Simple Life Lesson #1: Don't be Stubborn, Just Ask.

Have you ever seen your dad, or you are the dad, that gets lost and then is too stubborn and hard-headed to ask for directions? It can get annoying after a while, roaming around in a place you aren't familiar with.

We've all been put in situations we aren't comfortable with. Some of us get out without having to ask for direction and guidance and are happier than ever. However, some of us aren't that lucky.

I've been put in spots where the only way to get out is to ask questions, because without it, I'd have no earthly idea of what I am doing. If you like to help people out, you know exactly what I mean. In order to guide someone down the right path, you need to know details. Truth is, details won't always be sticking straight out for you to see.

Asking questions helps you to maximize your intelligence, athletic abilities, and your life in general. Today, I was emailing Grant Baldwin (see link Grant Baldwin-Inspirational Speaker) and we were talking about the exact site you are on right now. I asked him what could help me write better blogs (He is an avid blogger as well.) Once he gave me some advice, I quickly was able to recall a passage that fit right into everything that has happened lately.

Matthew 7: 7-8

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

I think you know exactly where I'm going with this. We are promised in scripture that those who ask will recieve what they need. The other parts are also self explanatory. I'm gonna leave you hanging though, why because I believe studying the scripture for yourself has bigger benefits other than just me talking. I encourage you to look into Matthew 7: 7-8 more and your eyes will be opened! I promise!

"When did phones become life lines? Jesus is mine, baby!"

Before I start I'd like to give major props to Brianna Joy Moore for the name of this blog.

Today, as most of you know, was a rough day. Ice was EVERYWHERE! I never thought Ice could do so much damage, but it did.

1. ICE got Logan County and several other schools closed.
2. ICE tore my tree down.
3. ICE took out my power and made most of AT&T lose service.

I want to focus on the last point. Those two circumstances made today as boring as possible. I couldn't do anything to entertain myself. I was stuck.

Then I got to thinking, maybe all of this is just a blessing. I'll be the first to tell you, God works in mysterious ways.

I was on msn and my friend Brianna got on, and her msn name is the title of this blog. Since when did all we care about was talking on our phones? Why are we so consumed in technology, that we fail to see the beauty of the creator? All day all I heard about was how someone needed service so they could talk to their friends and something that means nothing.

We could've spent our time doing something better. We could've studied His word and thought more about what blessing He has poured out in our lives.

This isn't gonna be long but I want to share something with you.

Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
will be exalted in the earth."

BE STILL, and KNOW that I am GOD.


I say its time we made time for God, because He gives us His life.

"Age is just a number!"

Several times I've been told "Age is just a number," but I never really understood the meaning of the statement. It just seems that being young seems to put a restraint on a number of things that are needed to be done.

For example, when you need to run into town to buy some food to solve your hunger problem, but you don't have a car OR a license. When your duty is to vote for the best candidate for president of the United States, but you aren't eighteen and you can't register.

All of things are incapable of being accomplished due to your age, but there are still things that can be done, that most people think is impossible.

What about this one..when you see an adult who doesn't know Christ, but you think you aren't mature enough to be able to share the gospel with them.

That has to be one of the most common excuse as to why youth are afraid to step up and step out to share their faith in Jesus Christ. I was thinking about it today while I was at church. I was once told that it was wrong for me to lead a bible study group at my church because I'm not old enough and because they didn't believe I knew enough about the scripture or having a personal relationship in Christ. That was the moment when I really knew that being a student leader at church was just what God wanted from me.

See, Satan was trying to tear me down by saying I wasn't prepared to do such tasks. For so long, I believed this lie. I was terrified to step up and even say a small remark during a sunday school class.

Too bad Satan didn't realize I knew enough scripture to prove that son of a gun wrong. The statement "Age is just a number" is pointed out in 1 Timothy 4:12.

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity." (ISV)

That person who said I was inadequate when it comes to leading a bible study is dead wrong. Why? Because we are told to ignore those who despise us because of our youth, and instead be an example in several aspects: Speech, Behavior, Love, Faithfulness, and Purity.

My advice to you is to always stand strong for Christ, whether you are 10, 13, 16, 21, 55, it doesn't matter. Age is just a number, all we need is the Word of God, and God Himself in our lives.

Before I close out, I have one last story to tell you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging on myself. I'm just providing you with a piece of evidence, an email that was sent to me, that proves we can do big things for Christ, even though we are young, that all resulted because of this site!

"I just read your blog and I want you to know how proud I am of you for stepping up and standing up for God. You are an awesome example for other youth. I am praying for you and your sermon on Wednesday. God WILL give you the words to say and prepare the hearts of the ones that will come. "

If the person that sent this to me is reading this, I thank you for your support and for being there for me, despite my age!

The words you needed to hear..from a source you didn't expect.

This Wednesday, I'm speaking to my youth group about Salvation and I'm completely stoked. However, I'm nervous. I don't usually get this nervous when I get up in front of youth to speak, but this time is different.

My youth group isn't as strong as they used to be, so the purpose of the new youth setup is to strengthen their walk with Christ, and also to strengthen our bond as a unit. This is our first youth worship night and I'm honored to be the first speaker.

I've been preparing my sermon for about 2 weeks now, making sure its top notch. There are points when I'm not sure how I'm going to keep their attention, or how I'm going to make sure I deliver the sermon effectively to where I can be sure someone's life will be changed before they leave that church.

But something happened today that really put things in perspective, in a way I would never have thought possible. My sister came in today from spending the night in Bowling Green, and the first thing she said to me was, "Hey bub, I made something for you that you might like!"

She runs back into the living room where I was sitting and handed me a sheet of paper. On it was the passage Matthew 10: 19-20. The first reason this caught me off guard is because my sister isn' t a christian. She has been baptized, but here lately she has lost her faith in Christ (to avoid confusion, she hasn't lost her salvation, just her trust.)

Just the fact my sister would read some scripture, and take the time to make something out of it for me made my day! But it's what the scripture said that helped me and shocked me the most.

"Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you."

At that time, everything seemed to make sense to me, and every butterfly I had in my stomach had disappeared without a trace. God used my sister, someone who I'm very close to, to answer my cry of help with this sermon. Coincidence is definately not what this is about, however, its about divine purpose, and how God can answer our prayers in ways we don't expect. We just have to keep our hearts open, ready to recieve His blessing.

The Superhero who never got old and lost His power.

Don't judge the blog just by reading the title, in fact, I hope it makes you even more curious as to why I'd title it as that.

When I was younger, I was an obsessive Power Rangers fan! Some people enjoyed Batman, some liked Superman, I prefered Power Rangers! Once again, Don't judge me! I remember always watching their movies and tuning in every saturday morning to watch them on ABC Family, (back in the day) just waiting to cheer on my favorite heroes in action!

As corny as it is, I LOVED POWER RANGERS! Black P.R.(I decided to abbreviate now,) was always my #1. I had many of his toys and I continuously played with them.

Now the point I'm trying to make is, growing up in this society, Idols are easily made that we are going to obsess over. It's a fact of life. However, in the Ten Commandments that God gave us specifically states we are to have no other idols. God wants us to worship only Him.

To some, that may sound rediculous, but its God's law for us to follow. God wants to be the only superhero, when in fact, He is the only real one we have.

Lets look at the facts.
1. God is everywhere!
-No matter what, God is always going to be there to rescue us. Lightning speed like Flash or Superman isn't needed for God, because He is always with us to save us.
2. He is unconquerable!
-Since Satan was cast down from Heaven, he has tried so hard to defeat God, but continues to fail. God is the almighty, His love and mercy defeats all.
3. He has the best-selling, totally honest comic book.
-That's right. When you think of superhero, you think of comic book. When you think of God, you think of the Holy Bible! The Bible was statistically proven to be the best selling book of all time!

Let's put our childish days behind us, and the superheroes we used to look up to. Turn your eyes to the sky and see the one true Superhero...GOD! Let us worship only Him, and read only His book and study His word. He'll always be there to save you, this I can promise!

Just relax and unclench your fist.

Today, History was made. Our first black president was sworn into office, and change has come to america. However, thats not what I want to talk about.

President Obama's speech was one of brilliance and nervousness. Despite who you wanted to win this year's election and become our new president, the speech is always an incredible moment. Several Presidents have stepped to the podium and delivered their first message to the public as president.

One thing President Obama said today hit me hard. If you listened to his speech, you would've heard these words.

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

As soon as this was said, I knew God was speaking to me. This describes our stubbornness as christians perfectly. Alot of us say we are Christians, saying we walk "hand in hand" with Christ. But as I walk through the halls at my school, I realize even though Christ's hand our always outstreched and extended for us, but there are people who continue to keep their fists clenched and not take God's hand.

Think about it, something about putting our full trust in someone scares us to death. I have the same problem. It was so hard for me to even consider trusting someone. This isn't just any person though, this is GOD! This is our creator we are talking about, the one who sat down and formed us out of each little speck of dust.

God decided to extend His hand to us by His love and grace, the question is, have you decided to unclench your fist and take his hand?

Ahh..Super Bowl 43

Yes, that's right. It is super bowl time once again. Two of the elite teams in the National Football League battle it out for supremacy. However, there is another battle going on at the same time, on the the same night, on the exact same channel. We, the viewers, focus on each commercial, trying to decide which is the funniest.

Of the 365 nights we get to watch TV, this is the only night in which we aren't annoyed by the commercials. Even if we don't like football, we still watch the commercials (you heard me correctly, there are some who do not like football!)

This evening, I was watching the opening reel for the Baltimore/Pittsburgh AFC game, and a funny thought popped into my head, how can we become so excited for small things such as commercials that come on during something even more exciting as the biggest football game of the year?

You may be asking yourself, "what is your point?" Let me make the connection.

Lets say the biggest football game, the thing we should be most excited about in our christian walk, is our salvation. But the commercials, the small things we arent normally excited about, is the little pieces of scripture we encounter daily. We can be so pumped knowing that Christ died for our sins, and that salvation can never be taken away, but on the other hand, we fail to be energized and moved by scripture.

Some of my happiest moments come when I cross scripture late at night, and I get so excited because the spirit begins to move inside of me, and help me understand the passage and how I can apply it to my life. But a common trend I've seen with most youth, is the tendency to not even try to open their bibles. When they do, alot of times they fail to seek comprehension, which in turn keeps them from learning how to tie it into our lives.

If we can devote 1 night a year to watching the superbowl and the commercials that come with it, then we can at least devote 1 minute each night to reading scripture and trying to apply it to our lives.

Life compared to a pencil.

So today I was walking around in my mom's work office and right above her desk I spotted a pencil with two erasers, but no lead. It threw me off. As I got closer, I was able to read the words on the side.

"Life without Jesus is like this pencil--No point to it!"

In my 16 years, I've never had a pencil impact my life. I guess there is a first for everything. Think about it, The only reason we are on this earth is to serve God. If we don't have Jesus in our life, God in Flesh, what are we living for? What is the purpose we serve, because it isnt just to take up space.

This is the shortest blog, but the meaning is deep. What is your purpose in this life? Are you a pencil..with no point?

Why Wait?

I have one question..why wait?

I was listening to the song "Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer, probably one of my top ten favorites, and today is the first day I have been able to see a deeper meaning in the song. As I was listening to it, I began to think, why are we just sitting on our couches WAITING, when we could be out doing something about it?

Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed.

We are called to go out and make a difference in the world, by preaching the gospel to all people including the poor. We are called to help heal the brokenhearted by showing them the same love that God shares with us. We are called to do so much, but how much of it do we actually do?

Ask yourself, whats holding me back? Why do I continuously refrain from doing what God has called me to do?

Maybe it's because you think you are too young! Let me tell you...wait..let me show you something that can answer this question.

1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young,
but set an example for the believers in speech, in life,
in love, in faith and in purity.

Despite our age, we can always make a difference in someone's life. Just last night a best friend of mine told me he looked up to me. Glory be to God, because through Him, I have been able to have an impact on that person's life. Another example of someone perservering at a young age is a boy named David, who would later go on to become a King. David is best known for defeating a Philistine giant named Goliath. Standing at 9'9" tall, this mammoth of a man made the ranks of Israel cower. For 40 days, Goliath taunted his enemies to send someone out to fight him. Early one morning, David, son of Jesse, left the flock he was tending to. His father sent him to the camp to deliver loaves of bread to his brothers. David overheard the taunts from the 9 foot Philistine and he turned to the men standing next to them and asked "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

1 Samuel 17:32-33
32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."

Saul shot down David's will to fight Goliath, only because of his age. We all know the rest of the story..David gets his sling and a rock, strikes Goliath in the eye, kills him and proves everyone wrong.

David had a courage that was so unreal. He was so on fire for God that he was willing to go and fight a man twice his size to defend his beliefs.

We, as youth, want to make a difference in the world. We want to take a stand for our beliefs, but we are afraid to get out and do anything about it.

Today, lets just take up our slings, and go make that difference. I'm gonna end with one of my favorite quotes. Mahatma Ghandi once said "Be the change you want to see in the World."

What change do you want to see in the world, and how can you accomplish that change?

Why can't we just be happy?

For starters, today has been amazing! Cougars for Christ, our campus ministry at Logan County, hosted a youth rally at Post Oak and it went great. Special Props go out to the praise band tonight of Jesse Pawley, Allen Lebo, Josh Slaton, Paul Sansom and Luke Wetton. You guys did a fantastic job.

I would also like to thank Post Oak Baptist and Nick Stamps for letting us use their church for this event.

Back to the purpose of this note..

When I got home this evening, one of my friends had told me about their day. Sadly, It wasn't a good day for them. She was describing what took place and nothing made her happy. It got me thinking..why is it so hard to find happiness with days like this?

I've had my share of terrible days, but something good always seems to happen. Maybe I'll talk to someone who just brightens my day, or maybe I hear an awesome song on the radio. It's also possible that I do or say something so stupid that I remember it ALL day.(this one happens most often!)

One realization that popped into my head was, at the end of each crappy day or each amazing day, God is always there. His love will never disappear and we are always forgiven because of He who gave His very son to save us from the many wrongs we have done and the ones we have yet to commit. That very thought brings me so much comfort and so much peace that I just want to stop whatever I'm doing and just give Him every bit of praise.

If you have ever truly felt God moving, you know the comfort I speak of. The feeling of a sudden urge to dance, or the feeling of your heart melting because the sound of worship is so sweet. God is just so amazing in how He makes His present known every single moment we need Him. Days like this, when we feel so down, like our life really holds no happiness, we just dont want to turn our eyes upon Jesus.

The constant pain and suffering Jesus felt is something we need to remember. He was put through more than any of us will ever have to endure, yet at the end of each day, He knew it was for a purpose. He knew it was for God.

At the end of each day we are alive, let us follow Jesus' example. Everything we go through will always make us stronger, it's all for the purpose of developing a stronger relationship with Christ. Just know that God is always with you. Whenever things get shaky, look to God to get you through the day.

Smile-Jesus Loves You!!

Cam

Growing Up-Physically and Spiritually

Just the other day, a sudden realization swept over me... I'm now sixteen. As most of you know, this age marks one thing, new drivers are released. I am one of these new drivers. When I think about it, I'm excited about this priviledge but then again I'm nervous at the same time. Last year, I lost many friends who were dear to me. Most of which resulted because of automobile accidents. When I get behind the wheel, I try not to focus on the bad. I just try to learn what I can and become comfortable driving.

Another thing I've noticed about getting older is my future education. In 2 1/2 years, I'll be getting ready to graduate and preparing for college. It's crazy! I barely have an idea as to what I want to do after school. My mind flip flops back and forth between several ideas, I just can't land on one idea and be all for it. I just can't reallly be satisfied with any career I've thought about. One career that I am considering at the moment is being a school teacher, preferably history. It probably appeals to me the most of all because teaching is a passion. I love to learn new things, and then share it with others. Alot of the skills that I possess can also help me in the educational field. I, for one, love to talk! I also have a knack for helping people catch on to concepts in a fun way. Plus, being a student who knows many school tricks, I will be able to prevent any student I may come across from performing such tasks.

Teaching also appeals to me because It will give me freedom to do what I love most, youth ministry. I've known for about a year now that I want to be a youth minister one day. Helping youth come to know Christ and helping them along in their walk for Christ is something that truly excites me. I've crossed many adults in my life that have helped me in my walk and have been an example for me to follow without even knowing. I want to be that adult that kids look up to for guidance, kinda as my way to give back.

Growing up for me physically has been a long and winding road that just never seems to end, but one day it will. However, Spiritual Growth never ends. This is not the only life we have, so we have to prepare for the afterlife. My main goal is to get to Heaven and take my place in God's Kingdom. Growing Spiritually is more than just knowing Christ. We can know Christ, and then when storms come, we abandon Him. I've encountered this situation in my life before. I thought I truly knew who Christ was, and I thought I had a deep relationship with Him, but I didnt have total faith in Him to help me. A major trial hit me, and I lost faith in Christ. Thankfully there were people who were there to help me out. Knowing Christ is more than just a statement, but a dedication and a commitment to Him. You have to give your entire life to Him, trusting Him to keep you safe.

Ephesians 4:14-15 describes spiritual growth best.

"14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head —Christ. " (HCSB)

We are little children, pushed around by everything that comes our way. We as Christians need to grow in every way we can in our relationships with Christ. Are you ready to make that commitment??

-Cameron

Behind "The Drive Inside"

"The Drive Inside" is just a blog site to reveal my thoughts about life and my faith to my friends and whoever wants to read it.
You may ask where I came up with the title "The Drive Inside?" Inside every human, there is something that motivates them to be something more. For me, my faith moves me to be a stronger christian, and a better friend.
Whenever everyday thoughts enter my head, I search for a deeper meaning. Life is complex, simple thoughts help get you through life. I hope you read this and think about how grand life really is, and I hope you are able to see Christ through this blog site.

Cam