Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Move Mountains...

If any of you have been following the posts from the past summer and fall semester, you realize that I have struggled with this idea of trust.  Not trust the individuals of the world, but trusting the created of this world.

As many of you know, I am in my final 7 weeks of my internship/college career and will be beginning my life in the real world.  The real world of paying for rent, gas, food, shelter, and any wonderful gifts I would love to give my beautiful fiancé Jennifer.  This pressure has brought me to either fully trust God or worry about where my future was going to lie.  And if I can be completely honest, I have leaned much more toward worry than toward trust.  Although I have been praying every single day about my future, that was part of the problem.  Although I was praying, I was praying merely about the problem that I claimed to be "ignoring".  These faithful prayers only lead to more worry than true, leaving my commitment to God's will for my life dependent on what he was going to do regarding my future career.

But it was not until this past Sunday that I began to fully realize what it meant to trust to Lord God with all my heart.  As a youth ministry we had the opportunity to visit the Rising at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, IN.  We got connected with their ministry because Matt Allman the youth minister at the Rising was a part of OASIS at Eastview Christian Church when I was a student.  We have stayed connected over the years and when we, as a youth ministry, were given the opportunity to visit another service, the Rising stuck out.

Matt was the speaker for the night and he spoke on what happens when you truly confide in the Lord.  He emphasized the fact that God still moves mountains, you will find peace when you trust in the Lord, and also find Rest in his arms as you allow him to be your protector, provider, and father.

All of this was all things I have heard before, but there was never a better time to realize the fact the God truly WILL bring peace and rest in the Lord.  With my life in mind, I have begun to realize through prayer and worship the last couple of days that trusting in the Lord does not only include trusting in him, but also believing the he can truly do miraculous things.  With these miraculous things in mind, I have peace in the fact that my God is just that, my God.  My father, creator, protecter, and provider that will do just that, provide.

It is not a fact that if God will move mountains, but when God will move mountains.  I have found peace is this fact and I am now finding rest.

till another day,



normallyINDIE

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Reality TV...

Although the original reality TV is considered to be Survivor, I like to think otherwise.  I like to believe that the trails and tribulations of the lives of those who call Newport Beach, CA home was indeed the first reality TV show.  Although the OC is not technically reality, it was based on a reality.  And I do find it to be embracing, but after getting the first and second season on DVD and spending the past weekend watching much of it, I have begun to realize the connections that can be found between "reality TV" and "reality".  Yes I said it connections between Ryan, Seth, Marissa, and Summer of the OC to our reality.

Those of you who are/were fans of the OC know that life at Newport Beach is filled with drama from beginning to end.  With the beginning of a new problem, soon following the resolution of the fast conflict.  this cycle, although abstract, may be closer to reality than we think.

It may not necessarily be the same drama that has hindered the lives of the Cohens that occurs in our world, but it is just not.  Week seek for our lives to simply go day to day without any problems and work themselves out to the way that we sit fit.  For example, if my fiancé and I had it our way there would be no problems in our relationship, no tension in our family, no job searching (first job was a yes), and no financial worries.  But the reality is that our will is not "his" will.  Although it may seem tedious or trivial, God has led Jenny and I through ups and downs that have built us to be who we are.  Not merely to make us better "people", but to prepare us for the ministry he has set before us.

We are all given opportunities in our life to bring glory to his name and our lives are a living testimony to the glory that is found in the arms of God.

Our lives may be just as dramatic as the Cohens of Newport Beach, but what is known is that through the ups and downs and through the drama purpose is found.  A purpose of living a life worth being called Son's and Daughters of God.  We have been given an opportunity to serve God that goes much deeper than the trivial and tedious acts of day to day life.  But instead the glory that is shown today will ring in the hallways of heaven for all of eternity.

till another day,



normallyINDIE

Sunday, October 9, 2011

A Baby Was Born...

22 years ago today I was born into this world by a mother named Susan Tod and a father named Jeff Tod, some of the most caring and loving people.  Over the years I have lived in St. Louis, South Florida, Central Illinois, Cincinnati, and now Indianapolis.  This time I have seen many places, met many people, and grown in many ways, but none like I have grown today.

Today I had the opportunity to spend the day with my fiancé Jennifer Schroeder at Main Street Tattoo getting my birthday gift put on my upper forearm by an amazing tattoo artist TJ Harmon.  But the tattoo was not the thing that I have really grown by.  But instead, it was the love that the tattoo symbolized.

Over the last couple of months, Jennifer and I have completed the book 5 Love Languages and I have found that Jennifer's Love Languages are Physical Touch and Quality Time.  Mine, on the other hand, are Gifts and Words of Affirmation.

This tattoo today was one of many gifts that I was given from Jennifer this weekend and it made me feel so loved.  The fact that someone would care so much about me that they would plan something, purchase something, or coordinate a get together astonishes me.  Jennifer is filled with unconditional love for me and this tattoo is just one of many instances when she has shown me this.  I could never believe that someone would love me in this way, but Jennifer's love for me is truly a symbol of Jesus' love.

Unconditional Love is the reason that we love.  Unconditional love is what saves lives.  October 9th 2011 is just another day that I was shown what this love really looks like.


till another day,



normallyINDIE

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Small Screen...

If you know me personally, you very well know that I have a mild addiction to DVDs.  Since the beginning of college and my parents telling me I had to build my own library of DVDs, I have spent countless hours sifting through sale bins, glazing my eyes over titles at discount stores, and searching the web for the next best DVD.  My total DVD collection is somewhere in the upper 200s, not to mention 50 or so DVDs in my lovely fiancé's possession.  This "addiction" is so prominent that it is a running joke amongst my family that for holidays all they need to do is send me with 50 bucks cash to Disc Replay and I will be happy carrying out 25 new DVDs.  But recently, because of the convincing from a couple friends, I have moved from buying movies on DVD to buying TV series on DVD.

I have enjoyed a few TV series since the beginning of my college years and if I don't already I seek to have them on DVD so I can share and enjoy them with family, friends, and mostly my fiancé.  Favorite TV series are as follows:
                   
                      The Office (Own Season 1 - 7)
                      How I Met Your Mother (Own Season 1 - 6)
                      Scrubs (Own Season 1 - 8)
                      LOST (Do Not Own)
                      Boy Meets World (Do Not Own)
                      Friends (Do Not Own)
                      Rob & Big (Own Season 1 - 3)
                      Saved by the Bell (Own Season 1 - 4) [Jenny's Favorite]
                      Parks & Recreation (Do Not Own)
                      the OC (Do Not Own) [Embarrassed that I like this Show]
                      Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (Do Not Own)
                      Psych (Trying to get into this show for  Tyler Cadwell )

The list goes on and on as I find a new show that seems worth buying.  I know what you are saying, "What about Netflix?  They have most of these shows and you get them all for $7.99".   I do have a subscription to Netflix, but I am just more of a old school kind of guy in the fact that there is just something about having the box in your hand that makes it seem much more real.  Not to mention I hate when TV show skips cause the internet connection is poor.

So yes it may be an addiction, but I am okay with that because one of my joys in life is buying a new DVD and sharing it with those I love hoping that they get a laugh or are convicted by the message that is given.

If you have any suggestions for TV series' that I should be buying next on DVD or any other DVDs I should be buying comment below.


till another Day,



normallyINDIE