I love playing guitar

Somthing about music just sooths the soul.

I love playing guitar. It's what lead me to Jesus.

I love playin for people because i get to use my gift.

It puts a smile on my face that no one can erase.

Last nite my frends Drew, Jenna, and I loaded my car FULL.

We had a drum set a PA system . guitars and guitar amps.

We drove to PCC church and played with some guys there.

Then we packed up the equipment and were playin 45 minutes away at 1:15 AM.

We got to lead worship for a middle school lock in.

And then we all spent the nite ( after a well deserved I-Hop stop at 3 AM )

Im not that good at guitar.

Drew has been playing drums for just about a month.

Jenna has a great voice.

And we had a blast.

Got to sing to the king.

Got to show middle school kids the infectous love of Christ.

In a smile that is contagous.

Do what you do. It dosen't matter if your the best or not that good. But know Why your doing it. Find a Joy that shines like the morning sun in your smile because you know that God has gifted you and you get to use that gift. We all have a place in the body of christ. We can all bear good fruit. no matter the size. I love guitar.. im gonna keep playing. and practicing.. and gettin better. so that I can sing a love song... to Jesus.

I Carly

Ok so i hardly ever watch tv. But right after school i like to have a snack and I carly is usually on. ( my sister seems to automatically put nickolodeon on ... im a cartoon network kinda guy :P )

It wasn't the show that caught my attention but the theme song...

So wake up the members of my nation

Genesis 12:2
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

it's your time to be

Isaiah 42:14 "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.

theres no chance unless you take one

Luke 9:25
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

and its your time to see

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

a brighter side of every situation

1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

somethings are meant to be

Psalm 139:13
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

so give your best and leave it all to me

Revelation 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

So there you have it.. comming to you from one of the founders of the first church of McDonalds ... (trumpets sound .. ba ba da daaa!!!) the I Carly devo! but seriously im gonna take a week to look at one of these verses per day ( and read the scripture around it to fully grasp the context and meaning of what is being said) so i invite you to copy, paste, and print this off. take it one day at a time and read the chapter sorounding these verses. i'd be happy as a bug in a rug if i got feed back. even if its just to tell me how rediculous the idea of an I Carly bible study is .

My prayer is that we can all stay in the Word daily and let God speak to us through scripture. Weather a planed out reading, or a spirit lead moment of " i need to read my bible!". I hope that we can be in tune and let our lives be changed by the plan God has instore for us all.

Im excited

Im excited. for the winter retreat. for friends from far away. for the friends im gettin closer to in the halls at school, for the way my study habits have improved. for oppertuinities that God has put in my life. and for whatever comes next.

Matthew 22:32 "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

Im excited to live each day for a living God. one that offeres adventure and excitment. one that has a plan so much bigger and better that i could ever imagine. a God who answeres prayers from his faithful ones. and who has a promise of eternal life.

I pray that we can all get swept up in Gods plan. that we would let the adventure of following our savior over whelm us so that we have to risk things. and trust God. i hope that we can all find a way to trust in turbulance.

Sending Duplicates

I caught myself today.

About to send the same text two two different girls.

It was one of those moments that really got to me.

See txt messaging is probably the lowest form of communication on the planet. in fact i think smoke signals are more heart warming. and the fact that i depersonalized ( i belive i may have just created that word) it even more made me feel terrible. It speaks volumes on my relationships.

When you hear a sappy love song that makes you want to txt that special someone thats cute. but when you hear the same song and txt your last 4 girlfriends in hopes that one will respond thats desparation.

It shifts from i want to talk to one specific girl to... I crave female attention. which is a dangerous place to be. thats where people get used. and feelings get hurt. trust gets broken and friends get lost.

Because of how detaced we become from our friends i could send the same txt to 5 people at once and they would all think it was intended "just for them".

In fact i know a guy in Illinois that is dating 2 girls at the same time.. but because their in different schools neither of them will find out anytime soon ... if ever.

the world has gotten to "big". I long for the small town feel. so my challenge for you is to look at the number of friends on your face book and honestly ask your self... do i know them.. if i had to write down 5 things that make them destinct and special to me... could I? or are they just a face book friend.. and IM friend.. or a TXT friend.

Now theres nothing wrong with knowing a lot of people. and i love being social. In fact it is biblical to be social 3 John 1:8 "We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth." (the men hes talking about are strangers who claim to be friends)

Embrace your community. keep clicking YES to friend requests. meet new people.. but make sure you have your "best" friends. make sure you dont get lost in an ocean of digital friends. because that can leave you to wake up one day and realize that even though your surrounded by a crowd ... you dont really know anyone... "I woke, cold and alone, Adrift in an open sea, Caught up in regrets, And tangled in nets, Instead of your arms wrapped around me."- Digital Sea by: Thrice

My prayer is that we can all get to know eachother better and that we can appreciate those around us in our lives for who they are and who God created them to be.

Acts 18:10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city

So Paul finds himself in a new town. When he arrived he met lots of people and preached the Good News of Jesus Christ like he meant it! Now the Jews didnt quite appreciate that and it was just before He was taken to court that God spoke to him and assured him with the verse in Acts 18:10. That was reassuring to Paul and he made it through the courts and continued spreadin Jesus.

Now I can only imagine the kind of fear Paul must have fealt. But he had the strength to endure the trials because he knew that God was with him. Its interesting because it is easy to let the words on the page be just words. its easy to forget how real Pauls struggle was. it miss the intensity of the situation. and its also easy to miss another deeper meaning.

We should walk and proclaime the gospel with the same confidence that Paul did. None of us are perfect. were all flawed sinners. but as 2 Timothy 2:13 says "if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." thats right. even though we fail God is there. In fact God is there while we fail... think about that.

Now something interesting about Acts 18:10. When God promised "I am with you" to comfort paul... it meant so much more. See the translators failed to catch the true essance of this statement which was not quite I am with you... but rather... I with you am...

God is faithful to us even when we arent to him because he cannot disown himself... see God is not just with us. With us ..He Is. We were made in the image and likeness of God. His spirit was breathed into us as in Genesis 2:7. God with us is...

See i don't believe in a God out there some where. No .. God is right here in you and in me.... God is not just with us.. with us He Is!. "We are more than just carbon and chemicals, We are the Image of the Invisible!"(-thrice)

My prayer is that we can all start living like God with us is!. To start living in the peace that our very life came from God who breathed it into us.. and that we are in his image.. and image of the invisible. and that we will let God work through us.

community

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

Praise God for fellowship. Im not sure where id be without my friends.

Moving from pennsylvania to Indiana was the first time that i really had to stand on my own. My faith was tested and all in all im now closer to God. Its incredible how when we fall our brothers and sisters pick us up. I often for get how grace filled our community of believers is. Now that dosent mean that their afraid to kick my butt some times. and thats just wat i need. The body of christ is amazing . and im so thankful for it.

My friend Kimberly just moved to Green Valley Arizona (near tuscan) from New Lenox Illinois (5 min from Jolliet) its been a huge change and she felt very displaced. she just enroled inthe community college and was feeling very lonley. she called me asking wat to do. i did a little research for her and found a church that seemed interesting. she went on sunday and then to youth group sundaynite and is already makin friends. She was getting depressed by then the body of christ picked her up and welcomed her in.

My prayer is that we can support eachother and find comfort in the fellowship .

Matthew 20:29-34

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by so many loving and caring friends who Do look on me with grace and help me through my faults. Like i had said before Grace is for progress.

I was reading Matthew 20:29-34 and it resonated with me and these last few hectic days. Though I am saved and I Have known the Lord for some time now I let myself slip. I found myself as a "blind man" outside the city gates. Now in Matthew it says there were two men which is ironic. Because one of my best buddies were in the same place. I found my self giving him advice that i needed to give myself. In the midst of getting so caught up in foolish things i lost sight of Gods bigger plan for us all.

Over the last four days or so ive really fleshed this out and ended up running back to God, not even realizing how much i had been drifting away. I was so broken that all i could do was shout out "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

It was a night of restlessness and I found myself in the midst of a huge spiritual battle. Though the "crowd" kept telling me to be quiet, i found my self crumbling at the feet of my savior.

The amazing part about it is that His response to my surrender to Him... (me realizing im not worthy but still turning to Jesus), was that he asked "what do you want me to do for you". I asked for the Grace to make it through this and to get back up on my feet now that i've fallen. I got what i needed. and "recived my sight". now all i can do is follow Him.

Im so grate ful that God's Grace has restored my sight so that i can see His bigger plan and live with intention to be intune and do my part in what i have been called to do for the Kingdom of God.

My prayer is that we can accept Gods grace and move foreward in a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Also that we would allow Gods word to speak to us in our lives and that we would recive scripture into our hearts and let it guide us,in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, so that we may continue to stay "in tune" with God's plan which is bigger that we could ever concieve.

The Audience

Say hello to the audience. Their watching you. Scrutenizing every little thing you do... don't slip up. They don't quite believe in grace. Cause when you say your one thing... but you prove to be another... how can they believe anything you say. Without integrity... How can the audience believe us.With out integrity how can we believe ourselves? How long can we fool ourselves before we fall. Not long.. Because a lie leads to more secrets. Soon nobody can trust you. and with out trust. They lose hope for you. So without trust there is no hope. So if you can't trust yourself... Hm.

Thats where i am tonite. I can't trust myself. I say im one thing.. Then i prove to be another. I need to change. My yes needs to be yes... and my No needs to be no. Because then... i can trust myself.. then ... i have hope. I don't doubt that i will fail. But i hope it never gets this bad again. Cause im starting to lose sight of who i really am.. And who i hoped to be. The audience is always watching.

Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

An even greater audience is watching also... an audience of One. The One who knew me before i was born. The one who knows the desires of my heart. And the one who i have to have faith in so i can trust Him and Give my life to him so that i can Hope to be all that he has promised i can be... It seems so simple... Why have i made it so hard.

Pray for me. and my integrity.. im sick of this game. that i play with myself. I can't bear to be luke warm any longer... i know the concequence of that.

Grace

Grace is enabling power sufficient for progression...
Without Gods Grace... im not worthy of anything.
If i got what i deserved... if i was punished for every wrong i did...
i don't want to think about it.
But Grace...
Grace allows us to move foreward.
Grace allows us to carry on even when we stumbly (Mark 14:38)
We can't abuse Grace. (Romans 6:1)
Where is your heart?
Are you willing to accept the gift of Grace.
To die to sin and to move on?
To live the way God meant.

There was an old lady who kept saying she was having encounters with Jesus in her dreams. She was catholic and the priest of her parish said this cannot be. He doubted the woman and accused her of being a false prophet. The lady begged and pleaded. "I am not a liar. i tell you the truth! Jesus talkes to me in my dreams." So the priest said to her the next time you Talk to Jesus ask Him what the last sin i confessed was and then ill believe you. A period of time went bye and when the priest returned he asked if she had spoken to Jesus. She replied enthusiastically yes yes. So wat did He say when you asked him the last sin i confessed the priest asked. The woman got quiet and a smile slowly spread across her face. Wrinkles bunched up in each corner of her lips she softly spoke these words.. "He said He didn't remember."

If we confess our sins to Jesus. And Make progression , peace will come our way.

2 Corinthians 1:2-Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace in the origional aramaic is Charis, and Peace is Arene.

Charis is a Grace that only God can give. A grace that totally forgets the wrongs youve done and confessed so that you can make progress and grow in the spirit of all mighty God.

Arene is a peace that only comes from being in Harmony with God's plan. Its a musical term that means harmony.

You know that feeling when things just fit... when you feel like you were the missing puzzle peace and you ended up right where you needed to be right at the perfect moment. The feeling that you met someone you were supposed to. Or didsomething you were supposed to.

In the movie I am Legend one of the main characters makes the point that God sent her to save the Will Smith. and that if we stoped and listened we would hear Gods plan.

The melody is there. find your harmony... listen for it.. youll find it in Grace. the two go hand in hand. Grace and Peace.

If you haven't seen I am Legend i recomend it. Mabey a lil scary for the kids. But the part i would focus on is the butterfly... Look daddy... a its a butterfly.

My prayer is that we can Accept Gods Gift of Grace. Make progression in his plan. See all the butterflies. and Live in Harmony.
Charis and Arene.

New Years

So I'm alive. Ive been gone and haven't blogged in forever. but i have kept alot of you in my thoughts and prayers. The Christmas "BREAK" started with an ice storm that took out our power for a few days. it came back in time for christmas eve. by christmas day i was in chicago land area. Specifically in tinley park and Jolliet (the city where the blues brothers are from). The next day it took 6hrs for my familt to make the 3hr trip from Tinley park to Churubusco (where i live). the roads were trecherous and the toll way was closed for 100 miles.

When we arived i showered packed and within an hour i left for Pittsburg. The 6hr drive went as well as it can when your alone and i arived around 9 pm . i stayed there for 4 days. on the second day i was so sick i slept 11 hrs with a 101 degree fever. i recovered , praise God, Played with my band alot and we wrote two new songs. We also decided to go on tour this summer. which will be good. But one tour at a time.

I left on monday and arived in indiana at midnite. by 6am on tuesday i was in a van on the way to mayanett in the upper peninsula of michigan. 11hrs later we arived. helped a band and socialized with the audience. we slept in the house of a man named wilson that nite. he was a hiwian who handmakes exotic skateboards. cool stuff.

The nine of us in our van then followed the 4 bands to manomony michigan the next day. It was now newyears eve (wednesday) i played the opening set just 30 min of me and my acoustic guitar and my harmonica. then the other bands played and we brought in the new year.

that nite we slept at Jims. he was a nice man and we all got showers. my friend blayne captured and released a bat that had gotten into the house with nothing but a newspaper. it was fantastic.

We left and then arrived the next day (thursday) in iron river michigan. this was the last show and it was great fun. we spent two days there running the coffe shop. cleaning. helping bands unload equipment. i got to do another acoustic set there but u just played my harmonica. none of us showered those two days. so the 10 hr drive home smelled osm.

We drove through chicago and had portillos. Best hotdogs ever! i arrived home at 7o'clock. now here i am today. i can't wait to go back to school... i need a break :P.

But honestly, God showed me alot about life on this crazy trip. That unless your willing to be tired to be hungry and dirty unless your willing to live rough. youll miss out on a lot that God has to show you. There are times to rest. and also times to explore. Don't waste your youth on the couch. Go . Live. Shine your lite where ever you go. It will make you appreciate home and all God has blessed you with. Amen!