Once Upon a Ty

Hello, gulls

2010-08-04T11:52:00.001-07:00

Took this last week at Headlands Beach just before sunset.

Evening Walk

2010-06-16T23:38:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since my last post. Life has been crazy with friends getting married, finals, moving and graduation.

I took a walk tonight. I had in my mind to go one place but I never made it there. Instead I got sidetracked by an awesome hill bathed in even better light. Then I strolled over to The Ridges to explore a little bit. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday evening!

Ministry Update

2010-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

May 2010 Update Letter

Spring in Athens

2010-04-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

It's my last Spring as a student in Athens. It's a weird feeling. Spring quarter is definitely my favorite quarter here at Ohio University. The weather gets warmer and the entire campus has a newfound energy. My friend Trent made this video and it does a good job capturing Spring in Athens. Enjoy!

Pretend PR Pt. 2

2010-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

Crisis management was the name of the game for our second plan of the quarter in Public Relations Principles. My group decided to adopt United Airlines and create a plan in response to negative press generated by this video.

I'd be angry, too, Dave! Mad props for creating a catchy tune to get your voice heard!

My target audience to address was established customers. This is the collateral I created, an e-mail, which would have been sent to past passengers if we were really executing this plan. I'm pretty pleased with it.

Where are you finding your identity?

2010-02-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

I led Bible study last week on the topic of worry. Not alarmingly, the main text we looked at was Matthew 6:25-34. We talked about reasons why shouldn't worry, like that it's sin because it really signifies a lack of trust and satisfaction in the sovereignty of God, the fact that it's futile (v. 27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?) and the general idea that we can trust in God (the One who created and sustains the entire universe).

I think that there is an often overlooked reason in this text that encompasses all reasons why we shouldn't worry: our identity. Check out verses 26 and 30.

^26"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

³⁰"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

God feeds the birds and dresses grass better than a king in all his splendor, but they're not his children. But if we are in Christ, we are. And there's our identity. If we see ourselves as children of God, why should we worry?

Matthew 7:9-11, take it away... "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

On a side note- I've been officially accepted for a full-time campus ministry internship with Campus Crusade for Christ at Ohio University next year. Thanks to everyone who has been praying!

Calling all moms

2010-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

You may be familiar with the Motrin Moms campaign. It drew a lot of negative attention and criticism toward Motrin, mainly from, well, moms. We talked about it in my PR class today.

As far as I know, there are about two moms who read this blog. Maybe I will be surprised with more. I'm curious, moms- what do you think about this ad? Would love to hear your comments.

Let's pretend

2010-02-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

I created this piece of would-be collateral for a simulation corporate social responsibility plan in the PR class I'm taking right now. I had a hard time making it look the way I want, but I think I'm slowly getting a little better better with design.

I'm starting to enjoy PR a lot more, likely because a change of professor brought a drastic change in teaching from my last class. Excited to put it to work in ministry!

EE TAOW!

2010-01-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

"It is truth!" This video is about a tribe in Papua New Guinea that was transformed by the Gospel. It's old and kind of corny at some points, but is an amazing story about an entire people experiencing new life in Christ.

Watch EE-Taow in Faith & Lifestyle | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Golby Wedding

2009-12-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the honor of shooting the wedding of two of my friends, Aaron and Katie (Brobeck) Golby. It was such a privilege to be asked to document such an important day for them. I am so excited to see what God will do in and through their marriage.

Congratulations, Aaron and Katie!

Skipping adolescense

2009-12-20T12:40:00.000-08:00

Right on, Pastor Mark.

Season's Grievances

2009-12-17T21:03:00.001-08:00

I'm sick and tired of all this politically correct "we'll say 'happy holidays' just in case some whiner is miffed because we don't know what he or she believes" crap. That's what it is. It's crap. I'm sick of department stores, restaurants, school choir programs and, well, just about everything being forced into a generic "Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays but by absolutely no means Merry Christmas" way of operating.

I have several issues with all of this, some of which I will begin to address.

1) Whininess=suckiness. For some reason, America is terrified of whiny people. CEOs to superintendents are afraid- and not because someone may be offended, but because they don't want to see any negative publicity coming from the mouth of a thin-skinned, thick-headed moron. Why do we give so much significance to the views of these people, who I argue are really the insensitive ones?

2) Why should someone be offended by my wishing them a Merry Christmas? If someone wished me a Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, whatever- who cares? I don't celebrate those things, but "Hey, thanks for wishing me happiness."

3) The First Amendment is on my side, so a big, fat, "na na na na na, get over yourselves" to the whiners.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Now, store/restaurant/business policies are certainly different than a Congress-created law, so they REALLY don't have anything to worry about. They'll never lose a lawsuit brought against them for wishing someone a Merry Christmas.

School programs, yes, are a different story. As public institutions, legally they do have to be more careful. An arm of the government cannot establish a religion. For example's sake, I'll use a school choir concert; all the time you hear about school concerts being so watered down that they sing "Chicken Fat" instead of "Jingle Bells." No, not kidding. Now, students should not be forced to sing songs that they have religious differences with. I cannot expect a muslim student to want to sing about Jesus Christ any more than I would want to sing about Mohammed. But think about all the times there must have been when content has been censored even though there wasn't even an issue. Furthermore, the way the First Amendment is written, we are given a positive freedom- that is, we have a freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. In this country, no matter what your faith is, you have the right to practice it freely. Unfortunately, because some people are oversensitive, Christmas is becoming taboo and we don't get to exercise our faith freely.

Thankfully, we can have peace knowing that one day we'll all really understand what it means that God came to earth as a baby to bring salvation to all who call on Him.

Reflecting on our blessing

2009-12-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

In Luke 24, just before Jesus ascends into heaven, it says that He was blessing the Eleven apostles and those with them, promising to send them the Holy Spirit.

Luke also wrote the book of Acts and gives more detail of what Jesus said in this blessing. Acts 1:8 says "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

It is a blessing to be a witness to all people, to the ends of the earth. This is to be understood differently than a commandment. Instead of saying just "Do this," Jesus is saying "You get to do this. This is a privilege, a blessing."

We are blessed as members of the body of Christ. We were bought with blood and are now blessed to be witnesses to Christ.

A fun bathroom

2009-12-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

The Dead Schembechlers have a song titled "I Peed in Ann Arbor's Water Supply."

Using the bathroom at Quaker Steak & Lube in Mentor, Ohio was reminiscent of that.

I might be a marketing genius

2009-11-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I wrote a post about what I thought was an embarrassing example of grasping for words while I was filmed for a commercial for Best of Athens Rentals has turned out to be an excellent marketing line.

I said that it was a "pure joy" to rent from Best of Athens.

Look at McDonald's new line:

The inconvenience of a life

2009-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

I recently saw a video from a CNN interview with a businesswoman from Wisconsin. She, on September 21st, tweeted "I'm in a board meeting. Having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there's a f***ed-up 3-week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin."

If the tweet wasn't troubling enough, the interview was even worse.

Rick Sanchez, of CNN asked the woman "Have you no shame?!?" and asked why she felt it was a good idea to "air her dirty laundry" like that. She began talking about her miscarriage and said that 75% of women have miscarriages, so it's really a part of the female experience. I'm not sure why she went to her miscarriage as her dirty laundry, but a miscarriage is not something to be ashamed of. It's something to be mournful of, but not ashamed.

As the interview continued, I became even more perplexed. A question revealed that the woman is a mother of two- and I believe that she loves her kids. In between the two kids she had a miscarriage and said "It was really terrible. I was very sad because I wanted another kid." She used to value the life of a human being- when it was convenient for her.

When it was convenient for her. This is where it really gets me. She was relieved to have a miscarriage this time because she didn't want to have to drive down to Chicago to have an abortion. It would be an inconvenience to end her pregnancy and the life of her unborn child. A human life was an inconvenience to her.

Can you imagine if we took similar action to what this woman presumably would have done every time a human being inconvenienced us? This side of the womb that's called murder.

She said she has had an abortion before and that it was very difficult physically, emotionally and on her relationships, yet she takes it so lightly that she would do it again. She said it's hard because there is a desire to keep the baby, but blames that on hormones. Rick Sanchez countered that with asking if maybe she thought those hormones were "God's way of telling you 'this is yours and you shouldn't give it up.'"

Right on with that one, Rick. Of course it is! We are made in God's image and feelings like that prove it! If He uses hormones to influence those feelings, He made us that way and what is that to us?!? That woman's baby was a person, made in the image of God and God wants us to feel that.

It's something to mourn when a miscarriage happens; it's something to hate an abortion when it is performed. (Note: Hate the abortion, not the abort-er.) My heart breaks for this woman, and all women who don't want to deal with the inconvenience of a pregnancy and choose to end the life of their children. I can't imagine what it will be like on the day when she and so many others are really awakened to the evil of abortion. I can't imagine that heartache.

But the good news is there is a God who will have compassion on these babies, when their moms consider them inconveniences and throw them away. The Mark Driscoll video below is, I think, pretty powerful. He shares this good news toward the end of the clip.

How to fail an exam with dignity

2009-10-21T07:23:00.001-07:00

I usually ignore e-mail forwards, but this one was too good. There have been so many times that I have been stumped on a quiz and tried to come up with something as clever as some of these. In eighth grade history there was a question about "Where did (something) happen?" I said JC Penney and I'm pretty sure I got credit. Sometimes it pays to be completely random.

Enjoy.

How many points do you get for 'Engagement?'

2009-10-18T22:04:00.001-07:00

One of my housemates got engaged this fall and I was honored to take some engagement photos for him and his bride-to-be. The two of them like to go to Donkey Coffee and Espresso and play Scrabble. Of all the photos I took that day, this is my favorite.

Wishing you the best, Austin and Audrey!

And the World Spins Madly On

2009-10-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

I went home for a visit last weekend and I was met with a very clear realization that my childhood is over. It's done, gone and relegated to memories and photographs. This realization did not come because I feel like I'm an adult, not because I'm a senior in college, but because quite literally my childhood is disappearing as half of Painesville is being torn down.

Painesville City Schools is almost done with the construction of all new schools, which in a few months will mean the demolition of every school I've ever gone to.

Hobart Pre-School: Gone.
Lathrop Elementary: Gone.
Hobart Middle School: Gone.
Harvey High School: Will be gone in the next few months.

TriPoint Medical Center opens 19 days from now. It will be a beautiful facility and I imagine the medical care will improve as well, but it means the demolition of Lake East Hospital in Downtown Painesville. I was born at Lake East (I don't remember that, but it is among the more significant moments in my life). My dad worked there when I was born and in my younger years I remember eating grilled cheese and chocolate milkshakes from the place in the lobby and watching the helicopter take off with my dad.

This is all in the name of progress. Lake East Hospital is not an especially attractive building, neither was Hobart Middle School. Painesville is in need of a face lift in a lot of ways. It's just a shame that progress means I'll never be able to take my kids to see these places where I grew up.

Pure joy in rentals

2009-08-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

This morning my housemates and I filmed a promotional commercial for Best of Athens Rentals. It will be shown at the Ohio vs. UConn football game this Saturday. I had a hard time verbalizing what I wanted to say when the camera was rolling- good thing I'm not a PR major or anything... Oh, wait. I wound up saying something along the lines that it has been a "pure joy" to live in our Best of Athens Rentals house.

...

...

A pure joy? Really, Ty? Who says that about the house they rent? Apparently I do when I'm fumbling for words.

I did get a couple cool frames from our trip to The Convo to film. This is my housemate Joe. I couldn't resist the generous lighting. I think even a point-and-shoot would have made a pretty decent frame.

My new wide-angle lens has been fun to play with and helped to get a fair shot of the hall of fame in The Convo.

Lance Armstrong in Athens

2009-08-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lance Armstrong rode into Athens yesterday to finish his part of Pelotonia '09, a bike ride to benefit The James Cancer Center at Ohio State University. Lance didn't stay long, he finished the ride, got in an SUV and split, but the day wasn't a wash.

Aside from seeing a 7-time Tour de France winner, my buddies and I got recruited to help with some set-up and were given some SWEET tee-shirts. The shirt alone would have gotten me there, that's how sweet it is. I go nuts for free shirts.

I was really hoping to get a good shot of Lance. Thankfully, the last frame I shot was pretty decent.

Pure joy in Christ

2009-07-29T07:56:00.001-07:00

He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.
[Isaiah 25:8]

What a joy it is to be in Christ! The Lord's power is limitless, greater even than the grave. It is IMPOSSIBLE for death to keep its hold of Him (Acts 2:24). Through Christ, and only through Christ, is the the sting of death conquered. It is only through Christ that we, the perishable can be clothed with the imperishable, mortals clothed with immortality. It is in Christ alone that we can boast over death, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). It is in this hope that we gain endurance as we suffer with Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3), that we can consider it pure joy whenever we face trials (James 1:2) and that we are free to count everything as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8).

There will be a day when THE SOVEREIGN LORD HIMSELF will wipe away the tears from all faces and remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The God of the universe, the One who is true, is faithful to us. If we are in Christ, our Father in heaven, our dad, will make all things right in a way we have never experienced. Consider it pure joy to be in Christ, my friends.

When I look at the stars...

2009-07-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
[Psalm 19:1-4]

Isn't that something...

The heavens- the stars, the planets, the moons, every galaxy, the entire universe, all DECLARES the glory of God. There are no hints nor subtleties. The heavens themselves proclaim the glory of God.

No speech nor language, no culture, no people is hidden from the heavens. In all the earth the glory of God is seen! People who have never heard the name of Jesus have heard, seen, experienced the glory of God. He will be known in all the world.

Creation shouts of God. Take the time to stop and listen, and join in with the heavens.

Zealous for Jealous

2009-07-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

I don't normally like to publish posts that are solely other peoples' words. Usually I will pull quotes and reflect on what I've read. But, I was reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer the other day and was really struck by a passage that he quoted from Bishop J.C. Ryle's Practical Religion. This is what Ryle said, as quoted by Packer:

"Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature- which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted- but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called 'zealous' men...
"A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies- whether he has health, or whether he has sickness- whether he is rich, or whether he is poor- whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offence- whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish- whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise- whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame- for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God's glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it- he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh and pray.... If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of 'zeal' in religion."

It is my prayer that each day I am more zealous for God and that you too are "swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God."

Ministry Update

2009-07-19T21:08:00.001-07:00

I will be sending this letter via U.S. Mail, but thought I'd share it here as well.
July 2009 Update Letter

Freedom takes interdependence sometimes

2009-07-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I was at my cousin's church for the baptism of her 2-month-old son and 7 or 8-year-old step-son. I wish I had taken better notes on the sermon because I enjoyed it very much. While I'm not sure the pastor meant for it to be about global missions, it kinda was.

The two points I remember most clearly were these:

1) Freedom does not always mean independence. Negative freedom is that freedom in which we are more isolationists and are, in essence, free from others. Positive freedom actually requires a great deal of interdependence. In this way, we are free do do what we need to do, what we've been called to do because of the help of other people.

One of the most daunting things about any form of full-time ministry for me is support raising, in which you rely on God's provision through other people to support you and your dependents financially in your ministry. Needing supporters is not a limit on freedom, though. In fact, those supporters increase the freedom to do what God has called you or me to do. "No man is an island," right?

2) The pastor talked about the change Jesus brought in shifting from temple piety to an outward focused ministry. Temple piety was the idea that the people had to go to the temple if they wanted to learn about God. Priests had it in their heads that they had the knowledge, but rather than taking that to people, the people should go to them. Jesus did things a little differently. He recruited a "street team," if you will, to take the message of repentance and the forgiveness of sins to the people, out from the comfortable confines of the temple.

Jesus, after he was resurrected instructed us in this:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
[Matthew 28:18-20]

This is a two-part command. First, "go." Unlike the priests who waited for people to come to them, Jesus says to "go." Second, make disciples of all nations. All nations. ALL nations. The fact is, by our staying put there are some entire nations of people who will never hear the message of Christ and be instructed on how to cultivate a relationship with Him.

It takes the freedom that comes from interdependence to go and make disciples of all nations and keep fighting against temple piety the way Jesus did. Still, as necessary as support from other people is, Jesus Himself promised that He would be with us "to the very end of the age." You can't beat that support.

The shadow proves the sunshine

2009-06-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

Listening to "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" by Switchfoot. Wise words, those are. At first listen I just dismissed it as being some happy, fluff song. Then I thought about those words and how they relate to God's glory and promise of His plans for each of us. The shadows in our lives are no fun, but our longing for sunshine is proof that we were not created to live in darkness but to be children of light. No one is satisfied with constantly living in shadow and that is a testament to the inherent knowledge that there is better offered to us. Not everyone knows what that better offer is, but it remains, bought and paid for in full, freely offered to us in the blood of Jesus Christ.

True Life: I'm a 35er/Cribs

2009-06-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: This one is mostly for Mom, Dad and Carrie because they're the ones who have heard the most about my room and will not see it for a while. Still, all are welcome to look.

I'm really enjoying this whole living off campus business. I went grocery shopping today, for myself, and felt very grown up. Finally, right? The following are pictures of my room. I love it and wish I could spend more time there, but painting houses for Best of Athens Rentals takes a lot of hours out of my day. Making enough money that I'll be able to save some though, which is nice and necessary.

God’s glory will go to no one else

2009-06-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

The God of everything: Alpha, Omega; beginning and end. Creator of all things, most of which we cannot even understand. Father, Abba, SAVIOR. All glory is owed to God, but still sometimes we try to take some of it for ourselves…

The thing is, NOTHING and NO ONE is more worthy of glory than God and what’s more, NOTHING will receive more glory than God.

Isaiah 13 talks about the day of the Lord, when God’s wrath would be poured out on Babylon. It doesn’t paint a comfortable picture. Lots of freaky nature stuff going on, people being impaled. Terror, mayhem, destruction on a sinful people.

Isaiah 14 contrasts this as it is prophesied that “the Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and settle them in their own land.” The people of Israel, God’s chosen, will be set.

Verses 3 and 4 say “On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:…”
And literally a long taunt is spelled out to rub into the kings face that he has been cut down and defeated. It’s really one of the most intense taunts I’ve ever seen. Worse even than the heartbreaking “Start the buses” when your high school basketball team is about to have their tournament run cut off.

Verses 13-15 say “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountains. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.”

See, the king even referred to God as “Most High,” but clearly did not revere Him as such- he wanted to be equal to Him. Still, no one will receive the Glory owed to God. The king did not have a right view of God and was summarily dishonored, mocked and destroyed.

So was Jesus.

But Jesus IS God, so clearly He has the right view of God. This did not happen to Jesus because He was sinful. He wasn’t. At all. Jesus was dishonored, mocked and destroyed FOR US, because we, like the king, sin. We give glory to all sorts of things ahead of God, be it our flesh, our hearts, our own righteousness, the list goes on. We sin. But God, overflowing with goodness and mercy, extends grace our direction through the death and resurrection of Christ.

Some questions I’m asking myself:
-In what ways am I not submitting to God?
-Are there things that I think I can handle or do better than God?
-What does that say about my view of God?

West Virginia, cheap beer and minor league ball

2009-06-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the honor and privilege of going to Charleston, W. Va. for a West Virginia Power baseball game. The Power is the 'A' affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was Buck Night at Appalachian Power Park, which meant that tickets, hotdogs and drinks (beer included) went for a dollar each.

West Virginia, low-level professional baseball and cheap brewskies make for an entertaining evening, I promise.

The evening, in which we celebrated Nick's "Day of Jubilee," was hallmarked by plastic horns that almost everyone except our group bought. Several times throughout the evening I heard "This horn cost me three beers!" These plastic instruments were used in a variety of ways, but the two most amusing ways were when a guy bonged a beer with one and when another guy blew the horn right in the ear of the pitchen warming up in the bullpen with each toss.

The highlight of the evening, for me at least, was the national anthem. It was played by a pudgy rocker on an electric guitar who began and ended by walking around behind home plate with a hand in the air "rock saluting" the crowd of 300 people. As you can see, we all got a kick out of it.

4 hours total in the car, 2 hour rain delay. Well worth it.

Oh, Cleveland...

2009-05-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Should I care this much about the Cavs? Probably not. Why am I so emotionally involved in a situation that I have absolutely zero control over? Some SERIOUS emotional boundaries have been crossed in my relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And for what? I had some serious dreams for our future! I was ready to commit to a long-lasting post-season relationship with some rings awaiting us and now I feel those dreams have been whimsically handed off to this Orlando.

I was talking with a friend from Cincinnati tonight who said that he kind of hopes the Cavs lose because Cleveland fans are so obnoxious. I think we are the way we are because we have come SO CLOSE over the past 15 years and each time seen our dreams shattered. He argued that even that is better than not having any hope for a championship in years, but I disagree. I will count this as the fourth time since the Indians were in the World Series in '95 that I have believed I had a perfect match- one that would last, only to be left at the altar (metaphorically speaking).

Right now it feels like someone dipped my heart in a vat of boiling tears, while someone else was hitting me in the grief bone with a frozen sledgehammer. Never has a team to which I have pledged my allegiance gone all the way and it's starting to hurt. It's getting a little unbearable. For some reason, Cleveland is seemingly incapable of winning a championship. I am calling the Cavs goners. I hope they prove me wrong, really, I do- but I'm not counting on it. Instead, I will resign to worrisome thoughts of next year and dismay that Lebron may well leave Cleveland as a free agent having never delivered a championship to a city that groans with each passing season.

If nothing else, love Jesus.

2009-05-17T21:54:00.001-07:00

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
[Colossians 3:9-11]

This should have tremendous implications on how we relate to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are new creations in Christ, we are made in the image of God, Christ is all and Christ is in all. If Christ is in all who call on His name, how can we not love our brothers and sisters in Him? And yet sometimes we struggle with that. I know I do.

Paul is writing this letter to Christians and is telling them how they should relate to each other. We who have Christ in us are of one body. Since Christ is in all of us, even if we are having a hard time loving each other, we should still be able to love them for the fact that Christ is in them. Our love for Christ should manifest itself in love for others.

I don't know about you, but I need to pray for some help with this.

Dean of Students addresses Palmerfest

2009-05-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is from an e-mail sent out by OU Dean of Students, Ryan Lombardi. Lombardi was present at an information meeting held a couple weeks ago about Palmerfest where student residents of Palmer Street heard from Athens and OU officials about what would and would not be tolerated at Palmerfest. Apparently the meeting did not have the desired effect.

Dear Ohio University Students,

I write today to address the issues that led to the deterioration of Palmerfest this past weekend. I was disappointed to hear about some of the behavior that occurred. Setting fires in the street, throwing projectiles at other attendees and law enforcement, and overturning a vehicle are unacceptable, no matter the circumstance. I realize that it was not all OU students who did this, and that not all OU students who were at Palmerfest were participating in the negative behavior that I've mentioned. Nonetheless, as a member of our community, it is not okay to stand by and let this type of destruction occur. It is all of our responsibility to respect the community in which we live and honor the integrity of our institution.

The university and local community have accepted responsible and appropriate behavior during the spring fests for many years. The behavior that occurred this weekend does not fall into that category. Whether you are a current student, the friend of one, or just an out-of-town visitor, Ohio University does not condone this type of behavior and you will be held accountable for your actions.

I am most bothered to have to write this note to you today because I know that for every one student who engaged in destructive behavior this weekend there are hundreds doing great things at our university. For those of you who share my concern, I challenge you to not accept such actions again. Let's get back on track and finish this year on a positive note.

Sincerely,
Ryan Lombardi
Dean of Students

You acted like jerks. Thanks for proving them right.

2009-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

I was less than surprised to hear about the happenings of Palmerfest '09 here in Athens, Ohio. What is yearly a day for mass alcohol consumption got way out of hand as thousands of OU students lived up to our less than stellar reputation.

Color me old fashioned, but I'm disgusted by what went on. Setting fires like a bunch of mindless slugs… Assaulting police officers and horses with beer bottles and cans…

Some people will complain about the use of force by Athens and OU Police; I think they would have been justified to use a whole lot more. This was not a case of civil disobedience, or even protest. It was a case of irresponsible, reckless consumption of alcohol gone terribly wrong. There’s a pretty awesome video on YouTube of a mounted officer plowing into a drunken antagonizer.

My heart hurts for how lost so many on this campus clearly are. As deplorable as the events of Palmerfest ’09 were, sin is sin and it shows just how much we all need God’s grace.

The Post's coverage of Palmerfest.

He is praying for me

2009-05-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” —Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Hebrews 7:25: Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Be encouraged, Jesus Christ- GOD HIMSELF is praying for you.

Until we don't want to work it out do we part.

2009-05-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Marriage in the United States is in bad shape, according to recent reports by Focus on the Family.

The information, which was released in September 2008, stated that while divorce rates have leveled off and even slightly decreased over the last few years, statistics still show that between 40 and 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. A similar report, released by the US Census bureau, showed that one in two marriages will fail and that the United States has among the highest divorce rates globally.

The median age for men to get married is 27.4 years of age, with women marrying slightly younger on average at 25.6 years of age. Typically, divorce happens within the first 8 years of marriage. There is also a trend in the United States for people to get married later in life. While 33.8 percent of the population is married between the age of 20 and 34, the married population balloons to 63.7 percent in the 35 to 44 year age range. This means that couples who marry younger and divorce around the eight-year average will likely end their marriage before the 35 to 44 year olds even get married.

Ron Edmondson, a pastor at Grace Community Church in Clarksville, Tenn. says one reason the divorce rate is so high is a general lack of knowledge about marriage, a problem that has always been there. “I share this story all the time, but both my boys have more training to drive than is usual for somebody to be trained to enter into marriage,” he said.

Edmondson said that there are very few solid marriages for couples to learn from any more. This is partly because we have become more mobile and therefore geographically scattered. As people move further away from family, they need to have people with strong marriages to walk along with younger couples, especially in the early, often difficult years, Edmondson said.

He also said that the general cultural acceptance and increasing ease of divorce from a legal standpoint combined with a decreasingly loyal population are contributing factors to such high divorce rates.

Edmondson believes churches should shoulder the responsibility of reducing cases of divorce, and said this needs to begin with good pre-marital counseling. “Churches rarely have anything available. You’re doing good if you get an hour or two of your pastor’s time,” he said. Churches also have to start teaching about healthy marriages, he said. “I don’t think we need to sugar-coat the issues. We need to deal with real problems. Marriage is tough…so we need to address the reality of what’s going on in our society."

Finally, Edmondson said problems in marriage need to be de-stigmatized, encouraging people to work things out. “It’s easier to walk away than to get help,” he said.

Idolatry is stupid.

2009-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Psalm 135:15-18 says:

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes but they cannot see; they have ears but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

We become like what we worship. The people described here create these idols to worship, but idols are worthless. They hold no power other than what we give them. The idols are ineffective and the Psalm states that by worshiping idols, we too will become ineffective. Idols are not beings. We cannot have relationship with an idol. Not only is idol worship against the second commandment, it's just plain ridiculous! Aside from the fact that there is one true God whom we should worship, there is absolutely no point in worshiping a stupid, little, powerless, impersonal idol.

And yet we do.

We have all, at some point, elevated "things" higher than the God of the universe. Of course, they are only higher than God according to us, because He is in fact above and before all things.

See, though, the thing about God is that he won't compete with whatever trivialities we idolize.

Twice in Isaiah 2 (vv. 11, 17), it is prophesied that the arrogance and pride of man will be brought low and humbled. Each time this statement is followed with this:

...the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 2:18 goes on to say:

...the idols will totally disappear.

Idols are stupid, worthless things that will disappear. There is one true and everlasting God. Who is really worthy of our lives?

April showers bring fire and brimstone

2009-04-30T14:05:00.001-07:00

'Tis the season...

The swine flu has been getting people fired up across the world. Some here at Ohio University have found another reason to freak out- the open-air preachers!

They come every spring, yelling about hellfire, homosexuality, drunkenness and fornication (among a host of other sins) and commanding repentance. Every spring they are met with students yelling right back at them.

I'm convinced that a lot of the people who stop to listen to these guys are searching only for an argument. They fire questions at him with no interest in an answer. They are more concerned with making noise. The thing is, no matter how much either side yells at the other, no one's mind is getting changed. The "sinners," as the preachers less than affectionately call them, are put on the defensive and will not react with repentance and the preachers, if they have an authentic faith in Christ, will not be swayed from their beliefs.

True, Christ is being preached, but I seriously question the effectiveness of their evangelism. "You watch Hollywood movies, you're going to Hell" is probably not the best way to lead people to a saving faith in Christ. I'm just sayin'...

Something that gets me is that even when these guys preach about grace, they sound so angry. How can you be angry when you're talking about grace?!?

Colossians 4:5-7 says, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your words be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Salt is used to season food, to make it taste better, right? I think these guys could use their salt much more effectively.

Not afraid to die.

2009-03-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 2:14,15 "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

Talk about freedom in Christ! We're all going to die, but we don't have to be afraid of that. In fact, when we do have fear, we're allowing Satan to exercise his power. Christ is above all things (nihilist deceivers like Satan included) and conquered death to bring the possibility of eternal life.

Mark Driscoll pointed out that for those in Christ, what we experience in this life is as bad as it will EVER be. After we die it only gets better. Conversely, those who have not received Christ should be terrified of death- because apart from Christ this life is as good as it gets, and it gets A LOT worse when you die.

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." [1 John 5:11,12]

God is WAY bigger than the Holiday Inn

2009-03-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Yes. I know it's been more than three months. But I'm back, hopefully more frequently.

We just had Spring Break and I went with around 90 other people from Ohio University Campus Crusade for Christ to Panama City Beach, FL for the Big Break '09 Conference. It. Was. Awesome. Not only were some amazing relationships built, God taught us a TON.

We spent the days doing evangelism on the beach in a variety of methods; we used surveys, photos and even iPods to draw people into spiritual conversations. We also heard from Roger Hershey in our main meetings. He gave some awesome insight into what it is to be a Warrior for Christ- I may post about that later.

Cool story from sharing on the beach:

The Holiday Inn does not like us to go onto their part of the beach and share the Gospel. As such, we had to "go stealth" whenever we did venture onto their sand. On Wednesday I went out with a freshman guy and a freshman girl. Despite their limited experience with initiative evangelism they were up for the challenge of "going stealth" and infiltrating the Holiday Inn's grounds with the message of Christ.

We approached a couple sitting on towels and struck up a conversation with them, the conversation transitioned to the Gospel and one of them (we'll call him Guy) prayed to receieve Christ! Even though I could not use any materials in my sharing with him, Guy was tracking with me the whole time and when I asked him if he wanted to pray to receive Christ he said "Absolutely!" After I said "Amen" I looked up and he was sitting their smiling. "That's a great prayer! I feel so good right now- you need to tell other people about this!" YES!!!!

It was so awesome to see that even without materials to lead us we had the Holy Spirit to guide the conversation and understanding Guy came to.

God is so much bigger than the Holiday Inn.

In total 4,661 conversations were initiated 2,088 heard the Gospel and 262 people prayed to receive Christ.

Praise God!

Jesus wins.

2008-12-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that Jesus is AWESOME?

This is what happened when they came to arrest Him...

John 18:4-6: "Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I am he,' THEY DREW BACK AND FELL TO THE GROUND." (Caps added for emphasis.)

Whoa. These soldiers, officials, chief priests and Pharisees FELL TO THE GROUND at Jesus' voice! These were some tough, high and mighty dudes and with three words they were knocked on their tails.

"I am he." There is no one but God who could say those words and make us fall to the ground. And of course Jesus' words wield unmatched power- "...out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword." (Rev. 1:16)

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)

I'm in awe.

No shame about my iPod

2008-12-15T11:53:00.001-08:00

As I said in my last post, I took a road trip to Cincinnati with a couple friends this weekend. One of those friends was continually saying "you have (insert song/artist which he found ridiculous) on your iPod?"

Yes, I have "Barbie Girl" on my iPod. I have some Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, some Brittney and Christina, Destiny's Child, Weird Al, Fergie, even Paris Hilton. My iPod is barely half full.

I have thousands of "more reputable" songs and artists on the iPod.

My question is this: If I have all of my music on my iPod and still have space to spare, is it a crime for me to have Fergalicious and the Captain Planet theme song in the bunch?

I think not. Having them on my iPod does not mean I listen to them. In fact, many of them are set to be skipped when shuffling so that I don't have to listen to them.

My point is that we shouldn't be shocked by what people have on their iPods because the devices were, in fact, created to hold mass amounts of any kind of music.

It's un-American to not use them to their full potential.

Back to KD!

2008-12-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

I was in Cincinnati this weekend for a wedding "pre-ception." It was awesome seeing my friends from school on Saturday night. Sunday morning I went to Antioch Church, the church we attended on Summer Project. I saw Wendel Deyo, the camp president and heard a great sermon from Dave Newman. After lunch I took my friends for a little drive to a place that's gotta be close to heaven, King's Domain. It was soooo good to be back there, even if it was just for a quick visit.

I only had my cell phone camera with me, but I took some pictures.

First, they got a brand spankin' new sign! It looks great! Much needed, as the old one was kinda rotting...

We stopped by the ridge and I reminisced about our late night chats on the benches.

I stopped by and saw Cletus...

They've done so much work on the obstacle course!

And what would our trip be without stopping at Valero?

I was so blessed in my time at King's Domain. I miss it there and I miss all of the amazing people who were there with me.

Ditch the mask and remain.

2008-12-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

In John 15, Jesus tells us to remain in Him. He calls Himself the vine and refers to us as branches from the vine (or dee vine... divine... Get it? Oh boy...). Twice in this passage Jesus tells us to remain- in Him/in His love. We learn that being in Christ has wonderful rewards, while not remaining in Christ has serious, negative implications.

V. 4: "Remain in me and I will remain in you..." Jesus promises Himself to us if we remain in Him. That's good! "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." If we aren't in Christ, we're not producing fruit. That's bad! There is a close parallel in v. 5. "...If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Branches that do not produce fruit are cut off to wither, die and be thrown into the brush pile to be burned. They are not doing what they are supposed to and are taking nutrients and water away from the rest of the branches. Of course those branches will be cut off so that the rest of the branches can thrive!

Certainly that makes a case for remaing in Christ, but there's more! In vv. 9-11, Jesus says "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." So that's how our joy is complete! Remaining in Christ!

To remain in Christ would mean that we're already in Christ. It makes sense then that if we are not in Christ at any moment, we are to immediately go back to Him. Remaining in Christ goes beyond putting on a Christian mask when we need to and then taking it right back off. To remain in Christ is to ditch the mask entirely and allow yourself to be seen as one who is imperfect, but is being made righteous as God helps us eliminate sin from our lives.

This idea that our joy is complete in Christ makes me think of the sermon series at Sevenoseven right now. You may have seen the "Advent Conspiracy" video on YouTube; 707 is doing a series with the same title. Our culture of hyper-consumerism is based on the idea that "stuff" makes you happy. The Best Buy ads that end with a slogan like "Your life, happier" or something like that and the car commercials urging us to "make this Christmas the best Christmas ever" are all saying the same thing- "to be happy, you need 'stuff'".

That's pretty contradictory to what Jesus tells us in John 15:9-11, huh? Isaiah 55:1,2 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you soul will delight in the richest of fare."

Best Buy and Lexus might make our flesh happy, but that's as good as gone because it won't last. But "our souls will delight" if we go to Jesus for our satisfaction- if we remain in Him.

Thanks for trying harder, Starbucks.

2008-11-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow they give the 5 cents from every drink to the Global Fund. A step in the right direction. They should have been doing it for the whole campaign though...

For real, Starbucks? Come on...

2008-11-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Starbucks,

You are making me very mad right now. You are promoting your (Starbucks) RED campaign and doing a very good job making yourself look like a responsible company. Why though, Starbucks, Sweetie, are you only donating your 5 cents from three different drinks? Come on, you had to know that people were going to flock to your stores to buy their coffee and think they were doing good because their purchase was contributing to the Global Fund.

In fact, I'm sure your profits will be quite swollen from this campaign, but still you are only giving 5 cents from THREE DIFFERENT DRINKS?!? Really? Yes, you have stated that it's only from your Select drinks that you make donations (of around 1.75% and less), but is that all you can give? With the increased profits that surely you have already anticipated you are still only giving less than 2% of the sales from three drinks on your menu? Shame on you.

Sincerely,
Ty Komjati

I like my caffeine with a conscience. (Go Donkey.)

Thanksgiving Shenanigans

2008-11-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

My cousin: "I'm so hungry, I could eat that whole pie."

My brother: "I'll give you $20 if you can do it in five minutes."

Not 10 seconds later, she had already begun. It was a great effort through five minutes, but she was still painfully short.

My cousin: "Ok, half the money for double the time."

So she went on for another five minutes hoping for $10.

After 15 minutes she had still not finished it and was gagging with each bite. She made $4 for her effort.

When her younger brother and sister told on her no one believed them. I'm sure there are more than a few people who still wonder what happened to a whole pecan pie.

Now on to Christmas!

It's break time.

2008-11-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

It's snowing/raining/nastying outside. I don't have sensible winter shoes, only some clog-like things that lead to wet socks in the nasty/sloppy snow. Ick. I have to say though, as long as I'm inside, I do love watching the snow fall. It's one of my favorite things.

I went to my mom's school today to take pictures of "Grandparents Day." Her kindergarten students were pretty excited to see Mrs. Komjati's son. "He's tall!" "He's taller than his mom." "He's taller than the building!" Ahh, the youngins...

They told me to some of the best jokes I've heard in a long time.

"Knock, knock"
(Who's there?)
"Banana."
(Banana who?)
"Banana smushed all over your face!"

They thought it was hilarious! Sometimes they substituted banana for spider. That's gross.

We talked about what makes us laugh. One kid said that he laughs when his sister falls off her chair, another said that he/she laughs when he/she gets tickled. My favorite was a little boy who said he laughs when his dad wears his mom's clothes and make-up. No lie.

I've been reading Job lately. I was under the impression that Job happily took whatever he was inflicted with. I was wrong. Job gets MAD after a while. I'm about half way done and I'm excited to see where it goes.

God is sovereign.

Just a party?

2008-11-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

This is a story I did for my Radio Broadcasting class. There is more than just partying going on at Ohio University.

Home from King's Domain

2008-08-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

As they say, all good things must come to an end. How could Summer Project be any different? I have been home since Saturday and I'm still trying to adjust to life away from camp and all of the amazing people whom I have lived with for the past six weeks.

For many reasons, Week 6 proved to be a challenge, but God brought me through it. I have been learning lately that as difficult as things are in life sometimes, we weren't created for this world. We are eternal beings and so it doesn't make sense that we were only purposed to live here on earth and then just exist for eternity with no purpose. As Wendell Deyo, King's Domain President, told us, "we are not human beings on a spiritual adventure. We are spiritual beings on a human adventure."

Since I've been home, I went to 707 Sunday night. It was AWESOME. They had a drum circle for worship, which I was a little skeptical of beforehand, but the worship was amazing! Check it out here.

I head back to school on Monday to what will be a very trying time, but at times God has given me an unsurpassed peace in knowing that He is at work and that when everything is resolved I'm going to be really transformed. I'm excited!

One last thing: for the love of music, buy David Crowder Band's Remedy Club Tour CD/DVD. It's terrific.

That is all.

One week left...

2008-08-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's update time! Things are going great here at King's Domain and I'm so bummed that we only have one week left.

God has done some amazing things since I last posted. Two weeks ago, I was put in Cabin 6, the cabin with the oldest boys. I was excited to have this new age group, but they proved to be quite a challenge. It didn't take long for the nine of them to decide that they were not into listening to me, nor doing discipline (which is different than punishment. We discipline here, because it is done out of love and we do it with them). On the second day, four out of nine of my boys were sent home because they had such little desire to be here. Once they left, the remaining five boys were GREAT. They were no longer influenced by the others and I was able to show so much more patience, compassion and grace to them. The night before they went home they heard the Gospel and all five of them prayed to recieve Christ when we got back to the cabin. Praise God! I could not figure out what He was doing that week, but He made it abundantly clear that He is in control and nothing will stop Him from getting His Word to the people who he chooses to hear it.

This past week, a decision was made to have only four cabins so that each cabin could have two counselors- a VERY wise move. The kids were from a program called Whiz Kids and they were soooo good. It was really a contrast from the past week, but God blessed my socks off through it. Each of the kids I had this week had such unique personalities, which didn't always show in the best ways, but made me appreciate them even more.

We are in our last full weekend and I'm really bummed out. I have made some amazing friends here and I'm not so keen on the idea of all of us going in separate directions. Here's to one more amazing week!

KD!

2008-07-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that my time here at King’s Domain is halfway over. First, I must apologize for not writing sooner. Things are usually pretty hectic here and I have not had the drive to sit down and write.

As hectic as things have been, I would not change a thing. Week one was our training week and it went GREAT! It was an awesome time to get to know about the camp, but an infinitely better time getting to know the other counselors. God has brought some truly amazing people here- He has a way of blessing my socks off through other people and I am so thankful!

During training week we did some really cool things. The first night, as a bit of an ice-breaker, we put on ridiculous costumes and went to a nearby shopping area for scavenger hunt. That was a trip!

On that Thursday we broke into men’s and women’s times (something I’m usually not so thrilled about), but this one was way different. We fired shotguns at clay pigeons (I’m not a bad shot for having never fired a gun before!) and then went out to BW’s for a banquet of wings. It was the manliest night I’ve ever had. I am surrounded by some spiritual studs and we are all making each other better men.

Week two brought our first round of campers. It was a suburban week and I was with a group of 10 & 11 year old boys. There were some really unique personalities in there. Attention levels were never very high, but I enjoyed getting to know each of them, from John, who was TERRIFIED of all bugs, to Nate who accepted Christ after being disciplined for urinating off the bridge (God works in all sorts of ways!) and Garen, a little blonde boy with all sorts of energy and random information.

Week three was our first set of urban campers. We had over a hundred, and the second most campers this camp has ever seen. Talk about insane! I went from having six boys with a co-counselor to having 8 boys all by myself. Thankfully, we have a great group of students each week who come here on mission trips to help us out. Without them I’d have been lost! As challenging as this group was, I can look back and see that it was really an incredible week. In the moment I was often frustrated up to my eye balls, but now that I can reflect on it, I had some really special kids. As difficult as they were at times, each one of them just needed a strong, loving hand. They didn’t always like how that kind of attention showed up, but it was remarkable to see how once they knew that I loved them, and that they could trust me, that they latched on to me.

One camper was Devin, who would break my heart when he was tired and cranky and say that God doesn’t love him and that he was going to follow the devil. Praise God that another amazing counselor and I got to have some conversations with him where he said that he knew God loved him. Devin made me a friendship bracelet one day and was one of my best little buddies the whole week. Ajenae (I hope I spelled that right…) was another one who at times put on a tough exterior, but really just needed to hear that he is loved, by me, by the other counselors and most of all by God. Even though Ajenae had to do more push-ups and running than anyone else in the cabin, something that made him very angry at me a couple times, he did not want to home on Friday because he said I was his favorite person at camp and that he was going to miss me. Then there was Larry. Larry was the youngest and smallest boy at camp and he was ADORABLE. I’m pretty sure he never walked more than 50 paces without being carried. He was full of life and funny comments. It was so cute hearing him singing praise songs while sitting on my shoulders. I couldn’t see it, but I hear he was up there dancing too. Haha!

It has been a Friday night tradition to go out to eat at Chipotle and then to Walmart and Starbucks to unwind have some fun that doesn’t involve kids or goofy camp songs. Let me tell you- it has never been a bigger pleasure to be with people my own age! The kids are great, but after being with them 24/7 for a few days, we’re all ready for some hardcore relaxation. Weekends have taken on a whole new meaning and I love it!

We’re going to a Cincinnati Reds game tonight- I’m excited!

Hopefully I’ll get an entry up next weekend too, thanks for reading!!!

Here in the woods!

2008-07-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

I'm here! It's Summer Project 2008 at King's Domain! After spending a couple days in Columbus with family and having brunch with parents' college friends we made it to Oregonia and camp.

Yesterday I spent a couple hours with Randall, one of the men on the leadership team, playing ball at the biggest YMCA. Ever. HUGE.

Randall has already poured into me and shared his vision for these six weeks. I am really excited to learn and grow with men like him.

Last night I enjoyed some worship with Daniel (Minneapolis) and Jarred (Cleveland).

Right now, there aren't too many counselors here, but I expect that will be way different three hours from now.

This week is mainly a counselor training and orientation week and I'm really excited to get to know the rest of the people I'll be serving with.

Pictures to come as I take them!

Rockin' it to King's Domain

2008-07-01T08:21:00.001-07:00

I'm inside a week until I begin Summer Project with Campus Crusade. I will be in Oregonia, Ohio, a super small town northeast of Cincinnati. I'll be working at a summer camp called King's Domain, where approx. 100 inner-city youth are sponsored to attend each week. I'm very excited to get down there and show these kids the love of Christ. The fact that I get to do that while playing outside, acting like a goofball and shooting paintballs is pretty sweet.

Some facts about why King's Domain is so needed in Cincinnati:

In Cincinnati:

1 in 3 children lives in poverty
In the Cincinnati School District:

-50% are not proficient in reading
-Nearly 62% are not proficient in math
-More than 40% don't graduate high school

In 2006, the Juvenile Court system was comprised of 74% minority youth, 53% of whom were female
50% of sexual assaults are on girls 15 or younger

-1 in 3 will be sexually abused by 18
-1 in 4 will be sexually abused by 14

In the United States:

47% of boys and 46% of girls are sexually active

-5-10% of students are sexually active by age 13
-20% by age 15
-50% by age 17

81% of students have consumed alcohol

-32% had their first drink by age 13

God's work through me will:

Encourage children who cannot meet the expectations placed upon them.
Build healthy relationships with children who are without parents, caring adults or supervision.
Teach life skills to children who are reliant upon theft, prostitution or drug dealing to survive.
Love children who have never been loved.
Feed children who are starving.
Give to children who have nothing.
Share hope with children who have been abused.
Speak the WORD of LIFE, the Gospel, to children and celebrate with Jesus Christ becomes real in their lives.

Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

[Jeremiah 6:8]

Athens Gets International Taste

2008-05-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Athens recently held the annual International Street Fair. Court Street was blocked off and different ethnicities and causes were represented. Some sold goods, some sold food, some distributed information and some did cultural dances on the stage set up by the court house.

It was a very neat way to showcase the cultural diversity that is not always so apparent on our campus.

Where in the world have I been? Ohio.

2008-05-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

After a month, I think it's time for another post.

Looking back at the last month, I really have done a lot. I had a lot of good times with friends, some not so good times when I've been missing Cait and the Lord has been teaching me new things the whole time, especially lately.

Hiking and exploring has been something that I've really gotten into this quarter. I have loved going to Strouds Run and Old Man's Cave on weekends to do some exploring with friends. Really we've only gone twice, but each time has been great, and that's two times more than I had ever done something like that before at college. Having a car has made all the difference.

My friends and I have found fun in going to Wal-Mart, looking at the toys and trying on goofy hats.

We have even found enjoyment in 90's pop music, as seen here:

Like I said, the Lord has been working in my heart and teaching me valuable lessons while Cait has been in France. The two most recent things have been to be patient, and to trust in Him rather than worry. The bottom line is that as much as I think I want to be in control, God's plan is soooo much better than mine. Rather than be impatient and do what I think I should do, rather than worry, the best I can do is completely trust that the Lord is good and that He is in control. I cannot be trusted with my future, but God can, so I'm trying to get out of the way and let Him steer.

I will be spending six weeks in Oregonia, Ohio this summer on Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ. I will be working at King's Domain, a camp for kids in the Cincinnati area. I'm so excited to go and show these kids the love of Christ! I'm currently working on getting support letters in the mail. After a few pretty spiritually dry vacations, I'm excited to have this opportunity to grow and serve my God.

Thanks for reading! If you made it this far, you must really like me. :-)

This spring is such a strange, new season

2008-04-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Athens seems like a much different place from what it was when I left it 11 days ago. It's a learning process to get used to all of the differences, some of them I'm still not crazy about. I have less time with Cait, more time alone, a lot less hair and more responsibility.

Cait left for France about a week ago and I'm really realizing that the world is much different when the one you love is not there. For a while it was hard to see any good that could come from this situation, but I'm learning and things get a little easier each day.

Because our girlfriends are on other continents for the quarter, Paul and I shaved our heads. It seemed much more logical talking about it last quarter. Now we just look goofy, and our girlfriends are still out of the country. I do feel a heightened bond between Paul and myself, however.

I am now a Resident Assistant in one of the nicest dorms on campus. I've really enjoyed getting to know my residents. It's a slow process because there are a lot of them, but I'm working on it. I'm really impressed by the bond that they share and by how they fill their time. They're pretty cool guys and I'm happy to live with them. My room is amazing. I have a double all to myself and I do love my room. It has helped make this quarter better.

Hopefully I'll have more to post soon!

SAVE ME!!!!

2008-03-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

I was reading this recently and it really struck me. It's such a cry for help- a clear dependence on God. I was thinking about who foes in my life might be from whom I need protection. It struck me that I am my biggest foe. I've heard it before that "we all need to be saved from ourselves," but I never really contemplated that. Seriously though, how much of the crap we go through in life is completely unrelated to our own actions. Certainly there are situations that are simply out of our control, but in my life some of the most stressful times I have experienced have been a direct result of my stupidity. In all cases, we've got to humble ourselves and re-submit our lives to God, our Father, our Refuge and our Strong Tower against the foe- whoever or whatever that may be.

OUCCC Bondage Drama

2008-03-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

P.G.I.F... Twice

2008-03-07T22:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was reminded of just how blessed I am to be in an environment where I am surrounded by fellow believers. Friday night, a time when most on OU's campus do a little partying, was a time of praise and worship for me and about 20 of my friends.

"Praise, Praise, Praise"/P.P.P./Puh-Puh-Puh, whatever you want to call it, began last year with a couple guitars and a few people crammed in a dorm room to praise God. Tonight it was more of an event, with 20 or so of us inside (and away from some crazy-nasty weather) lifting praise to our Father.

I cannot believe that I'm almost half way done with college. When am I ever going to have times like this after my years here? Certainly there will be more opportunities to lead worship for my brothers and sisters, but never in this same capacity. What a bummer!!!!!

Ohio University Looks at Porn

2008-02-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, February 21, Ohio University hosted "The Debate on Porn" featuring Ron Jeremy (porn star) and Craig Gross (pastor). Ron Jeremy has starred in 1,800 porn films. Craig Gross is the founder of xxxchurch.com, a website and ministry set on helping people who want to eliminate pornography from their lives- including those in the industry.

Ron Jeremy was the clear fan-favorite. Apparently people at OU love short, fat, balding porn stars. He gained support of most of the audience by using humor, but made no logical arguments. Ron says that porn represents fantasy- and we're all allowed to have fantasies. According to him, porn can be viewed "responsibly" and the porn industry is not responsible for hurting relationships. He even tried to make the argument that pornography empowers women.

Craig Gross began xxxchurch.com because he felt that the church was not doing enough to counter pornography. Gross made clear that he is not out to condemn those who watch porn. In fact, he says that if someone wants to look at porn then they can go right ahead- they have that right. His mission is to provide help for those who want help dealing with porn in their lives. Gross constructed irrefutable arguments in the debate. He explained that pornography creates unrealistic views of what sex is, so that when people are in a proper sexual relationship they don't know what it's supposed to be like. Gross scratched the surface of the way that porn is degrading to women, as is evidenced in titles of films like "Gutter Sluts" (to name one of the more tame titles). He talked about what the viewer does not see- the crying and devastation that often takes place between takes. He revealed that the average career of a porn actress is 18 months, and often requires reparative surgery at the end. Gross also commented on the fact that it is common in porn for women to portray teenage girls (pigtails, cheerleader uniforms and sometimes braces).

Those who came to the debate idolizing Ron Jeremy no doubt left the same way. I definitely believe though, that people who thought with even a bit of rationality were positively impacted by Craig Gross.

Earth Got in the Way

2008-02-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Who saw the lunar eclipse Wednesday night? It was freezing, but I stayed out with my long lens for a while and took some decent photos.