity. Next thing I know all the lights are out I go outside to see the extent of the outage and for the first time in my life I can't see any light in any direction. So being the curious person I am I got in my car and took off exploring into the neighborhood I have known the vast majority of my life. Let me tell you it looks very different in the pitch black minus the occasional car lights as I drove past. The first thoughts that came to mind as I'm driving are "This would make an awesome set for a Zombie movie" or "This is where you see Russians Parachuting out of planes"(Red Dawn Remake) I was letting my imagination run I'll admit while I am thinking these things the thoughts of Guns, Shooting and possibly being able to make something blow up all came to mind, I'm a guy thats perfectly normal. Then I get to a different part of the neighborhood a little closer to the tracks (yes railroad tracks) and as I look around I see people getting into their cars but they aren't leaving they are piling in to stay warm. They are piling in to have a light. These people have electric heating and don't own flash lights. I have been blessed with a brilliant mom she has insisted on keeping the gas wall heater in our house because "If the power ever goes out we will still have the heater" She has said this for years it took tonight for me to truly grasp what she meant. But back to the point of this blog. People without power were rushing to get to some form of light to get away from the darkness. 

Matthew 5:14-16  "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."


We are called to be the light of the world. I was blown away to see how many people where going to their cars to stay warm and be in a light. It really did break my heart for these people, my neighbors so many times we focus on those "on the other side of the border" or  those in Africa. To often we neglect those in our own city and for me in my own neighborhood. I ending this with a challenge. Mainly to myself but also to anyone who is reading this Pray, Pray for a light that people would look for in the darkness. Even be so bold as to pray that You would be that light that reflects the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Pray for your neighbors as well as those elsewhere in the world because there may be many physical needs that lots of people have but there is one need greater then all and that is the need of a relationship with Jesus and The Father. 


And for the curious folk, It is alleged that the police where chasing a drunk driver who wit a transformer and knocked out the power the truck looked pretty jacked but I never heard of they caught the guy or if he got away on foot. 

Team Casas Weekend

A week and a half ago I was blessed with the opportunity to head down to Juarez and Join people for across the US to build a home for a single mom Eva and her 4 children Gisell 13, Emily 10, Saul 6, and Yailin 5. This family had been on the waiting list for 3 years I believe they had giving up any hope of ever getting a house from Casas because it wasn't until just a few days before Miguel the Representative of Casas por Cristo in Juarez finally got ahold of them to inform them that there was a team on the way to begin building her and her children a home. This was the first Team Casas build I have been a part of in the 30 homes that I have helped so to be perfectly honest I was a little skeptical on how smooth the build was going to go. I had no worries of the house getting finished or the family being blessed but with the group coming from Maine, Colorado and all over Texas. And ages varying from 17-50s I was interested to see how the Chemistry of the team that was so diverse would work out. To say the least I was incredible surprised. Our love for the ministry of Casas, the people of Juarez, and most of all our Love of Christ bonded us together as if we had known each other. From the moment we all met in the lobby of our hotel on friday morning I knew it was going to be a great weekend laughing, and joking around at 630 in the morning is always a good sign for a build. It was one of the quickest builds that I have ever been a part of but at the same time one of the most enjoyable. I was able to truly interact with my teamates as well as be able to spend some time getting to know the family. Even got to get the kids to help put nails in the Chicken wire.

During the dedication Eva(the Mother) accepted Christ into her life. It was a first for me I hadn't been part of a dedication where I instantly knew the effects that the past few days had on the family while I don't know everything that will come, I do know that their lives are eternally changed and for that I am very grateful.  After the build Brandon was kind enough to show the city of Juarez to those who hadn't seen it. we went to Anapra, and the kilometros and we ate brunch at 2 4 which was a great little place close to one of the Churches we stay at. After crossing back over we were able to eat dinner as a team and play games in the hotel. The next morning Kevin Claire and myself met up with a Brandon and Brittany at Hueco tanks for a little Bouldering before coming home. I was glad that I got to show friends most every aspect of why I love Casas por Cristo, El Paso and Juarez.

Goals

      So its been 2 months since I have posted anything and sitting here I feel like its time to just fill you in on what has been going on. Sad things is nothing to exciting has happen but here are the few things that are important to me that have happen.

      If you didn't already know I had applied for the Amarillo Police Departments Police Academy it can be a long drawn out process taking 5 months. I began this process in June by taking a couple of test and filling out a 20 page background, after that it was just a waiting game on them to go through people that scored higher than me until they got to my name which happen about 3 weeks ago They called my references past employers coworkers the whole 9 yards I was called in for an interview and then told that i was in pretty good shape depending on how many people the city of Amarillo allowed them to hire I should be hearing back from them in the coming weeks. A week ago I got an email saying that I had not been chosen to be part of the academy at this time. It was a little bit of a blow because this had been one of the things I had felt most peaceful about in a long time but if there is one thing I have come to understand is everything happens for a reason and Gods plan is always better for me than my own so after a couple of hours of being bummed I was ok. I think being around my old crew that weekend for two of my best friends getting married was very beneficial to getting my mind off of it. Not getting into the academy has changed a few things for me. I hadn't been making any long term plans because I didn't know how everything was going to pan out and I didn't want to have to cancel anything because of the academy. My last post I posted a few realizations and the still hold true but I have made progress on one front I have begun taking Acoustic Guitar lessons from an awesome teacher named Zak Wilkerson. Zak is the guy who is determined to teach you what you need to know none of the fluff crap that you don't which is really good. While I'm no where near as good as I want to be at this point I have come to realize that its going to take a lot of work and even more patience because its not easy.


       I have gained a few responsibilities in the last few weeks in the fact that I have become the oversight for Xtreme on Wednesday nights. Aside from making sure everything runs smoothly like it has ever since I became a volunteer in 06 my biggest goal is to lower the average age of volunteers. Many of the volunteers are parents of children in Xtreme so they are in their mid 30s and up. Don't get me wrong I love all of them and they have become my family but I really think that my generation is a generation that can really connect with the 5th and 6th graders in a way that the older volunteers can't. So if you are reading this and want to check out Xtreme let me know I would love to talk to you about it and see if you would be a fit in this amazing ministry.

     I get to go to Juarez a week from today to build a house for a family with Casas por Cristo. Something I have been looking forward to for a long time I haven't been since the last week of december and its been killing me. It will be good to get to go back an just surround myself in brokeness because it seems to be at that time that I truly am able to converse with God and fall in love with him even more.  

      Now to what is in my future and the Honest answer is I have no clue and Im ok with that. I have come up with a few goals for the next few months that I think will keep me plenty busy and help me grow as a Christian and a person.

Hanging out with friends and grow deeper in Christian community with them.
Be truly prepared for my marathon in December.
Ride my bike more not only in Palo Duro Canyon but also around town.
I just met up with a friend and we are applying for Amazing Race which will be an awesome experience just applying but I'm hopeful for a true opportunity to compete.
Become a more avid reader
Learn guitar well enough that I feel comfortable enough to actually play in front of a group of friends.

Thats my last couple of months in a nutshell and my goals for the next few months. Hopefully it wont be that long before my next post. Im going to try and post bi-weekly if not weekly and hopefully will be able to have progress reports on my goals and maybe some other good news as well.

Realizations

This weekend was great I went to Dallas and got to go to Brad Paisleys H2O tour with Blake Shelton, Jerrod Nieman, Sunny Sweeney, Edens Edge, and Jane Dear Girls Amazing Show if you ever get the chance take it. I also had the opportunity to watch my first professional sporting event Chivas USA vs. FC Dallas, FC Dallas was the home team so I rooted for them and the final score was 1-0 with Dallas winning and the Keeper tallying his league leading 12 shut out. Well the game ended about 8pm so i had a long drive home ahead of me since I had to be at work the next morning. Well Dallas to Amarillo is a little bit of a drive so I had a lot of time to think and I have come to a few realizations

1) Im a small town kid I do not like driving toll roads and highways to get ANYWHERE. I don't mind visiting but I don't think I could do that as a daily commute.

2) I want to learn to play keys, Acoustic guitar, Fiddle, and Steel guitar (not asking for much here am I?)

3) I have awesome friends who care about me. (a few texts and phone calls making sure im doing good on the drive and staying awake)

4) I live a ridiculously blessed life and I don't deserve it.

5) No matter what you want or don't want something are gonna happen and you're gonna have to accept it sooner or later.

Coffee shops

So I have been working in coffee shops for almost 3 years now, a little over 2 and a half at Roasters Coffee and Tea Company in Amarillo, Texas and Just over a month at Palace Coffee Company in little old Canyon Texas USA. Because of these two Coffee Shops I have gained a greater appreciation for coffee as an industry, its taste and the skill behind making the drink. from watching the coloration of the espresso as it comes out of the portofilter to microfoam you get when you steam the milk just right. The different tastes you get from coffee by the method you brew it, the length of time you brew it. Being a good barista requires so much more skill then people give us credit for. I had the priviledge of going to a couple coffee shops in the Dallas Fortworth over the weekend Im sad to say that I wasn't impressed. I have been to great coffee shops ones that anytime I visit the town or am driving through the town I make it a point to visit, and I have been to ok coffee shops where I could care less if I ever went there. I may just be super spoiled now with Palace Coffee, But I was not impressed at all with the Coffee Shops/house I visited. The baristas couldn't tell me anything about the coffee they were using, I mean Im no expert but I can atleast tell you what country the beans are from, what the roast is, who we get our beans from. The guys I dealt with this weekend couldn't do that. They had no personality which translated into the culture of the place. Drinks were poorly made and no care was put into it. Today while I was at work I did some latte art and managed to pull off a really good heart and just for grins I told the guy that it was proof that we made all of our drinks with love he laughed and went about his day but hey I got him to laugh and i think if i can do that with everyone that I come in contact with then I'm doing my job.

Todays thoughts

Well its been a while since I have had something I felt was worthy of writing about. Here is my thought of the day.

So I was hanging out with some friends Monday night after work we went and bowled for dollar bowl night then afterwards we went to Waffle house. Now before I get to the story I just want to say I wasn’t a fan of waffle house till I was introduced to their hashbrowns where you can get them smothered, covered, chunked and diced. (onions, cheese, ham and tomatoes) Amazing if you haven’t tried them you should. Ok back to the story. By the time we get to Waffle house its almost midnight we all had come in our own vehicles so when the “Salesperson” that’s what Patricias name tag said. She preferred to be called Patty and really didn’t care if the name tag said salesperson or waitress she was there to take care of us and that’s all that mattered to her. She asked if it was just the 5 of us because she had seen all of our cars come in the parking lot. I joked and said “you thought it was a little early for the bars to close” and she said something that still bothers me this morning. “I would rather have the drunks then the churched” “The drunks are a lot more patient and kind” “I have worked the Saturday nights and the Sunday afternoon and I would rather work Saturday night” Now I don’t know if you the reader are a Christian, Believer, Atheist, Agnostic. If you are one of the first two you should be offended that this was said. I was and am. I don’t like the fact that there are people who say they are Christians and proclaim to be Christians yet don’t act it out. Don’t get me wrong I have been one of those people before and maybe still am from time to time but I try to be aware of my actions and who I’m around. I want my life to reflect His life. I am nowhere near perfect and never will be but I can always strive to be better and more Christ like. I have heard servers, waiters or whatever title you want to give them talk about how they dislike working Sundays because they feel like they are disrespected by church goers when they go to lunch after service. A few of them are believers then a few of them are but the ones that aren’t don’t like the idea of church because they see these “hypocrites” (their words not mine) say one thing in church and do another outside of the walls. I hate to admit it but that never really bothered me until last night. Because it was someone I didn’t know who said that. Regardless I hope that our actions give her hope that “Churched” people aren’t all hypocritical and hateful, unpatient, I hope that last night me and my group of friends were able to show Jesus in our actions towards her in our conversation and just in our presence. Just a thought people are watching you everywhere you go and if you proclaim to be a follower of Jesus they are going to expect you to be a Saint, don’t try to be because you will fail miserably but the least you can do is be kind, and love on people regardless of who they are and what they do because we all sin but Jesus still loves us and died for us. We should live our life in a manner that reflects Him and His love. Our actions should make one want to turn to God not turn away. Just something to think about the next time you go out to eat or go to the Grocery store.

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Want to serve?

Have you had the desire to serve Jesus, just don't know where or how? Do you have a passion for kids or think that teaching kids about Jesus is something you would enjoy? I bet we have a spot for you. There are hundreds of kids newborn to 7th grade, at Trinity Fellowship Church who need someone to tell them about Jesus. There a couple hundred just in Xtreme that just want someone to hangout with them and make them feel like someone cares about them. So many of these kids just want someone to hang out with them, listen to what they have to say and actually care about what is going on in their lives. I think that we have some awesome kids and we have great leaders but we have way more kids then we do leaders. Just this past sunday in our 11 am service we had 85 kids and only 4 leaders thats 21 and a 1/4 kids per leader. We can make an impact with number like that because My God is a great God and he will use those who will let him and miracles will happen. But imagine what he could do if the ratios were 1:10 or even better 1:7 thats a ways off but I have faith that leaders will come, are you one of them? Im sure if I wanted to I could find scripture that would tell you why you should serve but thats not how I do things. I want to challenge you. Pray...pray about what your calling in life is if its not serving in childrens ministry its to be a mission worker in Africa or South America awesome do that. But there is mission work to be done here in your own backyard it may not be as glamorous in the eyes of those around you but its just as important to the Lord of Lord and King of Kings these Children are his and someone needs to tell them that. Xtreme is a lot of fun I spend a lot of my time volunteering there because I love the kids but also because in the last 5 years that I have been doing this I have made some great friends and I get to serve along side them. It feels great to serve ask anyone who has done it and 90% of the time I think people will agree. It feels even better when you get to serve with your friends. If this has enticed you to want to know more about being involved in Childrens ministry let me know I would love to help you get started on the path of helping kids find Jesus is a reward that I can't even explain.

"Crazy People"

So I know some Crazy people Crazy for Jesus that is. Casas por Cristo as many of you know has a special place in my heart. Last week they had to cancel their summer internship program because they are low on teams coming down to build homes. I can honestly say I have never been afraid while in Juarez or Acuna Mexico. I believe that this ministry is doing something great for the kingdom of God Glorifying the name of Jesus and because of this fact Satan is trying to do whatever he can to stop this ministry in its tracks. There are 4 people who were suppose to be interns this summer who have decided that they are going to go to Juarez and be the teams that aren't showing up. These 4 people are trying to raise $50,000 so that they can build 10 houses this summer. Thats Crazy...but not impossible because God has his hand in it Matthew 7:7 says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." These 4 men and women of God are asking seeking and knocking and expecting doors to be opened. Right now they have $18,000 raised thats enough for 3 house thats 3 families that are going to be blessed with a home and have a chance to begin a relationship with Jesus or strengthen their faith. If you want to help financially you can give one of two ways

One is to go to http://www.casasporcristo.org/give.html and there is a link to donate online. If you choose to donate, under "Program Area" choose "trip payment" and put INTERN BUILD in the comments box so that Casas knows to put the money towards our fund.


The second is to write a check to Casas Por Cristo and put INTERN BUILD in the memo line and send it to
Casas por Cristo

PO Box 971070

El Paso, TX 79997

I challenge you if you read this give even if its only 5 dollars. right now there is a Church in El Paso that will match all donations made to this group up to an entire house in the month of April. That would mean that this team of four could build 4 houses and be halfway to their goal of at least 10 house.

I also want to Challenge you to pray for this team, for the families that they are going to touch and for the ministry of Casas por Cristo. If you are joining in prayer and want updates on how they are doing join this facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=212616062083839&index=1 Join me in Prayer but more importantly join me financially in supporting these "Crazy People" in their pursuit of Jesus and spreading his word to the People of Juarez.

Is it worth it?

So I'm sitting here trying to do an assignment which is due at midnight. I was suppose to have a peer review an assignment from last week no one did so I'm stuck on what to do. If I'm lucky my professor will respond to an email in a couple weeks which will be to late to turn in the assignment so I sit here thinking is it really worth it? Is it worth it to have my bachelors degree and the certificates to teach and become a coach? I have many friends, to many friends who have their degrees and certificates to teach but can't find a job because the government can manage a budget and is cutting back on education and not paying our military but we can bail out private companies and we can pay people who don't want to help themselves. Is it worth it? I have gone to school 18 or 19 of my 24 years of living. I have been in college 5 of the last 6 years I have 2 associates degrees and I'm currently working on my Bachelors. I have taken classes to be a Physical therapist, a therapists assistant, an RN and now a teacher. I was just ask by a friend "What do you wanna be if you ever grow up?" I thought about it for a second and here is an honest answer I want to be a man of God, a loving husband, a good father, a good role model to those around me, and a person who makes an impact benefitting The Kingdom. I'm pretty sure that if I was to look in a school catalog there isn't a degree plan or classes that I can take to help me with those. I have heard that the world is going to end in my lifetime that The Son will return soon. Now we don't know that for sure but if it is then the harvest is more important then school and a degree. So many "grown ups" that I know that do have degrees aren't doing anything in the field that their degree is in. Many of my friends that I went to school with haven't been able to find jobs in their field so they are stuck on what to do next the one thing they have been set on for the last 4 years of their life isn't there so they go back to school to do something else or they just sit and wait hoping for something better than what they have. It just makes me wonder is it worth dealing with all this stress? I would much rather be broke and enjoy what I'm doing then be wealthy and miserable. I feel like having a college degree is required from my family and I look back and say well I have two but are they going to look down upon me for not having a bachelors. As a follower of Christ it's my job to represent Jesus on this earth until his return. The most important things I have ever done in my life have been when I was sharing the Gospel summer of 2008 in Juarez Mexico with an organization called Casas por Cristo and since the summer of 2006 when i started volunteering in Childrens ministry at Trinity Fellowship Church. Being able to see changes in peoples lives when they begin a relationship with Jesus is the most amazing thing. I want to be able to share that feeling with so many more people. Now the questions are...Do I need a degree for that, will having a degree help? So now the question is what do I do next? The answer lies in Him I just have to seek him out and sit and listen I know that but its so difficult for me. All I know is I want to follow the path that he has me. If that means stepping on toes to get there I'm not sorry. If you think I should be then you need to get something checked. As I begin this journey Prayers and advice are greatly appreciated. So please stop me the next time you see me walking, email me, comment on here, call me, text me, facebook me I don't care. Input would be nice one way or the other

Busy life

Man oh man life is crazy. Trying to stay caught up is a challenge. Im not complaining I love a good challenge but i think I'm at the point where if I want to stay healthy and sane I'm going to have to start saying No. This is a word that isn't typically in my vocabulary and those of you who really know me know this. But get ready I think its going to become my favorite word for the next couple of weeks. Now there are things that I have committed to that I am not going to turn my back on. But as far as new things I'm going to have to say No. Im stretching myself very thin and making myself tired and on the brink of getting the bugs everyone else has luckily I have been blessed with a good immune system and haven't caught anything, but I don't want to push my luck. Between coaching baseball, playing softball, school, work, attempting to train, and volunteering at church I don't have much time to myself to spend in The Word or spend with friends. That needs to change and the quickest way is for me to say No to anything new. Hope you understand when I say I'm sorry but I can't that I really am sorry I would love to help it just isn't wise for me to.

Heart Broken

Wednesday night Xtreme (the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade ministry I volunteer in) had what we called a ministry night. Our worship band led a few songs and then the leaders split into 3 groups of prayer, (Healing, Prophetic, General) I was ask to be in the general group so thats where I went. As the leaders went to our stations Pastor Adam told the kids that we(the leaders) want to pray for them if they want healing, or an encouraging word or if they just want prayer over nothing in specific. but we wanted them to go to atleast 2 of the groups. I begin praying for these students one by one. A friends science project, grades, school, a dog, wanting to be closer to God (in my opinion typical stuff for their age then I have 2 students come up to me and ask me to pray for them one is having emotional problems is what she tells me and as I look at her she tells me "I cut myself" Not what I was expecting to come out of her mouth but I say ok Lets pray...God is so good I did not have a clue what to say to that young girl but He did and his words came out of my mouth on fire, another young lady comes up to me and says "My mom is a drug dealer and my dad is in prison for the rest of his life for murder and Im seperated from my brother" Again this is not what I was expecting Im fighting back tears so that I can let God work, His spirit flow through me and minister to these kids. I have been blessed to not have to come across difficulties like they have to be honest im not sure I would have been able to handle that when I was there age. My heart broke for these girls and as I type this tears are coming to my eyes. What did they do to get this life they have been dealt I find myself asking that question. There was also a young boy that one of the other leaders prayed for that came to her and said I just want to be able to eat every night. That should be happening anywhere much less Amarillo. Why them Lord? They are dealing with things that most people in the United States don't have to deal with. and add to the fact that these kids are 11 and 12 years old. Its so sad to see, I ask the Lord to "break my heart for what breaks yours" I think this is just a glimpse and I can barely handle it. But I want more I want to be able to do more.

I can't get these kids out of my mind and I had to put this out there if you read this please send prayers their way. That the Holy Spirit would come down on them like nothing that could ever dream up on their own, and they would know Gods love and that he is always there.

Discipline

Discipline, this is what we have been teaching our kids in Xtreme this month. When we break up into small groups I have them give me the definition for discipline - training that teaches one to obey rules and control one's behavior. Its funny the more I talk to these kids about discipline the more and more I realize I need more discipline in my life. I am by no means a saint nor do I pretend to be with these kids. I don't have a quiet time everyday like I should I don't read my bible as often as I should I don't study near as much as I should and to be quite honest I do a lot of stupid things that I know I probably shouldn't try (no not anything illegal) but things like taking jumps and running long distances without properly training and I have been very lucky to not get hurt or hurt much. But the more I talk to these kids the more I want to bring discipline into my life. Cut out the distractions and get closer to God like I was at one point in my life, then life got crazy busy and I put him on the back-burners for a while and put him up front only when in is convenient for me. But I have realized I can't do that. I need him to be first and for most the most important thing in my life for me to survive this crazy world but more importantly for me to survive this semester. I don't think I can recall a busier semester with all the things I have gotten myself involved in and all the things I want to do. Im also going to have to have discipline. Discipline to stick with my school work instead of making my way to Facebook, twitter or foursquare when Im on my homework. Discipline to read my bible every morning even if its for 5 minutes to start discipline to talk with God daily but even more important than that to listen to him and let him lead me and my life. Discipline in my training, Having 2 or 3 good runs a week, getting in the gym and getting my cross-training in or going out and getting a good cardio workout riding my bike around town or in the canyon. In Galatians 6:9 it says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." You reap what you sow. If I study I'm going to make good grades, if i train properly I'm going to perform the way I want to, If i spend more time with God Im going to be happier because me and Him are going to be on the same page (meaning i will be in the same chapter, page, and word in the story of my life that he is and if I'm with him then I'm in the right spot which is good enough for me.

So if you read this I encourage you to ask me if I am being disciplined in my life, most importantly with my relationship with Jesus but also in those other areas of my life. You will be able to tell if I'm lying because I have been told by many that I'm a horrible liar.

2 Timothy 4:1-5

1. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom. 2. preach the word; be ready in and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4. and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I have been thinking about this scripture for the last few days. "Be ready in AND out of season" What does that mean? I have been looking at this and I have heard some peoples opinions on this and I would love to hear yours but for me at this moment this is my thoughts

In and out of season be ready. Don't just be ready to talk about Jesus and God only in "Church" settings i.e. Small groups, Church homes lifegroups, at church on mission trips or trips with the Church. Be ready when you are out eating dinner with friends, on a ski lift with a random person, at work, school. Wherever you are be ready to proclaim Jesus as Savior. You are going to be giving opportunities when you least expect them be ready.

We are in a day and age that there are so many churches that people can attend that so many of us don't go to church to hear the word, we go to church to hear what we want to hear. Don't fall into that stay. Stay sober-minded, be wise in your decisions, God Never says following him is going to be easy Joshua 1:5 "...I will never leave you or forsake you" 2 Cor 4:9 "persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.", go OUT preach the word don't just keep it inside the walls of the church, in the early days there was not a building for Christians to meet Paul preached in markets and on city streets, Jesus preached outside on a mountain, we cant just limit ourselves inside a building with four walls we just can't. Fulfill your ministry, Everyone has a calling on their life, listen to God to find out what it is and live it out.

Like I said these are my thoughts I would Love to hear yours.

2010 in Review

So its a new year and everyone looks forward at whats next...I'm not everyone. So before I look ahead I want to take a second and look back at the past year and look at the path that I have taking the past year to get me to where I am now.

In 2010 I was able to do lots of things so many that im just going to bullet them.

I was able to be a part of 10 families being blessed with a home

I was a part of 2 middle school retreats

Went to the mountains for a week with my 5th and 6th graders

Made a PR for my 5k time

Ran my first 10k

Ran 3 half marathons

Worked 2 jobs

Got a 4.0 semester gpa for the first time

Took second place in a cross country bike race

Got my CHL

I did lots of traveling around the state of Texas.

Was a groomsmen in 3 weddings

Started Blogging

But I think the best thing that happen to me in 2010 was the friends that I made. Some of the strongest Christians I have come across that are my age. They are spread out all over the country but I hold them all close to my heart.

To those reading this thank you hope you can look back at what you have done and be proud of it. I know I am and can't wait to improve on that this year great things to come. I don't make many plans but here are a few things I would like to cross of my list

Run a Marathon

Get out of Debt

Invest in people

Dig into the word

Love God Love people

Know the Lord better

But most importantly I want to listen to the Lord and step into the calling he has on my life.

So I leave you with this verse something that I use to remind myself that I do have value.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 "¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."

Last week of 2010

So a little preface to this week. Tuesday before Christmas The mission organization which is dear to my heart posted this on Twitter "Team just added a 2nd home to their trip for next week. That brings 2010's total to 199. You know you want to be home 200! We're ready 4 U!" My thought was how cool would it be to be part of this 200th house. But I didn't think it was going to be possible. But God is good! Soooo Good! The next morning I get a DM that was simple "call me ASAP" and gave me a number to call. It was my friend Shane Spears. Someone had donated the money needed for this 200th house now he just needed to come up with the team to do it. I was already heading to Juarez to build with another team but I was willing to go wherever I was needed.

Ok so here we start its Sunday Dec. 26th and I'm headed to El Paso with a good friend and a new friend. Kyle and Hope respectively. After taking a wrong turn we finally made it to El Paso in about 8 hours instead of the 6 we had originally planned on. But all is well. we were in El Paso and they had a team to join in the morning so we grabbed dinner and went to bed.

Monday we begin the day having to wait for keys to a vehicle so we can cross over and meet the Casas Rep for their team in Mexico. Makes us about 40 minutes late but thats ok. We get the slab poured, wood cut, walls built and now its time for me to say goodbye to my friends and head back to the states. That evening I got to meet all the guys that I'm building with, most of them I had met this summer because they were Interns but there were a couple more that none of us had met but we all soon became friends. Also that night I was able to hang out with a bunch of girls that I had built with over spring break. I call them my Olivet girls or K'State girls. This was the team I was suppose to be building with.

Tuesday we were up early before bright thought about showing itself. This was a day that God showed himself in so many ways that I just hope I can do it justice. Aside from all the ragging that the boys were giving me it was a really chill group. Hard workers and a fun bunch. We arrive at our site and what do we find? How about we go with what we don't find, like 12ft boards and a door to start. So we make a call and are told that the confused our build date with a team that is coming on the 30th but we will have some shortly. So we sift sand and cut all our other boards everything that we can do before laying the frame. When we finished that and still didn't have our 12 ft boards we decided to borrow boards from the Kstate team. Our cement truck wound up being an hour and a half late. So I was able to assist the wildcats with their slab. A blessing of our truck being late there was so much extra that we were able to help our single moms parents pour some of their floor that they are working on for more rooms in their home that had been volcanoing all day but we were able to give them what was left over which was about an 8x8 floor. We finished our slab and then called it a night.

Wednesday we again start the day of early and have the walls up black boarded, top row of Chicken wire and electrical done by 10. Like I said we had a very hard working and good team. The family then brought us out donuts and coffee. After getting the roof up I made it over to the Wildcats site to see how they were doing and help them out a little if necessary. They were a little short in the height and strength department. So I helped them get the roof up then returned to my build. Sheetrock goes up and the day is over. So at this point all we have left is a few pieces of sheet rock, electrical outlets and stucco. As we are preparing to leave the family informs us that they have cooked us dinner. So we called the The wildcats and told them they could have our dinner we had ordered and we would pay for it. trust me they were ok with it. Josues is some of the best you can get in Juarez.

Last day was a breeze we were finished had our tools put up and began dedication by noon it was a great feeling being able to be a past of a family receiving keys to their new home and the Love of jesus being bestowed upon them. After again having donuts and coffee again that morning and then Asado in Celebration for lunch heres a little something for you to look at. Just don't drool on your keyboard.

I know amazing right! Looking at the pictures and I can taste it all over again.

After the amazing lunch a few of us went and helped the other team do the finishing touches on their house and hung out with them that night staying at Verdad Y Vida (Truth and Life) with the wildcats. This was a fun experience playing Signs for 3 hours and only stopping because it was late and we had an early morning to come. Also getting snowed on while running to the Del Rio to get a propane tank was a new and fun experience.

New years Eve I got the privilege to join the wildcats in their house dedication. This was an experience i don't think I will ever forget. I have been a part of dedications where laying hands on the house occurs and even lots of prayer occurs. But this pastor took it up a notch. Placing oil on everyones hands then having us lay hands on the wall. He said the oil was the holy spirit protecting this new home from unwanted spirits he then went around in the circle and laid a hand upon each team member praying for them individually as well as praying for the individuals and families that were a part in raising the funds for the team.

This was an amazing week that ended with all of us hanging out in El Paso on New Years eve. Lots of friends were made and relationships built. I can only hope that I am able to run across this great group of people again.

As I close this post full of rambling I leave you with this scripture one that many people have heard

Psalms 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds the house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good"