How is Your Story?

"You get a feeling when you look back on your life that that's all God really wants from us, to live inside a body he made and enjoy the story and bond with us through the experience." P. 6 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years Donald Miller
       I have been reading this book for the past few days.  I am only 46% through it (Thank you Kindle for allowing me that information).  But so far Miller has really been connecting a lot of dots for me.  Essentially the book is about living a better story for God.  He uses the analogy that we are characters and God is our author (not much of an analogy as it is the truth).  But, if this is the case, how do you think our Author is reacting to the decisions we are making in his story?
     I love to write.  I do it all the time.  Miller uses his experience with writing a screenplay and books to help illustrate his points and this I am able to connect to.  He made a point that when you are writing a story often times the character in your story hijacks it from you.  I may be the one typing out the story and I have my ideas as to how it will end but my characters steal it from me and do what they want.  It really does happen, you may think I am nuts but write a story and you will understand.  You will also understand the frustration this causes.
    So, if god is our author and he has our stories in mind, he knows where he wants them to go.  But we continue to hijack it and do what we want, take the stories a different direction.  Imagine how this makes Him feel?  I picture him with a mug of coffee, frizzled hair and a Mac Book in front of him.  He has not slept in a while because he is frantically trying to fix our story, to make it a good one.
   Let's allow him to author our stories.  Follow his guidance and become great, complex, but solid characters.  As Donald Miller says, we need to know who our writer is.  
     So friends, how are you living your story?  Are you hijacking it or are you living it?  I often hijack mine and then question the Author later.  Lets us embrace our stories, embrace the plot, and live the story out.
With Love Y'all.
Opher

Hamilton

Well, I am back in Toledo after a few days in good old Hamilton.  It was very nice to be home for a few with my family and to see some good friends.  You know, I always hear people from Hamilton rip on the place.  They are always complaining about how crappy it is but they are also the ones who never leave.  I have been out of Hamilton for five years and I miss it dearly.  I am not sure if I would want to live there permanently after school but I do love the city and wish to see it and the residents doing well.
      While I was there I went twice and checked out Tru West Coffee, a new coffee slash cafe type place that my old Young Life leaders opened.  And it was great.  The atmosphere was great.  Both times I went I saw people I knew and realized that this place is legit, it was always busy.  I never thought that a place like that would fit the people of Hamilton but oh, it does.  I was sad that I kept missing the Cannon's, the owners, by a matter of minutes.
     I had a discussion with a great friend of mine while we were sitting at a table there.  We discussed how the Cannon's do so much for our great city.  They have been leading YL there for a while, not sure how long but before I was in HS at least.  They not only lead in Hamilton as volunteers while having 2 kids and one on the way, but they moved their lives into the city.  They live their ministry each and every day.  Seeing the success of Tru West shows how much the community appreciates them.  The thousands of kids they have helped to reach along with other Hamilton YL leaders.  It is very comforting knowing that the city in which I love has at least one family that is fully committed to seeing it shine and seeing it have a Christ presence.
So, get yo butt over to Tru West and enjoy the service and atmosphere, and of course the menu.

McDonald's

Tonight I attended Soma, it's the Young Adult Ministry of North Point Church.  It was only like the third one I was able to make since it began in August due to other commitments.  But tonight was a great night to go.  In fact, every Soma is a great one to attend.  I try to listen to all the sermons online.  Sammy, the Pastor for this ministry and the other Pastors at North Point have an incredible vision for the city of Toledo and the young adult community.  Their passion is very evident by the way they live their lives.
   But tonight Sammy spoke about how we need to find our "McDonalds".  Meaning, we need to discover in what aspects of our lives RIGHT NOW we could be serving God more.  We all have goals and places in life we want to go but RIGHT NOW God has us where we are for a reason and we need to bring glory to him for that.  We need to go out to our "McDonald's" and serve our friends, family, co-workers, strangers, who ever we come across.  The Lord most certainly spoke through Sammy tonight and he was indeed a great vessel for the message.  Friends, I would encourage you to listen to this message (thesomacommunity.com)  And think about what your McDonald's is.
     I know what mine is and I know I need to be a better server in those areas.  I know that I often times look ahead in life and forget about what I am doing in the here and now.  But think about it this way, Jesus knew the vision his father had given him, he knew he was the Son of God but yet he did not start his ministry until he was 30.  What was he doing those first 30 years?  He was working at his McDonald's.
Love y'all
Opher

Take Solace

I take solace in knowing that the Lord always has my back.  No matter what I do or how hard I try to run from him, he seeks me.  Over and over again He provides for me when I thought all was hopeless.  In the arms of Christ nothing is hopeless and I encourage myself and my friends to embrace him, he will not let you out of that hug.  He is our shepherd and we his sheep, he will always watch over his flock.
With love
Oph

Update on Capernaum

A little bit a faith goes a long way.  I always am told that but cannot honestly say I always believe it.  But the past 5 years of my life I have wanted to get involved with Young Life Capernaum, which is a ministry for kids with special needs.  I have prayed a lot of prayers and talked to a lot of people.  I went to Virginia and New York to learn more about it and to better get a grasp on how to start it up.  After all the prayer and work and patience (or lack there of) I was able to go on two camp trips with others areas this summer and learn even more.  But I have always had a calling and a vision to see this ministry in Toledo.  And God has continued to give me that vision.  He has placed a few people in my life around me and they have been huge help and see the same vision I do. Things are happening because of the Lord and i am very excited for the next few months.  Please be praying for the Capernaum ministry in Toledo and that kids with disabilities and their families can come and feel welcomed and loved. 
Keep the faith and the Lord does work!

Identity and Envy

Identity.  I have been thinking a lot about my identity lately.  And then Envy.  Pastor Pat gave a great message on Envy today at church.  And I thought he was talking directly to me.  And I immediately made the connection to my struggles with identity to my struggle with Envy.
Identity.  I have sought out many in my life.  You know: weird kid at school, sweet soccer player (that didnt work out), sweet YL leader (again, that did not really work out.), and more recently, a good/cool teacher.  These identities are what I wanted badly but yet have never quite been able to grasp them.  Well, I did grasp the weird kid one pretty well.  Soccer, I made it my life and that back fired.  YL, I love leading and trust that through Christ I have done a good job but I was not the all star leader I wanted to be.  And teaching, well that is yet to be determined. 
But today I realized that I wanted those things because i envied others.  I wanted what my friends had, what other YL leaders had, who other teachers are.  And when we are always envious towards others we will never be content in who Christ made us.  As Pastor Pat said, envy will always keep us from Christ.  We need to accept our Identity in CHRIST and put envy to sleep.  Confidence in who we were made to be. 
I will post a link to the sermon when it gets put online but you can find it at discoverthepoint.org go to the watch/listen tab and then select the Sylvania campus.  The West Y campus had a similar sermon given by my normal Pastor Ryan and i am sure it is great as well so feel free to give that a listen as well.
Love Y'all
Oph

Bullet Points

Yo, it's been a while since I have really posted on here.  Things have been crazy these past few months and I made a rule when I started this blog that I would not use it to complain about things.  So I avoided it a while to insure that I upheld that part of my commitment.  But I wanted to share a few thoughts.

• "Life's tough, wear a helmet."-Boy Meets World.  Things will be tough but we need to rejoice in the tough times and use them to grow closer to Christ. 
• Life is a ministry.  I often find that I pick and choose certain parts of my life to use as a ministry.  When in reality our entire life should be lived for Christ.  There should be no time card for Jesus.  Whether at work, school, or with friends; we should always be living our lives in a manner that is glorifying to the Lord.  I suck at that pretty much, but it is something I strive for and pray for each day to get better at.
• I find myself complaining about a lack of community but in reality I am doing nothing to form a community in Christ.  I love the book of Acts because it shows how the Church was formed.  How the very first Christians lived their lives and began to spread the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  That community of believers is a good model of community.  I often find myself longing for that but never put the time in to build that around me.  It goes both ways, don't complain about something if you are not doing your part.
• And lastly I am learning the importance of always serving for the Lord and not for myself.  Any ministry that involves humans will have its flaw.  We should all know this and come to accept this.  I have been learning how to keep my mouth shut and do what I can do for the Lord, make myself available for him to use me.  We cannot expect things to always go our way and we cannot expect to receive thanks or gratitude for things we do.  As soon as we do those things, we lose focus on what is important: Glorifying, Worshiping, and Loving Jesus Christ.

With lots of love
Opher

Walk With Me Into the Glorious Light

Take my hand, hold it tight.  
Walk with me into the Glorious light.
Together we are one with love
For always and forever
Take my hand, hold it tight.
Walk with me into the Glorious light.
Side by side we move along
Confident in who are
Take my hand, hold it tight.
Walk with me into the Glorious light.
By faith we love through it all.
For life is love and love is all
Take my hand, hold it tight
Walk with me into the Glorious light
Never turning back to the past
We are new and one with love
Take my hand, hold it tight
Walk with me into the glorious light.
Walk with me into the glorious light.

Some Questions

Lately I have had certain questions that I cannot get off my mind.  I think that they are good questions and ones that answers are probably not easy to come by, but none the less they remain.  Maybe y'all have similar questions, I doubt they are specific to me.
1. What does it mean to truly be a servant for Christ?
2. To what extent do I follow my heart, even if it goes against what society is telling me?
3. To except help, especially financial help from others, does that make me less of a man or is it Christ humbling me?
4. How much of my life is scripted by the Lord and how much freedom does he allow me in my decision making?  If I make a poor decision, one that maybe he would rather I did not, does he still come in and work in that situation and bless me anyways?
5.  And finally, what's a panini?

We always have questions about our faith, I think they are good to have, but boy they are frustrating sometimes.  I just want a script that I should follow for my life.  But then, what's the fun in that?

With love
Oph

Step Out of the Boat

If you are like me you have heard the term "Just pray about it and Jesus will answer you and direct you" about a million times.  I do believe in the power of prayer and I do believe that the Lord will guide us.  But I also believe that a part of having faith is being able to step out onto the water and trust Jesus just as Peter did.  I believe that if you do something with the right heart and intentions and are truly trying to live and glorify the Lord, he will continue to use you as a disciple of Christ. 
I say this because this issue of faith has come up in my life recently.  I have been praying for quite some time to the Lord about where I should be after i graduate.  Toledo, Hamilton, Philly, DC, Columbus...  And I have been praying for quite some time about my passion and desire to do ministry and live life with kids with disabilities.  Both of those things have consumed my prayer, thoughts, and anxieties.  But I realized i just gotta have some faith and step onto the water.  With the encouragement of some friends I stopped complaining about the slow process of seeing YL Capernaum (YL for kids with disabilities) in Toledo and I finally did something about it.  I sent a potentially big email tonight.  Now whether or not this will come to anything will be seen.  But I realized i had to take the step, use my faith in the Lord and trust that he will not let me sink.
Friends, step out of the boat and have faith.  Jesus is always there with a hand ready.
With Love Yo
Oph

Pride Issues

I have been discovering lately the pride is deeply rooted in who I am.  I am a prideful person.  And I can see how that has been affecting me.  I led Wyld Life which is YL for middle school kids, for three years.  And I loved it, and I did trust the Lord for putting me there.  But I always wanted to look like the sweet leader, have all the kids coming around and what not.  Well I never had a ton of kids coming around and that helped break down my pride and by the end of my stint, if I had one kid I was completely happy. I knew the Lord put that one kid there.
  Since Wyld Life was stopped in my area I have been struggling with more pride issues.   I desperately want to be leading, to be living out my faith with these kids.  Well the opportunity has not presented itself to me and its very frustrating.  For a while I was questioning God about it.  But he has shown me recently that he can use me in more ways than leading right now.  I always help set up at church and help run the powerpoint and sound at a YL club.  I enjoy doing this but for a while I was feeling like my gifts were not being used, that I was doing insignificant work.  But God has really shown me lately that it does not matter what you do for him, that if you do it with all your heart, he values that.  And although I want to be leading YL right now, God has me behind the scenes for some reason, and that for me is enough. 
     When pride gets in the way, knock it down.  It will only keep us from the Lord.  he wants us broken of it and to be at his feet worshiping him and doing what ever it is he asks.
With Love
Opher

'Murica

I almost decided not to make a post about 9/11.  I was afraid of sounding like I am using the date to garner attention or talk about myself.  Obviously, this day has nothing to do about me, and is in honor, memory, and celebration of those who lost their lives on that tragic day AND those who have since lost their lives in an effort to fight terrorism.
But this blog is about being an Opher and I decided to post about how 9/11 has shaped parts of me.  Like many of us I remember everything about that day.  I was in 7th grade.  I heard about it during "lounge" right after lunch.  My friend Steven told me that the Pentagon was attacked and I distinctly remember telling him "yeah right, who told you that?"  Word for word.  Well soon after that our principal came over the speaker and told us what had happened.  The rest of the day in our classes we watched those horrible images.  Teachers were silent because they did not know how to react around students.  Students were scared because in our life times we knew no war, we knew little evil.
That day was the first time I really saw true evil in the world.  Of course I knew about crime and murder, but to see 3,000 people killed, now that sinks in.  I love America.  Everyone who knows me knows I am an ARROGANT American.  And I don't care.  Screw politics, screw agendas, I am an American and I will always love and support this great country.  I often struggle about my love and dedication to our country when thinking about how Jesus asks us to live.  But you know what, he made me American so I will be American.  I love our troops, they are braver than I could ever be.  I am free to write what ever I want on this blog because our soldiers fight for our freedoms.  Cliche, but true.
     And yes, I was happy when that bastard Osama was killed.  (excuse my language, but I only speak truth.)  People told me I was less of a Christian because I celebrated the death of someone.  I'll God decide that.  But I have no regrets.  He has organized attacks that have killed thousands of innocent people.  he was a coward who ran and hid for the past 20 years.  He attacked people who could not defend themselves.  There were kids on those airplanes, moms and dads in those buildings.  If I cannot be glad that someone who murdered well over 3,000 people had been killed, then so be it.  But I have a feeling God is not gonna send me to hell for that.
    I will step off my soap box and finish with this.  That day forever changed myself, America, and the world.  I honor those firefighters, EMTs, police and port authority officers, and brave bystanders who saved many lives by risking and giving theirs.  I honor those people who lost their lives that day whether it be in the towers, the pentagon, or on Flight 93.  I honor the soldiers who enlisted after 9/11 like my uncle did so they could serve their nation and fight back.  Many of them died in war, I honor them.
I love my country, I love my country.  And I am a different person because of what happened that day.  But that day showed us that even though we may not agree with another's politics or views, we will always unite in the face of adversity.  UNITED WE STAND.  Do Not Tread On Us!!!  And of course, USA AINT NOTHING TO ______ WITH!
'Murica!

Ministry is Life

I have been reading "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne.  And he has got my mind thinking about a lot of different things.  I have been challenged to rethink some things that I have always believed or lived out but never knew why.  Mainly, his book has challenged me to live my life with people and not for people.
      We always hear people saying how they believe in helping the poor or poverty stricken people.  We hear this a lot from churches.  And people, myself included, help out at clothing drives, canned food drives, and food pantries every now and then.  We may donate money to charities that help the homeless but yet we never actually live with homeless or encounter them.  We do not know a single homeless person by name! We do all this while staying safe in our own culture and socioeconomic comfort zone. 
      Now when I read the Gospels in the Bible, I read how Jesus is always going out and living life with the poor, the lepers, the tax collectors, the prostitutes.  He does not just give someone else money or food to give to them.  He goes to them.  And he calls for us to live our lives in the same ways.  I am not saying we all need to be homeless, some of us will be called to do ministry in the suburbs with the wealthy, and that is fine.  I am simply saying that in any ministry that we do (ministry according to Jesus should be our whole lives) we need to be WITH people.  Forming relationships, living with them, laughing and crying with them.  And not just with people we feel comfortable with, but with people outside of our comfort zones.
    I have felt Jesus screaming at me the past year or so to go live with people.  Don't just show up at out reaches put on by my church once a month, don't just volunteer every now and then, but go and live life with the people I feel called to.  I am comfortable at my church and I am comfortable with my Young Life guys.  I do not believe that faith and ministry should be comfortable.  We should always be risking something.  This will look differently for me than it will for you. 
   But to get my point across, do not sit in your suburban home or apt and tell people you have a heart for the homeless.  Go be with them, join them for meals and spend time with them.  Not just donating old clothes and spare change.  If you feel called to really spend time with and share Christ with high school kids then go live with them.  Go to their sports games, go to their schools if you are allowed, take them grocery shopping with you.  Don't just volunteer at a bible study once a week.
  We are called to live our lives with people, to be in the middle of it all, not on the outsides offering our spare change or time.
Much Love
Opher

Stand Up and Fight Like Men

Are we to live as slaves to sin?
Or are we to stand up and fight like men?
To revolt against evil's hold
To be the one who breaks the mould
Generations of lust and greed
Are only symptoms of our greater need
For we fill our lives with worthless things
To fill that void instead of seeking the King
Turning our backs to love itself
Often times putting Jesus on the shelf
To pick him up when we so desire
We turn to him only when we wish to feel the fire
When we are cold and feel alone
We often forget the grace that we are shown
Satan sees opportunity and launches his attacks
He gives us false glimpses of what we truly lack
But why give in and lose this battle
Instead take heart and jump in the saddle
For every moment of every day
We can choose to live or decay
Because love was given on that cross
We can live eternally with our great boss
Are we to live as slaves to sin?
Or are we to stand up and fight like men?

From Notebook to Blog

I want to share two writings of mine with y'all.  I keep about 98% of my writings to myself but sometimes I just get the urge to share some.  Tonight, there were two.  This first one I wrote while at Young Life's Rockbridge. 

A battle is on
Here in this valley
As the heat and humidity bake
But the breeze of night cools
The crickets sing a song of peace
But peace is yet to be won here
For Love is pulling at hearts
But evil calls for the minds
Invisible to the naked eye
But visible in spirit
These beautiful grounds
On which joy is found
Is in the midst of war
For by faith we fight
By Love we live
Love and life is at stake
The lake and the trees see it all
But close your heart and miss everything
For this war is old
But this battle here is new
Some will prevail
Others will stumble
But this beautiful place
Will always be sacred
For here a battle is on
And the reward is eternal life

This next one was written a few days after I got home from that same trip.  It was written with great memories and a joyous heart.  It is for my Capernaum friends who showed me how to truly live life to the full.

Oh how memories keep me strong
A smile put on my face
Joy bounces in my heart
As thoughts wonder
Wonder to that week
Where Love was around us
Where simplicity reigned
Oh the laughter that was heard
The smiles that were seen
The patience of friends
The will to press on
Oh the safety of that place
No stares or ignorance
Just Love to be shared
My friends were who they are
Who they were made to be
Oh the courage they showed
As they lived life to the full
A special place
A special time
My soul longs to be back
But these memories will keep me strong

This is Life Lived

Waddle on over
Or wheel yourself up
Smile always there
Joke ready to be delivered
High pitch scream of joy
Laughter that pierces the air

This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

No matter the task
He always can
Its the courage of a lion
But he is a lamb
Step out onto water
And he trusts in Him

This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

Unique he is
Veggies eaten first
Broccoli dipped in honey mustard
Always a cup to spill
Room for one more pickle
But he would give the last


This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

Strap on that harness
Don't tell him he can't
Step out on the wire
And trust the course
Tired and exhausted but undeterred
Until ground is reached with a smile

This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

He may be done
Or yet still in line
But yelling encouragements
Whether friends or strangers
He waits to watch
Until they complete the task


This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

The simplicity of his joy
A slide 25 times in a row
The last the same as the first
Flirting with the life guards
As he rides the lift
Don't dare ask him to take a rest

This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

Sits in cabin time
Eager to share
Just a little bit about his Lord
Bible always opened
Won't sleep without a read
Every verse given much thought

This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

He knows his disability
But trusts in God's design
Peace he has with it all
For he knows he is still loved
Wheel chair or not
He is still a light


This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

Spend all week with him
Or pass by briefly
You will leave the same
A changed person
Because of my friend
And the life he lives


This is life lived
With no regret
The love of the Lord
Is in my friend

A Little Thought

Galatians 1:10 reads "Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God?  Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ."
I read this while I was at YL camp as a leader.  And I could hear God saying "Hey Opher, read that carefully.  Paul brings up a good point.  So, I want you to really think about why you are here at Rockbridge this week." 
Oh, God knows how to call us out all right.  But Paul is right with what he writes.  Am I a YL leader so people will think I am a good person, or do I do YL Capernaum so people will think I have a "great heart"? (whatever that means)  I feel I do most things for God but there are moments where I want that approval of men.  I feel that we all have those moments.  But Paul is saying here that the moment we start searching for the approval else where that we are not being the servant that Christ asks us to be.  And yeah, its nice to know people are appreciative of what we are doing and it helps to keep us going.  But we should not do things just to receive compliments or to be viewed in a certain light.
Just a thought I wanted to share.
Love y'all
Opher

Capernaum Ropes Course

I just got back from my second YL Capernaum trip of the summer and yet again it was simply amazing.  I was constantly fighting back tears as I watched and hung out with all my new friends.  I have shared in a previous post about my first Capernaum experience so for this post I wanted to focus on one story from the week.  I could go on and on but I will hold back but feel free to ask me more about it.  I will gladly share.
But I wanted to share how my friend Alex did the ropes course.  Now, Alex cannot walk very well, his legs don't allow him to have great balance or stamina.  He uses a walker for short walks and is in a wheel chair for longer distances.  At camp he stayed in his chair because we were always on the move.  So when he got to the ropes course the intern suggested that we put him in a special seat that would allow him to be pulled through a couple obstacles.  Alex would have nothing of that.  So I vouched for him and the intern agreed to allow us to try to get him through the whole course on his own.  Now Alex will try anything and he will never take the easy way out and I loved that about him.  So we got him up on the course and I went right in front of him staying within a few feet of him.  And he beasted the course.  Now, I don't like ropes courses, but keeping my eye on Alex kept my thoughts off of the fact that we were 40 feet up.  Alex was scared but never vocalized it but instead focused on every step.  He fell, a lot, but he always got back up, sometimes with assistance and sometimes without.  About halfway through the course he was exhausted and so was I from the support I had to provide.  The summer staff in the trees were great, always helping and doing everything they could to get him through.  He kept fighting.  On the last obstacle he had a lot of difficulty and I was struggling to get him through it.  I couldn't keep my balance and I was tired as well.  but we got him through it and to the end where he took the giant swing down.
 Alex never gave up, never complained, and he exerted every last bit of energy.  And he did it all with a smile.  He did this with everything at camp. But the ropes course is a special memory for me.  Not only did I witness Alex do something that some people doubted he could do, I witness kids with severe physical disabilities hoisted up and pulled through.  And I could only think of the story where four friends carry their friend who was paralyzed on a mat to a roof then hoist him down in front of Jesus.  They did everything they could to see there friend get to Jesus, and on this ropes course we did everything we could to get our friends through.  And our friends trusted us with their lives, they trusted that we would keep them safe just as the paralyzed man did in his friends.  And I can only assume that the friends lives' were never the same after they saw what Jesus did to there friend and I know I will never be the same after seeing Jesus through my Friend Alex on that ropes course.
"Be comfortable being uncomfortable"
Love Y'all
Opher

Set a Fire

I was talking to a friend of mine tonight, one that I did summer staff with this summer.  And we were discussing how even though we know the truth and know God intimately, we still doubt his power and majesty.  How we often love him conditionally while he always loves us unconditionally.  And then when he comes through for us in the clutch we praise and worship him and then we wait for the next time he comes though big.  When in reality he is always coming through big for us.  We need to put our selfishness aside and simple trust and love in him.
   After that conversation I spent some time listening to a song that really speaks to how desperate I often am for the Lord, whether or not I live like it or not.  The song is "Set a Fire" and on youtube a great version is the one by Will Reagan & united Pursuit Band.  At Summer staff we sang this song several times and it was awesome.  It's simplicity but yet it's powerful lyrics.  I believe the lyrics speak to how we all feel, whether or not we realize it.  And if we just lived this desperate for the Lord, I can only imagine how much more Godly our lives would look.
Listen to it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NlJr6TE7b4
Love y'all,
Opher

The Dance Party that is YL Capernaum

What up y'all?  This past week I attended a Young Life Capernaum camp trip at North Bay with a group from Columbus, Ohio.  I wanted to share this trip with all of my awesome readers.  Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I have a passion to work with kids with disabilities and I have a passion to share Christ with them.  I have been trying to get involved with Capernaum for well over 3 years now and my prayer and networking has finally paid off.  I got hooked up with the group from Columbus through a few friends of mine.  And boy oh boy am I glad I did.
    I went as a leader but was paired up with a young man we will call J.  He is a very energetic 23 year old, but one that has not been away from his family for more than a day or two at a time.  That made camp a little bit of a struggle for him.  At the beginning of the week J did not want to do any of the activities, he always had an excuse ready and available.  The only thing he wanted to do was talk to the Summer Staff girls and some of the High school girls who went as buddies.  From day 1  I knew I had my hands full but was constantly praying the God could give me the patience I would need to survive the week.  
    As the week went on I learned that J could be talked into about anything if I bribed him.  Also, he really liked the attention of the two guys doing program for the week so he would do things when they were around which greatly helped.  He had a go to move however, if he didn't get his way he would call his mom and say he was sick.  She would then ask that we take him to the camp EMT.  I only complied with this request once, the other times I was able, with a lot of patience to avoid this.  My tough love and the help of the program guys allowed J to really open up and by the end he was doing everything and even dancing!!  The dude also is a beast at basketball, beat me legitimately twice.
   Now I mentioned the dancing.  Capernaum can pretty much be defined as a dance party or DP if you will.  These kids would dance anytime a hint of music came on and I loved it!!  It got my heart racing to see the joy the kids found in dancing.  The simple things made them so happy.  At a normal YL camp you would not see a majority of the campers thoroughly enjoying dance parties like 2 times every day of camp.  Also, the pool was packed the entire time.  Again, I have been to YL camps now 5 times, 2 as a camper and 3 as a leader and never have I seen a pool be so consistently packed.  The simple things gave the campers so much joy.  Jesus tells us in Mark 10:15 that we must have faith like a child to get into heaven.  And watching these campers, I saw what that meant.
    The camp speaker did an amazing job presenting the Gospel and Jesus to these campers.  And no matter their developmental level or disability, I knew that God was speaking in the lives of these kids.  I teared up so many times when I was simply watching these campers be themselves.  They had a safe environment where they were not being stared at or being told what to do.  They could be themselves, who they were created to be, without the judgemental eyes of society upon them.  It was a sight to behold and one that will be even grander in Heaven.
    Now, I could go on and on about this experience.  This trip again confirmed what God has put on my heart, that I want to and need to be doing ministry and living my life with individuals with disabilities.  I encourage everyone to not be freaked out by these individuals but to take the time to get to know them.  Jesus never cared what was "wrong" with anyone, he just loved and I believe we need to do the same.  Be comfortable being uncomfortable.  And simply, dance in joy with these kids.
   Capernaum is named after the story in Luke 5:17-26.  This past week I was a friend carrying the mat, and just like the guys in the story, Jesus showed up and rewarded my faith and tough me a lot.
Lots of love y'all
Opher

Wisdom From a Friend

What up peeps!?  I just wanted to share with you all (if anyone actually reads this) a story that a friend of mine just shared.  My dude Jack did Summer Staff with me at Saranac Village this summer and he just posted this on our facebook group.  I hope he does not mind me sharing this I just found it awesome.

"Hey everybody, the coolest thing happened today and I felt the need to share it here. Right now I'm at a secular leadership building camp in Utah with 47 other guys my age and I'm in a small group with 7 other guys. This evening, after the days events, we were given a pamphlet to read that would guide us to search ourselves and think about our traits and how we can become better leaders and that sort of thing, and we were given an hour an a half to go off by ourselves and have basically a "20 minutes" type of experience, but a secular kind. Well, afterwards we met back up in our small groups for "cabin time" and talked about what we discovered and experienced. This one kid who has been kinda quiet (yes I'M calling someone else quiet) so far opens up and tells us that he started thinking through himself and what he wanted to become and as he thought more and more he felt the urge to take his socks and shoes off and wade out into this mountain river next to him. He said that he had never been baptized but that he had considered himself a christian at one point in his life. After he was standing out in the water he said he just dunked his head completely underwater and prayed out loud to God for the first time in years and in that moment recommitted his life to God. Keep in mind that nothing we have been studying at camp has been related back to God, nor have we even so much as mentioned gospel or the bible. But, through all of this soul-searching, the one thing he saw in it all was his need for God. I got chill bumps as he was telling us this and it pumped me up so much to see God work through something that wasnt even intended to further His kingdom. Anyways, I hope those of you who read this enjoyed it. His name is Nick and I'm sure he would really appreciate your prayers."

I just think it is a really awesome story.  It shows how God uses every opportunity possible to further his Kingdom and that he does not need me or you to do so.  It is humbling to think that but remember that he does use us in the most unique ways so we simply need to open our lives to him and be a light.  You never know what he will do!

Writing from the 'Nac

I wrote this one night while I was at Saranac on Summer Staff.  I believe it was the same night as one of the "Cross Talks" where kids hear that Jesus died for our sins.  Not sure though.  Just found it in my journal and it got me pumped and excited so I figured I would share it!

A battle is raging

A fire is burning

Hearts are turning

Lives are changing

Eyes gaze upon He

Searching for answers

Longing for love

Seeds being planted

The unsalty becoming salty

Lamps shining brightly

Lost becoming found

The unloved are loved

Satan is cringing

Angels are rejoicing

For a battle is raging

Victory by victory

The kingdom growing

Soul by soul

He welcomes home

Go-4-Opher: What a Month!

What up friends!!!?  I hope all is well.  I hope you did not miss my obsessive blogging this past month.  I was volunteering on Summer Staff at Young Life's Saranac Village.  I was a landscaper for the month, well that was my day job, in the evenings all the SS folks helped out with the various activities that were going down.  It was an amazing month and I wanted to share some highlights with y'all.  (I am now almost an official southern boy.)  I could go on and on about my experience but I will try to keep it under 10 pages.
1.  Lake Saranac is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  It is in the Adirondack Mountains near Lake Placid, NY.  Simply beautiful.  Looking out on the lake each day reminded me how great of an artist our God is.
2. I met some amazing folks.  I have heard stories from other friends that not all of the Summer Staffers that they served with on various different experiences seemed to love the Lord.  So I was cautious with my expectations of the folks.  But all 42 of us or how ever many there was, were simply awesome.  We seemed to all be there for the same reason, to serve God.  We were a very energetic and goofy group as well.  I have never laughed so much in my life.  And although we enjoyed to goof around and have fun we knew when it was time to do work and be serious.  We would often choose to spend time in deep prayer or worship instead of goofing around in free time.  That, I feel, is unusual for a group of college kids.  But it was not uncommon to find a group of us praying in the Granite room on any given night.  The people I served alongside with have become dear friends of mine.  I can honestly say that I love each and everyone of them and each and everyone of them helped me grow in some aspect.  I cannot wait to figure out how to see them all again because I desperately miss them. :(
3. Work can be fun.  I pretty much worked from 8 am to sometimes 10 at night if not later.  8-5 I was landscaping which is quite a bit of work.  But Walker and I (the other SS on landscaping) made it fun.  We got our work done but made it entertaining.  Our intern Eric was amazing and allowed us to be our goofy selves.  We drove the Kubota (Gretchen) around, often checked the water temp of the lake and the carbonation levels of the pop machine at the snack bar.  (we did do some legit work as well)  As a SS group in the evenings we made our work fun.  We would literally sprint while cleaning up the county fair on Tuesdays, got it all cleaned up in 5 minutes and 51 seconds. LIKE A BOSS
4. God is GREAT.  The Lord did work this month.  He is the only reason that we kept working and enjoying the month.  Without Him we would not have been able to keep our bodies going.  To see about 250 kids or something like that stand up this month and say they accepting Jesus into their lives... AWESOME!  He gives life!  To see how he impacted my life this month... AWESOME!  I have never cried so much but that month the Lord just was heavy on my heart.  Everything from the landscape to the small miracles he did in lives.  He was everywhere.
   I could go on and on and on but I will stop there.  Feel free to ask me more about the month, I am itching to share.  I have some great "Opher" stories as well as some great "God being God" stories.  So hit me up.  But I leave you with our memory passage for the month.  It is reminder of how we should live our lives.
John 15:1-13
Love Y'all!
Opher

Carry the Mat

^{Mark 2:1-12
1} A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
 ⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
 ⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”


This is one my favorite stories in the Bible.  This story is often used in sermons and messages and the speaker normally focuses on the paralyzed man and the crowd, which is a great thing to focus on.  But think about the friends of the man.  How they loved their friend enough to carry him to Jesus. They then saw that they could not get in the door but yet they did not give up.  They went up on a roof and dug a hole in it and lowered their friend down!  That is insane, but they loved their friend so much and just wanted him to be in front of Jesus, they did not care about what people thought.  And I often wonder what impact seeing Jesus heal their friend and forgive his sins, had on their lives.  I can only imagine it had a profound impact.
    This verse is one that the ministry of YL Capernaum, a ministry that works with kids with disabilities, looks to a lot.  We see that Jesus loves the paralyzed man but we see what his friends did as well.  We see how this could impact their lives.  When I begin to really do YL Capernaum I am not only trying to share Christ with the kids with special needs but also their friends and families.  And I am sure they themselves will share Christ more than I could ever.  Non-disabled teens will come along side of their friends with disabilities, and they may not know Christ at all.  But seeing their friends hear about Jesus and sharing in that experience will hopefully open their hearts to Jesus as well
   Man, I cannot express how excite I am to be apart of that!!  As a word of encouragement: I urge you as my brothers and sisters in Christ pick up your friend's mat, climb the roof, and dig the hole!  Never under estimate what the smallest of things can do in peoples' lives and in yours!
Love ya all,
Opher

Silly Fears

Part of being an Opher is having a ton of irrational and some rational fears and letting them dictate your life.  I have always known this about myself and it is what it is, I just try not to let it defeat me.  I was reflecting on them recently and it's funny to see what keeps me from living life sometimes.  Fear is both good and bad.  Fear keeps you safe from harm but also keeps you from taking risks.  So I have a love-hate relationship with it.
The main fears that keep me tied up are:
*Fear of letting people down.
*Fear of not succeeding in life.
*Fear of someone close to me dying.
*Fear of hurting someone I care about which keeps me from doing what I need to do sometimes.
*Fear of not being a good enough Man in Christ.
*Fear of having people look up to me.
*Fear of eventually being a husband and father. (Hopefully)
*Fear of risk taking with emotions, trust, and relationships.
*Fear of girls.
And yes, I realize that some of these are probably common among people and maybe some of them are extremely irrational.  I am able to to pretty much explain why each of those fears exists but yet cannot quite beat them.  One day I will.  And each day I fight to not let those silly things keep me from living life to the full.  Because in the end, they are just obstacles in my path to following Jesus the way I need to.
    So, for those of you that have silly fears that for some reason seem to keep you from living life to the full, just let them go.  God is the antidote to any fear we have.  We just have to believe that and go before him with those fears.
Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend,
Opher/C-Hubs/Chris

Love one another.

I was reading over some scripture that I am trying to memorize and one of the pieces caught my attention today.

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give to you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you mush love another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

It is two verses but yet he tells us to love one another three times.  I would say that loving people is pretty important.  By simply loving people we are showing that we are disciples of Jesus.  Take this to heart, it is simple but is a focal point of Christ's teaching

Oh Weddings

  I had the privilege of witnessing two of my good friends get married yesterday.  Todd and Brittany.  I was surprised that during the ceremony I teared up. I am told that guys are not supposed to show emotions at weddings but that is a load of crap.  I was witnessing two people that are very important to me, Brittany was my YL co-leader for three years and Todd is kind of like a big brother to me.  So I think it is perfectly ok that I had some tears.

  The wedding was great and the reception was a blast!  My legs are still sore from the sweet dance moves I was pulling out.  And I know that guys are not supposed to think this way either but it kind of made me get excited for my wedding (whenever that happens, over under is 20 years.)  But I am very excited to be able to commit myself fully to loving my wife and becoming one in Christ.  To have all my good friends and family there to witness it would make it even better.  And although that day is probably pretty far away for me, I still look forward it.  The opportunity to share a love that deep with someone is something that I greatly look forward to. Sorry to be all sappy and what not but it was just some thoughts that came to mind.

Opher

My Freedom

I was having trouble sleeping tonight.  So I decided to take a glance at some of my writings (poems, but that sounds lame so I say writings.)  I love to write.  It is how I can express myself.  I cannot draw or do anything visually striking, I have no musical talent, but I can write. It is my freedom.  I have been writing for as long as I can remember.  I have hundreds of writings and a few stories (that are all unfinished).  Unfortunately last spring my computer was stolen and with it my 23 page word document of all my writings since 2007.  It was a double column document and had well over a hundred writings.  I felt as tho someone tore my heart out and squashed it.  My computer, well that can be replaced but not those writings.
  Anywho, tonight I was going back and reading the ones I have written since that disaster.  And I found that they are powerful.  I was surprised that I wrote some of them.  I did not think I was capable of writing something like those.  Of course, this is me talking about my writings.  And I show them to very few people, its personal to me and that way I think they are sweet and there is no one to rip them apart.  But writing is my freedom, my art, and my sanity.
I used to often be angry that I seemed to have to artistic ability.  I aways told myself that the girls want a guy who can play the guitar not write poems.  But art is a self expression of who we is be, so be yourself and embrace the gifts the good lord has blessed you with.  And embrace that FREEDOM!
Opher

Word Vomit

Anyone who has ever hung out with me or been around me knows that I suffer from the condition of word vomit.  Word vomit causes me to say things without thinking them through, they just pour out of my mouth with out control.  Sometimes this word vomit is not really that bad and other times it can cause some damage.  I have hurt some people unintentionally because of the words that come out of my mouth.  I don't intend to hurt people or cause people to think I am crazy but that is what happens.
  I just listened to the sermon that my pastor gave yesterday at church, i was not there so I listened online. (http://www.discoverthepoint.org/watchlisten/sylvaniacampusaudio/tabid/114/Default.aspx is the link, its good.)  And this sermon is the second in a series my church is doing on relationships and this one was all about our tongues, the words we say.  And his main points were that the words that come out of our mouths come from our heart.  And that God commands us to be careful with the words we use, to use them out of love.  Going back to the first point, the words come out of our hearts.  We cannot say that what we said is not what we meant or that we were joking because we should always speak from our hearts.  So the words we use will reflect our hearts whether we like that or not.  And so true it is.
  I always try to get out of what I said by saying "I didn't mean it" well if I did not mean it then I should not say it. Pretty simple in theory but hard to carry out.  He also made the point that the words we dont speak reflects our heart.  In that if there is something on our hearts that we know we should tell someone but we decide not to then that reflects our hearts.  We need to say the things that our on hearts and if it is not on our heart then don't say it.  Because once it leaves your mouth it cannot be taken back, if it never leaves your mouth then it will not be known.
  I know that I will be working hard on this.  The "opher" that everyone knows suffers greatly from Word Vomit but with some prayer and practice, I can overcome it.
Peace!
Oph

An Excerpt

I love to write.  It is freeing for me, that is one reason why I enjoy writing in this blog.  But besides the blog I have a lengthy word document with a lot of other writings.  The following is an excerpt from my most recent "stories" I have been working on.  I have like three started but never finish them.  This guy I am really starting to like, but we will see if I finish.  This is just a small portion of it, it is the first page or so.  I just felt like being in the sharing mood.  Enjoy, or don't.  That is the beauty of writing, I do it for myself so you not liking it dill not bother me :) 

[ To be seventeen years old and faced with such a massive choice is simply unfair.  What if I make the wrong choice?  What if this turns out to be a huge mistake and one that has lasting effects on my life?  People are waiting impatiently for my decision and the pressure is mounting, I need to choose and choose soon.  Will it be the breakfast burrito or the sausage biscuit?  I simply do not know which one I want!  Wait! I am calling an audible!

“I will have the sausage, egg, and cheese croissant please.”  It was such a relief to order my breakfast and get the pressure of the decision off of my shoulders.  I can only hope that the choice turns out to be a good one.  The importance of a tasty breakfast is often underestimated.  If I eat the wrong thing my entire day can be ruined.  It could make me grumpy or depressed.  Or worse, could send me to the bathroom for all of 2^nd period again.  Oh man, that was not a fun day.  Who knew that left over tuna casserole was not ideal for breakfast.  Live and you learn I guess.

                I took my breakfast and solemnly headed across the street to good old Baldford High School, home of the Bald Eagles.  Whoever came up with the mascot sure was creative huh?  I mean, I am pretty sure a bald eagle has never flown over this fair town of Baldford.  And if it did it was certainly lost.  You don’t go to Baldford if you have a say in the matter.  A ran down old paper mill town set on a small river in the middle of nowhere Ohio.  Well, that is only partly true, it is a ran down town, the paper mill left over ten years ago leaving a lot of people out of work.  But the great residents of Baldford some how remain hopelessly optimistic that it will return.  No chance if you ask me.  But as my mom always tells me, “No one is asking you Boom.”

                No my name is not Boom, my parents were not that crazy when naming me, it is just a nickname.  Instead, my parents settled for the name of Boomer.  Yeah, Boomer Alexander  Ralph Farmsworth.  Or as my friends call me, Barf.  Not sure how my parents did not see that one when they came up with that amazing name.  They justify my name by telling me I am named after important people in their lives.  Boomer is in honor of Boomer Esiason.  I guess he was some hot shot quarterback who played for my dad’s beloved Cincinnati Bengals at some point.  My dad’s name is Alexander so that is how I got my first middle name.  And my mother felt obligated to have some part of naming me so she insisted that I have two middle names and that the second be Ralph, her father’s name. 

                So anyways, I crossed Washington Avenue and headed for the side entrance of the school.  As usual I was running late.  Ever since I got my license and started driving to school I was rarely on time.  First off, I always wake up late.  Then I usually get hungry on the way to school and stop for breakfast.  This morning I parked my car in my usual parking spot and then walked over to McDonald’s instead of hitting up the drive-thru.  You may ask why?  Well, I do not have a parking pass for the student lot.  But I found one spot that is always empty so I park there.  Sometimes another student beats me to it so I need to get there as soon as I can.  If I do not get that spot then I have to go park at this church that lets us park in their lot.  But it is a far walk and I would rather not do that.]

A Day of Thought

Yesterday (Easter) was such a great day.  I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I have looking back on yesterday.

• Isn't great that because of the resurrection we are saved from sin and given life?  The most important day in history if you ask me.
• "Home" is not always where you grew up or where your family lives.  Not saying that Hamilton is not my home because it will always kind of be.  But I realized yesterday that Toledo is my home.  I have a family founded in Christ here in Toledo.  People ask me why I want to stay in Toledo and why I like it here, it is a pretty simple answer for me, the people.  The friends i have here in the Glass City are so important to me.  The community I have through my church and Young Life, priceless.  I got a delicious home cooked Easter meal thanks to the Roche's who opened their home to us out of towners.  That is why Toledo is my home.  I do miss Hamilton sometimes and mainly miss my friends and family there, but I know where my home is now.
• I hung out with a very good friend of mine last night.  We have not always been great friends, we often clashed heads a few years ago.  But we both realized how stupid we were being.  The past year or so he has become on of my best friends.  We had a two hour discussion late last night about our frustrations with "Christians".  About how people pick and choose certain struggles to target and make examples of.  For example: people are often quick to rip someone apart or judge them if they go out and drink alcohol.  Which is a struggle for many people and can be for myself.  But people rarely approach someone that they think may be having struggles with sexual sin, whether it be messing around with a significant other or porn or things like that.  Why do we target certain sins but ignore others?  We all have different struggles and if you are not honest with me about yours how can I honestly think you are approaching me out of love? 
• And finally, from the same conversation with my friend, we discussed the importance of doing things for Christ and Christ only.  I don't lead Young Life for my area director or metro-director.  I don't make the sacrifices I make in my life for them, I do it for Christ and Christ alone.  I love the ministry of YL but if it ended today would I still be doing what I do for those kids?  YES! Because it is about Christ!! Every ministry that is human ran is going to have its problems and politics that frustrate the crap out of people.  That is okay, do it for Christ, not for people.

Opher Out

4 a.m writing

Do we run from what we know
Or do we hide from what we don't
Do we risk failure
Or de we accept defeat
For fear can be good
And fear can be bad
How we respond
Will write the story
For the story itself
May yet to be written
The ending will be ours to choose
Or rather, ours to write
For decisions now may turn the page
Or may erase some progress
So why let fears guide our path
Caution to the wind has its perks
But fear itself may have insight
Both knowledge and lack there of
May lead to rash decisions
So how do we choose
To run or to hide
To risk or to accept
I guess in the end
The story will write itself

Getting Old

22 years old now... Dang.  So old that last night I fell asleep at 11:30 and woke up at 7 this morning, I cannot remember the last time that happened.  Its got to be the age.  But I guess its cool.  Its sad every year older I get because with the additional year comes the expectations for additional "maturity".  But I guess that is okay, I will always be fun and crazy but can handle some additional responsibilities.
One thing I did learn last night is that I have an awesome little sister.  She called me at midnight to wish me a happy birthday and then two of her friends got on the phone to wish me one as well and another of her friends wished it on facebook.  So 4 of the 5 first people to wish me happy birthday was my sister and her friends.  I'll take it tho.  I also have some pretty great friends.  Got a lovely version of "Happy Birthday" left on my voice mail and the same person along with two others got me a sweet princess birthday card and a butterfinger candy bar! KING SIZE!  So that was awesome.
I ate at Pizzapapalis which was delicious.  Had a small group of friends there with me which I was okay with.  The ones who showed up are the ones I knew would be there unless they absolutely could not make it.  I really appreciate their friendship and company.  I am a blessed man in the friend department.
So anywho, I had a great B-day.  Hopefully my 23rd year will yield a college graduation and my wedding... Okay, the wedding was a joke, but the graduation is not.  So thank you to all who are friends!!
Opher/C-Hubs

Dang Funk

You know those days where for one reason or another you just feel a bit off?  No matter what you really do you just feel weird or agitated or what not? Well that was me today.  It started when I thought I needed to be at church at 9:30 but in reality I was supposed to be there at 8:30.  Felt really bad about that, we still got everything set up in time and people still heard about Jesus but I like to think of myself as a reliable person and so show up an hour late is not reliable.  From there the day was just hard to salvage.  Took a nice long nap which did help, watched the Masters which had a great finish.  Had a soccer game, played decent and enjoyed it.  And then hung out with some friends for a bit at night.  So it was by no means a bad day, just was in a funk I guess.  important thing is that I don't let the funk continue.  By going to the Lord and giving some stuff up to him an letting him take control I am sure tomorrow I will be back to my normal energetic and awkward self.
Moral of the story, don't let the funk keep you down.

My Inner Opher

So tonight I relived some of my awkward and embarrassing memories from my dating (or lack there of) life.  There were like 10 of us hanging out and I only know about 5 of them decently well, and they listened to my stories all because I mentioned that I was "the worst homecoming date ever" once.  That got them inquiring about why that was which led on to other stories.  It was funny to relive those moments.  As I was telling them I was able to realize why I am perpetually single.  Then I was told that I should live with girls for a little while so that I can learn how it is I need to live in order to be married.  1. There are no girls crazy enough to allow me to be a roommate.  They would kill me after a week, and my disease of "word vomit" (meaning I never think before I speak) would get me in a great deal of trouble.  If I get in trouble for facebook statuses that offend ladies when I am not even meaning to offend them in the least bit, I know I could not live with them.  and 2. No girls would ever be crazy enough to allow me to live with them! (repeated myself on purpose)
   It really was a fun conversation but I am not sure how much of it was people joking or if they were really serious...  But its cool.  I am used to being the punch line of jokes.  Bottom line is, I am who I is be and if that person is a very awkward and goofy dude with very little "game" than that is perfectly cool with me.  I will always embrace my inner "Opher"

April Fools

I love April Fools.  It is a true holiday to me.  It is a free pass to pull pranks on people, what can be better?  So last night at 11:59 I got in super aware mode and was on the lookout for anything suspicious.  I would take nothing serious that I read on twitter or facebook today and would be careful running around my house.  If a relative would have died today I would not have believed the person who told me.
I decide to prank my roommate Dean.  I first did the classic alarm clock trick by hiding one under his bed and setting it for 4:00 am.  It worked, he said it took him a few minutes to find it. But I also put coffee mix in coffee filters and place them on the top of his bedroom door so when he opened it they would fall on him.  Well I got trapped i his room once I realized that i could not get out without spilling them on myself.  So I had to climb down the roof.  Well... I slipped and fell off the roof and smacked on my side on concrete.  That hurt.  But it was worth it.  I also moved my car so Dean would think I was not home and blame my other roommate Josh.  That worked perfect to plan.  I had some other things planned for my other two roommates but I fell asleep too early.
Today though, I was fooled a couple of times, not proud of myself that I got tricked.  1st Google tricked me into spending 10 minutes learning about "Google Motion"... Jerks.  Then I thought Teal Bunbury, a US soccer player, switched his international allegiance to Canada, really should have known that to be false.  Then I spent 15 minutes trying to get my TV to work, well the roommates simply unplugged the part of the plug that goes into the TV, took me a grip to check that.  Worse part that one was that I did not realize it was an April Fools trick until an hour after I fixed it...  Then came the best one.  Anyone who knows me knows that I have a little sister who is 18 and that I am very protective of.  She is not allowed to date, at least according to me.  Well the brat tells me she is dating a dude and had me going for 15 minutes.  I looked him up on facebook and was in the process of writing him a nice message when Shanna ended the joke...  Well played sis, got me in the week spot.
So, I hope everyone else's day was full of pranks.  If not, you are not American!!!!
Until next time,
Oph-dizzle

Francis Chan Quote That Spoke

"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through"  Francis Chan

I came across this Francis Chan quote today and it just spoke to me.  I know for myself I am constantly battling the temptation to just be comfortable.  I have heard this quote before and use it as my motto when it comes to doing contact work and meeting kids as a YL leader.  I try to always remind myself that if I am comfortable in a situation I am probably not putting myself in the right spot or giving God enough trust.  But I am not very good at actually living that out.  I am very good at putting myself in comfortable situations and then convincing myself that I am doing enough for God.

  Well, it' a lie.  God wants us to live risky lives for Him.  This is seen all throughout scripture and is not just the words of a really cool Asian guy.  Matthew 14:23-33 is the story of Jesus walking on water.  Peter initially trusts in the Lord as he puts himself in a very uncomfortable situation, walking on water.  He takes his eyes off of Jesus and loses trust and begins to slip under the water, Jesus reaches out and grabs him.  Peter put himself in a spot where he would be in trouble if Jesus did not come through, and of course Jesus came through.  

Another example is Jeremiah 17:5-8.  "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

  And there is a lot more scripture to support Chan's quote.  Each person in their heart knows whether they are living this out, being uncomfortable for Christ and it will look different for everyone. It  just important to strive for this, I fail at it all the time but I know tat I need to reach this point in my faith where I trust God enough to put myself in very uncomfortable spots.  As Nick Palermo would say "Get comfortable being uncomfortable."

   Just some quick thoughts.

 Get out of the boat and step out into the water.

Opher

Capernaum Weekend

This past weekend I traveled to Young Life's Lake Champion in New York for a YL Capernaum weekend.  Capernaum is a ministry devoted to kids with disabilities.  It is YL for those kids.  Most people who know me know that I have a huge passion for kids with more moderate to severe disabilities and that it is and has been on my heart to share my love of Jesus with them.  This weekend I got to learn more about the ministry and how to go about starting and maintaining it.  I went with three other people from my YL Region.  Pat, a staff intern, KP a cool old guy who is on regional committee and is very wise, and Ellie whom shares a similar passion with me and is hoping to see a Capernaum club in Hudson Ohio.
   The 9 hour trip for me went by fairly quick as I was getting to know my companions.  I also realized that another friend of mine, one who I really looked up to especially as a frosh in college, J. Hauge, would be at the camp doing program for a WYld Life weekend.  So it was sweet getting to see him at the meals and talking a little bit.  There were about 50 people there for the Capernaum weekend and I found that I had strange connections to about half of them.  YL makes the world a lot smaller, everyone sees to know everyone.  So that was really neat.
   The key note speaker was Nick Palermo who is the founder of YL Capernaum.  He shared with us why and how Capernaum got started and it is a great story.  The guy is a great man of God and pretty dang funny as well.  I could see his passion for these kids and his wish to see the ministry grow and move into new parts of the country.  It was truly an honor to get to talk and listen to him.  God certainly spoke through him this weekend.  I also got to talk to several other great people who offered support and a lot of suggestions and advice for how to go about starting Capernaum in Toledo.
   The main things that I wanted to share through this post however are some quotes from the weekend.  "Be comfortable being uncomfortable"  It will be uncomfortable at times working with these kids but we got to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.
"It's a ministry with, not a ministry to."  We are not preaching to these kids and are certainly no better or more loved by God than these kids.  They will probably show us who Christ is way more than we can show them.  In Mark 2 Jesus is speaking in a crowded house when suddenly a hole is dug in the roof and a paralyzed man on a mat is lowered down by his friends.  The man's sins are forgiven and he walks away.  His non disabled friends loved him and took him to the house and lowered him through the roof and he was forgiven of sins, yes, but him being humble enough to allow his friends to take him and him having the courage to do that before Jesus and a large crowd certainly had an impact on his friends as well.  We live this life together and are equals.
   I could go on and on and on but simply put I am very excited for what is in store for my life and the mission God has put on my heart.

2:30 am pen session

Never know what will be

To turn the page

Or read once more

To think knowledge is there

To be found dumb

With hints of genius

Waiting to see what comes

Time will reveal all

But prophet I am not

To not know slowly kills

The answer may be on that page

But it may be chapters ahead

The story writes itself

One of love

Or one of heartbreak

Both could be the same

So on I read

On I wait

Because in the end

We never know what will be

My AT Adventure

This past weekend my dad (Waldo) and I went down to Georgia and did a 30 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail.  Hiking on the AT is beginning to become a tradition in my family.  In 2009 my brother, trail name being Huck Finn, through hiked the entire trail.  My dad then got jealous and has since been section hiking the trail.  Meaning he is not doing the whole thing at once due to work and such so instead he is just doing small hiking trips as often as possible in hopes of one day doing the whole thing.  I am the unhealthy and out of shape one but I still love hiking and being on the trail so I joined Waldo for this one.
   We started at Woody Gap which is the 20 mile marker on the trail and went to Unicoi Gap which is mile 50.  I knew the terrain would be tough, several large climbs and descents but figured I would be able to suck it up.  Well the trip became one I would not remember.  First off, it is an 8 hour drive from Hamilton to where Woody Gap is, we wanted to leave around 5:30 Thursday evening but due to my flat tire did not leave until close to 7. We got to our hotel at 2 am and only got about 4 hours of sleep that night.  As we began our hike on Friday we thought that it may rain some Friday but would be ok.  Well it pretty much rained all of Friday, not hard but enough to get us wet and cold.  There were some amazing views, or so we think, but because of the dense fog we did not get to see any of them.  We got on top of Blood Mountain which is considered one of the best views in Georgia and could see maybe 10 yards off the mountain.  We found a place to pitch a tent around 6 that evening after hiking 13.5 miles which was the farthest I had hiked in a day with a full pack on.  That night it was pretty chilly but I have a good sleeping bag and so I was fine.
   Saturday morning we awoke to rain.  And it never stopped.  We wanted to hike 15 miles that day but it was simply miserable.  It literally rained for almost 20 hours strait and it was about 45 degrees so that made it all the worse.  The wind was gusting at about 25 mph, it sucked!  We also had one of the toughest climbs I have ever done, there were several other hikers doing it at the same time and all of us were struggling up it.  After 8ish miles of hiking, roughly 4 hours, I made it to a shelter. Waldo had been there for 15 minutes waiting on me, that shows you how slow i was going.  I thought I was dying and was ready to be done for the day, it was only 1.  The shelter was full of hikers who were calling it quits early and so if we stopped there we would have to pitch our tent anyways.  So after some food my dad convinced me to move on.  We went another 4ish miles, ended up doing about 13 that day.  We made camp at 430 and took shelter from the rain.  Almost as soon as we made camp the skies opened up and the rain turned to an outright down pour.  We did not leave our tent from 4:30 until 7:30 the net morning. I had one dry shirt and pair of pants and my sleeping back was wet.  It was a miserable night to say the least.
    The morning cold but it had stopped raining and we had only a 4 mile hike to the truck.  I froze the whole way due to the lack of dry clothing.  It was a tough 4 miles, my boots were soaked from the previous day which made my feet very sore.  We had a big climb and then a big descent.  Despite popular belief, hiking down hill is not easy.  We went downhill for about a mile and it was extremely steep and rocky, not to mention the trail was essentially a creek at this point.  When we made it back to the car I could barely move.  Even today, a full day after the hike ended, my feet feel as if they are falling off.
   All in all it was a good hike.  We met several through hikers who are hoping to make it all 2175 miles.  Statistics show that roughly 1 out of every 4 to start the journey actually finishes, so few of the guys we met will probably reach Katahdin.  Even with the horrible weather I had a blast and cannot wait to get back on the trail!!
Opher, trail name Dough Boy.