Posts Tagged ‘trust’
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
A lot has gone on lately that I will continue to update on but for now, there is big news this summer that is very official and very big. After much prayer and thought, I’ve registered for a short term missions trip to Uganda this summer. The trip will last from July 2-27 (2-3 leadership conference, 4-8 training, 9-27 uganda) and will stretch me farther than I think I’ve ever been spiritually, visually, and emotionally.
I’ll be partnering with Touch the World ministries, helping to lead a group of high schoolers with other people my age and older. Overseas, I’ll be working with St. Mary Kevin’s Orphanage in Kampala and also in Gulu in the IDP camps (Internally Displaced Persons) which for lack of better words will be intense.
There are two full time missionaries that TTW brings us to work with. Jesse and Andrea Kroeze are currently serving as Directors of Touch The World Uganda and from what I’ve at their blog they really have things moving over there!
I’ve just mailed in my registration packet and finished my interview with TTW. I should be receiving my first packet of information regarding planning and preparation for the trip. For now, be praying that I am confident in this trip and what God is going to do with me in it. I know that He’ll use me somehow and I trust Him to use me wherever. This is very out of the ordinary for me to jump onboard a short-term missions trip so I know that God is working in me and setting me up for something big.
More to come!
Tags: prayer, trust, Uganda
Posted in Featured Articles, Uganda, prayer, serving, trust | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
Woke up yesterday morning with such a vivid and real image in my head.
A photograph of a future memory. It was brilliant!
[Starting-Over] Ministries.
A movement of people dedicated to spreading the good news of redemption, grace, and forgiveness through the love of Jesus Christ to begin the healing process from addiction.
I have dealt with pornography for 12 years or so. Now I’m clean. 100 days on Friday!!
But what now? (more…)
Tags: mission, prayer, trust
Posted in prayer, trust | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
I awake early, feeling somewhat refreshed. Rolling over, tangled in my sheets, I notice the time was 6:42am. Awesome – more time to sleep. Daylight creeps into my room, erasing the shadows of nighttime from my walls. I fall back asleep.
9:56am… I overslept and won’t be getting to class on time or rather at all. Climbing out of bed and opening my door, I am suddenly aware of an eerily cold and quiet apartment. Something is not right. My stomach growls. Apparently, I’m hungry and that is what is wrong in my apartment.
The smell of cinnamin fills the room as cinnamin rolls finish cooking. The oven beeps, signalling that breakfast is ready. Sitting on my couch with a plate of cinnamin rolls, I debate whether or not T.V. or scripture is a better morning wake-up routine. Scripture wins.
Opening my bible, I find Proverbs 29.
A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
Whoa… its going to be one of those quiet times with slaps in the face from God. Excellent… (more…)
Tags: brokenness, danger, pornography, transparency, trust, unmasking
Posted in brokenness, transparency, trust, unmasking | 6 Comments »
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
I’ve been hanging out with and talking alot with a friend of mine. We’ve simply been sharing life together and challenging each other. In only a few months, we’ve had a couple years worth of conversations and have been simply an out for each other in dealing with our struggles.
I am fascinated with this and have been really enjoying it because I have talked with her about struggles that are still very real and painful. I was surprised when I brought this subject up that I started getting choked up, having a hard time explaining my struggles.
My friend asked me the big question: (more…)
Tags: brokenness, faith, pornography, trust, truth
Posted in brokenness, faith, trust, truth | 3 Comments »
Thursday, September 11th, 2008
…it becomes very hard to maintain a handle on them. My life consists of four very major areas of my life.
Church, School, Work, and the Army.
Thinking about them the other day, I realized that the Army is steadily being phased out of my life as it is no longer a priority of mine. Sure I enjoy it and it has given me great perks but it isn’t for me anymore.
Work – I’ve got to do it to survive. Unless I win the lottery anytime soon, I need to work to earn a paycheck.
School – Need that degree! But the drama program demands a lot of attention and so far it is becoming a fear that school will soon take over my life.
Church – Can’t live without that, especially since I help run the Atmosphere team (technical aspects of all services).
The other day I had a conversation with a friend discussing these areas of life that are weighing down on me so much that I can’t seem to focus on them properly. Atmosphere needs so much TLC that I cannot provide right now. School needs a lot of focus but it only gets the attention in the morning. Work I love and when I’m there, I’m focused. But that is 40 hours a week that take up my time.
Long story short, I find it hard to balance life when such important things collide. Right now is one of those times for me and I can only rely on God to help me along through this.
How are things holding up on your end?
Tags: discernment, patience, prayer, trust
Posted in discernment, patience, prayer, trust | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
It has been a while since I’ve posted here.
Frankly, ideas have not come to me to post on. But after listening to Ben’s series on Surviving Parenting: 0-18, I am struck by how much more complicated life as a Christian will get if I take the plunge into parenting. Now saying it that way makes it sound like a chore but in reality it is such a great responsibility to possess that I can’t even fathom it.
So far, my Christian responsibilities have consisted of living a life in unison with Jesus’ and spreading the good news of the Gospel to those that do not know it. These two things alone create enough pleasure, pain, joy, heartbreak, and many more to last me a lifetime. Then I have to balance the life that society says is the “real life” to live for. (more…)
Tags: discernment, faith, transparency, trust
Posted in discernment, faith, transparency, trust | 5 Comments »
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
After two weeks of military training, I’m finally back home. All in all, the training was not bad at all. The dreading and stress of what would ensue there was for nothing and it actually turned out to be quite refreshing for me to get away for a while.
I found that being away from my life’s distractions was exactly what I needed, even when I was waking up at 6am everyday, not exactly doing what I wanted to do. But doing just that cleared my head. Not only did I room with a fellow Christian who was strong enough in his faith to converse with me about it, but he even was encouraging me in my walk. I read one of his books from the Left Behind series and loved it. It was fascinating and regardless of any truth in it, it had me thinking about how I was living my life and bettering the world in preparation of Jesus’ return.
Overall, I had fun for the two weeks and aside from coming back home to find automatic payments for bills were not paid and a cable company trying to screw me, I am off to a good start. Not to mention I picked up a shift at Starbucks last night for extra cash and learned that I’ll probably be shift supervisor soon and my trainer when I arrived, Erin (the Christian), and I are becoming better friends and are starting to witness to some of the people that work there, simply expressing our concern and love for them. So if you are one who reads here and prays, that’d be a great praise report and prayer request!!
Good to be back!
Tags: praise, thankful, trust
Posted in praise, thankful, trust | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
I don’t like school.
I don’t like work.
I don’t like deadlines.
I definitely don’t like waiting for things.
The timeline of my life seems to be slowly ticking as I wait for my future to pass me by. Most people would love to have a “slow” lifeline, that way life lasts longer. But I on the other hand absolutely love life wizzing by, flying by on the seat of my pants. Lately, I have felt (more…)
Tags: discernment, faith, patience, prayer, trust
Posted in discernment, faith, patience, prayer, trust | 2 Comments »
Sunday, May 4th, 2008
I had drill this weekend for the military. Usually, at least this past year of being home, I dislike going to this training weekends. One weekend a month — nothing happens. It sucks…
But this weekend was different. I absolutely love being completely exhausted after these training weekends. I’m in the infantry and love kicking in doors and shooting stuff all day. It’s fun and gets the adrenaline pumping. This weekend we didn’t kick in doors but we worked hard and shot a lot. Good times.
But I came to a strange realization though…
I want to go back to Afghanistan…? Not sure why this came up but it did. While I was overseas, I met a lot of Afghans and definitely had an impact on them, attempting to spread some sort of Christian love as appropriately as possible. Making a difference on the other side of the world was a huge thing for me.
In the next year or two, I’m slated to go back overseas again so mentally I’m already prepared for it considering I’ve done it once before. But there is something exhilarating about the danger of combat patrols. Yeah it sucks a lot but I had a great time overseas. Meeting those people and providing them with safety from Taliban forces meant something.
Who knows if this is just a phase but if my future has me going back overseas, I can’t wait. I’m moving up in the leadership and now am in control of my own fire-team *insert sinister laugh here* so I would certainly be promoted on that deployment. That sort of leadership makes a huge difference in my liking/disliking of the military.
Deployment or no, I definitely want to make a difference in the world. Only God knows what is in my future and I absolutely trust that He will use me to better the world.
Tags: leadership, risk, trust, vision
Posted in leadership, risk, trust, vision | No Comments »
Monday, April 21st, 2008
Finally the best weather on the eastern side of the states has arrived!! For the next 6 months or so, New England will be blessed with some of the most amazing weather I have known and will under go changes in seasons that rival anything mother nature has to dish out.
I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon outside most of the day and truly relaxing during it. I had my windshield fixed around lunch time so it’s only a matter of time before the rocks attack again… Around the time it was finished, Stephen came over to hang out before we went golfing, which to say the least was awesome.
There is very little in the world that I enjoy quite as much as golfing, especially with a friend. It is so relaxing. It also relieves a lot of stress as you use all your strength and coordination to blast the little white suckers as far as possible, which for me isn’t too difficult 
(by the way, if you live close by or will drive to me, free lessons to anyone who wants them… as long as you buy the balls…)
At some point though, I remember saying (more…)
Tags: hope, joy, thankful, trust
Posted in hope, joy, thankful, trust | 2 Comments »