Softball

Okay so we finished our softball season today. Fun year. But despite an 88% victory rate all year and being able to beat every team at least once, we were unable to win out end of the year tournament. However, making it to the final four wasn't such a bad deal. We had a lot of great games and a lot of great fellowship. But I truly believe that each and every one of us learned that winning isn't everything. But playing for God IS everything. I always thought that I had a fairly good grasp on that concept. But just today I realized that I didn't have it figured out as well as I thought it was. It hurt me, not that we lost, but that I was unable to perform as well as I thought I should. But, remembering that two of my brothers just came back from a camp in Ohio working with handicapped people hit my right in the face. There were people out there that couldn't walk, speak clearly, hold a real conversation, etc. Yet here I was beating myself up for not catching a long drive to right field. Am I excusing myself for being stupid and playing too far up? No not at all. I messed up and definitely could have done better. I intend to next time. But my point is, why am I getting mad over the fact that a four inch ball made it to first base less than a second before I did. Keep in mind that for some of these people that my brothers worked with, the most they could do for God was to get up on stage and sing "God is so Good to Me". WOW. I got shown up bad. If I can't play for God's glory I shouldn't be playing. It's that simple.

Well now . . .

It's now time for . . . what . . . my second post of the year . . . ? Something like that. Well if you've been wondering what I've been up to lately (which I'm sure you weren't, but I'm going to write it out anyway): Friday, April 13th, (hmm interesting, I just now notice that) was my last day as an electrician. Sad? No not really. I was really feeling like it was time for me to move on. So I will be starting my new job as a "pipeline technician on the 30th. I'll explain more about what I'm doing there later on. But in between the 13th and the 30th, I spent five days hiking up and down the Appalachian Trail. It was a time of reflection, meditation, and just a time for me to be by myself away from all the hooplah that was going on around me. I had a very meaningful time and I learned things that would simply take me too long to record here. Even if you were interested. But all went well on my hike until I was about eleven miles away from my ending point and I sprained my knee. So . . . now I am sitting around the house hoping it will heal. Yesterday (monday) I tried to see if some constant exercise would loosen it up and allow me to use it. (I took a shorter nine mile hike that day) yeah I know I'm crazy. You've all said that before. But needless to say it didn't work and I had to limp back. So here I sit . . . waiting for my new job to start.

So many people have been asking me what exactly am I going to be doing at my new job. Here is my meager explaination . . . In case you didn't know there is a pipeline that runs from the Gulf of Mexico up into New York State. This is a natural gas pipeline (not petroleum). The company that owns it is called Williams, by Transco. Which is my new employer. Williams has multiple compression stations along this pipeline to keep the gas moving. I will be working at the location just outside of Ellicott City. My job will include maintaining the twelve natural gas engines that run the compressors. The engines range between 2500hp and 5500hp. In laymans terms, some of these engines are the size of a Greyhound bus. So yeah in case you were wondering that will be Jayson's new career. Whatddya think?

Hello Again

Wow it's been a while since I've posted. A long while. But just to let you all know I'm doing well. Busy. But God is, as always, good. And I'm very grateful for that. So yeah well hit me up if you really want to know what's going on. This blog this is terribly impersonal. And I prefer to be personal. Yeah so . . . that's the deal. Have a good one readers.

A Christian's Life

I found this short poem while going through my Men With a Mission class. I found it both interesting and provoking. Take a look:

You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day,
By the deeds you do, and the words that you say,
Men read what you write, distorted or true,
So what is the Gospel, according to you?

People watch what we, as Christians, do. There aren't Christian watcher clubs, where people gather to watch us. Yet they still watch us. All people, young, old, wealthy, poor, it doesn't matter. They may look down us, look up to us, come along side us, but even if they completely avoid us we have still affected their life somehow. So, then question then arises, what do other people see when they see us? Do they see some religeous fanatic who blows up abortion centers, or gets arrested for running a sandwich shop with out a liscence? Or, do they see someone who wears funky clothes, who won't talk to anybody, has no idea who Kevin Fenderline is, and have a very small circle of friends? Okay, I picked a couple of extremes. I understand that. But what is the middle ground? Frankly, I find the middle ground even worse than the extremes. Say for instance, someone who dresses stylishly, is friends with everybody in their neighborhood/school, is a fanatic Steelers fan, oh yeah, and they've got this thing about going to church on Sunday mornings. (Who, incidently, doodle in church, fall asleep, and wish the pastor would talk about something that applied to them, yet they go home and cheer passionately for their home team and jump up and down and scream when the Ref makes a bad call) Okay okay, I'll get off my soapbox there. But my point is, which of those three lifestyles are going to persuade others to join you? Honestly, none of them. You might be saying right now "wait Jayson, you said lifestyle? I thought we were talking about Christianity?" Well, we are. But when we are saved, are we simply joining one of those three groups (or anywhere in between those three groups) or are we jumping on God's bandwagon?
Hmm. Well what are we supposed to do to get on God's bandwagon? Look in the Bible for answers? "That will take too much time. I don't have enough time to read the whole Bible, I mean I just got saved." Good point in fact. But looking around and doing the things that other good, solid, real Christians do isn't the answer. Things other Christians do are typically good things. But I am going to have to suggest reading the Bible on your own to figure out. People can tell when we are simply copying others. And that is not a good testimony. Well the entire Bible contains some sixty-six books I believe and that would take a while to read. So here are a couple that I've found while taking my class.

Philippians 2:15 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

So, aside from being good, what do these two verses have in common? God. We are supposed to be blameless before God and that glorifies Him. If we simply strive to be blameless before God, THAT is what will make us a testimony before others! Doing this obviously takes a rather intimate relationship with Christ. But as Christians we are offered that relationship. That is in fact, what a Christian is, someone who can talk to God on a one to one basis.

New COLORS!!

Hey all . . . I was getting a few complaint, critiques, criticizm, etc about my shiny green color . . . soooooo we now have a new color. TAA-DAA!!! Lemme know any pro's con's or anyother suggestions. k?

Friends

Hey all, I know this is pretty cheap just posting a poem that someone emailed me. (btw . . . many thanks to that person) But I think this is pretty cool. Lemme know what you think.

A drunk man in an Oldsmobile

They said had run the light

That caused the six-car pileup

On 109 that night.

When broken bodies lay about

"And blood was everywhere,"

"The sirens screamed out eulogies,"

For death was in the air.

"A mother, trapped inside her car,"

Was heard above the noise;

Her plaintive plea near split the air:

"Oh, God, please spare my boys!"

She fought to loose her pinned hands;

"She struggled to get free,"

But mangled metal held her fast

In grim captivity.

Her frightened eyes then focused

"On where the back seat once had been,"

But all she saw was broken glass and

Two children's seats crushed in.

Her twins were nowhere to be seen;

"She did not hear them cry, "

"And then she prayed they'd been thrown free, "

"Oh, God, don't let them die! "

Then firemen came and cut her loose, "

"But when they searched the back, "

"They found therein no little boys, "

But the seat belts were intact.

They thought the woman had gone mad

"And was traveling alone, "

"But when they turned to question her, "

They discovered she was gone.

Policemen saw her running wild

And screaming above the noise

"In beseeching supplication, "

Please help me find my boys!

They're four years old and wear blue shirts;

"Their jeans are blue to match."

"One cop spoke up, ""They're in my car, "

And they don't have a scratch.

They said their daddy put them there

"And gave them each a cone, "

Then told them both to wait for Mom

To come and take them home.

"I've searched the area high and low, "

But I can't find their dad.

"He must have fled the scene, "

"I guess, and that is very bad."

"The mother hugged the twins and said, "

"While wiping at a tear, "

"He could not flee the scene, you see, "

"For he's been dead a year."

"The cop just looked confused and asked, "

"Now, how can that be true? "

"The boys said, ""Mommy, Daddy came "

"And left a kiss for you."

He told us not to worry

"And that you would be all right, "

And then he put us in this car with

"The pretty, flashing light. "

"We wanted him to stay with us, "

"Because we miss him so, "

"But Mommy, he just hugged us tight "

And said he had to go.

He said someday we'd understand

"And told us not to fuss, "

"And he said to tell you, Mommy, "

"He's watching over us."

The mother knew without a doubt

"That what they spoke was true, "

"For she recalled their dad's last words, "

"I will watch over you."

The firemen's notes could not explain

"The twisted, mangled car, "

And how the three of them escaped

Without a single scar.

"But on the cop's report was scribed, "

"In print so very fine, "

An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway 109.



The 7 Second Prayer, Just repeat this phrase and see how God moves.

"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless my family, my home, my friends, and me. Amen. "

This morning when the Lord opened a window to Heaven, He saw me, and He asked: "My child, what is your greatest wish for today?" I responded: "Lord please, take care of the person who is reading this message, their family and their special friends. They deserve it and I love them very much."


ANGELS EXIST but some times, since they don't all have wings, we call them FRIENDS.


Pretty cool uh?

2006/2007 Survey

n 2006 have you....


had more then 4 boyfriends/girlfriends?: um . . . thad be a negative

been in love?:also negative

been kissed?:no (my apologies Luke but I don't feel like starting all over again with you on that one) . . . oh . . . (and to anyone else reading this . . . that is an inside joke with Luke and it's none of your buisness and no it has nothing to do with either Luke or I kissing each other!!!!!!!!) . . . gosh . . . perverts.

kept your new years resolution?:uh no . . . though partly because I didn't make one!

made new friends?:Yes, quite a few

lost any friends?:one or two

dated someone you thought you had no chance with?:uh no

liked a song only because it was on your boyfriends/girlfriends myspace?:nope

made a myspace?:Yes

had your birthday?:uh no for some reason it didn't happen this year, (that was a dumb question)

went swimming?:yes

traveled out of state?:yeah all the time actually

traveled out of the country?:yes I made it to Mexico, Czech, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Austria, oh wait scratch that . . . Mexico was last year. My bad.

read any good books?:A couple. Bulletproof by Chuck Holton was amazing. Let me know if you want to borrow it.

ditched a friend?:heck no . . . I don't do that

madeout with someone just so you can make someone else jealous?:'nother thing I don't do

thrown up from drinking?:also no . . . But a half gallon of eggnog got me pretty close

gotten a new pet?:thankfully no . . . one's more than enough

experienced something new?: Europe and Surround Sound,

sledding?: Don't remember, but possibly

played in the snow?:yes . . . in my truck most of the time

been chased by a stray animal?: I find it more fun to chase the animal

been called a whore while walking down the street?: GOSH . . . I HATED HOW MANY TIMES THAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR. um, yeah . . . right

been in a fist fight?:naa . . . I try to avoid those . . . I'm pretty peaceful all things considered

been in a verbal fight?: once again peace reigned in me!! Nope. Mild arguments but definitely no verbal fights.

been in a spelling bee?: naa that part of my life is over

bought something for someone?: who does that??

changed as a person?: A LOT. yeah . . . a whole lot. Ask me about it if I haven't told you about it. Or if you want to hear it again.

has 2006 been a good year?: Oh yeah

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
in 2007....are you graduating?: haha no,

going to make a new years resolution?: nope, But I did make a New Year's Recommitment to God.

going to a different school?: maybe . . . maybe . . . might start college

going to move?: possible

going to make new friends?: I sure hope

going to keep your myspace?: eh . . . we'll see

going anywhere special?: Hopefully going back to Czech next winter for New Years, i guess that would count as '07

Wise Men

Hey all, here is something I recieved on a Christmas card. This is probably the most meaningful Christmas card I have ever gotten. Part of that is because I normally only read the names at the bottom. But this time, I read it, expecting some sappy way of saying merry Christmas. Instead, this is what it said:

They were called "Wise Men"

Who followed His star,

Who went to the manger

And traveled so far.

And still they are wise

Those who seek Him today,

For He calls us to follow

And His star lights the way!


Merry Christmas All!! And may God bless you as you follow after Him. Col 3:1