Alright, so at Southeastern University for the next three weeks the school will be having a campus wide fast for those who choose to do it. The first week is supposed to be the Daniel Fast, in which a person refrains from meats and dairy products and restricts his or herself to a diet of just fruits and veggies essentially.

The second week of the fast is a "media fast" in which people refrain from social networking and using the internet and television for things other than educational use. The third week is a fast of something of the students own choice.
The reason why SEU is having this campus wide fast is because they want people to be in prayer for the upcoming SEU Conference that will be happening in Downtown Lakeland, Fl at the Polk Theatre. The Fasting that the students do should allow them to really keep a ready heart and spirit to be constantly in prayer about the things that they wish for God to do within the school, their heart, and even their relationships.

I wanna let you all know that when it comes to things like this I actually hate just doing something because everyone around me is doing it. My church back home in D.C. was doing the Daniel Fast at the beginning of this year and I chose not to do it with them simply because I felt as if my heart was in the wrong place. For me to do this fast with them would have just been because they were doing it and I felt like doing it just to say I was doing it with them.

I am hesitant to even write about fasting because I do not want to be seen as the Pharisees that Christ talks about who "wear it on their faces" that they are fasting so that others would look at them and think that they are so righteous and holy because they are fasting (Matthew 6:5). That is not why I am writing about Fasting.

I am writing because this semester at school I have already seen the work of God in my heart and in my life in such an amazing way, and I can already see things that I can honestly say WILL NEVER BE ACCOMPLISHED if not by the grace of God. God says that there are certain things that can only come about through prayer and fasting (Matthew 9:29) and so I am through prayer and fasting asking God to work through his steadfast love to come through and bring about the things that would bring him the most glory through and through.

I am not fasting because I believe I am strong, I am fasting because I am weak and my God is strong. Not trying to be "corny" I am just speaking the truth. I am incredibly weak and need God to work in my college, my relationships, my heart, my financial problems, my city both here in Florida and D.C., and also my family. I have many things I am fasting and praying for and believe God hears every single one of them.

Thanks for reading this. I am just speaking a little from my heart. Hope this post in some way can touch your heart also. God bless.

You're probably wondering to yourself right about now, "what is he back from" and/or "why does it sound 'like a roar'"? To put it simply I was on Thanksgiving break and went back home to Maryland to visit my friends and family. I will later this week, probably, divulge into some of the details of this trip, and some of the life altering experiences that I had. But first to explain why I am back with a roar.

    I am back with a "roar", because I have been encouraged, confronted, tempted, convicted, strengthened, and loved over this past week and it has lead me to wish to live a life of grace, peace, and love. I have come back with a roar to college because my eyes are open to see what it means to live this life out properly. I now see that in order to show Christ to those in my immediate area of community I must become involved in my school. I must become a servant to those around me. I must dedicate my life to showing love in every situation and in every opportunity I am given.

    I am excited to be back at Southeastern University. Walking around campus it is as if I am viewing the school with a whole new set of eyes. From the buildings to the people, I just have this over-joyous feeling of love and passion and commitment to the things and people all around me! It is important that I understand that I am here, and while I am here I might as well enjoy it in the best way that I can. I am a firm believer that the best way that I can enjoy my life, and the things that I do, is by giving glory to Christ, and I believe that is given through love. In the love that I show others I will not only be praising God with my actions but I will be fulfilling the deepest parts of my heart and soul with happiness.

    I have so much I wish to say tonight, I really do.. I want to share with you all about my disappointments and my encouragements, my temptations and my convictions, my anger and my peace, and my beliefs and my knowledge. I want to let the whole world know about what is all going on in my heart and mind and I do not think I can properly be at peace until I begin sharing these things in a deeper level. I fear that I am not preaching the gospel enough through my music, through my actions, my integrity, my passions, my writings, and more. I fear that if I do not share all that I have to all those who read what I have written, I will have missed a chance to share love someone else.

I fear I am beginning to babble, so I will stop.
Be encouraged by the testimony of the young man who just weeks ago wrote about his confusion and distress with where he was at for college and now by the grace of God is excited to do exactly what God has called him to do, and that is to love.

I must admit that writing under the "Relationships" section of my blog-site about what I am about to write about is a little bit odd...But, nevertheless what I am about to write about is, in it's own way, a relationship of some kind.

I am writing about where I am going to college.

     As of now I attend Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida...and to be honest I do not like being here. Now, it is believed that most Freshman who enter into College do tend to doubt whether or not they have made the right choice in University, but I cannot tell the difference anymore between a simple doubt and my downright dissatisfaction with this place.
    Don't get me wrong, the University is not some sort of death-camp that literally spends most of it's time draining the most enjoyment out of my life that it can....But, the University has not done anything to benefit me either, or so it feels.
    Part of me does not even know why I am writing this because I already know the answer that could solve my immediate dissatisfaction with this place.. And, that answer is to stop trying to run from where I already am, and to enjoy my opportunities to the best of my abilities.
  
    I sincerely believe that there is no situation too great or too small that cannot be enjoyed if there is the will and desire to find some sort of enjoyment within it. It is not as if being at this that I do not see ways for me to enjoy being here cause there are about 4,000 other students who seem to be having the time of their lives on the same campus as me. If I really pressed in to the school, got involved more, reached out to some more friends and just spent more time enjoying my time in college rather than analyzing my dissatisfaction in college I probably would have more fun!
     I keep trying to run away. And, since you're probably wondering right about now "what's he even 'dissatisfied' about", I'll tell you -- but they are just miniscule things in the grand scheme of what I truly need to enjoy life. The things that bug me about Southeastern are it's 35 mandatory chapel credits, which didn't seem like much at the beginning of the semester since there are 90 chapels, but to be honest sometimes I just don't feel like waking up early in the morning to go - sue me. I don't like (personally) that if I am going to go to a Christian University that I don't feel as if I am being fed enough - I feel a lot of college students getting emotional but sometimes I don't feel like I am being fed enough in the chapels and bible-based classes (It's probably due to my pride problem and/or my difference in theological beliefs I'm more reformed in a pentecostal school, but either way the pure love of Christ should drive me to be humble and ready to grow). I don't like how the school spirit here is like my butt. I don't like how we can't throw a dance party on campus without the school thinking there is sex and alcohol involved, and I don't like how every weekend most people on campus decide to go home and the campus is empty with nothing to do.

     But, now that I have finished complaining like I little three-year-old, I must be honest even with all these things going on I don't think I should be completely annoyed. I think there should be ways for me to find ways to be fed! Find ways for me to enjoy some more school spirit! Find ways to dance and party on my own time! Because, in the end I just feel like all I am trying to do is run away from the place where I know I was called to be, simply because I am here.

     So why not make the best of it? I am blessed beyond comparison to even be able to attend College! I'll need some prayer for this and I'll definitely need some humility, but I think I can enjoy my school year! I know I can, and so I will do my best to find ways to enjoy it! I'll keep you all updated! Sorry for the rant, it's 3 am and I took a nap at 10 pm til midnight so my brain kind of exploded on me just now. To be honest I'm not even sure if half of this post even followed a logical pattern of thought.....it is what it is though.

(I write this not to put down Southeastern University, but rather to put down stubborn and prideful self in order that I might be able to enjoy the place that God has put me for now. I hope that this message does not offend anyone, this is just my personal belief towards things!)

Rant Complete.

Alright, I'm gonna keep this simple and straight to the point.....if you're a guy and do not have close guy friends......get them. They are key to your success as a man! And more importantly, if you're a christian guy and do not have close christian guy friends..............GET THEM!
   
    I cannot explain how much of a blessing my guy friends back home in Maryland and my Guy friends here in Lakeland, Florida at Southeastern University are to me! The other day me and a couple of guys at Southeastern got together and decided after the men's basketball game, which Southeastern sadly lost, we would get together and have a small little Bible study! When we got together we did not know necessarily what book we should read, but we got together prayed and decided we would, first and foremost all the Holy Spirit to work in us and guide our talk, but also we would go around and talk about how each one of us had been doing in our relationship with God.

    Somehow, I am not quite sure how, but we all got on the topic of lust and pornography. A nasty dirty topic that too many people and Christians seek to avoid, and yet we began talking about our struggles with this and it was encouraging to be a part of! A group of guys gathered together with one common ground, which is Christ is amazing, but a group of guys gathered together with one common ground, which is Christ and their sin, is life-changing! Each one of us, by the grace of God were able to be transparent with each other and honest about our faults and failures, and we knew we would not judge each other because we each knew we had Christ and at the forefront of our minds!

    Getting involved with a group of people who are going to encourage your walk with God is incredible! Yes, co-ed Bible studies are amazing! I believe people she keep doing them! But, at the same time, do not simply have those only because there are things that girls deal with that guys cannot fully comprehend and there are things guys deal with that girls cannot fully comprehend!
  
    Get some friends of the same sex and encourage each other and keep each other accountable! We will have a much more pure and strong male and female population if more people are secure in who they are in Christ, and I believe this comes through spending more time with those who also are at the same common ground as you are in Christ!

Hope this all made sense! Just a little word I had on my heart and something I wanted to express!

Here's a video of me and my boys back home in Maryland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m1W5jPy8DQ&list=UU1gKjXLObb4z5NfL13q4MSw&index=2&feature=plcp

So...there I am in English class doing an in-class quiz correction over another student's quiz. I have never really talked to the girl who's quiz I was presently correcting until she looked at me and said, "I'm gonna change that." I had no idea what was going on so I looked at her and responded by saying, "huh?" She, a little annoyed, looked at me and then said the same thing again. I then had to repeat myself a little louder, and a little more confused. She then pointed at her quiz and and the answer she had just gotten wrong.
    Now, here's the thing, the one thing I hate about being a Christian is being called a "goody-two-shoes." So, when she pointed at her quiz that I was grading and said she was going to change her answer so that she would get the answer right everything in me wanted to just recline in the chair, put my hands on my head, and say, "yeah for sure." But, my stomach was cringing like it never has before! I mean it's just a quiz right? I should just let this one thing slide right....Then I remembered the verse in Acts 20:26 that says, "...I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you", and I realized my job wasn't to necessarily cause a scene in the entire room and stop this woman who I have never talked to before from cheating; my job was to sincerely love her like Christ has and remind her of another option she could take instead of cheating, and that option was just to get the answer wrong.
    So, I looked at her, and fearing being labeled a "goody-two-shoes", said to her, "Are you sure you wanna do that...it's cheating ya know?" Following this was a moment of pure beauty....she stopped. She became immensely hesistant and I was jumping for joy! I started saying in my mind, "I just changed someone's mind from cheating!" And it was then that the moment ended. She, took her pen and marked her answer to be correct, and changed one from earlier too.. I tried to show love to someone else by looking out for them and I believe that's what life is all about.
    My point isn't that I did anything "heroic" or even to some "admirable." My point is that I tried to have integrity in the little things, and integrity, I believe, means looking out for those around you as well as yourself.