A Moment of Life

Home Bound - 25 days

2010-04-20T02:45:00.001-07:00

Lets just say I failed. If you've read my previous 3 or 4 posts you'd see that I continuously promise more and more posts about whats going on in my life. If you've been to my blog 2 or 3 times in the past two months then even you would know that...I've failed. Sorry. I wouldnt say its a lack of passion or something like that. I enjoy writting ALOT, but its clear there just isnt much going on in my life. Nothing has really changed in the past 6 months here in Germany...Until now. I've noticed a trend with my writting style. I usually on post on here when something new or interesting is going on in my life, and I am just going to be honest. There isnt much going on!

I sat in Nuremburg Airport this thursday with a plane ticket bound for London to visit my sister and brother-in-law before Afghanistan. Unfortunatly for me a volcano did not want me or half of the world to travel this past week...So there goes that. I sat in the terminal until I looked at the Tv, and saw that Mount Vjijsfhyelpksuduhf decided it needed to erupt. Glad that I could partake in whats turning out to be a historical event. Neat.

We've pretty much wrapped most of our training up at Hoenfels, Germany. A month in the field! I had a good time, because believe it or not I love my job... We've hit up some ranges latley but most training is done with.

My birthday is comming up this saturday! Yippee, can you sense my lack of motivation?! 19, its just another year. Aren't I suppose to feel this way when I am like 40? I guess being stuck in a stupid country can do that to you. 20 should be even more enjoyable. Not sure what I've got going on so far, who knows what my friends can come up with!

Despite whatever is going on in this goofy little country, I can speak for myself and all of my friends around here that EVERYONE is excited to home for a few weeks. That's what I've got my eyes on. I've got a bunch of really great things planned with a whole bunch of incredible people! Its going to be a good time, and it'll be a good way to start off the deployment. 6 months since i've been back in the states, Im excited to be back there for a short time. I should be busy from the minute I step off the plane until the day I step back on (but im not going to talk about that right now. Either way, Its my two weeks of summer and I am going to make the absolute best out of what the Army could offer.

One Love,
Evan

Video

2010-04-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Ft Benning, GET THE F**K OFF MY BUS

2010-02-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

I read a book last week while I was on a 24 hour CQ shift. It was called Faith on the Front-lines. It was a book that discussed having a relationship with God while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The first two chapters I could relate to so well it brought me back to something I NEVER want to re-live again. Boot Camp. Now that I am sitting here thinking about it, I have never told stories about basic training to my friends and family back home.

So here it is...

It was july 12th

I was at church sunday morning. I remember sitting through service. I couldn't think straight. This was my last Sunday at home. I was trying to soak it all in one last time. All I could really think about is what im going to say to all of my friends when the service was over? It was goodbye. My recruiter was going to pick me up at home in a few hours.

Finally it was that time. I walked out to my car with some of my closest friends. They had surprised me with something that I will never forget. Hundreds of sticky notes on my car of memories that we all had together. We shared laughs and tears together that afternoon. It was bitter sweet. I was so excited to start, but my friends and family mean so much to me. Driving away was the hardest thing I've ever done. After that I sat in living room with my parents. It was quiet. I kept looking at the driveway expecting the recruiter to take me. It was quite enough to hear our clock tick. I could sense the pain my parents were feeling. Their youngest was leaving for the military, something most parents dont ever want to see their child do.

Finally, I said my goodbyes and I was off...

The military never makes anything easy. I found this out fast. My recruiter took me to my hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ. I spent the night there, boy I was miserable. The next morning I got woken up at 4am. An angry man at the door said, "Get your bags its time to leave"

Awesome, a bus full of recruits of all different branches of the military was bound for FT Dix, NJ. We would do some paperwork, get a medical check, and get a brief.

By 5pm I was waiting in my terminal for Atlanta, Georgia. It was time to go! When I got on the plane I sat in my seat horrified. I had my little bible in my hand the whole time. I read it the whole time I was on the plane. My bible was the only comfort I could find in this horrible life transition.

When I finally made it to Atlanta, all the recruits had to meet up in a specific part of the airport. There we waited until our bus driver got us. I felt a sense of relief when I got to the place and met some of the other recruits. You could see in their faces that they were just as terrified as me. We all knew what was to come.

Eventually our bus driver made it to us, and told us to hurry up we were late. by this time it was 10pm. We were all tired, but little did we know it was just the beginning of a miserable week. The coach bus was nice... Most kids were too anxious to sleep so there was a good amount of chatter among the bus. Typical chatter, Where are you from? How old are you? What do you think boot is gonna be like? The same questions you get asked 1000 times. After the two hour ride, I looked out a window. I saw a sign that read, "Welcome to Ft. Benning, Home of the Infantry"

Ohhhhhhhhhh Shit. Home. The bus got silent, we all grew silent for we knew what was coming. Ft Benning is huge so we drove around for a while. The bus stopped in this parkin lot next to a building that said, '3oth AG reception battalion' little did I know this place was hell on earth.

Anyway the bus was silent. The bus driver disappeared. About 20 meters off of the bus I saw a Drill Sergeant approaching the bus . FML. He was bald, about 6'4 and was horrifying. Just imagine a scary looking guy. Yeah that was him.

He stood in the door of the bus, calmly said, " Welcome to Ft. Benning, Georgia" then without hesitation he roared loudly, "NOW GET THE F**K OFF OF MY BUS" Little did I know this wasnt going to be the fastest I've ever seen a bus get cleared out. It was like a movie!

3 seconds of being off of the bus I was doing push-ups. Apparently I dont know how to follow directions. The DS (Drill Sergeant) proceeded to tell me about how I was a useless cock that didnt know how to line up correctly! Ooops.

By this time It was midnight. While standing outside I looked around and saw tree's. I could feel the humid summer air on my skin. It reminded me of the summer nights with my friends. Those nights were long gone.

We sat in the reception building all night. We got searched for weapons or other crap we cant have, we did paperwork, got issued uniforms, and got rid of out civilian clothes for 3 months. Finally at 330am they sent us to our barracks. They said, go to bed. First call (wake up) is at 0400. They gave us 30 minutes to sleep. This was the initial part of their "break down" plan.

sleep deprivation. 3oth AG was miserable. After that first night we didnt have many DS interactions. We didnt get yelled at. We got about an hour of sleep each night. It was 5 days long and it was paperwork, wait in line, get shots, more lines, more paperwork, and more waiting. HELL. I could write a whole post about this place but it was so miserable im not even motivated to write about it. we were allowed to use the phone for 5 minutes there. I talked to my mom. I could hardly talk. I wanted my mom to think that everything was great. I tried my best to convince her that I was happy. Thats all I cared about.

Well it was friday and the rumor was that we were gonna leave. Early friday we packed our bags and we sat outside. After a few hours of useless sitting down we were ordered to grab our bags. Our bags at this point had all of our issued uniforms. We had two full heavy duffel bags.

You ever watch a movie about bootcamp where the new recruits are on those white school buses? Yup, thats not just in the movies. They really exist.

They pulled up and we all piled on about 5 school buses with our gear. The buses drove around in circles for about 20 minutes to build up our anticipation. Then it happened. They slowed down, I looked outside on the door side of the bus and saw 12 Drill Sergeants standing there with their arms crossed. One was holding a dagger, by this point i just about pissed myself. The busses stopped next to the DSgts and the doors opened....

All hell broke loose. I thought the first time I was told to get off the bus was scary, this time there were 12 of them screaming at the top of their lungs. Yeahhhh f that. There were 200 horrified privates running around like D-Day. We were instructed to hold our duffel bags over our head and run around the track a few times. While we were running in the 90 degree Georgia heat we were rounded up like a dog rounds sheep. The Drill Sergeants running within the wild stampede of privates screaming in their faces. When someone tripped a DS was in their face to scream. If someone wasnt moving fast enough, they heard about it. But honestly that day no one was moving fast enough for DS satisfaction. I remember at one point there was a DS on my left, and on my right screaming. I temporarily put my bags down. What a horrible idea. During this time all I could think about was, "what kind of jackass would sign up for this bull crap?"

After running around the track enough, jumping over a 7 footwall, and standing in formation with our bags over our heads, and getting mentally mauled they decided we should sprint a few hundred yards to our barracks. SWEET! Thats where we were split and sent to our rooms, where for the next 3 months we would have our lives transform.

What exactly Do I do in Germany?!

2010-01-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a great video of some fun training i've been doing! its a night fire with our IR (infrared) lasers. this is just a video i took using my video camera looking through my Night Vision Optics!
Enjoy!

Turn the speakers up!!!

5 things you probably should'nt do in Germany!

2009-11-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't been here too long and i've already personally witnessed enough stupid crap to formulate a list about things you shouldn't do while traveling in Germany! I'm stationed here in Germany! Yes I am stuck here filled with testosterone pumped guys who want nothing more than some german beers and a sneak peek at some german boobies! Lets see, army guys + money + beer + endless amounts of woman = never a good thing. Learn from these people!

1. This one is called the Krusty Crab!
This guy came into my barracks room explaining to me the good time he had with some random romanian girl from the red light district. If you don't know what that is its basically a playground for hookers. Gross right? Anyway when this guy proceeded tell me about his adventures with this girl he had to pay 100 Euros for (which is roughly 160 American dollars.) He kept going on as if I cared to hear about his sad stories about how he had to pay for a good time. As he continued to tell me his story i couldn't help but nothing something was bothering him… i don't need to go into detail because I feel that the title is enough for you to figure out but let me tell you something. Man-scaping in my shower is not going to be a good solution, Actually its more of a HORRIBLE idea. See, now I am just pissed!
Moral of the story: Just because prostitution is legal here does not mean you wont get the itchies! Gross!

2. The Battle Buddy System!
Here in the army we don't do anything alone! Why? Because if something goes horribly wrong you've got a soldier to cover you, to watch your back, to make sure you get out alive! One guy decided he was too good for his battle buddy and left him in a hotel room passed out with a hooker in a city pretty far from base. The next morning he found a note and some money, she felt bad for him and paid HIM to get back to base! Taxis here arent cheap either! Moral of the story: Pick the right battle buddies! Don't leave your buddy in a hotel room with a syphylgonjuas infected woman. Thats not right!

3. Loans are for houses, cars, or really expensive things!
I know obama wants us to spend money so the economy can kind of fix itself, I guess a few guys here got the idea ohhh so wrong. If your a single guy, 18 and have never really made to much money before the armies pay seems pretty freaking awesome! Right? If your 21, paying child support and are in debt at home you should probably be careful with what seems to be not enough money for you… And when i say careful I don't mean taking out a german loan and spending 2500 Euros in one night. I wish this was a joke but sadly its not…. How does one spend that much money in a strip club? Where do they keep all that money? I probably don't even want to know! This guy spends his nights in the barracks now! Hes out of money.
Moral of the story: You're in Europe! Spend the money on something better than strip clubs! Go see something cool! Do something other than blowing all your money! Also, this place is HELLA expensive don't blow all your money!

4. Watch your stuff!
We've learned that some people over here:
A. Hate americans
B. Hate soldiers more than american civilians
C. Are Racist!
D. Will steal your credit card when your drunk and will max out your cards at strip clubs!
This one is pretty simple… Watch your stuff, be careful who you talk to, and remember…people here arent to fond of us, esp soldiers.
Moral of the story - Look at A through D again.

5. This ones for real
Although the 1 through 4 are pretty funny this one….eh not so much. Maybe you arrant aware but sex trafficking is a pretty popular thing in this world. I would like to say that things in the movie, "Taken" aren't true, but that kind of stuff is happening. Germany is one of the worst countries for hosting sex trafficking. Its not funny at all… This stuff is a real bad issue. The red-light district is a city block of women in windows waiting to be picked! sex for money. You think they all want that? How can anyone willingly take part in that? That makes you just as bad as the assohle pimp who deserves a grenade in his mouth with the pin pulled…. Take it as you will! Moral of the story: Dont be a part of that girls horrible life...

This place is nuts! Just as a sidenote, I haven't been involved in ANY of these shenanigans! Why because Im Awe…

wait for it…

wait for it…

some!

Hope you've enjoyed my return to the blogging world!
E

Im Back Fools...

2009-11-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

After many many many months of crazy training... I have found time to start blogging again. Its going to get intense here...

Be ready!

Writing from Germany!
Hope to see you soon!

Evan

Basic Training: Be back in Oct

2009-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well im gone.

Im sitting in new jersey right now on my last time on a computer for a while.
Today is the hardest day of my life.
I have been praying, and I can only keep praying

I hope things get easier cause this is not easy at all.
I've been alone for 4 hours and im already freaking out!

How do people do this without God?
Well i already miss everyone. Take care

With Love,
Evan

12 Days of Reflection - Day 1: Countdown Begins

2009-06-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Its July first and all I can think about is leaving in 12 days. Its incredible how you see life so differently when you are ready to leave everything you've known.

This past week I got the incredible opportunity to travel to Holland, Michigan for my 5th year of CIY. This was a great time to really reflect about my life, my future, and Gods plan for both. This was a great week for me to share how I felt about everything to God and to my friends. The week was amazing because it was one last huge hurrah with CCV.

I wake up and the first thing I think is... "I have ___ many days to wake up in my bed, in my house, being comfortable.

I go to bed thinking, there goes one more day, Did I spend it the way I wanted?

Don't get me wrong, I am not depressed about what I am doing. I am not annoyed with my decision or regretting it. I have never done anything this huge in my life. (thats what she said)
Im excited! I am stoked! I am ready! I feel ready! I feel prepared! Its the right thing and I believe so.

I want the spend the next 12 doing things that make me the happiest, with the people I love, with people who I wont let go of when I leave. I will blog for the next 12 days...all leading up to my goodbye.

God, Thank You for allowing me to serve with the best team,
E

Pastor To Private - Why I did.

2009-05-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

I never was a pastor and as far as I am concerned I never will be. I don't feel like its my calling. But I can explain.

A few years ago if you would've told me I was going to be in the military I would've peed my pants and said no way Jose. 2 years ago I thought I had it all planned out for me. Here's what I had going on

Two years ago I dreamed of being a youth pastor...hence the title, "Pastor to Private" I loved it!! I loved following my old youth pastor around, doing youth ministry things. I dreamed youth ministry. Well of course God threw me an unexpected curve ball and my emotions eventually changed.

Last year I went on an incredible missions trip with an incredible group of people. We stayed in Juarez, Mexico. While we were staying in El Paso, TX we were living right next to a military base. FT Bliss. It was cool driving by and seeing tanks, cannons, soldiers, barracks, Humvees and all other crazy military things. While down there in Mexico I was seeing how cool it was to serve. I was out of my comfort zone, even though most of you seem to think Mexico is my home (You know who you all are, and I hate you :-)

While in Mexico I experienced serving in a totally different environment. Now I am a mind-reader and I know what you are thinking, "If you loooove God, and you love serving, and you wanted to be a pastor than why don't you just work in the field of doing missions trips?" That's a great question! I loved helping the people in Mexico but....

I love danger
I love protecting others
I love blowing stuff up
I love guns
I want the challenge
I want the experience
I want the uniform
I want to be a part of the United States Armed Forces

As I was sitting on the plane home, on a plane with more soldiers than civilians I was thinking about life and what I wanted to do...

Im going to serve my King, and my country.

Hooah,
Evan

BCT - Basic Combat Training

2009-05-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone fears it, but not everyone has to go through it. So I leave July 13th for Ft Benning Georgia. My emotions are running all over the place

I am not happy because: I have a little summer, leave my best friends I have, I'll be pushed harder than I ever had, July in the south is not fun at all, I will miss my church community, I will miss the summer nights, the bonfires...

I am happy because: Im on a new chapter of life, Im testing my faith, Im pushing my body physically and emotionally to make me a better person, I get to play with Guns, I get to travel, I get to experience things not many people will, I'll get an amazing oppertunity to serve, I'll make amazing new friends, I get to put on the uniform I've always admired.

Either way I am leaving In July and I am enjoying every last moment I get to spend with my friends. Until then I'm going to have a blast! The summer has been great so far! Stick around for more posts until July 13, 2009.

One Love,
PVT Flora

When One Chapter Ends...

2009-05-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I still remember my mom pushing me out of the door on the first day of 1st grade. I still remember what I was wearing. Red sweat pants and and a red shirt. I was crying hysterically. I told her I couldn't go because I felt like I was going to throw up. I was horrified because this was truly the first time I was leaving my house for a long time. I walked to the bus stop with Adam crying. He always tried to tell me everything was going to be just fine. He always protected my on the bus. He's always had my back. Everyday I left my mom waved to me at the same window.
When Adam went to middle school and I was in second grade she came with me to the bus stop everyday. We always talked.
She worked in the cafeteria for a few years and kids always got grossed out when they saw the lunch lady kissing a boy...but it was my momma. She always got me a little something too :)

Middle school rolled around and I was one goofy kid. I had a tough time adjusting to a new building and dealing with the big bad 8Th graders. What an awkward time in life. I don't miss any part of middle school. I spent my days talking about squirrels and trying to figure out why my voice was getting deeper.

I still remember perfectly the first day of high school. I was small and the seniors were big and had beards. Enough said. I remember getting off the bus and just walking into massive crowds of people. I got lost for a while. Freshmen year seemed to be never-ending. Sophomore year was a blur, and junior year was annoying. Senior year was the best hands down. I had all the perfect classes, was with my awesome friends, and definitely met some really cool new people. This year flew and I had one great time. I got in the car today, looked back at the school and waved and said, "you treated me well" and drove off.
Im done. I am finished high school and it sure does come with many different emotions.
Im on senior career study until graduation. June 12th.
Im sitting here now asking, am I ready for the next chapter?

Private Evan Flora

2009-04-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Yup, Its official!

I returned from Ft Dix, NJ lastnight! I was at MEPS (Military Examination Process Station)
It was a long day that started at 400AM. The day was a lot of sitting, a lot of signing, a lot of medical testing.

I started off really nervous. I signed my contract then I was taken to the place where I get sworn in....It went kinda like this:

"I Do So Solemnly Swear
That I Will Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States
Against All Enemies
That I Will Bear True Faith and Allegiance to the Same
And that I Will Obey the Orders of the President of the United States
And the Orders of the Officers Appointed Over Me
According to the Regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice
So Help Me God"

and then it was done...

The next couple months are going to be challenging. Its going to be the start of my physical and emotional challenge. I'm nervous. I'm excited. Stick around to see whats going to happen as time progresses. This blog is also going to be a way for people to keep track of me once I depart Collegeville, PA!

Holding onto my faith harder than ever

Hooahh,
Evan Flora

A Love Uncomprehendable for me - Mom

2009-04-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

There are two types of love that I have a hard time grasping my mind around. No, this message has nothing to do with God. Although that is the greatest love on earth, It will NOT be the topic of todays blog.

My 18th birthday is Friday, and I feel as if my mom is fearing that date more than ever. Shes always had control over me, shes always had a say in what I do. But Friday, I'll be free. Not that I am joyful about this occasion. I will tell you hands down that I do have the coolest mom on the planet, and sorry if your offended but stay at my house for a week and you'll see what I am talking about. Be jelous

For 26 years my mom has always played the role of, well mom. Not that she is ever going to stop, but for the past 26 years someone has always lived under her roof, under her care.

My sister has been gone for what seems like forever, my brother is leaving this summer for Arizona, and I am leaving for military duties. Who is left? No one. We'll my Dad will be around but there will be a post for him later in time.
This I cant comprehend. My mom loves being a mom so much that some time it gets annoying, but I know she really really really cares. I cant imagine this house being just my mom and dad.
I have never had a love that even compares to the love she has for me, I just cant fathom having an "empty nest."

I was at the Silvers house this weekend, and I just would see Matt and Carrie with their kids. Seeing them made me see what things my mom has gone through with me. Those are two extremely loving parents I might add. Since the joy of them adopting me (just kidding I am not adopted.) Since they day she knew about my existence, the late late nights up crying, the fights, the first day of school (which I will never forget) and going through grades 1-12 she has always been there, she never stopped loving. Saying goodbye might just me the hardest thing I will ever have to do

Love you Mom,
Evan

"Congrats your 50% closer to be being in the United States Army"

2009-04-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

I was nervous yesterday. I was nervous this afternoon. But I finally feel relieved and I feel as if I hit the point of being comfortable.

Today after school today the Army recruiter took me to the 0ffice to get some stuff done. I was asked a ton of questions; criminal history, health history etc. My height and weight was taken. 18% body fat, not bad. I was given a nice big packet that I filled out. I asked a ton of questions about dates, departure, basic combat training, MEPS, blah blah blah... It was exciting.

When I was on my way home, the recruiter said, "Congrats your 50% closer to being in the Army. It was exciting! I take the ASVAB finally on Tuesday @ Willow Grove.

All thats left is the physical, signing my name, and taking oath. That all has to be competed when I am 18 (two weeks!) Today though was definitely a great day and got me feeling more comfortable with this intense decision!

Civic Duty - When It Finally Becomes Your Problem

2009-04-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was in the passenger seat of my friend Kaitlyn's car, we were on the way to my house on the way home from school. We got to a back road when we saw a car parked in the middle of the road. Two people were in the road fighting.
This man was in a heated argument with this women, which I assumed was his girlfriend. Anyways, we drove past to get a good look and about 50 feet away we stopped and watched. He was really yelling at her and I watched closely. At one point he pushed her real hard and then began to choke her and he kept pushing her into the car.

An Evan rule: Never push Gods wonderful women around like that!

I was about to make it rain on this guys day!!!!!

So I ran out of the car and got in this bro's face. he yelled and advised me to get in the car

Cant scare me bro!

Anyway, he was still yelling at his girlfriend who was crying hysterically in the car, she tried to talk to me but she couldn't. The man continued to yell at me and I tried to handle the situation the best I could without violence. My friend called 911 while we were yelling in each others face. The guy tried telling me, he didn't want her to get wet in the rain (newsflash...IT WASNT RAINING) So when I procedded to tell him he was full of s*** he then got pretty enraged with anger and got in his car and sped off.
We drove down the road a few minutes later to see that he was being cuffed and thrown into the back of a police car. Yay!

Ladies please: never ever ever tolerate even being slightly pushed by a guy, no girl EVER deserves that. Get out of that relationship immediatly. Please please please.

messed up, I am glad I was there because it makes me so angry to think that a guy would do this...in the middle of the road too.

MTV's Real World - Goodbye!!

2009-04-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am sad! Tonight is the last episode of the current season of Real World : Brooklyn.
I know what your thinking. Who on earth watches Mtv anymore? And who watches The Real World? Isnt that show filled with drunken parties and promiscuous sex scenes?
Not this season, which is why It was my favorite all time season!
This year really related to me, which is why I felt it was my favorite.

The picture above was my favorite person from Real World hands down. This guy was straight out of Gettysburg (2 hours from my house) and he was also in the US Army, and is currently serving in Iraq again! This guy was hysterical, he always could give a good laugh, and he was dedicated to serving the country

This guy above, Chet, who looks gay but isnt is basically just as cool as Ryan. He is down to earth, he is a super devout Mormon (although I am not Mormon at all, he still had a lot of the same beliefs as I do) This guy really took his faith serious, saving himself for marriage, taking his faith serious, and not getting trashed were just some of the cool things this guy did. Him and Ryan seemed as if they were brothers the way they acted in the show. They were comical together.
Great to watch.

Of course not all the chracters were as awesome. There was an outspoken, obnoxious, loud mouth who felt the need to jump into every argument
Then their was Kaitlynn, the femminist transgenderd girl dude thing. Enough Said
The show did not have one sex scene, and had limited "drunk party" scenes. I feel as if Real World changed its direction of the show. Maybe they got a group of people that preferd not to party, who knows but either way it made the show more enjoyable. Each episode usually had its focus on a specific person more than others. It was interesting because you got to see a more in depth look into their life. The cast this year for the most part had apirations as they entered the big city. Someone was seeking a dancing career, one was looking for a fashion designing job, ryan was looking into getting into the film industry, chet was working hard to get onto Mtv to be a host and interviewer for various bands. It was a great year.

Dumb Dumb Dumb!

2009-03-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

I am trying to stay involved with what is going on in the world, if you havent noticed from my previous post...

Heres the problem! I am currently taking a Government class, that creates the first problem. I am being taught in liberal surroundings. High Schools and Colleges are the two most liberal influential institutions in America. In class we watch MSNBC (liberal)!! Taught by liberal teachers

If you haven't had the honor to meet my grandfather then you would know that he is one of the most conservative people you will ever meet! I enjoy sitting back and drinking a nice cold rootbeer with him occasionally. He tells me pretty much opposite of what school teaches. He has been around the block once or twice and I will not doubt him, because he knows more than I ever will. He is certainly not the only conservative influence in my life.

So if I watch CNN or MSNBC, my content is obviously different than if I watch Fox.

Maybe I'll just stick to my Yahoo News...

This Ugly Ugly World

2009-03-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

So I am searching through the news websites like CNN, Yahoo News..etc and I am noticing something. The world is slowly getting uglier...

Lately North Korea has dominated the world news.
North Korea currently is planning on launching a high ballistic missile that will launch a satellite into orbit. The missile they plan to launch they think is a ballistic test that is capable of reaching Alaska, Hawaii or the US Pacific Coast. Us, China, Japan, and South Korea all are stressing how horrible of an idea this really is. The action is illegal especially when it was established at the six-party convention a few years ago. Despite all of that NK claimed they were "dismanteling" their missles. But now they are testing them?

The being in trillions of dollars in debt: Never a good thing, especially because it makes you vulnerable. Don't know when things are going to improve but most predictions are claiming that the Us has not even hit the lowest point of this recession yet. The unemmployment rate is flirting with 9%. Last time that happened was '83.

Iran is trying harder than ever to obtain nuclear weapons, their goal is to blow Israel off of the map. What the heck is going to happen there? Their working hard with Russia, which is never a good thing. And why is Russia having a peacetime draft? Shady much?

Iraq is finally dwindeling down, but I am worried about what will happen when most troops are gone by 2010.

Afghanistan is becomming more important now that most of our government realized that we are still actually deployed there, since we are slowly forgetting about Iraq now. In Government we were learning how its going to be the next Vietnam. Awesome, considering how Nam was an epic FAILURE! Looks like cave hunting for me by next winter.
Considering that most of Al-Quida is hiding in Pakistan, it seems as if we'll be there soon enough, even though we are there anyway.

And on top of it a portion of the world thinks the world is going to end in 2012 anyway. I dont personally believe that, but a climax of all these events would result in something horrible anyway.

Holding onto my faith harder than ever,
Evan :)

Your Not Invincible - When Death Strikes Close

2009-03-25T17:54:00.001-07:00

The last time I have been exposed to a funeral or some one close passing away was many years ago when my aunt was in a terrible accident. I was too young to truly understand, at that point I had no faith, which changes death completely.
Christians view death in different ways. We are joyous that a brother or sister is in Heaven, in a better place, hanging out with God. It seems to amazing, but when someone close to you passes away its hard to think about how they are in a better place. For me not having anyone pass away who is truley close to me, I still dont understand... But a fear that hits close to home with me has hit once again.

When I was young, I had some horrible fears:

1. Throwing up - I would never go out to my friends or cousins houses because I didn't want to throw up. I worried I'd get sick when I went on trips. That is no longer a big deal. (even though I cant remember the last time I've thrown up.)
2. Being kidnapped out of my bed - Im sure this was a common fear for many children but I used to lock my door and have a hiding spot ready for when someone wanted me. This is also no longer an issue because I feel bad for anyone who tries to break into my house.
3. My parents dying - This also hindered my from leaving my house when I was younger. This fear definitely stuck around the longest, hands down.

As my teenage years progressed, my fear has withered away...

Today I found out that a very special girl from my church, and a girl whom I was lucky to share the Mexico experience with; her mother has passed away. Although unfortunately I can say I have never met her mother, I am filled with sorrow for Marissa because I could never imagine how she is feeling.
CCV is an amazing community. Its a wonderful place filled with wonderful people. Through out my time there I have met many incredible people. I have met so many different people. Its hard to believe that through out my years there that there has been no death that has been personally close to me. Its easy to forget death when in fact it is something very uncommon for me. Its easy to think, "Im going to heaven one day" but you dont think about the people who are close to you. The people who will eventually die.

Now its easier than ever to realize how I am nothing closely related to invincible. No one is. I guess death is something I have been ignorant about, especially enlisting into the military. Its something no one wants to think about, but now its there.

Death is one thing that can be so painful, but so incredibly beautiful.

Marissa I am sorry that you have to go through this, there are so many people at CCV who care about you so much. We are all here for you. I am truley sorry. We all love you so much

-Evan

Back...Again! Here is What is Going on.

2009-03-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Immmm Bacccck!
And here is what is going on in my life:

-79 days, 21 hours remaining until graduation! I am very very very excited for graduation I feel prepared for a new chapter in life. I am excited to be done with High School and the immaturity that comes with it!
-Exactly One month till I am 18 (my moms biggest fear.) Now I can do whatever I possibly want. I can go anywhere, sign up for anything, and get myself into any kind of mess, and...yes I can finally sign myself up for the United States Army! Hoorah! That brings me to my next point!
- I plan on taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) Its the test that basically says what jobs I can and can not have. If you really know me then you know that I am horrible at taking tests, so I am nervous! I do not think you have to score too high to get into the Infantry Division, but we'll see!
-Im trying to keep myself more busy! I am doing various things each week that I am using to keep my occupied! I have a boys teenage HT, student leadership, accountability meeting each week, an oppertunity to serve with a great friend on his farm! I have been keeping myself busy.
-Physical conditioning. I was running 2 miles each morning at 5am. I've stopped ofcourse but I am getting myself into running again. I've also been pushing myself to get 100-200 pushups done a night.
-As time progresses I find myself getting more and more nervous! Ohhh boy.

Stick around, no more blogging break!

Why Serving the Military is Not as Un-Godly as You Think

2009-02-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

This has been something that I have struggled with for months. After carefully praying, seeking guidance, and examining the condition of my heart I am confidant in how I stand.

Lets get a few things understood first:

1. The bible does not call us to be pacifists! The definition is "a person who believes in pacifism or is opposed to war or to violence of any kind."
2. Murder is NOT the same thing as Killing

Murder - In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder).

Kill - to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of

Look at the definitions! Enough said. You can not use the cliche, "Do not murder" as a legitimate argument. Now that we have that established check this out....

Romans 13:14 says (A New Testament book for you bible Noobs) Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

If you are in the United States Military aka AUTHORITY they are "Gods Servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do wrong." (Romans 13: 4)

So here it is...

When war is Godly : IF its a just-war aka a pre-emptive war Meaning if a military action that is justified as being permissible for legal or moral reasons. A war can also be justifiable in order to defense against the weak or oppressed. Do I think the war in Afghanistan is a just-war? Yup. A bunch of terrorists fly some planes into US buildings murdering 3000 innocent people. Seems like we are defending the United States from this happening. Iraq, I am not so sure of at this point. Although no one can really pinpoint the reasons for the war in Iraq, the ending of the Reign of Saddam was pretty huge.

When war is morally wrong: An Un-just war, example If the US invaded Pakistan just because we wanted their oil I would refuse to fight for that war. That war can no possibly be justified.

I've heard the argument when Jesus tells his disciples... "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. (Matt 26:52)

This verse doesn't sit with me very well. I think Jesus said this because it was simply if the disciples decided to use thier swords right there are attempted to kill the guards, it was obvious all the Disciples would DIE BY THE SWORD. I could be horribly wrong, makes sense to me.
You can not compare the sword to a military issued M16. I've had intelligent people argue with this verse. There are TONS of soldiers who have killed with it, and who haven't been killed by it. There is no intelligent argument against that.

The last thing I have to say... We should seek peace. We should pray for peace. We should not create conflicts. We should not launch unjust wars. I would choose peace before conflict, If peace creates no solution...Then the problem arises. Its a God given right to defend ourselves, our neighbors, our loved ones, the opressed, the needy.

This is My Jam!

2009-01-19T21:21:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorite bands are O.A.R. , Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Sublime. All artists def throw some reggae into their tunes, especially Marley...Duh
Anyway, I love jamming to some reggae, I find it extra chill! Solo, I was excited when I saw one of my favorite styles of music clash with one of my favorite worship bands, Hillsongs! Check out this jam!

Economy : Now I Am Pissed!

2009-01-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, so people are getting laid off. I don't have a job so I do not worry so much.
People are getting their houses foreclosed. I don't have a house. Well my parents do but if they loose this cheap house then something is wrong.
I don't have stocks. So I don't have money to loose.
I don't have money period. So I honestly have no worries.

But now I cant even tell you how angry this "Economic Crisis" has made me.

Applebees does not have half off appetizers past 9pm anymore!!!!!! Screw stocks, the failing banks, the car companies dying, and all the other financial issues! Now I am upset!
You don't take half off boneless buffalo wings away from a kid who weighs 225 lbs! ARGH!
So i got them last night with their "new prices" I wasn't happy because I had to spend more than a 5 dollar bill. :( ew. And their portions were smaller. So now I pay more and get less?! Lame. Stupid Economy.

The Jesus Freak Struggle...

2009-01-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

There is this person I know. Lets call this person Bob. Bob is Christian. Bob clearly loves Jesus. Is Bob being ridiculous or is Bob just getting it Right? Here's the story.

Bob goes around school telling a whole ton of people that Jesus loves them. Bob will tell girls that are hurt, boys that are hurt, or just he will just tell people that Jesus is the answer to their problems. He'll write notes to people saying that everything will be okay because Jesus is there. Its pretty extreme. Bob has a reputation for being crazy. People in school say Bob is crazy.

Does this work?

The evangelism that I witnessed has never been anything like this. It has always been a slow time consuming relationship that relies on a lot of time and energy. Usually it takes people a lot of time to comprehend this concept of Jesus dieing for our sins. That's what I prefer.

Bob isn't afraid to be the outcast, neither was Jesus.

But what Bob does, does that work in this day and age?

Bob isn't afraid to get rejected and made fun of. Jesus was kicked out of towns and taunted for what he preached. He was even killed for what he claimed.

In my life I have never witnessed Bob-style evangelism work. Myself, my family, and my closest friends all spent a lot of time talking to someone about Christianity. We weren't told Jesus loves us and then automatically we decided we wanted to follow. It was a time consuming process.

But Jesus calls us to be outcasts. He calls us to be different and not like anyone else. I'll be honest I don't like the Bob style of Evangelism.
1) I think its ineffective. I believe its going to give Christians a bad rep if they are running around saying Jesus loves you.
2) I'll be honest I don't want all of Perkiomen Valley to hate me..

But! there is the but I feel that Jesus was more of a Bob kind of person? Maybe not? Maybe in a different way?

Burned...Again

2009-01-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

I wrote a similar post about being spiritually burned out about a year ago. That was one of my first posts. Click here to check it out!

I've been involved in student ministries for 6 years now serving faithfully from 7Th to now, 12Th grade. I served in children's ministry for 2 years, and ushered for 2 years (won usher of the year award!) Student ministries is definitely where I had a passion for serving. Since then I've never really been a student. Once I began high school I always put myself in the staff position haha. Its what I do.

I love serving. I love helping. Its what I am passionate about.

"Many hands make light work" I like being those hands that make light work! And we all know I've got hands!!

Now that I seem to be getting closer and closer to the homestretch of my senior year I am flat out exhausted for student ministries, but not just student ministries. Everything. I am not motivated by any means. It emotionally and spiritually hurts me when I can not get excited about serving and helping out. I feel the conviction but I just am struggling in my heart.

What separates this "Burned" from the last one is that I am Burned out on Christianity.

Know a few things first:
1) This does not mean im throwing in the towel on Christianity, that's foolishness.
2) This will not change the way I think about God in anyway.
3) This will not affect the way I process thoughts and make decisions. Don't worry, I will still cross the line with most things I say. (for anyone who doesn't get it, I don't typically think before I speak...It can make for a good laugh, but it gets me in trouble sometimes.
4) I certainly wont stop going to church or riot, that's craziness!

I am just at a place where a christian hates to see themselves at. It happens I understand.

When I got baptised I knew that this crazy thing called Christianity sure wasn't going to make life any easier. I knew my road would have its curves and bumps. At least I'm not doing It alone.

God

2008-12-27T22:39:00.001-08:00

You ever look at the sky on clear starry night? Doesn't the sky look huge? Doesn't space look huge. Imagine the last time you sat on the beach. You looked out to the ocean and all your eyes could see was massive blue ocean. Its breath taking to see how immense it is. When was the last time to you were on an airplane? Looking down and just seeing what seems to be endless land. It looks huge right? Its difficult to comprehend but the sky, space, the ocean, even planet Earth are all tiny compared to just how big God is. Its difficult to believe now. Next time your in front of the ocean or looking up at the sky, the things God made, thats when you'll get just a tiny glimpse of seeing just how big our God is.

Influence

2008-12-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

I was laying in bed the other night thinking about my past 4 years in High School. Thinking about how its getting closer and closer until graduation. As I was lying there, I started to think, "What Impact have I had in the past 4 years not in High School, but mainly in my church community, where I am highly involved. It got me thinking about leaving. Which I feel 100% ready for.

I was hanging out the other day thinking about my day. I was thinking about what little things I would've done differently that would've completely changed my whole day. Little things like calling someone else, or getting on the computer at just the right time to get invited somewhere else. I realized that throughout my day some of the smallest things could change my day.

Could I be like that? Could I be that little difference in someones life that makes a difference? I watched, "Its a Wonderful Life" which I highly suggest. Its a movie about how a guy goes back in time as if he never existed and he see's how everything is different without his influence, its a bit extreme but its a great example of how you can make such a huge difference.

If one little action can change the way my whole day can go, then ONE relationship must really matter. That movie not only got me thinking about what influence I've had on others, but who's had an immense influence on me...

Two people come to mind without hesitation...

And there are definitely others...
Who are you influencing? Who influences you? I sometimes wish that my life could be like the movie, where I can go back and see what life is like without me.

I Still Love Those Drunk Aunts Though...

2008-12-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Family is one of the most important things in my life. Hands-down. I love my family a lot! This Saturday was our annual Flora family party. The party is usually about 60-70 people who i don't know, yet am related to. Each year its the same thing:

Aunts quizzing me if i know who they are, I never do and I never will remember.
Nasty old lady kisses.
Watching drunk aunts and uncles dance.

Despite all of that I love my family! That is one of my favorite parts of the holidays. The family community is incredible. I love spending time with my family! We are a big fun Italian family! I have a hard time grasping my head around the fact that a lot of people have messed up broken families. Whats the divorce rate in the US today? like 53%? We've got 0 in our family. Its great to know that I have a loving family that I can ALWAYS count on. I just get upset to think of all the families that don't get together this time of year weather its because of distance or because of some dysfunction issue, but its upsetting. Kids have to pick either moms house or dads house for Christmas, that's messed up. I couldn't imagine what life would be like without my family.

What Evan Loves the Most!

2008-12-10T19:36:00.001-08:00

Can you guess what it is?

DRAMA! Nope, not drama like school play drama. Drama like the fun kind every high school student dreams about. I don't understand it, and like a lot of things in this world... I never will. I cant wrap my head around it! Some people crave drama, some live off of it, and some despise it(meeee!!) I cant fathom why anyone would ever want to be involved with drama?

I cant tolerate that stuff!

Drama is never a healthy thing when it enters your youth group. I see this stuff all the time and its like a virus. This stuff is definitely not needed. People can be consumed by drama and sad to see.

I understand it to consume high school. That's one of the most notorious things about high school. Everyone knows that! What scares me is when it penetrates a youth group, especially a youth group of 150 kids. I expect it. There is no way you can have 150 teenagers and there be no drama but when its drastically noticeable, an issue arises.

Warning! Hunting in Valley Forge Super Illegal!

2008-12-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

I hope your view of me doesn't change after this one! So I was with two of my best buds! I love Renae and Damo. What I also really love is when we are together we can do some of the stupidest thing ever, and have an amazing time!

We heard this commercial for a liquidation sale on all kind of name brand stuff at the Valley Forge Convention Center, so we were gonna go check it out. It had a 10 dollar entrance fee!!!! Lame! We refused and so we left and instead decided we can find something better to do. So we traveled to Valley Forge State Park! We got out of the cars and I ran around outside of the cabins screaming for George Washington. No one told me that people actually work in the cabins as tour guides?? I was really embarrassed when i decided to jump into a cabin acting retarded. A man with a musket in his hand and and apple in his mouth looked at me like I was the most ridiculous person ever.
Note to self: don't ask to touch his rifle...they don't like that!

Any who, I thought it would be cool to chase deer. If you've ever been to valley forge then you know that they will let you get really close! I thought it would be hysterical and completely B.A. If I tackled one! Damo had his camera with him as he was in the car and would film my shannanigans. Now come on, that might sound a little crazy, but how awesome would that of been? haha

Now that your judging me like you never have before, just know that its a lot of fun! Even when random people watch like your insane! Anyway I got close at one point but this one mom stared me down, and another one was big and had antlers, Im smart enough to stay away from those.

Its incredible what fun you can have with your best friends, a camera, and some deer in Valley Forge! Here are some more great pics for you to check out!

Jesus's way or an M16?

2008-12-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Obviously I seem to be passionate about the military. But anyway here we go... Here are a few things I do not understand...

Girls (who can?)
How water is clear
Girls
How a chicken can walk with its head off for a few minutes
Females
Why my moms cooking is so ridiculously good

But here are a few things I do understand:

The bible is from God (2 Timothy 3:16) open your bible, and look it up!
Jesus would not shoot anyone!
I want do be in the Infantry Division of the Army

Here is the issue: As Christians aren't we called to love everyone?

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"

²⁹Jesus answered, "The foremost is, HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;

³⁰AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'

³¹"The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12: 28-31

A large part of joining the military is about helping people. Its not helping like people would in the peace corps, but it is still definitely helping people. People in Iraq or Afghanistan need help. Here is where the issue is: If I join the infantry division that position ya know...Kills people. Its not a soldiers reaction to just shoot someone, they have to be shot at first typically. At this point they are now just trying to defend themselves. So what is the "good christian thing to do." I've gotten some interesting answers

I've had a few people tell me that killing is killing and there is no way to get around it, its clearly a sin? Its pretty hard to argue against that one. Jesus got hung on the cross and didn't attempt to fight back at all but here is a different way to look at it.

What if someone was to break in your house, and you absolutely knew they wanted to kill you and your family (and you conveniently had an automatic assault rifle) wouldn't you return fire? How is that any different from being in Iraq or Afghanistan? Wouldn't you protect yourself? Wouldn't you protect your family, or the ones you really care about? I understand God called people to love your enemies, but I don't believe its right to just accept death from anyone who wants to kill us for any reason. I DO BELIEVE IN DYING FOR YOUR FAITH, Jesus did it. This is different.

Here is the problem: How do you LOVE a terrorist? Christians are called to LOVE your enemies. I don't think shooting them is loving them. Imagine if we didn't do anything about the terrorists and tried to love them? Then what? I think things like 9/11 would be common on US land. There are people who will do what it takes to bring down the world with terror. So are we suppose to just not fire at all to love them? Or defend ourselves and the world?

This is one of those moments where I wish I could have a sit-down with Jesus.

One Love,
Evan

More Branches Than a Tree??

2008-12-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Its official

I Am Annoyed.

For the past few weeks I've been approached by many many many people who would talk to me about many of the military branches. I've had numerous people talk to me about how the Navy is my best choice. People tell me that I need to go all out and be a Marine. I've heard a lot about the Air Force as well. I've been told the Coast Guard is what I need to do!!

I appreciate you all for caring, but what I am trying to say is I made my decision and the Army is going to be the branch for me. I truly do appreciate you caring for me, and the feedback you had but its getting old and repetitive now. I am almost 18 years old I am capable of making my own decision. I've done my homework! I have a 6in stack of papers from each branch in my room! I've personally sat down with a recruiter from each branch. I've done my pros and cons and I've thought about it and what will be best for me. The Army is my path for a few reasons. They have what I want! Infantry(crazy i know thanks)!!

The Marines certainly have infantry but they cant r A, guarantee it, and B they do not offer as much money for education. I do not want to be a marine. I was told I would sit on a boat for many months if I join the Navy. I DON'T WANT TO SIT ON A BOAT! I would much rather be in Afghanistan.

The Air Force does not have infantry. The closest thing they have is MP- Military Police. No offense, but I don't want to be a cop. I dont want to be that guy that has to pull you over for speeding, Its just not me. The Air Force can not guarantee your job! The recruiter said I could end up being a cook. NOPE! Finally, I want to do 2 years service and the AF or Navy don't allow that. Marines is just out of the question. Sorry All!

Now its a wait until April 24Th(18 bday)

One Love,
Evan

Dreams

2008-11-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the middle of the night with a dream that shook me a little bit. Not physically but emotionally. Its been on my mind all day and its even been bothering me. Its thought provoking because sometimes I wonder if dreams happen intentionally. Do they? Can it be God speaking to us? Dreams are tough. Its pretty personal to share but if you really want to know, contact me somehow and I can share with you! Comments about this would be highly appreciated! How do you interpret dreams?

GOL Revolution

2008-11-28T22:19:00.001-08:00

This is my deepest post yet...

My amazing friends Mandy Slater and Mike Giacchetta are starting a revolution.

LOL (formally known as Laugh Out Loud) <---- Is gone, decimated, destroyed, obliverated, done!

It will be replaced with the new legandary...

GOL (Giggle Out Loud) <---- The new LOL! USE IT!!!!!

Our revolution is going to going to travel all over the world! It'll be epic you'll see! Okay time to stop reading this! Go out and use GOL!

GOL!

In an odd mood but yours truley,
E Fizzle

Two Day Adventure!

2008-11-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

It started on thanksgiving. What a great year!! I arrived to my Aunt and Uncles house sometime in the afternoon. I love going over their house. It was fun to be able to spend some great time with my family. We sat around the table and enjoyed some delicious turkey! It was great sitting there and being able to enjoy the company of my family.

After being there for a while, Adam and I decided to go to another family to see some people we actually haven't seen in a long long time. It was great being able to get together with more family and hang out and watch the Eagles dominate. It was around 11:00 when I thought my day was just about to end...

Nope.

I got a call from one of my friends asking if I wanted to go to the Outlets @ 12. I have no money so I was going to watch my friends shop. Intense. We got there around 11:30 and the area was sooo jammed with traffic. It was insane. Seriously 422 was backed up bumper to bumper for miles. JUST TO SHOP AT 12 AM! we parked and we went it, I was going to go nuts in each store because there were soo many freakin people! we left around 1:30 ish to go back to a friends house. We had some deep theological talk goin on. Philosophical questions were being throw around too, thanks Nick!!! I didnt think my brain worked after 12, but I was wrong. Anyways, we killed time until 3:45 when we traveled to King of Prussia to wait in a line at Best Buy. It was 30 degrees out. I didn't have money to buy anything but i figured I'd be chill and hang out with my friends. Best Buy was also ridiculous. Waited outside for an hour until we finally got in, and even then inside was more insane than the outlets.

I finally managed to get myself home at 6:30am. Took a nap, then headed out to Philly at 11. Went to hang with some best buds in his apartment in Philly. Chilled there and then hung out at his slammin party. It was a lot of fun. We played some fun games, ate a ton of food, and enjoyed each others company.

It was quiet and adventure trying to get home. Our GPS was doing its own thing and lied about where we were. So then we ended up in some ugly parts of Philly. So we tried to blend in. Didn't work out too well! We had some good laughs. This was a great two days. I feel like its still thanksgiving because of my power nap.

So in a nutshell...

...two thanksgiving dinners, parties, spending good time with my family, being with my best friends, being up all night to watch people spend money, get lost, and have a ton of laughs. Good times!!!

Another great thanksgiving has passed and now I am really looking forward to my second favorite time of the year! CHRISTMAS!!! This year has been challenging due to the fact I've been asking myself a question: Where will I be next thanksgiving or Christmas? Its definitely been in my mind a lot. Hope your thanksgiving went as good as mine!

One Love,
Evan

Giving Thanks

2008-11-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

There are a few reasons why I really love thanksgiving!

1) Fooood! If you know me than you know I loveloveloveloveee food!
2) no school for a week!
3) a great time to see family
4) beginning of Christmas time!!!! YES

What are some things that you are thankful for?

With the worlds economy pretty much in the toilet and many people loosing jobs, money, or even their house I bet there are a lot of people who think, "Life is terrible, what do I have to be thankful for?" Money is lame, here are some things that I am most thankful for:

My Family, I love them! I have an incredible family that I absolutely love! No complains one bit! We've got rednecks, hardcore Degos, old people, hilarious people, loud people, and last but not least and my personal favorite, THE OLD ANGRY REPUBLICANS! LOL my family legit!

My friends, they should just be in the same category as family. I have friends I would do anything for, I love these people with all my heart! They are my family.

My God, not first on the list but first on my heart. Wow, Christ died for me, for you for everyone. That's something I cant forget about while I'm sitting here thinking about what I am most thankful for in life.
I am really looking forward to spending some good quality time with my family for thanksgiving! I am very lucky to have a majority of my family with me and local! I cant wait to see them and hangout!

I had to pick my quote for the yearbook last week and I picked one that reminds me about despite whats going on in the world financially, life's not about money.

"You can loose all your money, you can loose all your gold. You can never loose your heart and no one can take your soul."
-O.A.R.-

Live and Love,
Evan

Being Unplugged, in a Plugged in World.

2008-11-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

Let me ask you this:

Do you have an ipod or some sort of mp3 player?

Do you Have a cell phone?

I'm going to guess that anyone reading this can almost say yes to both questions. Not all, but I'm sure a large percentage can say yes. As for me, If you know me you know that I definitely don't have a cell phone. A lot of the times it takes 5 to 6 phone calls to be made if someone really needs to get ahold of me. Its actually pretty funny how frustrating it can get.

No ipod, no phone. People tell me all the time that I need a cell phone really bad. Sometimes people ask me how I survive without music. I've figured out a few reasons why its perfectly okay to be "unplugged" in a plugged in world.

First of all, one reason I am okay with not being easily contacted is because there is something about being difficult to contact that makes me feel okay about the whole situation. Sometimes I get the image of someone living in the woods, being very secluded and hard to be contacted. Although I am not in a secluded place, that's is often the imagery that I get from not having a cell phone. Also, although texting is tons of fun, and when i steal others cell phones I abuse it, I really do think people abuse it. Myself included. Most people now would rather text instead of talk, which slowly destroys relationships. I'm okay with having a conversation. I'm okay with being hard to contact, but my time will need to come eventually.

Ipods, there cool. I found that people are using ipods in situations when they could be sociable. nothing pisses me off more than when someone has headphones in when they could be social with people. what is wrong with being able to talk to a human? I really do enjoy a good game of solitaire on the ipod though during my two study halls. LOL

Don't get me wrong, im not one of those people that think that technology is killing the world, but I do think they are abused to a certain extent sometimes. Ipods and phones are sweet, and if I could afford them both I would own them. That's not my point. My point is that I am okay with being unplugged unlike most high schoolers. Whatever if you have them, power to you! I am okay without them.

When Will I Learn?

2008-11-18T21:43:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I wonder why I am always tired at school. Sometimes I wonder why I feel so negative towards school. Sometimes I wonder why I am not the nicest person at school. Sometimes I wonder why I feel the need to sleep in most classes. Sometimes I wonder I need to nap after school. Im sitting here currently realizing that I am an idiot!

I cant remember the last time I went to be before 12. I get up at 6 so that's.... Wow 6 hours of sleep per night? That is two hours less than I need to be getting.

Okay so Im sitting here realizing that me being tired is the problem, and going to be earlier is the solution. But what will I be doing at midnight tomorrow? Probably not sleeping! When will I learn? If I know sleep deprivation is my problem then why dont I just go to bed earler? Or better yet why do I make the same mistake day after day?

Why do we do that? We make a mistake. Get upset about making it, and then repeat the steps the next day. We'll do that over and over and over again! Why? When will we learn? When will I learn. Its almost 1 A.M. and im still up! Thats exactly my point...What the crap I am going to bed, I am pretty tired. I was tired at 10, but here I am 3 hours later still awake.

A True Pursuit - Alex Stenman

2008-11-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've got this really great friend, Alex Stenman. There are some really cool things about Alex.

1. I met him many many many years ago before I even went to CCV(we were on the same hockey team) So he is pretty much the first person from my church family I've ever had interaction with.

2. Since the first day I've known him he's always strived for being great at guitar, and if you've ever heard him then you know its safe to say that hes pretty legit.

3. I've always admired him because of his pure determination for something!

Let me explain. For many years Sweet Thang(nickname) has always wanted to sing worship.
He plays guitar really well, picked up drumming incredibly fast, and is still in the process of learning piano. For the past few years its always been a joke about Alex wanting to sing, he was pretty awful so we always made jokes about it. I was scared for him to ever get on stage. Every year he 100% confidently talks about how one day he'll be on stage signing worship and we all kinda just joke about it.

This Sunday was probably a really cool experience for Alex, and because of that it made my Sunday night riot experience pretty awesome. For our student ministry Sunday night service for high school worship was changed a little bit. It was a pretty awesome acoustic jam. There was Scott singing, Alex on guitar and Shannon signing backup. Worship started and I did my thangg ya know? We'll the really cool part for me is when Alex began to sing! Crazy I know!! I cant even joke about it sounding bad! I looked into the tech booth and listened closely to see if by some chance they muted him or even turned him down, nope...His voice was clearly heard.

This post isn't about Alex being having extraordinary musical talent that I wish I could have, but its more about how watching him worship made me think about all the years Alex swore he was going to sing, and we all laughed. His determination is nothing less than honorable. We all know he was awful to start out, it was comical. But seeing him through the years work hard, and talk about how one day he'll sing, and then seeing him sing on stage was pretty awesome.

With some persistence, faith, and some hard work its incredible to see what can happen. Great job buddy!

blogging A.D.D

2008-11-15T21:47:00.001-08:00

If you cant tell by now I nearly never seem to be content with my blog layout, but each day im slowly working on getting toward my goal, which is completion.
Im almost there.

Also excuse any links that take you nowhere. Im fixing the bugs with my web designer John Noonan Owner/Founder of TrueBlueMedia. This isnt his work, but he helps fix the bugs.

I plan on blogging each day once i get my new layout 100% finished! Look foward to it!

Thanks

220 days, 18 hours, and a few odd minutes...

2008-11-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

YES! The one thing that has been on my mind since August 31st. GRADUATION!!!!! I never ever got excited about leaving high school for a few reasons:

It seems easy enough, why want fly through it
Everyone said enjoy the time while you have it
Not too much responsibility
I don't have to plan much its planned for me basically
FREE!!

Well, as time progresses I am finding myself getting more and more frustrated with being in high school! I think I can safely say I am tired of it and I am prepared for the next chapter of my life.
Sure all the things I listed about are great but its beginning to get a little old. The immature people, the drama, the tedious lame work (i know it wont end) its all starting to get to me!
Its more than just the people, Im finding myself at a point in life where I am in this little Collegeville bubble. Its been that way since Day 1 with my walk with Christ. Its time for something different! A change of some sort is in need...
This has no relevance with the whole, "I am not being fed" ordeal, this is me dealing with being in this little fishbowl.

I am not an idiot I understand and accept the responsibility that comes with being an adult and being out of High School, I have two great eyes that allow me to see that. But what is life like for a little fish in a little fish bowl? Its freaking boring!!!( Haha for the Stenmans it means not having a tail or fins!) What about a fish in the Ocean? I bet it rocks! well except when your mom gets eaten by a barracuda...Poor Nemo :(

Like the title says, I still have a good amount of time ahead of me, but in 220 days when I'm blogging about graduation i know one of the first things i will be saying is, "Wow this year went fast"

DONT VOTE!!

2008-11-03T14:16:00.001-08:00

Armed Forces: Pros and Cons

2008-11-01T20:23:00.001-07:00

Please feel free to comment so I can add things to any part of this post. It will be updated frequently.

I took the past two weeks at school and studied which branch of the military I am most fit for. I sat down with a Recruiter from the Army, Army Reserves, Army National Guard, and Air Force. Here is what is going on in my mindset.

I am not prepared to commit myself to four years of college. I am not ready to type more papers, more homework, more teachers, more classes, and I am certainly not willing to put myself through thousands of dollars of Debt. Its simple, I am just not ready to put myself into school, right away of course.

Since the day I was able to walk I always played with Army men. I had tons of plastic soldiers and tanks and airplanes. My sandpit in my yard is a grave to almost all of them due to a lack of responsibility at age 10. I had fake army equipment and since I could remember I always had a weird interest in Army stuff... What kid really didn't? I guess you could say I never really grew out of it. To this day I strongly admire those in uniform and I can look at a soldier and say, " I would strive to be able to wear that uniform."

If I did Army, I would want to be in infantry. Peoples first reaction, "OMG but you know you'll get shipped to Iraq as soon as your finished training!!"
Umm...Okay? People must think i am an ignorant idiot to not understand that. I seem to be fearless of ever being shipped somewhere. Let me repeat that for you. FEARLESS. NOT IGNORANT. If you tell me I dont understand the risks of War then I think I might have to hurt you. I've always lived my life angry at my lack of commitment, my lack of discipline and my lack of pushing myself physically and mentally. Honestly, what better way to defeat and overcome those issues?

Here are a few things that I've come up with as I have learned more and more about each program;

Pros of Army:
-Discipline
-Learn respect for Authority (I lack this sometimes)
-I truly believe I will get excitement.
-I'll be able to put on the uniform I've always admired
-Travel
-Learn Leadership
-Learn survival
-Physically and emotionally be strong
-Have my faith tested like never before
-guaranteed contract of desired Job
-Face it, I'm gonna be a badass

Cons of Army:
-Family and loved ones worry
-Potentially loose life
-Potentially loose body parts or usage
-Get yelled at endlessly
-Leave loved ones for 2 years
-Really upset my mom :(
-Less support from loved ones

Pros of Airforce:
-treated more like profession
-off base activities
-higher monthly pay
-$80,000 for school
-own dorm room that is treated like college-life
-Treated better
-High quality of treatment and base life
-Discipline
-On campus schooling along with 100% funded off campus classes
-Travel to base of choice (not 100% guaranteed)

Cons of Airforce:
-4 years away instead of Two
-Not guaranteed specific profession
-Would never see any action
-I don't want to be a cop
-Not as badass
-Less challenging physically and mentally
-upset my mom, but not as much as Army

There are still things I am battling with:
*Would God want a follower of his to be in War?
*Is this even Gods plan for me?
*If not the Military then what?

Either way I have my papers, I have all the information I need, and I've talked to all the right people. Now its giving things time and prayer.

A packet the army sent me, the outside said this. I don't believe its just nonsense propaganda, Its a statement that I believe is absolutely true. It said, "

"We wont lie to you, the Army is the most challenging thing you will ever face in your life. It will be the most physically and emotionally demanding thing you will experience in your life. Imagine what you can do in your life when you've already conquered the most challenging thing ever"

Thanks guys, please comment, I will add things and definitely fit your feedback into this post.

One Love,
Evan

And the Award Goes to!

2008-10-27T12:24:00.001-07:00

I dedicate this post to Renae Stone, she is my most dedicated reader! Thank Holmes
-Well there is someone in Lancaster who visits often but that is all I know from my Google analytic program. Either way, Renae is awesome!!

I Have a Secret!!

2008-10-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

My sociology teacher got up from his desk and said, "Okay, who wants to hear some juicy gossip I heard earlier"

Each kid in that class began to salivate. It was odd. Some girls were begging...I kid you not, they were begging to hear what he had to say. He then pretended to get sidetracked, someone would yell asking to please here the gossip. He was truly interested to see how intrigued the class was.

Following the classes poor response to his question he followed it up with another question. "Who likes to hear a good story about someone else"

Again most kids began to talk about how they really enjoy bashing others with their words behind their backs.

He then said, "What if I shared gossip about you to the whole class?" And of course each kid said that it wouldn't be right.

And he replied with," so then why do you expect me to talk about someone else" And of course the answer was, "because its just not me"

The sociology teacher then began to ask students if anyone was going to stand up and stop him from sharing someone else's secret. Of course the class kept quiet when he offered a nice juicy story. I'm guilty as charged as well of not speaking out. He wanted to know why students are so interested in verbally bashing other people, but as soon as we are the ones getting bashed its a whole new story.

That's all he needed to say for me to see and realize that people talk, and they certainly listen. We discussed a few points in class about why people feel the need to gossip and a few things were discussed like:
-People who gossip feel the need to point out others issues to minimize their own.
-People will gossip because they are socially awkward and can only make conversation based off of bashing others.
-People are insecure.
-Self fulfillment

Why do we do this to each other, and then go insane when we discover someone talking about us? The teacher made us all look like idiots.

Finally when the teacher was done talking a girl from the class said, "Wait I dont get it, are you gonna tell us the gossip or not" I didnt even have a responce to what she had to say, It wouldnt of been Christ-Like.

Run Forest, Run!

2008-10-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your upset?

For some its screaming at others, turning their music up all the way, or even hitting things. I can see how they make you feel better. For a minute at least. This week I've discovered something that truly helps me release my emotions and just relax. Its not what most people would expect.

Running

I've hit some unfortunate bumps in the road this week which has caused me to be very upset. And that's all I can say. Last night I sat here at my computer ready to him the hardest object around me. I knew this couldn't happen. I got up and told Adam (brother) that if I don't run I'm gonna loose it. So at 11:00pm we just...ran.

I put my ipod on and turned up my christian play list, bundled up because it was ridiculously 30 degree's and started to run. I've done this before with no motivation or reason. From my driveway to the local McDonald's in 1 mile exactly. I timed it, I ran it in 6 minutes flat. I know what your thinking, its a bit ironic to be running to McDonalds but I don't stop to grab something to bite. So I ran. Ipod on I just didn't stop. Not once did I slow down for ever consider it.
While I was running I was doing a few things;

1: Trying to take in what was happening in my life.
2: Praying
3: Figuring out how God could use me in this situation
4: Just listening to the words of the songs

I never ever ran a 6 minute mile before or even came close. I felt incredible afterwards. 2 miles in 15 minutes. I typically love to run with my brother because If you know my house, being outside of it at night is pretty creepy so I typically only go out there fully armed. Tonight it was different, I finally got over my fear of not knowing whats in the dark. Now let me note real fast that I am not scared of the dark in my house or in any other house. I have such a bad history of going outside my house when I was younger and seeing so many animals and just being terrified. So I'll admit it, I've been freaked out to go out. Not anymore. I was fearless.

So tonight I did it again, except by myself. I felt so good afterwards. I really have nothing to be scared of.

Its incredible to witness God using me at some of the most random buttcrack times ever.
Plus, now would be a good time to start getting into shape.

So if your ever driving through Collegeville after 10pm and you see someone running with a Marines hat on, Its probably me! Oh, and just to clarify thing I prefer running when no one else is out. I'm not sure why but its what I prefer.

As Marley says,
"Lets get together and Feel Alright"
Evan

Ps: This week at Riot, the youth band had a great preformance of a new song called Fearless by Building 429. I listened to it on my Ipod while running. The song and series at church were great motivational tools for me so far this week. So listen, its lyrics are wonderful.

Spring City LOL!!!

2008-10-20T12:19:00.001-07:00

Warning: If you live in Spring City and you get offended easily stop reading now! Thanks

This weekend I think I drove through Spring City, Pennsylvania at least 20 times this weekend. And each time I always manage to see something new and interesting.

I think it is very weird that Spring City is only 10 minutes away from Collegville, Pa. Collegeville is your busier than average suburban city but its very nice. Have you ever driven through Spring City? You would never know that Collegeville is 10 minutes down Township Line from Spring City.

There are a few things I'd like to point out about Spring City that make it more unique than cities like Collegeville, Trappe, Limerick, or even parts of Royersford.

1: The White Chair Gang - Despite the time of the day, the weather, or whats going on in the world these dedicated people will almost always be in their white patio chairs on the sidewalk sitting on main street. They are incredibly funny because they are almost always there just sitting there smoking sitting in the white patio chairs, hence the name the White Chair Gang.

2: The people - This one isn't funny but interesting to see how the people can drastically change between Collegeville and Spring City. They are clearly different. Its obviously financially different than Collegeville, and its clearly obvious.

3: Where the Wild Snorlax roams - You may think I am rude but I'll get over it. There is a lady who lives on a road off of 724, near a good friends house. This lady is one of the biggest people I ever saw in my life. This lady just isn't obese this is "I eat too much and do nothing except sit on my couch all day and eat potato chips and cheese curls" Its ridiculous, just another part of Spring City that makes it interesting. You may call me rude but I named her the Wild Snorlax, LOL!

4: Dirty Santa - I was with Ben and Katy the other day and we were of course going through....?!?! You guessed it SC (I'm tired of typing the city name). Any who I saw this fat man, he looked liked a lot like Good ol' Saint Nick...Except dirtier. It was absolutely comical. He is now part of the inside jokes with Spring City.

So whats my point? To bash Spring City? No I've just have been thinking how a city 10 minutes away from another city can have such a significant difference. Its weird. I'm not going to lie, there is a bit of humor that also comes from Spring City, its never a dull drive through there.

Nice Guys Finish Last....

2008-10-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

You ever feel this way? What do you even think of the statement, "Nice guys finish last" I personally think its ridiculously accurate and it tears me apart. Greenday puts it nicely. Check out the video!

Me Time

2008-10-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today I seemed to be in a more mellow mood than normal. I got irritated at sitting at my computer and in front of the television. I have homework but that wasn't even an option at the beginning of a 4 day weekend.

I decided to do things out of the norm tonight and it was great! I decided I was going to go out onto my porch, like our fire bowl and just sit outside by myself. I know it sounds really emo, but I really enjoyed it. I turned my ihome on and played my slow christian play list. I sat outside for about two hours just thinking about a lot. School, graduation, Kelsey, my meeting I had yesterday with recruiters, the world. This time was also a really opportunity for some genuine God time. One on One time with God is always a great thing.

I really suggest taking opportunities like I took. I personally really enjoy listening to my christian play list (composed of David Crowder Band, Shane and Shane, Shawn McDonald, Chris Tomlin, Foundation Red, and a few others) and laying next to a fire staring at the stars.

What is it you could do to really enjoy your, "me time" Maybe its not sitting next to a fire, maybe its running, hiking, or sitting somewhere and picking up a book? Who knows. Eather way I definitely think its a great time to think about a lot of the things in your life.

Talk to God, Its just you around so listen up! This isn't something I typically do often, but I am glad I did it tonight!

Warning: Childrens costumes not meant for big people.

2008-10-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hey new design! Like it?

This week at riot was our first annual: Halloween costume week. It was a really cool idea. I think everyone had a lot of fun with the idea. While watching the Eagles loose miserably( I'm no longer an Eagles fan) I decided I was going to go to the store and find the lamest Halloween costume for Twenty Bucks.

We got GoldieLocks and the 3 bears...and King James?

Caity, Who is no different...

We've got Fat Josh(Left)

See, It was a lot of fun to see people in costume, but I really wanted one too. So at halftime of the miserable game I went to the Halloween Store. For Twenty Dollars I found the lamest batman costume EVER. Okay, here's the kicker: It was a Kids XL, I know what your thinking, "Evan your 215lbs that wont work out!!"
I thought that too but then i realized... Hey I live in America, there are some pretty big freakin kids. So I figured hey it'll be tight but it'll make the whole costume even funnier!

Wrong! So I put it on, and things did not work out as planned. It turns out that my guns, also known as arms were just too big, same with my legs, torso, hands, feet... Oh boyyyy. So I used almost all my effort to get this sucker on. Things really went down hill when I heard every part of this costume begin to rip. This is when I lost it... I got really angry. Angry at a dumb batman costume for not fitting, angry because I didn't have a costume anymore, and angry because i just flushed some money down the toilet.

Ironically, Prior to this event I got out of a church service that was about!?!?! You guessed it! Anger!
Boy i felt dumb afterwards.... Anger is a perfectly normal God-Given emotion... but oh man I took it to a not so Godly level. All because my fat butt didn't fit a costume and I wasted a few bucks. Dumb. Here's a few things the G man has to say about Angeeeeer.

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry
Ephesians 4:26

But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.
Colossians 3:8

for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
Ephesians 4:27

Moral of the story: 1) Dont let your angry take you to a bad place...its not good!
2) If your over 200lbs, dont get a childs size anything!

One Love,
Evan

Who Said Senior Year Was Easy?

2008-09-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, thanks for checking out my blog. I really appreciate it. As you guys know I am a senior and this year is less about academics, to me it seems more about finding my place. Finding out where God wants me post-HS is not easy, so expect frequently to see posts about whats going on in my life with that. On that note...

My counselor came into my homeroom the other morning and spent the whole period discussing things that I need to get done between now and June in order for us to go to college. My thoughts:

Oh my gosh... Talk about overwhelming. Yuck. My feelings for college are still the same. As each day progresses though the Army idea seems even better. I am at the point where I'm ready to sit down and speak with a recruiter. My good buddy SSGT Chris Rohrer, who actually got deployed last week told me I need to watch out for those sneaky recruiters. Any suggestions about how to deal with them? They are basically buff sales men trying to get me to join, and that's all they really want.
Despite all of that, I'm struggling with hearing God. Its always been tough for me to hear what God wants me to do. For the next 3 semesters I'm going to be praying about this decision intensely, and an issue for me is not speaking to God, its listening. Not helpful when I'm going to make a 360 degree life change.

One Love
Evan

PS: vote smart, they could be my next boss.

Seriously guys?

2008-09-19T16:07:00.001-07:00

As I sat in the very back of math class the other day doing absolutely nothing I couldn't help but notice the girl in front of me crying. I'd like to think i'm a pretty compassionate guy so I asked her what was wrong. As she began to explain to me what was going on, disregarding the teacher completely I began to get angry. She explained to me that she just found out that her boyfriend of 10 months had cheated on her recently and she just found out. She was heartbroken. It really upsets me to think that a Guy would even consider doing that to a girl.

Two seats over from me the same day I saw that a girl was also very upset, she turned around to talk to me and began to explain to me that her boyfriend was sexually herassing her and pushing her to do things she really didnt want to do. It emotionally tore her apart. I couldnt even imagine... I left that class genuinley upset because two guys, two mistakes, two really hurt girls. I couldnt imagine ever treating my girlfriend anything less than a princess( yeah yeah yeah im cool). I cant possibly comprehend how a guy could EVER do that to a girl, TO A GIRL! It really upsets me to think that guys would treat girls this way. This was two girls and two broken hearts. I cant even think about how many more have been hurt in some way by a guy, I probobly dont even want to know.

Were called to treat each and every girl like sisters of Christ. I have compassion for hurting people, and when its something as ridiculous as cheating, or sexually harassing it irritates me. I hear all the time in school how, how(pardon my french) all guys are a**holes, or perverted pigs. Im not denying it. I think that its awfully true, but I dont want to be generalized as just another random guy. I wouldnt ever consider treating a girl like that. I pray that things begin to change. I dont want a bad name because I have a Y chromosome. Somethings gotta change, and fast.

Help Out Your Neighbor

2008-09-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Perkiomen Township Supervisors Unethically Taking Away Elderly Residents Property

Perkiomen Township supervisors are bringing to a vote whether or not they will force two of our beloved neighbors to sell their homes against their will under “eminent domain.”

Lifelong Perkiomen residents Jim and Sue Umstead (14 Wartman, Collegeville) are being forced to sell their family’s farmhouse on 9.8 acres. Another 1.1 acre property near it sold for $130,000! Conservative estimates place their home and property value over $700,000! They are being unethically FORCED to accept a tiny fraction of that! Residents are up in arms and trying to call the community to action.

To make matters worse in this David vs. Goliath story, Mr. Umstead is fighting brain cancer. After the last township meeting he was so distraught he had a seizure and had to postpone his chemo treatment the following day.

When asked what they want to see happen in this situation, Mr. Umstead replied, “The Township has been badgering us for years to sell this property, and now it looks like they finally found their loophole. All I want to do is keep this property natural open space for my children and grandchildren to enjoy, along with our horses. I just wish there was some way this could all go away.”

Next to their property resides a disabled elderly couple, Jake and Janet Rawn (95 Koons), who can’t afford an attorney to fight this and are being forced to sell their house and 6.5 acres for $72,000! Residents are perplexed, trying to figure out how this could be happening!

Brian Jones, pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley (moviechurch.com), the church where the Umsteads are parishioners, thinks this is a winnable fight. “I think what the Umsteads and Rawns have going for them is that basic human decency is on their side. It’s absolutely unconscionable what’s happening to them. In 20 years of being a pastor I’ve never seen anything like it. However, I know the people in this area well enough to know that when word gets out about this Township’s behavior it will stop dead in its tracks.”

In an open meeting on Tuesday, September 9th, Township supervisors said that they are pursuing this action because “the tenor of the community is that the residents want a new park.” Vocal residents pointed out that with the beautiful Plank Rd. Park just down the street that a park isn’t needed in this particular area.

Friends and neighbors of the Umsteads and Rawns are asking concerned citizens to contact the Perkiomen Township Supervisors at 610-489-4034 to let them know they are opposed to this action.

Besides phone calls, concerned citizens can send an email to HelpOutYourNeighbor@comcas

t.net and ask to receive an email notification about when this matter will be taken up for a vote with the Township Supervisors.

For more information please check out www.HelpOutYourNeighbor.com

Click Here for the online petition

**Information taken from facebook.com Here

Hysterical

2008-09-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this commercial a few minutes ago and I lauged at it for a long long time. The part that makes it really funny is that the character in it really reminds me of my friend, Jordan Riggs. Enjoy.

T Minus 8 Months...

2008-09-04T17:11:00.001-07:00

its already been two weeks of school and I've already been feeling more pressure than ever on what I am suppose to do after High School. Graduating and getting the heck out of their seems to be the main topic on every one's mind this year and it seems like everyone knows where to go and what to do except your truly....me. I've already been asked by a handful of faculty about what I want to do and where I plan to go post High School. Its really putting a beating on my brain. I have my options but to everything there is the pros and cons.

Now I understand that I have a year to figure out what I want to do, but I have a feeling that time is going to fly...or so I hear.

The question on my mind is: What Am I Passionate About? To answer that I can say that I have no idea. If I knew what I was passionate about, then I would know what I want to do. Its simple!

8 months, and a lot can happen I understand that completely so something can come up that can easily change my feelings towards college or whatever. But until then its time to put things to thought.

Popular advice I've gotten was, "stay kinda local and go to a major secular school. Figure out what you want to do from there." Cool good idea, I'm not paying $15,000+ for a 13Th grade. Here's a really popular one, "Go to Montco!!" No Montco is absolutely last resort. Of course there is always the option to work after high school, but I want/need to extend my education. So working isn't going to be an option for now.

Now the big questions that's really got my attention: Army? There are so many things that get me excited about the Army, and a few things that instill a bit of fear within me. I would absolutely love to get to experience training, and traveling, and being able to use a BA gun or two. Of course the Army can pay for an education which is one of my biggest college issues right now(but not the reason why one should enlist into service.) Also I'd learn so much and I'd be more disciplined more than I EVER could. And if you know me you know I'm the most disciplined guy out there.

Of course there are a few things that worry me. I think being shipped to Iraq for a year would be pretty unfortunate, yet slightly exciting. I usually enjoy sniping groundhogs or other critters that roam around outside my house but they never shoot back. This years election will be a guide as to what I do simply because if McCain gets in office who knows when we'll be out of Iraq, actually who knows who else we'll be in war with at that point. Their is a lot to think about and a lot that's been on my mind.

Of course I am simply not in control of my life, and I am going to sit back, talk to God and see where he wants me. Because ultimately that's what matters the most.

One Love,
Evan

Emotional Dropkick

2008-08-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

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 incredible 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...

2008-08-26T09:54:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

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

Just Open Your Eyes

2008-06-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have this amazing friend named John Noonan. During 10th grade and a portion of 11th I complained about how PA was deprived of girls who:

Believed in Jesus
Lived out their faith
Were attractive
and who lived even remotely close to me

He always told me to stop looking and have patience because I never know what life can throw at me, or better yet WHO life can throw at me. He always told me to keep my eyes and heart open and just sit back. His answer pissed me off, but boy was he right! CIY MOVE is tomorrow and I supppper excited. Their should be a post about that when I return!!!

One Love

A Different Kind of Serving

2008-05-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Can one serve God faithfully and serve his country as well? This is a questions that has been on my mind for awhile now about being devoted to God, yet being enlisted in some type of military branch for the U.S.

Casas Por Cristo - Juarez, Mexico

2008-05-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting on my plane pending its arrival to El Paso, Tx I was interviewed by Laurie one of the crews cameramen. She asked me a bunch of questions I really never thought about before. She asked me questions like, "What are you expecting?" or " What do you think it will be like?" "What do you think you will learn?" As i was starring into the camera i simply blurted lame answers that I came up with in a few seconds. As Laurie went back to her seat I sat their thinking about what she asked me. I couldn't imagine what it would be like, I've never been to anywhere in the world like that before and I've never done something like build houses for less fortunate people before. I continued to think, "What will this whole experience be like?"
Our first day in Mexico was quite a sight. The south is quite an interesting place and beyond the border can not be described well enough with words, pictures, or videos. As we began to arrive in the outskirts of Juarez it looked like a trash dump combined with a dessert with small shacks people call home scattered around. It was certainly nothing i've ever seen before.
When I learned our work schedule I was a little nervous, working intense hours in the Mexico sun worried me a bit but as soon as we began to build none of that mattered anymore. I made sure that the last thing I worried about on the trip was my myself. The week was about serving, and it was incredible. On the third and final day working on the house, I looked at it when it was complete and I thought about how each persons hand had something to do with the house. Each persons hands created what we called, "a free gift from God." As that day progressed it got even more amazing. Our dedication ceremony touched even the hardest hearts. This blog post isnt even 1/100th of what happened there but just the shortest possibly cut down version, maybe the real deal will come later on when I've fully understand what really happened there.
It was definitely an honor serving with each and every person on that trip. Our first meeting was scary and I didn't know many of the other people going, but by the end of the week I felt like I could talk to anyone. It was truly amazing we felt like one big family.
Thanks everyone for making it one of the best experiences of my life.

Reactions

2008-04-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made a facial reaction soo ridiculous it was actually creepy?

"Meet Evan, hes good at Halo!!!"

2008-04-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

What if people constantly told you that your #1 ability is playing Halo....How would that make you feel?
At youth group when I am introduced to a new person the first thing the person says is, "This is Evan, his hands are big and hes good at Halo" Im tired of being introduced as the kid who is good at a bum video game.
For some lame reason also, im always told that my number one skill is playing Halo. I don't think people understand what kind of lame ass remark that is when they tell me and other people my number one talent is a video game. Its just a video game I used to enjoy playing. Now people have twisted it and turned it into being the only thing im good at. Someone telling me that Halo is my number one skill is like bragging about being 17 and being able to whip my own butt. Its so meaningless and demoralizing. Obviously im pissed, but I dont want to be known as "the guy who is good at Halo." How lame is that? Ridiculous...

Suprise!

2008-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Its bad enough the poor kids adopted, but hes also a Ginger! Poor Fella.

Thank You - A Tribute To Matt

2008-04-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Matt and Noonan showed up at my door yesterday, two of my favorite people were at my house, and it was quite a shocker. These two busy guys never just randomly show up to hang out so I knew something wasn't right. As we sat down at my table, Matt began to explain to me how things are changing and Gods plans are different than what we expected and want. He explained to me how there is another church that needs his help. He was moving. It wasn't what me or anyone had seen coming and it hurt.
A bit over four years ago, in middle school Matt had a great relationship with my brother. One day I walked outside and I saw this guy who I've never seen before. He asked me a few questions and asked me If I would be interested in going to IMPACT (middle school youth group) I was hesitant and a few seconds later he replied with, "We've got Halo!" I was the master at that game and so i decided I needed to beat people other than my Dad and Adam(bro). I accepted and I was willing to check it out, and that Sunday I went to Impact. And so it all started. I'm not sure if it was luck or if Matt has the ability to seek dedicated servers because a few weeks after my first week Matt asked me if I would be interested in helping set-up and tear down each week. Again, I was hesitant but since a pretty girl(whose name we don't speak of) was there I thought sure, why not? Every Sunday that year I got to spend an hour before and after Impact with the legendary Matt Silver helping setup and clean up. Once Matt knew that I seemed interested in helping he than began to ask me tough questions about God. I listened to all that he said and I asked him question after question about this crazy thing called Christianity, and he always had a logical answer that made sense in my 8th grade brain.
Nearly twenty minutes after I almost witnessed my first Pastor fight in line at Hershey park is when I told Matt that I was ready to give my life up to God. Thanks Matt. Soon after that we went to the Believe conference is when I discovered who Matt Silver was. This crazy, wise, insightful guy who I wanted to be like. That trip was also the first time I ever experienced a crack in a shower, It was crazy!
Each Sunday Matt picked me up and took me home, teaching me slowly what serving was and how incredibly important it was. Week after week he made sure I was there. He called me often to just chill or do work somewhere and just hangout.
PCTC after PCTC and CIY after CIY, Matt was always there and always trying to be my friend and mentor. I cant even remember how many 100 mile plus trips I've spent with him.
For anyone who knows him knows what 10+, ten hour car rides will do to you If your with him, you wont be the same you'll learn something.
Words don't even express how much that guy had done for me. I've lost a lot of friends to moving before but none of them had the affect on me like Matt has. He's the reason why the concept of serving in engraved in my heart. Hes pushed me and challenged me more than I can imagine. I often called him my second Dad, he took care of my like my own father. If I was hurt he'd call me up, or just hang with me, If he wanted my help he'd ask me, and most importantly he challenged me spiritually time after time never giving up. He always loved his students more than anyone I knew. Even his wife loved me! She always knew I could work hard in school, neither of them gave up on me.
Whats even more incredible is that dozens of people can give a testimony similar to mine. So many other people can say that Matt has been the biggest influence of their life. I know I can say It. I can comfortably say that if Matt was not in my life that I wouldn't be even close to the person I am today. I am not even sure If I would be Christian.
Some of my favorite memories of my almost 17 years of living all involve Matt. Whether it was a trip to Tennessee, Illinois, West Virginia, or even to home depot I always had the best time ever. Like I previously said before he isn't leaving because he did something wrong or something like that. People need him and his ability to lead. I'm almost certain that in a few years some teenager in Maryland will be writing something like this explaining how Matt has incredibly affected their life. Im excited to see what he does in Maryland and who he effects.
Thank you for being the best, for pushing me, for never giving up, for seeing the best in me, for helping me always, showing me Gods love, teaching me how to serve, showing me new places, giving me new ideas, and most importantly teaching me about dingleberries. Pa wont ever seem the same.

Pctc 08' Leap

2008-03-02T11:22:00.001-08:00

Pctc, (Pennsylvania Christian Teen Convention) a great 3 day conference located in the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg, PA. High school and middle school teens to get together from all over the east coast to get to learn about God. Its also a great period of time to get to build great relationships. Its an event that does a lot of good for people so I was excited about what was going to happen this year. I got the privilege to serve there as a middle school coach, it was a great opportunity for me. I spent with the weekend with middle school kids, which is alright to me. Its an opportunity for me to beat up on kids who are half my size.
The first night was nothing special for me I guess. Just a bunch of hyped up kids going insane. Some worship, a great speaker, and some fun relax time in a "coffee shop" environment.
The second day definitely improved. During the guys session, a couple spoke about purity. The sermon started off rough with an interpretive dance. Soon after she was done I got over that. Soon the couple began to speak about the importance of sexual purity, importantly what its affects are on teenage girls. It was eye-opening. I've heard at least 20 sermons on sexual purity but NEVER from a womens point of view. It was something that all the guys needed to hear. Immediately after the message all of the guys from our youth group went and had group time. Group time is a great opportunity for the guys in our group be able to grow with each other. We all discussing sexual purity and its importance. It was a real growth time.
After all the activities and meals and workshops we had free time. Me and a few of my buddies were relaxing in our hotel room when we all decided we were going to a prayer room with by far one of the most influential people I know, I figured it could be good for me. By this time it was already past 11pm. I've been to Pctc 4 times before and I have never gone into the 24x7 prayer room. It is a room in the hotel that is strictly for prayer. For the weekend someone is constantly praying in the room. I walked in not sure of what I'd see. It was dark, well decorated, assisted with quite relaxing music. There are sticky notes everywhere written from various kids. You pick one up and read the prayer that someone wrote on it. You pray for them and move on. You could sit anywhere, stand, lay down do whatever you wanted. I decided to sit at a small table and write down my prayers. This is the first time I've ever tried this. Page after page after page I couldn't stop writing. This time is something I've been needing terribly for months. I finally just let it all out and on the paper. That was my Pctc highlight. I sat in for middle school sermons and didn't hear much that stuck out to me, but being in that room was better for me than any sermon I could of possibly heard.
The next day, which came quick since there isnt much time between bed time and wake up time(4 hours at this point) I was ready to come home for reasons I wish not to share but thats okay.
This weekend did more for me than I expected and it was incredibly. One more left for this guy

Mexico Update:
Some of you know, some of you may not know. I've been accepted to go to Juarez, Mexico May 11th for a missions trip. Its an incredible opportunity for me and im really looking forward to it.
I've handed in all my passport information on it and I am waiting for that. Other than that, im broke. Keep me and this trip and the blessed family in Mexico in your prayers. Thank You.

Hey, your not Cool you Respect your Body!

2008-02-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

Heres how the conversation broke down...
Health Class
2-19-08
Absolutely ZERO exaggeration

Think what you want...heres how i went

Anonymous: Wait, Evan? So you dont drink at all? Or smoke? Or weed? That Sh*ts fun!!

Evan: Nope, sorry thats not how I roll

Anonymous: Loser! Thats your problem, your going to be healthy and live to be 100. All your friends and family will be dead, but not you cause your a good little boy! haha your life wont be very fun, you'll die alone!

Evan: Are you seriously kidding me? Your telling me that you choose a shorter life over living healthy?

Anonymous: Hell yeah! Screw life...have fun! The first day im in a wheel chair or an old person home I will find a way to fall off a bridge.

Evan:wait, you were just making fun of me for not wanting to abuse myself, and for choosing life?

Anonymous #2: wait Evan, you've really never drank?

Evan: No

Anonymous #3: I need to get you drunk!!! You will be awesome!

Evan: good luck with that

Anonymous #2: oh yeah, we'll spike your drink! you need to have fun!

Evan: thanks for the respect, I appreciate it!(walks away)

Thats high school....

Walking With the Wise

2008-02-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Its only been 3 years now since I surrendered my life to God. Three amazing years thats given me all sorts of trials and temptations. For the past three years of my life I've always been around wise people, people who've experienced Christianity for their whole life, or for a better half of it. People between the ages of 20 and 50. I'm always interacting with people who are simply more spiritually mature than me its my nature to be with people who are just older. Being around these people is constantly creating new expectations for myself. It can be a great thing, but in retrospect it can be a bad thing. I'm comparing myself to people are genuinely more smarter than me. I'm striving to be like the people I'm around but I can not forget to keep my eye on the one who is 100% true and pure. Its easy to get upset with myself for not being as "spiritually mature" as those I walk with.
My 3 years of Christianity vs. friends with 10+ years. Do I continue to strive or do I go with the flow? I'm curious to know if those people who I call wise today were in the condition I am at their third year of Christianity. I compare myself constantly but in the future will it pay off? Its an interesting concept to see how this will affect my future and what things will be like.

Somewhere to Go, No One to be With

2008-01-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

As I was walking down the jam-packed streets of the Big Apple a few weeks ago I couldn't help but notice a few things.
A)These people have somewhere their walking to
B)These people looked lonely and sick of life.
Now, that just could be me but oh well. As I cheerfully hopped on the Lower-Manhattan bound Subway I couldn't resist looking at everyone! I swear people stared at me as if I have an Osama sticker strapped to my forehead. I was amused with the City, its one of my new favorite places. Its not the enormous buildings, architecture, nor the statues that grasp my attention, its the people. Each person struts down the side-walk with a face that says get out o f my way Scrub. Its interesting. I look at the faces of the people who pass. No one looks happy and no one looks like they care. They each look so lonely. The NYC lifestyle looks tough to me. Mass amounts of people piling in a Subway cart all heading to the same place with the same face, the same face that says I hate life. I'm definitely not a shrink but I do have the ability to see when someone is clearly unhappy with life. Thousands of people, each with a unique story that life has given them. No one talking to ANYONE, most people just have their ipods on. Im not claiming that all of NYC is depressed, thats not what im saying. There are just so many of them who want more out of their stressful lives. I wanted to talk to someone just to see how their day was going. But their looks say they just don't care. For such an Enormous city you would be surprised how many lonely people their are out their looking for something in their lives...Just something.

Passion

2008-01-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this new feeling that I've been getting lately. For a few months now I've had the passion to go somewhere else in the world and do missions. Its something I have been thinking about lately and its something that I would really love to do. I would love to be somewhere else where people don't have the opportunity to learn about God. And its been a growing passion.

Countdown 08' Rockin New Years Eve

2008-01-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

I can only come up with one word to describe Countdown, amazing.
For anyone who doesn't know Countdown is my churches(Christs Church of the Valley) new years party, its a great outreach event. This was most definitely not your churches typical new years party. The planning and preparation process took a long time. I know I spent many hours in different meetings planning and preparing for this incredible event. The party started at 9pm New Years Eve, and lasted until 7am for those daring the stay up all night. I began setting up with a bunch of people the day and the day before the party, its always fun to hang out with my buddies so I was cool with the whole set-up process. I also did some shopping a few days before, it was a great learning experience. I learned to never go shopping with 5 girls again. Enough said.
Our current youth group size is about 140-160 each week so any attendance over that was good. The "hoped for" number was around 300, but my pessimistic side was kicking in and I didnt think that would happen. Anyway, 9:00 rolls around and the people start arriving, at this time there were more blue-shirted leaders walking around than students, but that was quickly to change. I walk outside and i see the registration line, The line was at least 50 people, and it stayed that way for a while. There were large crowds of people trying to get in, it was an incredible feeling trying to see all of the people try to get in! As people began to walk in I started talking to random people, My attempt was to get people excited and pumped for this party! There were so many things going on around the building. 25 xbox/xbox 360 systems(halo3, halo2, NCAA,Madden, Call of duty 4, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar hero 2/3. In our upstairs kids classroom the stage was rocking with RockBand, the new Xbox game. That was one of the most popular systems. The speakers were blasting and the stage lights were shinning, all great effects to pump kids up for the game. There was at least a 45 minute wait for people's bands to play, it was awesome.
Along with all the manly rooms there were make-over rooms, and board game rooms, and a room for poker and relaxing. There were two Large inflatables, some larger than what the book said, but it was okay. There was also a nice coffee house style/karaoke tent set up outside, along with a bball court and some other sports.
The band also rocked the place! they played a pretty good set, opening up with Paralyzer by Finger Eleven.

at 3am there was a fashion show, it was...interesting. There were some ugly people, but thats okay too! Jesus still loves them. It was an incredible night, the best part about it was discovering that there were 380 kids there!!!!!

150 of them never being at ccv before. The night was great, most things turned out great and everyone had a good time, I cant wait to see what happens next year because this year turned out to be one to remember.
For more pictures of the night click here!

Mending the Heart Atlast

2007-12-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

I've always been told that God can work so far up the river that you cannot see Him preparing something for your life. Its true. This blog is 100% in relation to my "Burned" Post from November. Its amazing how God can make things happen. Its incredible how God can work in my life so quickly and make such an incredible Impact. Its incredible how God lets things sit in order for His plan to help me grow. God works in all different ways, and fortunately I got to experience God work through the "Breakdown" phase. And this is how it happened. What happens is EVERYTHING went wrong. I woke up, and the second I opened my eyes, I knew it was going to be terrible day. Family fights, anger towards church, and a heart not willing to serve...a perfect combination for a minor spiritual breakdown. I will leave out the details about how the breaking-point part of my day went, All I will say is it was involved with a dozen F-Bombs, and 23904 other words i shall not repeat. God knows its time for things to change and then it happens I realize things need to change. All the RIGHT things fall into place. I talk to the right people, hear the right things, sing the right songs. Its incredible how I can get hurt in such a small time, but whats even more incredible is how my heart can change in an even smaller amount of time. Maybe you didn't read my other blog, "Burned" but now I am here and I feel more content with serving. I'm taking all the right steps and heading in the direction I need to be going...Finally. Heres God taking me and shaping me into who he wants me to be, a Yearning Disciple striving for a life for Him.

Which to pick?

2007-12-08T20:19:00.001-08:00

I said the unthinkable the other day. Words so harsh. I actually said something I thought would never come out of my mouth. I said Halo3 was not as good as good as Call of Duty4. It was blasphemy. I regret it. And recently I've been asked which one I prefer. I have history with the Chief. Going back to Halo1 tearing apart the covenant to finding out a new group called the flood. Then me and Chief going to Earth in Halo2, Good times. And then in Halo3 me and him saving the earth and taking down everyone. We have history!!! but whats this? Here comes this new guy from the USMC, I don't even know his name and side with him? that's like...bad! I take it all back, nothing can take me away from my beloved Halo3. Not even a Us Marine fighting off middle eastern rebels.
Now as I go back and read this blog, there are a few adjectives that are probably going through your head right now that probably describe me. You're probably thinking I'm a...nerd, a bum, lazy game player, halo junkie, freak. No.... This blog emphasizes everything beyond belief. I love Halo, just like the other 1/2 of the world. And that's really all. It could be worse. I could be like those weird kids that fantasise about having weird sexual relations with cortana....(yes the hologram.)they do exist. but im not... Heres some rankings below

A Green Christmas

2007-12-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

Its Christmas time! Awesome, I enjoy it. A time for people to spend time with their family and friends, and also a great time for people to spend all their money!!! Awesome? No. I came across some intense stats recently that said how many families will go into debt this time of the year. Ironic how Americans go in bigger debt and grow more depressed around Christmas time aka the celebration of Christs' birth. Oh well not me. I stumbled across this awesome bible verse the other day. It really caught my attention and reminded me of all the chaos that happens this time of the year. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,"Never will I leave you; 7 never will I forsake you."
-Hebrews 13:5-7

It reminded me that Christmas isn't all about getting the coolest best looking most expensive presents. I can definitely get wrapped up in the whole presents idea. I'm a teenager! I hear my friends talking about getting some of the coolest things with and/or having a $600 spending amount. Ridiculous. I wont let money tear me apart from what Christmas is about. That sure sounds like a cliche statement, but its me being genuine. Maybe these blogs are me talking to myself hopefully not, I do enjoy it very much though. Maybe my next one won't be so profound aka "Deep."
Thanks,
Evan

Family

2007-12-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

So this weekend was amazing. My sister took a train into town for the weekend and my brother spent the weekend home from college. It was great!! I cancelled all of my plans just spend each minute with my family. This time of the year is my second favorite. I hate cold and I hate cold rain and typically I'm not a huge fan of late fall early winter, but I love this time because its a great oppertunity to spend time with my family. I prayed earlier today during church because I thanked God for such an incredible family. I love this time of the year because I love to spend tons of time with people I who have known me since I was alive. I cherish every minute because I cant be sure who will be gone tomorrow. Its probably one of my biggest fears. That fear relates back to an unexpected death in the family and me seeing the pain that people suffered. Its this time of the year that I try to enjoy every second I have with my family. My Sister, Brother, and I went to target the other night. Its probably the first time I spent time with JUST them in a long long long time, its incredible I cherish those moments because I always a negative idea in my head that it could be gone tomorrow, that's not my point. I'm thanking God for the incredible family that I have.

Who's your Hero?

2007-11-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

I met an incredible person tonight, this guy was so incredible with his faith, a very admirable trait. He managed to recover his train wreck life and turn around into one of the most devoted Christians I've EVER seen. He managed to memorize almost the whole entire New Testament ..Incredible!!! While he was talking to me and the rest of my leadership team, it made me want to strive to be like him, to have the ability to do what he does. Then it got me thinking, who are my hero's? There are few people who I consider my "Hero's." There are a few people who I would love to inherit some of their amazing qualities. So as I was sitting there tonight I was reflecting briefly on who I call my Hero's. During my reflection I realized that without some of these people I would not be half of the guy that I am today. As well as my recent reflection I experienced something similar, a few weeks ago I talked with a person I clearly disappointed, a Hero in my eyes. Doubts of why they try began to float around, I realized that person has had one of the biggest affects on me more than anyone in the world. Who's your Hero? What do they look like to you? I am pretty curious to see who other teenagers Hero's are. Who do you consider a Hero?

Burned

2007-11-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

So I'm really loving the new idea of putting my thoughts onto a website such as blogspot, I'm really excited about things that I can post, and I am really looking forward to creating new Posts.
I've been really struggling with a few things lately and I have yet come to a conclusion on what to do. Maybe the right people will see this and give me a hand.
Every Sunday 4:00-10:00PM I'm running around Impact and Riot doing anything that is possibly needed to be done. Arrive at 4:30 setting up till 6. From 6:00 - 7:00 I am often in helping with middle school service IMPACT. Immediately after that from 7:00-8:00 I'm then in the High School service RIOT. Around 8 when the service is over then i finally have some breathing time to relax. Most times I'm usually being asked to do something due to reliability, which I don't mind usually, I'm a student leader I accept that things need to be done. Okay fine. 9 o'clock rolls around and its time to clean up. It usually takes a hardcore half an hour to get things cleaned up nicely. Then at 9:45ish we have a small meeting to recap the night, its a good time. I can honestly not remember the last time I've missed ONE week. Besides Sunday afternoon I often babysit for various classes within the Church. As well as a classroom once a month, but that is not a big deal. Now obviously the point of this post is not to tell you about my Sunday Night schedule. I'm finding that I'm digging myself in a hole, each day it gets just a bit deeper. I have discovered that my Passion to serve has been uncomfortably low. For a few weeks it was something I kinda ignored, nothing i felt of too much Importance. Its about maybe the 6Th or 7Th week now that i feel this way and I'm in a high level of discomfort by it. It sucks! Each Sunday I used to run, or sprint, or even sometimes SKIP to Riot because I got that excited. Now when 4:15 strikes (my time I leave my house) I get upset/angry. I feel burned out. I feel like me serving now is like a job that a 45 year old man does everyday for his whole life, it gets incredibly repetitive and just plain boring. And aside from poor attitude, i know my pessimistic attitude is trickling off onto others who are around me as i set-up, which I hate more than ever. (Although i never enjoy when someone says they don't know how plug in a TV and xbox , come on its two wires!!!) Anyway i feel like this isn't serving, I'm not happy and I feel I HAVE to do this, I don't, its my choice but it does not feel that way at all anymore. I hate admitting the fact that right now serving is a annoyance to me, but I'm only human and I'm must be honest with myself. I've been spending much time praying about this situation and hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel comes a bit sooner. I never like admitting that serving for God is an annoyance, that just sounds bad or at least in my eyes. Whats going on!?!!

An Answered Prayer or Two

2007-11-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

I've been roaming around the web lately and I've discovered that many people i think are awesome all have accounts on blogspot.com, and I'm not joining to just jump on the cool people bandwagon, its a place where i will post thoughts, feelings, and ideas quite often! I'm really looking forward to it!
I'm going to start off by talking about the end my summer. At the end of the summer, i finally came to the realization that school was quickly approaching. As August 31st was rapidly approaching i knew i had to do something, i was worrying about school, it wasn't the typical worry i was going nuts! For anyone who didn't know, at the end of the school year, i basically could of spelled, DDDDDDDDDF with all of my grades. How I passed is something I still can not comprehend. Anyway, this wasnt a matter of being stupid or dumb,( i wish i knew that at the time.)
Soon after my grades got around to people who truly car about i got a lot of crap, it was bad but hey i deserve that. At the end of the summer i knew that my 11Th grade year was my key year to shine, if i ever wanted to see college. Not only that over the Summer that i cant be living for a God and failing school, not happening. It was time to get my stuff together. By the end of the Summer i was praying harder than ever before. i needed strength, faith, and determination for myself. None of those things i could have handled myself.
Long story short i have some pretty amazing classes and a schedule I'm content with, except maybe 1 class. This blog isn't my chance to boast and feel cool about myself but I'm incredibly proud to say i did finish semester 1with a GPA of 3.450!!!!(Honors) I don't even want a reply saying, "cool Evan great Job!" All i need to know is that I'm proud of myself. and its not even about that, turning and Ugly non-God honoring part of my life around is what its all about, and the feeling of getting strength and help from something beyond me is overwhelming. Its a boost of feeling i needed, its great.
Stick around for more blogs, i think about some insane stuff so come back for more good stuff, Thanks!
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