Happy New Year!

Good-bye 2007, Welcome 2008!

2007 In Review

As 2007 comes to a close, I wanted to kind of rewind this year by expressing the highlights of this year.

God is so good and even in the difficult times he brings so much joy and encouragement to our lives daily.

Here are just a few of the highlights for me this year:

1. God blessing me with such a great church in NMC and allowing me to go to New York on a mission trip in June and seeing lives changed for Christ.
2. The Colts winning the Super Bowl against the Bears.
3. God blessing me with new friends, which happen to be two of my best friends, Dan and Marty.
4. Witnessing on the streets of NY and leading a Chinese man to Christ in Central Park.
5. Celebrating with my parents this month as they celebrated their 36th Wedding Anniversary.
6. Staying in shape and staying with my workout plan.
7. 3DYC experience, Transformation is coming in 2008!
8. Indiana Wesleyan's Women win National Championship and finish 36-0.
9. On Fire Rallies with my former Youth Pastor Charlie Alcock in March.
10. Watching Fireworks on July 4th in New York City.

These are just a few of the highlights of 2007.. may God Bless you as this year ends!

Playoffs 2008

Well, now that the hated Patriots finished 2007 16-0 congratulations Bill, Randy and Tom. Unfortunately, you can't take your undefeated record with you to the playoffs. So, with that said, they are 0-0 heading into the playoffs and I am going on record to say that they WILL NOT win the Super Bowl. So, in reality, the 16-0 record doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot huh?

Anyway, here are my predictions for this year's playoffs:

First Round:

Jacksonville over Pittsburgh

San Diego over Tennessee

Washington over Seattle

Tampa Bay over New York

Second Round:

Jacksonville over New England

Indianapolis over San Diego

Green Bay over Tampa Bay

Washington over Dallas

Third Round:

Indianapolis over Jacksonville

Washington over Green Bay

Super Bowl:

Indianapolis over Washington

3DYC 2007- Transformation

I just returned from 3DYC, which was held in Grand Rapids Michigan this past weekend. Can I say what an awesome experience this was with our youth group and other fellow Christians. There is always something special whenever we have a youth conference, mission trip, or summer camp that is really hard to explain. Over the past three days, I saw many youth and adult leaders touched by the Holy Spirit and I saw a lot of lives TRANSFORMED~

God is so good isn't he?

Our speaker, Stacy Foster, shared from his heart the whole weekend and we all went away touched and challenged by his messages to us. Below I will try to hit some highlights from the weekend:

Friday:

This was all about TRANSFORMATION IN OUR HEARTS.

*God makes us choosers, not winners or losers.

*Who we hang out with is who we are going to become.

*We have all fallen short and are all sinners.

Saturday:

The morning session was titled: TRANSFORMATION IN OUR ACTIONS.

*It is not going to be easy to be transformed, we have to work at it.

*We need to chisel things in our lives that aren't like Christ.

*We need to get rid of the "ites" in our lives.

*Paul made 4 mistakes that we can't make in our lives:

1. He was unwilling to get rid of his good things

2. Living in self-deception; sin blinds us.

3. We can't play the blame game, we need to take responsibility for our own decisions.

4. Paul didn't understand the consequences of his sin. You can choose your son, but you can't choose your consequences.

The evening session was titled: TRANSFORMATION IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS:

*Stacy really challenged us with sexual purity. It was a really heavy message, but a great one. We had a great meeting afterwards as a youth group with a lot of talk about how important it is to have accountability in our lives.

*4 steps to being sexually pure:

1. We need to limit our sexual touch.

2. We need to set boundaries right away.

3. We need to take our bodies and yield it completely to God.

4. We need to make ourselves accountable to someone.

Sunday:

This mornings session was: TRANSFORMATION IN OUR WORLD.

*We have to be people of conviction.

We can't just talk, we need to walk the talk and live out our lives for Christ!

*We must be people of courage.

We have to have a lion's heart and step up to the plate.

*We need to be people of connection.

Prayer is a key to connecting to God!

*We need to be people of commitment.

We need to love God and others in our lives.

By The Tree led us in worship the whole time and that was awesome. I can't begin to describe what 1,300 youth and youth leaders sound like when everyone is worshipping as one. It was just amazing to see what was taking place there. It really got me thinking about what Heaven is going to be like as far as worshipping. This weekend was just awesome, but Heaven is going to be so much better.

This was truly a great weekend of getting to know others, getting closer to those I already know, being challenged in the word, and worshipping my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I know after being in this conference that there is going to be some TRANSFORMATION in my life and I am excited to see what God is going to do in my life and those in my youth group in 2008!

In the words of Jeremy Camp in his song ENOUGH:

You are my supply, my breath of life

Still more awesome than I know

You are my reward, worth living for

Still more awesome than I know.

And all of you is more than enough for

All of me for every thirsting

Every need you satisfy me

with your love and all I have of you

Is more than Enough~

Christmas 2007

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. It is also one of the most joyful times. For many, it is also a time of loneliness, isolation, and rejection. The very season that should bring a sense of belonging and sharing with family and friends can leave many feeling as though they are not a part of anything or anyone. I know this is certainly not what God had in mind or intended when He sent His message of love to earth on that first Christmas.

"An angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them...The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"...."Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased" (Luke 2:9-11)

As we have spent quality time with family and friends this Christmas season, let us remember the real reason for Christmas. Sure, I enjoyed opening some cool Colts stuff for Christmas, but as I get older, I realize more and more why we celebrate this special season.

I have found that Christmas is a time of communication, of telling others that you love and care for them. I have many family and friends that I care for and love so much. Let us not take those special people for granted in our lives. God has given so much LOVE to each and every one of us.. I don't think it is asking to much to love others back.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Shopping

Wow, I don't know why I do this to myself every year. I was in Ft. Wayne on Saturday doing some last minute shopping, a let me tell you, it was just plain stupid! I don't think I moved for like 45 minutes as traffic was horrible. By the time I got to the mall, it then took another 20 minutes to find a spot to park. Sometimes I wish I would just get all my shopping done in early December so I don't have to worry about the "last minute rush."
So, I get to the mall and of course, you could hardly walk it was so crowded. Again, I began to get a little irritated with the long lines, with the pushing and shoving. It was just plain stupid that I waited until the last minute. Anyway, I am finished now...thank goodness!!!!

Well, Christmas Break is here and I am so glad. I have been working out, relaxing, and spending some great time with my family. I am getting ready to go see a movie now and then have our annual Christmas Eve celebration tonight.

On the Sports Scene.... Colts win big again....what's new? I still think they are going to beat the Patriots in the postseason.

I just read where the Bulls just fired Scott Skiles as coach... too bad Scottie.

More Bowl games on tonight... I love this time of year. Football, Football, more Football!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Well, heading into Saturday night they were calling for 7-12 inches of snow Saturday night and Sunday morning......as I woke up this morning, I woke up to 15 inches of snow!

I can't remember a snow that big in like the past five years at least. Today became a day of rest after church was cancelled and you couldn't do much on the roads. So, today was a great day of rest, relaxation and football.

And, the Colts barely hung on to beat the Raiders 21-14, but it is a win.

Oh yeah, I just found out we have no school tomorrow. I guess it will be another day to sleep in, workout a couple of hours, and watch some more football.

Big First Quarter

The Colts continue to amaze me. 23-0 after the first quarter over the Ravens on the road.

They again are without Marvin Harrison, yet they still win.

Take away Randy Moss and I don't think the Patriots do what the Colts do week in and week out.