Shut the Book of the Face.

Recently, I did what almost every teenager would absolutely dread.

I deleted the Facebook app off of my phone. Horrifying right? How am I ever going to be able to keep up with my friends and their photos of puppies and politcal views?

My reasoning is exactly that. I don't want to be consumed by the everyday updates of acquaintances that I haven't talked to in 3 years. I don't want to be scrolling through my feed in the morning sitting in bed, getting increasingly angry at how people act on social media. I don't want to be barraged by political viewpoints that are presented with no respect for mine. I found out that I was getting more stressed out by things people say than I was about events in my personal life.

Another reason is that it develops narcissism. "How?" you may ask. Well I will give you an example.

One day, you are walking around the town, and you suddenly have a brilliant idea for a great joke or a fabulous pun. You immediately pull up your smartphone (let's be honest, who doesn't have one?) and open up Facebook. After a few minutes agonizing over how to present the joke to optimize the most humor, you post that status. a few minutes later, your phone buzzes. Your friend comments "Lol that is hilarious!!!" And you feel great. 15 minutes later you look at the post again. It's up to 17 likes and 3 more comments. You feel great. You've put a smile on 17 people's faces. What's the problem with this?

You start to get absorbed by this phenomenon. This post makes you feel powerful. The next day, you go to post another genius joke. You sit back and wait for the likes to roll in. 15 minutes later, it's still at 1 like. 2 hours later, it has reached 5 likes. It starts to have a bit of an effect on your self esteem, sometimes to the point of doubting self worth. I've also found that selfies are often an unconscious need for self approval. The more response on the social media, the more favorable oneself's view of themself is.

I know that is a very basic/drastic example, but I know it's a real issue. I've experienced it myself from time to time. It's a real issue in our culture today. Many people look for self reassurance through social media. I can tell you one thing,

They aren't going to find fulfillment there.

One last reason that I deleted Facebook off of my phone, was because it takes up far too much of my time. I was reading online that people spend an average of (at least) three hours a day on social media.

3 hours.

Let's do the math. that's 21 hours a week. 84 hours a month. 1,008 hours a year. 42 days.

We lose 42 DAYS to social media a year. That's 42 days of watching cat videos. Arguing about political views that only leaves people angry. I don't know about you, but I don't want to lose 42 days every year to any of that.

I'd rather spend that time being with my girlfriend, Taking pictures. Maybe having a discussion with a friend in person. I'd much rather do that than be looking at a screen.

Nothing permanent will ever become of a scroll down your Facebook feed.

When I deleted it off of my phone, I admit, I was a bit bored and antsy at first.I had nothing to do. but it grew easier every day. I started to become less stressed, less angry, and more observant of the world around me. It was the first step to eliminating my smartphone addiction.

Will you join me in shutting the Book of the Face? I highly recommend it.

The Power of a Smile.

I just recently started working at a grocery store on the cleanup team. When I was applying for the position, I thought to myself, this should be really easy. all I need to do is just cleanup spills, and occasionally mop. I've done it all before.

Boy was I wrong.

My first day on the job was honestly miserable. I went through computer trainings, and spent a hour and a half pushing carts in. I felt so exhausted, grumpy, and ready to sleep. The next day didn't go much better. The carts were hard to maneuver, my hands were in pain, and I was all-out miserable. I worked hard for 5 hours, pushing in carts and cleaning the crap out of them, the whole time wanting to go home. I was thinking to myself, what have I gotten myself into? I was dreading the next time I had to come back in.

But then it started to change.

I had the realization that I am sometimes the very first person that people see as they come in, and also sometimes the very last. but most important of all, I learned the power of a smile.

As I came into work that next day, I made a point to smile at every person I encountered, and if I could, say a warm hello or goodbye. The environment changed so fast. I began to feel the happiness rise in me as I saw them smile and say hello back to me. This happiness started to beat out the feelings of grumpiness and pain that I was originally feeling. I started to enjoy my job, even if it is just pushing carts.

If you really dislike your job, and want nothing but to quit it, one of the easiest things you can do is smile. True, it may be hard sometimes, but the reward makes up for it.

Something’s Missing.

I recently started reading the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan, and it rang true with me right from the introduction. The book is about how we as an American culture, seem to have "forgotten" God. Not necessarily God, or Jesus, but in the aspect of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the driving force behind the Apostles, the One who lit a fire for spreading the Word of God to all cultures. Have we, as a modern American culture, forgotten the Holy Spirit?

I've noticed that something's been missing in the church for a long time. I attend the worship sessions, services, and volunteer in the elementary program. Yet, I feel like there's an element that's missing. I went on my first mission trip with the high school youth group to New Orleans in 2013, and there I did a lot of things that I never thought I would do. I walked the pier, talking to the people that were out on it that hot night and giving them refreshing water. I helped run a vacation Bible school for children to learn more about Jesus. I experienced one of the most powerful worship experiences of my life, with a room of 80 high school students and adults singing at the top of their lungs to God, crying out to Him. I had never felt such a fire before burn in me. We came back from the trip, and the same old day-to-day life resumed. I went on church retreats, and regularly attended Wednesday youth group, but I never felt as close to God or as passionate to serve him as I did on the mission trip. I've been feeling that the worship sessions on a weekly basis aren't as heartfelt or genuine as they could or should be. It feels more like "let's pick 2-4 songs, and play them well," not "let's help these students grow closer to God and have an incredible worshipful experience."

The Christian music industry has been missing something as well. Musicians are focusing more on hitting it big, rather than truly worshipping Christ with their music. I know only God knows their hearts truly, but their passion for Him doesn't seem to shine through their music. In my own opinion, there are only a few popular artists that have truly devoted their hearts to God, instead of caring how many fans they get or how many people buy their music. I've been to many Christian music festivals in my youth, and the older I get, the more I realize how little the mindset is focused on worshipping God instead of rocking out. Some artists, such as Tenth Avenue North, I believe are incredible examples of how other musicians should act while in the spotlight. Mike Donehey, TAN's lead singer, is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. Whenever he performs, he brings jokes and great vocals, but he also brings an incredible passion for God. You can feel it through the songs he sings, such as the song Worn:

Let me see redemption win,
Let me know the struggle ends,
that you can mend a heart,
that's frail and torn.
I wanna know a song can rise,
from the ashes of a broken life,
and all that's dead inside can be reborn.
Cause I'm worn.

I admit it, I am nowhere near as good at reading the Bible as I should be. I usually serve all of the services on the weekend for church, and I concentrate more on the guitar playing and how well I can sing during worship than worshipping God. Though I may not be the best person to talk about this subject, it's been on my mind for a while and I feel like it's something that needs to be said. I believe we need to focus more on how to grow closer with God, giving him everything of ourselves, than of all the worldly things around us. We need to tap into the fire that God gave us, and use it to reach others and help them grow in their faith as well.

You'll Never Know Until You Try.

"You cannot be anything you want to be, but you can be a whole lot more of who you were made to be."

This is an incredible quote. When we were younger, I'm sure we all had someone tell us that we can be anything that we wanted to be. That statement is false. If I can play the guitar very well, but my singing voice is terrible and off-key, I can't be a lead singer of a band no matter how much I want to. I may, however, get the chance to play in a band as a guitarist, because God has gifted me with the talent of playing the guitar very well. What this quote tells us, is that we have to take into consideration who we are. Our talents, our gifts, our personality, everything. We need to realize what God has given us, and use that information to figure out a career that will fit our skill-set. God has given each of us unique qualities and gifts, and He wants us to use those to glorify Him and help out the people around us. We can only be who we were made to be. Many of us haven't figured out all of our abilities and talents, so we think our options are limited. To get around this, we can pray to God, ask him to show us who we were made to be. We can also try new things, test the waters. Don't be afraid to do something because you haven't tried it or you don't think you can do it. You'll never know until you try.

#ThankGodChallenge. Are you up to it?

In our world today, it's so hard to see some of the blessings that God has given us.

We take so much for granted. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the friends we hang around. We see and do so much on a daily basis, and we don't make time for God. I know that's the case for me.

That's why I've started the #ThankGodChallenge. Everyday for 100 days, you post a picture of something or someone you are thankful to God for, and #ThankGodChallenge. From the little things like a cup of coffee in the morning, to the big things, such as a career that God has blessed you with. This challenge allows you to open your eyes to see the things God has given you, and it allows you to set at least 5 minutes out of your busy day to thank Him and talk to him. 

I've started this challenge, and already I've noticed a change in my day. I'm more content with my surroundings, more happy, and more motivated to take the day on.

Are you up to the Challenge?

Are You an Island?

That may seem like a really simple but weird question. Are you an island? You might say, "Of course I'm not an Island! I'm a human!" But that's not what I'm asking.

Do you take your sadness, weakness, anger, and keep that locked away inside? Do you put on a shell, and pretend everything's alright?

What if I told you, you don't need to put that shell up anymore?

When God created us in his image, he made us to be in relationships with others, not hiding away and pretending our troubles don't exist.

I've been listening to the song "No Man Is An Island" by Tenth Avenue North, and it says those exact things.

No man is an island, we can be found,

No man is an island, let your guard down!

You don't have to fight me, I am for you!

We're not meant to live this life alone.

 I take this in two meanings. It's a friend, asking to be let in and help with your struggle, and it's God asking to do the same. 

So don't be an island. Let God in. Let friends in. 

Be at peace.

The song-

I Don't Want To Be Famous.

I don't want to be famous.

Fame is the main goal of our generation today. We aspire to be the next great rock band, or try to be the best at video games, or even attempt to be the next best actor out there. This is why you see so many videos of people on YouTube trying to reach the world with their talents.

In the case of music, it has become increasingly easier for people to record music with the use of programs such as GarageBand. It's also easier to market your music, with the tools on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. People can post their music on Noistrade for free download, and they post covers of popular songs on YouTube. All of this sounds like a great thing, right?

Wrong.

Often times, this leads to people doing all of this for the wrong reasons. They post a bunch of absolute junk all over the internet, in an attempt to be discovered and become famous. When they do this, it makes it increasingly difficult for actual talent to be discovered.

For this reason, it's discouraging for some of us musicians. We feel like we will never be able to show our music to the world. We give up, and move on.

Don't get me wrong, there are talented musicians out there. Not all of the videos posted on YouTube are junk. It's just so hard to be discovered for your talents anymore.

And what happens when you are famous?

Say goodbye to privacy of any kind.

I was on Facebook this morning, and I saw that pictures were "leaked"of Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher's baby from their Christmas card. The article made it sound like we deserve to see their baby. What if that was personal and they wanted to keep the baby out of the public life?

Other famous people post on a social media account, and the comments are 45% genuine comments about the post, the other 55% are people begging for attention or criticizing the person. Some people waste their days away trying to get noticed by celebrities, when it doesn't even matter at all. If they do indeed reply to your tweet, or follow you, then what? It's not like they will remember you forever after that. It's all a waste of time.

Another reason I don't want to be famous, is some of the people out there. Out of almost all the famous people I see, most are terrible role models. I don't want to be lumped with those people, and expected to act like them. I have morals that I stand by, and I won't give those up just to be in the limelight.

I'm a musician. I enjoy playing the guitar, singing, and writing songs. I don't want to be famous. I'm perfectly content with making music for people who want to hear it. I couldn't care less if I never make a Top 40 in my life. What matters most to me is I'm making music that people enjoy.

I don't want to be famous.