Surfing & Encouragement

here is trace catching a wave
this is trace's cousin ben
I took this photo with a self-timer after surfing last night... Isn't this like poster material!

Two cool conversations today. I was talking to a potential volunteer for the jr. high i was working with and this was straight up throwin down the word and preaching to me! So much so, at the end of our phone call she left me with a verse of encouragement from Proverbs!!! It was so tight! A little extreme... but it ministered to me so much.

After youth group i got to talk to a leader of young life(a Program designed to get Christian involvement in schools and elsewhere). He had such a heart for evangelism with no allegiance to a certain plan or program. His allegiance was to the Body of Christ more so than a denomination or church and the same with the girl volunteer above. It was just a brush of fresh air from those serving around me. God is good.

All of this is getting that much more excited to serve and be a part of what God is doing in New Zealand in the near future!

Growing Up...

This is just a quick journal that i just wanted to think out. One of the hardest things about college and now has been this transfer of all the sudden being accountable to my time management. I absolutely despise it. Somewhere along the lines of going to college i started to take on this thought. I have so many things that i want to do and there really is not enough time in the day to do all of it... or at least so it seems. Anyways, i start to feel this guilt and pressure that i have to get everything done and it just isn't realistic and it keeps me from just enjoying what i am doing. Before this point i would just do what i was doing... football, hangout with friends, homework when i wanted, etc. Now it is a opportunity cost that seems to be a triangle between relationships, work, activity(sports, workout, etc.). I will write back with an update soon, but your suggestions/thoughts are appreciated. At church last night, Miles McPhereson had a insight i continually learn that if you are living for other people and not yourself a lot of the small problems seem to go away... just thinking out loud.

A Crazy Last Few Weeks

My Schedule these last weekend
FRI- August 18th last day of day camp
FRI- allnighter that night 7PM-9AM
SAT-9AM-3PM Volleyball tournament down by the bay
SUN- 7AM-9AM Half Marathon
SUN- 10-1 Lead Jr. High Service at Church
SUN-TUES- Surf Trip with Trace and Adam Pictures to Come



My Uncle Gary came down this last Sunday from Arizona and we were able to run a half-marathon together. I believe our time was 2:01:00. It was fun to actually run with somebody. In the past i have usually been at a pace by myself, and it was cool to run from Point Loma through downtown San Diego. We both had a good time, but neither of us was completely satisfied with our time which means only one thing.... no not that we are out of shape pansies.... that we will have to run anotherr one in the future!


Just Recently The Youth Group went to the Padres Game. Here are a few of us.

This is Amy Morris who graduated from IWU, one of her relatives, Trace and I playing tennis together



Surf Trip and Allnighter Pictures still to come

Summer Update

So i haven't gotten to put pictures on here for aWHILE!!! So here is the quick kinda update with pictures.

Kelly Got Married to Brenton BenWare on July 16 and the whole family was out. Here are a couple of pictures from the wedding


Brenton & Kelly as they were leaving

Because of that it means we also got surfing in.

This is Me, Trace, and Ben (trace's cousin). We surf together regularly

This is Brandon getting up

And this is Brenton when Trace and i Got to take him out
This is a picture of me and some of the kids getting ready for Dye Wars at the Day Camp i work at.

Life

So i bought a macbook which has been an amazingly fun toy except for the fact that i cannot connect it to the internet where i live and i am too lazy to travel around to where i get wireless to take the time to blog in my free time. And this is what you get... a poorly thought out blog with no pictures that is only updated once a month. If you are still reading... props to you. Have fun helping me figure out my life. The kids Day camp i work at out here right now ends this friday. The jr. high youth pastor summer commitment ends at the middle of august and might continue if they don't find a new youth pastor by then until November. If they find someone i will hopefully being doing construction. Either way i am enrolled in 9 credits at the Azusa Pacific Branch Down here in San Diego. THe plan is to be going to New Zealand in December- January time for about 6 months. God has been nudging me that way for a long time, but i was and am hesitant in trying to be practical and yet completely stoked. I will be going to volunteer and hopefully serve in the wesleyan church plants down there. There are still a lot of details to work out, but it will be sweet. Dan Eggenschwiler, Kyle Scott, & Max Shutt from Indiana Wesleyan University are all contemplating going down as well which would be an amazing community if that happened. As to what i have been learning: It always seems that in my car i wished i could blog because i have all of these incredible thoughts and then i sit down in front of a computer screen and become dumb.. ya know? You know what i am sayin'? Just went and saw Step Up in the theaters... couldn't stop dancing afterwards!!! Great dancing, but seems to live up to the cheesy cliche movie about some guys living in the ghetto. So i give the plot 2 stars and the dancing 4 stars. God is working as always. It is crazy. Some friends and i are talking to a guy about God and he was going to come here one of our favorite evangelists Miles McPhereson. He lives one exit down the freeway from the church but get this, he gets in a fender bender on the way there... no lie!!! You want to talk about your spiritual warfare! I had teens, families, and friends praying for this guy and his journedy especially over the next month and he can't get to church a block down the road... all in God's timing. I love my family and friends. you don't realize how much of blessing and how much of an uplifter it is to here and be with your family until they aren't around as much. I just have had this genuine appreciation for the encouragement and energy i receive from my family. My uncle will becoming up this Sunday to run a half marathon with me down by the coast. I have to do somework now, but if you are getting frustrated with things... make sure to just take a step back, look at the sky, and take a big breath. Chances are your whole body is going to be shouting out God Is GOOD!