Something that has been on my mind.

For the past few months, I have been going through my sophomore year at Liberty University. I came back to the school year excited for the opportunities that would arise, for the chance to hang with some good friends again, and also to grow more and more. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail with all of the things that have happened recently, but there has been something bothering me recently, and I've figured out what it is.

For some strange reason, the people at Liberty that think they understand a lot of theology seem to think that teaching the theology they believe is just as important as teaching the gospel. Now, I'm not saying it is a bad thing to know about theology outside of the gospel, or even to teach it to people. Where my issue lies is the fact that these people are putting issues such as calvinism, millenialism, and a bunch of other theological beliefs up on the same level as the gospel when it comes to preaching about things. 

Once again, I am not saying these are bad things to know about or teach, but when you are talking about a ministry to non-believers, the last thing they want to talk to you about is men have free will or God's predestination is the underlying cause of everything. It seems as if people have tried to warp the way that the gospel should be preached. I have always been taught that Jesus + nothing = everything. With the way people have been talking, it almost has been seeming like people want to add calvinism, or millenialism. I'm so tired of people saying it is super important to teach these things. Yes, it is important, but I feel that if teaching those principles becomes something more than what it is, ministry will be hurt.

Preach the gospel. We were created for a relationship with God, but since the fall of man in Genesis 3 when Eve took a bite of the apple, then gave it to Adam, who also took a bite. Because the only two people in creation were both full of sin, we are now separated from God, with no way of getting ourselves back to God. So God, in His infinite love and sovereignty sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth, lived a perfect life, at the end of His life, suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried. After all of that, He did not stay dead, but He was resurrected by God, and because of this we now have the ability to have a relationship with God. He has restored the ability for us to have that with Him forever. All we have to do is say yes.

Calvinists will cringe at that last sentence. I do tend to loosely call myself a calvinist, so here's what I believe on "saying yes"

When we "say yes" to God, we are not doing it solely because we want to say yes. I believe that God can change the hearts of those who are not yet following, and therefore works in the hearts of non-believers until they reach a point where they have no other option but to say yes. Think about it, if all we do is plant the seeds, but God makes them grow, then why wouldn't it be that God changes the heart to make the person want to say yes? Psalms even says "Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart... No this does not mean God will give me free tuition(Though I would not complain if such things happened). When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He changes our hearts to want the things He wants, and therefore, our heart is changed, and our wants are different. It only makes sense.

 Arminians get their choice things, and calvinism still gets God in control. Now let's throw the pointless debate aside and just preach the gospel, please. The nutshell is written in blue. 

Also, think about the Apostle's or the Nicene Creed. I've said both of these numerous time in church. I don't recall either one having anything to do with other theology. They both essentially say we believe in God the father, Son, and Spirit, and that the son was born, suffered, died, was buried, rose from the dead. There is more stuff, and it's all good stuff, but this is all that matters. 

When we ge to heaven, I do not think that whether you believed in Free Will or Predestination, millenialism or amillenialism, heck, as stupid as the view is, even preterism, or any other type of theology other than the gospel will matter. You are saved by confession Jesus Christ being Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. It's as simple as that...

So seriously, stop putting theology before the gospel, and stop trying to say that other theological issues are just as or more important than the gospel. Yes, they are important, but we preach the GOSPEL. We do NOT preach predestination, or free will. We do NOT preach millenialism or amillenialism. Preach the Gospel.

Okay, my rant is over now. It was just something that was on my mind, and has been frustrating me to no end. Mostly because a lot of the talk about this has come from people I see every day.

Have a good night

College Life: New Experiences

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to go to Rockbridge for the 11th time. I love being there as you can obviously tell. I get this weird feeling from this camp, and it's just so addicting! Anyway, I went to serve a Wyldlife winter weekend, and I was part of the ropes course. It was definitely one of my favorite trips to Rockbridge thus far! (Beaten basically by Work Crew for the month cause nothing will ever beat that!)

My job on the ropes course was to run this tower called the High 5. In short, you climb a telephone pole, and the higher you get on the pole, the shakier it gets. My job was to keep the kids safe, so that if they fell, I would catch them, and lower them safely. It wasn't as stressful as it seems, even though it really should have been. There were many kids who came to me to climb the pole, and it was a sweet experience. Getting to let them know they were believed in, and just getting to spur them on in their ascent. Encouraging them when they got scared, and not letting them get hurt. It was a great experience.

There was one girl who came to climb it, and she was deaf. This proved to be a very difficult thing for me to deal with. Instead of the regular commands, we had hand signals, and we made it possible for her to climb it safely. She did it without even thinking twice. She seemed to have the time of her life with it. It was a cool experience.

The best part of the job though was seeing how this small part of the camp has the work of God all over it. It forces the kids to put their trust and essentially their life in my hands. They must do this because they are hooked up to a rope that is connected to me, so I can lower them safely. Putting your life in the hands of someone you don't fully know takes a lot of faith.. Which to me seems like our walk with God. We can't fully understand God's love, so putting our trust and life into His hands is not an easy thing to do. It's also not very easy to do this climb. As I said, the pole shakes. This makes it a little difficult to climb it, turn around, and essentially jump. This, in my eyes, points at our walk with God. Them being hooked to me by the rope puts me in the role of "God", and they're climbing this challenge with a little help from me. I'm telling them some things they should do to make it easier on them, and encouraging them and so on. They get to see how hard it is, while also knowing how to trust someone that holds your life in their hands. The final jump at the end is a huge leap. It's not only a physical leap, but it's really a leap of faith. They put everything on the line for a half second of flight to hit a glove in the air. This is also is saying to me "I trust you. I know you won't drop me" Which is what I hope they also said to God this weekend. There are so many things about this camp, and every Young Life camp that just points to the gospel, and Jesus's work.

This weekend had so much to offer, but that was the highlights of my experience serving those kids, and helping them have a good time.

Another cool thing was Saturday night a few of us just had a time of worship where different people led us in some worship songs. It was a truly great experience.

This is the true reason I love Young Life.

Have a good night, y'all

An Honest Post

I just want to open with the fact that this post is on what I believe, and I honestly do not care who I offend, or what people think. I speak from what I believe and nothing is going to change it.

I just read off of a few different sites that Phil Robertson is suspended from A&E's show Duck Dynasty indefinitely, because of Phil saying what he believes about homosexuality. I question whether that should be allowed, simply because he was stating an opinion, which is not hateful. Isn't suspending someone for their beliefs on a certain subject a personal discrimination?

What Phil said:
Phil was in an interview or talking with someone when he said something along the lines of how he believes that as a man, a vagina would be more desirable than a man's anus. He talks about how it doesn't make sense to him how men would rather be with men, when there is much more offered to you by a woman. He said that it was sin, and that it didn't make sense. He also said that sin was sin. Like bestiality, sexual immorality, and all of that. He was essentially quoting a Bible verse. He was not saying that homosexuality is like bestiality or other sexual immorality. It also says that these people and many more will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A Bible verse essentially quoted. He was speaking his beliefs and he should not receive hate for it.

My thoughts: My views are obvious: I don't believe that homosexuality is okay. I do not believe that homosexuals should be married, I do not believe that people are born gay. I also do not understand why a man would even want to even think of being with another man. My only visual for this is like trying to put a block in a space shaped like it. Like that children's toy where you put the cylinder in the circle hole, the cube in the square hole, and so on. It doesn't work if you put two cubes together, because they can't stay connected. It doesn't work if you just put the boards together for the same reason. The cylinder was meant for the circular hole and the cube for the square hole. They fit naturally, and it makes sense. Also, speaking from the Bible, he has said no wrong. Those who practice homosexuality will NOT inherit the Kingdom of heaven. Just like those who practice any other sin will also not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Since homosexuality is a sin. Romans 6 asks "Shall we continue sinning so that grace may abound? By no means!..." So those who practice ANY sin, for the sake of assuming the grace instead of thankfully repenting of sin, will not enter the kingdom of heaven. That's a Biblical truth. This is not to say that humans can be perfect, for in Romans 7, it says: "For I do not do the good that I want to do, but the evil that I do not want to do, this I keep on doing" The verse right before that also says that we have the desire to do what is right, but we do not have the ability to carry it out. In any case, Phil was right in what he said, and I agree with him 100%

A&E's actions: A&E suspended Phil from filming indefinitely for his comments, and have said they did it for the sole reason that it did not follow the example of Duck Dynasty, or the beliefs of A&E. Cause, I'm sure when he was speaking, he was meaning to speak for A&E and not his own belief.

My thoughts: I do not believe that A&E should be able to suspend him for speaking his beliefs. If you ask me, that is just like saying someone can't work for you based on a personal bias. They don't agree with what he said, so they took him out. Knowing full well that at least the older Robertson Family believes in Christian beliefs, and even though the others haven't said it, they believe the same things. Every Christian should. A&E jumped the gun when they did this, because like I have already said, he was speaking as Phil Robertson. Not as the guy from Duck Dynasty, though I have seen that the two may be one in the same. Though Romans 13 tells us to submit to those in authority over you, but I do believe that if the authority is trying to kill your faith, it's okay to not be totally submissive. I do not agree with them.

GLAAD's Statements on Phil's remarks:
GLAAD says that Phil and his family are essentially wearing the Christian mask. They said that his family is putting on an act. They said that Phil doesn't understand the culture of Christians, Gays, Louisianians, and Americans who support homosexual marriage" If you ask me, this is a very clouded statement. "Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families." 

My thoughts:  They can't say that he doesn't understand it. From one statement they can't get much. Honestly, he understands what any true Christian should believe. Anyone who does practice sin will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. I can't say what the man understands, simply because I do not know the man. I have never spoken to him, so I don't know what he understands. Other than how to be a very successful duck-call salesman. The second statement is very ignorant statement. To call one's beliefs vile because you don't agree is very judgmental. The fact that Phil openly speaks his faith is not pushing anything. It would be just like a person openly coming out of the closet. They speak their belief. It is a profession not a push. It isn't a stereotype to say they won't inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, because he doesn't believe they will. I don't believe they will. Phil also never said he had a problem with homosexuals, or families built on that foundation. He just said it doesn't make sense to him because of the fact that naturally it doesn't make any sense.


Concluding: Phil spoke his faith. I support that, and will tell anyone to openly share their beliefs, whether or not you share my faith. I also say that I will not make it a secret that I believe what I do. Yes I believe that homosexuals are people, and they have a life like I do. My difference is that they are living an unnatural lifestyle and it will get them no where. This is what I believe, and that won't change. A&E honestly did what they thought was right, but I don't agree with what they did, and I especially don't agree with their reasoning.
GLAAD made ignorant statements, and though I make them too, it is something that can not be ignored.


As I said earlier, if I stepped on your toes, offended you, upset you, I honestly don't care. I speak from my beliefs, and don't expect many people to share in them. I also want to say that if you don't believe what I believe, you are still loved. God doesn't hate you, God loves you, and He wants to have a relationship with you. I implore you to give Christ a shot, and see the life He can give you.

I don't want to shove my beliefs down someone's throat. I want people to understand that I don't have the right to say whether or not you go to heaven or not. That's all God's job. I just go with what my belief says.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BELIEVE WHAT I BELIEVE!

That is all.


TJ

College Life: Personal Revival

If I'm completely honest, I haven't been doing much with my faith recently. There hasn't been much I've known how to do, and it's because I have been struggling with my own demons. There is a lot that I have gone through. I remember a few weeks ago at Campus Church, Ben Guiterrez talked about going back to the foundation of what my Christian walk is based on and starting again basically. I thought it was a nice idea, but I never really thought it was going to mean much.

The other day in Psychology, we were talking about something, though I honestly can't remember what it was. In any case, the teacher brought up at video. It is a skit done by Lifehouse performed to their song "Everything".

I really would love for you to watch the video. It honestly brought a lot of thought to my head. It made me think of many different things at once, such as
1.Probably should have been the first thing that I noticed, but in the beginning of the cycle, she is dancing with Jesus, and she willingly leaves Him to go dance with this other person. I am assuming he is playing the role of a boyfriend that is leading her down a bad path. She started the sin cycle, and kept it going. Sin came into her life. Just like every other human being that wasn't Jesus. Sin entered somewhere, and won't stop. She is in need. She left God, and there was a rift there. If you watch "God" in the skit, you can see that when she goes and dances with this other person, that He gets jealous, and His heart actually breaks. Sin causes God's heart to break, because of His great love for us. Sin is a problem, and problems need solutions.

2. When the woman came to the end of herself, and nothing she had tried worked, she started to run back to God. The problem was that she couldn't get there, because of all her struggles. Showing that when we are working alone, we can't beat our own struggles. We aren't able to beat our sin by our own power. It is too strong. It just goes to show that John 15:5 is true: "Apart from Me, you can do nothing". A very key factor in the Christian faith. That we don't save us, Jesus does. Even when she tries her hardest against those things she struggles with, she can't win.

3. Building off the last point, Jesus's death on the cross and resurrection from the dead was enough to beat the sin that the woman had been living in. Even after Jesus died, and was resurrected, He was there, and she was trying to beat the sin by herself, and she was failing miserably. At the end of the struggle, Jesus interceded and battled the sin for her. The burden lifted off her shoulders, and cast onto his. At that moment, she was free from the sin, and Jesus took it. Then Jesus beat it. Defeating the alcohol, the money, and the other things that she was filling her life with, and taking her back to where she belonged. Jesus is stronger than our sin, and that is another key factor in the Christian faith. We might not be strong enough, but Jesus is. Jesus took our struggles and beat them with His resurrection.

4. If you watch right after the woman starts to run back to Jesus, struggling with all the things that she had been dealing with, Jesus is standing there, trying to pull her back. I think this symbolizes the fact that God is actively searching, and trying to get His children back to Him. He isn't just idly sitting there, hoping they will return. He was actively looking. He is trying to pull them back, even from all the things that they've done. It doesn't matter to God that they have sinned, because He has sent His Son to take the sins of all, and destroy them. He is just looking to win back the hearts of those who are not with Him. He isn't like any other religions god or gods, in which they just idly sit there and don't try to get their  followers to come to them. God is pursuing us with all His heart. He desperately wants us back. Which is another key point to the Christian faith

5. Another song.. The song Noise by Colton Dixon came to my mind. In the video, the woman is too distracted by everything the other characters are having her do to hear or see God screaming for her.The chorus to that song goes
"Cause everything is noise. Everything is screaming out
Everything has come alive, oh but I'm getting lost in the sound
I need to hear your voice. Reminding me that at the end of the day
No matter what goes down I'll be okay, even through the noise"
This is obviously something that is simple to think about. All the things in our life that don't point us to God, distract our views. Therefore, they are the "Noise" that the song talks about.


Number 5 is just a random thing I noticed, but it's another thing to think about.

Most of these points are really just things that I have noticed are very fundamental truths. Most of these things any Christian knows, but doesn't really think about. Now that I have taken some time to think about it, I have realized that I need Christ more and more everyday because I can't do it alone. It's not a "One and done" type deal. We need Jesus every day, more and more than we can ever really know. I don't wanna be a lukewarm person, so I need to go back to the basics and see what Jesus really did for me, because I couldn't do it myself.

I'm thankful that I saw this video, and I hope that it is as inspiring to you guys as it was to me!

Thanks!
 TJ

College Life: Growing Pains

The past few weeks of college have been some of the toughest, but best weeks I've gone though relating to any sort of schooling. The fact that I love most of my classes makes everything easier, and having friends in pretty much all my classes makes it even easier.

The starting of college was difficult, but since then I haven't really had much of a problem dealing with everything. I have had to learn how to really handle my stress in such a way that wouldn't make it harder on me, and also just really rely on God again. I haven't really haven't been relying on God that much since Work Crew back before my senior year. I have had to learn how to really figure out how to schedule things and deal with people who just tick me off. It's been a constant struggle, but even after a few weeks, I have gotten past it, and things have been slowly getting better.

The lack of sleep is catching up with me, and I should probably take naps during the day, though I hate napping like crazy. I fall asleep, but can't sleep that well, which causes a lot of fatigue. It's the worst thing. I don't know why I can't sleep well, but I will find out eventually.

Life is looking up, and my heart is content. God is good.

That's it for now! 'Til next time!

College Life: Hide Me Behind The Cross

The other day in evangelism class, my teacher was praying before class, as is the Liberty tradition. During his prayer, he ask God "Hide me behind the cross.." That really stuck out to me. I'd heard something that kind of sounds the same to me in other ways, but never in a way like that. He not only wanted to lift Jesus up, but he wanted to make sure that the cross was what we were seeing, as he gave us his testimony. I was taken aback by this statement, because that should be a prayer for our every day lives. I've never thought about not only trying to show Jesus off, but just showing the cross off. The work that had to be done, the sacrifice that was made on that cross. So much happened on that cross, and my teacher wanted us to see the cross of Jesus as he shared his story with us that afternoon.

What does it look like to be "hidden behind the cross"? What could it look like? These are a few things that I don't have the ability to answer fully. My prayer is that God would really reveal that to me as I grow with Him at LU. I want to be hidden behind the cross as well. I don't want people to look at my life and see me. As Lecrae says in one of the many  great songs he is in, "I hope that they seein' You, every time they seein' me." That's the kind of thing I want. I want people to see the cross of Jesus when they look at me. I've said it before, in a different way. It's something we strive for and must keep striving for until we are called to go home, and at that point, Jesus is all we'll see so we won't be worried about it anymore. Everyone who is a real Christian wants to show off Jesus, and His love, but it's so hard to do with our imperfections. We must also be hidden behind the cross to show that even with those imperfections, we are made white as snow by the blood of Jesus, that was spilled before and while on the cross. Maybe to accurately really lift Jesus up, we must show the cross. We must always be hidden behind the cross, and maybe then, we will see what it's like to fully trust in Jesus.

Just something that's been on my mind.

Thanks for reading! Love you guys
TJ

College Life: A New Start

Yesterday was my first day at Liberty University. It was a time for me to no longer be a child but to really be an adult and have to do things all by myself. It's a brand new experience, which is frightening and exciting at the same time.

I woke up at about 7:30, which was perfect because I was asked to go see some friends one last time before I left. I got to hang out with them for a little bit, which was great, but then when it was time to finally say goodbye it was hard. Leaving the people I've hung out with this whole Summer makes it hard. Some of those people I have hung out with for most of my high school life, and now I'm an hour or so away from most of them. It's crazy

After I got home, I did some last minute packing, and going around to make sure that I had everything I needed to be ready to leave. My mind was racing basically the whole time because this was one of those things that I couldn't afford to leave stuff behind if I really wanted it to go with me. There was a lot that I still had to get packed somehow, and I had to get everything together so that way we could pile it all up into my youth minister's car. At this point I'm going crazy for about 3 different reasons.

When my youth minister showed up, we started to load up and talk about the excitement behind it, and really the challenge that it's going to be. We stopped at a McDonald's and got a bite to eat. After we got that, we were off and we weren't stopping til we were pulling up on my dorm. During the car ride we just discussed a lot of things that were important to talk about. Made some last minute shopping list so that way I would have basically everything I needed to be ready to go without hesitation. We talked a while about denominations, the beliefs of some of them, and just a few other random things. Discussed music and all that stuff like normal as well.

When we pulled up to LU, my heart was pounding pretty hard, but it was a pretty exciting thing at the time. I couldn't wait to get moved in and to meet all my roommates. We drove around the campus and we got to the circle, and started looking for my dorm. Ironically, my dorm had put posters up all around campus telling everyone where to go for my dorm. We pulled up right next to it, and then it was time to move all my stuff into the room. With some help from leaders, we got everything in one trip, and then I was unpacking. Once everything was unpacked, I met a few people, including one of my two roommates who just happens to be one of the prayer leaders.

Once we realized what all I still needed we made a quick trip to wal-mart and K-mart to grab a few things that I still didn't have. Pretty much once we were done with that, it was time to say goodbye. My youth minister left and then I was on my own to figure out what I was going to do. The adventure had just begun

The rest of the day consisted of just walking around campus trying to learn where things are and all that good junk. I eventually met up with my two friends from Cave Spring who also attend Liberty with me now, and we hung out for a while with two new friends who are great guys. We went to Wal-Mart, and Applebee's We just had a little bit of an adventure where we just hung out and got to know each other. I'd like to think it's a good way to start my college life.

It was a great night, and one of the best parts of the night was not only the anticipation for when my friend from Work Crew got to Liberty, but also the fact that me and my only roommate that was there at the time had a great talk at the end of the day just about everything. That was something that was very uplifting.

Today has been an adventure, and I have loved pretty much everything. Took an assessment which wasn't very fun, but I did well on it, and was able to take only the math class specific for my major, so that's pretty good for me. Played a little soccer, got dinner with my buddy from school and then finally, after a year and some change, got to see my Work Crew friend, who I have missed so much and love dearly.

I hope all my friends who are either here with me at LU or off to some other place in America, or not America if they're not here anymore, are having just as great a time as I am! It's a great experience, and I can only pray that everyone loves it as much as I do!

That's all for today!

TJ

My High School Career

This blog was originally created for one purpose: for my own memory. I wanted this blog up so I would never forget high school, and if I ever did, I could just come back to this. I would see where I've grown, what I've learned, and how I've changed. Now is the time for the culmination of what this was supposed to be come into effect. This is in no way my last blog. I will use it as I have been in college. I will always keep this because I don't wanna forget it. So here we go.

First off, I would like to thank my friend, whom I have written about frequently in this blog, Kendall, for indirectly reminding me that I wanted to summarize all of high school, like I have done for each year individually. Thanks buddy, I'm gonna miss seeing you everyday

Freshman year: This year was my year of finding myself. I started off the year on a rough foot. I was one of two, since I have a twin brother, who had moved to Cave Spring from Hidden Valley, the rivals. I didn't wanna be there, so I am pretty sure you can guess what was going through my mind. I had noticed the things a normal 14 year old boy notices: girls. There were many pretty girls, and that excited me. I wasn't sure why that's the only thing I cared about, but hindsight is 20-20, right? I went through my classes just meeting people... or trying to, anyway. I wanted to have a solid group of people that I knew beforehand that I could hang out with. A few people noticed me and my brother as the new kids. That's always interesting. The very first day, I apparently caught the eye of a girl who was a sophomore, who I did end up dating, but that's not a story I will go into now. I was a football player, and I loved that. Getting into the Varsity football games for free, and getting to see people every weekend was the best. I remember one day that girl was sick and this stranger, who, little did I know, would grow to be my best friend, said he'd take me to her at the high school after the game.
I was still into my own thing back then, and I drank and smoked both cigarettes and weed. I did these things almost every weekend. Hanging out with my best buddy, David, and getting in trouble. My life was alright, I just wanted to have fun. I have said this, but in mid-October, I starting going to Young Life, the ministry that would end up having a big part in changing my life. I loved it for whatever reason. I kept going. I never thought I was going to learn so much in the short time, but I knew I was changing into a different person about January, 2010. I started typing with decent language. Capitalizing the beginnings of words, names, and using mild punctuation. I don't know why, I think it was the girl rubbing off on me because that's how she typed. People were either sick of me, or loved me at this point. In February, I started to wonder about my life. Baseball had failed me for a fourth time. I didn't know what I was going to do, even though I had my girlfriend. I had gone up to a friend's house, and gotten really high, but no one knew it. I just know I had to find something to numb the pain. Around the end of February, to the beginning of March, my girlfriend and I started fighting. We eventually broke up, which is the worst thing that happened to me all throughout the year. I really questioned what was going on. I was still going to Young Life though, so that gave me a little bit of an escape from everything. In April of this year, I had been done with the way I was living life, and I decided that, after a Young Life club, that it was time for me to accept Christ into my heart. My life wasn't dramatically changed, but it was changed. I was always in a good mood, and I couldn't explain it to save a life at the time. I learned years later that it was a feeling of what joy really is like. Didn't have a bad day for a good 3 months after that. Hung out with my new best friends all the time, and life started to change. I didn't act the same, I didn't speak the same, I didn't even look the same. I was different, and I was okay with that. All I could do was look forward to what would be the best week of my life. I had learned much that year, but the theme I have for freshman year is definitely: "Who Am I?"

Sophomore year: This year was definitely a new adventure for me. I actually thought of myself higher than normal. I viewed myself as a leader, in football, in school, and in Young Life. I was really looking forward to this. I had a different girlfriend, and lets just say that was not the best relationship I've been in. I was on JV while playing as a transition player for Varsity. I played in a majority of the games, because this was a year where we either lost, or we crushed every team we played. This year was a year for leadership and learning about my new life. I read the Bible because I wanted to for the first time as a freshman, and I actively studied it myself this year. I wanted to know everything. I got lucky in class, because this was probably the easiest year of high school for me. My English teacher was on Young Life committee and I tied Jesus into everything I wrote about. I got 100's on like everything because of this. I wanted to understand this idea of following Jesus, because I had never heard this phrase in my life before I started doing so. When the girl I was with and I broke up, and I started dating a new girl it got better. I was happier with this new girl, and I was ready for the challenge. The family loved me, a little more than I expected. She and I broke up, and I hated that. It didn't kill me though, because I had Jesus. She and I continue our friendship to this day, so it was alright, I eventually started to notice a friend more than I had before, even though I had been down that same road before with the same girl. First time didn't go well, I don't know why I thought the second time would be different. Once again, hindsight is 20-20. I was crazy about it, and I can admit that. Though I had my times that I would stray away, every time I did, I would think about her, and I probably missed out on a lot of great relationship chances because of it. I had made many new friends from doing things like Work Crew weekends, and fall weekend. People from Hidden Valley and Patrick Henry High School didn't seem like they were as bad as I thought they were. I knew I was right where I was supposed to be though. I decided to give up on baseball finally. Instead, I listened to a new friend named Kett, who told me to try out for soccer. He thought our JV team was going to suck because of everyone good going to Varsity. We also didn't know the raw talent we were going to have from the lower grades. With that being said, I tried out, and somehow made the team. The coaches both told me that I was fast, and in shape. I however had zero knowledge about soccer. I knew how to kick a ball really far but that was it. So I played forward, where all the best players play, right? I loved soccer though. It became a big part of who I was. I haven't said much on Young Life yet, so here it goes. In Young Life, I was part of the campaigner group. I wanted to be as involved as I could because I wanted to be what a very big group of guys was to me the year before. I invited my friend John to come, and John enjoyed Young Life, and gave his life to Jesus at Fall Weekend. That made me happy because I know the Lord had used me to help that happen, even though He doesn't need my help. Throughout the year, I learned the simple struggles of a Young Life leader. Worrying about how many kids are hearing the Word for the first time vs those who believe in Jesus already. We didn't have a lot of people going to Young Life all the time because if I'm honest, we probably didn't really invite kids as much or as intentionally as we should have. I know that with the exception of John and a few other friends, I didn't. I also was juggling a new thing for me this year: learning how to be a Wyldlife leader. I knew close to nothing about Wyldlife, but I wanted to be involved, and I talked to a few friends, and then my Area Director who agreed to let me lead. It was more of a learning experience, but I think I met plenty of guys who helped me learn the ropes. I didn't do much in Wyldlife, but I was always there to help. On a big personal note, a few friends and I had made a big decision in our walks with Jesus. We were going to get baptized. On May 8th, 2011, a few of my bros and I got baptized in the baptismal of the Church of the Holy Spirit. We learned about baptism and what it means. I learned a lot through this experience. All throughout the year I grew, both as a person, and as a Christian. The crazy thing that happened this year is that I moved again, but I wasn't in the Cave Spring district anymore. I was for sure going to be forced to go to Patrick Henry or PH for the next year. I was stressed like crazy about this. It drove me insane. Through it all, I kept my faith though. I don't know what I would have done without the people, or without my faith. There were many low moments, and there were many high moments. If I had to place a theme on this year it would probably be "Who Is God?"

Junior year: As I said, I was forced to move schools this year. I was no longer a Cave Spring Knight, but a Patrick Henry Patriot. I viewed myself a little differently. I still believed that Young Life was my place to be a leader. Football however took a turn for the worse. I didn't have the heart I used to have, and I just wanted to be done with it. I was slowly realizing that there was no shot for me getting a scholarship even though the year before I had met the Old Dominion University and James Madison University football coaches. I didn't think it was possible. I eventually got tired of my coach, and in probably the most disrespectful way, quit his football team. No, I am not proud of this, but I do not regret doing it. My father was angry at me, but to me, it seemed that all he cared about was my football, and all I cared about was Young Life. I kept going to Young Life, and the most amazing thing happened. My brother had finally agreed to come with me to Young Life Fall Weekend, and got his first taste of what Jesus really is. Even though he doesn't understand it because he doesn't want to understand it, he got his taste. I was jumping for joy, and crying my freaking eyes out. I eventually got my best news all year, that I would be moving away from PH, and going back to where I felt at home: Cave Spring. I had made many friends, and even gained a lot of knowledge about Young Life, and myself. I was overjoyed to be back at Cave Spring though. A few things had changed when I got back. Not everything was the same, but I gladly adapted to the changes. and started going back to my old shenanigans. I was still a Wyldlife leader, and this year I met two guys who I am glad to call some of my best friends who are in middle School. A set of twins named Ryan and Austin. They are currently in the 7th grade, but they kind of remind me of me when I was that young. They just look better. I loved these guys from the get-go and they became my guys. I went to Wyldlife Winter Weekend and even though they go to my middle school of Hidden Valley, I spent a lot of time with them. I loved those guys. Most of my time after this weekend was spent doing my normal Cave Spring thing, playing soccer, and going to Young Life. I made the varsity soccer team, and immediately I had a few issues. A few of the guys on the team really made me angry, and it took a lot from me to not retaliate when they said something to me. We never actually had it out, but I really did not like these guys. That's a whole different story though. Towards the end of the season, I started to kind of get along with them a bit, and all was well. I also got to go to what would become my only prom of high school. I spent a lot of time preparing for it, and probably not enough time actually thinking about who I was going to ask. I asked 2 or 3 people who ended up not going or going with someone else. I then realized that I should just take a leap and ask the girl I had liked at the time. My friend Stephanie. Well my search was over. Prom is in 2 weeks and if she said no I just gained 150 free bucks. I asked her after Young Life, and to my surprise she said yes. I was pleasantly surprised. Prom was amazing though, and I would not have traded it for anything in the world. It's still one of my favorite high school memories At the end of junior year, the biggest, and best adventure I had been on to that date was about to start. I have blogged about it, talked about it, and done everything I can to remember it, and it was the best time of my life. Young Life Work Crew June 2012 at Rockbridge Alum Springs in Goshen, Virginia. I met 40 or so of my best friends ever. A lot of those people I don't get to talk to a lot because of whatever reason but the ones I do still talk to I cherish, deeply. I learned more there than anything, but if you wanna hear about that, read the blog on Work Crew. I learned a little bit about myself, and a lot about who I was going to be this year. I learned about different people and who they really are. I also learned that God is in control of every situation, and I can't really expect to understand exactly what is going on, all the time. I believe a theme I can have for Junior year would definitely be: "Let Go, and Let God"

Senior Year: This year began with more excitement than any other year. I knew it was going to be a hard year, and I wanted to make the most of it. My friend and I talk about it in almost every blog we have on here since August 21 of 2012. We can't take anything for granted, because before we know anything, it's gone. Football began the way it normally did. Hype, excitement, just wanting to be back where I belong. I was doing alright for myself, and then problems started. See, from the time between junior and senior year, I had moved into the PH district again, but didn't talk about it to anyone. The only people who knew were graduated and couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't trust my sister to get me to practice apparently so my starting position became a long shot dream. I cared but I didn't. I tried to act like I did so my dad would be happy, but I hated the fact that I had to live a double life for him. He wanted nothing but football for me, and he thinks that I got screwed out of a great career. I didn't care enough to do anything about it. At this point I knew it didn't matter who was trying their best at all the time, or at some points, who was actually better. Our coaches had their plan and it seemed to be what they went with. A lot of us didn't agree with it, but we couldn't change it. I knew it was only a matter of time before my last football season would end. I had watched a few of my best friends have their final volleyball season end in a heart breaker. I never had the thought that just a few weeks later my football season would end in the same fashion. A ball that probably shouldn't have hit the ground, hits it. Even though we played on a Bermuda grass field, it echoed throughout my head. I could just see my career flash in my head, and I couldn't believe it was over. The tears came almost instantly. I then was called onto the field to have my career end the way I guess I wanted it to: With me on the field. Tears going down my face, as the other team kneels the ball to run out the clock. How badly did I want to strip the QB and make a run for the end zone? You have no clue. I couldn't though. It was all over, and the last whistle rang out. The ride back was the worst, but I can say I enjoyed my 5 year span as a football player. going into Young Life was interesting though. We had a new leader come in from Chesapeake, Virginia. This was not what I was expecting. Though I am glad it happened, I thought it was for PH, whose leader had just left to Baltimore with his wife. Mezz came in, and has really changed the face of Cave Spring Young Life. He is loved by many people in the school, and I will miss him greatly while at college. Young Life exploded this year. We had many people going and it was the best. I am not talking about the other side of Young Life, but numbers are not what we are going for. We just knew that those people who were going, were the people that really needed it for a change. I lead Wyldlife for most of this year. Around January or something like that, I auditioned for a play and got a part in it. I then realized I couldn't do soccer, this play, and Wyldlife, so I chose to stop leading Wyldlife. It was probably a bad decision, but that's a different story. I eventually couldn't be used in the play, and I was a little upset, but I was okay with it. I kept going with Young Life however, and it was going well. We had a few rough weeks, but we had a few weeks where it seemed many people were there, and they loved it. Going away from Young Life to college, this was a whole different world as well. I had wanted to be at the University of Mary Washington for a long time before I had gotten here. Now that I was here, it was real to me that I had a long shot of getting into most of the colleges I wanted to apply to. Here's the kicker, I had one more college that I looked into besides the 3 football coach schools, because I had met Richmond's coach Junior year, and Mary Wash. I had Liberty University. I knew I could get in, but I didn't know if I would. I applied with the help of a few people, and after getting all of the logistics settled, I called them with my guidance counselor to find out I had been accepted! I got my official letter about 5 days later. I couldn't believe it. Most people apply to 5 or so colleges, I actually have two friends who applied like everywhere in America it seemed, but I had applied to one. Thought about applying other places, but decided against it. 1 for 1 ain't bad! I would have a few issues later in the process, but now it's all settled, and will be able to go this August. Soccer season was my last opportunity to hang out with some people. I love soccer more than I loved football, and I can honestly say that. The season started out amazingly. Winning 5 games straight. We thought we were untouchable. We then went on a few game losing streak. We lost a few games we should never have lost. We got overlooked a bit in our district though. We lost our first district game to Salem, then beat Pulaski. We lost to the 2013 State Champs Blacksburg, beat Christiansburg and Hidden Valley.  3-2 doing better than the year before which we thought was weird. Repeat this order for the second go round of the games and we were 6-4. Having done this we ensured a third seed in the district tournament. We then played Pulaski again, won that game, and then Salem. We lost that game, and had to Play Hidden Valley again. We had lost to Salem 3 times already, and beaten Hidden Valley twice. It's hard to beat a team that many times in a season. We played a very close game, and then my friend Hunter hit a shot that hit the net. We went nuts. Ending Hidden Valley's season, and giving us a shot at the region tournament. We had to play Bassett, which we won 3-0 at the cost of our best player. We then played Salem. I've said it's hard to beat a team 3 times. It's even harder to win 4 times. This time would be different, and we beat them 2-1 thanks to goals by Kett and Hunter I believe. We then lost the Blacksburg in the region championship. We weren't upset. We then made the State Tournament, and even though we went through a lot of adversity, we made a great run. First Cave Spring soccer team since 2007 to get that far. We felt good. We did lose our first game against E.C. Glass, who went on to lose to Blacksburg in the state championship. It sucked, but we had a great season, and I loved my guys. This team had become a part of me, and I will miss it greatly. If I could have a theme at all for senior year, it would be: "Adventure"

It feels good to be done with this. I can't believe this is over, but I won't forget it. There are a few more things I am gonna do. I am gonna put a song that makes me think of each year, a quote that makes me think of it, a Bible verse and the theme. It's just for fun.

Freshman year:
Theme: Who Am I?
Song: Desert Song by Hillsong and Take Me As I Am by Lecrae
Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:18
Quote: "Life Opens Up When You Do" - Crest Slogan.

Sophomore year:
Theme: Who Is God?
Song: One Sixteen by Trip Lee
Verse: Romans 1:16
Quote: "I Can Hardly Find The Means For All The Words I Mean To Speak" - I think Donald Miller, but I can't remember.

Junior year:
Theme: Let Go And Let God
Song: Beautiful Feet by Lecrae
Verse: John 3:30
Quote: "Sometimes You Have To Talk To God About Someone Before You Can Talk To Someone About God" - Josh Goody

Senior year:
Theme: Adventure
Song: Free and Easy by Dierks Bentley
Verse: John 15:1-13, Galatians 5:1
Quote: "Take The Chance While You Still Have The Choice" - My current girlfriend, Brittany.

Thanks guys, this has been fun. Maybe a college version needs to be done. I will use this blog if I do that. If not, I'll use this blog as a ministry factor like I have been.

I love you guys!
TJ

I Will Carry You With Me

Yesterday was my high school graduation ceremony. One of the things that is looked forward to the most. We've been waiting four years through high school, and 13 years through our school lives. We've laughed, we've cried, and we've worked hard to get there. We've overcome obstacles, made and lost friends, and all that stuff. All of it leading up to this one moment in our lives. A culmination of everything we have done for the past 13 years of our lives.

Going to sleep the night before graduation proved to be a challenge. It was a mixture of anticipation, sadness, happiness, and just fear. I had watched my sister's high school graduation, but it was a new ball game. I would be the one in the cap and gown. I couldn't get to sleep because I was thinking of the fact that I would miss my friends, and the experiences, and most of all the memories. It was not an easy task getting my body to calm down enough to actually sleep. None the less, a little after 2 AM I was asleep.

I woke up at around 7:30 to start getting ready. Why I got up that early, I don't know, because it didn't take that long to get ready, but in any case, I was up. This morning was spent with much prayer, just about the day, and other things. Just knowing that I am going to miss seeing most of my 196 person class. After preparation, and pictures, my mother was there to take me to the Civic Center.

Arriving at the Civic Center, my mom made me take pictures with her and grandmom. Something I had to deal with willingly, because you only graduate high school once. Hidden Valley had just had their graduation, so I am seeing many of my newly graduated friends and acquaintances. I was in shock. It was really about to happen. I was about to take a huge step in life. I met up with a friend to head into the civic center and get ready to walk in. We hung out, took a few pictures, and talked. Just about anticipation, and excitement. After talking with a few teachers I had become close with, and hanging out with my friends one last time as high schoolers, it was that time. Time to line up and go into the main part and begin the ceremony.

Walking into the ceremony, it seemed as if it was unreal. Everything felt like a dream. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had woken up halfway through it from a real dream. Nope, it was really happening, and nothing was going to stop that. I spent most of the opening minutes searching for where my family was sitting. They had chosen quite an impeccable spot. Right next to the stage where we would walk after being handed our diploma case.  After all of us were in, we stood there as we started the ceremony

We started the ceremony with the pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem. After that was all done, our fellow student talked to us. The young man who had been voted the Knight of the class of 2013 was going to address us one last time. He spoke on a few different topics, but the ones that stood out to me were very important. He talked about the keys to living a happier, more joy-filled life. First, you must laugh every day. Laughter is the showing of joy in the heart, as long as it's true laughter. 2nd, do 3 things for someone else every day. They could be as small as holding a door open for someone, or as big as giving them food in a time of need. Serving others is a very joyous thing, and it makes you feel good about yourself. 3rd, make a list of at least 3 things to do, and make sure to do them. This will at least make your day seem productive. These also can be as small as taking out the trash, doing laundry, or washing dishes. This will give you that sense of accomplishment, and everyone loves that feeling. I couldn't have been more proud of my friend for being able to speak so well even though he admitted he wasn't much of a public speaker. I am proud to call him my friend. After a few awards had been given out, we got the pleasure of hearing from another fellow student. Though I can't remember what she said, I was proud of her for her confidence, and just once again, to call her my friend. After that was done, a few more awards were given out, then the big moment came: The diploma walk. One row at a time, we stood, walked over to the stage and then when our name was called, we walked across to our principal, who would hand us our diploma cases and shake our hands one last time, and let us go. We then walked to see this man who is the head of Roanoke County Schools. He runs the show, and he was there to speak to us. He only said a few words to me, which I'm sure he said to everyone else, but it was still great for him to be there. We then walked off the stage to get a picture taken that I messed up. My family was sitting right there, cheering for me as I had this happen. We then sat back down and waited for the rest of our class.

After everyone had their diplomas, we all stood up, then when told, we moved our tassels from the right to left, and we were officially graduates of Cave Spring High School. The Class of 2013 was put into the history books.  Nothing can take that title from us. After we picked up our caps from throwing them in the air, as tradition says to do, we proceeded to walk out of the main area. Some of us had tears in our eyes, but all of us had joy in our hearts. When we got back in the back room, I let it out. I was crying because it was a hard fought battle to get here, and it was finally over. I was crying because my best friends would soon be going their separate ways, and I knew I would miss them greatly. There were many reasons I was crying. I may be crazy, but I will miss Cave Spring High School. I will miss everything I did there. So many memories have been made, but are now just nice things to remember. I hugged my friends and some of my teachers. I was wearing my emotions on my sleeve, and everyone knew how I felt about it. I said goodbye to some friends I knew I might not see much, and then I went to find my family.

In the search, I ran into my friends, Rachel, Chris, Cody, and Justin. Rachel ran up to me and hugged me, we talked for a while, and after all had been said that could, she and I went our separate ways. I found my dad, and slowly but surely, I found the rest of the family. Put my cap back on to get a tassel-to-the-left picture, and then it was time to go. I was an emotional wreck, and needed to calm down.

Graduation was the end of a chapter in my life. The beginning of another. I soon leave for my college of choice; Liberty University. I am glad to be attending with a few great friends. I am excited for it. I can only hope and pray that it is not the end of my friendships with these people. I already miss some of them, and we haven't said goodbye formally yet. There is so much I could go on with this about, but I just know that this isn't the end of our journey. We may not be together in person, but our spirit will always have that connection. It is not goodbye forever.

The song that comes to mind while writing this is "See You Again" by Carrie Underwood. The chorus of this song goes

I will see you again, oh woah
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, oh
Til I see you again.

I do believe this is an appropriate theme for graduation everywhere. Though I know the song was not written for that reason, it fits. I know that I will always carry the memories of high school with me everywhere I go. I will miss it all, the classrooms, the friendships, the football games, the soccer matches, and everything in between.


"The rear view mirror is smaller than the windshield. So you can always look back at your past without taking your eyes off the road."

Take Care
I love you guys
TJ

Life As We Know It

A few nights ago was my last Cave Spring Young Life club as a student. It was filled with many mixed emotions, and shared with some of my best friends. Like is tradition, the seniors of the group were honored while at club. We picked and lead games, we picked what songs were played, we picked everything. The best part for us, is that 5 seniors were picked to get the privelage to share some of their lives with the people who were there. I won't put full names, but the five were Ryan, Kendall, Me,  Sarah, and Taylor. All 5 of us got an amazing privelage to share about our lives before we accepted Jesus, why we picked Jesus, our lives since we accepted Jesus, and what would we say if we could speak to our freshman selves.

Having been on work crew with some of the greates people I know, the first and third questions were just lilke when you were telling your story to a cabin of total strangers, or if you were sharing it with your friends you were there with. So those I didn't have to really think about. It was easier for those because I wasn't talking to strangers. I was talking to my friends. The second question was thought provoking, and it took me some time to be able to really think of what I would say. Why I picked Jesus wasn't something you could just wing it and say. It had to be real, and intentional. The last question was the hardest. The only thing that made it easier, is the fact that I spend a lot of time with freshman, and I figured I'd just tell myself what I would tell them assuming they didn't know Jesus.

Getting to share was an absolute blessing, and it really excited me.about getting to go out and lead at Liberty, and whatever high school or middle school I get placed at. I honestly can not wait for this opportunity that is coming up. There are so many thoughts that I have going through my head about this. All of them are positive, and it is the best thing ever

I've had such a great opportunity to grow with the Cave Spring Young Life crew, and I've had the best chance to see Cave Spring change. I've seen the beginning of the new face of Cave Spring Young Life. Cave Spring is going to change so much in the coming years. I wish I was stickin' around to watch it happen. The Lord is taking me away from Roanoke Young Life, and as sad as that is, I couldn't be more excited. A fresh new chance to really grow with people from all over the place. I'm more excited now than I was before. I will miss being a part of this great community, but I know that going to Liberty will help me to expand that group of people I have community with. I know that I will be provided for, and nothing will make me forget that.

I hope that everything continues to work itself out.
Love y'all
TJ