To quickly catch you up on my life I am still at Valdosta State University in the middle of the second semester of my sophomore year. I am still a manager at The Mix, which is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop and putting in about 30-40 hours a week. I love my job and have been so blessed with the opportunity to grow and gain experience in the business world. Looking to the future I am planning on transferring and will be attending either the University of Alabama or the University of Georgia next year to major in Biology or Sport’s Medicine. I am very excited about the possibility of both schools and am weighing the pro’s and con’s and seeking where the Lord wants me to be. However, before that decision is made I am also making some decisions about the summer. There are two options for the summer that include Camp Winshape again or Interning for a youth group. I am a single man and enjoying spending time with old friends as well as new ones when I am not working or doing homework. My family is doing wonderful and adjusting to new phases of life as well and we are SO excited about  the addition of Alex Sickman in June, although we all count him as family already anyway.

I want to encourage you with something that I have been learning and that God has challenged me with in the past few weeks. Last Sunday morning I got up and opened my Bible to Ephesians 4 to get in the Word a little before I went to church. Ephesians 4:9-16 (which I encourage you all to go read) speaks on spiritual maturity and obtaining the “whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” These verses also address the idea that God calls some to be pastors and teachers and the huge responsibility that those callings are. That morning I went to church and Pastor David told us to open our Bibles to….yes you guess it, Ephesians 4:9-16. Isn’t that so cool how God works sometimes? These verses challenged me in a few different ways and I would like to share them with you. The first thing that this challenged me with was to be transparent. I think many of you may have fallen into the same trap that I do so often and feel like we have to pretend to have it all together. We are not called to be perfect, we are called to be genuine and honest. Yet we feel the need to have all of our lives together, rather than boasting in our weakness with full confidence that it is fulfilled with a Savior. I blame this trap partially on pride, that we don’t want to admit our faults and failures, and partially on how judgmental people can be towards us when we do confess our weaknesses. I encourage you to be real with each other; and to be gracious with each other in encouragement rather than condemnation.

The second thing I was challenged with was that it is time to me a man NOW. It is time to stop making excuses for myself because of my age, or stages of life, but it is time to be a MAN NOW. Not just a man, but I want to be a man of GOD right now. I want to grow and be spiritually mature. I to look at myself and where I will be in the future and I want to me a man of integrity, a man of character, dependable, faithful, compassionate, gracious, encouraging, and so much more. But I realized it is time to be those things NOW. Because the habits I make now and the character traits I adopt will be with me forever and I am not willing to be lukewarm or mediocre for the rest of my life. Ephesians 4 tells us to grow so then “we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching.” I looked, and all throughout the scripture I don’t find any verses that say “Well I am only 20 so its okay” or “Im supposed to have fun, its what college kids do, its what everyone is doing” maybe even “well when I am an adult and have kids ill start being honest, responsible, compassionate, etc.” WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, it is time now. We cannot make excuses for ourselves, and we need to change what is normal for our generation. I am not okay with irresponsibility, excuses, foolish talk, and spiritual immaturity being the norm for my generation. I want to grow into the Man of God that I am called to and quit making excuses for myself to be immature. We aren’t called to figure it out when we are older, or to work on it later, its now. I think we can all do BIG things, not because we are awesome, but because we serve an awesome God. I encourage you to dream a little for your campus, your church, your friends, your family, and our generation. Remember that we have a beautiful Light to share with the world, and lightness shines brightest in darkness. Believe that greater things can be accomplished, not because of who we are, but because of who He is. I pray we can understand the difference between knowing who God is and the theological makeup of His character, an KNOWING GOD.

Pastor David shared 4 gifts we have been given to grow spiritually

1) God’s Word (II Tim 3:16-17)

2) Prayer

3) Suffering (James 1:2-4)

4) Opportunities – Give up EVERYTHING and follow Him.

The third thing the Lord challenged me with in this passage was a personal call for me to prepare myself for a life of ministry. I feel the Lord leading me to seminary after I get my degree and work with children’s ministry, youth ministry, and college ministry. It may not be seminary for you, but be vigilant of ways to spread the gospel. If we aren’t doing that, then what are we here for? Do this without shame. Fear insignificance. Be significant for the Kingdom and proclaim the gospel without shame.

Thank you so much for everyone that made it through that whole thing and I appreciate so much that people still read this. I hope the Lord uses it to speak to others through me and advance the kingdom. Please pray for me as I make a couple big decisions within the next month or so. I also ask that you distribute this blog to everyone you think of! Please take this seriously as I see the Lord will use it for our good and for His glory. If i did not truly believe He would use it for HIS glory, I wouldn’t write; so please do share. Thanks so much!

Well, thanks so much for taking the time to read, or so far at least click on the link andget this far. Please finish it. Although, i do apologize because it is late and dad always tells  me to proof read these things because of multiple apparent grammar errors and typo’s. Sorry, but proof reading is not going to happen tonight. School is going good, trying to keep grades up and working hard to have the attitude of enjoying my education and being grateful for the opportunity to learn what so many people in the world will not have the chance to. I am blessed to be enrolled in college and I am working at not taking that for granted. Last time I blogged I was praying for a job and God has provided that in more ways then i imagined. I am working at a self-serve frozen yogurt shop and love it. God’s hand on my life became even more apparent when they asked me to be a manager and work 30plus hours a week. It has most definitely kept me busy, but it is a great job and I am so grateful. I have also just started dating a girl named Sara Swan. I ask for your prayers that the relationship will reek of the beautiful truths of Christ and that He will be satisfied in it. All your prayers are appreciated so much and one of the major things God has shown me lately is the power of prayer. Been very encouraged lately with a lot of answered prayers and convicted of my lack of faith when talking to the Father. All that to say thanks again for prayers!

Something else God has convicted me of lately is some of my relationships currently. I want to openly apologize to some of my friends who I have been very bad about keeping in touch with lately. There are some wonderful people in my life that have always been there and I have regretfully given them the cold shoulder. They have always been so good to me and I hope they know I appreciate that so much. All the people I went to high school with are so wonderful and I hope they know that I miss them and still care for them very much. I hate so much that I have lost touch with people due to my high standards and unfair judgements. God is teaching me that He commands us to love people. He is not commanding me to love my friends and people when it is easy. He is not telling me to love my friends when they never mess up. He is telling me to love people regardless of their faults. Regardless of their different opinions on life. Regardless of their different life choices. I do not have to agree with them, but I am called to love them regardless and that is something I have been very bad at. Loving unconditionally is a difficult task but my goal is to be better at it. Hopefully with grace from the Lord and patience from my friends it is something that I will one day be better at. I think realizing all of my own flaws, which is very very many will enable me to do this and understand that somehow they manage to deal with me regardless of my faults and I have to be better about doing the same. I am searching so desperately for a balance between loving unconditionally and boldly telling them out of love and concern that something in their life needs to change. I just get so discouraged to see people I love and value mess up but that is hardly an excuse for being childish and rude to them. Again, I am sorry. I acknowledge  my many many faults and thank you for showing grace to me for the many mistakes I have made throughout all of life. It is discouraging to read my Bible and see that I mess up so much more than I even realize in daily life; but it is healthy and necessary for growth. All to say, i understand i have so many countless mistakes in the past and continue to add to the list on a daily basis, but thanks to all for grace and patience. It is a discouraging realization but comforting to know that good friends stick around regardless of faults. That is the kind of friend I hope to one day be know as. Relationships from the past will always be a treasure and i will be more diligent in contributing to their current growth and being more understanding to strengthen those bonds.

That being said, I also am hoping to invest in new relationships. I have been praying that God would continue to provide friends to me and that I would be intentional in developing those relationships. It is a difficult task with 30plus hours of work and being a full time student around the clock, but I think it is possible and something I can be better at doing. SOOO hey, new friends that read this, make me spend time with you soon because i really do want to! Really need to get some Drew Pipkin time in too!

Thanks again to everyone that reads this, I value and appreciate you so very much. I hope it is still encouraging to you and not me just rambling about what is on my heart.

Something that I learned at camp and that God has put on my heart recently, as you saw in my last post, is love. I have learned so much about God’s love and the biblical truth of its greatness as well as its application to everyday life. I am trying to daily live out the command to love others as I have been loved. I know I talked a lot about God’s love for us and our responsibility to love others in my last blog. I’d like to extend that and share a little about what God has taught me in regards to Romantic Love. He has taught me a lot through other people as well as past experiences. This is something I enjoy, because everyone is different; but I am wired for companionship. I’m aware it is a little bit of a sensitive topic with many different opinions and idea, but bear with me people! Bear with me because it is sensitive and because when I am being honest I’d have to admit I am most likely more intrigued with love than most college aged boys. Maybe the romanticism in Andrew Bankson rubbed off on me in high school, but the idea of love is a beautiful thing.

Not too long ago I watched a Louie Giglio sermon about relationships. A perspective changing point that he made was when he posed the question, am I the person, that the person I am looking for, is looking for? I learned that I needed to stop looking for the girl and start focusing on becoming the guy. I began to evaluate the kind of girl that I wanted to be with, and if that kind of girl would want to be with a guy like me. Are you a spiritual leader? Are you capable of making decisions that will affect someone besides just you? Are you ready to be selfless and do what is best for her? Are you emotionally ready to be committed? I began to ask myself these questions, the focus quickly shifted from search mode to personal growth mode. I want to be the best I can be for the girl that I one day share a romance with, and that should be my focus (and yours)! If everyone focuses on self-improvement and being the best they can be for their future Sugar Tuna, then 1) Sugar Tuna’s would be easier to find and 2) Relationships would be healthier. I’ve realized that the problems with relationships are they they are so often for self-satisfaction. How will this help me? What do I get out of it? Yet we are so surprised when they don’t work out in the end. I believe it is essential for the mindset to shift to what we can do to help our significant other and serve them.

My parents have been married a long time, and I respect their marriage so much. My mom has the beautiful heart of a servant all the time, especially when it is not easy. She is nurturing and encouraging. She is supportive and submissive. I often read proverbs 31 as a reminder of what I want and think of my mom every time. My dad has always lead the family, he has been so far from passive and done what is best for all of us. It was not always easy ( loading up over ten houses and re-locating) but it always turned out for the best. He is the spiritual leader and is always encouraging us to be better. He appreciates mom ( ha and I know mom is laughing now, but i promise he does) and cares for her. Something I will always remember is my mom and dad telling me “Ya know marriage is not always fun, but it is a commitment and we stick to it.” I appreciate that so much, and will treasure those words forever. I strive to have a relationship as successful as they have.

Yes, I am saying we should all be focused on self-improvement. Yes, I am saying we should have our own act together before we ever try and take on the responsibility of another precious heart. But don’t get me wrong, we are not expected to be perfect before committing to someone. I am not telling you that every flaw has to be done away with and until then just stop wearing deodorant and taking showers. I am encouraging you to be preparing yourself emotionally and BECOMING the person you are looking for is looking for. Who knows, maybe when you stop looking, something will show up! I have faith that when you and this person out there both do this, things will turn out better. A long time ago someone told me to chase after God as hard as you can and run the race, when its time to date/marry, look beside you and see who is still running the same direction. I have also been challenged to grasp that my happiness cannot be in any girl. No matter how beautiful and wonderful she may be, I have to find satisfaction in Christ. I think expecting to find all your happiness in a relationship is setting yourself up for failure. Find happiness in Christ, and share that happiness in a relationship. does your relationship REAK of the beautiful truth in Christ? Is it evident in that He is the center, because it should be.

Sometimes things that are so simple are made to be so complicated. I here people complain that all guys/girls are the same, they all want the same thing. All their boyfriends or girlfriends  have been losers. Louie Giglio simply points out that the only thing they all have in common is YOU. He goes on to explain the bate that boys and girls use. I’m no expert fisherman, but I know if you use a specific type of bate to catch a bass, you are most likely going to catch a bass and that is no surprise. Likewise, using your body for bate, will most likely catch body snatchers. The type of person that is only interested in that. It is sad that people continue to use the same bate, yet are surprised when they end up with the same results. People that started talking to their significant other while he/she was dating someone else, then they are surprised when the cycle continues and he/she does the same thing to them! It is all very logical. What kind of bate are you using?

I hope I haven’t lost your interest at this point, because the following paragraph is something that is very important to me. Non-married people listen to me, do not settle, but do not be passive. I realized last year that I never want to date someone that I am mediocre about. I don’t want to date someone because it is easy. It simply is not fair to me, or fair to the other person. I want to be head over heels wild about someone before I date them. I want to be committed, I want to be willing to get rejected and do what it takes (hopefully it won’t come to that). I have committed to pray for my future wife every night and whoever she is, and I am already crazy about her. In the most manly way possible, I am so excited to meet her and treasure her. When you find her, do something about it. I think we too often expect God to send us a miraculous sign, a brick to the face that says yes or no. I’d love a clear cut sign and brick from heaven telling me what my major should be, but it does not work that way. We want directions to every decision we make in life. I wholly believe in God’s sovereignty and His direction in my life. I will seek His will, but I don’t expect Him to write every decision I make in the sky. He gave us a mind to think and make wise decisions. All this to say, if you find someone you are absolutely wild about, be wise, be patient, be conservative, but don’t wait for an answer in the sky. Be the man, and do something about it.

This middle space just makes me think of Anna and Alex, yall rock! You are in the middle stage I guess and I love it. You are both so wonderful.

Married folks, I hope you take this blog as an opportunity to re-live the past. Do not lose touch of those days when you first met and were absolutely crazy about each other. Please do not take each other for granted. Continue to treasure one another and appreciate the qualities that have been there since the day you met each other. I understand that in time you cannot expect everything to be the same. But don’t take for granted getting to hold the hand of someone who loves you very much. Cherish those small things and grow together. Go tonight and talk about the first date you went on, remember the details. Imagine the nerves and excitement that you got to experience from one another. Think back to the excitement of something new, and be grateful that the excitement turned into a companionship. Enjoy every minute of it and treasure each other!

A quick update on life. I am moved into my apartment in Valdosta with Scott and Seth in a very nice three bedroom. I have enjoyed being here and everything important is just a bike ride away, which I am loving. I started class this past Monday and I think it will be a good semester. My  professors all seem to be good teachers and I am actually interested in what I am learning. HA, I know I know, but yes I am ENJOYING what I am learning so far. I have already made some awesome new friends and am excited about what God is doing in Valdosta, Ga. Crosspoint church did a carnival for all the new freshman and we had over 1,000 students show up and provide us with the opportunity to invite them to church. Tonight was the first Impact ( College ministry) and the room was packed out with over 200 students. Anyway, that is a quick update on my life.

Now, I know you are still wondering “Whats with the Taylor Swift” so here we go. Something God has been teaching me is the importance of love. I kinda got punched in the face this summer with the idea of love ( a good punch that is; well maybe a love tap?). The first thing I learned about love is how great God’s love for me is. I realize this seems very basic, but is really clicked in my heart and mind this summer. I have a powerful savior that loves me. Now, I realize you have most likely hear that a million times so I am going to try and help it click in your heart like it did in mine this summer. I’d like you to first of all recognize that is is ONLY through God’s grace that we wake up every morning. We wake up, not because we deserve it, not because we earned it, not because the world couldn’t go on without us, but because he wants and allows us to. He allows you to enjoy the gifts in life. Our families, our friends, and the beautiful gift of nature. It isn’t very often we stop in our busy lives and appreciate nature. IT IS AWESOME YALL! Such a beautiful earth that we live on with some amazing sights and miracles. More importantly, He gave us himself. He gave us the ONLY thing that can ever make us happy. We are all wired with a need to be loves. We crave love and acceptance. Yet we ignore it when it is offered. He offers himself to us for eternity. Yes, eternal happiness. Stop and imagine it. Jesus Christ knows your deepest and darkest secrets. He knows the blackest part of our lives. He knows every single bad thought and act that we indulge our flesh with. Now get this, He still loves us. I finally saw this summer how silly humans are. We have a wonderful, beautiful, perfect savior who suffered a gruesome and terribly painful death for us. He loves us more than we can imagine REGARDLESS of the lake of sin that we swim in on a daily basis. Yet we look for love somewhere else. On a daily basis we act as if God’s love is not enough and we need it from somewhere else. We look for love in friends, and girls, when a perfect savior offers it to us daily. I realized how silly it is than we look for love from a girl ( or a boy) who will love us when we say the right things and wear the right clothes on a good day, when we have  a savior who sees our darkest parts and still loves us infinitely. To be clear, it is not wrong at all to love and receive love from people on earth. Every day I anxiously await the time when Christ buts a girl in my life that I can love and cherish while on this earth. But we must keep our perspective right. We Have to appreciate and accept the great love from Christ before we attempt to illuminate that love on anyone else. It is a love story, and all we have to do is accept it! Do we truly long for Jesus like we should? We chase friends and others, we so desperately want to love them and be loved. But are we excited about our love with Christ like we are with our significant other and friends. I cannot wait, I long to see the beautiful and majestic face of God one day. I will go to heaven and gaze upon his beauty and my prayer is he will look me in the eyes and say “Well done good and faithful servant.” THAT EXCITES ME PEOPLE! I get to see my savior, my ultimate love. When I dated Annie, in the past, and she was at Auburn, I longed to see her on the weekends. I looked forward to it. I longed to see my family this summer when I was away from them, and still do. I am sure you can relate with someone in your life. But do we long to see the face of Jesus Christ? Are we excited and anxious for that beautiful moment when we look upon the face of our true love? I am, and I hope if you weren’t….you are now.

the second thing I learned this summer about love is our love for each other. I’d like to start this off with an apology, because I know I often fail to love like I should. My goal this year is to love other more than myself. I want to 1) recognize the GREAT love that God has for me and 2) illuminate that love on EVERYONE around me because my cup is overflowing with the great love that Christ has blessed me with. I spent my summer with some kids who so desperately needed to be loved. All they needed to know was that you cared about them. It is not always easy, and I so often fell short of what I expect of myself, and still do, but when I finally get it right, love changes lives. Ladies and Gentlemen, we must love people. We are commanded to love and we are not living up to that command. We must go the extra mile to show the world that we have been enabled to love and serve them. Simple things, say hey to someone when you pass them. Do you know how de-humanizing it is to walk past someone on the way to  class, or wal-mart, or church and look them in the eye without saying a word. SAY HEY! Tell them to have a good day. Do something. Show them the love that we have been shown on the hill of calvary. “Let love explode and bring the dead to life; a love so bold to bring a revolution somehow.” I hope this is a thought that hits home in the hearts of the people of God around the world. It breaks my heart to think about the amount of unloved people. The suicide rate, the depression, the loneliness, we are FAILING at love. Please love. Love them when it isn’t easy. Love them when it is out of your comfort zone. I pray God breaks my heart for my lack of care towards others.

” By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

If you made it to the end of this you are a champion. Thanks so much for still reading and commenting. It is more encouraging than you all will ever know.

It has been quite a while since I have made time to blog. To briefly update everyone on my life, camp ended last Friday and I had to drive down that long stretch road In Rome and say goodbye to Winshape, for now. My summer was incredible and I learned so much about friendships, life lessons, how to handle kids, spiritually, and so much more. Since last Friday I have been at home ( which is now Fairhope, Alabama) spending time with mom and dad. It has been nice to be home and I have enjoyed some downtime, I had forgotten what free time and sleeping in felt like over the long summer. And of course, seeing my parents is always a blessing. I am moving into my apartment in a few days and classes start in Valdosta on the 15th. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me as I start a new school year.

One of the things that I was taught this summer, is how tightly we all hold onto our sorrows. We were singing “I’m trading my sorrows, I’m trading my shame, I’m laying it all down for the joy of the Lord” with our kids. As I sang this song I realized what a sweet deal that is, yet few of us ever truly take up on that deal. I realized what a beautiful exchange that truly is. I believe Christ empowers me to be truly happy in Him and share my burdens with Him and other believers. To be clear, this does not neglect the idea of responsibility and our call to be thoughtful and make wise decisions with dilemma’s in life. However, it does free us up from unneeded stress concerning those situations. The moment singing this song was very eye opening to me. Not only do I dwell on my sorrows, but I easily forget my joy. Are you allowing your mind to dwell on the negative, problematic things in life? Or Is your mind dwelling on the beautiful truth that Christ offers you full satisfaction in Him? Are we re-living the the same fate the Israelites did with being discontent? They Israelites complained about eating Manna ( bread-like food) all the time, rather than being grateful that God provided them with anything. They begged for meat, and when they received the Quail, they ate until it killed them. I believe a prime lesson from this story in Exodus is that discontentment leads to sin. Are we focusing on things that are wrong? focusing on being discontent with what we don’t have, or what is wrong with our lives? Or are we thankful for what we do have and the blessings we are given daily?

I was amazed at the little things that upset my campers this summer, sometimes upset to the point of tears. ” I lost my toothpaste cap” (Like they WANT to brush their teeth anyway?) or maybe ” I didn’t get the color jolly rancher that I wanted” sometimes even “I didn’t win this game” (out of 50 kids playing). I know these things seem so silly, but these small trials put my campers IN TEARS on a daily basis for some kids. I was thinking about how silly it is that these things upset them as I look and see the bigger picture in their lives. Then I realized, we do the exact same thing. We are the campers constantly stressing about silly things, and God sees the bigger picture and just shakes His head at how easily we are upset. In attempt to remedy this, I challenged my campers, and myself, and now you, to ask a question before getting upset. I ask myself, what are the consequences of this? Most of the time, the issue won’t even matter in a week, or a year, and there is no point in upsetting myself. I have to keep in mind, longterm, it wont matter, so why bother? HAKUNA MATATA, what a wonderful phrase. So i encourage you to ask yourself the consequences of “bad” events in your life, and will it even matter in just a small amount of time? Or will it most likely play itself out if you leave it alone and move on. As the old song goes, do we have PEACE like a rive in our souls? Or are we constantly stressed over insignificant aspects of life.

Have you ever noticed how fun happy people are to be around?  There are just some people I know who are always smiling, and love life. Those people are not only blessed, but a blessing to everyone around them. They light up rooms and and often bring life to a dead atmosphere. People like Cohen Moore make everybody’s experience better. I want to be that kind of person, with a permanent smile and a constant testimony to how joyful I am in the precious saving blood of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul believes that Christ offers just a great joy, that we can rejoice even in suffering. I want to be that person. I want to use that joy as a testimony to a happiness achieved only in Christ. I encourage you to be as well. With so much to be happy for, why be down?

I noticed this past week, I have a lot of nice stuff. I am so grateful for that. I have been blessed tremendously. Give thanks to the Lord for HE IS GOOD.

like All my camp brothers!

Precious friends and their Children.

I whole heartedly love that Children have a special place in the eye’s of Christ!

My family

My new family!

And all of our loved ones, ARCHIE-BALL!

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

God is teaching me His beautiful truth that I am loved regardless of my short-comings and that my sin is covered in the blood of Christ and paid for; what a beautiful truth. I have also learned an incredible amount about children and their behaviors and needs. I am learning to better my leadership by becoming an effective communicator. I am also learning that being an effective communicator is worthless, unless you are communicating solid and valuable truths. Once we become an affective communicator of solid truths we are unlimited in the amount of good that we can do in people’s lives. I am really enjoying the wilderness and atmosphere of the mountain. God has used that to show me what a magestic creator He is and the detail of nature is a perfect reflection on the beautiful character of Christ. Likewise, seeing the unique personality of every child and knowing God made them exactly like he wanted to is a testimony to His power. It is also an encouragement to me as I realize that God designed me exactly like he wanted and in that design, I AM HIS.

A couple challenge that God has placed in my life is music as well as my sense of belonging. I have been challenged with the music I listen to and how it affects my thinking and actions. I was convicted and am currently in the process of cleaning out itunes and rebuilding a music collection that is God honoring and satisfactory to His standards. I challenge all of you with that as well, and not just music. Are the movies we watch, songs we hear, and internet sites we use honoring to God and productive in our spiritual growth? Or are they hindering our maturity and leaving us stagnent and often looking much too similar to the world we are told to be set apart from. Another challenge I have been presented with is wether or not my identity is in Christ. A question I have committed to asking myself daily is “Are my decisions being governed by what other people may think and/or what my sinful ego needs to feel confident, or are my decisions being governed by biblical standards, practical living, and my identity in Jesus?” Christ showed me that too often I worry about what one may think or what is “cool” or not “cool” in life. I worry too much about what people think and wether I am liked or not. I was ashamed at this realization and embarrassed to admit it. The ever so common phrase of “I don’t care what people think” is often heard, but rarely  truth. However, the words “I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ” came as comfort. It reminds me that regardless of what anyone thinks, I have a sense of belonging in my savior and that is enough for me to be content and confident. I have an eternal home. I have a a fatherly love regardless of my clothes, words I use, music I like, or the movies I watch. I challenge you all to evaluate the motives behind your actions, purchases, and habits. Are they practical and focused on Christ. Or are they motivated by a need to be accepted by the standards of a corrupt society? I feel God has placed me in the perfect environment to learn this beautiful truth as I am surrounded by good men and 8 year olds, that love me regardless. It is so encouraging to be around kids that think you hung the moon wether you wear name brand clothes or wal-mart brand. Wether you listen to “radio music” or a band no one has ever heard of. They love you regardless, just as our heavenly Father does and learning this truth and practicing it is a life changing lesson that I hope to keep forever. I pray you can honestly search your heart and do the same. I believe once this is accomplished life will be happier and witness will be stronger. People notice how we act, and showing a confidence in something much stronger than materialistic things will be noticeable. I hope for the day when I am asked where my sense of belonging comes from and I am privileged to answer, “because I am His and He is mine.”

Continue to pray please as I have 4 more weeks of camp left! Thanks so much! Love you all!

OHHH YEAH, AND MY SISTER IS ENGAGED!!!!!!!! So excited to see Alex Sickman (brother) become part of the family

I got to spend a few days with Jared and watch him and many others gradaute. I mention this because graduation is a significant accomplishment in life. It is a step of self-improvement. i began to think about graduation; thoughts strayed to my graduation last year, kids graduating this year, and other randoms thoughts that often come to mind during this time of year. The more I evaluated the idea of significant times in our lives, such as graduation, my thoughts focused on self-improvement. I tried to honestly evaluate my life when I graduated high school a year ago. This included my personality, habits, friends, and other things. These thoughts led to the ultimate question, am i growing mentally? Am i healthier?  Am I wiser? Am I more mature? Well, these are difficult things to judge from my own perspective. But the more I think about it, the real key is not to focus on wether or not i am way smarter, healthier, mature or whatever it is; the ket is to ask myself if I  am constantly STRIVING and purposely pursuing self-improvement. I want to know more. I want to be stronger. I want to be wiser. I want to be a better friend. I want to be more mature.

I often look around and notice that the Christian faith is full of stagnant people. People who are satisfied to be saved from hell, understand the basics of the gospel and let that be the extent of their faith. I have been convicted lately of not pursuing self-improvement like I should be. I believe as Christ Followers we are called to desire spiritual growth. We are called to be the best we can be. I am called to keep my body in the best physical shape I can. It is discouraging to see how stagnant we can be and content with imperfections and flaws in our lives. Sometimes it is even worse, we choose not to even acknowledge the flaws in our lives, much less attempt to fix them. I just want to encourage all of you to BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE in every sense of life. Don’t settle for mediocre grades, mediocre spiritual aptitude, mediocre health. It is not just harmful to you, but it is SIN. Maybe something we view as a respectable sin, but nonetheless, it is a sin. It is scary how often we do not even recognize sin like this in our lives. I am not saying less than perfection is sin, because that is unrealistic and unbiblical. I am just asking everyone to follow the scriptures command to be the best you can be in every area of life. We have to quit brushing apathy off as no big deal, take leaderships, take responsibility, and be pro-active towards being better in everything we can.

Aside from it being the right thing to do and a step toward reducing sin in our lives, imagine what the result of this could be. A generation that is striving for excellence. A group of people that want to be the BEST they can be and master as many subjects as they possibly can. Imagine a group that is no longer content to be obese and ignorant, but informed in multiple topics and responsible to take care of their bodies and property. Now imagine these healthy, informed, wise people being Christians and using these talents to positively impact the world that so badly needs Christ. It open opportunity to affect the business world, athletic world, political world, social world, and reach the gospel to everyone we can. I understand this seems pretty drastic and far fetched, but when you shrink it back down to the simple task of every Christ Follower being the best they can be at everything they can, it seems doable. A few places to start, things that I am working on personally:

1) Turn off the tv and read a book. ( even an article on the internet, or if you must watch tv, watch the new or educational stuff. )

2) Diet! Eat better. Exercise more.

3) Set Goals! Set a goal for your GPA or weight, and DONT SETTLE for less. (find accountability or partnership if you need to)

Work on your own small goals or ways to better yourself, we all need it! I know i especially do! I implore you, hop off facebook, hop off the sofa, hop off whatever it is, and lets better our selves in a journey for self-improvement, then use that to reach the world with Christ. I pray God enables me to do this. Please pray for me to not be satisfied with mediocre, but pursue excellence.

Also, please pray for me as i head to Camp Winshape tomorrow! I will be with second graders until July 30th and will not have much access to my phone or finternet ( may not blog for a little while). I am so excited about sharing Christ with second graders and cannot wait for my own growth as I learn from them as well as the other staff. Thanks so much to whoever still reads this!

Something the Lord has shown me recently and convicted me about it being grateful.I complain so much more than I ever should. It is finals time and I hear so many complaints about studying, grades, and how hard school is. Americans in general do not understand the extent of blessings in their lifestyle. So much to be grateful for, yet we complain so much. God has convicted me, and shown me to be grateful for those exams. I GET the opportunity to better myself ( which Christ tells us to do) by going to college and learning more. A lot of people never even get that opportunity. We complain about money, food, cars, phones, shoes, tribulations, EVERYTHING. It is exhausting as I look around the world and hear all these complaints. Out tribulation are often NOTHING compared to what some deal with; not to mention the Lord tells us to REJOICE in our trials and tribulations. I say all this to encourage you to be grateful and not complain, we have so much to be grateful for and I wish we would recognize that instead of constantly complaining about what we don’t have. I cannot even begin to understand the devastation in Tuscaloosa. My family is there and I am so grateful they were not harmed, but my heart hurts when I begin to think about the deaths and destruction the town suffered. Kristian Stanfill briefly discusses the tragedy, he explains that in life we look horizontally and see the destruction and problems. The reason we complain so much is because we look horizontally too much and see everything wrong, rather than vertically to see what we should be grateful for. We compare ourselves to each other to see what we don’t have or we compare ourselves to each other to see how good we are, and how we “don’t sin as much as that guy.” We HAVE to start comparing ourselves to Christ ONLY and looking vertically.

Something else I am struggling with is parts of the Christian community. Specifically in regards to the way we feel. I have been frustrated lately with non-biblical things that people do sometimes in order to feel “extra spiritual” I feel like an example of this might be someone not dating because “God told them it wasn’t right.” I feel like that is not biblical. Although God leads us to make wise decisions and expects us to use our minds to think through things, that statement seems extreme. That is just the best example I could imagine; no relation to my life. I am just thinking through these things and my heart is that we as Christians become convicted and live based on biblical standards, rather than our emotion that makes us FEEL like  a better Christian. This is just something I have been increasingly aware of lately and am praying for discernment. I pray to become balanced in spirit and in Truth and live biblically.

I am SOOO encouraged by comments and yall reading this! Glad to know someone is interested! please continue to do so!

I want to share with those of you who still actually read this what God has done in my life lately. ABR (August Burns Red) has a song that declares “As the days go by its getting harder to hold my head up high” and the more I live the more I realize just how sinful I am. I am noticing my sin, as well as noticing how sinful the world that we live in is becoming. Romans 3:12 tell us there is none that are good, no NOT ONE. Well, the more I live the more I sin. Disheartening isn’t it? I thought this at first also, but then I began to realize I have always been sinful, i am just noticing it more now. God has made me aware of my sin and I am so thankful for that. My sin BOTHERS ME! Isn’t that such a beautiful thing? My dad paraphrased Charles Spurgeon to me and it went something to the affect of a sinners salvation is one from hell, but a true believers salvation is one from sin. Do you use the death of Jesus as a ticket out of Hell? Or do you use his precious blood to escape our many sins that SHOULD bother us. Well, the more I notice my sin the more encouraged I become, because I am learning many things through this new realization. The first is that I have found a salvation from sin, my sin bothers me and I depend on Jesus to rescue me from that sin; and that is true christianity. The second thing I am learning is that Jesus loves me despite my sin. I think we often hide in the closet from God like the kid who knew he was going to be in trouble. We act like we have to earn God’s love. Because of this we sometimes stray from God because we feel undeserving and maybe even embarrassed. It is essential that we recognize the seriousness of our sin, but we also must recognize our Saviors glorious unconditional love for us despite that sin. Imagining someone to wholly love me despite all my sins and failures is the most encouraging thing I can think of. If that isn’t somewhat emotionally moving then something is wrong. MY SAVIOR LOVES ME DESPITE my everyday sins and pathetic attempts to find happiness apart from Him.

A conviction I have dealt with lately hit me hard this past Sunday Morning. I was teaching the Crosspointe kids about the Pentecost and great commission. As I was speaking I keyed in on our purpose for being here, to make disciples. I asked the kids if they would enjoy planning a zoo trip. I followed this question by letting them know once we got there we would blindfold everyone and tie their hands so they couldn’t see or pet the animals. Wouldn’t that be a silly trip? How is it that everyone realizes how silly going to the zoo blindfolded would be, yet we fail to recognize on a DAILY basis that we are constantly making zoo trips blindfolded. Just like the purpose of visiting the zoo is to see the animals our purpose for being here on earth is to witness and make disciples. Why don’t we notice the silliness in living everyday with such a little desire to fulfill that purpose? We are wasting our time on earth gathering and planning petty materials and events while ignoring the purpose of living that Christ has set before us. Shame on me for going days at a time without sharing the beautiful gospel to those who desperately need it. Shame on me for being selfish and thinking more about my life and getting what I want then sharing the Gospel; for being too scared about being judged or what people think and withholding from people the very thing I am here to tell them about. Shame on all of us. I thank God for his grace in showing me this sin and his forgiveness and ability to love me regardless, yet I am convinced to do better, as should we all.

I’ve really enjoyed this hymn lately. Owl City did a cover of it which is beautiful. Check it out!

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
’til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

I’d like to share a few thoughts with you from a book I have been reading. The name of the book is ‘Just Do Something’ by Kevin DeYoung. It has been a really good beneficial read for me. It is all about God’s will and making decisions in our lives. It is obviously a crucial time in my life as I make many decisions that will affect me forever such as career, wife, and so many more things. The book discusses the modern misconception that God expects us to discover every answer before making decisions. We expect him to send us a clear answer or divine sign before we ever make a decision in life, when in reality we aren’t always supposed to know God’s plan before we make a decision. He does lead us to make wise decision and to love him, but we focus too much on non-moral decisions. I have been convicted lately about focusing too much on non-spiritual decision rather than the questions I need to be focusing on. The book uses the example of someone focusing too much on whether they should be a doctor or a lawyer, when in reality we should be focusing on how we can serve God and pursue him NO MATTER whether we are a lawyer OR a doctor.  I have been comforted to know that as long as I am pursuing God and focusing on living for him wether I am a doctor or a teacher or whatever I am will be an acceptable decision. I have come to realize that I can NOT MISS God’s will for my life. We too often think that one non-moral decision will cause us to miss God’s will, when in reality He has already decided His will for our life and He will not let us miss it. I just encourage you all to focus in Loving God and living justly and Holy, rather than stressing on non-moral decisions.

Pray for me to continue to be an example and live my faith out loud. I have been really encouraged lately to be more verbal and open with my faith and it has already reaped so many benefits this week. I found myself being too passive in the past when there are so many opportunities to introduce lost people to my wonderful Jesus. The idea of Jesus telling people that it is the sick that need a doctor, not the healthy, has really been on my heart. I am passionate about reaching the the sick and showing them my Jesus. It seems so sad to me that SOO many people right now are going to Hell, and it seems more sad that so many Christians don’t care enough to reach out to them. Pray that I have patience in a few situations in my life right now and am wholly seeking God before anything else.

Thanks so much to all of you that have been faithful to read and pray for me as I grow and learn!