At least i'll always have memories...

Sad day my friends. Hollywood Video is closing. ::tear:: I'm sad because i have a lot of fond memories at Hollywood Video.

When I first moved to Louisiana years ago Family would go to Hollywood Video rent movies and then go home. We'd stay home all weekend watching movies together. I know many people don't believe that watching movies is good family time but for us it was. We'd eat dinner in the living room and fire up the VCR (yeah that's how long ago it was) and we'd just have fun. We had a habit of making jokes and commenting on what was going on.

I remember sitting on the floor searching through the "Special Interest" section trying to find new and interesting Anime! Then while checking out i'd check out the assortment of candy. I loved it!

Years later i found myself working there. It was fun for me. I loved movies, i loved finding new movies, I loved helping people find different and interesting things. The people i worked with were always fun and interesting to say the least. Sure there was stressful times but nothing a good taco from the taco bell across the street couldn't fix. I have story after story of interesting customers and employees.

haha i worked there for so long that people ask if they know me all the time because they recognize me from there. haha sadly i can still remember if they had late fees and and if they were decent customers or complete and utter jerks.

::sigh::

Oh well. So long old friend. You shall live on in the memories of people for many years to come.

Day 1 of district council

So day one of district council was pretty groovy! brother doug brought an AWESOME message!

i didn't know they were going ot make me stand up infront of everyone though... if i had i might have exited out to the restroom for a few minutes haha

afterwards we all wentout to ihop. praise the lord! it was good eating!! quick recap of the conversation.... carafe full of ranch dressing... destroy... jock strap....amen...

yeah you try and fill in the holes haha

welp i'm out peace and love everyone :)

long night

So we got this groovy speaker here at the moment. Great guy named Dr. Peter Wyns. I strongly recommend you get him to come to your church. :)

One thing... this brother can PRAY!! lol so when he comes make sure you have lots of time. last night we were at church until 11pm haha!

at the moment i'm in the kids church watching princess bride with the kids :) haha fun stuff

Review of Awesome God

So a few weeks ago Sovereign Grace Ministries had asked me to do a review of their children's worship music. I said sure so they sent me 2 cds. "Awesome God" and "To be like Jesus" I got together with my Kid's Worship leader, Adrian, and we listened to them and did these vids. Because of the restrictions of youtube i had to break it into two parts. so here you go Adrian and I's review of "Awesome God"

So... maybe it wasn't a dinosaur.....

Ok so i had a rather embarrassing moment the other day. Pastor Scott, Matt, Jenny, KB,Doug, and I were all on our way back from a minister's meeting in Lafayette. We stopped by a raceway for a bathroom break. Matt and KB took up the two working urinal so i went into the stall and closed the door so i could do my business with some privacy.

Well outside i hear KB making this hacking sound he makes. So jokingly i say "dude sounds like a velociraptor out there!"

i then hear Matt walk out of the room singing "jesus jesus"

i shrug and finish my business. I walk out and i suddenly stop.

A heavy feeling of dread comes over my face. I lower my head in immense shame as i look into the mirror before me. You see dear friends the velociraptor roars that i assumed to had come from my wee friend KB had, infact, not come from him at all.

Before me in the mirror was an older gentleman, probably some vet from Vietnam, who had a treak in his throat. it would appear the poor guy was attempting to clear phlegm from out of the hole in his throat...

I then proceeded to walk out of the room.... yeah... red face...

lol if you would like to know about jokes that were told after wards feel free to contact any of my friends who were on the rest of that ride home haha

Blog Suggestion

hey everyone! i want to highly recommend a really great blog!

http://thpshreveport.wordpress.com/

It belongs to my pastor, Pastor Scott Ethridge.

The Phrase

I don't really remember the first time i heard it. But it's been part of my life for years. Who knew that three simple words will change the way you thought and saw the world.

I remember very distinctly one instance where i first heard it. I was doing an internship at my church, The Healing Place. Our church had just gone through a remodel and had tons of bricks left over. My friend Stephen and I were tasked with the job of sitting outside, in the wonderful blistering hot July heat, breaking these bricks.

While out doing this Pastor Bagnetto drives up and rolls down his window and says to us the three magical words... "Welcome to Ministry"

It's an interesting phrase. I think a lot of folks don't really understand that ministry really does go beyond the pulpit. Ministry sometimes involves taking care of the day to day stuff. Like mowing the church yard or cleaning up the messes others leave behind.

So next time you find yourself having to throw away the trash that someone else left in the foyer of the church or you end up putting the sanctuary back together after a youth event; take a moment and say to yourself... "Welcome to Ministry"

Easter Egg Hunt Promo

Great Night

So tonight was really great. Tonight was our young adult's service. To be honest i almost didn't go. Spent the day filming for different projects and when i finally sat down to eat dinner in a completely exhausted state with my family afterwards my mom asked "so are you going tonight?" That's when it hit me... oh snap... we have young adults in lest then 2 hrs....

But i'm glad i went. Right off the bat God just rocked the world in worship. During it God began to give me a word. He said that his children are bound by small ties. Things that hold their heart to this world. Seemingly small insignificant things but still bondage all the same.

He said they were bound to fleshly things because they were afraid of the unfamiliar, the unknown.

He had given me a vision of a heart suspended in air by a rope. Swinging there. It's a small rope. but still it's holding that heart in place. Suddenly a fire falls from the sky and begins to burn the rope. Finally the fire burns through and the rope and the now inflamed heart begins to fall down this dark tunnel illuminating as it goes.

God began to speak to me and said that if we'd simply let his holy fire burn away and break those ties that we'd finally be free. Sure it's scary going to a place unknown but that if they'd only realized that when they take that freefall they aren't falling into darkness. His burning light will show them where they are going.

So that was cool. then this was cooler...

Pastor Matt gets up and begins to talk about how there are some people who need healing and how they have allowed "strongholds" to come in and it's keeping them from going deeper with God.

Then even cooler...

Pastor Brandon Mitchel (idk if i'm spelling his last name right) gets up and begins to preach about the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. How the man after waiting for 35 years had probably grown to be very comfortable where he was at. Sure he wanted to be healed but he wasn't ready to take on the responsibility that came with that healing.

He couldn't rely on people bring him food. he had to get up and get a job and buy his own food now. It was scary unfamiliar. However with freedom comes blessing. Sure he had to do things wasn't able to do before but he could also go out and be with people. He could go and get married and have children and live a full happy life. But he had to put his trust, his faith, in the healing, then walk in it, and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. He couldn't hold on to those things from before. Small things that didn't really matter were what kept him in bondage.

Afterwards Pastor Matt got back up and began to pray for people. People who need either Spiritual healing, Physical Healing, or Emotional Healing.

So my encouragement to you today. Let God's holy and purifying fire break those ties that have kept you in bondage. I know you're comfortable in them. But God has Freedom for you and has a plan for you. You just have to let go. Let go and let God.