New Car Pride

Have you ever driven a minivan? When you first got your driver’s license and experienced that freedom, was that freedom shared with Honda Odyssey?

I have to admit–Mine was!

At first I didn’t care; I loved the fact that I was driving (by myself). But as my friends got nice, new cars and I still drove the minivan, you can imagine my pride sinking. Teenage guys don’t usually brag about driving their Mom’s Honda Odyssey.

It got worse. I would drive to basketball practice in this van. I would pick up my date in this minivan! Are you beginning to understand how awful this was? If I saw people I knew in cars next to me, I would literally attempt to hide.

Then the day came when I received my first car. And boy, it’s beautiful. Now at every red light I make sure I’m seen. I want to drive everywhere! I’m so proud of it!

This whole experience got me thinking about life, particularly about my relationship with God. Am I proud of that? When people are looking at me at...

Games

My favorite video game has to be “NCAA Football 2010.” I like to play it with one particularly friend. You know the one–the friend you invite over just so you can humiliate him at the game.

So one day I am at his house and he, lacking knowledge of my gamin expertise, challenges me to a game of football on his Xbox 360. Yet in the midst of my total domination, he decides he’s had enough. He turns off the Xbox and storms out of the room.

Now, I’m sitting there thinking of all the fun I’m missing out on now that he’s left the room. Envisioning all the plays I was going to run and touchdowns I was going to score, I couldn’t help shouting to him, “Dude, wait I wasn’t finished.”

This got me thinking about my own life. When the video game of life is shut off and the screen goes black, will I have the same thought? Will I be looking at God saying, “I wasn’t finished?”

God puts us on this earth to accomplish things for His Kingdom. All those plays I plan to run in my...

Colt McCoy Gives God The Glory

One of my favorite things about January are the big-time college bowls that are held– especially the BCS National Championship. This year wasn’t any different. I was pumped to watch the University of Texas take on the University of Alabama. If you saw the game or watched the highlights on ESPN, you know that Texas starting quarterback Colt McCoy was injured early and had to sit out the rest of the game. Texas lost.

After the game, McCoy was interviewed by ESPN reporter Lisa Salters. As I watched the interview, I expected him to complain about his injury or down Alabama. But instead McCoy said, “I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control. And I am standing on the rock.”

I was blown away. It’s easy to give God the glory when things are going good, but McCoy gave God the glory despite his rough circumstances. I have to ask myself: “Why am I not like McCoy, giving God what He deserves, no matter what the circumstances?”

She Signed My Yearbook!!!

Just recently, I attended registration for my school. You know what that means—school’s starting. I walked in and started to greet all the juniors I hadn’t seen in months, ran and hug some of my best friends. But once the meet and greet was over I found myself watching. The sixth graders caught my eye. Man, sixth grade brought back some amazing memories. In sixth grade I had a bit of a crush on a girl who was a senior! Her name, Jessica Geeseman. Clearly you don’t know my enthusiasm because you haven’t seen this girl. It was love at first sight. At least for me it was.

All through the year I tried to impress her in sports, my grades—anything to get attention from Jess. It all paid off in the end when she signed my yearbook the last day of school. She signed: “Hey cuties, hope you have an awesome summer, Love Jess.” I was on cloud 9. I ran to my friends screaming, “GUYS LOOK…SHE CALLED ME CUTIE!” Surprisingly they weren’t as excited. Instead they said, “Dude you don’t even...

Paintball

Recently I attended the “Crazy Love” High School camp with my youth group. One of the best things to do at camp is the paintball course. This being my first year, I didn’t know what to expect. But it seemed like every guy at the camp was totally pumped for some paintball domination. They kept saying, “Paintball is going to be amazing.” The day finally came for the paintball domination to begin. I took the field by force, and I literally felt like the paintball version of RAMBO. At the end of the round, I realized that the guys on my team would compare war wounds. It was almost like you were more respected if you had these wounds. If you didn’t, it was like your part in the battle wasn’t important because you didn’t take any hits for the team.

This got me thinking that life can be like a paintball war. You see, just like some people claimed they were paintballers, without the marks of paint, could you tell they had been in the game? I’m learning that a mark of spiritual...

Ultimate Spotter

Recently I started weightlifting. All was going well until a certain day when I was doing a bench press. I did my first set with ease. I thought I was big stuff, so I upped the weight and again lifted with no problem. Then I put a lot of weight on the bar—a questionable move for even someone who routinely lifts. As I brought the bar to my chest, I thought I was just going to explode the bar right back up just like the other times. But nothing happened this time—I was helpless. This bar on my chest was not moving. Veins were popping out on my head. Sweat was pouring from every direction. My arms were quivering.

My friend Logan saw my struggle and spotted me and helped raise the bar. The weight was finally lifted, and I had use of my body again. It was a near-death experience in my mind. Now, I will always make sure I have a spotter with me every time I lift.

I got to thinking and realized my life is the same way. I live on my own strength and just keep lifting and living...

Mario Kart!

The other night I was out with a group of my friends and we stopped in a restaurant for some pizza. As I am downing seven slices of pepperoni pizza, I noticed an arcade classic, Mario-Kart, in the corner of the restaurant.

Back in the day, I was a Mario-Kart fanatic. I bought the game for my Nintendo 64 game system . I would stay up late into the night zoned in on winning the game’s “mushroom cup.” Sounds funny now, but it was really serious back then. So, I thought I relive the glory days and dominate my bud Travis in a little Mario racing.

As I sat down in front of the game, getting pumped to race, I noticed this little girl standing right next to me. She must have been seven or eight-years-old and presented herself to be a Mario-Kart expert. As she was watching me, she started telling me everything I was doing wrong!

As the game started getting intense with its sharp curves and turns, this little girl tried to take the wheel and direct my kart through the turns. I was shocked with her bold...

Who is in control – SHAMU?

Not too long ago, I had the privilege of going to Student Leadership University [SLU] in Orlando, Florida. SLU is a youth camp for student leaders. One of the highlights of the week was going to Sea World.

We got a chance to see dolphins, sharks, turtles, and polar bears, but the true highlight and top attraction of Sea World is SHAMU. It finally came time for the big SHAMU spectacular.

We were all filing into SHAMU Stadium headed for our seats in the splash zone. I think everyone in the park could tell that all of us were stoked to get soaked.

The show began with the trainers coming out riding whales around the pool – but no sign of SHAMU. At that moment, my new goal in life was to become a SHAMU trainer, until the trainers came out of the pool doing what they called the SHAMU dance.

We, being crazy students, joined in with this crazy, lame dance. I guess the dance worked because SHAMU finally made her appearance. As she started to swim out, we all erupted screaming at the top of our lungs SHAMU,...

Chillaxin on the weekend

Saturdays are the best day for a teen like me. It may be the sleeping in until noon or watching ESPN for 4 to 5 hours a day. It’s those days that make the weekend great. Even though they may sometimes cause supreme boredom, the chillaxin is awesome.

But just when I think that no one can touch me, as I sit in my pajamas eating Cocoa Puffs, there is one phrase that can ruin a good Saturday. When my mom says those dreadful words, “TIME TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM,” I begin to complain and put it off for as long as I can, until my mom practically locks me in my room and makes me clean it.

I begin to look around frantically, and I dreadfully realize that if I clean my entire room, I will miss three back-to-back episodes of Sports Center. So, of course, me being the lazy teenager I am, I search to find the easiest way to remove all the gym clothes, shoes, last week’s gym socks, old sandwiches, empty Gatorade bottles and lost Spanish reports from 2005.

As I scan my room for a place to cram all these things, I stop at...

Why Perform for Others?

This summer I decided to tryout for my high school football team. On the first day of practice as we walked down to the practice field, it seemed like all of us were sizing up the competition. There are guys that are six foot five, guys who can run fast and others who have so much endurance they can run five miles and still not be tired.

Even the coaches are sizing up the variety of talent on the field.

Everyone out there had an obsession with winning. For better or worse, in the world of sports it is all about success and performance. But in the game of life, we can’t always go undefeated.

What I am learning in this particular season of my life is that God does not look at our performance. He doesn’t care if I’m the fastest, the strongest, or the tallest; He is interested in my heart and my relationship with Him.

Sometimes I get caught up in the race of pleasing my peers, always trying to perform and get the approval of my “peeps.” Unfortunately, that’s often the way of the world—always about how...