Currently Listening Arriving By Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman see related

Well it's that special time of year for all of those people involved with Word of Life Clubs.....it's Superbowl season! I'm off to my first one tonight in Philadelphia.....I'm going up early with Pastor Tony to set up for the rally in the Wachovia Center and then come home tomorrow morning to help with our youth groups Rake and Run first thing in the morning. It'll definitely be a while till I get some sleep....but it'll be fun. My youth group has our Superbowl next week...also in Philadelphia...so this week is just the beginning. I'm so excited to see the way that God is going to work in these next couple of weeks. Everyone, at least once in their life, should experience the incredible joy of seeing hundreds of kids coming forward and walking up the stadium steps at the end of the Superbowl rally to trust Christ as their Savior....and it happens week after week! God works in such incredible ways! I'm so excited to be a part of it...pray for me!

Side note: Jonathan Schultz.....I haven't had any kids since my last update.....so I expect a long apology coming very soon!

Judging by the large span of time between the date at the top of my last post and the current date, updating has not been a major priority in my life...however, I thought that I should finally take some time and let those of you in the Xanga world know what is going on in my life. I am not going to attempt to give you a minute by minute account of my life since my last post...that would be rather monotonous and boring, but I'll try to cover most of the main events. The most obvious change in my life has been my engagement to my beautiful fiancee......which I don't think is news to very many of you....but it is still really cool to me! I don't think I'll ever get over it. Obviously as a result of that, Jen and I have had to spend a lot of time preparing and planning for the wedding and all of the other details that go along with that. Jen has definitely done the majority of the work and has done an amazing job.....Lord willing the wedding will be June 16th of 2007 at Temple Baptist Church in MA. I never knew how much went into planning a wedding and reception and all of that! Just to establish the information that I just gave about the date and the church took so much more effort than I expected....we had to go back and forth with so many different churches and people....crazy stuff but things are definitely coming together. Down here in PA things are going amazing! I'm working a lot...as usual....and that has been going well. I've been working as a youth leader with my youth group at church and that has added a lot more business to my schedule....but I am loving it so much! I love the guys and girls there so much! I don't think they have any idea how much of an encouragement they are to me. We just started quiz practice....finally! I am coaching the senior high team by myself this year so that is a new challenge...but I am really excited about that too. I have a lot of ideas and am really excited about the people that we have this year....our team has gotten a lot better from last year...and we were pretty good last year. We're definitely looking to give Mountainside a run for their money this year Haha...but aside from just the competition aspect of it....it is so encouraging to see the overall passion to learn and the teachable attitudes that each one of them has this year. God is going to do such incredible things with each one of them! I love you guys so much! Well....this is getting pretty long...so I'm gonna stop writing and hopefully update a little more often. God bless all of you!

Currently Listening More Life By NewSong see related

- When God Made You

Well, Josh has been a busy man these past few weeks, so I (Josh's girlfriend, Jen) am going to update for him. I know I know, I am to good. lol. Just kidding.
 Okay, this is going to be about Josh, and what he's been up too. Last weekend, Josh's church Faith Baptist, came up to Word of life Bible Institute for Snow Camp, week #5. The girls had a wonderful unit leader (Of course it was me!) and great counselors. I can't say anything for the guys, seeing as how I wasn't with them much. Josh spent most of the weekend playing sports and hanging out with his youth group. He did spend a few precious moments with me! (So wonderful!)
 Josh spent the nights at my grandparents' house that was about an hour away. Sunday afternoon after everyone left, I was able to come down to my grandparents' and spend the night. We talked and just hung out and watched the Olympics. It was so wonderful!
 Monday night was the Valentine's Day Banquet at WOLBI. Josh looked very sharp and handsome........not to mention his beautiful date. hehe.
 

 Josh and I spent another night at my grandparents' along with Lyndsay. We had a great time!
 Josh went back home early Wednesday morning, and worked the rest of the week. This weekend, he was busy working on different things. His youth group's Area TI Quizzing is next week, so he's pretty excited about that. 
 Josh is a great guy, and a wonderful boyfriend! I am so blessed, and I want you all to know that he's amazing! Please keep praying for us as we are both apart and involved in different ministries. Pray God will keep us strong and able to serve where we are right now. God's amazing!

So here's my annual update.....well maybe it's not quite that rare....but it's close. It seems my life gets more crazy and my free time shrinks on a weekly basis...but it's not really different than it has been. Thankfully I got my car back after having to put a new transmission in it so I have been able to get back to doing the normal week in and week out things that I didn't realize how much I took for granted until I didn't have a vehicle to do them. I definitely didn't realize how much of an encouragement and challenge it was to help with youth group and quiz team until I couldn't do it every week. God has so much to teach us through fellowship with fellow believers! What a blessing! (Lyndsay....I think of you every time I say that..haha) I've been thinking a lot about all of the different ways that God teaches us and shapes us since our quiet time has been in Jeremiah. Through the entire book the Israelite people were so calloused the Lord's attempts to direct and convict them....they weren't teachable. I have been convicted to be teachable, to be sensitive to God's leading and attempts to shape my life, however subtle they may be. It's so easy to grow calloused to those things and not even realize that our own pride is blinding our eyes. As people, we have been created to learn, we have been created to be constantly changing and adapting to what we focus our attention on. If we are not actively seeking to know our Savior more intimately and learning to recognize the 'teaching moments' that He brings into our lives, then by default we are becoming students of a mindset that places our wants, our desires, and our plans before God's. It has been so convicting to me!

Well...these Amish hours of work have left me quite tired out...so I think I'm gonna go get some shut eye

P.S. (LOL....like this is a letter or something....go ahead...laugh at me for using "P.S." in a Xanga post...I can deal with it.) Please pray for my beautiful girlfriend this weekend, and every weekend for the next couple months. She is a unit leader for Snow Camp at Word of Life and is running like crazy on hardly any sleep....that's kind of the WOL way...but she has it a little more extreme. God is using her so much and she is doing an amazing job...just pray that God will give her strength both emotionally and physically!

Currently Watching The Count of Monte Cristo see related

Oh yippity dee doo dah....I got tagged...by my beautiful girlfriend none the less...I guess that means I have to do it. So here goes...

Ground Rules: The 1st player of this "game" starts with the topic "5 weird habits/fact of yourself" and people who get tagged need to write a xanga entry about their 5 habits/facts as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next 5 people to be tagged and list their xanga IDs. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "You are tagged" in their xanga and tell them to read yours.

1. When I drive, I have to readjust the seatbelt at least every 5 minutes...or I get fidgety.
2. I bite my fingernails when I'm nervous....and when I'm not...and when I"m hungry...and pretty much anytime.
3. I think it's cool when guys are secure enough to wear pink shirts. (Michelle....that was special for you)
4. I organize all of my clothes according to JCPenney's colorization chart. (Lyndsay....I'm never letting you near them)
5. I have the most wonderful, Godly girlfriend in the world. It's not really weird....but definitely amazing!

Well....there ya have it...I guess I have to tag some people....let's throw some names out there. Kevin....gotta have the New Mexico perspective, Steph...I can't even imagine the crazy things you could put on here, Marissa....the every creative genius, Katie....cause you really, really need to update, Jessica....cause I haven't talked to you in like eleventy billion years. Love ya guys!