AHHH

Staff celebration just concluded

I suppose I need to explain myself and my absence for the past while.

Last week was crazy, I was privileged to work with some amazing Servant Eventers from West St. Paul. Cleaning with them and destroying with them was too awesome. We got to clean up from the tornado damage in Wadena. Overall it was a wonderful experience. (I sound kind of hippie now)

Staff celebration weekend!!! Was outstanding, getting to connect with these people that I have come to know as family. Sorry I am so scatterbrained, everything is happening at once. I have horse campers at the moment now and...oh yeah! My parents stopped by with my brothers!!

That made my summer up to this far. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as the move is going forward.

AHH. It's hard to voice my mind when so much is running around in my mind.

I finished reading "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller

Wow.

He talked about how God is our "True Heavenly Father" and a role model for earthly fathers. So true. So inspiring, especially as a person in a role model position at camp. Wow and my thoughts are way too incoherent to put into post form.

Thought of the day: Our earthly fathers do things to make us happy, through that they are happy. So then wouldn't God our Heavenly Father do things to make us happy, like providing a beautiful sunset, or a good time with friends.

Much Love

ø Connor ø

Tornado

Its been awhile. I have been busy this week no doubt.

This week I am blessed with an amazing group of people from St. Paul for the servant event.

I'm going to be honest. (Readers like it I hear, this honesty thing)

I was beat. Exhausted. Tired. You name it.

Somehow without fail God manages to give us energy or whatever we need. Right when we need it.

Learning guitar is still going well.

Reading " to own a dragon" by Donald Miller as well as having conversations with our local creation science dude is blessing me so greatly.

Just after father's day it hits me how tremendous of a calling that being a father is. Donald talked through a friend as to how miraculous being a father is. Loving someone instantly from birth. Not needing them to earn it or anything of the sort. I have that from my pops and he got me around 8. Let alone we all have that from God and we are all born into sin. He loves us no matter what.
Big deal I know. Most of us knew that from Sunday school. But on the real.

before we were born. He loved us unconditionally. He sent his only real son even though we defied Him. I heard all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God somewhere. But He still sent his only Son for us.

Wow

Much Love

ø Connor ø

Fingers

Today marks a first.

First day in the process of learning guitar.

Ask any guitarist and I'm sure they will talk about how much their fingers hurt. Including my fellow shakers. One who is a skilled guitarist. The other owns a guitar (I'm not sure as to the extent of his experience. So lets assume he's like a guy from dragonforce)

It hurts.

Enough complaining.  Those posts aren't fun to write.

I had special needs campers this weekend. I loved it. They are so content with everything that's given to them ( for the most part =) they still have such an innocence about them.

Actually one of the best moments was when one of them tooted particularly loud during singing and campfire. I broke down laughing and stopped when he looked at me. Upon exchanging glances we both knew that fart was hilarious.

A camp counselor and his sonshine camper almost in tears. We got the awkward look from onlookers and loved it.

The craziest thing is that I get paid.

I realize my continual reminders as to me loving my job and where God has me must be getting old. I'm gonna work on it.

Much love

ø Connor ø

Doorknob

Week one is finished.

Its almost a surreal feeling. Kids staying back to hang with you. Clinging to whatever they can of you before time becomes a fork in the road.

Graduation is still hitting me.

I don't know if the impact these kids have on me will ever hit. Even scarier is that I am affecting them.

Enough with my apprehensions.

I want this post to speak. I want these words to move you. Yes you.

I recently found out that one of my favorite teachers just lost her husband. Needless to say. I was stunned and filled with sympathy.

This was not fair to her. You could even say God was not fair.

She loved her job as an English teacher. Actually she had roughly 200 kids a semester and she would have taken any one of them in.

She helped inspire me to speak at graduation.

She would sit and talk with me for hours about life. Her dreams. My dreams. Camping. Everything.

I rocked that speech. I loved it and gave it my best.

I'm still holding that word for you. I hope you are still holding onto yours.

I hope it moves you now. Having a word is one thing. But now is when that word should move you. Shake you to the core.

I'm going think about and pray for you a lot in the coming months and years. A lot is being asked of you. Raising two girls while holding a career.

Tall order.

You could argue God is unfair because we don't see what He has in store for us. But He never gives us more than we can handle.

Go camping.

It will hurt. It will be hard. You will feel broken for a great length of time. But things will get better.

You have made a difference in our lives. I speak on behalf of all your students because it's true.

One last thing Jefferson. Could you make me a promise.  When times get tough. When you don't think you can pull through. Think about that word. Come back to loved ones here in alexandria and know this.

You can make it.

Much love

ø Connor ø

Priorities

Where we spend our time is ultimately what we treasure most.

Holy smokes.... If that saying is true, I need to re-prioritize things.

I'll be honest with you, my friends. My list probably goes as follows:
1) Computer
2) Xbox
3) Hanging with people (family, friends)
4) Doing nothing
5) Reading the Word

I'm having a hard time getting into the Word. I think I'm thinking that, since I grew up in the church reading the Bible, I know a lot of it. So the novelty has worn off.

This is kind of extreme but nonetheless a very unsettling thought as I type it. Today I did get back in the Word by following along to a podcast from Steven Furtick at Elevation Church. The series was on James 1:13-18.

It says God does not tempt us. He's brings us trials but He is not the one that tempts us. And it's not even that He puts us in the trial to see us fail. It's the very opposite. He puts you in trials so that you might have the opportunity to conquer in His name and you can learn from the situation if you fail.

So don't blame God for bad circumstances. Instead, turn to Him and ask Him to help you along. He's on your side.

-sam
Song of the Day: You're On Fire by MXPX

Plunge

Its only the first week of campers.

Wowza.

Let me be the first to say that I got crazy blessed to have these guys in my cabin. They are so alive. Full of life, and lots of it. Its going to be hard to say goodbye on Friday.

My watch also broke.

Out of all the analogies I could pull out of my life. I got nothing. I'm beat. After week one. I know I can do this.

I gave a devotion the other night about how God has set no limit to what He believes we cab do. In John Jesus talks about how through Him we have life and life to the fullest. In Revelations it says God opened a door for us no one can shut.

Wowza. My parents tell me I can do whatever I put my mind to. I love them dearly for that. But wow. A door nobody can shut.

Ooh doggie.

All things aside. I love my geographic location. And my occupation.

Much love.

ø Connor ø

Lessons from Norway

I saw a guy smoking while riding a mo-ped.

Kids, first of all, don't smoke. But if you are going to smoke (which I really hope you don't) don't have the audacity to smoke while riding a motorcycle or mo-ped or anything of the sort.

Anyway, that was my random sighting today. Onto some other content...

I had the privilege to sit down and have some ice cream with one of the Norwegian foreign exchange students that I had the pleasure to get to know better this year. She went back today (wednesday). This morning to be more precise. But we had a good talk before she left. The thing that really stuck out to me when we were talking was what she had to say about Christianity over in Norway.

She said that people here in America focus and talk a lot more about Heaven while in Norway they focus more about the journey, (life). I like this because this causes people focus on the road getting to eternity rather than jumping straight to the ending.

This is one lesson that I have learned this year, as I look back at this crazy fast year. If I would have fast-forwarded time straight to the end of the school year, I would have missed out on the lessons I learned such as being patient when you really want something, being intentional about living and talking about my faith, and also trying to not to place myself on a pedestal and love others like Jesus loved others, which is no small feat.

All in all, I'm a wretch trying to obey God and help others along with me. The road is rocky and may have lots of potholes, but be encouraged, Christian; you're not alone. As Red Green says, "Keep your stick on the ice. We're all in this together."

Go serve your King.
-sam
Song of the Day: Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North

Refresh (part 2)

Well if anybody was wondering. My cabin is having an army worm Olympics.

Splendid

Also I had another of those moments where God answers a prayer. Not how you want it or anything. Perfect.

But you can't argue with your Creator it doesn't work like that.

What answered it ended up being Blue Like Jazz.

Don talked about metaphors. The ones we use for things like cancer and relationships. We always battle cancer. We value people. Thinking about love like currency is wrong.

I was wrong.

Part one of this series was accurate to how I felt about the situation. Raw. How writing should be. It was my honest gut. Looking back a lot can be taken from the post. Whether you want to trust my perceptions is up to you.

I was looking at the wrong solution. I was making love a money thing. Saying the relationship was worth less because of a disagreement. No matter how big or offended I got. I needed to remember one thing.

God's love transcends all grudges and divisions our sin makes.

The real solution was to pour on love.

In extreme amounts

So at the end of this two day  journey I took a lot away. As for the readers and everyone else. I hope and pray you apply This lesson to conflicts. And when the problems arise. Embrace them. Jesus did promise them.

Much love
ø Connor ø

Refresh (part 1)

How to update you all entirely.

Two posts!

First one commence

Camp is treating me amazing. I would also like to informally thank everyone for making graduation awesome. My speech felt great despite crazy nerves.

I also wanna plug the Droid. Sickest phone ever.

I suppose this one is going to be an honest post. One where spoken words evade me.

To my other shaker. I'm sorry again. I cannot. Find what to say to you. I don't want to be a judgemental hypocrite. I can just voice my thoughts.

I disagree with FCA. That's a good start. Putting oneself on a pedestal based on beliefs. Hardly humbling. There is little outreach and even less inclusion. It doesn't demonstrate any values Jesus laid down. "The least of these..." etc.

He didn't want us to make a big deal of ourselves.

I realize my opinions in this particular post may decrease my popularity. But it has been bugging me.

I also don't think you make a big stand by sitting out on dances because of "grinding" or rule out classes because they may be "challenging"  (speaking of a philosophy class)

See things like that and other reasons to grab attention (which we all love) and then plastering God's name on it to seemingly increase the value of said attention. Oy

God is not a vacuum cleaner. "Selling" Him can only get so far. Jesus presented us with a lifestyle. Not a cure all that you peddle to people. He gave us a clean slate free of charge in exchange that we spread His name through the love and grace of our actions. Not our sales pitch.

I realize the great hypocracy here. Which again is why I could never organize the words without writing them.

I'm sorry.

Much love

ø Connor ø

Whadda Year

How fast has this year gone? How many memories have been made? How many lessons have been learned? How many friendships have been furthered? How many lives have been changed?

All are questions that have been bouncing around in the cortex of my brain.

I've been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting on this year. It especially hit me at about 4 in the morning at the senior party. I'm not going to see about half these people ever again. The friends that I've spent 13 years of my growing up years with will be off in their different directions, with most of them never being seen again... It's daunting, really.

It makes me ask myself, "Have I done everything I can do to make sure my peers know the love of Christ?"

You can always do better, I know. But have you legitimately made an effort to try and get that goal out there.

Don't worry, you still have the summer to make a difference. Don't be afraid to engage in that deeper conversation. Be bold and ask them, in love, where they are at with God.

Go serve your King,
-sam
Song of the Day: Safe by Phil Wickham

Packing

I have so much going on right now.

Like that isn't something we all say to ourselves like ten thousand times each day.

Readers, I've been going through a recent slump of blogging because of one reason.

I don't know what I'm thinking about. At all. I lie awake at night just thinking, I'm not even sure as to what is running through my mind. Future plans. College. Friends. Friend issues. Family. What's for breakfast tomorrow.

Pause EVERYTHING!!!! I HAVE CAMPERS TONIGHT. I WILL POST MY SPEECH LATER TONIGHT AS WELL!!! wow I'm excited

Much Love

ø Connor ø

The Glory of It All

As you can tell by "song of the day" choices that I love David Crowder. It's true.

Anyway, life is so great for me. The World Cup started today! I love it. One month of pure soccer. God is good. My recap of today (and I think I'm going to recap every day for the month on how each day went and how I felt about it) :

The opening match was South Africa vs. Mexico. I wanted South Africa to win cause you've gotta rep the host country, especially since it's South Africa. But it ended up in a tie 1-1, with no overtime because it's just group play. No overtime until they get out of group play.

The second game I was a little more torn on. It was France vs. Uruguay. I love Thierry Henry of France but not too many others so I ended up cheering for Uruguay and Henry. Anyway, that also ended in a tie, except this one 0-0.

I really don't like games ending in a tie, but overall, this was a great kick-off to the World Cup. Go Spain and U.S.

Keep it real, and if you live in Alex, go to McDonald's North to check out our shake day picture. I guess it's next to the pop machine. I, myself, have yet to see it so lemme know if it looks cool.

Peace,
-sam
Song of the Day: The Glory of It All by David Crowder*Band

Scientist

Wow. So much in my head right now. Let's organize in print.

Camp is treating me amazingly nice. I cannot get over how much I love my "job". I say job with quotes because its a sacrifice I love. Its knowing that things will be hard. Knowing that its worth it. Leading bible studies and watching their faces glow. Learning about their all powerful and glorious Creator.

I love what I do.

I also have been uber blessed. This staff. I have been raving about for so long refuses to decline in amazing Ness. At the same time I miss everyone. Such a pendulum of loving every second I'm living. And missing every second lost with the others you love.

I saw my brother liked my Facebook status.

I also nearly cried because he wasn't right there for me to hug. To give a loving punch on the arm. He knows.

I also want to pump up our guys staff this summer. Its amazing to be along for the ride with such an amazing crew. open. Receptive. Eager.

I never want to lose that eagerness to work with children

Readers. Don't let me.

Not that the ladies staff is bad. By no means. I just spend more time with the gents and we go through the same experiences.

Also I want another shout out. I'm going to miss my family so much. It seems like after this weekend. I'm cuttin the leash. I know its far from it. But that's what it feels like.

I'm also a little nervous about graduation. To be frank. And excited. And feeling bad. That empty year book isn't instantly gratifying until you have the matching diploma.

Much love

ø Connor ø
Connor

Lessons from a Pup

Alright... This puppy pictured above is both the cutest and the most frustrating object of our attention lately.

He doesn't quite understand the meaning of no, nor the importance of that simple word. I know it might just be a puppy thing but he just won't stop biting. He doesn't know when it's time to wrestle and when to settle down to just be petted.

But of course now as I'm writing this, I call him over and he is not biting and allowing me to pet him. Ironic.

Anyway, I can't help and think that this can be used as an analogy with our relationship with God. God plays the part of the human, we play the part of the dog. Though we have some smarts and common sense to go fetch a ball or follow our human, sometimes, we are dumb. We don't know when to stop biting things or ripping up pillows. And if we could only see it from God's angle, I think we would realize that what we are doing as a society is so far off the path He created for us that it's like we keep rejecting the "No" command from our master. I believe that's why there is so much suffering in the world. It's not that God wants to or He's even doing any of it. But I believe that He is allowing it. He is a just God and He will follow through on what He said in Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death." But that's not it. The rest of that verse says, "But the gift of God is eternal life." This is great news for those who realize their sin! Their future can go from gloom to brighter than the sun.

Imagine with me for second: Eternity. Think about it for a second...

Seriously, think about it.

When I think about it, it makes my stomach feel weird. So then I move on to thinking about eternity in Heaven. Wow, what a glorious time of celebration, fellowship and worship. Being together with all the Christians over the ages. It will have no end.

Other end of the spectrum: eternity in Hell. This is a never-ending time of isolation. Burning both in your body and the fact of being totally separated from God. Forever.

I've heard a saying once that said this: Earth is as close to Hell that Christians will get. On the other hand, Earth is as close to Heaven that non-believers will get to.

It's true. One of my fellow shakers made the observation that he thinks the physical pain will be very much secondary compared to being apart from God for eternity. I agree whole-heartedly.

I can't stand to think of any of my friends going to spend eternity from God forever. This is my motivation to love others like Christ did.

So repent of your sins. Even if you are already saved. Repentance should be one of our biggest acts of worship because we are realizing how wretched we truly are and how much we are in need of a Savior.

I'm right there with you guys. Keep on the straight and narrow.
Love,
-sam
Song of the Day- Searching for a Savior by Building 429

Training

Today marks the finish of staff training!
It's a good feeling to be kickin back with the staff watchin a movie in celebration. Although I wasn't there there the whole time. I feel like a part of the family.

I could actually rave on and on about this community of people.

Saturday we took a field trip to a different camp just outside of motley. Mostly for their high ropes and zipline. After that. it's hard to describe it. Like it all just feels so.

Good.

Refreshing

Like. I'm still a little outta whack from leaving Alex for a bit. I made it into a good family.

I suppose the only apprehension I have is just being the best I can for the kids. It sounds beyond corny but I really want to be a good role model and positive impact. Like more than anything.

Kids matter way to much.

This ones gonna be a hard one to summarize.

Basically. Find the best community you can of people. Bond with them. Love them. Take care of them.

If you are around kids. Don't be dumb. They take in EVERYTHING you do. So when you are on the biggest stage as a role model for some youth. Don't abuse it.

also. I miss you readers. I haven't talked to you in writing form in a while. I hope you all take care.

Much love

ø Connor ø
Connor

Rest

I will be hitting you guys and gals up with a post tomorrow. I have been crazy busy and such. But check put my sweet summer home.

Much love

ø Connor ø
Connor

James 1:22

"Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

Straight from the Word. There it is.

Hypocrisy is probably one of the biggest things I see in America among Christians, myself included sometimes. It bugs me how often I see it around. It's at that moment where I catch myself judging others when it's not my place to judge.

I'm sorry I haven't been writing lately. I just have not been feeling it. I'm going to get in the Word a lot more and I'll get back to you on what I've been learning.

Again, apologies. Keep it real.
-sam
Song of the Day: My Generation by Starfield

Departure (students)

This is definitely a post from my phone at camp. I love it here. This place. If I haven't told you already. Its wonderful. The staff is amazing. I cannot express my excitement for man time in the guys village. I'm absolutely thrilled to be here. I already have stories that I will update you with tomorrow on a computer.

This post is for my classmates, peers, and friends. I'm sorry. I hate goodbyes. I didn't sign a single yearbook. I didn't have anybody sign mine. I would gladly sign one but that means closure. I hate closure. High school friends shouldn't be a story with an end. The worst part is.

I have so much to write. It would kill me to gradually sign away my friends as if to say see ya. Each word another inch apart we would grow over time. All I want to do is make them smile. My friends and classmates that is. Even if its a fake one. I want them to escape the bleak reality that is graduation. It means promise and hopes of a good future no doubt. Even more. It means a book being finished. Epilogue is done with and its off to be printed and sit in a library. Begging to be read.

I want to live this story for longer. I want to be with those people for longer than a day. I'm sorry to all of you. I'm so selfish with goodbyes because I hate them so much.

I know I'm in a better place and the only way I would change it would be for the chance to bring everyone here. To see this island I have come to love so much. This island represents a story that never has to end. Chapters just keep getting added.

One last apology. Because I am truly sorry. You all deserved better. I want to tell you all how amazing you are and how I have come to know and appreciate you all for everything.

I cannot wait to see you Tuesday and tell you of my tales at this island.

Have a great last day class of 2010. I miss you and hope you trust that I love where I am at.

Much love

ø Connor ø
Connor

To My Brother in Christ

This one is for my brother in Christ that I have just recently been getting close to over the past year.

You are a stud. It's unbelievable how you have changed my walk with God. For real. You've caused me to look at things from a complete different view. It's crazy how many views there are to God but for Him to still be the same, solid Being forever. He has never changed. So you have completely rocked that part of me.

I also wanted to apologize.

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I know it may have seemed that I was crossing you on every quote you read to me but you gotta understand I've been raised pretty conservative. Some of that stuff is a total new way of thinking for me. When I said that they "threw flags" in my mind, I didn't mean for you to think that I hated the author. I just wanted to either check it out for myself or I didn't understand it and I needed further explaination. I didn't mean for you to think I hated all of those books.

Dude, I'm not gonna lie though. It's tough not having been able to talk to you lately. I feel like you're trying to distance me. So I hope this helps. I don't want some books to come in between us. We should at least be sharing the living Book that matters the most over all.

I love ya buddy. I'm ready to talk with you when you are.

-your brother in Christ

Song of the Day: Until My Heart Caves In by Audio Adrenaline

Departure (Staff)

My room is a mess.

I haven't studied enough. (but I will start soon) =D

I have no clue what to and not to pack for this summer and fall.

Everything is a good mess.

Now is where I should begin the real content of this post.

You see this one is going to be difficult, I'm shooting at a "yearbook" entry for everyone I can handle because I won't be in school Friday. I love LIC too much and District 206 has kept me from my commitment to Camp and my fellow staff. I miss them too.

Ok, first is first. Teachers

I don't think I could name names throughout this whole process, hopefully I can be vaguely accurate to where they forward it to each other. I had the privilege in my past three years to have absolutely wonderful educators in charge of my future. All the way from a math teacher that saw me struggle with Algebra II and helped as well as made it a point I establish good study habits. Thank you. I had a ridiculously amazing Spanish teacher, I still know much of that knowledge, still call her senora (sorry no tilde), even had prob and stats with her the next year. I mean really, Que quieres que haga? Even my english teachers, I was blessed to have such amazing teachers that showed me that the rules are great, but so is good writing and sometimes you need to break the rules. I had the most supportive Public Speaking teacher I could have asked for, she helped me develop my speech that I'm going to be giving on the 13th, and I will admit I'm feeling butterflies, but we both know I can do it. I had a science teacher that saw and knew my potential and spent a good portion of the year dragging it out of me. I had a crazy Pre-Calc teacher that taught a little more than just math, he taught about class, and being classy. Not to mention we have a ridiculous amazing guidance counselor/ high jump coach.

Oh dear, to the reader from a different school district I'm sorry. I just have amazing staff at my school.

My advisor gets a section all her own. She's phenomenal. I can't believe it's already graduation and I can't believe I'm speaking. Thank you for all the proof readings, and organizing SLAM!'s big hoorah at the end of the year. It was a pleasure to be a part of that, and helping so many preteens.

I think I have a couple more in me. One shout out has to go to a middle school teacher who I was privileged enough to visit her room and talk about PSI and have fun with the kids. Just so you know, PSI was one of the major reasons I joined SLAM! I also have to throw one out there to my weightroom teacher/coach. I think we both know that I didn't come around until this year, if you didn't know already. You are a ridiculous guy. It was a blast in track and in weights. (If I had motivation for football, that might have been sweet too). There was also a guy in my school, his room was like a whole in the wall, he ignited my passion for photography and photoshop. That was crazy. As well as just today, I have never sang in choir, but the choir teacher knows me, is nice to me, and lets me play piano. Also I had a crazy Econ teacher who I still believe knows how to say "coke" the right way....I heard you on the track bus.

If I remember any more teachers I will be sure to update this.

Thank you so much for your time, commitment, and dedication. I think we all know the job has it's perks and downsides, but you all stick it through day in and day out. I want a special shout out to all the office staff, guidance, athletics, main office. I have yet to be scared to go into an office. Actually, sometimes I just go there to talk.

I know this may seem like horrid grammar and phrasing, but it's hard to find the right words for thank you's.

Much Love

ø Connor ø

Pops

This is going to be odd timing for this post indeed.

I have a lot on my mind no doubt but this is something that started as a whisper in my mind.

Until it started screaming.

This is a post straight up to my Pops. (that's how I have him in my phone)

I got to be blessed to be around camp this past weekend and will be up there recurrently until I start working there this summer after our late graduation (I have to shout to you guys to remind you I miss you and cannot wait to meet all of you fully, especially my fellow guys counselors)

But back to the point. I was talking to a fellow male counselor during "one-on-one" time and our dads both came up and he and his dad had disagreements about this and that. I could agree with him fully. The thing is...

I didn't want to. Everyone dreams of that "dad" where something goes wrong and you head to the driving range, or the back yard to play catch and talk about it. The dad who drops everything and says "lets go kick it, you feel like shootin stuff?" (not people of course, targets or deer, mmm, deer)

I could take the time to think about how I didn't have all of that. Just some guy that I didn't agree with and came into my life when I was about 8 years old.

That would be teaching myself how to paint lies as truth, continually taking this beautiful truth paint I've been given, and trying to use a foul brush of lies and my selfishness to illustrate my feelings.

I'm sure now that I've carried you this deep into the post (assuming you read it all), we should start seeing the shift. What the real truth is.

My Pops is a rockstar. I miss him so much right now. Being gone for two weeks is ridiculous. We don't even talk that much around the house. It's just his presence. Just knowing if the bad guys come, someone is going to jail that night and when they arrive in the cell the other prisoners will exchange looks thinking "what happened to him?"

This stud of a Pops fresh out of college took on my mom and three kids, myself included in that. How many people can handle that fresh out of college and succeed? Not many.

I picked up a book by Donald Miller called To Own A Dragon about growing up without a father, which Miller did. Yes I realize in the midst of a post about my Pops it's odd to bring up a book about growing up without a father. I picked it up moreso because it discusses the importance of good realtions with your father and this and that. It's next on my list.

I want my college years to be more about getting along, it seems to be a fitting time seeing as finances are going to be...questionable, with Concordia St. Paul and such in the future.

I hope he reads it after me as well, from the stories I've heard it sounds like he got jipped out of a childhood.

I am not saying this to judge any fathers of any sort. Being a dad is one of the most honorable things any man can do. If they do it well.

This is more of a note to my Pops, that I love you. I want to be able to talk and hang when I come back from school, if and when that happens. I'm still in the air about that.

Come back home, you are missed.

Much Love

ø Connor ø

Too Techinical

Luke 14:1-6 NLT

"One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, 'Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?' When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, 'Which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?' Again they could not answer."

Jesus was so ridiculous to the Pharisees. I love reading about everytime He came in contact with them. The Pharisees thought that they had everything right and they were so much more "holy" than everybody else. So much so that when Jesus came, their vision was blind to seeing who he really was because they were so blinded by trying to keep the law and pointing out faults in everybody else. But when Jesus came, He set a whole new standard. The adultery bar was set even higher to the point of lusting after a woman was adultery. The murder bar was pushed up to even looking at your brother in hate was just as bad as killing him.

But in this particular passage, He makes the point that we're not supposed to be complete bums with the Sabbath day. Yes, it is good to have a day of rest, but that shouldn't keep you from continuing your witness and testimony to Christ. We're not supposed to be 6-days-a-week Christians. We should always be ready to give an answer for our faith. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

So don't run yourself into the ground by being so busy. Take a rest, in that sense. But never stop living the way we ought to. This life that we have now been called to.

Galatians 2:20 "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Live by the Word,

-sam

Song of the Day: Beautiful King by Danyew