Memorial Day

Yesterday was a day to honor all the men and women who have fought for our freedom. The weather was great and around the country many were celebrating this special day.

My day was pretty hectic (what's new?) I helped move my grandpa and grandma for most of the day. In the evening, I headed to some friends for some swimming, cookout, and relaxation. It was so nice to finish my weekend relaxing again.

8 more days of school! It seems like that is forever! My mom is already out...I'm jealous!

New Idol: Jordin Sparks

The two-hour finale of American Idol was last night. I had church so my buddy Jason and I caught the last 40 minutes of the show. I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed in most of the final 40 minutes of the show. I hated the songs, some of the singers, and didn't have a clue who the tribute was suppose to be to.

I was happy to see Jordin win. If she would have lost to Blake I probably wouldn't watch the show again. Jordin is an amazing singer and she is going to be a star for years to come. I would have loved to see her and Melinda in the finals! And by the way, did you see Kelly Clarkson???? She has really changed since the idol days eh?

I am looking forward to next year's Idol. Overall, great season!

SALVATION STORY

We were asked to share our Salvation Story and Growth Story for NYGO. Here is my Salvation Story.

My Testimony

Before

Hi, my name is Craig Helfrich , and this is my story of how I came to know Jesus.

Before I met Jesus, I felt that I was walking in life alone. I was basically just living day to day not really getting anywhere. I grew up in a Christian home and had good Christian parents. When I was young, we went to church every Wednesday and every Sunday. I felt like my life was full of routines and I was just going through the motions. I didn’t really have a personal relationship with Christ; I was just kind of going with the flow. I felt like church was expected and I didn’t have a say in it. I didn’t want to disappoint my parents so I tried to please them as much as I could. I knew that there was something missing at an early age.

How

It was at the young age of nine that I was sitting in an after school Bible Club in Swayzee, Indiana that I really began to understand what a relationship with Christ really meant. I remember my Bible Club teacher, Anna Miller, who really did care about me and my friends. She was the perfect example of a Christ Follower and what it meant to live it all for him.

She read this story around Christmas time about a candy cane. She explained what the candy cane meant spiritually. She explained how the white stripes represent Christ because he is clean and pure and then the red stripes represent us, with sin in our lives. She then went on with the story of salvation and what it really means to have Jesus Christ in our hearts. At that point, I could really feel the tug from Christ.

I remember just crying my heart out when she gave the alter call. I prayed the salvation prayer at a younger age, but I really didn’t mean what I was praying. I basically prayed it because I was suppose to. At this time, I knew that my life was pretty stale and I needed Jesus Christ in my life. I then realized that I was set free of any sin I committed and that I fully belonged to Jesus Christ. I felt a peace in my heart that I have never felt before. Not only was Jesus in my heart now, but he was my best friend.

After

Since that day in Swayzee, Indiana at the age of nine, I have been seeking the face of God on a daily basis. I will tell you this; life hasn’t been easy at all. I have gone through a lot of trials in my life. With Jesus in my heart, I know he won’t give me something too big that I can’t handle. There are still days where I struggle, but instead of doing something stupid or not Christ-like, I have learned to rely on Jesus for all my needs. The world would tell me to go out and drink, smoke, have sex, whatever sin you want to throw out there. After accepting Jesus in my heart, the only thing I need is him! I have the love and compassion of Jesus in my heart and I want to be able to share that with the world.

Through my life, this has always been a verse that means so much to me:

Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans that I have for you, “ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
(NLT Version)

NYGO

For the past few weeks, we have had a class to prepare us for our NYGO trip that we will be going on at the end of June. The class has been very beneficial. We are doing a journal by Andy Stanley called "MAX Q." It has been a really good study. Each week the students and leaders go through this journal and it has really made me stop and think about many areas of my life. This past week dealt with setting standards in our lives. It was a real eye-opener for me. I remember my high school and college days well and I know I had set some pretty high standards in those days. There is a big difference between setting the standards and actually following the standards.

Jesus set some pretty high standards for all Christ-Followers. I had a great discussion yesterday with my small group about if we follow God's standards for our lives, everything should fall into place. One fact is true, none of us are perfect. There will be many times where we will get pressured in our lives (drinking, smoking, entertainment, sex, language, etc.) If we have set our standards high and follow those , God will be with us when those tough issues arise. My take is that each one of us need high accountability in all of these areas.

This week also dealt with friendships. I believe it is very important that we have friends who are very trustworthy and honest with us. I don't think it is healthy just to have friends that are "yes friends." I believe a real friend is one that isn't afraid to tell you when you are doing something not Christ-like and is going to say something to you because they love you. This is an area where we really need to be careful. I am thankful I have good Christian friends who care about me and want to the best for me.

During NYGO preparation, we have to write out our Salvation Story and a Growth Story. I will be sharing those this week.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galations 2:20

High School Baseball- Miss It

Last night I had the opportunity to head to Ft. Wayne and Wizards stadium to see two very good high school baseball teams. #1 ranked Norwell (23-0)(Class 3 A) took on #6 ranked Homestead (4A).

Before 1,500 fans and over ten major league scouts, Norwell won 4-0. My former high school basketball coach invited me to the game. Norwell has a big-time MLB prospect pitcher in Jerod Parker. Parker is predicted to go as high as the top 5 in next month's Major League Baseball Draft. After watching him pitch last night, I can see why. The kid is going to be a MLB pitcher someday. He is that good!

I remember playing high school baseball and seeing some scouts at games, but never did I see as many as 11 radar guns and 2 MLB general managers in attendance. It was pretty impressive. Just watching the game last night really made me want to go out on the field and take some grounders and hit a few.

It was a great night. Caught some supper at Red Robbin and then headed over with my former coach and family. Great night, good baseball.

Melinda Gone? R U Kidding Me???

I can't believe it! Melinda went home last night on American Idol. I didn't get to watch it because of church! I am so upset! Melinda was an awesome singer, and more importantly, a good person.

So now, it is Blake against Jordin for the finals next week. I really don't care much about it now. I would like to see Blake win now I guess.

It is just so disappointing that America didn't vote for the BEST SINGER in the competition. I thought that is what this show was all about. I guess not!

A Night Of Worship

Tonight we will be honoring our Seniors with a night of worship. The night will be divided up between different types of worship: singing, reading, praying. It is always a great night when we honor those leaving us, but it is also sad to see them leave. I know God has great plans for the Class of 2007. It is really hard to believe that another school year is almost over! As I get older, the time just goes so much faster. As I was reading this morning in my devotions, the saying "Take one day at a time" really hit me. We need to live each day like it may be our last. I know I want to die knowing I was totally seeking the face of God and following after his heart.

I will post later on how the night went.

Lots of TV tonight

It has been a crazy weather day today. For most of the day, it was 87 degrees and humid, much like a July day. In the afternoon, we had some bad storms with some strong winds and lightning. I was suppose to have a softball game and that was cancelled. I was looking forward to playing tonight, but there is so many good things on TV that it may be a good thing the game got cancelled.

TV line-up:

6:00 Sports Center

7:30 Dukes of Hazzard

8:00 American Idol

8:00 CMT Music Awards

9:00 Bulls vs Pistons

Wedding Fun

Here is a picture of the wedding party I was in this past weekend. Good times....

A Weekend To Remember

This past weekend I headed to Columbus, Ohio for one of my best friend's weddings. I arrived on Friday afternoon in time to hang out with the guys and gals in the wedding before heading over to the church for the rehearsal. It was a great time of fellowship and fun with my friends. It was a beautiful weekend and it was so good to hang out with Chris and Amy.

I really do feel blessed to have such a great friend like Chris. I met Chris about four years ago when he was an intern at Warsaw Wesleyan. It was during that time that we became really close. He is like a brother to me and I just appreciate his friendship so much.

The wedding on Saturday was awesome! It is so neat to see God put two people together who truly love each other and more importantly, they love God. I am really excited to see what the Lord has planned for Chris and Amy.

The reception was a lot of fun. Great food, fellowship, and dancing! I arrived back home late Saturday night and got a short night's sleep. Of course, Sunday was Mother's Day so it was another busy day!

Trip to Ohio

Well, I am heading to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow through Saturday night for one of my best friend's wedding. I am really looking forward to seeing him and spending this special weekend with him. It looks like the weather is going to be nice so that is a plus!

Last night my small group headed to South Bend and ate at Famous Dave's. OH MY, I have never eaten that many ribs in my life!!! They had all you could eat rib tips for 10.49 and we all got that. The waitress said she has never seen a group of guys eat that many! After supper, we headed to Coldstone Creamery for some ice cream. Everyone was so full of ribs only a few of us got ice cream.

I got home to catch the end of American Idol. I was right, Lakisha went home. Blake will be next to go.

Looking forward to a fun weekend. It may be a couple of days until I post again.

Busy Time of Year

May seems like the craziest month of the year! There is so much going on. I never have time to just relax it seems like. Yesterday was just a crazy day.

1. School 2. Meeting 3. Work Out 4. Softball Game 5. American Idol 6. Bed

Tonight is about the same. It is our last night for Small Groups and we are heading to South Bend for some good eats at Famous Dave's and then some ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery! I can't wait. This year's group has been a lot of fun and it is always good getting together.

On the American Idol front, Blake and Lakisha were horrible last night. I look for one of them to be eliminated tonight!

We won our softball game 14-0 last night, pretty impressive. The White Sox and Reds lost last night and are both struggling.

NYGO

This summer a group of us from NMC will be going to New York City for a week to witness to people on the streets. I am really looking forward to this opportunity. We are currently doing a book study that deals with this trip and it has been great! It has really been an eye opener for me in many areas of my life.

I believe the week we will be in NYC will totally change my life! Last week we talked about how Christ was persecuted and still is and how we will be persecuted as well for Christ. One thing really hit me... if people persecute us, they are really persecuting him!

Last night in my devotions I read that our attitude really reflects who we are and it all starts with our hearts! If our hearts aren't in the right places, then others will not see Christ at all. It is a good lesson for all of us. How are our hearts? How is your heart?

Have a great Friday!

May 2

Wednesday nights are always the best night of the week for me. Youth group was great again tonight. We finished up our series on James. We looked at James 5 tonight. Some good stuff, a lot to chew on, and a lot to think about.

Wednesday was also results night on American Idol. This week they kicked two off because of not sending anyone home last week. Phil and Chris were the ones to go last night. I didn't mind seeing Phil go, but I thought Chris should have been around to see next week.

Anyway, four left now. Lakisha, Melinda, Jordin and Blake. My prediction: Melinda. After Blake's performance Tuesday night, I would like to see him win.

MAY 1st

Where did April go? I find it hard to believe that it is May already.
That is a good thing for several reasons: Softball, Almost Summer, School is about out, Summer Camp, NYGO, more Softball, MLB games and the list goes on....

Can you tell I am excited???

Anyway, May started off interesting for me. First of all, last night I was a part of our school play called "Kids for America" I had the part of Mr. Smith. I had to dress up as a colonial Currier.....it was interesting to say the least! It went well, but I am glad I never have to put on that outfit again!

Excited about tonight: Youth Group.. always a great night of the week!

Opening Night

Last night was opening night of church softball at Prairie Camp. We opened up with a 6-1 win and then won the second game 16-6 in five innings.

It was a great way to start the season...getting the "cob webs" out and just enjoying some awesome fellowship with my friends from NMC.

It is going to be an exciting summer of softball for sure! I'm looking forward to it.

For those of you who want to come out... next Monday at 6. See ya there!!