Prayer Request

Tommorrow I'm giving a lesson to the youth group on Matthew 7:13-24. I based it around Paul Washer's shocking message sermon. Please pray that God give me the boldness and lovingness to be as tough as I need to be for these people.
If you haven't heard the message, I greatly encourage you to listen to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8

I don't get to go

So, I've been wanting to go to the Deeper conference for awhile, but I've been unable to for a long time. Recently my parents relented and agreed that if I wanted to go, I could go. I was so excited and so pumped, but then I realized that Oct. 18 is a marching competition. Not only that, but it's our major one. So I go in after school and ask Big Dave if I can talk to him for a bit. I explain my predicament how much I really want to go, and how I've been praying and how just recently this oppurtunity opened up. He unfortunately told me I couldn't go and I had to leave. The next day, he called me into his office after school and said he was sorry if he seemed cold yesterday, but his decision stood. Then he started asking me about who was preaching there. So we had a little talk about the people and a tiny itsy public-school-acceptable bit of their doctrine. Then I recommended he listen to some of them. I know God placed me there for a reason, and I hope and pray he listens to some of these amazing preachers and God move in him to whatever end He wants. I don't even mind that I don't get to go because I was able to have a quasi-religious conversation with Mr. Raney. Hopefully God will open that up more because I really don't know that much about his spiritual status.

4 things

Four things about me that you may or may not have known, in no particular order. The directions are at the end.
Four Jobs that I have had:
1. Tender's Cook
2. Tender's Cleaner
3. Babysitter
4. Student
Four Movies I've watched More Than Once:
1. Jurassic Park
2. Lion King
3. The Jungle Book
4. Carnivors
Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Huntsville
2. New Market
3. A different place in Huntsville
4.
Four Shows that I watch:
1. Heroes
2. Lost
3. Way of the Master
4. Nothing
People Who E-mail Me Regularly:
1. Facebook
2. Youtube
3. Spam
4. Spam
Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza
2. French Fries
3. Cheezeburger
4. Dark Chocolate
Four Places I Would Rather be Right Now: (not in any order)
1. Church
2. Heaven
3. With loved ones
4. Sleeping
Four Friends I Think Will Respond:
1. Nicole
2. Shawnayomama
3. I don't know
4. I don't know
Things I Am Looking Forward To This Year:
1. Christmas
2. Candlelight
3. Chrysalis in January
4. Continuing to grow in Christ
RETURN DIRECTIONS:Now, here's what you're supposed to do... And please do not spoil the fun. Hit forward, delete my answers and type in your answers.Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the personwho sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.

Kinda awkward for like, the past 2 weeks

I've been feeling really really depressed and down in a rut these last two weeks for several reasons. I just feel like so many people just act so fake and don't really care. About God, our friendship, or anything really. It bugs me and makes me sad because so many people are like that, and Satan used that as a lever to get the thought into my head that I really didn't have any friends that cared about me. Because I was sad, and looked it, but no one really cared to figure out why, which just made me more sad. And I know, I know, I was in a self-pity party, but I'm praying God bring me out of it, and He's started to I know. And all this stuff just kept piling and piling up and I just kept feeling worse and worse and worse about myself and these people and just everything. I'd just get out of youth and get in my car and cry on my way home. I don't know what was wrong with me. But God's been showing me that there are people who care about Him and me. People like, Nicoliii, Aaron, Shawnayomama, Mrs. B, Mr. Chris, Trent, and a few others. And these people just lifted me up and they didn't even know I was feeling bad (well maybe they did a little, but not the whole of it). And God's helping me through this silliness and I'm feeling so much better. I'm just praying God move me out of this quickly and grow me from this. Just figured I'd let ya'll know what was going on.
I don't want pity or attention, just prayers please.

People

Where is everyone? Who is everyone?
Take advice from my little header up there and tell me about yourself. What's going on with you. Leave me a comment telling me what's going on!

Just some thoughts

It's been a slow school year so far. It's the beginning of the 2nd month of my junior year and I just can't muster up the excitement over High School I used to. Maybe it's because it's not as new to me, but the main reason I think is because I see how almost pointless a lot of the things I learn are. Even Marching Band which I used to love now seems like a waste of time to me. I was out on the field today during 3rd block with my tuba on and all I could think was, "Why am I doing this? This thing is so meaningless if I'm not doing it for God's Glory. It will pass away with all the rest of the world." I think the same thing through a lot of my school day. All I can do is enjoy what God has given it and give it back to Him in using it to glorify Him. By this I mean, instead of hating school (or substitute work or whatever activity you are in that you feel wastes your time) I should be using the oppurtunities it presents to further the Kingdom. When I have a chance, talk to people, hand out tracts, read my Bible, pray, or just worship. Engage my teachers in religious conversations if I see an opening during class. Christ didn't grumble that He didn't like the particular mount or the kinds of trees that were there when He gave the Sermon on the Mount. He saw an oppurtunity to spread the Kingdom and minister to people, and He took it. So as He is we should be. That's something else I've learned about and am trying and praying to take hold in my life, being conformed to the image of Christ. We pray and beg God to use us and to let us bring Glory to His name, but we're focusing on what we can do for God instead of what God wants for us. There was a time when witnessing and evangelism was an idol for me because I focused on doing things for God more than God. Do ya'll know what that is? That's idolatry. Before you go rushing out to try to do something for God, focus on Him and having Him work in you. Does this mean we should wait to evangelize until we are ready? No, evangelizing is one of God's great ways of growing us, but make sure that you're praying to be conformed to the image of Christ and striving and praying for God to work in your life to sanctify you. Becoming Christ-like is something I've learned a lot about recently. How that being a man is more than just macho-ness, maturity, and knowledge. Being a man is about constantly striving after Christ and supplicating yourself to God's Will for you. Being a man is about taking the responsibility of your life and actions upon yourself and just striving after the image of Christ in word, thought, deed, and prayer. And I'm failing miserably, but I'm trying and praying for it to happen and it slowly is. As a great preacher says, "Wanting to be a Godly Man is half the battle." Just pray and strive to be conformed to the image of Christ. Just wanted to share with ya'll some things that have been on my mind recently.