Emotional Dropkick

This blog post isn't going to be anything like the others. Just letting you know its going to be me speaking out about the way my week has gone...

I had an incr
edible summer, If you read my recent blog post you'd know that. I am astonished about how things can change so fast. Things started to go down hill when a good portion of my friends left for college. I never deal with it well when people leave. School! Senior Year! I walk in and out of school each day not happy, at all. Why? No clue. So I am unhappy about school right now? What normal teen isn't? School has emotionally messed me up this past week than ever before and I cant figure it out. I woke up this feeling with a feeling I haven't had in a while, and I HATE it. Its unexplainable but it felt as If God wasn't there.

This morning I spent my whole study hall with my Ipod on and my head down praying for 45 minutes. I couldn't figure out what I was feeling.
Its not over... I have a girlfriend who I don't see as much as I'd like and I feel the pressure from that situation. But I KNOW that it'll help us soo much.

And to top it off I feel like I'm I cant talk to anyone about it. Mikey G puts it well in his latest blog, "God Why Must I Stay So Blind" he says," In the past i could always talk to a mentor about this kinda of stuff but God found it necessary to completely remove all of them from my life at the moment." His words are too familiar to me. God threw all of this at me at once and I don't know if its God just working on me a bit or what but its driving me insane. God seems to make these kind of moves when I'm most vulnerable. I love the analogy used in Brians Jones' book Second Guessing God that talks about God working so far up the river that we cant see him. I love it and hate it at the same time. I'm having a tough time accepting it I guess. I hate being able not being able to see God, but that's when he does his best work.

Like I said, this isn't my typical blog. I wont look back at it tomorrow and delete it because this is how I feel and I'm not running on some kind of crazy emotional feeling right now. This week has been nuts and I can only pray for a better one next week.

Until Next Time...

I woke up at 12:30 today, sadly I can say that this is going to be the last day in a while I can do that. I layed their staring at my ceiling reminiscing about my summer. I began to think about how it started with a summer kick off party at my house and officially ended with a small bonfire and some more rooftop memories ;)

From day 1 till now it has been one incredible summer that I surely will not forget. Some money, new friends, and a great relationship, and a whole lot of fun. I couldn't be any happier with the way this summer turned out.


Here are some things that made my summer above the rest: Countless bonfires, smores, rooftops, nights under the stars, chicken wars, trampolines, shopping carts or actually shopping CART, Batman, CIY MOVE, Walmart thieves, car chases, Escape, Stretch, spending hours upon hours at church, 2am Collegeville Diner trips, trips to Maryland, and finally OBX.

A good summer is a summer with absolutely zero regrets



One week of absolute fun was CCV's unofficial Prank Week 08'. Ohhh what a good week. One of my summer favs.

I stole this idea from Brendo but I really like it:
Mikey G - Thanks for always hanging out and being bored with me whatever time of the day it was.
Kels - Thankyouuu soo much for making this summer so much more special. Each night has just been amazing.
Breanna, Nikki, and Alli - Im really glad that I got to know you girls a lot better this summer! you're all a lot of fun! Im glad to know you girls more than just Giggle Monsters now.
Brendo - Thanks for coming over at 12am to hangout on the deck and talk for hours. You've helped me so much this summer its been great!
Amanda - You too have helped me so much Congrats on the engagement!
Darin - I was so stoked to see you at the church more than me this summer. God def had some serious intentions for you this summer, Glad we could chill. Thanks for bringing wall ball to CCV.
Damo and Renae - Some of my favorite summer days have been following you two around! Thanks for helping me a lot this summer.
Dont be at all offended if I forgot you please...


This summer has been so good that its actually hard for me to accept it being over in 10 hours...
Senior year, I guess its time for things to get rollin.

Thanks summer 08'!

Teenage Relationships Pt 3

So the question of the day is simple: How far is too far with your girlfriend/boyfriend? The answers I've heard from people range from holding hands to having sex. Makes sense, I have friends who aren't christian and they simply have no boundaries, I can see that. I have friends who've grown up in a church family all their lives and say that going a little bit past kissing is harmless. I also have friends who refuse to go beyond holding hands. So what is the answer?

How far is just too far? Lets check this out...

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
- Ephesians 5:3

What is that saying? "Not even a HINT of sexual immorality" that should be easy enough for you to figure out. Is a tiny bit alright? No, The smallest satisfying amount? No way, NOT A HINT! Make sense?

Immorality(N)-
1.immoral quality, character, or conduct; wickedness; evilness.
2.sexual misconduct.
3.an immoral act.

Its a personal belief of mine that if your going beyond kissing, then you've clearly gone too far. There is no possible way that you can be doing other things beyond kissing and be able to justify it as not having a hint of sexual immorality involved. Here is another great verse.

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in a passionate lust like the heathens, who do not know God...For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
-1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, 7

Hey guys, here is another great way for you to figure out if your simply going to far. If you have a girlfriend, approach her dad and ask him if its alright with how far you've gone with his daughter. If he shoots you, then you know you've gone too far. But it wont matter anymore because your probably dead anyway. Look her dad in the eye and tell him how far you've gone with his daughter. If you cant do it, then you've simply gone to far. If you can tell him how far you've gone comfortably then your probably safe, unless your insane.

For guys there Is a great book I suggest called, Every Young Mans Battle By Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker.
For girls there is, Every Young Womans' Battle: Guarding your Mind, Heart and a Body in a Sex-Saturated World By Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn

Teenage Relationships Pt 2

If you haven't yet noticed I have changed my design. My attempt was to go creative and look exciting. Moving on...

For those who know me know that I am one of the few teenagers in this country who do not have a cell phone. I know right your probably asking, "how does he survive without one?" Its easy, I just memorize every one's phone numbers and then just take yours when I need to make a call :) Its simple.

Recently I approached someone I am really close to and I asked If it was possible for them to add a line to their family plan, and I pay my expense each month to the family. Its a easy solution to my not having a cell phone problem.

By the end of our conversation that night what I learned is that I did not have the problem, In fact what I learned is that Its most of the other teens with cell phones that have the problem. What my good friend explained to me is that I should remain unplugged from the rest of the cell phone world and be content with what I have. At first I sat there confused and annoyed because I wanted a cell phone and texting just like everyone else, but by the end of the conversation I soon learned how content I am without one. Here is why:

What this person explained to me is that although texting is simple and easy, its not harmless. In fact we discussed how quickly texting can destroy a relationship. He said, "Evan, I cant tell you what to do but I can give you advice. Stay unplugged!!" I sat there still confused but he went on.


"You don't know how luck you truly are..."


I sat there still confused because I didn't realize I could be lucky for being without a cell phone. He then began to explain to me his reasoning.


"Evan if you care about your relationship with Kelsey you wont text with a cell phone. Once you get a cell and start texting her you will then begin to loose a special part of your relationship."

If you don't get it yet then let me put this out there. I've seen too many times a relationship get damaged just by the simple act of texting...Sounds ridiculous, it is, but true. This issue I know only happens for teens because its a simple maturity issue that runs along with it. Far too many times I've witnessed teenagers loose any sense of true communication because of abusing texting. How can you have a healthy relationship if your conversations are over a cell phone screen? If your at a point where you cant communicate well because you simply can not uphold a conversation then I think you have a problem that needs to be fixed. Once you loose communication you lost it all.

If you suppose I am crazy then your simply ignorant. Look around.

I've witness texting alone damage good relationships. Don't get me wrong texting is cool and fun. Heck if your a close friend to me then you know I am notorious for taking cell phones and texting my girlfriend. Too much of something always has negative consequences. Too much alcohol you get wasted, too much pot you look like an idiot, too much catholic church and you become a republican, too much texting you have poor communication.
Its simple don't let texting become the core of your conversation. Please.

For my Teenage Relationships series I've decided to only write on what Ive seen happen the most around me, and I feel this has been an issue. Its ridiculous and slightly pathetic.
I'm sick of this awkwardness! Don't be a texting whore for your sake, and mine.

One Love,

Evan

P.S. - Thanks Noonan

Teenage Relationships Pt 1

There are probobly a few things you are wondering when you read the blog title. You could potentially be thinking:

"Great here is when Evan ranting on about his girlfriend" - No

"He's doesn't know what hes talking about" - Lies

"What advice could he have he is only a teen" - If your thinking that disregard my age and focus more on my willingness to strive for a great relationship. Thanks!

I spent a good amount of time the other night reflecting about my summer, while trying to figure out what I could possibly blog about next. As I sat there thinking about all that has happened this summer I came to the conclusion that blogging about relationships would be interesting. In particular, dating relationships. Relationships have a pretty big part of my summer since I'm in one, I have seen them evolve, and I have seen them fail miserably. Either way this has definitely been a summer for relationships in the CCV area so It put my mind to work.

This one can relate to all Christan dating relationships but im going to specifically call out the teens on this one.

One thing I've seen destroy a ton of relationships, are kids who aren't prepared to put time into a girlfriend or boyfriend and be able to maintain a good relationship with God. No one ever really said this whole Christianity gig was going to easy. Either way, weather couples realized it or not their relationship with God had a lot to do with why it did or didn't work. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying you have to be on fire for God, cause that is not going to be the case all the time, BUT I do believe you need to be at a spiritual point where you understand that the relationship is in Gods hands. Having a God centered relationship is the most healthy thing you could possibly have. If your relationship is based off all YOUR and YOUR bf/gf's feelings then things will go down hill fast. Things like boundary pushing and purity issues (future blog post) will become an issue. Also when being in a You-centered relationship, many different things can go wrong and become a problem.

This one is a biggie so be prepared...Ready? - When things just don't work out with your girlfriend/boyfriend and your self-centered-emotion-relationship ends....Whats next? Your sitting there thinking what went wrong? I bet you aren't feeling too well. But what happens when things end with your boyfriend/girlfriend and it was a God-Centered relationship? Do you think your ability to accept it and move on is better? I'm not saying the break-up will be easy and pain free, they never are but I know for a fact that it makes a difference.

Here are some ideas to help your relationship work out!
1. Pray about your relationship
2. Communicate your faith
3. Realize it needs to be God honoring
4. Have fun!

I am not the dating master, I am not even remotely close. I would only blog on what I am sure about and I am 100% sure having a God-Honoring God-Centered relationship is much healthier and effective.

One Love,
Evan

Goodbye, again

At this point in my life, I've had to say Goodbye to so many people I should be professional at saying goodbye to people. It almost seems like my second Job. In the past 3 years I've had to say goodbye to 4 best friend, an unforgettable mentor, and numerous incredible friends. Luckily each goodbye always ended up being someone going to school somewhere else or moving, either way I don't see them. Each time I find myself saying goodbye to someone else I always figure saying it should be pretty easy since I am so used to people leaving my life.

Tonight, I can easily say was not one of my favorite nights of summer. For me it was one more of those "Goodbye" nights where I got to say my best wishes and goodbyes. I hate it. I got an incredibly opportunity to spend a lot of time with ccv intern, Brendon Foulke. The summer I can safely say wouldnt even be remoltley the same if he wasnt here. I knew I would have to deal with saying bye, since he was only staying around for the summer, but I never anticipated growing so close to him this summer.

My theory of, "hey maybe goodbye gets easier after 10 times" was wrong. They suck. What makes me think at this point is...when is it my turn?

Blogging Hiatus

So I am going to start this blog off by first saying I am sorry for not really writing more blogs, like perviously promised in my recent blog. Something tells me that people will survive cause i am not even sure how often this blog is viewed, but for those who care I am sorry.

Its been almost my whole summer since I last blogged and I've been really busy, hence my reason for not blogging? Perhaps its that or just lack of motivation. Anyway there is a lot going on in life right now and I figured I would start blogging it up! Since my last blog a lot has happened.

CIY:
CIY was incredible, I saw God do some incredible things! I witnessed some people give their lives to God, who I wouldn't of expected and that always blows me away. It was a great time that our youth group got to spend in Johnson City Tennesee.

STRETCH:
Shortly after CIY our church CCV threw its third year of Stretch! That was an incredible 3 day Confrence that I had the honor to serve in. A little over 200 middle schoolers walked through the church doors. What made Stretch really special for me was having the oppertunity to spend endless hours working the the CCV interns, Adam, Brendon, April, Melissa and my friends for countless hours each day. Weather it was painting, moving heavy stuff, or taking those fun trips to storage I enjoyed each minute of it!

KIDS CAMP:
The week following Stretch I got the oppertunity to help serve in our Valley Kids Ministry and help at our HUGEEE Kids Camp event. It was quite an interesting three days spent with around 950 children.

ESCAPE:
The week following Kids Camp, I was finally able to be part of an event as a student. This amazing trip was the first year that CCV has ever attempted a high school camp. It was a 3 day adventure off campus out in the middle of nowhere, PA aka Quarryville, PA. 15 miles away from Lancaster. This event was CCV planned but put together on a camp ground called Black Rock Retreat. It was a really neat because I did not even realize a place like that was around Lancaster. CCV brought in a speaker named Jeffery Dean and he rocked. Worship was a small acoustic set put together by the talented Laurie Plaza and Alex Stenman. Free time was made up of swimming, capture the flag, man hunt, a 130' ft slide, and most importantly a trampoline on a lake! It was a great time followed by some drama but that does not need to really be mentioned. A trip I must claim to be a huge success!

Friends and my lady:
Through the summer days between the craziness of traveling for conferences and planning events I've spent a lot of this summer hanging out with friends and having a lot of fun. One person I know who has definitely made this summer out of the ordinary is my amazing girlfriend. This summer has been incredible and she has definitely been part of it all. I am really excited about this relationship and I am excited to be experiencing my senior year with her.

So there it is, my summer in a small nutshell. As the "Back to School" commercials slowly begin to roll around, I slowly get excited for my senior year. I cant wait to see where God has me when I am finished. As of now I am still very interested in being part of the Army, but for as for me now, I shall just keep praying about it all. I'm looking forward to blogging for the remainder of the summer and for my senior year.

Lifes Good, Ejoy it, Love it
Evan