An Amazing Week
Well, Wednesday March 30th 2005 was my first real sermon. And guess what I spoke about? Well, if you've read my other posts, you'd know my first sermon was on "faith." Where do I begin? I guess I'll begin with the night that it was decided that I'd be the one bringing the word to youth. Tuesday the 22nd at our youth leader meeting, everybody except for me thought that I should bring the word. I felt really pressured and thought surely, this can not be of God. But throughout the week I saw that it was totally God wanting me to speak. So that night I was like "Well, I can just speak on what God's teaching me about...which is faith." So it was decided, in 8 days I was speaking on faith. Was I excited? No. Was I so nervous that I felt dizzy at times? Yes! But, as the week went on I prepared by searching through the word for scriptures about faith and how they apply to what God's teaching me. As I went through the week finding these scriptures and seeing how they apply, God actually taught me more in depth than He had been before. So I'm sitting there thinking I know a lot about it, planning for this sermon, and God shows me these things and how they apply to me and I'm getting this really deep revelation. It's so kool. The more time and learning and preparation goes on, the more comfortable I am about teaching this stuff. Plus, taking a vacation at the Donnelly's for a weekend helped. I'll talk about that a little later. Speaking of the Donnelly's, I called them about an hour and a half before youth to talk to Susan but she wasn't home so I talked to Faith for a little while and told her that I was speaking at youth, giving my first sermon. She said "Nice, I should come out there for that. I just might." That's just a little chunk, after talking some more it was established that she was coming up to hear my sermon. That made me so excited, it made me glad I was speaking that week. I said "ARE YOU SERIOUS? That will make my day!" Sure enough, she was serious. So, I put my notes together last minute, went to youth and we played wall ball like usual. I love wall ball. Me, Tiny, and Amy prayed a little before we started. The guy that was supposed to do P&W for us didn't show...so we got Chris Bodgewic to do it for us. That was really awesome of him. So anyway, I think the neatest part of the preparation was the last hour before I had to be picked up for youth group. I had a page full of notes but they were all jumbled up and out of order. Mike Schlueter was supposed to pick me up at 6:00 p.m. and it was 5:00 p.m. and wasn't completely done. So, I went in my room and as soon as I sat down with the notes, it all started falling in place. It was like God was doing it for me, showing me which scripture goes where and they all tied in together in a nice little chain. It was awesome and it only took me about 40 minutes to get it all down neatly on a piece of paper. So then we went to youth and I was getting more nervous by the minute. Ron and Ike Barnard had a skit that they were going to do that kinda ties in with the word I was speaking, they did it after Chris did P&W which was really sweet. And then I got up and spoke. I was really nervous. By the look on some of their faces, I think they could tell I was nervous and I was a little boring. But afterwards a bunch of people said I did really well and they liked it and stuff. Of course, I didn't really believe them. I'm not being hard on myself or making a big deal out of it or anything, I just don't think I did that well. But that's not what matters. I think that the message did get across to everybody, and that's what's important. So overall, I'd say it went well because God was with me every step of the way, from the first day of preparation till the night I delivered. So afterwards, I played more wall ball and then I went and played Ping Pong with Faith. I can't believe she drove an hour at last minute notice just to come and hear me speak a short little sermon. It really did make my day. Well, after youth Mitch called and asked me to go to their house and hang out while they went to get Mims. So I said I'd be there when they leave at 10:00. So, evetually, I leave with Dave Schlueter and we're talking about something and I'm totally not thinking. Dave drops me off at home and I walk in my room at 10:00 and I freeze. I forgot...so I ran to the phone, dialed Dave...no answer....dialed him again...no answer. CRAP! So ran into the kitchen and asked my stepdad if he could bring me over there as I'm calling Mitch to tell him that I forgot. So, my stepdad takes me over there and Mitch gets Brian St. Clair to hang out there while I'm on my way. See...I'm not sure I believe that "everything happens for a reason" but I do believe that all things work out for the good of those who love God or whatever that scripture says. Me and Brian sat there the whole time talking about stuff, having an amazing conversation about tons of things. All night after I left youth when people asked me how I was doing, my words were "Man, I'm floating!"
Ok, so about the weekend at the Donnelly's...
There was this thing that was supposed to be going on at the Belshan's last Friday called a Seder(pronouced like Sader). It's like a Jewish passover, but we believe in Jesus Christ. It's insane, Jews do this thing every year and they are just so blind...the entire thing resembles Jesus Christ!!! Anyway...so I went to that thing planning on going over to the Donnellys' for A NIGHT. I brought my bass and amp because we were supposed to have to some worship at their house, but when we got home it was really late. I rode with James home and he showed me his new 10" sub woofer and how awesome it is(now he has a 12"). So we got home and hung out and talked. Then me and Faith played Halo 2 at about midnight. I schooled her...I didn't brag about it because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. So I hung out the next day. Most of the day was spent wrestling around with the 4 youngest kids which is always fun. Faith got in on it a little. At one point, I took her down just for the fun of it. So, I ended up deciding to stay another night. So me and James went out and got some stuff. We got some Banana Bread, 2 loaves for the silent auction at church the next morning and 2 for the family. James bought a couple cds and some kool new floor mats. I found some matching seat covers but he didn't really like the material...go figure. So we get back and everybody is watching the movie "Finding Neverland." I thought it was a really stupid movie, but there were a few people crying at the end because it was sad. I have to admit, one part was pretty sad and I felt really sorry for the boy. But I didn't like the movie. No offense to anybody that does...just not my taste. I only made 3 loaves of banada bread. That was kinda difficult. Then, that night, after everybody was in bed and Kasia(not sure how to spell her name) finished watching her weird anime shows we got some Halo 2 going once again. This time, we got John(James and Faith's older brother) in on it. I started out talking smack from the start. I love talking smack when I'm confident that I can win(I'm not saying it's a good/smart/nice thing to do). The first game, I totally whipped them, it was a free-for-all. The second game, I put John and Faith on a team. On a team slayer game, it takes 50 frags(kills) to win. I don't think they even got 10 combined. Then, we played a 3rd game with them on a team. At this point I'm talking some pretty bad smack. I'm like "Ok students, school is now in session. Class is starting please take your seats!" Then in the middle of the game when they're losing pretty bad I say "Are you guys learning yet?" Then at the end when the final score is 50-20 I say "Class dismissed!" It was so much fun. I can't remember whether or not me and Faith talked....once it got past midnight and Halo was over, the night was kind of a blur. So, we get up and me and JD go to church ahead of the others so that I can get the bread there on time. Church was really awesome, the dances were great and the one song really hit me hard, the one that goes "I find myself at a loss for words, and the funny thing is...it's ok." So after church, JD has to stay with Neil so he gets his mom to drive me home. On the way there they ask me if I'm staying with them some more. As you can imagine, Jacob, Levi and Gideon sitting in the back go nuts. We get to my house and Gideon and Jacob have to use the bathroom. My mom said we didn't have anything going on...so I grabbed some much needed stuff and left with the Donnellys once again. Oh this is so great! I was upstairs using the bathroom(can't remember if it was for the shower or something else) and I was about to open the main upstairs door to go down the stairs and James bursts through(everywhere he goes and everything he does is fast and intense) and he said "What are you doing here!?" LOL And his face was very suprised. It was pricless! So that night was a lot of fun. James fell asleep kinda early because he wasn't feeling good, but I had 6 other people to have fun with. I was sitting on the couch, kinda tired because of wrestling with the kids earlier and the kids were still going full throttle. Then wanted to have a competition. First they wanted to see who could dance the best and I was the judge. Of course, I don't want them comparing themselves or anybody getting discouraged so I said that I'm the best at the end. Gideon was the best dancer though, he can break dance and do really neat stuff, but Noah made me laugh so hard because he's so goofy. Then they wanted to see who could tell the best joke. I NEVER SAID THEY HAD TO MAKE THE JOKE UP! LOL! It was hilarious. Then I had an idea because they were getting kinda loud. So I told them to see who could make me laugh without making any sound. Gideon won that one. They were all running around doing funny stuff, but after about 10 minutes Gideon comes up to me and gets close and does something really funny with his eye brows and makes me laugh. That was the start of a long night of physical exhaustion. We started seeing who could stay in a position the longest like standing on one foot and hand stands and stuff. I attempted a hand stand but fell really hard on my back. It didn't hurt to bad, I was cracking up as John stood over me. Yeah, we even got Faith and John to get in on the fun with us. Faith is pretty involved with the kids and stuff, but I don't think John is nearly as much so it was fun to have John there, he's a kool guy. We didn't get any Halo in that night, in fact I can't remember what happened after we watch a couple episodes of the greatest and funniest tv show on earth(yes you know what I'm talking about!). The next day I got to help out a lot, making 2 more loaves of bread and filing nails for their little wooden race cars they were making for the Cub Scouts. I baked 5 loaves of bread that weekend...craziness. Then, we got to play a couple games of Halo before I had to leave. I didn't lose a single game that weekend. Of course, my competition was 4 kids under 12 and 2 adults that hardly ever play. So, I don't have a whole lot to brag about.
So, with everything that happened I had one...amazing...week. Is this post long enough for you Mander?
Ok, so about the weekend at the Donnelly's...
There was this thing that was supposed to be going on at the Belshan's last Friday called a Seder(pronouced like Sader). It's like a Jewish passover, but we believe in Jesus Christ. It's insane, Jews do this thing every year and they are just so blind...the entire thing resembles Jesus Christ!!! Anyway...so I went to that thing planning on going over to the Donnellys' for A NIGHT. I brought my bass and amp because we were supposed to have to some worship at their house, but when we got home it was really late. I rode with James home and he showed me his new 10" sub woofer and how awesome it is(now he has a 12"). So we got home and hung out and talked. Then me and Faith played Halo 2 at about midnight. I schooled her...I didn't brag about it because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. So I hung out the next day. Most of the day was spent wrestling around with the 4 youngest kids which is always fun. Faith got in on it a little. At one point, I took her down just for the fun of it. So, I ended up deciding to stay another night. So me and James went out and got some stuff. We got some Banana Bread, 2 loaves for the silent auction at church the next morning and 2 for the family. James bought a couple cds and some kool new floor mats. I found some matching seat covers but he didn't really like the material...go figure. So we get back and everybody is watching the movie "Finding Neverland." I thought it was a really stupid movie, but there were a few people crying at the end because it was sad. I have to admit, one part was pretty sad and I felt really sorry for the boy. But I didn't like the movie. No offense to anybody that does...just not my taste. I only made 3 loaves of banada bread. That was kinda difficult. Then, that night, after everybody was in bed and Kasia(not sure how to spell her name) finished watching her weird anime shows we got some Halo 2 going once again. This time, we got John(James and Faith's older brother) in on it. I started out talking smack from the start. I love talking smack when I'm confident that I can win(I'm not saying it's a good/smart/nice thing to do). The first game, I totally whipped them, it was a free-for-all. The second game, I put John and Faith on a team. On a team slayer game, it takes 50 frags(kills) to win. I don't think they even got 10 combined. Then, we played a 3rd game with them on a team. At this point I'm talking some pretty bad smack. I'm like "Ok students, school is now in session. Class is starting please take your seats!" Then in the middle of the game when they're losing pretty bad I say "Are you guys learning yet?" Then at the end when the final score is 50-20 I say "Class dismissed!" It was so much fun. I can't remember whether or not me and Faith talked....once it got past midnight and Halo was over, the night was kind of a blur. So, we get up and me and JD go to church ahead of the others so that I can get the bread there on time. Church was really awesome, the dances were great and the one song really hit me hard, the one that goes "I find myself at a loss for words, and the funny thing is...it's ok." So after church, JD has to stay with Neil so he gets his mom to drive me home. On the way there they ask me if I'm staying with them some more. As you can imagine, Jacob, Levi and Gideon sitting in the back go nuts. We get to my house and Gideon and Jacob have to use the bathroom. My mom said we didn't have anything going on...so I grabbed some much needed stuff and left with the Donnellys once again. Oh this is so great! I was upstairs using the bathroom(can't remember if it was for the shower or something else) and I was about to open the main upstairs door to go down the stairs and James bursts through(everywhere he goes and everything he does is fast and intense) and he said "What are you doing here!?" LOL And his face was very suprised. It was pricless! So that night was a lot of fun. James fell asleep kinda early because he wasn't feeling good, but I had 6 other people to have fun with. I was sitting on the couch, kinda tired because of wrestling with the kids earlier and the kids were still going full throttle. Then wanted to have a competition. First they wanted to see who could dance the best and I was the judge. Of course, I don't want them comparing themselves or anybody getting discouraged so I said that I'm the best at the end. Gideon was the best dancer though, he can break dance and do really neat stuff, but Noah made me laugh so hard because he's so goofy. Then they wanted to see who could tell the best joke. I NEVER SAID THEY HAD TO MAKE THE JOKE UP! LOL! It was hilarious. Then I had an idea because they were getting kinda loud. So I told them to see who could make me laugh without making any sound. Gideon won that one. They were all running around doing funny stuff, but after about 10 minutes Gideon comes up to me and gets close and does something really funny with his eye brows and makes me laugh. That was the start of a long night of physical exhaustion. We started seeing who could stay in a position the longest like standing on one foot and hand stands and stuff. I attempted a hand stand but fell really hard on my back. It didn't hurt to bad, I was cracking up as John stood over me. Yeah, we even got Faith and John to get in on the fun with us. Faith is pretty involved with the kids and stuff, but I don't think John is nearly as much so it was fun to have John there, he's a kool guy. We didn't get any Halo in that night, in fact I can't remember what happened after we watch a couple episodes of the greatest and funniest tv show on earth(yes you know what I'm talking about!). The next day I got to help out a lot, making 2 more loaves of bread and filing nails for their little wooden race cars they were making for the Cub Scouts. I baked 5 loaves of bread that weekend...craziness. Then, we got to play a couple games of Halo before I had to leave. I didn't lose a single game that weekend. Of course, my competition was 4 kids under 12 and 2 adults that hardly ever play. So, I don't have a whole lot to brag about.
So, with everything that happened I had one...amazing...week. Is this post long enough for you Mander?
posted by Coxon at 3:45 PM
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