Purpose and Calling

This morning I was lying in bed for a few minutes and I heard a bird outside my window. I could barely hear it, and when I opened my eyes I could see the sun coming in the window just a bit.

While I was at camp this summer surrounded by these things this hit me: why are birds, and trees, and the sun, and all these animals here?

I mean, if we as humans have such a difficult time labeling and finding our "purpose" or "calling," it should be pretty simple to label one for the birds and all those other simple objects right?

I think the only reasons that animals, and trees, and the sun, and stars, (and those galaxies we can neither count nor ever reach) were created was so that they would point back to their creator. They were created for his pleasure and for his glory.

His Glory is in the sunset over the waters; in the first steps of a baby giraffe; in the might of a redwood; in the silence of the night sky; in the pure beauty of life.

And, it may just be me, but maybe our "purpose and calling" is more simple than we first thought.

Matthew 5:14-16

chronicles of a new kid in town

Yesterday I moved to Mount Juliet, Tennessee with my family. We woke up early and began packing the uhaul trailer and after many arguments, several hotdogs, and a severely destroyed timeline, we left. Four hours later than we had aimed for. Life goes on, and so did our move.

Leaving at four in the afternoon for a seven hour drive isn’t necessarily too bad. The bad part is the fact that your mother wants to unpack everything upon arrival is BAD. But we’ll get to that later. We decided to bring two cars with us to the new apartment, so my mom and dad rode together and Daniel and I were together in his little Scion xB. The trip started with a bang for us. We were driving down the road and I saw a girl while we were jamming out and decided I’d be ridiculous until she looked over and saw me. A few moments later she looks over and bursts out laughing. Daniel and I got a kick out of it, and then another idea hit me. After spazzing out in the dash to find a napkin and a pencil, I wrote down my phone number on the napkin and held it to the window. She took my number and later texted me. Daniel and I laughed about it for quite a while. Aside from that, nothing crazy happened other than the fact that we laughed a lot and I took a lot of pictures of us being, well…us. We were ahead of our parents by 35 minutes when we stopped for dinner at Chick-Fil-A. We sat there and laughed about how ridiculous women’s shoes were. A girl there had on sandals that looked like holey socks. I just don’t understand and don’t think I ever will. Afterwards we had to get gas and did so at the exit for Samford. It was nice being in the familiar Homewood area again if only for a few minutes. I took over the driving for the rest of the drive and therefore gained control of the iPod. I introduced Daniel to Ben Rector and he is learning the appreciation of his music. The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, and we reached the apartment before the rents and unpacked his car, and checked out the new home. It’s not too shabby. I kinda like it. My parents got there about 25 minutes after us and we then began the process of unloading the van and our 6’ X 12’ uhaul trailer. We started unloading around 12:45 and finished everything around 2:15. I never realized how much JUNK we had until that moment around 2:00 am. The entire apartment was in disarray, but we fixed the beds, (me an air mattress), and showered from being men (it’s so hot even at the wee hours of the morning, especially when lifting heavy boxes, beds, and tables up to the second floor), and then we hit the hay. I think we might have moved. Weird.

To be continued…

broken and beautiful

Today I went to Sam's club to run an errand for mom, and it took literally no time at all to find what she needed and to get back to the front. When I reached the front there were several lanes free so I just chose a random lane and the cashier had her back to me originally. I walked up to her, and she turned around once I reached the belt. I hope the surprise that I initally felt because of her appearance did not show on my face.

The woman who was the cashier at this lane was an older black woman, who had a lazy eye, her arm was in a sling, and her black hair had random patches of white. Oh wait, I forgot, she had a wonderful smile. My initial shock was lost as she greeted me warmly and talked to me as if I had known her for years. Her kindness overcame her appearance and inwardly I felt bad for how I'd felt upon first seeing her. And after I finished checking out she simply said, "have a blessed day."

I don't know if four words have ever affected me more profoundly.

Afterwards on my way home, I stopped at a cemetary in historic downtown of Pensacola because I'd never had the opportunity to actually walk around historic downtown. As I walked through the cemetary, I saw so many faceless names: husbands, wives, dads, moms, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. It broke me down. Seeing tombstones of infants who never had a chance to grow up. And then I saw husbands who were separated from their wives by death, and the same for wives who were widowed. It broke my heart and I sat their like a weirdo crying over people I'd never met. Families who experienced loss, and people who had grieved over their friends came into my mind and it was too much. I imagined losing those who are close to me. I don't want to have to live through that, though I know I will. It was a broken, yet a beautiful place, that cemetary.

My eyes were opened to a lot of new things, and some old things that I needed to be reminded of today. And at the end of this day I'm finding myself thanking God for friends who talk to me about the tough things, and the things that people just don't bring up. Thanking God for challenging me through those friends. God is so good.

I think today was a blessed day.

What is love? Baby, don't hurt me.

This summer, I've been learning about love. If there has been a theme to my summer, it has been love. Working with kids, working with mom and dad getting the house ready to move, and living life. I am learning how central and how key love is to living life. Or at least this life that I desire to live.

In the past I've wondered how God could be perfect, but as I've learned about love I feel I've grasped a larger concept here. Working with kids at K-Kountry was tough. They were impatient, I learned to be patient; they complained and cried, I encouraged them; they got hurt, I picked them up and comforted them. It was tough helping them all the time, and loving them beyond my capabilities. I'd get frustrated with them but I memorized scripture to help me when I didn't think I could love them. 1 Corinthians 13 was the first place I went and learned about love. I learned the qualities found in Christ driven love. I learned to love not because I wanted the kids to love me, but because of the love I had in and from Christ.

While I was at kamp, I got into the Circle series by Tedd Dekker and it was an excellent series (Thanks Nate Sherrer for the recommendation!). It was not really a love series at all, but it made analogies to God's love for us and how He is our groom and we are his bride. I saw the analogy come to life for the first time. And realized how much Christ longs to be with us and to give us the abundant life that we can't attain without him. It blew my mind when I finally understood that.

I want to love with a love that is more like that of Christ's, and that is more unconditional and forgiving. I'm not there yet, but I'm learning about this thing called love.


Love. It is something that baffles many of us. Whether it is understanding God's perfect love, love of your friends, or a more romantic kind of love, we are all searching and are desiring to be loved. I wish I had a better understanding of love. But until we figure out this emotion and decision called love, I'll keep asking, "What is love?"

Lost in translation?

I've been praying more than usual lately. Whether it has been big or small things, I've just felt the urge and the desire to pray a lot. Some things have been answered in seconds leaving me amazed at how personal my God is, and other things have been sitting in the back of my head leaving me wondering if anyone was listening when I was speaking. Then there have been subjects of prayer that have been in that in between stage. The awkward area where I don't really have a clue about anything that is going on.

I feel lost. Without a map, without a clue, almost without hope. But I know that God gives me silence in some of these prayers so that I may rely more fully on him, and so that I can be grown into a stronger and more faith-driven person. It's tough being in the dark in some of these situations, because I want to know the answers to those things that I pray about. But in many ways I think that I'm supposed to wait on God silently. And be patient.

So for now, while I'm in this waiting stage in which I'm wondering what God has in store for me, I'm lost in translation.

Reading in between the white lines on the road.

I have to give credit for the title of this to Erin Quinn. I thought it was a great quote, and I think Ben Rector is awesome. So, there, I don't feel guilty or like a copy-cat anymore.

I am sitting up at 1:19 am wondering why i'm still awake, and why the questions keep on coming. Living in a new town, with no home, and not many friends isn't what I had in mind to end my summer with. But, maybe it's not about what I had in mind. (I don't know where this post is going, my fingers are just kind of roaming as I think...haha)

I wish things went the way I wanted, but if they did, they probably wouldn't turn out half as well as they typically do. I wish I could understand and know why. But I suppose, Job, a righteous man, when he asked God why, God answered him out of a storm and Job recieved the answer of his lifetime. No, I guess I don't need to know why, (nor could I if I did need to know).

I want to live a reformed, and a radical, and a sanctified life. But am I willing to sacrifice the life that I have in this real world, to have a life that is set apart?

Only time will tell.


"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for me will save it."
Luke 9:23-24

Real life, or death?

Leaving K-Kountry has been a weird experience. Everyone who has been there has been protected in the Kanakuk bubble for the most part.

But now, we're back in the real world.

Back where traffic and bad drivers can get under our skin, back where finances may be tight, back where we are able to watch whatever movies and listen to whatever music we want to.

Talking to a camp friend today made me think of something. As she was about to leave, we both saw it was raining, and she quickly said, "Oh, great its raining!" And almost as soon as it was off of her tongue, she turned around and proclaimed, "there are bigger things to worry about." Before she left we talked about words like 'righteousness and sanctification.' Righteousness is just the scale of how holy something is, and sanctification is the process of being set apart. At camp, or at church even, we are shielded from temptations, and in reality, this "real world."

But after we leave, all we have to do is make a choice. A choice to continue with the attitude and mindset we had before, or a choice to go back to the way things are in real life.

We are all outside of the bubble we've been in now, but we don't have to let the things of this "real life" affect us the way they have in the past, or the way they have up to the moment that you read this.

None of us have to let those two seconds we spent waiting on the driver to turn on his signal bother us, or worry about money for things we need or don't need, or watch those movies with content that our eyes and ears don't need to be taking in. Going to camp has shown me that this real life that TV portrays, and that people attempt to gain through worldly successes, doesn't really matter.

The longer I'm gone from camp, the more time I spend with people, the more I realize that this "real life," is more like a real death. I can let the things of Earth get to me, or I can wake up and realize that the only thing in this world that matters is loving Christ and serving with all I have in me, and then, when I have nothing more, serving and loving with the strength that only Christ can give me. So today, I will choose to live the real life for Christ, and I will serve him until my days are done.

Little things don't matter unless you let them matter. That is why they are called the "little things."

Matthew 10:39 says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Lose the life that this world defines, and find the abundant life that only Christ can give.

This is not a challenge from me, but Christ's challenge to all who call Him, "Savior" and "Lord."


Abba,
Give us strength for today, and make us strong and courageous. Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, so help us through the little things today. May we seek after you and draw near to you, and when we pull away, let those who see us be blinded by the light that you leave on our faces. You are all we need. Amen.



"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15

Moments of Wonder

I just spent the last 48 days of my life at a camp for kids, learning to work with them, to love them, and to pour myself out. I got paid very little, and got very little sleep. I am exhausted and will be for a while.

But I want to go back. Now.

K-Kountry has been the defining moment in my life. I've never been challenged to love, or be more patient, or be more "hype" in my entire life. I am talking to a friend I made at camp right now, and the conversation coming from both of us is that we've never grown more. We're so excited about what God has shown us and how we have matured. I just got chills from the conversation and they have nothing to do with me not being used to the AC (get off me AC).

Being a counselor, a friend, and a role model to these kids may sound like an awesome job. But it's not. There are nights where a kid wakes you up at 3:00 am because he is homesick, or needs to use the bathroom, or needs to borrow your blanket. There are days that are hot and you are stuck working with a kid on the top of the trapeze convincing him he will be fine for thirty minutes, or where you are carrying a soaked pile of wet sheets to the nurse because one of your guys had an accident, or you will have a boy lose his shirt, socks, shoes, and last pair of his underwear all in one day. Sound like an awesome job? Like I said, it isn't.

It's more than awesome.

Those days that frustrate us counselors most strengthen us the most. And we get to love those kids as we serve them in Christ's name. We get to comfort and hold the little seven year old who cries out in the night; we get to show patience and confidence in a boy who has never been told he is good enough or who has no confidence in himself; we serve kids by helping them become responsible and sacrificing our time to help them. I've never been more challenged to love than I have been at camp this summer. I've come to know a love that stretches beyond my love, a patience that is of the spirit, and a heart that forgets those small and annoying transgressions.

I worked with 11 year olds in a kayaking clinic. The first day we asked them to perform a wet exit and trust us, guys they don't know from Joe White, and flip upside down in the murky waters of the mighty mississippi and get out of their kayak upside down. I was afraid my first time, and I'm 19...these guys were 11, and I stood there and watched so many guys conquer their fears, and encourage one another, and pray together at the end of clinics. Awesome doesn't describe experiences like that.

Throughout the summer, especially at the beginning, Austin Sailsbury talked to all the staff about "moments of wonder." These were times that blew your mind, leaving you thinking, "is this real life?"

Moments when a guy who has been bullied his entire life, and now bullies others, realizes that he can just be their friend and love them. -when a 9 year old prays to God and does so "just to say hi." -when you see 2oo boys and girls "get hype for Jesus." -carrying a little boy who has never been loved before on your shoulders. -having a pillow fight with 5 nine year olds. -watching the smallest guy in your barn jump from a 30 ft tower into the water with less fear than you had (shout out to Ross McMurdo.) -watching 10 "ninjas" fight from bunk to bunk. -tucking your boys in bed everynight, and having them ask you to help them "ask Jesus into his heart." -watching boys and girls stare at the big chief and the fight between good and evil -watching kids be outraged because their favorite puppet, Bummer, was stolen by some monochromatic thugs (and leading them aorund kamp to find clues.) -hearing that bell that announced the salvation of a little guy or gal. -linking arms with other little guys chasing the girls singing, "don't you know that's the sound of the men? Kick back!" -watching kids scream with glee as they fly down into the water at the bottom of the zipline. -riding down the waterslides to beat the record with a kid and flipping around backwards while laughing the entire time. -watching "Bunny the Caveman" say things were "OKAAAAVE" with him and throw Lord Appleby into the slew. -seeing 200 kids jump up and down singing the devo rap. -watching your 9 year olds sing and dance in your barn (shout out, Corey Schulz) hahaha. -giving your kid, who is dressed up as "Ken," a dress for his barbie that is made of duct tape (why his mom let him bring a naked barbie I'll never know.) -receiving letters from your old kids -watching Poppa T talk football while the staff rolls from laughter and kids are lost completely -watching the kids go crazy during worship from the view up with the Pierce, Family, Reunion, Band! -singing and drumming on the table during "I'll make a man out of you" and other Disney songs -giving an award to a kid and having him laugh the entire way through it. -hearing one of your boys tell you that "you are awesome." -tubing with your guys on a freezing lake and laughing, all the while taking in God's glorious creation. -sitting with a guy until he falls asleep because he is scared, cold, or homesick. -praying with 4 kids and 3 counselors in rain that has you drenched to the bone -being lost without those kids who were lost without you.

-loving kids with the love that Christ has given you.


I feel like I just wrote the perfect (and longest) Mastercard commercial ever. All of these moments are priceless. I've made more true friends, I've met more amazing people, I've seen God, I've learned to love, more than I would've ever expected at K-Kountry. So after it all, I miss it and can't wait to go back. Anyone else who was there this summer would agree.

K-Kountry makes you a better person. As much as parents and leadership try to convince us that we change these kids' lives, they are changing our lives.

God, thank you for K-Kountry and for the kids that came through those big red barn doors. Thank you for the fellowship that happened there and for the growth that has been felt. You lead all of the staff there for a reason, and we were so blessed. You are indescribable. Thanks for allowing this summer to be so great, and for giving it a beginning and an end. Amen.

Session One staff of 2010,

You Rock. And your shirts ain't dry. Keep being hype, keep showing that love and that light, and listen to "Joyful Noise" one more time if you can stand it (and dance like noone's business.) I love you guys, and can't wait to see you in the future. God bless you, and may you bless and glorify his name.

Men. Link arms and hold that line, because the enemy is coming.

In Christ,
Tim


"For I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me"

-Galatians 2:20

Into the great unknown I go

I should be resting for my drive as I type this, because I have only gotten seven hours of sleep and I have a seven hour drive to Nashville today.

I leave for Kanakuk today, and will be a camp couselor there until the early parts of July. I have no idea what it will be like, or what I'm getting myself into. I guess it will be a little bit like the previous "futures" in my life that I have not known. Just leave it to God and pray that He knows what He is doing. Why I pray that He knows what He is doing, I don't know, it just sounds like a better idea than not talking to Him about my uncertainty.

But, in preparing for this job, I have been packing the 5.5 days I've been here for roughly, 5 days. Because I'm working at camp for the first 7.5 weeks of summer, I won't be here to help my family move to Mount Juliet(Nashville), so I had to unpack everything from Samford, repack things for camp, and then pack what was left and the remains of my room for moving to Tennessee. I can say it has been an interesting 5 days(you find many random things that bring back memories when packing which was fun, as a sidenote). Haha and I finally finished last night, which felt amazing. My closet really looks like a mini-storage unit with all the boxes stacked in it. But asides from packing, I have been able to have a little bit of fun. I was able to see some friends graduate and attend Tucker's party afterward. We swam in his outdoor pool amidst the lightning, thunder, and rain. We had a good time, and it was good to celebrate his accomplishments. I went to the beach and was able to catch up and relax some with Lauren and Allie. Chatting on the beach with old friends is never a bad thing, and getting some sun was definitely nice as well. I went to Hardee's with Daniel, Stone, Travis, and Charlie this morning, as is their weekly meeting before school to discuss a book they are reading to just have some fellowship! It was nice. And one of my personal highlights was spending the night on the pier with Tucker and Chris. It was a lot of fun being able to act like we were "high schoolers" again and just be insanely goofy out there. And I must admit, I did run into the screen door of the house (there you go Tucker and Chris, and my excuse is that it was VERY dark.)

And to close, I finally found the hat I've been looking for, my new frisbee hat. I found the cookie monster. I'm excited for a summer with kids, God, letters from friends (hopefully), and no facebook.

Have a summer, my one or two readers. Make it good.

Romans 8:28

Praise

I don't even know where to begin. The last few months have been a blur. We've had intramural frisbee, camping trips to Cullman, disco club nights, i've taken up the hobby of rock climbing/bouldering at nearby moss rock, and we even filled someone's room to the brim with newspaper.

But I really don't feel like talking about all of that right now, or at least not yet.

I'm learning how to be alone, and have nothing but God. I just started Crazy Love and it's reminding me that I'm focusing on me way more than I should be. This life isn't a movie about me, if it was, in the grand scheme of things since the beginning I don't have a main role or even a name that people will remember when the movie is over. My part will be over before I know it, and it's really about God.

Then there is the idea of how much I love God. Do I love God like a child who will run to God when I see Him? Like a little son or daughter who sees their Dad when he comes home from work?

Man. I fail in my attempt to love God and in my tries to make life about him. Thank you for grace. Recently, I finally understood and actually put into place ideas that make fasting so beneficial. When I want something that I've given up, I just realize and remember that I want God more than I want whatever I'm longing for. And He is SO much more than whatever I long for on this earth.

He is bigger, stronger, more beautiful, lovelier, greater, more powerful, more awesome, more knowledgable, and more gracious than anything in all creation and He chooses to love ME? Why? Because, I am His creation, and he loves me. And, I've come to know that neither death or life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heights nor depths, nor anything else in ALL creation can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ. That is why I want God. Thank you God for wanting me.

Lamentations 3:21-23
-"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness."

"my life", or "my planned existence?"

I am realizing that as I live my life, I like spontaneity and surprises, but at the same time I hate them. I constantly try to figure out what is next. I try to pick things that can't be chosen. I want control. I have faith in God, but my natural flesh wants to figure out and be in control of what is happening. I pray for things, but take them into my own hands sometimes.

I'm learning that I need to just wait...wait to find someone who will be a best friend, wait for someone to date, wait to decide or find a career or even a major, wait for God to show me these things that seem to plague my mind right now. I've wished and I've prayed that God would show me where I was going, or to give me what I'm wanting.

I learned the other day, that me asking and demanding of God isn't the best plan. Asking for peace is. I know that one day, when God introduces the right people, or it's the right time for me to know what to do, or if he leads me into a circumstance that then, I will know. But until then I will rest in the peace that only Christ can give. And when I do recieve these things that are on my heart, I will thank Him gratefully for both the peace, and for keeping the promises He makes.

"God gives a peace that no amount of human reassurance can match."

A taste of heaven

Day 6
A taste of eternity. Today, in looking back on it, was an amazing day. It was definitely the best day we’ve had all week. We left the compound knowing it was going to be a long day for us, and were planning to be out an extra two hours or so. We arrived at our area today around 9:00 and we walked around the neighborhood and once again I was thankful for more improvement in my Spanish. And I also had no run-ins with dogs, but our other group wasn’t so lucky. One of our translators kept relating the story to everyone who would listen, telling us of how close she was to being bit by a BIG dog. It was very funny.

After going door-to-door we were able to cross the street and play with a group of boys and girls at a school. It was great to watch the kids. A group of them were playing Connect 4 and it was hysterical to hear the kids sing, “Connect 4!” whenever they would win a game. A few of us went and played jump rope with them, while others drew on the sidewalk with chalk. The kids were so much fun to be around and were great sources of entertainment. I jump-roped and played baseball with them, and my favorite thing was the game of keep away with the bouncy ball. They would throw me the ball and I’d dribble it, put it behind my back and do all sorts of silly things to keep them from getting it. It was a blast to just get to be goofy and enjoy ourselves with them.

When we finished playing at the school, we all came back and we got visors and different hats so that we could avoid getting sun-burnt on our faces. Somehow this led us to getting tattoos on our arms and taking lots of pictures of each other in an impromptu photo shoot. And I was given my nickname by Akeela: White Chocolate Thunder. Pretty awesome, right?
A rather large group came again today, and around 11:30 groups showed up and we started up the activities. I was washing feet and fixing up shoes, and then later I was the official photographer as I was every other day.
We had a late lunch, and made our way to a girl’s boarding school. There were about 20 girls living there, from age eight to about twenty. We arrived and played a few worship songs and sang for them, and then they sang and played songs for us; we sang in English, they sang in Spanish. They had an eight year old girl playing drums during this and later another young girl sat down and played Bach. I was amazed by the talent of the girls there. At one point during their worship set, one of the little girls stood up; her name was Perla. She looked around and invited her friends to stand with her but they only laughed at her. She stood alone, closed her eyes and worshipped. After a minute of standing alone, she raised her small hand in the air and just swayed and praised by herself. It was a little taste of heaven for me. And at the end of the service, a girl from their group prayed to close us. As she prayed, the rest of the girls prayed as well, all in Spanish. The girl leading had tears streaming from her voice and it was impossible to ignore the emotion and passion that was coming from her prayer. I never had realized how close heaven was before that moment. We were brothers and sisters in Christ even though we had language barriers, different colored skin, and different homes. Heaven on earth was a reality at that moment.
After the worship service, we all went outside and had face-painting, made paper flowers, and made other little crafts. I took pictures for a while and it was funny how shy a lot of them were in front of the camera. Olivia and I also gave each other war paint, and Perla got face paint with us later. So, I had on my visor (upside down gangster style), my flower that I had made through my visor, and I had war paint on. I was a hit with the girls after that. Ha-ha. They knew I looked so ridiculous that they didn’t mind pictures being taken of them so much. Joseph, the only other teenage guy on the trip, is a freshman. It was funny today because one girl thought he was cute and they took a picture together. That was all that he could talk about for the next two hours. We gave him a really hard time.

Tonight dinner was a casual affair as always. We had burgers and a short worship service after dinner and tonight Olivia, Graysen, and I finished the first season of Glee. It was a climactic season ender and I would now have to say that Glee is my new guilty pleasure. I am very excited to see the new season in April. I miss my family, and my friends at school. I have had a great week, but I’m looking forward to getting back to school and getting to rest some. God has been good this week, and as one of the men on the trip stated that, “the Bible promises God’s goodness, but today God was extra good.” Amen, Andy. Amen.

First Light

Day 5

First Light. Today started from a different direction all-together. Not because I wasn’t the last one out of bed (because I still was), but because it was sunny and warm. The sunrise doesn’t happen here until about 7:30 every morning, and I usually finish breakfast around then. So today, I read my devotional for the day on top of a jungle gym on the playground here and took pictures of the new day. As I took pictures though, I saw something in the sunrise that I’d never seen before. As the sun rose over the horizon, for the first time I saw the two second change that takes place in the sky when the first rays of light hit the east side of my world. It transformed the hues of dark purple, light blue, and pink into a thin blue and red. It was an amazing thing for me to see, and made me appreciate this new day that I was beginning.

The mission work today began roughly. We walked our entire route of streets in the neighborhood and only three or four houses out of about 20 answered. It was very discouraging. The other routes that our groups had taken had very similar results. We were thinking we would have to pack up early, but then people began to show up in droves. We ended up having about 60 or 70 people today by the time we began the worship aspect of our mission. There were many young children, and I was also able to see Ulises again! Today was his birthday so I dug deep into my pockets and gave him two dollars as a birthday present. I helped out with the shoes once again and I find that I am becoming better at translating. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing though, because those I interpret for think I’m better than I am and then rattle something off and I consequently yell for help a split second later. But I am improving is the good thing. The messages at our missions have been going very well, and so far, 70 people (children and adults) have dedicated their lives to Christ. Glory to God!

As a small side note, before things really kicked off, Olivia, Flor, and myself played a little improv drama game and we also jumped on the trampoline at the house we were at for a few minutes afterwards, which was quite a treat for all of us kids.

After we packed up, we all came back to the camp, ate, and then headed for the border to spend our relaxation time in Progresso, Mexico. We walked the three blocks that we were allowed to and shopped and saw many different things. I’ve never been asked to buy so many of the same things by so many different people. I bought some little things for my family and friends, and got a few little things for me as well. I enjoyed walking around, but it broke me down to see the beggars on the side of the small sidewalk, and for the people to lower their prices simply because I said maybe later. They were desperate to make the sale to each and every person they came in contact with there. Olivia was a sweetheart of a person today, but she was also a bulls-eye of a target for anyone in that market. She could not say no to any of the children. She probably bought about five bracelets from the little kids that were selling them. She had compassion on them. I have to agree that it was very moving to see the little kids working and trying to sell the bracelets so competitively. I was also once again reminded of how blessed we are in America. We are so wealthy, and we are so very spoiled because of it.

Another side note, I gave in and bought a coke today, which was amazing. 500 mL of cold coke in a glass bottle never tasted so good. I haven’t had a Coke in over 2 months so it was very nice, but Olivia sadly didn’t cave and continued on the road of “no carbonation.” Poor thing.

Tonight has been great so far. Burgers for dinner, a good time of worship and fellowship, and now before bed, an episode of Glee and a shower! It’s sad to say I might be more excited for the shower…but life is like that I suppose. I do have to say, I love you, Mom, Dad, and Daniel. And I’m really proud of my little brother for being in the talent show last night at GSHS. I wish I could’ve been there to support him. Praise God for the souls that have been saved this week!

Here is a picture of Ms. Laura. She was the oldest person on the trip at 72, and she had some kicking socks on today.

Rain

Day 4
Rain. Today I woke up, expecting the 5:15 greeting, but instead it was thankfully closer to 6:15 today. I once again was given a good-natured kidding from all the men in the room because they knew I’d be the last one to get out of bed. One of them actually offered to bring my lunch bag to me in bed. I told him he was too kind. After showering, I became aware of the rain that was coming down outside. Not in a downpour, but just enough rain to be obnoxious. Breakfast was similar to the first day, and we ended by praying in a great circle, holding hands. I really only knew two people before this trip began and as we prayed, connected spiritually and physically, I grew closer to this group that had once been strangers.

As a group we were worried we wouldn’t be able to set up for our evangelism ministry with the kids and their families today. God worked it out in the end though, and provided a carport for us to set up underneath. We drove the 25 minutes or so (and made two stops along the way in an attempt to find ponchos) and made it to our destination. We started the day off the same way as Monday. We walked around and passed out fliers and spoke to some of the families. There were nowhere near as many dogs today though. Thank goodness. (If I didn’t put this for yesterday, there were probably at least 2 dogs to every house that we visited and they walked the streets in large numbers.) My Spanish also improved today. I learned that by asking them if they spoke English first, and then informing them that I only spoke a small amount of Spanish, they were much more forgiving of my errors (they wouldn’t laugh at me either).
At one house we visited, we met a dog that barked her lungs out at us, but then the family came out and from inside the fenced area we invited them to our “mission.” The 5 kids came with us, and the dog came along as an escort, and was more than happy to trot alongside us silently. It was funny how the tables flipped so quickly. In this group of kids was a little boy named Martin. He was a hoot.
Today because of the rain, we didn’t have to wash feet, but we were still handing out shoes, toys, health packs, coloring books, purses, and everything else under the sun. The kids were so happy. I remember one little girl asking: “Is this free?! Do we have to pay for this?! This is free too?!” She was so excited and it was amazing to see the smile on her face grow larger and larger. One of the little boys we saw had a huge jean jacket on and a flannel shirt on underneath it. There were several children walking around in the cold, wet weather with no shoes on their feet. I wish I could’ve helped somehow. We ran out of small shoes, and had nothing to give them.
At one point during the day, several others and I went into the house we had setup at to use the bathroom. The floor was covered in dirt, it was very shaky, the front door was a screen door with no screen, and the carpet was a floor mat for children. I once again, have realized how blessed I am, and have seen a level of poverty that doesn’t compare with areas twenty miles further south across the border.

As the day ended, I worked with the crafts table, translating what little I was able to and handing out shoe boxes. I was also the “trash man” according to Martin. I was picking up trash in the area that we were working, and he labeled me as the trash man, and he also helped me out a lot. Today, Martin also accepted Christ and I am so excited for the day that I’ll be able to see him again, whether on this side, or on eternity’s side. 
There also was a young girl getting her face painted who was adorable and I believe she knew it. She had stunning eyes, and she was a ham for the camera. And there were a few kids that I would show pictures of them, and they would smile, or blush, or giggle and run off. They were very innocent and not anything like the kids I’ve seen in other areas of the U.S. Finally, here is the thing that made my day. There was a young girl, who was about 8 or 9 years old and who was shivering ridiculously. Olivia and I kept asking her to take my extra jacket that I had. I finally left and told Olivia to ask her, because she would never take my jacket from me since I was a boy. I turned around after walking around about 30 seconds later and she had my jacket on and the shivering was subsiding. I was so happy that she took it. It made my day.
The night was rather uneventful. I played basketball with a few of the people from our trip and relaxed in the sun once it had come out from behind the clouds. Later on in the night we made a Dairy Queen trip that took much longer than expected, and when we got back we were all so tired that we went to bed. Before going to sleep though, I was able to take a recording of all the men snoring in our dorm. Life is good. God is better.
-Matthew 25:35-40
-“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

Wake-up call

Day 3
Monday. Ha-ha. That’s about how my day started. Breakfast was scheduled for 7:00 AM and we were planning on leaving the compound around 8:00 AM. I figured setting my alarm for 6:45 would be relatively reasonably for waking up and getting ready on time. I was awoken by movements the next morning and I figured it was probably 6:30 and that the rest of the guys in the room were getting ready a bit earlier than I was planning on. I looked at my cell phone. 5:18 AM was smiling up at me from my phone. Can I tell you I was not smiling back? I asked the men if they knew what time it was or not. They all laughed at me (I later found out that they were all putting bets on whether or not I would actually get out of bed while they were at breakfast.) I suppose that is the difference in a 19 year old college kid and men who are mostly retired or who soon would be retired.

After a quick breakfast we all packed up and headed to a small “suburb” that was about twenty minutes away from our housing. The houses there were very small if they were houses, and there were many small trailers. We got there around 8:30 and we all took fliers around and passed them out to the different houses around the neighborhood and during this I attempted to speak Spanish several times, thinking before today that I was becoming more proficient in my speaking. I was sorely mistaken.

My conversations were hilarious to behold. I think one of my conversations didn’t have one single complete thought in it. Imagine it, a guy comes to your door speaking a language you don’t understand and attempts to ask you if you understand his language, and upon telling him no, he rattles off a few of the words he does know that has to do with whatever he is inviting you to. Words like, shoes, clothes, and toys. Talk about embarrassed after a major brain fart. I felt sorry for those who were with me. They didn’t speak Spanish, but I think listening to me must’ve have given them a desire similar to putting a racehorse out of its misery. As the day went on, my Spanish improved; I believe this was due mainly to the fact that I was talking with five and six year olds. I washed feet with a newfound friend, Erin Nichols, and several others from our group. I washed feet of old women and young boys and girls with a washcloth and dried their feet after, and we then gave out pairs of shoes until we had no more. It was an awesome experience for me. These boys and girls were so shy and they really were grateful for anything that we could offer to them.

To be honest, I was really worried about being grossed out by people’s feet, but in the end, I was only able to smile as I scrubbed my brothers’ and sisters’ feet. I was able to ask the kids what sports they liked, ask them if the cold water and washcloth tickled their feet, and see if they liked the shoes we could offer them. I was blessed as I saw the humility of children as they accepted and liked whatever was offered them whether it was tacky or not. I saw through the language barrier today as sometimes they would simply smile or laugh, and I saw how universal that was for the first time today. I never thought I’d how selfish and blessed I am from visiting a place that was within the U.S. borders. And I know that the situations and conditions I saw were not even bad compared to other areas of the world. Throughout the day I took pictures of the different things that were going on around our block of the street. One thing I didn't get to capture by my camera was how many dogs there were in this neighborhood. There must've been 3 dogs to every person living here. And not just little dogs, the big dogs you see on the news saying that they attacked and killed someone. The visits for those houses with the big dogs began with a short time of prayer. Other than the dogs though, there were many toddlers and young children there who were simply adorable. I have seen pictures from mission trips that friends have been on and the pictures of children that they have is always showing a cute child or baby, and I have looked at these pictures in the past and have only thought about how good of a picture it is, or how cute the kid is. After one day, I feel like I will look at these pictures differently, knowing that I interacted with these people, that I was a part of their lives and that they were a part of mine as well.

As I worked at our small VBS clinic later in the day, I met a kid named Ulises. He was nine years old, and he became furious with me for trying to take pictures of him while he was receiving a haircut. He tried to hit me on the head with a full bottle of Suave shampoo, but fortunately I was given enough forewarning to avoid getting hit. Later on, he let someone else take his picture, I gave him a hard time, but we pounded fists afterwards and therefore were friends. So he made a deal with me that if he made the ball on a string, into the cup that I would owe him a dollar. I had one dollar, so I agreed. He, after about 25 minutes, finally made the ball into the cup and so, I gave him a dollar before he left and made him take a picture with me. Ulises was just a funny guy.

Tonight we watched another episode of Glee. I am telling you, it was more awkward than Michael Scott doing the worst thing you can think of on “The Office.” But we are all still hooked. Olivia sang “Lead Me to the Cross” for a special music during our worship service, and we ate spaghetti for dinner with brownies and ice cream for dessert! After worship, I attempted to throw the frisbee with some people in the compound, but there really isn’t an area here that is grassy so the sound of my frisbee scraping the concrete every other throw made me cringe on the inside. So here I am in the building that we eat dinner now, writing this entry, talking to friends about how great our God is, and relaxing after a long day. It’s probably about time for me to start preparing for tomorrow’s long day that is in store for us. God bless.
-Matthew 9:37
-The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray that the God of the harvest would send forth laborers.
-Isaiah 6:8
-“Here I am; send me.”

Mexico, or Texas?

Days 1 & 2
So, instead of what many typical college students will be doing for spring break, I am going on a mission trip to Mexico. I left school on Friday around 1:00 PM and drove the 4 hours to Columbia, MS to meet the team I am currently with at the American-Mexican border. Before reaching Columbia, I only knew two people who were going to be travelling with the group and I can’t be more honest when I say I didn’t know them that well either. Since I’ve been with the group, I’ve gotten to know several of the people that are near my age, and a few of those that aren’t. I’ll go over those people later though. When I got to Columbia, I had to meet up with the family I was staying with for the night at a tennis match, and because a good friend I’d met several years ago was in town and at the match, I hastily jumped out of the car. I chatted with Nathan Burkett (the friend), and Graysen Miller for a few minutes, when Nathan and I decided to throw the frisbee. Upon reaching my car to get the frisbee out, I realized I’d locked my keys in the car. So not only are my keys locked in the car, 4 hours away from the spare set, but more importantly, Nathan and I can’t throw the frisbee. Thank God (literally) that the tennis courts were right next to the fire department, who gladly unlocked my car for me, saving me the money I’d have spent on a locksmith, and also giving us a way of getting to the frisbee. Asides from that, the night was rather uneventful. I stayed with Graysen Miller and her family, along with Olivia Broome. We had a good dinner and then later that night we played piano and watched some lousy movie and Monsters, Inc. 

Saturday (I am considering Friday and Saturday as one, to fill you in on why there will eventually be three days under this post), began early and we hit the road around 8:00 AM. Riding on the bus was great. The three of us got the back seat and we all slept for about the first 3 or 4 hours. It was rest that we all needed and enjoyed. A sonic lunch in Cajun country made for an interesting stop, and shortly after lunch Olivia introduced Graysen and I to the T.V. series, Glee. We were instantly hooked.
We watched two episodes on the bus on my laptop and watched another few that night at the hotel. My roommate at the hotel, Gary, may have been too much of a partier for me. I must add that sarcasm doesn’t flow well through a text on a webpage. Gary is at least three times older than I am, and he is a great guy. (As I type this he is sitting at a table helping some of the younger girls make crafts for the kids we’ll be visiting tomorrow.) He is a retired social worker and now works on the side as a professional snorer.

Sunday began just as early as Saturday had, and we hit the road again bright and early. We were making record time, but it just was not meant to be…after about 3.5 hours of riding, the bus had a problem. The fan belt snapped, so we made a group stop in Corpus Christi for about an hour or two while we waited for the bus to be repaired. However, in this sad event, we children of the trip were able to charge my laptop and watch more of Glee. We knocked out a good 4 episodes on Sunday, and I must’ve eaten more junk food at that Shell station than I’ve ever eaten. I suppose that’s the tragedy of boredom and a broken bus. We made it to the compound that we’re staying at in Palmview, TX around 3:00 PM and it was fantastic to be able to get off the bus. We had an orientation, dinner, a short worship service, and a Wal-Mart run. I mean, what is a mission trip without a Wal-Mart run?! We had an interesting time walking around and just being goofy like teenagers always are in a Wal-Mart. After the trip, we watched our episode of Glee for the day. We decided to ration the episodes to one a day since we only had 5 more left and 5 more days of the mission trip. We finished the episode around 11:30 PM and we all headed to bed. When I walked into my bunk house full of sleeping men, it was like there had been an unannounced snoring contest. Everyone and their mother in that bunk house was snoring. I was tempted to record them but I’m sure I will later on in the week. It had been a long two days (technically three days, but who’s counting?) filled with naps, Glee, and a long, long bus ride. But they had been good days.

We made it to Proud Land.


-Revelation 22:20
“Come, Lord Jesus.”

Ferrousity

This past weekend I had the privilege to travel to Atlanta with our traveling frisbee team and play in the Freaknik tournament. I hesitate to say "privilege" because of how sore and sunburned I and all my teammates are. It was a great weekend for Samford frisbee and we had more wins at this tournament than the club team has in the last three years. Being straight with the facts first, we went 7-1 this past weekend, and only lost to the team who ended up winning the championship. But due to the setup of the brackets we ended up getting third place officially even though we beat the second place team soundly. I had a lot of fun playing, and got a lot of experience from playing with all of the older players. I have a lot of respect for the older guys on our team. Stephen Rhea and Justin Warden are two great guys who are strong in their faith and who have a LOT of patience for teaching frisbee. They are also both sick at frisbee. One day I hope to play as well as they do and lead as they do.

All seriousness aside, we had an extremely fun weekend. We had eight orders from one vehicle at Wendy's, had a meal of chili with everyone after day one, and we were all sunburnt to a crisp and sore as anything. It was a terrible yet, amazing feeling knowing that we as a team were all physically dead, but that we had won all four of our games that day. Both mornings we awoke to Sam Douglas's alarm going off about six times as he hit the snooze time after time. We spent the last night watching Dumb and Dumber and looked at pics from the weekend. And a common misconception that Gordon Lee has been telling people is that I ruined his "greatest." A "greatest" is an occurance in frisbee in which a player jumps out of bounds to save the frisbee and throws it back in to another player and completes the pass. In our case, Gordon dove and was a foot off the ground when he heaved the frisbee back in bounds. It was only about a 6 foot throw and it was spinning in about 100 different directions. I dove and had the frisbee for a split second, but then I dropped it. People from both sidelines groaned, mainly because it would've been an epic play if we'd completed it, but it was pretty epic anyways. There was never a shortage of pump up music in our cars, and there was never a shortage of loud voices singing along with it. It was a fantastic weekend all around and I look forward to our next tournament and I'm glad to know all the guys on our team better than I did before now.


God blessed us this weekend. We had a blast and we all were safe from injury for the entire weekend. Our team motto (I guess you could call it that) is, "Have Fun, Play Hard, All for God's Glory." And I think that's what we did this weekend.

Isaiah 40:30

Life as we know it.

It has been quite an eventful weekend here at Samford. It has been a very good one at that. Step Sing is over, the tests come up, the essays are due and the all-nighters are everywhere. I was proud of myself having successfully finished my essay before sunset the day before it was due. HUGE marker in my study life.

But after school, this was the first Step Sing-free weekend since the beginning of school, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I spent Friday with Justin Warden, just chilling and watching Apolo Ohno dominate the skating arena and jumping everywhere. And Saturday was filled with lots of great fun. I went and saw "The Complete History of America: Abriged" with some of the guys and then went rollerblading at Skates 280, where "it's cool and shady." Well, a slogan like that makes me want to come back SO badly. We had a great time though, and cruised through Wal-Mart. Sunday. It was a great day. I went to church, David Platt presented the best sermon on Leviticus I've ever heard. I got to see my old friends, Craig Stilley and Molly Barksdale, which was awesome. And that afternoon. Oh dear. I played 5 hours of frisbee on Sunday. Great for fun, not so great for the legs. We had club practice seeing as we have a tournament this coming weekend in Atlanta. I'm extremely excited. I really have a lot of respect for the leaders on our club team, Ferrousity. Justin Warden and Stephen Rhea are two awesome guys that I really look up to and I'm glad to know them as my frisbee captains and to have them as my friends. We also had intramural frisbee games Sunday night. Scoober-Doo started out with an upset over Fire and Brimstone. We played a great game and really just worked well as a team. It was a nailbiter and was a great game to leave with a win. I also played with the Fellows team, and we had a lot of fun as well. We lost by one in that game, but I got to meet several new people and have fun with my friends as we goofed around and shouted the team cry. Overall, it was a great weekend, and I look forward to making more memories with my friends here at Samford, and I can't wait for next weekends tourney.

And to catch up on tonight, I got my finalization letters from Kanakuk today, and I'm really excited about that. Only two weeks until I leave for Mexico with the Mississippi group, and I'm hoping that God works as we travel over there. And finally, I lead a Bible study group via Skype tonight and I swear, the halls have never been more crazy! People were yelling and screaming, poking their heads in my door, and to be honest I've never been more popular! It was very interesting, but it was a good experience and I'm praying that the advice I gave to those seniors will stick with them the way I wish advice had stuck to me.


Anyways, that's it for tonight, I've rambled enough.

Tim

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest.

Sweep what?

So, for the past month and a half or so I've given my life to Step Sing's independent guys group, Dudes A Plenty. It was a crazy experience. 70 guys, learning to dance and sing with a tendency to act retarded leaves you with a hilarious show and even funnier practices. This year was my first experience of Step Sing and we won it all. Sweepstakes. Being able to say that one day to the freshmen on campus when I'm a senior will be an amazing feeling.

Our directors, Jeremy and Ben, were sick. They were serious jerks sometimes(when they needed to be), and we'd loosen things up with a change in the formation of a word in order to lighten the atmosphere or Ben would joke around with Daddy. But most of the time they were just two senior guys who wanted to have fun, put on the best Step Sing show in history, and rock faces off. We rocked faces off, and we were super massive rock stars. It was an unreal experience, partly because we won sweepstakes and partly because I've never gotten so many strange looks when in my costume. It must've been the eye-liner and black fingernail polish.


Now class is back in swing though, papers, tests, readings, blah, blah, blah. I remember how ready I was for Step Sing to be over but now I miss it. It was awesome, I have to add, to meet 70 guys who were just good people, and to be able to make so many new friends was really awesome.

Aside from Step Sing though, I'm finishing up my walls in my room, the entire right side is almost covered completely with posters, and I'm trying to see if I can get a banner from Step Sing for my ceiling. I just think that'd be pretty sick. But Thursday I have a prospective student coming in, and we're going to go with the other side of our hall to go and play laser tag, and this weekend is my first free weekend since the beginning of Step Sing, so I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest.

Snow and Samford

So, the last two days have been insane. We've had step sing, a Valentine's dance, lots of snow, and more step sing. I'm extremely exhausted, and want to do nothing more than crawl back into bed. But life goes on even when you're pooped.

Friday, while all the other schools have prior notice that classes are cancelled, we at Samford do not. And by 11:15 there was a pretty solid layer on the ground. So plans were made, schemes devised, and warm clothes put on. Well, except for Gordon and me. We both put on board shorts and baseball socks(i had two pairs of socks on underneath those :D). And then we went snowboarding. Yes, I said we went snowboarding in Birmingham, Alabama. Other people at the same hill had various "items" to slide down the hill on: laundry baskets, a matress, the big plastic tupperware containers, the lids for those containers, cardboard, a trashbag turned to jacket, and their own feet. The containers and the laundry baskes didn't work too well because as soon as you turned the slightest bit around, they flipped over. Which was hilarious for us watching, but not as much fun for them. And let the record show that Gordon was extremely gracious with his snowboard and allowed many people to try it out. Nathan also got a turn, and he faceplanted at the end of his run. He's a "good man."

I took many pictures in the snow, I think I managed to get people to take a few of me in it as well. It was a beautiful day and the snow on the trees was a great sight to behold. The beauty of it gave glory to God. It was a beautiful day from our Creator. I really enjoed walking around campus and photographing the snow and trees and people just having a hay day.

We had a guys night, and went out to Buffalo Wild Wings, and then my father stayed with me in MY DORM. Haha it was a serious reversal of roles. But we got to talk for a little while, look at pics we had both taken and he got to sleep on the futon in my dorm. Haha. It was great to see him for the time I did, since he is very busy in Mount Juliet right now with work.

Saturday was a day full to the brim with Step Sing. We practiced for about 5 hours and had our second tech rehearsal. We really worked hard and stepped up our game, and we're getting so close to being completely prepared. There also was a Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday so we all went as a group and had a great time waltzing, doing swing dances, and attempting to improv. We had a few circle dances too, which were hilarous as we took our turns embarrassing ourselves in the center of the circle. Afterwards, we attempted to take a group of twenty bowling, and upon the realization that it would never work, we decided to go terrorize the Waffle House. We were loud, the food was okay, and the laughs were great; essentially, it was a group of college kids at Waffle House at 12:00 a.m. It's been a great two days, both felt like Saturdays, but now I'm exhausted from what feels like an extremely long weekend, so I'm going to grab a nap. Hasta luego.

Ski Hats

I got a hat for Christmas. It is one of those hats with the strings that hang down from the side, and all they essentially do is make any person wearing the hat look like a goofball. I love my goofy hat. When I got back to Samford, it was (and is still) freezing. I wear my hat outside with my coat, and it keeps my head so very warm. But sometimes I just feel weird when I wear it and I'll take it off and stuff it in my pocket, sacrificing the warmth of my head so that people won't stare at my hat. Lately though, I've realized that I'd rather people stare at my hat and think it's weird or goofy and have warmth, than stuff it in my pocket, where it does me no good what-so-ever, and be cold.

I realized that I didn't care anymore, and that is when it hit me.


Is God like my hat?


Do I love God in my quiet times, when I feel close to Him and forget Him in my everyday life? Do I shove God in my pocket at times when I feel weird because of what I believe? Am I ashamed to say what I believe because of what others think?

I want to love God with all I am, and to not be arrogant, but to know and remember that the God that I love and serve is indescribable, powerful, gracious, big enough, and great enough to be proud of, and He is too big for me to try to shove in my pocket.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

-Tim

Tim Foote

What my life comes down to, in the end, is what I do with the hashmark that will be between two numbers on my tombstone. Whether I live that hashmark to bring glory to my name, or to the name of the one who gives me life, is the decision that I have to make.

I think about the love and the mercy and the free grace that I have been given and I am silenced and amazed. The love that is shown in the cross blows my mind, the mercy that I was given when I deserved punishment Jesus took in His death on the cross, and the grace I recieved in recieving a reward for what I had not earned; these three things are beyond description for my human mind. How God could love a pitiful and imperfect soul enough that He'd give up His Son for my life is past my comprehension.


I recently have taken up the hobby of photography to a new level. Lately, I have been photographing sunsets, birds on the lagoon, lakes, trees, cliffsides, snow, and other works of God's hand. It amazes me that God, who could create these things by speaking a few simple words could have the time of day for me. Then, at night, I can see the heavens, and stars that God knows by name. To me, the stars are innumerable, but God knows them by name. These beautiful creations that God put in the sky, are not as important to him as I am, as His most precious creation is. God's love for us above all other creations amazes me, and I hope that it will continue to as I live the life that He has given me.

I want the love God gives to define the hashmark between the numbers on my tombstone.

Come, Lord Jesus.

-Tim