av8tqrdaily's Xanga

Please Pray...

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:49:54 GMT

Crazy happenings today that you may hear about on the news tomorrow.

Event 1:
Early this evening a commuter plane took off from the Chattanooga airport,
and crash landed in a parking lot. I don't know what happened, or how
many people are hurt but the street is still closed, and swarming with police.

This was only a couple miles up the road from our house... Wow.

Event 2:
Just made a quick run up that same road to grab some dinner, while
we were in the drive through, a firetruck hit his siren (it looked like he'd
just got off duty from the airplane accident) and headed back in the
direction we'd come.

As soon as we'd finished grabbing our food, we hopped back on the
road for the mile and a half drive back to the house. Halfway there,
we were stopped by a police officer, and covered in thick smoke.
It appears that a warehouse is burning down.. Not even a mile from
the airplane accident. Wow(x2).

Anyway, I'm in serious Prayer for everyone in the accident and fire,
as well as all those working to save them.

Please pray!

About Life...

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:19:42 GMT

For a long time now, I've been the kid with big ideas...
A bit of a dreamer, but with a complex that requires me
to DO things.

To take ACTION on the things that are important to me.

Today, I'm at a crossroad.
And at that crossroad, I've had one of those 'big realizations'.

Those I love are trying to figure out who they are....
Who they're supposed to be, and how they are supposed
to be that person.

If you know me well, you know I'm a chronic 'helper'
and counseler, so I've painstakingly tried to figure out
how to take my little bit of knowledge and wisdom and
share it in a way that betters them.

After a surprisingly large amount of Prayer, thoughts, and
conversations I finally stumbled upon something that has
the makings of being a 'big idea'.

It's simple really, but the more it's thought through, the
more obvious it becomes that it IS the truth behind our
lives, personalities, behaviors and lifestyles.

"We ARE the decisions that we make".

That's it.

Think about it; the choice to breathe, to live, to help, to
hope, to think, to be depressed or overjoyed, all things
are simply Choice.

It IS true that sometimes we are controlled outside of
our choices, but I contest that we should only make
ourselves stronger if that is the case. For it is certain
that through our resolutions, and controlling ourselves
to hold to those resolutions, we can acomplish, and/ or
become WHATEVER it is that we decide we should.

Make proper choices, sure...But the key to all of this is:

Self Control.

Without taking full control of your life from your 'lazy self'/ satan/
other people/ fears/ expectations/ etc. You are allowing your life
to be controled by everything but the things you know you should be.

On a Christian level (for I feel I cannot address such topics without
bringing it up), God has promised to open any door we ask him to.
So, why is it that we aren't asking?

If all you do is take control of your life, make choices, and live by them,
then your life will become SO much better.... The crazy thing?

You already know it.

Live It.

It's Been Forever.

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:30:41 GMT

But I need to write this down... See next entry.

A New Year...

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:45:09 GMT

I'm working on a book...
Should be ready for printing next week.

"From Accidents to Alaska..."

It's a memoir of the last year, all in photos and brief stories.
I'm excited!!

Happy New Year to all of you, use this year
to bless yourself, and all of those around you...

My thoughts and prayers are with you,

Monday, November 27, 2006

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:48:27 GMT

Incredibly...

Busy that is.
My life is in a bit of an uproar.
Things changing, things gaining, things breaking, things making,
things taking, things moving, things smoothing...

Alright, I'll be quiet now.

Really though, life is such a wild ride sometimes.
I'm planning a real update on my main site as soon as I get
my Apple back (again)... Without it, I'm practically naked,
and using an ancient Dell (which crashed the first time I booted
windows up... Reminded me of why I'm an Apple user!)

After an onslaught of rapid life changes, I now:
- Have a wonderful young lady in my life.
- Have become homeless for the moment.
- Have summarily moved.
- Have some intense business stuff growing.
- Have displayed my photos at a month long showing in a nearby Atlanta gallery.
- Have some incredible Winter and Spring plans that rival my past years insanity.
- Have put my bikes up for sale.
- Have created a beautiful wish list of photographic goodies.
- Have driven to Florida and back twice in the past two weeks, each time staying there for 24 hours.
- Have been studying God, and trying to better understand who He is.... And who He is to me.
- Have planned a 30 day trip to our Island house for a month long work/ study break in January.

So, there's the basic update... In story/ photo form on my main site, ASAP.
I've missed you guys, I hope that all is well... Let me know if I can be praying for you.

P.S. Go see Casino Royale, it's AMAZING!!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 12:23:36 GMT

Poetic Justice...

I love you, I love life... And I love what God does.

There's no "reason" for this outburst, I'm simply seeing the
intense beauty of His forgiveness, and the Glory of his creation.

I'm sitting in my car, outside of a coffee shop, the windows
are down, and I'm overlooking a Historic Square...

The leaves are yellow, gliding through the air, tossed by
the wind, and frolicking in front of an old, cast iron clock...

It's unbelievable.

People drive by, and don't even think to notice the beauty.
Terribly sad, gorgeous, and insanely real.

I'm lovin' it.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 12:25:29 GMT

Tornadoes, Sheriff's Department, And Chainsaws

Never have I experienced a night like last night...
I was driving back into town when the wind suddenly whipped into a frenzy,
gusts were from 40-60mph and trees were being thrown all around and even
uprooted.

I had just picked up my Sheriff Deputy friend's son, and before we could
even make it into town we had to stop once to move a tree out of the road
way... A block later we came to our first stop light and it became very clear
that the power was out (all over the County).

Our first order of business was to stop by the Sheriff's office to find out
where we could help...

More to come, with pictures in a bit, heading back out to help again, didn't
get to bed until after 4:00AM.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:12:42 GMT

"Absolutely Blessed"

Me: "How've you been?"
Jill: "absolutely blessed and yourself?"
Me: "When I look back on it, I've been the same."

So many times in my maniacally busy life, I feel oppressed...
Like so many things keep going wrong, from breaking my back, breaking my
leg, having fiance's walk out of my life, moving constantly and having
business deals fall apart to losing focus in my relationship with God.

I'm only 20 years old and yet most people would say that I have had the life
experiences and pains of someone much older. I've been tempted over and
over again to look back at my pains and struggles with a sad eye, to live with
a vision that is clouded by depression or worn out emotions.

To be honest, there have been times where I started down that path only to
be snapped back to reality with the realization of how incredibly selfish that
idea is.

On my main site, people seem often comment on how much they envy all of
the things I've done and I'm doing... They tell me how interesting it is to read
about my adventures and how amazed they are at the positive outlook I have
towards it all.

The sad thing that I see is that although they look at my joy with admiration,
they don't seem to have any vision to drive themselves to live a life of similar
passion... They're unhappy with their comparatively bland lives, but they're
too apathetic to make a change. They expect the world to change for them,
and it's pitiful!

The simple truth is that nothing will change in these people's lives without
them becoming pro-active... Making positive changes and forcing themselves
to follow through with their passions.

Obviously, this kind of a life isn't for everyone. BUT, I challenge everyone of
you who proclaim to be Christians, is this type of life NOT what is meant for
you? Haven't we been called to be "Set Apart"? (See my last post) Haven't we
been called for more?

Haven't we been promised "Life to the full"?
Isn't that what we are supposed to have when we BECOME Christians?
Wouldn't it make sense that we should GROW in that fullness of life as we
spend more time with Him in our lives?

These are things I've often pondered as I talk to people who are so
disappointed with their lives, people who feel like they have been cheated or
like they just haven't had it as easy as I have. I wonder at how people can be
so disappointed and yet not be willing to work for what they desire or what
God has promised them at all.

It's such a pity.

So, when I look back at the rocky times in my life, even at the hardships and
the pains I have to say that I for one, have been "Absolutely Blessed"....

How about you?

P.S. Don't you love the way those pictures had practically NOTHING to
do with the post? Now, if all you did was look at the pictures, go back and
read it dangit! lol

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 13:43:15 GMT

The Most Terrible Dream...

In the past 3 years, I've discovered that I'm dreaming less and less...
Technical basis-es aside, I'm simply not sleeping enough to get to the "light sleep"/ REM
sleep that allow dreams. My average bed time is 2-4AM and I wake up 5-7 hours later.

That doesn't sound so bad, but what I've pushed myself to do is stay awake until I literally
CANNOT keep my eyes focused on the computer screen or book any more. Then I roll
over and fall asleep instantly.

A few hours later, I wake up... Fully rested but dream free.

So What?
Well, I'm explaining all of that to you so that I can try to express my feelings about what
happened a few mornings ago: After spending the day working and the evening editing
pictures, I passed out at around 4:00AM... Then I slept... And slept... And slept.

It was 1:00 PM when I finally got up for the day. 9 solid hours of sleep, disrupted only by
dreams for the last few hours.

The Dream...
One of the dreams I had that morning woke me up shuddering,
questioning and grasping for reality's sweet morning light.

My Life...
All my "adult life", I've been one of the "edgier" homeschoolers/ Christians. I'm the kind
of guy who is completely comfortable with hanging out in a bar, or spending time with
friends who are "happy" homosexuals.

I try my best to challenge the people that I meet... To be one of the only people in their
life with a passion for life that extends beyond myself. To be one of the only "Christian"
people who are actually willing to show them real love. Both as a friend and as someone
who has a genuine care for their future and who they are.

I don't say those things to make you think better or worse of me, but because I want you
to have an idea of the background for my thoughts and feelings.

And Back...

...To the dream again.
I can't go into details as I don't remember many, but I do remember that I was playing
poker in my dream (I love poker! )... It was a smoke filled room and one of the other
players was a woman. The only thing I remember is one moment frozen in time among
the rest... She looked at me and said:

"But, how are you setting yourself apart?"

Suddenly, I jerked awake, my eyes roving the room around me, studying the wood of the
walls, the stones that make up the fireplace and replaying over and over again the words
that I had just heard in my head.

What could they mean? Why were they so poignant to me? What does "Apart" mean after
all? I've always thought of myself as being "In the culture, but not OF the culture". That
said, there HAVE been times where I've failed and I truly have become OF the culture, but
each time I've grown back to God and walked away from having something else as my
complete idol.

Knowing myself and what I've been through and am going through wasn't helping me in
my fuzzy eyed state of being. I frantically sorted through scriptures and experiences in my
mind. Trying to understand what those words meant to me... What I should DO to
change, to grow and to make sure that I was setting myself "apart" in God's eyes and in the
World's.

I won't lie, I'm not much for setting myself apart from anyone... I LOVE being a
conversationalist. Learning about people, counseling them and relating to them are my
greatest joys.

But, what does setting myself apart mean to me?
I don't think it means anything near what I thought it might... What it means to me is
simply that I need to be setting myself apart more FOR God than FROM the world.

I Need...
I need to set aside more time to spend with Him, I need to set apart more of my heart for
Him than for my worries, I need to give things back to Him rather than trying to solve
them myself.

I don't know if what I've said today makes sense, but I hope it has at least in some small
way... I wanted to write it out, and now I have

Monday, June 12, 2006

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 15:48:57 GMT

This Isn't Really An Update...

I need to update this, I know... I really do!
But, my heart and my time have both been too full to do so properly.

Monica just sent me this verse and I felt like I should share it with you all.

"Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded."

James 4:8

Strong, Powerful, Painful.
Amazing.

Thank you so much Monica, I needed to read that.

________________________________________________________

In other news?
I went riding Thursday for the first time since the accident... I couldn't wait, so
as soon as I was able to semi-comfortably bend my knee I took Ethan's bike
out for a jaunt across the country side.

Thanks Ethan!

Please keep me in your prayers and let me know
what I can pray about for you...
Talk soon?