Life is Beautiful and Pre-Italy

This post has dual implications. I just watched the movie, "Life is Beautiful," for the first time. Also, and very appropriately I am going to Italy for the first time tomorrow. Yes, I mean literally tomorrow night. First off I'd like to start with the movie. LIB may just be one of the best movies I've ever seen. It has everything: love, humor, family, violence, and really no bad language. The story is absolutely genius, never in my life would I be able to have the amount of optimism to convince a child that he was playing hide-and-seek for the entire holocaust. It's incredible. It's even better, because I rarely will agree to watch, much less enjoy foreign films. Not that I think they are bad, I just have a hard time getting over the language barrier. LIB does this with flying colors.

Bottomline: I recommend this movie for any and every person on earth.
Grade: 94

Secondly, I am going to Italy tomorrow. By far the place I've been looking forward to going to more than any other. I hope that it is all it's cracked up to be. I'm ready to see all these places that have more history than I've ever experienced, and a culture truly different than my own. Not to mention, I love Italian food. I'm not sure if I will document my journey via this blog or any other electronic media, but I will enjoy myself. I'll be back in a little over a week.

Andy

Prague Praha Prag

This weekend I went to Prague, It was great... just the thing for a little 2 day trip. We left early Saturday morning and returned late Sunday afternoon. We began by de-boarding our charter bus and walking around the city for roughly 6 hours. I would say that is a little to much for a person who doesn't really know much about Prague to begin with. We ate and hiked around the city, to the Palace complex all the way down to the Old Town Hall (we found out what these were later). We got taken advantage of on exchange rates and meal prices... because we didn't know how to easily convert Euros to Crowns. We got up very early Sunday morning and began our tour around the historical center of the city. We retraced our steps for the most part and saw a few extra things. St. Charles' bridge was really cool, even though it had almost 1000 people on it at any point. Overall the Czech Republic was great, but very Americanized and crowded. I suggest getting a tour guide first thing when you get to Prague, otherwise you will have to see everything twice, or just study the history before you arrive and find a self-guided tour.

Prague is a great 2-day city, but I would not want to spend more than 3 days without getting out to the countryside or another area. There is a lot of shopping, but I would not go to Prague just to buy clothes I could get in America. The shopping market for souvenirs is great, but the further away from the historical center you get, the better the prices... so look for shops that aren't surrounded by others just like it.

Bottomline: Prague is a great 2-3 day vacation as a part of a larger trip... but I wouldn't spend your whole savings planning a trip to Prague.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Recently my girlfriend and I went to see "The Time Traveler's Wife." I'll be completely honest, there was only one reason I wanted to see this movie... Rachel McAdams. The movie is actually a very fresh take on the romance movie. The nudity, every time that the guy travels through time, got out of hand in my opinion, I don't like seeing a naked man every ten minutes or so. And the fact that the man falls in love with a young girl, that he waits for, was rather weird too. On the other hand, I liked that it was creative. I also enjoyed that they came up against odds to be together, and have a child. It was simply a story of love, and they did do it in a fresh way.  Overall the movie was entertaining, however it wasn't my idea of a great movie, especially for a romance.

Bottomline: I would only recommend this to serious romantic movie lovers.
Score: 77

Inglourious Basterds

"Inglourious Basterds"

I've never been much of a Tarantino fan, so I was hesitant to get my hopes up about this movie. However violence, has always intrigued me. The thought of American-Jews fighting Nazis seemed like a new take on an old theme. Inglourious was actually not set up like I thought it would be; it was set up like a book, in chapter format. Most chapters, were one long scene, in one place, with a few exceptions. There was less action scenes than I expected, however the over-the-top gore that Tarantino is known for, does make an appearance. The story was more complex than I thought, so in that regard the movie overcame expectations. Overall the movie was very entertaining, but way to long.

Score: 80
Bottomline: I recommend this movie, for people who appreciate gore and don't mind language. Not for your average movie goer.

Changing of my blog.

I've decided to test my skills as a movie critic. So this blog isn't going to have the same function that it used to. As a disclaimer I would like to say that I am still a Christian, and that will factor into part of my reviews.  I just lost the fire to blog about my spiritual thoughts, and I'm going to use this one to review movies... I love movies, so I figure I should be alright at this... If I'm not, I'll quit eventually.

Impact.

Impact is awesome if you haven't been. I'll post my thoughts about it when I get back on saturday! I'm posting little updates on twitter.com/pickleat

The Shack

I just read "The Shack." Like most things that are "hyped-up" I was a little apprehensive. I don't want to give away anything, or a synopsis, but just say a simple message.

Sometimes we take away the healing God can give and sometimes we limit His abilities. God is bigger and can handle our mistakes, I'm so glad that God loves me, and loves you (whoever you are if you are reading). I don't think I'll ever understand why He loves me, but I don't want to question it, because He really has no reason.

Read "The Shack," and pass it on, with the "Missy Project." God's grace needs to be passed around to everyone, whether you believe this book or not, the story is good and it needs to be read.

-Andy

http://theshackbook.com/

Born with a Purpose

Judges 13:5 "You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

This passage is The Angel of the LORD speaking to Samson's mother. The Angel is telling here that she will have a child and he is going to lead Israel. Talk about being born for a purpose. Some people struggle in life, wondering what they should do, or who they should be. There is something I believe God, that we are all born with a purpose, that each and every person has a niche or talent that will benefit the kingdom of God. 

Ephesians 1:11 "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will..."

God has a purpose for us too. Imagine if you woke up everyday and lived our lives with purpose, how much more joyful and meaningful would your life be? I'm not speaking to other people here, I'm speaking to myself as well. I think so many times that life is boring, but should it be that way? I'm going to try to live my life for a purpose, the greater purpose is the will of God, specifically... I'm still figuring that out. 

Andy

Twitter

Hey everyone, I got a twitter today to see if I like it. I'm going to keep this as my spiritual blog, but I might post a thought there from time to time. Just thought I would update...

http://twitter.com/pickleat

A.P.

Trust God Will...

Ok, after a long hiatus I'm back for all one of you who read this. Here's today's thought.

After doing my daily reading, I realized something. God is teaching me something directly. I had just finished reading about Gideon the Judge and how he conquered the Midianites. God is teaching me to be faithful. I need to trust Him, trust that He's called me here to Jonesboro, trust that I can be what I need to be. I know that He will guide me, I just need to listen...

My new phrase to help this is "Trust God Will..." fill the blank of what I need to trust Him for that day. I hope this helps you... thanks.

Andy

Everyone! Anyone...?

Everyone, anyone? If you are keeping up with me, you've noticed I've taken a break from Blogging while at home. I leave for Jonesboro, Ar later today and I am planning on picking it back up. Please be patient with me, I hope I can get back into it soon. 

Andy. 

Sorry I've been away.

Sorry I've been away, but this is finals week. I fully intend to keep this blog going after my ministry class is over, however right now I'm concentrating on my tests. Thanks, Be back soon.

Andy

Homestretch

Man, we are so close. I have less than a week of school left, and my freshman year is over. I will be in Jonesboro this summer, and Vienna in the fall. I'm so excited, but I don't know when I'm going to rest. Because that's all I need, is a long rest. My prayer is that God will give me the stamina to finish the semester, give my all in my internship, and in my travels. I can't say much more, because studying and final assignments are calling my name. But God willing I will get good grades on all of these, and finish the year strong. 

andy 

Not Everything is Perfect.

Golf could be one of the most frustrating things in the entire world. You have a great shot, then the worst of your life. And as much as I hate sports metaphors, this one speaks to me. When I play golf, I could have 2 attitudes. The first, is to get angry when I don't play as well as I'd like, or the second, I could realize that I'm not a pro, and just have fun. I normally start out going toward the first, and end up at the second. I just know that my golfing days would be ruined if I didn't keep a level head. 

The same goes for life. It seems like I get so angry sometimes when things aren't perfect. Somewhere along the line of that event, I realize that I need to "take a chill pill," and just let things happen. I just wish that in my life, I could realize that things happen, and deal with them as they come. Perfection is impossible, and no event, speech, assignment, or day, will ever be perfect. We've just got to out there, live life, and make the best of what we've got. 

Everyday Living

I recently been reading through the book of James. This book is filled with advice for the everyday life of a Christian. Today in particular I read chapter 5 verses 13-16. It reads;

"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

How many things can we pull from this passage? When I'm in trouble pray, when I'm happy praise the Lord, when I'm sick, ask people to pray for my healing. I'm only going to write about the part that is most potent to me. 

"Confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other..." 

Do we do this enough? I don't think I tell many people other than God what my sins are. And how am I supposed to keep from doing them if I don't have my friends to keep me accountable. I think that is the point, that we need a support system in place to help us with our struggles. No matter what the struggle is, God will forgive you. I don't care if it's homosexuality, lust, greed, or murder. God forgives if you truly are trying to live for Him, but we need to talk about it. 

A couple of friends and I have been trying to keep each other accountable this semester, and we are still learning, but so far it has helped. The great part of accountability is that it keeps you from doing it, because you have another reason to feel guilty. You aren't just accountable to God, you are accountable to someone that you know will ask you how you are doing. Who will be disappointed in you when you have to admit that you failed them. I know it seems rudimentary, but it definitely helps me.

Along with confession comes prayer; praying for yourself and the other people that you are in the fight with is monumental to your growth. If you pray for God to protect you, He most certainly will. Ask God for His guidance for you and your friends in order to become more like Him. Tell Him you are weak, and He is strong. Because I can honestly say that after years of struggles, there is no other way than to rely on God. Considering He is the only reason you don't want to sin in the first place, you should turn to him for help with it. I know it took me years to figure this out, and the sooner you do it, the sooner you will see the tide turn; when that tide turns, you will see more steps forward and less steps back. 

Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:16, 39, 40 Talks about Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It says, 

"Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them...These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

This has got to be one of the most encouraging verses I've read in awhile. It directly states where my "longing" should be. No questions, no way to miss it. I should be "longing for a better country." Normally I use most of my days and concern myself with things of this world, whether that's material possessions, or making myself happy. I don't long for heaven, for full and total communion with God. 

On Tuesday night, I went to a tent revival here at Lipscomb. The speaker said something I'd never heard before, that our goal should be to make Earth as much like Heaven as possible. This is a new thought to me, I've always though that Heaven is so far away, and that this World is so imperfect, that Heaven couldn't/shouldn't be used to compare with Earth. 

Let's combine these two thoughts. If I'm longing for "Heavenly country," and I'm trying to attain "Heaven on Earth," then just think about how much brighter my life would be than it is today. I would attempt to enjoy every second, every gift, and every moment that I have with God. I would live to serve God, and serve others (thanks Jeff Walling and Winterfest). It's been a recurring theme in my life this past year. All of Christianity is rolled up right there, in Matthew 22:36-40    

 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

If I'm doing these two things, God is being honored. If I'm doing these, then I am surely longing for a "better country." I just hope that my mind can be changed to long for that, because like the rest of the verse in Hebrews says, "God had (has) planned something better for us." We just have to be in the right mindset.

-Andy

Pre-Birthday Blues and thoughts on Christmas

I think it goes without saying from the title, that my birthday is coming. I don't know how to say this, but for some reason my birthday always seems to equal, me with bad moods. I think it's because my parents always said things like "it's YOUR birthday Andy, do what you want." For some reason that always meant, throw a tantrum when I don't get what I want. 

I'm not sure if it's the influx of gifts and money that make me this way, or if I just feel that on my birthday (and even the days leading up to it) I am better than everyone else on the planet. Either way, I think that when I get all this "stuff" it makes me a little crabbier, and much less fun to get along with. My guess it is the materialism that appears in me when I start thinking about presents, and things I'm going to buy with MY money. I hate that. I spend all year, attempting to get over materialism, and then for about 2 weeks, I become a shopaholic, selfish, hypocrite. I wish materialism wasn't something I ever had to worry about. It shouldn't be, I have just about everything someone could ask for. 

I feel like materialism, that constant wanting more in life, is just a slap in the face to all the poor people in the world. There are millions of people that live on less that $25 a day. Where as, I am sitting thinking about buying $150 climbing shoes and $50 harnesses... It's lame. 

Another thing I've noticed, is that I don't have this same attitude around Christmas time. Perhaps it's the general holiday cheer, but I just never see this sort of materialism. What it really is that gifts are given and received on Christmas. Like everything sort of equals out, so that you aren't spending more or less on anyone than they are on you. (Although this isn't true in my life, but it will be when I make real money... thanks Mom and Dad) It's just general goodwill all the time, where as this day, my birthday, is centered solely on me. That's where the problem lies. I think I need a few joint birthdays to get over myself...

Andy 

Jesus is my friend?

On Tuesday, I attended a seminar called "Explore." It was an incredible seminar based not on just what cool new thing we can take to youth groups, but the bigger idea of trying to reach kids. That's not the point of my blog today. The point is about what hit me the most from the seminar. 

At one point the speaker asked if we oversimplify Jesus to people. After much thought, I think we do. We say all the time that, "Jesus is my friend." But Jesus is so much more than that, and if we just tell people that, why would they care to believe in Him? People have plenty of friends, why would the want one they can't see? Wouldn't that be called an imaginary friend? 

I over simplify Jesus so much. Even though I know he's more than just a friend to me. He's a redeemer, my refuge, my guide, and most importantly my interceder. We need to reinforce that more.  I think when we oversimplify Jesus, we are demeaning His power and His majesty. Jesus is close to us, but we should also make sure we come to Him in a humble way. Because He created the universe. He has done huge things, small things, and makes everything work. I love Him, and my goal now is to set Him at a higher place in my life. 

I'm not trying to be rude, or act like this isn't something I struggle with either. The point is, I am going to try to lift Jesus up, hopefully you will too. 

Andy

P.S. This is funny. 

Intramural Soccer

So tonight my intramural soccer team had our first game. We got slaughtered, 11-1, but it was so much fun. Now on to the point of all this. Sitting here in my post game soreness, I figured something out. This may sound cheesy or lame, but I'm going to say it anyway. 

I am sore. Why am I sore? Because I'm not in shape. What could I have done for this not to happen? I could have ran ahead of time, and prepared myself physically for the game. Now Spiritually. Why do we feel like we are so drained sometimes? I think it's because we don't practice Spiritual Disciplines. I try to pray every MWF, and I try to have some Contemplative Meditation every T and TR. I just began the later, and I'm not so good at it yet, but I've been told it just takes time. The point is, Spiritually I have never felt stronger, because I talk to God almost everyday. It's a growing process, and I hope that after I master Contemplative Prayer, I hope to add a Saturday ritual. I strongly recommend that if you don't have a Prayer Journal or personal time with God, please try. He's there He's waiting and HE wants to here from you. If you have any questions on how to begin, please ask me, via Facebook, or email. God is good, even if times are bad. 

Psalm 90:11 (NLT)

"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, 

so that we may grow in wisdom."

Andy

My Ministry.

I've been spent the last week, reading 1 Thessalonians. And on Wednesday I read the 2nd chapter. The second chapter, is now my basis for ministry. In verse 3 it explains that I don't need to trick anyone into believing in Jesus, they should believe on their own terms. All that I can do, is give them all of the knowledge and wisdom that I have, listen to God, and hope they hear Him. Later in vs. 8 it says they "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." This is a huge part for me, I need to share my life with people. And not in the sense of sharing personal stories in lessons, but truly sharing my life with people. Spending time with them, just having fun or doing anything at all. If I want people to see Christ, I have to show Him to them. That's the only way that my ministry will be effective. I know that I will continue to go back to 1 Thessalonians to keep my view of ministry set on God, because we all know that we can lose sight of things over time. I pray everyday that I can live a life that honors God, and hopefully with the help of this book, my ministry will be another part of my life that honors God. 

A.P.

 

Final Four

Ever since I could remember, basketball has been my favorite sport. Ask my Dad, he will tell you that my dream was to play in the NBA ever since I was young. I get so excited every year filling out my bracket and then watching it fail miserably. Today my message is simple, why aren't we as excited about God? I wish I would have the same charisma and emotion about anything Spiritual.  So basically this is my goal: I'm going to try to place more importance on God and everything involving him. Hopefully I can achieve this and give Him the glory. 

Andy P-izzle Dizzle

Home Sweet Home

Spring break, is never long enough. I wish it was 2 weeks, or maybe a week and a half. Anyway, I'm finally back at school after a very enjoyable spring break. I went hiking with my girlfriend's family, I went and visited some old friends at Harding, and hung out with my mom and dad. I had a great time. Now back to the grind...

It seems like now we are in the final stage of the year. Just 6 more weeks, and my freshman year will be over. It's all moving so fast, and there's still so much to do. Tests, papers, and projects, all due at some point in the next 6 weeks. I need to keep my head on straight and keep working,  I just hope I can enjoy every day like I enjoyed my spring break even with all these things to do. 

Andy

Bowl Cuts and Goofy Smiles

For about a week now my roommate, McGee has been contemplating getting a bowl cut for a day before he cuts his hair off. Purely his decision, I didn't come up with it, or pressure him to do it. Last night he gave me the pleasure of cutting it for him. I don't think anything in recent memory has given me this much joy. I have spent my entire day taking pictures of him, giggling, and seeing the reactions of the entire student body of Lipscomb. This little act, has brought so much joy into my life, in this week that is a killer already. Josh has made me remember that school isn't the biggest deal, that friendship and just enjoying life is what it's all about. God wants us to be happy. Will we always be happy? No, but that doesn't mean we can't try our best. I'm happy, and today it's without trying. 

Andy

P.S. That was the first haircut I've ever given, also don't worry McGee is gonna cut the "bowl" off tonight. 

Long Week Ahead

5 days left...

3 tests...

1 paper before one due after...

Several hours of studying left...

That's all that I have to look forward to this week before Spring Break is here. My prayer today was that God would help me to stay focused to get all my studying done, so I can go into Spring Break ready for a rest. Because I need some rest: literally, spiritually, emotionally, and I want to see my Mom. I know God will help me, but I also need to make sure that I meet Him halfway and do my part. And my part is the hard part, because I actually have to study. 

A.P.

Lazy Saturdays

There is absolutely nothing better than sleeping in on Saturday. It feels good to get some much needed sleep, and just take a deep breath during the day. I try not to schedule anything on Saturday, so I can just go with the flow. The rest is exactly what I need. I think Saturdays are my favorite day. 

Today some friends and I went down to Centennial Park and just played frisbee for a few hours. So relaxing. Then we got some Chinese take-out and watched Children of Men. This has been one of the better days I've had in awhile. I'm gonna thank God for this day, because it was great. 

P-Izzle Dizzle.

Contemplative Prayer

So the past 2 weeks or so, I've been trying something new in my personal walk with Jesus. It isn't "new" necessarily, because it has been around for centuries, but it's my first go around, so it is new to me. It's called contemplative or centering prayer. Basically it is just meditation, or communing with God. You pick a word, mine is "peace" and try to use that word to focus on clearing your head, for an extended period of time.  

I am absolutely awful at it. I've been starting small trying to keep my mind clear for short amounts of time, before I go to the full normal amount. It is so hard. I probably can't go five minutes without going off on a tangent in my head about what I ate, or movies, or reading. It sucks, but I've been told it takes a long time to get it down. Right now my time is at 15 minutes, and I believe I'll stick to that until I can successfully give God that much time. Then I'll move it up.

The positive side of all this, is that I can feel the power of it. Even though I'm not doing it exactly how it is intended, it is working. It relaxes my mind, at least a little bit, and allows me to find that peace in my soul that I need. Helping me to balance out worry, and mostly with things that frustrate me, because I am so much more calm afterwards. 

There are a few variations you can add, like saying the Lord's Prayer at the end, or praying at the beginning, which I might have to try. Most of all, I just hope that at some point, I will be able to hear God through this, perhaps even audibly, maybe not. It might just be that I get a clearer perspective on life, if so, then it will be well worth it, regardless of other outcomes.

-A.P.

Praise

I don't know how many times in my life I underestimate the power of praise. Like today, I really did not want to go to Praise team chapel, I wanted to go to Awakening (where you study a short Bible verse and pray about it). Obviously all my friends wanted to go to Praise chapel, because I didn't. I didn't cause a fuss like I normally do when I don't get my way, I just went. I'm so glad that I did. We sang a couple songs I didn't know very well, because they are new to me, but they were so good. I know we are supposed to Praise God, I just overlook how much it effects me sometimes. I think this verse from Psalms sums it up:

Psalm 9:1,2 

"I will praise you, LORD, with all of my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 

I will be glad and rejoice in you; 

I will sing the praises of your name, 

O Most High. 

If I went into Praise chapel with this mindset every time, I don't think that I would have a hard time praising God. I'm just glad that today, they made me concentrate, by singing songs I wasn't familiar with. God works, even when I'm not looking. 

A.P.

New Found Hope

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:

"...When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."

I was reading this today, and the thought occurred to me; It was obvious. It isn't about how well you say something, you just need to say it. So many times, I am afraid to talk to people about my faith, because I might not say the right thing. These verses give me some assurance that I can squeak out some form of an answer when someone asks me a "God question." The answer may not be right, but regardless, I know that I have people to ask, places to look, and that God will show me a way to answer the question. All I have to do is speak up, which is now the hard part...

Andy 

Post-Winterfest Stress Disorder

We all know what it is, after every: retreat, youth rally, or any other spiritual high, there is a time that it takes to drop from the top to the bottom. I wish this spiritual high could last forever, that we could truly change our lives after ever youth rally and that we would be forever changed. Realistically there is a time that it takes to get back to the real world. I'm not saying that I don't leave some of these events a changed man (because I feel like this one is going to be life-changing), but there is the time after that's just...blah. I hate it, because after you get home it's like there is a target on your back, like the Devil is waiting to get you. Because there are so many temptations that seem worse when you get home. Your conscience is worse when you do fail, and you feel the need to prove yourself to all of your friends. I want to be real, but it's so much more difficult this time around. I hate this. I wish there was a way to get past this 

"Post-Winterfest-Stress-Disorder."

A.P.

Patience Pickle...

Winterfest. One of the largest gatherings of Church of Christ teens in the world, is this weekend. All packed and ready to go. As I'm sitting here with my good friend Graham, I feel myself become extremely antsy waiting for the rest of our traveling group to get here. I'm getting tense and rude with impatience, when I remembered what we talked about at Hillsboro on Wednesday: Patience. So I'll wait, for us to get there in due time. We might be late, but just as long as I get there, I'm sure God will do great things. I want to be there...

I've never actually written about this, but I have been given a great opportunity to be the intern at the Southwest Church of Christ this summer. That's the reason I'm going to Winterfest this weekend. I'm so excited and nervous to meet the kids this weekend (I call them kids, but I'm really not much older then they are). This is the first time I've ever gone to a church type event for "work." (that's a thought I might explore after Winterfest) Although we might be late, I hope that they will like and accept me as their friend, and allow me to influence them in a positive light. I know that I already love them, and I just hope that they keep their hearts open to hear what God has to say to them. This summer is going to be an adventure, I don't know a soul in the town of Jonesboro, I hope I can make deep spiritual connections all across the board, and plant the seed of God's word there. 

Mix Masta Drew

Laments

Recently, I had to read the book of Lamentations for my ministry class. If you've never read it, Lamentations is absolutely the most depressing book of the Bible. It has to do with the pain someone is going through when they are in captivity (I'm not sure if it's Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, or what, but it is someone in slavery). Reading Lamentations was getting my mood good and gloomy until I read this one verse, and later another that stopped and made me think. 

2:19 

"Arise, cry out in the night, 

as the watches of the night begin; 

pour out your heart like water 

in the presence of the Lord. 

Lift up your hands to Him..." 

and

3:55-57

"I called on your name, Lord,

from the depths of the pit.

You heard my plea: 'Do not close your

ears

to my cry for relief.'

You came near when I called You

and You said, 'Do Not Fear."

These are the only sections that really stuck out to me through the "doom and gloom" of Lamentations. I realize that the book served its exact purpose, to lament or express the sorrow of the situation, but these verses are different. They both express hope. The rest of the book talks about how horrible the situation is, but these are telling you that God can hear you!  Isn't that amazing? 

There are so many times, that bad things are going on, and I just let them fester. I have NO hope that they will get better. Somehow this person (in a much worse situation that me) is able to find hope. So there must be a way for me to find hope in the storm. 

So from now on when things are going awry this is my goal: to stop and lament to God. 

I need a process to do this correctly, so the verses tell me what that process should be.

1. "Pour out your heart." Tell God Everything that is happening, give it your all and give it to him. 

2. Listen. I need to stop after my lament, and listen for the Lord to say, "Do Not Fear." Because I honestly believe that God will speak to me, if I have enough faith to listen. 

So lament, be sad, and let God handle it all, He most certainly will.

-Andy

Sunday Afternoon

Man, time just seems to travel so fast, it seems like the battle of the BLVD was last night. I need to take a breather. 

So this weekend my girlfriend Kaylee came to visit me at school. We did the normal thing for Valentine's Day, went to dinner, and a movie. The movie was Friday the 13th. Over the years my wise parents would tell us we shouldn't watch these movies, and we always said, "no we'll be fine." I love that as a kid you think you know so much. I realize everyday, that I know less than my parents do, and I will never know as much they do. As I watched the movie (shielding my eyes during all of nudity) I realized almost immediately just how unwholesome it was. I felt awful after I watched it, like I needed to ask for forgiveness (which I probably do ). The problem I know now, why I shouldn't watch those movies. When there isn't anyone around to make sure I'm doing the right thing, it's a lot more important that I don't put myself in situations where I could do something I regret. Moral of the story, no more Friday the 13th. 

Andy

P.s. I'm not trying to be a prude, if you can watch those movies and not be affected, more power to ya, but I can't. 

Late Night

Tonight was my first "running of the Bison." It was so incredible, that so many people could be so pumped up about a basketball game. Just a little tid-bit on that.

So I haven't been keeping very good track of my reading, but what I have read has been very moving. Currently I'm reading, "The Externally Focused Church." It is a book about how the Church shouldn't be closed doors, but open freely to the community. 

Last weekend I went home to Little Rock, when I went to Church on Sunday I found that we were planning a Community Outreach Program for spring break. Kids from Harding are coming and it is going to be big. This is such a great thing. I feel like my Church is getting it, trying to be apart of the Community, not in it. I just hope they keep doing that, not making that a single event, but the norm of our outreach. I know I need to walk to walk... I'm working on that too. 

Andy

My weekend

So this weekend I went home for the first time this semester; it was incredible. I went to see taken with my beautiful girlfriend Kaylee, hung out with my mom and dad, saw my dog, and my favorite teacher. It felt good to get home, and get some rest. Now on the other hand, I have a ton of homework, that just sat in my backpack all weekend. I'm not going to be getting a lot of sleep tonight...

Fast...

Wow, everything is moving so fast. It's February already. I feel like time is the only thing that I talk about now. How everything is coming at me so quickly; I don't think I could ever have enough time. I guess now all I can do is take the punches as they come. Papers, tests, and projects, let them come I'll just have to do my best. That's my biggest problem right now, is not giving my worries to God. I have never really had worry as a struggle in my life, but I guess that's what College will do to you. I think this weekend is going to be good for me; going home will be such a refresher. I can see my mom, my dog, my dad, and most importantly my girlfriend (don't worry I'm not about to get mushy). A break will be nice. I'm ready for it. 

Andy. 

Sunday Afternoon

First post of February, and I guess a lot has happened today. It was a gorgeous day, but instead of going outside I accidentally took a nap. Oh well, I needed it. Secondly the Super Bowl, pretty good game ehh? I was cheering for the underdog, and although they lost they made a pretty good game of it. 

So today I haven't really thought about anything much. I'm just glad I had a restful day. I need that more than anything right now-rest. It seems like everything is going 100 mph, and I can't seem to stop it. Then there are Sundays, the BEST day of the week in my opinion. Just stop and take a breather... it feels so good. The best thing about a restful day (besides the rest), is that it helps you refocus for the week ahead. I feel charged to get through this week, because next weekend is going to be even better than this one. 

Andy

Behind...

I think it's so ironic that we talked about time management today in class. I am so behind right now, it's just getting harder and harder to catch up. 2 chapters in World Civ. and Biology, almost an entire book behind in Ministry. Could it get any worse? Yeah it could, but still. So that's gonna be my goal for this weekend, to catch up... with reading. 

On to my real post, I've doing a lot of reading on prayer this week (yes I should have already done most of this reading last week, but let's not judge). Today I came across an odd passage in the book "Working the Angles," by Eugene H. Peterson. He says about beginning events with prayer, 

"... the irony in all this is that by putting prayer in the apparent first place we contribute to its actual diminishment. By uttering a prayer to 'get things started' we legitimize and bless a thin and callow secularism- everyone is now free to get his or her own way without thinking about God any more. 'That at least is out of the way; now we can get to the important things...We have pleased God with our piety and are free to get on with the things that concern us." 

I've talked to my mom about this before, and she actually got quite angry with me (because I went about telling her the wrong way). So I'll tell the story, one day my family and I were about to eat dinner, and my mother asked me if I would pray for the food. 

I said, "No I don't really want to."

She asked, "Why not?"

"Because it wont be genuine," I said. 

She then proceeded to get very angry about not wanting to thank God for our food, and such. But the thing is, I wasn't about to change my mind. We are talking about praying to the Almighty here. The Name above all Names... all that jazz. I wasn't going to chance my talk with Him not being true, or real. I have a reason, for me I need time to stop and think about what I'm going to do, I need to center my mind, so my only thoughts are about God. There is a God up there that smite-ed Ananias and Saphira because of a lie, I'm not going to say a little cupcake prayer. I will thank God, when I mean it, not because it's tradition. 

I realize this was a horrible time to bring this up, but I feel like we take so much away from prayer by just saying..."rub-a-dub-dub thanks for the grub Amen." So I'm going to work on it, because thanking God for our food is something we need to do. There are so many people that have absolutely no food, or less than I eat in a meal for the week, but in that same regard, I want to be really thankful, otherwise I'm a liar. And we all know what Revelation 21:8 says...

-Andy

I need a "pick me up."

Ugh, I'm not even 3 weeks through the second semester yet, and I could already use a break. I'm so tired (there's a logical reason for that), I get almost nothing done. I'm not really sure if I'm homesick or not, but I could seriously do with a hug from my mom right now. This year has already been so hard, and my relationship with God is suffering from the busyness. Now is the time to turn to Him. I know that it is weird that I am using this blog as an interior monologue of how to fix myself, but it's the only way to fix it. I've never been one to worry or dwell on problems, but right now I can just see it all slipping. So here is my prayer, it's from Psalm 90:12.

             Teach us to number our days aright, 
            that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

In my eyes this verse is just saying that we need to get our priorities right, if we do then we will gain wisdom. Hopefully wisdom is what I need to get through this. Regardless, there is only one person who I can fully rely on to make this happen, God. So I'm going attempt to be "humble in spirit" here, it's not something I do very well, but I know that I can't do this on my own, so that is the only way. God I'm giving it up to you... I need you.  

We have too much.

I don't know how we got this way. I'm not trying to be a self-righteous soap box type here, but I'm trying to figure out how i justified a lot of things in my life. I'm sitting at my desk, with a $2000 computer, a $250 Wii, and $1500 worth of guitars right next to me. That is $3750 that I or my parents have spent on me. I did some research, and found out that 80% of the world's population lives on less than $10 a day ( that's $3650 dollars a year)*. That is less than one semester of my college, way less. Less than the amount of stuff I have sitting in front of me. I feel like I'm robbing people of what is rightfully theirs, food and clean water. 

I think we as Americans need to take a huge initiative to help the poor of the world, including myself. It will be hard for me considering I have no income right now, but when/if I do get a job, I don't think I'm going to give it the church I currently attend. I think I'm going to start going downtown and eating with some homeless dudes. I don't see why not, my church has plenty of money, they don't need some college kids help. The homeless could use it. Is anyone willing to join me? I'd rather not venture down there alone, with money. I love America, but I think that the American dream is killing us. There isn't enough resources for everyone to have everything they want. I don't know how to fix this problem, but I'm going to give it my all to try. 

I know I switched from the poverty stricken people in 3rd world countries, but I would much rather see my work, than send it to some organization, when it's a small amount. That's it I'm done, off the soap box for now.

Love,

Andy

* http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

Thursday

So today was just an ever so normal Thursday. I went to class. I was tired, and then I helped demolish a car. It was so fun. So today in class we were talking about how people have the least to complain about when they are actually doing something. I want to expound on this, I think the reason it is hard for people to complain in that situation is because they are actually doing something. There are so many people who complain about stuff (myself included) and never do anything about it. So I guess there are two things you can say about this, if you are involved you either are working to fix it, or know that it can't get any better. I'm just "spitballing" here, saying some of my thoughts. So I guess what I'm trying to say is: if you think that there is something wrong with church, get out there and fix it. I need to do this so much more, that's a huge problem that I have. 

Andy

New President

Today is a big day, for America and for me. This is the first President that I have actually had a part in electing. Although I'm still unsure of my decision, hopefully Mr. Obama will show us that he is prepared to help our country as much as possible. There are many things to be done, and I hope that President Obama will follow God with his decisions, and help our nation flourish once again. There are a few things that are bothering me about this election and they involve the people that did and did not vote for him, here they are. 

I'm tired of this being about "race." I know that sounds calloused, but let me explain. There are so many people saying that this is a milestone for African-Americans, and regardless of whether it is or not, should it be about that? I think that trying to make a milestone for race should never be the goal, it should be voting for the most capable man to lead our country. That was my goal, and hopefully for everyone that was, but the media is putting a wrong spin on the whole inauguration. Race, is not the reason he was elected, so let's let his own qualities and policies speak for him. Obama is a great man, and hopefully from now on, race will no longer be a problem. He has a long road ahead of him to fix the problems we have, hopefully Mr. President Barack Obama can keep his promises, and get America back on it's feet. 

On the other side, there are all the people that did not vote for our newly sworn in President. I'm tired of the "we lost" mentality. America got what it voted for, and now regardless of how you feel, you need to support the United States. Keyword "United." Put aside, your views on politics, and allow him to lead. As Christians, we have to pray for him, support him, and hope that God will guide him. He is President, he is going to be there for awhile, so put it in God's hands, and let God show President Obama where to go. 

We have just begun a new era in our history, we are living it. Votes are irrelevant now, we do not have to go through this headache of a year for awhile, and hopefully next time, we will be in a much better shape than we are now. American Christians need to trust God, that Obama will do what needs to be done to set us on the right foot. We need to gather together, and hope that this President will do the things he promised us. Prayers are needed, and hopefully President Barack Obama wont tell us, but show us he is willing and capable to lead The United States of America. 

These are just my honest thoughts, please don't take any of them personally. 

-Andy

Books

I think buying books is probably the biggest hassle/most frustrating thing in the entire school process. Before Classes started i thought i would need a book for one class, when i got to that particular class, the professor said we didn't need a book. Then another class i believed we didn't need any books, turns out we need five. Then i ordered the wrong world civ. book. I feel used, stupid, and more stupid-er. This has nothing to do with my blog, i just wanted to vent. 

Andy

My First Blog

Hey everyone, here I am for my first Blog. If you are reading this I am guessing that you are either a professor, friend, or family member. I'm going to start by saying that my grammar will be horrible, because I have always be awful at it (sorry Mrs. Story). This blog is sort of an experiment (aren't they always), for my Intro to Ministry class. Sometimes it might be funny, but mostly it will contain some sort of spiritual thoughts or reflections. My goal is to stay true to the last statement. It's not going to necessarily be good, but hopefully it will be a blessing in my life, because as long as it effects one person, it will be worth it. 

Love, Andy.