With Relient K In The Backround

So my parents have very, very slow dial up internet.  This is the delay on posts, if any of you care...

So I donno about any of you, but this week flew by.  Work has been good, we have been putting down wood floor the past two days.  Construction totally beats up your body, by the end of the day I'm pretty beat.   

I feel like there are so many things I want to be involved with.  Like kids I want to be involved with, music things I want to be involved with.  I was in a conversation couple days back and this guy was telling me, more or less, to be open to what God wants me to do.  I was thinking about it the other day, and I was just like you know I really want to do all these things, but what if God doesn't want me to do them, and I don't mean this in a bad way.  As in the sence of He has other things, probably better things, He wants me to be invovled in.  So lately I have been praying that God would open my eyes to see the things He wants me to be involved in. 

The other day I was talking with a friend about my level of confidence.  For some reason sometimes my confidence level in myself totally drops. My friend was telling me that I have no reason to not have confidence. While driving to work yesterday I was thinking about it.  I was trying to think if there was something in my past that might push me towards thinking this way towards myself.  I was thinking about how everyone likes me, and if this has like subconsiously placed some standard on me, and now I like have to be like perfect?  I donno, all I know is that I'm only gonna find real and true confidence in God. 



Ok, I'll stop talking... 

Godspeed to you

Community House

So me and a couple of friends are thinking about starting a community house. And up until like this week we didn't think anything would become of it. We got talking to some people we really respect and kind of started praying more intentionally about it.  And wouldn't you know that by the end of the week a couple of things started coming together. I'm really excited to see what God is gonna do through a couple of college kids who have no idea what they are doing, except that they want to further the Kingdom of God. 


 So if you think of Us pray for us, that we might be able to hear the leading of the Spirit, and follow faithfully.

This and That

Despite what you might think, construction is in fact harder work than setting up skis for people.  It's hard to believe, I know, but it is true.  But anyways I'm am slowly getting back into the routine of working.  I got kinda lazy the last few weeks, mostly cause of the fact that i didn't work for like two weeks straight, but whatever you will have this. 

So I have been thinking about community houses, well, like a lot.  I am like super excited about being apart of starting one.  I feel like my experience of jumping in and out of some intentional communities has shown me how much I need, like really need, good community.  So i donno I'm really excited about that, but I'm trying to let God do the planing, and let me doing the sitting back and watching.  Easy right? Right. 


 Oh I was almost graced with the presence of like some really good friends of mine today.  They were like a half hour from me.  But they didn't even stay long, they just up and left real quick.  I hope you guys are overcome with guilt right about....now. Anyways I was really bummed about that, but whatever.   


that was my day today, exciting, I know

LORD bless you guys

A Continued Story

So the move back to my parents was uneventful. As I am faced with the reality of trying to settle in again I can't help but have way to many emotions swirling around in my head.  Coming back here I feel like I am  pushed back to my childhood, because of all the memories, and because most  everything is still... like the same.  Everything except for me.  I don't by any means mean this in a prideful way, but for real.  I cannot believe how much I have grow in the past few years.   In maturity, in knowledge, it is really crazy to sit back and see what God has done in my life, and also how He has continued to use my life to affect others lives.   

I was taking a walk down my road today and a neighbor kid, who I grew up with, was outside, so I stopped to talk.  I can't believe how much he has grown, and soon find he is now a freshman in high school.  Anyways, we talk for a while just about stuff, life, school, what to do after school, and just about growing up and how it is sad when kids go after meaningless things like drugs and such. Mind you I haven't talked with this kid in, i don't know, a while. So any ways we depart from each other and as he is heading inside i yell, "Yo I'll see you around", and he comes back with, "Yea I really like talking to you."  

Hahaha I don't know, I walked away from that just thanking God for who He has made me and that He has allowed me to speak truth into peoples live even when I don't realize I am doing it.  



Glory be give to God

The Drive

When you are driving away from people you really Love it's funny how slow 70 mph is. 

A Final Farewell

    To all of those who I leave in a few short days,
 Just so you know, I am going to miss you all as much as your going to miss me, I just don't show it.  It has been a wild ride and I am glad to have crossed paths with all of you.  To those who I have encouraged, continue seeking God, seek Him with all that you have.  Trust me when I say it may ruin your life, but it will be worth it all.  To those who have taught me, you may not know who you are, but I am eternally grateful for the example you have been for me. Continue in diligence and faithfulness with what God has called you to, for I know it is worth it in the end.  


And as a friend of mine put it, " This isn't goodbye, just see ya later."






Godspeed to you  

Philadelphia PA

This past weekend I traveled down to Philadelphia with the youth group I help out with.  We challenged the kids to see people in the city as Jesus would see them and not just as people who are "different" than them, or "weird". As I personally began to process this trip certain things came to my mind.

Sometimes I love to just sit and watch people. And I almost feel dumb saying this, but I feel like I have forgotten how many people there are in the world. Being in the city really brought me back to that reality. Living in Tioga county you can get caught up in the two neighbors you live next to. But being in the city, even just riding the train, I was hit with the reality of how many people are actually alive.  And every one of them has a story. Everyone has baggage. Everyone loves, and wants to be loved.   C. S. Lewis said it best,
    
       "You have never talked to a mere mortal. ... But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit —         immortal horrors or everlasting splendours."   






How easily I can forget. 








  

Reflections on this Life of mine

Have you ever had one of those experiences where a bunch of people are talking about your life and saying how much you have impacted people? Well hopefully I'm not the only one with those experiences. Anyways so the other night that happened to me. And I can't help but be super humbled. To hear people say," See how Shannon  live, let that be an example to you."  Wow, to hear that, almost brings tears to my eyes.  See I have tried to figure out why things like this have been said of me.  And, to be honest with you, I can't figure it out. The thing it brings me back to is God.  I feel like I cannot take any credit for the things said of my life.  Since the day of committing my life to the Father, He has never stopped touching people's live through mine. And I can only stand back, speechless, in Awe, and watch.



Glory be to the Father

Late Night Musings

Tonight I was watching the movie Saving Private Ryan. And I mean people die in war, and that is kind of normal.  But do you ever feel if we have become immune to death?  I mean we watch it on tv and movies like, like it is nothing. I can't help but watch movies like this, and sit back and ask how fragile is life?  How fragile is life?  How often do I take my life for granted?  

We can live for years, and love others, and work jobs, and raise kids, and invest in relationships, and it all can end in a moment.

Seagulls and Sojourners

So, most of you who know me know the landscape, and weather of my current location. To those of you who do not know of these things.  I live in up state PA, to most of you it would be considered the middle of nowhere.  Also, this winter is especially,.."wintery", meaning that there is a decent amount of snow on the ground.  Can you form a picture of what I am describing?

Anyways so the other day I am kind of rushing out the door to get to work.  I jump in my car and glance out the driver side window only to find three Seagulls riding the wind, like there is nothing new.  Now I don't about you, but I don't think that seagulls are native to northern PA..... in the middle of winter.

My "busy" life seemed to stop for a moment.  These birds seemed to remind me of someone who is in a foreign land, a pilgrim,... a sojourner. For that moment I felt a very strange connection between these birds, and myself.  I was reminded that I will keep seeking a home in this world.  But I will never know the truest sense of Home until I leave this earth.