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