Tuesday, March 31, 2009
quote of the day
"and i didn't realize but they graduated class of 04....tell me that if we are grads with LC, Lo, and Stephen collette then we are so awesome."
-Amanda Mathis
Monday, March 23, 2009
And in the end, the words won't matter
But lets be honest, all that content stuff sucks. Because like every good thing in life, contentment is hard to come by and I can promise you I won't wake up tomorrow singing showtunes on my way to work. But not knowing His plans, yet trusting that they ARE good gets me on the right track to somewhere better. If I go through any part of my short little life waiting on the next big thing, I'll be thouroughly dissapointed over and over and over. No thanks.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Don't be afraid cause I won't keep track
On the better side, my soccer team decided on the PIRATES as our team name this season! The Pipeline Pirates. At the end of practice on Tuesday we all put our hands in and yelled a big "Arrrrgh!" How adorable is that? Seriously. My team is awesome this season because, well, they know how to spell the word soccer. They are so much more attentive and they are actually understanding the whole soccer is a team sport concept. It's gonna be good.
Two weeks ago in church, we were singing this song about the Cross and at the end Christabell simply said, "the cross is all we have isnt it?" And that thought has constantly come up in my mind this week. Because no matter how angry or annoyed or tired I am, He is all I've got and the truth of the Cross is way better than everything good or bad about this life. I'm kind of jealous of Brandon.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Madness!!
As if I weren't already, I will be unusually concerned with the TV and espn.com in the coming weeks. Thursday is the first round of the NCAA tournament and until March 28th, it's all about March Madness. For the past 4 years I've planned my entire spring break around Winthrop's first round game but sadly this year I don't have much planning to do. Winthrop didn't make it, nor do I get a spring break so it all works out. But I will be watching my Duke Blue Devils who are the current ACC champions! and a #2 seed in the tournament. I will also be pulling for Michigan for the first time ever as they play Clemson on Thursday. My other passionately hated team is North Carolina, who plays Radford in the first round on Thursday. Radford beat Winthrop and everyone else in the conference out for the Big South Tournament this season, and while I wish it was Winthrop instead of Radford, I have to laugh because they have no chance against North Carolina.
December is probably my favorite month with Christmas and all. July is a close second because it defines summer. But March is a joyful month of the year for sports fans and I'm happy. Go Blue Devils!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
We could run away, thinking it over
This week apparently is spring break for winthrop kids and I realized this is the first time in like 18 years I haven't had a spring break. Even though I didn't get a full one last year because of my internship, I still went to the beach so that counted. I guess it just shocks me because I got a week off at Christmas, so that wasn't terribly different. But man it's kind of depressing. Along with the many other things that I've found depressing as I've lately grown up. When I own the Carolina Panthers one day, the company will take a mandantory spring break in late April.
It's a close call, but I think Spring Oreos are better than the Halloween ones.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
It's too hot for penguins
I was so convicted this morning in all the talk about what a church is and the difference in what the culture has made it and what Jesus desires it to be. I was convicted in a way that I haven't been in a really long time about how I treat other people, believers and non-believers. How I really use the gifts the Lord has given me and just how far that reaches. We are very set in our ways in most churches. I've attended churches before that have tons of programs with little or no effect on anyone as a result. Those programs and activities please the Christians. Not that I think this is different in all churches in California. I just use that as an example because I lived there for 10 weeks and the spiritual conversations were very different than they are here. I talked to people who literally have NO idea what you're talking about when you say the name Jesus. And here in the south we have this Christian culture that pretends like it's ok to go to church but you can live however you choose. I know this because I've been a part of it for 9 years now. I hate books that just throw out all these things that are wrong with the church, so I'm trying to avoid that here. Truth is the church is a bunch of sinners and it would be better if we acted like it sometimes I do beleive. This idea of loving unlovable people, people who are significantly different than I am, makes me want to get out of this state. Makes me want to spend my Sunday mornings on Blackmon Rd in the trailor park rather than inside the perfectly constructed church walls. That also goes for those churches full of twenty-somethings who meet under a tree. Some churches might meet inside a run-down high school building or a tent, but still have those selfish and close-minded attitudes because their focus is coolness instead of Jesus and his desire for the world.
Rant! sorry. but not really.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Can I get an Amen?
Another thing that was encouraging about the weekend was the realization that we (as in the church) have nothing to offer these young people really. I mean, we had an acoustic guitar for worship and we chose to sit on the floor to do most of the teaching and discussions. No praise band, no "professional" teachers, no huge church to play tons of games. That little detail got me fired up for youth ministry because ministry is what God makes of it, not all those other things that the culture around us seem to add on. And if this youth group grows to 700 students and we get David Crowder to do a concert for us one day, then that will be splendid. But until that day, the Lord will be pleased with what we do because that is our prayer for the ministry. God really taught me a lot in 24 hours not only about how rich I really am, but how much he satisfies me. He will take care of every need I have and I'm so helpless without Him.
In a sidenote: the pastor that took us on our outreach told me he was going to pray for me a boyfriend. Amen!