It isn't really like me to go so long without blogging so I'll have to give a quick summary of my life this past month or so. Things are going really well. I spent two weeks in Missouri at staff training for Kanakuk and learned a lot about what it feels like to be unprepared and broken. I spent a week in Mexico leading a team in constructing a house for a family and learned a lot about what it is like to feel unprepared and broken. I leave for Missouri in ten days to be a counselor for the rest of the summer at a Christian camp and will learn a lot about what it feels like to be unprepared and broken. In all of this I have felt so blessed that God wants to use my brokenness to benefit His kingdom. I can't wait to see what God has for me the rest of the summer.

Thanks to Nathan and Steve-O for making my job in Mexico easy. I had a blast.

I think that I have studied more in the past two days than I have all other times previously in my life combined. I am more mentally and academically drained than I've ever been, but the good news is that I'm done. Exams are completed and summer is here. I'm going to sleep for three days straight and then drive home...

That's it! He's out...And you're out too...I don't even know if I'm in anymore.

Last semester I had one final per day for five days. This finals week I have one final on the first day, and then THREE BACK TO BACK on the second day, and none on the rest. I have a feeling this is going to be very stressful.

Man, I have had the worst bloggers-block recently. It seems that I have nothing to say. I'll be in the beautiful Ozark Mountains in one month from today at staff week for Kanakuk. In a month and a half I will be in Mexico building homes for God's children in Juarez. In a little over two months I will be back at Kanakuk to have the best two months of my life, thus far, being taught by a bunch of 7 to 13 years olds. I would rather not look any further into the future...it's so cool what God has orchestrated my summer to be like this year, just 9 MORE DAYS of classes and then a few tests. It's unreal.

I've been getting headaches a lot recently. I think that I need to get my eyes checked, but I would almost rather suffer through the headaches everyday than have to wear glasses. This puts me in a rough situation.


Tonight all of the Texas Tech Kanakuk staff members are meeting to have dinner and discuss our school's kamp t-shirt for the summer. This is the last thing I need, I'm already way too excited about my summer plans and this is just going to fuel my fire.

I'd have to say that I'm a huge fan of missing school. But I'd also have to say that coming back to school after missing three days sucks. I have WAY too much to do today.

Good news is only one more month of school. Last day of classes-may 4th.

The surgery went well. I had a physical therapy appointment today and was able to walk on it a little bit. As of now things look great for me to be in full swing by Mexico/Kanakuk time. I'm feeling a little drowsy....

I just flew from Lubbock to Dallas. The flying time was 46 minutes. 46 MINUTES!!! It takes 5 1/2 hours to drive the same distance. I don't ever want to make that drive again after this realization.

Yay for knee surgery tomorrow......

There are few things that mark our society today as much as our desire to be politically correct. As annoying as it can be at times I found myself thanking God for it yesterday. I'm talking with a guy who, though he doesn't believe in God, has such a hunger to know the truth, and have formed a great relationship with him. I realized yesterday that it is all because of our culture and his thought process. In his mind set of being politically correct...willing to listen and interested in my beliefs...he has had the opportunity to hear the gospel. He has had the opportunity to ask questions, to get to know about the REAL God, and God has used that to open up a great relationship between this friend and myself. I have no idea what is going to happen...but it's just so darn exciting. As much as I hate society and its made up moral system called "political correctness" I have seen that used for His glory. I just thought I'd share my joy with ya'll.

It is definitely 30 degrees outside with a 50% chance of snow.
I definitely just saw a guy wearing shorts and a hawaiian shirt.

I started to wonder if that was because of extreme denial or extreme ignorance...because if it was extreme denial, how do I get that?...I mean he didn't even LOOK cold.

I hurt my knee last september when Nate and Steve-O were in Lubbock and now...

Lateral meniscus surgery...Wednesday, March 29.

I guess I can claim that I walked around (and ran) on a torn meniscus for 7 months....whatever that's worth. Doctor says that i'll need 6 weeks before I can run on it. I say that my thursday night intramural softball game will just be painful that week.

Alright, I held out long enough. I had to put the word verification on. Stupid junk comments. MAN!

Spring Break!

It's March. There is a high of 90 in Lubbock today. I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I'm 5 days of class, 4 papers, and three more tests away from spring break. All I really want to do is go play some frisbee golf...


(sighs)
(closes lap top screen)
(hangs head)
(grabs a text book)

Which is worse...That today was the first day that I vacuumed my room since moving in in August....OR that today was the first day that enough stuff was off my floor so that I possibly could vacuum?

I had a weird desire to change my major today. hmm

I was in Fort Worth this weekend for a Navigators conference. It went really well. The speaker was hilarious, the fellowship was unreal, and God was working FOR SURE. Just thought that I would post a few of my favorite ideas that the speaker left me with:

"Now is the only time you will ever have to tell unbelievers about Christ. For the rest of eternity, everyone you come into contact with will know Jesus in a personal way."

"God never discredits effort...just trying to earn His acceptance."

"You should learn to be uncomfortable with certain issues concerning how big God is."

And my favorite by far...

"Bust it for the King!"

Thoughts?

Right before I moved to Lubbock, my friend miles and I bought a few yellow jumpsuits to pay tribute to the movie Bottle Rocket and to leave our good buddy Brent with a little gift to remember us by. You can go here to see the jumpsuits. Well, anyways I hung mine on my ceiling in my dorm room so when you look up in my room it looks like there is a yellow sky diver about to land on you with outstreched arms. This has sparked so many conversations with guys on my floor about movies and then the discussion goes into how I heard about the movie which then leads in to us talking about church which then leads into an opportunity to share the gospel with people...not exactly what I would have had in mind when thinking about the term "creative evangelism" because it wasn't planned. So I encourage you...hang something weird from your ceiling. God might use THAT too.

Things that are pretty sweet...

-college
-Kanakuk for 2 months
-Tech Navs
-Texas weather (seriously, I like it)
-coffee shops
-friends both old and new who deeply care about my spiritual growth
-friends both old and new who's spiritual growth I deeply care about
-my new espresso maker and milk steamer
-Mexico '06...you're darn right I'm still going
-AND.......my Jesus who pretty much rocks my face off!


By the way, who started the whole "rocks my face off" thing?

Last night I went to a documentary made by three college-age kids in 2003. They traveled to Uganda to get a look at the war that is taking place over there. What is happening is that thousands of children between the ages of 5 and 12 are being kidnapped all over this part of Africa. The rebel group is targetting these young children because they are the easiest to brainwash to make them fight for their cause, which is to overthrow the government in Uganda. 7 year-olds carrying AK-47s and hunting knives being forced to murder other people. This is a war that has been taking place for over 17 years now. All of the children in the villages, out of fear of being abducted, travel to the nearest city EVERY night to sleep. They litteraly stay in the streets or wherever they can find, laying by the hundreds looking like kittens huddled up really close together with not a single adult in sight. They have very little access to food and own absolutley nothing. There is a traveling tour going on right now across the country...Lubbock was one of the first stops. If you have an opportunity then GO and see this movie. It isn't for entertainment, it isn't for fun...it is about real stuff that is happening every night, even tonight. You can go to invisiblechildren.com to learn more about it...and on April 29th, all across the United States people will be walking to the nearest big city and sleeping downtown to try and get some government involvement in Uganda. I know this probably sounds weird but if you get a chance then go and see the movie, because it will change the way you view things.