A Running Start.

Oh my goodness.  I think somebody upped the diffuculty level from 9th grade to 10th grade from easy to insane.  I have seven classes going on at once, all year.  On ‘A’ day I have Latin (tough), Civics (tougher), Pre-Cal (more tough than that), and English (the red zone on the diffuculty level).  ‘B’ days are easier with Marketing, AP Computer Science, Physical Conditioning, and Pre-Cal.  I’m praying that God will give me diligence and motivation to work hard, even though last year was a breeze compared to this.  I have some friends in most of my classes, but I think the workload is going to be heavy. 

I’m also praying that God will use me in some way to bring my fellow students to Him.  I don’t know what I want to do yet, but I think starting a reading group or a fellowship meeting before school is a good idea.  I’m still asking for guidance on that one.  I don’t want to just endure another year, I want to be excited about advancing the Kingdom for Him.  I want to accomplish something so crazy that people would have to say ‘It had to be God.’  Sound familiar?  I have big ideas, but only God can help me do what I am called to do.

Yay!

Awakening tonight was truly a night to remember.  I got to bring two of my good friends, one whom i’ve known my whole life, and both of them are now fired up about God and our church!  I’d invited my best friend to church countless times in the past year, and tonight was the night he got to experience it.  Pastor really preached it tonight, and I haven’t felt this confident about my life in the longest time.  God has big plans for me, and I intend to jump into this year with all my faith in Him!

Mmmmmm.

Today was Day 2 of the Daniel Fast.  I’ve been doing pretty good so far!  I’ve been eating better (but still missing meat… a lot) and reading the Book of John too.  It should be interesting to see if I can make it through 21 days, but I’m feeling good about it

In other news, school starts Monday & I’m not quite sure if I’m ready to go back just yet.  I’m looking into getting a job within the next few weeks, and that should occupy more of my time.  I’ve been trying be more creative musically, too.  I’m trying to write simple guitar and piano melodies that can be accompanied by a band.  I tell you, Coldplay and U2 are musical geniuses.    I’m getting better at it!

We start a new series at church called The Gospel next Sunday.  Pastor Steven has been hyping this one up for a long time, so I’m really excited about it.  It’s going to be amazing!

Wow.

While my dad was at a business dinner this evening, I decided to go for a walk.  It’s so beautiful here at night, and I just decided to keep walking.  I had U2 on the Pod for the first time in a while, and felt really inspired and confident.  So, I walked out of the resort and up a road that goes into the mountains.  I walked for maybe 30 minutes or so until the street lights we getting farther apart, and I decided to stop.  Then, I kept stood up on a sign that was maybe 400 feet or so up the mountain and looked out over the area.  Wow.  I could see the entire city of Colorado Springs and many miles beyond that when I looked up. 

I feel like God used this moment to remind me of the plan he has in store for me, and to remind me of the awesome things he is capable of doing.  I really needed to be reminded of that, because I feel like God has called me to do great things for Him this coming school year, and I was starting to feel insecure about myself.  Now, I have a renewed sense of God’s love for me, and I’m ready to get a running start into the Fall!

I was feeling so amazed by God’s love that I wrote a song about it.  It’s still rough, but maybe I’ll post it on here someday…  You never know.

Colorado Springs

This week, I’ve had the oppurtunity to go with my dad on a business trip to Colorado Springs, CO.  This place is so amazing.  We went mountain-biking today, and the entire time we had an incredible view in front of us.  One of the guides said that on a clear day, you can see 200 miles in every direction when on top of the mountain.  It’s truly an awesome place to take the the beauty of God’s creation.  I’m going to live out here at some point in my life.  I don’t really want to go home!

I’m Feeling Productive.

I had a band practice today with some great guys, and we got through two songs that I had come up with melodies for just yesterday.  They still need some work, but we’ve really got a solid structure on both of the songs.  We’d been playing classic rock covers for fun for a while, but switched to a more modern U2/Coldplay kind of sound recently.  I think if we keep playing like this, we could show lots of promise!

Plus, we even came up with a killer name.  (More on that later!)

Listening to:  “The Scientist” by Coldplay

Today was a great day.

Today was really awesome.  I got to watch lots of people get out of the boat to follow Jesus and persue baptism.  It really was an amazing day.  Lately, I’ve gotten into a routine where I work all four services at my church and don’t give myself time to take in a service.  Today, I decided to sit in on our 8:30 service, which I haven’t done in a long time, and I got fired up again about what God is doing in our city.  I’m ready to dive head-first into the Fall, and I’m so excited to see what God is going to do through our church!  God is awesome!

Check this out for a heads up on what’s coming soon!

A New Favorite Song

Fix You by Coldplay.

One of the simplest songs I’ve ever heard.  One of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. 

How does Coldplay do it?  AND:  in the video, they do the lightbulb effect we did at church yesterday!  Epic!

check out 2:50 for the lightbulb thing.  It’s amazing.

lyrics:

When you try your best, but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home,
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you,

High up above or down below
When you’re too in love to let it go
But if you never try you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And I…