WOW!! I am on fire right now!!!

About a month ago me and a group of friends started collecting baseball cards again!

My parents were moving to Tennessee and I had to get my things out of their apartment. I grabbed my old baseball cards the only thing left there that I really cared about. On the way home I stopped by middle school lunch and brought some of my cards in for the guys to look at. It brought back great memories of collecting and how much we loved the game of baseball. From that day me, Adam cooper, Grant Morris, Brady Anderson, and Brent Niehart started collecting cards again hard core. I spent tons of money in hopes of landing a card that was awesome!! And then August, 11 2009 came rolling around and everything changed, big time!! Take a look at this video out...

Haha isn't that crazy!! I have been on fire!! I went skydiving, and then picked one of the most expensive cards out there up! It has been an exciting several days for me! I can't wait to see what happens next!! SIXES!! Help me decide on what I should do about the card! Should I sell it now, and get what I can get, or do I wait to see if he could be one of the greatest pitches of all time! His name is Stephen Strasburg, look him up and help me decide!!

First Jump...10,500 ft 116 mph 35 sec

Hey I told you one day I would sky dive, and today was that day!! I can't tell you how crazy the experience was!! I had sooo much fun! Going with Hannah Cosgrove made it about 100 times better! She was soo calm and collected! She made me very calm as well. It's crazy how something like that can make an instant bond, but it can! When you are with someone at 10,500 ft you can't help but look at them and have that special connection :) Realizing it might be the last person you see! Haha I can't being to tell you how exciting and awesome it was!! You just have to find me and ask, and trust me you are going to want to hear this story!!! But here is a little video I shot afterwards! Some of my first thoughts...

Everyone is going to die, but it's how you live and where you go after that matters!! And when I leave this earth people are going to know that I pushed life to edge, and then...JUMPED!!!!

Skin, Hair, Clothes is all I need to say “I don’t like you!”

We can be so quick to judge someone just by looking at the outward appearance. This is the second day at CHIC after the morning session. I am with my small group and they had some great things to say about judging others on their outward appearance…

"Water balloons is a Federal Offense, just like murder!" CHIC 09

Now these next few videos are so funny, because of how serious the situation became. It started off so light and fun, and ended terrible.

Movie 1 Movie 2


Ask me about all that happened in the middle, and I will tell you a great story!!

This last video just shows me a few moments after getting in trouble with security. I was frustrated, but I had a respectful out look on the whole situation. Of course that was after I took this video about 4 times, because I was so mad about how the treated me!!! But God calmed my heart, and well take a watch:

Video 3

Justice is love, acted out in public

Facts:
1. Human trafficking comprises the fastest growing criminal industry in the world based on the recruitment, harboring, and transportation of people solely for the purpose of exploitation.
2. Every year traffickers generate billions of dollars in profits at the expense of victimizing millions of people around the world.
3. An estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually in the US alone.
4. An estimated 200,000 American children are at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year.






Take a look at these ways you can help stop Human Trafficking and Slavery in the World!!

1. Contact: local shelters to find out if they assist trafficked victims and how you can be supportive.

2. Demand: “slave-free” goods. Buy “fair-trade” products, such as handcrafts, coffee, tea, cocoa sugar, fruit, or flowers. Encourage your church to do the same.

3. Remember: the facts. Memorize the statistics about child and sex slavery. Tell people.

4. Do: what you love. Do an art project and display it in a public place. Use a sports event or concert to raise awareness and funds for the issue. Write about the issue on blogs.

5. Study: God’s word regarding injustice. You may want to start with Isaiah 5:8, Micah 6, and Hebrews 13:1-3

6. Know: the warning signs of slavery and human trafficking, and report suspicious behavior to your local services provider or police station. Or call the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Center hotline (1-888-373-7888).

7. Advocate: for change. Call or write your elected U.S. officials (www.senate.gov, www.house.gov ) or Canadian officials www.parl.gc.ca) Tell them that you care about the issue of human trafficking and want stronger laws to protect victims. Get new from www.polarisproject.org on how to engage in political action and advocacy.

8. Walk: Global March has freed over 60,000 slaves in India. Their marches promote education for children instead of forced labor and exploitation: www.globamarch.org.

9. Fight: sex tourism. Ask travel agencies, hotels and tour operators to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children in travel and tourism ( www,thecode.org)

10. Learn: more. Find useful documents to download at www.freetheslaves.net and http://www.state.gov/g/tip/ris/tiprpt/2008/

11. Consume: wisely. Hold businesses accountable and ask corporations to join the fight. At www.chainstorereaction.com email companies to ensure that their products are slave free.

12. Write: Submit an op-ed. Encourage newspapers, magazines, and television stations to publish or write stories about modern-day slavery, and how to stop it.

13. Watch: and discuss a video with your family, friends or small group: Modern Slavery (www.freetheslaves.net), a good introduction to modern-day slavery or Amazing Grace (2006), the story of William Wilberforce who demanded abolition of the African Slave trade in the UK in the 1800s.

14. Read: Be the Change: Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World by Zack Hunter and discuss it with family, friends or small group.

15. Organize: a Bible study or human trafficking scripture to consider: Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 11:37-444. And Psalm 10.

Sources www.imj.org and www.callandresponse.com

Women this is for YOU!!

There are going to be few times when a guy tells you exactly what’s on his heart, and how we are feeling. But for me and a few of the guys in my small group God was really working on our heart this week, and in this video we are sharing a little about females and what they mean to us! This is a priceless video if you ask me!!

Last Day and God brought the Noise!! CHIC 09

This speaker was really good!! He said some awesome things!




A Guide to Nurturing Good Reception with God

Find a place where the reception is good. Select minimum 33 minutes per day to be quiet.

Turn off cell phone-no texting, talking or music.
Do this alone
Select a time and place where no one can disturb you.
Be still or if walking, walk slowly.
Divide the 33 minutes into segments.

Conversations with God:

1. Start with quieting the body and the mind (3 min)
- Think only of God and His goodness
- Think on the beauty of His creation
- Say nothing, sing nothing, do nothing



2. Find a song or chorus of praise or worship (3 min)
- Sing a song that is directed to the goodness and greatness of God.
- Don’t be afraid to make up your own song.
- Use a Psalm, hymnal or chorus book that has songs of worship
- “Our Father Who is in Heaven…, Hallowed be your name…, Your Kingdom come…”



3. Offer thanksgiving vocally and/ or mentally for anything that reminds you of the goodness of God (3 min)
-Give thanks for all the people and things that have sustained your life and given you hope.
-Remind yourself of answered prayers.
-Give thanks for God’s word and the opportunity to talk with Him.
-“Your will be done, you kingdom come…”



4.Examine yourself and ask forgiveness for wrongs you have done or things you should have done but did not do (3 min)
- Take this time to reflect on the mercy of God to forgive
- Think on your dependence on Jesus and the helping hand of the Holy Spirit.
- This is the place to forgive and to think how to rectify my offense to others.
- “Forgive us our Trespasses…”



5. Give thought to a passage of Scripture (6 min)
- Select a chapter, book or devotional that you can use daily.
- Prayerfully plan you reading.
- Read, and then meditate on the verses. Do not try to read too much.
- Write down the scriptures that appear to have more meaning to you.
- Speak the scripture to yourself, several times



6. Offer thanksgiving for the words that you have read in No. 5 (3min)
-Repeat the scriptures in the form of a thanksgiving offering.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to make these words real to you.



7. Offer you petitions and intercessions-prayer request to God (3 min)
- Sometimes it is good to have these written down to keep focus.
- Ask for you needs according to His will-think about what the scriptures says about these needs.
- Let your primary focus be on the needs of others instead of your own.
- “Give us this day our daily bread…, Lead us no into temptation…”



8. Journal several applications of the scriptures you have read or written down (3 min)
- Ask yourself-How does this apply to me? What is God saying to me?
- Make sure you place the time and date on your journal entry.



9. Sit quietly again, writing any additional impressions that come to you (3 min)
- Acknowledge that you are in His presence to listen.
- Keep your focus on the presence of God
- Keep acknowledging the presences of the Holy Spirit in you.



10. End you time with a combination of thanksgiving and praise (3 min)
-Repeat previous song
- Give thanks for the scriptures and for wisdom
- Give thanks for His presence
- “For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory…”

Take what you want from this. Just something to help with your prayer and alone time with God!