November

Snow! Snow! and more Snow! Almost every morning now consists of shoveling snow. This concept seems simple however there is a science to the systematic functions of the snow shovelers. As 0700 approaches every morning someone checks for snow. If there is any snow covering the ground we prepare to move it. If not then we get to sleep another hour. It has become an interesting spectrum of outfits as we layer for the below zero temperatures and shed layers as the day progresses and our focus shifts from snow to another task. Almost every weekend we have had Young Life snow camps in camp and had some interesting events occur. For example our guest service interns have had to clean up creamers as kids used them as snowballs or the outrageous outfits let behind by different areas. Every week in itself is a new surprise. This week is our last snow camp for the winter and we will be deep cleaning different areas of camp. Our oh so handy comet all purpose cleaner will be put to use to scrub the showers and fixing a variety of over used items throughout camp. This upcoming weekend is going to be the end of our first rotation. Food service has been slow and fast, but I am sad to see it come to a close. At first I was apprehensive about being inside the entire day preping food, however it has been a huge blessing. The conversations with staff and work crew have been meaningful and the lessons learned apparent. It's been a change of pace coming from a leadership position and the center of attention to the depths of the kitchen where no one knows you exist because they don't think about where their food comes from. Within the kitchen I have learned to focus on God and take the focus off of myself and place it onto him. He is the one who deserves it, not me. Other lessons have surfaced from spending time with work crew who come up to camp for the weekend to serve ridiculous hours with no pay. Its an incredible blessing to see high schoolers come to camp for the entire weekend and wake up at 0500 to make pancakes and then continue to work beside me throughout the day until our tasks are finished. Their dedication and hard work makes the weekends flow. As we move from high school weekends into hosting ski trips our intern house is also under going some changes. The winter season has begun outside with snow and inside with construction paper. Due to the freezing cold weather of the third story of our house, the interns have constructed a new fire place to heat our house. Topped off with stockings for everyone and a family portrait, our living quarters are almost complete for the upcoming season.

Housekeeping

Just thought I would post a little update for anyone who is following and would like to know what has been going on. So we have been at camp for just over a month and starting to get into the flow of things. Housekeeping on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. This may seem like an easy task, however when you consider the magnitude to which this consist of for us it is a little different. The normal flow of things are on Sundays we turn over laundry, easy right... not! With over 450 campers we are washing all their sheets and towel then cleaning them and folding them ever so nicely and turning them into bed packs for the upcoming group. After all the laundry is completed which normally takes more than 8 hours with all 9 of us working then off to clean every building on property. Anything the campers use we clean. This task includes all the dorms, club room, A-team housing, game room, gym, and work crew dorms. The dorms are the biggest time consumer, it takes just over an hour for all 9 interns to turn over a dorm, cleaning bathrooms, bunks, vacuuming, cleaning windows, organizing, and of course refolding anything that does not meet our standards. Although all this cleaning would seem tedious and repetitive and often times you question yourself why you are doing this if it is just going to be used again and messed up in less than a week and you will be doing the exact same task to clean again. Here is the reason that has been shown to me, we are here to set up an environment where kids can meet Christ. From the bed pack facing a specific way to the clean toilet, these minor details are set in place to provide such a place that kids can see that the Lord of the universe has provided this camp for them to enjoy and feel his ultimate love. Serving in the way has created a new outlook on the everyday tasks that we participate in. We usually work in teams and have great time of fellowship, being goofy, and of course laughing is always involved. God created the earth as an environment for us to experience his love, whether we find it in the sunrise or how unique every flower is, He did that for us. We are able to experience some of His glory and perfect design as we observe nature and take time to let the perfection set in. His attention to detail has provided us with an unending fascination of everything created and the meaning of all that changes when you think that He has designed all of it for you to see and experience. When we look at housekeeping in this way and the idea to provide a "Christ-like" environment for kids to experience then the purpose of scrubbing every sink and folding a sheet in a specific way with intense interest in every detail we are a part of the greater picture. Use our resources that we have been blessed with to provide a detailed environment every week where campers can see God's great design in the details that we are able to attend to and show love by serving them in this specific way.

The beginning...

So some of you have requested that I keep some sorta of blog for this upcoming year. Well since my internship will begin promptly between 3-5pm on Friday I figured it will be just as well to write down some thoughts before it begins.

I began my adventure on Sunday night with a short drive to Flagstaff. As to my late arrival the fun was just beginning. Hang out with old friends and sharing some new memories during the last few hours in Arizona. I headed out of Flagstaff at 2 am in the morning with the intention to see the sunrise near the Four Corners Monument. I don’t know if you have ever driven through the night or have experience complete darkness and silence it is amazing. Another benefit at driving during the wee hours of the morning is the limited amount of drivers you encounter, however the downfall to that is that people who drive at night are not courteous. Since the road is super dark and no street lights everyone uses their brights. The problem with that is they don’t turn them off! Whether they are behind you or coming towards you the brights remain on. Yup, NOT courteous! Actually super rude and blinding!!! Other than the uncourteous drivers the trip was great. I stopped at the four corners and took pictures of course and walked around a little bit. I drove another few hours and stopped at a creek that I stopped at a few years before to explore and have a quiet time.

After leaving the creek the drive was boring. The landscape was unchanging and the sun was out. I made a few stops for gas and some food. But other than that I had music on and just kept driving. Finally I made it through the Rocky Mountains to Colorado Springs to stay with friends. It was nice to arrive at a home and something that was not moving. Graciously they cooked dinner and we talked about life. I stayed a few days with the Thomson's loved every moment, but the time had come that I needed to continue my journey. So I drove up to Denver and decided to stop at Wash Park and have a quiet time. Colorado is amazing and gorgeous. It is such a blessing to be able to sit outside and a squirrel family enjoying their own lives a few feet from me. After hanging out for a while and drinking chocolate milk I headed over to my friend's Lilli's. She is a Young Life leader in here area and was going to the high school's homecoming football game, so I joined her. After we headed to her place to have dinner and then met up with a group from CCU for some chill time.

Finally October 1st arrives!! I met up with an old summer staffer, Lindsey Drewes, for breakfast and had a fantastic time!!! Then off to Denver Airport to pick up another intern, Alyssa. Then off to camp. So again props to God in His ultimate design of Colorado, its Fall and the Aspens have golden leaves that are falling and the streams are running!! So we ended up hiking down a non-trail to the water to take pictures. Of course I ended up falling in, however captured some amazing pictures. Which will all be posted later on...

Ezekiel 37

There will be a great number of you who will ask what my newest tattoo means and why I have it. As much as everyone knows how much I love to talk and am willing to explain things over and over again. I would like to take some time to explain it in writing not only so the number of times I explain it will decrease, but also in hopes that you will be able to gain something unique from
it.

The text that has inspired the piece is Ezekiel 37:1-14. Here is a little history of the book Ezekiel which was written by Ezekiel who was an Israelite priest and prophet during 593 B.C. to 571 B.C.
The book covers the siege of Jerusalem, God's judgment against the city and it's temple, the fall of Jerusalem, and then focuses on the hope for a future. Ezekiel is described as a "verbal picture book" and he spoke in prose rather then poetry. Chapter 37 talks about the resurrection and the people being brought t life by the word and spirit of
Yahweh. The passage below is directly from the English Standard Version and has the side notes integrated wherever the words varied in the original text.

"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley (plain); it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath (spirit) to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews (tendon) upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath (spirit) in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD."

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling (earthquake), and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews (tendon) on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath (spirit) in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath (spirit); prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath (spirit) came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them,

Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit (breath) within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."

After reading the passage the tattoo pretty much explains itself. However, like all the other tattoos I have there is a specific meaning and purpose behind them. In the beginning of this passage Ezekiel argues with God and doesn't want to do what he is told. This seems to be a common reaction among anyone that I have talked to. But as you see through the passage, God fulfills what He promises even when we want to be rebellious and don't understand fully what we are doing. Another meaning is breath, we all breathe without thinking and out body will adjust to the environment which we are in. When we take time and focus on our breathing and initiate taking a breath we become involved and know what is going on. But the other times we are complete oblivious. The spirit has been given to us to accept or deny, however its presence is constantly around us and it is up to us to recognize it and concentrate in order to know what is going on. Third is the promise God has for Israel. We are all familiar with Israel's history and how many times people have cried for help. God hears their cry and raises up a great army. This promise gives us hope of a resurrection and prophesy coming true. God tells us something, then he delivers, but it may not be in the time frame that we demand it to be done, but it will be done. Be patient. Although there is a lot more meaning behind this should give you a glimpse behind my newest tattoo and if you have questions after reading this please ask me.

Driver's Seat

In Arizona there is no law prohibiting a passenger to ride in the back of a pick-up truck. This is the fun fact that ran through my head when I saw a young male riding in the bed of a pick-up as I was driving today. My next thought was, 'it is 110 outside and it must be really hot to be back there.' I really didn't think much of any of this until I started to write down some of my thoughts throughout the day. This event reminded me of story I heard when I was young that depicts there perfect analogy for how our relationship with Christ should be. As we begin to understand life and make our own choices we take the driver's seat. We go where we want to go, decide the speed, design our own path, set goals, pick up others, and we ultimately make every choice based on what we want. Then we hear about Christ and He gets into our car. As we are learning about who he is and what it means to believe in Him, we slowly but surely trust in him. Eventually we make the choice to let him drive.
We surrender control. This is where the original story I heard ended, and where my comments begin. Although we have made the decision to allow him to drive (accept him into our hearts) we have the initial surrendering point when we get out of the car and make the choice to sit in the passenger seat. As He begins driving we don't like where he is going or tell him to go faster and sometime we reach for the wheel and pull it in the direction we want to go. Our selfishness. We think we are right. We want to decide. The car mimics our outburst and swerves all over the road. Maybe we hit the railing and damage our car. Now we have to wait till it is fixed again. Or our outburst didn't ruin the car, but grabbing the wheel made our course less enjoyable. Jesus didn't fight against out rebellion, He allowed it to happen. Our intercession disrupted our ride, but Jesus sat in the driver's seat and watched everything happen, with a look of love in his eyes as we act out. Once we let go of the wheel, He places his hand back on the steering wheel. We continue the on the journey.
As we sit in the passenger seat we can look around, not worry about when we need to fill up the tank, or what turns are being made to get there. But again our boredom and need for control takes over again and we turn up the music or give directions to the driver. Again we cause a disturbance, but like the other, it is only temporary. Eventually after being in the front seat long enough we decide to make another choice. We get into the back seat and can no longer control the radio or reach for the wheel. We make the choice to trust Jesus more and ourselves less. We become like children.
But in the back seat we don't agree with the choices the driver is making and yell out directions and tell Him to speed up or slow down. He listens to us. This goes on for a while, but we begin to learn that our directions are not nearly as good as His and we learn to stay quiet and enjoy the scenery. Our last move is the back of the pick-up, just like the young man I saw earlier today. We make the choice to get into the back. Where there is no comfortable seat, no seat belt, and we have no control. But just like the young man I saw earlier, he was completely content on where he was, relaxed, enjoying the view, smiling at things that were pleasing, he was simply there for the ride.
In the bed of a pick-up you have no control. You have no direct communication with the driver, but you have put your trust in them fully. Trusting that they will keep you safe and not depending on a seat belt. You trust them to signal and look before switching lanes. Trust them to get you to where you need to be going. When you make the choice to sit in the back of the pick-up and let Jesus take you to where you need to be. There are no worries because you are taken care of. Your only task know is to enjoying the ride and your surroundings.

Ink

In our culture today tattoos are becoming widely accepted and more common. This is interesting to me because their history is not represented in what they stand for today. They can be found on mummies and soldiers dating back before Christ was born. Tattoos use to represent tribes, identify Holocaust victims, spiritual growth accomplishments, decoration, right of passage, or punishment. Today the purpose ranges from drunken mistake to body modification. I personal see tattoos as art and an outward representation of who we are. I myself currently have 6 tattoos and will continue to draw more up. For me, they each have a story, a meaning, a purpose, and I enjoy having them, and plan on getting more. Having a tattoo automatically initiates conversations with strangers even when you don't want to talk to anyone. Throughout my travels I have found it very interesting what people choose to ask you about your tattoo verses thing you think they would ask. Some simply make under the breath comments, others literally hold onto me and say "stay, I'm not done looking." One thing I have learned about having ink, is to always be ready for a conversation. I'll give you a few examples of what I am talking about. I was at the store picking up some items and I was facing the wall when I felt a hand on my shoulder. A young lady said, "can you just stand still for a second I am not done looking." So like always I stood there a minute or so longer and then walked away to purchase my items. As I was standing in the check out line a couple behind me were discussing between themselves in a whisper saying, "it just shows up and looks so much better on white people." I chose not turn around and ask questions, instead I continued to ease drop on a conversation about me. Another example, I was at a piercing place to get new jewelry, and you would think that the people working at this type of place would be well adjusted to tattoos and piercing considering the large population of people who come to these store have a lot of both. And yet I found myself being examined by the piercer, he was behind me knelt on the ground looking at my legs while I was looking at jewelry. The guy behind the counter said, "Andy what are you doing on the floor?" Andy's responds, "looking at her tattoos, they are awesome," and then he continued to ask me the meaning of them and the translation of others. Interesting enough these situations have occurred within the past month. Although not everyone is accepting of tattoos and others will show instant judgment on their face. It isn't about them! It's about me living my life and they just happen to be involved for a minute or two or longer. I am a firm believer in accepting others for who they are in their core, not but their appearance. To accomplish this and apply it to daily life it begins with the acceptance of self and who you really are. In a variety of interactions with others I have learned that most people are most judgmental on things they are insecure with in themselves. This is an interesting concept and also mind boggling. If this is completely true you can get to know someone's deepest secret but what they say about others. Interesting eh? I challenge you to true this theory out in your own life. Observe, NOT JUDGE others in daily interactions and see how they converse with people around them. And I dare you to talk with people you normally would avoid with all effort because you think they are weird or scary or mean. Go and talk to them and get to know who they are in their core, and stop judging them by their outward appearance!

If you have questions, post um up!!!

Free Write

At times like this we wonder why we have existed and why things have to happen this way or another, but the cool thing is we really have no need to worry, everything that is to come will be done and we will eventually have no more suffering and no longer be sad, but loved when the timing is right, exact, and forever!

Its funny how things happen
At your lowest point
Someone walks in
And changes your path
Not knowing then
But now looking back
You can see the timing
Exact, precise, needed
At that exact moment
The precise person
Who was needed
Walked in
How strange and unusually
Against all odds
Not knowing then
But they will continue with you
On this journey we call life
Beside you at every turn
A whispering voice
And a stern hold
They will forever change us
Not knowing then
But knowing now
All things have a purpose
A time
A reason
To fulfill a design
That was created before time
Before your life began
And before you realized someone care that much

Enough to know your name
To be called His own
To be loved
To be care for
And to be wanted
Our greatest desire is to be loved
And He does that
With no boundaries,
With no judgement
Pure, true, and everlasting
Nothing we do changes His love for us.

Nursing

If someone would have told me when I was a yee little one that I would be a nurse when I was an adult, I surely would have laughed! My dream every since I was young was to a missionary to AIDS children in Africa. And that was the only option. Nothing else mattered. I considered seminary school or getting some sort of degree, but never thought nursing. However, like always God had something else planned.

So I found myself sitting in the adviser's office the end of sophomore year in high school debating whether to take 3D art or video communications internship. Both which I loved and would gladly take. Good ole' high school screwed up my schedule and I was given CNA (certified nursing assistant) class. Yeah what is that is what I was thinking. Oh and don't forget it begins two weeks early than all my other courses, is at a different high school, and is super early in the morning :( But I obeyed and began classes at our rival school. So every morning I would get into my run down mini van that had 15 inch subs in the back and a spray paint paint job. Of course the convenience of playing sports I had to wear my jersey on game days. Yeah, not so much fun when you attend your rival school wearing a jersey they hate. So you can image I was welcomed with open arms, NOT! I continued in this course with no problems and while junior year was ending I was going to test for my CNA. Right before classes ended my teacher pulled me into her office. I thought, what did I do this time! She told me that she had put my name into another nursing program at EVIT (a technical school for high school drop outs). I had no idea what she was talking about or what a LPN (License Practical Nurse) was. But i received the information and reviewed it. I received my CNA that summer and worked one 12 hour shift. I disliked it greatly and decided to see what the LPN program had to offer.

Again this program began before all my other classes. A freakin' month early! So going into senior year I attended a meeting about the program and left telling my mom I didn't to spend time actually trying senior year and I had no interest in the program. Yet again God stepped in! I was one of 19 students selected for this program and it was put on my schedule. It was too late in the summer to change to electives so I began class a month early. Not knowing what I got myself into we were studying medication conversions for 6 hours a day 4 days a week. Talk about a summer :( We took our exam and only 17 students continued. I was given a week off and then senior year began. Time flew between LPN college courses, senior classes, basketball, leading younglife, leading youth group, working, and living life. I had to quit basketball because my knee couldn't handle it, plus the commute from clinicals in scrubs and changing into my jersey to arrive just as a game began wasn't working.

Senior year was coming to an end and the LPN course ended a month early so what would a typical senior high school do. Stay with just two high school classes and coast through the rest of the year. Of course NOT. I went immediately into my pre-reqs for college. Three graduations later I was enrolled in a full load for summer. Don't be fooled. I didn't slow down there. My first official college term I took 18 credits in the classroom and another 9 online. Yeah I was 17. Somehow I found time to text for state boards to get my LPN. I passed. I began working as a nurse and EKG tech. Figured out two jobs, leading younglife, 26 college credits, and having a social life wasn't working. So I quit the EKG position. Completing a few more terms I was placed back into the RN (Registered Nurse) program. Graduating May 2009 with my Associated in Applied Science RN. Of course a break is not necessary. So I went directly into the RN to BSN program (Bachelors of Nursing Science). Of course it has to be the accelerated program. Coming to a close I have a few short months left and I will soon have my BSN-RN.

Thinking back now I went from an art kid to a nurse and now I am going to work at a camp. There almost seems to be logic behind that...NOT! But here is the real deal. It is not in my hands. My life is not my own. I refuse to take credit for these series of events and the results that have occurred. Do not think that I am not appreciative of them. I am. God knows I am (literally). But it was not my design. Not my plan. However God knows me well (duh, He created you!). I love nursing and would not change my profession for anything!!! But I still have no idea what the future actually holds for me or where I will be in a year, 5 years, or 10!

I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back tot he place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29: 11-14

Different

So the other day I was shopping and was constantly stared at. So of course I began to try and figure out why I was so fascinating to look at to these strangers. Usually I understand when I have on a tank top and shorts because of all my tattoos. Not the case. I had on a T-shirt and jeans. Then onto make-up. Again no luck, 'cause I wasn't wearing any. Then onto how I was acting. Nope, I wasn't hyper active or bouncing off the walls like normal. I was tired and buying food. Then I realized that I was in Scottsdale where everyone had money and I looked a little outta place. The other day boredom got the best of me and I breaded my entire head. Bahama style. So I will admit I looked like a white chick who grew up in the hood and I was located in a preppie rich Scottsdale where most look like models. So I figured they were staring at me because I looked outta place, and yet they don't even know me. Not that I do fit in anyways, but... So this made me think even more. Why do people stare? When someone gets hurt people laugh and stare. A car accident. Someone dressed weird. Someone who doesn't fit in. But why? What causes people to stare? Why is different so intriguing? Why does different draw people's attention?

Is it because they want it? Do they want what you have, but don't know how to get there? The best is when people are behind you and you hear them talking about you. The perfect example of this happened the other day. I was at a different store and this time I was in a tank top. I was looking at the shelf for an item, I grabbed my item and began to turn. When a lady behind me asked me to stand still so she could finish reading my tattoo. I stood there. Then went to stand in the check out line. The couple behind me were again talking about my tattoos and how they looked. I just stood in line thinking... why? Why do people judge? Why do they insist on talking about you when they don't think you are paying attention? Do people really think I am not listening? REALLY???

All this led me to ponder and try to come up with a theory. Here is what I have come up with thus far and if you have any attentional thoughts, let me know.

Different is attractive and since it doesn't fit the "norm" it is intriguing. People want it. Why? Because they don't understand it. They desire change, but don't know how to obtain it. Accidents are intriguing, not only because it is a reminder of how unpredictable life is, but it allows our minds to image what happened? Why it happened? Whose fault was it? Did they get injured? Did they die? Do I know them? All this is stimulating and allows us to for a brief moment leave ourselves and think about something else.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

I DARE you to be different! Stand out!

When we just don't know

Like always I had my music on in the background and a lyric grabbed my attention. So I search. Listen. Rewind. Dwell. And think within those words what the true mean could be. Today's song is called My Brother Jack by Paul Colman.

"We got into the car with the true believers
We could tell they were by the words they spoke
They were talking of Jesus and all He was doing
They were sharing their favs from the Holy Book
And I was with them every step of the way
'Cause I'm a believer saved by grace
And they didn't know it, in the back seat was my brother Jack

We travelled on the 2 hour journey
Singing along to gospel radio
The my brother Jack quite unexpected said
"Do you mind if I listen to my favourite band?"
And maybe it was when the singer let out a word
Four syllables long and not ever heard
In their church circles
That the believers attacked

How could you play music that evil?
How could you speak of someone's mother like that?
Whatever is pure, whatever is holy
We think on these things so here's your record back!
And maybe it was just 'cause we arrived at the place
My fellow believers didn't see his face
But red was the anger all over my brother Jack

Well I pulled them aside just before our performance
And told them the story of my brother Jack
He's not a believer but one who is searching
And I told him that Jesus loves him where he's at
And when I was speaking
Well suddenly I wondered
If we really knew why
Millions of people felt like my brother Jack
They've come to our churches and they're not coming back
Please God save our souls
And my sweet brother Jack

This is an interesting concept to consider. Is this more of a reality than we would like to admit? Could this be applied to other aspects of our lives rather than just our faith. Everyone grows up differently. Have a variety of beliefs. And choose to live their life as they see fit. What if we consider others above ourselves? How much more welcomed would others feel? How would this improve our world? Could it be a global change? Why don't we try? But then we would have to put forth energy. Exist our safe haven. Life life. Scary I know. But here is the truth to all of this.

The human body is pieced together inside the womb. We grow. Are born. Experience childhood. Graduate. Become an adult. Do whatever the adult thing you wanna do. Become old. Die. End of story for the physical body. So if we consider the truth in how temporary this life is and the limited time we have been given. Why don't we do something with that time? Like I dunno, change the world maybe! Why not. It's been done before. A lot of negative influences. Hilter, any war, main stream media, Charles Mason... But some good. Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther... Someone to go down in history for doing something. Changing the way things are. Standing up for what they believed in whether or not it was good in your eyes or not, they are well known for what they did. What is something you in your life that you would be willing to be known for? Recorded in history, for the future generation to read. What would they say about you? Will they even know you existed? Does it matter if they do or not? What if you don't care if anyone knows you? Then I ask you, what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of living on earth if we aren't suppose to do anything will the talents we are given besides go through the stages of life then die. Honestly that just seems depressing. Conception, birth, growing, adult, elder, death. Um... NO THANK YOU! I would rather do something with my life. Change. Move. Learn. Love. Share. Explore. Improve. Fail. Travel. Grow... What do you want your life to be about? What are you going to do to make that happen? Our biggest dreams are suppose to come true... right? What are you going to do to make sure it happens? How are you going to change the world?

Back to the lyrics.
"My fellow believers didn't see his face
But red was the anger all over my brother Jack"

I wonder what would have happened if the friends had seen Jack's face? Would they have rethought their reactions? Maybe CHANGED to prevent it from happening again? What if they didn't judge him? What if they welcomed him? Put Jack FIRST! Would Jack's life then been impacted? Could the ripple effect come into play? Would Jack then change someone else's life? What if they had at least tried? We will never know because they simply would not get over themselves and consider others' feelings before themselves. SELFISH. INCONSIDERATE. RUDE! They can change this. But they have to decide themselves to make that change. You can change. You can help others. Put them first. Love them. CHANGE! Impact the world. Impact others. I pray that your impact and my own is a positive one. That when people remember how we lived our lives they would be proud, happy, joyful, and see the positive change we caused on those around us.

Make it your own...

A picture is worth a thousand words. What if I only want to use one word? Who can say anything different? I guess they could, but does it matter?. If you consider opinion verses perception in alignment with "the beauty is in the eye of the beholder." It is difficult to say if a picture is anything. I refuse to argue with opinion because the debate will never end since it is all relative. So instead of using word to demonstrate what I have seen in my life I will just show some examples. No words. Just images. You decide. Share if you'd like. Or just look. All I really hope from this post is that you smile at one point or another and realize that photography captures a moment in time that can never be returned to the exact second. Once it passes it is gone forever.

Thank you Ipod shuffle!

So like always I have my music on and I was listening to the awkward/amazing transitions that occur on my ipod when shuffle is in use.

At one point the bass is bumping to Eminem talking about
"See what these kids do is hear about us totin' pistols
And they want to get one cause they think the shit's cool
Not knowin' we really just protectin' ourselves, we entertainers"

Then Hosana by Paul Baloche comes on talking about
"In Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day"

Then onto The Script, Breakeven:
"I'm still alive, but I'm barely breathin,
Just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in"

Then to Brand New, Jesus Christ:
"Well, Jesus Christ I’m not scared to die
I’m a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot
Do I float through the ceiling
Do I divide and fall apart
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
This ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?"

Before I even start commenting. I realize my music choice is not always "christian" and those who know me already know how much music and lyrics are a part of my life, therefore this post comes as no surprise to you.

Like always there is a specific reason why I chose to select the section of lyrics I did to include and if you are interested the rest you can look them up. As stated above I listen to music almost every waking hour of the day and enjoy a variety as seen in the songs listed. Pretty much the only thing I don't listen to is country. Yeah I am not a fan, but if you then you can listen to it all you want, but it's not for me. Something that struck me was the influence these select bands have on our culture, society, and daily lives. Eminem has very strong/controversial lyrics with good beats. He confronts the reality of our society following what they see on TV or in the media and try to replicate it. Not only to be like "them" but they will also mimic the actions of these "stars." This thought is scary. Think about the influences that we come in contact on a daily basis. How much of those are changing who we are? Change our style of clothing? Wanting something new? Wanting to lose pounds to look like "that," whatever "that" may be. Then we have Paul who states that our lives that we "think" are broken can be made new, and we can face each day with God. This directly contradicts what the "world/society" are telling us. I think The Script hits the nail on the head,

"I'm still alive, but I'm barely breathing, just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in."

Our society is so tied up in the image and what they are suppose to be that the focus on what life is has been completely lost. The United States is commonly labeled as a "Christian Nation." However this statement is simply that a statement. There are no actions to follow this. A label means nothing without actions. But when trouble comes, then God is called on, but people don't really know what they are doing. They have just ran out of options and they remember someone once telling them to pray. So they do. It seems like at our deepest moments is when we are desperate enough to find something outsides of ourselves to put our interests in. Why does it take us to this point to recognize God and seek him?

Brand New is a band I listen to a lot. In this particular song they are asking about what will happen when we die? My favorite line is, "And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?" Thomas was one of the twelve disciples that followed Jesus around during his years of ministry. When Jesus died on the cross his body was laid in a tomb. A couple of the disciples said they saw Jesus after three days and told the other disciples what had happened. Thomas was among them and did not believe them. He wanted proof. He wanted to stick his hands in the nail holes before he believed that Jesus was alive again. The reason I like this lyrics so much is because I think about doubt. Is Thomas going to be standing at the gates asking to see the proof that I have done what I said I have done and question how I lived my life?

What if our society's image of "cool" or "who we want to be" was Jesus?

Light in the darkness

It is strange the things we realize while driving by ourselves. So like usual I was on an adventure and had no destination besides avoiding anyone. I headed out of town and took old route 66. I know strange to think this small road use to be the main highway. So weird! I just happened to have my mountain bike on top of my car and conveniently camping gear in my trunk. So I set out to find a sweet trail and somewhere to camp. As the drive began there were a lot of developed roads closed off because of the recent winter season and the one that were open were not developed and had no markings. I know creepy right! So I picked a random turn off and took my non-off-roading Camry on the non-existent road. Lets just say the vehicle isn't exactly what you would call capable of this type of "road." However, I was determined to find a sweet camping spot completely by myself. My curiousity swept over me and I decided to drive until the "road" ended. Along the way I discovered a small water hole which was completely random and beautiful. So like any other person naturally I stopped to take pictures! "Damn tourists!" I returned to my car and continued. I don't know if what I found would be considered such an ending, but there was barbed wire so I decided not to cross. Well at least not in my vehicle considering this barbed wire was on the "road." I continued walking until I reached the "summit" and tried to figure out where I was. Yeah, useless! I returned to my car then turned around. I eventually made it back to old route 66 and continued down the road towards somewhere. Again another "trail" sparked my interest and I decided to adventure down it. Trailhead 088. Whatever that means! And once again my vehicle was not up to standards to fight against the inclines and muddy terrain. But I drove it anyways! I did hit a particular area where I was sliding so much on the snow up an incline that I decided to turn around. On my way back the sun was setting and I set up camp. No one in sight and likely no one would ever come down this road. I started a fire and put together my tent. Darkness swept over the land and nothing but the fire could be seen. Naturally I had hot dogs in the cooler in my trunk along with my camping seat. I set it up and ate a few hot dogs. With the sun vanished and the moon rising the temperature began to drop. And drop fast! I did not have the proper gear to stay warm so I packed up and headed back into town. I called up a friend and crashed on their floor. I woke up and ended up with a parking ticket and a sense of an unfinished adventure. I decided to drive to Sedona and hit up some mountain bike trails. Again middle of nowhere on my bike enjoying the beauty surrounding me. I finished the trail and headed back into town. In the wee hours of the morning I decided to drive home of course after a 2am Ihop breakfast with friends. No we were not drunk! On my drive home I was hoping for the clouds to clear so I could gaze at the stars. Unfortunately the entire drive the stars were covered up by clouds, however the moon was shinning brightly. This brings me to the point of this entire entry. Being the light in the darkness. During this time of day no one is on the roads besides the occasional trucker and of course me. There are no lights besides the headlights of fellow drivers and the moon. This next part I know is no safe and should never ever ever be done, however I just had to. On the drive I briefly turned off all lights in my car including my headlights. And for that moment the only light visible was the moon. The craziest thing was I could see perfectly by only using the light from the moon. There was no escaping it. No where to hide. Absolutely unavailable! I guess there were things I could have done, like gone into a cave, shut my eyes, or gone into some sort of structure. But I didn't. I was driving. The darkness couldn't hide from the light of the moon. This reminds me of a story most of us are remotely familiar with. These are found in these verses:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

The light projected from the moon could not be hidden from. Everything was bring touched by it. You could see perfectly if you weren't distracted from light from another source. I believe this is often difficult to apply in our daily lives because of distractions. We can see the moon and the effects of it, but we are distracted by the person to our right with their flashlight on. They are distracting us, trying to steal the glory of the moon, trying but failing to gain any significant glory. We only want to yell at them to turn off their flashlight and enjoy the beauty of the moon and stop shining their false light in your eyes. Next we have Mark....

"And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."" Mark 4: 21-23

Such simple truth and yet we can't seem to follow any direction. The truth is the moon shinning is completely out of our control. We cannot tell it to move this way or that. It will simply shine regardless of what we do. Putting it under a basket or bed is impossible! Nothing is hidden, even the darkness is exposed. It is even worth attempting to hide then? And last we have Luke, a physician;

"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light." Luke 11:33-36

I personal like to read Luke, basically because he was into medicine and so am I. His writing speaks truth to me and I completely understand what he is talking about. Seeing the light from the moon and being able to see how much it shines in pure darkness it beyond words. The light literally cannot be contained and exposes everything in the dark. I love how Luke uses the analogy of your eye being health then the entire body is filled with light. This is such an amazing image. To think that your body is fueled by visible influences and that determines how you are doing as a whole. I want to be at the point where I see the light shinning from the moon and allow that to uncover any darkness that tries to threaten me.

Never-the-less, the drive home was amazing even if it was at 0300 and I was completely by myself. Because in reality I was not alone, God's light was shinning through the moon and lighting my path even when I decided to not be intelligent and turn off my headlights while driving. When you feel like you are surrounded completely with darkness, find out what flashlight is distracting you from the ultimate light.