the TALK

Today was average to say the least. I didn't accomplish all the things I wanted to, but I worked my AB's when I worked out, and they are so, so that is good. My philosophy class was cancelled, so I went straight to the YMCA to get my work out on. I was suppose to go straight home, eat food, then work on papers due for Friday in my PHILOSOPHY class. It is 11PM, I am sitting in the library auxiliary 24/hr study room BLOGGING, because it is obviously more important than doing my study. DO'OH!

Before I came here, I went to have dinner with my sister and her roommate. I forget what it was called, but it was SOOO GOOD. Traci (to the left) is a super good cook. Apparently my sister is too, because when I gave Traci all the credit, I got barked at. ;-) I love my sister Merideth so much, and wish I could spend so much more time with her. DARN YOU SCHEDULE AND LIFE APPOINTMENTS!!

BUT, right after work was the highlite of my day. I got to meet with Dave, my old youth pastor gone mentor (guy who I meet with every Sunday). Well, if I had any kind of gut, I would share the topic. But I am spineless, so we will just call it a Christ talk. No, that's lame, not lame, but not sufficient. It was more of a learning and realization time for me on some specific areas that have needed addressed for quite some time. But I came to find that it isn't so much as what I thought needed fixed, but needs to be left to what God want's to reveal. I learned so much about the way I approach things, and was really challenged in a powerful and meaningful way. YESSS!!!

Back 2 study time.

Peace, Grace & Peace. First the Grace....then comes the PEACE!

Love is where it's at

At work, I had fun with the kids. Can you believe it?? I could sit from afar, and watch, pointing and yelling, but I actually get down and dirty with um. Is this a hard concept to pull together? I am hanging upside down, there were three little ones running and laughing around me. It was much fun. Later I became the SLIDE TROLL, and would tell the kids if they wanted to get by me to go down the slide, they had to figure out the password. If your kids to be loved in a real and genuine way before and after school, well Lincoln Elementary is where it's at. FO SHO!


God some things accomplished today. Crap I have lots to do this week. But, it's all good, I will accomplish them all. BSF was awesome as well. There are 215 (with an 82% attendance average) guys signed up for BSF, and it is so powerful to see a huge body of grown male influences desiring to impact their own personal spiritual walks, but the walks of their families and communities, be it work, clubs, etc. It is such a good and awesome thing for me to be involved in. Dang, some other sweet things happened today, I don't have the finger power to share them all, but I will share this one specifically.

~STARBUCKS~

Okay, so this is pretty cool. I am driving home from work. There is a Starbucks on the way home (yea, not a big surprise) if I take a kind of "out of the way" route. I did, not even considering the Starbucks. Well, I was approaching it, and extremely tired. Knowing that I had a night of Bible Study Fellowship ahead of me, which involves a lot of sitting and writing and listening, I knew I was going to need some extra help. I NEVER go to Starbucks, it is way too expensive...and for what? Coffee? I don't care if it is the best of the best beans, it is way to expensive. I really pondered going, and finally gave in, and justified it by saying I would just get a small whatever. I pulled up to the drive through. As soon as I got to the window, this girl (name not mentioned for certain reasons) from my past was at the window, and said, "Ohhh my gosh, Mikey Riley, this is so weird, I was just talking about you yesterday with Clint!" I said, "Clint (good friend from way old past) works here, no friggin way!" She said, "heck yea he does, and we both just got into a conversation about you yesterday, and yadd yadda yadda." Just then, Clint pulls up. She asks me what I wanted, and I explained my position, I gave her my debit card, and she handed it back to me. She asked me if I wanted 1 or 2 shots. Then handed me the largest Moca Cream I have ever seen in my life. I then, went inside and talked with Clint about how Jesus is working in his life, and it was good good good. How friggin cool is that? Worry cuz it's too much, and I hate spending money on stuff like that, and I end up getting complemented, a free drink, and hearing about how God is working. Triple good. :-b

Church & Study

Matt (cousin) went home on Friday. His dad came and picked him up so he could be home for a bit, so see my cousins (his sisters) little girls and family. Well, he came back yesterday afternoon (his dad, my uncle brought him) because he wanted to be able to go to church at Grace. I was kind of planning on waking up early, not going to church, and going straight to the library so I could get to work on work. BUT, I decided to take him to church instead, because it seemed more important in the grand scheme of things. It was a good decision too!!It was a sweet service. Ya see, I really like how they do things at Grace, because the physical church building and pastors and elders and what not are really there to facilitate the house churches in every possible way they can. This is awesome, because personally, I believe that is where the real connection with believers and growth takes place. Not in a building you go to once a week and get "preached to." Now, I am not saying that is a bad thing, I just really like the outlook Grace Gathering is taking on the subject. So, today and I think next week or maybe for the next two weeks they are going to have the house church leaders come up and discuss their groups. Things like what the individual groups mission statements are, their names if they have one, what they are doing or will be doing in order to impact the community, and things of that nature. Pretty cool stuff, really got Matt amped for the whole church group body.After I dropped Matt off at home, it was Library time. It took me entirely way too long to accomplish what I accomplished. I am not going to say how long I was here, or how much I got done, let's just say I could have done better. Sure, I could have done worse, but I could have done much better I believe. Also, I have a headache now.

Grace & Peace!!

BOX BALL / FOUR SQUARE

I was so lazy today. It was as if I had nothing to do....but I had much to do. I think when you have weeks and weeks of non-stop going, going, going, it is just so extremely NICE to take a Saturday off. Well, sort of off. I sat around for most of the day, after I got done with my BSF study. THEN, I WENT TO PLAY SOME SERIOUS BOX BALL at one of the other leaders houses. What a night!Yes, Yes. Young Life will be in full swing. It was so much fun, and the guys and small hand full of ladies had such a good time tonight. I waited and waited for this kid to come who I was so hoping would. But, after an hour went by, I called him up and talked to his mother. Sounded like quite a crazy day for him. I am so glad I called, that way I didn't allow myself to assume things. I will just look forward to seeing him on Wednesday when I go to Snider. That is that. Tomorrow will be filled with studying, reading & writing. Ohhh boy.

Bishop, 70's, stripper

As soon as I walked into my English class this morning, my prof handed me this book. It is a compilation of what different college students have to say about their prayer lives. Things like how they enter into prayer with God, how it affects their lives and how it is used as a relational building tool. He said he was at a book store, and the man working there thought highly of it. So, good ole Tom A.K.A. TKO got it for me. I have had time to read through the first chapter, and I am really liking it. It is put out by The Catholic Company. It's so cool, and I have never had a prof do anything for me like that. I have been extremely blessed so far with some darn cool prof's too. Well, Tom invited me to go to a mass/service this late morning/afternoon. I didn't have any thing else to do, except go work out at the YMCA, so I said what the heck. Off we went to St. Joseph Hospital, which is downtown Fort Wayne, Tom drove. It was a really good experience. I actually had time to see who the Bishop is for Fort Wayne, and South Bend Indiana. Anyways, I got a chance to go through a Catholic mass and sit down and have lunch with Bishop John D'Arcy. He is an extremely grounded individual, and quite fun to listen to and talk with. Although my time with him was brief, he gave me a good look at the role of a Bishop in the Catholic faith.Now, although I view Bishop D'Arcy as just a man. One who sins just as any other man, and put no type of significance on him any more than the next guy. I do have a better understanding, at least I think I do of his place. When he walked into the hospital, the people in Tom's Serra Club which is a group of devoted catholic men and women who want to make a difference in the community by spreading the "catholic love" if you will, jumped up and just kind of put him on a pedestal. To me this isn't the case. BUT, from what I saw and experienced, these people love the Lord. The repetitive actions of a Catholic religion may just seem like boring words and movements to me, but from what Tom told me, it means so much more and is much deeper to him, and the majority of the people in the Serra club. So, from that experience, I can say this. While it is not for me, and I can see much better ways for my own self to impact people's live in Christ, I can't say it is wrong.

Tom took me back to school, and I finished the day pretty regularly. When I got out of work, I went over to a coffee house/Christian book store where my friend would be playing a "gig." Ryan is a fellow Young Life volunteer, possibly becoming on staff here in the near future, God willing.

Ryan was great, the crowd was sweet too. Most of the people there were from different campus ministries from School. I hope to be getting more involved with these kinds of people. I thought tonight would be a good time to start. SO, I went to a 70's theme dance party. Held at someones apartment. It was time for me to step out of my comfort zone, and get jiggy with it. I went to my best friends parents house, and borrowed some clothes as well as talked with his mom and brother for a while. Here are some pictures from the parteezy. Also, this is pretty much the first party that I have had fun at, where there wasn't any alcohol. It is all a mind set. It really is. If you wanna have fun, you have to make that fun for yourself.I had some slick shoes on too. (Zach, Ryan, Tom)(Zach & Tom)

Strutting their stuff to say the "LEAST!"

It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of like minded individuals, I am super glad I went.

On my way home, I remembered a phone call I got from my friend Tony. He called to tell me he got his Liquid Oxygen tank, and has set up shop. He has started to blow some glass. I had to go over there to check it out on my way home.

Yes, Tony has got it up and running, just like he said he would. It was so strange going over there. I went from a positive up beat, Christian influence, to a place totally opposite. Don't get me wrong, I love every single person in there just as much as any Christian. It was just amazing how different the mood was, the everything. For instance, One of the girls that was over there works in a sex shop type place, that is actually inside a strip club. She politely told me about this "local" stripper who is coming to the club tomorrow, and wondered if I would be interested. I politely explained that wasn't really my thing, and that was that. I just got to see polar opposites today. Both sides are loved by God, both sides need loved by man.

That was my day.

this is what it comes down to

Good day today, good classes, good kids, good stuff. When I got off work, I went to pick up my cousin. He took the bus to the mall, and I picked him up there. I dropped him off at work this morning. We had to leave the house at 5:45AM in order for me to make it to work by 6:30AM. I did, and all was well. So, back to getting off work. I picked Matt up, and took him home. We ate dinner, and my parents and I talked with him, and it was awesome.See my moms hands to the right. Those are "talking hands." When she wipps those things out, it is time to listen. :-) I would know, I have seen those enough in my life time. Not so much recently, but plenty of times in my life, especially my former life(one like 1.75 years ago and earlier). It was so cool to see my family function in the way it was functioning tonight. Mother, Father and boy acting together as a body of believers to spur Matt on. It was a beautiful thing, and I really felt the Holy Spirit working in him. Felt, and saw, physically saw his demenor change. GOD IS GOOD!!

G'Night

Here's It at........just deal

Busy, forgetting, tremendous, impact, frustration, goofy, stress, child child, happiness, cold fingers. Those words alone explain my whole day and then some. I suppose I can put some pictures on and let ya'll in on the KNOW though. I went to work, then class, then SNIDER for lunch time. It was great ya know. Saw the usual peeps, plus some new ones. I didn't get to work out today, which sucked, because I hate it when I don't get to work out. Time just wouldn't allow it today though. When I got off work, I went back to Snider for their Powder Puff game, and then a homecoming dance.Yes, Yes. Although the kids were having lots of fun brushing up against each other in a very sweaty and close fashion......I still do not miss high school.

Young Life made a pretty cool presence known there. We passed out Freezie pop's. It was fun, and kids are goofey. SO GOOD.I am so friggin tired. I will explain at a later date, but tomorrow I have to get up super early for a very specific reason. I am happy to do it though. I really am.