Christmas Time Is Here

Fortune Cookie

I broke open a fortune cookie today. You want to guess what it said? It said, "A lifetime of happiness lies ahead of you". Then I thought what if you are not in my future. This really wouldn't make much sense to others, but this one really struck me deep. You were not mentioned in my "lifetime of happiness". If your name is absent, then that clarifies your absence and your absence means my deficiency. I've pictured you in my distant future for so long now. Now I am not so sure what I should see when I imagine anything from here to eternity. It is indubitably hard to think of my happiness without you. Is there any way to change what that insignificant, yet so significant little slip of paper has printed on it? The more thought I put into it the larger my anxiety intensifies, but then I think who puts much hope or stock into fortune cookies anyways.



JDM

Guess its that time of year!

Imagine a group of young people meeting in big room, chatting with each other for a few minutes then go to different stairwells. They are getting all getting a little anxious and nervous, waiting. Waiting for the cue to walk on stage. Let's not mention that they are all dressed up as Biblical characters( "in bedsheets"). Yes, its that time of year...
Tonight at God's Bible School and College we are starting our weekend of performances of our school's Christmas Drama. This year it is called "Were It Not for Grace" after Larnelle Harris' song with the same title(which is sung in our program). I think we as a school are really anticipating a good weekend and proclaiming the good new of God's grace!

Random

Thanks

I Corinthains 15:57 -Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Busy

Yes, who would imagine that a college student would be busy??!! It seems that the past few days have been a none stop jog from one place to another. The only real place to really get a breather is sleep. lol. But God is good and I am getting everything accomplished.. off to something else now.

For Those Who Wait by Fireflight

So we sing a lullaby to the lonely hearts tonight
Let it set your heart on fire, let it set you free
When you're fighting to believe
In a love that you can't see
Just know there is a purpose
For those who wait

A Psalm of Life

I am memorizing "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for my Intro to Lit class.
I love the rhyme schemes and thought the last part was really cool:

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait.

Victory

There is power in determination; there is strength in motivation. Wherever the Devil may be roaming he doesn’t have to have you tied down anymore. The circumstances that come your way don’t have to follow with anger and frustration. Walk in those gates loud and proud, there is no way you’re going to sneak in the back door. When there is strength in your attitude the clouds will roll. Don’t let the world tell you the victory is lost with one slip. The sunshine will light up beyond your mere thoughts, making the scene a whole. I would be one to know how easily it is to feel miserable and flip.

-JDM

survival or success

Are you living your life like you're trying to survive or like you already have success?

Waiting for the End

What was left when that fire was gone
I thought it felt right but that right was wrong
All caught up in the eye of the storm
And trying to figure out what it’s like moving on

And I don’t even know what kind of things I said
My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead
Picking up those pieces now where to begin
The hardest part of ending is starting again
-Linking Park

College Life

Kara and I at riverfront
guys stairwell...my fav :)
piano practice
summer sky
what i love
waiting on supper

James 1

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." - James 1:2-4

I read this the other day and was reminded that no matter where I am in life, God is near. It is never just up to us, he supplies strength to get through anything. Of course, we never can totally rely on our strength and we can never expect God to do everything without us doing our part. We can have a smile on our heart knowing that if we our for a good cause and act on that belief, we will have good consequences. (...all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28)
With college I may have "trials" to go through, but I know its for the best!

Labor Day twenty ten

On Labor, a group of 14 of us students and Mr and Mrs Miles( the student affairs director) took a lil trip. We went hiking, exploring and shopping, stopping by Ceasar Creek State Park Dam, Waynesville and the Prime Outlets



We watched this monarch at the park fly for its first time ever!
Going up the dam hill
Looking down the dam hill

The awesome mill

The covered bridge

Andréa and I on the hike

The group that made it to the turning point on our one hike
Jon and Jon in Rue21
:)

Time

"We wait for the sun to move from east to west or for the hour hand to move around the face of the clock, but God is not compelled so to wait. For Him everything that will happen has already happened." - Tozer

all men

Jesus' sacrifice provided an eternal salvation that is sufficient for all men but applies only to those who repent and believe.

- I Believe

Joyful Noise

Angels surrounding His throne and
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
The whole earth is full of His glory
All nations bow to His name
His majesty fills the Heavens
Our hearts give thunderous praise
Declare the Lord is forever
Make a joyful noise in this place

- Flame

Star Gazing

I lay out on my front drive and gaze at the open sky. There are so many bright dots of wonder that I love to see. Now I am just waiting for some to fly by. And I wonder what it would be like if you were here with me. There is an endless count of stars that I can't even begin to imagine. I really just want one so I can make a wish. It would send a surge through me that is beyond adrenaline. If the shooting star came true it would be more than anything I could even think to accomplish. The clouds come and try to take away my chance. I am determined that nothing will take the opportunity out of my hands. I have dreams of you and me under the stars ready to dance. There is an optimism and anticipation in me that only God could understand. I would wish that every night I would be able to see these awe striking stars. It would be like seeing the sparkles in your eyes every night. What I would do to see you now, but you are just so extremely far. I am yearning and dying to see them beam so bright. Oh, if only they would all burn down in front of me tonight. Is your heart feeling the same extraordinary flame like mine? It could turn into an unimaginable sight. If only the wish would come true so together we could shine.

8/11/10
JDM

Sophomore

Yes, I am a sophomore in college. I can hardly believe it myself.
I am here for the freshman/ new student orientation because I work for the school. It's been alright. Worked the first day I got here. Trying to mix and mingle with the new faces, the homesick faces, the lost looking faces, the faces that look like they should of gotten more sleep last night. lol. It's not an easy job, but someone has to do it. I'm sure I won't know half there names for a while,
but I got the students that have not arrived yet.
I'm just so happy to see all old friends and cannot wait to see the rest!
Now I am off to enjoy some chocolate muffins :)

I'm Back

It's been what.. 2 weeks since I posted something? Life has been pretty good! Went to AYC, won the AA Bible Bowl and had lots of fun. Then the week after went to the Bible Holiness camp. My team there (the panthers) didn't win, but we were behind by only one game... it was very close. Now this week is spent at home spent thinking and slowly getting motivated to get ready for school again!

There may be controversy about what music "Christians" can listen to. I say "fine, there will always be controversy." I try not to get in disagreements like that.
There is one artist that I don't listen to very much, but what I do hear, I really believe. It's a man that goes by the name Lecrae. One song of his that is my fav is called Don't Waste Your Life. Simple title, simple message. I just thought I'd share it...


I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
Couple of 'em thinking they'll be livin' in the sky
But while I'm here livin' man, I gotta ask: why?
What am here fo? I gotta figure out.
Waste my life? No I gotta make it count.
If Christ is real, then what am I gon' do about?
Everything in Luke 12:15 down to 21,
You really gotta go and check it out!
Paul said if Christ ain't resurrect then we wasted our lives
Well that implies, that our life's built around Jesus being alive
Everyday I'm living tryin' show the world why,
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
Better than pretty women and sinning and living
To get a minute of any women and men that you admire,
It ain't no lie, we created for Him,
Outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him,
Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father, why bother with something lesser?
He made us so we could bless Him,
And to the world we confess Him
Resurrects Him, so I know I got life,
Matter fact better man I know I got Christ
If you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
You can hit my brakes, you can stop my lights
Man I lost my rights, lost my life
Forget the money cars and toss that ice
The cost is Christ, and they could never offer me anything
On the planet that'll cost that price, yea!

Don't wanna waste my life

Armed and dangerous
So the devil jus' can't hang wid us
Christian youth them a stand wid us
Livin' n driven, given a vision,
Fullfillin' the commission He handed us
London to Los Angeles, da rap evangelist
Ma daddy wouldn't abandon us.
"I gotta back pack fulla tracts plus I keep a Johnny Mac"
So are you ready to jam with us?
So let's go, gimme the word an let's go
Persecution let's go, tribulation let's go
Across the nation let's go, procrastination bes' go
Hung on the cross in the cold
Died for da young and the old
Can't say you never know, heaven knows
How many souls are going to hell or to heaven,
So we gotta go in and get 'em
Whaaaaat!

Don't wanna waste my life

Suffer, yeah do it for Christ,
If you trying to figure what to do with your life
You making a lot of money, hope you doing it right
Because the money is God's you better steward it right
Stay focused if you ain't got no ride
Your life ain't wrapped up in what you drive
The clothes you wear, the job you work
The color your skin, naw we Christian first
People living life for a job
Make a lil money start living for a car
Get em a house a wife kids and a dog
When they retire, they living high on the hog
But guess what they didn't ever really live at all
To live is Christ, and that's Paul I recall
To die is gain, so for Christ we give it all
He's the treasure you'll find in the mall
See your money your singleness. marriage, talent and time
They were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
That's why it's Christ in my rhymes
That's why it's Christ all the time
See my whole world is built around him, He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life he's too true ta chase that ice
Heres my gifts and time,
'Cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life, then this news should change your life
And by his grace you can put your faith,
In place that rules your days and nights

Don't wanna waste my life

From: http://www.musicbabylon.com

ready or not

AYC here I come!!!

home

I am home from vacation. We went to Tennessee and had fun! We went to Cincinnati on the 4th to celebrate the holiday with my family down there and watch the fireworks :)
We then went to TN( the townsend, pigeon forge, and gatlinburg area). We spent our time shopping, visiting the Titanic Museum, the Forbidden Cavern, site seeing, and hanging with the fam having fun.

prophet quotes

Here are two quotes from Prophet by Frank Peretti that I love! Right in the middle of the novel Peretti mixed some awesome awesome Truth. :)

1- If I didn't believe in some ultimate Good, I sure wouldn't be having trouble with Evil. I wouldn't try to fight it. No, I'd just let it go, I'd accept it. I wouldn't be looking for answers because there wouldn't be any.
But listen to me...there is an ultimate Good. There's a God, and He cares about us; He cares about all this mess we're into. If you're hurting, well, He's hurting too, because He's fed up with the evil, He's fed up with the pain, and I think He wants to fix it, if we're willing to let Him.
God's patient, sure, but He's righteous too. He's laid down the law, and He did it for our good, and what we need to do is quit playing games by our rules and get our acts together and do things His way again. It's our fault we're in this mess!
He's...He's God, you know? But listen, He's compassionate, and He's gracious, and He's slow to anger and full of love and...faithfulness too! He'll stick by us. He loves us, and He'll forgive us if we just turn to Him and trust Him. Sure, we've rebelled against Him, we've gone our own way, and we've...well, yeah, we've sinned. I'll say it. We've sinned and we're all feeling it tonight, right? Well, let me tell you, God is holy, and He won't leave the guilty unpunished. Just look at us! Our fathers got lazy about God, and now we're away from God altogether, and our kids...they don't know where they are! You don't think we're paying for our sin?
Listen, we need to wise up, because God won't help us if we're going to keep pretending with Him, throwing His name around and acting like we're praying, becauseHe won't take it. He'll just hide His eyes from us, and we can pray all we want, but He won't hear us because...our hands are full of blood! Ho can we claim to be good whens there's blood on our hands? We need to do some real cleanup.
In the Bible God says, 'Come now, let us reason together....Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.' We've sinned against God, but His Son paid the penalty for us. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He can be our peace and our comfort, and He can wash us clean.

2- It was night, so the place was empty; the swings were motionless, the baseball diamond vacant. He stumbled across the expanse of grass, found a picnic table, and collapsed on the bench, unable to run any further and see no use in it anyway.
He couldn't get away from God, couldn't outrun or outfox Him. There was nothing left to do but surrender.
"All right", he gasped. "All right. You've got me. I can't run anymore. I can't run. Here I am. Do what You want with me."
That sounded strangely familiar, like words he'd prayed thirty-two years ago.
Who are you really, John Barrett?
"Aw!" He couldn't hold that cry inside. He looked around, his eyes darting here and there. He saw nothing but the park.
I have laid bare the secrets of men's hearts and you have seen it.
No, no John thought. He's going to rip my heart out, I know He is!
Now I will show you the secrets of your heart.
John began to realize what he was. He could not turn away from it. The Truth poured over his spirit, mind, and soul like a wave and he had to face it, confess it, know it.
He could not deny it any longer. His soul was naked before God.
"Son", Dad had said, "the Truth is coming after you, and it's going to sink its claws into you and not let go until you start paying attention."
The claws of the Truth were painful. The lies tore away like scabs, and John bled there for hours, stifling his cries of pain in the sleeve of his overcoat.

of love...

My cyber life is back with me :)

"Tears run down my cheeks like an odd, sweet embrace. It’s not much, but it shows the love that is hard to express anymore. I rarely think about it, trying to keep it locked up somewhere deep inside so my face doesn’t become a river. The sorrow that captures me every once in a while has got me in a lock down. Forcing me to flip through old memories and to view life at true reality.Of course, life never stays the same for long and truthfully, it would be a sad thing if it did. That doesn’t mean I don’t miss things from my past. They are a part of what’s locked deep down inside me, forming the person I am today...."

JDM