Una Semana Mas

One more week. That's it. One more week and I will be in Pigeon Forge. I will be settling into my new home for the ten weeks to come. I'll be meeting a gazillion new people and becoming the best of friends with so many people. In one more week, I will get to depend on the Lord like I've never had to before. I will be working a real job for the first time in my entire 19 years of life at one of the coolest places on Earth, Dollywood! In one week, I will start on a journey that will take me to new places. Not just a physical journey to places I've never been, but a spiritual one as well. For lack of a better phrase, it is all about to go down.

The Big One-Nine

Well. Today was my birthday. I turned 19 years old. Another year has come and gone. I had a pretty good day. A million people wished me happy birthday which just made me feel loved and very blessed to have all these people in my life. Someone made biscuits and gravy for me, finally. I've been asking them to make me this for about 5 years now. My family had a cookout and the other half of the family (my aunt, uncle, and cousins) came over for it. We ate and just enjoyed each others company for a while. I went to a service at my high school for this year's graduating class. It wasn't the actual graduation but something like a church service. I saw some friends and former teachers that once again wished me happy birthday and made me feel loved. It also reminded me of how much I ran that school while I was there. I still bleed maroon and gray, just with orange and white mixed in now. To top off my birthday, I got a call from my favorite little buddy. He turned 5 yesterday and just wanted to call and tell me happy birthday. It was a great ending to my birthday.

Kid at Heart

It seems like the older you get, the farther away your childhood becomes.  You look at people that are growing older, not necessarily old, but becoming adults.  They are out in the real world now and sometimes it's like their childhood is nothing but a very distant memory.  With every year comes another birthday, another year older, and another year farther from childhood.  With my 19th birthday coming up, I am getting ever closer to "the real world."  While I am still young, and at least 3 years away from graduating college, my childhood is the last thing I want to lose.  At church today, I helped with the children's church during the main service.  We talked about Gideon going to war with God on his side.  One of the kids said that if he was Gideon going to war all he would need was armor, a shield, and a sword, and he'd be good to go.  If only it was that easy.  It seems like the older you get the more complicated that answer becomes.  But of course in the Bible, it was even more simple than the answer that the 7 year old gave. In the story, Gideon arms his shoulders with trumpets, torches, and clay jars.  Oooh, scary.  But, like nearly all things associated with God, the impossible happened and Gideon and the Israelites won even though they were extremely out-numbered and not armed with any weapon.  But the Bible story of Gideon and the Israelites really has no relevance here.  Just consider that your Bible lesson of the day.  This Bible story just accompanies the story of the 7 year old and his solution to the war.  The kid's answer was so simple.  And I can remember the days when my answers consisted of that level of simplicity.  When I didn't know about the evil in the world.  When I didn't know about a world outside of my own.  Whenever I get a chance, I like to revert back to those days.  I like to hang out with kids and just be a kid again.  I've been told numerous times by several people that I act like a kid especially when I am around kids.  One particular adult has even threatened to spank me and her kid if we kept acting how we were in a restaurant.  Countless times I would find her staring at me in awe and finally saying, "I swear, everytime you get around my kid you act like a 5 year old."  I truely am a kid at heart, and I forever want to be that way.

Brothers, Mothers, and the Start of the Summer

Well, quite a bit has happened in the last week.  I officially ended my first year of college.  Woot, woot on that one!  And it's looking like my grades were practically perfect.  I know I for sure made three A's, and there is a great possibility I'll make 2 more for all A's once again.  I also made all A's last semester, and my entire life pretty much.  I have never made anything less than A in any class, ever, at any school level.  Feel free to applaud.  I'm just keeping the streak alive.  Another big thing that happened this week was my brother's college graduation.  He pulled an impossible and graduated in three years; well, three years plus this summer.  He doesn't get his actual diploma till after he finishes his internship this summer.  But still, three years and one summer? That is unheard of these days.  It takes most people four, or more to graduate college now-a-days.  So here's to you bro.  Congrats!  The last huge thing that happened this week that I suppose is worth mentioning is that today is Mother's Day.  After a nice church service which my dad preached at since our normal preacher is out of town, we had a lazy day around the house with mother's day cards for mom.  Then we all went to the resteraunt of her choice: Red Lobster.  So, it was a pretty great mother's day, if I do say so myself.  I really do love my mother dearly.  She's just great, great, great.  So here's to you, too, mom.  Love ya!

End of the Semester: Start of the Best Summer Ever

Well, here it is.  The end of my first year in college.  Pretty crazy if you think about it; I mean really think about it.  I know this sounds cliche, but it really does feel like I was hanging out with my friends at White County High School just yesterday all stoked about graduation.  Now, its a whole year later and once again the future lays uncertain.  While I am one small step closer to getting a degree, everything once again looks cloudy.  Some things have seemed to change though.  I actually decided on a major a year before I thought I would (mathematics and secondary education in case you are curious).  But once again here I am, at the end of another school year.  I guess its safe to say I have learned quite a bit.  Of course, a lot of what I learned in the classroom this year will either be pushed to the back of my brain or dumped out completely.  But what I have learned outside of the classroom this year is what I have come to cherish the most.  What I have learned outside of the classroom is what has come to define my freshman year at UT.  While going to class and getting that good quality education is important, the people I've met and the things I have gotten involved with this year have really impacted me.  I've made some of the greatest friends in the world, while still managing to keep a few of the old ones around.  I've jumped back into Young Life by joining a small group with the door to being a high school leader still cracked open.  I joined this awesome group of people on campus called The Navigators and have absolutely relished in the time I've been able to spend with them.  And now, while I'm excited to be done with my first year of college, I am sincerely sad to have to leave all of these great people untill school starts again in August.  Don't worry Sparta, I'm still excited to get to see you, for at least a month anyway. 
It seems crazy that this time a year ago I was making summer plans with my friends before it was off to UT.  I was doing what I wanted with no set agenda.  It truely was a kid's summer.  I had no responsibilities, no job, no school work, nothing.  I slept all day, and hung out with friends all night.  It was perfect.  And until about a month ago, I thought this summer would be the exact same.  I knew I wanted to do something with my summer, something that would make an impact on me or others surrounding me.  My parents didn't really care what I did, just as long as I got a job somewhere and brought in some dough.  And through talking with a friend, I found a way I could possibly do both.  I took a leap of faith and applied to this program called Discipleship Focus.  And lo and behold, I got accepted.  So my previous summer plans of hanging around Sparta with maybe a road trip here or there and a potential job (but more than likely not a job), turned into spending over half of my summer away from Sparta and my family and friends.  I will now be spending the months of June, July, and the first 2 weeks of August in Pigeon Forge living with people I do not know, working at Dollywood, and growing closer and closer to God.  Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked (you'll come to realize I get excited super easily).  It is like everything is falling into place.  I'm doing what I want to do.  While I am nervous and a tad bit sad at the thought of spending barely any time with my friends and family back home, I am really excited to see what this summer now holds for me.  I am excited to see myself grow in the Lord and really see what it is like to completely depend on Him and to practically live on my own.  I am excited to meet all these new people who I know I will come to love and cherish.  I am excited to see what God really has in store for this summer away from home.  I'm just so excited for it all.