Pray

Christmas break is coming up soon and my time left here in Sebring, Florida is short. Even though I'm ready to leave, I'm still plugging away at my studies and ministries that I'm involved in. Lately, I've been helping out with youth group at the Way Church with Chris Ogden. Most of the kids in attendance there are unsaved, and God has laid a burden on my heart for them. There's a group of 5 that I've been investing a decent deal of time in. I've been trying to build strong relationships with them so that they can see what it means to be a Christian. They're obviously spiritually lost, but I know that I serve a God who works miracles. I'm a walking testimony of how He can change a heart of stone into one that is full of love for Him. I'm trusting and praying that God will move in their hearts and draw them to Him. Whether He decides to use me or someone else is no matter, I just want to see them experience the fullness of knowing Christ.

So if you're reading this blog please shout out a prayer to our Heavenly Father who is in control of all things. Pray that Roberto, Jesse, Joel, Josh, and Adrian will come to truly know the Lord. Yet, remember that it's His will and not our own. Thanks!

Been A While

It's been quite a while since I've sat down and wrote something on this page. I'm kind of tired of blogging. There's been a lot that has happened in between now and the last post. One of the biggest events was the Men's Retreat in Daytona Beach, Florida. We stayed at an ocean-side resort for two days and had discussions about male maturity. As far as class goes I've been learning a lot of cool stuff. The past couple weeks we have been going through the books of Acts, Romans, and Ephesians. I wish it was possible for me to post some of things I've learned but I don't have enough time in the day to type it. Today we have class at 1:30-4:30 and we are starting 1 Corinthians.

Fall Ministry Tour

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted something. I feel like I've been so busy. This month is crammed for me. On the 25th, I'm running a manual labor ministry. This involves organizing kids from other churches to come help work for other families. Also on the 26th, we have the fall festival at Grace Church. I'm running the scooter race and I have to decorate my table for that event.

I write to you from a strangers home in Virginia Beach. For those of you that don't know, I've been on GCBI's fall ministry tour since the 10th of this month. In short, it's time spent travelling from state to state, getting involved in different ministries. This tour has been very interesting so far. We started our tour in Atlanta, Georgia and spent three days there. On our first night we went out on the town. We went to the underground mall and ate at Johnny Rockets. The next day we went to Explorations in Antiquity, a museum which teaches and explains biblical history and customs. It was very interesting to see live models of the tents and buildings that the Israelites used to live in. On Sunday, we went to Northpoint Community Church, after which we went to the International House of Prayer (IHOP). On Monday morning we departed for Maryland. We went to the River Valley Ranch, a summer camp for younger kids. It was definitely one of the most beautiful places I've seen in a while. We spent our whole three days there doing manual labor. We weedwacked, bailed hail, organized, and cleaned. It was fun to get outside and do something with all the energy I had built up. Next was Philly, Pennsylvania. We were at Urban Hope for only a day and a half (Urban Hope is an inner city ministry designed to reach out to the downtown community). The only thing we really did in Philly was help out at a youth event called Rock. Today was spent driving to Virginia Beach and tomorrow we're going to a Korean Church. The tour ends on the 22nd and I'm not sure what we have planned for the rest of the trip. Overall this has been a good experience for me, not only to get away from Sebring but also for bonding with the other team members.

Dream of the Sword

Over the last two weeks I've been feeling defeated. I've been wanting to go home and have been just plain discouraged.

Last night I had a dream that I was fighting in a battle. I was swinging my Sword like crazy but not doing much damage because it was dull. Because of this I was getting tired out quickly and even discouraged. When I woke up this morning it hit me. I really believe that this dream has spiritual significance and this is my interpretation: I need to have a better handle on the Word in order to fight these spiritual battles. This has to be the reason I've been feeling the way I have been lately.This dream has encouraged me to fine tune my Sword so I can fight with efficiency. Pray that God will help me sharpen my only spiritual Weapon.

Daniel

Today was a good day. We missed class on Tuesday so we made it up today. We had class from 9:30-12:30 and 1:30-4:30. Daniel was the book of choice and we covered the prophetic portion of it. There were so many facts thrown out and I think I only took in about 5% of the information but that's ok, I got the important concepts. It's so cool to see how God used Daniel to tell about future nations and events that he had never heard of or seen (Daniel 2 and 7). It's reassuring to see this and definitely a good argument for someone who does not believe the Bible.

On another note. If you've been following my blogs you'll know that I've been feeling rather BLUE. Today was a better day for me. I actually just got a new electric guitar and have been playing quite a bit. This is a good therapy for me and has helped me to detach from the chaos that goes on around me at times. Please continue to pray that God will continue to create an even greater desire in me for Him and His Word. Have a super day.

Crazy Day

Today was by far the most productive and busy day I've had while I've been at GCBI. This morning at 8 am I met a homeless man who was in need of help. He had left Colorado Springs, Colorado to come see his girlfriend in Sebring. A long story short, he ended up getting kicked out of her house, so he had been homeless for two days. He needed a ride to Tampa Bay so he could pick up his check from Burger King. Once he cashed the check he would get a bus-ride to his home town(Colorado Springs, Colorado). I told him that I had other obligations and that I would meet up with him at around 6 pm. I then went to Billy's house and pulled bushes for him. I finished at 9:30 am then went to work at the Campaign for Florida. I started at 10 am and finished at about 3:30 pm. After work I came back, got cleaned up, and took the homeless man(Sam) to Taco Bell. When I sat down he kept asking me if I'd take him to Tampa. At first I told him no, but then I felt like God wanted me to do it. In short I took him. The whole deal ended up well. Obviously God had been working in his heart already and he was willing to get right with God. We had good spiritual conversation and I was able to encourage him. He did end up getting his check and even payed me for my gas. I didn't get back into town until 10:30 pm. On the way back to the institute I stopped by Billy's house again, and we watched Facing the Giants. Now I'm back and ready to go to bed. It's been a good day, and I thank God that He allowed me to do some work for Him.

Thoughts

I've been thinking a lot lately. Not just thoughts of my financial situations and things going on around me, but more importantly thoughts of spiritual matters. I can't always put a word to what I'm thinking, but I feel it has something to do with if I'm where God wants me to be and if I'm pleasing Him. I often think about my future and get discouraged at times. Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going. I don't want to spend my life doing concrete work, it just doesn't mean anything to me. I want to please God in what I do, but I'm fearful that at the end I'll have threw away my opportunities.

"I know I screw things up all the time, but God please guide me where You want me to be. I understand that life is meaningless without purpose that comes from You. I understand that I can do absolutely nothing without Your power. If You do not lead me where You want me to be, my life will have been a waste. Yet, I trust You with my life. Even though I have these feelings and these thoughts, I stand on Your promises. You are a good God, and You say that I can trust Your character. Don't forget Your servant."