Creed

We're Just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle

Bears 39, Saints 14
Colts 38, Patriots 34

Oh yes baby, Bears/Colts Super Bowl!!! I really don't have much to say about it. I'm just happy the Bears are back to do the "Super Bowl Shuffle"! Oh yeah, watch out Colts, the Terror of the Midwest is coming for you!

Two Weeks 'til Showtime!!!

Good luck Bears!

Bears followed by the Cubs?

Bye Bye Beautiful

Gimme A Break...

There are some things in life that I will be taking a break from. I'm gonna take a break from youth ministry. At first, it was hard, giving up something I've had a passion for since high school, but then I felt that it was time to strengthen my heart, to better prepare my self for this work. Now I feel a bit of both, not wanting to sit aside, but also wanting more from sitting aside. I love working with the youth, spending time with the guys from the group, one-on-one conversations, prayer and just loving these guys.

Being a youth leader, I have many strengths, one being how well I can connect with students, listening to them, loving them, prayer and compassion, reaching out and just having fun with them, connecting on a spiritual level. However, there are weaknesses that pull me down. One being frustration. Satan really attacks and uses my frustrations to bring out unhealthy attitudes. Although those times are few, its those times that students or other leaders may see something that isn't a healthy leadership. I really hate myself at times like those.

Now sitting aside and getting involved elsewhere, like a ministry with my peers, I feel that when I do return to youth ministry, that all my strengths will be there and more. Surrounding myself with college age ministry will bring forth more accountability and more peer-to-peer relationships. Having more accountability relationships may help with my frustrations and poor attitudes, along with other day-to-day struggles that I encounter. I do understand that it is God, who will help me with my struggles, but it is God who will be providing me with the right group of accountability friends that will care about me and love me. God is awesome! I can't wait to see how it all goes and what happens in the months to come.

Also, sitting aside from leadership, I'll find a more direct path of what God has in store for my life. I already feel God calling me to work with the youth. I have the passion, but what exactly does working with youth mean? Am I to be a small group leader? A youth leader connector? Am I to be a Sunday school teacher? A youth pastor? A youth camp counselor? Woship leader? If any of these things, what age? Jr. High? Senior high? 7th grade? 11th grade? Am I to even work with my home church? Or am I to travel half way across country to work with another youth ministry? I feel the call, but maybe I made the mistake of just jumping right into being a small group leader. Jumping into what felt right, verses what God say's is right. What is God's plan for me with youth ministry? I'll be feeding on this, diving deeper in his word, spending more time in prayer and just listening. To make God the main focus of my life, He is gonna to great things and point me to where, how, and who I'll be doing ministry with.

Another area I feel God has called me to, is missions. Wow, do I have a passion for missions work! I've seen God do pretty amazing things during mission trips. When I went on my first over seas mission trip to Peru in June of 2001, I have never seen God work like what He did the week I was down there. I know it was culture shock and everything, but the moment we walk into the church we were gonna be working with and meeting the people, I had this feeling inside that I've never felt before, my heart just broke for these people. I've never loved so much! Standing around, looking at all the this 3rd world poverty, a passion was filling me. "It is true that down in Peru(ville) that the Chunk's heart grew 7 sizes that day!" The first church service(while we were there it was during a celebration week and they had a service each night) our mission's team all stood up front and I'll always remember what happened next. Every member of that church(the small and the tall) formed a huge line and walked through welcoming us with love, hugging and kissing us, telling us "thank you" for coming down. There were probably around a hundred and everyone was so happy. Wow, I hated myself for what I was, a selfish American, so worried about what I needed and didn't need in life and then coming down to people who had nothing, but just filled with the love of Christ...I will continue this story later!

Wow, I just feel like writing about my first mission experience and I think I should continue, but the main purpose of entry was to let you know what's going on in my life right now and that it is best for me to just take a break from youth ministry and build more confidence and focuss for what God has planned for me in youth ministry and missions. Be in prayer for my life!

Thank you and Bye Bye Beautiful!

Who let the dogs In?

So today, I was at the local supermarket and this old lady comes up to me and says something like, "There is a big dog walking through some of the aisles in the back of the store." I kind of laughed, but then I looked back and sure enough there was this German Shepherd just walking around as if it were just peacefully shopping for eggs or something. Being the hero I am, it was my job to get him out. I noticed the tag on him as we walked out of the store together. I couldn't find his owner, so I went back in and we called the police to come and get the dog. The dog however, just kept walking in and out of the doors. It was kind of funny. He would just stand and wait for the automatic door to open and then he would come in and come in and then he would walk around the front and then he would stand and wait for the door to open to go back outside. The police finally came and picked him up. It was sad to see our new friend leave. Turns out, some guy had his dog in a pickup truck and had the back window slid open a little bit. The dog opened the window and got out to venture into the store to find his owner. Though, I don't know why the guy didn't see his dog in the store, but oh well, its a story for me to tell.

So yeah...

Bye Bye Beautiful

"Is there a Dr. In the House?"

Ok, I'm gonna write about something that's really been bothering me lately. Ok, I don't mean to complain or anything, but this is something I do not understand and I do speak for a few others out there who share this same love as me. Maybe someone can help us out and maybe explain to me why the world is like this. Do we deserve to suffer? Is it a punishment? Why? Why? Why? Ok, you are probably lost, but that's ok. Here, let me just throw it out...

Ok, this is something I've noticed for a long time and now is the time for answers! HOW COME EVERY TIME THERE IS SOME SORT OF PARTY OR GATHERING OR YOUTH EVENT, YOU CAN'T FIND DR. PEPPER? Well, actually you can find Dr. Pepper, but it is Dr. Pepper with cherry/vanilla or Dr. Pepper berries'n cream. Including diets of both. Seriously though, why not just regular Dr. Pepper? is it a sin? What's the deal? Is it that hard to just go along and get the ORIGINAL flavor, the "23" itself? Now I am speaking for a lot of Dr. Pepper fans who sit and ask the same question. Is it so hard? Why the others? More people like Dr. Pepper than the other flavors!

Take a look at this little segment...

Justin Blackwood: Hey kid, I'm glad you can show up to my party! Would you like something to drink?

Kid: (excited)Yeah, that would be great! Do you have any Dr. Pepper?

Justin: (blank look on face) Dr. Pepper? Like just regular Dr. Pepper?

Kid: Yeah, but if you just have Diet Dr. Pepper, that's good too.

Justin: Um, well we don't have either of those, but we do have Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper, Sour Apple Dr. Pepper, Chocolate Dr. Pepper with Caramel. Dr. Pepper 1, Dr. Salt-n-Pepper, The Red Hot Chilli Dr. Peppers, and Dr. Pepper Lime. Would you like any of those? We have them all in Diet too!

Kid: (walking out the door)

Ok, so its probably not like that. I mean its just odd to see all the pop choices and you've got your usual Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Coke and then you look for Dr. Pepper and its not there unless its in a pink or purple box and with berries on it. Those flavors are just not right! It's like if you were going to watch Saved By the Bell on DVD and all the selections were Saved by the Bell: The College Years or Saved by the Bell: The New Generation or whatever it's called. I mean, who does that? Why not just Saved By the bell? The ones with Zack and Screetch and the rest in their original series? Is that a good example? So yeah... Ok, I'm not saying that I don't like Pepsi or Mountain Dew, cause I do and I drink a lot of Dew, but maybe the Mountain Dew people can suffer next time, when the only selections is are Diet Caffeine free Mountain Dew or Mountain Dew Pitch Black! But yeah, thats how I feel! Next time, I'm bringing the pop...bringing the Dr. Pepper to the ones who feel the pain of not being able to drink less than 25 flavors. Kid, i'm talking to you!

Ok, this was my venting post about how things should not be! Ok, I don't want you to read this and think, "Wow, he is mad!" No, this was a for fun post, maybe I'll get some answers, maybe not. But seriously, it doesn't really make sense just leaving out regular Dr. Pepper! But yeah...whatever!! Have fun!!! Later!!!

Bye Bye Beautiful