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onehugsyguy
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Name: Joseph
Birthday: 5/29/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: God,paintball,good books,videogames,friends, music, airsoft,fun in the pool,hide-n-go-seek,soda, kitties, boardgames,duck-duck-goose,cards,air hockey,and anything else fun/cute/cool/cuddly/whatever
Expertise: not being an expert at anything
Occupation: college student
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  onehugsyguy
MSN: onehugsyguy@hotmail.com
Member Since:
3/26/2004
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| *cautiously steps forward*
Hello? *echos into empty room*
Is anyone there? *more echos*
*whispers* Where am I? I have a strange feeling I've been here before, in a distant memory. This place seems so familiar, and yet so... different...
How did I get here? I wonder if anyone else is here and whether or not I know any of them.
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| Hey, if anyone gets this within the next week I just thought I would let you guys know I'm leaving the country. My class is going on a missions trip to Nicaragua on Saturday and we will be there for ten days. If you guys would pray for us any chance you get that would be great. Nicaragua isn't the safest place, plus a couple of us (myself included) opted to not get any shots. So, while I have faith that God will keep us healthy there is a possibility of getting Hepatitis A and B, as well as Malaria and other sicknesses.
While there we will be ministering to children and youth, and doing mime and drama. Also, for fun we'll be ziplining through the rainforest and possibly sliding down the side of a volcano.
Thanks guys. Later
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| Hmm, about time for a real update I guess.
Well, first off God is good. I knew God would provide for me to do a second year of the internship, but I wasn't sure how and He has proved Himself faithful over and above anything I could hope for. First off, I was hired to do lock up at the church, which means I lock all of the doors and set the alarms at night. That pays for the internship. Then I was made RA (residential advisor) of the dorm, which means I get free rent. Then the church hired me as their second multimedia guy. Not only that but I have been given money and opportunities to make money over and over again. I tell you what guys, if you don't tithe, start. I firmly believe that being faithful in that area is the reason God has blessed me so much, that and also the fact that I know I am where He wants me to be in this season.
Some of you might know that I graduated my first year in June. That means I now have an associate's degree in Biblical studies and practical ministry. I would have sent out announcements but I only got the cards four or five days before we went to Italy for our missions trip.
Oh yeah, by the way, Italy was amazing. We got to stand in the prison that Paul was supposedly held in, we walked through the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and we got to see a lot of other awesome sights. My favorite part wasn't Rome though. My favorite part was the little cities that we would go to. The ones with the skinny cobblestone streets and the houses that are built right up on each other. I would love to go and live there for a while and really get a chance to experience the culture... and the gelato. I would love to experience the gelato some more. (By the way, their pizza... not that great, a little disappointed) Oh yeah, we got robbed. While we were praying on the beach some people broke into the van and stole about half of our stuff. Thankfully my stuff was in the other vehicle.
We met this cool guy named Tom. He was actually American but has been living their for five years and is married to an Italian. He is originally from the Atlanta area, and he plans to move back here with his wife soon.
After Italy and graduation we had summer camp. I was the assistant team leader to Aubrie (another intern) for the Red Team, and we totally won. Now there's a big banner with all of our names on it letting everyone else know that we totally beat them.
This summer I've been using my time to hang out with and get to know all of the people that I never had time to get to know because of the internship (they keep us busy). Yesterday I did karaoke and today I went white water rafting for the first time. It was incredible. If you didn't have to pay per ride I would have been back around waiting in line to go again. We hit some class four rapids which is the second highest commercial rapids (commercial only goes to class five). The highest rapids that you can go on are class six and that's when you hit actual waterfalls. Our guide said that when we went through the class fours we did better than anyone he'd ever taken. We didn't lose anybody and the raft right after us lost four of their six people. Next time I go I want to do the class fives. I think they were farther down the river then we went.
Well, I guess you guys are pretty much caught up now. I'm going to try to post some pictures of Italy either on my myspace or piczo. Keep checking because it will probably take a while to get them all up. We combined all of our pictures onto one DVD and it's kind of hard to sort and upload pictures when you have well over three thousand to go through.
Later
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| Wow, so normally I don't post this close together, as I'm sure you all have noticed; and frankly I'm not sure anyone really even reads my posts anymore, but I just had to say this.
Christians sicken me.
Why you ask, why do I say that Christians sicken me but I don't say that about all of the weirdos and unsaved people of this world? Because, the unsaved are deceived and Christians are not. Yet, I see almost every Christian behaving exactly the same as any unsaved person would. Specifically in the area of all of the drama that goes on between us, mostly in the area of "Catholicism versus Christianity". Seriously, does no one have anything better to do than get on xanga and start arguments or tear others down?
I have a scripture for you guys: Matthew 7:3-5 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Some people stand behind the fact that they have a right to put whatever they want on their xanga, and I am not arguing that, but my question is not what earthly right you have but what spiritual right do you have in condemning others when you yourself are not perfect. If anyone seeks to turn this argument against me you are too late, I already see the hypocrisy of my own words, but I just couldn't bear to remain silent. This will however be the last time I speak about this on my xanga.
To those would say that they are not singling out Catholics but merely talking about them in correct proportion to the amount of Catholics and other "cults" I would say you are gravely mistaken. Do you ever talk about muslims? Do you ever talk about the vast majority of unbelievers? Do you ever talk about the people that fill America's churches and have no real relationship with God, but instead only a hollow shell of religion? Until you start making posts about the millions of people out there who are not Catholic and do not have a correct doctrine or even religion you are singling people out whether you will admit to it or not.
Don't misunderstand me, I am not a proponent of Catholicism, but I recognize that it is just as possible for someone to be Catholic and still be saved as it is for someone to be any other denomination and merely be using religion as a way to feel better about themselves and the sin in their lives.
Here, I have an idea. Why doesn't everyone on xanga that has been spending their time arguing, debating, tearing each other down, and ruining friendships take the same amount of time to go witness to the cashier at Wal-Mart? Doesn't sound to exciting to you? You'd rather argue? Interesting, because the Bible never said to spend lots of time quarreling amongst each other, but it did say to go throughout the earth and make disciples of men.
Let there be no mistaking this post, if you think that it sounds harsh it is because it is meant to. If you think that I have subtly mentioned you here, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it subtly. This post is a wake up call. The devil wants us divided, because alone and distracted by petty squabbles we are useless. Get over your differences. Stop being insulted by every little thing someone says. BE the body of Christ. BE united under Christ the head of the church. Because THAT is the only way the church, and I am including Catholicism, has any chance to stand in this dark and dying world.
I make no apologies for this post, except to God for not posting what I believe He would say to His people sooner.
P.S. If anyone thinks that I am posting this as a defense of my sister you are wrong. No offense to her, but I do not see her as completely guiltless either. This post has been festering in my soul for quite some time now, and it just exploded when I saw the most recent string of attacks that my friends and brothers have been throwing at each other.
Just to let you know ahead of time, I do not intend to be goaded into an argument following this post. So, by all means leave your thoughts and your disagreements, I might read them, but know that I will not be responding to them.
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| Sorry to anyone who was expecting me to come back home for the summer. I'm staying here and working with the church and hopefully taking a class or two early to get the drop on next year. I'll be back eventually.
Oh yeah, and if you guys didn't know I now have an associate's degree in ministry and practical biblical studies. One more year and I'll have a bachelor's. Yay.
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