Vine and Branches

Look at the nativity scene you likely have up somewhere in your home. Do you see three wise men kneeling beside Jesus? Yeah? Okay, good. Pick them up and move them to the other side of your home. Why? Because they did not come until Jesus was a "young child." Nor did they visit Him in the manger. They visited Him inside a house.

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.

--Matthew 2:11

A few weeks ago, Waylon preached a POC message on the importance of not only studying Scripture, but memorizing it. Before hearing that message, I always viewed Scripture memorization as a legalistic that Christians should do just because it's "good."

Waylon, however, put it into perspective for me. The Word of God is the only offensive weapon we have to use against the enemy. If you read Ephesians 6, the metaphor used for the Word is the "Sword of the Spirit." Having been in the midst of a lot of spiritual warfare lately, Ephesians 6 is becoming more alive to me. We really are in a battle, and who goes into a battle without a weapon? Without having the Word of God embedded in our minds, we are like sitting ducks in the middle of a battlefield. We will be utterly destroyed because we are helpless against the enemy.

So in response to Waylon's message, I have embarked on memorizing the entire book of John. It's a slow process (I'm still in chapter 1), but it has been amazing. As I'm memorizing it, I'm also taking the time to meditate on it and study it.

Have you ever taken the time to read the first chapter of John? I don't mean just read through it. I mean really read it. Have you ever tried to understand it? I used to just skip over that part because it was so wordy and hard to grasp. Now, however, I think it's one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. It's beautifully written, and it's jam-packed full of cool stuff about Jesus. Check it out...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

--John 1:1-3

The "Word" that John is referring to is Jesus (cf. John 1:14). These first three verses are filled with awesomeness! Sometimes I forget that, before He "became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14), He was in eternal communion with the Father and Spirit, and He was present at the creation of the universe. Not only that, but before the universe was even created, He already knew that He was going to become human and die (1 Peter 1:20). That is amazing!

Praise Jesus for His love for us. He loves us so much that He died for us so that we would have "the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). JESUS IS AWESOME! Amen!

So I encourage all of my brothers and sisters out there to take Scripture seriously. It is your only weapon against the devil. Learn it. Practice it. Wield it.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

--Psalm 23 (NKJV)

First of all, back in October, Holly and I both felt that God was telling us to put our relationship on hold and take a break from each other. We didn't know why at the time, but we reluctantly obeyed God. For the next two months, we spent no alone-time together. When we did hang out, it was in a group setting. We spent the time that we usually spent together with God instead.

The primary purpose of the break was so that we could make God our first love. He was jealous for our hearts, so He asked us to take the break. Through the break, we were able to reach a point where we no longer needed each other and we could envision our futures without each other. It was very hard to reach that point, but we did. :-)

We have started our courtship back up, but we have a lot more boundaries in place for our relationship. We have sought counsel from married couples around Bethany's campus. We want the two primary purposes of our relationship to be to glorify God and to explore the possibility of marriage. We'll see how it goes!

School has been going pretty well, although the homework has been pretty tough. However, having already been through three years of a liberal arts college already, the work here is nothing I can't handle. I just have to learn to not procrastinate so much. :-P

I have to take some time to praise the Lord right now. The things He has done and the things He is teaching me are just blowing me away.

First of all, God did some miraculous work with Holly last night. She has been struggling with ongoing sickness over the last few months. The doctors have not been able to figure out what's wrong. This past week, the sickness was hitting her really hard. Some of our friends here at BCOM spent yesterday fasting and praying for Holly. Then last night they layed hands on her and prayed over her. She instantly began to regain her energy and feel better! On top of that, her jaw, which has been dislocated since July, was also instantly healed! Praise the Lord for his mercy and power!

God has also been teaching me many things. I've been hanging out a little bit with Waylon Clemmons, a mentor here on campus. With Waylon's help, I have been learning a lot about the shepherding nature of God. It's amazing how God cares for us enough to guide and protect His sheep. He will even break the legs of His sheep if it means protecting them from harming themselves. God is truly amazing.

That's all for now! Until next time! :-)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

--Luke 11:2

First of all, I'll say congratulations to Barack Obama in winning the presidency. I do not agree with anything he stands for, but he will be our next president and therefore deserves respect. I just pray that he realizes that he will answer to God for what he does in the next 4+ years.

I just want to remind everyone that Obama winning the presidency doesn't surprise God. According to Daniel 2:20-21, God "removes [presidents] and raises up [presidents]." Somehow, Obama's presidency will serve God's ultimate will.

However, the Spirit is moving me to prepare. America (and the entire world) is on the verge of a darkness never seen before. Now more than ever, Christ's church needs to be on the watch. Something inside me tells me that it won't be much longer until America begins to turn on followers of Christ.

Somebody in class mentioned that schools are doing "drills" to prepare children in case of a school shooting, and some of those schools are referring to the shooters as Christians. According to the world, Christians are "intolerant", and it won't be long until they see us as a hindrance to their progress and seek to get rid of us.

You can call me a conspiracy theorist. You can call me paranoid. But read Matthew 24. It's coming. And we need to be ready. Will you endure to the end? Or will your love grow cold?

For whatever little bit it's worth, I've decided that I am supporting and voting for Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. He reminds me a lot of Ron Paul (whom I was supporting in the Republican primaries). In fact, he was actually recently endorsed by Ron Paul, which boosts my confidence in him even more.

So here's my "endorsement": BALDWIN/CASTLE in 08!

Please pray for the church in Orissa, India. Christians are being tortured and killed every day there. Here is the e-mail being passed around...

This is is a request for prayer for YWAM missionaries and their churches in Orissa, India. The request came from her friend, Mable Hurst, an associate of HCJB Global. Please read and make this a matter of urgent prayer.

Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.

We have never seen anything like this. We
knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as
far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the continuous
threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But
none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage....
And it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media ....
Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants,
who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and
'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown
assailants in ! ;Centra l Orissa last weekend. Immediately the
Christians were blamed. The cry rose up...'Kill the Christians!'
And the horror began.... In the past 4 days, we have fi rst hand
witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many
dozens of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other reason
than they bear the name of Christ.

Night and day I have been in
touch with our Good News India Directors spread across 14 Dream
Centers in Orissa... they are right in the middle of all this chaos.
In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer protection, a group of
70 blood-thirsty militants came to kill our staff and destroy the home.
They were not allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our
Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our gate, etc.
They have promised to come back and 'finish the job.' Our kids and
staff are locked inside and have stayed that w! ay with doors and windows
shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of desperately calling on
the Lord in prayer.

More police have come to offer protection. ;In
Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to our
dream center and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to
vacate. No one had time to even grab a change of clothes or any
personal belonging. As they fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill
everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral there, but
for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian
homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them
away by saying that there were no Christians in this area. So they left.
We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.

All our dream
centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled inside and
police outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a chance!
to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic
orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and
a computer teacher in house and burned them to death. Many believers
have been killed and hacked into pieces and left on the road.... even
women and children. At another orphanage run by another
organization, when this began, the Director and his wife jumped on
their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children and staff
behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to said: 'We
stay with our kids.... we live together or die together, but we will
never abandon what God has called us to do.' More than 5000
Christian families have had their homes burned or destroyed. They have
fled into the jungles and are living in great fear waiting for the
authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen.
This will continue for another 10 days.... supposedly the 14 day
mourning p! eriod f or the slain Hindu priest. Many more Christians will
die and their houses destroyed. Many more churches will be smashed
down. The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps
things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God
can calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of persecution. But
now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids coming
from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at what is
happening around them. So many of their guardians have fled into the
jungles and are unable to come and get them during these trying times.
Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with
our goal: the transformation of a community by transforming its
children. Orissa will be saved... that is our heart's cry. If we can
take these thousands of throw-away children and help them to become
disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region. It is a long
! term go al, but it is strategic thinking in terms of the Great
Commission. What can you do? First, please uphold all this in
fervent prayer. Second, pass this e-mail on to as many fri ends as you
can. We must get the word out and increase our prayer base for this is
spiritual warfare at its most basic meaning. We are literally fighting
the devil in order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are
crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across Orissa.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help
us to get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort
to fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations....
Prayer works!

Blessings, Chip & Sandy Wanner Col 2:2 MBI
Team Facilitators to YWAM frontlines

So my cell group went out to a state forest for a little camping trip last weekend. We had a great time out there. We made s'mores and played some Texas Hold'em. I didn't finish in last place! Whoo! (It's hard for me to take poker seriously when no money is involved.)

The best part of the whole trip, however, was when Corbett, Noel, Drew, and I decided to go exploring. We went down to the main trail first and came across a couple of drunk women who were also walking around. We made small talk with them and were about to witness to them, but their boyfriends started calling after them. Not wanting any trouble with their boyfriends, we ended the conversation and started exploring the woods.

After getting a ways into the woods, we realized we had no idea where we were. We were lost. Corbett, Noel, and I thought it was actually pretty cool, but Drew didn't like it so much. He's not too fond of being lost. We told him that God is in control and that He brought us out there to teach us something.

Then I said, "I have a feeling it's going to rain." Drew was not too happy about that idea. Corbett decided he should pray... for rain. So he did. And not thirty seconds later it started raining! Seriously! God, with His sense of humor, answered our prayer!

We then decided that it would probably be a good time to try and find a way out of the woods. After about ten or fifteen minutes, we came across the original trail we went in on. So, much to Drew's delight, we made it safely out of the woods.

Afterward, Drew shared how God used the experience to break and humble him. He hates being lost, especially in the rain. So God had him get lost in the woods... in the rain... so that Drew would learn that God has everything under control.

We all learned how sovereign God is. Noel made an interesting comment. He said that God was probably looking down on us, smiling, and saying, "I got this, guys!"

Our experience is a lot like our lives. God takes us into the "woods" of our lives... the unknown places, the hard places. He takes us there so He can humble us and show us His almighty sovereign power.

It was a fun, yet humbling experience that I won't soon forget. Our God is an awesome God!

So I've been reading a book called Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I had often heard about this book from others, but I would always forget abou tit. So when I saw it at Barnes & Noble the other day, I had to pick it up.

It has been an amazing book already! The first few chapters are about Shane's search for true Christianity. Like myself and many others, he was extremely discontent with the current state of the church.

In his search, he had the privilege to work with Mother Theresa. He spent three months working with the homeless and with lepers. It was there, he claims, that he found real Christians. He looked in their eyes and saw Jesus, and others would see the same in him. That's how I want to be!

I figured in order to be like Jesus and to live like Him, I would have to read about Him. So I'm going to spend some time studying and meditating on each of the gospels. I want to learn to love and to be a real man. Jesus is the epitome of love and godly masculinity.

Anyway, Monday night was awesome at our University of Minnesota Outreach. Our director believes that God is calling us to wait right now. Wait and pray. We focused our prayers on repentance and on seeing God for how big He really is. The Spirit led me to my favorite chapter in the Bible: Isaiah 6. In this chapter, the size of God is seen. His incredible power and glory is seen. It's such an amazing passage. See for yourself!:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

--Isaiah 6:1-5 (ESV)

I meant to post this yesterday, but I forgot.

I just wanted to post a little blog in memory of those who died on September 11, 2001. You will never be forgotten.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.

-Jesus Christ (John 5:39-40)

In love, in love, in life, in love
in you, in love, in death, my love
in time, in love, in place, in love
in form, in love, in death, My love
My God, My love, My life, My love,
is yours, My love, My bride, My love
this cross, My love, is Mine, My love
to bear, My love, to die, My love
this cup, My love, this bread, My love
My life, My love, is yours, My love
come drink, My love, My blood, My love
My life, My love, in death, My love
My god, My love, My life, My love
is yours, My love, My bride, My love
this cross, My love, is Mine, My love
to bear, My love, it's time, My love

--Jon Foreman

Sorry for the lack of updates. Between family vacations and moving/adjusting to BCOM, time has been limited. But, thanks to Holly pushing me about it (she's awesome!), I am finally updating again. Hooray!

So I have finally made it to BCOM! I arrived in Bloomington, Minnesota over two weeks ago. The trip from Charlotte to Bloomington was actually pretty fun, despite being alone. It gave me a lot of time to think and pray about what God is going to do with me at BCOM. And it was cool to drive through several different states. With the exception of Indiana (the whole state smells like cow manure!), it was a blast!

So now I'm here in Minnesota, a place full of unknowns for me. Aside from Holly, who is also at BCOM, I know no one here. And I have no idea how I will react to the freakishly cold weather here. I mean it's only early September and I'm already wearing jackets! People still go to the beach in Charleston during September! It's definitely going to be an adjustment.

I've met a lot of cool people so far. My class at BCOM is about 50 students large. It's a small but very diverse group of people. It's going to be fun getting to know these people!

While I've been here, God has been slowly revealing His love for me. Over the SOP, I learned how to dive deep into God and His Word. Here at BCOM, I'm learning how to simply love Him. Jesus said the first and most important commandment is to love God with everything we are. If we do that, then we don't have to do anything else, because it will all fall into place. Growing up in the southern evangelical background, this concept is pretty new to me.

I think that has been a hindrance to me all my life. Growing up in Baptist churches and going to a Baptist school skewed my view of God. I saw Him as a distant overseer who wanted us to follow His rules or else He would punish us. That's a hard person to love. So while I had a grudging respect for God, I never truly loved Him.

But now I know better. Now I'm falling in love with Him. Now there's a reason for my worship. I love Him... because He first loved me. I just finished reading a book called Boy Meets Girl. While the book is about godly relationships and courtship, there was a chapter in the book that focused on the cross. On pages 174-176, the author cites another book called When God Weeps. it's a passage that demonstrates in a powerful way what Jesus truly experienced on the cross. It wasn't the pain of the nails or of the suffocation that makes the sacrifice. It was the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, took every single sin of every single human upon Himself. He took the wrath of God upon Himself so that we could live. That is love.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'


Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.


Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

I'm not sure if that was really written by Ben Stein or not, but it has a lot of truth to it. Whether you are Jewish, Christian, or atheist, you can't deny the fact that America's society started going downhill when the Bible and prayer was removed from the public. Just a little food for though. (Thanks to Julia for posting that on Facebook.)

So the past week has been pretty crazy. Holly's great-grandma had surgery in Fort Pierce (a couple hours from Orlando) last week. It was supposed to be a fairly simple surgery, but somehow she started bleeding on the inside somewhere and the doctors couldn't wake her up after the surgery. Holly and her family are very close to her, so they all flew down to see her and to be with their relatives through all of this. Naturally, Holly was pretty upset about it and it broke my heart to see her going through all of this, especially with other stuff that's going on in her life right now.

But then a cool verse came to my mind:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

--James 1:2

I texted that verse to Holly, and everything just clicked together. Holly told me that she had been praying for patience recently, and she finally realized that all of this was happening to increase her patience. So it was awesome to see God answering prayer in the midst of dark times. The shadow proves the sunshine...

I did get to spend some time with Holly while she was down here. So it was great to be able to encourage her and be there for her. She is such a joy to be around, and she's such a blessing to me. I'm really excited to see where God's going to take us!

In other news, the SOP is almost over. It's kind of bittersweet. I'm going to miss all the friends I've made here, but I'm ready to go home and see my friends and family. I think it's the perfect time for the project to end. I just want to say thanks to everyone who has given me support financially and through prayer. It wasn't in vain! God did some amazing things in me and through me this summer! It was definitely worth it!

And now I have to start preparing to go to Minnesota. I can't wait to see what God has waiting for me there.

That's all for now!

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

--Acts 4:32, 34-35

That's the name of a song by Jon Foreman on his Summer EP. I think it's appropiate given what has been happening to me so far this summer.

Over the past few weeks here in Orlando, I have been learning so much. God is using the people here to teach me new and awesome things. I'm becoming better at reading and studying God's Word. I'm becoming far more bold when it comes to sharing my faith in Christ. My calling into missions has been confirmed time and time again. And I've learned how to be a better boyfriend to Holly. It has been an awesome experience.

Working at Disney has been pretty exciting. It's definitely a challenge at times, but it's rewarding. I get to interact with tons of people, especially children. That's not something that I'm used to doing, so I have no doubt that God placed me in this situation so that I'll overcome some of my weaknesses.

In other news, last Saturday marked one month for Holly and I. It's hard to believe because it feels like just yesterday that I was in Maryland hanging out with her and meeting her family. I can't wait until August when she and I head off to BCOM. It's going to be awesomeness.

God is moving here at the SOP and in my life. He has definitely been helping me to overcome some of the issues I've been having in my life lately. And because of that, it didn't take long at all for Satan to start throwing crap at me. But I am persevering, thanks to the strength and faithfulness of my awesome God, as well as encouragement from Holly, my family, and friends.

I can't wait to see what going to happen next.

So it turns out that the hotel that I'm staying in while in Orlando doesn't have any internet access at all. So those frequent updates I promised probably won't happen as frequently as I would like. I'm at a Panera right now using their wireless. I'll probably do that once a week so that I can check e-mail, check facebook, and update this blog.

Anyway, I have been having an absolute blast here in Orlando so far. I'm making a ton of great new friends, all while learning more about how to be captivated with God.

The theme verse for the summer is Hebrews 12:1-3:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (ESV)

It's so easy to get tangled up in the rules and "morals" of Christianity while totally ignoring the real reason for our faith: Jesus Christ. We're supposed to focus on building a relationship with Him. That's what this summer is going to be focused on: being captivated by Christ and building a personal relationship with Him.

Anyway, the first week is about over. I spent most of it just getting to know people and reading a great book called Bruchko. I highly recommend that book. I'll go into it more in a later blog when I have more time.

Next week I start training for my job. I'll be working in merchandise at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I've never had a job like that before, so it'll be interesting to see how I handle it. Please pray for me. I want to be a light for Christ while I'm working there.

That's all I have time for right now. Hopefully I'll be able to post a more in-depth blog later. Thanks to everyone who has supported me through finances and prayer!

God bless.


P.S. I have the most amazing girlfriend. ;-) Holly Wagner rocks my socks!

It's been awhile since I last updated. Between final exams and preparing for the Summer Orlando Project, I've had a lot on my plate the last couple of months. It's not gonna stop anytime soon either. I leave for Orlando on June 1. I'm pretty pumped up about SOP. I can't wait to see what God is going to do with me there.

Speaking of SOP, any donations that anyone would like to make to my SOP fund would be very welcome. Please pray about it, and do what God leads you to do. If you feel led to donate, make checks out to Campus Outreach Charleston and send them to this address:


As for BCOM, there's not much new going on with that. I got my acceptance package awhile back, but I haven't sent in any of the papers yet. Also, please keep Autumn Webb in your prayers. She is somebody I know that is going to BCOM in the fall as well. Her sister passed away recently, so say a little prayer for her if you can.

In other news, I am now in a courting relationship with a lady I've been talking to for the past 3 months. Her name is Holly Wagner, and she is absolutely amazing. She has been such a huge blessing to me, and I'm thankful that God has brought her into my life. She is also going to BCOM in the fall. She's currently living in Maryland, and I went to visit her and her family for six days. I had a blast while I was there, and Holly and I clicked right away. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

Why should I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need
Your love is strong

--Jon Foreman

Those are lyrics from a song by Jon Foreman called "Your Love Is Strong." I love that song. I highly recommend that you listen to it. In fact, buy all of Jon Foreman's EP's: Fall, Winter, and Spring. They are all amazing!

Speaking of Jon Foreman, I managed to go to a Switchfoot concert in Myrtle Beach last week with (of course) the Makars. Before this concert, I would say the best concert I had been to was the Relient K one in Charlotte last April. But this Switchfoot concert definitely takes the cake. The guys seemed to have a great time on the stage, and the crowd was absolutely nuts. It was awesome! And to top it all off, I was able to talk to Jon Foreman himself for a few minutes! I also got a picture with him. Check it out...

Words have a longer life than deeds. --Pindar, Greek poet

So I went to see Doomsday last night. Although it got a little too graphic at times, I have to say it was the best movie I've seen in awhile. I'd even rank it above I Am Legend, which I thought was a great movie too.

Anyway, while at the theater, I ran into my buddy Marlin. He told me about how he read some of my blogs and that they have helped him to see some things in his life that he didn't see before. In my mind I was like, "Whoa. Somebody was actually impacted by my blog." It was a good feeling to know that I can use this blog as a tool to make a positive impact in the lives of some people.

In other news, I need some prayer. There have been events in my life that have been causing some stress. I also have a new problem that I have to overcome. I'm not going to go into details right now. Not yet anyway.

I hope everyone is doing well. God bless.

I just had an epiphany. The Bible isn't a self-help book. It's God actually speaking to me. Yeah... how about that?

Barry picks Spurs over Suns
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic

Feb. 28, 2008 07:24 PM

Brent Barry will not be playing for Phoenix.

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said the 36-year-old guard told him tonight that he chose San Antonio over Phoenix, as well as suitors like Boston, Dallas and Houston. Barry cleared waivers Tuesday after being traded by San Antonio last week to Seattle, which released him Friday to set off a week of recruiting.

Barry will not be able to sign a deal with San Antonio until March 21 because NBA rules prohibit a player from re-signing with a team that traded him until 30 days after the deal was made.


"I spoke with Brent and he informed me he was going to stay in San Antonio," Kerr said. "He said that it was a tough decision but he's going to stay."

Phoenix is now expected to turn its attention to Philadelphia 6-foot-6 guard Gordan Giricek, who the 76ers planned to release so that he could sign with Phoenix if Barry turned down the Suns. Giricek has not been bought out by the 76ers yet and would have to clear waivers for a 48-hour period before he could sign with Phoenix. The 76ers visit Phoenix on Saturday.

Barry, nicknamed "Bones" for his 6-foot-7, 210-pound frame, was targeted by the Suns to help them spread the floor better with another shooter and have another playmaking option with his ability to slide to point guard. Barry is a career 40.7 percent 3-point shooter and the Suns are trying to keep the floor spread as they work in Shaquille O'Neal, who can not play as wide as Shawn Marion did to start possessions.

Barry helped the Spurs win 2005 and 2007 titles and his family is settled in San Antonio. He was already guaranteed his full $5.7 million for the season from the Spurs but now can make a pro-rated veteran's minimum check in addition to it. The Spurs and Suns were offering a contract that was fully guaranteed for next season but the Spurs were believed to be adding a partial guarantee for 2009-10 as well.

Barry is in his 13th NBA season out of Oregon State and has been with San Antonio since 2004.

With Barry, Phoenix would have boasted four of the 17 most accurate NBA 3-point shooters in NBA history with Steve Nash (sixth), Leandro Barbosa (11th), Barry (14th) and Raja Bell (17th).

Giricek, 29, is a 36.7 percent career 3-point shooter who has rarely played since being traded to Philadelphia for Kyle Korver. He is not the playmaker that Barry is but is a better defender. Giricek, originally from Yugoslavia, has only appeared in six of the past 22 Philadelphia games.

He was a double-digit scorer for most of his first five NBA season with Memphis, Orlando and Utah but fell out of favor with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan this season before being dealt.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns...0228barry.html

Welcome back, Brent Barry. This makes the Spurs trade for Kurt Thomas an A+. Oh, and the Spurs also beat the Mavs last night for their seventh straight win. GO SPURS GO!

Before God uses you greatly, He will hurt you deeply. --Jon Davis

Sorry for not updating in such a long time. School, friends, and being involved in campus ministries has been eating up a good chunk of my time. Plus I don't like to write just to write. I prefer to have a point to what I write.

This morning at church, Jon Davis gave an incredible message about "simple obedience" that hit me pretty hard. Some of the things he talked about reminded me of when God called me to missions, and how I just stopped where I was and followed that calling. And in the midst of doing that, God allowed me to experience a deep amount of pain. I didn't know why at first, but after hearing Jon's message this morning, I realize that it was to humble me, to make me realize that this isn't about me.

In other news, I turned 21 back on the 12th. It was a pretty good birthday. I went home the weekend before it, and my parents and some friends took me out to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. I love those places. For my actual birthday, some friends and I went to IHOP because it was also National Pancake Day. So we got some free pancakes. It was pretty fun.

School is going okay. My accelerated Spanish class ends after this week. I'm pretty happy about that. I haven't decided if I want to take the second class or not yet though. We'll see.

In sports, the Spurs are doing pretty well right now. They traded for Kurt Thomas, which is awesome. It sucks they had to give up Brent Barry for him though. There is a chance Barry could come back to the Spurs in a month or so though because Seattle bought him out. I think the Spurs have a good chance to repeat their championship this season.

That's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well! Adios!

I have officially decided (with God's help of course) that, assuming I will be accepted, I am definitely going to transfer to Bethany College of Missions next semester to pursue God's calling for me into missions.

For those of you who don't know, BCOM is a very small school near Twin Cities, Minnesota that is entirely missions-focused. They train you for a year, then you go out on a 16-month overseas internship. When you come back, you stay for a 4-month "debriefing", then you graduate with a BA in Cross-cultural Studies. Even though BCOM isn't accredited, several schools such as Liberty and Asuza-Pacific accept BCOM graduates into their graduate programs.

Through Facebook I have already met a few people who will also be going there this Fall. I think God's going to go great things with me there. I can't wait. :-D

The Patriots lost to the Giants in what I think was the most intense Super Bowl since 2000 when the Titans came up one yard short against the Rams. It was an awesome game!

I'm glad the Patriots lost though. They are cheaters.

My favorite commercial was the one with Stewie and Underdog fighting over the Coke. I was in CSU's caf with about 200 other people, and we were all chanting and cheering for Stewie. Then we all booed when Charlie Brown came out of nowhere to take the Coke. What a bunch of crap. It was rigged!

Well, that's my obligatory Super Bowl blog. Here's to the Panthers actually doing something next season. Until then... GO SPURS GO!

Every person on this planet has at least one thing that always gets on his nerves... a "pet peeve" if you will. I'm going to attempt to list my Top 5 Pet Peeves in reverse order. This may be a bad idea on my part, because I'm sure somebody out there will use these against me. But I'll take that risk.

Adam Hunter's Top 5 Pet Peeves

5. When people sign their name on the attendance sheet, then leave the class
This is just outright lying. A worse alternative to this is when someone signs somebody else's
name on the sheet. That just plain pisses me off.

4. When people say or do things just because their pastor said so
I can't stand it when somebody says that something is a sin, or that we can or can't do something just because they heard somebody else (usually his pastor) say it. For instance, people will say that drinking alcohol or having a tattoo is a sin just because they heard their pastor say that in a sermon, even though there is no Biblical evidence for such a claim.

3. Drivers who don't use a turn signal when turning
Drivers in South Carolina are notorious for this, and it drives me nuts! Seriously, how hard is it to move your hand a couple inches over and flip the turn signal on when you're about to turn? Are you really so lazy that you can't do that? Is it really that much trouble? If your electronic turn signal doesn't work for whatever reason, then use the old fashioned hand signals. It's supposed to be against the law to not use a turn signal, and if I were a cop, I'd pull everyone over who didn't use one.

2. Drivers who insist on driving two feet off my bumper (aka. "Tailgating")
Okay, really... is driving two feet off my bumper really going to get you to where you want to go any faster? What makes this worse is when people do it on a multi-lane highway where they can easily pass me. I swear one of these days I'm gonna slam on my brakes when someone does it. But for now I take great satisfaction in driving 10mph below the speed limit just to piss them off.

1. When people don't confront those they have a problem with
This is one that I've personally dealt with recently. If you have a problem with someone, don't go complaining to other people about it. Go confront him about it yourself.

Well, I've posted so many random things, but I have yet to really post an update on what's going on in my life.

Hmm. Let's see...

I'm finally starting to get in a groove with my accelerated Spanish class. I missed the first two days because I added the class late. And for anyone who has taken an accelerated class, you know that missing two days is like missing two weeks of a regular class. So I made a low C on my first test, but I made a B+ on my second test. So hopefully things will continue to improve in that class.

People keep asking me what I'm going to do next semester. I'm still not entirely sure, but as of right now my first choice is to transfer to Bethany College of Missions all the way up in--*gulp*--Minnesota. Yeah. God would be taking me waaayyy out of my comfort zone on that one. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you updated.

I'm currently praying about spending a good chunk of my summer on a missions trip to Daytona. I know that sounds more like a vacation than a missions trip, but you have to hear the details. I would be there for approximately ten weeks. For the first six weeks, I (and others that are there) will be discipled and taught and just poured into. Then we go out and do the missions thing. Throughout this whole time, we are working somewhere, and our place of employment is actually supposed to be our primary mission field. We use what we learn to try to reach out to those who we work with. It seems like an awesome opportunity. I hope God allows me to go there. I wanted to go to Argentina, but that trip is already full. Daytona sounds like a great experience though.

My birthday is coming up on February 12. I'm turning 21. Man, I'm getting old. ;-P

Those are the main events going on in my life right now. Catch ya later!

This ain't my American dream
I wanna live and die for bigger things
I'm tired of fighting for just me
This ain't my American dream
--from "American Dream" by Switchfoot

So I was talking to my friend Diane earlier today, and she mentioned how she is thankful for God's grace because she has so many things that she doesn't need. Well I, being the critic I often am, took that statement and turned it into a conversation about how Americans are incredibly spoiled.

Now before I step onto my little soapbox, I'd like to say that I am just as much at fault as the next person. This is in no way meant to be condescending because I am on the same level. Nor is this meant as a generalization. I'm well aware that there are plenty of people out there who aren't spoiled and/or selfish.

Anyway...

Most Americans are spoiled rotten. Look around. People have houses, televisions, computers, cars, cell phones. But what do you hear so many people say? I can't tell you how many times I've heard students on CSU's campus say stuff like, "I can't wait until I get a new car" or "I've had my phone for a year already. It's time to get a new one." Once again, I have to confess that I'm just as guilty as anyone for this. My freshman year in college I drove a decent '98 Nissan Altima and I had a standard camera-phone, which was better than what most students my age had at the time. But I wanted something new and "better." My car and phone were working perfectly fine, but I wouldn't be content with them. I wanted a new truck and a new phone. So now, two years later, I have a 2004 Ford Sport Trac and a Verizon enV. Yet even now I'll catch myself thinking, "Man I wish I could get another new car" or "Dude I want an iPhone so bad!"

Not only are we spoiled, but we're also ungrateful. So many Americans have so much stuff, yet they take it all for granted because, well, that's the American way. This certainly applies to "rich people" who have tons of money, cars, big TV's, etc. But this even applies to people who would be considered "lower class." Consider somebody who lives in a single-wide trailer in a trashy trailer park with just one little black-and-white TV and one junky car. That sucks, right? That's pretty low class, right? Well now consider the people in third-world countries who would literally kill to have a life like that. The people who literally live in boxes. The people who not only don't have a TV or a car, but don't have running water or electricity. Living in that trashy little trailer doesn't seem so bad to them.

So what? We're Americans. We work hard for what we've got, so we deserve to have it. Okay. No arguments here. You deserve to enjoy the fruits of your labor. But do you really need all that you have? Do you really need the biggest HD flatscreen TV? Do you really need the fastest computer? Do you really need the most high-tech car? Do you really need a phone that can play music, surf the net, take pictures, and record videos? No, I really think most people could get by without those things.

I don't really know where I'm going with this. I don't really have a solution to it. And it's not really just Americans. The human race in general is innately selfish. I'm just kind of irked about this because I heard a couple of days ago that the United States has enough food to feed all the starving people in this world. So I can't help but ask the question, "Then why are they starving?"

That's my soapbox for the day.

So this past weekend I went to a conference hosted by SCBCM called Converge. It's basically a gathering of high school and college students who want to learn how they can best glorify and worship God. It was a great experience. I met some new people and saw some people I hadn't seen in a long time (Mandy and Dee especially).

Before I went I prayed. I told God that if He for sure wanted me to go into missions, please tell me at this conference. So what happens? The whole conference is focused on missions. Haha. God is usually pretty subtle in telling people things, but He was quite the opposite this weekend.

So that's it. I'm sure that God wants me somehow involved in missions. I still don't know what I'm going to do school-wise. I'm still looking at several different schools. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on it.

I may post a more in-depth description of everything that happened at Converge, but right now I'm pretty tired. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

This is a poem (if it can be labeled as a poem) I wrote about 4 months or so ago. I decided to repost it here. Let me know what you think.

The Rocky Road
by Adam Hunter

I saw two paths before me
One was cleared and simple
The other rocky and dangerous
I looked to the One next to me
"Where do I go?" I cried out to Him
He pointed down the rocky road
I wondered why He would send me that way
But I didn't question Him
I began to walk
He walked with me

I began down the rocky road
Not knowing what awaited me
Immediately I was attacked by a beast
The beast has many names
But I called him Fatigue
The beast pinned me to the ground
I called out to Him, "Help me!"
He drew His sword and killed the beast
I rose to my feet
I wondered once again why I had to take this path
But I didn't question Him
I continued to walk
He walked with me

Suddenly a two-headed monster approached me
He was called Stress and Anxiety
I continued to walk
But the monster pushed me back
"Why do you push me back?" I asked
He didn't answer
He only continued to push
Overwhelming me with his strength
"Help me!" I called out to the One beside me
He stepped forward and pushed the monster down
Because He was stronger than the monster
I continued to walk
He walked with me

As I walked
I noticed a frail man on the side of the road
I gave in to curiosity
"Who are you, and why do you sit here?" I asked
"I am called Fear," he replied
"I am afraid of what's ahead.
I don't know what will happen.
You should be too!
Do you not fear the unknown?"
The One beside me held up His hand to the man
And the man became mute
No longer able to speak
I pondered what the man had said
And I fearfully began to turn around
But He grabbed my hand
And tugged me forward
I wondered why He made me do this
But I didn't question Him
I continued walking
He walked with me

I approached a bridge guarded by another man
This man was named Discouragement
"This bridge is shaky and unstable
You will never make it across alive
And even if you did
You don't deserve what's on the other side"
I pondered what the man had said
I turned to the One beside me
"Why did you bring me here
If I can't cross this bridge alive?"
He looked at me and smiled
Pushing the man aside
He crossed the bridge Himself
And called for me to follow
I hesitated at first
But I didn't question Him
I crossed the bridge unharmed
And I continued walking
He walked with me

Then I saw it
At the end of the rocky road
I saw a beautiful beach
With bright blue waters
And sand with ever-changing colors
I looked to the One beside me
"What is this place?" I asked
Once again He only smiled
I felt like I was at home
I felt loved, accepted, and protected
Not only by the One beside me
But by the beach itself as well
The rocky road was long and difficult
Many enemies rose against me
But He defeated my enemies
And led me to paradise
I walked along the beach
Enjoying its beauty and warmth
He walked with me

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." --Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20)

So this past week I've discovered how big of a hypocrite I am. At Campus Crusade, Elevate, evangelism class, and the Sons of Thunder small group (love those guys), there has been a message or conversation about spreading the Good News to people.

The Spirit has been convicting me about how I don't reach out to people and tell them about what Christ has done for me. That's part of the reason why I started this blog. I want people to know how God is working in my life.

I think my biggest witness to other people is the way I act and conduct myself. If you know me, then feel free to disagree with me (I would actually appreciate the criticism), but I think I do a decent job in this aspect of witnessing. I've had people actually walk up to me and tell me that there's something different (in a good way) about me.

While that's a powerful witness to others, I think I've gotta take it a step further. I've gotta start actually telling people about Christ. This is hard for most Christians to do, but it's especially hard for me because if you know me, then you know that I'm not a very outspoken person.

I'm working on some ways to help myself with this. For instance, in the Sons of Thunder small group that I'm part of, I suggested that one week we should meet at a restaurant. Having a Bible study in a public place like that could open up some great opportunities to witness. Also, I plan on going on some missions trips over the next few months. That should hopefully increase my confidence in spreading the Good News.

This is something I think most, if not all, Christians struggle with. The world today is not exactly thrilled with Christians because most people have an incorrect view of us. They have been influenced by the media or by coming in contact with Christians who don't represent our faith very well. But the world is in critical condition right now, and it's up to us--or rather it's up to God through us--to save as many as we possibly can.

That's my soapbox for the day.

Up until recently, I had a fairly normal life. I grew up in a Christian home with two Christian parents who loved each other and still love each other to this day. They took me to church every Sunday and Wednesday, encouraged me to be active physically and active within the church. They did what good parents are supposed to do.

I accepted Christ into my life when I was only five years old. Some people don't believe me when I tell them that. "How can the mind of a five year old grasp something like that?" they wonder. I don't really know how. I just know I did. I've always seemed to have a mind that looks beyond the surface of things.

So I got saved, but nobody really told me what to do after that. I still went to church with my parents. I did the Sunday School thing. Went to Awana's on Wednesday nights. But I still didn't know what to do. My tiny little five-year-old mind knew I was supposed to go deeper with Christ. I knew it was more than just salvation. There was supposed to be a relationship there. But nobody showed me how.

So I grew up like that. I even ended up going to a Christian high school. But I still lacked that relationship with God. I didn't know where to look or who to ask about it, and even if I did, I was too afraid to ask anyone anyway.

I think it was my senior year in high school when I met this girl named Diane. She's one of my best friends now, but at the time I didn't really know her very well. But I could still tell that she had what I was looking for. She had that relationship, and ever since we met, she has been a huge help in pursuing a relationship with God. But even with Diane's help, I still didn't feel like I was getting anywhere with God.

So I left to go to college at Charleston Southern University. I immediately got involved in some ministries on campus such as Elevate and Campus Crusade. I even became part of Campus Crusade's student leadership team. But I only did those things because that was all I knew how to do. I knew how to be involved in the religion of Christianity, but I was still clueless when it came to the relationship of Christianity.

It went on like this until recently. I'm now in my junior year of college. Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting out on the balcony of my apartment reading an amazing book called Wild at Heart when God just flat out spoke to me. It almost seemed audible. He told me to drop athletic training (my major at the time) and follow Him. For the first time in my life, I actually listened to God. The very next day I left the athletic training program here at CSU. I picked up a few religion courses because it seems God has called me into some kind of ministry, particularly youth ministry and/or missions.

Ever since I heard God's voice and decided to follow Him without question, I've had this incredible sense of peace. He keeps blessing my life and opening doors to things I never thought would be possible for me.

So right now I don't know where I'm gonna go or what I'm gonna do. I just know that I'm following God wholeheartedly. My friend Stephanie once said, "Life is forever changing, but Jesus is my constant." I can't wait to see how God is going to change my life.