Hey everybody. I got the images uploaded from my camera and here are the pictures that I'm proud of. Dave will especially like the second one because it is a picture that he took. Originally I was going to put it out on Hartley but I gotta shoot for the sky. this project is due tomorrow so everyone please pray for me through the night because I will be working through it. As of right now I have a C in phisics and a B in Form-Z. (It's like a different language; no complete words, just letters) However a near perfect final in both of the latter could bring me up a letter grade. 12 more days, Dave.

Hungry

Please don't read any of what you see here as arogant or, "ooh, look at me", because that is not the way I write it.

I have fasted more this past month than ever in my entire life, combined, and what's more, I have wanted to. my spirit is so hungry right now. the human "being" hungers for God from the moment of birth to the last breath, however during that time we seek out every sinful desire imaginable. "Blessed are you who hunger now for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh."luke 6:21. God blesses those who are hungry right now and promises them satisfaction. Those who wait untill He is returning will go hungry for they were unprepared.

I believe that God will not only satiate us but will in the times of our near disastrous hunger prepare for us a feast that even the sight of which will overwhelm us. but that will require of us more than our strength alone can muster. the strength that we have alone is not enough to carry us one day. but God gives us the strength to fix our eyes on him and follow his lead forever.

But it is not easy. Though we may find ourselves in places of spiritual freedom from time to time, the way to God is through meditation, prayer, and fasting. none of that stuff is particularly fun, but all of it is necessary for a closer life with Christ. It is painful, even agonizing at times, but it will be so worth it when we are ultimately satisfied at the end of the age.

Hey everybody. I just wrote a song last night in the midst of form-z and studio homework. I don't think it's going to be good for congregational worship, but it's good for me. Up until 5 seconds ago I was going to put it on this blog, but then it occured to me that anyone could find it and steal it. That would not be good. I would be thoroughly disapointed, so you'll just have to wait untill it comes out on CD.

Due to requests from various people I have decided to post a few pictures. I don't have any of myself on my computer at this instant but Dave requested that I put some of my Form-Z drawings on here. They are pretty large files so I don't know how many I will be able to fit, if any.

I'm not sure how this picture thing works yet but there you go dave. Pretty cool, huh. I'll have some really awesome ones in a couple of weeks because I'm going to model a building of a famous architect. Google "Fay Jones, Thornecrown Chapel" love ya

Fourth of July Weekend

Now that I have that last one off my chest I can tell you about my weekend. Me and Doug went up to Hartwell lake for three days and had the most fun that I have had in a very long time, like 1 year. we managed to ski on pretty much every thing we had access to. For starters, we ripped it up on the more conventional products. Skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and tubing. Then we got kind of bored, so we got out the crappy wakeboard with no bindings and played around on it. then we tried wake skating on the kneeboard. that was kind of fun, I got air on it. Then we tried the craziest thing I have ever tried on the water. We got out the boat paddle from the shed and after many many tries and then finding out that we were trying it with the paddle turned the wrong way we slolomed on a "paddle". Did you hear me? A Paddle.

We also had a lot of fun with fire works. however, I'm tired of writing and I don't want to any more.

Something New

Can you ski on a paddle? I can. How about get air, while standing on a kneeboard? Easy. I can do a lot of things;fairly easy I might add.

But the things that I remember best and am most proud of are of a different nature. Have you ever felt the touch of Gods arms wrapping around you as He presses your head to his cheek? Have you put your hands on someone in prayer and had them collapse under the power of God? Or been so into His presence that others could feel heat radiating from you from a foot away?

I have put forth so little effort into my relationship with God and He has blessed me with so much. Just think of what I would experience if I searched diligently for His presence in everything I did.

I'm startingto catch a glimpse of this. It's not actually about recieving anythingfrom God. The blessing comes from the searching. The people you meet, the people you help, the people you lead to Christ. I am happy that I have been at Southern Poly for this past year. I know that God has used me to make a difference in the lives of my classmates. Though I may never see that difference, I know that God has a plan for everyone, and maybe I'm simply there to open the door. I do admit that I've screwed up. I'v missed God's prodding on several occasions and tried to ignore it on many others until the prodding ceased.

Obviously, there are some things that I have to work on, but I am learning. I am exploring every medium I can to learn more about God and the way He wants me to live and tell others about Him. I'm praying a lot more than I used to, as well as reading the word. I'm reading other books as well, like the Left Behind series and the movies. I find that movies that exhonorate the Christian Life are very helpful in teaching us. Also I'm to the sermons of Billy Humphrey. He's the pastor of IHOP Atlanta. Just listening to him has changed my view of God over the past 2 weeks, from distant and uninterested to very close and very powerful, and very loving.

The way this guy talks about God is so far beyond me. He gets so excited when he's preaching. I can't even imagine how much of Gods love he has recieved, and how much he has had to search for it. But I don't care how much it takes, or how much it hurts, or how long it takes, I will search for His longing.

Lazarus: homeless ministry

I went to Trinity last Sunday and had an awsome time with God; I just love the way Chris teaches. He is very straight-forward about God but can make the funniest comments/jokes.(none come to mind.) Anyway, as I was leaving I saw some people signing up for something at a table in the cafe. As I walked up to the table I asked the lady sitting there what people were signing up for. This little woman said, "Lazarus. Were adding tuesday's and thursdays to the schedule to hand out water to the homeless in downtown Atlanta." I, having wanted to get involved in missions-well, any sort of ministry- signed up immediately. I decided that Thursday was the best day for me and monday I got an email from Allison, that's the Lazarus leaders name, saying that she needed a male to go with her thursday. Again I immediately replied, saying that I would be there. Anxiously awaiting the arrival of thursday evening I completely forgot to call mom and dad to tell them to be praying for me because, apparently it is very dangerous. Allison told me of an incident, that last year they stumbled across a drug deal in progress and the guys that were with her got all beat up. She didn't go into details, of that I am greatly thankful.

I can't help but think of the movie, "End of the Spear." I would recomend that everyone would go see this movie. It's a story about missionaries who encounter a savage South American tribe and are murdered by them. See the movie and try to understand what is so enviting to me. It is simply the chance to give one's life for what one believes in so strongly that he would no take his murderers life even to save his own. If God would give me a mission like the one he gave Steve Saint believe me, I would never ask him what he wants me to do again.

But wait a minute. Over the past couple of weeks God has removed much of the haze that has covered my eyes as to the destination of my calling. I know, without a shadow of a doubt that I will devote my life to the mission of saving those who are at the bottom of their lives with seemingly no way out. And now that I think about it, so did Steve Saint. I will be a missionary and my life will be given for a cause, a God, that I place every ounce of trust in. I may die of old age in the jungles of the Amazon or from a mugger next thursday as I extend my arm to offer him a bottle of water, but he, nor anyone else can take my life. I give my life to God to do with it as He pleases.

To everyone who reads what I write here, read it as poetry. that is the way it flows from my heart. Each word is the blood pumping through my veins and is sacred to me. Every notion is a prayer. Read them aloud and let His voice be heard through mine.

God is Awsome

There I was, standing on the brink of life and death. I had to make a choice. Options so trivial should be easy to ignore. However, such temptations have become all too familiar to my blackened flesh. I was standing there, toes hanging over the edge of an unfathomable chasm. I could see His presence, resonating on the far side but I could not, alone, bring myself to Him. I was undeniably going to plummet to my deserving death and God would be forced to stare in terror as his son fell to oblivion.

But my death was not inevitible, nor was it unavoidable. My destiny was not written to end at that chasm. I was saved at the very fringe of my existance. God found a way; He broke the silence that I had accepted in my heart and made his will conscious to me. He sent his daughter to deliver a message to me and give me hope for the approaching and eminent communion.

Assuredly, I was not meant for death at that chasm, rather, I was meant for a boundless life. God has lifted me up from the grave and given me such life that my eyes can see the foundation of that abyss rising to my feet. That which was once seen as impassable has dissolved to a direct trail to the manifest glory that I saw from the far side of the gorge.

God, take me in. Make me new. Iwant to be cutting edge, and forefront. My heart can not sustain all of your presence, but convey to me the utmost intimacy that I can embrace.