Falling in Love with Jesus Again

Two years ago I had the opportunity to go on a trip to Toronto with the BCM to work with a church plant there. Brett Porter is the pastor of The Sanctuary at Mississauga, a church that is a little over two years old. That trip was one of my favorite moments of my college career. This past Tuesday, Brett traveled down to Blacksburg and spoke at 6:33. I don't normally get to go to worship on Tuesdays due to class, but when I heard Brett was coming down, I emailed my professor and decided to skip. It was well worth it! It was wondeful to be worshipping with my brothers and sisters in Christ and to hear what God had laid on Brett's heart. His message was so pertinent to my life right now and really to everyone sitting in the room. He talked about his ministry uo in Canada and how he had to learn how to fall in love with Jesus again. Ministry had become just another job for him. He challenged us during this lenten period to fall in love with Jesus, perhaps even for the first time. I feel like this semester I am falling in love with Jesus for the first time. Sure, I have been a born again believer for a long time, but have I ever truly loved Christ above all things? I have given in to many idols such as relationships and sports, and have often pushed Christ aside. This semester God is working in amazing ways and giving me such joy! I am truly finding myself wanting more and more of Him instead of the other things that I usually seek for pleasure and satisfaction. Praise God! It is my prayer that Brett's message impacted everyone in the room and that we will all begin to fall in love with Jesus again. Below is a few pictures from the trip two years ago.

Brett and Kathryn Porter with their two children Clayton and Ashton

Kathryn and Clayton

Clayton and I. Sense a resemblence?

The whole team at the Curling Club

God is Moving in Amazing Ways!

This has been an awe-inspiring week thus far! On Monday I was just checking Facebook when I saw on someone's profile that there was going to be a time for worship and prayer at the BCM that night. I had originally planned to watch '24' with some folks after class but after seeing that message, knew that the BCM was where I had to be that night. God has already been working in my life and giving me such peace and joy. On the way to the BCM I was singing God's praises and just happy as could be. When I got there, I took some time to pray on my own before everyone got there. Then from 10:15 until 12:30, a small group of college students had an encounter with the Lord! It was unreal. I have never felt God's presence like that in my entire life. I was completely free to worship with no thoughts of anyone around me. It was just me and God. It was a time to praise Him for all He is and also to pray to Him and ask for His work to continue in my life and in the lives of those around me. Wow!

As if that wasn't enough, God has given me an opportunity to witness to a few friends this semester. Last night one of these friends accepted Christ! What an answer to prayer and an incredible opportunity to share in this joy with a friend! Pray everyday for those you know who do not know Jesus. Sometimes God works in ways we don't expect and in time frames we don't agree with. Be patient and know that God hears our prayers. Remember what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 3, that we are to plant and water the seeds but that it is God who makes them grow!

Who knows what God has in store for the rest of the week! I am just so joyful right now. This has been the best semester of my college career thus far and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds. It is so wonderful to be taking classes that mean something to me! I know that God has a teaching position out there for me somewhere and I just have to continue to be patient and wait on His calling! Thank you to everyone out there who has helped grow me into the man I am today, and thank you for all you are going to do in the years to come because there is a lot of growing left to do!

Here is a random assortment of pictures from the last few weeks. Sorry I have not been up to date with my posts. Have a great week in the Lord!

Me and some of my Radford friends at the basketball game

Rachel and Craig came down to visit and went to the game with us

Mike, Thomas, Donny, Elizabeth, David, and me after a fun game of Poker

Susan's surprise birthday party!

Susan and Maria at Red Robin in celebration of their birthdays. Nice hats!

Me, Brad, Michael, and Maria at Red Robin

Me and Brad

A wild and crazy bunch! Thomas, Ray, Scott, Sarah, Donny, Darris, and Danny the nut in the middle

Quick Perspective on Valentine's Day

I know I haven't updated in a while, but now is not going to be the time because I have to head out in a few minutes to watch the Hokies play! I just wanted to reflect on what Valentine's Day means to me this year seeing as I am single. I encourage you all to remember that God loves us so much. Even though we abandon Him daily through our sin, He still takes us right back into His arms. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." Reflect on this for a few minutes today! The only reason we are capable of loving each other is because of God's love for us. Have a great day and if you get the chance, read over the rest of 1 John because it is a great book about how amazing the love of our Father is!

What a Game!

Real quick on the Super Bowl: WOW!!! Man, that was an amazing fourth quarter. I was pulling for the Cardinals but am still happy to have seen such a great game. I hope you all enjoyed the festivities that come along with the biggest game of the year. In other news, to update you on my career search, the interviews went well. Thank you for your prayers! Unfortunately in these difficult times, schools aren't handing out jobs as quickly as before. I had numerous people tell me that if I was at the job fair a year ago with my resume, I would have been hired on the spot. The good news is that as a male math teacher, I still have a great chance to land a job, I just have to be patient. The second great thing is that God is in control! Thankfully He knows what lies ahead and I just have to trust Him. My next move is a job fair next weekend in Salem. I also will begin the process of filling out numerous online applications. I am excited to see where this takes me. God is good!