50 Facts? Oh No!

I was tagged by Bethany. We'll see if I can make it to 50!

1. I am 16 years old
2. I am 6 ft. 6 inches tall
3. I wear size 13 shoes
4. I am in 11th grade
5. I enjoy listening to Josh Groban
6. My favorite books of the Bible are Galatians, Philippians, and James
7. I enjoy Paul Washer's teaching
8. I like almost every sport (especially basketball, volleyball, and ice hockey)
9. I LOVE coffee, particularly Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino
10. My favorite season is summer
11. I want to buy a Saturn Vue
12. I work at a greenhouse
13. I milk a cow
14. I have 6 brothers and sisters
15. I have one dog
16. I enjoy reading Fur, Fish, and Game
17. I like Ice Cream (okay, who doesn't!)
18. I am the second oldest sibling
19. I enjoy hunting
20. I am going to take Driver's Ed this Spring
21. I do not enjoy school that much unfortunately
22. I like trapping
23. I have never broken a bone
24. I had my arm bone moved out of place three times
25. I currently have braces and will for a few more months
26. This is harder than I thought it would be
27. I want to learn computer programming
28. I love Jesus
29. I want to serve Jesus with my life
30. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was 14
31. My blog's purpose is to encourage others
32. I like to joke with my family (too much)
33. I like skiing
34. I fell 15 seconds after I put skis on for the first time
35. I ran someone over while I was skiing!
36. I really enjoy listening to The Bob Dutko Show (103.5 FM WMUZ "The Light")
37. I love being with my family
38. I really enjoy Foosball
39. I am not going to make it to 50 :(
40. I do not know what I am going to do for a living
41. I want to please Jesus with everything I do
42. I want to witness the Gospel to more people
43. I cannot wait until I graduate
44. I work 28 hours a week while I'm doing school
45. I want to do the Lord's will in everything
46. I have only 4 more facts to go
47. I can do this!
48. I know I can!!
49. Almost There!!!
50. Woohoo!!!!!! I did it (I kind of cheated there in the end, but....)

Oh, my. Wow. That was hard. I hope you know more about me now.

In Christ,
Kevin

Seperation From The World

Staying unstained from the world. It’s something I often think about. The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Now, it can be taken to an extreme. Obviously you cannot be completely separated from this world, because it is where we live. What I’m talking about is the sinful things of the world. Not even necessarily going to places that are sinful, but going somewhere where you are purposely putting temptation before you. I know, you can’t go shopping in a grocery store without facing some temptation (and I’m not talking about buying too many boxes of donuts!). But should we go somewhere that we know will cause us to stumble? For example, I’m not going to go somewhere where no matter where I look, I am constantly being tempted to lust after a woman. It seems to me that going somewhere like that would just be setting myself up to sin. Can you go somewhere like that and not sin? Probably, if you look at the ground the whole time. But chances are, you are going to slip. Why would you purposely put yourself in the way of temptation? Isn’t it unwise? I know, I know, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”. Like I said before, is it possible to not sin when you are tempted? Yes, there is always a way of escape. But why, seriously, why as a Christian who is striving to serve the Lord, would you purposely put temptation to sin in front of you? It’s not logical. For example, if you’re on a diet, you just don’t go into a donut shop. Ok, that’s not the best example ever, but try and get what I’m saying. Exactly what am I saying? Good question! No, seriously, if you want to keep yourself free from the stain of this world, you must guard yourself against it. Flee from temptation!

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

In Christ,

Kevin

The Love Of The Savior

As some of you know, the ultimate goal of my blog is to share what I have been thinking and doing, and to encourage people in their walk with Jesus Christ. So with that in mind, I would like to ponder about how much love Jesus has for us. I know, it’s something everybody knows, but I find that it helps me to keep my eyes on Him.

What kind of love is it that enables a person to give his life for the people that are killing him? Jesus bore the wrath of God for us, taking on himself all OUR sins so that we might be saved. He was horribly treated, the soldiers spitting on Him and hitting Him, after which, He was beaten with a lead-tipped whip. All of the religious leaders were probably looking on with scorn and satisfaction as all this took place. Then Jesus was forced to carry the cross up a hill just outside of town. Because of the wounds He had received, Simon had to carry it part way there. Jesus was then placed on the cross, held in place by nails through his hands and feet. The religious leaders mocked Him, asking why He did not save Himself. What they did not realize, was that He was dying for them, the very ones who were killing Him. Do you think He couldn’t have come down? He very easily could have saved himself. Please, try and grasp that. Anytime that Jesus wanted to, whether it was while he was being whipped, while spikes were being driven through His hands and feet, or beforehand in the Garden of Gethsemane, He could have decided to not give His life for us. Knowing Satan, he was probably there the whole time, tempting our Lord to save Himself. But our Savior ignored Him. And though Jesus begged the Father to take the cup of wrath away from Him, He was willing to submit to God’s will. It should have been you and me who died. Instead, Jesus took our place. He died so that we might live eternally. How great a price for the souls of sinful man! Praise and thank the Lord for His unconditional love for us, for, without it, you would be eternally damned.

In Christ,

Kevin

I Got A Job

For a little while now, I’ve been wanting to get a part time job. You know, nothing that would take too much time away from my day, yet something that will get me a little money. So when a friend told me that a local greenhouse was hiring, I wanted to apply right away. The only problem was getting my school done. I figured that I would probably be able to work for a few hours a day, and get all of my school done. So I asked my parents if they would let me work there. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get an answer that day. I prayed about it a little, wondering if I even wanted to work at a greenhouse. I didn’t know if I would apply, even if my parents said I could. Then one morning, three days later, my mom told me that my dad had decided to let me apply. Hmmmm…. I talked to my mom about it a little, but still, I didn’t know what to do. I was wondering if maybe I should apply at Krogers, or maybe Tractor Supply Company. I don’t really know when it happened, but I started feel better about the idea of working at the greenhouse. When my mom asked me if I wanted to apply that very day, I said I would like to. I called my friend and asked him where I was supposed to apply. He gave me directions to follow once I got to the greenhouse (It is a rather large one), which I didn’t think I would be able to remember. But, off to the greenhouse I went.

After I arrived, I started looking for the door I was supposed to enter. I picked one and hoped for the best. Thankfully, it was the right one. Then I tried to remember where to go next. I thought I saw movement about a hundred yards off in an adjoining greenhouse, and decided that that was my best bet. I prayed on the way over there, asking God to help me remain calm, and that His will would be done. I walked through the door where a woman asked me what I needed. I asked her if they were accepting applications. She said that they were, and escorted me to the office to fill out the application. She set me up on an office desk, and told me the owner/boss would be there in about five minutes. I proceeded to fill in the required fields on the application. Then I read and reread the whole thing over, while waiting for the boss to come. Finally, I saw a man approaching the office. He entered and I stood and shook his hand. I tried to act calm and confident. He asked me if I was the friend of the person I mentioned above. I said I was. Then he told me that because of that, he looked on me very favorably. He continued to ask me questions, like what hours I could work, and a few other things. Everything seemed to be going well. He then told me that I could consider myself hired. I was thrilled. We exchanged a few more words, after which we shook hands again. Then I started back towards the van, thanking Jesus for giving me confidence (I am usually very . I climbed in the van, and proceeded to tell my mom what had happened. A few weeks later, I got a call from the owner’s wife asking me to come in on February 20^th . I have to fill out some more paperwork, watch a movie, and discuss a few things. Soooooooo……… I will start working on February 23, 2009. I hope it will not hinder me from posting as often. Only time can tell.

In Christ,

Kevin

Treadmill

Here is a little tv commercial somebody e-mailed my dad. Enjoy!

Characteristics Of A Christian

“12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:12-17

I really, really like these verses. In verse twelve, it directs the elect in Christ to put on mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering. Continuing on into verse thirteen, it says to forbear one another, and forgive one another, even as Christ has forgiven us, so also should we. But above all these things, it says to put on charity, or love, which is the bond of perfection. I think these things are essential in our walk with Christ. They make up much of the characteristics of a Christian. Mercy, kindness, humbleness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, love; these are things that I want people to associate with me. I pray to the Lord to help me grow in these areas.

This morning I was listening to the radio, and they were talking about a man who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The only proof the jury for sentencing him was the victim’s identification of the man. The fingerprints the police had gathered did not match his own. His friends all gave testimony in court that he was with them at a party playing some cards, when the crime was committed. Still, the jury pronounced him guilty. Now, twenty years later, this 39 yr. old man has passed away, dying from an asthma attack. More than half his life was spent in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit (I hope and pray that that man found peace in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ). Can you imagine that? Can you imagine spending all those years in jail, for a crime YOU didn’t commit? I think that it would be very easy to grow bitter in that situation, not only towards the man who had really committed the crime, and the jury, but towards everyone and everything. But as Christians serving Jesus, that is not how we should be. Kindness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and love all come into play here. It would be extremely hard to forgive, and love people for that. Yet, His Word says we can do all things through Christ, who gives us the strength we need. Thank-You Lord!

Let everything you do, be in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord!

God Bless You, Brothers and Sisters!

In Christ,

Kevin

My Average Morning

My family shares a dairy cow with our neighbors, and we milk it every morning. I milk on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. My sisters Amy (13) and Katie (12), milk together on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Since my brother Ryan works during the week, he only milks on Saturday. Anyways, here is what my typical mornings are like. It varies slightly from day to day.

Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (My days to milk)

11: 25 p.m. - 5:25 a.m.: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

5:25 a.m.: Alarm goes off. My mind is clouded from sleep, and I wonder why I set my alarm. Push snooze button and roll over..

5:30 a.m.: Alarm goes off again. I turn alarm off, climb out of bed, and start getting ready to go.

5:35 a.m.: I can only find one glove. Frustration. Finally, I find a different pair.

5:37 a.m.: Open the garage door, and start the van (and make sure Ryan’s car is not parked behind me :)

5:40 - 5:50 a.m.: I arrive at the Garno’s home, still half asleep, and definitely not ready to start milking. I walk inside, and start getting ready anyway (No, the cow is not in the house!). Mrs. Garno walks into the kitchen. She greets me with a cheerful good morning, and I sleepily answer back. She probably wonders how it can possibly take me so long to get ready to milk. All I have to do is grab the milker (that is what we milk into), and fill up a small pail with warm, soapy water. What I’m really doing is savoring my few moments of warmth in their house;)

5:51 - 6:10 a.m.: I clean up the manure (obviously the most fun part), and give Daisy some grain and hay. Then I lock her in the stanchion, and start cleaning her teats off.

6:11 a.m.: I start milking. By now I’m wide awake. Nothing wakes you up like the smell of fresh manure.

6:20 a.m.: I finish milking and unlock the cow from the stanchion. I grab the milk, turn off the lights in the barn, and, after I give the steer some milk, I start walking back toward the Garno’s home

6:30 a.m.: I begin to strain the milk into gallon jugs, and end up getting about a 1 ¾ gallons. I wash the milker, grab our milk, and drive home.

6:55 a.m.: I put the milk in the fridge, grab the coffee beans out of the freezer and start making a pot of coffee. Then I walk back out into the garage, and start chopping kindling.

7:10 a.m.: The fire is blazing by now (I hope anyway ;) and I pour myself a cup of coffee. Then I sit in front of the fire and start doing school.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday (My sisters’ days to milk:)

11:30 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:32 a.m.: ring, ring, ring, ring (phone). Again, my mind is clouded from sleep. I look at the ceiling (projection clock) and think I don’t have to get up until my alarm goes off. I turn over. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:33 a.m.: ring, ring, ring, ri… I manage to jump out of bed, climb down the ladder (I sleep in a bunk bed), and answer the phone in time. My sisters want me to come pick them up (my dad drives them over there in the morning when he leaves for work). I get a tip from Amy that Ryan’s car is parked behind the van.

6:35 a.m.: I move Ryan’s car out of the way. Then I start the van and drive to the Garno’s.

6:45 a.m.: I’m still waiting for the girls. I’m freezing because the van’s engine isn’t warm enough to produce heat. Temperature: 9* F.

6:47 a.m.: Finally the van starts to heat up. Amy opens the door. She starts putting her stuff in the van. I tell her to hurry up, because all the heat was escaping. Next, I tell her that it’s not right to get a guy out of his warm bed, on a freezing cold morning, and then make him wait forever. She says I didn’t have to wait very long, and I’m too tired to argue.

6:49 a.m.: Katie climbs in the van. I drive home.

6:55 a.m.: Katie grabs the coffee beans out of the freezer and starts making a pot of coffee for me (what a nice sister!!). Then I go into the garage, and start chopping kindling.

7:10 a.m.: Amy and Katie are in bed. The fire is not blazing (not the best fire ever :( but I pour myself a cup of coffee anyway. Then I sit in front of the fire and start doing school.

7:45 a.m.: I make myself some breakfast, and do more school.

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.: Different everyday!

I've Been Tagged

I have been tagged by J.J. Biddinger. Here are my answers and the people I tag.

A movie I watched: I didn’t see any new movies

A moment I will always remember: Going to the camp at the Cooper’s, and trapping my first coyote

A new skill I acquired: I’ve started learning fingerstyle guitar, and a little bit of computer programming

A lesson I learned: That I cannot fix my character flaws by myself. I need the help of Jesus!

A new place I visited this year: I haven’t really gone anywhere.

A book I read: One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven By Mark Cahill

An inspiring verse or quote: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Here are the rules:
1. Fill in your memories of 2008.
2. Link my blog to yours.
3. Tag others and comment on their blog so they know they've been tagged.

I am going to tag Ryan Wegner, Hannah Heyworth, Leah Heyworth, and David Cooper

The Star Spangled Banner

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Here it is. The Star Spangled Banner, America’s official National Anthem. If I go off-key in a few parts, please try to ignore it. Thank-You.

PLEASE TRY TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WAS OVER FIVE YEARS AGO!