the past couple weeks

my life the past couple weeks has been crazy but so amazing... this is my first true day off since June 26th. let me say I love what I do but its a lot of work sometimes. here is a small breakdown of what i have been doing the past three weeks

June 29th-July 3rd- camp Jenness
July 5th- 12th- Las Vegas Missions trip
July 13th-16th- Bethany Jr. High camp
July 27th - 30th- Bethany camp number 2

all three things were simply amazing. God did great things within those trips. he really touched the kids and the leadership team. I feel I am better equipped as a leader thanks to the past three weeks. God has really stretched me and molded me into what he wants me to be in this era of my life. I got the privilege to preach in front of 60 youth kids, get to know 14 youth kids from sac. and cameron park, and serve God.

My favorite part of the week was getting to serve homeless people in vegas, and getting to talk to people in a nursing home. Its sad how many people get stashed into a nursing home and forgotten about. these people have so much to offer and yet the people they love the most forget about them. It makes me sad and mad. mad that people can just forget about people they love... It truly breaks my heart, why do people do this?

This aspect of ministry really touches me, because although we are younger, some much younger, we are not so different. We all want the same things in life, we want to be loved, talked to, entertained and so on. this is why I think a nursing home ministry is vital to any ministry. in fact I think any ministry that exists needs to have some kind of outreach, whether it be nursing home, homeless, or anything one can think of. Ministry does not just happen on sunday mornings and maybe a midweek service. to me ministry is a 24/7 job. some are just called to serve in a church.

there are many things I want to be with my youth ministry when the time arises but one of the main things I want to set the tone with in my ministry will be service. My last semester at Bethany I led a homeless feeding outreach. these are the times where ministry is at it peak. these are the times where I believe Jesus is looking down with a bigger smile on his face than usual.

On a side note, being sun burnt on your feet is just about the worst spot to be sun burnt... it hurts to bad...

I also do not like the change david crowder made to How he loves us. am I alone in this?

Service and God

I sit here at this computer, broken, not because of something that has happened to me but because I want more of God. I figure if I break myself I can let more of him in my body(don't know if that's actual fact but ill roll with it). My only request in life is that God uses me in a huge way, a way that I never imagined, even in my dreams. I pray that God will take me to new heights, new boundaries, new everything. I know God has special things in store for me but I want him to use me. To help the helpless, which is why I want to feed the homeless breakfast some Sunday mornings or Saturday mornings.

In the story of zacchaeus, we find Jesus walking through Jericho, as he is walking through Zacchaeus sees him and wants to get close to him. He climbs up a sycamore-fig tree and Jesus sees him and says "come down now, I'm going to stay at your house tonight." so Jesus does and Zacchaeus is broken and gives back to the people four times what he has taken from them. I look at this and I think if I could be in this story what would my place be? Jesus, yeah right, Zacchaeus? maybe, but if I were in this story I would want to be the tree. yes the tree. The tree is what hold zacchaeus up and brings him to Jesus. I want to be someone or something that brings people to Jesus.

I have all of these thoughts and ideas running through my head and I need to channel them. I want to serve the community of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley but I don't know how or where to start. Will someone help me? Work with me and lets be the gap that brings people to Christ!!!!