Never Forget

This week our nation marked the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentegon, and a failed attack that left a gaping hole in a field in Pennsylvania. I remember with vivid detail where I was when I saw the second plane hit the tower, when the towers fell. 10 years seems so long ago on other standards but on September 11, 2011 it didn’t seem that long ago. It seems as though it was only yesterday that a 16 year old kid sat in his Honors College Algebra class witnessing history in the making and wondering how, why.

To think that I was 16 years of age and new that even though I live in Kansas, not even in a huge city, this affected me. I wasn’t old enough to enlist or go to war but this still affected me. It’s amazing how a single event affected every person that called themselves Americans, whether they wanted to believe it affected them or not.

I couldn’t stop watching, even when the teachers shut the televisions off so that we could study, I couldn’t focus on schoolwork. The sight of an airplane crashing into a skyscraper was burned into my minds eye. I remember going home from school and sitting glued to the television. I remember going to the prayer service at the church even though I had just given my life to the Lord not 7 months prior and not knowing how or what to pray but just being there brought some sort of peace to an otherwise chaotic situation.

Here we are 10 years later. I remember the planes crashing in to the buildings. I remember them coming crashing down. I remember the people who died and gave their lives for others. I remember how a group of radicals tried to take away our hope. But after 10 years of war and chaos and bombings, I remember that which matters most…WE ARE STILL HERE! (reference Morpheus from ‘The Matrix: Reloaded’)

10 years…sounds so long ago. But as a 26 year old young man, I will remember, and never forget.

Where were you September 11, 2001?

What do you remember most about that day?

“You Let The Whole Team Down”

I love University of Kansas. If I could go back and do things over again I would definitely have gone to KU. I recently went to Lawrence, KS to spend the day with my girlfriend Karrah and her best friend. We spent the day shopping and walking down the streets in Lawrence. Then after a while went to the game.

Memorial Stadium is amazing! If you have a chance to go I would definitely recommend it! KU isn’t really known for their football however. They are more known for basketball and the famous Allen Fieldhouse. This didn’t matter however.

There was a point during the game where the kicker for the opposing team missed a field goal attempt. He kicked it wide to which the entire student section at the stadium chanted “You let the whole team down” as the kicker walked back to the bench. On his second attempt at kicking the ball through the uprights it was blocked by a KU player to which the student section promptly chanted “You let the whole team down”. Another attempt at a field goal was made and missed and, you guessed it the kicker walked back in shame as the KU student section chanted “You let the whole team down”. I thought it was hilarious! (I may be a horrible person or just a messed up sense of humor. I’ll believe the latter.) Three or four times this chant echoed through the stadium and each time I sat with a cheesy smile on my face laughing not necessarily at the kicker but at the words that were being chanted.

On the way home, Karrah and I talked and laughed about the chants that were yelled and how much fun it was to be there witnessing it all. However, as I got thinking my mind “Jesus Juked” me. How many times after starting a normal day, do we realize we mess up, don’t really succeed in what we are attempting. And how many times do we hear in our head “You just let the whole team down”. Maybe not those exact words but something similar. In the game of life do we often feel like we let the whole team down?

But there is a beauty to what I saw at the game that day. No matter how much the other team was losing by, no matter how much the student section berated the player for his failed attempts, he shook it off, took the field and tried again. He did succeed but he didn’t let that voice of “You let the whole team down” affect him in his resolve to play the game.

Do you ever hear the voice of “You let the whole team down”?

Wow…been forever

Holy infrequent posts…It’s been a loooong time since I’ve sat down to write. I need to get in a habit and do this more often.

So what’s been happening? Well a lot! I’ve recently taken up (again) the task of learning a new programming language. For you non-techies out there, I want to create apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod and other mobile devices so I’m attempting to teach myself to do that. Things are going relatively well; 2 books down 1 to go and it actually makes sense! (scary I know)

Other than being really busy at The Father’s House that’s pretty much it. Been teaching alot in LAUNCH and enjoying spending time with my girlfriend, Karrah.

So this is just a ramble post, nothing of value really but it’s my attempt to get into a habit…you gotta start somewhere right?

Testing this new app

Friday Wrap-Up

Well it’s Friday and I’m thinking that I’m going to start a blogging thing called the Wrap-up which goes through some thoughts on the past week. So here goes:

• iPad 2 comes out a week from today and I want one!
• Wednesday night in LAUNCH  was incredible. Pastor Sean asked me to do communion and I was great until I grabbed the mic then this anointing just sat down and I got hot, my heart was racing and I was literally shaking. We could have just stayed in worship and probably should have but we dismissed to 1:1 groups…lesson learned.
• I have come to realized a small yet present need for a windows machine in my office. Those of you who know me are probably shocked but I will be installing a Windows partition on my MacBook. Let the crow eating begin.
• I really enjoy being in a relationship with this amazing girl. One Month tomorrow!

It’s been a great week. Hope you guys had an amazing week as well!

Breath of Life

This past week has been exciting, yet miserable all at the same time. I started dating this great girl named Karrah and I’m really excited about that. However one week ago today I came down with a severe sinus infection and bronchitis. Worst sickness of my life. I can’t breathe right I’m coughing and hacking through the night. It’s miserable. But then I found this thing called a neti pot

Smooth Criminal on the Cello

I wish I could play like this!

New Year…New Theme

Wow it’s amazing that it is actually 2011 and even more unbelievable that we are already 17 days into the new year. Here’s the scary part…of all my friends who made “new year’s resolutions” all but 1 has broken them. I didn’t make a new year’s resolution. I decided to go down a different track.

Enabling

We have been doing a lot of different things where I work. Recently I was tasked with training our staff how to use some of the new technology effectively. As I got to thinking about how I was going to do this and the steps that I was going to show, I got to thinking (I’m ADOS – attention deficit..ooo shiny) on how we got to this point. 

Oh My Soul

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Psalm 42:5 The Message.

Some of you will recognize the above passage as “Why so downcast Oh My Soul.” For the past 3 days this passage has been in my head but in the form of Kim McMechan’s song “Into Your Presence” I can’t get that song out of my head.

That whole Psalm describes a form of spiritual depression. This Psalm wasn’t written by David but most likely one of David’s people on the run from Absalom. He was probably wondering how this could happen…after everything that God had said, that He had promised how could this be happening. He found him self spiritual depressed.