The trailer is pretty self-explanatory.  I went to watch this movie this past weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it for several reasons.

First: the movie was about a real situation that has happened, and is still happening today.  The politics of high school change, and ostracize people for who they are.  I know that I’ve been apart of those situations, from both ends unfortunately.

Second, the movie felt real.  It is a Christian film that has language in it, but the language was not overbearing.  The language made sense, and was kept very minimal.  Also, there are a few party scenes that are great depictions of high school parties (This is me assuming, because I can honestly say that I’ve never been to a party).  There is a lot of teen drinking, and one implied sex scene.  Because of this, the film is given a very real feel.

The movie didn’t feel like it was cheaply made like most Christian films do.  That’s not to smash Christian films, but those that have seen more than a handful know what I’m talking about.  The acting, editing, and the soundtrack were all perfectly executed into making it a better movie experience.

The final thing, and what I liked most: The film examined different areas of the Christian faith.  I won’t say much about this because I do not want to spoil any aspect of the film.

I recommend that everyone to go and see this film.  Take a friend even!  It is worth every moment.  I honestly will probably view it again.

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I prayed that God would strip the blinders off of my eyes and allow me to see people as He sees them.

To see the hurting…the lost…the incomplete…

What’s interesting about that prayer is that it has affected me in a way that one wouldn’t expect.

Since then, I’m starting to see people more for their hurt and their need for being needed.  But one student stuck out to me more than any other.  They are a Christian.

One of my classes is a very discussion based class.  When discussing America, the student in their passionate answer mispronounced some words.

Instead of saying “unity,” they messed up and said “unitedty.” When talking about the film we had been discussing, she said “potray” and not “portray.”

The blinders have been stripped because I see the person not fully caring what others think.  People after class made fun of her and still do.  The student doesn’t care though, because the student is the servant of the Most High.  The student has shown me what it means to preserve through everything.

And the perseverance isn’t coming without some sort of a struggle.  I see the student struggling, but overcoming through Him.  I don’t believe that I would see what I see if I hadn’t prayed that specific prayer.

I’m not sure that student will ever know how much they are blessing me.  And I will continue to bless them.

“Witness to everyone daily.  Use words if you have to.” -Unknown

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Correction, I know I’m unique.  Unique is defined as “being the only one of its kind” or “unlike anything else.”  We are all unique in our own way yes, but something that is definitely different about me is how many times I need to be told to do something.

Especially by God.

I’ve always felt called to youth ministry ever since I started attending a youth group at Pauls Valley First Assembly of God in the seventh grade.  I never denied it, but I never fully accepted it.  I had always put it in the back of my mind.

It took God telling me six different times for me to accept it.  The straw the broke the camel’s back was a night with the college kids at my church.  We ate a non-traditional thanksgiving dinner.  Not long after cleaning up, we felt the need to pray for a friend, which then erupted into a five-hour prayer meeting.  By the end of the five hours, God said to me, “DEREK!  What’s taking you so long?  Time is running out.”

I’m still not exactly sure what He meant by, ‘Time is running out,’ but I am certain of what He meant by, ‘What’s taking you so long?’

This month I began the Oklahoma School of Ministry.  In ten months, my girlfriend Kelli Clark and I will be certified ministers.  After that, we will start our licensing classes, then we will work towards becoming ordained. We are both taking eighteen hours this semester, along with doing School of Ministry, and serving at our church.  This is what we “church people” would call a “refining time.”

I only post this, to ask this:

Please remember Kelli and myself in your prayers.  Please pray for strength, wisdom, courage, guidance, diligence, and most of all a servant’s heart.

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Misty Edwards – You Won’t Relent

You won’t relent

Until You have it all

My heart is Yours

I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart

As a seal upon my arm

For there is love that is as strong as death

Jealousy demanding as the grave

And many waters cannot quench this love

Come be the fire inside of me

Come be the flame upon my heart

Come be the fire inside of me

Until You and I are one

If you remember in an earlier post, I mentioned I had gotten plugged into a great church.  I still continue to serve as a volunteer youth worker, enriching kids in the performing arts ministry.

Jeanne Mayo (called “mom” by most) was the keynote speaker for the first session.  Mayo shared her heart and how God has kept using her for nearly four decades.  I would like to share one story and point that continues to resonate with me.

Mayo told the story of Michael Plant, a sailor who decided to see how fast he could sail around the world.  Plant stripped everything out that wasn’t a necessity.  He had a safety kit up top, along with a GPS (the year is 1992, GPS was very new).  The Coyote was to be the best ship one could have.  While sailing, Plant encountered a storm.  All contact was lost, but not much worry because connection would be re-established in a couple days.  After the days had passed, the Coyote was radioed, but with no response.  His ship was later found capsized, and it was days later before Plant’s body washed up onto shore.  When examining what caused the ship to capsize, it was noticed there was no weight below the water line.  A ship floats because it has weight below the water line.

Mayo took this story and illustrated how we can get wrapped up in life, and forget the “below the water line” stuff.  We can get caught up in encouraging someone to read the Word, without reading the Word ourselves.  Our prayer life must be strong too.  And to brave the storm, one must have plenty of weight “below the water line.”  To do ministry, we even more so must make sure there is plenty of weight.  Sure, we can stay floating for a bit, but not for too long if there isn’t enough weight.

This message really spoke to me, and I hope it speaks to you the same.  Be sure and have enough weight “below the water line.”

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Deep thought…Alluring concept… Except…DUH! this already happened!  Jesus Christ was God being ‘one of us’.

The questions have been answered pretty effectively in written form.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Joan replied to the questions about ‘God being in the flesh’ 2000 years before this song was ever written!

God sure is patient with all of our uncertainties about Him.  What if He had questions for us…he did for Job.

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” Job 40: 6-7

Perhaps God would like to ask us some questions about our lives as well…things like:

1. What if I couldn’t take the time to bless you today because you couldn’t take the time to thank Me yesterday?

2. What if I decided to stop leading you tomorrow because you didn’t follow Me today?

3. What if you never saw another flower bloom because you grumbled when I sent the rain?

4. What If I didn’t walk with you today because you failed to recognize it as My day?

5. What if I took away the Bible tomorrow because you would not read it today?

6. What if I took away My message because you failed to listen to the messenger?

7. What if I didn’t send My only begotton Son because He wanted you to be prepared to pay the price for sin?

8. What if the door of the church was closed becasue you did not open the door of your heart?

9. What if I stopped loving and caring for you because you failed to love and care for others?

10. What if I would not hear you today because you would not listen to Me?

11. What If I answered your prayers the way you answer My call to service?

12.  What if I met your needs the way you gave me your life?

Think deeply about these questions.  After examining these questions, think about this question : What can I do to make things right with You?

Think about it.

-Derek-

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A friend of mine recently made a list of experiences she had had since starting college.  In light of that, I decided to make a list of some experiences that have also taken place in my life

1. I never thought I would visit a donut shop at 11:30 at night.
2. I didn’t think I would get the experience of seeing Wicked again, which I drove out of state to see.  Wichita, Kansas isn’t that bad of a city.
3. I also didn’t think that I would get to see Sweeney Todd performed live (which is much much better than the movie).
4. I knew I would enjoy the church here in Ada, but I had no idea that God would bless me like he has here.
5. Who knew that by being apart of ECU’s premiere music theatre ensemble, Showtime, would lead me to be the first performing act in the new fine arts center by recreating the opening scene of the movie RENT.  Experiences like that come few for a performer.
6. I complained in high school about having to write a paper.  Now, I churn out at least one paper a week.
7. I went at 10 pm to go walking around the park with friends.  We returned at roughly midnight, only to watch Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.  Only one of the four made it through to The Dark Knight.
8. I had a good mentor once tell me that during college, all you need to operate on is four hours of sleep a night as to not miss anything.  Little did I know that this wasn’t always a decision.
9. I have been able to introduce movies to people that needed a good Kubrick film to watch, as well challenging people to look past the surface of the movie as the great Bobby Reeves taught me (The Happening is about way more than what people think).
10. 10. A dorm room for too long can make an individual a bit crazy, thus resulting in random trips to Norman where all that is purchased is a bag of candy, and a fairly inexpensive dinner at El Chico.

This is just the beginning of the list.  I am positive that there will be more to come.  All-in-all, college has been a great experience.

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I was simply eating a bag of animal crackers, and decided to read the front of the bag. I read the usual things:

Low Fat Snack
0g of Trans Fat

When I get to the next one, it said this:

0 mg of Cholesterol,

But I read it as omg cholesterol.
One of the most fail moments of my life…

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There are a few things I have learned in my first two weeks that I believe make the college experience better.

First thing that is great is my books for class.  Not that I have to have them, but the simple fact that I was able to get the ones that I needed from http://www.amazon.com for a grand total over $100 cheaper.  One of my friends, a molecular biology major, saved over $200 by using http://www.half.com.

Getting involved and talking to people is another vital aspect.  I have been here a matter of two weeks, but have made some of the greatest friendships.  There’s nothing like making a ten thirty at night Wal-Mart run followed by Taco Bell and some donuts from the local late night donut shop.

High school kids that hate reading…get used to it.  I have done more reading in the past two weeks than I have in awhile.  Get used to writing as well.  Those are two of the most vital aspects to the success of college.  PVHS kids, don’t gripe when a teacher like Mrs. Bonner assigns fifty pages of reading, I’m averaging over 100 a week in just one class.

College is an experience that I will fully enjoy, and I’m sure that those of you out there that are reading this are still in high school, will enjoy it too.  Just don’t forget to call home every now and then when you make it here.

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This is bittersweet.

Sweet that new experiences will come with the new territory and getting to see and do things that we haven’t before.

Bitter in the fact that everything we really know socially, is gone.  No teacher to say, “You need to get your work turned in,” or “Get it in tomorrow and I won’t give you a late grade.”  We’ve grown up knowing each other, and now we depart.

As  bittersweet as I say it is, I don’t know that I’ll miss this hell hole known as public education.  Sure I’ll miss certain people and clubs, but all in all, high school is the worst time of your life, not the best.  Whoever tells you, “Live high school!  It’s the best time of your life!” forget them.  If high school is the best time of your life, then I want no part of the rest of this life.

I am appalled at what I hear in the halls and classrooms.  I’m appalled at the open discussions of sex, alcohol, and partying done over the weekend.  I’m appalled at the choice of literature taught in some english class rooms.  I’m appalled at the glory people give to drugs in their art, and their slandering of Christ.  We’ve become this progressive and accepting that we cannot go back.

It appalls me, but it will only get worse.

It’s nearly impossible to stop inevitable.

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Freedom can be defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without fear.  That is truly a powerful word.  And to tell a world power that you have freedom from them, is a truly powerful statement.

But as most of us know, our freedom wasn’t handed to us.  It was earned.  Men and women shed blood, tears, and many their lives, just so I could sit here write this very passage.  What a powerful thought.  But this happened multiple times! Not just in the Revolutionary War, but the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War, and many others (http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/uswars.htm) are all instances in which we earned our freedom; instances in which brave men and women earned our freedom.  Freedom allows us to do, say, think, feel whatever we want when we want.  I can go to church and worship, or I could go to a mosk and worship, or a temple and worship.  I am free because it was earned.  

Earned can be defined as obtained through labors or services.  Freedom was something that we had obtained.

It almost seems that we have gotten away from this concept a bit.  Let me throw this out there, I am not against all government programs.  Ones like OHLAP (covers full tuition to public university in the state of Oklahoma (http://www.okhighered.org/okpromise/about.shtml) are great in the fact that they are geared towards people who are willing to work, and families that makes less than $50,000.  

Two quick stories and I’m done.

I was riding in a car with some friends, and one piped up how expensive college is.  They talked about how other countries pay for students college if they want to go.  The person proceeded to say something to the effect of, “How stupid of a country are we that we won’t even take time to send our students that want to go to college to college.”  At this I bit my tongue.  I wanted the car ride to be that of peace.

My response would have sounded something like this; “How lazy are we that we can’t get up and work for what we need or want?”  Plus why federally fund something that one in ten people drop out of before they graduate?  Look at the high school drop out rate right now and it’s federally funded.

I am going to college because I worked hard.  I got out and did every community activity I could; took the harder classes and maintained a 3.7; worked part time to help pay insurance and gas.  By my senior year, I had well over twenty community services projects, along with several awards.  Several friends of mine got full rides to college–ones going to Colombia University.  Why?  Because we

worked.  We made our grades.  We did well on the ACT.  We served our community.  My counselor told me that there are well over 30 scholarships in the beginning of the year that hardly anyone applies for.

With hard work and determination, one can succeed and be what they want, and go to college.  Look at President Obama.  Look at former Governor Huckabee.  Perfect examples.

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