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.

The Like Complex.

Doesn't it feel good to get likes on social media? It does for me. I take a cool picture, and upload it to Instagram. I post a super funny one liner to Twitter and Facebook, and sit back to wait for the likes to swarm in.

But sometimes that doesn't happen, and when it doesn't, it kinda becomes a downer of a day.

This is what I like to call the Like Complex. When you get a bunch of likes on a certain post, you're on top of the world. Then you post another update, and it doesn't get as many likes or comments, it drags you down. Social media gives us, at one point or another, a complex. The more likes we get, the more popular we are. The less likes we get, we think that people don't care.

The fact of the matter is, that isn't true at all.

In Romans 8:5-8, it says this:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Likes are nothing but an ego-booster, and they mean absolutely nothing in the long run. If we get to absorbed in the things of this earth, we will lose out on what truly matters.

Jesus Christ.

So don't post stuff just for the sake of a pick-me-up, don't post just for the sake of attention. 

I know this is something that every one of us needs to work on. 

Even me.

Wait.

I decided to try my hand at writing poetry last night. I've been trying to figure how to pen down my feelings of depression. Songs have been written, I started on a book, but I couldn't continue it. Finally, sitting up at 12:42 last night, I opened up my notes app on my iPod, and wrote this poem.

Wait

What you see,

It's the disease.

Killing me slowly,

Draining me quietly.

It's there every hour,

Taking my power.

I wake up, and it's there.

It feels like no one cares.

It disrupts my slumber,

To tear my heart asunder.

There isn't a day that goes by,

Where I don't think about giving up to die.

It's there before I go to sleep,

Crowding out the counting sheep.

There seems to be no escape.

But wait.

What is that I see?

Light spilling in front of me?

It opens up my heart,

Breaks my blindness apart!

I can finally see,

The love meant to be,

The caring hearts around,

My heart leaps abound!

I see now why I have life,

Amidst all my pain and strife,

I'm meant to show love,

Following the One above.

It's so great to be able to open up my heart and share it with all of you. 

What do you think about it?

Caught Up in the Numbers.

Having been working at Eagle Brook Church as a student volunteer for about 6 years, sometimes it gets really easy to be caught up in the numbers.

I work in the elementary program, called Elevate, at the Lino Lakes campus. Over an average weekend, we see a few hundred kids go in and out of those doors. Every few months, we will have a what we call a "Yes Message," where we present a gospel opportunity for the kiddos, and they have the chance to accept Jesus into their heart and life. 

When those weekends roll around, it feels like just another weekend for me. I'll sit in the tech booth, running the presentation slides and lights. It feels very similar to every other service that I help run.

But then the time comes for the prayer.

The teacher says that if they want to accept Jesus into their hearts, to bow their heads and repeat after him in prayer. I lower the lights to reflect the mood.

I hear all these little voices, asking Jesus to be the leader of their life.

Then it hits me, bringing tears to my eyes.

These kids are all changing their lives forever. They are going to be joining me in heaven for all eternity! 

And I get to witness this.

It's so easy to get caught up in the numbers, but the truth is, They mean nothing.

Every single decision made that day is incredible. 

This realization brings me so much joy.

I Want to Love Like That.

Recently, the song "Without You" by For King and Country has been on repeat for me. In the song, the singer is telling about a time shortly after he was married. He became very ill, and the doctors weren't sure if he would survive it. He expresses the feeling of sadness in that time. In the Chorus his wife sings, "I'm not ready to live without you."

Wow.

In this world of constant hookups, breakups, and divorces, it's so hard to find someone that shows that kind of love. In Hebrews 13:4-5, it says this:

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."


This is what love should be. Not a one-night stand, not married few years, and then calling it quits. I want to find someone who honors God, and stands by the true definition of marriage. I want to find someone who I can't live without.

I want someone who can't live without me.

Someone who rings true with "until death do us part."

Who is that someone for you?

The song:

Here's My Heart.

Sometimes, I just feel like I need to speak my heart out. Whether it's on a social issue of today, or a captivating piece of Scripture, or even just a personal experience, I want to get it off my chest. This is where I'll do that. I'll often post pictures with my posts, as photography is a hobby of mine.

Welcome to my heart.