nothing.

There's honestly really nothing to this post. It's kinda just a placeholder because I've run out of ideas/inspiration this past week. Sometimes it's good to have nothing to write about but it's mostly bad. So with this bland post, you'll just have to use your imagination to interpret nothingness in your own creative way.

the struggle (is real): an unashamed devo

This past week, it was my turn to speak at our weekly Unashamed club meeting. Below is just an excerpt of what I went over:

Sometimes in life we face all these struggles and it feels like there’s no getting out. If it isn’t sports, school, work or volunteering it could be things like struggles with trust, self worth, truth, and patience too. For some people the struggle may be an addiction or infatuation. For other people it might be a struggle to live out their faith outside of church building walls. Often times it becomes so overwhelming because we try to do it all on our own. But we were never created to carry our struggles on our own. Galatians 6:2 says “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the laws of Christ.”

I’ve grown to learn that without the struggles in life, we’d be stuck in the same place forever. If we’re always sitting back in our comfort zones, there wouldn’t be any change. If you didn’t push yourself to run another mile or take another rep, there wouldn’t be much change. Sometimes walking with Christ in itself is a daily struggle. I know for a fact that it’s tough to live out your life as a Christian in school. But despite our shame and fear to live out our faith as christians in school and in the community, God hasn’t given up on us and he hasn’t forsaken us.

I’m not that naive to think that everyone in this room is a christian or that everyone in this room believes in God. I’m not gonna be the one to assume that we’re all just good christians in this room either. To the people who don’t believe in God, we love you and we’re praying for you. To the people who are starting to doubt their faith, don’t give up on a God who’s brought you this far. Despite your questions and disbelief, God is for you and he’s working for your good. I challenge you to return to the roots that you were first grounded in. He’s a patient God and he’ll never leave you. It’s easy to blame God and question God through our struggles and through all the turmoil happening in the world. Colossian 2:1-3 says “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”So whenever you’re facing struggles and it feels like you’re all alone, there are always people around you willing to help. And if nobody wants to help, there’s always gonna be a God that you can rely on to bring you through it all.

I truly believe that God doesn’t place obstacles in place if he didn’t think you could overcome them. Often times, the struggle you may be facing is the struggle to believe that there is a God to help you through your struggles (that’s struggle-ception). I believe that it’s the toughest thing to believe in something that you can’t even see, but at the same time, that’s faith. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we don’t see (that’s Hebrews 11:1). Whether you accept it or not, family and friends are gonna fail you and there’s really only one person that you can rely on. I challenge you to rely on the only one who can bring you through your struggles. I believe that once you stop the pity party for your struggles, God can not only bring you through whatever situation you’re going through, but you’ll grow too because of it. I challenge you to embrace your struggles instead of letting it overwhelm you. I know for a fact that through embracing the struggle, you’ll come out stronger. When doubt and fear become overwhelming, leave it at the feet of the maker. The struggle is real, but the scandalous grace of God is greater.

u n a s h a m e d

This past week, a new club was created and it's called Unashamed. The club was a joint effort by myself and a Junior at my school. It all started off with a passion and a vision. The purpose of Unashamed is to have an environment where Christians can meet up and grow within the school setting. But the even greater purpose above that is to encourage the communities of NCS and also Newark.

clear the stage

A song by Jimmy Needham says "Clear the stage and set the sounds and lights ablaze, if that's the measure you must take to crush the idols." It can be taken in a religious/spiritual way but it's something I tend to struggle with overall in everyday life. Every single day I'm occupied with responsibilities and obligations. Whether it's my role as a student, a son, an athlete, or even a worship leader, sometimes I just lose a sense of the things that matter. Sometimes my priorities get out of order and I find myself lost and confused.

I guess "clearing the stage" could be interpreted as taking out all the unnecessary and extra things. It could be a call to return to simplicity or a call to return to the basics. It's easy to begin to prioritize things that don't really matter in life when you lose sight of the things that have gotten you this far. Whether it's popularity or social media or even material things, it'll never be enough to satisfy the things that have brought us this far. I guess in my own life I struggle with putting social media over more important things. I've created this idea that if I was popular online, it would translate into the real world. But the reality is that I'm continuously losing sight of the things that once mattered to me most.

Life is too short to live for the unimportant things. The things that matter are the things that you'll be remembered for. You won't be remembered for how many followers you had or the number of likes you got on a picture, but instead, for the impact you had on others and society. Maybe clearing the stage and returning to simplicity is a way of accomplishing that. I truly believe that once we return to the basics, everything else will follow through.

live life.

       Losing someone is a life-changing, world-shaking reality. It isn't easy to lose people close to you and those are the times where we realize that we should never take things for granted. Just recently, a Delaware student had taken her life and it seemed like students all around the state came together in some sort of unity through social media. I'm guessing that no one really knew what the student was going through. Sometimes it's easier to hide the hurt and pain inside instead of sharing it with others. Sometimes it's easier to act like you're okay when really you aren't. I would know because at one point in my life, that's exactly how I felt. Too many people relied on me and I couldn't show my times of weakness. Although people act like everything's okay, for all you know they could be going through hell inside. It's easy to judge and make fun of people but it isn't easy to take back harsh and hateful words and actions against someone. One word can change someone's life and one action can alter someone's world. It's easier to live a life of positivity and kindness instead of living one full of hate and regret for actions that you can't take back.
      2016 has surely been a year of losses and it's easy to question why the man up above is taking kids that are so young. It's easy to question why the man up above would take away people who had some much more ahead of them. Life is too short to be wondering why things happen. Life is too short to live in pity and sadness. There are times for mourning but today is the day to live your life. Nothing is ever guaranteed and we can't expect to wake up every single morning just fine. Often times it's easy to take life for granted. We tell ourselves that we'll do things the next day. We tell ourselves it's okay to keep pushing our goals back because there's always another day ahead. Nothing in life is guaranteed so you have to live every day like it's the last one you'll ever have. Live life without regret.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest"- Matthew 11:28

college or nah?

       After 3 long years of high school, we're finally here. The last year. Now that it's finally the last year, college application season is already in full swing. It's almost the time that everyone's been waiting for. The time to leave beloved Delaware. Sometimes we get caught up in the motions and we forget what the real purpose is. College is a time to leave boundaries. College is a chance to gain knowledge to change the world. College can also be a fresh start for some people. Despite all these great things that college can bring, there are countless stories of people who've become successful without going to college at all. In most households, it's kinda an expectation to go to college. It's a societal expectation to go to college and to get a degree. Most people believe that if you don't get a college degree, you can't contribute to the world. But I think that's wrong. Society just hasn't grasped the idea that college is not for everyone. For a while, I thought about not going to college. Maybe I would be the next great YouTuber or maybe the next Mark Zuckerberg. Just kidding that's most likely never gonna happen but some people just aren't fit for college. Some people just don't like the idea of being stuck in the strict education system for another four years. So I guess the point of this is that college surely isn't for everyone. Some people were just destined to be great without a degree. Whether you go to college or not, you're taking big risks in life. Whichever one you decide to choose can change the course of your life in a positive or negative way.

election 2016: quick thoughts

This year's election has proven to be one of the most heartbreaking ones in the history of our country. Though we are supposed to unite, the outcome of the 2016 election has created outrage and division between everyone. Ever since Donald Trump has been elected president, there have been countless stories of protests and racist acts in the news. By no means am I a Hillary supporter nor am I a Trump supporter but I am an America supporter. I believe that Trump was elected for a reason and that you can't judge a book by its cover. Though people trash Trump for his hate against countless races and denominations, the hate stirred within people in Trump's elections is insane. My parents have always taught me to give people chances no matter who they are. I don't support the harsh words Trump says but I do respect that he will be the president for the next 4 years. People have so much hate for a person who they haven't even given a chance and that's what disappoints me. I'm disappointed in a country which supports democracy but falls apart when they don't like the elected. If anything, the country needs to find unity more than ever and it isn't gonna happen if people can't stand by the one who has been elected. I believe in giving people chances and I think people should find it in themselves to give the president a chance also.