7/29/04

I am so glad God is in my life.  Just yesterday, I was asked to share my testimony about the works of God in my life.  Although my walk has just taken form in the last year and a half, I already noticed several major ways God has directed me on the path that I am on.  I still don't know what he has in store for me, but He has my complete confidence. 

I'm still at the point in my life where I don't know where I want to be.  Just recently I have a passion for mission work.  however, the common doubts enter my mind, "am I prepared", "how will I find a church to support me as well as my school payments."  By the time I will graduate, I will owe 50,000 dollars over the next 15 years.  For now, I put my trust in the Lord because I know that is what he wants me to do.

In the meantime, I am growing slowly by planning bible based activities at Freed-Hardeman.  I would like to be involved in a growing bible-study on my dorm floor.  The guys on that floor in the past shared a lot by digging into the word and sharing each others lives.  However, this last semester they had stopped due to a lack of leadership.  The guy who once did it felt an extreme pressure on his shoulders with no one to lean on for relief.  I pray that God grant me the leadership ability and courage so that I may serve these guys and for me to grow while serving.

I also pray that you receive a great blessing from God.  You have a talent that others need and God is calling you to use it now! 

Because of His Blessings,
Jeremy

2 weeks

Um, woah.  I cannot believe it has been two weeks since my last post!!!  How irresponsible!
Ok, im over it.  Today I was able to worship God with my church family!  I love being there so much.  The church here has brought so much hope and stamina to my life.  I will never be perfect, but I have changed a lot over the past year.  I am a lot more confident in my faith and realize just how much liberty I had in Christ.

Seems like the whole summer I have been in a routine.  Work, Sleep, and Church.  AH!  Sounds like you know that routine too.  I want to do something active, yet creative.  Maybe I should do a craft!  Any ideas?

Because of His Blessings,
Jeremy

Usual day

I love my family!!! You don't realize how great they are until you spend time with them (makes sense right?) Carolon and I spent the day in the living room together. I was so overjoyed, I even bought dinner. Ok, so it was because of joy, it was because they fed me for like, 4 weeks and I felt a lil guilty! So we are watching Carolon's favorite show "For Love or Money", seen it? That's right, it's about someone ultimately choosing Money over Love, or vise-versa. The bad part is that both people won't let each other know which they are going to pick until the end! Woah, speaking of reality shows, have you seen WB Superstar. Absolutely horrible. The show wants to put people up on stage and compete for the best singer position, yet, little do they know they are actually the WORST SINGERS IN THE WORLD. I didn't see the last show, but I wouldn't be surprised if the winner committed suicide in front of all the millions if people who watched them totally embarrass themselves.

Ok, so now I am looking at cell phones. I had cingular since december of 2002 and they have been the best. No complaints about them; great coverage, service, and low money. However, I'm a lil piffed because I want to get an upgraded phone, but naturally I have to get a new plan. That's right, A 2-YEAR plan (dramatic music flares and then drowns out). The dreaded two year plan!

Oh well, I hope God has blessed your day! Even though it was a usual day, God was part of it and that's what it worth living!

Because of His Blessings,
Jeremy

How could I forget?

I posted a blog a few minutes ago, but I forgot to mention the talk of the day!

So I was with the youth group after PM devotional at church tonight, and the kids get this crazy idea to play kickball. WOW, i haven't played that since 6th grade. So I tag along. The herd makes it's way to a church a few blocks away that has a soccor field. So we attempt to play, but alas, the field is soaked! That's ok, the parking lot is wide open for play. So we break off these branches for bases, I know ghetto, and we begin. We play a pretty good game, then people are ready to go. So as we pack up and head out, this kid starts talking about dodgeball to me and trash talks me. WHATEVER! I trash talk him back! So he tries to peg me with the ball and me, with panther-like prowless, deflects the ball right into this...orb, statue thing. Naturally, this 1 lb ball knocks over this 100lb (ok, just a lil exaggeration) thing over right on top of this cement bench, which proceeds to break the fragile orb. "LET'S GO!!!" I hear as kids run off. However, a few of us couldn't take off so easy. We made the decision to write an apology letter and left it in the mail slot of the church. I yet to hear what will come of that. I just hope it wasn't like, a secret shrine whose curse will kill that which disturbs it's sleep!!!! GASP

Newly refreshed!

I spent a lot of time praying and thinking over the weekend and I feel refreshed! God spoke to me through a sermon Sunday morning and I am ready to take on this week with a new heart and mind! Have you ever had prayed to God and he answer your question at the next devo or worship service? I certainly have and it's happened again!

Matt Soper (minister at West Houston Church) spoke about renouncing and embracing. No, no, it's not the typical "Christians must give up fleshly pleasures" speech, although that was the half of it. Matt stated something interesting to me; that a Christian is required to and yet embrace. Renounciation "takes out" a part of your life which in turn creates a void. If you leave that void empty, well, that's not good. Once someone officially renounces something in their life, they must fill that void by embracing something fresh and pure. Have you ever renounced something in your life, and fell empty later on in life?

Matt focused on embracing spiritual matters, but I took it down a different avenue. As I mentioned the past two years, I have changed and given up a lot. I kept renouncing aspects of my life, but I never really focused on filling the void. I moved from home, but never tried to create a new one. I left my very close friends behind, but never really got the level of friendship back with anyone else. I left a grounded lifestyle at home, and semi-replaced it with a rogue, wonderer lifestyle with constantly no where to stay on a permanent basis.

Now I have some goals to accomplish! I've always felt an emptiness, but now God is helping me, day by day, put the pieces together. Praise God and his love toward you and I!

But enough about me, everyone I know seems to be doing very well. I thank my God for Christ, Danielle, Jerry, Carolon, Mom, my church family in Alvin, Courtney, Hollie, my church family in West Houston, my dad, my friends and church family at Freed-Hardeman, and all the members of Christ's body around the world. I pray that people will realize that God is the only and true God in this nation. I pray that as I begin the process of registering for mission work next year, that God send me where I will minister best! I pray for my church family in Africa and Scotland. Freed-Hardeman has sent missionaries to both places and results are very successful! May God receive all glory due to him!

Because of His Blessings,
Jeremy

It is so great to be home. I have been staying with family (Jerry, Carolon, and Val) all summer, but I miss being home-home. I got to spend the last two days back in Katy and it has been so refreshing! While I've been here I've put a lot of things into a new perspective and I am ready to take on the new week!

To God be the glory!

Jeremy

The days continue...

Have you ever reached the point where you feel tired, confused, yet inactive and unproductive?

In the past 2 years, ALL aspects of my life has changed. My home, friends, lifestyle, church, priorities, parents, jobs, and school are all different. I felt as though I have been in a long transition with no place to call home. I feel as though I have lost stability in life. The only thing really keeping me grounded is God's revelation, perspective, and promise from the Bible.

I just typed a big, ole, long autobiography about the last two years, and then realized no one would want to read ALL THAT...lol. But in writing it, I recognized answered prayers and tactics which had to be done by God. When I was weak in my walk with Christ, I prayed for a church that loved God along with other things. Over a year, I left for Freed, my parents divorced which sent my mom to Houston, where I lived with her and I found the Alvin congregation. My first summer there was great. I immediately found a niche I could fill. I felt useful in a ministry serving my church. Afterward, I went to study abroad in europe for 3 months, came back, went to Freed for a spring semester and now I am back here in Houston.

I have lost stability and perspective. I've bounced around all over the globe, but nothing sustaining has ever come out of it. Over the past few days, I look at my life and realize that my minstry for Christ is weak. Just today, I watched a lesson from "An everlasting love" in which the speaker spoke about tolerance, comfort zones, laziness. It was a 45 minute video so I won't meantion everything. But afterward, I immediately asked my brother in Christ to pray with me about it. I realize that I have entered stagnation and it is making me ill spiritually. 2 timothy 3:12 says life with Christ is all about the persecutions. That doesn't mean that I should start beating myself with a stick, but I also realize that I have been living the stagnate life because of my comfort zone. Please pray for me and with me as I begin a transition from stagnation to active!

Because of His blessings,
Jeremy

Day One

Hi, my name is Jeremy. This is my first time ever to write a blog. My friend Danille introduced this to me and I think it's an awesome way for me to write out thoughts everyday.

As you might be able to tell, I am a Christian. I attend the Alvin church of Christ in Alvin, Texas. It is a congregation I have come to love that serves the God I praise and Jesus I model myself after. If you want to know why I am a Christian, I would love to talk to you about it. God is real and he has a real purpose for you and I don't want you to miss out on it!

Right now I live in Texas, but I go to a small school in TN called Freed-Hardeman University. It's a small Christian affiliated school in the small town of Henderson. Why go all the way out there? Well, at the time I started going there, I lived in New Orleans, LA and it was the first Christian school I heard of. I went to school at University of New Orleans for 2 years for basics and then went to Freed to finish up. I have one more year till I get my BA in Business Mgmt.

I live with my mom in the summer in Katy, TX. Her and my dad just recently divorced. I won't say the divorce was easy for me to go through, but I have been blessed many ways through it. If anyone has questions about it, I would love to share the story with you!

Ok, sounds like a good intro to me...

Beacause of His Blessings
Jeremy