Standing in Awe...

Slide Show from Chicago!

2008-03-19T13:16:00.001-04:00

Spring Break Trip:

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Above is a picture of our students that went on our Spring Break Trip to Chicago!

Overall...
Overall, I would say I came back really encouraged from this trip! There were many praises, many new experiences, and I felt closer to this group of students that any other time! We praised God for the awesome weather we experienced and safety while we traveled! Thanks for your prayers in that!

Serving...
We got the opportunity to serve with several different ministries during in Chicago and I wanted to share a few of those experiences with you. The 1st night I went with a group of students to serve a meal to some of the homeless in Chicago. It was a pretty cool setup in that we would serve the food to those that came instead of having them serve themselves. So we spent the afternoon preparing the food and then served them at their individual tables. We also tried to sit down with some of them and listen to their stories and share about Christ.

I would have to say that the most memorable moments from that night was watching our students serve the homeless and sit down and talk with them. I felt like a proud parent watching their kids. Our students worked so hard to cook the food and then did such a great job of sitting down and talking to the homeless. I was very proud of them and seeing Christ in them! A lot of them stepped out of their comfort zones!

Larry's Story...

Above and on the right is the picture of a guy named Larry Hope. Larry shared his story with us for 3 hours the first night we were in Chicago. Larry is now on staff with the Navigators, but before that was homeless for a couple years and a drug addict for a period of more than 10 years!

Larry shared an awesome story of how God has been healing him and freeing him from all the brokenness that had been a part of his life for so many years. Coming from a broken home, jail, and life on the streets he shared the story of how a young teenage girl was out on the street with her youth group handing out gospel bracelets and invited him to church. That started his journey in which he was able to recover from his dependency on drugs and surrender his life to Jesus. Since then, Larry spends most of his time ministering to homeless people on the streets. He also ministered to male prostitutes (this is a needed ministry in Chicago) for 6 years. It was an awesome testimony of how God can renew and restore lives that of people that have been in some serious bondage!

Most Challenging
I would say the most challenging part of this whole experience was that I let business keep me from meeting with God. Sometimes we would wake up and go from 6:30 in the morning till 11 at night! That is one regret I have from the trip: not taking time to get away from the business of the day and talk to Jesus.

Jacob, one of our student, saw snow for the 1s time! He wasn't the only one on the trip!

Below is a picture of a warehouse that we helped clean out. One day it will be a community center for one of the most violent streets in Chicago!

Spring Conference:

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Prayer, praise, teaching, paintball, and lots of fun! That pretty much sums up a lot of what happened this past weekend at our Spring Conference. We had such an awesome time! I can't say enough about how encouraged I was. I remember coming back and watching the SuperBowl and thinking "This is lame compared to the time with Jesus this weekend!" Thanks for your prayers! I think that most of us were really challenged in the area of prayer. Our speaker's theme was "Your God is too Small." I was definitely challenged the whole weekend in that area and walked away challenged to not put God in small box. The theme verse was Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV), 17 "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." If you think about this for long enough, you'll walk away wanting to pray big prayers and take big risks for God. One application for myself was making an "Impossible prayer list." That is thinking about desires that I have that may seem impossible, but that God could easily do!

Well, thanks again for your prayers. I know God showed up in a big way and reminded us of how Great He is!

Paintball was definitely a highlight for some of us! They had two really nice fields and our students had a lot of fun. In fact, it was a girl from our campus that was the most excited about playing!

This is picture of all the students and staff from Florida State (And the main speaker!) There were twice as many students that came this year than last year. That was very encouraging as a lot of the students this year are eager to grow and learn.

Winter "Break"

2008-01-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

Christmas Break was a blur of travel, but also a great time with family and spiritually refueling! I went to Iowa with my family and really enjoyed that! They had 6 inches of snow before we arrived and so we got to play in the snow and go sledding. It was also great to see my brother and get the know my sister, Nuch. She is a foreign exchange student from Thailand that my parents are hosting this year. After that I went to a New Years Conference in Atlanta with a college ministry called Campus Outreach. That was awesome! It was 5 days of hearing great talks, great workshops, and great worship! All among 1,000 college students who were hungry to know God! The theme this year was "The Love of God." Wow, I really needed to hear that! It was good for me spiritually to hear about how much God cares for me and is guiding my life as my Shepherd!

Well, here are some pictures from the break:

Here is a picture of Bryson I before one of the talks at the New Year's Conference. Bryson is a student in my Bible study and I really enjoyed going to the conference with him. I consider him a great friend and joy to be around. We both learned a ton and got to talk a lot!

This is a picture of the students from Florida State that came to the New Year's Conference. We had a lot of fun, got to know each other a lot better, and had some good fellowship!

This is Nuch (a foreign exchange student from Thailand) and I as we celebrate Christmas with my family. She has really enjoyed celebrating Christmas with us and gave us all presents from Thailand! I received a silk tie!

I wanted to show you a picture of the snow in Iowa! Ok, so this was a big drift, but it was still great to see the snow!

Football Game Day Activities:

2007-10-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

Below are some pictures from our pre-game cook outs here at Florida State. We usually have around 40+ students that come to our house and tailgate (grill out) with us before the game. This is usually. Below are two guys playing a game called "ladder ball." We also set up a horse shoe pit in our backyard this year.

Here are a couple pictures from inside our house. The African American in the bottom, right picture is a student named Timothy who just became a Christian this past Friday night! God has been working in his heart since he arrived at Florida State. He came to one of our weekly meetings and asked for a Bible and has been reading it. Please pray for him, that he would grow up in his faith and that God would protect him from the attacks of the enemy.

Below are some pictures two students from my Bible Study, Shaun and Brandon. We all went to the shooting range one Friday afternoon and had a great time. I'm realizing that one of the things that is crucial for ministry is being genuine friends with those to whom you are ministering to!

The Shooting Range with Shaun and Brandon:

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Brother's Wedding!

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Stories of Grace:

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A New Creation:
Doug (below) is one of two students that accepted Christ last week. After coming to our weekly meeting, he said when hearing about sin, he felt this weight upon him that wouldn't leave. Our director got to talk to him about forgiveness and about the gospel and Doug responded in faith. This has truly been a work of God and I'm excited to see what God will do in his life!

More Men:
One of our prayers this year is that God would raise up more men. We are praying that God would raise up 10 men that would be Christian leaders of the next generation. Pictured below is Bryson, Nicki, and Skye at our weekly meeting. Bryson is a freshman that has come in with a true passion for God. I believe he definitely is an answer to prayer and has been very hungry to grow in his relationship with God. I have really enjoyed getting to know him as a friend and brother and am praying that God would use him greatly at Florida and for the rest of his life.

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A Picture of Shaun:

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This is a picture of Shaun and my two roomates, Kyle and John at the "Truth Seminar" last Thursday night. I thought I would share with you all a picture of Shaun and ask you to continue praying for him as a young Christian. I know there will be many ways in which Satan will try to distract and discourage him. But as 1 John 4:4 says, "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (NASB)

Picture from Truth Seminar:

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Spring Break Pictures:

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The Bridge Diagram

2007-03-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

God has opened some doors of late to be able to share the gospel through an illustration called the Bridge Diagram. It's a a very good visual illustration of the gospel. Click here to see how to share the Bridge illustration. It is very simple. May God give us a greater appreciation for the gospel and compel us to share it often with those who have no hope.

Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Last month, I had the privilege to join Four Oaks Community Church. I have really enjoyed getting to go there and getting to know some of the families there. I'm gotten pretty close with my Sunday School teacher, Stuart Christmas, who is a lawyer in town. It's really neat to see what God is doing there. There worship is God centered and they really do a good job of trying to get people involved in the church and get to know people. Praise God for Godly churches!

Men's Retreat 07'

2007-02-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

Above is a picture of most of the men that came from Florida State. From left to right: Ross, Zack, JD, Michael, John (my roomate), and Brandon Wade. It was a great opportunity to have fun, eat a lot, and really get to know each other a lot better!

This is a picture of some of the guys reading the Bible together Saturday morning. God is definitely deeping our relationships with one another!

Men Challenges from our Retreat!!

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Our Ski Trip to North Carolina!

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24th Birthday Party Slide Show!

2007-01-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

Beautiful Colorado:

2006-12-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

My time in Colorado was great! There was great weather, good training, and a lot of time to catch up with friends and hear what God is doing on campuses all over the country. Above is a picture of Pike's Peak. Our team may try to hike to the top in May!

This is a picture of Ross and I on his 21st birthday. He had a great time. Ross is a student at Florida State and someone I have been able to get closer to. We are working together in Theta Chi fraternity, reading through the book of John with some students of whom the majority don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray that God would unify us and strengthen us in our personal walks with God as we work together.

Thanksgiving in TN:

2006-12-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

One reason I like living in Florida is that I don't have to scrape the frost off my car in the morning :) But TN definitely has a more beautiful Fall season!

Below is a picture of my brother, Jeff, and his girlfriend, Michelle. I really enjoyed getting to see them! I don't get to see my brother very often. He lives in Ohio and is working at a Rehab Clinic, helping teens recover from drug and alcohol addictions! It was also cool to meet his girlfriend for the 1st time. She is a nurse in Ohio and is originally from Texas. She had a lot of cool stories about Texas!

Below is a picture of our whole family the Sunday after Thanksgiving:

Theta Chi Wins!

2006-11-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Theta Chi (the fraterinity in which my friend Ross and I are having a spiritual discussion group in) won the intramural football championship for the B division this past Monday night. It was really exciting because the fraternity is only in it's second year back on campus. It was also really exciting because Ross ( a believer involved with the Navigators) is probably their best player and his athleticism has gained him a lot of favor in the fraternity. So that has been neat to watch watch God use Ross's life. Ross leads the spiritual discussion group that has been going on every Tuesday night.

Man Night!

(Above, James eats a steak)
One of the things we are trying to develop as a ministry here at Florida State is community. A community of grace, truth, and love. So this past Saturday, my roomates and I had all the Christian men involved in the Navigators over to our house for "Man Night." I think everyone really enjoyed it. We had plenty of meat to eat and we sat around and talked for an hour and then spent some time praying together. I'm praying that God would continue to bring us closer together as a team of men.

Below, Derek, Scott, and Kyle enjoy the meal! Scott is a freshman that has gotten really involved with the Navigators.

Fall Retreat!

2006-10-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of the staff and students from Florida State that went to the retreat!

I felt like the retreat went really well. The director of college ministries for the Navigators, Mike Jordahl, came and spoke. He did a really good job of challenging us to really seek God. After the talks we would have 5-10 minutes to sit quietly and talk to God and ask Him what He wanted to say to us this weekend. That was so good to sit quietly before the Lord. I also felt like it was really good for our community.

This is a picture of my friend Curtis and my roommate Kyle. Kyle is discipling Curtis and has he has been a great source of encouragement to me. God has brought some challenging circumstances in his life that have brought our friendship closer together. Praise God for deep friendships!

Fall Retreat & Dinner!

2006-10-13T12:43:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of John, my partner in ministry. This weekend at Fall Retreat, we are giving a workshop on practical disicpleship. It's been fun working together with him. We have different personalities and strength but enjoy spending time with each other. John makes me laugh a lot. Pray that God would strengthen our relationship and give us wisdom as we work together.

Cooking Dinner:

Above is a picture of Samantha and Vanessa. They are two girls that have are friends with the guys on the 4th floor of Smith Hall (A dorm). Samantha has offered to cook for all the guys twice! I think she is Italian. So this Wednesday, the two girls and around 8 guys came over and ate some Italian chicken and garlic bread! I really have enjoyed having them over to our house. It's such a blesing to develop real relationships. Spending a lot of time with them this week has definitely been growing my compassion for them. Below is a picture of Phil. He's one of the guys that I've been able to spend a lot of time with. God also opened the opportunity for me to share my testimony with Phil.

Staff Team:

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This is a picture of our staff team from the Staff Conference we had last weekend. The top row is Alyssa, Martha, Linda, Me, John, and Dave. Bottom Row: Nikki, Kyle, and Stephanie. Linda, Kyle and Nikki are part time staff. All of them have been a blessing in many different ways. They are great listeners and very fun, loving people. Kyle and John are my roomates!

Work Hard, Play Hard...

2006-09-18T15:55:00.000-04:00

Every Saturday morning, we go over to our director's house and spend the morning helping him and his family with yard work and stuff like that. Then after we are done, we eat together and get to play with their children (They have 9 children!). I've enjoyed this time, more for the lessons learned than the hard work itself. But it makes me appreciate all the hard work that my parents did for our family. Parents have jobs, children to take care, houses to take care, and many are involved in their church. Thanks to all you parents out there! Below is a picture of David, Benjamin, and Me after our Saturday morning work time.

After a long and busy week, our team (Alyssa, John, Stephanie, and myself) decided to go to the beach after church on Sunday. The beaches are around 1 hour away from where we live. W e had a great time playing in the waves and just swimming. I really enjoy our team and the fellowship that we get to have. It's a great encouragement to me. It was Alyssa's first time going to a beach on the East coast!

Just thought I would throw in a picture of some of our crazy Florida State fans! There was around 8 or so guys that painted up for the game this past Saturday. Which we lost :(

Pre-Game Fun!

2006-09-12T18:47:00.000-04:00

This past weeekend we have a pre-game cookout for the 1st Florida State home game! God blessed it with around 50 guys and girls that came out to eat and hang out. There were around 12 people that came from the dorm that a few of us have been ministering in, so that was exciting! Florida State didn't play very well, but we got our 2nd win! Wohoo!

(Below is the group of people that came from Smith Hall, where John (my teamate), myself, and few others have been ministering.)

Below is an example of some girls decked out in Florida State School Spirit!

Chief Oseola (Our mascot) gets the fans pumped up before the game!

Here is a picture of our team that is all here now. Top row (Me, John, Dave). Bottom row: Stephanie, Alyssa, and Martha. Dave and Martha are couple that have been on staff at Florida State for over 20 years and are leading our team. It has been a blessing to get to know them and learn from them. They are full of grace and wisdom! I have enjoyed listening to Dave pray.

FSU Wins!

2006-09-07T15:14:00.000-04:00

I'm learning how big football is here at Florida State! We had around 30 or more students over to a friends apartment to watch the FSU vs Miami game. We had a good time, even thought both teams didn't play that great. After FSU beat Miami Monday night, students we jumping and dancing in the streets and people everywhere were blowing their horns and setting off fireworks. People love foootball! I was just imagining what it would be like for students at Florida State to celebrate God like that. To be so excited to be a child of God that they would be dancing in the streets! Pray for that here! Thanks!

Rafting Trip:

Our rafting trip this past weekend went pretty good. We had around 53 students from Florida State go. I was a little dissappointed, because only 1 guy from our dorm came, but it still was a blessing to get to know him bettter and some of the other students. The one guy that did come is named Scott and is interested in reading the Bible with me. Pray that God would open his heart and that the gospel would become real to him. Thanks for your partnership and prayers along this process. I miss you all!

Rafting Trip Picutres!

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Rafting Trip 06

Sep 2, 2006 - 18 Photos
Click on the picture above to view some pictures from a hike we took this past weekend!

Meet my Friends!

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Last Thursday night, I invited some of the guys from the dorm over for supper. It was definitely a blessing. We cooked some chicken and hamburgers along with watermelon and some other stuff. I really enjoyed it because I felt like God enabled my friendship to grow with a lot of them. I see them in the dorm but having them over to my house deepened the connection. There picture below is 4 friends from Miami and the guy in the green shirt is from Maryland. Please pray that God would deepen our relationship and open opportunity for spiritual conversation.

Shoulder Update:
Most of you know that I had shoulder surgery at the end up July. It's been almost a month since then and I had my first physical therapy visit (in FL) yesterday. It was encouraging as the physical therapist said that my shoulder seems to be doing good and that my rotation was only week in one area. I'm really thankful for that and have been praying for healing. Please continue to pray as I still have two more months of physical rehab!

Frisbee!!!

2006-08-22T23:10:00.000-04:00

Everyday this week, we have invited students to come play ultimate frisbee with us. On Monday, around 60 people showed up to play! We've been having a good time and a lot of students seem to be enjoying it.

Partners in Ministry:
So far this year, I have been spending most of my time in Smith Hall ( one of the dorms). Ross and Mike (pictured below) are guys who are involved in the Navigators and live in this dorm. We have been working together tp meet and minister to students in the dorm. So far God has blessed us with many men who are interested in hanging out. Thursday night I'm inviting some men over for suppoer. Pray that God would begin to open opportunities for spiritual conversation and that some of them would be saved in the next two weeks. Thanks!

Dorm Life:
This is a picture of a hall in the dorm( I know it's nothing exciting) that I walk into often. Please pray that God would grow me in a burden for the men that I meet and interact with daily. Thanks!

Home Sweet Home!

2006-08-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of our side of Duplex I will be living in. I will be living there with two other guys; Kyle and John. I really like it! It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room and is fully furnished! Everything seems so spacious after living in the dorm the last 4.5 years! The girls (Alyssa and Stephanie) live on the other side of the Duplex.

Praying for Revival:

Yesterday (my 2nd day here) we prayed for 3 hours for our campus, teamates, and ourselves as we enter this upcoming year. It was such a blessing! God was just filling our hearts with faith to just imagine God doing a work at FSU so big, that the Campus would never be the same and everyone would recognize that God is a work and that He alone is Lord and King! Please pray that our attitude of prayer and dependence would continue and that our eyes would be focused on God's great power and wisdom!

CampusTour...

Today, some other FSU students involved in the Navigators ministry gave us a tour of the campus. It is HUGE! It is about 3 times the size of the University I went to. There are around 35,000 students that go to Florida State University. The campus was beautiful and and I liked it a lot. May God raise up many to be "laborers in the harvest" from FSU.

2006-08-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome...

Hello family, friends and supporters! I have created this website/blog to allow me to update you on what's going on in my life and ministry. I hope to include ministry stories and pictures along with daily activities that occur in my life. I hope this is helpful and fun. The best way to keep up with this website it to add it to your Internet Explorer "favorites" and look at it whenever you want. I will try to update it weekly. Thanks and enjoy!