Passion!

This is basically me typing down some things I wrote down from a Campus Church event I went to at UNL. The speaker was (apparently) talking about passion, and what it means to live with passion. So here it is:

Rarely is passion detached from sacrifice.
What you do now will affect you later in life.
Passion usually starts with a decision that involves action.
Engaging in your passion means you will encounter resistance.
When is the last time your faith cost you? With passion comes a cost.
God doesn't do random. You were designed with purpose and passion.
The life you want will always cost you something.
What will/would be said of you?
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (I think that is in James somewhere.)
Passion - money can represent passion.
Passion is required to pursue God and do His work.
Passion doesn't just happen, it is a choice.
Passion is contagious, and it can be negative.
Things happen that we don't understand or want, but they shape us.
Passion in our culture is rare.
When we look back [on our lives], what will we see?
We often don't live up to the potential (the passion) we have from God.

And here is the set of verses I wrote down:
Acts 16:22-34 - The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

Graduation?!?

Yes, graduation! I will be graduating college soon. That is weird, huh? It seems kinda weird to me at least. But at the same time, I can see it is 'a part of growing up' or whatever, so I kind of knew it was coming. What I'm doing after that, I do not know, but I trust that God has a plan.

This past weekend my wife and I visited a church near Chicago in order to see if it is somewhere that she would be interested in having a job and if they would be interested in having her work for them. She is one of the final candidates for a youth ministry director job, so that is pretty neat! So we have been praying about that, and so have other people, and we are both thankful that so many people have been praying for us and are interested in what is going on in our lives. If you were on of those people, thank you!

In other news, things have been interesting at our apartment complex lately. A couple days ago the water was shut off for a few hours. Earlier this week we woke up in the middle of the night to police lights flashing outside our window (somewhere in the parking lot). We don't know why they were there. So that was fun. Sort of not really.

I guess that is it for now...for those of you who actually read this. If you have any questions you want answered or comments you want to give, feel free to do so! You may have noticed that you have to prove that you are a human now in order to do that. It is a recent change, because I've been getting some spam comments lately that barely pass for English (it is more like word salad) and then have a link on them. No thanks, bro.

I hope you have a good day!
Here is a thought: Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Knowing, doing, thinking

The words could possibly be changed, as far as the order of them goes. But anyway. Here is what I'm thinking about.

Knowing - that knows; having knowledge or information; intelligent. (in other words, to know something, to be aware of it)

Doing - the act of performing or executing : action

Thinking - to employ one's mind rationally and objectively in evaluating or dealing with a given situation

Alright, there are some definitions from the internet. But even if you just look at the words, all of them have the good old suffix -ing. This implies that there is something happening, it is a current action or state (from the internet: expressing the action of the verb or its result, product, material, etc.)
So all of these words could be classified as 'active.' Each of them means you are doing something. But I suppose some might disagree. "Knowing," it can be argued, "is not really active, it is simply a passive state of being." I would say that is fair, but there is still that suffix to deal with. If it helps, let's just take it out: Know. Or, To Know. ok. good.

So, to know something is passive. It isn't doing (that is one of the words already!) something, is it? Is it more of the result of doing something? You read a book, you know what is in it. You talk to a person, you know (hopefully!) how they are doing, what their day has been like, what they are up to, and so on. Maybe, just maybe! before you do something, you even think about it.
I think about talking with someone, then I go and do it, and then I know more about them. It is sort of a progression, huh? So is one greater than any of the others?

Is it better to know information than to do something because of the information? Is it better to think about something before doing that something? Or is it better to do something, even if you don't know everything or even if you think it might not be a good idea?

I think it depends on the situation, personally.

But, in most cases, I think doing is more productive. It may not get the desired results right away, or without thinking about what you are going to do, but it does get something done, right? So why procrastinate?

Well, procrastinating is easy. Doing things can be hard. Especially when doing something involves making a change; changes are not especially easy to enforce, or begin, or maintain. But why? If things are always changing, why do we find it hard to change? Is it that we want to stick with what is easy? We want things to just stay as they are?

I'm not sure what my point is here, but here is a quote I will end with:

We change when the pain to change is less than the pain to remain as we are. -Ed Foreman

PS- I got the definitions from a couple of dictionary websites by doing a web search. Same with the quote.

Married!

So. Those of you, if there are any of you, who come to this blog regularly know that I haven't posted a blog for quite a while. There are several reasons for that.

But in more exciting news, I got married recently! Actually it was over a month ago, but things have been busy, as I'm sure you can guess. But anyway, being married has been great. We have made it through our first month together, so we are definitely going to make it another 40 or 50 years, right? haha ok I joke, but seriously it is really nice to be married and know that I don't have to try and think about dating anymore. I'm done with all that guessing and pursuing (although I will continue to pursue my wife) and trying to ask someone out on a date and all that awkward fun stuff. Now we just hang out and play board games and cook food. haha it is a grand ol' time :)

We have been helping with a youth group in town (my wife is part-time there) and that has been pretty fun too. I feel like I am actually starting to get to know some of the students there, so that is always nice. We just planned our summer trip; we are going to Niagara Falls! It should be a pretty exciting time, and I may post some stuff about that when it happens.

Anyway, just wanted to post an update and let you know that I haven't forgotten about this site, and I'll be back later. Hope you are doing well, and thanks for reading my blog! Feel free to leave comments and whatnot :)

Blue Like Jazz comes out in 1 week!

I want you to enjoy this with me, so check out the trailer :)



Unfortunately, I do not think the movie will be opening in Lincoln :( which makes me very sad..

Two things I support

First one! Going alphabetically, it is the Blue Like Jazz movie! I would suggest looking at the website to watch the trailer for it, but I may just include it here later on :P After watching the trailer, I feel like it gives a brief idea of what the book is about, but since I haven't seen the movie I don't know how much of the movie it shows ;) Anyway, I read the book a few years ago and I liked it a lot. The author, Donald Miller, is simply writing about some of his experiences with his friends at college and religion and God. He seems to take an honest look at things, and realizes some of the great shortcomings of Christians in America today.

The second thing is FreeRice.com. It is a website that is also a game, and it is one I played regularly last year and have not been in the habit of playing this year. I want to play it more, because I want to have more of an impact on this earth and the people on it. You ask, "How does playing a game make an impact on this world?"
Well, playing FreeRice literally provides people with food to eat when they may not otherwise have some. The game runs off of money from ads on the page, and when you view those ads, they pay for the rice that you 'donate.' The game you play is a vocabulary game (or a geography game, or a chemistry game...there are different subjects!) where each answer is 'worth' 10 grains of rice. I know it isn't much, I mean, what can you do with 10 grains of rice? And honestly, no, you cannot do much with 10 grains of rice. But by donating 10 grains of rice at a time, I have cumulatively donated 889900 grains of rice (at the time of this blog post). I know what you are thinking: That's OVER 9000!!!!! and it is. well over 9000.
Together, we can and will make a difference, and it will be good :)

So there it is. Two things I support, and I hope you take a look at them! That's all I ask, really. Just look at them. See if you are interested in them, and take the next step accordingly :)

PS- The movie comes out on Jessica's birthday. Happy birthday Jessica!

Bits and Pieces

I am slightly frustrated. I have such a desire to help others. To help them through their struggles, their pain, their insecurities, and to celebrate in their successes, their joys, and their victories. I want to share so much of what God has shown me and blessed me with so that the blessing may also go to someone else. But I don't know how. I want to so badly, but I feel like I just hit a roadblock, because I don't know how to continue. I feel like no matter what I do to try and 'get the word out' it won't be enough...whatheck.

How many problems/arguments are caused by misunderstandings? Or miscommunications? Or assumptions? I see people who have different views of the way reality is, and they think that they are being attacked when views are stated. Recently it has been pointed out to me that emotions/stress can stack on each other and cause relatively small things to seem larger than what we can handle. Perhaps that is playing into it- we get stressed and worried and then some small thing happens and we find an opportunity to 'take control' of some small part of our life, and we end up stepping all over someone else because we think we need to be in control of something, even if it is just a small conversation. Why do we do that? (Link here to Jessica's blog)

And now, interruptions make my night. Thank you to Carol and Jenny for being rambunctious, bubbly, hug-giving, and my friends. You two mean so much to me :)

So, this is a piece of my life right now. These are some bits of my thoughts. And I hope you find them encouraging, and I hope to put more of them up here, because I want to share with you some of the things God has shared with me.

Verses to end with: Ephesians 4:29-5:2

What I think I have in common with you

I think we have a lot more in common than we realize.

I think we both have struggles. I think the things I struggle with may be different than the things you struggle with, but I believe that both you and I have something we have a hard time with in our lives. I am not going to say that my struggle is any harder than yours, or vice versa. But I think we both have a struggle in our lives.

I think you feel good when someone that you care about reciprocates those feelings. I think we have that in common. I think you want someone to be with, even till 'the end.' I think you don't want to be alone, even though you still want time to yourself. I want you to know that I care about you, and I want to be here for you, even though you may not feel the same to me. I don't expect everyone to reciprocate those feelings, but it still hurts when a friend isn't there for me.

And I think you feel that hurt as well. I think we have both had times in our lives when we dearly wanted someone to talk to, but either that person was not there, or you did not know who 'that person' was.

I think we both know friends who are hurting. I think we both want to help those friends, but sometimes we don't know how. I think there have been times when we would have liked to take even some of their pain in order to ease theirs.

I think we have both had at least one point in our lives when we were upset at a friend for something they did, either to us or to themselves. I think we have both been at the point where we want to rant at a friend for the decisions they have made. I think we have both wanted to show where they took a wrong turn and how to get back to a good road.

I think we both want more in our lives, if we are honest. I think we want to do more with what we have been given, or maybe just more hours in the day. I think we both long for intimacy, but are also scared of the vulnerability that requires. I think we both have walls that have been built up, but will be torn down (or scaled) by the one person we are meant to be with.

I think we have more in common than we think. And I think we have more in common with the rest of humanity than we realize.

I think we are all human before we are America, Asian, European, or anything else related to country. I think we are human before we are smart, poor, talented, tall, or well-dressed. I think we need each other more than we realize.

What do you think?

A Few Thoughts

First thought: I like the song Ghost Love Score by Nightwish. That is playing right now. Good stuff :)

Second thought: I am leaving on a mission trip tomorrow morning, and I expect to have some things to blog about when I get back. I hope you are looking forward to them as much as I am :)

Third thought: In reference to a post I typed earlier...this week was night. And I'm not sure when the dawn is coming, but I am absolutely sure it is coming. To quote House of Heroes, I will hold on through the shelling of the night.

Fourth thought: Note to self-go to bed before you die.

Good night friends and random people who are not yet friends but are here anyway. I hope you do have a good day :)

Four-Twenty

Boo-Yah.

Just in time :)

Here is a picture:

Hope you had a good day!

A Haiku

This is a letter I wrote, then received a couple weeks later. Only then did I realize I was one word away from a Haiku. So I added a word (the word is 'always' in case you are wondering), and the following came to be:

Love more, worry less

Trust God, pray about all things

Trust His plan always

I received this letter on the same night that I went to Worship Night. It never ceases to amaze me how God reaffirms things and reminds us that He is always with us.

Earlier tonight I was talking to a new friend of mine about their experience at church. They said that their pastor talked about persevering, getting up even when we fall, and how God is always there with us, even when we fall down. I don't think she knew it, but I was definitely questioning some things earlier today about whether or not to keep talking to someone. Now I know.

Love never fails ;)

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. -1 Corinthians 13:8

What is a hug?

To me, a hug is an expression. It is an embrace. It is an affirmation. To me, a hug is more than just putting your arms around another person while they put their arms around you. Physically speaking, yes, that is a hug. But hugs are never just physical for me. They always mean something more.

A hug is a way of saying I care about you. It is a way of saying I appreciate you, and I am glad we are friends. A hug is a way of saying what words cannot. At least, there are not words that I can think of at the time that adequately express what a hug does. But I'm not usually so great with words, so maybe it is different for other people.

In my experience, a hug is healing. It can provoke tears that have been locked away, or it can dry tears that have broken loose. A hug is a refresher, a reminder, that can make a person's day and let them know that they are still cared for.

A hug is a greeting; a hug is a good-bye. A hug is a 'I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!' and a hug is a 'So I will see you later this week, right?' A hug is a way to keep someone close to you for just a bit longer. To me, a hug is a 'I am glad we got to share this time together, and I hope to do it again sometime.' A hug is a 'I want to tell you how much I care about you, but I don't know how. So I will do this instead.'

Hugs are how I try to show that I love my family and friends. To me, a hug is a way of showing that I want to know you more, that I care about what you have to say, and that I will listen when you speak.

To me, a hug is not just a movement of the arms, it is a movement of the heart as well.

Wisdom Writing

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Oh gosh. It is too late to type things now, right? I think so. I'm going to take my own advice, and go to bed before I die.