part 2

ok so my last post was about the teacher and me having dissagreements on out theology, so i guess that ill list some of what those were now.


now im not sayin that my teacher is crazy, casue hes a really good guy adn all, he knows his stuff really good. which is a little stressfull cause he wants us to be little hims and thats not happeneing at all.


I think that the main thing that he talked about that i would have to say that i dont believe on at all was the whole TULIP theory. I know that I dont know everything in the Bible and so there could be things that may change my mind but prolly not. Just some of the things that relates to it just seems so much like that we dont have a choice in our lives at all. LIke we are little lego ppl and God has already made the movie and now were out acting out our lives to what he has already made for us to do. and its not like i could piock a top one that i dissaprove of more cause when i read them over they all just make me feel wierd, like thats not the God i picture in my head.

Now i do know that i have been raised pretty much with these views all my life so i know that i could be one sided, but i think with the information that i know and the point in life where i am now that i like what i believe.

if you want to check out the TULIP idea you can look at them on the website here
but i know that you already know what they all are for sure James.

And im not sayin that the people who are in love with this are going to hell or anything like that, its just simply i think they way there lookin at things are a little different.

you got to love college

Today was a day that i had been waiting for since i have started this college. I knew that going into it, and any Christian college that it was going to be a good experience. And today was the first day that a teacher had told me that my way of thinking about Christianity was not the right way. Now he didnt say that i was going to hell or that i wasn't going to pass the class if i don't convert my thinkings at all, it was just we had difference of options. And not like im saying that this is the the first time it has happened with other things, this is just the bigger topic.

It was really cool to see i guess what other beliefs are about what the Bible says and all, which really interests me so it was really cool for sure, it was one of the first days that was really stimulating to my brain where it felt like i knew what was going on and that i was getting something out of college.

Now i love all my classes but music really and there ok, and ya i learn a lot from the other classes but a lot of it was just the basics, but really good to look at, so im really glad that im here, it makes me feel good when i know the money that is being spent on me actually like is money well worth it, and it makes me feel good cause it feels as if God is here saying your on the right path, which is really good for me right now,

im really excited that the semester is almost over thats for sure, ill get to be home for a few weeks so thats great, it was just like a little tease only being home for a few days on thanksgiving but ill take what i can get for sure.

I feel renewed today and it feels good

life

man why does life have to be so hard? some days i can feel as if im on the top of the freakin world and that nothing could take me off the top, then bam im back down to the freakin bottom of the world. I dont know why sometimes im on such a high horse and then im gettin stomped on. dang all i know is that the low points sure do suck, and its a lot harder to pull myself up than to be dropped thats for sure.

and why does it feel like God is so distant, when in my mind i should be the closet to him now than ever?

life, sometimes i just dont get it!!

i dont know what to put in this stupid title spot

ok so i just got back from church ya thats right the service starts at like 7 so i get to sleep in. I think that the found out that God can be reached at any time of the day, and its a lot easier for us (college age) to find Him later in the day.

I went to church at what is call The Stirring they have a little motto that is Community of Faith. Love and Hope. which is pretty cool. The guy in charge is Nathan Edwardson, he looks like he could be in his mid to late 20s or something like that.

The church is cool because its actually like a community within a church, the Church that meets there on sunday morning is Risin King, and then they do this at nite, for more of a way to connect to my age group of people, and its really working.

It was crazy this week becasue i havent gone in a while to it, but today the did a thing on lectio devina, its crazy because i am reading and going through this book that is called Enjoy the Silence, By Maggie and Duffy Robbins and its all about lectio devina, so its pretty cool, i think that it has been helping me out becasue sometimes it feels like i just cant hear God, and this is a good way in my day to get out of my surroundings and just take a quite time out and read the Bible passage adn really meditate on it and all. So now i think that today was great because it was almost as if God was showing me how much this church really connected to me. i really like the whole atmosphere and how it felt like they really cared about God and the things i care about a lot. just really cool,

So today was a pretty pointless day all day till i went to church, so im pretty freakin happy and feelin good right now, so praise the Lord for him being in our lives.

Peaceout

Just the highest points of NYWC

some things that really stand out in my mind from the weekend at the NYWC.

Tony Jones- Wow what an amazing guy, i have read a book by him and i knew that he was a great guy, but as i met him and went to some of his seminars, it was probably the best thing in the world for me. He really knows his stuff, and what hes doing, and hes freakin smart. One nite we went to a diccusion about theology of post modernism, and it was awsome, some stuff went way over my head, but here is something said by him that makes me think: maybe Jesus' divinity was hidden from Him all his life until His 3 years of ministry, and thenit is slowly revealed to Him. WHAT!!!! thats not what i have been tought my whole life, crazy but dang sounds a lot more logical to me after talkin about it, but im still not done thinkin about it.

Doug Fields- just a really great guy and knows what he is doing, just someone that i really look up to a lot more, because hes just like me, hes funny and messed up on stuff, he just made me see how you can have fun and really love God and show others that you can have fun and be a Christian too.

Tony Campolo- Man first of all he is the oldest coolest person in athe world. it just felt like everything he was saying should be wrote down and put into a book, which he prolly has already done, but he is just out there living his faith and its cool to see such and old guy have so much fire in his life, most ppl that have had a stroke and are that old are living in a retierment home (he does this) and just sit around and wait to die (he isnt doing that) and it shows me how if this old guy can be doing it why not me.

Shane Claiborne- ok if you know who i am at all, you know this guy is the freakin man!!!(as james put it, rob bell to james is like shane claiborne to me) well it may not that bad because as of right now i havent started dressing like shane, even though i am done buying sweatshop clothes thats for sure. But i think that the craziest thing that ill tell you about him was that he took the money that he was earning from talking at the convention and put it all in to 1 dollar bills. after this he put a stamp on everyone that says "love" on it and he said that he prayed over every one of them, and i dont think shane is lying so he prolly did it. then he spread them out in front of the stage, and told us that we need to go out and pretty much become Christians, to go out into the world and love, what i heard was go out there and take care of the ppl that God is wanting us to take care of, but yet so many ppl just look over. he is just such a role model in my life now and for a little while now, oh ya i also talked to him and freakin shook his hand and talked to him, hes a lot taller than i thought. so ya crazy cool.

dave crowder band- all i have to say is dang the church that he plays at every week im guessin is huge, but ya they were awsome for sure, instant fan from the weekend for sure

the whole weekend was great, i know im missin a lot but sometimes i get tired writing and being on the computer this long so ya, but ill never forget hiding under the bleachers with jeremy, or seeing lacy shake like crazy on stage with illusionist, or gettin lost going from the elevator to my room,

it was an all around great weekend and i think i learned so much in the weekend it was pretty crazy, i just want to say thanks for the church for giving me the oppertunity to be able to go down there for sure. wow ya thats a lot sorry if you read it all

peaceout

Ill never forget my first time

I know i havent really posted anything in a really long time, but i have some important things to say now so ill write a little bit about it.

Even though its been a week ago, with my church we went to the National Youth Worker Convention, the people from SACC that went was James Heather Jeremy Jason Lacy and me. there were about 17 of us total that came all together from our conference all to the convention.

I think ill just do a little quick write about each day, and some interesting facts and stuff from the day.

THURSDAY-
I woke up at 4 in the morning. Took the taxi to the airport which wasnt bad adn then found out my plane would be delayed, the battery didnt get charged the night before, as long as it was not going to crash i was happy. so im off to san fran got there in time made my flight to OC, found Jason with the biggest bag in the world for a 5 day trip, he didnt even pack that much to college. whatever.
we all made it safely to the airport and stuff, so we were off to the hotel/convention center. we checked in and everything was good, i slept in a room with jason and jeremy, which is another story in itself, thats for sure.
so my first class of the day was by Chirs Flomsbee, he is like a big wig with the Sonlife ppl. He told us all about what Sonlife is doing, and then talked all about Developing Students who share in the mission of God. He was really good at talking and made it a really fun thing to do casue we were there for 5hrs one day and 3 the next. I learned a lot of great stuff adn it was a really good time that was for sure. They teach about the Great Commision and the Great Commandment and how they see those like almost as the root and then thinkgs break off of that, which is really neat and pretty much how i see things as, they just made it sound a lot better than i could ever.

ok this is going to be way to long of a thing so im going to do it a little different and just hit some high points in the week, well the highest points in the week cause they were all great.

NYWC

National Youth Worker Convention

Its really great to know that I have a church back home that really does care for me. You ask how do I know this, well there sending me with them to the NYWC which is pretty much the biggest and best thing for youth workers. Im not an offical youth worker but yes i have worked with highschoolers and love them and im going to do it for the rest of my life, untill i get to old and they kick me out off the job. but i have never gone, only have heard stories. James and Jeremy went last year i know and they loved it for sure, and this year i have been looking on peoples blogs that went to the one in austin texas and how much they love it.

Its great to know that my church wants to make a difference in my life even though im just a college student by letting me go and learn from some of the best people on the world.

Im really excitted to go for sure, and im counting down the days for sure. As long as things go good for sure which they will, but ya it should be a great experience for sure.

Thanks SACC (the ppl not the actuall building) for everything you have done in my life, I would be in a whole different stiuation if you werent there for me. I dont know what i would have done or been without you. Keep up the great work for sure.

Peaceout

the "box" is so comfortable

So being home last weekend showed me how easy it is to just be stuck inside a box of comfort all your life. As soon as i was home on friday night it just felt good to be able to know where everything was, and that i have friends near by and i know where all the roads lead to. which is not a bad thing at all, it just makes things really easy i guess.

Its just so easy for someone to go to school and even college in albany and get a job that your not happy with, but its makin you money, and your hateing every day of it. And that could be the easy safe comfortable way to do it, but i felt that God was saying that i needed to go, and so i went. And now im outside of A box that i was in, but now im making a new box. one where im all good and everything is all good inside this little christian college. we have no clue what is going on out there in the world, and its sad. You can tell people are happy in this box, but i know i need to get out of it, and soon before its to hard to leave. I want to get out and help the teens and the poor. I just need to stop sayin it and go and do it.

Im not saying at all that living in the same town and going to the same church and stuff is not good for everyone, it was good for me to get a new change. I really liked where i was and James is a great pastor, and the church is a loving church that i really care for, but you get into so much of a rutine sometimes, it feels like im moving along in life, but just repeating the same day over(grondhogs day).

I guess it was good for me to just get out albany and move on with my life for sure. Im really liking school right now, so thats good for sure. Even though i wish i could be home, because its comfortable, its good to be here, and learning, and growin in knowledge closer to God. I really like where Im at, and i think it is good.

I can't describe what Im feeling, other than a change

Today i finished my book Irresistible Revolution (tear). But I didn't know that when I started to read this book, it was going to change me the way that I think it has. Shane puts things that seem so clear out there that you never hear of in the church. Its really makes me happy to see that Shane and a bunch of people that he knows are out there doing this, it just blows my mind away really. After reading this book I can tell that God is here in our world not in some distant place, He is here and with us. And I want to be doing everything I can for Gods kingdom.

In the last chapter Shane was talking about how we as Christians are told we are suppose to be, like candles that light up the darkness, then he says this,"Candles can be snuffed out be the slightest wind or by the smallest child on their birthday. But it's way harder to put out a fire. We are to be fire". And when I read this I thought to myself how can I be a fire in my community. Ya im going to a Christian school and all that crap but that means nothing cause all the crap that happens at a normall college/town happens here too. So i want to get out there and start making a mark on the community for God, so that when Im a fire I can start to light others on fire. Thats my goal.

Shane talks a lot about the poor and how much we seperate ourselves from them, and that really hurt me too. I really just want to go hang out with the poor and homeless and show that I love them.

Its crazy to think of what just one book can do to change your life, and not Shanes book but the Bible.

Sorry i did a lot of just rambbling I like to do that and its my blog ha!

God is good

last night started as a hard, but God is good and the day keeps going. So i started out today by going to a church, the name is Risen King Commnuity Church. It was really good actually and i was supprised at how laid back the worrship was and it felt really good. the pastor was a little to not focused at times, but i still really got something out of the service.

And what is really good is that they have a church within a church like my one back at home is starting. and i guess that it seems to be doing really good so that gives me hope for my church back home for sure.

but i was reading in my book today by shane claiborne and the last thing that i read really for some reason felt really good. i have never really been around a lot of ethnic groups but i have been around the poor and homeless and i think sometimes we (as ppl in the world) look down on them all the time, and i know its bad and all but still we do it, but shane says this, "We are made of the same dust. We cry the same tears. No one is beyond redemption. And we are free to imagine a revolution that sets both the oppressed and the oppressors free".

and that just really hit home that we are all made from the same dust, like i never really looked at it that way before, that we all came from the same place i guess ya i always really knew that and all but for some reason it hit home. and i keep saying that i want to go and do these things like go out and help more, but i keep on putting up barriors for myself like reasons that i can justify why im not doing it. i guess that i just need a LOT more work done, i dont think ill ever stop growing.

so ya it was a good day in all, its funny how God really talks to people, cause for some resaon i always feel like i cant hear what He is saying, but i think i just dont know if its just cause im scared to hear what he is going to tell me. i guess thats like a little prayer for myself.

man that was a lot of writing im going to go read some more of my book peace out

today was a good day to be here

the first part of the day started early,

with my old testement class which was somewhat ok, were just movin very fast through it for sure. then i sadly skipped out on chapel today cause i went to go and get my physical. luckily someone drove me there or it would have been a long walk, but i sat there for 2 hours in the waiting room just WAITING doing nothing. finally they called me to the back and took 10 mins to ask me if i was healthy, i told them yes, turned around out of the doors and left. it was a waste of mine and my frineds day man, that part of the day sucked for sure.

But the rest of the day got a lot better,

first i actually saw clouds in the sky so i knew running in the afternoon would be great and windy and not as hot as death. then when i was done running later in the night we started a campfire around 9 oclock. it was just out the back of our room on a patio and it started out slow, pretty much just the "Original 5" (thats what i call us in my head) but then it started to get moving and a lot of ppl ended up there prolly a good 25 for a while.

i have been reading a lot about community in the irrisitiable revolution, and i think that were actrually gettin that here in just the week of simpson. we are all getting so close to each other it just feels so good to be here, i wouldnt trade anything for these moments in the world. i was really scared that i wouldnt get any frineds and be a loner, not that i dont like my alone time, but i have really grown with ppl and its awsome.

its amazing to see what God will really do if you let him take your life, not that im perfect but i feel like im gettin closer to God than i have been for a while. which is a good thing,

i still have a long journey ahead of me, but so far, the start has been revealing to me for sure.

i miss the people back home and its hard to live without them, but its good to "grow up" as much as i can.

my verse for the day is matthew 1:21 "becasue He will save his people from their sins" its alwasy good to know that God is near and here to be ready to catch me for sure. im glad that im on His side, and that He is on mine!

What my title is

Namaste

what the heck is that, well let me tell ya. I have been reading this great new book The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne(who has chilled with mother theresa), and is just making my whole life change, well as long as i start to act how im fealing right now. But back to the word, Shane was in Calcutta at a place where a bunch of lepers were, and they would wisper this mystical word namaste to him. The word meant, I honor the Holy one who lives in you. It just blows my mind away that Shane is out there being a Christian like i want to be. What a great guy, so i stole the word from him, but now its my word.