When I look back to my time in elementary, middle, and high school I cannot remember a time where I did not feel safe at school. Of course there were fights and the occasional bomb threat. In middle school and high school there was always a cop at the school. But I always thought that was just for the presence and to deal with the drugs at the school. I never imagined anything crazy like the events that happened in Connecticut or Columbine would ever happen.
When I was in college and student teaching I was at a suburban high school. They also had a police officer at the school. By that time I was more aware of our society and potential danger. We practiced lock down drills and although we hoped to never have to use them, we took them seriously. But yet I still did not believe we would actually ever need them.
Now I am a teacher. I teach in an urban city. The program I teach in for the Toledo Public Schools is housed in a separate building owned by the University of Toledo. It is in a pretty decent neighborhood. I hear stories of stuff that happens at other TPS schools and am thankful I am not there. Those schools can be rough. Security is tight in them but it can be breached. Earlier this year a student let in a couple gang members in a side entrance. They entered a class and beat up a student. They threatened the teacher and other students and then escaped. Scary stuff.
But throughout this school year I have felt safe in my building. TPS has three class rooms in our building. Two are in a separate wing along with a day care for kids with special and medical needs. In the middle of the building is the Lucas county Board of DD's Early Intervention offices. My room is in their wing. There are always people and kids and parents in our hallway. There is not a secure entrance. Anyone can walk in at anytime and no one would be suspicious because people of all sorts are always in those offices. In another wing is a preschool ran by UT. They are secured with a pass code you have to have to get in.
I was in my class when I saw what happened in Connecticut yesterday. And suddenly I no longer felt safe. We have kids who are adopted in our building. We have kids who have been removed from homes and are in foster care. I don't even know the crazy circumstances the the EI folks deal with. Our doors do not lock from the inside. There are no secure entrances. What is stopping an angry parent coming to try and are their removed child?
I hate that I have to think like this but it is reality. I have to think of this now. On Monday the TPS folks will have to discuss our lock down procedure. And the building as a whole needs to as well. My students are not easy to move. Three of them are plugged into walls. As much as it sucks, I have to devise a plan with my aides that we can use if something crazy happens.
This shouldn't be. Schools should be safe. I should not have to worry about these things. But I do. And that sucks. But it is reality. And there are sick and evil people. No area or building is safe as was shown yesterday. That is the last community that would expect that to happen. But this is reality and as a teacher, I must also be a security specialist.
We must make schools safe again!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
True Care
I often struggle with being vulnerable, hiding my fears and uncertainties from my public life and keeping them in private. But I am learning through my students and through the book "Adam" by Henri Nouwen, that until we are willing to let others see those feelings and truly care for us, we are missing out on the life Jesus intended for us to live.
My students require the attention of others. They rely in others to meet their basic needs whether that be getting their diapers changed, being fed, moving from their wheel chairs to another position, taking or putting on their coats, and for some of them they may even need others to "breathe" for them. They rely on the CARE of others for survival.
They can hide very little from those who care for them. They lay it all out there. When they are happy, I know. When they are sad or grumpy or sick, I know. They do not hide these things. They are not afraid to show who they truly are. For they know nothing else. They pretty much live with the attitude "Here I am, Love me".
But they do not simply require care, they dish it out. In their own ways, I know that they deeply care about and love others. Whether it is a smile, a life, a high five, or a hug, they show their care. The simplicity of their lives and thoughts are something to be envied.
In the book "Adam", Nouwen says "True care is mutual care". Simply, if we truly are to care about others, we have to let them care about us. If we expect them to lay out their burdens, struggles, and lives, we must be willing to do that also. Care is not a one way street, we need to give it and receive it.
I often think about the time when some friends carried their friend on a mat to Jesus. They went up on a roof, dug a hole and lowered him in front of Jesus so that their friend could be healed. They loved and cared about their friend. But I am positive that that care and love was shared by their paralyzed friend.
For me it is a lot easier to go and do crazy things for my friends than it is to let them do those things for me. For my students I can change diapers, put coats on, wipe a nose, suction out their trachs and their mouths, but I am uncomfortable to accept care in return. But I must let them. For care is mutual and we must let ourselves be cared for. To give is simply not enough, we need to accept care as well.
So friends, step out of your comfort zone, and truly participate in care. Give and receive. Find someone who has outward struggles or disabilities, and see how they both accept and give care.
Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Love y'all
Opher
My students require the attention of others. They rely in others to meet their basic needs whether that be getting their diapers changed, being fed, moving from their wheel chairs to another position, taking or putting on their coats, and for some of them they may even need others to "breathe" for them. They rely on the CARE of others for survival.
They can hide very little from those who care for them. They lay it all out there. When they are happy, I know. When they are sad or grumpy or sick, I know. They do not hide these things. They are not afraid to show who they truly are. For they know nothing else. They pretty much live with the attitude "Here I am, Love me".
But they do not simply require care, they dish it out. In their own ways, I know that they deeply care about and love others. Whether it is a smile, a life, a high five, or a hug, they show their care. The simplicity of their lives and thoughts are something to be envied.
In the book "Adam", Nouwen says "True care is mutual care". Simply, if we truly are to care about others, we have to let them care about us. If we expect them to lay out their burdens, struggles, and lives, we must be willing to do that also. Care is not a one way street, we need to give it and receive it.
I often think about the time when some friends carried their friend on a mat to Jesus. They went up on a roof, dug a hole and lowered him in front of Jesus so that their friend could be healed. They loved and cared about their friend. But I am positive that that care and love was shared by their paralyzed friend.
For me it is a lot easier to go and do crazy things for my friends than it is to let them do those things for me. For my students I can change diapers, put coats on, wipe a nose, suction out their trachs and their mouths, but I am uncomfortable to accept care in return. But I must let them. For care is mutual and we must let ourselves be cared for. To give is simply not enough, we need to accept care as well.
So friends, step out of your comfort zone, and truly participate in care. Give and receive. Find someone who has outward struggles or disabilities, and see how they both accept and give care.
Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Love y'all
Opher
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Reality of my "Job"
Almost everyday at work I have a moment where I stop, look around, and ask myself, "How the heck do I have this job? How the heck am I qualified for this job?" Everyday that thought crosses my mind. And everyday I come up empty on answers.
I am an intervention specialist (Special Ed teacher) in the Toledo Public School District. I teach at Educare, our medically fragile program. I have 7 students ages 17-21. They are in my class because they have significant disabilities and medical needs. Some of them literally fight for their lives everyday. They are all non-verbal and have a range of "ability" levels. They and the other 10 students in our school, are the most amazing people I know. Although there are times when they drive me nuts with some of their behaviors, I love them to death.
Each and everyday I get to walk into a classroom where my inadequacies do not matter. Where my flaws do not matter. Where what other people think do not matter. My students live in a world where they are judged daily. People are uncomfortable around them. They avoid them. But everyday they get to come to a classroom where they are safe. Where they can be themselves. Where they do not have to worry about the evils of the world.
It is hard for me to tell people that I am a teacher. Because in my room, my students do the teaching. They teach me every single day. They teach me how to be simple, how to enjoy the small things, how to never give up, and how to LOVE.
The reality for my students is this: they have significant needs. Some of them more than others Some of them fight for their lives everyday. Last Friday, one of my students ventilators had a tube come loose. In a matter of seconds he was fighting for his life. I was alone with him in the hallway, thankfully I was able to get help and fix the machine. A simple loose tube on a machine could cost them their lives. But yet they still live heir life to the full everyday because they do not know anybetter. If i was put in their shoes due to an accident or illness, I am not sure I could live like them.
I know that I am in that classroom for a reason, I do not know that reason and will probably never know it. What I do know is that God chose to bless me and put me there. He chose ME to be around 7 of the most amazing people everyday. And when one student is ripping our her feeding tubes and another is holding his breath to purposely set off the alarm on his ventilator, God chose ME to show them the grace that he showed me. He chose me to experience the love that my students give everyone. He chose ME.
I hope that my you my friends find yourself in a job where you have a passion, calling, and desire to be. Where God teaches you something everyday. Because when you find yourself there, even the most difficult days are bearable.
Love Y'all,
Opher (Mr. Chris)
Monday, July 23, 2012
Reality of Our Society
There is so much evil in this world. Words cannot describe how much my heart breaks for the victims of the Colorado shooting. In times like this I do question God, I will be honest. In the end my faith is strong and I know that evil does lurk and we are in a war here. But still, incidents like this leave me speechless. There was a school shooting a few months ago that deeply affected me as well. After that incident I wrote the following and it once again sums up my feelings the best way that I can.
"The Reality of Our Society"
What has happened to our society?
That kids killing kids has become reality
Instead of loving one another
We choose to bully our brothers
We walk past familiar faces
But we never examine their individual cases
So obsessed with our own lives
That we do not see the warning signs
We preach to be fishers of men
But yet we are busy indulging in our own sin
Never stopping to think
That our friend may be on the brink
One bad day could end it all
And leave us wishing that we only saw
For the Lord sought after the lost
But we are scared of what that would cost
Yet He asks us to be a city upon a hill
So that darkness will cease and light will fill
To seek out those who feel all alone
And let them see that they are not on their own
Amidst the evil they face day after day
There He is telling us we do not have to pay
For the bill has been taken care of
Paid by His son out of selfless love
We should beg our friends to open their hearts
That He will accept even their worst parts
To put down that gun
And find a new life through the Son
For we are the Body of Christ
Together we can take over evil with a heist
We do not have to live our lives as slaves to sin
But instead we can stand up and fight like men
Encourage our brothers to join our cuase
And that they will see a love that does not pause
For they will no longer seek to destroy
But beg their Lord to let them deploy
For this is the society that was invisioned
But in reality it has become imprisioned
Friends we were all lost and now have been found
So I beg you to earnestly look around
This love we live in was meant to be shared
For that is ultimately why we were spared
"The Reality of Our Society"
What has happened to our society?
That kids killing kids has become reality
Instead of loving one another
We choose to bully our brothers
We walk past familiar faces
But we never examine their individual cases
So obsessed with our own lives
That we do not see the warning signs
We preach to be fishers of men
But yet we are busy indulging in our own sin
Never stopping to think
That our friend may be on the brink
One bad day could end it all
And leave us wishing that we only saw
For the Lord sought after the lost
But we are scared of what that would cost
Yet He asks us to be a city upon a hill
So that darkness will cease and light will fill
To seek out those who feel all alone
And let them see that they are not on their own
Amidst the evil they face day after day
There He is telling us we do not have to pay
For the bill has been taken care of
Paid by His son out of selfless love
We should beg our friends to open their hearts
That He will accept even their worst parts
To put down that gun
And find a new life through the Son
For we are the Body of Christ
Together we can take over evil with a heist
We do not have to live our lives as slaves to sin
But instead we can stand up and fight like men
Encourage our brothers to join our cuase
And that they will see a love that does not pause
For they will no longer seek to destroy
But beg their Lord to let them deploy
For this is the society that was invisioned
But in reality it has become imprisioned
Friends we were all lost and now have been found
So I beg you to earnestly look around
This love we live in was meant to be shared
For that is ultimately why we were spared
Monday, July 16, 2012
More Than a Job
So, last week I was hired on as an Intervention Specialist (Special Ed teacher) within the Toledo Public Schools. Now my license is as an intervention specialist: moderate to intensive. That essentially means I could potentially teach in just about any special ed setting, k-12. A ton of options there. But when I began my job search a few months ago I had a dream job envisioned; I wanted to stay in Toledo, I wanted teach kids with multiple/ more severe disabilities, and I wanted to work with high school age kids.
I applied for over 30 positions and up until my last application I put in, not one of those positions matched my wish list for a job. I had given up on teaching what I was passionate for. I even almost decided to move to Maryland for a Co-teaching job, which I really did not want to do. I had all but given up. It was tough for me. I thought I would have to move from Toledo, which has been my home for 5 years. I thought I would have to teach in a mild spec. ed setting which I am not as passionate about. But God being God, he came through.
When I had given up hope He reminded me just why He is so incredible. As a last ditch effort last week I called TPS to check on my application status. They immediately transferred me to the lady in charge of hiring for special ed. She asked me where I planned to be living next year, I told her Toledo. She then told me to come in the next day and she may be able to help me out. Sure enough I get there, they ask me a few questions and then offered me a choice of three positions. And long and behold my dream job was among them. A high school aged, medically fragile unit at a school 2 minutes from my house.
I am beyond humbled and thankful for the opportunity. Not only to teach in an urban setting, which I have long wanted to do, but to work with students with more intensive disabilities. People often tell me how "awesome" it is that I want to do that. Today, the drug test lady thanked me for wanting to do this. But I always feel weird when people do so. Look, this is my passion. Working with kids with disabilities is my life ministry. I want nothing else. I know God has placed them upon my heart. I know that what I can offer them is FAR LESS than what they can offer me.
As I go into this "job", I view it as life. I am trying to help bring a ministry for kids with disabilities to Toledo, and I see this as a way that God is continuing to provide. So, this is more than a job for me. It is life. It is ministry. And for me, it is just another way in which the Good Lord is working in me.
Friends, a job is more than a job.
With love
Oph
I applied for over 30 positions and up until my last application I put in, not one of those positions matched my wish list for a job. I had given up on teaching what I was passionate for. I even almost decided to move to Maryland for a Co-teaching job, which I really did not want to do. I had all but given up. It was tough for me. I thought I would have to move from Toledo, which has been my home for 5 years. I thought I would have to teach in a mild spec. ed setting which I am not as passionate about. But God being God, he came through.
When I had given up hope He reminded me just why He is so incredible. As a last ditch effort last week I called TPS to check on my application status. They immediately transferred me to the lady in charge of hiring for special ed. She asked me where I planned to be living next year, I told her Toledo. She then told me to come in the next day and she may be able to help me out. Sure enough I get there, they ask me a few questions and then offered me a choice of three positions. And long and behold my dream job was among them. A high school aged, medically fragile unit at a school 2 minutes from my house.
I am beyond humbled and thankful for the opportunity. Not only to teach in an urban setting, which I have long wanted to do, but to work with students with more intensive disabilities. People often tell me how "awesome" it is that I want to do that. Today, the drug test lady thanked me for wanting to do this. But I always feel weird when people do so. Look, this is my passion. Working with kids with disabilities is my life ministry. I want nothing else. I know God has placed them upon my heart. I know that what I can offer them is FAR LESS than what they can offer me.
As I go into this "job", I view it as life. I am trying to help bring a ministry for kids with disabilities to Toledo, and I see this as a way that God is continuing to provide. So, this is more than a job for me. It is life. It is ministry. And for me, it is just another way in which the Good Lord is working in me.
Friends, a job is more than a job.
With love
Oph
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Humble Rejection
Humbling... If I had to use one word to describe the past year of my life it would be humbling. That word is a little more polite than some other words at times I would have wanted to use. But looking back now I can use it with certainty and thankfulness.
Just to even come back to Toledo for my final year of school this past year I had to borrow a significant amount of money from a few people. While student teaching, I had no phone, car, or job. My roommates pitched in and fed me and helped me out. Those experiences are definitely humbling. At first I complained about my situation but I can look back now and say that I am extremely thankful.
Along with the struggles with money and such another common theme was rejection. Now we all face rejection, some more than others. And on the surface level rejection sucks and it is also extremely humbling, that is putting it nicely. Whether it was in relationships or school or whatever, rejection stung hard and at first I was pissed at the Lord for it. This summer has seen a lot of rejection for me. Looking for a job... being told you are not qualified, being told you are not even worthy of an interview. Humbling.
But check it out. Being humbled is good. In some way being rejected is good. I have been realizing that I have so much to be thankful for that sometimes I act like I deserve everything handed to me. Being rejected by employers has taught me to appreciate my education more, it has given more drive, a chip on my shoulder. And when I get that teaching job I am going to be the best teacher I can and I am going to reward my school for taking that chance on me and my bad GPA. And being broke all the time has humbled me and taught me to appreciate what I have and not complain. Appreciate the help and support from friends. And when I am rejected in relationships (friendly relationships for the most part) I need to be thankful for the friends I have. Because I have some of the greatest friends and I need to appreciate that.
Pretty simply, when you are humbled or rejected there is most likely a good reason for it. I have all ready been given life through Christ, all else is a bonus. So stop and think about our difficulties and accept humbleness, understand rejection.
Love Y'all
Oph
Just to even come back to Toledo for my final year of school this past year I had to borrow a significant amount of money from a few people. While student teaching, I had no phone, car, or job. My roommates pitched in and fed me and helped me out. Those experiences are definitely humbling. At first I complained about my situation but I can look back now and say that I am extremely thankful.
Along with the struggles with money and such another common theme was rejection. Now we all face rejection, some more than others. And on the surface level rejection sucks and it is also extremely humbling, that is putting it nicely. Whether it was in relationships or school or whatever, rejection stung hard and at first I was pissed at the Lord for it. This summer has seen a lot of rejection for me. Looking for a job... being told you are not qualified, being told you are not even worthy of an interview. Humbling.
But check it out. Being humbled is good. In some way being rejected is good. I have been realizing that I have so much to be thankful for that sometimes I act like I deserve everything handed to me. Being rejected by employers has taught me to appreciate my education more, it has given more drive, a chip on my shoulder. And when I get that teaching job I am going to be the best teacher I can and I am going to reward my school for taking that chance on me and my bad GPA. And being broke all the time has humbled me and taught me to appreciate what I have and not complain. Appreciate the help and support from friends. And when I am rejected in relationships (friendly relationships for the most part) I need to be thankful for the friends I have. Because I have some of the greatest friends and I need to appreciate that.
Pretty simply, when you are humbled or rejected there is most likely a good reason for it. I have all ready been given life through Christ, all else is a bonus. So stop and think about our difficulties and accept humbleness, understand rejection.
Love Y'all
Oph
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Just a Little Writing
For I long to know who you are
The name you have been given
The color of your hair
To look into your eyes
Hold hands as we walk side by side
To hold you as we laugh and cry
To share with you memories both good and bad
To become one in Christ
And although I am yet to know who you are
I know that I love
you
That each and every day I think about you
That I pray God blesses me with privilege of meeting you
That you will be so focused on Christ that I am at first an
after thought
That I will be terrified to talk to you in the beginning
But that I would rather talk to no one else than you in the
end
For I long to know who you are
But as I wait for that moment
I take comfort in knowing that you are loved
Loved by the creator Himself
That while I am certain to fail you
He will never let you down
That while I will hurt you
He will always be good to you
I can only pray that you seek Him first always
And know that I long to know who you are
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Nothing to Fear
A few months ago I read "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. (Y'all should probs read it) It is a great read. Pretty much it is about living a great story, letting God author our lives. I wrote a few posts about it back when I was reading it so feel free to go back and read those. But I have recently revisited that theme in my life; living a great story and letting the author write the pages.
I just graduated college which is insane really. But as happy as I am to be a graduate, I am terrified for what the future brings. In the book Miller talks about how we, the characters, often try to write our own pages, we hijack the story from the author. We write our own chapters and mess up the story God wants us to actually live. He of course will alter the path and still author a great story IF we allow him too.
Right now I want to take over my story, I want to write the next chapter. I want to be in control of where I live and where I teach/if I teach, all that fun stuff. But I know that the Lord is going to write a great story. But uncertainty is scary. Not knowing what the next chapter holds in unsettling to me. But recently I have been repeatedly reminded of God's grace and his amazing ability to author our lives. Monday night at my church's Young Adult service our pastor shared how Moses, one of the greatest figures in the Old testament, how he himself did not want to let God author his life at first. He wanted someone else to be chosen. He ended up accepting the task and the rest was history.
That is just one example of the importance of letting God write our stories. As I look to my future, I have no clue what it holds and yes, that is scary. I don't know if I will be in Toledo or Hamilton. I don't know a lot of things, but I do know that it's in the Lord's hands and that in the end is all that matters.
"I will not fear the war. I will not fear the storm. My help is on the way"
Love y'all
Opher
I just graduated college which is insane really. But as happy as I am to be a graduate, I am terrified for what the future brings. In the book Miller talks about how we, the characters, often try to write our own pages, we hijack the story from the author. We write our own chapters and mess up the story God wants us to actually live. He of course will alter the path and still author a great story IF we allow him too.
Right now I want to take over my story, I want to write the next chapter. I want to be in control of where I live and where I teach/if I teach, all that fun stuff. But I know that the Lord is going to write a great story. But uncertainty is scary. Not knowing what the next chapter holds in unsettling to me. But recently I have been repeatedly reminded of God's grace and his amazing ability to author our lives. Monday night at my church's Young Adult service our pastor shared how Moses, one of the greatest figures in the Old testament, how he himself did not want to let God author his life at first. He wanted someone else to be chosen. He ended up accepting the task and the rest was history.
That is just one example of the importance of letting God write our stories. As I look to my future, I have no clue what it holds and yes, that is scary. I don't know if I will be in Toledo or Hamilton. I don't know a lot of things, but I do know that it's in the Lord's hands and that in the end is all that matters.
"I will not fear the war. I will not fear the storm. My help is on the way"
Love y'all
Opher
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Opher the Pharisee
Tonight I was at Soma, my church's the young adult gathering, and the Lord straight up blindsided me. Now the message itself was on the glory of God and how much He weighs. And our young adult pastor, Sammy, did a great job of communicating this to us. But that main message was not what the Lord slapped me with. Instead, the Lord through Sammy spoke to me about how I worship. How worship should be our whole lives. Allow me to clarify a little.
Sammy was sharing the story of Moses in Exodus 33. And how the Glory of God will literally kill us because of its power. Then he said something along the lines of this, "When I am singing the song 'Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you' I now am like "Open the eyes of my heart Lord, metaphorically speaking, I want to see you.' Because if I really saw him, his Glory would kill me."
That tiny part of the message stuck with me. What the Lord wanted me to gain was that I should truly consider the words I am singing while worshiping. I should stop and let them sink in. I often am getting down while worshiping, really loving the Lord. But am I truly living those words I worship with? This may be confusing, but I will give lyrics to two of my favorite worship songs.
"There is no one higher, no one greater, no one like our God. There is none more able, Christ our Savior, Great and glorious." -I know this to be true, but am I living my life in a way that reflects this? Honestly, probably not very often. If I truly lived this out, then I would not try to get through things on my own, I would go to the Lord because there is no one greater, there is none more able than him. But, I don't often do that.
Another example.
"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, I awe of the one who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered, All I am is Yours" - Again, I do not truly live in this manner. I don't often fully surrender to the Lord, I know that all I am is his, but I do not live that way. To truly live out those words is to truly surrender to God. To fall on my knees and know that I am only His. But again, I often think to highly of myself to live in that manner.
My point to all this is simple. It is easy to put our hands in the air and sing a song during church. It feels great, just about everyone seems to love worshiping. But worship does not simply belong in church and belong with music. We should be worshiping with our whole lives, our full existence. And if we are belting out words and raising our arms and dancing around, then we better believe those words, we better be living those words out. Sadly I often do not. And it truly reminds me of the pharisees. They stood around belting out words about God, but they were in no way living it. So yes, that makes me a pharisee. Not someone that many of us want to be likened to.
So, I thank the Lord for using Sammy's great sense of humor to reach out and slap me. I need to live out my worship and not be a pharisee.
Love Y'all
Opher
Sammy was sharing the story of Moses in Exodus 33. And how the Glory of God will literally kill us because of its power. Then he said something along the lines of this, "When I am singing the song 'Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you' I now am like "Open the eyes of my heart Lord, metaphorically speaking, I want to see you.' Because if I really saw him, his Glory would kill me."
That tiny part of the message stuck with me. What the Lord wanted me to gain was that I should truly consider the words I am singing while worshiping. I should stop and let them sink in. I often am getting down while worshiping, really loving the Lord. But am I truly living those words I worship with? This may be confusing, but I will give lyrics to two of my favorite worship songs.
"There is no one higher, no one greater, no one like our God. There is none more able, Christ our Savior, Great and glorious." -I know this to be true, but am I living my life in a way that reflects this? Honestly, probably not very often. If I truly lived this out, then I would not try to get through things on my own, I would go to the Lord because there is no one greater, there is none more able than him. But, I don't often do that.
Another example.
"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, I awe of the one who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered, All I am is Yours" - Again, I do not truly live in this manner. I don't often fully surrender to the Lord, I know that all I am is his, but I do not live that way. To truly live out those words is to truly surrender to God. To fall on my knees and know that I am only His. But again, I often think to highly of myself to live in that manner.
My point to all this is simple. It is easy to put our hands in the air and sing a song during church. It feels great, just about everyone seems to love worshiping. But worship does not simply belong in church and belong with music. We should be worshiping with our whole lives, our full existence. And if we are belting out words and raising our arms and dancing around, then we better believe those words, we better be living those words out. Sadly I often do not. And it truly reminds me of the pharisees. They stood around belting out words about God, but they were in no way living it. So yes, that makes me a pharisee. Not someone that many of us want to be likened to.
So, I thank the Lord for using Sammy's great sense of humor to reach out and slap me. I need to live out my worship and not be a pharisee.
Love Y'all
Opher
Monday, April 23, 2012
A New Journey
So, in a couple weeks I will be graduating college. I will have my teacher's license soon. And hopefully this fall will be teaching somewhere. It is all a bit overwhelming to be honest. It seems like yesterday I was in high school barely passing. I even had a teacher tell me that I would be wasting time and money by going to college, that I would never succeed. Jokes on her now I guess.
I remember graduating high school and being terrified of college. To be completely honest, I was about 95% sure that I would not make it through, that I would be back in Hamilton in a year or two. But by the grace of God I was able to make it through. I was surrounded by great friends and used those words from my former teacher to motivate me. Although it did take me an extra year to graduate but a degree is a degree regardless if it took 4 years or 5.
Some where in the past 5 years I have developed a fondness for Toledo. Anyone who has ever lived here knows that that is not very easy to develop. But I love it here. I have been going to my church for 5 years, have a great family there. I have some of the best friends I could ever imagine here as well.
It has been a journey. I hope that I am a better man than when I started but who knows. What I do know is that I am facing a similar to the one I faced 5 years ago. I am graduating, and I have no clue what is next. I am terrified I will fail as an adult, as a teacher. I have no clue where I will be living, all depends on where I get a job. What I do know is that its the beginning of a new journey. I know the good Lord will help to guide me. So here is to the next journey in my life!
I remember graduating high school and being terrified of college. To be completely honest, I was about 95% sure that I would not make it through, that I would be back in Hamilton in a year or two. But by the grace of God I was able to make it through. I was surrounded by great friends and used those words from my former teacher to motivate me. Although it did take me an extra year to graduate but a degree is a degree regardless if it took 4 years or 5.
Some where in the past 5 years I have developed a fondness for Toledo. Anyone who has ever lived here knows that that is not very easy to develop. But I love it here. I have been going to my church for 5 years, have a great family there. I have some of the best friends I could ever imagine here as well.
It has been a journey. I hope that I am a better man than when I started but who knows. What I do know is that I am facing a similar to the one I faced 5 years ago. I am graduating, and I have no clue what is next. I am terrified I will fail as an adult, as a teacher. I have no clue where I will be living, all depends on where I get a job. What I do know is that its the beginning of a new journey. I know the good Lord will help to guide me. So here is to the next journey in my life!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Why Do We Go To Church?
This is a thought I jotted down a few weeks ago and felt like posting on the old blog. Enjoy.
Why do we go to church? No, seriously, why do we go to church? That is a question I wrestle with often, and many of my friends wrestle with as well.
Now before everyone puts on their judging hats, let me clarify. I love church. I love the church I attend, and I love what I see a lot of other churches doing. But I often ask myself why I am going? Why is it that in our American Christian culture we get up early on Sundays, grab our check books, turn off our cell phones, make awkward small talk, and listen to someone talk for an hour?
Of course the answer that I give often and that I suspect many of my friends give is simply because we want to learn more about Jesus. Really? What was the message on this past Sunday? What scripture was used? What did you take away from that experience?
Some of you no doubt are able to honestly answer each of those questions with meaningful responses, I can’t. I know that a good friend of mine spoke. I know that we are in a series in the Gospel of John. But beyond that?
I ask these questions because so often we do things for reasons we do not know. We tell our non-Christian friends to go to church. But what is the church? Is it a building? Is it a congregation? How do non-Christians view the church? Are their opinions that far off from reality?
The Book of Acts is probably my favorite outside of the Gospels. The Book of Acts shows us what the church was meant to be. It shows us how we should live our lives, the communities we should be building. The first Christians did not live their lives how they wanted for six days and then showed up to worship God for an hour one day a week. They were in the trenches. They practiced what they preached. In the Gospels Jesus and his followers were out in the trenches. They were hanging out with the lowest of the low. Jesus did not sit his disciples down once a week for an hour and preach and then tell them to have a good week. He lived life with them.
We write a check every couple of weeks, awesome. That is something that is important no doubt, but why are we writing that check? Because God is challenging us to not idolize money or because it is something that our pastor tells us to do? Where is our money going? Maybe it’s buying food for hungry people, maybe it is helping to build an orphanage somewhere. But why are we not handing out those meals, having conversations, building relationships? I think that human interaction shows love much more than a check does.
Maybe some of us went on a mission trip for a week to Central America last summer. That is awesome, I am not minimizing that. Foreign missions are very important. But what are our neighbors names? What is going on in their lives? How are we loving them? Yes, when compared to the rest of the world America has wealth. But our poor struggle as well, go to a local food pantry, those people are there for a reason. Ask children services how many kids are in the custody of the state. And it is not just the poor who are desperate and need Jesus and love. Contrary to popular beliefs rich people are lonely and lost too. So that one week in Central America is great, and I admire those who make the sacrifices to go there, but what are we doing all the weeks we are in our home towns?
These are all questions that I constantly ask myself. And I think that if we are simply going to church on Sunday and doing a few out reach ministries a year, we are missing the point. If we say to ourselves “I just really feel called to loving _______ people”, then we are missing something. Yes, we all have different passions and callings, and there may be a specific group of people we feel called to, I know I have that calling in my life. But that does not mean that we get a free pass on everyone else. We should be loving people every minute of everyday.
Church should be one small aspect of our faith. But the other 98% of our weeks outside the church should speak loud about our faith. So friends, if you are like me, you probably often take for granted the cross and what was done on it. We can’t. Remember Jesus. And simply ask yourself, why do I go to church?
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Who Wants to Provide Art?
I have been partaking in different creative writing exercises on and off for a while now. I just stumbled across one that involves taking a picture or painting or something along those lines and creating a story from that scene or about that piece. I found it to be a cool idea, so if anyone wants to help a bortha out and provide a piece of art for me to use, I would greatly appreciate it yo!
Oph
Oph
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Peeta or Gale
I have now read "Hunger Games" 4 times. I have read "Catching Fire" twice and "Mockingjay" once. I am obsessed with the series "The Hunger Games". Suzanne Collins does a wonderful job with this series. I think what I love most about it, is that every time I read one of the books, I pick up on different symbolism and meaning. I do not know if what I find meaning in was meant to be taken that way. But the symbolism is incredible. I love to write and I love to incorporate symbolism. It allows the reader to make their own assumptions, connections, ideas.
While reading the Hunger Games I cannot help but to think that our society is not to far off from the one Collins creates in her series. Now, obviously if you read it at a surface level, then we are really far off. But take a deeper look and I believe you will find some eerie similarities. I will not ruin the books for anyone. But I will point a few connections I made.
Happy Hunger Games
Oph
While reading the Hunger Games I cannot help but to think that our society is not to far off from the one Collins creates in her series. Now, obviously if you read it at a surface level, then we are really far off. But take a deeper look and I believe you will find some eerie similarities. I will not ruin the books for anyone. But I will point a few connections I made.
- Our obsession with reality tv. America loves it. Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, the Real World, Survivor. We love this crap, we beg for more and when a season ends, we watch the post show interviews and cannot wait until the next season... We often delight in the reality stars pain and suffering, whether emotional or physical.
- Our willingness to spoil ourselves with material items. To indulge in natural resources that are dwindling. That we live in a culture that lives for today, for instant satisfaction. That we care very little about the people who do not have what we have, the people who are practically slaves in other nations to provide our crap.
- And finally, and this one I will leave very vague in case my awesome readers have not read past the first book. But our willingness to jump behind a cause, or a leader, without really examining motives and thinking about the future. Everyone loved when Egypt was "freed" but the people who helped "free" them are running things very similar to how it was ran before... We love a revolution, idolize those leaders, but do not fully inspect their motives...
Happy Hunger Games
Oph
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Help a Brotha Out.
So I have mentioned this before. I love to write and stuff. A bit ago I wrote a short story, it is not very long at all. I kept it to myself for a while but kind of do want to share it with folks so that I can get some feedback. It is a goal of mine to one day publish some sort of book (not this story), and I can only get better with feedback. The link at the bottom here is to the document on google docs. Now, I am not sure if anyone actually reads any of these posts but if you are reading this and you enjoy reading stories and would like to help me out with feedback, please do so. Just let me know you are gonna check it our or when you have finished or what not. And no rush at all, though it won't take long to read.
Thanks friends!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FFmcRunXIo0F-2rcnY7OO_YITBbKW7Jm0ZItkuv_NHQ/edit
Thanks friends!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FFmcRunXIo0F-2rcnY7OO_YITBbKW7Jm0ZItkuv_NHQ/edit
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Reality of Our Society
What has happened to our society?
That kids killing kids has become reality
Instead of loving one another
We choose to bully our brothers
We walk past familiar faces
But we never examine their individual cases
So obsessed with our own lives
That we do not see the warning signs
We preach to be fishers of men
But yet we are busy indulging in our own sin
Never stopping to think
That our friend may be on the brink
One bad day could end it all
And leave us wishing that we only saw
For the Lord sought after the lost
But we are scared of what that would cost
Yet He asks us to be a city upon a hill
So that darkness will cease and light will fill
To seek out those who feel all alone
And let them see that they are not on their own
Amidst the evil they face day after day
There He is telling us we do not have to pay
For the bill has been taken care of
Paid by His son out of selfless love
We should beg our friends to open their hearts
That He will accept even their worst parts
To put down that gun
And find a new life through the Son
For we are the Body of Christ
Together we can take over evil with a heist
We do not have to live our lives as slaves to sin
But instead we can stand up and fight like men
Encourage our brothers to join our cuase
And that they will see a love that does not pause
For they will no longer seek to destroy
But beg their Lord to let them deploy
For this is the society that was invisioned
But in reality it has become imprisioned
Friends we were all lost and now have been found
So I beg you to earnestly look around
This love we live in was meant to be shared
For that is ultimately why we were spared
That kids killing kids has become reality
Instead of loving one another
We choose to bully our brothers
We walk past familiar faces
But we never examine their individual cases
So obsessed with our own lives
That we do not see the warning signs
We preach to be fishers of men
But yet we are busy indulging in our own sin
Never stopping to think
That our friend may be on the brink
One bad day could end it all
And leave us wishing that we only saw
For the Lord sought after the lost
But we are scared of what that would cost
Yet He asks us to be a city upon a hill
So that darkness will cease and light will fill
To seek out those who feel all alone
And let them see that they are not on their own
Amidst the evil they face day after day
There He is telling us we do not have to pay
For the bill has been taken care of
Paid by His son out of selfless love
We should beg our friends to open their hearts
That He will accept even their worst parts
To put down that gun
And find a new life through the Son
For we are the Body of Christ
Together we can take over evil with a heist
We do not have to live our lives as slaves to sin
But instead we can stand up and fight like men
Encourage our brothers to join our cuase
And that they will see a love that does not pause
For they will no longer seek to destroy
But beg their Lord to let them deploy
For this is the society that was invisioned
But in reality it has become imprisioned
Friends we were all lost and now have been found
So I beg you to earnestly look around
This love we live in was meant to be shared
For that is ultimately why we were spared
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Turtles
This past year has been crazy for me. God has been doing crazy things in my heart. He has been challenging me in crazy ways. I am not always accepting of his challenges either. He has placed people in my life that have been speaking truth into me. He has been telling me to stop being stupid and just trust his plan.
Part of being an Opher is being insecure and not confident in yourself. I often doubt that the Lord would want me to be a vessel for him. But this past year he has been really challenging me on that front. He has given me an incredible vision and passion to live life with and love people with special needs. He has given me much respncibility, responsibility that I did not really want at first. He is telling me that if I trust in him, I can do anything, and that he is working in me and through me, to just allow him to do so.
He has also attacked many of my insecurities and has shown me how stupid they are. One of my biggest fears in life is being alone and not being liked or accepted by people. This really shows in my desire to be in a relationship with a lady. I have so many fears and insecurities in that area it is not even funny. And after each rejection I receive God is there telling me to trust him and stop trying to replace him with love that cannot compare to his.
And finally he has been really challenging me to rethink what I want to do with my life. To let him take over. This past summer I volunteered at a Young Life camp and was shocked at the feedback I got from people. The Lord was doing insane things in my heart and really showed me the person I could be if I truly lived with and for him. Since June I have been really praying for a vision to my life. I believe the Lord has placed full time ministry on my heart. I do not know what that will look like but if the Lord is behind it then it will be very good.
I guess through all the blabbering I have done, I am trying to impress upon my friends the importance of just trusting the Lord. He wants to use us, he wants us to be extraordinary. He will take care of me, through him I can be a man of Christ, with out him I will simply be a man of the world. And that simply is not okay. He will provide me the confidence and strength to help lead a ministry. He will provide the answers I seek and the questions I have regarding full time ministry. He will help me to be a loving husband and father, without him, I cannot be that.
Friends, trust the Lord. Be a branch connected to the vine. John 15
Love,
Opher
Part of being an Opher is being insecure and not confident in yourself. I often doubt that the Lord would want me to be a vessel for him. But this past year he has been really challenging me on that front. He has given me an incredible vision and passion to live life with and love people with special needs. He has given me much respncibility, responsibility that I did not really want at first. He is telling me that if I trust in him, I can do anything, and that he is working in me and through me, to just allow him to do so.
He has also attacked many of my insecurities and has shown me how stupid they are. One of my biggest fears in life is being alone and not being liked or accepted by people. This really shows in my desire to be in a relationship with a lady. I have so many fears and insecurities in that area it is not even funny. And after each rejection I receive God is there telling me to trust him and stop trying to replace him with love that cannot compare to his.
And finally he has been really challenging me to rethink what I want to do with my life. To let him take over. This past summer I volunteered at a Young Life camp and was shocked at the feedback I got from people. The Lord was doing insane things in my heart and really showed me the person I could be if I truly lived with and for him. Since June I have been really praying for a vision to my life. I believe the Lord has placed full time ministry on my heart. I do not know what that will look like but if the Lord is behind it then it will be very good.
I guess through all the blabbering I have done, I am trying to impress upon my friends the importance of just trusting the Lord. He wants to use us, he wants us to be extraordinary. He will take care of me, through him I can be a man of Christ, with out him I will simply be a man of the world. And that simply is not okay. He will provide me the confidence and strength to help lead a ministry. He will provide the answers I seek and the questions I have regarding full time ministry. He will help me to be a loving husband and father, without him, I cannot be that.
Friends, trust the Lord. Be a branch connected to the vine. John 15
Love,
Opher
Monday, February 13, 2012
My New Friend
Ever have a stretch of a few days that puts everything in perspective? That was this weekend for me. As I have shared countless times, I have had a passion and drive to see a ministry for kids with special needs in Toledo. The Good Lord has given me a vision and asked me to be one of his vessels for it. Well, after 4.5 years, literally, of prayer and conversation/begging, and planning; we launched Toledo Capernaum on Saturday night!!! The weeks leading up to it were some of the most stressful I have ever faced. I was so worried about failing, about not doing a good job. A lot of people trusted the vision I was given and supported me. I am not exactly used to having random people approach me and ask about ministry and pledge their prayer. So I did not want to let anyone down. On top of that I was having meetings and phone conferences and emails all trying to get this thing off the ground.
I think that I did lose focus of the point through it all. I was a nervous stress ball. I like to fly under the radar and I found myself on the radar. I do question some of my motives these past few weeks but still the Lord did his thing and used me as a vessel none the less. And then came Saturday.
Saturday, I was a nervous wreck. I barely slept the night before and could hardly eat all day. I was so excited for this club, excited and terrified. I believe God has been preparing me for this my whole life. I have yet to really put together a "team" to help me plan clubs. I was blessed with support from friends and met some new friends that showed up to help out. So the support was there. But the planning was on me and difficult. I had no idea what to expect, who would come, what their needs would be.
Well, I arrived at club, started setting up and everyone was coming to me with questions which I am not used to. I was sweating and shaking and then I simply paused for a moment and confessed to the Lord that I was doing this on my own for the past few hours especially. I asked him to come down, take over. Almost immediately I was at peace. And then our one and only kid arrived. And I was okay with that. She came with her two cousins and their two friends. They are YL leaders in Michigan and wanted to see what we were up to. We had a blast! God spoke through me for the club talk, he greatly humbled me. The rest of the club was great. I hand Kristin, my new friend, 5 shaving cream pies and told her to start pieing people and that she did. She sang some karaoke, had a dance party, and played musical chairs. When it was time to leave I think we were all sad.
There we were, about 12 of us all together just having a blast. I can tell you that in those moments there was no disability in that room, Kristin was a daughter of God hanging out with her friends. That is how God intended her to be. And I can honestly say that the people in that room learned more about Christ and love from her than we could ever teach her. Just as when the four friends lowered their paralyzed friend through a hole in the ceiling just so he could be close to Christ, they got more than they were expecting and I can only assume they were changed for ever. Well, I am a changed man from Saturday.
I know this was a long post, but friends, God wants to use us, but he does not need us. He will take our nerves away, calm our minds and hearts. He will show us love in every way imaginable. Just believe. Myself, well I cannot wait until our next club. And I cannot wait to meet more friends.
I leave you with this,
"Be comfortable being uncomfortable." -Nick Palermo-
I think that I did lose focus of the point through it all. I was a nervous stress ball. I like to fly under the radar and I found myself on the radar. I do question some of my motives these past few weeks but still the Lord did his thing and used me as a vessel none the less. And then came Saturday.
Saturday, I was a nervous wreck. I barely slept the night before and could hardly eat all day. I was so excited for this club, excited and terrified. I believe God has been preparing me for this my whole life. I have yet to really put together a "team" to help me plan clubs. I was blessed with support from friends and met some new friends that showed up to help out. So the support was there. But the planning was on me and difficult. I had no idea what to expect, who would come, what their needs would be.
Well, I arrived at club, started setting up and everyone was coming to me with questions which I am not used to. I was sweating and shaking and then I simply paused for a moment and confessed to the Lord that I was doing this on my own for the past few hours especially. I asked him to come down, take over. Almost immediately I was at peace. And then our one and only kid arrived. And I was okay with that. She came with her two cousins and their two friends. They are YL leaders in Michigan and wanted to see what we were up to. We had a blast! God spoke through me for the club talk, he greatly humbled me. The rest of the club was great. I hand Kristin, my new friend, 5 shaving cream pies and told her to start pieing people and that she did. She sang some karaoke, had a dance party, and played musical chairs. When it was time to leave I think we were all sad.
There we were, about 12 of us all together just having a blast. I can tell you that in those moments there was no disability in that room, Kristin was a daughter of God hanging out with her friends. That is how God intended her to be. And I can honestly say that the people in that room learned more about Christ and love from her than we could ever teach her. Just as when the four friends lowered their paralyzed friend through a hole in the ceiling just so he could be close to Christ, they got more than they were expecting and I can only assume they were changed for ever. Well, I am a changed man from Saturday.
I know this was a long post, but friends, God wants to use us, but he does not need us. He will take our nerves away, calm our minds and hearts. He will show us love in every way imaginable. Just believe. Myself, well I cannot wait until our next club. And I cannot wait to meet more friends.
I leave you with this,
"Be comfortable being uncomfortable." -Nick Palermo-
Monday, January 30, 2012
Two Words: But God
Ephesians 2:1-10
"1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God , being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Enough Said!
"1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God , being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Enough Said!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What Do You Fear?
Fear. That word alone brings about images to us. We think of things that we fear. For me: heights, tight spaces, losing loved ones, failure, rejection, talking to girls and so on. We become a slave to our fears. We let our fears dictate our lives. But why? This month I have been doing a devotional put out by the Moody Bible Institute that I grabbed at my church. The whole month is on the subject of fear. Over and over, day after day I read how the Lord frees us from our fears. How with the Lord at our side, fear is no master of us. Fear comes from not trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112: 6-8 "For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries."
I will freely admit that I do allow fear to be my master and that I do not always trust fully in the Lord. I am currently amidst a crazy journey that God is leading me on. And yes, our whole life is a crazy journey. But right now the Lord has me in a crazy chapter, he has given me a vision and told me to go. He asks me to trust him. But day after day I do not trust him. I am afraid to reach out to contacts and really go full throttle on this journey. It is because of fear.
We have to trust in the Lord. For if we truly believe in his word and the life of Jesus Christ, then we will not allow fear to hold us captive. I have been fighting this and it is a daily, rather second by second fight. So friends, do not be a slave to fear. Listen to the Lord, trust in him! Allow your hearts to be firm and steady. For fear is no master of us!
Love Y'all
Psalm 112: 6-8 "For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries."
I will freely admit that I do allow fear to be my master and that I do not always trust fully in the Lord. I am currently amidst a crazy journey that God is leading me on. And yes, our whole life is a crazy journey. But right now the Lord has me in a crazy chapter, he has given me a vision and told me to go. He asks me to trust him. But day after day I do not trust him. I am afraid to reach out to contacts and really go full throttle on this journey. It is because of fear.
We have to trust in the Lord. For if we truly believe in his word and the life of Jesus Christ, then we will not allow fear to hold us captive. I have been fighting this and it is a daily, rather second by second fight. So friends, do not be a slave to fear. Listen to the Lord, trust in him! Allow your hearts to be firm and steady. For fear is no master of us!
Love Y'all
Saturday, January 21, 2012
It's the Story that Counts
After reading "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" I was all jazzed up to go live a great story, start some new exciting chapters. Last week I had three new chapters starting and all looked like they were going to lead to great stories. I think I forgot that life has it's ups and downs. Two of those three chapters were closed on me in the past few days. Which was very humbling. But I do believe the one that has been a major part in my story for a while will continue to be so and will offer many exciting chapters to come.
I am not writing this to complain. I cannot stand blogs that just complain. I am writing this because I got caught up in life, caught up in the good things and forgot why these stories were happening, because my author started them. He created me as a character and guides me through the story. Every good story has conflict and every good protagonist goes through what is called a character arc. They have to face adversity and come through the other side. After wallowing in self pity for a few hours today I was reminded this by a client I was working with at work. He said to me "life is a rollercoaster." And I laughed. It is true.
Look, if we put all our pride and self worth in silly little things that do not really matter in the large scale of life, like I was doing, we will always be disappointed. If we realize who our author is and understand conflict is apart of becoming a great character and creating a great story, then we will be able to deal with those minor bumps in the road. So friends, seek God ALWAYS! Do not be afraid to have some adventure, start some exciting chapters, but know that sometimes chapters are short or bad, but it's how the character changes after those experiences that determine the real story.
Love Y'al
Oph-dizzle.
I am not writing this to complain. I cannot stand blogs that just complain. I am writing this because I got caught up in life, caught up in the good things and forgot why these stories were happening, because my author started them. He created me as a character and guides me through the story. Every good story has conflict and every good protagonist goes through what is called a character arc. They have to face adversity and come through the other side. After wallowing in self pity for a few hours today I was reminded this by a client I was working with at work. He said to me "life is a rollercoaster." And I laughed. It is true.
Look, if we put all our pride and self worth in silly little things that do not really matter in the large scale of life, like I was doing, we will always be disappointed. If we realize who our author is and understand conflict is apart of becoming a great character and creating a great story, then we will be able to deal with those minor bumps in the road. So friends, seek God ALWAYS! Do not be afraid to have some adventure, start some exciting chapters, but know that sometimes chapters are short or bad, but it's how the character changes after those experiences that determine the real story.
Love Y'al
Oph-dizzle.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Memorable Scenes
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am currently reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. Tonight I read a chapter in which he talked about how we need to live memorable scenes in our lives. That our stories will not be memorable or exciting without memorable scenes. He asked his readers to think back to movies that they loved and the scenes that they remember from those movies. Those scenes are memorable for a reason.
One of my favorite movies is "Forest Gump". It is full of memorable scenes. Through that movie I become attached to Forest and find myself rooting for him in life. He tells his life well sitting on a bench at a bus stop. And the stories he tells are all memorable. Teaching Elvis how to dance, getting shot in the butt in Vietnam, becoming a ping pong champion, an all American football player, and on and on. He lived a great story but he went out and made it great. He made it memorable.
When I look back to memorable events in my life, both good and bad, they all stick out for reasons. None of them happened while I was on my couch watching ESPN or while I was sleeping until noon. They happened when I was back packing, chasing a girl, hanging out with friends on railroad tracks hobo hunting. Those are memorable events.
I am told by friends that I am a good story teller. I can recount story after story from high school. Those stories came about because I was doing something, I made those stories happen. In the same way we need to create memorable moments. Now I am not saying that we need to climb Everest every day but we should not be afraid to live an exciting story. Do something out of the ordinary. Sign up for a triathlon, go on a road trip with friends, go downtown and hang out with homeless people. Go do something that creates a memorable scene. I believe in my heart the God created us to live memorable lives. And by that I do not mean that others necessarily remember them but that we remember moments. That we can look back and say, yeah, I remember that, it was crazy, but great.
I am currently living a few of those moments right now. My story had been boring, dull, and pathetic for a while but I have decided to not allow that anymore. I have handed God his pen back and am letting him write those scenes and I am enjoying them for what they are.
I encourage my friends to do the same. Live a great story, have some memorable scenes. Think back to the movie "The Notebook" We have all seen it. We all know the most memorable scene of the movie, ask yourself why it is memorable. Then make those moments happen in your lives.
Opher
One of my favorite movies is "Forest Gump". It is full of memorable scenes. Through that movie I become attached to Forest and find myself rooting for him in life. He tells his life well sitting on a bench at a bus stop. And the stories he tells are all memorable. Teaching Elvis how to dance, getting shot in the butt in Vietnam, becoming a ping pong champion, an all American football player, and on and on. He lived a great story but he went out and made it great. He made it memorable.
When I look back to memorable events in my life, both good and bad, they all stick out for reasons. None of them happened while I was on my couch watching ESPN or while I was sleeping until noon. They happened when I was back packing, chasing a girl, hanging out with friends on railroad tracks hobo hunting. Those are memorable events.
I am told by friends that I am a good story teller. I can recount story after story from high school. Those stories came about because I was doing something, I made those stories happen. In the same way we need to create memorable moments. Now I am not saying that we need to climb Everest every day but we should not be afraid to live an exciting story. Do something out of the ordinary. Sign up for a triathlon, go on a road trip with friends, go downtown and hang out with homeless people. Go do something that creates a memorable scene. I believe in my heart the God created us to live memorable lives. And by that I do not mean that others necessarily remember them but that we remember moments. That we can look back and say, yeah, I remember that, it was crazy, but great.
I am currently living a few of those moments right now. My story had been boring, dull, and pathetic for a while but I have decided to not allow that anymore. I have handed God his pen back and am letting him write those scenes and I am enjoying them for what they are.
I encourage my friends to do the same. Live a great story, have some memorable scenes. Think back to the movie "The Notebook" We have all seen it. We all know the most memorable scene of the movie, ask yourself why it is memorable. Then make those moments happen in your lives.
Opher
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Cliche
Yes, it is cliche to write a blog reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the new year,. And Yes, I am about to take part in that cliche.
I started this blog just about a year ago and recently went back and reread all of my posts. It was fun rereading them, remembering the situations that caused me to write them. When reflecting on the year I can say that I did see personal growth in my life. It was at times very challenging and I could probably complain about a lot of it if I chose to. But that is no fun. I went through those challenges and have come out a better man. I spent 4 weeks serving at a YL camp in June and saw God in many, many ways. Grew in many, many ways. I went on two YL Capernuam camp trips and again saw God in numerous ways. Those two trips only further confirmed a calling that God has placed upon my heart. With the guidance of God and support of others, Capernaum is close to being a reality in Toledo.
I could go on and on about what the Good Lord did in my life this past year, but I won't. I will say this, looking forward to the new year is exciting for me. I will actually graduate college in about 5 months! Hopefully there will be a ministry in Toledo devoted to serving our friends with disabilities. And hopefully I continue to grow as a man of Christ.
I want to live a better story this year. I want to be a better character created and written by God. A strong character always faces adversity and conflict. That character has to go through that conflict and undergo change while doing so. I am prepared to face the conflicts and undergo that change. I will strive to no longer hijack my story from my author but instead let him write the pages for me.
2012, here I come!
With Love,
Opher
(P.S: I recently finished one of my "short" stories, finally. I think I am done tinkering with it. One way to better my writing is to have people read my crap and provide feedback. So, if anyone wants to take on for the team and give my piece a read, let me know.)
I started this blog just about a year ago and recently went back and reread all of my posts. It was fun rereading them, remembering the situations that caused me to write them. When reflecting on the year I can say that I did see personal growth in my life. It was at times very challenging and I could probably complain about a lot of it if I chose to. But that is no fun. I went through those challenges and have come out a better man. I spent 4 weeks serving at a YL camp in June and saw God in many, many ways. Grew in many, many ways. I went on two YL Capernuam camp trips and again saw God in numerous ways. Those two trips only further confirmed a calling that God has placed upon my heart. With the guidance of God and support of others, Capernaum is close to being a reality in Toledo.
I could go on and on about what the Good Lord did in my life this past year, but I won't. I will say this, looking forward to the new year is exciting for me. I will actually graduate college in about 5 months! Hopefully there will be a ministry in Toledo devoted to serving our friends with disabilities. And hopefully I continue to grow as a man of Christ.
I want to live a better story this year. I want to be a better character created and written by God. A strong character always faces adversity and conflict. That character has to go through that conflict and undergo change while doing so. I am prepared to face the conflicts and undergo that change. I will strive to no longer hijack my story from my author but instead let him write the pages for me.
2012, here I come!
With Love,
Opher
(P.S: I recently finished one of my "short" stories, finally. I think I am done tinkering with it. One way to better my writing is to have people read my crap and provide feedback. So, if anyone wants to take on for the team and give my piece a read, let me know.)
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