We Need Each Other

     Howdy ya’ll. As you can tell, I’ve brought my blog back! The reason for this is simple: all the great stuff I feel I’m learning/ being reminded of in my Relationships class. It’s been a fantastic class so far, and I already feel like I’ve gotten a ton out of it. I am blogging on it, as it helps me get these thoughts out there. So, without further delay, here we go.

       Awhile ago, I wrote on the importance of discovering who you are, and your identity in Christ. This is an identity apart from other people, relationships, etc. It is absolutely vital to discover who you are as a human being, and who God has called you to be. Otherwise, as the wonderful book I’m reading right now says, “if you try find intimacy with another person before achieving a sense of identity on your own, all your relationships become an attempt to complete yourself” . Personally, I love this statement, and reallllllly wish I would have known it years ago. While it is important to have a sense of who we are, this does not mean that we can live the life of a loner apart from others. Forming deep relationships with other human beings is something that we all need.

      Now, the most important relationship we have in our lives is our relationship with our Heavenly Father. This is the basis of all relationships, and it’s importance cannot be overstated. However, that is another blog for another day. Today I’m blogging about the importance of relationships with other human beings. Ya know, the kind that we feel all kinds of different emotions about. They are confusing, but we desperately need them. As God so desired to be in a relationship with us, we desire to be in relationship with others. Since we are created in His image, we also want the same things as him.  This is why we need to be around others and have friendships/ relationships with them. 

       As a kid growing up, I was a bit of a loner myself. I wanted to be exactly like my hero Wolverine from the X-Men (And honestly, what kid wouldn’t want to be him?). He lived by his rules and his way, and didn’t let anyone get close to him. I tried this for awhile, and let me tell you, it really stinks. This is because we are designed to form  attachments with other people, and anything else is not natural. This is why often times, even though we are in a crowded place, we still feel alone because we have no deep bonds with any of these people.

We are designed to want to be around and need other human beings. This is the way God made us, no bones about it.  This also includes the need for a deep, romantic relationship between a man and a woman. Let me point this out(assist to prof Talley on this one). When God first created Adam way back in Genesis, all was good. Sin had not yet entered the world, so Adam was still in perfect communion  with God. This is the kind of relationship with we can only dream about! But even though Adam had a perfect relationship with the Lord, Adam still felt lonely. Recognizing this, God said “it is not good for man to be alone” and gave him Eve. Despite a perfect relationship with God, Adam was still in need of love from Eve. This still rings true today.

Last year, I managed to overhear a conversation between two women. What got me is when one of them stated “I don’t ever need to find a man, Jesus is the only man for my heart.” As I had to exercise every ounce of self restraint I had, I saw where she was coming from. I admire that kind of dedication to serving and loving our Lord, I really  do. But as pointed out earlier, we need these types of romantic relationships.

To try to sum it all nicely, we as people simply need relationships. Now, there are some things that no human relationship can do, but hey, that’s for the next blog. Even though these relationships often confuse and exhaust us, they are something that we desire, as God desires a relationship with us. So the next time you lay awake at night wondering about your love life and when/if you’ll meet Mr./Mrs. Right(I’m not the only one who does this, right?), don’t beat youself up about it. This is simply our design created by our Wonderful Maker.

Wow, that WAS fun! Hope ya’ll enjoyed this little schpeel. In honor of this blog, here’s a great song by Sanctus Real that really sums it up well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPm1sk-utjQ

Shalom!

My personal testimony in Christ

This is the most personal thing i've ever written. WIthout further adieu, here is my personal testimony of how I came to Christ.

My personal testimony of how I came to know Christ was very dramatic. I came to know Christ at the age of 15, relatively late compared to most people I know The path that God placed me on to Christ was full of hardship and pain. But knowing what I have in Christ, I would go through it all over again.

My life before I knew Christ was full of ups and downs. My parents were divorced since I was 5, but they both treated me with nothing but love. However, when I went to school, it was a completely different story. I was often picked on by other kids because of my height and weight. I was always teased as the “fat kid” by everyone else. I also was very shy, meaning that I didn’t have very many friends when I was young. Even though they were divorced, both my parents went to Advent Lutheran Church in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Naturally, they pushed me through Sunday school. Honestly, I only went because my parents made me. But I did enjoy it somewhat , and I always thought God seemed like a nice guy. This continued until I was 13.
The events that led to my conversion to Christ were extremely dark times. When I was 13, I met some friends named Zack and Chad. I was so happy I finally had some good friends. All was good for about a year, and then things went bad quickly. In 8^th grade, Zack decided to start treating me very badly. He started telling me how stupid I was, and got other people to join in too. As a frail teenage boy, this hurt me extremely deeply. I became extremely depressed, and stopped trying in school. I also turned to pornography to try to feel better. After going through this for about two months, I decided one night I wanted to commit suicide. Chad, the one friend I still had, talked me out of this. In my sickness, I decided that Zack had caused all this pain, and killing him was the only way it would end. Over the next few months, I thought of ways to do it. One Monday afternoon, I decided that I would do it that Saturday night after I got back from a church retreat. Looking back, it is obvious how depressed and messed up I was.

That Friday, I made plans to hang out with Zack at my house that Saturday night. While he was sleeping, I planned on killing him, and then immediately killing myself. However, I had an overnight church retreat. It was fairly typical, and I still can’t remember what it was about. At the end, our church’s youth pastor J.C., decided to play some worship. And when he did, he played a song called “Lord, Reign in Me.” In the song, the singer asks God to take control of them in their darkest hour, and to reign over their lives. I was completely paralyzed by the Holy Spirit during the song. And at that moment, I realized just how sick I was and how desperately I need a savior. I then ran into the Church’s bathroom and started crying my eyes out. I then asked God to take control of my life, because I obviously couldn’t do things right myself. I ended up going home and sleeping that night. I had asked God to take control of my life. On Saturday, February 21, 2004, I began my journey towards Christ.

Over the next year, I started reading my Bible more and more, trying to learn as much about God and Jesus as possible. I also began hanging out with one of Chad’s friends named Jared Sells, who led him to Christ in April 2005. In June of the same year, I went on a mission trip with church to Wisconsin, and learned many things about Christ I was ecstatic about. When I got back, I called Jared, who had become my best friend. He said gleefully “Ryan, I have something I want to show you.” I came over to his house one night a few weeks later. I was greeted by Jared, and Jared’s father Jon. The three of them then presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ to me. When they asked me if I wanted to make Christ my lord and savior, I emphatically said yes. God had laid all the groundwork and readied my heart to accept his son. I then accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and asked him into my life. On July 7, 2005, I accepted Christ into my life and never looked back.

Since then, Christ changed my life in more ways than I can even begin to talk about. Me, along with Chad and Jared, still have a weekly Bible study together to this day. My road to Christ was tough, but has given me a powerful story to tell. And I pray that God uses me and my story to reach those who are still hurting and in desperate need of a savior.

MY GOD IS MIGHT TO SAVE, NEVER DOUBT THAT!!!!

Driving slow on a Sunday morning.

Hello world, and welcome back to my awesome blog! This is my second stab at this blog, as I didn't like how it turned out the first time here we go!

As most of you know, i'm quite the happy go lucky fella! Heck, a girl in 6th grade hit me because she said I smiled too much! It's just who I am, and i've always been this way! This blog is called supposed to be about what goes on inside my head, so here we go!


If you've ever wondered what the insead of my head sounds like, here's the closest thing I can find. It's a wonderful song by Maroon 5 called "Sunday Morning"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG_REU30sxM

While I do enjoy the lyrics in this song, it is the instrumentals here that really catch me. Just really upbeat, jazzy elements with some sweet piano! While in the lyrics, he is mainly talking about a woman, he also seems to be talking about enjoying life!

"Driving slow on a Sunday morning
and I never wanna leave."

This paints a great picture for me. One of my happiest times is on my way to church on a Sunday morning. I just seem to forget about everything else I have going on and just focusing on what God is going to teach me. It is one of the most wonderful feelings out there! During this time, I just slow down and know that God is going to take care of everything.

And this is why i'm so happy all time. Because I feel like this all the time!

I don't stress out much, I just don't. I guess you could say i'm a "stop and smell the roses" kinda guy. I just always take it slow and don't let myself worry too much about anything. This makes my life so much easier it's rediculous. Of course, praying that God helps me stay relaxed is another big reason why I don't get too stressed.  I also find enjoyment out of the little things in life, like bearing a favorite song or having a lunch with a friend. I just drift through life, never trying to go to fast. It makes things so much better!

Secondly, I trust that God is going to do what is best for me so I can glorify him. Just knowing that the creator of the Universe has a plan for me and my life is so comforting! It may seem simple, but it makes a huge difference.

And this is why i'm so dang happy, becauss I relax and enjoy the simple things in life, and trust that God is going to do the best thing possible for me. Anywhoo, there's a brief glimpse inside my head. Hope I made sense somewhere!

Here are some ramdom blurbs!:

I'm throwing a party at my house at 4 on Saturday, you should all come!

I'm going to Spring Banquet this year! I'm going with my great friend Kaylynn. I haven't seen her in forever, and i'm stoked to hang out with her!

I have another sighting of my White Whale. I will capture the whale yet!!!!

Shalom!

The greatest game ever played!

Howdy all! I don't usually blog about sports, but here is something that I just have to write about. About the greatest sporting event i've ever seen, and why I love them so dang much

I grew up with sports all around me. I played many sports when I was younger, I just couldn't get enough. Especially on my dad's side of the family, sports talk constantly dominated our conversations. And their was no team they loved more than the New York Yankees. My great-great uncle Waite(grandpa's uncle) played for them in the 1920's. He even stared some World Series games for them as a pitcher, and of course he won. My grandpa, one of my personal hero's, played for them as well. Hate me if you will, but I love the Yankees and no amount of crap given to me will ever change that. To me, the Yankees aren't just my favorite baseball team, they are the greatest sports franchise ever.

So you can imagine I was beyond ecstatic when I finally got to go to Yankee Stadium in New York last summer. When I first saw it in person, I couldn't believe it. It was incredible. Me and Jared saw the Yankees play his favorite team, DA TWINS! And I won't go into details of this game, but the Twins won it. Yes Twins fans, I saw Jason Kubel hit that grand slam of Marianao Rivera in person. Jared was happy, but I wasn't. Luckily, we had tickets to see the Yankees play my most hated team and rival, the Boston Red Sox the next night. I couldn't wait.

The game ended up being so much more than I even could have dreamed.

It was Monday night, May 17 2010. We sat in section 432, right above left center field. The Yankees starting pitcher was first year starting phenom Phil Hughes, while veteran Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Red Sox. The Yankees got off to a quick start, and were up 6-1 after 2 innings. I said to Jared "Well, I wanted a close game, but at least we get to see a Yankee win." This would come back to bite me, as the Red Sox battled back, eventually taking the lead 9-7 in the 8 inning after several home runs. The dream had now become a nightmare. However, there was still 1 inning left.

Over the course of the game, I got to talk with the guy sitting below us. He was a Red Sox fan, but a pretty nice guy overall. He was completely drunk,  but a fun guy to talk to. We talked for hours, and we had just met. All we could talk about is why we hated the other team, and the Vikings-49ers football game from 9 months earlier(he was a Niners fan). Sports allowed us to talk like we had known each other for years. As he left the game in the 8th, he looked at me and said "Ya know, you're kinda shady, but I like ya!" I still can't figure out why he thought I was shady!

Cue the 9th inning. The Yankees relief pitching got the job done in the top of the inning, retiring all 3 Boston hitters. Finally, the bottom of the 9th inning had come. This was the moment of truth for the Yankees. Brett Gardner quickly doubled for the Yankees off Jonathan Paplebon., Boston's closer. I won't go into why I dislike Paplebon,  but he's a dirty player to say the least. Up next for the Yankees was the man who's jersey I had bought the day before, the enigmatic Alex Rodriguez, more simply known as A-Rod. I truly thought if anyone could be a late game hero for the Yanks, it was him.

Turns out I was right.

On the very first pitch, A-Rod hit the pitch into center field for the tying home run. I lost my voice I screamed so loud. Everyone high fived each other, it was awesome! However, the game was still tied. We could feel it in the air though, we knew a Yankee win was coming. Up next for the Yankees was Francisco Cervelli, who was hit by a pitch from Paplebon(dirty player indeed) and advanced to 1st base. Up next was Marcus Thames, a backup player the Yankees acquired a month earlier. I barely knew anything about him, and wasn't sure how good he was. And as soon as Papelbon threw the 1st pitch, this happened.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8095031

As soon as he hit the ball, I felt my heart stop for a second. The ball dropped into the stands two levels below us. Marcus Thames had hit a walk-home run to give the Yankees the 11-9 victory. It was like a movie scene. Everyone high fived and hugged each other afterwards. We stuck around the Stadium for an extra 15 minutes just talking with everyone about the game. We were all like one big happy family. On the way out of the game, there were 2 random girls high fiving anyone who walked by, refusing to leave until everyone had left. That's dedication!

Afterwards, we went to Mcdonald's in the Bronx, which was just down the street. Of course, all the other Yankee fans went their too. We couldn't stop talking about the game. And I was amazed. This one game made hundreds of people feel like a family that had known each other forever. It was wonderful.

And thats why I love sports. It is something that can bring just about anyone together. They are just a game, but they can accomplish so much more by the people they bring together. Whether it's talking about the Yankee game we just saw, or getting together to watch the Superbowl, sports bring people together.

That game was something I will tell my kids about. It was the most amazing sports event i've ever seen. And of course, i'll tell them about all the cool people I met at the game.

It truly is a moment I will never forget!

Sorry for going on for so long, I just love telling this story! Time to go back to watching the Yankees/ Red Sox game on T.V. right now!

Have a fantastic weakend everyone!

And of course, Shalom!

I'm back in the saddle again!

Howdy once again to the 5 of you who are reading this right now! I am bringing back my blog, and hopefully for good this time! I have many things I would love to go super in depth on! However, those are for another day and another time :I'm just going to give a little tease of what's going on in my life, and inside that strange place they call my mind! Here's a quick rundown of what i've been up to since my last blog!

First, and most importantly, I wanna say just how wonderful my God is! He has taught me so many amazing lessons in the last few months. He continues to truly amaze me every single day. He is so good to us, far more than any of can ever begin to comprehend! Many of my cominng blogs will be about all wonderful things God has done in my life and the many lesson's He has taught me.

Secondly, I've come to really enjoy my job working at Cafe Naz. People think i'm crazy when I tell them that, but it's true! I love getting to chat with and interact with all the people who come in. The chef's and bosses are all great, and are so understanding.  And most of all, I absolutely love the the people that I work with, they are absolutely AWESOME! If any of you are reading this(longshot, I know), you guys rock! There is never a dull moment there. It makes cleaning, carrying heavy things, and cleaning hot boxes much easier to deal with.

Thirdly, this is someone no one knows yet(exclusive, awesome!). As some of you know, song writing is something I quite enjoy. Well, i'm taking it to the next level! I'm going to by an acoustic guitar and begin adding music to them soon! I would love to collaborate with my best friend Jared Sells on this, because he is a musical genius! We wrote a song at Sonshine Festival last year about swing dancing(which I freaking miss BTW, I haven't gone in forever!) called "It's Alright" which turned out to be really good!

Finally, school has kept me decently busy. Not as busy as I have been, but enough to do. I'm loving my Biblical Worldview: Personal Responsibility class right now. God has taught me so many things through it. More on that later!

Oh, and I just discovered a new band the otherday. They're called Trading Yesterday, and I quite enjoy them. They're very similar to Dashboard Confessional, another personal favorite of mine. Here's a song by them that really spoke to me. Seriously, I loved this. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMEjLJ4akw&feature=related

Well folks, that is all I have for tonight. I'm tired, and have class in 9 hours, so it's off to dreamland for this guy. Goodnight, and Shalom!

Get over them already!(or on second thought, maybe not)

Hi everyone, it's definitely been awhile! I've been swamped the last few weeks, but now I finally have some time. Enjoy!

Heartbreak is something in life that happens to just about everyone. There's always that other person who just doesn't feel the same way.  Or maybe it's your significant other that breaks up with you for what ever reason. Even breaking up with someone isn't easy. What ever it is, it's not something that's fun to deal with. However, it's usually the getting over someone part of everything that just plain sucks. And that's what i'm writing about today. As someone who knows this feeling all too well, I hope I can help someone out.

Coldplay put it best in "The Scientist"

Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start

When heartbreak happens, our first instinct tends to be to try to move on as quickly as we can. People often do this in a number of ways. We try to find another man/woman and throw ourselves at them as fast as possible. We try to tell ourselves the person we're trying to get over never meant anything to us in the first place. We look at all there flaws. We try to convince ourselves how much better our lives are without them. And of course, we try to convince ourselves out of nowhere that we are over them.

While there is always an exception or two, doing those things I listed above don't work in the long run at all. Now granted, they may be a temporary fix. But they never last. These things usually fade, and your stuck in the same boat as before. So now what?

You need to let yourself be not over them for awhile

Yes, you read that right. I"m not saying try to go after this person again/ get them back. I'm saying just accept the fact that your a bit heartbroken, not over someone, and that it's going to take a while. These kind of things take some time.

Trust me on this one.

I tried to get over the same girl for years. I tried everything I mentioned above. But that's the problem, I was trying. Over the course of the summer this year, I stopped trying and just let it happen. And i'll be darned, it worked. I can honestly say that i'm over that person, and it was by God's doing and timing, not mine, that it was able to happen. Just stop trying , let the Big Guy upstairs do his thing, and all will work itself out.

Hope you enjoyed! Here's a few quick blurbs:

Go watch 500 Days of Summer if you haven't seen it. It goes along perfectly with what I just wrote. You will enjoy the movie, guarenteed.

As I wrote this, I decided to listen to a new band! Kim recommended that I listen to Mumford and Sons, and I must say I quite enjoyed what I heard of them! I really liked "Winter Winds" especially. I need to check out more of them.

Props to Joey Himmelberg for letting me tag along to the VIkes game on sunday, It was a blast!

Romans 12 is awsome, so much wisdom. Read it if you get the chance, you won't regret it!

Oh, and i'm throwing a Halloween party at my house in 2 weeks, and you should all come. It wil be LEGENDARY!

TTFN, ta ta for now!

The Ghost of Midnight

Here is a poem I wrote about 6 months ago. I was just re reading it, and thought I would post it again. Let me know what you think, as alot of this poem can be left up to interpretation.


It’s just another late night,
as I walk through the streets
of a sprawling metropolis.

But then, something catches my eye,
it seemed like an apparition,
perhaps a ghost?
But I know what I saw,
it has to be real!
I will chase it, no matter the cost!

So I ran after it at full speed.
I have to see it, I just have to!
I searched all over the town,
but I have found nothing.
Perhaps my eyes deceived me,
maybe I should stop this pursuit.?

But suddenly, I was blinded
by a radiant white light.
That had to be it,
I knew it was real!
So I ran off again,
stopping for nothing.

Yet, I still cannot find it.
It is as if this ghost
was just out of my reach
Alas, I grow tired of this.
Perhaps my brain deceived me?
I know I cannot keep this up.

But then, a lamp flickered,
this had to be the ghost’s doing.
Perhaps this light had represented
my hope of finding this ghost?
I continued my pursuit,
even as I grew weary.

I ran after the captivating ghost,
more swiftly than ever before
This ghost had to be true,
this time, it would be mine!
I believe that something like this,
just has to be real,
Or does it?
Maybe this ghost is just
a figment of my imagination,
born of inner feelings.
Perhaps it has been my heart
that has deceived me all along?

I cannot continue this.
My heart and my soul
cannot withstand this any more.
I must stop now,
rest is very needed.
My whole being is exhausted.

It seems like in this time
I’ve spent chasing this ghost,
three years has past.
I have spent so much time
chasing down this ever elusive
Ghost of Midnight.

I know I will never find this ghost
Because deep down, I know the truth:
There was never any ghost at all.