Lets go prune some stuff

Prune (verb) - Trim by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, esp. To increase fruitfullness and growth. 

There are so many things in my life that are preventing my fruitfullness, and growth. I have kept grudges. I have held onto things in the past. I have continued to walk in the ways of the wicked. I have constantly turned my back on Jesus. I have said things that i should not even think about. There is so much stuff that i must cut away so i can grow, and bare fruit. 

Pride, Greed, Selfishness, Lust, Gossip, Judging, Lieing, Coveting. These are just a few examples of things in my life that i need to cut off. Think of how much these 8 things can hinder my relationship with God. Not only with God but with my friends, and family as well. If you think that cutting these things out of your life will only help your relationship with Jesus then you are comepletely wrong. If you are able to cut these things off then your relationships with all of those around you will flourish. That is the most amazing thing about being a christian. If we are able to focous all of what we are on Jesus our lives would be so much easier, and less hectic and stressful. The reason why our lives are filled with so much pain, and suffering is because there is so much that needs to purned. We wont let go of those dead parts of us. We want to hang onto them. In reality if we cut them off we will be more beautiful, and at rest than ever. 

So is there anything in your life that needs to be cut off? If so give it to the Lord. Cut it off and let something new and beautiful grow in you. 

Lets Recap

The semester is winding down and i am so glad that it is almost over. I have had so much fun hanging out with friends and building relationships this semester. But i have not had that much fun sitting in endless lectures about stuff i am sure to never remember for the rest of my life. So much has happened this semester. It is always fun to take a few seconds and look back and remember all those good times. 

When i first arrived here i moved into a new apartment complex. All my friends were so close by and i knew that it was the begining of some very fun times. Playing tons of ultimate frisbe. Talking about music. Just hanging out. It was all such good times. We started the year off right with a huge dance party. Who doesn't love a dance party. We beat the number 8 team in the nation in football and were nationaly ranked 14th in the country (that didn't last long). It was fun talking about the chance of going to a BCS bowl(even if it was just for a week) Football was huge at ECU and the campus could not stop talking about it. It was an awesome feeling. 

Young life was starting up and it was awesome to get back out to the highschool and to start building those realtionships with highschool kids once again. It is always a challange, and it will always be a challange. I have loved it. Planning clubs where i get up in front of kids and they laugh at me and i fee like an idiot. It is always a great time. I love seeing those kids smile, and leave club and hopefully learning something about Jesus. We took some kids to rock bridge for fall camp and it was a great time. God is working on the hearts of so many of those kids, and it is such a bliessing to be a part of it. 

Dating heather has been great. It has for sure challanged me in new ways, and made me grow stronger in my faith. It continues to remind me how imperfect i am, and how selfless i need to be to follow my Lord and savior. I never thought being in a realtionship could teach you so much about how to follow Jesus. It makes perfect sense though becase a realtionship between a man and a women should be as much like a relationship between Jesus and you as possible. You must sacrifice alot of yourself to help build up the other person. It has been a great experience. God has continued to bless Heather and I's realtionship. It has been hard at times with school, friends, and younglife. But We continue to put God first, and when there are difficult times he has always helped us through them. It is so awesome to have a realtionship that is focoused on bringing glory to God. I have loved every second of it. 

Sundays have been great. I have bounced around from church to church wich sometimes can be frustrating. but i have had many different experiences and i am positive that they have all helped me. God uses so many tools to help you grow, and i am sure he is using that in my life in some way.

There was great news this semester that Sam McSpaden is going to be coming back to join us next semester. I could not be more excited. Freshmen year was so great. I am going to love talking to him about politics, and all of the good stuff we used to talk about freshmen year. Sam has been a big part of my college experience, and i am glad to have him back in it. 

I have formed an amazing bond with 7 of my close guy friends. We have continued to meet every wednesday and discuss deep theological issues, and how God has impacted our lives. We have continued to grow with one another, and make comitments to pray and encourage one another. It has been a blessing and God has truly been at work in the lives of my friends and I. Building a community with those guys has been great and i am so lucky to have such great friends. 

Thanksgiving is coming up, and then its off to disney world for christmas break. I am sure that i will have more stories as my life continues on. Late nights, crazy dance parties, Jesus, young life, tennis, old friends, and a girlfriend have all contributed to an amazing college experience and i am excited to see where the next year and half takes me!!!

Sam McSpaden

Well a good friend of mine came into town this weekend for a visit. Good ol sam bo. It was awesome getting to see him. It took me back to the days of freshmen year when we would watch movies in the dorms and try to get on each other's nerves as much as possible. We would always talk about politics. I never knew what i was talking about but i would just argue for the fun of it. Those were great times. 

It warms my heart to know that sam is coming back to ECU next semester. It will be fun times all over again. It was great to see him and talk to him this weekend. I was pretty busy so i did not get to see him as much as i would have liked. But it is ok because i am sure we will be hanging out alot next semester. 

Sam is one of the coolest people i have met. I love just chillin with him and laughing with him about stuff. He is also one of the smartest people i have met. That kid knows so much about politics it is ridiculous. Sam it was awesome seeing you and i can't wait to build more memories with you. HOLLER

Growth

Over these past months i have learned alot about life, relationships (with friends, a girlfriend, and God), and about Christianity. One thing that i am learning is that no matter what you never stop growing. You are either growing closer or farther away from someone or something. You are always growing spirtually weather you realize it or not. You are always growing physically. You are always growing in your knowledge. No matter what you are growing in something. 

The reason why i started to think about growth, and i why i wanted to write something about it is because of something my good friend Bryan Oakley said. 

Bryan said:  "The more we grow to be like Christ, the more we realize that we are sinful, and dirty"  

That was such a crazy realization for me. I guess i kind of realized it a while back but for someone to actually verbalize it and say it to me hit me pretty hard. It it so crazy that the more and more i get closer to Christ, and the more i become like him the more i realize that i am so underserving of this reliegion, or that i am not even worthy to be his servent. It is really hard sometimes because i am constantly judgeing myself and looking at myself and saying that i am so bad. The beautiful thing about it is that God has had grace on me so i can be his servent and i can follow after him. 

Parts of me at time get really annoyed with how dirty and sinful i am. I hurt  people i dont want to hurt. I say things i dont want to say. I do things i dont want to do. I let that awful sin creep out of me and affect the people i care about and love. The more i strive to be better it seems the more i have to work on. Not one day have i gotten up and said it is easy to follow christ today. I guess part of that is because i keep becoming more like him so i keep seeing more and more wrong with me. 

While part of me gets really annoyed there is another part that absolutely loves it. I get to face a challange everyday. I get to try to defeat the devil in some way every day. Do i fail? Of course, i fail all the time. But do i win? Yes i do sometimes, and its those moments that make the challanges worth it. Yes the times of failure greatly out weigh the times of victory. But the times of victory or so much more sweeter than the sorrow that comes with defeate. 

Will i wake up tomorrow and realize there is something else that is wrong with me, and that there is another part of me that needs to be purned? Of course there will be. But i welcome that challange gladly. God has challanged me so much and i have grown so much because of it. 

Thanks for all who read this i dont know if it has as many followers as it did before but if you still read i appreciate it. 

Nostalgic

Back in the day Phil and I began our musical journy together. Listening to certain CD's just take me back to the times we usd to sit out side and write songs about whatever was on our hearts. Music is something that ties phil and i together in a way that is not shared by most people. Our times that we spent together that revolved around music will be memoreis that i will never forget and will always hold on too. When we used to play together it didnt matter if there were 2 people there or 350 people. We always had a blast and always went out and acted crazy. We would spend hours on end fantasizing about how we would play warped tour and 1000's of people would listen to our words and sing along with us. Every time i pick up a drum stick and sit down behind a drum kit i remember those amazing times. Every time i put in emery the weeks end, or underoath their only chasing safty i think back to those great times. Sing aloing with matt pryor and the get up kids. Listening to dashboard in the minivan at birkdale. All amazing times. My dreams are still alive and maybe one day people will sing along with phil and I. Maybe we will share the stage once more and the lights will be on us and we will pour our hearts out for a auidance that is willing to listen. I still love playing music with phil and i will never want to share the stage with someone as much as him. It doesnt matter if there is a better singer, or better guitar player, or if there is a better drummer. The point is that when phil and I get on stage it means so much to us, and there is something about it. I love it and will never change it. 

Love ya phil. Lets continue to build those memories. 

All you need is love.....

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

As humans we desire it, we want it, we crave it, we need it. We see love in our frindships. In our reltionships. In our marriages. Every where we are looking for it. Love is such a great thing and it is something that is given to us as a gift. It is crazy as humans how we want to be loved, and to love so much. It is something that i think every one runs on, and every one desires. 

God loves us so much and wants us to love him. He has showed us unconditional love and is always going to forgive us no matter how much we screw up. God is so great and love us so much. So all we need is love, and God is going to give it to us. 

An Update.

Well hello there friends out there in the in the blogger world. I have not written in a good while and i am in my philosophy class so i figured what better way to kill time than to write in my blog.

ECU is going good. School is hard, and boreing, and long, and  strenuous. But hey its going to help me in the long run so i cant complain. LOL. Im sure that you have seen the pirates with two huge victories on the football field this year. It just sucks that we then loose to teams like NC state, and Houston. So pretty much the season is a huge let down. Its ok though i am a pirate for life. So ECU pride all the way. BLEED PURPLE AND GOLD. 

Young life is going good. A couple of times things have been rough. But hey challanges are only going to make us better. It is hard getting out to the school, trying to get kids to sign up for camp, getting kids to come to club. There is just so much stuff that you have to do and it wears you down. But when you get those kids that come up and give you a hug and say it is so good to see you it is all worth it. 

Friends are awesome. I keep building stronger bonds with people i know that are going to be in my life forever. It is so awesome having deep relationships and being able to talk about things that matter. Being able to get together and talk about God, and talk about our troubles, and hardships. But to also get together and lift each other up. A group of my guy friends meet once a week and pray for each other, encourge each other, talk about our trials, our goals, and our motivs. It is so awesome. God is so great and having friends that want to lift his name up with you is so awesome. 

Things with Heather are great. We are always growing together, and growing closer to God. Having a girl in my life that loves the Lord more than she will ever love me is such a blessing. I see God in her life every day and it is so great. The more i am with her the more i realize that i am not attracted to her, but i am attracted to the presence of God in her. Having someone who can encourge you and pray for you and share in converstaions with you about the Lord is such a blessing and i thank God every day for Heather. 

God is great. Loving him is the best thing ever. He has blessed me so much and continues to bless me daily. I am not worthy to be his servent, i am not worthy to do his work but he allows me to do that. He allows me to call myself a christian and to call my self a follower of Jesus. By keeping him at the forefront of my life he has blessed me in so many way. I am not saying that my life has been a cake walk. Actually it has become alot harder the more and more i give to Jesus. The more i give to him the more he challanges me. He keeps telling me.... Michael you are doing great, but you can be better so here is another challange. I love that. I love that he is challenging me every day. It is hard, and sometimes i get frustrated. But i have to know that i am going to be better because of it. 

Enjoy your life, and live it in a way that is pleasing to your Lord. 

Love you guys.