Ski Trip

After a long weekend out with some of the church guys and leaders, a group of about 15 guys - including myself - all went to South Vermont for a ski weekend. Simply said, it was one of the most exciting, relational and heart-throbbing experiences I have ever had. Not only did I get to ski, but too were my eyes opened to God's existence through conversations, scripture, discussions, seeing the beauty of the mountains, crashing on moguls and talking with some old folk on the chairlift.

Here were some of the things I learned and did:

In relation to skiing, I was able to hit some of the largest mountains I had ever seen, ride down some of the steepest black diamonds on the East Coast, fall and injure myself due to being cut off by other skiers and moguls, hit one of the largest jumps I'd ever hit and ride along a simple, smooth path that cut between pine and spruce trees which overlooked a beautiful frozen lake and mountains in the distance. But that was not the greatest reason I experienced God.

In relation to our friendships, it was beforehand that I barely knew anyone with the exception of four friends, but this gave me the opportunity to make many knew friends and learn something about the leaders that has allowed me to build new friendships. And still, this is not the greatest reason I experienced God.

In relation to our discussion topics, I was able to walk away with a wider view of what God intends for us as people, learn a powerful new verse from scripture and gain a perspective of Biblical knowledge that has changed the way I view "Christianity." Yet this is still not the greatest reason.

The greatest reason I was able to experience God on this trip was through something most people wouldn't call a "God miracle." It was a car crash. On our trip, we had two vans, one - the church van, the van I was in - and the other - Mr. Reed's van - in which the church van carried a heavy trailer behind it full of our equipment. Mr. Reed drove ahead of us most of the trip, and as we went through Troy, New York - an almost all downhill city - we were caught at a yellow light. Mr. Reed stopped at the intersection and as our van had too much weight in the back, we were not able to slow down enough to stop, hence we hit the back of Mr. Reed's van (pictured above.)

But in all of this, it truly was God miracle if we could look at the circumstances. For one, the crash shattered the trunk and the safety glass in back, but in that nobody was hurt, the cars still ran fine, no airbags popped, the cops and emergency vehicles arrived in less than a minute, and we were given God's grace that our speed wasn't a lot, because if it was so, I would've gotten whiplash because there were no headrests, people in Mr. Reed's van could've been hurt, and it could've cost us an extra day and lots of money. God was evident in this because if it was to be a bad crash, we were about 5 hours from home with no place to stay, meaning that we would have to find a hotel and I had nothing but 75 cents left, and we would've had to find an alternate for a car, which again, could've cost a lot. So next time you think God might not be in a bad situation, try and look at what went right rather than wrong.

So in conclusion, ski more and think of what God has done in your life.

Why Africa?

As it is now 2009, it seems that I have been thinking of what God will have planned for me in this next year. It is something you should always think about, and one thing I feel God has been putting on my heart in the past few months has been Africa.

It all started last summer when I watched what is now my favorite movie, Blood Diamond. The entire view it portrayed of Africa opened my heart to something only God could have put there, and since then I have hoped highly to go there someday. And it seems as of now that that dream has come true.

Our church will be doing a missions trip to Zambia this summer, and right away I knew it was for me. So on top of just watching Darfur Now; seeing Hotel Rwanda this past fall and reading many things about African cultures, it seems that God has picked Africa to be in my life this coming year.

So what has God put on your heart in 2009?

Year in Review

As 2008 comes to a close and 2009 becomes foreseeable, we can simply look back on the good moments - and the bad. But for now, I think I'll review the spiritual and positive happenings of life in 2008 for me. (In the comment box below, feel free to type up your own retrospective timeline about what God or someone or something has done for you.)


Songs that Impacted My Life in 2008:

- Life In Your Way - Reach the End
- Skillet - The Older I Get
- James Newton Howard - Thought I'd Never Call

Movies that Impacted My Life in 2008:

- Blood Diamond
- The Passion of the Christ

Books that Impacted My Life in 2008:

- Greater Than You Think - Thomas Williams

Timeline of 2008:

- March 2 - First time I paid a visit to my church's Senior High Youth Group, which was one night that truly changed my walk with Christ - through new friends and an awesome small group. This was also a time that God had set me free from an absence of a true heart for Jesus in my life which had been a burden throughout my winter season.

- March 19 - Day that I participated in my first science fair competition, in which I brought home second place in my division.

- April 3 - Day that I participated in the regional science fair, in which I brought home third place and a special award from the Philadelphia Society of Coatings Technology.

- April 20 - The day on which I was baptized - a very blessed day.

- May 8 - Yet there was no real significance to this day, I was unnormally happy throughout the course of the day in which I could literally [feel] God working in my life. That was pretty cool.

- May 20 - The day that I broke a minute split in the 400m - my time was a 59.6.

- June 12 - Last day I was able to visit one of my best friends, Joshua Tibbetts as his family and himself moved to Thailand to work in mission with God - way to go Tibbetts family!!!

- June 14 - My 16th birthday took place when I received my iPod Touch.

- June 16 - School ended as I would then leave Indian Crest to go to Souderton High School - and I would enter the second greatest summer of my life.

- June 22-28 - Week that my family and I visited our relatives in Maine, and also celebrated my Granparent's 50th Anniversary.

- July 14-19 - Week retreat with my church's youth group to Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, which made an internal impact that was inspiring and life-changing.

- July 19-August 4 - The weeks I was able to spend with my Chinese exchange student, Fu Yao. These weeks were powerful not only because they followed Harvey Cedars but also because it gave me an opportunity to share the Gospel with a person who otherwise may have never learned of it. The weeks of Harvey Cedars and Fu Yao totally strengthened my walk with Christ even more.

- August 4-8 - I was a camp counselor for Branch Creek Arts Camp where I was again able to make an impact on the lives of children through sharing the Gospel.

- August 17-23 - My family and I did our usual vacation time in New Hampshire with out relatives from Massachusetts - this was also the week that I suffered from heat stroke.

- August 31-September 1 - Weekend of astronomy at Cherry Springs.

- September 2-18 - The time when school was delayed due to a teacher's strike, which resulted in a lot of family time - such as a trip to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Longwood Gardens and Atlantic City.

- October 4-5 - The weekend that my father and I paid a visit to my Grandparents in Massachusetts.

- October 18 - The day that began my strong spiritual doubt in result of a convincing conversation with an atheist. (Which was also the beginning of my spiritual investigating.)

- October 29 - My father and I paid a visit to the NanoDay convention at University of Pennsylvania, which was inspiring toward my love for science.

- December 7 - The day that one of my best friends, Luke Moyer and I - along with a friend of his - went to New York City to celebrate his birthday.

- December 23-27 - My Grandparents from Maine visited with us for Christmas on their way to Florida, in which we were able to celebrate the birth of Jesus as a family.


And in all of this, God has never left me for a day. Although my spiritual walk with Him - as of now - isn't at its greatest or happiest, know that not always will it be. God will allow obstacles to come into our lives in order to make us stronger in our walk with Him. And as we approach 2009, just remember what God has done for you in your life, and if at all possible, try and comprehend what He may do in the future. Happy New Year!