Adventures Throughout The Internet

It's been raining for two days. My roommate and I haven't done anything but read books, draw and watch a movie every now and then.

It's been absolutely beautiful.

Here's some other beautiful things:

The Candy Shop from Whitestone Motion Pictures on Vimeo.

One of the most intense/beautifully made videos you'll ever see.

Then you'll be inspired to change the world

(Also check out the soundtrack!)

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

--Apple Inc.

Looking at this blog makes me want to get married

Inheritance by Graham Cooke

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

--G.K. Chesterton

Drops like Stars by Rob Bell

Tiger Rising by Kate Dicamillo

More crazy cool things that you can fin online: bit.ly/creativeinternet

You Gotta Fight For What You Want (Adventures With Rabies)

Today, I'm walking down an alleyway on my way to class because, as usual, I'm late. Then, I happened to spot my buddy Tempest next to a dumpster holding a yardstick and a pack of chewing gum. She's looking down at a metal grate on the ground which covers a sewer underneath.

"Whatcha doing Temp?" I greet Tempest but she's got a look of sheer determination on her face.

"Pooks, I'm gonna be rich! I just gotta find a way to get those quarters out!" She then points through the grate to show me two shiny quarters teasing us a few feet underneath us.

At this time, History of Modern Latin America has been forgotten. There's a chance of us getting rich here and I'm talking Washingtons here.

We start working with the drive of diamond miners as we lower the yardstick with a giant wad of citrus gum stuck on the end into the sewer but each time we come up empty: our hands are too big to fit through the holes and we're only a few inches too short. "A stick! A stick! Get me a stick!" I run to try and find a good stick to lengthened our yardstick. The first one is too thick to fit through the holes so I try to find another.

At this time, some of the administrators of my university enter the alley, finished with a meeting. They see us cheering and groaning as we get closer and closer to our prize and shake their heads at the street urchins who will do so much to get a few cents. "Oh the lengths some of those kids will go to pocket a few cents," is what I'm sure they were all thinking at the moment. They just don't understand.

It's at this time when I realize that I have a class I'm supposed to be sitting in right now. I make Tempest promise me to update me on her status and head towards caudillos and socialist parties.

About ten minutes later, I receive a text from Temp:

"Found a thinner stick and taped it [onto the yardstick]...when I went for the second one, a raccoon popped its head and stared me down."

Unfortunately, our get rich quick days were ended by the master bandit himself. And you wondered were all the change thrown into fountains went.

God's Just Having Disco Night At The Bowling Alley

There's a storm raging outside tonight

Bright flashes of light, loud rumblings of thunder and shuddering as the house quivers under the torment of beating water

Tonight, I'm doing homework by flashlight

Not because the power went out but because it's too beautiful of a storm to ignore

The Donut Theory

I had an adventure this weekend as I spent the weekend helping out with a youth group retreat. Earlier in the year, I was given the phenomenal opportunity to work with a ministry that works disciple now weekends all across the southeast and these weekends have been by far the greatest part of my week.

I mean, who doesn't love staying up until 3 am with middle and high schoolers as we talk about the two greatest subjects in the universe?:

Jesus and Justin Bieber

Also, I feel compelled to inform you of the greatest piece of advice ever bequeathed upon me, given to me by a fellow leader:

"The man of your dreams should be like a donut: sweet, hot and holy."

Currently listening to: "Like A Lion" by David Crowder* Band

Love Never Fails

**I actually wrote this about a month ago. I decided to wait a while to post it because I still needed time to process my life and to have my time of solitude so I could grieve. I thank the people who have been there with me during this time, you have all been very important to my life.

(Original date: 2/23/11)

I lost a dear family friend this weekend, Uncle Stan. He wasn't related to me in any way, we just called him that because we wished he was actually related to us. He was a great guy and one of the few adults I felt comfortable using sarcasm around because he didn't mind when I retorted everything he said with smart-aleck comments. He was just a cool guy to be around.

He was also my dad's best friend.

All weekend long, I was pretty hurt by God. I felt like I was rejected. Abandoned. Why would God, who took my father away 7 years ago, also take away the man who was like my second father? Wasn't the pain I experienced the first time bad enough? Had God not seen my pain?

How could You do this to me?

Numb, I ended up walking around the streets in the nearby city. Not really going anywhere in particular, just ambling along. Wandering.

For three days, I would just wander around town for hours. Walking up and down streets, turning left or right on whims. Going in no certain direction.

I wasn't trying to go somewhere, I was just trying to get away from God.

But He doesn't give up

I did everything I could to shove God away. I told God how angry I was at Him. I made threats against Him. I just wanted to run away from Him.

But I couldn't. This weekend was a glorious spring day with 65º degree weather, the sun shining and everywhere plants were blooming.

And my heart was weeping.

A little girl was swinging on a tire swing. The smile on her face was so radiant as she was flying through the air, unstoppable.

Yet, everything about my life had suddenly stopped.

Butterflies were dancing among the flowers. Life was everywhere to be seen.

But, all I could think about was death.

It was spring and the world was abundant with joy. And at this time, I detested the world with every fiber of my being. How dare the world be beautiful while my world fell apart. Didn't anybody realize that I was breaking inside? My heart was wrought with grief, mangled from the pain and exhausted from the outburst of emotion.

And the world still went on its everyday business, having a glorious day in the process

I kinda felt like God was laughing in my face.

Do you not care?

That's when I pushed God away harder. Shoved him behind me and ran from Him as quickly as possible.

After a long while, I ended up behind a couple jogging. I was pretty miserable by that time, shuffling along, kicking a rock every few feet, not caring about the beautiful day going on its merry way like an overtly obnoxious Disney movie. All I needed now was for some chick to come out of nowhere singing about true love and finding her Prince Charming with baby rabbits and deer trailing along for it to truly sting.

But instead, I looked up and saw the couple in front of me, jogging. The man had a mechanical arm and the lady had a prosthetic leg. I watched as they encouraged each other to keep going. To not give up.

And at that moment, only one thing came into my mind:

They overcame.

They too, had had their fair shares of struggles. They probably asked a lot of questions to God and wondered where He was. There were probably many mornings when they had no motivation to get out of bed.

But somehow, they got up.

And there were probably going to be many more days for them that are full of pain and anguish.

But there were also be days were they look back to see how much they have conquered.

And those days will be worth much more.

__________________________________________________

Last night, I was sitting outside admiring the glorious stars. In that quiet moment, I broke down once again. I just wanted to know where God was.

Why would He leave me at a time like this?

And very, very quietly a gentle breeze said, "I am with you."

That's when I knew. That during all that time of walking, during those previous days when I had done nothing but push God away, He had been with me all along. Throughout all that time, He had never once given up on me.

Because Love never Fails.

"Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. Love never fails."

--1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Another Thing To Check Off The Bucket List

Sorry for not updating in a while, there was a reason for that but I'll go into that another time.

For now, I'd like to update you on another adventure:

That my friends, is a real lion cub. And I'm actually petting him.

And yes, that is my "I can't believe I'm petting a lion" face.

Oh, also tonight, I'm sleeping in a room with a dead guy.

But that's a whole other adventure.

Love Never Fails

**I actually wrote this about a month ago. I decided to wait a while to post it because I still needed time to process my life and to have my time of solitude so I could grieve. I thank the people who have been there with me during this time, you have all been very important to my life.

(Original date: 2/23/11)

I lost a dear family friend this weekend, Uncle Stan. He wasn't related to me in any way, we just called him that because we wished he was actually related to us. He was a great guy and one of the few adults I felt comfortable using sarcasm around because he didn't mind when I retorted everything he said with smart-aleck comments. He was just a cool guy to be around.

He was also my dad's best friend.

All weekend long, I was pretty hurt by God. I felt like I was rejected. Abandoned. Why would God, who took my father away 7 years ago, also take away the man who was like my second father? Wasn't the pain I experienced the first time bad enough? Had God not seen my pain?

How could You do this to me?

Numb, I ended up walking around the streets in the nearby city. Not really going anywhere in particular, just ambling along. Wandering.

For three days, I would just wander around town for hours. Walking up and down streets, turning left or right on whims. Going in no certain direction.

I wasn't trying to go somewhere, I was just trying to get away from God.

But He doesn't give up

I did everything I could to shove God away. I told God how angry I was at Him. I made threats against Him. I just wanted to run away from Him.

But I couldn't. This weekend was a glorious spring day with 65º degree weather, the sun shining and everywhere plants were blooming.

And my heart was weeping.

A little girl was swinging on a tire swing. The smile on her face was so radiant as she was flying through the air, unstoppable.

Yet, everything about my life had suddenly stopped.

Butterflies were dancing among the flowers. Life was everywhere to be seen.

But, all I could think about was death.

It was spring and the world was abundant with joy. And at this time, I detested the world with every fiber of my being. How dare the world be beautiful while my world fell apart. Didn't anybody realize that I was breaking inside? My heart was wrought with grief, mangled from the pain and exhausted from the outburst of emotion.

And the world still went on its everyday business, having a glorious day in the process

I kinda felt like God was laughing in my face.

Do you not care?

That's when I pushed God away harder. Shoved him behind me and ran from Him as quickly as possible.

After a long while, I ended up behind a couple jogging. I was pretty miserable by that time, shuffling along, kicking a rock every few feet, not caring about the beautiful day going on its merry way like an overtly obnoxious Disney movie. All I needed now was for some chick to come out of nowhere singing about true love and finding her Prince Charming with baby rabbits and deer trailing along for it to truly sting.

But instead, I looked up and saw the couple in front of me, jogging. The man had a mechanical arm and the lady had a prosthetic leg. I watched as they encouraged each other to keep going. To not give up.

And at that moment, only one thing came into my mind:

They overcame.

They too, had had their fair shares of struggles. They probably asked a lot of questions to God and wondered where He was. There were probably many mornings when they had no motivation to get out of bed.

But somehow, they got up.

And there were probably going to be many more days for them that are full of pain and anguish.

But there were also be days were they look back to see how much they have conquered.

And those days will be worth much more.

__________________________________________________

Last night, I was sitting outside admiring the glorious stars. In that quiet moment, I broke down once again. I just wanted to know where God was.

Why would He leave me at a time like this?

And very, very quietly a gentle breeze said, "I am with you."

That's when I knew. That during all that time of walking, during those previous days when I had done nothing but push God away, He had been with me all along. Throughout all that time, He had never once given up on me.

Because Love never Fails.

"Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. Love never fails."

--1 Corinthians 13:4-8