This past weekend I had a chance to hangout with most of the guys from Campus Crusade for Christ for Men's Retreat 2011 in Bushton, Kansas.
This past weekend was a really good experience with all the guys from CRU. We had our men's retreat in Bushton, Kansas where we had a chance to communicate with each other as guys and connect with God which was really the main thing. One of the topics that was discussed at the retreat was telling the truth and also taking of the mask. People now will doing anything for there themselves, live in the person's sure things like that. I learned that we need to be honest with ourselves and God. As the first night went on my group share a lot about our lives and how we were changed by it. The information will be kept private. But there were good things that we learned in our group that everybody is different.
The next day we talked about in open discussion about repentance and that changes our lives everyday. We need to ask God for guidance though times of prayer, easy or hard times. I'm not trying to preach or anything like that but going on this retreat I came away learning a lot about how to lead in the right way instead of the other way around. Once we grow up, then we can start leading others to get toward the path of Christ too. When we face hard challenges, we tend to look the other way and for the easy routes. I know I do that sometimes for sure...as men we need to challenge ourselves to be the best that we can be and not run away from the whole situation.
One of the best highlights of the weekend, was going out and shooting rifles and shotguns on Saturday afternoon. For me, I had never pick up a gun in my entire life until that point and man was I nervous to say the least. But after I fired my first shot, I realize that everything will be cool and it was. Took out some big targets out there in the open field...a fan and a bottle of baby powder that was with a shotgun. I definitely felt the reaction of the shotgun after I creamed it. It was a fun afternoon out there just shooting stuff up.
Had a nice campfire towards the end of the retreat with the guys singing some weird but funny songs. They were very creative, some of it didn't really make any sense but oh well, haha!! The final word to the retreat was about living on a mission. Basically what 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 says from my point of view is that we as men are have Christ in are hearts because he died for us all and that we should go out and tell others about Christ who was raised from the dead on the third day.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Chapter #5: Unknown
For the last couple of days I have been meditating and thinking about the days ahead and the opportunity to go on summer project to Juneau, Alaska. Feels like I'm taking a big risk at something that could end up changing how I look at things...
As the school year winds down, and all of the project, essays, and tests pile up which equals no life for most people that I know. As I get ready to finish the school year on a positive note, I have quite a task ahead of me...heading off to a place that I never been before or seen. Slowly but surely, I'll be preparing for Juneau and what it has for me up there. The way I look at it, I feel like I'm leaving the county for some reason. I know, you are still in the Untied States but I will be going through most of Canada to get there. Never seen Canada before and top it I haven't seen a lot of states from the west side for the exception of Colorado.
A few people have ask me, "well you could have done something else like going back to the south or choosing another state because Alaska is too cold. That's the first impression that I get when I hear Alaska being mention. Oh wow, that place must really cold with a couple hundreds of people up there. When I was younger I thought of Alaska as having all of this snow and not beautiful weather. Some friends that I have talk to over the past few weeks say that is really nice in that part of the state. and I have seen quite a few pictures of the place and it's really nice. And having the opportunity to go up there for pretty much most of the summer it is still mind-blowing.
I have been in reflecting mode of a few days now, and it's funny how God works everything out in a sense that you doing even plan the entire thing by yourself. Slowly leading up to the day I have to leave to head out to Alaska, I'm excited but for right now I'm more intimated than excited...if I had a short meter between two I would say intimated. Why, a lot of things come into play (I won't mention them all) I had a few reasons that I will address that I'm worried about
#1: How is the trip going to turnout especially being long as it is though I have been on long road trips before like say Florida to Kansas
#2: I will be joining other students that I really don't even know on this trip and I will be with them all summer
The fear of the unknown always has me worried at some point. But there is a time where you have to hold you head up high and go after it. I remember when I had to memorize Psalm 23 and to this day I still remember the entire chapter. One verse that I have pick out is really good "even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me: your rod and staff, comfort me." Psalm 23:4 I usually think about for a while. Sometimes i think something bad is about to happen to me, but I know that God is always watching and I'm learning everyday to trust God. It's not really up to me. God always will have a plan for you no matter what the situation is. Raising money for trip is nerve-racking but you have to go into the right state of mind and be on the positive and not so much on the negative side.
The focus for me, to stay on tasks and do what I need to do to finish the school year, then sets my sights on this summer 's journey to Juneau. One thing that I will keep doing is improving my relationship with him in prayer and reading the bible. I know that's one of the things that I started doing a while back, so that's what I need to keep doing. In almost less than one month I be making the trip to Alaska! Who would've though of that.
As the school year winds down, and all of the project, essays, and tests pile up which equals no life for most people that I know. As I get ready to finish the school year on a positive note, I have quite a task ahead of me...heading off to a place that I never been before or seen. Slowly but surely, I'll be preparing for Juneau and what it has for me up there. The way I look at it, I feel like I'm leaving the county for some reason. I know, you are still in the Untied States but I will be going through most of Canada to get there. Never seen Canada before and top it I haven't seen a lot of states from the west side for the exception of Colorado.
A few people have ask me, "well you could have done something else like going back to the south or choosing another state because Alaska is too cold. That's the first impression that I get when I hear Alaska being mention. Oh wow, that place must really cold with a couple hundreds of people up there. When I was younger I thought of Alaska as having all of this snow and not beautiful weather. Some friends that I have talk to over the past few weeks say that is really nice in that part of the state. and I have seen quite a few pictures of the place and it's really nice. And having the opportunity to go up there for pretty much most of the summer it is still mind-blowing.
I have been in reflecting mode of a few days now, and it's funny how God works everything out in a sense that you doing even plan the entire thing by yourself. Slowly leading up to the day I have to leave to head out to Alaska, I'm excited but for right now I'm more intimated than excited...if I had a short meter between two I would say intimated. Why, a lot of things come into play (I won't mention them all) I had a few reasons that I will address that I'm worried about
#1: How is the trip going to turnout especially being long as it is though I have been on long road trips before like say Florida to Kansas
#2: I will be joining other students that I really don't even know on this trip and I will be with them all summer
The fear of the unknown always has me worried at some point. But there is a time where you have to hold you head up high and go after it. I remember when I had to memorize Psalm 23 and to this day I still remember the entire chapter. One verse that I have pick out is really good "even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me: your rod and staff, comfort me." Psalm 23:4 I usually think about for a while. Sometimes i think something bad is about to happen to me, but I know that God is always watching and I'm learning everyday to trust God. It's not really up to me. God always will have a plan for you no matter what the situation is. Raising money for trip is nerve-racking but you have to go into the right state of mind and be on the positive and not so much on the negative side.
The focus for me, to stay on tasks and do what I need to do to finish the school year, then sets my sights on this summer 's journey to Juneau. One thing that I will keep doing is improving my relationship with him in prayer and reading the bible. I know that's one of the things that I started doing a while back, so that's what I need to keep doing. In almost less than one month I be making the trip to Alaska! Who would've though of that.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Chapter 4: Alabama (Part 2)
This is the second part of two for the Spring Break mission trip in Montgomery, Alabama...
Yeah, its been a week since I did the first part of this blog, but lucky for me I wrote some things down that we did on the trip so I can remember what happen on C4C mission trip. So, the following day we continued to work on the outside part of the house then for the rest of the afternoon, as a group we had a chance to work with the kids at Common Ground and their after school program. Half of us did the reading and writing, the other half did basketball/soccer. I was part of working with the kids doing basketball and soccer. These kids I think were pretty good for the most part but they can be wild at times.
Afterwards, we went to Landmark church to be apart their weekly meeting that was held that night. Had a chance to meet some of the students from the group get to know them for a little bit. Then, C4C and Landmark group well some of them anyway ate at Buffalo Wild Wings for the rest of the evening.
Thursday (two weeks ago) we put kind of the finishing touches of the house that Charles's family was about to move into. We had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in Montgomery downtown if I might add. To look at history of how the Civil Rights movement all started. It was a great experience to learn more about just it's history and how the Civil Rights played a big part in society back then. We went to the Civil Rights Museum, followed by a trip to the Rosa Parks museum. It gave a more in-depth analysis on how the Rosa made her stand in the history books.
To end things in Montgomery we had a chance to go back to the Landmark church one more to hangout with the students to play games...including playing a game called "kick the can." It a game where everyone who is not the seeker goes and hide in a room or something and you can't get caught. If you do, you have to go to jail (not that kind of jail) someone who is not caught can try to kick the can without getting caught. Idk, that the simplest way to put it, I guess.
On the way back from Montgomery, we made another stop in Memphis again to look around the city and walked around Graceland (some kind of park) to see where Elvis Presley's house was. And that the summary of what happen during the trip to Alabama.
Yeah, its been a week since I did the first part of this blog, but lucky for me I wrote some things down that we did on the trip so I can remember what happen on C4C mission trip. So, the following day we continued to work on the outside part of the house then for the rest of the afternoon, as a group we had a chance to work with the kids at Common Ground and their after school program. Half of us did the reading and writing, the other half did basketball/soccer. I was part of working with the kids doing basketball and soccer. These kids I think were pretty good for the most part but they can be wild at times.
Afterwards, we went to Landmark church to be apart their weekly meeting that was held that night. Had a chance to meet some of the students from the group get to know them for a little bit. Then, C4C and Landmark group well some of them anyway ate at Buffalo Wild Wings for the rest of the evening.
Thursday (two weeks ago) we put kind of the finishing touches of the house that Charles's family was about to move into. We had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in Montgomery downtown if I might add. To look at history of how the Civil Rights movement all started. It was a great experience to learn more about just it's history and how the Civil Rights played a big part in society back then. We went to the Civil Rights Museum, followed by a trip to the Rosa Parks museum. It gave a more in-depth analysis on how the Rosa made her stand in the history books.
To end things in Montgomery we had a chance to go back to the Landmark church one more to hangout with the students to play games...including playing a game called "kick the can." It a game where everyone who is not the seeker goes and hide in a room or something and you can't get caught. If you do, you have to go to jail (not that kind of jail) someone who is not caught can try to kick the can without getting caught. Idk, that the simplest way to put it, I guess.
On the way back from Montgomery, we made another stop in Memphis again to look around the city and walked around Graceland (some kind of park) to see where Elvis Presley's house was. And that the summary of what happen during the trip to Alabama.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)