just a test.

I have been trying to find a good blog editor that I can use on my desktop that will publish to my blog. I want one that I can save posts on as drafts when I do not have Internet and then upload them when I can.

I am trying a free one called Qumana. It seems ok. If anyone has any ideas about what I should use, I would appreciate it.

Two Minute Tuesday

     ok.

here is my life on Tuesday in Two minites

-I did not go to sleep till about 2 this morning. I was reliving my middle school days playing Blitz and Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 - it is the ultimate machine...

- Music- I am listening to the "Across the Universe" soundtrack, and Explosion in the sky

- I have to tell a story in Speech today; should not be hard, since I spend most of my day talking...

- Band practice tomorrow night. I am excited

-My dad is coming up this weekend and we are going to do some road biking. I have not seen my fam in about a month, and I have only been homw once this semester, so I will be glad to hang out with my dad and then see the rest of my family on Sunday afternoon.

- Fall break starts Friday... I could not be at a better time

and there you have it. Me in 2 minutes.Tags: life, random

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Your grace is enough...

 We sang "Your grace is enough" this morning at the end of the service (someone took a video of me playing guitar and leading, then he told me that if I was going to lead every week, then he would be there... It made me feel really great). 

As I am sitting here thinking about the service and looking at what to do next time, that song is stuck in my head. It is a great song. But am I really trusting in what the song is talking about??

"your grace is enough. Your grace is enough 

Your grace is enough for me."

wow 

 That's a great line to sing, but maybe not as easy to live out. 

So many times we find ourselves saying that... but are we living it, and truly believing that God's grace is enough?

It is easy when thing are good: school is good, family is good, weather is nice, gas is cheaper, The office is on (hey.. it's good show), and ect. 

But what about when the world is not such a happy place? School is rough, your parents get a divorce, gas is $5 a gallon, your confidence is down, you are sick, and life is rough. That is when you really find out if you are relying on God's grace or not. Tough times seem to bring out the true person, and what that person has their trust in. 

So

Is God's grace enough for you life?? You can sing about it all day, but singing it and living it are not the same. I want to live a life held by God's grace. I am not there yet, but that is where I want to be. 

Going to Charleston

  In about an hour I (along with about 50 others) will be heading to Charleston for the weekend. This is all to build our community. It is going to be a relaxing weekend filled with fellowship, food, football, beach time, and worship. 

   I am excited about having some time just to sit and relax. The last few weeks have been long and stressful... I think my brain actually stopped working when I finished my Greek test this morning (which was possibly.. no, definitely the hardest test ever). 

I am also excited about Sunday morning. This will be my second week leading worship at Connection Fellowship. I think it is going to be great fun. 

ok, time to finish packing for the trip. 

It's all Greek to me...

I am really understanding what that phrase means... it seems that I have spent many-a-night with my Greek workbook, text book, lexicon, and notes trying to understand my homework (I have understand it before I can do it...). I feel like I am scrambling to keep my head above water. I have not drowned, but I am also not sitting on a float sipping lemonade. It seems that as soon as I understand something, we add something else.

It is not the worst thing ever... I really am enjoying the class. When I get something, it is such a good feeling. But when I am lost (like last night...) it can be a little stressful. We have our second test Friday; that is where the rubber will meet the road. Hopefully I will do better than I did on my last test...

I have practice tonight at Connection Fellowship. I will be leading worship there this semester. I am excited about this opportunity to work with new people and for God to use me and stretch me.

Something good at 8 AM

I was in class this morning (at 8:00...). I would normally not be excited about an 8:00 class, but this one is really good (and it only meets once a week).

We are reading through and discussing "Don't Waste your Like" by John Piper. After watching him on DVD talking about the book, we broke up into small groups to read through some verses and discuss. The idea of that chapter was that the cross of Christ is the blazing center of our passion. As we were talking, we read 2 Corinthians 5:21- "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

In church, we talk about sin being nailed to the cross; we may even have a cross in the front that you come and nail something to. But there is so much more than an analogy here. It is not only that our "sin is nailed to the cross" , it is that Jesus was nailed to a cross, and our sin was placed on Him. He who had no sin had our most horrible filth placed on Him, not just figuratively, but actually. Jesus became our sin.

That should never get old.

What was once offense has become our anchor of hope. That is something truly amazing.

God loved us enough to send His son to earth to become our filth and sin... It is hard to even fathom that idea.

That is

the kind

of love a lost world is looking for...


Are you living with your Passion centered around the cross of Christ?


just something to think about

Tour de Cowpen

The weather this afternoon was amazing!! I decided to go for a ride this afternoon. I had attempted to ride this route a few weeks ago... but I got lost and missed some of the roads. So today was the day to ride the part I missed.

It was very enjoyable (most of it...). The scenery is great, and there are not to many cars. There are a few really good down hill sections (I got up to almost 40 mph at one section!). The problem with big downhills... big uphills to get to those hills. There were about 4 hills that I thought were going to be the death of me. I found the right path this time... but I may have like the other one better. It was still a great ride; I think doing it again will be better because I now know the route.

I did almost freak out though... I almost hit a snake. Now, I am not a big fan of snakes; just seeing them freaks me out. I was starting to go down a hill and a snake started slithering out onto the road. I almost lost it... I just about screamed. I think my heart was beating faster at that point than the rest of the ride. I missed it.. thank goodness. It would have been gross to run over.

Kami and I are going out tonight to celebrate not being on duty this weekend. We have not really had much time just to go hang out in Greenville. I also want to get a new outfit for Sunday. This weekend will be my first Sunday at Connection Fellowship, and I want to start it off right... and I would like a new outfit.

Should be a good relaxing weekend... hopefully there will be no more snakes

In My Ears Today...

Phil Wickham has released a new CD entitled "Singlong". It is FREE and AWESOME. You can go to his website and download it. It has a few originals and a bunch of old hymns and songs. It really is a singalong- sometimes you can hear the crowd more than Phil. He is such an amazing musician and a great worship leader. I have been listening to it today getting ready for Praise band practice tonight. I have been in such a worshipful mood all day after listening to some of the songs.

If you like Phil Wickham and want some of his stuff for free (and legal..), you can download "Singalong" from his website. It is worth way more than you will pay for it, I promise ... or your money back.

The new face of Praise and Worship

I found this video on Steven Furtick's creative team's page. It is a band called SonSeed.

this

could

change
you

life
Or at least make you smile.

Schedule changes are not bad...

I do not like to change my schedule. I like to know how, when, why, and where things are going to happen. When things get switched up, I get nervous (and a little freaked out sometimes). When expectation does not meet reality for me, I tend to get flustered.

But recently, God has been giving me opportunities that are pushing me out of control. That is something that I have really had to work on is letting God have total control of my life. I want Him to have control... but not too much. I still wanted to be able to hold the ropes and steer if needed.

I am starting to love not being in control! I am finding such freedom in knowing that God is in control and that He does not need me (that one has been the most freeing; to know that God does not need me, but He chooses to use me). The thought that I am not the most important thing in the world has changed my outlook on a lot of things, but it has really changed my thoughts on worship .

I love leading worship; it has really become my passion recently. I love seeing people worship and being a part of it. I used to get really nervous before I would play. I would worry about the notes, chords, structure, timing,... those are all things that I still work on, but when it is time to lead worship, all of that becomes secondary to the fact that I am facilitating in worship. I have been trying to be very transparent in leading. I do not want to have the band-front-man personal I want to lead in a way that people are drawn to God, not me! I have to give up control though to do this, because I am recognizing that it is not about me, how good I look on stage, or if the mix is perfect. The most amazing times of worship have been when I have the least control. A few weeks ago at Fusion, I did an intimate acoustic set in the middle. After we played the first set with the full band, I have literally almost lost my voice. I only had about 10 minutes to get it back before I had to go back out on stage with just my guitar and lead the next set of songs. I sat backstage and prayed that God would just take over; there was no way I was going to be able to do my "best" in that set. I gave up control, and God showed up. During that worship set, I invited people to respond as they needed. As I began to try to sing, people began coming down front to pray. After about one minute, the front of the stage was full of people. They did not come down because of anything I did, but because of what God did.


Kami and I are going today to a church nearby to sing for a revival. We just found out about it yesterday (just a few hours ago...). Someone that is on staff at school called us and asked if we would be interested in singing for this revival. We both really wanted to do it, so we said yes. I had to go change my RA duty night to be able to do this. Normally, that thought would have made me say, "sorry, I can't", but in the sense of stepping out in faith, I took the steps to get all that stuff worked out to be able to go sing. Everything worked out; there was no problem in getting someone to change nights with me. I am not sure what God is going to do tomorrow... I am not really even sure where the place is. but I am trusting that God will use Kami and me. Not because He needs us, but because He chooses to.

I am really starting to like not being in control... it leaves so much more room for God to just open up the floodgates and amaze me. You should try letting go...God has much greater things in store than you can even imagine

Jesus on the highway

This morning I (and about 7 other guys) spent the morning cleaning about 3 miles of highway 11 for the Adopt a Highway program. I am not going to lie, getting up at 9:15 to go pick up beer bottles, cigarette buds, cassette tapes, and other goodies was not the most enticing thing. But I did it, and as Brandon (the men's housing coordinator) and I walked down the highway picking up trash and talking, I stopped and said, "You know, I bet this is the kind of stuff Jesus would do...".

     As I continued to walk down the road and pick up trash, that though stuck with me. Then I began to think, "Wow, are we missing the point?" We live in a society that is very concerned about self:self image, self rights, self, self, selfish. What would Jesus have to say about that?? I think he said to treat others as you would treat yourself.

     Then I really started thinking (I know, picking up trash on the highway may not seem to breed deep thoughts... but it did today) about church culture in America. We seem to be more concerned about the color of the carpet, the lights, the sound level, the instruments used, and the list goes on. When are going to start caring about reaching a lost world? Or, when are we going to want to get down and do the dirty work to make a difference?

     People notice change. It is one thing to talk about the freedom in Christ, the love of God, and the joy and peace of Jesus, but it is another to actually live it. That is what is going to make a difference in this world, people stepping out of their comfort zone and into the world. I think if Jesus was walking around today, He would be downtown with homeless, talking to people at Walmart, helping people with problems, sitting in bars with drunk people and gays sharing the love of God. He would not yell at them; he would love at them.

    The world is searching and looking for answers in all the wrong places (80% of the items I found on the road today were beer bottles)... maybe we just need to live out the answer instead of talking about it once a week and then putting it on the spiritual shelf till next week.

    SO, go out and do something that you would not choose to do. People will notice, and may even ask you what makes you different. Doors may open that you never thought possible just by living the gospel. The gospel does not stop once you accept Christ; it is something that you live every day.       You are salt,

 you are light.

 It is not a question about whether you want to be, it is about what you are going to do with that fact. Are you going to engage the cuture, or just sit on the shelf?

 

Take two

ok.

time to finish my Random post from the other day

- My brain feels like mush. I had a Greek test Wednesday morning (gross...), and then a Counciling test this afternoon. I am in need of some brain vegetation. I have not had to try that hard in a while..

- It is almost time to start the new band setup for BSU. Everything is almost in place for the 2 bands to start; they are going to start practice next week. It is hard to believe that this is going to actually happen. I have been praying about this for so long, it is hard to believe that it is going to happen. I am expecting God to do amazing things in BSU this year!

- I am ready to get out and ride my bike. I have not been able to ride much lately; between heat, rain, class, and homework, I have not had much time to ride. I will be glad when I have some time to jump on the Fuji. I am not sure when that will happen, considering the gross weather outside...

- I am on duty this weekend; that means that I have to stay on campus all weekend (I do get time off for church and a few hours on Saturday, but other than that, I will be here). It is not to bad, I have a large amount of reading to do this weekend, and Greek homework. Maybe the weather will clear up soon

- Fusion last night was amazing!! I love seeing college students worship; there is really nothing like it. I will never get tired of being able to facilitate worship with amazing people.

- There are some new job opportunities on the way... stay tuned for more info

- I am listening to the newest Foo Fighters album; it is insane!! It is a great mix of classic Foo with some acoustic stuff... very nice Mr. Grohl

- It is hard believe that 9/11 was 7 years ago... I was in 7th grade. I can remember where I was and what I was doing at the very moment that I heard the news; I don't think I will ever forget that day. I just remember watching the tv all day as they were showing footage of the towers... haunting memories

- I am ready for the election to be over!!!!!!!!! I am just getting tired of the name calling, mud slinging, blaming, and all the other elementary school things they are doing. I am not as concerned with who's fault it was that we are here, or how dumb the other person is; I would like to know what they are going to do to make it better... is that to much to ask?? I am not trying to get all hyper- political, I would just like a little more honesty and a little cheese with all their whine...

- I saw the newest Microsoft commercial... just when I thought it could not get worse, it did. Once again, the add had nothing to do with any of their products or vista. My theory is this (this is just a theory..lol). Microsoft is desperate for people to talk about them and be noticed, even if it is negative attention, they are getting on people's minds and blogs (see... I am talking about them right now). I hope that is not the real reason for these commercials, but I am not sure another reason is

ok.

I think

I

am done.

thanks for reading thus far... if you made it all the way here, you get special blog bonus points!

'Bout that time

SO...

I was sitting here thinking, "I have not done one of my random posts in a while..."

and since it is my blog, there is no voting or discussion on this issue. So sit back and enjoy a look into my random thoughts of the last few weeks

-Sarah Palin made a great speech the other night!! When my father first told me she had been picked as the VP nomination, I though he was joking. But I have become a fan. I thought she was smart, witty, and not nearly as negative as all those other politicians. She was just every honest, and I appreciate that in a candidate. I will be interested to see how she does in the upcoming VP debate

- I got lost Saturday on my bike. I got up early to ride, and was planning on riding about 13 mile. Somehow in-route I missed a turn and ended up on highway 101. I had to ride about 8 more miles than expected... which was not bad. It ended up being a great ride and I would want to try that route again soon. I was just glad that I was wearing my new biking shorts (yes, I got some of the spandex shorts, and while they are not the most stylish thing, they make all the difference in the world riding).

- I am not excited about having a Greek test Wednesday... I don't think I need to say anymore about that one. Maybe if I survive Greek and make a good grade I will get a tattoo in Greek to commerorate my feat...

-I went to The Channel the other night to see a great band play. Their name is SeaBird, and they were very very good. If you like piano fusion rock with a twist, then you will really like SeaBird. They also are going to have a song on the show "Pushing Dasies" next month

- Last week was a long week. I spent many a hour in the conference room listening to people play and audition for the Fusion band. It was worth it though; I think this is going to be such an amazing year. Thank you to everyone who came and auditioned.


stay tuned for part two

A less than "bee" effort

OK

I like Seinfeld, it is one of my favorite tv shows. I like technology: graphics, computers, music, ...

I don't know how well the two of these mixed in the new Microsoft add campaign...
It just seems that...well, you can just see for yourself




I am not even sure what this commercial is about. I am a huge Mac fan; I love my macbook, iPod, and all the other Apple gadgets. I like their commercials; I think they are clever, and funny. And they actually talk about their products and show them on the add.

I never saw anything for Vista, or anything even close to Microsoft until the last second of the add when the little windows sign popped up. I just did not get the commercial. I do not have a deep hatred for PC's (I like my Mac much better, but I will not make fun of your computer inferiority...). I just think this is a silly commercial. It did not even make me laugh once...

I know Microsoft is trying to reach the younger audience... but this is not how they are going to get there

The Sound of...

Music. The halls of NGU have been alive this week with the sound of music (maybe not like the movie, but there has been a lot of singing and playing going on). I am so excited about this year in BSU; I think it has so much potential. I am the music chair this year, and I have been praying for a while asking God what He wanted me to do this year. It is by no accident that I have ended up where I am, and I do not want to take this opprotunity for granted, or waste it. I had brainstormed all summer and came up with a model that I am pumped about!

There will be two band that are on a two-week rotation. This week I have been meeting and talking with people that want to be involved in the music this year. I wanted to do more than just hear people audition, I wanted to know about the people. I wanted to find out more about their life and what God was doing in it. Those things to me are just as important as musical ability. I am big on the idea that everyone on stage is leading in worship; so it makes sense that eveyrone in the band should be in a mindset of leading worship. I want to people to be excited about BSU music because they know that they are going to have an encounter with God every Thursday night through music. Music is so powerful, and there is nothing more amazing than hearing 600+ college students sing their heart out to God. I want people to have the freedom and the opprotunity to worship.

All of this is about to get underway in the next two weeks...

I have been dreaming and praying about this since January, so it is amazing to think that it is happeneing.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for BSU music, and for everyone who is trying out. I am blessed to be surrounded by so much talent! Jason Housley is going to be leading one of the bands. You can check out his blog here. Taylor Mills will be leading the other. Be in prayer for these guys as well as we work out the details this weekend.

More to come...