ouch...

exams are starting to take their toll. im gonna keep this post short for the fact that im about to go study math. i just took my psych exam this morning, went to work, and went straight from work to my western civ exam. i think i did well on both today so im not too worried about it but tomorrow is my big day. music and math. be praying for me.

"lead me to the cross where Your love poured out, bring me to my knees Lord and lay me down, rid me of myself i belong to you, lead me to the cross." - united "lead me to the cross"

God is love.

-mike

a good ol' prayer meetin...

during the course of the day our pastor had a prayer session laid on his heart and thats exactly what we did tonight for sunday night worship. it was VERY refreshing. i have heard so much lately about the power of prayer whether its from speakers at fca, my pastor, or from reading a blog from one of my favorite worship leaders. i think that its too often that i underestimate prayer. i must be the first to admit that my "prayer life" right now is kind of weak and i think this is what God is trying so desperately to point out to me. i should be the first to know and testify to the power of prayer because prayer is quite honestly why i am the way i am today. it was due to the prayer and the persistent christian love of my friends that i came to know what it was to live a life for God.

in light of this would you please pray with me about these things:

1) a couple friends and i are trying to start up a bible study with our co-workers. we are all at different levels of spiritual maturity and i could honestly say some probably know nothing of God or want nothing to do with God. mostly just that Gods will with this bible study would be so clear and evident to us.

2) i still have to find a summer job (barf)

3) continue to pray for my friend and his vision for a skate ministry at our church. we both believe that there is a huge need for a local skate ministry but so many churches around here are too worried about insurance and what not that they are missing out on great opportunities.

if you have ANY prayer request you can leave them here (i think there is an anonymous posting ability on this one so if you need it to be anonymous you can) and i will definitely be in prayer with and for you.

"stir it up in our hearts, a passion for Your name." - tim hughes "consuming fire"

God is love.

-mike

its true...

the greenville drive got their stank handed to them tonight by the asheville tourists...honestly guys, the tourists beat you?

agenda for saturday (so far) :
1. halo and breakfast (probably fruity pebbles) with johnson @ 10
2. taking my amp to phils music to find out what is wrong (probably bad tubes)
3. should be studying but i dont really know if that will happen

its been a long but entertaining day. im calling it a night.

God is love.

-mike

"wow" is the only way to describe it...

fca at clemson last night was amazing. first off we saw God working before we even left greenville. one of our friends that we have been talking to about our faith usually can't stay out past 10:30 or so on the weekdays since she is still in high school, but last night she was able to go with us even with her mother knowing it was gonna be like 12 or 12:30 before we got back. the only way i can explain that happening is God. it was a HUGE blessing to have her come with us cause it was just a confirmation that He IS hearing our prayers about our friends. she came away from the night with a renewed perspective of what it is to walk with God. she saw all the students worshipping, she heard music praising God that wasn't just piano and organ (not that there is anything wrong with that), she heard a student get up and preach/share his faith with a passion like you wouldn't believe, and im sure if she saw my other friend and i worshipping she probably thought we were nuts cause it was getting pretty "bapticostal" as my pastor would say (i think that means we get pretty crunk but we dont run pews..maybe).

the speaker was great. the one thing that stuck out to me was "if you aggressively seek God, He will aggressively seek you". it made me sit back and think "where have i been and what have i been doing? im completely wasting my time". not that i've been up to any scandelous activity, but i just fill up my time with other meaningless crap that doesn't do ANYTHING for the Kingdom of God.

so as for now, thats all thats on my heart. i was blessed beyond my imagination last night and im so pumped...i have a feeling this is going to be a huge year for myself and others. we have to be on the brink of something now, im convinced of it.

instead of just reading this quote please think on it as well. its pretty simple but very profound or atleast to me it is.

"God IS love and love IS real." - mewithoutyou

-mike

wednesday...oh wednesday...

so as many of you may already know, wednesday is my busiest day of the week for myself. right now its classes from 11-1:45 and then straight to church to be setting up, practicing, and leading worship, all of which spans from about 2-8:30. today was any normal wednesday, except for the fact that we had to break down all the sound equipment after service and move it out of the fellowship hall. its the joys of not having a youth room because the youth group outgrew the old room and theres nowhere else to permanently put us for now. the church IS working on it though so praise God for that. i had a good talk with a very good friend of mine afterwards while we chilled in the church parking lot after going out to eat with everyone. we talked about girls, the church, longboards, and music. just some good ol boys never meanin no harm if you ask me. so just in case anyone was wondering here is the set list from tonight.

you are my joy - david crowder band
(insert prayer here, posed a good opportunity to keep the flow of the service without just dead air between songs)
how great thou art - matt redman
hosanna - hillsong united

hosanna was our new song that we were all highly inspired by at passion conference. im not completely sure how well worship went tonight but i think God used it to touch someone even though i wasn't able to see the direct result, at least i pray that God used the worship set to touch lives tonight.

tomorrow is another day. thursday to be exact. psych class at 11. work at 2. clemson fca to see my boy ryan jam it out for the Lord with the clemson fca praise band. im so proud.

God is love.

-mike

ugh...finals...

so ive never really been very studious...thats really the only way to put it. im always near failing when it gets around to exam time. this happens to be yet another one of those times where im pretty sure if i dont do well on the final that im gonna have to retake these classes. i must admit that ive been preeeeeeeeetty slack this year. i figured taking on 4 classes would make me feel like a real student and that i'd get stuff done but when it got around to doing the homework i never did. i even skipped a project in my music class just cause i procrastinated it til the last week and when i needed to go see a concert with a program but i couldnt find one in enough time that fit my schedule. so, i really dont know how this semester is gonna end up.

on another semi-related note (goes along with the previous frustration) im gonna have to find a job here pretty soon just for the summer. im not going back to first team (or atleast i hope not). oh the joys of working at the after school program. it seems well worth it though.

God is love.

-mike

if i only had a good title for this one...

so firstly, to explain the title... my friend and i were talking a minute or two ago about how he feels he is being called to open a skate shop. he's only 18 now and he is a very talented mechanic and has thought he was going to be doing that the rest of his life. his parents think he is crazy but he came to me with the idea and asked me what i thought. i told him that even though it was a crazy idea i would imagine that most people though noah was pretty crazy until the floods came. we will be praying hard about this and hopefully it might become a reality someday and we can look back and say "man, God blesses and has been so good".

secondly, i would like to say hello to alyse, amanda, and the others (alyse and i went to high school together) over at the Hominy Blog and i got one mostly so i would be able to comment on their blog cause its awesome and all of you should read it. but i also figured that i'd post some thoughts on daily life in here as well.

hopefully you guys enjoyed this post and im sure there will be more where it came from later on.

God is love.

-mike