Recovering

Well, I just had surgery again on Thursday and have been laying on the couch, popping pain meds and watching the Masters on TV. Thanks for all of your prayers and I hope to have a swift recovery. Well as swift as a 12 month recovery can be ... haha.

Disabled in the line of duty.

Well, just a quick post for once. While filming the promo video for RUF summer conference 10, I tore my right ACL for the second time ... in two years! MAJOR BUMMER!!!! Trying to schedule surgery for the second week in April. Hopefully everything will work out with that. Would def. appreciate your prayers and hoping that everything happens quickly and I won't have to wait around too long.

Spring!

Spring is finally here!! Finally, the "cold" has left and the sun and warm weather have arrived. I am extremely thankful for that. Anyways, UPDATES! Its been awhile since I've updated so I guess that's one New Years resolution already down the tube ... oh well I guess its a good thing that I'm not too crushed. This semester has been awesome! Currently, Chad Smith, the campus minister at Belhaven University, is making his way through a series about Glorification and the New Earth. It has been excellent so far and has everyone looking forward with eager anticipation. Its also influenced quite a few students to rethink their ideas about community and what good community looks like. That has been wonderful to see because one of the things Chad and I are focusing on the most is trying to build good community and the only way we can do that is if students understand what good community is. So needless to say God is at work. We have just returned from our Spring break weekend trip to Memphis, TN and the Rising 2010 conference. It was a wonderful weekend and our eclectic bunch of students really came together as a group. It was good to watch God working in these students lives over the weekend. Pictures will be forthcoming. I always get excited around spring break time because a lot of students really get their worlds rocked for some reason and I'm looking forward to the return of students on monday and hearing all about what happened. God changes many student's lives because they return brokenhearted and with a loss of confidence in self. They finally realize how meaningless life without God is and how they drift like a ship without a rudder when they are apart from Him. Keep these students in your prayers this week as they are on Spring Break and ask God to hold them safely in His hands as their worlds are rocked. Ask Him to show these students what life could be like if they turned to Him and put their faith in Jesus.

Hopes for the New Year

Happy New Year to all! My wife and I got back about a week ago from Delaware, where we spent the holidays. We had a wonderful time and came back refreshed and ready to tackle any and all challenges that come our way in 2010. As 2010 came ticking in, I thought a lot about all of the changes that happened in my life last year and spent some time thinking about the good, the bad and the ugly that came in 2009. As I did so, I felt the need (as I know the rest of the world did too) to make a new year's resolution. Then as I considered what that resolution should be so many things came to mind that I resolved to make a whole LIST of the new year's resolutions! So I thought I would update you all with posting my list. So here you are ... feel free to tell me I am crazy...

Resolutions for 2010:

1. Read through the Bible.
2. Actually memorize (gasp) a verse from each book of the Bible.
3. Become more disciplined ... in everything ( like I haven't tried that before).
4. Start playing the piano again.
5. Stay on top of my intern study program.
6. Lead a killer small group and influence the guys on Belhaven University's Campus.
7. Beat my wife in Boggle (never gonna happen ... but its nice to dream).
8. Build a matching set of bookshelves for all of the books I'm reading.
9. Root out more sin in my life.
10. Update my blog at least once a month.

Well, there you have it. I will keep everyone posted on how successful I am in completing this list of new year's resolutions. Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and is ready to take on 2010.

Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas to all!

Well, I have been a little slack in updating my blog this semester so I hope you will accept my deepest apologies and hopefully we will be able to start afresh in the new year! This fall has been very good to me. I don't even know where to begin when trying to recall all of the amazing experiences I have had this fall but I suppose it is fitting to start with the best. I GOT MARRIED! Haha, I am sure if you are reading this you already knew this fact but I still like yelling it whenever I can. The wedding went very well without a single hitch. My wife and I spent a very nice 4 day honeymoon in Charleston, SC. We had one great day on the beach and it rained the other three ... but we had a wonderful time and got to see a lot of the sites ... albeit from beneath a large umbrella.
When we returned it finally felt like I could really settle into my job and devote myself to the students because I wasn't constantly looking at my calendar waiting for the 10th of October to roll around. Because of this I have been enjoying my job more and more as I deepen my relationships with students and God has blessed me with students that are seeking answers and have no qualms discussing their problems with me and seeking advice and guidance. Throughout the semester God has really opened my eyes to a lot of my own sin as well. God has repeatedly crushed my pride and self-worth and truly shown me that to grow we must be broken... the more I realize my need for Christ, the more grace and love God has bestowed. I have truly been blessed beyond measure and I don't know why...but God is good! I only hope to have the same joy in Him when things don't go as planned.
However, to update you on things going on with Belhaven RUF! Chad Smith, campus minister at Belhaven College (now University in fact!), has finished taking us through the David story. He really opened a lot of students eye's to the fact that David wasn't all that holy, and that through reading about him we can see ourselves and the wonderful redemption we have in Christ. Students are eagerly awaiting what we will be covering next semester. I have been very slack in taking pictures at events and of students but hopefully this will improve next semester. If you do want to see some pictures of students in RUF now and some of the events we had this semester, friend me on facebook! I will be uploading more photo's on the blog next semester as well as updating on a more regular basis.
As far as my wife and I's own personal needs, please pray that my support would come through. God has been very generous but I still need about $3500.00 to $4000.00 by the first of March to complete my year's support. Also, please pray that God would provide other young adults and couples in the area that we can befriend and fellowship with. We will be joining the local Presbyterian church, right next to campus, in February and we hope this will open more opportunities for community. Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support. Please stay in touch and don't hesitate to call, email or visit! Happy Christmas and New Year!

Arrival!

I made it! After flying from Cleveland to Atlanta to Toronto, driving to Buffalo and Greyhounding from there to Cleveland and trucking from Cleveland to Jackson, I have finally arrived at my destination and home for next few years at least. I and my two good friends, Ryan Wells and Josh Putnam drove the truck down to Jackson, MS through probably the worst thunder, lightning and rainstorm I have ever experienced. It stretched from Cincinnati, OH to Nashville, TN!! Ridiculous!!! How this was not plastered all over the news is beyond me! Haha, but God protected us, as well as, all of my belongings and our Penske truck, for which I am very thankful.

I arrived on the evening of August 11th and have been crazy busy ever since. We moved freshman and transfer students in on Saturday and classes begin this Thursday! There hasn't been much time to sit down and process the fact that I am now living alone, extremely far away from all my friends, supporters, family and loved ones. However, God has been so awesome and has literally thrown new friends in front of me! I have met so many people and have yet to eat three square meals by myself. People have been so gracious and inviting and supportive ever since I have arrived. It has been an incredible blessing and I am so thankful that God has provided such a warm and inviting place for me to live.

Here are some pictures of my first week of experiences in Jackson, MS!

My new home!

My first dinner ... Go Hungryman!!

Yes, I cut my own hair ... thats a first for me, folks and yes, it is ridiculously hot down here.

To all of my financial and prayer supporters, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I can't tell how grateful I am and how much your support has meant to me over the past 3 months. God's love has truly been shown through you all and I can't thank you all enough. I still have about 7,500 more to raise to reach my year goal but I am sure that God will provide.

For those of you who would like to know how you can pray for me here are some prayer requests!

1. That the rest of my support would come in soon!

2. That God would open the hearts of the students to the Gospel, especially the athletes.

3. That God would strengthen my own soul and my heart for ministering to students, especially athletes.

4. That God would be with Naomi and myself as we prepare to be married in 52 days!

5. That God would knit our core group of student leaders together well as we prepare to jump into a new semester.

6. and Finally, pray that God would bring many students to our first large group on the night of Tuesday the 25th. We will be going through the life of David.

On the road again!

Well I am currently sitting in the center of the Charlotte airport, on my way to RUF Staff Training! I can't wait to see all everybody again from June and meet all the other folks that make RUF tick. It has been the craziest summer ever with so much traveling via planes, trains and automobiles (literally!!) that I didn't even have time to freak out more than once ... ok maybe twice haha. While it has been a busy summer it has also been incredibly rewarding in so many ways! I would never have thought that raising support could teach you so much! I have grown so much in my faith and trust in Christ as well as my own personal confidence and assurance that I am doing exactly what God wants me to do. It has been immensely comforting to see people rally behind me and it has taught me a lot about what christian community means and how amazing it is to be a part of it!! I can't even express the joy and excitement I have gotten out of seeing all of the financial support just over the past week come in.

I now have 25,000 dollars in my account and am clear to move down to my campus. I still have another 7,000 dollars to raise by February but am confident that the God will provide. My schedule from here on out is pretty hectic, I am on my way to staff training in Atlanta, GA. I will be there through the 31st of July. From there I fly to Toronto, ONT on August 1st and with be there with my future-in-laws through the 9th. I will be busing home to Akron, OH on the 9th and will pick up the moving truck and start the trek down to Jackson, MS with the help of two of my good friends, Josh Putnam and Ryan Wells. So its going to be a crazy next couple of weeks but I am really looking forward to what I will learn and the experiences I will have. Thank you all for your support through prayers and finances and I can't wait to update you when I get down to Jackson.