364 days and Counting

Favorite Christmas Present: A book chalked full of game ideas for youth ministry.

Favorite Christmas Moment: We were at my Grandma's house on Christmas Eve and my little 1-year-old cousin started playing with a Santa Claus. This Santa Claus dances and shakes its booty, and Noah started dancing. But this wasn't just any kind of dancing. He was dirty dancing! He put his hands on his ankles and started backing it up. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen!

Favorite Christmas food: My mom's homemade turtle cheesecake...delicious!


Christmas was amazing! Even though a blizzard knocked out our electricity for about 4 hours on Christmas Eve, we were lucky enough to have power by the time we woke up. We had our usual cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and then we opened up our presents and were lazy the rest of the day! Nothing special happened...it was just a great time to be with family.

But unfortunately Christmas is over. Only 364 more days until new Christmas! Relient K has an awesome Christmas CD called, "Let it Snow, Baby...Let it Reindeer." One of their songs has a verse in it that says:

Take it all down
Christmas is over
Do not despair but rather be glad
We had a good year. Now let's have another.

I hate taking down all the Christmas decorations. I hate not listening to Christmas music for another 10 months (okay...I don't listen to Christmas music in October, but some people do...I think there should be a law against playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving). But Christmas is a good capstone to a good year. Now I am not trying to down play the importance of celebrating Christ's birth. I am just saying that Christmas is a great thing to end the year. Its like the cliche, "You always save the best for last." But this capstone is a transition for a beginning. Right around the corner is a new year that is full of possibilities and question marks. And I can't wait to see how God is going to answer them.

A Landis Christmas Eve

Today I worked out for the first time since thanksgiving break.

Today I remembered why the last time I worked out was thanksgiving break.

To be perfectly honest, I really dread the idea of working out (ask my friend Blake Park). This is actually really weird. In high school all I did was work out for sports and nothing else. But it never fails...after the workout I feel really good about myself and I promise to start making work outs a regularity in my schedule. And it never fails...I don't show my face in a gym for another month.

Besides loosing my breath after 2 minutes on a treadmill, I have been getting stoked for Christmas! I love everything about it...the songs, the decorations, the cheesy movies, and especially the mistletoe. Okay. Okay. I like the idea behind the mistletoe because its a cheap way to get a kiss, but I am not sure if it really works. Someday I will let you guys know....hopefully.

But since it is the Christmas season I just wanted to share with you guys a typical Christmas Eve at the Landis household. Before I go any farther, I need to confess something. Santa still comes to our house. Yes, the youngest family member is a senior in high school, but "if you don't believe in Santa, he won't give you any presents," so says my momma. Now I don't know if that is true or not, but I'm not willing to risk the presents.

Each Christmas Eve begins with us kids bringing down the presents and placing them under the Christmas Tree. These presents are from our parents and usually consist of articles of clothing and books...remember, Santa doesn't come until the night so the good presents aren't there yet. About 4:30 in the afternoon, everyone starts getting ready to go to my grandma's house. While at my grandma's we usually meet my uncle's new girlfriend (it seems like he has a new one every year), play around with my nephews that are 1 and 4, and then eat dinner. My great-grandmother-in-law-once-removed is always there with a glass of wine in her hand, and by about the 3rd glass she is really fun to talk to.

After exchanging presents with the family members, we go to the Christmas Eve service at my church. This usually consists of me and my brothers dripping hot wax on each other from the candles they pass out to everyone. This is followed by my dad giving us a "stern" look of disgust, but we keep doing it anyways. Once the the service is over, my family goes back to the house to get ready for Santa's arrival. We used to put chocolate chip cookies on a plate for the Jolly Elf, but lately we have been setting out oatmeal cookies (my dad's favorite...I'm still not sure if there is a correlation).

After getting everything ready for the morning, its time to open one gift! Our parents always allow us to open one gift on Christmas Eve, but they get to choose which one we open. The gift is always something we can use that night. For instance, one year we received robes. Another year, we got really nice pillows. But my all-time favorite was last year's Christmas Eve's present. We all opened matching red-silky boxers trimmed in white cotton (like Santa) and our own Santa hats. I am excited to see what we get this year, though i doubt it will outdo Santa boxers.

Well, whatever your Christmas Eves consists of, I hope you get to spend it with family because that is definitely the best part! And please wish me luck on falling asleep on December 24th...it is always so difficult to go to sleep because of the excitement! Who says you need to grow up?

The Fight

Winter is officially here...I went to unlock my car today and the doors were frozen shut! If any of you know me personally, I HATE the winter. I really don't think i would mind it too much if it wasn't for the constant 20 m.p.h. freezing wind blowing in my face. You know the kind of wind that makes it impossible to breath?! Yea, i dislike it with a passion.

Lately, I have been thinking (weird,right?) a lot about the dualistic nature of man. This really is not very complex. Basically, there seems to be a good side and a bad side to all human beings. It is as simple as that, but to understand the fact and master it are two totally different things. I preached about this to my home youth group in Topeka, Kansas. Unfortunately, i feel that i might have been talking over their heads. I wrote a paper about Christianity and dualism for philosophy. And the struggles in my own life have really heightened my sense about the dichotomy within my own life.

There are two entities that have control of my body and will. The first is the flesh or the "Self." This part of us is the seat of our passions and desires. The second part is the "Spirit." This is the seat of our willingness to do good or the part of us that is spiritual. This idea is best illustrated in the old looney tune cartoons that have bugs bunny or some other character on screen. This person is at a cross-roads...and has to choose between doing right or wrong (like eating poor tweety bird). All of a sudden an angel and a devil appear on the person's shoulders. The angel tries to convince the person to do the good, and the devil urges him to do the wrong. This is what happens to us when we come to a temptation; unfortunately, we aren't blessed with two small "mini me's" that pop up on our shoulders at the exact moment.

Lately, I have really seen this fight between the self and spirit in my life. My flesh wants to do whatever it can in order to please my sinful nature while the Spirit wants to please God and do what is right. I really hate this struggle, because when I use to believe that when I became a Christian, these temptations would stop coming and everything would be perfect. Sadly, this isn't the case at all! I struggle with giving into temptation has much as the next person. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with the same thing

Romans 7:15 says, "I do not understand what I do. For what i want to do i do not do, but what i hate i do."

Paul knows exactly what all of us are going through, because he often gives into the self's passions and desires. So what hope is there for us? YES! The very next chapter, Paul says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." And he goes on to explain that through Jesus the law of the "self" has been destroyed and and the law of the "spirit" has set us free! This is great news people...Jesus has fought the battle for us once and for all eschatologically. However,until his 2nd coming we still have to engage in this fight between the "self" and the "spirit" on a daily basis. Its our choice whether or not to fall into sin.

Paul writes in Galatians 5:24-25, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Christians need to kill the "self," and we need to live by the "spirit." We partner with Christ in this battle to defeat our selfish sinful nature. So my question for all of us is, "Who are we letting win the fight for control of our lives...the self or the Spirit?"

Oh, and if any of you want to buy me a Christmas present. Write to Santa, and I'm sure the big fellow will forward you a copy of my wish list. Thanks!

Campus Craziness

It seems like every year there is some new debatable issue on our campus. Last Year's controversy was whether or not Jesus could have sinned if he had chosen to do so. Some people believed he could not sin because he was 100% God, and God cannot sin. Still others viewed that Christ could have sinned because he was also 100% man while he was on this earth, and Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." Personally, I feel like Christ had the ability to sin if he wanted to, but he didn't...end of story. That was my junior year. My sophomore year's topic was a little less theological. What girl was going to date David Heffren? It seems unimportant, but all the girls on campus thought it was a big deal. David was even mentioned in a journal kept by one of the Girl's dorms and how he deserves some hot nice Christian girl (For more research on this topic see http://dheffren.blogspot.com/2008/11/bystander-effect.html). Unfortunately, David is still single and the debate rages on.

Now in my senior year, the campus is buzzing with the latest controversial topic...Pacifism. A few days ago in Chapel Terry Bowland, a New Testament/Evangelism Professor, spoke on a name of God found in Scripture. This name is not discussed very often. In fact, I had no clue what it meant. Lord Sabaoth. This name for God carries with it the meaning of Warrior or power. It is found mainly in the Old Testament, and it describes how the LORD is the Lord of the Heavenly Hosts, angel armies. Bowland's main thought of his sermon was that God is not a Pacifist. And no matter if you think war is good or Christians should or should not fight, you cannot disagree with the fact that God is not passive. God is going to unleash his wrath and anger against the evil in this world.

During Bowland's sermon, several students just got out of their seats and left. Terry Bowland is a great guy, and he has certain opinions that he isn't afraid to be made known. He let everyone know at the beginning of his sermon that he was not a pacifist and God was not either. He also said something along the lines of "Pinko fascist commies" in regards to pacifists. He was obviously joking and most people laughed it off. Along with his remark, Bowland also had a picture on the overhead of Jesus with a machine gun in hand. This apparently offended some people, and they hastily grabbed their backpacks and walked straight out of the chapel. I will admit that the picture was a little out of line, but Bowland did not mean anything wrong by it...he just wanted a couple of laughs.

I tell you all of this because people on this campus are making a big deal out of his sermon. Professors are writing blogs in response. Guys are in the dorms staying up late in the night debating whether or not pacifism is correct. Personally, I grew up in a very conservative home, so I have never questioned war. I always thought pacifism was for panzies who were picked last in dodgeball. Now the purpose of this blog is not to debate pacifism, because I'm sure there are other students who are doing that very thing. I just want to say that I think healthy debate is great, but it is wrong when disrespect enters the arena.

Many people got up in the middle of Terry Bowland's sermon and left. That equals disrespect. This man has two Master degrees and a Doctorate degree. He has done more things for the Kingdom than me, and he is more learned on the Bible than myself. Who am I to walk out on his sermon? I just want to say that I love everyone here at Ozark, even if we disagree on some issues. Some of the people who were outraged by Bowland's sermon also have no respect for the Government. These people bash the United States over and over again. And granted, the United States is not a holy nation that always follows the directives of God, but we are told to respect the government and its authority (Romans 13)

I guess it all comes down to this: We should obey the authority of our government as long as God remains the ultimate authority. The people who disagree with me...i still love them, and I don't think this issue is something that needs to divide the church. We already have enough problems as it is. So will this debate ever be settled? Probably not. But ladies there is one debate you can put an end to...and that is the David Heffren situation. You can do it. Please.

Philosophizing

I would not consider myself a philosopher. Philosophy simply means "love of wisdom," and this semester I am taking this class. I have learned about a lot about different philosophers, but what sticks out to me is that all of them are known for one of their sayings. They all have some thought-provoking idea that puts them on the map. So I started to think...I am almost done with one semester of philosophy. I need my saying. I need a thought-provoking idea. I need something that will boost me to the top of 21st century philosophy.

But first I just want to share with you the most famous philosophers and their popular sayings.

Socrates is famous for, "Know thyself" and "The Unexamined life is not worth living!" Both of these are pretty good. Straight forward and true. Oh and by the way, Socrates often when around in the nude speaking. He was just so carried away in this thoughts that he would forget to dress himself.

Rene Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am." I guess this is pretty insightful because almost 400 years later, it is still being studied. But this comes from a guy who would habitually sleep-in until noon everyday. Then he would just lounge around and be lazy. When he finally had to start waking up in the morning (he started tutoring the Queen of Sweden), he got sick and died. Descartes was a pretty lazy dude. The way he came up with his famous line was by sitting in a Sauna! The guy just liked to think.

Another philosopher is Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He really isn't known for any popular proverb, but I just want to point out the ridiculous-ness of him. He is known for writing a book on child development titled Emile. However, this man never married, but he had tons and tons of illegitimate children. It was actually not uncommon when a baby was dropped off on the steps of the orphanage for the workers to say, "Looks like Rousseau is at it again." I just thinks its interesting that some much scholarship is given to a man who writes on raising children, but never wants to raise one himself.

Leibniz is a German philosophy who said that you need to have, "the best of all possible worlds." Sounds pleasant.

John Locke is known for his Tabula Rasa, "blank slate." Basically, a child is born with a completely blank slate in his or brain, and they learn through experiences imprinting on their minds.

The final philosopher is George Berkeley who said, "To be is to be perceived." This man is a Bishop of a church, but without meaning to he begins the notion of placing empiricism over rationalism. This leads to the view that the only knowledge possible is the knowledge of ourselves and our perceptions. There is no way of getting outside this. So here is a man, a Christian, who accidentally opens the door for criticism in the way the Bible is to be understood...not good.


All of these men are smart intelligent men. Some of them are lazy. Some of them prance around philosophizing in the nude. And still others innocently tear down the very thing they are trying to build up. So what can I provide to the world? Its really nothing on the scale of the men i mentioned above. I actually thought of this when I was in high school.

When you want to succeed, all you have succeeded to do is want.

Basically, if you want to succeed at something, go do it! Don't just want and yearn. You will never accomplish anything if you just think about it. If that is the case, you have actually only succeeded in thinking about doing something. You have to go out and do it!

Writing off Senioritis

Senioritis is not a fun thing. I remember when I was just about to graduate from high school, and I had a bad case of senioritis. I didn't want to do my homework or even be at school. Everything seemed so pointless because I already knew what I was doing after high school. I had already made up my mind that I was going to attend Ozark Christian College, and totally "checked out" by the time November hit my senior year.

Here I sit four years later, the same time of year, but a different situation. Next year I am not going to another school. To be really honest, I have NO clue what I am doing after I graduate in May, and it scares the poop out of me. I could either do a year-long internship somewhere (preferably out West), or take a youth ministry with a church. I could also just be a bum at my parents' house, but I've already done that for 18 years of my life. Basically, I'm freaking out!!!!

To add to everything else, the church I attend just finished up a sermon series titled "The Vow." They went through four different vows every married couple should be committed to fulfilling. For instance, the first vow was "God is my #1 and my spouse is my #2." There were three other vows, but this one is probably the most important. Without fulfilling this vow, the rest of them won't fall in line. I say all of this to say that I am as single as it gets! Out of the four weeks of this sermon series, I have been called out by the 2 different preachers about being single. Just today, the preached was talking about how he was friends with his wife for a year before they started to date, and he proceeded to say, "That means there is hope for all of you...that includes you Charlie Landis!"

It was actually pretty funny, and I love and respect the guy who said it. But it really got me thinking. I am graduating in a little over a semester, and I am single. There is NOTHING wrong with being single; in fact, I respect people who graduate from Ozark single. However, some churches won't hire a young youth minister who is single. I was joking about this with one of my friends the other day, and he said I should pretend to have a girlfriend who lives in Europe or something so that a church will hire me. I really don't blame churches for being careful who they hire, because there have been those instances where a young minister has succumb to Satan's lies and deception with someone in his ministry. I guess what I am trying to say that there are a lot of open-ended options in my life.

We all conclude different parts of our lives. There is that time in your life when you are about 5-years-old and you are done being a baby and you go to Kindergarten. When you turn 11, you are finally potty-trained. After your 13th birthday, you are now a teenager. Your 18th birthday brings about a new sense of freedom. But what about my life now that I am almost done with College? Shouldn't it mean that I have reached full maturity because I have my life planned out? David Heffren in his blog www.dheffren.blogspot.com, says, "maturity is something more than seemingly having life figured out." He goes on to explain that true maturity is found in wisdom and the proper application of knowledge. My friend makes a good point: maturation does not equal figuration. I do not have my entire life figured out, designed, and planned out.

I am writing the conclusion to my collegiate career, but I have not even began to start writing the introduction to the next section in my life. So what? I do not know what I am doing when I graduate. I do not have a girlfriend. But all I can do is be prepared to start writing. I am going to have a pen in hand ready to write a new chapter in the life of Charlie Landis...and you never know...this chapter could include a hot chick.

Taking Off the Mask

Halloween is officially over. Sad day. Growing up, Halloween was always one of my favorite times of the year. For one day, I didn't have to be Charlie Landis. I could be Count Dracula, Superman, and ,regrettably so, a woman. I finally had a good reason to wear my mom's dress out of the house.....please see the sarcasm. But I really did enjoy dressing up in a costume, not to mention the free candy. I have inherited a lot of things from dad: large calves, brown eyes, a receding hair line, and a sweet tooth. Now you can understand why Halloween was so dear to my heart growing up.

Someone once said, "Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional." This year I went back to my roots of my childhood...I wore a costume for Halloween! There were many suggestions on the table of what I should be, but I ended up on being Tweety bird.



This isn't one of my proudest moments. I didn't even win "Best Costume." As you can see, I had a big Tweety Bird headpiece that engulfed my entire head. It would get really hot in there, so I would take it off and put it back on. As I was doing so, it got me to start thinking about something profound (and you know that doesn't happen very often).

The Greek word for "hypocrite" in the New Testament is hupokrites. During the 1st Century, this was a term used for an actor in a play. These people would put on masks to show their role in the production. They would often play multiple parts in the play, so they would have to switch out masks in order to convey another character. This is where we get the meaning of this word today. A hypocrite is simply a person who pretends to have a virtuous character. Basically, this kind of person pretends to have it all together, when in actuality he doesn't.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-28. He says,

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

Wow! Jesus unloads on the "virtuous" people of His day. The Pharisees were men who strictly followed the Law given by God, and they sought after righteousness. However, Jesus calls them out and calls them graves! Some graves nowadays are pretty nice. If you go to the cemetery in Topeka, Kansas, there is a fairly good size building that pretty marble. It has designs on the side, and the overall appearance of the grave is beautiful. Jesus says, "Yea...you guys look pretty on the outside, but on the inside you are like rotting corpses!" Ouch!

My last post I talked about the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting I attended, and I came to the conclusion that we all need to understand that we all do not have it right. This post is just piggy-backing off of the same idea. I know i can come off as if i have everything together, but the truth is I don't. I struggle with temptation. I sin. I fall time and time again in the daily struggle of overcoming my selfishness and pride. So what do I do? I put on this mask. My mask has a pretty smile to cover up my mistakes and a halo on the top to distract from my imperfection.

But its time to take of my mask and live an honest life that depicts the real Charlie Landis. I'm not saying that now I need to just let everyone know that I am this horrible guy, but I need to start living up to what my mask is showing. I must try to live a virtuous life, so that one day I will not have a need for any dumb mask to cover up my mistakes and selfishness.

All I Need to Know I Learned from AA.

Looking across the room, Jim looked like an average guy. Sure, his beard was a little untrimmed, and he was missing a couple of teeth. But Jim has a disease, and he isn’t afraid to admit it. As soon as he sat down, he exclaimed, “Hello. I’m Jim…and I’m an alcoholic.”

I attended an alcoholic anonymous group called “2nd Chance Group” to fulfill a requirement for my Crisis Counseling class. Before attending the meeting, I felt very tense and worried. I was not sure how they would accept my presence at their meeting. However, a man named Jim, the leader of the group, offered me his hand and a hot cup of coffee as soon as I had walked in the door. Soon, I had met almost the entire group before the meeting even began. The people in the group were very inviting and welcoming. It was very interesting to observe the members of the group interact with each other as they walked in the room. Everyone was greeted with a smile, hug, and a pat on the back. Even first time visitors, who were nervous and felt out of place, were welcomed the same. I would say that the overall atmosphere of the group was that of acceptance, love, and community.

There was a very large difference in age between the members of the group. There was an 87-year-old man who had been sober for over 40 years, a 49-year-old man who was drunk at the meeting, a 30-year-old man who used to be involved in church leadership and several women in their fifties. There were about 15 people in the entire group who were dealing with alcoholism.

Going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was a real eye-opener. It was amazing to see the acceptance and love found in the 2nd Chance AA group. Their willingness to come forward and admit that they have a disease that they cannot deal with by themselves was truly extraordinary. Sometimes in the church, people try to pretend that they are perfect Christians, and they ignore the fact that they are messed-up people in need of a Messiah. I think that is were AA gets it right. They know they need help, because they have a problem they can’t seem to shake.

The MESSiah came to enter into our MESSES and bring us hope and healing. To even suggest we aren't a mess really implies we have no need for a MESSiah, and you are slapping Jesus in the face and spitting on his sacrifice.

If Christians began to mimic Jim, as mentioned at the beginning, great things would happen. I think we all need to join with Jim in saying, “Hello. My name is _______…and I’m a sinner.”

Darn You, Kink in the Neck!

Have you ever seen a shooting star? If I had to guess, I bet 99.995% of people have seen one. Unfortunately, I am a part of that .005% that has never witnessed the awesomeness of a shooting star. This past Sunday the college group I am a part of had a bonfire where we ate some hotdogs and had a worship time around the fire. During the singing, I leaned back in my chair, and I just stared into the dark sky. As I continued to just gaze into the expanse of darkness, stars began to appear. One after another, they popped up. First they were dim, but over time they began to get brighter and brighter until it seemed like the entire night sky was stringed with constellations made from tiny beautiful balls of light.

It was awesome in its purest since of the definition. I don't know if you have ever taken the time to just sit back and look at the night sky, but I strongly encourage you to. If you live in the city, take a road trip 20 minutes outside the city. Park and lay down on the roof of your car and just stare at the sky on a cloudless night. It is truly indescribable. Sunday night after staring into the sky for about 5 minutes, it seemed like the stars were literally lowered enough that I could reach out and grab a cluster of them. I even found myself reaching out to try and grab one, but some girl started staring at me so I played it off like I was stretching.

When the girl finally quit staring at me, I went back to star gazing. While I was looking up in the sky, the guy doing worship started playing a song with the lyrics,

I want to know you, I want to hear your voice,
I want to know you more.
I want to touch you, I want to see your face,
I want to know you more.

When I was singing those words, I feld like God was answering my prayer right in front of me. I could see his artistic masterpiece, and in turn, I felt like I knew him better. It is really good to be reminded of God's creativity and his creation. I'll be the first to tell you that I am not an "outdoors man." I know that is contradictory to every book ever written about manliness, but I really enjoy the comforts of air conditioning and accessible toilet paper. But I really enjoyed seeing this side of God. It was beautiful.

Oh, and by the way, I never saw a shooting star that night. There were several of them, but everytime one shot across the sky I was trying to get the kink out of my neck from staring straight up in the sky. Bum deal if you ask me.

Jim the Golfer

Today I went golfing with my good buddy Ryan Hicks, and he ended up beating me by one stroke! It came down to the last hole, and I totally blew it.

I love golfing, but at the same time I freakin' hate the sport! It is one of the most frustrating things to do in life. Think about it...you are trying to a hit a small white ball that is 1.6 inches in diameter into a small hole that is only about 4 inches wide. And you are doing this with a stick. From about 120 yards away, you are supposed to make this tiny ball fall into the small cup with a stick in just 3 shots!! I think this is Preposterous.....but I'll still pay an outrageous amount of money to play the sport.

About a month ago, I was golfing with my brother, Jim, at a place in Topeka. We started off playing with just the two of us, but around the fourth hole a forty-year-old man behind us asked if he could join us. He was quite a bit better than me and my brother, but we said if he was willing to put up with our poor play we would be glad to let him play with us. We came to find out his name was Jim as well and he too was a big Kansas Jayhawk fan.

After talking a lot about Jayhawk football and basketball and playing nine holes, my brother decdied to call it day. He had to get home and take care of some stuff, but I still wanted to play. So I asked Jim if it was okay if I joined him on the final 9 holes while my brother quit. He was fine with it, and chuckling he asked if we were going to play for money. Knowing he was way better at golf, I smartly declined.

We continued to play, and he continued to kick my butt (as you can tell, everyone beats me). I found out that Jim worked at the local casino. He also had a girlfriend with whom he had 2 children, and he planned on marrying her in the spring sometime. As we were nearing the end of the golf course, he opened up to me about his past relationships and how unhealthy they were. I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to talk to him about Christ and how much He loves him no matter where he had been. At first I just ignored the Spirit's tugging, but it began to grow stronger and stronger. But I never said a thing. All I could do was shake my head in acknowledgment of how crappy his life had been. A nod? Is that all I could offer Jim?

I totally wasted my chance to share the good news with Jim. Instead I apathetically took the easy way out and chose to ignore the Spirit's tugging.

Jim, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for basically spitting in your face and telling you that you weren't worthy my time or my pride. I was too afraid of what you would think of me if I brought up my Savior and my Lord. I want him to be your Lord too. I know I probably won't see you again, but if I run into you again on the golf course, I pray that I love you enough to tell you about my Jesus. I'm sorry Jim the golfer.

Am I being to harsh on myself? I don't think so. I shouldn't have wasted my opportunity to talk to Jim. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Who is your Jim?

Awkward.

I am going to come right out and say it...no clever introduction, no joke, not even an illustration to try and prove my point.........I am an awkward guy.

For some reason, the word "awkward" has always been associated with me. I really haven't thought about it very much, but it is true. Awkward and Charlie go together like Cookies and Cream, like Doug Funny and Patty Mayonnaise, like Kansas City professional sport teams and losing. There is no escaping that I'm awkward. I just got a sermon back from my expository preaching class and what do you know...the letters "A-W-K-W-A-R-D" written out on the front page about one of my main points. I really don't like being an awkward guy, but i guess i can't escape it!

Ever since I can remember, awkwardness has followed me wherever I went. I'm sure there are many stories from my early childhood about me being awkward, but I have a terrible memory.

In middle school I was dating a girl named Amy Cortez. She was in the 8th grade; I was in the 7th grade....enough said. I would probably consider Amy my first "real" girlfriend, not that I had a bunch of imaginary girlfriends running around, but she was the first girl I liked. My 5th grade girlfriend, Candace Pahmamie, was more like a friend. I think the reason I asked her to be my girlfriend was because my best friend liked her, so I did what was noble....I asked her to by my lady via a note with a "check-yes-or-no-box." Back to Amy, I had not previously had a "real" girlfriend, so that means I have never hugged a girlfriend...simple logic. One day when school had just let out, I was standing by her locker and we were planning what we were going to do that Friday night, so we finally agreed to go to the cornmaze with some of her friends. As she was leaving, she leaned in the for the hug. We embraced, and I gave her three pats on her back. Quickly she moved away from me exclaiming, "Am I your grandpa or something? Do you not know how to hug a girl?!" Embarrassed I shrugged and told her I would see her that night.

When it was coming close to the time Amy was going to pick me up to go to the cornmaze, I decided to go down the hill to my friend Alex's house. Luckily, Jonathan was at his house too. You see, Jonathan was and still is a ladies man. Actually, he is A lady man...he is married to a Godly woman named Kylee. But the reason I went down to Alex's house was to learn how to hug before the cornmaze which would inevitably end up with a good-night-hug. As I was walking back up to my house, I finally worked up the nerve to ask Jonathan how to hug a girl. By this time it was dark outside, and we were standing in the middle of the street. He told me how to hug a girl (which is still a mystery to this day for me), and finally he told me practice with him. We embraced and right in the middle of our hug, a car pulls up the road with its lights shining right on us. We both sprinted in opposite directions embarrassed that it might have been someone we knew. Unfortunately, I don't remember if I ever hugged Amy that night, but I do know that it was awkward learning how to hug in the middle of the street.

Another awkward moment in my life was about a year ago...remember there are many awkward moments in my life. I dated a girl for a while. It started in my high school years and it bled into my college years. Well, we both thought it would probably be for the best if we were no longer together. I was sitting in her car, and we just got done talking about the break-up. We decided to have one last hug. As I went in the for the hug, I let the loudest and stinkiest fart rip right in the middle of our hug. That....was awkward!

Seeing how these two stories of my awkwardness are both related to hugging, I think it is necessary to bring up my philosophy on the awkwardness of all hugging. Did you know that there are 5 different possible options when hugging a person. Your arms can be either on top, on the bottom, diagonal (2 ways), or a side hug. Besides this, you both have to decide what position each of your arms are going to be in. And you can't ask this question..you both have to basically read the other person's mind in order to execute a perfect hug. I don't know...this might not make sense to anybody else. Hugging is just an awkward process.

Well I don't know if i will ever be able to escape the awkwardness that is Charlie Landis. I really hope I do because I don't know many ladies out there looking for an awkward guy.

Redemp(adop)tion

I really haven't been writing much in my blog this semester...I'm not sure if it's because I don't have enough time to or if I don't really have anything to write about. Either way, my blog has been practically non-existent so I apologize!

This past weekend I went home for my church's annual golf tournament. My team consisted of a 70-year-old man (my step-grandfather), and two other 20-something-year-olds. When we finished our round of golf, our team was sitting at (-4). Basically, we were four strokes better than the average score of that golf course, and I was almost positive we were going win. Well, it ended up that the minister's team "won." He always seems to end up with the best players on his team......coincidence? I think not.

Besides play golf, I also had a chance to watch my little brother win his first football game of the season. For those of you who don't know me, I am always bragging about my brother, Sam. I practically live through him, but he is a really good guy and I love him to death! He is the starting middle linebacker for the school and is a beast on defense. He ended up with like 15 tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack! My parents and I watched the game together, and it was just great to spend time with my family. I love my family!!!

I just finished writing a sermon for my preaching class over a passage in Ephesians. In this passage, the Apostle Paul is talking about our Spiritual family. Ephesians 1:5 says, "In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." A lot of people get all tangled up on the word predestined, but for this blog posts sake, I won't even begin a discussion on that. But the word that really jumped out at me was the term "adoption." When I was younger, I was never big on the whole adoption idea for a family. I told myself that I would have a family of all boys that had the same DNA as me cause thats how I roll. However, I totally realize how ignorant and stupid that sounds.

In light of Ephesians 1:5, Paul is writing to several churches in Asia Minor. In this area, and especially Ephesus, there was a custom among the people for families who did not want to keep their children. If a child was born to a family that was either unwanted or disabled or defected in someway, the parents could take the children outside of the city gates and leave them there to die. In Ephesus, the people would walk up the mountain right outside of the city and place these "defected" children in a certain spot (can be called the "Circle of Infants") where all these kinds of kids were to be left. The Ephesians knew where this spot was, and very often, people would go up to that spot on the mountain and "adopt" or take one of the children for themselves. Under Roman law, these adults were given full custody of the child. Unfortunately, more times than not, people would go up to pick up a girl to raise up so they could fill the brothels in Ephesus. Other times, infant boys were taken to be raised as slaves. Heck, why not? It was cheaper than paying for a slave. But there were those times, when a Godly person would choose a little kid who had been left and abandoned. These kids were "adopted" into their new loving family.

This is the exact same kind of adoption we find in Ephesians 1:5, "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ." In the previous verse, Paul says that God, "chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless." The Greek word for "blameless" means to be without defect. God has chosen us who were defected to become blameless and holy! God has redeemed us from the so-called "circle of infants." Redemption is ours. We are God's adopted family. Because in the middle of redemption, you will find adoption.

Caked-up in Make-up

Does anyone else think its interesting that we usually don't do any "labor" on Labor Day? I guess I did labor a little bit when i put coals in the grill, so my family could have our annual Labor Day cookout, but for the most part....I was Labor-free. My mom on the other hand didn't have to go into work today because it was Labor day, but she still labored over my laundry (I love my momma!)

This Labor Day weekend I went home to watch my little brother's high school football game and hang out with my parents. It was a great weekend! My little brother scored a touchdown, but he also separated his shoulder twice in the game so he will be out of football for a couple of weeks. Also, when I got home I found out that one of our neighbors had mysteriously left. A couple days before I got home, I guess a huge moving van and policemen were at her house making sure she left unharmed. My family was clueless as to what was happening, but we got a letter the next day in the mail detailing the situation.

Inside the letter contained 3 pictures of this lady. She had a cut underneath her eye running down to the corner of her mouth. Her bottom lip was swollen and was bruised black and purple. It appeared that her nose had been broken in several places, and blood was stained all over her white shirt. Besides the 3 pictures, a two-paged letter was included describing an incident that happened between her and her husband. The letter was addressed to her husband, and it was a "Good-Bye" letter. Strewn through the entire letter were four-letter-words, and her attempts at telling him how much she loved him. She was leaving him because he was a drunk. One night he came home drunk as usual and sat down in his recliner, and he began to get even more plastered. A fight broke out between them, and he ends up smashing her face with a vase.

As I read this letter, my heart broke. I couldn't put into words what my heart was feeling...I have had several days to think about the letter and the pictures and my neighbors. I still can't quite explain the feeling of brokenness I have for them. But to be perfectly honest, I didn't know them that well. I guess you could say my heart broke not just for my neighbors for all of those people in the world who are afflicted by the weight and crap of this world.

Going to school at Ozark Christian College, I am in a perfect-Christian-bubble. Everything is rainbows and butterflies. I'm getting ready to graduate in a year, and I think my view of the world has been distorted. Don't get me wrong...I know the world is messed up, but I haven't had something so disgusting and messed-up hit so close to me. My world is caked-up in make-up. Everything is so pretty, and there are no blemishes. But the world outside of my pretty little perfect bubble is not pretty. Its real. It is hurting.

This time next year I am not sure what I'll be doing, but I know that I will be in a world that isn't masked with Bible College Classes, small groups, youth groups, and 20 guys on a dorm floor that will do anything for me. I'll see the "real" world and what she really looks like. I just got a piece of it in a couple of pictures and a letter. I guess my purpose in writing this is just to ask you if your world is covered in make-up?

Shamoo's Splash

Amazing! That is what I have to stay about my summer internship in Derby, Kansas. I love the kids in the youth group so much. It really hurts knowing that I won't be able to see them every week, and to be able to talk and laugh with them. I was so blessed to be able to learn under the youth minister, Nick Pannone, and the rest of the staff at First Christian.

While we were at CIY, I went back to my room one night and began to write what I was feeling. This blog is basically what I wrote that night.

Today was a great day! It was draining, yet a day of great celebration. This is the third day at the MOVE conference in Cleveland, Tennessee, and the Holy Spirit was moving in the Derby youth group. I say it was a draining day in that I had conversations with multiple people that just suck the lift out of you, but it was also a day to celebrate in that I was able to talk one-on-one with a student about baptism!

This internship has been one of the best things that has happened to me. I am so thankful to God for placing me in Derby, Kansas at First Christian Church on the corner of Market and Debry Street! The relationships I've built with students have been incredible, and the many ministry lessons I've learned are very valuable. Youth ministry is something that has become very important in my life. I see students who are slaves to sin and they don't even see it! Students' morals don't even come close to lining up with Scripture. And many kids think Acts is just a verb. They have no clue that it is a book in the New Testament. Its just a culmination of all these things that fuel the fire in my heart to lead students to Christ.

Tonight Jim Johnson spoke about how the Israelites were stuck beetween an army (the Egyptians) and a Sea. The Israelites were cornered and were hopeless with no way out. So what does Moses tell the Israelites to do? Be still and know that God will deliver them like he always does. Somewhere in the middle of his sermon, Jim was talking about how the cornerstone of everything God does is to show his Glory. He went on to explain that we often get in the mindset that God cares most about us and not himself or his Glory. But if he did care and love us more than Himself, that would be Idolatry on God's part and therefore making us God...not Him. Everything God does is to show his glory. Then Jim said this amazing quote,

"God is like Shamoo. He is playign and dancing in the universe,
and we have the joy of getting splashed."

Basically, God is doing all of this amazing stuff displaying how Great He is, and he graciously allows us to partner with him in showing his glory....we get splashed!


I can't thank God enough for blessing me with this internship and allowing me to parnter with him in sharing his glory to students in Derby! I can't wait to see how God splashes me next!

"I had them Ladies rollin'!"

Vacation Bible School is here at First Christian Church in Derby! From 9 a.m. until noon, there are kids ranging from preschool to 5th graders roaming all over the church building making crafts, playing games, and learning awesome VBS songs.

Shonda, the children's minister, was so kind as to give me the job of heading up the game station. I like this for two reasons....first, I get to play games! Second, I get to meet and hang out with all of the kids. One particular kid cracks me up! His name is Austin, and he is a gangster in a little white boy's body. He is around 8-years-old and has blonde hair. The first day of VBS, Austin is the first kid in line at the game station, and he has a name tag on that says "AUSTIN" in all capital letters. So i say, "Hey Austin, are you excited for the game station?" He turns around to his friend and says excitedly with his eyes wide-open, "That dude knows my name!" I couldn't help but start laughing, but I gained my compsure and began to introduce myself and the rest of my game crew members. Then today as VBS was coming to a close, I asked him if he had a good day, and he said, "Man....I had them ladies rollin' today." He went on to explain that he was a funny guy who was good with the girls. And when he was leaving with his mom I said, "Goodbye Austin. I'll see you tomorrow." He then turns to his mom and says, "He knows my name!" I love kids!

So what did I learn today at VBS besides that everyone seems to be a ladies except for me? Children, no matter how much they test your patience, are honored and loved by God. Jesus tells adult men and women that unless you become like a child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God (Mt. 18). Kid are very dependent. Survival is dependent upon other people. Jesus is telling us that unless we become humble and depend on God like children depend on their moms and dads, we will never understand what kind of relationship we must have with God. We must depend on God for our strength to live in this dark world. We must depend on God to get through tough times. We must depend on God just to get through the monotonous daily routine of daily life.

So we must all be like Austin and have a life defined by dependency on God!

Don't Let Life Put You in a Corner

Sometimes life just forces you into situations you don't want to be in........just playing! This blog has nothing to with life and nothing to do with a corner. "Don't let life put you in a corner" is just some cheesy line i heard at a middle school church camp this week from a hilarious video called "Edwin's Corner." Camp was awesome! Not only did i get to know the kids a lot better, but it was really cool to be reminded of God's grace.

There were a couple of kids that went to camp that I got to hang out with a lot. There was Chase, the ladies man, Luke, the hypochondriac, Austin Thrailkill, who just has an awesome last name, and many other kids.

I'm a pretty seasoned veteran when it comes to church camps. Last summer, I traveled to 7 different church camps in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. I thought I had been through it all, but I hadn't! I think it was Tuesday Night about 12:30ish, and Austin Thrailkill (I am so jealous of his name...unfortunately, the kid really doesn't live up to his name) said he wasn't feeling well. He was on the top bunk bed and i was on the bottom bunk, so I tell him to go to the bathroom just in case he was going to throw up. I get up and start walking towards the bathroom in front of him when I hear "it" start traveling up his throat and into his mouth. I started running but by the time i got to the bathroom door to turn on the light for Austin, I felt some chunky substance all over my feet. It was NASTY! But luckily, Austin felt better afterward and went right back to sleep. Unfortunately, my towell got all disgusting from cleaning up and was thrown away.....moment of silence........okay moving on! So after Austin lays back down to bed, Luke, the hyperchondriac, wakes up and starts freaking out because another kid told him that Austin threw up. Luke then beliees he is going to throw up and says he is going to start getting hives. Remember, this is all going on about 1:00 in the morning. It was crazy!

The kid named Chase, the ladies man, also gave me some insight into camp but it had nothing to do with getting sick.....it was all about how to pick up the ladies! I asked him how he got all the girls to talk to him and he said, "Man, all you got to do is go up to them and tell them that you forgot how to spell a word and ask them to spell it for you. AFter that, you are in!" Needless to say, I didn't try that one out at camp becuase it was full of middle schoolers but watch out ladies...when school starts in the fall, I might mysteriously forget how to spell.

Looking back to last week and camp, I have nothing but good things to say about the middle school kids and more importantly, God. He is so faithful and patient with a people who do nothing but turn our backs on Him again and again. One of the worship songs we sung was the old hymn Amazing Grace. I have sang that song so many times that I cannot count, and sadly, I just sing it...I am not telling God.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

Wow! I forgot what I was singing about...GRACE! I can't express how thankful I am for God forgiving me, a sinner! I hope that i never take for granted the grace God has graciously granted me.

Humble Acceptance

So the last time i wrote in my blog....people had no clue what the Swine Flu was, and the Kansas City Royals were not below .500! Other things have changed since then too. I am living in Derby, Kansas for the summer for a youth internship at First Christian Church. I'm staying with an awesome family....Dan and Jessi Stang. They have a 11-year-old son named Ryan that cracks me up! He is one smart little dude, and he makes miniature Ferris wheels and picture frames out of duct tape....really cool kid.

I'm going to keep you guys updated throughout the summer about whats going on in my life and in my head. To be perfectly honest with you...I am really nervous about this summer! For those of you that hang out with me, you know I can be outgoing when i hang out with you guys, but it is a different story when it comes to big crowds of people i don't know. The youth group I'm helping out with has around 50 kids in middles school and about 50 in high school. I'm used to an entire youth group being about 30 kids! Its a little overwhelming.

Last night was the first time I was able to meet some of the kids. They had a middle school swim party at someone's house, and there were about 40 kids there. I found myself kind of shying away from some of the kids, and I didn't know why. As I thought about it some more, I came to the conclusion that i wasn't confident in myself and my ability to get to know them. Confidence is something i never had a problem with when I was younger, but now it seems like confidence is hard to come by nowadays. I hate that about myself and I want to change!

What was really weird about this whole situation was that I just read Matthew 3 where it talks about John the Baptist and how Jesus wanted to get baptized by him, but it says that John tried to "deter" Jesus from that happening. The Baptist thought he wasn't worthy enough to tie Jesus' sandals, let alone baptize him! However, he humbly accepts Jesus' request to baptize Him. Sometimes we make excuses to why we don't fulfill what God has planned for us. For instance, I know without a doubt that God wants me to work with youth and bring them into a saving relationship with Him, but I make excuses like, "I'm not cool enough," or "I'm not outgoing enough for kids to like me." I need to quit making excuses and humbly accept Jesus request like John the Baptist.

I guess my question to you is, "What excuses are you making that are stopping you from humbly accepting Jesus' request in your life?"

The Grave is the Beginning

About a month ago, I was at baseball practice taking fly balls in the outfield, and I dove for a ball. Unfortunately, I rolled on top of my right wrist when I was diving, and I injured some ligament in my wrist. A few weeks went by and it was still bothering me, so I went to some doctor. He told me that I probably just sprained it, but there is a slight chance I tore it. If it was torn I was done playing baseball for the season!!!! He gave me some anti-inflammatory medicine which I finished that last dosage last Friday, and my wrist still hurts! So this is probably not a good sign for my baseball career. I really hope that it gets better because our first game is in one week from today. If I can't play I will be upset because I LOVE baseball, but that is not why I am here at Ozark. I will be content whatever my situation and continue to glorify God in my studies.

With all that sad stuff out of the way, its time for the good news.......or at least it should be.

Jesus has been crucified and has been laying dead in the tomb for about a day and half when we pick it up in Mark 16. We see three women walking to Jesus' tomb bringing spices for the body of Jesus, because by this time the body is rotting and beginning to smell. As I read this passage I began to ask myself, "What are these women thinking? How are they feeling?" People usually aren't really excited about death and the grave. For the most part, the grave represents the end of things. People try to do so many things before they die, because they cannot do them once they're dead!

The Apostles and the women probably thought the very same thing. The grave ended Jesus' ministry. They a good run at it. For three years they devoted themselves to this mans teachings and ways, but now that death has come into the picture, it is all lost. The plans they were hoping of restoration to God's people were no longer possible. But luckily God had something else in mind.......His plans were different.

Lets take a break from that story, and see what Jesus thought about death. In Luke 9:23 says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." How did Jesus die? O ya, on a cross! Apparently, Jesus wants everyone who wants to follow him to die? Yes, in a "spiritual" sense. Now some of the Apostles literally did take up there cross and were killed, but for 21st century Christians it means self-denial, complete dedication and willing obedience to Christ. This type of death also scares people, because it does mean the end of our plans. We will no longer be able to fulfill our selfish pleasures and wants.

Back to Mark 16. The women and all the believers thought that plans of Jesus were over. His promises of a new life of love and peace went with him to the grave, but when the women arrived at the grave they found it empty! The Grave couldn't kill Jesus or God's plan. After Jesus meets with the Apostles post-crucifixion, he stays with them for forty days and then ascends to be with God. The church then explodes! Peter gives a sermon during Pentecost and about 3,00o people were added to their number that day (Acts 2). God's plan of salvation didn't die with Jesus' death on the cross. His plan actually just began.

Sometimes people believe that the grave is the end of our plans, but in reality the grave is the beginning of God's plans. When we die to ourselves and pick up our cross daily entering a "spiritual" grave, God can finally begin to use us to fulfill His will. So I plead with everyone....we must die to our selfish desires and wants, and die to ourselves so God can begin his plan for us.

Plastic

Today is the day of love. Valentines Day is upon us, and is smacking every single person in the face. It seems to me that Valentines Day is being advertised more than ever. I don't know if it is because this is this first time in a long time I haven't had to celebrate it so I noticed it more, or our economy sucks and they want people to spend money. Whatever the reason, Valentines day is here.

This morning I went to the grocery store with my parents to buy some snacks for the KANSAS/kansas state basketball game. I used to work at this store, so I know a couple of people who still work there. As I was walking through the produce section, I saw a guy that has been working at the store for a long time. We used to talk a lot during our breaks, and he could always crack me up.

As he was putting the yogurt in their places on the shelf, he began to tell me what was going on in his life. He had divorced his wife a couple of years ago with whom he had a seven-year-old son. His wife accused him of child molestation, child pornography and many other cruel accusations. She ended up getting custody because of these insane lies, and he doesn't get to see his son that much anymore. This guy has recently been remarried with a woman who already has 3 daughters, and together they have a two-year-old son. To add on top of all of this crap, he never graduated college, so he doesn't have a degree where he can make good money. He is barely getting by with his pay from the store. According to him, his "life sucks."

When I walked away from this guy, it hit me. I am living in a fallen world. This fallen world has people who are blind and have nothing but letdown after letdown come into their lives. People are searching for some stability and purpose, but their search comes up empty. This world was created as a perfect place where man and God could live together in love. Unfortunately, sin entered the picture and things have not been right since.

I hate seeing people like my friend from the store hurting. This is REAL life. Going to Ozark Christian College, it is easy to get in the "Ozark Christian College Bubble." By this I mean, we don't see the pain and hurt that goes on in the world, because we are surrounded by other Christians who appear to have everything figured out. But I don't live in a plastic world where Barbi and Ken end up happily married for the rest of their lives. This is REAL life!

My friend who's "life sucks," needs someone to show him the light in a dark world. This light gives stability in the midst of instability. It gives hope to the hopeless, and it offers love where there is hate. I do not live in plastic world, but I do live in a world where REAL people are lost in the darkness.

Hurting

The Spring Semester is in full swing! Three weeks have come and gone, and papers and tests have arrived. I have always enjoyed starting a new semester, because it gives you the opportunity to start things on the right foot. I always vow to be more studious than the previous semester, but for some reason I end up getting stuck in the root of mediocrity. You know? Just doing enough to get by. However, so far this semester I have been true to my vow about my studies. I am actually on top of all of my required reading and homework! This semester is looking good.

Not only are the academics on all four cylinders, but also the athletics. I play on the Ozark Baseball team, and we have been working out for the past three weeks. We run, lift weights, throw the ball around and hit in the cage. Sometimes it gets pretty depressing knowing that we still won't play a real game for another month, but all of our hard work will pay off when the season rolls around. Besides playing on the baseball team, I play on an intramural basketball team called the Gamophobes (the fear of marriage). We had our first game last night, and we played very good! WE won by 18 points, and we upset the #1 team which catapulted us to the top of the rankings.

But on a serious note, sports are not everything. They have always played a huge role in my life, but I do not live for sports. I am not attending Ozark so I can play sports. I am at OCC so I can better equip myself to lead teenagers to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Since high school, I have known that I wanted to go to Ozark, but I never really felt a strong passion for youth ministry. I guess I was just doing it, so I could have a plan for my life.

But this semester has really opened my heart and my eyes to what youth ministry is about. It is not an occupation but a mission. I am reading a book for my Counseling to Youth class called Hurt. This book takes a look inside the world of today's teenagers. Personally, I look around and I see kids who have no purpose. They try to find worth in friends, sex, and material objects. Their search never ends because nothing will satisfy them. I want to....I NEED to help the youth of America find that they do have purpose and love in their life. Even if they can't find it in their families or friends, Jesus has what they need. Teenagers need to know that they are loved by an all-powerful God who would do anything to have them in his family. He would even go so far as to kill his own son.

Before I felt like I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, but now God has instilled within me a passion for teenagers. I Hurt for the kids who have not met my Jesus, and I want to show Him to them. What are you hurting for?

The Great Romance

I am like most people on this earth...Not only do I breathe oxygen and I poop, but I love movies! They are so entertaining. I like action-packed films, movies that have plots thickened with mystery, and the occasional happy-go-lucky movie that makes you want to smile and change the world. However, I will watch a chick-flick from time to time. I'll even squirt out a couple of tears to appease the females in the room. Then they can finally confirm their thoughts..."wow...Charlie really is a cool guy who appeals to his emotional side...I should date him."

But on a serious note, these "chick-flicks" are full of romance and love. Women love these stories of true romance when a man will fight to the end for his beloved, even if it costs him his life. There are other movies like "A Walk to Remember" that just shows a guy's pure motive for chasing after a girl...love. Why do girls like these types of movies, and dream that they too may one day find that type of love? Because the real world does a crappy job of displaying pure, selfless love.

The truth of the matter is that the Greatest Romantic story was not made in Hollywood, California but on a wooden cross 2,000 years ago. That is The Great Romance.

This break I read a book that outlined what The Great Romance looked like. It was a fictional story, but it really opened up my eyes to how great the love of our God is. He died for us, because we are not willing to die to ourselves. To be completely honest, I did get a little teary-eyed when I finished this book. I felt so stupid, because I believed that ONLY girls could like romance and love stories, and here I am blubbering over something called The Great Romance!

No one is too tough and manly to accept God's love. He is in love with everybody...even guys. It has just been kind of hard for me to acknowledge and accept this love because I seems so un-manly to be loved and romanticized. But God's love is the greatest love story on the earth, and I do accept it and cherish, and I hope you do the same.

O......and happy new year.