Covert Blogging from Rm 305

Hello all,
This is Jacob Mercer and yesterday, John "Macadocious" Yoho asked me to complete a blog about my experiences at this year's CityReach in Washington, PA. First of all, i would like to denounce the boastful attitudes of all Steeler and Penguin fans. Yesterday, I simply stated that I myself was a fan of the Washington Capitals, and I was struck in the arm by a woman (who was surprisingly burly). Might i say that that sign of physical abuse still smarts to this very moment, both physically and emotionally. I was apologized to countless times for numerous destructions of Washington sports teams brought on by Steely McBean and Sid the Kid. I could take solace in one thing, though; my Baltimore Orioles, as terrible as they may be, will never be as bad as the Pittsburgh Pirates. Go O's!
Anyways, i am attending the car wash ministry once again and i am proud to announce that I am being considered a veteran, just like my papa. i think they should also award me a Purple Heart for the massive amount of sunburn acquired directly on top of my feet and that blow dealt out by that raucous Penguins super-fan. I am just about to head out to the second day of the labor camp known as car wash. To all those who denounce car wash as an easy way out; how 'bout you try washing huge F-150's for eight hours a day in the scolding sun as the heat from a running engine burns the flesh and hope out of your body. The only thing that keeps me going is the appreciatory smiles and gestures of gratitude dealt out by the wonderful people of Washington and Canonsburg. God bless Aaron Johnson, his wife, and the people serving at Lifepoint, because without them, none of this would be Popsicle (im a slave to catchy Popsicle commercials). Peace and love to my people in MD, i miss the silence of non-Arkansas/Texas/Joseph Witcher people.
In the words of the late, great Biggie Smalls;
"Peace to my hooligans in Brooklyn"
-Jacob L. Mercer

CityReach 2009 :: Nerf War edition

Hey people on the information super highway. i'm Jesse Thurman and this is my second year at city reach. We're in Washington, PA for the second year. Last night was the annual Nerf war. This year it was a north vs. south battle. I sat out and was in a demilitarized zone. The frat house we are in is 3 stories. Sitting on the basement level with a hardcore Nerf battle raging above you is like being a blind guy in a war torn 3rd world country. All you hear is gun shots, yelling, and weird accents. the first battle was a semi quick northern victory...protecting the union at all costs. The second battle dragged on so long that eventually the north just changed the rules so the south could get a pity victory. The series is tied in a 1-1 tie. A deciding battle will take place later this week with pictures to follow...seacrest out.

CityReach 2009 :: Rachel Thurman edition

Well hello to you in Maryland! Yesterday was Saturday and it was a very busy day. I woke up and had lucky charms. Can you say delicious? Then we had orientation and they showed some real great videos. Then there was lunch. I had pizza. It is so good. After that was team building. I got together with everyone from sports camp and we played this really confusing game, luckily I hid behind people and didn't have to play. We also had a scavenger hunt. I should probably learn how to read a map. Then we had dinner and i had pizza...again. This time with a salad. Very filling. Later we had prayer. I had to find two other people in sports camp that I had never met. We had awkward conversation but I ended up learning a lot about them and Texas and Arkansas. Apparently if you live in Arkansas and you skateboard its not cool. Who knew? Then we had a concert and there was wonderful music, it was a great time overall. After that we went to Rita's and I had a chocolate custard with chocolate sprinkles. It was okay, but I would rather just have ice cream. I went home and went to bed at about 12. I woke up today, Sunday at 7 to shower and get ready. Emma, Leslie and I left for breakfast at 8. Today I decided to switch it up and have a bagel. A couple people had to show us how to use the bagel cooker (I don't think that's what it is really called..) but now I know how to use it. I went back and got ready for church. We learned all about being a servant and it was a sermon that I definitely needed to hear. We had lunch afterwards, I went with a turkey sandwich today. Then I met up with everyone in sports camp and we got some stories that we will be teaching the kids. I went back to my room and read over them and through the packets we received. Leslie and I went for a walk after that and now I am on this porch blogging. I have never done this in my life (Unless you count xanga.com that we used in sixth grade) but it's kinda nice. Although I don't think I'm very good at it. The passages that John gave us have been really good and it's split up so you have something to read daily. My favorite was day 1 and I liked Proverbs 19:21. At least I think that's it.. It's simple but you should go read it. Well I'm gonna go make a bracelet and then it's dinner time. Maybe I will blog later in the week. Jesus loves you!
Rachel Thurman

CityReach 2009 :: Saturday edition

Welcome. CityReach is off to a rapid beginning and today will be full of preparation and team building. Chris, Josh and I arrived around 1:00am Friday to assist Aaron Johnson and his staff with last minute things and to welcome and celebrate a CityReachers arrival. I am wondering now if I potentially added more stress to AJ's life with the drama that was Friday?

The deal of the day on woot(.com) is a three piece luggage set for $99.99. That's sweet action!

The rest of The Valley crew arrived approximately 5:30pm and they were in grand spirits. There is something that is just renewing to be around these students when they are just out of school! I know that they are going to do great things this week in service to God and to the community of Washington. If you are not already planning to do so - get on track with praying for all things CityReach. Here's some of what that entails if you don't have a clue...

strength
endurance
boldness
courage
spirit of God moving
opportunities to love
opportunities to share Christ
soft hearts
ten people to be baptized
cityreach board
safety
unity

"None of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:7-8

Kind of reminds me of Mr. Miyagi - "win, lose no matter"

I love how the message puts v. 9 ::
That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

Safe n Sane ::

Here in Frederick County, MD the tradition following High School graduations is a party called Safe n Sane for the graduates. I love that the parents, the faculties, the community and others get behind this endeavor. Over the past couple of years I have attended the Linganore High School Party and they do a phenomenal job throwing a great party! With no Lancers graduating this year, well there are graduates just no SMYDEKers graduating I should say. I hung my hopes on helping with the Urbana High School night. As time went by and I kept putting off getting in contact I figured my gig was up and that I would get the year off.

My gig was not up! Just this week I got word that they could use my services (if staying up all night are services??) and I was back in business. i will be heading over to the Frederick SportsPlex around midnight and will be on duty until 4am. I am looking forward to seeing some of our students and spending some time in their world. I’m hoping that they don’t ignore me....

Congratulations to all the 2009 High School Graduates. Live it up!

Whirlwind

Certainly a whirlwind is about to begin. In just over a week 240+ people will merge into Washington, PA for CityReach 2009. As a SMYDEK summer begins I know that it is going to extremely fast and extremely busy. CityReach has become one of our top events and it kicks off all things summer. As I talked to Aaron Johnson, Lead Pastor at LifePoint Baptist Church in Washington, PA today we spoke about enjoying the moment. There will be many different things going on and many directions to run while we are on the ground in WAPA. My prayer is and will continue to be that ALL would embrace the moment that God has given us. It is really easy to get caught up in ministry - I think though that we might need to be still, to listen, to fully experience what God has for us.

Part of this whirlwind is already taking place. Just when I thought that I was ahead of the game with t-shirts, designs, prayer groups, rooming lists, transportation issues and training I received a phone call. I will now be filling in for team building. With a bit of planning and a few trips to pick up supplies I think that we might be on track. Now it might just be time to sit back and enjoy the ride! I can’t wait to see my friends from all over the country, well friends from Texas and Arkansas mostly!

I am hoping to update as frequently as possible from WAPA. Hope that you check back for CR09 updates and more. Will you please beg God for our time together at CityReach - it’s the catalyst for everything that will happen!

Tim the Intern

If you had told me on the day that I first met Tim Ward way back in 2005 that one day he would be taking a journey to be the intern for the summer at LifePoint Baptist Church in Washington, PA. I would have told you that you were crazy. In the four plus years that I have known Tim I have seen him grow leaps and bounds. I will never forget seeing this big man/child sitting in the boathouse of Summit Lake during our Winter Retreat balling his eyes out. (sorry to call you out on that Tim! It’s the truth though.) This was post realization that he needed Christ and had accepted that gift of salvation! I will never forget that moment. (the story of how Tim came to join us at the Winter Retreat is great, ask him about it someday...)

It was shortly after that Winter Retreat that Tim was embarking on mission with us to Morgantown, WV for CityReach. CityReach was a natural fit for this young man - he spent one year with the sports campers and was signed up for another year of sports camp when the following conversation happened.

Tim :: John, I think that God is leading me to switch to COPS (Christian Opinion Polls).

John :: Are you sure? No one from our group has ever done that.

Tim :: I’m pretty certain. I’m a little nervous but I think I’m supposed to switch. I know Jonathan just talked about not switching but...

John :: Well, let’s go talk to Jonathan.

(this conversation is obviously not word for word...)

I was so proud of Tim for stepping out and trusting that God was going to provide. God knew then that this experience would be preparing him for summer of 2009...

Years later and just a few months ago God began to work on Tim to apply for the LifePoint Internship for summer 2009. As God laid this on his heart, Satan started piling up obstacles and reasons not to pursue this opportunity. As we met, prayed and broke down those barriers, God began to provide.

Jehovah Jirah :: God provides

God didn’t stop providing for Tim and this internship. I know that God has crazy, big, seemingly impossible things in store this summer and beyond for this young man.

You can keep up with Tim the Intern and his journey.

so many....

I was going strong there for a while and then it happened. It seemed that the blog topics seemed to keep coming to me but there just seemed to be so many distractions. One right after another they just piled up.

Anyway, one night last week I had the opportunity to take in a high school softball game for the Murphy twins (pictured above). A win and they would go to the state softball championship. A lose and the season ends. This is the classic, sporting moment - win or go home. I was really proud to watch these freshmen girls give it their all and compete at such a high level. The have a lot of high school softball ahead of them and I think that this experience will propel them to one day win the state title.

On this occasion though the Urbana girls softball suffered a 7-4 loss in extra innings. Sorry girls.

In other news from last week we made a quick trip late Friday night to Lynchburg to move Davis, Jill and Jackson back to Frederick. It is great to have them back in Frederick. Pray for them as they get re-acclimated!


Wherever God has you this week :: do your best for Him
Whatever He has you doing this week :: give it your all

STOP

It is so good to stop what you are doing from time to time. I definitely have periods in my life where this is a scheduled but it is in the moments that happen spontaneously where this concept works best.

I’ve been wondering lately what it would’ve been like to walk with Jesus. To experience first hand those incredible moments that the disciples surely took for granted. What was the atmosphere like on the day that He fed 5,000?

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” He said to them. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

Our God is a super-natural God! Don’t we often times forget that aspect of His character. He is going to do crazy, unspeakable, unfathomable things in your life just like feeding 5,000 with FIVE LOAVES and TWO FISH!

If you are in a place in life where you are running around crazy - STOP! It’s ok to get some rest. Don’t feel guilty - God is going to prepare you! You might just find that God has been whispering things to you. You might find that He has actually been yelling and amongst the chaos you haven’t taken the time to listen.

I am writing this because it is something that God taught me as the Word was opened for me this morning. I have a tendency to plan, plan, plan and go, go, go when it may just be that God wants me to go with Him to a quiet place and get some rest!

I definitely would like to experience more of these super-natural God moments - where it is all Him working in crazy unfathomable ways!

visit Lynchburg.com

Well, Meaghan and I have the chance to spend a few days in Lynchburg visiting Davis, Jill and Jackson. We have been trying to get away and get a few days in since January and the time finally came. We left yesterday afternoon following a nice little lunch with all the parents. It was mother’s day after all!

Any trip that Meg and I take isn’t complete without some random stopping to shop. We weren’t more than thirty minutes into the trip and I heard, “Isn’t there a Gabriel Brothers on the way?” Well the answer was definitely a yes so we decided to spend an hour or so hitting up the discounted clothing racks. I would definitely say that we got some deals and got Jackson some cute Nikes for his birthday!

The next couple of days will be total chillax mode and I am really looking forward to it. About to have an afternoon cup of Joe with Davis and tomorrow should bring a glorious round of golf!

If I don’t get back to you in a couple of days don’t worry. The blogs should be flowing much more frequently. Until then...

Softball League...

To say that I am excited to play organized softball is quite the understatement. This will be my first softballing since college! This league is going to be slightly different from most though. It is a co-ed league and the guys have to bat opposite handed! Those of you who know me, know that I am absolutely not ambidextrous (how in the world would anyone spell that word without spell check!). At our first practice I started out terrible hitting left handed and slowly got more comfortable with it. I am thinking though that the learning curve is going to be similar each week considering this is something I have never done before.

This concept brings to mind things that we take for granted. Even though I haven’t played softball or swung a bat in a few years I am pretty sure that I could get out there and hit some balls and hit them well, with my natural right handed swing that is! Things that we have been doing all of our lives are things that we don’t even have to think about they just happen. Now, I am catching myself practicing with an “air” bat and working on my mechanics!

Practice tonight - as long as the field isn’t too wet I guess! Oh yeah, this is an “old” person’s league! haha. I think that it is actually 30+ :: I know, I know - it’s hard to imagine that I fit that category.

Meaghan and her parents are also on the team so it will definitely be good times. I will give you a more detailed description of this team at a later date. Let’s just say that there are a bunch of characters!!!!!

WOOT WOOT

I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like a deal. There are business’ that thrive on it. As far back as I can remember, ie college. We were frequently making trips to a great discount store called Gabriel Brothers. Click here to find the closest “Gabs” to you. We would sort through racks and racks of clothes. Searching for the find of the day made the trip worth while.

Well, I recently heard of a similar type event that happens on-line each day. This is the world of WOOT - woot.com puts a deal of the day up and you can purchase away. I have seen things like; surround sound systems, robot vacuum cleaners, flower pots, pepper spray, key chains, video cameras, security systems, car speakers, etc. Like most things you have to watch out for refurbished items but I have limited reservations about purchasing the right item from WOOT.

I haven’t made a purchase yet but I check it daily and I am looking forward to making my first WOOT purchase. Let me know if you have bought anything from WOOT and if you had any success.

Today’s WOOT if you were too lazy to check the site is a Watch Style Heart Rate Monitor w/ Chest Strap for $19.99 plus shipping. Sounds like a good deal if you are in the market for that sort of thing!

Happy WOOTing....

C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!

Before this hockey season there were very few times in my life that I cared at all about hockey or even the Washington Capitols. This season though has changed everything. Some good friends of mine that have access to CAPS season tickets called on me and a guest several times this year and each time I eagerly accepted. Hockey in person, at the rink, with beast seats is the real deal. Thanks Woodruffs for always thinking of a brother!

So the CAPS were down 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Rangers and somehow they managed to take it to a game seven and come out victorious. Now they are up 2 games to none over the Pittsburgh Penguins! The last time that I was this into playoff NHL hockey was back in college when the Philadelphia Flyers were good and they made it to the Stanley Cup. My roommates and I were hooked and we couldn’t wait for some in the street celebrations when the Flyers won it all. Haha, if anyone recalls the summer of 1998....the Flyers got swept! That basically ended my relationship with hockey until this year.

All this to say, if you get a chance to go to a hockey game - GO! You certainly won’t regret it. It will change your perspective on the sport.

What if people left our churches feeling the same way?

summer sched 09

Today I have been working semi-diligently on the SMYDEK summer calendar. Up here in the North East we have always broke from our weekly Sunday night gatherings for the summer. It has just always seemed like there is so much going on and our leaders flat out need a break! I know that some of you roll year round with your weekly meetings and I commend you for it. I know that it seems to make sense to meet weekly when the students have less on their plates - but between camp, city reach and other “church” summer things it just gets insane.

So as I have been working through the months of June, July and August today I have realized a few things. One, summer is less than ten weeks long! Two, only so many things can be scheduled then other things can happen impulsively. Three, I need to encourage and equip my leaders to take the lead in these “impulsive” things!

Here are a few things that may be popping their way into the SMYDEK summer calendar in 2009. Feel free to comment on the good and the bad as well if you have any other ideas.

:: Cascade Lake {http://www.cascadelake.com/}
:: Amusement Park {possibly Hershey Park}
:: City Reach :: Washington, PA
:: The Summit :: Summit Lake Camp
:: Summer Splash {yes, we are bringing this back for sure!}
:: Bon-fire / kickball night
:: Corn Hole Tournament
:: Vacation Bible School
:: Vacation Bible School Outreach
:: Camping :: Assateague Island
:: Paintball
:: Frederick Keys Baseball Game
:: Tubing :: Shenandoah River

So many things - so little time!

bringing blogging back

The only way I know to bring the blogosphere back is to BLOG! I don’t really have a reason for not blogging lately. It would be an easy, understandable excuse to say that I am busy or that I just don’t have anything to write about. Let me just throw this out there - neither of those things ever stopped me in the past!

So let me get some random things out - some you will find intriguing - some you won’t care about at all! Here goes ::

}} my friend Emma Mayne set the Linganore High School discuss record last week with a remarkable throw of 113’ 10” - congrats Emma!

}} there seem to have been many birthdays over the past couple of weeks - happy birthday to you all - i turned 32 last week and i don’t feel any different yet. i think that is a good thing!

}} i spent seven hours on a boat last Friday Rockfish fishing with the awesome employees of HPS. a great time was had by all except for the fact that we only caught 1 fish and that was in the first hour of being on the boat!

}} cityreach is just over one month away - i think it is like 39 days.

}} over the past month or so i have fallen more in love with my wife. i know that i have taken her for granted in the past. thank you Lord for providing restoration.

}} Hillsong United is coming to Maryland on June 1st and I can’t wait!!!!!

over and out...

in the now

I am finding it extremely hard to believe that sixty plus days have transpired since my last entry. On one hand I try to think back to all the different things that have gone on in my life over the past two months. On the other, I just want to be here with you IN THE NOW.

The now is where things are currently taking place. Where current prayers become a current reality and where I have found myself over the past couple of months. There is less evaluation and expectation in the now and less things to get hung up on. I know that there is a time for all of those things and I believe that we can learn many things from taking a moment of evaluation. I think though that often times that moment of evaluation can discourage and hand cuff us from a forward movement.

James wrote these words...(ch.4:13-17)

Now, listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

These words have been convicting me lately. I want to live in the now - doing what it is that God is calling me to do. I don’t want to leave things undone because I am looking back at the past.

God, grant us strength and favor and an in the now spirit to accomplish the things that you have set out for us!

Moment

Stuck in a moment - you can’t get out of it.
Stuck in a moment - Stuck in a moment...

Life seems that way to me sometimes. Like I am stuck in all these moments, that there is no progress, no forward movement. Spinning wheels, deep ruts, lots of self-defeating thoughts.

God does not desire us to have self-defeating thoughts. We need to devour His Word so that our hearts would be full of Him and not fear, defeat, doubt, bitterness, envy. You don’t have to stay self-defeated! You can choose to be out of the moment, unstuck! God desires to give you freedom!

You’ve got get yourself together - Make a choice

We may not be able to control the moment but we can choose our attitude.

This is very rambled but I understand it....
I choose freedom - I choose the word - I choose God over man

i LOVE...

A new SMYDEK series kicked off last Sunday night and it is entitled i LOVE... - the basis from this series comes from Jesus’ greatest commandments given in Matthew 22. LOVE God LOVE others is something that has really been on my heart for several months and it is spilling out into this series.
{If you want to hear more we are now podcasting! Simply go to www.smydek.tv and click on podcast. Once you are there you can listen away or subscribe to bring it up in iTunes to save for a rainy day or the treadmill.}

I have had a few blog topics brewing over the course of the last couple of days but I thought that I could sum most of them up here. While Jesus commanded us to LOVE God and others, I wanted to list out somethings that I love. When we love something or someone other people take notice - do others notice that you love God?

i LOVE...(in no particular order)
golf and I really want to do it soon
technology
apple both the fruit and the company
Meaghan :: she’s quality
berry granola crunch ice cream
maple brown sugar oatmeal
City Reach
SMYDEK
Davis, Jill and Jackson :: can’t wait to see them
coffee
iPhone
my fam
seeing people live intentionally
seeing people live purposefully
spring
flip flop wearing
running :: i am getting addicted
my office
257
T-SHIRTS...
my students
challeng-off
baker park


Well that’s my list, at least a partial one. So there, take that you stupid Top 25 on facebook!!!!

SuperBowl XLIII

I wonder if the NFL will ever have a press conference to let us know why they continue to use roman numerals. Is it merely because they look “cool” next to the word SuperBowl? Or maybe they just continue to do it because they have always done it. I wonder... what a second I don’t have to wonder any longer - here is what it would look like without the Roman influence...

SuperBowl 43 :: Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

I guess it really just doesn’t look right. Oh well.

Let me just say at the beginning of this blog that I despise FWD: emails. I almost always delete them before even opening and wonder if the sender ever even read it. Earlier this week though one came across my cyber desk and I am so glad that I read it. I thought that I would pass along a portion in hopes that it would encourage you as it did me.

We are never too young or too old to pursue what God has for us!!

Kurtis the Stock Boy and Brenda the Checkout Girl

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry-out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished and wanted to get some fresh air, so he decided to answer the call. As he approached the checkout stand, a distant smile caught his eye ~ the checkout girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card, punched out, and then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible.

He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a babysitter, so he offered to pay for the babysitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday. That Saturday night, he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The babysitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us."

She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, and then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Downs Syndrome.

Kurtis told Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us." Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities ~ just like her first husband and father of her children had done. But Kurtis was not ordinary ~ he had a different mindset.

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids and went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything, Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him, and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added five more kids.

So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy at a grocery store in Cedar Falls, Iowa and Brenda the checkout girl? Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super Bowl. Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.

It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI...and he has also been the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player. He established the First Things First Foundation in the spring of 2001 with wife Brenda to promote Christian values and bless the lives of those less fortunate with projects such as trips to Disney World for ill children, building recreation centers in children's hospitals, helping single moms achieve the dream of homeownership and teaching Special Olympians the football basics. All projects are centered on Kurt and Brenda's life theme: faith and family come first. The official website is: http://www.kurtwarner.org

If you made it this far here is my SuperBowl 43 prediction....
Cardinals 27 - Steelers 20

Be Still

A few weeks ago now God spoke very clearly to me. I love it when this happens, it is such a huge encouragement to know that the God of the Universe, the God of this beautiful Creation, the God of yesterday, the God of tomorrow and the God of forever. Wow, I just realized that I could go on and on. This same God desires to communicate with us and that means that sometimes we have to shut up.

The night that this took place found me in somewhat unfamiliar familiar territory. I had been going through a rocky patch to say the least and found myself at a loss. I don’t normally have difficulty sleeping but this not was different. After many attempts to rest, I kept hearing over and over and over again these words:

Be still and know that I am God!

It was absolutely undeniable. God, in my no sleep bed laying was speaking to me. This was a message that only He could deliver but that I desperately needed. As I flipped on the bedside lamp and searched for this scripture I came across a Psalm that was written for me, for this moment.

I have no idea where you are in your life journey. You may be in some good times, in some prosperous times but my guess is that some of you are experiencing difficulties. Some of you may be at the point of giving up or scrapping religion all together. There is no doubt that at times - LIFE SUCKS that is a fact. The thing is we don’t control any of our circumstances - not the good or the tough. I desperately needed to hear what God had to say that night.

Take a moment to read Psalm 46 and BE STILL...

WR09

With 2009 in full swing it is time to get you on board with our annual SMYDEK Winter Retreat. I am really excited and there is a sweet buzz this year because we are leaving Summit Lake Camp behind and heading to a new venue. This year we are heading to Hopwood, PA to a place called Jumonville Christian Camp and Retreat Center. I think that this change of location is going to be a great shift for our retreat.

If you are interested in coming - it isn’t too late. I would just need to get some information and such from you ASAP. If you aren’t able to join us then we sure could use some major prayer going into this weekend.

This year our theme is EPIC and our speaker is Russell Knight from Stonebridge Baptist Church. I know that God is going to use Russ to bring a few messages that will shape our students and assure them that God uses the ordinary for the extraordinary!

Of course WR09 will be full of games, snacks, plenty of time to chill with friends, tubing on Sunday afternoon and times of worship of our God.

EPIC....

2009 Challenge

As two thousand nine has officially been “rung” in it is time to reflect as well as look ahead. I’m not really big on New Years “Resolutions” - truthfully most of the time the only thing that really happens as a result of them is that my gym gets really really crowded for about three weeks!

Last year my challenge was to go to the gym a total of 210 times in 2008. It is with mixed emotions that I report that I did NOT meet my goal. If my calculations are correct I made it to the gym or ran a total of 198 times last year. I am really proud of this and know that it is something that continues to be a part of my life style. I even received a Garmin GPS running watch for Christmas. I will again shoot for 210 in ’09....

My newest challenge though is a result of having an extreme abundance of t-shirts. I love them, I can’t help it. Towards the end of last year I even instilled a t-shirt policy which stipulated how t-shirts could be purchased:
basically they had to either be on a crazy sale or purchased from Goodwill! I guess that this policy will remain in effect for the time being. The challenge though is that I will be attempting to wear a different t-shirt each day until I run out. I won’t bore you with all the specifics other than to say that I think this is going to be hard. There are some shirts that I just love to wear and I won’t be able to until ALL other shirts have been worn.

Pictured above is Jan. 2nd - Day 2 / Shirt 2 :: It was purchased from Goodwill and it is great, except one day I decided to do some painting in it. Oops!

Merry New Year to you all.....

new location

To view future yohoster posts please visit the new location HERE!

I will now solely be blogging via our new SMYDEK site. Thanks for your cooperation.

CityReach Reloaded

Now that we have arrived home and gotten rested (I slept for fifteen hours last night!) I am ready to go again. Watch out Washington, we may just stop by to help with some of the follow ups. I really wanted to give more students the opportunity to blog their CityReach thoughts but it just didn't quite work out the way I had hoped. Josh Mayne did get a blog in though, click here to check out his thoughts from CR08.

Our summer has officially begun, CityReach is one amazing way to get it rolling. Stay tuned for more...



In this picture we had ventured into Pittsburgh for the evening, that was an ordeal. I am pretty sure that everyone hated me that night!!! No joke. Regardless we ended up with a spectacular view of the city...

CAR WASH-via Jake Mercer

Hello, my name is Jacob Leslie Mercer and I, like Sir Jesse Thurman, am attending CityReach this year in Washington, PA. Today was day one of our ministry tracks or tracts, i'm not sure which, but day one in car wash was a huge success. After great bonding experiences over Old Greg with Texans/Arkansinians, chillin with my homey Johnny J (Reds), and listenin to some popular Jesus hits out of the Bacini, our location washed 36 cars including a sweet yellow Mustang, a Schwann's van and my new favorite car; the Subaru. We took a break for lunch and heard a very inspirational speech by the great Jason Shefstall(sp?). Once finished with washing, we headed to starbucks and i grabbed a vanilla latte. So, overall, day one was a great way to start off our week of ministry and I am looking forward to the rest of the experience.
ttyl,ttfn,gtg,lol,
Jake

city reach- from Jesse

Hey all 4 people that read John's blog, my name is jesse and john yoho is my youth pastor. This week we are at city reach in Washington P.A. After a 3 hour drive from FBCGV and a brief stop at sheets (2 chilli dogs for 1.29) we arived on W&J campus. Me and Micheal Guilday are rooming, the rooms here are a descent size. PJ cracked the code on the A.C. unit so we are sitting here relaxing in the cool air conditioning. Last night we had worship led by David Story. I'm usualy not a big fan of 90 minutes of singing but sitting on a comfy couch helped. After an hour of nonstop nerf war in our dorms we got to bed around 12:30. Outside of some rain its been a pretty awesome weekend so far, hopefully the rest of the week will be just as blessed. Ive got to end this blog now...

Destination WAPA

The Tie Dye Family has safely arrived in Washington, PA. Our journey is only beginning and we already have stories to tell of the great times. I will update you more on CityReach life as it becomes available.

Pack n Pray n Play n Pizza n Everybody on stage crying out with one voice //


Departure //

CityReach 08

It is really happening. Somehow I can't hardly believe it but tonight we have our annual Pack n Pray n Play n Pizza (not necessarily in that order). We started getting our group together in order to answer any last minute questions, hang out with each other and make our packing easier on Friday.

Please remember to send up some prayers to our Father, Creator, Loving God this week for all things CityReach. If you don't know what all CityReach entails don't worry - HE knows. Besides that you will be able to check back here for frequent updates.

I look forward to passing on some exciting, God-sized things...
Here is a list of those going from FBCGV:
Becca Himes
Emma Mayne
Stephanie Murphy
Jesse Thurman
Rachel Thurman
Leslie Vaught
Josephine Gallegos
Tim Ward
Jake Mercer
Paul Mercer
Evan Ponton
Ashley Herrell
Kimberly Maley
Larry Raymond
Cliff Redmond
P.J. Adkins
Richard "Woody" Woodruff
Chris Livengood
Josh Mayne
Julie Redmond
Meaghan Yoho
Ashley Guilday
Michael Guilday
Donna Mercer



Be blessed!

Possum Fighters

After leaving the house early this morning for a day filled with conference calls, AWANA picnic and other such activities it is what happened moments after arriving home that tops them all.

It was just a few minutes after eleven on a chilly, late May night. I had parked in the back lot. After exiting the explorer I could hear Meaghan near the back of the house. As I approached, she spoke something that sounded like, "there is a giant possum in the bump out." As I drew near, my lovely wife stood in the bump out amidst the piles of trash with a broom in one hand and an eager look in her eyes. Erika peered from behind the back door!

As it turns out this was one giant possum and the tail was so long and gross. After moving several bags of trash that the aforementioned beast was feasting on he made a break for the door. I restrained from beating or shooting our little disgusting friend and merely ushered him back into the city.

The pictures below are not of the actual possum but merely some of his contemporaries. Love it....

whiteboard

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to attend The White Board Sessions in Reston, Virginia. WiBo was a one day conference for church leaders. The main idea was to bring eight influential church leaders, give them each thirty minutes and the opportunity to present one main idea.

This was a great avenue to hear new ideas and have ideas reinforced. I enjoyed each of them, but as you would imagine with eight speakers some are going to stand out. I have two that I thought rocked it.

The first was Mark Batterson (author In The Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. Mark spoke on how our dreams are too small, basically that God is immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). Insert Isaiah 55:8-9 here...
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

*spiritual curiosity is lost when we think we have God figured out...
*God can conceive dreams in our hearts...
*stop underestimating God...

The second was Perry Noble (Senior Pastor - New Spring Church in Anderson, SC). Perry spoke with great passion about Who God Called Me to Be. In order to be effective I need to understand my calling, I need to embrace the calling and I need to live my calling.

It was a great day, spent with great men and there was some good speaking to top it off. I really enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with Jason Sheffstall, Russell Knight, Scott Bates, Manny Johnson, Devin Ward and Dad!

Fond Farewell

Our AWANA program officially ends with our annual picnic next Wednesday night but our last official night concluded this week. We had a great year and were blessed to have many children attend and commit to memorizing the Word! Praying for it to take root.

We had about ten SMYDEKers serve within this ministry this year and they have done a fabulous job. They continue to improve with each year and each opportunity.

Check out our 2007-08 vid....

like a hole in the head

I was listening to some newsy, talk radio this evening and I heard something that I find absolutely phenomenal. It costs more to manufacture a penny and a nickel than it is actually worth! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What is wrong with us. It is flat out ludicrous for us to continue manufacturing this junk.

It is way past time for the United States and our government to be PRO-ACTIVE. It is evident that there is limited future for any type of coins in our current economy. I will be honest and tell you that I get really annoyed when something costs me $X.24 if I am paying with cash because I don't want that $.76. In fact I almost always put it in the tip jar or just leave it laying on the counter.

Sure change adds up but that is if it doesn't fall out of my pocket first. During the radio segment it was said that the penny couldn't be done away with because it is a part of American history. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Just because someone once wrote a song entitled Pennies From Heaven doesn't mean that the penny is gets a free ride.

We have smart people in this country who can figure out a fair way to round up or round down to the nearest dollar. It is time for us to stop wasting money by manufacturing pennies!

Check out this article for more info.

rain?

Seriously, the MABA Men's Retreat is tomorrow. Of course we are scheduled to be on the course at 9:32 and of course it appears that the rain will be flowing. I love golf but I never understood why they have all those random tee times. I am confident that we will have a great time regardless of whether or not we can get a round in.

That's all. Just needed to spout off about the rain a bit. blessings...

prep

Today I have been putting the finishing touches on two messages for this coming weekend. Preparation is something that I somewhat enjoy when the ideas are flowing but is really tedious when they are scarce. I have been somewhere in between for these messages and thankfully God is good, when we ask - He delivers!

The Mid-Atlantic Baptist Association Men's Retreat is Friday and Saturday. As we began the planning process we had decided to have a speaker come in this year. Alleviating the FBCGV staff from preparing and presenting multiple messages. I was looking forward to that! Good thing that God had other plans, our speaker needed to bail and we were back in the game. I am looking forward to speaking for the second year. I know that God is going to use this weekend. Our theme this year is Water Cooler Conversations, we all need a break, a respite from the things we call "work". I am praying this weekend would be just that for all those involved. It's not too late...

The other message that I am working on is the conclusion to PURE. This has been a somewhat daunting series, my first attempt at tackling purity. It was definitely the right time for our group to hear these messages and I know that God is using it to impact their lives. If you are struggling with living a life of purity, it hinges on our relationship with Jesus and He equips us to BE HOLY!

nothingness

Today was a marvelous Sunday. Here is how my day went in case you were interested, even though you might not be. Irregardless...

7:15 Arise, shower, etc.
8:00 Final preparations for teaching Adult Sunday School. My first time (not bad)
11:00 Worship with FBCGV (great worship & message)
12:45 Lunch with Davis, Jill & Jackson

** I love getting to hang out with them. Jackson is awesome and I can't wait to hang out with him and do Uncle/Nephew types of things. Our first sleep over is going to be the best! I think that it should happen soon though because he is nearly walking...

3:30 Back to The Valley to get ready for SMYDEK
5:00 Setting up to have SMYDEK outside
5:20 Leaders prayer time (God is good...)
6:00 Students arrive & we play a fabulous game of Team Handball
6:30 Dinner (can't go wrong with mac n cheese & nuggets)

Meaghan thinks that this post is very narcissistic (whatever that means!!!) and now that she has told me the meaning, I guess it kind of is. Oh well, it is a post and I may be breaking the writer's block...

SMYDEK is winding down for the year and we are finishing up PURE - Living a Complete Life of Purity. Hopefully the students are grasping the messages and fruit will be evident in their lives.

If you have made it this far, we are having a dilemma here at 257, would you consider assisting by answering the following question;
If you had to choose either knowledge of American History or knowing how to add & subtract which would you choose?

Thanks for your input....It's nearly Monday, another week - another chance to see God work!

new blog & SMYDEK website

I am nearing the point of officially launching a new SMYDEK website and my blog will now be directly on our site. I hope that this brings about an awareness to the things taking place with SMYDEK.

For now I will be updating both Yohoster and the blog section of the new site. Eventually I will part ways with the beloved Yohoster. So you can check out the new SMYDEK site back there (on the linked word...) and make sure to let me know what you think. Navigate your way through the site and you will find the new blog location.

We have also begun a SMYDEK Podcast, hopefully those of you who aren't able to be with us on a weekly basis will enjoy hearing from all SMYDEKers! Right now we are currently working through PURE - a series on living a complete life of purity.

PEACE!

I put Yohoster is Moving in the label...I am stupid, who is going to search for that???

word on the street

With gas prices continuing to soar out of control it is time to take a stand. I have come across some tips that may help with our petrol problem. These tips are not proven, I haven't tried a single one of them yet but maybe we can all give it a go at the same time and then report back. Without further ado...

A. You should get gas in the morning! Because of the cooler temperatures the gas will be denser and therefore you will get more for your $3.45.

B. Don't let you tank go below half! The gas in your tank will evaporate and the more oxygen that is in the tank will cause the fuel to disappear at a higher rate. This may have something to do with why it seems like you can go farther on the first half tank.

C. Don't fill up at a pump that has a gas tanker putting the gas into the station! This tanker while filling up the station is stirring up the sediment's causing you to get a less than pure fuel. Stay away from that pump.

D. Don't put the pump on the fastest trigger! When setting the pump to do the work for you use the slowest setting. If you use the fastest trigger then more vapors are released and less gas into your tank. I don't want to pay $3.45 for vapors that don't help me out too much, although I do like the smell!

E. Hold your breathe! In certain states this will reduce your cost by up to two dollars per gallon.

Best of luck with each of these, like I said these could be totally false but I thought this might do more good then forwarding an email about not using Exxon or Mobile on the first Wednesday of the month!

In other 257 News, the painting is nearly complete and I will be posting pictures soon. Meaghan is currently the champion caulker and cutter in-er! You won't recognize the place, I don't!

4County Teen CBS

Teen CBS is going to be getting started tonight in a few hours, there are only 3 nights left for the 07-08 year, counting tonights gathering. I have been unimaginably blessed by my time with this ministry. As we have fought our way through the book of Acts, God has continually showed Himself and used the life of the early church to encourage me.

Paul & Company were continually on mission for the Lord Almighty. This week we studied chapter twenty-7, looking at the STORM! How was Paul able to overcome himself and a seemingly ideal self-pity type situation. He was able to lead out, step up and show his leadership qualities even from his imprisonment. Can you imagine being the Centurion and having one of your prisoners take charge of the situation. Julius was able to spend time enough with Paul though to see his heart, his love and devotion to God.

I wonder if those who have the opportunities to get close to me see that. Or do they just see a man who is scared and whining...

This chapter of Acts (written by Luke) is big screen worthy.

April Showers

I can't believe that it has been a week since my last post. I had so much to report from the great road trip to Arkansas & AYC. It seems mute at this point. I have been getting caught up from the 30 hour round trip and think that I am back on schedule. I landed myself at the gym four more times this week.

We are painting at the 257, so I have been trying to strike a balance between home and church. I think that I have everything in order for the new SMYDEK series kicking this Sunday night, PURE. Our first session is entitled What's On Your Mind? I am really excited for what God has in store for this series.

Gotta run, we have our second CityReach training session tomorrow morning and I must get prepared. PEACE.

So good to have The Office back last night!!

road trip day 2

So much has happened since our first stop in Nashville. We had a chance to have lunch with Woody and see Trinity Baptist Church. They have a fabulous campus and Jesse quickly reminded me that I should NOT be envious! I love it when students put me in my place...

Following lunch we cruised into Little Rock and have thoroughly been enjoying our time here with the fellas of AYC. Last night after dinner a tornado came rolling through the great state of Arkansas. We were able to watch it from our hotel room on the 9th floor of the Peabody!!! Tornado alarms were blaring from the city and an alert came from the hotel speaker system to head to the lobby and then down into the convention center. We defied the odds (sorry Starr) and stayed put to watch several transformer explosions across town.

This morning after breakfast we get to take a closer look at the damage, i.e - trailer park torn to shreds and the Buick dealership that once was!

More to come, AYC kicks it tonight. Our host, Nathan Rogers is blowing it up. Thanks bro!

AYC

Little Rock, Arkansas is a mere thousand miles from Frederick, Maryland. At noon yesterday Jesse and I left on the JSquared Road Trip. The Arkansas Youth Conference is our destination and we are looking forward to another day of our adventure.

Last night we steamed through Bristol and Knoxville to our evening stop in Nashville. Nashville is a mere ten hours from home, a long drive but we were aided by a time change in Tennessee. During the one and only stretch of traffic a small plane had to make an emergency landing on the highway about 3 miles ahead of us. We got pics and I will post those later.

God has a reason why we are on this journey, hopefully we will know His plans soon. We are about to take off for day 2. We have about 5 hours until Little Rock...the rain is currently spilling so that might slow us down a bit.

Pictures and further updates to come...

busted

The craziness of March Madness struck again and my bracket is completely busted. That is the beauty of this tournament and what causes many people to begin rooting for the under dogs even when it spells doom for their chances at winning the office pool. It is amazing how the NCAA tournament has progressed, I love that you can watch live games via the internet on NCAA.com. These live feeds come complete with a boss button that enables an instant spreadsheet when you know who comes around!

Things in Frederick are quickly beginning to spiral and it is nearly time for one amazing ride that I like to call "Spring & Summer."

Meaghan and I spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week stripping wall paper and painting my office at the church. We decided to start mixing paint that we had left over from various projects around our home. Yeah, we are that crazy! The color turned out great and we just have a few other things to do before I post some pics for you.

West Virginia will begin their Sweet 16 game in just a few minutes. Let's Go! Mountaineers! Joe Alexander is a fellow Linganore High School Alum and I hope that he has a great game against Xavier tonight.

Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Ocean City, Maryland for IMPACT which is our annual high school conference. Please pray that our students would have an opportunity to experience God this weekend.

That's that....

round 1

A horrible showing for my bracket but some great upsets in day 2 of the tourney. I have lost 3 Sweet 16 teams but still remain hopeful. I know lots revolve around basketball these days but it will only be for a moment. Non-basketball related posts are in the works.

Have a great Easter.

madness day 1

Nearly twelve hours of basketball, sixteen games and one nearly huge upset. Duke should have lost! I went got 12 out of 16 games correct and need improvement for day 2 or it will be another busted bracket! Below is my bracket...

the unknown

The thing about the unknown is that sometimes it can even be unknown to the planner. After reading about 812 student ministries Destination Unknown on Jonathon Johnson's blog, I thought it was time for SMYDEK to run a similar play.

(Insert fun intro music here)

I started thinking about the critical elements to this event and came up with a stellar destination - Philadelphia, PA! Or at least what I thought was a stellar destination. There was a slight issue early this morning with a portion of Interstate 95 near Philly. Uh, it was closed. As it turns out we probably could have made it without much trouble but I didn't want to take too much of a chance on getting caught in some worthless traffic jam.

So with a slight change in destination, 13 of us set out bright and early this morning - the first official day of Spring Break and headed for Baltimore. Now this was some serious last minute planning and I didn't want it to be just another trip to the inner harbor. The first stop was Lexington Market, a place that I had never visited and one that I could do without. This market is one huge building with lots and lots of vendors selling things from cell phones to pigs feet to raw fish. I know you can envision and maybe even smell it. From there we set out to find Edgar Allen Poe's tomb and we did. This was kind of cool, they have actually built a church right on top of this cemetery. Lunch in the harbor was excellent, a little perusing near the water and some quality time in Barnes and Noble. With our day more than half way behind us we headed just outside of Baltimore City for a few hours in Arundel Mills Mall. This mall has something for everyone; shopping, rock wall climbing, bowling and a Dave & Busters (arcade). Some members of our destination group took part in each of these activities!

All in all it was a splendid day. I hope that all had a good time, I know I did. I will keep the details of Destination Philly in my hat and make the necessary arrangements to pull them out another day and the cheese steaks won't even be the half of it!

(fade out music)

one crazy weekend - part 3,4 & 5 of 5

I really need to get this crazy weekend off my chest. The longer it goes without being put into cyberspace the less crazy that it seems. So without further ado I give you the last three parts of this blog series.

Saturday opened up with a bang. I had a couple of students on the 257 grounds on Friday night, we got up early to hit McDonald's prior to our Easter Egg Hunt at FBCGV. McDonald's was a mad house. They were so busy that we ended up with 4 extra hash browns. Jesse Thurman ended up eating 5 and a half hash browns. He is crazy and I know that he will destroy in the first ever SMYDEK hash brown off! Although Michael Guilday stuck close with 4 and a bagel sandwich.

Our Easter Egg Hunt was fabulous. I don't remember being too involved in Egg Hunts over the years so I guess I didn't have too many expectations - but the few I had were far surpassed. At one early count we had nearly 100 people present. W2 led out in some praise and worship and then we heard about the resurrection eggs before starting to hunt. It is always an awesome opportunity to have people at church who don't regularly attend. Praying that God will bring some of them back to FBCGV to worship with us soon.

Sunday was a great day. Pastor Mike (dad) really spoke words directly from the Holy Spirit, ditching the notes and outline to speak on the Palm Sunday and the Resurrection.

A fabulous weekend here in sunny Frederick, MD. Hope that God is blessing you wherever you are!

one crazy weekend - part 2 of 5

Friday, March 14th was my little bro's 28th birthday! We were able to arrange a tee time at our home course Clustered Spires. For the second year in a row we golfed for his birthday - great times. I hope to play early and often again this summer although the previous post may have something to say about that.

Now for a little bragging. It was a gorgeous afternoon and there wasn't anyone on the course. A great afternoon with my favorite little bro. As it worked out I had the birthday magic and got my first victory of the season. I tied a career best shooting an 88! I can't wait to play again...

one crazy weekend - part 1 of 5

Actually I am not totally sure how many parts there will be to this blog series but there are several posts waiting to come out of my head and into the world. I will take it slow so that you can keep up.

Dear Blog,
Crazy things are happening around the 257 Yoho household. The late breaking news is that the love of my life has quit her job. Actually to use the word quit may only describe the action. She has felt God calling her out of this relationship for some time. It took me a while to get used to the idea of losing income and allowing God to provide financially like He has so many times in the past. God has brought us along and allowed us to find financial freedom as a result of her employment!

So freshness is in the air around Frederick...at this point Meaghan has not determined what He has in store next. We just know that He will be faithful. The next couple of days may be tough as she doesn't make the hour trek to AOL.

Meaghan worked at AOL for nearly five years and formed many lifelong friendships during her time there. In case you were wondering I think that AOL Search will survive in her absence even though she will be missed. (In case you have any stock)

That's part one of my crazy weekend.
Be Blessed,

precious puggles

a tribute to the loveliest that AWANA has to offer! Enjoy...

it's all madness

We are yet again on the brink of some fabulous, legendary moments. March has stormed into existence and with it comes the NCAA Tournament. With just over one week before tip-off I have much to do before seclusion in the mancave. Normally I am trying to figure out how to ditch work, who to watch with or even where to watch. With the earliness of Easter many of those questions will be much less complicated. Spring Break in Frederick County begins next Wednesday which means that none of my students will have classes during the opening rounds of March Madness! So, here is the itinerary...

Thursday // 03.20 // noon - ?? // mancave
Friday // 03.21 // noon - ?? // mancave

That will get us through the first 32 games and either our brackets will be busted or we will be clinging to one more upset or buzzer beater. Either way, there will be plenty of intensity and excitement as we watch hours and hours of hoops. This stands as an open invitation, you don't need to be a SMYDEK student to attend.

With all the hype of hoops, without knowing who will end up where. I give you the Yohoster Final Four.

North Carolina
Memphis
Tennessee
Georgetown

Get your brackets ready the madness is coming...

daylight savings celebration

I'm going on record - I love daylight savings time! This could be one of my favorite non-Christian holidays. Actually it definitely is. It's not a holiday? Well it should be. Who doesn't want extended daylight in the evening? To show the extent of this holiday and the happiness that it exudes, it now has been moved to the second Sunday of March! That happens to be two days from now, my love is growing by the moment.

Hopefully we are on our way to a 12 month daylight savings plan. For now at least we have it until the first Sunday in November! I can just feel the warm air, baseball games, hot dogs, afternoons in the park...YEAH.

It's a daylight savings celebration - don't be too early.

worship 2.0

Every once in a while there is something so special going on that you must stop everything that you are doing and participate. Friday, March 7th is just that opportunity. Worship 2.0 -- Same God Different Day!

**Permission to speak freely?

Worship is not only for Sunday's at eleven o'clock! Worship is all around us, worship is in the obedient heart, the loving husband, the faithful worker. Worship can even take place in a normally empty church on a Friday night.

Worship 2.0 is an opportunity to participate in an unscripted evening of praising and glorifying the most creative and the most deserving. "It is a time for God's people to abandon themselves to His Spirit." - W2

If you are around the Frederick area, come check it out. FBCGV at seven...

A little something from John 4: (Message)
"But the time is coming - it has, in fact, come - when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself - spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

favre well not R.I.P

It is truly the end of an era. It is a sad day but quite frankly I am a little upset with the sports media referring to this day as a death. Favre had a great career and he will be missed but there will still be life after football for this great.

I love the things that #4 brought to the game. He always played with a passion and a love for the game. Mr. Favre handled himself with integrity and class even in turmoiled situations that came his way. I will miss watching him make plays and celebrate with a sincere love for his brothers!

Well done Brett, thanks for the memories....

nyquil

For the last three nights I have taken Nyquil. This is my medicine of choice. I love how it causes me to fall quickly into a deep sleep. I have spent most of the last two days trying to rest and recover from the sickness. Hope to get back to a "normal" schedule tomorrow, which means getting back to the gym as well.

I may only have a few moments before I pass out....The Nyquil is taking affect, my head is getting heavy, eyes are closing.

leap

I don't understand Leap Day, although I think that it is really cool. Happy Leap Day to you all and for those of you with a birthday today - congrats!

Lot's of stuff going on tonight and this weekend:
1. 4County Teen CBS Fun Night - I am really excited about a night of hanging out with my teen CBS peeps. Plus add live music from W2 and you got yourself a success.

2. SMYDEK CityReach 08 Training 1 // Saturday at 10 - This crew is trying to stay on top of things this year and also trying to throw in some training as well. Tomorrow's topic -- Shoes & Stories. Specifically looking at our stories.

3. Renn Scott Eagle Scout Ceremony // Saturday at 2 - I have never been to one but I know that it is something few people achieve. Congrats Renn! Although I'm confident you don't read this.

4. Sunday Worship - Joseph promoted from dungeon to palace

5. SMYDEK - God in Your iPod // Foo Fighters - The Pretender

Have a great weekend everyone. God bless....

gas - the kind that fuels your vehicle...not to be confused with other forms!

I love it when God reminds me of things in crazy, extreme, unlikely, unique ways that only He can. This story begins yesterday on my way home from the office - a beautiful day here in Frederick. Running dangerously low on the liquid that moves my Explorer, I decide that I don't "feel" like stopping at the station for a refill because I don't want to get out of the car. Remember that it is a nice day...when are they going to make drive through gas stations by the way???

So I make it home - thank God this entry is not about running out of gas!

This morning (truly mid-morning) I leave 257 to head to the office and I realize that I still need gas. Hmmm, can't believe that no one filled up my car while I slept! Today in Frederick is nasty, rainy, no sun, gross kind of day. I stop by my favorite gas location and pay a ridiculous amount ($3.07). While I was pumping I noticed that there was a substantial amount of gas on the ground next to the pump I was using. This was of course mixed with a large puddle of water from the nasty weather. I tried to hike up my jeans enough to keep the gas/water combo off of them.

Fast forward 20 minutes. Apparently I was unsuccessful.

Sitting in my office, dad comes in and says, "Why does it smell like gas in here? Do you smell that?" Yeah I could smell it and I still can, in fact I may be getting a little toasted while studying today! I will definitely have to go back over my notes.

What is God's lesson in this?? 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 ... "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

Death or life. We have an aroma, a smell that goes with us. I want those I come in contact with me to say, "can you smell that? Is that life??"

passion photo & recap

Where to begin?? Well, 3,000 college students on the campus of George Mason University. Some from as far away as New York, North Carolina, Michigan and of course the local states. Passion DC began on Friday night, worship with Chris Tomlin and Charlie Hall followed by a great message from Louie Giglio. This was the first time I have heard him speak and he was the real deal. Tim Ward and I got back around midnight Friday night, crashed and then got up early in order to get back by ten...

Start to finish on Saturday was great! More Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall and Matt Redman. To see the Passion Movement up close and personal was phenomenal and encouraging as a Student Pastor. This is the type of place that we want our students to arrive, excited and passionate about Jesus Christ. Check out the passion blog to find out more...

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."

passion

I'm trying to work it out. Do you want to join me? I think it is $120 at the door. click here for more details. This is technically for college age (18 - 25). Guess I will need to take some of them with me.... any ROOTS???

worship is...

Our worship leader at FBCGV is always finding sayings or quotes on worship. Often times he will even share something that God has taught him about worship. I am excited at the things that God is teaching my friend, W2, and then in turn what he is passing on to me. Lord God, continue to use W2 in a mighty way that only displays Your Hands!

I came across this video from Worship House Media.

Worship is...

still #1?

The greatest weekend of the year, at least in terms of the sporting world is just over one month away. The opening weekend of March Madness, I love it. I haven't been able to keep up with much college basketball until this point in the season so my brackets are probably already busted. No worries, the thrills, upsets and buzzer beaters surely will carry me through the tournament.

Memphis survived and remains no. 1. A close call at UAB just nights ago to remain unbeaten. Begin chatting about whether or not they are better off with a lose or without...Some commentators drive me crazy. As if a coach is going to tell his team to throw a game or only give half-hearted effort in order to obtain a one in the loss column. So ridiculous! I think this scare from UAB may just be enough to propel the Tigers into the Final Four in San Antonio.

I have been a huge fan of Memphis coach John Calipari even going back to his days with UMASS. How can you forget that incredible team centered around Marcus Camby. Ahh, those were the days.

Good times ahead...

All-Star Saturday Night

One of the greatest weekend's for the NBA, before the finals in June at least. This is the second ever All-Star Saturday Night hosted by the 257 Yoho's. This year we will be taking full advantage of the ManCave facilities. Come on by, there will be plenty of chili, hot dogs, chips & soda. The only requirement is that you need to wear a jersey!