Article 9

So the assignment was given at the beginning of the year to write out our three goals and see if we made it to them by the end of it. It is very interesting for me to see how far I have come and what has taken place over the course of my senior year. My personal goal was to grow in my music ability, and I have definitely done that. The original intent was that I wanted more music and less school and that is pretty much what happened. I still have a long ways to go, but I can see that I have improved since August. My spiritual goal was to have more of God in me, and I can honestly say that I didn't fully reach this goal. I have grown in my relationship with Christ but not to the capacity that I was thinking about at the beginning of the year. I will continue to strive for more of Him in my heart and to live every waking moment dedicated to serving Him. My academic goal was met with a surprise. At the beginning of senior year I had no real plan for college, and then a few months later I looked into William Jessup and I've made so much progress. I hope that I keep going in my path and finish the goals I've placed before me.

Article 8

If I could sum up my blog in a word, I would probably have to choose music. I do my best to keep that common theme, and even in looking for a social media app, I have kept my theme just the same. The app I have searched far and wide for is the app named Flowd

Flowd involves the following features:

• Artist pages and events: follow what's going onwith your favorite music acts and talk with them directly
• Sync Flowd to Facebook and Twitter for easy management of your social networks
• Places create and check-in. Share your favorite hot spots with the world
• Public shouts and private messaging between Flowd friends
• Take photos and send picture messages

This app is the perfect fit for any outgoing music lover who wants to keep in touch with their favorite groups and to update and notify friends when anything is happening.

http://www.flowd.com/about_flowd

Article 7

Social media is one of the most effective tools used by a majority of people across the world. You can use it however you would like to. Many people have abused social media and have hurt others. Some people declare their faith with social media in ways that benefit those around them. From personal experience I have seen the positive and negative effects social media has on any human being.

When I think of defending my faith on social media, I think of posting the largest verse in the Bible to help support my standings. To be honest, that's a silly idea for many reasons, but I will narrow it down to say the best way to defend your faith, that is the Christian faith, is to say it like you would in person. Sometimes people think that because there is a machine in front of them they are safe to say whatever they put on the web. The idea behind social media is to have any person, mostly your friends, see what is happening in your life. It can be used as a great influential tool if they begin to see some of what you believe in and so on. 

So I really haven't explained how social media helps you defend your faith, but I kind of turned to how social media can be used to gather support for the belief that you have. It's not about winning numbers, but these days we ought to put a little "Jesus in the jpegs" and display our faith to others. To sum it all up, we can use social media in whichever way we would like, but in the end it is up to others in what they decide to believe.

Article 6

It seems that when we as humans get extra time in our lives because of a break or a hiatus of work, we decide that the extra time should be spent on things we want to do. Our natural inclination is to please ourselves, but when do we ever give a passing thought to maybe doing something for someone else? Over my spring break I was able to take part in a Mexico mission trip where I gave all of my extra time for the sake of showing Christ's love. We served in partnership with an orphanage called Niño's de Baja where we continued construction of a dining hall and kitchen for the kids and staff there. It was a great deal of hard work that resulted in blistered hands and dirty socks. There was a time for relaxation after the day that gave me and my youth group friends a chance to regain our strength. I knew it was only by the power of God that I was able to wake up each morning, as sore as I was, and continue on working. What made it all worth it were the opportunities I had to play with the orphanage kids. Despite the language barrier, there were times when we all were simply humans having a good time with one another. I will never forget the kids who impacted my life as well as the impact I made on the people of Niño's de Baja. Offering your spare time to Christ will make all the difference now and in times to come.

Article 5

Inspiration brings passion. Passion supports encouragement. Encouragement, in turn, gives hope. This cycle is the result of heroes in our lives. From family members to football starts, all of them display a sort of greatness that we look up to. The thing I look for in a hero is someone who brings hope. A person who can lift another's spirits with their words an actions is a person with life-changing power. My mother is by far the most influential person in my life. Her daily ability to simply love me is what I admire most. There are times when I tire from living a care-full life, but my mother never seems to reach that exhausted state. In the moments I find myself unable to see the bigger picture, she is there to help open my eyes. On countless occasions I have been able to talk with her and see just how wonderful she is. My mother is a true inspiration to me. Her example brings a passion in me that is driven not only by my own desires, but by her encouraging words. From all that she has taught me, and with everything I have been through, I have formed a hope that will carry me until the end. I know my God is greater than all that is in this world, and it is because of my hero I trust in him. Her presence in my life has made me a better person, and I truthfully look forward to each day I get to spend with her.

Article 4

In my experience as a worship leader, I have had the opportunity to hear and perform many worship songs. There are some that bring great lyrical hooks and others that drive me with their beat. What I look for most in a song is hope and joy. To be able to sing back to God in faith and true worship is what I long to do every time I get up on the stage. The song I chose above the rest is Give Me Faith.

It was a while back when I first hear this song, but when I began to make worship set lists of my own, this tune eventually popped back into my head. It is a declaration that I have sung in my own life, and it is because of that reason I love it so much. With everything I have gone through in leading worship and having to fight those spiritual battles, this song takes me to that place where I can be at peace in the presence of God. In that time I pray like the songs says: to give me faith and trust what he says.

The bridge of the song is one of my most favorite lyrical hooks of all time. It explains how God is still strong in my times of weakness. His power goes beyond flesh and blood, and that is why he is the only solid foundation to put my trust upon. Give Me Faith brings a new sense of hope, love and perseverance each and every time I sing it. I pray it does the same to you.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." - Ephesians 3:20

Article 3

Love is a way of life. It's something that comes from a caring heart. Going beyond emotions and situations, it reveals its true self through genuine kindness and commitment. Such love expels any amount of fear, and it gives hope to those without any reason to move on. Finding this priceless beacon is easier than one might think. While the world's most passionate people search across the farthest oceans and dig through the deepest caverns, this love can simply present itself right where the seeker lives. It's nothing physically tangible or set at any certain price. Nation's strongest armies cannot even shake it's foundation. Many believe they have the answer, yet no human mind is capable of understanding it's enormity. For the love that I speak of does not originate from any worldly place, but can only be found and received at the feet of Jesus Christ. His mark on history has changed what love has and will look like, forever. Those who have accepted his gift bring that same power into their lives, spreading it further and further. You see, love is not some temperamental feeling that is given credit once a year; it is a living force that exists to change lives and heal brokenness every single day. In the same way, Christ lived to be that love. By his example, anyone can see how real love works, because it's so much more than a feeling.