Buddy's blog

Solo De Gloria

2009-07-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

And now some thoughts on some weeknesses that I have...(I know it's hard to believe all of you who thought I could do no wrong :) ) Well, as most of you know, I enjoy doing a lot of things for other people. I am a creative minded person who would just about do anything for anyone. A lot of the things that I do are things that people praise me for...for those of you that know me, I do NOT know how to take a compliment. I brush it off saying that it's not that great or just kind of give back a shy thank you, and brush it off like it was nothing...well, I was listening to the radio tonight, and another song came on that made me start thinking on my way home from work, so, here are my thoughts on what is going through my mind right now...

Can you take me by the hand

Can you use me as I am

Break me into who you want me to be

When the time is finally right

You will open up my eyes
Show me everything you want me to see
This life is not my own

Chorus:
To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for you

The glory is yours alone
Yours alone Take the offering
I bring You want more than what I sing
Can I give you every part of me

Turn these pennies into gold
Take this life I call my own
Until I'm running after your heart
I'm needing to let go

We will rise and we will fall
But you remain after all
You're glorious and beautiful You're beautiful

Aaron Shust was on the radio this evening talking about this song, and how it got it's origin...aparently, Bach, Handle, and some other famous composers would end their scores of music with the letters S.D.G "Solo De Gloria" (To God Alone) meaning that wether they were writing that song for the king, for a church service, or to make money, they were giving the credit to God because He is the one who gave them the talent and everything they do should be to His glory.

Well, I got to thinking (scary!!) You know, so often, at least I know for me, I don't like taking compliments because I feel like I would be stroking my own ego, and I don't want to do that. Although, I do like to hear that people enjoyed what I did, I don't like to show that I enjoy it. When I heard this song on the Radio, I was thinking, how often do I just brush off the compliments because I want to make myself look humble, which in turn makes me feel better about myself? The thing I do, the talents that I have were given to me for a reason, and I realize that a lot of the time, I do not give the glory to God. I want to keep it all to myself, and affirm myself with the compliments that people give me.

So often, we get caught up in just wanting to be accepted and affirmed by others when we do things that we do not even realize that we are taking the glory away from God, who gave us the gifts that we use, in order to affirm ourselves in what we do. I do believe that God uses these times in our lives to show us exactly what our lives are not about...ourselves! When we learn that we are wholy here for His purpose, and begin to use our talents in exactly the way that He wants us to, and to give Him the glory for everything we say and do, life finaly begins to make sense. I never thought about how I rob God of the glory when I deny compliments by others. There is a fine line of receiving praise and keeping it to ourselves, and receiving the praise and giving the glory to God. I have struggled with it, and I'm sure you have too, but when I heard this song, I just started thinking about how often we can rob God of His praise and we don't even realize it. I hope that this makes sense, and that it will challenge you to in everything you say and do, give ALL glory to God, for He is the one who has blessed you!

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him givern diligently, if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Romans 12:6-8

I don't want to go through the motions!

2009-07-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have had an interesting few months. As it has been over a year since I have blogged, I figured I would try to get back into it because I feel like I should share how I feel because you never know who might read this that it might help, so here we go, hopefully I will be more up to date with things and not let another year go by!

Over the past couple years I have gone through a lot with my friends, I have had some move to North Carolina and stay, and some move, and come back. Each of them has tought me some amazing life lessons that I have been able to learn and grow from, but I have also had one friend who did not move, and through it all, we have grown to be best friends! He has challenged me, encouraged me, and helped me through many tough times and helped form me into the man I am today. We got into an argument the other day over some stuff, and some things that he said to me got me thinking about a lot of stuff! On my way home a song came on the radio by Matthew West called "The Motions" I have pasted the lyrics below... I encourage you to read through them and let them sink in, there's a lot of meaning in there.

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions)
take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)
take me all the way (through the motions)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions

The motions, how often do we get caught up in them. We have come to expect so much in our lives, and want all these grandious things, that even just the "menial" things in our lives are overlooked and just completely ignored. A recent episode that happened that got me thinking about things was at Vacation Bible School. One night we had some major air conditioning problems (an underground pipe broke at church) the A/C was down one night during rehersal, and it was a little warm in the room (ok, it was hot!) and I am sitting in the back of the room listening to everyone complain about how hot it was. After sitting in the back of the room all week and continually watching kids come back each night for salvation, it is always a good eye openier as to why we do what we do...but I am sitting there listening to everyone and getting frustrated because it's not our comfort that we are there for. it could be a sauna in that room, and if one child that night receive Christ, it is all worth it! It made me think about all of the comforts that we have grown used to and how often we are not willing to step out of our comfort zone, and if we do, we whine and complain about it, but it could be in that moment of uncomfort for us that the Lord is able to use us the most.

But it is so often that we all overlook the little things in life, and we jsut wake up, go to work, go to church, talk to our normal people, come home, spend time with the family....you get what I mean, it's our daily routine that we do, or our weekend routine, or our church routine. How great would things be if we just got back to the basics and appreciated the little things in life? How many of us wake up in the morning and just thank the Lord for sustaining us through the night? How many of us see our friends, and thank the Lord for even letting us be a part of each others lives? How about the air conditioning that we just expect to always work? Our jobs? Our very breath? It seems like little stuff, but we have all built up our lives into what we think that they should be and what we want them to be, but what does GOD want them to be? I know for me, I am laying here in bed on my laptop typing on my high speed interenet in the comfort of my home, protected from the elements outside...yes, I have been beyond blessed with these things, and I so too often overlook it all in my life and don't thank the Lord for what he has done for me near often as I should! How great would it be if we could all get out of the rut of we consider how our lives should be and just appreciate the little things that we have? Forget the plans that WE have for our lives, and focus on the plans GOD has for us! I don't know if this might mean anything to you, but I know when I got to thinking about life and how short it is, and how blessed we are, what if we stepped out of our comfort zone, tell that cashier that God loves them, tell that person sitting on the sidewalk that there is hope for them in God, show our own friends through our actions that God can work everything our for His good if we let Him use us! We all have so much possiblities, but not many of us want to slump down to the simplicity of the matters that God can use us best in, we all want so much better, even when it comes to showing God's love, we think that we deserve better people, better situations to show God's love to others...but what if we slumped? Knowing that we ARE the least of these, we are above no one...God could do such awesome things through us all!

There are my thoughts for tonight, I'm sure I'll have more because I just heard another song that I liked....I'll save that for another night :) I hope my friend reads this knowing who they are and hope they realize how much of a blessing they are in my life, and how much they mean to me, and have helped me!! You're the best! And to the rest of you, I know I might always say it, but I hope that I will start showing it more, but you are all such a blessing in my life, and each of you in your own way has helped me grow into who I am today! One of God's greatest blessings (as far as I'm concerned) is the gift of friendship...life was not mean to be gone through alone, but with friends who will help you through the good and the tough times in life!! Thank you all!!

BLOGGING & ME

2008-05-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I have determined that there is just not enough time in the day!! I try to find stuff to blog about, but when I finaly have something, there is just not enough time to sit down and put it into words....so, here's a sum up of probably the past month...

My parents made it back safely from China. They went on an Awana Vision trip with Awana Clubs International...very cool! They were even kind enough to bring me back an authentic set of chopsticks!! I was VERY excited about those....chopsticks mesmerize me, and the people that can use them without a problem are my heros! (I know, small potential in life for me!!)

Also, while they were gone, I added a new member to my family...Trigger. He is the CUTEST little guy that anyone has ever laid eyes on! When I got him from the Humane Society, he weighed a whopping 4.5 pounds! Now, after only a few weeks he has trippled his weight and weighs about 13 pounds now. The guy at the Humane Society said that he was small and the thought he would only get to be about 30-40 pounds, but now that he has been properly fed and all, his paws are starting to grow, and he is going to be a mamouth!! I guess the day before I went in, he was picked up out in Lehigh as a stray dog that someone saw on the side of the road. You could tell that he had not been taken care of as all he was was skin and bones! I felt so bad for him, that I had to take him home! So, here are some pictures of him...I'm sure I'll be posting more as he grows!

I am still waiting to post about the family pictures because I have not recieved the finals yet...soon enough.

I think that is it for the exciting things going on in my life...I have to go clean the house now as David and I are going to be watching the Indiana Jones Trilogy tonight in preparation for going to see the new one! Woot! Hope you all have a great day (I guess for whoever still reads this!)

THE DAY WE CAME HOME

HANGING OUT WITH UNCLE DAVEY IN THE SOUND BOOTH ON SUNDAY MORNING

TAKIN A NAP AFTER A LONG TIME OF PLAYING

I DON'T REALLY LIKE PHOTOS...BUT LOOK HOW BIG I'VE GOTTEN!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

2008-04-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

Well, my family had pictures done last Friday, per my request....why? I don't know? My parents are getting ready to head over seas for China tomorrow, and well, when they told me they were going, I thought that it would be a good idea to get family pictures taken. The last time we had them taken, I was I think in Kindergarten, and it was for a church directory picture...WOW, how we all have changed!! I just have one proof now, but I will blog more about the time when I have the others, and can put pictures with stories.

Let me tell you, it was one of the most fun times that I have had in a long time! I love my family, and yes, even though they get on my nerves, I am glad that we are all still here together! We had the best time just laughing and hanging out, and poor Alison (our photographer) I thought she was going to get sick of us talking so much, but she was wonderful!! I can't wait to see how all of the others turned out, but I won't get to see that for another week or so....in the mean time, I encourage all of you, if you don't get family pictures done, go out and do it! It is a little pricy sometimes, but the memories that you walk away with, are far more than money can ever buy!!

Luv ya'll and I'll blog to you more later!

Oh, for those of you who might not know.....

Russ (dad), Dianne (mom), Kaitlyn (brother's girlfriend), Jason, (brother) & Me

LIFE IS A CRAZY HIGHWAY!! THANK GOODNESS FOR FRIENDS!

2008-04-11T21:49:00.001-07:00

Well, since I have not blogged in about 6 weeks, I guess that it is time to fill in all of those avid readers that are just dying to know about my life right now!! (TINA!! :) )

Here's my big shout out to my two besties on their engagement....CONGRATS!!!

So, the transformed conference was AMAZING!!! Getting to hear Ray Comfort, Todd Friel, and Kirk Cameron speak...WOW!! they all have amazing books out, and I strongly encourage you to check them out with The Way of the Master. If you weren't there, you missed such an AWESOME conference!!

Let's see, what else is going on in life.....

Well, as always, I am continualy astounded at how God continues to move in my life! As he continues to change the plans of my life, I just continue to walk and follow where He wants me! As I have bragged about me getting out of Fort Myers, and moving to North Carolina, God has been laughing at me the whole time as He has shown me that I am to stay put in Fort Myers for a while. Who knows, maybe sometime down the road, I will be moving to North Carolina, but for now I am going to enjoy Florida for a little bit longer. I am in the process of trying to purchase a house (and let me tell you how fun that is when you have no job!!!) We shall see the doors that God opens up in this HUGE area of my life...I will keep you updated more on that as time goes on.

OH, I almost forgot about the most amazing thing in the world that one of my friends showed me...GEO CACHING!!!! It is so much for to do with your friends and family!! If you have never tried it, I would encourage you to... http://www.geocaching.com/ It is like a world wide scavenger hunt, and it is so much fun!!! DO IT!! (Thanks Kathy!!!)

Well, I don't know how much more I have going on in my life right now, it is pretty hum drum...I am still jobless, so if anybody out there knows of a place that is hiring, please let me know!! I NEED A JOB BADLY!!! I'm actualy begining to get bored with being unemployed....who would have ever thought?? So, I just want to thank you to all of my devoted readers that continualy check up on me to see what is new, and I must apologize for neglecting your noseiness for so long :) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I will post hopefully Monday about a house status....I will also let you all know where I am registered for house warming gifts ;) Oh, you can all come over and help paint too!! I think that is it for now, I'm sorry it is not an in depth blog, but it is now 1:00 in the morning, and I have been going all day, so, yeah, I will get back with you all again VERY soon!! I promise!!!

Luv ya'll

TRANSFORMED CONFERENCE

2008-03-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to attend the Transformed conference put on by Way of the Master....there will be more information to come....

WHO ARE YOU?

2008-02-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, so obviously people are reading my blog, and me being the nosey person that I am, am curious to know who is reading this...so if ya would, just leave me a message....I just find it funny that people actualy read this!

Thanks!

Have an awesome weekend!

YOU'RE GOING TO DIE....HAVE YOU REALLY LIVED?

2008-02-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

I was talking with a friend the other day, and we got into a deep conversation (I didn't like it because I am a very small thinker!) but we were talking about life, and being able to live it to the fullest. The quote "Everybody dies, but not everybody truly lives" came up. This just brought the conversation down to a whole other level. It got us both thinking about everything. We are both in our 20's and if you do the math, if the average man is supposed to live around 80 years, then we are a 1/4 of the way to death. If the next 20 years go by as fast as the past 20 years, then we'll be 40 by tomorrow (now for those of you trying to figure that one out, it's only a figure of speech) then we are half way done with our lives. NOW, that is ONLY if God allows you to take the next 60 years worth of breaths. We are not promised anything past right now! We talked about all of the things back in school that we were afraid to do, but now we are regretting not taking the chances on the simple things in life. Then it got me to thinking, how many things has God put right in front of me, and He is just asking me to take a leap and to trust Him, but I am too scared to. I'm too afraid of that thing called "failure". This brought on another good topic that I have not thought much about.

What is failure? According to man, failure is not reaching the goal that we have set. But, what is failure to God? I do believe that what man views as failure, is just God pushing us to where He wants us to be, and helping build us what He wants us to be. A lot of times it is hard to get past that we might fail at what we try to do, but if we fail, it is God's will, if we succeed it is God's will. Now, understand, we are not to just go and do whatever we want and take us failing lightly. Failure in God's will is after careful council, and much guidance from Him. Maybe it's time to take that leap of faith that we know God is calling us to, put the word FAILURE out of our minds, and just follow. Are we going to regret tomorrow the decision that we made today? Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow! If this was your last breath, what are you going to regret not saying, what are you going to regret not doing? Don't live with regrets, live life for all that it's worth. We are often blinded by the things of man, bills, houses, jobs, everything we feel tied down by, but there is so much more, if we just let go and trust, we can live a life that we never thought we possibly could. Is it going to be filled with glitz and glamour? Maybe not, but what is God going to say to you when you get to the foot of His throne? "Well done thy good and faithful servent!" or "Why did you pass this opportunity by?" Just another challenge for you, tell those that you love, "I love you!" Tell your friends "Thank you!" and don't be afraid to show the love of Jesus to everyone around you.

THIS IS YOUR LAST BREATH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO or NOT GOING TO REGRET?

On a softer note, I just want to thank all of you that have continued to pray for me as I go through some big life decisions and such, your prayers have been heard, and felt! I have gotten another job offer doing some faux painting with Connie (the lady that does the painting for McGregor's Pageant set) in some huge houses! Painting is not exactly what I want my career path to lead on, but I know that it is God continuing to lay a job in my path, and who knows where it will lead, I will follow! So, I just wanted to say thank you for your prayers!! I love you all! (Even though I'm not sure who all reads this, I do love you!)

THE STORY OF LIFE

2008-02-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

I just got this book "The Ransomed Heart" by John Eldredge. It is a collection of Devotional readings from some of his most popular books. I have only read the first devotion in it, but what an awesome one it was for me as I continue to seek what God wants for my life. I know that God is calling me to something greater, but with something this big, I want a clear plan of what my life is going to become and why I am going to be going. This devotion was talking about how life is like a story. There is no pattern to it, it's not a cookie cutter, and it doesn't come at you like a math problem. Each day, a new paragraph begins when we wake up, and until we make the next move, we don't know what the next sentence is going to be. Sometimes the next sentence we know is going to be a scary one, and sometimes we know that it is going to be a happy one, but until we move, we are not going to find out what it is going to be. When we read a book, we often wonder what is going to happen at the end of the story, but we trust the author and we read all the way through the book to get to the end. The same applies in life, we all think that if we knew the end of our story, how, and when it was going to end, it would make life so much easier to live, we wouldn't regret things as much, we would get out and do today what we have planned for tomorrow. But, just like the author of the book, we have to trust the author of our life, and know that whatever the outcome is, that it is in His perfect plan!

Sometimes it is hard for us to trust God with the silent whispers that He speaks to us in our hearts, we know we hear something, but we're not quite sure what God is saying. We need to put our full focus on Him, and follow where He leads us, we are all going to make mistakes, but as a writer relies on whiteout (or the backspace key these days) the same we have to daily rely on forgiveness, and not let the past stand in the way of our future. It is proven that the hardest person to forgive is ourselves, but we must know that God forgives us, and we need to forgive ourselves, so that God continues each day to have a clean page to continue to write the chapters of our lives. Don't live today with looking for the end of the story and how it is going to end, live today as it's your last page, and God is about to sign His name at the end of your story. Take chances, if we seek God in all decisions we make there are no wrong moves. Somethings might not work out in mans eyes, but with God, He has put us in exact places at exact times. It is up to us at that point to realize the opportunities that God has put us there, and to take advantage and step outside of our comfort zone to use those opportunites, and to give our life story a purpose.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS, NORTH CAROLINA

2008-02-13T12:32:00.001-08:00

Well, since I have been told many times lately that I have not posted a new blog since my birthday, I figured that I would please the fans, and since I have a little bit of downtime, I will go ahead and post some updates!

Over the past few months God has been revealing so much to me through many circumstances that have happened in my life....some of them have been an awesome experience and I have loved every minute of them, while others were hard choices that I had to make or some difficult circumstances. Through it all though, I can truly say that I have taken the time to look deep into the situation and try to find what God is trying to show me, and what an awesome thing when God reveals parts of the plan that He has for my life. As I've told many of you, I have outgrown Florida. North Carolina is where my heart is, and now I am just working on the stepping process in order to be able to follow God's calling and move up there! I have been thinking about going and working at Whisper Mountain Ministries for the summer, but I new with me starting a business that it would not be possible for me to be gone that long, and honestly that kind of frustrated me knowing that I knew God wanted me there, but that I would not be able to because of work. Well, so far, I have been unemployed since Christmas, and as much as I love the unemployed life, it's hard not having any money! God has continued to provide me with odd jobs here and there to continue to meet my financial needs. My parents have been on me to get a job (and I guess I can't blame them...they can't support me forever!) but I again did not see how I was going to be able to get a job and go to WMM. I spent so much time in prayer over it, and again, God has fulfilled my need with a job that will take a few months to complete, but I am able to continue to put school first, and work around my schedule. That is one of the huge major hurdles that God has gotten me over, when I thought that there was no way it was going to happen, He had it all worked out already, and continued to open the doors! So, it look like I will still be able to go and serve at Whisper Mountain for the summer! How awesome is God with the way that He works!

I'm also into much prayer (and I welcome you to join me if you like!) over a huge transition in my life with a move to NC. I have served my time here and Florida, and God is calling me to move on and move to a new location where He has huge plans for my life so that I will be able to impact people for Him! I am looking at maybe even as soon as Christmas if everything will work out with school and all that I could be packing up and be out of here! But, I am not putting all my money into that basket as I have seen that God has a funny way of chaning my plans to fit what He has planned for me. What an awesome experience gettting to reflect back on my time, and though I did not see it at the time, being able to reflect on the ways that God has moved, and the awesome things that He has done in my life!

LOOKING UP AT THE CABINS & MESS HALL FROM THE FIELD AT WMM

21 & FEELING OLD!!

2008-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

LOOK I'M 21...DON'T I LOOK SO MUCH DIFFERENT FROM BEING 20...HA HA
Well, I turned 21 today, and what an akward feeling it was not...so many people say that turning another year older or "turning a milestone in life" is so devestating, and that they feel so old...well, I don't feel so old yet, and it has not been detremental to me. Yes, it has been such an awesome day spent with family & friends and I have had the best times with lunches and dinners & just being able to be a kid again...well, except for the college classes that I had this morning.

As I look back over the past 21 years of my life, I can't believe that I am at the point that I am at now. Who would have ever thought that I would have turned out to be such an awesome guy that everyone wanted to be around and that nobody could ever get enough of....ha ha, I know that's a lie. But what an awesome life I have had. I have had so manny opportunities that most people don't have in a lifetime. A lot of times I do complain that my life is boring because I don't get to do anything...ha ha, (sorry, I know all of my blogs are all look backs on my life, but that is the fun in this, right?) no, I might not to have gotten to travel all over the world on vacation, or have enough resources to do whatever I have wanted to do, neither have I really "lived life" in mans standards...I have chosen instead to serve God by volunteering in EVERYTHING at church. It gets to the point where I have lost sight of why I do the things that I do within Special Events & the Media Team, and everything else that I have gotten into, but WOW how each of them have helped shape me into who I am today. When I sit back and look at the things of life, I have never gone without what I've needed, and I've always been able to do pretty much what I wanted to. My parents have given and sacrificed so much so that they could be sure that I was where I wanted to be so that I could help out whoever it was. God has used each stage of my life to grow me and teach me so much, although a lot of the time I will admit, I don't remember half of what He has taught me, or else I remember it too late, I thank God every day for the opportunities that He has brought to me, and the roadblocks that He has put up in front of me to test my faith, but most importantly the people that He has put into my life that help me continue to climb that mountain of life, or jump that hurdle that lies in front of me...although not all of the friendships that I have had have lasted through the years, nor have all of them been wonderful, but everything that has happened to me has shaped and molded me into the person that God wants me to be.

I am at a BIG turning point in life, and I just decided to sit down and actualy think about the past 21 years, and to just think about it all I realize how blest I have been, and awesome God has been to me. I want to challenge you to just take some time out of your day, and just sit and focus on God and ask Him to show you how blessed you are. Our daily lives are so busy and we just pass by our blessings every day, and we hope that that person knows how much we love them, we hope that person knows that we appreciate what they've done for us, we hope, we hope, we hope, and yes, a lot of times most people know, but what a blessing it is to them to actualy hear that you love them, that you appreciate them. Look back and see how God has grown you, and who He has used to mold you into who you are, and make sure to realize the many blessings that you actualy have. No, all blessings are not money, are not a huge home, are not a lot of stuff, but the true blessings are the little things and the people that God has given you to help you through life, and to help guide you in the way that He has planned for you. I know it's going to be a hard challenge for me to keep, but I am going to try my best, and I challenge you to do the same thing.

CHRISTMAS TEARDOWN

2008-01-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

This is the worst part about Christmas! I always love putting it up and coming up with new ideas on how to decorate, but I absolutely HATE tearing it down! Today is a day filled with sadness as it is time to take down all of my Christmas stuff at my house. It will be a multiday process, and boy are those days filled with pain, and joy. Glad that the rush and frustrations of the season are over, but yet sad to see everything go away! It feels like I have only gotten to see it a couple of times, and maybe that's because that's all that I have seen it because I'm always so busy with pageant and Christmas decorating everywhere else! Oh well, another year has gone by, and it's time to start thinking about next year!

Here's a few pics from the house (3 of the 135 trees this year!) Hopefuly I'll have a website soon with whole portfolios of my work so that people can view & hopefuly I'll be able to get some business off of my interior design stuff....who knows! Hope everyone had a splendid holiday season, and now it's time to get ready for 2008 to fly by so that we can be sitting here in 350 days going "where has 2008 gone?!" Yup, it's gonna fly by just like every year, so remember to relax, take it easy, and enjoy and cherish the little moments that come your way that bring you joy!

ROCKET SHIPS & FAITH

2008-01-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, so today has been filled with SO many different things....Happiness, joy, hurt, dissapointment, surprise...Today is my last day here with Rusty & Tina...at least for a little bit until I move up here! It has been a sad day in so many ways...knowing that it is going to be my last day, and that I will not see them until probably Thanksgiving! I have had such an awesome time getting to hang out with them again, and getting to spend some more time with them. Being here just makes me miss them more, I really do miss them so much (and yes Tina, I do miss the kids too!) Rusty & Tina are two awesome people! For those of you who don't know them....you're missing out on a lot! They have encouraged me in my down times, challenged me to become a better person, and just been two best friends that anyone could ask for, and I am going to miss them so much! Then there's Megan who I have had to deal with.....God bless her ministry :) No, seriously, we have had a fun time hanging out for the short time that I have been here, and I wish that I could stay longer just so that I could bug her more....but that time will come later! Today I hung out around Charlotte and just explored the town this morning while everybody was at work...it is an awesome town! Then the family went to David Busters to have a fun night of walking around the mall, bowling and just hanging out before I have to head back home. What an awesome time!!!!

Today I have also been reminded about challenges in our lives. God does not promise that life is going to be easy, but he promises to provide all of our needs according to HIS plan....and right now it is definately a truthful test of faith. I know I have always heard people talk about trials that they have gone through, and just brushed them off and thought...hm, I'm lucky to not have to go through them....and then here I am smack dab in the middle of, and realize how hard it is to see how God is going to provide what we need. Again today I am slammed in the face with the message from last night at Ridge Church about BIG PRAYER. I made one of those big prayers, and am already seeing God answer those prayers. I have made a commitment to Him, and now he has pushed me over the side of the cliff and said "Trust me!" It is not an easy thing for me to do seeing as I have no idea where my needs are going to be met, but as I look at it, what an awesome chance to be one of the people that can truthfuly say, I don't know how it is happening, but because I have put my full faith and trust in God, He is meeting my needs and supplying what I need. It could be one of the scariest things that I have to do, and I do often loose sight of it as any human being would do, but how awesome to sit and think...if I am fully trusting God, than He is going to supply what I need, no it may not be everything that I want, but He is going to supply it. So many times when we make a commitment to God, it is easy to fall off of and loose sight of our goal because Satan is right there pulling us in the opposite direction, but when you have no where to go, and no where to turn to, and it seems that you are down and out, how awesome to know that God is right there by our side saying "Reach out and take my hand, trust me and I am going to take care of you!" and how awesome to know that He is going to take care of you!

So, while we were at the mall tonight, Rusty & I found a bin of clearance cd's at the christian bookstore and one of the cd's that we found was "Space, Love, & Bull Fighting" by Havalina...I dont' know if many of you remember this group active from like 95 -05....but one of their songs was titled "Rocket Ship" I would encourage you to go and find it online for some good comic relief!

RIDGE CHURCH - A MUCH NEEDED GOD SEND

2008-01-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of wonderment! I got the chance to go and worship at Ridge Church in Charlotte, NC! My heart is truly at rest here! For quite a while I have been searching for what God would want to do with my life, and I think that I have finaly found it! Today began this morning as we went to pick up some rental trucks, and then load everything from their office and then haul it all to the senior center just to unload it and set it all up. I thought that it was going to be like when we set up Germain for Easter, just tiring, and when it was over you were just ready to home, but it was just the complete opposite! The number of volunteers that came out just to help out set up was just amazing! Although, I kept feeling that I was getting in the way because all of the people knew what they were doing, and me being the new guy kept getting in the way! Then by the end, everything was torn down, loaded back up, and put back at the office in what seemed like no time! It was a lot of hard work, but it was just so refreshing to see everybody so fired about getting to spread the gospel. Everybody there was so friendly, and you could truly tell that they wanted to be there and that they were not just going through their "church routine" but that they wanted really just wanted to be there and to be fed. So many times I have found people that have grown weary with church and that they feel like they have to go just to pay off a debt to God or because that is what God has told them to do, I know that I am guilty of being one who gets burned out and just going becaus that's what "I'm supposed to do"....but being around people who are truly passionate and on fire for God was just so refreshing, and I am so thankful that I have had this opportunity to be here!

The sermon today was about Prayer....BIG PRAYER. So many times our prayers turn into emergency calls. We only look to God to fix the things that are out of our control. Emergency room prayers are not bad, we should always have our emergency prayers, but really how BIG are our prayers? When we ask for some big thing, what is the result going to do to glorify and promote God? So many things that we ask for, it's because of something that we want for ourselves, but our wants and desires should be exhaulting Him, and so many times we miss that! I don't know quite how to put into words what the sermon meant to me, but I do encourage you to go to Ridge Church website and listen to the message, it is so powerful, and each will get their own understanding to take away!

THE LOAD UP FROM THE OFFICE

WE'RE OFF ON OUR WAY

THE FACILITY GETTIN READYMEGAN POSING LIKE SHE IS GOING TO DO SOME WORK

THE FINISHED STAGE

NEW YEAR....STILL NOT ENOUGH TIME!

2008-01-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it is now 2008, and I had thought that I would have time enough to blog everyday, but as it turns out, 2008 has not changed much from 2007! Time is still flying by faster than I can believe and it is continuing to get harder and harder to try and keep in touch with everyone that I would like to! Yesterday was filled with a nice long drive over to Charlotte NC from Robbinsville! The drive was very peaceful except for the fact that I continualy had the fact of icy roads on my mind! I had no problems though with any of the driving, and finaly got here early in the evening! I was greated by two of my favoraitest people and I was so happy to get to see them again! Rusty and Tina have realy had a huge impact on my life over the past few years that I have known them, and I am so thankful that even though they moved away that I am still able to come and visit them and spend time, even though there is never enough time for us, I am continualy reminded that it is not the long periods of time that are spent together that make the friendships that last, but instead the little moments that create who we are together that are forever engrained on our hearts that bond such awesome friends together! I have met a lot of people in my short time, and I have had many friendships that have come and gone, but there are only a few that have lasted throughout the years, and as four of those friendships have moved hundreds of miles away from me, the bond is still there, and every time I get to see them, I treasure each moment that we have! God has given each of us an aloted time here on earth. Some people will choose to lead a life that is so busy that they don't have time for friends and family. Others will lead a life where they try to provide everything that they can and to be the hero because they see a need and they want to help fulfill it, but get so caught up that friendships begin to run shallow. Yet there are some who realize that each friend that we have is a special gift that is hard to get, and even harder to loose, and they invest in the friendships and grow closer to those people. God sends us people that are going to reveal stuff to us that we did not even know about ourselves! Sometimes the good things in us are pointed out, but sometimes the bad things that are going to hurt for a while are pointed out, but each step is a growing process for us in God's grand designed planned for our lives! As I always like to be challenged, I like just as much to hand out a challenge! This year, just take the time for the family, take time for the friends, strengthen what you have, and begin to grow the seeds that God is begining to plant! If there is confusion in a friendship that is causing hurt, go figure it out...is it realy worth loosing that person? I guess, just live the moments of life as if they are your last! Last year I was reminded very painfuly of this 2 times in only 3 months as I lost two of my very close friends, never to be able to tell them how much I appreciate them again in this life! Don't let words go unspoken, or wrinkles unironed! It may hurt now, but it is better to get the hurt out and over with than to have to live a lifetime wishing you could have, and what if.....

Okay, so after my ramblings, here are some pics from the snow of yesterday in Robbinsville!

THE SNOW IS HERE!!!

2008-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

So, for an addendum to my earlier blog....the snow is here!!!! It just started snowing about 20 minutes ago, and already there is at least 3 inches of snow on the ground! It is 10:00pm and we all have been outside playing in the snow. It is hard to type because my fingers are numb from all of the snowballs! It is amazing, and we are all so excited to get to see it snow, and me being the Florida boy that I am, am loving it so much!! Here are a couple of pictures from our fun tonight, and there will be more tomorrow!!

SNOW DAY

2008-01-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome Winter!!!! Today we were greeted by a freezing cold morning with the promise of snow later on that day! When the morning came the thermometer read that it was only 30 degrees! I don't believe that it ever got above 37 all day! Today we spent another day of pretty much doing nothing. We went to the camp and played with the whole diet coke & mentos experiment for a while...which that was fun, but it was WAY too cold to be able to stand it and truly have fun! Plus, with everything pretty much frozen, the experiment did not react as well as well as we thought that it would! Then we took a ride through the mountains again because it had not yet begun to snow, so we figured that we would go and track down the snow if it was not going to come and find us! We were successful of finding just a little bit of snow and a lot of ice...oh well I guess, they promise snow tonight! I'm supposed to leave for Charlotte tomorrow some time, but they say that there is a bad snow storm coming, so I might not be able to get out of here! Plus, I'm a Florida boy, and I don't think that I want to be driving on iced roads covered in snow for long distances! I had fun the one time, but it was a small patch, and I don't think that I really want to be doing that for very long! So, I hope that I still get to get out of here to go and see Rusty & Tina, but if not, I'll be thankful for the more timet that I get to spend with Steve & Brandy!

DAVID & CHRISTIAN SETTING UP OUR EXPERIMENT

WHISPER MOUNTAIN CAMP SITE

ME & STEVE

BRANDY & ANNA WERE TOO COLD TO GET OUT OF THE TRUCK!

SNOW ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

SOME MORE OF OUR ROAD TRIP

EVEN MORE ROAD TRIP

BRANDY & I FREEZING OUR BUTTS OFF

DAVID FREEZING HIS BUTT OFF

ICE DOWN THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

LOTS OF ICICLES

DAVID EATING THE ICICLES

BRANDY WAS TOO COLD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR...SO WE TOOK ONE TO HER

IT'S THE END OF 2007 AS WE KNOW IT! AND I FEEL FINE!

2007-12-31T17:09:00.000-08:00

So, today I have been reminded why I enjoy staying on the ground so much!! Well, first, I must say how horrible the weather is here....this morning when I woke I up I had to endure the tempurture of 31 degrees! I walked outside and everything was covered in frost!! (sorry for all of you Florida people that had to endure the sweat! :) ) The weather has been so beautiful here it is going to be hard to leave and head back home whenever I do! But, back to me being on the ground, we went to do the high ropes course today at the camp, and I had forgotten about what a chicken I am when it comes to heights! It started out great as I was getting all excited about getting to do it, and then actually getting there and seeing how high it was....then the terror begins. I got all harnessed up and was very excited to go, yet still very nervous! David was just so wonderful he flew through it all like it was nothing....(he's also dumb enough to jump out of planes all the time too!) Then, it was my turn to go and fall to my death! I slowly made my way up the cargo net, and got to the top platform, and that is where it all went downhill! The 40 degree weather that was freezing my finger tips off did not help the fact that I hate heights either! I got up to the top and stood on the platform, and decided it was in my best judgement to not attempt going across the wire! So, luckily while I was freaking out, I had my brave belayer (sp?) Brandy Miller down on the ground talking some sense into me and keeping me calm! With her quick thinking and ultimate strength, she quickly guided me in the process of her letting me down to the ground safely. Of course in order to do this, I would have to put all of my trust in her and trust that she would be able to hold me as I dangled by a rope while she guided me down. Of course at the time, there was not much going through my head except to get me down, but after I was back on the ground I started thinking...I had to put all of my trust in her hands to get me down off of a 30 foot pole. That took a lot of trust! But how often do I actualy put my trust in God, and for things so much smaller! I am one that is just as guilty as others! I have become too reliable on my own understandings and my own process of doing things, that most of the time I pass by putting my trust in God. I look to see how I can accomplish my goals and see what I need to do instead of just turning my burden over to God and trusting that He is going to take care of it!

DAVID GETTING READY TO GO ON THE ROPE COURSE
ME CHICKENING OUT ON THE ROPES COURSEBRANDY - OUR HIGH ROPES TOUR GUIDE

DAVID ON THE V-SWINGBRANDY & IDAVID FLYING ACROSS THE WIRESDAVID ON THE V-SWING AGAIN

Well, today marks the last day in the calendar year of 2007! Where has this year gone? It has been filled with many exciting new adventures, new challenges, and new things to learn. As I look back over the past year I am reminded of so many things that bring back wonderful memories! From the time spent with family and friends actualy doing something productive to the times spent just having fun and making fools of ourselves! As I look back over the past 365 days, I realize that my 20th year of life has gone bye and flashed before my eyes! How short our time here on earth is, and how many things that we have to be thankful for and how often we take those things for granted until they are gone! I have had so many blessings this year and I am so thankful for everyone that has crossed my path this year and pushed me forward to become who I am today! Some of them I will never have the chance to tell them again, but I hope that they knew how much they have touched my life, and I hope that everyone else that has touched my life may know not only by my actions, but may I have told them how much they mean to me! If you are reading this, you are probably one of those people that have touched my life, and let me just say now (even though it's kinda impersonal, but it's the thought that counts!) THANK YOU!!

Wishing you all a happy, blessed, and prosperous 2008!!

A DAY OF COMPLETE NOTHINGNESS

2007-12-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Well, today was a nice day to sleep in and do nothing all day! Normaly I am up around 6:00 on Sunday mornings to get to church to sit through hours of services...but today was a nice relaxing day that I got to sleep in until about 10:00 and then just relax and hang out with Stephen, Brandy, & David! We did end up finaly watching the last Pirates of the Carribean, and then ate dinner, and now here we are getting ready to play ghetto uno again!

It was such a different Sunday for me as I don't get many days of just rest. Sometimes we get so caught up in the things of life, we get stuck in our daily & weekly routines that we don't take the time to step back and just appreciate all of the many blessings that we have! We begin to get burned out and become oblivious to the things that God is doing for us, and sometimes it takes drastic measures to make us step back and look at the grand picture of life to even gather how much we have missed, but yet how much potential God still has for us in the future! I have found that some things are shown to us in a way that we like and that we can enjoy finding, but sometimes we become so stubborn in our ways that God has to use some pretty difficult situations to turn us back around to seeking Him instead of seeking our own ways for our lives, but in everything that happens, just as the Bible says, that "all things work together for good for those who love & trust God"! The adventure that we call life is going to be rough, and it is not promised to be easy, but when we step back and look at our lives and see how small the speck our lifespance is in the scope of eternity, a lot of things are brought back into persepctive for us! As Russell Howard once said in a class that I took "How many of you know your parents first & last names, how about all of your grandparents first & last name, now how about your great grandparents...." by that time, nobody in the room could say they knew all that, to see that in only 3 generations, you have been forgotten about! So when life is looked at from that perspective, I know that I don't want to just live my life, but I want my life to make an impact!

How about you?

DAY IN KNOXVILLE

2007-12-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

So, today we journeyed on over to Knoxville, TN to spend the day having fun and going to see National Treasure 2....it was a pretty good movie, even though it's the second time I've seen it...that's okay, I was with my friends!! I also learned the powerful wonders of Damamine! We went on a road called "Dragons Tail" I guess it has like 300 turns in 11 miles....I was fully expecting for car sickness! Instead Brandy told me to get some dramamine, so I did, and OH WHAT A GLORIOUS THING!!! I enjoyed the ride all the way over without getting sick!! We also found a new hobby of taking a pengiun along with us, and taking pictures with him everywhere.....SO much fun! After our fun adventures for the day we went to Texas Roadhouse Grill...I HIGHLY recomend this restaraunt!! It was SO good, and if you get a chance to get there, go! Again, today was a pretty uneventful day except for a lot of traveling, but I still got some pictures for ya!

SICK DAY

2007-12-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

Well, today was pretty uneventful! I was going to go to the camp today and do some work, but instead I was up all night with some nasty virus that continued through the day! FUN! So, I just enjoyed some R&R and sat on the couch all day with Brandy as we watched movies and just had a fun time! Marty & Patty Paul came over tonight and we played some more ghetto uno with them....all in all, today was pretty uneventful for me, but at least I got some time just to sit and do nothing! It was really kinda sorta fun! The only pictures of today are here, just David....well....being David....except for the whole cooking dinner part!

DAVID & BRANDY COOKING DINNER

CAR SICKNESS

2007-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, another day in NC, another day to explore and spend time with friends. and let me say that the weather is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a long wild night of ghetto uno with the peeps, I was awaken by the sound of children running around upstairs (as I am sleeping in the basement) at what seemed to be like 3 in the morning, but it was probably around 9 in the morning....We got up and went and spent some time at Whisper Mountain Ministry this morning as Stephen & David tried to figure some stuff out that they are working on. Brandy and I sat and talked about the camp and how amazing it is to see the God driven vision of Marty & Patty Paul be brought to life slowly but surely with their steady and faithful following of God! Some of you know about Whisper Mountain Ministry (http://www.whispermountain.org/) but it is such an amazing series of stories of how God has just laid everything out in His perfect timing for this camp to become a reality. So many times we think that what we do, whether it be for ourselves or for the Lord, should come in the timing that we are planning on, but this camp is just a testament that God's timing is not always our own. I saw a plaque somewhere not too long ago that said "God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time" It is hard for us to remember that sometimes as we continue to get caught up in the business of life, and expect everything to happen when we want it, and when we will be able to see the results, but God does not always plan on us fulfilling His full work or something, but for us to just plant a seed in a greater design that He has in store!

DAVID AT ONE OF OUR MIDNIGHT GAMES OF GHETTO UNO
THE BEVERAGE THAT SUSTAINS US THROUGH OUR LONG NIGHTSSTEVE AT THE SAME GAME - HE'S GOT A LOT OF CARDS
After some time at the camp we headed off to go and take some hikes and drives through the mountains! I was very excited about that! I love to go hiking through the mountains (even though I am deathly alergic to poison ivy...but that doesn't stop me!) It has been a long time since I have actually ridden through the mountains in the back seat of the vehicle, and I completely forgot about me getting carsickness through the twists and turns of the mountains! Needless to say, the ride was pretty miserable, but when we would get out of the vehicle and all just go look out over the mountains and valleys that are absolutely breathtaking, it is always still just a reminder of how great our God is, and how often we continue to take everything that He has given us for granted! I, having grown up in Florida am in utter amazement of the mountains and views there, while what I have grown bored with (flat land & beaches) amaze others that come to visit Florida. As we drive to work or school every day we pass so many single miracles that have been placed right in front of us, but out daily routines have blocked out what God is using to try to speak to us. We are so time driven, and as most people, we all are running late, and don't take the time to smell the roses. The year 2007 has come and gone, and in just a few days we will start a new year. I challenge you, just as I am challenging myself to everyday just slow down and to look for the little miracles that God sends our way, they are probably not going to be as big as a mountain, or as wide as an ocean, but if we truly seek to find the things that God has given us and to truly appreciate these, our eyes will be opened to so much of the things that God has for us that we pass by every time we look around!

DAVID, CHRISTIAN, & ANNA AT ONE OF OUR STOPS

STEVE & JUDE ON OUR JOYCE KILMORE HIKEDAVID, STEVE, BRANDY & JUDE TAKING A RESTDAVID, CHRISTIAN & ROCKY TRYING TO LOOK COOL Well, it is time for us to continue our Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy marathon, so, I'm gonna go have a few laughs at that, but I will be back tomorrow with some more stuff of what's happening in my month long vacation to North Carolina!

LOTS OF FIRSTS!!!!

2007-12-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well, today I headed over to Steve & Brandy's house after getting some rest at our house in Georgia....Yes, for all of you who care, I did make it up here safely this time!!! So, it started out that I asked for a GPS system for Christmas so that I would be able to navigate around NC without having to think about looking at a map...well, I got it, and what a blast it has been!!! It works SO well!!! I LOVE IT!!! (Thanks mom & dad!!) So, I left our house in Georgia this morning to come to Steve & Brandy's, and I was following some directions mixed between the GPS and my father, so, needless to say, I ended up in who knows where! It took me over an hour longer to get to my destination, and I was not happy about this because I was very excited to get to see Steve & Brandy! The drive through the mountains that I ended up taking was absolutely BREATHTAKING!!!! Getting to see scenery of the mountains and trees for miles and miles, was absolutely amazing! I even got to have some fun when I came across a huge stretch of road that was covered in snow! Now, I'm a Florida boy, and I have never driven through snow or ice (I just started driving in the mountains this summer!) so, when my tires stared spinning, and I was moving across the road in ways that I knew that I shouldn't be, I started to be worried, but then got my grips on how to drive in it, and it was actualy kind of cool! It was awesome to get to just drive through the mountains by myself and just look across God's amazing creation and just take it all in! At home, life is so consuming and busy that I rarely take time to even slow down to look at and observe God's awesomeness!!

I encourage each of you as this busy holiday season continues, before work & school rushes back, just take the time to stop and look at God's creation and take in all of the many blessings that He has given you wether it be health, family, friends, the every day things that we all continualy overlook without even noticing that we do!

Here are some of the pictures that I stopped on the side of the road to take! I'll have more posts as this 3 week adventure continues so, be sure to check out what else has been happening!!

HERE WE GO!!

2007-12-19T18:39:00.001-08:00

Well, eveyone else is into the blogging world, so I figured that I had better stay close with everyone and get in here too! Plus, with all of my friends living so far away, I figured this could be a good way for me to keep in touch with them, and let them know what is going on in my life.

Today I begin a new journey not only of blogging, but of just sharing what God is doing in my life! I'm no philospher, and not even very good at wording what I want to say, but I know that God can use what I put here to help others, and to show me things that I did not even realize He was wanting to show me. So, hopefully people will be able to find some humor in what I post, but also that God may use it to touch lives!