tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22935406405983298462024-03-05T16:06:00.134-06:00Cody's ContemplationsThe heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
~Psalm 19:1~Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-77888930866211083482011-03-30T14:47:00.005-05:002011-03-30T15:23:22.276-05:00Ministry...Reading through Radical by David Platte has been quite the experience for Meghan and I. We don't get to read together as much as we would like, but when we do finally get to read a chapter, it seems like we are always challenged.<div><br /></div><div>This last chapter was about the Church. It was definitely a hard chapter to read. Platte referenced some different churches that he had visited in countries that currently don't allow Christian missionaries on their soil. He referenced the power and passion that the churches run with because of their total dependance on God for everything they need to grow and succeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>He said that his view on American churches had been severely impacted because of his encounters with these churches...that American churches were relying on their own power to succeed instead of relying on God and the power of the Holy Spirit. That accusation is something that really made me struggle. I don't like to think of churches in America being selfish and not rooted in prayer, but the sad reality is that there probably are churches where that is the case.</div><div><br /></div><div>We live in such a commercialized society that we tend to focus on what WE can do to bring people into the church, like modern videos, louder and more entertaining worship, and energetic, relevant preaching. I'm not saying that these are bad things, but if we as leaders are focused on what WE can do and not what God can do then we have a problem. Ministry needs to be constantly bathed in prayer asking God to bless ministries and work through people to bless people.</div><div><br /></div><div>Probably the most thought provoking thing that I read in this chapter was something Platte said about prayer and the Holy Spirit. He said that so many times we miss the point when we pray and are waiting for answers. We could be praying for God to provide something to us that we need and while we are waiting for that to simply be handed to us...God has already sent us the Provider. His point was that so many times we fail to see that God answers a lot of prayers for us in ways that we don't expect. Like meeting a physical need for us by sending someone else along to help. It was something that I hadn't really thought about much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry this post was so choppy and didn't flow...these were just some things I took away from this chapter. I would love to hear thoughts and comments about this subject and how you think the church is doing.</div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-2846236213865021852011-03-04T00:28:00.004-06:002011-03-04T00:57:43.072-06:00Thoughts...Something that Meghan (my fiance...yes, I'm engaged) and I both really like to do is read. It is something that we have always done in our spare time alone, but has never really been something that we do as a couple. Since we started dating, we have read a couple books together (a couple relationship books to help me be a better boyfriend/fiance). We have both really enjoyed reading together and spending time together that way, so we decided to keep that going.<br /><br />Tonight we started a book called Radical. Just from the opening chapter, it seems like its the kind of book that is going to either really challenge me to start living my life in a different way, or make me question exactly what the author is getting at and be almost judgmental of the whole book.<br /><br />After reading the first chapter, Meghan and I started talking about what we thought and parts that stuck out to us. We started discussing how we thought the author was almost intentionally making us feel like we suck at being Christians because we fail to reach out to the poor or follow Jesus in a more radical way. The author mentioned some of the tactics that Jesus used in His ministry such as using teachings that were so challenging that He drove followers away, asking His disciples to give up everything to follow Him, require suffering and persecution along their journey, etc. <br /><br />This was a point where Meghan and I had some differing thoughts. She mentioned that this thought kind of scared her. She said that it made her really uncomfortable to think that she might not be sacrificing enough. That by the time we are done reading this book, that she will have rethought things so much that living out our daily lives feels like its not right and we will feel a need to change everything and step out of our comfort zone. It scares her to think of Jesus as something other than a comforter, especially if He is someone that requires such a radical life of His disciples.<br /><br />This same thought that scared Meghan gave me a different feeling. I immediately thought that I love this about Jesus. I love that He required so much of His followers and taught things that were so hard to grasp that by the time He was done teaching, and there were only a few followers left, He really knew who was in for the long haul. I love seeing Jesus as the "all that is man" type of guy. The Jesus that wants the most out of His disciples and expects great things from them because He knows that they are capable. The Jesus that calls people into a radical relationship with Him. It excites me!<br /><br />At the same time though, I see how it is a scary thought. I have always been someone who likes change and ushers it in with open arms. I generally like being challenged to step outside my comfort zone. But I know that there are people who get scared by the very thought of change. Who love their comfort zone and would stay there forever if they could. I was really encouraged by my conversation with Meghan after reading this book for a few reasons...one...it is really nice to have a time like this to just spend time together and talk, which is something that I think people take for granted...two...I love that Meghan and I can push each other a little bit to see things in a way that we normally wouldn't...and three...I really think that this book is going to make us think about a lot of things in our life right now.<br /><br />I'm excited for what else this book has to bring...for the conversations it sparks. And I hope that everyone reading this blog has some kind of opportunity to do something like this as well. It is always good to learn and strengthen each other up in love.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-88770680221107753782011-01-06T10:55:00.002-06:002011-01-06T11:15:43.673-06:00Crazy Love - Chapter 10I just finished Crazy Love (which is something that took me months longer than it should have) and loved it. Instead of summarizing the chapter, I just wanted to mention a few points that I thought were interesting and let you ponder on them.<br /><br />"How we live our day is...how we live our lives." -Annie Dillard<br /><br />"I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come into contact with is Christ." -Chan<br /><br />"When people make changes in their lives like this, it carries greater impact than when they merely make impassioned declarations. The world needs Christians who don't tolerate the complacency of their own lives." -Chan<br /><br />"What will people say about your life in heaven? Will people speak of God's work and glory through you? And even more important, how will you answer the King when He says, 'What did you do with what I gave you?'" -Chan<br /><br />This may seem like a confusing post to you...and if these quotes seem disconnected and confusing then I want to urge you to read through my past posts on this book...or better yet...read Crazy Love. I promise that you will be encouraged and challenged to reshape the way you live.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-16899557485935524122011-01-04T13:04:00.003-06:002011-01-04T13:11:08.860-06:00Crazy Love - Chapter 9I'm going to keep this post short and sweet...partly because I'm on my lunch break, and partly because I really don't have much to add to this topic. <br /><br />In this chapter, Chan gives numerous examples of people that he has come across that exhibited the kind of crazy love that he has been talking about in the book. If you are looking for encouragement that there is still some good left in the world or looking to be challenged and stretched in your faith or looking for examples of radical ways to serve in your life, read Crazy Love (specifically chapter 9 for the stories). I am constantly both amazed and encouraged by these stories as well as challenged to love in a more radical way every time I read this chapter.<br /><br />I hope it does the same for you!Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-81004499237334557582010-10-13T13:30:00.004-05:002010-10-13T13:59:53.192-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 8Obsessed: <span style="font-style: italic;">To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic.</span><br /><br />Have you ever been obsessed with anything? I have been trying to think about all the different things that I have been obsessed with over the years...and quite a few have come to mind. Most recently I have been obsessed with things like Halo 2 and 3, different time wasting games on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">facebook</span> like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">jetman</span>, mafia wars, mouse hunt, or college town.<br /><br />Looking back through my life, I have been obsessed with a lot of different things...but unfortunately most of the time my obsessions aren't with the one thing that they should be with. As a Christian, I am called to be obsessed with Jesus and to live my life in Christ. I think that Christians as a whole fall short in this area, myself included. What would it look like if everyone that claimed to be a Christian lived a life being obsessed with Jesus and spending all of their time/efforts/money fulfilling the things that Jesus was all about? I for one think that people would have a much more positive view of Christians.<br /><br />I want to be completely and utterly obsessed with Christ. So much that my life absolutely revolves around Him and I would feel worthless if I'm not living up to the standards that He has set. <br /><br />I want to...<br /><ul><li>give freely and openly</li><li>live life in faith and step out of my comfort zone</li><li>be connected to the poor and needy in some way</li><li>be more concerned with obeying God than fulfilling the status <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quo</span></li><li>strive to always be more humble</li><li>serve better</li><li>think about others more than myself</li><li>have a "Kingdom" mindset and orient my life around eternity</li><li>have a passion for God above all else</li><li>be open and transparent with God</li><li>have a more intimate relationship with Him</li><li>be more joyful in every circumstance</li><li>be faithful to Christ in every aspect of my life</li></ul>How about you?Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-60684089523921184522010-10-11T10:04:00.002-05:002010-10-11T10:26:31.328-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 7This chapter was a hard chapter to read. Not because it used big words or long run-on sentences that confused me, but rather because I didn't like what I was reading. Don't get me wrong, it was a great chapter and everything that Chan said was really good and really truthful...but I didn't like what I read because it really convicted me. It made me realize that I'm not living up to the potential that Jesus has called everyone to. It made me realize that my priorities are screwed up and I need to change some things. <br /><br />Yesterday at Calvary Christian Church, Scott preached on sacrificial giving. I left feeling like I needed to take a serious look at my life and re-evaluate how I am doing in that area. Today, the chapter I read was about sacrificial giving. I think maybe God is trying to tell me something...<br /><br />For the longest time I have struggled with giving/tithing because I always viewed my money as just that, <span style="font-weight: bold;">my money</span>. I always had this selfish thought in my head that I needed the money more than the church...I was missing a huge point. So while I was sitting in church yesterday and Scott kept repeating over and over that everything you possess is GOD'S (your car, your kids, your money, etc.) it kinda hit me hard. Something needs to change, and that something is me.<br /><br />It all boils down to faith and trust. I need to have faith that even though I think that I don't have any extra money to give...God will provide and everything will work out. I need to trust that God will bless me if I give willingly and sacrificially. I need to learn to better give out of love...because as Chan said love is where giving starts. (that is my paraphrase) "For God so <span style="font-weight: bold;">LOVED</span> the world that He <span style="font-weight: bold;">GAVE</span>..." (John 3:16)<br /><br />Over the next few days I am going to be taking a long look at how I can better give...sacrificially...willingly...and out of love. Pray for me. <br /><br />Also, if this is something that you struggle with as well, I want to encourage you to listen to <a href="http://www.calvarychristianchurch.org/uploads/A20101010.mp3">Scott's sermon</a> from Calvary Christian Church and also check out chapter 7 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan...it challenged me, maybe it can do the same for you.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-66911175523926768132010-10-04T13:57:00.002-05:002010-10-04T15:56:59.247-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 6Sometimes I think that I'm really bad at loving. When I look at people that I know...it always seems like they love people so much more than I do. I find myself looking at people and judging them or finding ways to justify not loving them...like someone that might annoy me or people that drive too slow on the highway. It makes me think of my dad, knowing that there have to be some people that annoy him (myself included) and people that he might not always enjoy being around...he always makes it a point to love them. I wish that I could do that more often.<br /><br />In chapter 6, there is a section that talks about breaking free from preconceived notions of love and loving like Christ intended. Chan quoted a few verses from <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205:13-14&version=NIV">Galatians 5</a> that really made me think...its talks about how we are called to be free and not to use our freedom to indulge in our sinful nature...but rather to love. I had never really thought about that before. Through Christ we have been set free, but most of the time we just go right back to the sin that we were indulging in before we came to God, like a dog returns to its vomit. Jesus calls us to be more than that. We are set free so that we can love! God wants to change us. Jesus died to change us. Not so that we keep sinning.<br /><br />We need to let God change us. I need to let God change me. My prayer today is that I would be able to love more like Christ...that I would be able to see Christ in others and love them. Will you make that your prayer today?Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-65753819214359511062010-09-29T09:31:00.003-05:002010-09-29T10:59:07.937-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 5I'm finally to the point at college where I feel like I'm in a routine. So I'm going to try this blogging thing again...I know it seems like I say this in every post...but I have a good feeling about this time. I decided that I'm going to take it easy and not try to blog every day, but just do it when I feel like it...which, in spite of my few posts lately, is actually more often than you might think.<br /><br />I recently took a break from my normal reading (mostly Christian non-fiction) and decided to do something a little different to give my mind a quick change of pace. I just finished The Circle Trilogy by Ted Decker and really enjoyed them. Somewhere down the road I will definitely be reading more of Decker's books...but for now it's back to Crazy Love.<br /><br />After reading this chapter I have been kinda convicted. This idea that I have been giving God my leftovers didn't sit well with me. I have never really thought about this, but Chan raises a good point when he says that it is impossible for a Christian to be lukewarm. The reality is that Christ wants all or nothing from us. If we aren't willing to give Him everything, then he would rather have nothing than to be fighting for our time/thoughts/love/actions/etc. <br /><br />I know that no one is perfect and that we are going to screw up and not give Christ ALL of us from time to time and that God's grace covers that act...but I don't think that's exactly what he meant here. There is a huge difference between trying to give your best to God and failing...and just giving God your leftovers. This is where I feel Christians need to check themselves. Are you really and truthfully giving God your "first fruits", or are you simply giving Him what is left after you take care of your needs? When I say this, I'm not necessarily talking about money, though that is part of it, I'm talking about your time and your relationships and your thoughts and your family and your whole life.<br /><br />I felt convicted by this chapter because I feel like I am not doing a good job with this right now and I need to fix something. I want to challenge you to think about this concept in your life. How are you doing? Are you giving God your everything...or does He end up just getting your leftovers?Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-42741113216946541112010-07-20T10:11:00.004-05:002010-07-20T14:05:47.261-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 4<div style="text-align: center;"><sup style="font-style: italic;" class="versenum" id="en-NIV-30746">"15</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! </span><sup style="font-style: italic;" class="versenum" id="en-NIV-30747">16</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."</span> (Revelation 3:15-16)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Have you ever taken a drink of something that was supposed to be hot, like coffee or hot chocolate, and it was just to the point where it was starting to get cold? That happened to me the other day and I had to seriously fight the urge to spit the coffee out. I couldn't help but think about this passage in Revelation...God can't stand it when we are lukewarm.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I think that today's church (the people not the building) is in a constant struggle with being lukewarm. I don't think that this is an intentional thing for most of us because this is the culture that we have been brought up in. We go to church and read our Bibles and pray and say the right things...but why? Because we were told to...its just what we do. We don't drink, smoke, cuss, or partake in other "sinful" activities...why? Because we were told not to.<br /><br />I think that Christians as a whole get caught up in the rut of being "lukewarm" and just going through the motions because that is we are so used to doing...or "supposed to do." We need to break the mold of Christianity that is causing so many people to look down on us. We need to stop accepting mediocrity and live up to the standard that Christ has set for us. I believe that there is so much that we are missing out on in this life and we don't even know it because we are caught up in our "lukewarm" faith and content with it. We don't feel the need to grow any closer to Christ because we are close enough.<br /><br />Here are a list of things that Francis Chan labels as "The Profile of the Lukewarm"<br /><br />Lukewarm People...<br /><ul><li>attend church fairly regularly</li><li>give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living</li><li>tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in a conflict</li><li>don't really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin</li><li>are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act</li><li>rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends</li><li>gauge their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world</li><li>say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives...but only a part</li><li>love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength</li><li>love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves</li><li>will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give</li><li>think about life on earth much more than eternity in Heaven</li><li>are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor</li><li>do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty</li><li>are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control</li><li>do not live by faith; their lives and structured so they never have to</li><li>probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren't that different from your typical unbeliever</li></ul>Look over this list and REALLY take a deep look into your life. Are you lukewarm? <br /><br />Jesus explained in the parable of the sower different levels of people and how they accept the Word of Truth in Matthew 13. The seed flung onto the path is quickly stolen away. The seed tossed onto the rocks do not take root...they appear to grow, but only on a surface level. The seed spread out among the thorns takes root but is soon suffocated by the thorns. The seed that is sown on good soil takes root, grows, and produces fruit.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Do not assume that you are good soil."</span> <br /><br />Like I said in previous posts...we serve an amazing God who loves us with an unconditional love. He deserves the absolute best that we have. Not some lukewarm drink that He is going to want to spit out the second it touches His tongue. We need to strive to give Him our all, our best, and our first fruits.<br /><br />"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)<br /></div></div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-91861323143742672872010-07-16T10:55:00.004-05:002010-07-18T15:45:25.916-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 3Crazy- 1. wonderful, excellent, perfect.<br /> 2. having an unusual, unexpected, or random quality, behavior, result, pattern, etc.<br /><br />Love- 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.<br /> 2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.<br /><br />I have come to the conclusion that most people struggle with completely understanding God's love. I have heard questions like, "If God truly loves us then why do bad things still happen?" and "How can God love me, you don't know the things that I have done." I think that each person who struggles with grasping God's love does so for many different reasons...whether it is because of some encounter that we have had in a relationship that has skewed our view of love...or whether we have just not seen an outpouring of love at all in our lives...the reasons vary from person to person.<br /><br />People try to associate the love that they see in this world with the love that God shows us and while that can give us a very small glimpse of what God's love is like, it pales in comparison. For example...I know that my parents love me. No matter what I do, no matter what I say. There is nothing that I can do that would change that. But still...the love that my parents have for me is just a small fraction of the love that God has for me.<br /><br />Let me try to get this point across...the God we serve is a HUGE God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-sufficient. He created everything that we are able to see in this world and even the things that we can't see. Yet a God that is so much bigger than our brains could even fathom loves each and every one of us with a love that we cannot fathom either! This God wants to be a part of our lives on a daily basis. Before we had ever been born, He knew us. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%201:4-5&version=NIV">Jeremiah 1:4-5</a>) He created us for a purpose that is "to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:10&version=NIV">Ephesians 2:10</a>)<br /><br />I can't even begin to understand God's love but I do know this...that I want to try. I want nothing more than to be a part of a God who loves us with such a crazy love. I want nothing more than to be a part of a love that God <span style="font-style: italic;">chooses</span> to give to us. I want nothing more than to be a part of the greatest good on this earth...God. I don't know why a God so huge decided to love each and every one of us, it is crazy to think about. All that I can do is embrace this love and strive with everything that is in me to give all my love in return. My love for God should make it so that I want to spend every waking moment in contact with Him...by digging into His word...by talking to Him through prayer...and by basking in the goodness of His creation. What do you think?Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-77148356364364408972010-07-14T16:57:00.003-05:002010-07-15T09:46:25.407-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 2You might not finish reading this blog post...<br /><br />Why is that you ask? Because at any moment any one of us could cease to exist. That is the reality of the issue. Everybody dies.<br /><br />Most of the time people fail to realize that at any moment they could die. Whether your heart would decide to randomly stop beating or you fell victim to the acts of a murderer...it could happen. There won't always be tomorrow and that is something that we don't like to think about. Why don't we like to think about it? Because it forces us to make the realization that life isn't about us...and forces us to make the realization that we are a selfish people.<br /><br />Think about that. We are selfish. I would be willing to bet that you could not make it through one week or maybe even one day without having a selfish thought. We get so caught up in living for ourselves that we forget that every single second of our lives is not about us...but is about God. God doesn't fit into our story...we fit into His. Francis Chan walked us through how God's story is recorded in the Bible and I will walk us through this quickly.<br /><br />God created the world-->People rebel against God and-->God floods the earth to rid it of the mess people made of it-->generations later...God called out Abram to be the father of a nation-->even later...people like Joseph and Moses and other ordinary people were also picked by God to do great works-->then God sends judges and prophets to His nation because they had trouble obeying Him-->then the climax...the Son of God is born among God's people and teaches people what true love looks like then dies, is resurrected, and returns to Heaven to be with God-->then the story ends...with every being worshiping God who sits on the throne of Heaven.<br /><br />You tell me who this story is about.<br /><br />What does this mean for us? We need to stop living like everything revolves around us...and start living like everything revolves around God. Nothing else matter in this life except for God. Not money, fame, family, friends, popularity...NOTHING. We need to live in such a way that it is impossible for us to forget God...because He is <span style="font-weight: bold;">everything</span>! We have to realize that.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-41759217258392972392010-07-14T09:58:00.003-05:002010-07-14T11:38:53.247-05:00Crazy Love - Chapter 1I was packing up my books the other day, getting things in order for when I finish up my internship and head back to school, and I noticed something that kinda bothered me. I had probably no less than 20 books sitting on my shelf that I hadn't read yet...but this isn't really what bothered me. What really bothered me was that I noticed another 20 or so books that I have read...I couldn't remember a single thing about some and very few things about others. I spent hours reading those books and have nothing to show for it...what a waste of time!<br /><br />I came to the conclusion that I needed to do something in order to better recall the things that I have read so that I can better apply them to my life. So I devised a plan. From now on I am going to read at least a chapter every day and sometimes more and then regurgitate what I read on my blog. My hopes are that I will be able to recall the things that I read and better apply them to my life. Also, I hope that something that I write on here will inspire someone else in some way.<br /><br />Today I started the book <span style="font-style: italic;">Crazy Love</span> by Francis Chan. I have heard great things about this book and am really looking forward to being challenged by its words.<br /><br />Stop Praying...what a way to start a book.<br /><br />Stop talking <span style="font-style: italic;">at</span> God and take some time to actually meditate and focus on <span style="font-style: italic;">who He is.</span><br /><br />This is a whole lot harder than you might think. Just thinking of God as "Creator" is most likely too much for our human brains to handle. <a href="http://crazylovebook.com/videos_awe.html">This video</a> kinda puts things into perspective a little bit. This universe that God created and its detail is a lot to take in. Just thinking about how no two snowflakes are the same or how God knows exactly the number of hairs on our head or how your heart creates enough pressure when it pumps blood through your body to squirt it up to 30 feet or how there are 228 separate and distinct muscles in the head of a caterpillar is simply amazing. And this is just a fraction of the tip of an iceberg.<br /><br />I feel just like Chan when he said that when he thinks about these things he <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">HAS</span> to worship. How could you not? Check out <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2019:1-4&version=NIV">Psalm 19:1-4</a>. I feel a little left out at times when I read this passage. If all of creation is a constant testimony to to power of God and how truly <span style="font-weight: bold;">BIG</span> He is...why do I miss it sometimes? Why am I not constantly lifting God up in worship? Unfortunately I think that a lot of us struggle with just this. We forget God and who He really is. We don't often think about this because it is one of those things that is always around us and never leaves. We get used to being right in the middle of it and start to take it for granted...or forget that it is there...that God is with us...and that He is AWESOME!<br /><br />Chan end the chapter by hitting on some of the key attributes of God that we often forget about...not because they are easily forgettable, but simply because we forget. We need to be reminded of these things so that we never truly forget who God is and what He is like.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">God is holy</span> or set apart and perfect. Because of this there is no way that we can fathom everything about Him. There aren't enough words in our vocabulary to describe Him...in the words of Chan..."Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?"<br /></li><li style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">God is eternal.<span style="font-weight: normal;"> That seems like a given, right? Just think about that for a while. In a world full of things that have a beginning, we have a God that doesn't. We have a God that came before everything and will be there long after everything is gone. Try to grasp everything about that...</span></li><li style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">God is all-knowing.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">It is humbling to think that the same God who is big enough to have created everything in existence and is holy and eternal is also a God that wants to know the little things about us...and everything else about us for that matter.</span><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">God is all-powerful.</span> Everything was created for God. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%201:16&version=NIV">Colossians 1:16</a>) Yet we seem to go about our lives thinking that everything is here for us. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%204:35&version=NIV">Daniel 4:35</a> says that basically we are nothing and God is everything...He has ultimate power to do as He pleases. Who are we to tell Him any different?<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">God is fair and just.</span> He is pretty set in His ways. He can have no part of sin because He is holy. And all sin must be punished. Its as simple as that. The cool thing about it is this: God gave us His Son to take the punishment we deserve. Everyone is covered in that sacrifice...that's pretty fair. Yet Jesus took the punishment for something that had to be punished...that's pretty just. God hates sin and must punish sin. And He is completely fair and just in doing so.</li></ul>It is an amazing thing to get caught up in everything that God is. I think that I need to take some time right now just to continue to take this all in...I encourage you to do the same. I know that I can't physically comprehend or explain God...but I need to try. Just look at it this way...we will NEVER run out of reasons to worship God. That is comforting encouragement to live a life of worship...finding things daily that are new and exciting about God.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-9403293196697152712010-03-30T16:24:00.003-05:002010-03-30T17:48:33.104-05:00Tops...Ok...so I've come to the realization recently (with help from various people in my life) that I am a bad blogger. I rarely blog for a few reasons: 1) I am busy. (Lame excuse I know) 2) Sometimes I just don't have anything that I feel is "blog worthy." 3) When I do have time to blog, I find myself doing other things like playing online games or watching TV.<div><br /></div><div>I'm going to try to do a better job of blogging more. I really enjoy reading the list of 15 blogs that I follow as often as I can, and find myself wondering why people don't blog more so that I can read them. Then I realized that I might be making some people (if anyone actually reads my blog) feel the same way...wondering every night why there isn't a new post on Cody's Contemplations for their reading enjoyment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well folks, today is your lucky day! The wait is over! You blog dreams have been fulfilled! </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm in a weird mood right now and I decided that its time for a random blog. So today's theme is...</div><div><br /></div><div>TOPS: My top 3 list...of top 5 lists!</div><div><br /></div><div>I am going to try my best to compile my top three list of top five lists regarding how things rank (or ranked) in my life! Woot!</div><div><br /></div><div>Number 3: My top 5 favorite foods regardless of genre or whatever thats called for food...</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>5) Sesame Chicken- This is my all time favorite chinese food dish and the one that I find myself ordering regardless of the restaurant. The best sesame chicken I have ever had was from The Wonderful House in Scottsbluff.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4) Chili- I'm not really a huge soup fan...so it's a good thing that I don't really classify chili as a soup. There are 2 chili's that each have a separate place in my heart forever. First, Cristina Sander's chili is the best chili that I have ever eaten...I love to eat it with fritos, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, and a little bit of sour cream. Second, my mom's chili. Many of you might think that this is very weird but I eat my mom's chili just like my dad does...by dousing it in sugar. Yes you hear correctly...SUGAR. Try it sometime...I wouldn't recommend it with a really spicy chili though. Reserve it for a really mild one.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3) Smothered Enchiladas- Favorite mexican food of all. I get these at any mexican restaurant that has them. Cheesy enchiladas covered in spicy pork chili is to die for! If you are ever in Scottsbluff, you have to try the smothered enchiladas at El Charrito for the are muy muy bueno!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2) Cheeseburgers- The best grilling out food ever. I could eat burgers anytime and anyplace. You can find cheap burgers for a dollar at various fast food places to satisfy your hunger. Or you could dive into the world of gourmet burgers for a pretty penny. Regardless of where you get them, they are sure to fill you up...some more than others though. The only things that could possibly be better than a cheeseburger (other than my number 1 food) is a cheeseburger with BACON!!!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1) Pizza- The chameleon of foods. Think about it...they make breakfast pizza, mexican pizza, veggie pizza, dessert pizza, taco pizza, cheeseburger pizza, mac and cheese pizza, and the list goes on. Like a food but are wondering how to make it better? Try making it into a pizza! I eat pizza fresh, day old, hot, or cold. I simply don't get tired of it. The best pizza that I can think of might surprise some people. Little Caesar's Hot and Ready. Cheap. Take it home and douse it with Frank's Red Hot Sauce then dip it in some ranch dressing and you could almost call that heavenly. </div><div><br /></div><div>Number 2: Top 5 best of the worst pick up lines ever...</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">5) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">If you were a new hamburger at McDonald's, you would be McGorgeous. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4) How you doing? (said in a sleazy Joey Tribbiani voice)</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3) Your graphics are so beautiful that they rival Doom 3.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2) There's this movie I really want to see, but my mommy said I can't go by myself...<br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> </span></span></span>1) Do you have a boyfriend? [No] Want one? [Yes] Well, when you want a MANfriend, come and talk to me.</div><div style="text-align: auto;"><br /></div></span></span><div>Number 1: Top 5 things that I played with when a child...</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>5) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- I used to be obsessed with the TNMT. I collected all the action figures and would play with them on a daily basis. My favorite thing to do with them though, was to line them up in 2 lines facing each other, then grab my dad and have a war by shooting a rubber band at the other side. The first person to knock all the TNMT's down on the enemy side won. AWESOME!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4) Basketball- When I was younger, I could almost always be found outside playing basketball. Whether it was by myself, with my dad, or with the neighborhood kids...I did it all the time. That part of me hasn't really changed much. I still do that quite a bit.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3) My Bike- Riding around the neighborhood racing other kids, timing myself to see how fast I could ride to my grandma's and back, making ramps and trying to jump over things, crunching a pop can and putting it on the back tire to make it sound like a motorcycle, riding through the gutter to make all the water shoot out behind you, and trying to make the longest skid mark on the sidewalk...ya my bike riding days were the best!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2) Legos- This probably consumed at least 6 months of my life if you add all the hours together. If you were to ask me what I wanted for Christmas when I was younger, I probably would have said legos. And the few days after Christmas and my birthday...you would know where to find me...I was in my room building all the sweet legos that I had received. I had so many legos that my mom got me a huge tote to put them all in. It was big enough to fit me in it. I had lego parties that lasted for days. Best days ever!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1) Dirt- What little boy didn't play with dirt? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that a boy would actually be a girl if they didn't play in the dirt at least once in their life. I lived outside in the dirt. I was REALLY into building forts and those always required digging a trench somewhere in the back yard. I think the time that I realized I didn't like dirt so much was when my dad put me to work digging little holes to make a walkway of stepping stones in the back yard...dirt went from play...to work. Sad day!</div><div><br /></div><div>Welp...I hope that you enjoyed yet another trip into my head for a moment...see you next year!</div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-60744078652339203432010-03-04T16:20:00.003-06:002010-03-04T17:28:10.934-06:00So Much...I realize that I haven't posted in a couple months. For some reason I seem to have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I really had no intentions of doing so, but I guess things just caught up with me and I fell behind...really far behind. I apologize to everyone that follows my blogs...if there is anyone. I will try to do better at blogging more often.<div><br /></div><div>These past few months have been great. I'm always amazed at how God seems to work in my life even though at times I don't think that I deserve it. When I think back on my life, God has always taken care of all my needs and even a lot of my wants. He blessed me with a great family growing up, an awesome youth group through Jr High and High School, great friends at home and at college, and a great church family wherever I have been.</div><div><br /></div><div>He has also blessed me with various material blessings. My very first car, a 1987 Ford Bronco II was given to us as long as we could get it running. My second car, a 1990 Nissan Maxima, was also given to us so I would have a more reliable car for college. When my computer stopped working this last year during my internship, some families in the church got together and bought me a new one. When I was at school it was not uncommon to get a note in my mailbox saying that someone had made an anonymous payment towards my school bill. </div><div><br /></div><div>Things continue to go well for me in spite of me seemingly screwing things up occasionally. Right now in my life, my family is still awesome and continues to support me in everything that I do. My friends are also still awesome, keeping in touch for the most part even though I'm 4 hours away. I just recently got a wonderful girlfriend, Meghan Splattstoesser and she is seriously amazing! I also just recently got a new truck, which I have wanted forever. I have a great job doing what I love as a youth intern. I will be going back to school starting next fall and am super excited about that. God has really taken care of me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I guess the reason why I'm writing all of this is because most of the time I fail to give God the glory for all the things that are happening in my life. I like to take the credit for myself. So right now I just want to stop and say thanks God for blessing me even though I don't deserve it. </div><div>How has God blessed you in your life? Do you give Him the glory for those things?</div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-27721786900765426282009-11-20T11:04:00.003-06:002009-11-20T12:25:45.199-06:00Character...I enjoy reading. Although I rarely find the time that I would like, to indulge in some sort of reading. My reading usually consists of one chapter every night before I go to sleep. But sometimes I will come across a section in a book or magazine that I don't want to put down. It speaks to me more so than other sections and chapters that I have read. I find myself making extra time during the day to continue on in the story or dig deeper into the subject that I was reading. My most recent occurrence of this happened earlier this week. I just finished a book called "Next Generation Leader" by Andy Stanley. He divides this book up into five sections, the last of which is on the topic of character.<br /><br />This topic is one in particular that has been hammer home to me over and over again during my time and Nebraska Christian College. I learned that effective ministries will only thrive if they are operating out of an abundance of good character. This also is directly related to your personal relationship with God. The ultimate goal is to strive to become so close to God and spend so much time in prayer and in His word, that you have no choice but to operate out of your overflow or abundance of Him. (I also want to make the point that since the word "plethora" means to have "too much" of something or an "excess", that it should not be a word that is associated with God...because I don't think its a possible to have too much of Him rather we are always trying to get more) <br /><br />This topic of character, has been something that I have been thinking a lot about lately. In his book, Stanley encourages his readers to live a live of constant integrity and really sit down and think through your values and beliefs. His theory is that there will be one time in your life where you will encounter something that will be a major test to your character. You will have to choose to do what is right, or choose the opposite and suffer a major blow to your ministry and also to your integrity and character. This may seem to be the case when I think back to the various stories that I have heard of people in ministry positions that have compromised their integrity and because of that, have ruined their ministry and how people view their character. <br /><br />I would like to take this one step further. While I agree with the statement that each person will have to deal with one large scale happening that will be a true test of character, I also think that it is something that we have to deal with on a smaller scale and on a daily basis. While there may be that one monumental event that you look back on saying that was the true test of your character which you either passed or failed, I believe that there are smaller battles that if you don't fight, you will face the same outcome over time. You see, I believe that the choices we make on a day to day basis shape the way we will handle that one large happening. I believe that Satan is trying everything he can to attack our character. He is crafty and will try to start habits in you by attacking the small areas of your life and then desensitize you when that large happening occurs. Choosing to tell a lie, or swearing, or lust, or something else that we might deal with daily could be just as important for us to watch out for as something huge. <br /><br />What I have been challenged with over the past week, is to strive to not give the devil a foothold in any area of my life. Whether it be telling a lie, or cheating, or lust...anything. I don't want to give him the opportunity to smash my integrity or character. All it takes is one event to ruin your ministry forever. <br /><br />At the end of his book, Stanley tells a story of his kids. Every night before bed, Stanley would pray with his children that God would them the wisdom to know the truth and the character to always follow it, even when its tough. (This is my paraphrase because I don't have the book next to me for direct quote purposes) That has become a constant prayer in my life, that God would give me wisdom to know the truth and character to always follow it, even when its tough. <br /><br />How about you?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:5&version=NIV">James 1:5</a> and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2011:3&version=NIV">Proverbs 11:3</a>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-73192416329519909212009-11-11T21:13:00.008-06:002009-11-11T22:50:23.986-06:00Awkward...Quick shout out to all my friends in Omaha...you know who you are.<div><br /></div><div>When I was younger, I was considered to be a little bit of a creeper. I would like to think that I was not. There were some times, however, that due to my shy personality some people could have thought that I was a little creepy. (Because I didn't talk a whole lot and would sit in the back of the room so I didn't draw attention to myself) As the years have gone on, those people would say that I have come out of my shell a little bit and "outgrown" my creepiness...I hope. Here is a story of a recent situation that happened in my life that was very awkward and I hope that no one ever has to go through something like this...but <a href="http://bethism.blogspot.com/">Beth</a> probably will. </div><div><br /></div><div>Working with a youth group, I get the opportunity to hang out with a lot of kids. Naturally there are some kids that open up to you more than others do. There are the high school boys that are your best buds and like to come to you for advise. There are the high school girls that come to you when they are having boy problems, thinking that you will be able to help. (I mean a guy should know other guys right???) There are the junior high boys that just want attention and look up to you somewhat. And then there are the junior high girls...how can I explain them...they are all about drama and want to be best friends with everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the story of one particular junior high girl and the misunderstanding that took place. Enjoy. On Friday nights, I hang out with around 60 junior high kids at the youth center here in town. I get to see all the junior high drama first hand. Seriously, it seems like these kids are dating someone new every week. Oh the drama. There are a few girls that always make sure to get a hug from me, and always let me know that I am their "best friend." I am completely OK with that and don't think that is anything out of the ordinary. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you have known a junior high girl, you know that they are the champions of Facebook. The queens of status updates. It is the fuel for the drama that they love so much. They fear confrontation, so they use their Facebook to fight their battles...calling out other girls through their status updates, etc. This time in particular, one girl decided to let everyone know that she had a new boyfriend. This boyfriend was the popular theme for her status updates for the next few days, as she never failed to mention that she "loved" him, and how sad she was that she didn't get to see him cause he was out of town or sick. Now by this point you might think that the reason this situation was so awkward was because I am a Facebook stalker and someone called me out on it. That is not the case. All the Facebook information was given to me via a very reliable source. Did I mention that this girls new boyfriend was named Cody? The plot thickens...</div><div><br /></div><div>This is where the awkwardness begins. I went out of town to meet my new nephew, Malachi James Matteson. While I was gone, I was told that this girl updated her status saying..."I'm so mad that I don't get to see my boyfriend, Cody, cause he is out of town for the weekend"...and later..."I miss Cody, wish he was here. I "heart" you Cody!" When I came back to Norton, I had two different people confront me to ask if there was anything going on with me and this girl. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Who seriously thinks that me (22) would even consider any type of relationship with a 13 year old. THIS WAS RIDICULOUS! By far the most awkward experience of my life. I kinda told them that I was in no way in a relationship with her and that there was probably a junior high boy named Cody that she was dating. I have since talked to the girl and kindly asked her to stop the status updates and explained why. </div><div><br /></div><div>This will hopefully be one of those situation where I can look back and say..."remember that one time when..." I hope that everyone gets a good laugh out of this. And Beth, I hope that this makes your day and that you sleep well tonight knowing that you aren't the only one that encounters awkward situations like this...just the one that it happens to more than others.</div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-53432627957953890382009-11-10T22:25:00.003-06:002009-11-10T23:22:33.952-06:00Randomness...I realize that it has been a month since my last post...I just haven't really had the urge to blog. In fact, I have been very content in simply reading the blogs of my friends and family. I love it when someone post a new blog. It brightens my day. So when my sister posted on my blog that she was ready for me to make another post, I knew exactly how she felt. It is because of this, that I am going to make a compilation of posts...all together in one. This is my randomness...<div><br /></div><div>I was able to take a few days off to see my family this past weekend. It was great! My oldest sister Miranda gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Malachi James (which is my middle name) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Matteson</span>. He is perfectly healthy and I am very thankful for that. I held my new nephew for about 30 seconds...just long enough for my sister to take a few pictures...for those of you who don't know, I really don't like holding small babies. I was also able to see my parents and little brother Austin. It was really good to be able to spend some time with them too. It had been a while. Since I know my family reads this...I LOVE YOU ALL!</div><div><br /></div><div>I love my friends! This is probably an understatement. It never fails that every day I will receive a text message or message via <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Facebook</span> from one of my friends telling me that they miss me or sending me a random message remembering how great "the old times" were. Not a day goes by that I don't feel the same way about them. For all of my friends reading this...I Love You All and Miss You All! Being away from friends and family has probably been the hardest thing about my whole internship experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>My favorite animal is a Polar Bear. One reason why is because they are super smart. Polar bears like to eat seals. And when a seal hunts, they usually sit by a hole in the ice and wait for a fish to come to the surface, which makes a scratching sound on the ice. They sit and wait for that sound, then dive through the hole and catch some lunch. Now Polar Bears figured that out and found a seal hole that was somewhat close to the edge of an ice cap. They will take a deep breath, dive into the water, and swim under the ice to the seal hole. They then proceed to scratch the ice with their claw, and when the seal dives in to catch its food...the polar bear grabs it. Pretty smart huh? Another fun fact about polar bears is that they are the only animal known to hunt humans. Now there are other animals that will attack a human for being in their territory or getting too close to its cubs...but polar bears with actually hunt a human for the sole purpose of eating them.</div><div><br /></div><div>What do you call cheese that isn't yours??? </div><div>Someone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">else's</span> cheese, that's what!</div><div><br /></div><div>I am in the worst shape of my life. It is getting to the point when I make them lame joke that I am in great shape...if round counts. I have been working a job that requires a large amount of office work. Sitting at a desk. The only exercise that I get is when we play sponsors vs. kids basketball at youth group once a week. And on top of that, I get spoiled here. The church has a sign up sheet for families to feed me, and they feed me well. I need some motivation to work out...and extra time to as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was my birthday today...and I came to the realization that the older you get, the less meaningful birthdays are. I miss the days of hitting those milestone birthdays where you could do cool things like drive and buy scratch tickets. About the only milestone birthdays I have left are the ones that no one looks forward to....like 30 and 40. Although I would like to take this time to thank everyone for their birthday wishes. Don't get me wrong, today was a good day...I just think that we should invent more milestone birthdays. Maybe one that celebrates turning 22 because you are one year more awesome or something like that.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">A lot</span> of things have happened in the last month, and I don't really have the time to write about any of them. And my memory sucks so I don't remember half of them. But I just want to say thanks to everyone who has stuck by me through thick and thin. You are all a blessing to me in more ways than you could ever imagine! Be thankful for the life you have been given and remember that it is just that...a gift...live it accordingly. </div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-17696590186973476902009-10-09T21:49:00.012-05:002009-10-09T21:59:01.758-05:00Proud Uncle...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMF9O1Q3cu6Hy9pmCQJMIG1xcJCGCg6s_ajLnc6UTNXMFvYQ8Ult5hIaUtljxhLebj7XYz4uB9KUFj-WtfOuG4CMTePsBnewU5vXElwVQ9oKJZSn6hh_sKc-o0PNbPnHXpSGIjllQL5k9/s1600-h/kadence2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMF9O1Q3cu6Hy9pmCQJMIG1xcJCGCg6s_ajLnc6UTNXMFvYQ8Ult5hIaUtljxhLebj7XYz4uB9KUFj-WtfOuG4CMTePsBnewU5vXElwVQ9oKJZSn6hh_sKc-o0PNbPnHXpSGIjllQL5k9/s400/kadence2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390800148412443650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsW6zC4u2-B8gMJQeGqK1vKx8MyuGmWqDeqI-a8CyaoJMkcvs2AkBfJezcsnSYksXfQggmPUDgO-s2Ot-SScblJ5qQVRPW2xz-nHiAVjRzZlwwfMCkHnuaRiO1MpP_wSvpgDJ-e_5XRt5x/s1600-h/brayden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsW6zC4u2-B8gMJQeGqK1vKx8MyuGmWqDeqI-a8CyaoJMkcvs2AkBfJezcsnSYksXfQggmPUDgO-s2Ot-SScblJ5qQVRPW2xz-nHiAVjRzZlwwfMCkHnuaRiO1MpP_wSvpgDJ-e_5XRt5x/s400/brayden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390800011313334370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioU2v4x91qBLbiyoweawAGmYmyMxmzGRg0ZggeikhPnus6Kpol4i5rz3jaGWxihZosDBHrddeU_HXY_He6X_3dDqh7vrfYiWxll8fqTIuT34VrewX5b3D2C3xnX2gjWzaMjrx3Kt8HNB0/s1600-h/joey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioU2v4x91qBLbiyoweawAGmYmyMxmzGRg0ZggeikhPnus6Kpol4i5rz3jaGWxihZosDBHrddeU_HXY_He6X_3dDqh7vrfYiWxll8fqTIuT34VrewX5b3D2C3xnX2gjWzaMjrx3Kt8HNB0/s400/joey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390799901227384338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp57tA594wqQUqVPKHdjt2NBOB-skboQis1OyWVI7x_VZRaEyOIKz6H4myHmUjM0-p7KZcR44hpg-D2bgRo2p8G-c5vfiXSsw0JDwT_VNBC0n7C65KgP2MqzFlzFmLqMDeShEKXLl7-DY8/s1600-h/kadence.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp57tA594wqQUqVPKHdjt2NBOB-skboQis1OyWVI7x_VZRaEyOIKz6H4myHmUjM0-p7KZcR44hpg-D2bgRo2p8G-c5vfiXSsw0JDwT_VNBC0n7C65KgP2MqzFlzFmLqMDeShEKXLl7-DY8/s400/kadence.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390799813779807250" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2rj9qTbg5fvwaLcjs5XvSRqERRRaxKg-NF8KaPYd2opyYv2slXmo7TtKA7wfsUHW8_IByAKGmrV5BZtI1F3BiqXQwYyFp3f6Gvh9WtUkzCRn32qSBDdYyrZ7y1OSY0MGfYOJ47zCx8aE/s1600-h/brayden2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2rj9qTbg5fvwaLcjs5XvSRqERRRaxKg-NF8KaPYd2opyYv2slXmo7TtKA7wfsUHW8_IByAKGmrV5BZtI1F3BiqXQwYyFp3f6Gvh9WtUkzCRn32qSBDdYyrZ7y1OSY0MGfYOJ47zCx8aE/s400/brayden2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390799557652799586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir38UfiIouWWSdEA25XwwXu-N4pgEOlfQxjsXYnQZ1h7r_zGxQk98z5uZvamsOrbmsLUPOpUAG4CRLhF88YCdq6XBr-3CmYtA0HCTa5lgSN9IUZ48OY3TilTIKFQfu6juE-NtjGZytIZjT/s1600-h/joey3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir38UfiIouWWSdEA25XwwXu-N4pgEOlfQxjsXYnQZ1h7r_zGxQk98z5uZvamsOrbmsLUPOpUAG4CRLhF88YCdq6XBr-3CmYtA0HCTa5lgSN9IUZ48OY3TilTIKFQfu6juE-NtjGZytIZjT/s400/joey3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390799461193051922" border="0" /></a>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-67415213512121345222009-10-08T17:58:00.003-05:002009-10-08T18:33:23.202-05:00Codyism...My good friend Beth has a blog called Bethism. Check it out <a href="http://bethism.blogspot.com/">here</a>! On this blog she keeps a record of all the random awkward things that happen in her life. (And they are awkward!) One of my greatest joys in life is reading this blog and getting a good laugh...and being very thankful that none of those things have happened to me. Today however, one of those things happened to me...kinda. It wasn't really an awkward happening, more a series of unfortunate events. <br /><br />So here is the story. Today I was painting a door. It was the door that we are going to put on the back wall of the stage at The Rock, to make it easier to load and unload sound gear and things like that. I was painting it that same color as the wall, a rich, dark, blue. Now just so you know, it's a Husker game day so I was wearing my favorite RED Husker shirt and one of my nicer pairs of khaki shorts. (I wasn't really planning on painting today...) The door was on the ground, so I was kinda squatting over it and painting it. My legs we getting kinda tired, so I decided to sit down and paint it that way. Maybe you can guess what happened next. I sat down...right on the lid of the paint can. And now I have a sweet, dark blue paint spot on my nice shorts...<br /><br />I proceeded to run into the men's restroom to try and wash all the paint off my shorts. So I emptied my pockets, put my wallet and keys on the floor and put my phone in the front pocket on the hooded sweatshirt that I was wearing. I washed as much paint off as I could, but it was a lost cause. HUGE BLUE MARK RIGHT ON THE BUTT! No bueno...<br /><br />I decided since I was already covered in paint to go and finish the first coat of blue on the door. So I continued to paint but this time instead of sitting down, I just bent at the waist to prevent myself from sitting in the paint again. So I was just about finished with this coat of paint, I had just dipped my brush into the paint can and leaned over the door to paint the last section when I heard a *sploosh* *plop* *splash* *gloop* or any other sound like that...and yes...my phone had dropped into the paint can and was slowly sinking to the bottom. I was in shock...what are the odds of my phone jumping out of my pocket into the paint can of doom?<br /><br />I reached in and grabbed my phone out of the paint can. It was completely covered...and now so was my hand. I grabbed the paint can lid and hovered over it so I didn't drip paint all over the floor on the way back to the bathroom. When I got back into the bathroom, I grabbed the paper towel roll and unwound most of it, then proceeded to clean off my phone. There was paint EVERYWHERE on it, the earhole, the speaker, in between the keys, everywhere. I cleaned it off really well and was really pleased with how clean it actually was. I turned it on and to my surprise, it worked...until I pressed the buttons...then it freaked out on me. Needless to say it no longer works, so I'm down one phone, one pair of shorts, and probably about $50 to cover the insurance claim on my phone.<br /><br />This was one of those days where lots of things decide to go wrong. All I can say is that if the Huskers lose tonight then I might scream! When all was said and done, I was really really frustrated, by all I could do was laugh about the whole situation and how it panned out. I hope that everyone can use this post to have a little laugh themselves. Huge props to Beth, I feel your pain, hang in there!Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-67364617296746261552009-10-05T11:19:00.007-05:002009-10-05T14:26:50.518-05:00Reflections...The past few weeks I have been "fasting." As you might remember from my <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Practice What You Preach...</span></span>post, Facebook was taking away from my time with God. So I gave it up for a few weeks and really focused on daily Bible reading, prayer, and tithing (because I do a really bad job with this). I also tried to indulge in some other reading material, mainly my stack of books that I have either bought over the years or have received from someone else. Here is how I have been doing in each area and how God has blessed me also.<br /><br />1. I just recently started meeting with my boss (Mike Sander) and some teachers at the high school here in Norton. We meet together every Tuesday over lunch to pray and talk about what we have read in the past week. We set a goal of reading one chapter a day or seven chapters each week. We started reading in Hebrews and have just recently moved into James. This has been great for me because it is a way for people to keep me accountable and also a time where I can take in what other people noticed in the verses that we read each week.<br /><br />Through the first couple weeks, one constant theme has been sticking with me. Faith. In Hebrews 11, the author lists what has become known as the faith hall of fame. Given are various accounts of times when men and women showed great faith. Names like Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the list goes on. The thing that strikes me here is the things that God was asking these people to do. He was asking them to do things like sacrifice their only son, build a huge boat that will take the majority of your life while being criticized by all your friends, standing up to a Pharaoh...etc. The amount of faith that each one of these different people had amazes me.<br /><br />This got me thinking...how is my faith? Because the truth is, its not that great. So many times in my life I don't put my faith in God and trust that He will work in situations. I like to rely on my own strength and do things on my own without even asking God to help. I don't have the faith to trust that God is going to take care of the little things in my life, much less have the faith to sacrifice my only son to Him. This is something that I need to work on. So many times, when I pray I ask <span style="font-weight: bold;">hoping </span>that God will provide or <span style="font-weight: bold;">hoping </span>that God will work in certain situations. I need to pray in faith, <span style="font-weight: bold;">believing </span>that God will provide and <span style="font-weight: bold;">knowing </span>that He is working in my life. My goal right now is to get better at trusting God and believing that He will work through me instead of hoping that He will.<br /><br />2. I have recently been setting aside specific times during the day just to pray. One of those times is right before I do my daily Bible reading. I ask God to speak to me through His word, help me to find something new that I didn't notice before, and help me to apply those things to my life. I can't explain to you the difference this has made. It's like verses are just jumping off the pages and God is saying..."This is what you need to hear today, take it with you." <br /><br />It seems like God has been making things easy on me throughout this journey too. Usually when I give up things to give more time to God, it is really hard to do and I have trouble sticking with it. These last few weeks, however, different things keep happening to help me keep with it. For example, as our youth group activity last week we developed a prayer labyrinth. This is simply different stations of prayer, each with a specific area to pray about. We set up stages like giving adoration to God, praying for your future, praying for your friends, confession, etc. Just focusing on prayer while preparing for that activity helped me to stick with my goal of spending more time in prayer. It was a constant reminder that I needed to spend time with God.<br /><br />3. I am really bad with my money...and this is probably an understatement. I spend impulsively and usually on things of little importance, like fast food or many cubes of Mt. Dew. Because I am so bad with my money, I rarely have anything left to tithe with. Therein lies my problem. I have spent all my days so far giving what I have left back to God after serving myself first. I need to focus on giving to God first. <br /><br />It was always hard for me to tithe because I liked to see what my money was going towards. I would find creative ways to tithe, like giving to missionaries or helping friends who are raising money for an internship. I don't think doing that is a bad thing, but it points back to my lack of faith. I need to trust that God <span style="font-weight: bold;">will </span>use the money I give to help further the Kingdom. <br /><br />In the past few weeks, I gave to God first. Not spending money on myself even though there are things I need to pay for. I gave in faith knowing that God would bless me if I offered my gift to Him. And bless me He did. He gave me multiple opportunities to make some extra money through doing some odd jobs. He also blessed me through an anonymous gift of $100 from someone in the church here for no apparent reason. If you give in faith offering your gifts to God from the "first fruits of your labor," he <span style="font-weight: bold;">will </span>look on you with favor! If you don't believe me, read about it <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204:3-5&version=NIV">here</a>; then <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011:4&version=NIV">here.</a><br /><br />4. I have a stack of books that I have accumulated over the years, but still have yet to read. This pile keep growing for some reason and I have no clue why. Most of the books in this pile are books by Christian authors on leadership, Christian living, etc. So I decided that this would be a great time for me to grow closer to God and grow in my leadership skills at the same time. I just finished a book called <span style="font-style: italic;">Searching for God Knows What</span> by Donald Miller, author of <span style="font-style: italic;">Blue Like Jazz</span>. Miller offers unique insight into many aspects of Christianity. Painting pictures of Biblical truths in a new light. <br /><br />In his books, Miller really challenges his readers to get away from the cookie cutter, do these 5 steps to get into Heaven thought process on Christianity. His thoughts are that this way of thinking takes away from the relational aspect of Christianity and feeds the compartmentalized culture. The thing that really stuck with me after reading this book though was this: As Christians , we spend so much time looking at the sins of people and what is keeping them from a relationship with God that we forget to love them. We spend our time trying to "convert" non-Christians and feeding the notions that Christians are all hypocrites instead of reaching out to people and meeting them where they are at. We need to focus on the relational aspect of our relationship with God and show people that we are Christians by loving them and showing them that we genuinely care about them. Jesus spent the majority of His time during His ministry reaching out to the homeless and sick and poor and hurting. He ate with tax collectors and conversed with prostitutes. He loved people and met them where they were at. We need to strive to be more like Jesus in these ways.<br /><br />These past few weeks have been a journey for me. A great adventure. A time when I have really started to dig deeper into who Christ is and what His plan for my life is. My prayer is that I will continue to grow in Christ daily and be more like Christ as I grow. I also pray that you will be able to do the same.<br /><br />Acts 2:42<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.</span>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-77732389006362259282009-09-28T22:22:00.002-05:002009-09-28T22:24:27.328-05:00My top ten...<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5COwner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:100%;" >Well, its been a while. A busy couple of weeks filled with youth group pirate parties, giant garage sales, and thankfully more sleep than normal. These last couple of weeks have been good for me though, good both mentally and spiritually. (this is a whole other blog so keep your eyes peeled...whatever that means) </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >
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<br />I was having some trouble thinking of a topic to blog on and was kinda going through blog withdrawals, so I asked for some help. And the winner of the blog topic lottery was none other than my great friend JOSHLAUGHLIN. (HA HA HA) And the topic is...my top ten college moments with Josh Laughlin!
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<br />Number 10</span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >-</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i><span style=";font-family:Georgia;" >Hot & Ready Pizza + Movies/TV series
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<br /></span></i></b></span><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:100%;" >Every so often, when the need for food became more than we could handle, Josh and I would take the 15 minutes drive down to Little Caesar's. Usually accompanied by a number of our great friends, this was always a great trip! Being the cheap college students we were, we always tried to get the most out of our money. Even if it meant going in right before they close and ask if we can have their leftover crazy bread...or playing theSimon says game in hopes to win a medium drink which we traded for crazy bread. (which I did multiple times) After grabbing our food and heading back to the college, we would sit and watch either a movie or one of our favoriteTV series. This time was great for me to fill my stomach and also to spend time with great friends. You know who you are!
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<br />Number 9-<b><i>Pumpkin Extravaganza</i></b>
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<br />So in the weeks after Halloween when all the pumpkins that people place in front of their houses are starting to rot, Josh, Alex Hall, and I would do a great public service. We would go around the neighborhood and have a great time racing up to a person's porch and taking as many pumpkins as we could physically muster, then race back to Al's car and place the pumpkin in his trunk. Now contrary to popular belief, we would NEVER smash any pumpkins on the driveways of anyone! Instead, we found alternate uses for them. One time as I recall, we used them to decorate the driveway leading up from the college's main parking lot to the faculty parking lot. I must say that we did a bang up job and could probably pursue careers in exterior decorating. When we were on our way to gather more rotting pumpkins, we were ever so rudely stopped by a police man who claimed that we were out causing trouble in the community. We politely exclaimed that we were up to no trouble and were actually on our way to indulge in someMcDonald's. So we did...
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<br />Number 8-<b><i>Talks behind the shed and feelin' good</i></b>
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<br />Whenever either Josh or I would have a tough day or just needed some time away from the dorm life, we would find a way to get away. This usually consisted of us traveling all the way...out to the other side of the vehicle shed. Day or Night, Hot or Cold, Rain or Snow, Hell or High Water, A Nazi Invasion, or even a Forest Fire that covers us in a could of <i>smoke</i>, whatever the circumstances we would head out behind the shed to talk about things that were bothering us, or just shoot the breeze as great friends often do. And when the shed was out of the question, many times we would find an alternate place to go...this varied from time to time, but no matter where we went...we always returned to the collegefeelin' good.
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<br />Number 7-<b><i>The Broseph Encounters
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<br /></i></b>The once was a man named Broseph. Who became very uncomfortable when in the presence of myself, Alex Hall, Nate Frew, and Josh. Various times throughout our nights at college we would venture into Broseph's room, which in turn caused him to become rather uncomfortable, for he was a people-a-phob. This was a great time for my group of friends...Broseph in hilarious! On one night in particular...we decided to film our ordeal with Broseph. Al, Nate, and I called him into Al's room where we proceeded into a makeshift workout video with Broseph as our special guest...needless to say this was epic! One of the best nights ever! Thanks to everyone who was involved!
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<br />Number 6-<b><i>The Tale of Wilbur the Raccoon
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<br /></i></b>It was a super cold night in the middle of winter. Deep into pranking season. And this one was a great experience. We were looking for opportunities to get even with a couple girls at the school who had started apranking war. So while driving down the road after embarking on one of a great pumpkin adventures, we knew a great opportunity when we saw it. There he was...in all his glory...waiting for us...calling to us...so we answered that call. Wilbur was once the proud father of a family of 27, until that darn Camry ended his life. But his glory days were not over, no they were just beginning. We scooped Wilbur up out of the gravel and placed him on a pedestal of glory! He rode back to the campus in style with Josh by his side, his entrails hanging out of his battered body. We took him off the back end of Al's car and placed him on his throne, right above the driver side door looking at anyone who tried to enter Carissa's car. After placing him on the glory seat, we then realized how disgusting the dead and rotting raccoon actually was and proceeded to dry heave while pacing back and forth across the lot...all the while, Al had his camera rolling. Needless to say this was an epic adventure worth remembering.
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<br />Number 5-<b><i>Scamper the Penguin
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<br /></i></b>On certain night, when there was nothing going on at the school, Josh, Alex, Justin Carlson and I would go for a drive. Most times we would just drive around and talk until we thought of something to do. This night was one of those nights. We were driving around talking and trying to stay out of trouble...not an easy accomplishment for us. We were driving in a local neighborhood when we noticed a rather intriguing sight. There was a little penguin that was lit up and smiling at me...now this was not your normal smile at all...this was a beckoning for me to come and save him. NowI'm not the kind of person to ever turn down a bet, so I got out of the car and swiped Scamper. We took him back to the college where he stayed with us for a few nights. He was a great night light! I then sold him to a friend whose wife was obsessed with penguins. Easiest $50 I ever made...
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<br />Number 4-<b><i>The Beerfest Chronicles
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<br /></i></b>My friends and I love to watch movies. Comedies, Dramas, anything really. I had recently rented Beerfest cause I had heard that it was a funny movie worth watching...it sucked! Anyways...my friend Stephen Mizell had just recently bought the movie American History X, which I had mentioned to him that I wanted to borrow and watch. Now his movie had gone missing and his first thought was to blame me, being the person that had just recently wanted to borrow it. I had not borrowed it, however, but he had just misplaced it. He was not able to find it for a few weeks and blamed me for stealing it the whole time. When he finally did find it, realizing that I really didn't have it, him and Josh placed it in my room when I was at work along withBeerfest which I was going to return to the movie store. While I was sitting at my desk, Stephen, Rob Aitcheson , and Josh busted into my room again blaming me for stealing the movie...I again denied it and proceeded to say..."Stephen for the last time, I didn't take your movie...all I have isBeerfest and......AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH " (this was the moment when I had seen that the movie was planted on my desk) I then looked at Josh and yelled..."YOU!!!" Then chased Rob and Josh and beat the crap out of them. This was another great night! So many of them!
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<br />Number 3-<b><i>That Night at Beth's
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<br /></i></b>One of my favorite things to do was hang out with my best friends at one of my great friends apartment. This friend is Beth Cavender. Her apartment quickly became one of our favorite hangout destinations. We loved yelling at drunk people from her roof, sitting watching movies, or just hanging out. This night was possibly my most favorite night of all the nights that we ever spent at Beth's, and became known simply as...That Night at Beth's. We were all just hanging out and having a great time with great friends. Then out of nowhere, it seemed like all of us were hyped up on energy drinks, cause we all went crazy. This night was filled with me climbing up to get to the ceiling of Beth'sapartment, Alex chasing Josh and I around pretending to be a wizard while wearing Beth's snuggie, and us all falling asleep from exhaustion. (me on the couch and Josh half in the hallway and half in the bathroom) LEGEN................DARY!!!
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<br />Number 2-<b><i>Mario Kart Battles
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<br /></i></b>These were just that...BATTLES. Epic battles. Like gladiators fighting for their lives in the <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u1:worddocument> <u1:view>Normal<u1:zoom>0<u1:punctuationkerning/> <u1:validateagainstschemas/> <u1:saveifxmlinvalid>false<u1:ignoremixedcontent>false<u1:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false<u1:compatibility> <u1:breakwrappedtables/> <u1:snaptogridincell/> <u1:wraptextwithpunct/> <u1:useasianbreakrules/> <u1:dontgrowautofit/> <u1:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</u1:browserlevel> </u1:compatibility> </u1:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> </u1:ignoremixedcontent> </u1:saveifxmlinvalid> </u1:zoom> </u1:view> </u1:worddocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u2:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </u2:latentstyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u3:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </u3:shapedefaults> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u4:shapelayout ext="edit"> <u4:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </u4:idmap> </u4:shapelayout> </xml><![endif]-->Coliseum...we fought. Like an antelope racing across a field trying to exceed the grasp of the deadly cheetah...we raced. Mario Kart became a sport in our room and we played multiple times throughout the day. Josh raced as Donkey Kong, Justin raced as </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Bowser</span><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:100%;" >, Alex raced as </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Yoshi</span><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:100%;" > and sometimes Peach, and I raced as Toad the magnificent. We would play for hours and each person having their fair share of victories. Without fail though, one person would have a bad day....every single day. The day would consist of us racing, there being great celebration by the winners, and MANY MANY blowups by the losers. One day, I was that loser. I blew up and overreacted. I went hog wild. I stood up and threw down my controller, grabbed the side of the couch closest to me (which was occupied by a few of my friends) and flipped it end over end. Don't ask me how...probably a fit of rage...or something like that. Needless to say, we took some anger management classes as a room. It is hilarious to look back at those times though. At the end of the day, win or lose, we were all great friends.
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<br />Number 1-<b><i>Taco <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bell</st1:place></st1:city> Run Shirtless/Red Robed
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<br /></i></b>Many times throughout the school year, set off by extreme study and the constant barrage of homework, we found ourselves rather hungry. Taco <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bell</st1:place></st1:city> runs were a regular occurrence. This one time, Josh, Justin and I thought that it would be fun to jump in Dud's car and head down to Taco Bell...the only difference this time was that we were all shirtless...and josh was wearing a red silk robe that was WAY TOO SMALL! We drove through and ordered the usual then proceeded on up to the window to pay. There was a girl there to take our money and looked very awkwardly at us...which we expected. We then asked her if there was any way for her to give us some free drinks and she graciously did give us each a medium drink...which we didn't expect. Long story short...Dud got her phone number somehow...and every time we went back, she gave us free tacos or free drinks. Until the day when we found out she didn't work there anymore...worst day ever. But it was absolutely AWESOME that we got all that free stuff, all because of that one night when we used our masculine physique...aka Dud...to impress the drive through girl. <b><i>
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<br /></i></b>Well I hope that you enjoyed this post...it did take me about 4 hours to finish. Let me know what you think...and feel free to let me know what your favorite moment with the great Josh </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Laughlin is!</span>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-72180217936957613652009-09-14T13:03:00.008-05:002009-09-14T14:13:32.583-05:00Practice what you preach...For those of you who haven't heard, or who are just starting to read this blog, I am currently interning at Norton Christian Church in Norton, Kansas. This has been a great experience for me so far and I am looking forward to gaining more ministry experience as I continue. Some of my responsibilities here are:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">1. Teaching Sunday school for Jr high and high school students.<br />2. Teaching counsel time for the AWANA program here, both the TNT age group and SPARKS.<br />3. Heading up a Jr High outreach event on Friday nights and the youth center here.<br />4. Being heavily involved in TREK (Jr high youth ministry) and IGNITE (high school youth ministry), both in planning and teaching.<br /></div><br />These are just <span style="font-weight: bold;">SOME</span> of the things that I am involved with here in Norton. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to get involved in the different ministries that this church and community have to offer. I can honestly say that I have been stretched quite a bit and have grown quite a bit as well throughout this whole process. I am so thankful that I can continue to learn more about the calling and the profession of student ministry that I am hoping to be involved in full time here very soon. <br /><br />Here recently, we have challenged our students to really strive to grow deeper in their personal relationship with God. We are doing a series in our high school youth ministry called SPAM (study, pray, and memorize) with the hopes that our students will be challenged to use the resources that God has given them to reach out to Him and really grow closer to Him everyday. We are also doing a series in our Sunday school class called TRUTH OR DARE, which deals with finding your identity in The Truth instead of the world. <br /><br />This last week I have been really convicted that I am not "practicing what I preach." I keep telling our students that they need to spend less time digging into the material things that the world has to offer (such as Facebook, video games, texting, etc.) and spend more time digging deeper into who God is (through daily Bible reading, study, and prayer). I challenged my students to make a sacrifice in their lives to give up something that is hindering them from spending time with God.<br /><br />Then I thought to myself, (inner monologue) "How can I expect my students to sacrifice something to make more time for God if I haven't been doing it myself?" From their perspective, if the very leader that challenged them to make more room for God isn't doing it himself then why should they? So I have decided to make a conscious effort to spend less time in pointless things that will hinder my growth in Christ and spend more time in His word, prayer, and memorization. There is an old Reliant K song that is called "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Actions Speak Louder Than Words</span>" which I think is so true in life. I need to strive to live out the words that I am speaking to my students on a regular basis...stop thinking that I am on a higher pedestal when it comes to my relationship with God...and start doing one thing...practice what I preach.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-61157821051782440022009-09-08T10:41:00.008-05:002009-09-08T12:13:10.600-05:00Who Needs Air...The Classic Crime, over the past year or so, has slowly been working its way into the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">play list</span> of bands that I listen to on a regular basis. I usually go through cycles where I listen to a specific genre of music for an extended period of time until I "get sick" of it, then I switch to another genre. I usually rotate from heavy metal, to acoustic singer/songwriters, to hardcore/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">screamo</span>, to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">emo</span>/alternative rock...etc. But for the last year, I have listened to The Classic Crime over and over again. I never get sick of them.<br /><br />When I listen to music, the things that tickle my fancy on a tickle-o-meter (if such a thing existed) would look like this:<br />1. Cohesion as a group. This to me is what all great bands possess, and what all up and coming bands are looking for. One band that come to mind is the Dave Matthews Band. (On the tickle-o-meter, this would be like someone rubbing their finger nails gently across your back to the point that you get chills)<br />2. Lyrics. I have never been good and writing poetry or great lyrics that will move everyone that reads them. I suck at it actually. So I have come to appreciate when someone is good at stuff like that. (This would be like laughing so hard that you start to tear up a little)<br />3. Instruments. This is the one thing that will make or break a band. If a band is sub-par lyrically, they can still be one of my favorites if they are good musically. I love listening to the harmonizing of guitars, and the smooth walking of the bass lines, and how a drummer can be so precise and creative. (Remember when you were little, and your uncle would hold you down and tickle you until you peed your pants? Well that's what this is on the tickle-o-meter)<br /><br />So back to the reason I am writing this post. The Classic Crime has tickled my fancy so much that it has has exploded off the tickle-o-meter. The band is absolutely amazing! The are ultra cohesive, have excellent and relevant lyrics, and their musicianship is a force to be reckoned with. There isn't a song that I don't like. I actually find it hard to listen to other bands because I find myself trying to compare them to The Classic Crime. And for this reason, I wanted to post the lyrics of one of their songs and the music via a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">YouTube</span> video. (you will also probably need to pause my music <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">play list</span>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Needs Air:</span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-NO3CJlmsCw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-NO3CJlmsCw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><tt>I long to taste adventure like the nature of the sea,<br />Always moving, always hiding all the creatures from beneath.<br />Singing silent songs of sadness my heart waits for its chance,<br />To dance upon the ashes of my burned up little plans.<br /><br />And I stand alone before the night.<br />My nakedness is so clear in the glow of the moonlight.<br />Life is old but so short.<br />We are young we want more.<br /><br />I'm drowning, but I don't care,<br />Because when you got what I got, what I got, what I got<br />Who needs air?<br /><br />I don't need air.<br /><br />My addiction to danger like the rush of the sea,<br />Like a wave on the rocks the lessons crash down on me.<br />I don't need to prove the world to you only to myself.<br />So step back and look away as I dive into the swell.<br /><br />I'm drowning, but I don't care,<br />Because when you got what I got, what I got, what I got<br />Who needs air?<br /><br />Take me down to the river like a little child,<br />Take my hand and tell me its okay to be wild.<br />I never knew the world until I saw through your eyes,<br />I never knew my self until I ripped off my disguise.<br /><br />I'm drowning, but I don't care,<br />Because when you've got what I got, what I got, what I got<br />Who needs air?<br /></tt><tt>I'm drowning, but I don't care,<br />Because when you got what I got, what I got, what I got<br />You don't need air.</tt><br /><tt><br />I have come to the realization that life is more than what I have accomplished.<br />And life is more then the realization that we have accomplished nothing at all.<br />True success is so selfless so drown in the lyrics of your life and give up the air that you breathe.<br />You don't need anything.<br /><br />I don't need air.<br /></tt>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-58416081395200542052009-09-01T10:45:00.005-05:002009-09-01T13:52:30.602-05:00Here it comes...I am a sports fan. I love watching sports. I love playing sports. I love sports. There is a time, however, that comes once a year. Its called summer. Sure the beginning is great, there is still playoff basketball on. But when the NBA season has officially closed, a new champion is crowned, and the draft is over, the natural order of things takes a turn for the worst. <br /><br />There are 2 things that happen every summer that just make me cringe. One is baseball season and the second is all news about Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Favre</span>. Now don't get me wrong. I love baseball. But there is just something about a 162 games season that doesn't appeal to me. Sure there are some sweet plays, like an unassisted triple play, awesome diving catches, and no hitters. But it seems like every night, half of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sportscenter's</span> Top Plays are home runs of some sort. And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Favre</span>...what a guy! I am a Green Bay Packers fan. I thank <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Favre</span> for all the great seasons and for a Superbowl win. But I almost stopped watching ESPN these past 2 years because every single show was talking about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Favre</span>...is he retired?...will he play again?...if so, for what team?...etc. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">I'm</span> not saying that he shouldn't play. If he is still able, and a team will take him, then I think he should play. But do us all a favor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Favre</span> and be decisive please...you are worse than a Jr High girl choosing between which guy she likes.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">OK</span>, enough venting. Back to what I really wanted to talk about. Just like there is a time when the natural order of sports takes a turn for the worse, there is also a time every year when the natural order of things is restored and things are once again as they should be. A time when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Sportscenter</span> can stop showing 5 different <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">home runs</span> in their Top Plays even though they always look EXACTLY the same. A time when bipolar <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Favre</span> actually makes a decision and sticks to it. (this is why i think he throws so many interceptions...indecisiveness/bipolar disorder) That time is now...<br /><br />Yes, football season is here. Time to sign up for a Fantasy League or twelve. Time to clear your Monday night schedule. Time for fall weather and FOOTBALL! Husker football in 4 days! And 9 days until the start of NFL regular season! Finally there will be some balance to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Sportscenter's</span> Top Plays and the only <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Favre</span> news I will hear is when he is actually playing a game. So, in light of my recent celebration, I thought I would post some of my most favorite football highlights of all time. (in no particular order)<br /><br />1. Tommie Frazier's 75-yard TD run in the 1995 National Championship Game against Florida.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2LHbZ3T4rzA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2LHbZ3T4rzA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />2. Black 41 Flash Reverse<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJtZYKIzzZE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJtZYKIzzZE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />3. Matt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Davison's</span> Missouri Miracle<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wN9N6p3qhnU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wN9N6p3qhnU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />4. The Blackshirts<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FnC30OOBKEE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FnC30OOBKEE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />5. Tunnel Walk<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/px6TsS13zEk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/px6TsS13zEk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I know these are all Husker highlights. But I am a Husker fan above all other teams! Hope you enjoyed...let me know what you think.Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293540640598329846.post-60986247416009884722009-08-26T01:04:00.004-05:002009-08-26T01:50:56.605-05:00If only...Its that time of year again. Yes, that's right. Time to stock up on pencils and notebooks. Time to start a new group of folders on Microsoft Word. Time to show off your new wardrobe that you/your parents bought. Time to get back in the routine of waking up early but not really go to bed any earlier. Time for school! <br /><br />I have attended school for the last 16 years of my life. (K-Jr in college) That's a long time! I have gone through the routine over and over again. For 16 years of my life, the summer has always ended...the school year has always started...and I listed by occupation as student on most surveys that I filled out. Until now...<br /><br />For those of you who don't know, I have been attending Nebraska Christian College for the past 3 years. I love NCC very much and some of my closest friends are people that I met there. I love the professors and the love they have (and show) for the students. I love the students. I love living in the dorms. I love late night Taco Bell runs to satisfy my never ending hunger. I love college! <br /><br />Sometimes though, I think that I loved some things a little too much, and some things I didn't love enough. Long story short...I am on Academic Suspension right now...due to poor time management skills and extreme laziness. I found out that I was not able to return to NCC for a semester towards the end of last year. This crushed me...it meant more than JUST have to be away from NCC. It meant not being able to be a part of the NCC Camp Team with some of my best friends. It meant being dismissed from my current major. It meant having to spend a long period of time away from the majority of my friends. It meant losing my job. It meant losing a lot of money. It meant leaving Omaha. It meant leaving the church that I had been leading worship at. It meant disappointing my parents/closest friends/professors. <br /><br />I walked away from school angry at myself. Furious that I had screwed everything up that bad. Not wanting to look at myself in the mirror because I was so disappointed in myself. But one thing that I found, in the midst of all that was going wrong in my life, was that God seems to work in mysterious and rather weird ways sometimes. When all I could think about was how much I screwed up...God was whispering to me that I wasn't a failure. When I didn't think there was any way to salvage my future ministry...God provided. <br /><br />God provided...me with a loving family to support me even though they were somewhat disappointed with the way things panned out.<br />God provided...me with friends that keep in touch even though I'm multiple hours and hundreds of miles away.<br />God provided...professors that still see potential even though I haven't lived up to it yet.<br />God provided...with an internship opportunity that is preparing me for ministry better than I could have ever imagined.<br />God provided...a great body of believers in Norton, KS that have welcomed me into their community with open arms.<br />God provided...a youth group that could help me to see what my true calling is and the passion that God has placed in my life to reach out to students.<br />God provided...me with a mentor and growing friend.<br />God provided...Godly examples to show me how He intended for people to live.<br />God provided...grace and healing.<br />God provided...a second/third/fourth/etc...chance.<br />God provided...hope.<br />God provided...just like He promised.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly </span><span style="font-style: italic;">provides</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> us with everything for our enjoyment."</span> ~1 Timothy 6:17~<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."</span> ~Deuteronomy 31:8~<br /></div>Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435608793854987008noreply@blogger.com8