Ever have one of those nights, where you just kind of sit there and observe your friends and think about how fortunate you are to have those people in your life?  Well I had one of those moments last night.  We were watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" when I just kind of stopped and looked at the people that were there and thought, "Wow, i have some pretty cool friends."  We were over at my buddy's apartment in Candlewood, and it is so nice to have a friend that is married and has his own place and is willing to let us come over and "invade" if you will. 

But after we left there, I had to go home obviously, but it was an unusual ride home.  I turned off the music, put the windows up and just had some me time with the Lord.  I have been desparately seeking Him lately, b/c to be honest with you...this summer has kind of sucked for me spiritually.  And I'm finding out more and more, that unless I lean totally on God, who says he'll ever bless me with an awesome girl!

Finished reading "Wild at Heart" and let me tell ya, awesome book, highly reccomend it to every one to read!!!  I think I am going to read "Captivating" next.  See what makes a woman tick!  I grew up with 5 women and have definitely learned a lot from them, but we'll see how much I know, or don't know about women. *side note-I know no man will ever figure out women, but it's worth getting to discover more and more about them, see what makes them go!!* 

Now for some random thoughts:

• where does the red fern grow?
• Anyone want to go camping/hiking with me?
• Don't step on rusty nails!
• Tetanus shots hurt

God is doing some amazing things in a lot of my friends lives right now and mine!!!  God is definitely at work in a big way!!!  It is funny how when you look for God, he becomes more visible to you in little areas of life!  I have had my blinders on for a lot of this summer, but they are slowly breaking away and I am starting to see glimpses more and more of God's work at hand!  It's pretty cool to be able to praise the Lord for even the small details in your life!  I am always looking for a positive, a blessing out of every situation that comes my way!  Although, I don't always see it right away, I do always try and look for one. 

When you are upset with someone, or someone is upset with you, do you ever look at both sides of the situation?  Like if someone is angry at you, do you see it at all from their point of view?  Maybe they had a rough day, or maybe the thought/reaction they had is not their own.  Satan is a very powerful being.  Ever think that Satan grabbed a hold of that little bit of anger and fed them lies that it was ok to take it out on someone they loved?  Ever think that Satan is very prevalent in daily activities?  How about when you go to pray and your mind starts wondering what you have to do that day, or the next, or starts to day dream.  He knows that prayer is a very powerful weapon and will try and keep you from talking to the father any way that he can.  You may just think you are ADD, which you may be, but satan is in on it.  Ever plan to wake up and do your devo's in the morning?  Ever commit to something like that?  Ever find yourself the next morning hittiing the snooze until you have to get up?  Yeah, guess who doesn't want you to get up?  This is why we need to know our scriptures, satan can do nothing against the truth, but can do anything he wants to when we start to believe his lies.  Take Jesus in the wilderness for example.  He defeated satan, not by showing him he was the Son of God.  He spit scripture at satan, the thing we need to do when we are feeling deterred. 

A lot of these thoughts come from John Eldridge's book Wild at Heart. Hope everyone is having a great day!  More to come...sorry it's been so long! 

Wild At Heart

Ok, so reading "Wild At Heart" and let me tell you what...it is freaking amazing!!!  It has hit home in so many ways already and I have only read 3 chapters...not even 3 yet.  I picked it up in the bookstore today, b/c I have been wanting to read it for quite awhile now!  So I finally did, and I am super glad that I have! 

Some of the stuff it says in there about the very nature of a boy/man's heart is wild!  That in today's culture, men are taught to be "soft" or "nice guys"  which is all fine and dandy, but you can't deprive a man or a boy of his nature to be a warrior!  It describes Jesus as a warrior, as someone who is there to rescue, an adventurer.  Sure Jesus was nice if you were a blind man coming to be healed, but he more than once picked "fights" with the pharisees and saducees.  In the garden of Gesthemane when the soldiers came to get him, he proudly pronounces who he is and the soldier are all knocked over when he says I am he.  Jesus was a rugged man, a man who worked with his hands, went into the wilderness for 40 days and nights.  A man who killed a serpant with his foot!  A man who flipped tables over when he caught merchants using his church basically as a black market.  A man who did not back down from Pontius Pilate or the pharisees or saducees, but fought the battle so that he could rescue his people.  Jesus was also a man when he spoke, people listened.  My Jesus is a warrior!  He did not sit back, he was a man of action.  Is Jesus a gentleman?  The Lord is a gentleman???  Not if you're in the service of his enemy.  God has a battle to fight and it is for our freedom!!!!

So I'm back from Texas!!!  Thank God I made it down there and back up here alive!!!  30 hours of driving is quite the toll on the body, not sure how truck drivers drive day in and day out long hours...I'd go insane!  Or am I already insane...not sure which.  But anyways, it was nice to get out of the state of IN for awhile and hang out with some friends and meet new ones!!  I had fun hanging out with the bride's sister Lacey and her friend Gracie...we pretty much hung out the whole time!  Texas is way HOT!!!  It got up to 106 w/ a heat index of 122.  I walked 40 feet from the apartment to the car and was sweating, I like to call that craziness.  Got to see some nice Corvettes while I was down there (her family is a corvette family)

The wedding was nice, short but nice.  Everything went pretty much as planned!  The ceremony and reception however only lasted about 3 hours.  I drove 30 hours for 3 hours...a little ironic, but it was worth seeing one of my best friends get married to the girl of his dreams!  Plus, I had a lot of fun while I was down there, seriously contimplating moving down to Texas!!  It's a little warm, but I think it would be a good change of scenery!!!  It wouldn't be for awhile yet, but it is something I am seriously considering!  Well that is all for now!!  Keep it real. word.

So I'm here at work....with not too much to do.  I sit and browse the internet for most of the day and don't do much of anything...it's the perfect job, except pay could be a little higher, but I'm not going to complain since they are the MOST FLEXIBLE people with my school/baseball schedule.  It's amazing...I can say "Hey, we have practice tomorrow morning, I won't be able to make it in until 10 instead of 8" They'll be like "ok, Just get here when you can."  Seriously, amazing people i work with...just thought I would throw that out there!!!

Now on to other subjects...I will be leaving for Tejas hopefully Tuesday afternoon, if not then by wednesday morning!  I'm kind of excited about getting out of the state of IN, but not really excited about the 15 hour drive i have ahead of me.  But it will be fun down there none-the-less!!!  *Side note- If anyone knows of any good books to read, I'm in the hunt for one-End Side note* 

Had some fun with some friends over the fourth of July weekend!  Saw fireworks at Black Squirrel golf course on like Sunday night, went to work on Monday and not quite sure what I did Monday night, oh yes I do...went up to the lake with a friend and was out on the lake until 1 am...pretty sweet.  Tuesday I went up to my grandparents lake and went out on the boat with some friends and family, then crashed early even though there were what sounded like M-80's going off next door.  Wednesday work and youth group, tonight...who knows and hopefully this weekend I will be camping!!!  Word.