1000 in 2016

Alicia and I have made it our goal to walk, run, hike, and bike 1000 miles in 2016. These miles are outside of our normal daily activities. We decided that not only do we want to do these miles but we want to get people involved with us. I have a horrible time staying disciplined with my running so we are asking people to sponsor us as we go on this journey. .10 cents a mile is what we are asking. That totals out to $100.00 for the year per person donating. We will keep everyone posted on the Facebook page as to as where we are in the grand scheme of things as well as letting people know who we choose to donate the money that we raised at the end of the year. Knowing that I have people following my progress and that every mile is a little more that we will be able to help an organization. We haven't decided who but we do know that we want it to be a local non-profit that helps the community. We are setting a goal of $1000 between the two of us. If you would like to support us you can message either of us on Facebook, email or call or text. Not all of our activities will be together but a lot of it will be so don't be surprised if our milage doesn't equal out everyday.

Hope to have you join us in this Crazy adventure. Here is to 2016!

Congress

Its funny to me, all the people who watch the news and think that there isn't a political agenda one way or the other. There are some News Channels far left and others that are far right. There is no station in the US that is in the middle. Its just the truth. Sorry Jack.

My question for you is with our national debt being absolutely ridiculous to the point that we are about to default on a loan and (in my opinion) near the point that Germany was at when US Loans to rebuild after WWI stopped. Germany as well as many other countries were crushed for years after that some all the way to the end of WWII. Yet with all this debt Our Congress decided it was OK to give themselves a raise. Are you kidding me? What did they do that deserved a raise? What did they even do that is worthy of them keeping their job? Before giving themselves a 1.1% raise they were making 174,000 a year. In 2012 The house of representatives was in session 153. That is approximately 1137 US dollars a day. If they work an 8 hour day they are making $142 an hour. Absolutely ridiculous. I think that until they start listening to what the people want, they eliminate our debt and get some money in the bank then they need to have their pay cut by 50% along with eliminating the ability to write stuff off as business expense. They currently make about 4 times what the average Citizen does and they work less then half of the year. The President gets a 400,000 dollar salary 50,000 expense account 100,000 nontaxable travel account and a 19,000 entertainment budget, along with free housing while president. After he is no longer president he receives the same pay as the presidents cabinet (currently 199,700) a year until his death. Both have private security provided by the secret service. I think that we should cut the pay of the cabinet in half as well as entirely remove the pay of former Presidents. Unfortunately in todays society I think the security is a necessary thing. 435 representatives in the house of Reps, 100 senators. Cutting their pay in half prior to their raise would save the Country 46.5 million dollars a year. Now when you owe trillions of dollars 46.5 million don't seem like much but I bet you that they would be way more motivated to get the debt taken care of if you also but a clause that says every term pay will decrease 1% until the debt is eliminated or they make below the national average.

I say all that to say this. Congress needs to put the important things in front and quit screwing over future generations with their greed.

Prophetic Pictures

At our last leaders meeting we had Prophetic ministry. A tool that they is used to help you hear the holy spirit is to look at pictures and ask the Lord to speak to you what these pictures are saying. I feel like this is something I am suppose to share. 

 "I am leading you on a path never before traveled, you are creating the road for others to follow. Looking directly behind, you are worried that its not set, solid, I'm giving you room to make mistakes look back farther, its solid. Be confident, you have no path you are suppose to follow because you are the leader."

"Even in the shark infested waters you can have peace in Me. Don't worry about the things out of your control, but know that everything is in My control"

Saying Goodbye

Crazy how things happen in Circles 3 years ago I said goodbye to me best friend as he headed off to College Station knowing I would see him when he came home for holidays and such and it was only a nine hour drive to go see him so a weekend get away was no big deal. But this morning I said goodbye as he makes his way to Rhode Island to begin OCS (Officer Canidate School) for the Navy. Yet another one of my friends growing up and living out the life that God has called them to. This time instead of a days drive a way its a half days flight to see him. Rhode Island for 12 weeks then Pensacola Florida after that. I may have to Rack up some frequent flyer miles over the summer. Its going to be weird knowing that I can't just go see him on a whim and he wont be here on all the holidays like he has been. The last couple weeks was real nice seeing him on a regular basis and it got real comfortable. Its going to take some readjusting to not just be able to call him up and say lets meet up and grab some coffee. But I know that we will stay in touch and I know that this is exactly where God has called him so there is comfort in that. Its never easy saying goodbye when you don't know the next time you will get to say hello and that seems to be something I am doing more and more often. I guess I better start working on my penmanship cause the next few weeks there are going to be a lot of letter writing. It will be nice to have something other then  Junkmail to pull out of the mail.

The Girl

Sometimes your words blow me away
They show a women who's hurting, opposite of what you portray
You are beautiful both inside and out
of this, I have no doubt
Sometimes I wonder if there is the slightest chance
That you would give me more than just a glance
There is so much more I want to say but I'll leave that for another day


Heres to hoping to know you the rest of my life
One day I hope to call you my wife

The Reedemer

So many things to say
So many Prayers to pray
Yet I keep it bottled inside
Trying to hide
The hurt and the pain
Sometimes drives me insane
Those tears I cry
While I'm asking God why
Knowing he has a greater plan
Because I am only a man
He wants me chasing the stars
Instead of smoky filled bars
He is The Redeemer
And wants me to be a dreamer
So I sit and write
Let these thoughts take flight
It eases the pain
It calms my brain.

Looking back so I can look forward

New Years Eve I began thinking about where I was this time last year and where I thought I was headed.

I was in El Paso just finishing up a mission trip with Casas por Cristo About to head back to Amarillo to start working at the Credit Union and had just been laid off from Trinity. I figured that by the end of the year I would be only a semester or 2 away from a Bachelors degree in Education and start looking for a teaching coaching position ready to "grow up" and be an adult. Instead I'm working at Palace Coffee Company getting ready to Coach my second season of High School Baseball trying to figure out if college is really for me. If teaching is a school setting is really the call on my life and really just where the hell do I want to do for the rest of my life. I have said this before and it really is the only thing that keeps me from worrying about what I might look like to others, being a 24 year old who doesn't have a full time job and still lives at home. I'm not a normal person in society I think if you know me thats not really all that hard to believe. I don't have normal goals or dreams but in my opinion my goals and dreams in life are pretty simple I want to be a Good husband who cares for his wife and spends time with her and truly lets her know how important she is not only to me but to God. I want to be a father I want to be able to support them in their dreams and help them be or do whatever it is that they have in their heart. and the only other thing is I want to be happy. Whatever I'm doing and whoever I'm doing it with I want to be happy.

Its a new year and everyone is making their New Years Resolutions that everyone gives up on in about 3 months. I saw a friend post something this morning that is more my kinda style and I think its how I'm going to roll. Not making a new years Resolution but going to make a 2012 bucket list.

Travel to a State I haven't been to
Run 600 miles
Run 3 half Marathons
Run 1 full Marathon
Read Atleast 1 book a month
Learn to play guitar

To all of you making resolutions or bucket list for 2012 Good luck and find a way to keep yourself accountable whether it be a person or thing. Set milestone goals to help keep you on track.

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.