I personally love to write. I express feelings of frustration, joy, humility, inspiration, and whatever else happens to be on my mind at any particular moment. With an unscripted personality comes unscripted thoughts that are random and perhaps sometimes ridiculous, but if you take a few minutes to read, I think you will not only come to better understand me. You will better understand my perspective with what I write.
I am one of the most random people you may ever meet. I do my best to enjoy life in general, and I try to be content with what God has blessed me to have in my life. I am a blunt, honest individual that will give you an honest opinion if asked. Relationships are the most important things in my life. I am concerned with only the opinions of close friends, family, and other close relations of people who care about me. Otherwise, I tend to not care what other people think of me. I am not here to please the world. I am on this planet to serve others in hopes that God finds favor with my efforts to do so at the end of my Earthly existence. I am a good-natured person that lives for the moment. Even though not always successful, I try to look at things in a positive light with a productive attitude and world view. I am thankful for each breath that I take because each breath that is taken is a blessing in of itself. Make the most of what you can while you can. You get one chance at this thing called life. So try your best to Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever. If you have any questions about me or my BLOG, don't hesitate to ask, and I will give you a straightforward answer.
Carly Ellis provided the following story and excerpt. Like Caitlyn’s story, I also found this to be very humorous as well. This story illustrates how kids are indeed the makeup of God’s creation, representing joy, humility, and humbleness all the same time. Perhaps the story also demonstrates the power of prayer for a child in a playful manner in the form of a testimony. I hope you enjoy reading Carly’s text here.
“I was tossing a football around with a boy named Nick. He was in the third grade. I threw the football to him and he jammed his finger! I felt so terrible! So, he started crying... No, not crying... Sobbing! I went up to him and sat him in my lap. After I apologized to him, I asked him which finger got hurt. Through salty tears he said "This one!" as he touched his middle finger on his left hand. I asked him where it was hurting and again, he said "Right here!" pointing to his whole finger.
Then, I asked him if he wanted to pray over his finger. At first he said no. But, I told him that if we prayed over his finger, it might make it feel better. So he said ok. "Alright" I said, "We have to close our eyes!" So, he did. Then, I said "All you have to say is 'Dear God'..." He repeated me in between sobs. "Please help my finger to feel better, amen!" After we said our amens, I looked at him and told him that we could go find a bandaid to keep his finger straight. "No, it feels better!" he replied as his tears dried up. "Really?" I said, "Well, maybe we should put the football down for a few minutes... You know, take a break." "No!" he said, "I want to keep playing football!" So I told him ok and we kept playing!
I asked for a few individuals to write pieces up on stories I had heard through the week, especially if they were somewhat humorous. Caitlyn Sweet was kind enough to provide these words concerning the crush girls often take for the lead singer of a band. Maybe I should learn to lead a band, sign a record label, and marry Carrie Underwood. Anyway, this excerpt is pretty funny.
“So Clifford over the past few years has become the love interest of some of the little girls from Port St. Joe. Up until this trip to Amplify he has been a single man and the young girls have loved this about him.. This year however.. I was in the picture... Which I think is great, but they did not... The first one I met was named Tiana, and when he introduced me as his girlfriend I got an awesome rolling of the eye... THEN... The best part was when three of the other girls found out... They ran off and apparently had a deep discussion about the situation and decided that the best way to handle it was to team up with me... So One of the young girls ran up to me and said... and I quote... "So me and the other girls was talkin and we was wonderin'... CAN WE SHARE HIM?" Hahaha... so funny! And of course I said yes because I love Jesus and he has taught me to share....”
Below you will find the word of Brad Hughes. He is a fellow Amplifier, and these are his words verbatim in his reaction to an amazing week of worship and service.
Amplify is a truly unique experience.
This was my first opportunity to go on the Amplify trip during my 3 years at Auburn. I really had no idea of what it would be like. I knew that some would be doing construction/repair jobs and that some would be doing community outreach. I'm a big-time relational guy and have a heart for missions, so I chose to go the route of community outreach. Missions is something that I am pretty familiar with as I grew up as an MK in 5 different countries. I came on this trip with a big expectation for God to move and make his presence known among the people of Port St. Joe, and as always, God didn't disappoint.
Our community outreach groups would spend the mornings making sandwiches for everyone and doing everything else we needed to prepare for the day. At noon we would head out into the community and build relationships with the people there, with the obvious ultimate goal in mind of bringing Christ glory. In some cases that was leading these people to Christ, and in many, it was planting seeds of truth and love into their lives that could be harvested in the days and years to come.
My group in particular, which included Anna Hix, Clifford Waite, and Lauren Stone, had a good time building a relationship with one couple in particular. Their names are Charles and Katrina. These two are dating, and Charles moved to Port St. Joe in August to be with Katrina and her two grandchildren. Charles can't work due to two herniated discs in his back (we share that in common!) and a bum shoulder. One of the questions Clifford asked when we first met Charles was, "so Charles, what is it that brings you joy?" This is such a great question to ask to gauge someone's relationship with Christ because joy is something that nothing on this earth can bring. Fleeting "happiness" comes from things in this world, but real joy comes from none other than Christ.
A common theme that we found in the lives of most in this community was that many believed that it is through works that we attain salvation. Many knew the Word of God enough to get by the surface questions, but there was so much lacking beneath that surface. That is something in particular that God has been challenging me with lately. A great line from a Shane & Shane song says "Lord forbid familiarity would keep me from your majesty. The reality oh Lord of your proximity to me. You're beckoning me, oh Lord to be holy..." Familiarity to the gospel is such a dangerous thing. This gives us a head knowledge of God's Word but He calls us to so much more than that. 1 Peter 3:15 says "Sanctify the Lord God in your HEARTS, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." Many of those we approached this week could not give such a defense for any kind of faith they had, and many had a very warped sense of what Scripture actually says because they have not examined themselves and sanctified it in their hearts.
Amplify 2010 was an incredible experience and unlike anything I have ever been a part of. I can only hope that I made even a fraction of an impact on these people's lives as they had on mine.
I came away from Port St. Joe with one prayer:
"God, Thank you for how you love the people of Port St. Joe. Please help them to begin to truly understand the significance of that love and don't let any kind of man-made distractions get in the way of them loving you back. Please help them to understand the urgency of the Gospel message. In the name of Jesus we forbid any kind of familiarity of that Gospel message but let a new life be breathed into it each time it reaches their ears and hearts. Your Word says that EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We know that your Word will not return void. Thank you for sending your Son, who knew no sin, to become sin in the place of ALL those who believe. It is in His name's sake that we pray these things."
Amen.
"Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.'"
Here is the first rocking dance you have got to watch! I have no idea who these people are. As they say, I just happen to be at the right place at the right time.
Here is the sequel to the first video that you again do not want to miss out on!
For the last week, I have been keeping a blog consistently for First Baptist Church of Opelika (FBCO) while participating on their spring break mission trip known as Amplify, which occurs in Port St. Joe, Florida every year. One night while on the trip things became festive on the bus ride back to the beach houses we were staying in. Some of you might be surprised that we were indeed on a mission trip staying in beach houses. I must admit that it was incredibly nice, and if you would like to hear God’s voice loud and clear, the beach in the middle of the night is the perfect place to hear that whisper in the wind.
For a long time, I have been wondering how exactly one goes about uploading a video to YouTube. People often joke, “Hey, I am going to upload this video to YouTube” if you happen to be filmed in some sort of fashion with a cell phone or whatever. That is what YouTube has come to be, a phenomenon so well known that people reference the site in jokes. Culturally it has become accepted as part of our online identities. For example, I linked through the sharing device on the Youtube profile page with my Facebook account to share these videos with my fellow Amplifiers. The unique luxury of Social Media is that everything literally becomes intertwined together as our social profiles are linked to individual YouTube, blogs, and so on. This blog is now connected with my Google profile, Facebook account, and my YouTube channel. It seems the connectedness just keeps expanding and going on and on and on like the Energizer Bunny claims to.
So these videos are like the Cameron Crazies in Cameron Indoor Coliseum at Duke University in North Carolina. These people are hyped to serve Jesus, really no joke or puns intended. They know how to have fun, and they are not embarrassed until they realize they have made it to my public channel that now exists under the codename of Spiranox. It is kind of like MadV who started the one world pandemic with hand messages. If you have no idea what I am referring to, click here to learn more about the amazing movement of hands that this anonymous YouTube user has created. It is really cool.
We watched this guy, Dr. Michael Wesch the week before spring break in my Social Media class in a YouTube lecture he did on the subject matter of YouTube… surprise…surprise. He has literally created this field known as digital ethnography, which is largely focused on research involving YouTube. He often refers to YouTube as a community. I find this interesting since the communication is often considered one way with the exception of people posting comments. I do believe that people are coming together with similar beliefs or in my case with similar humor. I just enjoy surfing the site, and there is some sense of community in simply browsing through the work of artists, possible activists, authors, or whoever might feel the need to express a message to the world. The idea of YouTube and its system is certainly communal in nature with the fact that people are searching for content that interests them, and others are doing the same, cognizant of this fact or not while you are on there. At Kansas State University, Dr. Wesch started the class ANTH 522: Digital Ethnography where his students literally create and construct videos that become in themselves mini ethnographies. Although nerdy when I say this, I find it fascinating! Check out his digital ethnography blog.
Now we know that people post some pretty crazy YouTube windows with content that we sometimes accidentally do not want to see, but nevertheless, it is a new hobby of mine to waste time and watch what people are putting out there. You may think that something like YouTube is for teenagers who have no jobs who have way too much time on their hands. If this is your mentality towards this website and literally online movement, then I think you are gravely mistaken. YouTube is much more than that. It has become an instructional guide for almost any topic you care to think about. It has become the LipSync service of the new millennium as people lip sing their favorite tunes right in front of a webcam. I have yet to add my favorite Lacrae song, but watch out for that on my channel. I may also add some of those freestyle clips in there as well. Anyway, YouTube has become an artistic way of expression for musical and design artists alike. It serves so many functions today on the Internet that it really is kind of ridiculous. I am not even sure if it would be possible to watch all the content within ten years of just staring at a computer screen without leaving it for those the duration of those ten years. There is so much stuff on that site. I wonder where they get all the space and server bandwidth for the entire site’s content.
The point is that the uses of YouTube are endless. You may get on there to tell your testimony in Christ. You may get on there to make some goofy dance video with your friends on a volunteer mission trip. You may get on there to market a new product or company. If you have never posted a video, I would challenge you to check it out. I have added these two videos and plan on adding many more. People enjoy laughing watching the silly things they see on YouTube, and if I can make another person laugh, then perhaps it was worth the time to post my own version of a Lacrae Lipsync song. I am just saying. Loosen up. Try it out, and have a good time.
The following is a prayer letter that Barclay Smith wrote. He asked me to include it on the blog as part of the Amplify entries. Thank you for your entry Barclay. It was encouraging to receive the words of another believer on this trip.
Dear Lord,
I truly am speechless. This week has been nothing but a week filled with you. I came here with so much on my shoulders and somehow, I know by Your grace, has been laid at Your feet.
This week has been exactly what I needed. I came here with pride, and I will leave with humility. I came here in a valley and will leave having climbed to the top of a mountain. Thank you Lord that we, as young men and women, have come to serve the community, the people, and Your chosen people here in Port St. Joes, FL.
Thank you as always for the opportunity as in my training through men’s fraternity, a Bible ministry, to reject passivity, lead courageously, accept responsibility, master my emotions, and ultimately expect a greater reward, God’s reward, your reward Lord.
In your holy and precious name, I pray Lord Jesus (Trustworthy King), Amen.
In Love through Christ,
Barclay Smith
Ps. This goes out to all men. The last sentence of my letter to the Lord is the definition of authentic manhood. The call to manhood, a Biblican man is hard at times, but always, always rewarding. I love you men, and God bless you all.
