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Santa Monica! :]

New Years Resolutions

This will be the first time for me actually thinking about new years resolutions and I have to say, I am very excited and optimistic. For me, and probably a lot of other people, writing something down makes it more official and a lot more real. So, here goes nothing:

1. Worship

For those of you who may not know, every week, I have the amazing privilege of leading worship for a few of the youth and college services at my home church, Sonrise. One thing I've learned about worship over the years is that if I try to do things myself or try to make it about anything but God, it fails. For the past few weeks, my friend TJ and I have been praying about and planning a youth night of worship on January 1st [tonight] to welcome in the new year. Our goal is to reignite the flame that people seem to think can only be lit at camps or retreats. We want to do something that the youth at Sonrise has never seen before and reawaken the spirit of worship in that group and at that church as a whole. The other night, we sat down and picked all the songs for the night and picking songs that we thought would be fitting with the whole idea of starting the new year off right and lighting that fire. A few weeks ago, while laying awake with a severe sinus headache, I was listening to Hillsong United and thought to myself a couple times, "I sure would love to do this song at the night of worship." Then I came to a sad realization. I had the same mindset that we are trying to overcome. The idea that songs like that should be saved for special events or camps. Forgetting, apparently, that God has given me the opportunity to lead worship multiple times a week and forgetting that "good" worship songs don't have to be saved for nights of worship. One thing I'm going to work on over this next year is really making sure that God is the focus anytime I'm serving in any capacity. I guess my practical resolution for this is to pray before the week starts about what God would like me to do this week in regards to worship, take a moment before and after every set to pray, and to make it a point to steer clear of making worship a habit.

2. Reduce the filth

On a regular basis, I find myself watching movies or listening to music that I know I shouldn't be and it's starting to affect me. I've become more and more desensitized to the cursing, violence and sexual content promoted in these forms of media. My goal this upcoming year is to replace a lot of the filth that is in mainstream media with things that will strengthen my relationship with Christ instead of hindering it.

3. Succeed in school and work

The first two semesters of my college experience did not exactly go as well as I planned on, but I am going back this semester ready to work and ready to succeed. I'm going to Grossmont, taking classes with friends, and taking a music theory class as well. All of those are steps in the right direction, but I think the biggest difference between last semester and this one is that I have a purpose of being there. Last year, I was just there because I was always told I was supposed to go to college, to get a good job in order to build a good career. This fall, I'm going back with a purpose and a direction and my goal is to earn a 3.5 grade point average. Along with that, I am currently looking for a job that will give me 15-20 hours a week with decent pay. God willing, I hope to secure a job by January 30th.

4. Blog, blog, blog, vlog?

I tried to officially start this a while back and I ended up making a Tumblr and it turned into something that I didn't want it to. So here we go again. My resolution for this year is to post a blog or vlog once a week and really put thought into every single one rather that just posting funny pictures and videos.

5. Take better care of my body

McDonalds. Dr Pepper. Ice cream. I'm very blessed that my metabolism hasn't decided to screw me over yet because I sure do put a lot of unnecessary crap into my body. I have made a list of steps that I want to take to get back into shape and to improve my health:

• Reduce the amount of soda I drink to one can / bottle a week.
• Drink 1/2 a gallon of water every day.
• Reduce the amount of fast food I eat to once a week.
• Start running twice a week. [Three times a week by March.]

If you read this, please pray for me to keep these up and keep me accountable with these. It may be hard, but I know that every single one of these will help this next year be even better than the last.

So, now that I've posted mine, what are some of your guys' new years resolutions?

The Portrait of an ESTP

This is weird. This, almost word for word, describes the type of person I am. Hope this helps at least one person understand me better:

As an ESTP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things rationally and logically.

ESTPs are outgoing, straight-shooting types. Enthusiastic and excitable, ESTPs are "doers" who live in the world of action. Blunt, straight-forward risk-takers, they are willing to plunge right into things and get their hands dirty. They live in the here-and-now, and place little importance on introspection or theory. The look at the facts of a situation, quickly decide what should be done, execute the action, and move on to the next thing.

ESTPs have an uncanny ability to perceive people's attitudes and motivations. They pick up on little cues which go completely unnoticed by most other types, such as facial expressions and stance. They're typically a couple of steps ahead of the person they're interacting with. ESTPs use this ability to get what they want out of a situation. Rules and laws are seen as guidelines for behavior, rather than mandates. If the ESTP has decided that something needs to be done, then their "do it and get on with it" attitude takes precendence over the rules. However, the ESTP tends to have their own strong belief in what's right and what's wrong, and will doggedly stick to their principles. The Rules of the Establishment may hold little value to the ESTP, but their own integrity mandates that they will not under any circumstances do something which they feel to be wrong.

ESTPs have a strong flair for drama and style. They're fast-moving, fast-talking people who have an appreciation for the finer things in life. They may be gamblers or spendthrifts. They're usually very good at story telling and improvising. They typically makes things up as they go along, rather than following a plan. They love to have fun, and are fun people to be around. They can sometimes be hurtful to others without being aware of it, as they generally do not know and may not care about the effect their words have on others. It's not that they don't care about people, it's that their decision-making process does not involve taking people's feelings into account. They make decisions based on facts and logic.

ESTP's least developed area is their intuitive side. They are impatient with theory, and see little use for it in their quest to "get things done". An ESTP will occasionally have strong intuitions which are often way off-base, but sometimes very lucid and positive. The ESTP does not trust their instincts, and is suspicious of other people's intuition as well.

The ESTP often has trouble in school, especially higher education which moves into realms where theory is more important. The ESTP gets bored with classes in which they feel they gain no useful material which can be used to get things done. The ESTP may be brilliantly intelligent, but school will be a difficult chore for them.

The ESTP needs to keep moving, and so does well in careers where he or she is not restricted or confined. ESTPs make extremely good salespersons. They will become stifled and unhappy dealing with routine chores. ESTPs have a natural abundance of energy and enthusiasm, which makes them natural entrepreneurs. They get very excited about things, and have the ability to motivate others to excitement and action. The can sell anyone on any idea. They are action-oriented, and make decisions quickly. All-in-all, they have extraordinary talents for getting things started. They are not usually so good at following through, and might leave those tasks to others. Mastering the art of following through is something which ESTPs should pay special attention to.

ESTPs are practical, observant, fun-loving, spontaneous risk-takers with an excellent ability to quickly improvise an innovative solution to a problem. They're enthusiastic and fun to be with, and are great motivators. If an ESTP recognizes their real talents and operates within those realms, they can accomplish truly exciting things.

Validation: A short film by Kurt Kuenne

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:1

I really encourage you to watch this whole thing. It's about fifteen minutes long, but if you do, I promise you won't be disappointed. I watched this short film a while ago with a really close friend and her family and in the last few days, it has been on my mind and on my heart to share it with people. And I thought... what better way than to post it on my Tumblr which no one reads? :] Although a lot of the situations in here are fictional and may be somewhat extreme, the point is clear: What you say has a bigger effect on people than you can ever imagine.

Working in youth ministry for over 5 years now, there's a definite need for encouragement in today's youth and the adult world alike. Constantly, I hear, even if it's jokingly, people tearing each other and degrading each other simple because it's what everyone else is doing. It's easy to conform, standing out from the crowd is what takes real courage.

What I've come to learn is that there is one main reason why it's almost a habit to tear down others: Everyone is insecure. Height, weight, hair color, laugh, personality, clothes. Even if it seems materialistic, everyone is insecure about something. Another realization I had is that insecure people will never admit that they're insecure. That just makes them feel insecure about their insecurities. Yeah, it is a vicious circle. Very difficult to get out of and momentarily soothed by putting someone else down.

So, this week, I challenge you to do something somewhat uncomfortable for a lot of people: Compliment a complete stranger or an acquaintance. Most likely, this will be way out of your comfort zone, but I encourage you to try it, contact me, and tell me the response you get. I think you'll be surprised how much a little encouragement can go a long way. :]

Aloha...

and welcome to my Blog. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while and I finally got the nerve and time to get it set up. I'm excited to introduce a side of me that a lot of you maybe haven't seen as I share my thoughts and observations on everything from politics to religion to everyday life. I'm hoping that this will be not only an inside look into my mind for everyone who reads, but also a way to force myself to think about things past the surface level and eventually come to a better understanding of myself and the world around me.

My goal is to post one entry every week so that I'm able to put thought, time, and effort into every single blog and make it something worth reading. In all honesty, this is new to me and I can't even begin to tell you where this is going to or what this is going to be like. But one thing I know for sure is that it's going to be my perception of the truth in its purest form. None of this sugar-coated propaganda that we're constantly being fed, but, rather, an opinion or statement that sparks discussion, originality, and, inevitably, disagreements.

I feel blessed to have been a part of so many experiences and trials and am looking forward to sharing some of them with you. The attached picture is a satellite view [courtesy of Google Earth] of the beautiful city of Kihei in Maui, Hawaii. I learned a lot about myself in the time there and since it’s an apparent beginning to a lot of discoveries in my life, I thought it appropriate to start off the whole blogging experience this way. Enjoy!