February 10th

The game is afoot!  The day my journey north begins is february 10th.  It will be a grand journey.  My boys Ben Brown, Matt Casey, and Travis Pegram will all accompany me.  Plane tickets back are already purchased (for them not me, im staying)

The total trip is about 18 hours to Wilmington.  We are splitting this into 2 days.  The first day we shall travel to Washington DC and explore for a bit.  We then will end our day traveling to Baltimore Maryland to stay with our good friend Torrye Hart.

After an early start the next day we shall drive through Philadelphia and on to New York City.  We will explore for a bit and have a nice lunch before starting the final leg.  Our plan is to finally reach Wilmington around 6:30 saturday night.

That will give us a little time to explore and rest.  Still, the journey is not yet over.  Sunday we shall again board the silver bandit (I just named my car that a few seconds ago) and head to Boston.  We are pretty much planning on seeing the entire east coast on this one road trip.

In Boston we will spend a part of the morning and afternoon before my closest friends depart on their journey south.  All the way home they will be hoping to move to Vermont because it is way better there then where they live.

Then the real journey begins.  I am excited.

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It’s go time

With the news that I am going to Vermont come a lot of questions.  The main one being, “when are you going?”  The only answer I have been able to give is, “well I am going with a few families and we are waiting on their houses to sell.”

The instant I tell someone we are waiting on houses to sell it is apparent what is running through their head;

“oh boy good luck in this economy”

“you are going to be around for a while”

“that sucks”

“no way those houses are going to sell”

There is an expression of, “oh that’s just too bad” on everyones face.

The reality is, it makes sense to think those things.  The economy sucks and houses are just not selling.  Logically we must think that this Vermont team is just out of luck for the moment.  That is just the way it is.

I understand these thoughts but honestly these reactions have been a little frustrating.  All that has been running through my head is the fact that it’s really clear God is sending people to Vermont.  If God wants to send people to Vermont God will send people to Vermont.

Selling a house is not a hard thing for God to do.  I think sometimes instead of having the reactions that make sense and are logical we need to say, “this doesn’t make sense but God can do whatever  he wants, whenever he wants.”

Lets be less logical sometimes and really have faith that God is doing something really big.

All that to say, God has provided and we are moving at the beginning of february.  He is bigger then an economy, and He is bigger then our doubts.

Im freaking out but it’s in the best way possible.

Please read this post by Ben Presten about what happened: Click Here

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A Person’s Room

I think you can tell a lot about a person by what is in their room.

So I ask you, what can you tell about me from what is in my room?

So from these pictures how would you describe me?

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Life Update

There are a few things that need to be caught up on.

– Seven is the current body count on the resident rodents in my house.  We have not seen any signs of life in a few days so hopes are high.

– I have continued my Movie a month goal.  November I purchased Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is obviously best described as Fantastic.  December my movie became movies from Santa (aka. the Mom and Pop).  Scott Pilgrim vs. The World….you do not even know how much I love this movie.  Then Inception, no words needed.  January my movie is from 1988, it is hilarious, and it deserves to be known,  The Princess Bride ladies and gentlemen.

– I have been getting together with a few people from Graystone to watch TV’s best comedy, The Bachelor.  We all picked a lady the first episode and if your lady gets voted off you bring desert the next week.  My pick did great, first impression rose, great dates and then last night, out of nowhere, Ashley S was defeated.  Sad Day.

– One of my new year resolutions was to read more or at least one book a month.  January started off well.  I read three smaller books.  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and Of Mice and Men.  February brings a bit more of a challenge, I am reading The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard.  I have tried to read this book for a while and always failed.  It is lengthy and its content is thought provoking and takes some time to digest.  I am doing well so far only about 350 pages to go.

*Long Time Ago*

– I am also now playing on a tennis team.  It has been since about middle school since I have ventured into recreation sports.  Had a little practice the other day and turns out I am out of shape, and also not too terrible but not to great either.

…Well that’s about it for now, Update complete.

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What I do…

I have realized that I have not spoken much about my job and what it is that I actually do.  So I thought I would share a little of that with you.

I love the outdoors and if I have a say in doing something then hopefully it will be outdoors.  Last week I spent a good amount of time outdoors.  You see I hang out with some students who have never been camping.  This fact does not make me happy.

When something does not make me happy I like to find a solution to change that unhappy thing.  So last week I went back into the woods behind my house and made a campsite and path to said site.

It really turned out well.  So I grabbed some guys and we camped out.

Notice the excitement on the ends with Tyler and Garrett, Julio seems to love camping as long as he has his ipod, and Austin is content as long as he has his sugar, and he had a lot of it.

You see this is my job.

I cannot complain.  I am simply thankful, very thankful.

 

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Moving in

I guess it would be safe to say I expected things to be very different then they are.  I expected that when I moved out the world would change and I would change along with it.

In fact neither the world nor I have changed much at all.  It seems in fact that I can actually take care of myself.  So, yes mother I am eating well.

So now that I am surviving I guess it would be fun to give a few highlights of the past week and a half.

1.)  I have come to understand my dependence on a microwave.  Reheating a chick-fil-a sandwich on a skillet is no fun at all.

2.)  I enjoy solitude.  I pretty much have a wing of the house to myself.  It is quiet, I am undisturbed, and I get a bathroom to myself.  I will repeat my last sentence; I get a bathroom to myself.  This is the most fabulous thing about my life.

3.)  I have realized the reality of things.  I am spoiled.  People are pouring out generosity like no other.  Flat screen TV, décor, microwave, house, fridge, washer, dryer, FOOD!  It would be a sin to say we are not taken care of.

4.)  Squirrels like a nice home to live in too.  Jamal and I have discovered we have little friends living right above our beds in the attic.  Little friendly squirrels one named Maxwell.  I have been up there hunting many times.  By hunting I mean with a live trap and an airsoft gun.  So don’t worry folks no harm will come to the little critters.

5.) I love walking to work.  No long trip just an enjoyable stroll right up the hill.  Did I mention I was spoiled.  Did I also mention I like it.

Well if you haven’t come by then come on by.  All are welcome, just not into my bathroom because it is mine and I will fight you.

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Roommates

Life is moving on for me here at the end of the summer.

There was the whole graduate from college thing.  Apparently after you do graduate you are suppose to find a job.  I have heard many horror stories of people sending out resume after resume and never hearing anything.  People spending months trying to find that elusive job.

Since I just graduated from college I feel way to lazy to go through all that.  Luckily I have gained many connections over the years working at Look Up Lodge.  These connections lead to an interview.  This interview has now lead to a job.

I am now on staff as a youth intern with Graystone Church.  I will be in charge of production and I will primarily be hanging out with the Middle Schoolers.  The other intern my good friend Brunson Jamal Quattlebaum will be working with the High school and over the events for the youth.

That brings me to the title of this entry.  Roommates.  Being a intern a Graystone has a very nice perk.  We get to live in a house.  A house to ourselves.  Jamal, Me, and Luis.  Luis just moved up from the Dominican Republic.  He will be interning with the Hope Center which is a pretty cool thing that Graystone has going on in the community.

So life from here on out will be interesting.  Moving out of my parents house, having to cook for myself, and having many new responsibilities.  I look forward to all that is about to happen.  It is going to be crazy, interesting, frustrating and wonderful.

P.S. If you got any drop dead good recipes send them my way.  I am a hungry boy who likes his food tasty.

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Pokémon

It seems today that middle school is a very different place.  I see middle schoolers today and so many of them only seem concerned with style like American Eagle or Hollister.  Only interested in looking good (for example of looking good see below).

It is very possible that fashion being very important was also true when I was in middle school.  The fact is I was not very socially aware when I was in middle school.

I was a part of the crowd that enjoyed a different type of entertainment.

Pokémon

Going to the store and purchasing a brand new pack of cards for a few bucks.  I remember opening up those sweet beauties always hoping for a rare first edition holographic card.  Nothing beat that excitement or even the smell that seemed to go along with a brand new pack.

I collected and collected and enjoyed every moment of it.  I traded cards, I played the video games, I watched the show.

Life in middle school was good.

Things today are just so different.  Or maybe again my perception is different.

Either way I know one thing.  Silly Bandz ain’t got nothin on my holographic Charizard!

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New Learning

I have done it.  I have graduated!  Sitting in class and doing homework is off the list for now.  Graduate school will come but I need a breather.

Still, I want to continue to learn.  A different kind of learning then sitting in class.  I want to learn about life and what it means to live a life in the Spirit and in pursuit of Jesus.

I learned a lot these two weeks away in North Carolina.  It was a very humbling experience.

One thing with me is that I have had a problem with short term mission trips.

People get all this money together so that they can travel somewhere else, paint a house, do a VBS, share the Gospel with random people on the street.  I just have not been able to wrap my mind around spending so much money to do something elsewhere that you could do right outside your own door.

Going out of the country is great but when 15 people go and spend 1,000 each on plane tickets that money adds up.  What could 15,000 do if sent directly to the country?

So these have been my thoughts.  I found no purpose in these short trips.

While I still find some truth in these thoughts I put less stock into my own thoughts.  The reality is that these past weeks people were touched and changed.  Churches and kids from a different place came into a town and served a community.

While there may have been better ways I will not doubt the incredible things God will do no matter the circumstance.  People are different because of the trip that was just taken.

Yes it was short, yes it was near the beach but people were loved, people who needed to be loved.  People were able to serve and learn what it means to serve.

Who am I to judge these types of trips and to doubt what can be done?

My judging is simply a waste of time.  Instead I think I will join God in His Kingdom no matter where it is or how much it costs to get there.

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The Sword on My Side: A True Story, A Tattoo Story.

There is a sword on my side.  This is not something I have been very open about but that all changes today.

The Story:

It has been three years since this story took place.

– Setting:  Back woods of South Carolina.  A trailer and a night off from the long hard days at Look Up Lodge.

– The Trailer: This trailer belonged to the maintenance/landscaping guy at Look Up Lodge.  His name is Clinton Gifford.  I love Clint and I love the story Clint has given me to tell today.

This is Clint:

Me and some fellow staffers were enjoying the night at the trailer when Clint offered to give anyone that wanted one, a tattoo.  Being curious I told him to draw me up something nice and I may take that leap.

So Clint drew up a sword (because apparently I decided that I wanted a sword on my side the rest of my life.)  Well Clint is an amazing artist.  He can draw like no ones business.  Drawing something permanent on someones side is a different story.

Well I gave Clint the go ahead and we began the process with me sitting on a stool holding my arm over my head.  This was very uncomfortable so  I decided it would be a good time for a break.  I stood up to stretch and immediately passed out.  Yes passed out with my eyes wide open which freaked everyone out pretty good.

After I came to we moved to the trailers small kitchen island.  I lay on top eating starbursts as the artist finished his work.

Then it was over and with parting words Clint said. “I am going outside to have a smoke now.”

Wait? Smoke? What about the tattoo? Is it good? Are you proud?

Well what about the tattoo.  That my friends is the best part of the story.  Because you see there is a sword on my side and it is not a thing of beauty.

It does look like a two year old drew it on my side and it is real and it is permanent.

I have lived three years with this on my side.  Keeping it from all but those close to me.  Now it is time to share.

Share, because friends some things in life just really need to be shared.  Because some things in life are just that unbelievable.   Some things in life just happen to give you pretty interesting stories and pretty interesting marks that happen to last a really really long time.

Well friends that is the story.  It is short and sweet.  I know now that you may question my sanity, but don’t worry I have done the same on many occasions.

* I want to thank my good friend Grant Norwood for the Black and Whites.  He is a wonderful photographer and is always looking for people that want their picture taken.  So, if you are looking for a photographer this is the guy to go too.  Check out some of his work here.

Well to say goodbye I will leave you with this.  Don’t even ask but know that there are a lot of photos like this out there.

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