Is this good or bad?

On Tuesday it was announced that the place where I work, Invista, will be cutting jobs drastically. Right now there are 800 employees there, but by the summer of 2009 there will only be 100 employees. What this means for me, I don't know. Will I keep my job? Should I be looking for another job yet? Should I go back to college? If so, what should I study?

This could be a good thing though. It could put me in a new position, right where God wants me. The future is hazy. Only time will tell where I will go from here. I trust that God has everything under control. Please pray for the men and women working at Invista in Seaford. Thank you.

The Big Apple That Never Sleeps

September 26th: Justin and I boarded the train in Hamilton, NJ. We were headed to New York City, a place that I hadn't been to in ten years. We rode by the vast, dilapidated New Jersey suburbs for an hour and then I could finally see the summit of the Empire State Building in the distance. The anticipation kept building and building until we stepped out of the train at Penn Station, right in the heart of Manhattan.

We were suddenly walking rapidly amongst a throng of people, like a herd of animals rushing to get their next meal. And it was exciting! We rode up the escalator to the street and, well, we were on the streets of New York! We fought our way through the crowds of people and made our way towards our hotel to meet Adam. There were beautiful women everywhere. We walked a few blocks, going by the Empire State Building, and then we saw Adam standing on the sidewalk with a smile on his face. We greeted each other, then we entered the hotel.

The Affinia Dumont hotel was luxurious! We stayed on the fourth floor, which offered a good view from the window. It was very quiet and relaxing. We unpacked our stuff, rested for a bit, and then we walked back outside. And let me say, when you walk out of any building in New York, it is very surreal because you are reminded that you are in New York. It is a breath of fresh air as you hear the sounds of the city, and look up and see the skyscrapers around you. What a rush!

We went to the Rockafeller Center (you know, the place with the gold statue of a naked guy named Prometheus and the ice skating rink). Then we went to T.G.I. Friday's and ate dinner. Every restaurant is like 50% more expensive in New York. Afterwards, we wandered around until we came to Times Square, which was a phenomenal feast of sights, lights, and sounds.


The next day we got in a taxi and went to Greenwich Village. We walked around and went to some shops. We saw Chinatown and SoHo. After a while, we decided to take another taxi to downtown. Once we got there, we saw the New York County Courthouse, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, we went inside a cathedral, and last but not least, we went to Ground Zero.


Ground Zero was fenced up all around, and they were doing construction. It was an emotional moment and I felt anger and sorrow inside of me. I kept playing the events of 9/11 over in my head. After that, we went down to the riverfront and saw an amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Then we went on the subway back to our hotel. It was cool riding the subway because you hear so much about it all the time on tv. It was cheap and a fast way to travel around. I liked it a lot better than the taxis.

That night we went to an Irish Pub and had a delicious dinner. Then we went to a party on the roof of an apartment, and we met Adam's sister. We also met a cool chick named Heidi, who had gone to the University of Delaware. Adam's sister gave us a ride home and we went to bed.


The next day we took the subway up to the Upper East Side. This was a fantastic neighborhood. We saw Park Avenue, which was like a canyon of beautiful apartment buildings leading down to a cluster of office skyscrapers. Then we walked into Central Park. It was serene. We hiked around for a while, and we saw a lake, several monuments and statues, baseball fields, and we went to the top of an observation tower. But it was almost time for Justin and me to catch our train, so we headed back to the hotel. Just then it started to downpour. Luckily, we had umbrellas. We went inside the famous Plaza Hotel (the one from Home Alone 2). Then we took a taxi to the hotel, said goodbye to Adam, and rushed over to Penn Station.

New York is probably the greatest city in the country. There is just so much to see and do. And pictures don't do it justice. As with any other place, you'll never know what it's really like until you actually visit it. And in New York's case, you will be blown away.

My advice

Over the last month I have made some important changes in my spiritual life. Nearly every night I go outside in the backyard and pray to God. This is good because I am separating myself from distractions, such as the computer, tv, and family. I am able to speak more freely with Him. It feels as if God is right there with me. Being able to look up and see the stars adds a whole new dimension too, because it reminds me of how God created this universe. And if you are quiet, the Spirit may tell you something.

I would like you to try this tonight. Go outside and pray. Thank God for all that He has done. Thank Him for dying for us. Thank Him for the fact that you are alive, and that you have food, a home, a family, friends, good health, a job, and abilities. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Pray for yourself, bringing everything that is troubling you to Him. And last, pray for others. Pray for people specifically, or pray for the church as a whole, pray for Israel, pray for America, pray for your church, or anyone else. Also make sure that you sit still and just meditate, thinking on the great things that He has done. This is relaxing, especially if you are laying down and looking at the stars. Or you can kneel down, in full submission to Him.

I also try to read the Bible every day, even if its just for fifteen minutes. If you are new to the Bible, I would suggest that you read Genesis Chapters 1-12, then jump on over to John and read that. Remember, the two main tools of a Christian are prayer and the Bible. Strive to be as much like Jesus as possible. Everything that you do, do it in Jesus' name.

"you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:37 – 40)

The Twin Cities

July 9th: Matt and I were at BWI Airport, and I was about to fly for the first time. I was a little nervous. Suddenly the plane started to move forward rapidly. I wasn't nervous anymore; I was ecstatic. I looked out over the city as we got higher and higher, and then we were above the clouds. Talk about surreal.

We arrived at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International. We met up with our friend, Jayce, and exchanged some jokes. We then took a bus to St. Paul, which is where Jayce and his wife Laura live. This was the first time I had laid my eyes on the Midwest, and I liked it. We went by street after street of small 2-3 story houses.



The entire city of St. Paul is like this, except when you get to downtown. When we got off the bus we were at the XCel Energy Center, home of NHL's Minnesota Wild and this year's Republican National Convention. We then walked up a hill toward where Jayce lives.



We saw a beautiful cathedral, and walked inside. Then we went to Jayce and Laura's and relaxed there for a while. Then we walked down the street and ate dinner. The Twin Cities are very walkable by the way, and the bus system is great. We took it easy for the rest of the night, then we went to bed.



The next morning we walked around downtown, then we got on a bus and went to the Mall of America. I was expecting it to be a little bit better, but what can I say. It's a mall. It may be a little overhyped. There are about 500 stores, on 4 floors. There is an Aquarium and an Amusement Park. But in the end it is just like any other mall, just bigger and more of the same. The highlight was when we went in and saw Zohan, which was hilarious.


We took a train into Minneapolis, the big city. We got off at the Metrodome. We walked around downtown and took in all of the sights. We walked around the Skyway System, a 7-mile stretch of interconnected, temperature-controlled walkways. It is almost like a big shopping mall for those who work in downtown, because many of the buildings have mall-like shops in them. Altogether, Minneapolis is a great city. It is clean, it feels safe, and it is laid-back. There is a lot to see and do.



The next day was a scorcher. I think it was about 93 degrees, and we were walking around all day! After sweating and staggering for a while, we took refuge in the Minnesota State Capitol building in St. Paul. After a while we went back to Minneapolis and kind of did the same thing we had done the day before. Then the next day we flew back home.

I had a great time with you guys (and Laura)!

The best year of my life...and it's not even over yet!

Moved in with my friend Owen and lived with him for six months. Had a great time with him and Jess.

Went snowboarding for the first time. I ended up bruised, dehydrated, exhausted, and frustrated, but the conversation I had with a beautiful woman in the ski lodge made it worth it.

Watched an amazing Super Bowl game!

Came oh so close to getting into the Navy.

Went bodyboarding many times-there's nothing like doing that by yourself at sunset on a peaceful beach with good waves. It was almost heavenly.

Went to Atlantic City with five friends...and we stayed in a 2-bed hotel room! Went bodyboarding amongst giant waves.

Flew on a plane for the first time to Minnesota with Matt to visit Jayce and Laura. Had a great time and Minnesota is an awesome place, believe me.

Moved back in with my parents to save money. That night went to see The Dark Knight in a drive-in theater with Kainos (our church ministry).

Connected with all of the great people at Kainos, including Jon, Steve and Chelsea, Mark, Travis, Aaron, Dominic, Taffy, Ryan and Hailey, Alexis, Amanda, Andy, Aenas, Big Dave, Chad, Tara, Joyce, Puller, Mike, and forgive me if I am forgetting anyone else.

That day that Kainos went to Ocean City and Mark danced for us at Steve and Chelsea's. That was a fun day.

Hiked nine miles at Gettysburg Battlefield.

Hiked up a mountain at the Delaware Water Gap in Jersey. The view from up there was spectacular. Hiked ten miles, part of it on the Appalachian Trail.

Went on a three-day camping trip in Virginia with Kainos. We swam in the bay, played sports, rode bikes, had bonfires, and ate good food.

Went to New York City for three days with Justin and Adam. Probably the best weekend of my life.

Connected with God every day (since mid-September) through prayer and Bible Study.

The Blog is Revived

In August I truly realized what I am. I am an adventurer. I live to have fun, to go to new places, to see the beauty of both nature and city, to hang out with friends, to laugh, and to enjoy every day. At any given moment, you have the power to make that moment fun. One of my goals is to get the most fun out of every day as possible.

In reading this blog, I hope that you will be inspired to not only get out there and have fun, but to serve God as well. Enjoy!

The Pearly Gates

Come with me to the eternal dawn
Where happiness will always go on
Step forward and walk through the gate
Enter a scene where there is no hate

A radiant light fills the realm
Tis God's great glory that overwhelms
But not with fear, with comfort and joy
behold the angels in His employ

The hosts suddenly begin to recite
and I am filled with unforeseen delight
"Welcome to heaven, make yourself at home"
A man approaches, holding a tome

You did very well, i'm proud of you son
because you have loved me, your new life has begun
and then I realized who was speaking to me,
my Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory.