Our photographer Justin Michau of J. Alexander Photography recently did a shoot with us for our engagement. Well, he is now giving away a picture of the field and couch we used in this shoot! Its an awesome picture! Visit the link to follow instructions on how you could win this masterpiece of sickness!
Dustin Kensrue leading worship. Check this out.
I often find myself, or hear others using the phrase: “Don’t get your hopes up” or “don’t expect to much.” A lot of times, hope can not only help to motivate and push one to anticipate something with excitement, but hope can also let us down when we expect something that doesn’t happen, or blows up before our eyes. However, I really don’t want to focus on the gloomy side of hope and expectations.
I remember a few years ago while in college, around my sophomore/junior year to give a rough time period, I found myself at odds with my faith and what I believed as a person. I know that most people hit a period in their life where nothing makes sense, and their vision of life and existence seems blurry and dissatisfying. We all fall into that position in life (if you haven’t or dont think you will then please fly away to some foreign planet), and it seems that there is no end or resolution in sight. However, I eventually worked my way out of it by practicing one simple thing, Expecting and hoping for clarity.
If you don’t expect change, if you don’t expect peace, or promise, or safety, or guidance, or deliverance, or what have you, then how do you hope to find your way, or to conquer situations and goals? It is impossible.
I have found, more recently, that I expect God to show up, I expect him to use me in ways which I have no control over. I expect him to show me direction, and paths that lead me to doors that he will open.
At church, I play on my worship team every weekend, and as I was going through this spiritual crisis I continued to play on the worship team, and I will admit that for that stretch of time, my weekends were quite stale and full of hassle as I had no desire or ambition to participate on the team. I found that each weekend was more about me getting through the set so I could get home and watch hockey, or go to the mall or whatever. I didn’t care because quite frankly, I didn’t feel God, I didn’t feel loved, and I was frustrated at where my faith had landed me. However, I never had learned to hope. I know that sounds weird but, because I knew what hope was, I had hoped for things in the past like, getting a girlfriend; I had hoped that the Sabres would win the Stanley Cup, stuff like that. But, I firmly believe that to truly hope is to firmly believe and expect the desired outcome and know that it will happen.
This is been a significant learning curve for me and more recently I have found myself closer and more in tune with how God moves, and how he uses people, and how he changes people. I spend every weekend playing worship songs, but not only playing, but engaging prior to and during worship. I know go to church expecting God to use our worship to move people, and to motivate them to change and to progress in faith. I have experienced some of the most intimate and intensely life changing service these past six month, and I get to see it all unfold in the congregation which is before me. God uses me to play songs that move people, but in turn, God uses the reaction and receptions of the congregation to move us that are leading. Its a revolving cycle that surrounds us all in the church during those services.
Expect God to move, Expect to be changed and you will find out what hope is all about.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningBY ROBERT FROST
I posted this video before, but I am in love with this song!
Currently I am on my way to send my brother back to Texas, where he is stationed at Fort Hood. However, this moment has much greater significance than the previously mentioned. Today is the day I say goodbye to my brother as he will be spending the next year and some months fighting a war for me, my peers, my elders, and future generations. I sit in the car riding down route 33; the mood is somber and the only audible sound is the sound of tread wearing away on the road. This a day full of feelings of sadness, but also great pride in the fact that my brothers selfless contributions will forever change this country whether noticed or not. He took on the task and weight of this nation in order to keep it free and functioning. 1:26pm 1/9/11
He is officially on his way back to Texas, where he is stationed. I can’t even explain to you how hard it is to let him go. I should be fighting for him, he should not be fighting for me, however, because of several health defects that I have I am unable to do so.
So many memories of our childhood come to mind its hard to believe that so much time has passed so quickly. I know that sounds cliche and over-used but it seems that the overstated is what helps us grow and mature.
Throughout my growth as a human being, these past few years have been the most important of my life. I feel as if I have learned so much more than I ever thought I would. I have learned of brotherly responsibilities, young adult responsibilities; I have entered the work force, finished college, most importantly got engaged. I have grown spiritually, and emotionally; I have seen the highs and the lows of friendship, and learned how to respond to different relationships. I have even developed a gut as a result of my poor eating habits. The past two years have been insanely busy and they only seem to get busier and more chaotic. Despite all these transitions and growth spurts in life, I can attribute most of them to the roots that were forged long ago in my early life, more specifically the root of brotherhood.
I was raised with two brothers, one who is three years younger, and the other who is nine years younger. The age gap is quite large however, our relationship is much closer than that. My youngest brother is very similar to me in interests. He is very athletic, musical, hyper, and moody. My middle brother Hayden is very artsy, articulate, intelligent and tough. We all were raised with a love for God, family, and each other despite millions of arguments, beat downs, and nastiness (mostly initiated by me). However, despite the confrontations and such, I have always felt the responsibility to protect both of my brothers even though they are fully capable of defending themselves. I love them both dearly and get pissed if people make fun of them or at the thought of anyone harming them; they are my brothers, my kin and I am the only who is allowed to pick on them. I feel like my influence and wisdom at being the first born has helped them with their own decisions in life, and I hope that it does not fail them in the future.
Fast forward to September of 2009, my brother Hayden sets voyage to Boot Camp for the Army. His departure was hard for me to grasp as he was my little brother, who I protected for all 18 years of his life, and now he was about to get screamed at, and possibly treated like soil. The most frustrating part of all this was that I had no way to help him and stand up for him.
Well, ffwd to December 2009, My brother returns from Boot Camp a changed man, and again move forward to May of 2010, he returns after his training to be a medic in the Army. Shortly after that we learned that his deployment date would probably be around February of 2011, which meant that Christmas/New Years 2010-2011 would be the last holiday spent with him before his mission in Iraq.
Well, this brings us to today, to this very moment of me typing. My brother has just texted me informing me of his arrival in Chicago on his way to Texas. His departure from the airport was emotional for all four men in the Nathan Blowers residence. I will miss him so much while he is gone, but he will be in every prayer that I pray because he is a part of a mission to protect this sad country from all the crap that exists elsewhere. We don’t deserve sacrifice like that, yet we get it from those willing to serve, much like Christ gave for us. My pride and appreciation for what Hayden is doing is endless. I can never be more thankful for a brother who cares about everyone in this country just as he cares for his family. He is willing to put his life on hold for you and your loved ones just as he is for his family. For that, I could not wish for anything else, and in some small way I hope that my influence was able to instill that in him.
His dedication and character is something that I proud of and also something that I envy. I wish that I could say I was willing to give my life/time for all, and if the moment came when I had to make that decision swiftly, I might just make that sacrifice, but I can’t say it for sure. There are only a select few who I could group into my “give your life for” category. His enlistment speaks volumes of his willingness to defend your freedom and he has followed through with that commitment.
My brother Hayden has grown up so much and he is only 19 years old. It’s hard for me to understand how my younger brother grew so fast. One thing I know for sure is that, for today and the next year I become the younger brother and Hayden is my older brother, protecting me and sticking up for me far away from home. I know that he will be ok. I will miss him greatly, I will miss being his older brother, but maybe in the time that he is gone, I will begin to understand what life was like for him, having an older brother despite the absence of having an older brother myself.
Pray for our soldiers. It’s the least you could do, yet it is so meaningful to them.
I absolutely love this song off their new disc “Invented”
