Anotha Update!

I figure that I may as well give a life update to ya'll while I'm on blogger right now...

My plane tickets just came in for my Christmas trip to Chi_a!!! I'm heading over there for 2 weeks during my Christmas break to see mom and dad and I'm really excited. I'm also really looking forward to Thanksgiving! Justin and Beth and the girls decided to stay in Ohio for this Thanksgiving and I'm ever so thankful. Crissie and I were going to come home for a day or so anyways during Thanksgiving break, to see Chris, Laura, and Maddie. Now Justin's fam. will be here too so ya can't beat that! I love my brothers so much. With my parents away in "that country way over there", they mean much more than I can ever express to each of them. To be able to spend Thanksgiving with them will be an enormous blessing. I am thankful for my family. I've been blessed with an amazing one, despite distances apart from each other.

School is crazy right now. I try to load the middle of my day up with as much as I possibly can so that I don't get stressed out. This rarely works, but the end of the semester is inevitably nearing...this is both good and bad as I have a ton of work to finish before the end.

All is well. This weekend, Damon (chief of staff, Spring Arbor University--we [ me + six other dudes] live in his big house) is taking us to Indianapolis for a night and a day. We'll stay in the Indy WESTIN 4-star hotel, dine finely at the best restaurants that are offered there, see the new bond movie somewhere, hang out, and have an AMAZING time of fellowship. I went with the house last year, too, and it was such a great time! We leave Friday at 3pm and don't get back till around 9:30 or 10pm on Saturday, when we will be having a guys poker night!

Love ya'll...

I would just like to point out that this picture is of ME PINNING JUSTIN in West Virginia. It's proof bro. You may have had a couple more drinks than me, but fair and square I kicked yer @$$. :) Just thought everyone should see this. And once more, I am stronger than Justin King.(haha, just kidding....but seriously I am)

On Being Saved thru Faith...

Looking through some more of John Piper's video's, I simply can't get enough. This man is annointed. I can see it on him. I can feel it when I listen to a freaking online video. Here's another video about why God chose for us to be saved through faith. SO good. I pray and hope that all who watch this will be blessed and convicted as I am. If you don't agree with this stuff. I'm sorry :) and I love you :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBYsWwk2410

Click above link to watch video...
sfk

Prosperity Gospel...

Here's a video from a sermon from John Piper. John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I don't know much about him besides that he schooled at Fuller Theological Seminary and the University of Munich. I do think this video is crazy convicting and that there is a lot of truth in it. I'll warn you that at times it is intense...but I'd say worth it. He is briefly talking passionately about what has been grown to be called the prosperity gospel-telling people that all events and life will be completely better and okay if you just start a relationship with our Lord. But I think as we all know, there is suffering that takes place in our lives. There are hardships. Painful situations. Bad health. Financial struggle. Health and wealth are incredible blessings. The Lord uses each of these, whether its financial abundance or healing in his name or just a clean bill of health for someone who hasn't experienced much sickness. This all is AMAZING and the Lord uses prosperity no doubt. But to tell someone, especially in a third world environment, that earthly prosperity is what they'll inherit upon calling on Jesus' name--we need to stay away from this. I can't say it well, but I think that Piper has a great outlook on this topic and I think you should watch this video...
love ya'll...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

Click the above link to see video by John Piper.

A Beautiful Day...

Today outside is beautiful. Truthfully, it's been like this for several days now and gone by relatively unnoticed by me...and what a pity it is to let beauty go unnoticed!

As I type this I'm sitting on my house's front porch watching people go by on walks and watching the bright yellow and orange leaves blow in the wind. It sounds like a magical place putting the scenery into words, and to be at all honest, it is a little magical.

How do I get so caught up in my selfish desire to be concerned about stressful work, homework, and whatever else--that I would miss such a display of God's creation? I don't know, but today, as I write this, I simply am saying [and thinking], "Thank You, God!"...
I think that sometimes God makes days like this happen in order to tell some of us, "lighten up, will ya?" Lay the stuff you're worried about at my feet and enjoy me! Do what you need to get done and look out there at what I'm doing and what I've made...it's for you! and for me! Enjoy it!...

Haha...what a good day. I hope that a slice of the joy that I've come to understand today will pass onto you. Here are some pictures to smile at in case it doesn't :)