Evident Church Mailer.

Oh yeah! I forgot that I wanted to put this picture up! I think its awesome! Its our Winter Mailer! We sent this out to thousands of people in the area and it just tells about who and what we are at Evident Church. I just wanted to share this with all of you.

There's a cool story behind it too! Josh designed this mailer (good job Josh) and actually knows the girl in the picture! Its the daughter of a friend of his! Haha! Isn't she just the cutest thing ever! I laugh every time I see this. -In a good way. So there, I got the picture up! I just wanted you all to see it.

A New Year.

For starters, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
I have high hopes for 2009. I'm so excited to see where God takes me in my new life here in Detroit. I'm excited to see where God takes Evident Church too! I've only been up here for nearly a month, and I feel like I've already grown in so many ways! God is good. Its my prayer for this year that He shapes and molds me into something awesome, and that I will be willing and open to be and do whatever God is calling me to. I'm looking forward to it.

I've started a new book.
Its called Death By Love written
by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. Even just the cover is cool; and there is some sweet artwork inside as well! But, for real, what I've read of it so far has been awesome! I bought it yesterday with Matt at Barnes & Noble (we're planning on reading it through together and talking about it). But I opened it up last night planning on reading just the Introduction... I got sucked in. I ended up reading all of the Intro, chapter 1, and the beginning of chapter 2! I want to tell you all about it, but I don't want to give anything away! Haha! I strongly recommend buying this book though! I'm really excited about it. Just from what I've read, there are some deep truths that I've been able to pull out and apply to my life.

"This book is brutally honest about sin and suffering, and wonderfully hopeful as it points us to our true Savior." -Timothy Lane

"Practical and Powerful. It applies the sufficiency of Jesus to the real-life challenges we face in the church every day." -Dan Jarrell

This book gives an eye opening perspective on the story of the cross. I've never read or heard the story told this way, and It really spoke to me. Seriously. Buy it. Read it. You won't regret it.

Anyway... Its late, and I should be heading to bed.

Highlight of My Christmas.

So I'm home for Christmas.

Home. Its funny how, I don't apprectiate Home until I've actually moved away and found my own home somewhere else. And in all reality, this "new" home of mine isn't really home at all. It doesn't feel like Home; it doesn't have the memories of Home; it doesn't have that familiarity of Home that makes you feel like everything will be okay; it doesn't even smell like home... It's lacking the Home-ness that is required for it to be called MY home. It takes time for a place to become a home. Home doesn't feel like Home until its been lived in, until its built up a good portfolio of stories and memories. Home has squeaks in the floor; dents in the walls; stains in the carpet. A toilet downstairs with a broken handle; a room upstairs that is always either way too hot, or way too cold; a dining room thats always being remodeled; a broken dishwasher, water spots in the kitchen ceiling because the upstairs toilet overflowed 2 years ago... *Sigh* ...thats Home.

So the highlight of my Christmas though, was last night... Seth, Cameron and I stayed up through the early hours of the morning playing Super Nintendo! We broke out the SNES! Haha! That system controlled our lives when we were younger! 1994. We got the SNES with Donkey Kong Country for Christmas in 94. That game revolutionized gaming. Haha! We loved that game, and to this day, we still remember all the secrets and tricks of every level! We may have been a little rusty at actually playing it, but it was still loads of fun! For a couple of hours at least, we got to re-live our childhood. Just hearing the music of the game brought back so many memories! So fun.

Updates. -And a Cool Story to Finish It Off...

Well I'm living in Detroit now. Macomb, MI to be exact. Its one of the northern-most suburbs of Detroit, so I don't live in the ghettos or anything. Its actually really nice up here! I really like it! And if Jodi ever reads this, she'd be proud of me that I said "up here", since it doesn't matter where I'm referring to, I usually tend to say "down there", or "down here." I've got the correct phrasing down now though. But anyway, I'm still on the job hunt. I have applied at a lot of places actually, and have followed up and went back and checked the status of my apps; and still haven't heard back from a single place. Its a little discouraging. Just gotta keep praying about it. God will provide.
Aside from looking for jobs, I'm actually staying really busy with my worship position at Evident Church. -And I'm REALLY enjoying everything that I'm doing in regards to worship! Its a dream job. Really. Hopefully someday, this can be my full time job. A Career as a full time worship leader. But yeah, thats the gist of things for now...

My cool story is that I almost died last week. I'm positive it was a God-moment. He saved my life. Haha. I was driving home from Archbold, on a back-road outside of West Unity, coming up on a hill in the road. Its big enough that it covers up a whole vehicle until you're pretty much on top of or over the hill. So, like I said, I was coming up on this hill, going the speed limit (really, I was. 55mph. Better gas mileage that way), when I got the chills and had the sudden urge to slow waaaay down. So I slowed down to a near stop right before the hill, when a big electric company truck came rushing over the hill ON MY SIDE OF THE ROAD! Not just left of center, but completely in my lane. If I hadn't slowed down when I did, I'm confident that I would have had a high speed, head-on collision with the truck. Once I realized what I had just escaped, my heart started beating like crazy and I got all shaky. I was kinda in shock in a way. I just thanked God over and over again! Haha! It was great.
But thats my cool story. God's not done with me yet.

Peace Out.

Its A Sure Thing.

So I've set a date. Two weeks. Moving into Josh's basement on the 23rd of November. Exciting, isn't it?

Life. (PRE-move)

So I'm not even sure when I should make the move. Its pretty much up to me. -Kinda just waiting to hear back about one last landscape job... whether they want it done this fall, or in the spring. It could be a decent "last job" money-maker before I move. Other than that, I have no obligations or anything holding me back here in Ohio. For the time being, I'm keeping busy with a couple lawn-care jobs, but mostly, printing and filling out job applications! -And when I'm not doing that, I'm continually updating the song database with chord charts and song files on Evident's account at Planning Center Online. So I'm staying pretty busy actually. I feel like I'm going to get carpal tunnel syndrome from all the typing I've been doing lately-not to mention all the constant texting I do! LOL!

Anyway, I'm just praying a lot about my move, and jobs, and Evident... God, I ask that everything works out according to your plan. I'm really nervous about all of this, I would even go as far as to say that I'm pretty scared! But its all under control. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

There's a song that has really been speaking to me lately, which I happen to be singing this Sunday; its called The Motions, by Matthew West...

This might hurt, its not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just OK is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't want to go through the motions
I don't want to go one more day
Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me
I don't want to spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets, not this time
I'm going to let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just OK is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

Its such a good song, and its a lot of what I'm feeling right about now. I keep listening to it. Its a good reminder to myself to stop just going through the motions! I even made it a ringtone on my mobile, so now whenever someone calls, I'm reminded to let go, and let God fill me and move me. I don't care if I break, right? At least I'll be feeling something. Let YOUR love make me whole, Lord. Guide me (or push me, maybe even kick me!) to where I need to be. I'm ready to start being the man you want me to be, God. -Its about time, huh?

Anyway, I need to go to bed.

Me, blogging?

Here we go! I figure since I'm moving to Detroit, getting my very own blog will help keep my close friends and family updated with my life. We'll see how it goes!