Mr. Tall

She said YES!

Friday (5/23) night, three months to the date that we started dating, I asked Lauren to marry me. Three months ago, after seeking God’s guidance, Lauren and I decided to date with the intent of seeking God and His will regarding our future.
In the way that He was working in our lives and growing us closer together, it became certain to me that we should marry. Now I had to propose!

We had dinner downtown at one of our favorite places and then we wandered around the park. Lauren had no clue that I would be asking and on top of that I played a little trick to further throw her off. We found one of the swinging benches and were sitting talking about a number of things, enjoying the beautiful park and weather. Over the past month, we have been working through “101 Questions To Ask Before Getting Engaged”, so I had brought the book along to go through some questions. After a couple of questions, the conversation led to a point where I asked: “What would you do if I gave you a ring tonight?” She said something to the effect that it would really shock her. So, I reached over to my coat, dug around in one my pockets, and pulled out a Candy Ring Pop. We laughed and Lauren asked if she could trade it in for a real diamond one day. I told her maybe someday…

We got up and walked around the park some more (it was a perfectly beautiful evening!). We went around to a little secluded “secret garden” that a friend had showed me a while ago. It’s basically a little cubby in between some buildings with a little cobbled path, some plants and a bench. We sat there and talked for some time, and then I told her I had a question for her, as I got down on one knee. “Would you marry me?” I asked. And she said: “Are you kidding me?” So I pulled out the ring and handed it to her and she said: “Are you serious, is this for real?” And then she said: “YES!”

Google Me

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts![c]
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!"
Psalm 139:23-24

"Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Luke 12:2-3

Thinking about this...

"Your words were found,
And I ate them,
And your words became to me a joy
And the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts."

Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV)

Girlfriend

FYI, if you haven't heard already. I have a girlfriend! Her name is Michelle is and she is amazing. Ask me about her sometime. =D

:)

This girl is amazing and beautiful!

Fractals

I recently stumbled across this amazing website - Fractal World Gallery

Curiosity lead me to wikipedia for some quick education:
Wikipedia: Fractals This is amazing stuff! Click on the self-similar link on the wikipedia page and also on Koch snowflake.

A fractal as a geometric object generally has the following features:
- It has a fine structure at arbitrarily small scales.
- It is too irregular to be easily described in traditional Euclidean geometric language.
- It is self-similar (at least approximately or stochastically).
- It has a Hausdorff dimension which is greater than its topological dimension (although this requirement is not met by space-filling curves such as the Hilbert curve).
- It has a simple and recursive definition.

All I can do is praise and give God glory for His amazing creation. Finite mathematics that show us a glimpse of infinity. Not that God or infinity/eternity are self-similar or repetitive... just the concept of limitlessness (is that a word?).
Which brings me to think about eternity... When I ponder thoughts of heaven, thanks to Peter Hubbard's sermon, I can only think of NO CLOY!!!!

"He shall be the end of our desires who shall be seen without end, loved without cloy, praised without weariness." Augustine

three

3 is the number of God.

Father, Son, Holy Ghost,

3 individuals in One being.

He created man and woman

3 harmoniously in a garden

A sin by Adam requires

3 nails to atone for mankind

Blood, separation, and death,

3 days in the tomb to destroy sin,

But risen to ever live and plead for me.

God's grace in relationships

I have always loved having a lot of friends, especially of the female gender. I don't know why, but I generally get along really well with women more so then men.When it comes to liking girls and dating, my philosophy is to become good friends with that person, pray really hard for God's leading, and slowly take steps to become closer friends. So far, it has been a very good experience. God has guarded my heart. My prayer, whenever I have an interest, is that if she isn't the one for me that He would make it very clear. Up till just recently, I have never had a "girlfriend," due to God's working in my life and friendships.

My good friend Leah (the reason for this note), is an incredible woman. She has a great heart to serve our God. When we first started getting to know each other and spending time together, we had a conversation regarding missions and God's calling in our lives regarding that. Leah wasn't very certain of what God had for her, but she was praying about taking a trip to Korea. God worked everything out so that Leah could take this trip to teach at Word of Life in Korea. Since she's been there, God has really gotten ahold of her heart and made it clear that He wants her to be in missions full-time. My heart is to serve at my church, God has made it very clear that this is where He wants me to be for now.

I want to thank God for working in both of our lives. His grace is amazing! After much prayer, God's leading is different for both of our lives. Leah is one of my best friends and will remain so, because of what God has done in us both. He brought us together to be friends and to encourage each other in His time and will lead us as we follow His will.

Five-ish Things

Jan from "the view from her" tagged me for "Five-ish Things I'd Like to Know About You" meme. I typically am not a huge fan of these, but jan would like to know me better and I give in easily (sometimes). :)

1) What's the most fun work you've ever done, and why? (two sentences max)
Shooting photography for several of my friend's christmas cards. It was just fun and I loved it!

2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did. (one sentence max)
Throwing clay, I miss pottery so much.

B. Name one thing you've always wanted to do but keep putting off. (one sentence max)
Work out. Not that I need it, but it would probably feel good.

3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max)
How to study the Bible better, I really stink at it. I read and do small studying, but I'm constanly in awe of how some people are able to get great stuff out of their study.

B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? (two more sentences, max)
Ansel Adams, need I say more?

4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?
Tall, skinny... jk Dependable, Sweet, Nice-guy

B. List two words you wish described you: Independantly wealthy =D umm... I can't think of anything that I wish was me, I'm content.

5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes-- three sentences max)
God, my Church, and recently this really great girl.

Five people to tag: Dad, Teresa, Ben, Gwen, and Kim.

New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome to 2007. It's going to be a great year!

New Computer

New to me, that is... A friend works at a large engineering company here in town and they were getting rid of their "old" machines (aka 2 to 3 years old). Compared to my 8 year old dinosaur, this new machine is like a jet airplane. :) So for $100, I get a new system that I think is pretty wicked fast. It is a dual-core, with only one 1.8 Ghz processor in at the moment. I went to ebay and found an identical processor for $50. Time to double up!
It is an engineering machine, so it is a beast - size-wise (I think that's what I'm going to call it - "The Beast").

Meet The Beast:

Happy Merryness to you!

This photo is going to be my christmas card this year. I'm going to make my own card this year. Xpedx here I come to get some cardstock and envelopes. :)

B-day

Happy B-day to me! :) I'm old! jk, today I turn 26.

Thank you Lord for the past year of life and I pray that Your kingdom come (Your will be done) in my life in the coming year.

God is good

Tea

Have I told you lately that I love tea? I'm an addict, especially as winter starts settling in. Without fail, I have at least a cup-a-day (if not more). I enjoy coffee as well, but that's just to get me going in the morning. Tea is a beautiful thing, I love the warmth that it provides. I love the process of heating water, hearing the keattle whistle, pouring boiling water over the tea leaves, watching as the leaves dance with water, water steeping the color and flavor from the leaves, and then enjoying the first sip of scalding liquid as you breath in the aroma. Yum!

Check out Adagio for all your loose leaf tea needs.

Failure

I failed in my attempt to post something everyday during the month of November... This past weekend was just crazy.

I went to "Taming of the Shrew" on Friday - It was hilarious and really really good!
Saturday, I had my photography class from 9-2. Two appointments with people in the afternoon. Dinner and ensemble rehearsal starting at 6pm for our special Sunday services.
Sunday our church celebrated its 15 year anniversary!! It was awesome. That is the only word that I can think to describe the time of worship, thanksgiving, and sharing that we had yesterday. We had 36+ songs on the schedule between our two morning services and one evening service; about 26 were congregational songs and the rest ensembles, solos, and specials. I sang 32 songs and my voice is exhausted!
It is cool to think, that despite how broken and imperfect our worship is here, we will one day sing and give praise to God with perfect voices and instruments (without cloy) for all eternity!!

Yea, again nothing for today... Going to see Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" at BJ tomorrow

Yea, I have nothing for you today. Well, I have a lot I could talk about, but I'm super busy.

Poetry

I've hear say that a man becomes a poet when he falls in love. Not that I'm in love or anywhere near, but I was thinking about that last night. (Disclaimer: This is purely my outsider perspective). I think I can see why...
Poetry (of the love type) is an emotionally compact artistic communication attempting to capture the granduer of the subject in a relatively small number of words.
Love is an emotion, but it is also a decision to giving of oneself. I could go on and on about love, ironically thousands of poems have been written about this little word, but since my experience is non-existant I'll stop here.

As Hitch would say: "So how does it happen, great love? Nobody knows... but what I can tell you is that it happens in the blink of an eye. One moment you're enjoying your life, and the next you're wondering how you ever lived without them."

I guess, I'll just have to wait until it happens in a blink of an eye...

Free stuff...

Yes, I did it. The alure of getting a cool nalgene bottle for free is too much. I couldn't handle it. Hope it works, I'll keep you posted and tell you when I get it in the mail.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Luther

This day in 1483, Martin Luther was born.

Quotes:
"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times."

"Be a sinner and sin strongly, but more strongly have faith and rejoice in Christ."

"You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the word which the Lord who receives sinners preaches to you."

"Pray, and let God worry."

"If I am not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there."

God's Presence 5

KEY God's eternal purpose is to dwell among a people He has made His own.
Let me say that again - God has PURPOSED to dwell among His People

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:3

5. A CITY - Revelation 21
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." Revelation 21:3
- This is the climax of God's purpose, everything in our Bible leads to this. God will dwell with man!! God's purpose is fulfilled - man returns to paradise.

"And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb." Revelation 21:22
- There is no temple in the city, there is no need. God and the Lamb are ever present in unhindered fellowship with His people.
- Also, quick observation - The New City is a all gold cube, the Holy of Holies was a cube, covered in gold. (just a cool image of some extra symbolism from the tabernacle).

The following are some of my thoughts and comments:
- These images, taken at face value, may seem that God has had to make up this plan as He went along. But, our God is not a reactive god. It didn't take Him by surprise that man sinned in the garden. This has been His plan for all eternity to bring glory to Himself. We should worship Him and give him praise for His mind boggling design for us.
- When we gather together to worship Him, He is not present because of anything that we do or because we just sung a great song. He is present in our midst because we are His people. We worship because He is present and we give of ourselves to Him, not to attract His attention but because He is worthy.
- His grace and mercy are awesome that He wants to dwell with us... it just blows me away.

God's Presence 4

KEY God's eternal purpose is to dwell among a people He has made His own.
Let me say that again - God has PURPOSED to dwell among His People

Matthew 28:20 - "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

4. A PEOPLE Temple
- Christ left the Holy Spirit to live in us.
- YOU are God's temple - 1 Corinthians 3:9 & 16
- The church now becomes the divine sanctuary - 2 Corinthians 6:16
- Christ must be ever central in the new temple
- God is uniquely present when His people are gathered
- Christ's presence demands holiness

And one day He is returning to take His people home.

God's Presence 3

KEY God's eternal purpose is to dwell among a people He has made His own.
Let me say that again - God has PURPOSED to dwell among His People

Malachi 3:1 - "...behold, He is coming."

3. A PERSON Temple/Light
- Word became flesh (John 1) and dwelt among men (dwelt shows setting up tent/tabernacle)
- Once again God dwells with His people, but in a more personal way. "The glory of God in the face of Christ." WE BEHELD HIS GLORY
- Jesus was the temple (John 2:18)
- He came to die/to remove the certificate of death from each of us.
- Access to God was opened by Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:20)
- EMMANUEL = God with us = God's presence

And just as Jesus leaves to return to heaven He says: "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20

God's Presence 2

KEY God's eternal purpose is to dwell among a people He has made His own.
Let me say that again - God has PURPOSED to dwell among His People

The FALL - there is Divine Alienation. Then we wait... Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Nation of Israel and God gives another image of His presence.

2. A DWELLING Sanctuary/Temple/Tent
- Israel is promised God's very presence in the Tabernacle. Exodus 25-33
God: " My presence will go with you and give you rest."
- God's presence with them is what makes Israel distinct from all the other nation. Exodus 33:16
- God dwelt right in the middle of the of all the tents (A king's tent would be right in the middle).
- The temple and the sacrifice system are a mark of God's dwelling, but it points out God's transcendence in that there in not unhindered access to God's presence. Only by the blood of lambs and goats and then only once a year by the High Priest is there direct access to God's presence.

Aside: God's presence is not always good news (Uzah, Aaron's sons, Ananias and Siphira) It is glorious, but dangerous also.

Consider when the temple was destroyed... This wasn't just front page news material for several months, to the Jews, this was a theological catastrophe. God's presence (in a dwelling) was removed/destroyed! And when it was rebuilt, it just wasn't the same.

Now come the prophets, and they start giving good news... little by little. Malachi 3:1 - "Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts."

(I'm posting this a little early, because I'm going out of town this weekend. I will post the next image Sunday night - have a great weekend).

God's Presence 1

I wanted to share with you my sermon notes from Jeff Purswell's "A People of God's Presence." I heard Jeff preach at Sovereign Grace Worship God '06 conference that I attended in August at the Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD (I think you might be able to find it on their website). God spoke through Jeff and it was very evident. This is probably one of the only sermons that has affected me in an indescribably and immediate way (joy, chills, jaw-dropping). I've heard other sermons that have been great and have changed my life, but I think I had chills at the end from trying to grasp and digest the awesomeness of this. This was basically a summary of Bible in one sermon. I don't attribute any of this to Jeff, God spoke. Anyway... I'll try to keep it brief and yet hopefully get the point across.

What is in our minds when we think or use "presence of God?" Is it a distant wish? Is it something we strive to attain? Is it something we take for granted? Or is it simply a means of cool solidarity with other Christians?

KEY "God's eternal purpose is to dwell among a people He has made His own."
Let me say that again - God has PURPOSED to dwell among His People

Where? How? - There are 5 images that expose this throughout the Bible:

1. A GARDEN Sanctuary/Temple/Mountain
- Safety (protection, enclosure - Adam was placed there by God) Genesis 2:8
- Provision (Food, richness, diversity) Genesis 2:9-17
- Relation Intimacy (Adam & Eve) Genesis 2:18-25
- Divine Companionship (Place where God and man meet) Genesis 3:8
- Presence (walking, talking) Leviticus 26:12
- Temple (Place to worship God)
Here is a pattern of His Kingdom - "Unhindered fellowship with God in an unspoiled environment."
This is what we were created for!! This shows God's desire, His heart, to dwell among His People.

...then the FALL - There is Divine Alienation.

(I'm going to do a point-a-day for the next five days - Stay Tuned!)

Sweet November

Ahhh... I love this month! Mainly the weather, I am a huge fan of fall leaves, crisp air, and sweaters. November also means Thanksgiving, my birthday, and Christmas right around the corner.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!
Today is the 305th day of the year (60 days left in 2006). And random fact - this day in 1512 - The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time.

So, I'm going to try to blog at least once a day this month. I've never committed to something like this before (blog-wise), we'll see how well I do. Why? Just 'cause, to force myself to write more often and to see if I can.

I want to leave you with one link to a cool blog post. I recently stubled across "the view from her" blog and she's a pretty smart kid! If you have the time, check out her posts about "Christian" art from October 12th and 13th. Very thought provoking.

Love this

Personal Ad:

"Single Christian male (SCM) seeks single Christian female (SCF) to love as Christ loved the church, to give himself up for her to make her holy, to love as he loves himself (Eph. 5). SCF must be absolute physical knockout (no one scoring below 9.0, please), must love to talk politics and sports, and must possess a laundry list of pre-decided personal characteristics so completely that SCM is convinced no better option could possibly be available within the next decade."

This is a GREAT article!!

To reiterate:
"My brother or sister, if that had been Jesus' approach to love, you and I would still be in our sins. Forget the fantasy. Glorify the Lord in the way you choose a spouse. Let the Inventor of attraction and beauty reform your thinking, and your marriage will be rich."

(no pun intended)

Still I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Matt Redman © 2002 Kingsway's Thankyou Music

Wisdom teeth

On Monday I went to the dentist for a cavity checkup and both of my wisdom teeth (my bottom ones never came in) have cavities starting in them... So, the dentist recommended that I just have them out. He said that it would cost about the same to fix them as to pull them. And it's a known fact that wisdom teeth typically get cavities because it's so hard to brush that far back.

Argh - There goes $500! So pray for me next Friday at about 1:30. The dentist dude seem optimistic that I would be just fine after having them pulled. I'm just wondering how I'll feel the following day... FYI, I'm not at all worried.

C'est la vie!

Isaiah

This is one of my most favoritest (I know it's not a word) passage in the Bible. I just took several sections of this passage.

Isaiah 53
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief… Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Trip

Taking a road trip tomorrow. There is a group from my church headed up to Washington, D.C. to attend a Worship Conference at Covenant Life Church. I'm really excited about spending these few days with some awesome people just worship God and learning some techincal skills.

Then Friday afternoon, I'm headed to NJ to take part in my friend Adam Wall's marriage to Jessica Erter. I'm one of the groomsmen. It's cool to be a witness to their unity.

Then... after the wedding on Saturday, I'm going into New York to see the big apple and visit with my friend Katie P. that is a middle-school teacher there.

Sunday - home again, home again, jiggity jog.

Mission Trip Report part 2

Here is part 1 if you're coming in midway.

Two months ago... (has it been two months!) I returned from a mission trip to Mexico. It was a great time of serving missionaries with New Tribes Mission.

As promised - Pictures!! Finally... Click here to see a picture album from the trip. These are not my pictures, I didn't take a camera. So I got to pick and choose from everyone else's pictures.

God came...

I love learning more and more about Salvation. The excerpt below is from "Humilty" by C.J. Mahaney. It shows that God is not idle in His response to His people. Salvation is not a reactive response from God. God didn't find out that He created sinners and then have to scramble to come up with a plan to redeem us. Salvation is proactive. Salvation is all about God and it begins with God coming to us. Check this out:

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).
"The Son of Man came... to give life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).
And Jesus said: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
"I came from the Father and have come into the world" (John 16:28).
"I have come into the world as light" (John 12:46).
"For this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37).
"Behold, I have come to do your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:7).

God came to us! Our Savior came!

Habakuk 3:13 "You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one."

Mission Trip Report part 1

Where to start? It was an amazing trip. God blessed! We were overwhelmed with the support given; your prayers were felt by everyone on the team. My purpose in going was:

To serve fellow believers, to minister to kids and teens, to serve alongside my community at NHCC, and to give God the glory for the abilities and talents He has given me.

I believe that purpose was accomplished. The missionaries kept telling us what a huge encouragement we were to them. And they were a huge encouragement to me and my team.

We got there Saturday afternoon, and it was great to have almost a full day to adjust to where we were going to be working. Due to the large number of missionary families attending, the conference location was full, so our team stayed at a motel about 2 miles away.
Sunday morning our team got together and worshiped God. We sang, read scripture, prayed and a lot of people shared what God had been doing in their hearts to prepare them for this trip. We had planned to attend a local Baptist church, but they didn't have Sunday morning services due to a funeral planned later that day. Sunday night was the beginning of the conference, introductions and the kick-off to our program.

The typical schedule was 3 1/2 hours in the morning for VBS and 1 1/2 hour in the afternoon for group story/activities. Mr. Brian and I were in charge of the games for K-6th grade during the morning session, and then in the evening we floated between the kids and teens as necessary.

Needless to say, I fell in love with all the kids! I miss them, pray for them, and want to keep them all. They had such great hearts and willing minds to hear everything that God was teaching through us. I got the entire K-6th grade to sign my t-shirt at the end of the week, so that I can remember their names and pray for them.

As for our team... God worked it out so that we had just the right people there. He knew who everyone was that need to go and every single one was needed. I knew the majority from church, but most of them only as acquaintances. It was really neat to get to know them better and become more a family by the end of the week. Ross, Tim and Nate especially as they headed up the team were a great blessing to me. I had some great one on one bonding times with each of them. Mr. Brian (helped with games) and I drew very close too. God used Mr. Brian to teach me and point out a weakness in me.

God has all the glory for the abilities He's given me.
Because of being an MK:
-I was able to connect with the kids and teens on a closer level
-The Spanish I grew up learning was an invaluable asset in Mexico
-I helped some of my teammates get through some slight culture shock

to be continued... (yes, with pictures)

I'm back

I fell in love with every single one of those MKs. I wanted to keep them all. God taught us all very valuable lessons that I hope won't fade with time. I can safely say that we were all impacted by the missionaries and their kids. We accomplished our purpose of serving and loving. God blessed.

I'll write more later and post pictures. Our team made it back safely late last night, and today was a catch up and recover day.

Tomorrow Mexico

That's right, bright and early tomorrow our team takes to the skies on a journey bound to Mexico and 100 degree weather. Yes, I packed lots of sun-tan lotion. I'm in charge of the games/activities during our VBS time, so one of my bags is full of soccer balls, a volleyball, whiffle balls, and various and sundry other game related stuff. I'm so excited that we get to go and be servants. It's neat to give back to missionaries. I don't know if I'll get a chance to post anything while I'm there, but I will most certainly post pictures and stories once I get back.

I'm pretty much all packed, so what am I going to do tonight? I'm going to a Greenville Drive (baseball) game! Oh yeah! Nothing like baseball before a mission trip.

Here's the basics of what's going on: Mexico PDF

Thank you for your prayers and support! They are very appreciated. God bless!

Mission Trip Update

Praise the Lord!! God has provided over and above the amount needed for the mission trip. I'm so excited! Not only is my part all covered, the excess goes to help someone else on my team.

Just wanted to leave some quick non-specific info about our mission trip flight. We leave GSP (Greenville) on Saturday the 27th @ 6:30am and arrive in Mexico around 11:00am. Then we leave Mexico June 2nd and arrive in Greenville around 11pm.

Pray for us! Thank you.

Mission Team

Here is my team! The moose is a vital part - he's our mascot.

Shane & Shane

Shane Bernard & Shane Everett is my favorite musical group at the moment. I'm going to their concert on May 10. Their lyrics are amazing and right on target. Here is what they wrote on the insert of the Carry Away CD:

We have got to have HIM!

Jesus, who seems way too good to be true, is the greatest taste we have ever known. So, may all that we hold so dear leave us appetized, at best, for Him who created it - the author and fulfiller of life and pleasure. Who, no matter how shiny "things" become, out shines them, and no matter how cloudy our days become, outlast them. For in Him, clouds become glorious (Rom. 8:28)! Their rain falls with grace and we are flooded under the downpour of a fallen world (Rom. 8:20). Wet, hurt, and ...satisfied.

Blue skies are no longer our pursuit and sunny days no longer our reward... He IS! And He is better! Jesus - the richest of fare (Psalm 63:5)! Who came not for "good days," but that we may have life and life to the FULL! (John 10:10).

So, we pray that you would drink deep as you listen, more than music, you would find Jesus and as you get before your Maker, may your kingdoms collapse in light of all that is better. May you find the fullness of joy in His presence (Psalm 16:11) and may His nearness become your good (Psalm 73:28).

Shane & Shane

Charleston part 2

Saturday, I slept in until about 10am and was generally lazy during the morning. Stephen and I went for a walk down to the battery and just around to see some galleries and shops. Overall very relaxing, no stress day. The weather was absolutely perfect for being outdoors.
We had fresh steamed oyster for lunch at Fleet Landing and some killer key lime pie. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon running errands for Anna =D Anna was preparing for a wedding shower Sunday afternoon at the house, so she was a little stressed. Stephen and I helped get things decorated and ready for the party.

Sunday, Stephen had to be at church early so I just slept in. When I finally was up and round I had time to go out and get coffee, but unfortunately the little French restaurant around the corner was closed. I ended up settling for Starbucks where I met a very interesting older gentleman. I was chillin' drinking my coffee and Honorè La Clercq came up and plopped down in the seat opposite me and just started talking. His family has been in Charleston for ages where they run a gallery and antique shop on Meeting St. Horticulture is one of Honorè favorite subjects. I ended up meeting up with him later that afternoon and he showed Stephen and I some of his favorite gardens. Bellow are some quick camera phone pictures of some flowers and gardens that I visited.

I finally took off from Charleston about 6pm after a wonderful and relaxing weekend. The trip back was very uplifting. I cranked up some John Piper and surrounded him with some great music to make it a great God and me time.

Charleston

I love this place. I'm there right now, sitting in my friend's kitchen enjoying a lazy Saturday morning. Stephen and Anna are great. They are living and caring for a older gentlemen that is paraplegic from Vietnam War. The house is right off of King & Broad, so everything is within walking distance.

I arrived yesterday afternoon around 4pm and I'm staying until Sunday afternoon. We've been planning to do this for several months, just to get together and relax. So far, I've had a great time. I really needed this after a long week with my boss out of town. Last night, Anna cooked homemade stuffed grape leaves that were amazing! I've had grape leaves before, but homemade and served with a little bit of plain yogurt and cinnamon is just incredible.
After dinner, we took a walk along King street to check out the fun little boutiques, shops, and galleries. We ended up at a fun little french restaurant on Broad called Gualart & Maliclet where we sat around and drank French Press coffee and ate yummy croissants.
Further Charleston adventures to come...

Mexico

I'm going to Mexico!!!

Mexico PDF & Gift

I'm really looking forward to this. It's going to be a blast! I think the coolest part is getting to know my fellow teammates (and NHCC community members) and the missionaries there in Mexico. And especially see God working in the whole trip. Please pray for me and my team.

little piece of art

So I needed something for my wall in my dinning room. I found a really sweet frame and then I drew something to go in it... I know, I have the art process all wrong. Oh well. I used pencil, black gel pen, and charcoal. Critique would be appreciated.

I'm not a video game addict

I'm not, I promise! I do enjoy playing some games every now and then. I just wanted to post my ode to a couple of my favorite games.

Halo is the single best first person shooter ever created. Period. It has clean and crisp graphics, simple user-interface, beautiful levels, etc... And even though they have come out with Halo 2, and it is good, the first Halo is still the best. When a game is the top seller 4 years after it comes out, you know you have a great game.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is one of the coolest looking games that I've ever played. Basically you are a top secret agent for the NSA. The point of the game is to secretly infiltrate Terrorist location and accomplish a wide variety of objectives. This can be done without firing a shot or firing a lot (it's up to you). You know a game is good when shadows and sound are important.

silly Tom

I work for Bill Martin here at Hanover Mortgage. Tracey is his wife and they have three kids - Robin (9), Dawson (6), and Brynn (2). The Martins also go to North Hills.

My boss is in Colorado skiing this weekend and Tracey asked me to baby-sit Dawson and Brynn while she takes Robin on a date. So Tracey is on the phone telling someone that she's most likely going to have me baby-sit. Brynn is standing close and says:

"Babysitter? babysitter? hims not babysitter, hims just silly Tom. Hims pick me up all the time" and she babbled something else as she walks away.

She’s adorable!

Yup, it's my birthday

Or it was yesterday. I turned 25... yikes! I'm getting old. :)

I had a great day. I got to speak to my parents! They called me after the evening service (at 11pm their time) and talked for about 20 mins.

The Robinsons had me over to their house for lunch, which was very sweet of them. Ross Robinson is one of our Pastors at North Hills. I was over at their house Saturday night and they found out that the next day was my B-day and they immediately asked me to lunch. Ross and Janiece and their 4 kids (Claire, Brock, Spencer, and Scott) are an awesome family! Truly geniune and super loving. They've kind of adopted me, for some reason... and I've adopted them back :)

Then last night, my sister and brother in-law (Ivan & Tania) came over to my place and we celebrated together. Ivan's birthday was on Saturday, so that was fun. We had cake and then watched "While You Were Sleeping, " which is one of my favorite movies.

It's kind of humorous that my B-day, Christmas, and New Years day all fall on a Sunday this year...

I'm thankful to God for my 1/4 of a century of life and I pray that, Lord willing, the next 1/4 (or until He comes again) will be more glorifying to Him, that I'll draw closer to Him, and continue to be a growing part of His body.

happenings

I haven't posted anything in almost a month! Shame on me...

I just wanted to write a quick few lines giving an update. So here goes...

Church - God is so good! Sunday after sunday, meeting after meeting, He shows Himself faithful to His bride. Hebrews is such an awesome book. As we're getting close to the end of the book, we're getting into the application that is so needed in our lives. We started into chapter 13 last sunday and already in four services we have covered so much and all of this contained in the first 6 vereses of the chapter. Brotherly love, love towards strangers, the persecuted church, honoring marriage, and contentment. Huge topics that are vital parts of our day to day walk with God.

Soccer - Coaching is going great! The girls are tons of fun. We still haven't won a game, but we did tie a game the previous weekend. I really enjoy this, even though it cuts into my week big time! Pictures, practices, games, etc... All that really matters is that the girls are having a fun time and that they are learning. I have seen major improvement in all the girls. I'm very proud of them!

Condo - I'm loving my new place! The couches that I ordered from Rooms-to-Go finally arrived about two weekends ago. I had a housewarming party this past Friday. It went from about 5:30 till about 10:30 with people coming and going. It wasn't a huge crowd, but I really enjoyed it. We had a great time and really good food provided by Tracey Martin and Brenda Mathews (I work for Bill Martin and Dan Mathews at Hanover Mtg). Thanks guys!

Life - This past Saturday night I got together with a small group of guy friends for an low key bachelor party. We were going to go to Bald Rock to hang out, talk, and camp out overnight to watch the sunrise in the morning. Except that it closes an hour after sunset and you're not allowed to be out there... We were there for about twenty minutes setting up, etc... and a park ranger shows up. "Sorry to be a party pooper, but you guys can't be out here. I'm going to have to fine you..." Yea, we weren't so happy about this because there were no signs anywhere that state the hours or that you can get ticketed. Apparently there have been many incidents of drug use out there late at night and they are trying to stop this. We packed up and headed to my place. At least we have a fun story to tell about this bachelor party.

Wedding - The bachelor party was for Tim Morris. A really good friend of mine that is marrying one of my other really good friends Laurie Porter. Their wedding is this coming weekend in Grand Rapids, MI. I'm carpooling up there with some friends to keep the cost down (mumble, mumble... gas prices). I can hardly wait, this is going to be a great weekend! I also get to see some of my fam. in IN. We're stopping in Thursday night at my Aunt's house in Mishawaka.

Soccer Coach

I have the awesome opportunity to coach for the Furman Youth Soccer Club. My boss, Bill Martin, is the head coach for Furman Youth and he asked me take a U-10 girls team. This is my first time ever coaching and I'm having a blast!

My team, the Shooting Stars, is made up of eight wonderful 8 & 9 year olds: Monica, Micaela, Abbey, Caroline, Shea, Whitney, Alison, and Caitlin.

We've been training for a couple of weeks and we just had our first two games this past weekend. We lost both of them, but it was a huge learning experience. I think that the girls did great considering that half the team hadn't played soccer before and this was the first time they played together. They had a great time, despite the loss, and that's all that matters.

It's really cool to see how God has made each and every one of them unique.

Here are a couple random pictures from our pre-season soccer camp.

My Condo

Here are some pictures from the property management's website of my new place.

my place!

These are just a couple exterior shots, I'll have to post some interior ones later...

little old indian guy

There's this little old indian guy that has been sitting out on the curb by my apartment for the last couple months.

I'm not quite sure what he's doing... meditating, thinking, or enjoying the fine weather perhaps.

He sits out there with crossed legs, a bottle of water, and sometimes a rug. He's even joined by what looks like his daughter and a sister when it's exceptionally nice out.

He sits for hours as all of us, his neighbors, busily run here and there and back again.

I always wave at him. I don't think he speaks english because I've tried to strike up a conversation, but he just nods and does the old person mouth-chew-thingy. At least he waves back and smiles.

Sitting at the curb - chillin' - what a life.

Now that I've moved out of the apartment into my very own condo, I think I'm going to miss that little old indian guy.

Condominium

Yep, I'm buying one.

what I believe

My life is not about me, it's about God. What He's done, what He's doing, and what He will do. Because of this, my life is about worship.

"In one sense, worship is the whole point of everything. It is the purpose of history, the goal of the whole Christian story. Worship is not one segment of the Christian life among others. Worship is the entire Christian life, seen as a priestly offering to God. And when we meet together as a church, our time of worship is not merely a preliminary to something else; rather, it is the whole point of our existence as the body of Christ."
-John Frame

Salvation

Doctrinal Statement

glasses

So I got new glasses!!! Yay, they're fun and now I don't have to wear my contacts 24/7...

What do you think?

Water Rat

I went water-skiing for the first time ever in my life!

It was the first weekend in June at Lake Keowee. My boss rents a condo during the summer-time and he invited me up for the day. Thank you Martins!
The best part (and I don't have photographic proof) was the I made it up out of the water on the first try. I rode for about a minute, wiped out and then I was so tired I couldn't make it up again the next 5 tries. It was AWESOME!!

Did I mention that I like water?

Texas

It's been a really really busy last two weeks... but through it all God is good. I feel like I'm not stopping and when I do, I'm asleep. I think it's just the month of May.

I went to Dallas, TX the first weekend in May for the following reasons:
- To attend my brother in-law's graduation from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology.
- To spend some time with my parents and youngest bro who were arriving in the states for a couple of months.
- To finally meet my nephew Roger James ...only the cutest baby ever! (no personal bias at all, for proof see below).
- To see my best friend Daniel who lives in Austin.
- To take a mini-vacation.

One highlight of my weekend was Friday afternoon. The Lord and I had a wonderful time of communion. I lay out in the shadow of a tree in my sister's backyard and stared up into the beautiful Texas sky. I spent about three hours reading, listening to music, slipping in and out of consciousness. It was so awesome because as I read I talked to God, as I listened to music I couldn't help but sing and praise Him, and whenever I would awake He was my focus. I learned a great deal about having a real relationship with Him.
Anyway, I had a great extended weekend and enjoyed spending time with the family and friends.

Since then... it seems that every night there is something else to do. I work all day and then there are always church activities, helping friends, meeting with my mentor, meeting with my financial accountability partner, weddings, dinner parties, and of course having fun with friends...

Here are a couple of shots of the Rogmeister

Hanover Mortgage

Today I started my second full week at my new job. I am in training to be a Sales Assistant to two Loan Officers at Hanover Mortgage. I'm actually replacing a good friend of mine that is taking a two year job contract in Morocco!
It has been quite the experience so far. I like it! It's a great job with a lot of possibilities. But there is so much to learn... The friend that I'm replacing is amazing; I have a lot to live up to.
The mortgage industry is very interesting. Is this the career that I want? I don't know, I believe the Lord worked it out for me to work here.
I'm excited to see where He will continue leading me.

Hanover Mortgage Company

my sunday

There is something special or different about driving around aimlessly after midnight. I don't highly recommend it especially with gas prices being this high... but it is special. The quiet of the night, only two or three other cars out there, almost all lights are green. It's quiet, but it's also peaceful. I felt like I was floating... the car barely making a sound and the radio turned down really low. It gave me a chance to reflect on the wonderful day that has just occured.

It started off quite early, it always does, I think the alarm went off somewhere between 6:30-6:45am... went through the daily routine of shower, dress, contacts, hair, etc... ran to Starbucks at 7:45 to meet a friend and get my daily dossage of caffeine, then continued on to church at 8:15... Had a great time with my 2nd grade kids, they are wonderful! We discussed the Belt of Truth from Ephesians and talked about how Eve in the garden was not wearing it and how she gave in to the wiles of the Devil... Sunday school was a study of the Holy Spirit in the O.T. and His roles through out... the morning services continued our study through Hebrews, yesterday we went through 6:9-20. Going over some reasons for our confidence = 1. God sees the big picture (we focus on the moments) & 2. God keeps His promises (stability only comes from Him).
My afternoon was quite fulfilling - I enjoyed sesame chicken for lunch, I made a friend smile and laugh, I won a stubborness contest, played some football in the park, got to share with some friends what the Lord is doing in my life.
Then in the evening I went to an outstanding concert of three of my favorite groups.

Overall it was a great day! I am so blessed to belong to an indescribable God, an awesome church, and have such amazing friends.

Sculpture update

He's mostly done, last night I got a chance to work on him a lot more. I put some finishing touches on various parts and I got the ears and hair done. Anyway here is the nameless dude looking up into the heavens. He's no one in particular and I haven't come up with a name or title for him yet. Mr. Young is going to send me more pictures and I'll add them to this post so you can get some different angles. This picture I took with my new picture phone, and it's not too bad a quality.

Here are a few more shots:

Salvation

This past Sunday I shared my testimony in our church service. I recently became a member at NHCC, so when you become a member they ask if you would like to share your testimony publicly. I've had some people mention that they would like to hear it also... so here we go.

I grew up in South America where my parents have been missionaries for close to 28 years. I really appreciate my parents a lot because they have been a great example to me.
Before Christ, I was trusting in my family's salvation and my works, but I was a sinner condemned to hell. Because I was in a conservative Christian family, sin was not shown in obvious ways but in little lies, stealing, doing bad things with my friends, and attitude towards my parents.
When I was 8, I would have reoccurring nightmares of being stuck in a house on fire. After a particularly grueling VBS on Sin, Hell, and Salvation, I came to the realization that I need to accept that Savior as mine and not just use my family. It hit me, after waking up in the middle of night after one of these, that it was because of my sin I was willingly staying in the fire pit. Christ’s work on the cross kept coming to mind. All I had to do was repent and confess my sin and ask Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. I did and He did. After that I struggled with basing my salvation on my works, and trying to please God. I was in a cycle of drawing close to God, and then drifting away… and my heart was hardened through this process. I was baptized at the age of 16. My dad actually baptized my sister and I in a river in Uruguay.
At the end of my senior year at BJU, I was not in a good relationship with God. My heart was very hardened towards Him and His Word. I actually hated Sunday and anytime that the Word was preached.
God had to shock me back to Him by bringing me to NHCC. Coming from a conservative fundamental background, I was astounded at this body of believers, the freedom of worship and the love towards God, the Word, and each other. God brought me to a decision point, were I chose to pursue Him. Now, I’m growing in Him, I’m living in His Grace, and using the talents He’s given me to serve the body. I'm learning more and more about Him every day.

i miss it sooo much

FYI: I miss throwing with clay on a wheel. I miss the creative process. I miss the feel of clay and water.
What I currently do is sculpture with an oil based clay, it's fun and I'm learning a lot! But... it's not a wheel, it's not throwing, it's not trimming, it's not bisquing, it's not glazing, it's not firing. So I miss it...

Sculpture

I have pictures! This is me working on my sculpture.
It's no one in particular, just a guy staring contemplatively into the night sky.

Here is a close-up of my work-in-progress. This is after three 2 hr. classes.

I'm soo excited, this is really fun and Mr. Young is a great teacher!

Apprentice

After a discussion with Mr. Doug Young over coffee yesterday morning, he agreed to take me on as an apprentice/intern! I'm so excited! I'm going to be learning from the master. I'm also going to try to help him with marketing, reproductions, and various other projects. I start today and I will meeting up with him 2-3 times a week for a few hours.
Did I mention I was excited? The reason I'm excited and that I'm doing the apprenticeship in the first place is that I will be going back to school within the next couple of years to get a MFA in Ceramics. I want to teach at a university level and I would need the degree plus it would be great to have experience in sculpture. And the credentials are always good.

Who is Mr. Tall?

Yes, I am tall.
I am actually 6’4” and thin which accents the fact.
(I avoid vertical strips on clothing and try to wear horizontal, but it doesn’t seem to help much)

Why would I choose this as my blogging site name? Just because of a couple of memories…
-I had a good friend in college that took sign language and my sign name was the letter T raised above her head.
-I recently went to visit my cousin's 4th grade classroom. As soon as I walked in the door, this little girl piped up: “Oh my goodness, he’s tall! he’s taller than Mt. Everest.” So for the rest of the day I was Mr. Tall and by the end of the day all the little girls had a crush on me.

So... who is Mr. Tall?
My name is Tom Glass. I grew up in Uruguay, South America; my parents have been missionaries there for the past 27 years. I graduated from BJ in 2003 with a business degree. And now, I live and work in Greenville and attend North Hills Community Church. (No personal bias here… but North Hills is the best!)

I love… Jesus, family, church, friends, teens, teaching children, pottery/art, tea, coffee, books, and photography…