Day 40 "It's all for God"

Daily Summary: Well I went to bed super late last night I couldn't really fall asleep for some reason I think it was the fact that it was about 40 degrees in out room since my roommate loves the air conditioner on for some reason. All well I got to sleep for a good amount of time so I wont complain. I showered up then headed to breakfast with Phil. It seems like we have been doing a lot lately which is pretty cool. After that we headed to chapel and the speaker talked about my favorite verse of all time. James 1:2-5! I was stoked and it was an awesome message. He was apart of this church for 15 years and on Christmas Sunday a few years ago he was let go as a pastor. It amazing how he turned everything around for the good and how him and his future wife worked everything out. Truth of the matter is that God gives and God takes away and we as believers should be prepared for whatever comes our way. After Chapel Phil and I went back to the room to play some Mlb Slugfest it is this totally unrealistic video game where you can punch people and what not it is actually quite fun to play with other people though. Of course we got really competitive and were yelling at each other all the time. Well then we got the bad news that our game was cancelled today. I kind of saw it coming but there wasn't much we can do the field is pretty much destroyed from all of the rain we have been having. All well we went down to the track and had a little simulated practice which wasn't all that bad besides the fact that it was super cold! After that went back to the room once again and I caught up o all my homework. There is still much more that I have to do but I got caught up for the most part. So that definitely relieved some stress. The remainder of the night nothing really went on for the most part, I mean not having class or a game all day is pretty boring but I tired myself to make the best of it. I am going back to school for the first time in over a week tomorrow and I am pretty nervous about the day but I will definitely just put it in God's hands and see what goes down. Today I wrote most of everything in eagle's nest and ran into my teammates J-Rod and Chavie (hints the pictures), they are awesome dudes and I am so blessed to have them as teammates. Night ya'll.

Daily Reading: Joshua 1:8
Well lately I have been feeling kind of weird for some reason. It kind of feels like my life is a movie. I have been trying my best to pray through it but I can't snap out of it. I have been having some trouble with a certain individual who is around my life on a daily basis and lately I have failed to really put God in the center of the situation. Besides praying I also have to trust in God through reading His word. Despite the fact that I do this blog on a daily basis I still need to be able to spend more time in God's Word. For God will be able to teach me how to handle certain things such as dealing with someone that I may not be getting along with through me reading. Sometimes the answer could be right in front of me that I am looking fore but it just up to me to go through and actually find it. The Bible isn't nick named the Book of Life for no reason it literally has a solution to every single problem that we may encounter through a life time. That is why loving God is the ultimate solution for getting through life itself! Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua must be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy, obey God's law, and constantly read and study the book of Law. To be successful, we can follow God's words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world's standards, but You will succeed in God's eyes and His opinion is always most important. Just like the verse I wrote on the other day, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Being successful isn't shouldn't be any ones life goal but serving God should be. I know for myself I often put other things in front of God and that is indeed a sin. Lately I haven't been the best with staying on track and focused everyday and I often become lazy and become selfish and do what I want to do rather them what God wants me to do. Today is day 40 and I definitely haven't been perfect through these 40 days but I also have never really been this high on God throughout my entire life. Right when I think I am going back down I get brought right back up when someone says to me how they read my blog and how much it really means to them. Every time someone writes that I strive to make the next one even better not only for them but for me as well. I love what i do and I can't believe I have actually made it through these last 40 days. It's all for Him.

Daily Prayer:
Dear God,
I am so blessed by the fact that You love me and the fact that You had a book written in guidance for my life. Again I would be no where if wasn't for You or Your Word. My heart grows every single day when I feel that connection with You when I write. Thank You so much for the strength You have given me to get past these 40 days God. It is literally all for You in being able to grow in my relationship with You. There may be those days where I don't really want to write but somehow You always lift me up and make me enjoy every second of it. I love finding and picking out a verse to write about for the day I see the fun in it and I see the fact that You are moving in me. Now down to business. There are some things going on my life God that I really don't agree with. Please fill me with the correct thoughts of You God and not on my own selfish ambitions. Please help me to really on Your law not on my own. I pray for the person in my life that I may be having trouble getting along with. Please help Him and I to be able to get along with each other. It may be a long shot but I pray that we could possibly be friends and share each others views and give each other a chance to really understand one another. I pray for any one of my friends and family members that may be going through a rough time right now. Please help to not only look to you but to look to Your Word God for You have all of the answers. I deeply pray for the ones that may not know You God please in any way get them to know You somehow Father. Please use me in that process help me not to be shy or be ashamed of what I believe in. Help me to loudly express my love for You. Help for people to be able to see You through me. I love You deeply Father. Today God You brought on the rain for a reason and we weren't able to play our game. Please help us all to focus and stay on top Lord and through the weeks help us to get some more wins and come out of here being the team that follows You God. Help us all to grow as a team God and do so by praising You no matter if we win or loose. I now pray for all the business that may be going through some difficult times especially the churches Father. Please help them to grow God and for our economy to turn around. For ones that need a job to support their family God give them one and help them to look to You for the strength they need to get through any kind of financially trouble. I pray for the company my Dad works for, they are going on strike soon he has a lot to do to prepare for what is to come. Please help him to get through it all stress free. If he is stressed about something help him to be comfortable with talking to it about me. Please give me more one on one personal talks with my dad. I now pray for my dream girl, please help me to find her and help me to also be patient in the process God. God please keep me away from any kind of earthly pleasure, sexual temptation, anger, and bad language Father. Help me to exemplify You in all ways on the inside and out. God please help me to meet more people here at Biola and for me to grow also in the friendships I already have. I pray for the things that I may have forgotten about Lord please have them come to me so that I may pray for them. I pray for all of these things in Your loving name.
AMEN.

Day 13 "Bowling"

Daily Summary: This morning I woke up pretty tired and real early. I new it would kind of affect my day if I decided to go to breakfast instead of falling back asleep but I chose breakfast anyway. It was indeed delicious. Fruit, Yogurt, and a Bagel. After that I walked back to my room and layed down and watched NipTuck for a little while. I got out of bed around 9:30 and just ran around and cleaned up my tattoo bushed my teeth and what not. Then I remembered that I was supposed to go down to the field at 10:30 and help put up a batting cage net. Although I didn't feel like it I went anyway just to serve my part and what not. It turned out being a good time hanging out with the guys and talking and what not. After about an hour and a half we called it a day even though we were only about half way done but we had to be finished by tommarows practice so it wasn't really a big deal. We all went to lunch and ate together in the cafe. It was a pretty bomb lunch today they had this awesome honey mustard chiken sanwitch it was amazing. I have been trying my hardest to eat healthier and everything and I already feel more energized then I have been before so it's pretty legit I must say. After practice I got ready and headed to practice. I felt a little better today about everything and had a bunch of fun today. Although I didn't hit to well once again, I just tried to put that behind me and not let it ruin the day. It is hard for things that have always affected me in negative ways to not effect me anymore but it is part of growing up and being a better person and most of all it helps me be much more of a Godly person. It is something I have really been working on and I have figured out that it definitly isn't easy. An exaple of this happened immediatly after practice when I was walking back to my room. My buddy Hawkins called me as I was walking away and told me to go pick up the machine that was laying on the ground and put it in the cage. He didn't do it in the nicest tone and it was actually quite disrespectful. Most of me wanted to just start walking away but instead I just dropped my stuff and did what he told me. Now I may of not have gone with the most happy attitude but I still did it anyway. After that he again talked to me that way by telling me to pick up the remaining baseballs. I did this as well and the situation made me think of the verse in Matthew saying to turn the other cheek or if one asks you to walk one mile walk two instead. Anyways I was preety annoyed with him after that but I again tried my bes to not let it bother me. SO eventually I went back to my room, took a shower, then ran to stater brothers to grab some lotion for my tattoo since it kept becoming pretty dry. During that time Hawkins called me up and asked me to lift with him. I didn't really want to but God caught up with my prayers and was telling me to not miss a day. I already showered and everything but I went anyway and we didn't do to much but I still went and did some good work. We also went to dinner and ate real quick then went back shwoered again and went to the basketball game. It was a pretty good game I got to sit with Josh so that was really cool and we are going to hang out tommarow most likely and I cant wait. He really pushes me to get to know more people and take me out of my comfort zone and that is someone I relly need in my life right now and he is awesome. After the basketball game I went with a lot of the baseball guys mostly the seniors, to go bowling. It was the center fielder's birthday. Chris (Tex) turned 23 today. He is a real cool laid back guy on the team that I have learned a lot from and always has words of wisdom so it was really cool to hang out with him and all the other dudes as well. Hanging out with them I always feel like a little baby. I mean just thinking about how Tex was 4 and a half before I was even born and I am on the same baseball team as him. A couple of the guys are engaged or close to it and at my age I cant even think about that right now. Its all good though I really enjoy their company. After bowling and what not we just headed back to the school and I came in my room, got ready for bed, and then headed to bed. It was an awesome day and I hope tommarow will be just as great!

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2
Meaningless! This verse is the beginning of the this wonderful book written by Solomon. Now Solomon had absolutely everything. There wasn't a thing he couldn't get. Near the end of his life he began going over all of the things he had done and realized that most of it all was meaningless. A common belief was that good peiple prospered and the wicked suffered but that hadn't proven true in Solomon's experiences. Solomon wrote this book after he had tried everything and achieved much, only to find that nothing apart from God made him happy. He wanted his raders to avoid these same sensless pursuits. If we try to dinf meaning in out accomplishmets rather then in Go we will never be satified, and everything we pursure will be wearisome. This is all so true in life. i have been over the fact that everything apart from God is meaningless. We should eat, sleep, and walk in God's name. There is nothing we shouldn't go to Him for guidence for, for help in, or that we shouldn't thank or Praise Him for. Everything I have wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Him. It is so hard to think of all the things I have worked real hard to get and still didn't make me happy in the end. Then I look back on all the things I did for God such as this blog and think about how happy it makes me each and everytime I complete the prayer and the daily reading. It feels so good when I am done. I love every peronal moment with God. With reading and going over this verse I am going to try and make more goals for God rather then selfish pleasures. There are a few exceptions in making these type of goals. It is always great to have a list of personal goals and spiritual goals. With prayer and trust in God all things are possible. With the personal goals they should be ones that would break your faith or casue you to stumble in you relationship with God in any single way. I am currently working on this and I cant wait to reveal it for everyone to see. Well today's reading was pretty short with a short explanation but I hope all of the basics where brought up and were delt with. Focus on God's pleasures not on earthly pleasures.

Daily Prayer:
Oh God,
As I am real tired and didn't get home till real late I would like to thank You for the strength You have given me to be able to complete this blog and everything that has to do with it. I pray that You will help me take out the meaningless goals and things in my life and help me to focus on the goals that are to become closer to You and help me to become more like You Lord such as these writings. Help me to keep my mind off earthly pleasurs and sexual tempations God. Help me to not get so upset over meaningless things or for me to let things effect me in bad ways. Help me to be a good sport when I think I am not being talked to in the right way or anything. Help me also to remember to pray and to help me to pray more. Help other to be able to see Your light through me. I pray for my friend Em-head that whatever the things she is going through to just lift her up and help her to become closer to you. I pray that you will continue to help our friendship to grow. I pray that that all of the friends that I may have lost contact with back at home for me to be able to talk to them more and still be their friend as well. Help me to also make more friends around here and everything as well. Help me also through this to help me find my dream girl God. Help me also to be patient throught this. Help me to find the one! God I would like to lift up my freinds and family that whatever struggles they may be going through to lift them up in a positive way and for them to find you somehow. Help my non believer friends and family to come to me with any questions about You. Help me to shine Your light. Help me to also excell in baseball Lord as I am struggling in a few areas of the game. Help the upcoming season to aslo be blessed Lord and help us all to play to the best of our abilities and for us to remain injury free. I pray that anyone trying to find a job to be able to find one that suits them. I pray for our country also Lord as the economy is bad please help to raise back up so people can start hiring and make more money in order for their small businesses to grow. I pray for the job that I seem to have for it to work out and for all of the paper work to go well. I would like to thank You for getting rid of some of my self catiousness today when outside. Keep me from complaining Lord. Please continue to help me stay commited in working out and eating right. Please help me not to be tempted by sweets or coolkies God. I pray for all of the unspoken prayers as well Lord. Please help me or anyone out in anyway that seeks You Lord. I pray these things in Your wonderful name
AMEN