Friday, October 5, 2012

Sometimes I sit.

     Sometimes I sit here and worry about life; what I'm going to do, study, marry, etc. And often I let these things get to me so much that it makes me flat angry. But then I always get reminded one way or another that all I need to do is rely on God. I can't possibly carry the world on my back and expect to get anywhere, relying on God means that he carries the world in His hands, not on his back. Our biggest struggles are nothing to God, but too often we make them such a huge priority that we lose our focus, we lose our faith in God because all we can think about is how we are going to get ourselves out of this one... Gods plans are always better no matter how long you concoct yours.


     Read James chapter 4 and it deals with this a lot. God bless.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Rain

This is not a normal post for this blog, but I wrote it a while back and I wanted to get some feed back on how people liked it....


            Rain or rather the lack of rain is beautiful. The effects are wonderful and if we think for one minute that rain is a curse or rain is something of an inconvenience; we are wrong. Nothing I just said makes sense and why is that? Because in two sentences I just said that the lack of rain is beautiful and rain is wonderful. I am actually correct on both. How is that possible? Or that is dumb! You might say, but I would excuse those heated notions that I am wrong because I would realize that probably you have never experienced rain as I have. Very few people have experienced it and fewer still will be able to in the future.
I first experienced rain, true rain, when I was ten years old. You may be thinking I am full of something that comes out of the back end of a cow, but I promise to you that I did not experience a proper rain until then. It is a wonderful event the first time you experience it. The sights and smells and sounds of a true rain catch hold deep in your heart and never let go for the rest of your life.
                First you smell it, a smell that gives life to the world again, meaning to the poor wearisome souls who just need this one thing to keep them soldiering on. It gives energy to people and animals alike; a sort of energy that cannot be induced by a soda product, food, or even receiving your first kiss. It churns up from the deepest part of your belly, gets held up in the top or your stomach, and like a glowing orb that energy will stay right there until the proper moment.
From all the changes going on your body desires to look upon the clouds that are bringing this marvel but you do not look for too long and so deceive yourself. You give a glance, maybe two but in the back of your mind you are telling yourself, “It can’t be real.” For so long this desire to have rain has toyed with your mind that now that it is so close you are scared to imagine any longer, instead you prepare yourself to be let down yet again and you are trying to steady your emotions. But finally you feel it, the darkness comes over you and there is a change in your body, you know that this time it is real, this time you will not be deceived. Whether it is just a shower or a storm you know that this time God is going to bless you with a gift and so you stare.
Then you hear it. It is a sound you have been waiting for, for six months or more. It is a sound that brings joy to the wickedest of men. It is a sound that can draw silence to an entire city; silence except for the pitter-patter of rain drops on tin roofs which can be heard from half a mile away. It stops people from their busy schedules, for instance teachers from their lessons, children from their studies, gardeners from their visiting, and night watches from their sleep. It is the most beautiful sound in the world. Like God playing his own piano and putting peace in the world.
Finally you feel it. A single drop lands on your hand and in this drop there is a history and a love and an energy that goes back to the beginning of the world. You look at it; touch it to see if it is real. You walk a little further into the open to make sure it was not a bird or a beast that graced you with his presence and you feel it again, and again. Now the energy that was stored in the orb in your belly burst forth and you let out a yell of praise! You begin to run as the drops become stronger and multiply, people join you in your race. There is laughter again and joy because finally after months of dry, yellow, exhaustion the world has now come back to life. 

Friday, March 2, 2012

I'm not thankful enough.

     Just wanted to take a second to thank God for everything that He has taught me, and blessed me with. Just for everything. I don't deserve any of it. Love You Lord.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

It's getting warmer!

     I haven't written in a while and I have no real good reason for why not. I guess I've been lazy or busy or whatever excuse that fills this blank ______ I really don't know. But I am writing now because I feel alive! Finally after what feels like forever, it is getting warmer down here! Besides soccer, my favorite thing to do is fish and occasionally I'll choose fishing over soccer. I can't say that I am a great fisherman but I really love it. My brother, father, and I went into the swamp the other day fishing and had a great time cutting up with each other. We also didn't catch anything but that happens haha.
     Besides what I just wrote, not much has been going on. I've been helping coach the Gator boys here and they are off to a really good start. 2-0-1, which to be honest they should be 3-0-0 but you can't go back and change things like that. And I've been writing articles and taking pictures for the paper which has been loads of fun so far.
     I've been working out very seriously lately, I figured that if I don't start now then I never will and that can only lead me down a sad road. I don't know why I ever hesitate to work out because I actually love it, and once I start doing it I really enjoy it.
     I know I'm bouncing around on my topics but maybe I can tie them together a little bit here... I went to Haywood Baptist Church last Sunday, the preacher there is a really Godly man and he always has something new to share about the Bible. This last Sunday it was about when Jesus fed the 5,000 and how he took the little boys food and multiplied it. That little boy could have been selfish and just kept his lunch and hid or something but he submitted it to Jesus and look at what He did! The message was that we need to realize that once the Lord forgives us of our sins he forgives and forgets. He doesn't take those memories and keep bringing them back up to torment you, he completely throws them out. As humans we won't ever forget most things and especially sins, we will bring them back up in our heads to be excuses why we don't do something, or why we shouldn't even try, and loads of other stuff. What we are supposed to do is move on, forgive ourselves, and have a clear and ready mind for the Lord to use because we don't want to miss his call to action when it comes.
     That's about all I've got for right now, I hope that it makes sense? I often confuse my writings when I'm really going haha. God bless.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Thank You Lord.

     So I wrote out my season preview and submitted pictures with it on Friday and on Saturday (yesterday) my first newspaper article was published! I hope I can learn as much as possible from this experience and have a really good influence on people with it.
     Ware County's first game is tomorrow against Pierce County, I will be both bench-side and goal-side helping coach and taking pictures. If you do come out to the games, girls at 5:30 and boys at 7, make sure to WRAP UP! It's freezing! In Nigeria when it got down to like 78 we were bundling up... No I wish it would be 78!

     God bless.

Monday, February 6, 2012

A Jack of all trades...

     For any of you who have played for the Ware County Soccer team (Girls or Guys) you probably have noticed that they don't get much press action. In my junior year at Ware County I only remember us getting in the paper two times and from what I am told it has been pretty much that same way since the program started. ... Not anymore. God has blessed me and put me in the position to write for the Waycross Journal Herald about soccer. So now you can keep up with all of the games and players this season! I'm really excited about this and I think I am going to learn a lot by doing it. If you live in the area I advise you to make it to as many games as you can this year! We have a really good team and the support will make them even better. Come on guys, let's build soccer up in the swamp!


     .....     I know it's not related at all but I have become addicted to this song, hope you enjoy it!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Coach James

     Howdy, it's been a while since I posted and I don't have too much to update now but I am currently helping coach the Ware County Boys teams, mostly Varsity but JV has been pretty much mixed in these past few days. I think these guys will do really well this season, they need some coaching up and some of them need to show some more maturity and commitment but they will do well. There is a new goalie that showed up this year, I believe he moved down here from SC but don't quote me on that, he is very athletic and I can see a huge promise in his future as long as he gets the right coaching and puts for the extra effort. He is a natural keeper though. Seth Starling and Ali'i Mitchell are in really good shape and will be extremely hard for other teams to deal with in the midfield this year. It's kind of funny to me that I played with those two in my junior year when they were just freshmen and Seth and I were captains together. Time really flies.
     Slightly off topic now, my game plan that I am going to work towards now is that I am going to take a year off (not from working out and all of that though) and try for a four year school next spring. I haven't looked too much into the schools I'll try out for but I want to go somewhere that stretches me to become better.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Today is my B-day. :)

     Today I am 19. God has blessed me with so much through the years and I know He will continue because He is wonderful. I write these blogs and try and do my best at filling people in on what I'm doing or thinking or wishing I could do, but the majority of the time I have no clue. I just want to live a life that pleases God I don't really care where He places me or what He wants me to do because I know that if it is God's plan for me then I will find joy in doing it. Whether I go pro in soccer or I never get to play again, I will serve the Lord. That much you can count on.

Friday, January 13, 2012

I'm struggling...

     I'm facing a rough part in my walk with God. I think it is just the devil trying to get me down and tempt me away from what I am supposed to be doing right now. ... I am working, taking two classes, working out, and soon going to be helping coach the high school boys here in Ware County whenever they start actually practicing. That all sounds so great, and it seems like it should be such a good opportunity for me to grow and learn new things. But so far I think that I have been in the midst of a strong spiritual battle and this hasn't allowed me to fully accept these tasks. I've been struggling every night to sit down and read my Bible like I normally do, and I have been tempted to do so many more sinful things that normally aren't a problem for me. ... I am going to keep praying to the Lord to get me through all of this. I am also asking for any prayer support I can get from the people who read this. ... Lately I have been feeling more and more like I need to be getting ready for something new in soccer but I don't know what. So what I am going to do is step up my work outs and get fit, and see what happens.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I understand weakness.

     Today was my second day at my new job. (For those of you who don't know, I got a job helping to take care of kids in the YMCA's after school program here in Waycross.) It was a great day. I am not a mean person by nature and I have never been mean towards kids, I have always been the uncle who sort of just let's the kids do whatever they want to do without thinking about it, so this job is really stretching me and teaching me. I am so used to people my age where I expect them to do things a certain way and if they don't then we have an issue, and that is just not the way you can be with kids. Anyway, I am not going to go into teaching about kids right now haha. The whole reason that I am bringing any of this up is because today I actually helped a kid. Not like opening a door for them, but actually taught this kid something that I watched him put into practice and change his attitude about life.
     This kids name is Mason. He is 6 years old and joined my group today which are all 8 and 9 year old boys so he was slightly out of place. We took two groups of kids outside to play kickball and Mason decided he wanted to try pitching (or rolling) the ball. He didn't always roll it exactly straight and all the older kids yelled at him a bunch. Finally he got mad and started walking over towards where I was watching from next to third base and I asked him, "Are you mad at them?" And he said yes and started talking about how he couldn't do anything right, and how he doesn't know anything, and how he isn't fast, or smart, or anything. And I stopped him and started telling him that he could do stuff. I told him that he shouldn't let those guys tell him that he can't do something, I told him that if he decides to he can do anything. I used the example that I have played high school and college soccer and if I had listened to all of the people telling me that I couldn't do something, well to be honest I would not have tried out in the 9th grade. I told him that the best thing for him to do is to laugh and smile at the people picking at him and telling him that he cannot do something. I told him how people hate that more than anything. And on our way in a kid made fun of him for something and he said, "Hey, you're funny!" and kept on walking. And numerous other times that I was around him the rest of the day he kept either telling people that they were being funny or just laughing things off. I was very proud of him and I could tell that, that really meant a lot to him. He started opening doors for me everywhere I went and if I asked him to do something he made sure he did it.
     If I had always been the superstar sports guy, I probably would not have known how to help this kid today. I probably wouldn't even be in this position today. But the fact is, I was never the fastest, or the strongest, or the most talented. And everything that I have achieved I owe to God and hard work. I have had people point blank tell me, "James you need to quit soccer." or "James do you really think you are going to go anywhere in soccer? You are not!" But I laughed things off or tried too. I don't care what that little kid saying, "sticks and stones can break my bones bu words can never hurt me." means, that is not true. Words do hurt. But it is how you deal with them that matters. Madea says, "It's not what people call you, it's what you answer to."....... Often times being weak is the best thing for a person because it allows them to truly understand the measure of power, when power is achieved. My new favorite thing to say to adversity comes from Tim Tebow... 'ppreciate that.

     And I tried extremely hard to find a video clip for this but obviously I'm the only one who thought that this part of the Captain America movie was worth putting on the internet.... Anyway this is from when Dr. Erskine is talking with Steve Rogers (Captain America) the night before the procedure which turns Rogers into a super soldier...

     Dr. Abraham Erskine: Schmidt must become that superior man.
Steve Rogers: Did it make him stronger?
Dr. Abraham Erskine: Yeah. But, there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength. And knows compassion.
Steve Rogers: Thanks. I think.
Dr. Abraham Erskine: Whatever
 happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.