Video by special request!

Alright well someone requested another video blog. It's kind of random, but it's a little look inside what's going on in my life right now. So many things are moving so fast and it's just crazy. A good kind of crazy though.

Men's Retreat

So last weekend, Asbury held a weekend retreat at Camp Paradise Valley on the TN, KY border. The camp was a really nice facility. The speaker for the weekend was a guy from Mississippi. His name was Matt Friedeman. His messages really spoke to us Asburians.



Too often are we enclosed in the Asbury bubble. We are surrounded by Christians which helps us to retain our standards and morals, but also limits our faith walk with God. We always have Christianity shoved down our throats and it makes us almost burned out. By burned out I actually mean tired of it, not necessarily abandoning it. Dr. Friedemans' messages were a change of pace from what we had been hearing. He challenged us to be different, which is hard to do at Asbury. I guess it's tough everywhere because no one wants to be rejected or weird in society. He wanted us to get out of our comfort zones. I have heard this message before, but this time it was so different.

Another great lesson he taught us was the theory of the 3 M's. The first is knowing your





aker.


Once you establish a healthy relationship with Christ and listen to him daily, one can deal with life with someone to help out. Next, you must find your



ission. In other words, where God is drawing you. He explained that some of us there at the retreat would be the very people who would bleed and die in God's name. It was uncomfortable, but in a good way.

Finally, he told us to find a



ate.

"Don't get number two and number three mixed up."

This advice was something everyone, especially at Asbury should hear. So many people come to this college to find a mate like this...
Just kidding
Which is fine, as long as they know what God has in store for them. Imagine what would happen if you thought you found the perfect person and married them. One day God calls you to go somewhere your spouse would not want to go. It would be extremely hard to decide which path to take after that.

All that to say, retreats are good for taking a step back from reality and recharging ideas and values that should be in our everyday lives.

The Few, The Proud, The Asburians

So over the past couple of days a friend and I went from Asbury all the way to Parris Island. Our goal was reached when we saw our other friend graduate from the Marines. While we were down there, we felt very inspired. Being around all the Marines and seeing proud parents, friends, and family it's a very emotional time. Even though my friend was just a friend, it still made me want to join the Marines. Obviously I am not going to right now. My goal for now is to finish college and then we'll see where God leads me.
Hearing him talk about his experiences, and just hearing how much he appreciates life so much makes you want what he has. While the military will definitely change your life, I think most of it is for the better. If you can endure the hardships and push yourself through then everything just seems better. He was telling us that he is less selfish, gets along with his family better and he just seems more confident in life. It's a good change.

After hearing all that I think I have learned similar lessons in this hard time at Asbury. I appreciate my family a lot more than I did even six months ago. I enjoy school. I appreciate the opportunities that are in front of me.

I'll be honest, I thought about a lot of things this weekend and it's hard for me to say what all is on my mind. Last night all I could think of was the blogs that were in my head. This has become kind of like a site of life aspects that I learn. I think I should sort my thoughts then come back and give them the time that they need.

Just another day at Asbury

Typically on Friday afternoons, college students are unwinding and getting ready for weekend football. In Wilmore, people are puffing up their foam swords and preparing for all out warfare. This is the Unofficial Asbury Extreme Sword Fighting Group. I just saw these guys and girls out there and decided to share the experience.