Copper Hill

I've moved.

2010-01-22T18:32:00.002-05:00

You can find me here ----> http://chicagosky.wordpress.com/

grace & peace,
dan

Happy Hallowformation day!

2009-10-31T14:34:00.002-04:00

Ah yes, the end of October is finally here. Whether you're walking your kids around town collecting candy, passing out gospel tracts, or running the backyard games at your church tonight, I pray you enjoy today!

Not much going on here in other news. We officially have 2 weeks of class and then FINALS!

This weekend I am enjoying some peace, quiet, and just a little bit of homework since it is my first free weekend (besides working) that I've had in a longgg time. Thankfully the final stretch is finally here and I can't wait for school to be out!

Hello Fall Break! Goodbye...?

2009-10-08T22:45:00.003-04:00

Fall break has come and fall break is about to wave its fair hand farewell.

With its leave, it is taking the summer humidity...yes!

As I write, school is going well. The going has been rough, but I still feel like I am above the water, even if I'm only barely breathing. Last month proved to be more than busy, and this month will beat it by a long shot. Tomorrow I'll be leaving Louisville w/ two girls from Boyce to help lead at a Discipleship Now retreat about an hour east of here (I think its east?). I'm excited for the opportunity to serve and it should be a great weekend! It seems to be God's timing to pull the seat out from under me this week so that I will have nothing hold on to besides Him. How humorous and humbling His timing can be in my life.

Lord willing I survive classes next week, Thursday I will depart from here w/ Riddle & Tony for......... wait for it... CHICAGO! :D I can't wait to see old friends and faces next weekend and to be with my whole family again for the first time in Chicago since we moved. More to come on that after this weekend.

For now enjoying the changing season. Here comes the end of another year...

Blessings from the Shire,

Detroit baby!

2009-09-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

So, Aletheia is in Detroit for the weekend!

Today we were blessed to play for a conference at a local church here and we've pretty much been on the go since early this morning! Here is proof...

The good, the bad, the Illini...I mean ugly.

2009-09-05T18:13:00.002-04:00

So, Ohio state didn't lose to Navy. Although, it was close. Darn it all.

And to make things worse. Illinois is losing to Missouri 30-9 at the start of the 4th.

*tear*

So for the most part, there is no good about today. With 2 exceptions. Basically, we'll say Chicago.

First, some friends from my home church are in Louisville for the weekend visiting some of their family and they just happened to walk into the library while I was working! Talk about random. It was great to catch up with them though. Drew (the husband) is our college intern back home and he is a great guy. Unfortunately I left for Boyce right around when he started getting involved so we didn't get to hang out too much.

Second, Kelly. A high school friend is down for the weekend visiting Matt and I so we are bumming around the town enjoying the days together and reminiscing about our lame sauce high school memories. Kelly is an excellent pianist, and hopefully...just maybe... we will get to record before she leaves. Keep your eyes open! I may be working on 2 more tracks before I let my EP loose!

Celebrate...?

2009-08-21T00:43:00.002-04:00

The best thing about life right now is playing ultimate frisbee tomorrow afternoon.

The 2nd best thing is I think I am surviving Greek.

The 1st worst thing is my job is giving me problems. Anyone know of anything good to check out?

How about this... here is a video of a wedding... I'm not saying I would ever do this, but I was watching it w/ one of my roomies and we did agree weddings should be more like this. Happier times. And he thought baptisms should be too! That got me thinking... I think he's right.

We're so content to sit back in silence as we see two people united in marriage. One of the most amazing gifts God has blessed us with. And we do the same when we see sinners saved! Granted, I'm not saying these things are not a happy occasion for us. They are. But are they...really?

Food for thought anyway... enjoy the vid! I know I did!

Here we go!

2009-08-10T14:58:00.002-04:00

Here we go! Classes have begun and I'm already 2 down!

Its been a fun week and weekend getting the wheels turning in preparation for the semester. To be honest, as the summer began to wind down I was starting to feel pretty skeptical as to how this (my 4th) year at Boyce would go. But I'm pleased to say I am more than excited for everything that is coming!

One of those reasons is my music! Here is a lovely shot of my bud Josh laying down some sweet electric licks for some of my stuff over the weekend. I think I've finished most everything. Still need to touch up some vocal work, but its getting close... really close! Praise the Lord all the things I've needed to happen have fallen into place!

Ah yes... school books. Behold and love. And be jealous.

This is about the look on my face right now. Tonight I will be finishing up some last minute homework and learning the Greek alphabet. Then tomorrow I'll be working on a message for youth group Wednesday night. Then I can breathe! :D Don't get me wrong though... I am more than blessed for all the opportunities God has given to me both at school, church and in the music realm.

His grace and blessings are never ending!

Blessings.

White guy?

2009-08-09T02:42:00.002-04:00

I have an Asian friend who loves country music and wants to marry a cowboy.

We were recently talking and she was telling me why she thinks she will marry a white guy, and not a fellow Asian. Here is what she said to me...

plus id rather date a white guy
because
asians have
1) weird parents if theyre like first generation
2) theyre awkward
3) theyre ugly
4) they have girly arms
5) i dont need a fifth do i?

Anyway... I hope you enjoyed that. It gave me a little chuckle.

On a side note... I was able to record the electric guitar parts for my CD. It should be done soon! Keep your eyes out...still.

School is back. And I am a Senior. Kind of.

2009-08-08T00:20:00.003-04:00

Well, the wheels are rolling.

After a more than crazy week of leadership and Aletheia training, we began orientation weekend with a service tonight that Aletheia led and it went pretty well. It was awesome to be playing again, and more than awesome to see old faces and catch up with some dear friends! I got to meet up with a few new students later on at Wings later on which was sweet. I think I am going to like this new class.

Tomorrow will be a day mostly given to catching my life back up to speed and preparing for the semester to start Monday morning at 8:30am. Tomorrow night I get to drum w/ one of our bands at the school before the ice cream social which will be grand. Sunday morning I will be out at church, and Sunday night Aletheia is playing at a local church here.

So, life is never going to slow down.

But thats okay...things have been grand! Tomorrow I am hoping to finish the last of my recording project so keep your eyes out!

The funny word of the week is man-space. I think we may have given a student this name that he will be forever branded with. And honored by. :)

Let the games begin! I will try to get some pictures up in the next few days of everything so you can see for yourself whats going down.

Ciao.

Music? No music?

2009-07-27T20:08:00.004-04:00

Today, I was told that patrons of our library have complained about conversations in and/or around the front desk. We do not know who the culprits are, but we know it was "too loud to study with."

I know what you're thinking... and I had all of last week off, so it was not I. :D

That being said, I believe the library needs music. Yes, probably classical. Or Christian instrumental would rock. Not only would this ease homework tension, but it would make distinct sounds much less frustrating when only heard by breaking total silence. The best of those being, my sneeze. Which no human should ever have to endure.

That does it. Tomorrow I'm bringing my sound system and iPod. Viva la revolution!

I am going country...

2009-07-26T21:14:00.005-04:00

Kind of. But not really. Well, maybe. I still haven't decided...

What I do know is I love this band. Love them. And I love playing their stuff. So here is a link to a song I performed w/ Tina at a local coffee house last night! It was a blast.

Run To You - Lady Antebellum

Grace and peace.

Lazy Tuesday

2009-06-30T22:56:00.004-04:00

Today's Life Lesson: Avoid the mall at all possibe.

Exceptions duly noted are as follows: Chic-fil-a, Sbarro, Panda Express (or any chinese chain)

My exception was the chinese chain. What a glorious meal it was...once I left the mall.

Friday one of my best buds is getting married and I can't wait! Once Thursday is here the festivities will start and it will be a blast! Then heading to Chicago w/ the other roomies for the weekend. Rockin'!

Here is a lovely picture of the family from a few weeks ago. Supurb.

Summer's almost over

2009-06-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

There is now a piano here. A keyboard of sorts. And I will try my lack of skills with it and see if I can't make some decent sound come from it.

Let's talk food. Tipping, for example.

I strongly encourage at LEAST 15% when you tip. Common courtesy is actually now 18%. There is nothing quite as devastating to the soul then a flat 10% tip when there was absolutely nothing wrong with your dining experience.

If anything, be sure to be as kind to your server as they are (or may not be) to you. You may have their tip, but they have your food. :) Not that I would ever do anything. I just hear about these things... haha.

After this Battlestar Galactica time I think I will try for an evening run. They've proven beneficial for me in more ways than one.

Libraries. They are beyond interesting. Don't you love working at a job where the people coming up to ask you a question know just about as much as you do on the subject? That's the best part about new jobs. People are trusting and position is everything. As long as I don't let on - we're all golden.

One last tangent. Transformers 2.

I saw it at midnight Saturday night. Golden. I loved it. Go see it. You may not love it. That's okay. It is truly epic in so many ways. Fantastic story development and new exciting characters. NOT TO MENTION the fighting scenes are off the chain.

Love it. Embrace it. Pass it on.

Next in the running... one of my best friends, Lee, is getting marred on Friday and I can't wait! After that - Chicago for the weekend. Still don't even have a place to stay or plans for what on earth we'll be doing there. Then West Virginia w/ the youth group for a rafting trip!

Time is going too fast...if you're reading this, go spend some quality time doing something. Read, run, talk...then get some sleep. If tomorrow comes, it will come quickly so be ready.

Bye for now.

Back to California!

2009-06-03T11:52:00.000-04:00

We're almost there already! Katie and I are road tripping home to California. She'll be there for at least the summer and I'll be flying back to Louisville next week.

We made it from Louisville to Kansas City on Monday night. KC to Albuquerque yesterday, and today the home stretch! See ya in L.A.!

Red River Gorge!

2009-05-21T00:11:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week I got to take a few days off and head east to Red River Gorge with my roomie Tony and good friend Jason. We spend two days hiking and one night camping there. We had an awesome time! Thankfully no one died, though we did have some sweet climbs at different points.

Enjoy some of the shots!

Summer Sessions

2009-05-13T01:46:00.001-04:00

Despite jobs and responsibilities...one of my goals for the summer is...music!

The first step of music for my summer took place this past Monday night. The evening was spent w/ my friends Kristen and Byron. Kristen plays keyboard and plays a major vocal role in Aletheia and has become a good friend of mine because of it.

We have tons of ideas... we did our first cover of a Yellowcard song and produced a fine recording! Hopefully I'll be getting pictures and sound clips up over time.

You can hear our first track here ----> http://virb.com/danwebb

Stay tuned!!! :D

Now we need a band name... thoughts?

The Zombie Apocalypse

2009-05-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

I have some terms that need defining. Recently (and by recently I mean over the past few months...) those I live with and myself have established common themes to our lives. Some have considered this strange, and others, pure genius.

Here are the two terms.

1. The Shire
(pronounced shy-er)
Definition: The dwelling place of the hobbits.

The hobbits are as follows:
Pippin (Antonio Loseto)
Merry (Matthew Riddle)
Samwise (Christopher Garner)
Frodo (Daniel Webb)

Many a great memory has come from The Shire. From zombie movies (see below), to one of our 7 video game systems, to dumping snow on Frodo while he is in the shower, there is never a dull moment here where sleep is scarce and salmon are always on the grill (thanks to Pippin).

2. Zombie Apocalypse
(pronounced Zaum-bee Ah-pock-ah-lips)
Definition: The day the world ends and zombies freely frolic in the open fields.

One tradition of the shire is to watch zombie movies. We have watched our fair share (though there are still more yet to be seen!) and are fully prepared for any potential attack. The Shire is equipped with cricket bats, drum sticks, scary masks, golf clubs, and other blunt objects one can use in self-defense against the potential zombies.

Moving on to the real world... finals have come and gone. This blog will now be filled with pictures, thoughts, and happenings of the summer of 2009. Enjoy. :)

Yours truly,
Frodo

Whoops, has it been a while?

2009-03-12T15:19:00.000-04:00

Discipline...

I have realized lately that everyone has busy schedules. We all have the next thing to do. We all are waiting for specific things to come along to fill our time slots throughout the week. We have different hobbies and interests to put whatever extra time we might have in.

I have realized that discipline doesn't just mean turning down the extra things in life you seriously just do not have time for. You could have the lightest schedule in the world and still be undisciplined. Its all about what you do with whatever time you have. Are things in their proper order, etc. Especially in light of the cross.

I have had at least one test/paper due each week for the last 3 weeks. And next week is the same story. What is going on!?!?!

Oh well, this is where I am so this is where I am. God grant me discipline because I lack so much.

SNOW WEEK!

2009-01-29T00:30:00.000-05:00

Thats right ladies and gentlemen - we have the whole week off of school! Fantastic.
Hopefully I will actually get some work done at some point... tomorrow night I'm supposed to be working a dinner shift at Ruby's and this weekend since school is cancelled I get to play for the wedding of two of my closest friends! I'm stoked!

But, thats still 4 days away. For now, enjoy the videos that share the fun we had today on our 2nd snow (or ICE STORM) day.

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-27T20:44:00.001-05:00

And this, is what we make for breakfast (or lunch?) on a snow day. :)

Now that the snow has ICED over...we're hoping classes are cancelled tomorrow too!

Tomorrow...We fight!

2009-01-19T18:59:00.000-05:00

Greetings friends and family...

Last Wednesday began some of the chaos I have been eagerly anticipating. Aletheia practices started and basically went all day everyday until Friday night where we played for Boyce orientation to welcome in the new students. On Saturday we left for Dayton, Ohio on our first weekend trip of the semester! We played for a Sunday morning service there before heading down to Cincinnati for a FULL (yes, I said full) evening concert. We were basically all terrified but God worked through our weakness to glorify Himself in the music we offered.

As you can see from the picture, we had a good time too. ;)

Today (monday) is my last day of freedom. Tomorrow begins my 17 credit schedule for the spring semester. I can't wait! First up, Hebrew 2 @8am. :)

The rest of life has been great. Mom and David came out on Saturday (I missed them though...) before heading up to Indy for a few days. They will be back down for some hang time Thursday and Friday I believe which will be nice.

The snow we got over the weekend was amazing. Played some snow football today w/ some new guys from school and had a blast. Except for Tony taking me out via my knees on a rather sweet almost touchdown run.

Enjoy the pics from the weekend...! :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

Happy new year friends! As you can probably tell, my feat of tackling Piper's book was short-lived. Although, I can honestly say I did read 5 chapters into the book.

Weeks have passed, and so have the time zones. I ended my time at home in L.A. well and have been back in Louisville since Dec. 30th. The Lord graciously provided good work hours for me literally the day after I got back here and got situated back into the new place.

It's been nice to be back and start to get the gears cranking that will be rolling into the spring semester here in about 2 weeks. Aletheia practice will begin actually in barely over a week so I am starting to brush up on the music and Hebrew I have so easily forgotten.

I got to bring in the new year with my church family here at a game night. It was one of the funniest things to be playing catchphrase w/ 30+ ppl including the pastor. Needless to say I had a great time and was greatly encouraged through prayer and the kindness of so many people I don't even know very well towards Katie and I.

More to come! Hopefully I will include pictures. ;) I need to get back into that...

Thoughts from Piper's book... Demand #1

2008-12-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

Demand 1: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN

Jesus answered . . . “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” – John 3:5, 7

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

Jesus tells Nicodemus (a prominent Pharisee) that one must be born of water and spirit. Yet he does not understand. One clue is found in Ezekiel 36:25-27:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Piper says, “Jesus sees all of humanity divided into two parts: those who are merely born once – ‘born of the flesh,’ ‘the (spiritually) dead’ – and those who are ‘born again’ by the Spirit of God – those who are alive to God and see his kingdom as true and supremely desirable.” (p. 39)

Piper tells us that we do not need a moral improvement from the old. New life is what the WHOLE world needs. The dead cannot help themselves. WE cannot help ourselves. And until we remove the log of pride from our unbelieving eyes this truth will never penetrate our hearts. The gospel will never penetrate our hearts. And it is when we let this truth overcome us that our hearts will turn from ourselves to God and to others.

We are living in a cemetery. And there is new life in Christ. We are His tools. God uses us to raise the dead!

"What Jesus Demands from the World," by John Piper

Los Angeles Townhouse?!

2008-12-19T17:52:00.000-05:00

No, I don't have a townhose in L.A. :-D

But I did move into my townhouse in Louisville last weekend! I finally have a place I can call my own (along w/ 3 other guys) about 10 minutes from school. Over the weekend we got all four (yes, four) of our couches moved in, and I found a bed for myself from the school thrift store. Although not much is very organized or unpacked, we've been quick to watch lots of movies and play crazy games with the friends still around the area for winter. It's been such a blessing!

In other news - Katie and I arrived safely home in Los Angeles yesterday around 11am local time. Though California is a little bit colder than I would like, it is so good to be home! Mom was in the ER for a few days due to 2 liters (yes, 2) surrounding her lungs that they were finally able to drain right as we were flying in. She's home now and actually out shopping w/ dad at the moment. After cleaning the house, us kiddos are taking it easy by watching heroes and cleaning the entire house haha.

Last Christmas I was given a book by my worship pastor... "What Jesus
Demands from the World," by John Piper. The chapters are reltively short and I hope to summarize my thoughts chapter by chapter in a journal, and on here for encouragement. After reading the introduction of this book it is hard to explain my excitement for the pages to come. I pray to be challenged far more than I have been in a long time. And I pray for a ready heart, to hear what I have needed to hear for even longer.

I pray for you all as school is winding down and family is coming soon, you'll enjoy the blessings God has given us in one another, and from Himself. I pray you will not so easily lose focus of the spiritual blessings and eternal joys as we are bombarded with secularism, physical gifts, great meals to prepare, people to make happy, and the stress of waiting for the world to kick back to normal come January. As Jesus blessed us by giving himself, likewise bless others by giving them yourself.

Christmas - U2

2008-12-07T01:01:00.000-05:00

Take this video for what it is... a music video. I hope you simply enjoy it. I did. (make sure you click it...it's a link)

U2

Falling in Prayer

2008-12-03T03:28:00.001-05:00

"We should pray when we are in a praying mood, for it would be sinful to neglect so fair an opportunity. We should pray when we are not in the proper mood, for it would be dangerous to remain in so unhealthy a condition."
- Charles H. Spurgeon

Once again, I have a few fairly important things to figure out fairly quickly. One being the apartment situation. Unfortunately two of my (hopefully) future roomies make too much money for the complex we were aiming for right next to school so that is now out of the question (after about 2 weeks of inquiry). So... we look for a new complex asap! The first will be tomorrow afternoon.

The apartment and other issues can only be resolved by God so I am seeking Him in earnest prayer. It seems I may have been caught off guard and welcomed back to the real world this time. Perhaps it was foolish of me to think things were going alright. Yet here I am, living proof of the steps I've taken to get here by God's grace. And still He will lead, through sun or storm.

One specific blessing in my life is the opportunity to sing w/ some of the music students here at Boyce for some pastors of the KBC next week. We will be doing some Christmas carols as well as some worship pieces!

Christ has held everything together...nothing is lost

2008-11-26T22:51:00.001-05:00

Finals have ended, and the grace of Christ has never been more evident in my life! It is amazing to say, and even more amazing to truly believe it. All of my finals were last Thursday and I am pleased to say most of them were smashing. The only one I am worried about, of course, is Hebrew. At this point all I am worried about is passing so I can move on to Hebrew 2. Although I think I've forgotten a lot of it in this short week already... Since school has been out I've started a new job at Ruby Tuesday as a server. I've had about 5 days of computer training and some shadowing and Saturday I will have my first tables. Hopefully I don't spill too much... If this job works out well I will be staying in Louisville through most of break (except for Christmas) and getting an apartment with some friends here. We are hoping to have the paperwork for the apartment finalized next week because we have been running around trying to tie up odds and ends this week of different things they forgot to tell us that we needed for the application to go through and now they are closed for Thanksgiving...so we wait.

Please pray for strength and wisdom on my behalf. I dearly need it. I feel inadequate in so many ways and feel I should be so much farther in life spiritually and mentally. Maybe I dropped the ball at some point...

I am also praying through how I would serve next summer. Be it at a summer camp in the states, as a ministry intern, or even overseas once again - which would be such a blessing!

I'll end with a quote I found on Justin Taylor's blog...

No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow.
It is only when they are behind us and done,
that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards,
and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant.

Accomplished, they are full of blessing,
and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us.
Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility,
and hindering our communion with God.

If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink,
go straight up to it, and do it at once.
The only way to get rid of it is to do it.

-Alexander MacLaren (1826–1910), Scottish preacher

Finals are here...and I rock. ;)

2008-11-19T03:20:00.000-05:00

It is 3:20am Eastern Standard Time and I am cranking away! While most students finished their last finals today, all of mine are due Thursday. Besides a few tests and a TON of Hebrew I need to study, I also had 5 papers to do. Two of which I finished yesterday, and one I JUST now finished. Praise the Lord!

Next on the list is God & Government. Chuck Colson is brilliant. And the great thing this book is so easy to read. I've loved the stories he's shared from the politics of the world. His points are simple and he doesn't waste time. Definitely my kind of writer.

Finally is the Closing of the American Mind. At first I loved this book...about halfway however I began to lose interest. Much of the writing becomes cluttered and difficult to understand if you do not follow the author very closely. I thought overall it was good though in pointing out cultural fallacies we have let slip by as a nation and now we are reaping the consequences.

Thursday night, sometimes around 4:30 pm I should be free at last! :)

I start my new job at Ruby Tuesday's Friday and will be serving on my own by Tuesday night. The Lord has been so gracious in providing all of my needs as of late. Even as the semester winds down. It looks I will be getting an apartment w/ some good friends here in the next month and trying to get as many hours as possible in at work. Hopefully I will head home for a little over a week at Christmas.

For now its back to my 2 remaining book reviews!
God bless you all...

Concert and finals!

2008-11-15T02:18:00.000-05:00

Aletheia played w/ Chorale and the instrumental ensamble Thursday night and it was fantastic! God really blessed the night. Not to mention Bw3's after. :)

Now...finals! Oh man. Can't believe they're here! One week of the semester and I'm done for 2 WHOLE months!

McCain on SNL

2008-11-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

I was pretty impressed to see Senator McCain on SNL the other night. I thought the skit was brilliant.

Chicago!

2008-11-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

Greetings. :)

Last weekend Aletheia traveled to Chicago and my hometown (kinda), Naperville, IL. We had a blast! We were blessed to lead through worship just north of downtown Chicago Friday afternoon then we got to do some touristy things on Saturday.

Sunday morning we played for a church in Orland Park and that evening we returned to my home church for a full blown concert. It was great! Everything went so well and it was a blast to finally travel together as a group.

In other news I have recently been job searching and it appears I will be serving at Ruby Tuesday's pretty soon here. Which will mean I'll be living in Louisville for most of the winter break. Not quite sure how I feel about that yet, but God has worked things out more than once before so I'm not too worried...

School work is crazy. Pray that I would be diligent in Hebrew because it is only getting more difficult!

Enjoy the pics!

Impressive

2008-10-20T11:05:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago some friends and I played at a local coffee shop here in Louisville. It was a great night and I was able to get almost all of it recorded. Unfortunately it wasn't the best quality, but we tried nonetheless. I was finally able to seperate all of the tracks over the weekend which was a blessing. And now its back to school...

Check out this video. One of my profs shared it with my class last week and I was impressed. Humorously, one student responded by saying this video made him want to be Catholic. I'm not sure about that, but it is defintely worth watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61wj4tJICcc

Curly hair

2008-10-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

Years later... I am still here.

School has been going so well. I've been surviving (barely) Hebrew and the rest of my classes are fine.

This last Tuesday I got to go to Nashville with some friends from school for a country music talent show. It doesn't sound like our group won, but we got to tour downtown and go to the Grand Old Opry! And even though I am far from a country music fan, it was still flippin' awesome.

Last week was fall break...I spent some time in Shepherdsville, Elizabethtown, and I got to play drums for a middle school DNow which was great.

Now I'm looking ahead to my last few weeks of classes before the end of the semester and trying to figure out what I will be doing over my extremely long winter break (a month and a half, about).

Aletheia will be playing at my home church in Chicago in 2 weeks and I cannot wait! We finally get some travel time, and its enough for us to just hang out which is great because one of my good friends who is in it will be leaving the group after getting married in December.

I know thats a lot of scrambled info, but its better than nothing. So enjoy the pictures and hopefully I'll get some more on here pretty soon. Next week should be pretty exciting!

Time has left

2008-08-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like MEN, be strong.

When I think of this verse I have a picture of Mark Driscoll trashing sissy ministers. But that's another post in itself. This has just been a verse of reflection for me this week. How often are we watchful? Notice how the verse flows. If we are watchful, we will stand firm because we know the Devil is always scheming. If we act like men, we will be strong. We can't take these challenges out of order.

Unfortunately I find myself too busy to ever watch, so I am always looking BACK ON the times I should have been strong, instead of ahead to the times where I would be.

School is 3 weeks in and I went from 19 credit hours to 13 - praise the Lord! I have 3 official classes (including Hebrew) with a bunch of music stuff. I'm also working about 30 hours a week(ish) at Pools Plus.

Things are going well though. I will be leading worship with Aletheia tomorrow night at a local church.

For now, the rest of life is flowing well. Pray for continued diligence in homework (its harder than ever) and that I might live 1 Corinthians 16:13.

Hosea

2008-07-23T20:58:00.000-04:00

Last weekend a good friend of mine (Eric) came down to Louisville to do some recording. We had a great weekend hanging out and putting some of our different musical backgrounds together in a big mixing pot and seeing what came out!

One song he wrote reflected on Hosea's marriage to a harlot and how Christ has likewise done the same to us. A people of sin, running dead away from the cross and brought us to Himself. EVEN THOUGH we are still blemished in our physical state here on earth and still stumble by turning from Him time and time again. Way to go Eric on putting that to lovely music.

My car is finally fixed! All the lights work which is fantastic. Hopefully I will be able to get some new speakers and a head unit installed so everything will be back to normal again. But only God knows right now.

I'll be moving back into the dorms on August 3rd! Oh man! I can't believe how busy I'll be...

Car

2008-07-17T00:27:00.000-04:00

The car situation was kind of fixed, but has only gotten worse. I thought it was fixed again, now lights aren't working, etc.

Please pray for patience, wisdom, and temperance. I've been doing pretty good until lately so now I am just a little frustrated.

I've been reflecting on Job recently...it's incredible how God allowed Satan to test him by removing EVERYTHING from him almost leaving him utterly alone and yet still Job never sins against God in his attitude. It's amazing how the smallest things can waver our faith and cause us to stumble. How pitiful our faith can be... oh for a stronger faith like that of Job!

Stress!

2008-07-04T14:49:00.001-04:00

Pray for me...

The other day I was driving out to Elizabethtown w/ my buddy Matt and my car broke down on the highway. Thankfully we were able to get it towed out to Shepherdsville where I could borrow my Pastors car. So, I took his car. When we got up the next morning to come back, my pastors car wouldn't start! So we got this car towed also back to Shepherdsville and Jac let me borrow her car.

You'd think having 2 cars towed in less than 24 hours would be bad enough. But no...it got worse.

Upon arriving back in Shepherdsville I discovered someone had broken into my car and stole the sound system and torn the whole console unit out. Not so cool.

Needless to say. My car is still broken and I am unsure what the road looks like to repair and am a bit under the weather. I know God will provide, but I still worry.

In the meantime... happy independence day! time to go celebrate with good friends and watch some things blow up!

The car!

2008-06-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

The rumors are true...

I got a car! ...even though I got it about a month ago it's still pretty cool. :) A '93 Toyota Tercel. And I NEVER thought I would EVER own a Toyota. Nothing against them...I just have a rivalry going with a friend and it seems she has finally gotten the best of me in my purchasing this car.

But on the good side it has been running very well. I got it at an amazing price from a family in my church. Plus its a stick shift which up until a few months ago I could not drive for the life of me. I think now I can say I'm getting the hang of it. :)

Work has been good. I'm enjoying the time to read and arrange the little things in my life when the store isn't busy.

Last weekend I went up to the Michigan dunes w/ my buds Luke and Andrew who I haven't seen in almost a year! We had a great time just hanging out and catching up on our future college plans and old memories from Chicago. And, speaking of Chicago...I was able to stop back to the Chicago area Sunday night for a while and hang out with some old friends which was great! It was definitely one of the best weekends of my summer and very needed. It was so awesome to be home!

Anyway...now its back to life here in the Ville. It's almost July and I can't believe it! I'm hoping to have my class schedule figured out soon - I'm just waiting on my re-admittance into the school since I took a semester off.

Last night I had the amazing blessing of not only being able to lead worship for my youth group, but I was also asked to teach through Acts 4. Praise God it went much smoother than I had expected! Please be in prayer for our youth group here as many of the kids are unsaved and come from very lost and broken homes.

Pray also for continual humility in my life as I try to lead by an example mirroring Christ's image.

God bless...

Kentucky Livin'

2008-06-04T13:05:00.000-04:00

Despite my lack of any posting, I did indeed make it to Kentucky!

It's been a fast month and I can't believe it's already June! I was able to visit Florida w/ Jackie and her family for a week before I started my new job at Pools Plus. The job has been great. 40 hours a week of customer service...haha. All the work is in the knowing. What chemicals do what, what parts go where, etc. I'll never understand everything it seems and at times I'm helpless but I'm slowly learning. One really cool thing about my working there is they wanted to hire Jackie for their e-town store so she started working there yesterday and we'll actually be able to work Sundays together every few weeks so that will be fun.

Other than that life has been calm. I'm in the midst of Fall planning for classes and my work schedule so please be in prayer for that. This fall will most definitely be my busiest semester by far!

Until next time...

P.S. If you get a chance check out my good friends new photography website. Its awesome!
jasoncoobs.com

God's Great Faithfulness!

2008-05-05T01:43:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning just to give a brief testimony of God's faithfulness to me in this moving situation for some time now...and though I should be sleeping, I can't really rest until I say something!

From when I got back home in December I began praying about a summer move depending on moms health condition and financial situations. I knew it could be a long shot, but my prayer was that God would make something happen if it was possible.

In March I secured a landscaping job with an elder at my church in Chicago and as far as I knew, this was where God was leading me. I had prayed also that Louisville could be possible, but I had abandoned the idea simply because I had no possible jobs or affordable housing. At this point I pursued a place to stay and a means of simply getting to work. I could get around other places I had to, but getting to work needed to happen. Over the next month or two my housing options were slowly eliminated due to the work site being different than what I had expected. For a few weeks I stopped looking and left it to God.

Then in April, Jackie and my best friend Matt came out for their spring break. I was sharing my situation with Jac and she recommended I email my worship pastor again about any possible jobs or housing, so I did. To my great surprise, he responded a few days later saying his family had prayed and they wanted to house me for the summer free of charge! They also had an extra car for me to drive and all I needed to pay was the gas! WOW!!! I couldn't believe it. So, I quickly looked for jobs within the Louisville area and I had a few possibilities but nothing secure. And I couldn't purchase a plane ticket with no job and time was running out since I was needing to be on my way by mid-May if not sooner for a wedding in KY.

In late April I visited school for a banquet to see friends and say goodbye to some Seniors who were moving home for good. I spent two days there at school and they were so refreshing! One of my friends picked me up w/ Jackie and he mentioned a job opening he heard about. So when I got home I called the number and to make a long story short...the job fit me perfectly! Good pay, full time and could continue into the semester part time... Hallelujah! Unfortunately the job is by campus and I will be living 30ish miles away so I will have to commute.

This meant restrictions on the car I could borrow from my pastor. And shortly after securing a job, I heard about a car within my church body there in great shape that I could purchase (for me only) at $1000!!! I don't have it yet, but it looks like I will be buying it soon and using it to commute and get around into school this fall.

All this to say, God has been nothing but faithful to me in these situations and not a day has gone by for the last 3 weeks that I have not been reminded of that.

The ironic twist is, God has decided to throw me a curve ball. In quitting my jobs, I forgot to allow some time off for packing and over these next 3 days before I move I will be working 45+ hours! And I leave bright and early Thursday morning at 12:30am sooo I will be very crunched for time and being packed! So please pray I somehow find time to sleep AND pack up everything I need to.

More to come when I make it to the other side of the country...

Blessings!

Spring Banquet

2008-04-27T18:43:00.000-04:00

I was able to fly out to Louisville to visit friends for Boyce's Spring Banquet. One awesome surprise was I found out I was going to be in town for our Chorale concert after I bought my tickets!

So, I had a great 2 days back at school seeing friends and saying goodbye to some who will be graduating and moving on with life. Thankfully there are only a few, and most will be around this fall!

I'm still planning on living in Kentucky in a few weeks...I just need to solidify a job before I buy my plane ticket. I'm calling on one tonight so pray!

If that works I'll be living out there for the summer and I cannot wait...

I'll say more when I figure something out haha.

ITS APRIL!!!!!!!!! YES!

2008-04-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, sorry its been so long. There are some things to report!

Lately life has been going well... mom has been recovering from the broken femur very well and is on crutches now and driving which has been a blessing for everyone.
Work has also been going well. I'm getting around 40 hours a week combined from both places which is alright though I wish I was getting more.

Last week Jackie and Matt Riddle flew out to spend their spring break with me here. It was awesome! Such a good time to relax and hang out with a new and old friend. We went to six flags, santa monica, in 'n out... and many other places. I took Jackie to see Wicked which was sweet! She had never seen anything like that and I've been wanting to for ages. It was hilarious so if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it.

I'm still praying through my summer. I have a job in Chicago, but no place to live or transportation. I just recently found out I have a place to stay and transportation outside of Louisville but no job so I am looking into more details this week hopefully. If you have a moment please pray for me as I seek God's direction in this process!

Bye for now...

Highlights...

2008-03-18T02:02:00.000-04:00

Here are just a few highlights of my life recently so reassure you I am still alive.

+ I found out instead of minimum wage, I'm making 8.50 an hour at Panera and they didn't even tell me! SWEEEEETNESS! :)
+ I survived 70 hrs of work between my two jobs in one week and would like to never do it again thank you.
+ Moms leg is doing much better and she should be off the walker in another week or two...maybe sooner.
+ The screen on my phone broke...which is sad because I've been very much enjoying "saving" money lately. But something always breaks on me...

That's all for now. Nothing else exciting to report. Summer plans in the making... :)

The car...

2008-02-27T00:35:00.001-05:00

I'm not even going to say who did this... (though it should be obvious) all I can say is it wasn't me, haha.

Thankfully our other car still looks pretty. Other than that, God has been gracious especially in bringing mom back from the hospital today after more than a couple weeks at UCLA medical center. I'm getting really tired though, and I unfortunately don't feel a descriptive blogging urge so...catch ya later!

Valentines Day chaos.

2008-02-14T16:49:00.000-05:00

In training for Ralph's last week, I was reminded that the company would "like" you to pack far away from the store for 2 fairly obvious reasons. 1, it gives the customers the best spots. 2, your car doesn't get scratched by carts. I think they should be switched around, if I need groceries I'm not going to leave the store parking lot if i can't get a super close spot. Anyway...this has been incredibly ironic for 2 reasons. The first being as I was told this, I was laughing inside because our Saturn may have been in the single closest spot to the car. And second, every day after that I parked my car in the back of the lot and EVERYTIME I've come out for a lunch break or to go home there has been a cart either left right next to my car, or today someone finally let a cart roll up against my car. I don't get frustrated easily, but I felt like throwing the cart up in the middle of the lot and wondering whose sports car it might crush. Actually that was a lie, but really I wasn't thrilled. Therefore, I am putting a foam coating all around my car to avoid scratches and feel good when I touch it. :) Actually, that was a lie too. It would be fun though it would look ridiculous. Californians are used to statements like that though so I should fit right in.

Today I'm going into Panera to fill out some paperwork. Please Lord let me start training on Monday! I can't take how slow they've been its driving me insane.

Also, C.S. Lewis is a genius. I've taken a break from Salvation of Souls and am trying to finish Mere Christianity. I wish I had a way with words like he did, if only I could remember half of the examples he uses for referral but even that seems beyond my intellectual abilities most of the time.

Unfortunately my valentine is 3000 miles away, but almost everyone I ran into at work asked about her soooooo I want her to know I miss her! :)

Busy again...finally!

2008-02-12T01:05:00.000-05:00

Today I started my job at Ralph's (Krogers chain on the west coast) as a courtesy clerk. I'll be working the opening shift (round 6-1) and getting about 30 hrs this week since I'm pretty free. Then, after filling some paperwork out at Panera later this week I should be starting training there next Monday or so. Lord willing, soon enough I'll be getting about 50-60 hours a week from both jobs and basically saving my rear end off!

But...last week mom broke her femur and has been in the hospital for about a week now. She had surgery Friday, and it went okay for the most part. There were a few complications w/ her liver meds but they were able to sort it out over the weekend and Lord willing she'll be home within a few days.

Besides prayer for those two semi-major issues in my life pray for the things God's been revealing to me. There's way too much pride and almost every day God shows me a little bit more and other ways I fall short of holiness.

Today it was 80 degrees...and I got cart duty. :D Can you say, I'm lovin' it? Well obviously, I'd rather not be working at all on a day like that, haha. Oh well.... I got paid.

Peace in the middle east.

Got it, time to go...

2008-02-01T14:49:00.000-05:00

After a week of crazy hardcore job searching, I have one. Unfortunately absolutely NO ONE is hiring around here, but I was able to get a service deli job at a local Ralph's. At least 30 hrs a week, maybe up to 50 if I'm willing to travel to other stores to help out. Part of me is skeptical for two (pretty good reasons), haha. One... its a grocery store, come on. Two... I was told its no walk in the park. People want their food fresh, made to order like they get at the McDonald's around the corner. Beautiful. And it only helps that I happen to be just north of Los Angeles, California, right?

Regardless, I need to stick it out and start saving for the future. I won't be there forever, but at least for now.

Remember that book I mentioned I would start reading? Yeah, thats been pretty much non-existent in my life since the first chapter. I might actually go read some after I finish this post.

I'm here. This is Cali, not Chicago...not Louisville. So, I think its time for me to be all here. Here we go...

P.S. go GIANTS!!!!!!!

Road trip!

2008-01-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Katie and I flew back to Louisville to pick up the vue. It was a great time to be back with friends again. Below are some pictures from the weekend and our 3-day drive back to California again.

In other news, I've decided to get reading finally while I'm here. First on the list is a collection of Jonathan Edwards sermons in a book entitled, The Salvation of Souls. The first sermon was on how the removal of Godly men from committed bodies signifies God's pending wrath and/or judgment. It was really good, though I'm still not totally sure how I felt about it. There was an encouraging quote towards the end that I wanted to share however...

"You that are young, be careful that you not be the reproach of your generations. Others are going off, and you, those of you that are to live (for it is not profitable that all of you are to live till you are past your youth), I say you that are to live are coming on endeavors to make good the ground of those that have gone before, that you may not have a hand in ruining the town. There are some men [who], instead of being public blessings, are public nuisances. Ecclesiastes 9:18, 'One sinner destroyeth much [good].' They cumber the ground. Instead of being useful members in society, they are like cancer in the body. Take heed that it be not so with you."
-Jonathan Edwards, while preaching "The Death of Faithful Ministers a Sign of God's Displeasure"

Luke came, and went!

2008-01-25T12:42:00.001-05:00

So, Luke came! He was here for 6 days or so and we went all over SoCal. Hollywood and Ventura beach were the hottest spots we checked out, and even though the water was at its coldest temperature of the year we jumped to get thrashed by some of the biggest waves I've ever seen.

Another consistent thing was did was go roller blading every night. I live on the edge of a valley here and there are huge hills EVERYWHERE. So, we went all up and down those...usually around 1am, haha! But yea, on the first night we were cutting down a random street and he was about 15ft. in front of me and 2 huge dogs randomly jumped out from a house just ahead of us on the street. Luke was like, "DOGS, RUN!!!" So I did, and so did he. Problem was he was closer to them and as he turned around they got to be about 5ft. from his rear but he made it and they chased us both for about 2 blocks before giving up.

But really, we did have a sweet time playing lots of wii golf (it was addicting). We had the best weather here we've had since I've been back while I was here, so he was lucky. Here are a few more pics from our time at the beach... peace!

Oooo, a visitor!

2008-01-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

So, about that top 7's of '07...yea...definitely not happening. Partly because I lost all my music on my hard drive and really can't remember what I listened to this year, but mostly because I am incredibly lazy.

Tomorrow will mark the day of the first visitor I've had since we moved to California. Sweet! Luke is a good friend of mine from back home and he'll be coming out for a few days before school starts for him back in Chicago. Anddd thennnn, a couple days after he flies home Katie and I will be flying out to Louisville to pick up the Saturn. I know many of you wondered if we would make a stop in Chicago, but do to some planning issues it looks like we will be in Louisville for the full amount of our stay. We'll get in Friday night, and probably leave Sunday morning...though I would like to leave Monday or Tuesday if at all possible.

I was able to find some Mac software I had and get back a lot of what I had lost through Leopard which was great.

That's all for now I think... take care everybody.

Oh great, '08!!!

2007-12-29T03:04:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking of a great 7's of 2007 list for myself. I've seen these lists all over fellow-blogger's blogs and I feel like jumping on this bandwagon. Unfortunately for you its far too late at night to compose such a list. Perhaps tomorrow.

Coming off of my last post, I gained a lot of great insights from my own scripture reading and feedback from friends on the quote a friend here left with me about being able to live for Christ despite going to hell. I don't know that I honestly could do, though I would strive to. In the end I am thankful God never planned for that to be part of his plan for salvation. And for that, I am eternally grateful. :)

With that said - what's new?

Christmas was great, we had a lovely time with an uncle and one of my moms nurses was able to join us in orange county just hanging out which was great. It's crazy to think that time has already come and gone, but here I am preparing for new years already! Dad left the following day and will be gone in NYC for quite some time. So its just us and mom now. Life will be exciting to say the least. Still no luck on the job hunt, which has been semi-frustrating but alright for now because we have family in for the weekend which has been great. That is one thing I love about being in Cali - family! It's been great to spend time with them again and just laugh! It will be sad once they leave but I'm looking forward to the times ahead while I'm home when I'll see them all again all over California.

For those of you wondering, the rumors are true, Katie and I won't be going back to Boyce this spring. Since dad will be away for so long, we're staying home to take care of mom and save up for future semesters. So, we'll be here at the latest, until this fall and then we'll go back to continue our studies! In the meantime we're looking for full-time or good part-time jobs here and making the most of the time God's given us in a different place we didn't plan on being at for very long. It's been different, but good.

So, my macbook is getting on my nerves. I installed leopard over Christmas and my hard drive was erased. Everything. 80gigs of files and software I can't get back now. Gone. poof. Thank you apple. You made my day. Oh well...after 3 hours of fighting to figure out what was wrong with my computer, I welcome the destruction. It just shows me once again how much I put into material (tho not really material, haha) things. They're all vain in the end. But I did need a lot of that stuff...haha.

Back in the real world, Katie and I are coming back to Boyce to pick up our saturn and DRIVE (yes, I said drive) it back home to cali. That will be a crazy trip to say the least. But we'll be in the Louisville area Friday night, Jan. 18th - so if you're from boyce, keep an eye out! I can't wait to see all you guys and give proper goodbyes, for a time.

Other than that not much else is new. I will try to post more frequent, shorter blurbs now that I have a semi-operating computer again.

Adios

Snow, Sweet Tea, and Santa the Stud

2007-12-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Soon after realized I had left the land of sweet tea, I caught myself singing a familiar Christmas song while walking around the local Albertson's. Perhaps it was the lack of sweet tea that had resulted in a memory lapse, but regardless, I found myself singing... "she's making a list, and checking it twice...". Of course I immediately burst into laughter (and I think a few shoppers realized I wasn't exactly a native to California). It reminded me of a clip I saw on the news of one of america's "top doctors" (quotalized for a reason...yes i made that word up) suggesting that Santa needs to lose weight to encourage kids to be healthy. So, not only do I think the idea of a female Santa is ridiculous, a slender, clean shaven, George Clooney resembling Santa is also right out. The point I'm making is not that Santa is what Christmas is about...trust me, all he does is make businesses profit. Christ is what its about, and unfortunately in some instances he is seen the same as Santa. The point is... WHO CARES!!! haha, its SANTA!

Changing subjects... I flew out of Louisville yesterday afternoon with a sweater on and it was pretty warm outside. I went through Chicago and was there for about 2 hours and I got to see snow! And HOLY COW was it cold! :) I loved it. It was so sad to leave the airport, even the air felt like home. But then, I arrived in L.A. and yea, even the runway workers had shorts and t-shirts on. Not that I don't mind the warmth. It is grand. :) And also the 55mph speed limits. Mmmm... merry Christmas. :)

On a much, much, MUCH, more serious note... I had an awesome talk with a friend of mine who picked me up from the airport. He's a guy I met over the summer and only briefly was able to get to know. Anyway, one of the biggest things I got from our conversation was a thought he shared with me from a preacher he had heard on disc. The thought was... could we live our lives for God and His glory alone, sacrificing all we are for His sake, IF we knew that our destination would still be hell? Yea, take a minute for that to sink in. It's taken me a day and I still haven't totally grasped it.

More to come...

Goodbye Louisville...

2007-12-03T21:11:00.000-05:00

So, for the first time ever, I'm leaving school on plane and am only allowed 2 suitcases and 1 carry-on. Rawr!
Can't lie, usually this wouldn't bug me. But I have to leave my guitar here! Argh. Even without it I'm still not sure how this will work, haha. I will have to let you know tomorrow when I arrive in that beautiful 70 degree weather. :)

There is one good thing about this (besides the change of temperature, that is). I have a 1 hr layover in Chicago. I actually will get to breathe Chicago air one last time before the year ends. Hallelujah!

Thats it. Good bye Louisville...I will see you again sometime next year God willing.

Forever a fan of everything you are minus the roads and drivers,
Daniel Webb

(picture taken by Jason...not myself)

Feels like Chi-town :D

2007-11-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

So, I can't remember the last time I walked into a mall w/ 8 other guys and actually stayed there for over an hour. Oh wait... the last time was today! Haha!

Well, I'm in Pittsburgh w/ a bunch of friends from school for a good friend's wedding tomorrow afternoon. They got their tuxes today and we're just hanging out in a hotel til the rehersal dinner tonight.

There's a chill in the air and a nice breeze so I feel at home. :) I hope it snows...

Prayer

2007-11-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

Please pray for me...
Tomorrow I will be going back out to Elizabethtown and tomorrow night I will be driving out to Pittsburgh w/ some friends from school for a friends wedding. I'll be playing guitar in it, so you can also pray for that. :)

Pray also for finances and family issues. Pray God would continue to keep my mom healthy and that I would have wisdom to make the choices God has presented me with and be content.

Christmas is around the corner...

2007-11-24T16:03:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Elizabethtown, Kentucky! I'm watching Kentucky attempt a comeback against Tennessee and praying it works... (sorry TN fans! haha)

This year I was blessed to spend Thanksgiving at my girlfriend, Jackie's house here in e-town w/ Katie and Matt Riddle. We came out on Tuesday and they went back to school thurs and fri night cause of work so I'm able to stay the weekend. :) School ended well for all of us (I think them too anyway...). It's crazy thinking school is out until January but thats how it is!

For those of you wondering about this whole "girlfriend" thing...it is true, and it wasn't exactly planned but God worked things out and here we are now. :) My good bud Jason took some pictures of us this past Sunday afternoon so I thought I might share some of those. The ones of him and Jenny (his girlfriend) were taken by me. :)

That's all for now...

3 down, 1 to go...

2007-11-14T01:58:00.000-05:00

Well, 3 finals are down! Two of them went fantastically...the other one not so well but I still think I will have a good grade in the class haha. On the side here is me getting some studying done w/ Riddle and some friends from school. As always it's amazing to see how fast time has flown this semester! My last final is Thursday and it's a simple essay question. So basically, a fake final. :) In the meantime I'm relaxing and enjoying not having to stay up late doing homework, reading, or writing crazy papers. Most kids will be leaving this weekend but Katie and I will be staying at least until the first week of december. Please be praying for a job for me. I have 2 that I will be looking into that could keep me here an extra 2 weeks to make some extra money for next semester.

We had our chorale / worship band concert last Thursday and it was great! Everything went very well except for at one part we added some Scripture readings and unfortunately I forgot so right as the band was starting to read I counted in the next song and started playing and basically had my own 4-bar drum solo. :) It changed everything up though which was nice, haha! It was awesome to see how the band came together to play a song with the chorale we hadn't practiced with them until the day of the concert. And I definitely had an awesome time playing and already miss my drums.

But yea, thats about all for now. Soon students will be gone and I will be bored out of my mind. I plan on reading and playing guitar basically while I am here. Maybe some more recording? For those interested I have some live stuff up from a couple months ago online...
myspace.com/webbsmusic

much <3

PS below are videos of our chorale concert and an intro movie i did for our missions class on the globalization of Christianity

Philosphy Rap!

2007-11-06T01:37:00.001-05:00

Here's a taste of Boyce college for you...

(taken from my bud, David King)

What good are windows if you can't drive?

2007-11-01T04:24:00.000-04:00

Oh the joys of owning a car... I think it would be appropriate to talk about cars for a second here. My sister and I have been left in charge of a 2005 saturn vue by our loving parents while we are here in college. Unfortunately, not too long ago the fuse for the power windows went out. Now, maybe I should've just brought it straight to the dealer but, I'm in college! EVERY guy at least claims to know something about cars so I grabbed two that I trusted and we took a look (considering I know just about as much about cars as I do the street system here in Louisville - none). The fuse was located and soon we had come back to my car with a replacement fuse and after replacing said fuse I merely turned on the electrics of the car and POOF! Power windows are once again...powered! 30 minutes later I return to my lovely vue for a trip to the bank. Oh no...the car won't start! 2 hours later we are still not positive what the problem is. We know it isn't the battery because it turns but the engine doesn't catch. So tomorrow I will investigate our warranty and a possible tow and pray with my limited funds we can bring my car back to life.

Could life get any better? Yes, yes it can. 2 weeks from now I will be smack dab in the middle of finals. Which makes the week I am in now the busiest week of the semester for myself. BUT, it has been a good thing. :) Despite the workload (yes, its 4:30AM) my reading has been very beneficial. Especially my worldviews reading. I've never been very fond of philosophy, but this class has changed my perspective and I realize my bias view of philosophy being an irrelevant waste of time and thought is clearly in the VERY wrong. So, philosophy is cool. Why? I'm too tired to give you a philosophical answer. More to come...

Some of you know I am in the worship band here at Boyce as the resident percussionist. We've been asked to come lead in a chapel service at Fort Knox this coming Sunday and I will be sharing my testimony. Please pray for grace in words and in my playing. This is pretty big deal. We will be leaving at 6:30 am and getting back hopefully around 4pm that evening. After that will begind my prep week for finals. Praise God only 2 classes have actual exams. The other two are a group project and essay question. It's amazing how fast school has gone but its been great! I'm praying about what to do over break. I will most likely be down here until the 2nd week of December before heading back to Cali for Christmas and then hopefully coming back!

Thats all for now... be mindful of your power windows.

3 weeks and counting...

2007-10-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

There's 3 weeks of classes left until finals. yay? Maybe not so much. Although I cannot wait to be done with school for a time, this only means the hardest part of the semester is that much closer!

Its alright I suppose.

Fall Break pics...

2007-10-11T01:07:00.001-04:00

papers...

2007-10-10T02:29:00.000-04:00

It's 2:30am local time here in louisville... and, here i am... typing a paper...

I only finished the reading for this book yesterday (I had to read 180 pages to "finish" it) and the paper is due today at 11:30. Things are the same as high school. The farther in you get, the less motivation you have to do, well - anything!

Though this book review is rather boring to write, the book was tremendous. Knowing God, by J.I. Packer is what I had to read for Theology 1. To be honest, I wish I had more time to go through it and really soak it in. Part of me likes the idea of re-reading it over break...but c'mon, the realist in me knows the chances of that happening are slim if any.

One thing that stuck out especially was the chapter on "adoption." When we see God as our Father, and ourselves as children and brothers to Christ all else will flow out into a right mindset of our Creator and Savior. Thankfully this chapter was the 2nd to last in the book so I actually remember some of it. Why get to know someone who doesn't love you? Who doesn't know you too? The answer to these questions is erased when we see God as our Father and what he has done for us as unworthy orphans satisfied with our mud puddles and trash in making us heirs through Christ to the Kingdom.

Mmm... I love school. I'm so blessed.
I could use a job though... so, pray I'm not as lazy as I've been...?

Whatever you do...do for Christ...and when you pray...pray in his name... be intentional! It speaks loud to those around you!

E-town and Fall break?!

2007-09-29T16:19:00.000-04:00

Well, the semester is just over half-way through! I can't believe it!

School has gone very well so far. I dropped Hebrew to focus on my other classes because I knew being a week late into school it would be near impossible to make it without hindering my other classes. So, my language studies will most likely start next fall.

God's opened many more doors for music and ministry this semester. I'm playing drums with the Boyce worship band and we've already gotten to perform twice. I've also been able to play guitar in church and am getting more involved in the worship ministry since I've been meeting with our worship pastor. This has been a huge answer to prayer and is also influential in deciding what to minor in or if I might even change my major.

This weekend Katie and I got to come to Elizabeth town and go camping with 2 friends of ours who are sisters and stay with their family. We just got back from camping and we'll stay the rest of the weekend here before heading down to Atlanta on Monday where dad is working.

Thats about it on this end... God bless!

EDIT: here are some pics!

Papa and little papa Webb on TV

2007-09-13T00:27:00.000-04:00

Dad and David were on Fox News Atlanta Monday morning. Dads been testing the acoustics at a brand new preforming arts center down there and they decided to do a story on it and they even let David have a little part!

Enjoy! :)

phil webb on fox

2007-08-15T10:17:00.000-04:00

So, even though I have been at school now for a couple days here’s an update on our Czech trip and some pictures.

Camp ended very well a week ago Saturday. Our talent show was fantastic and there were no issues with anyone or classes, which was a huge praise! As the week went on in my discussion group my kids remained mostly quiet. So that gave myself, Solea and Katka (my translator) many chances to share from our own hearts with them. I could see in their eyes that they were thinking but they just didn’t have the words to say for some of the deeper topics we tried to discuss. On the last night though we got to talk about the gospel and Christ’s love for all. I asked what they believed about Christ and the messages Ray had been sharing all week and out of my 8 students (2 which were believers) 5 said they believed whole-heartedly it was the truth! AMEN! The others you can pray for who just didn’t know what to believe are Pavel, Zuzka, and Tereza. I was able to give Pavel an ESV NT Bible so pray he will take the time to search its pages and God will use it to draw him to Himself.

After camp we had 3 days in Cesky Tesin just to hang out with the kids. I was blessed to stay with Radek (brother of Daniel and Marcel), whom I’d stayed with a couple years earlier as well. God definitely used follow up to encourage our team and work in the hearts of these kids. At follow up I was also able to meet up with Cigi and Honza (2 guys from camp in 05) who I have very close relationships too. Though neither are saved it was great to be able to talk to them again and see where they are. I still pray God will convict Honza of his sin and in talking to him I can see that he knows morality falls short of righteousness.

Once the team was in Prague we had 2 days to rest, worship, and shop. Haha! We got in Tuesday afternoon and rested up before dinner in Prague and on Wednesday we took the day to run around Prague and buy gifts for friends and family. I didn’t buy too much myself so I just enjoyed the city again. Wednesday we had a time of worship through song, the Word, and through prayer as a team. It was a great time to reflect on the camp and remember the students we are praying for.

All in all, God really blessed this trip. This year was so different for me (being my 5th camp in Czech). I had increased leadership responsibilities, the students were new, and the team was somewhat new as well. Going into it I really had no idea what to expect but God is faithful to work all things out for the good of those who love Him.

As for next summer… I have no idea. It looks like God has opened some doors while closing others but it’s still far off. I would like to be serving in Europe all summer next year depending on when school starts. If it starts this early again I may try to work here somewhere.

Thank you again for your prayers and support!

For His glory,
Dan

Camp will soon be over... :(

2007-08-02T08:02:00.002-04:00

Hello, hello, hello…

Sorry it’s taken me so long to post. Once again time has only flown by. Tomorrow will be our last FULL day of camp! Hallelujah no more English. :D But we are all very sad for camp to end. Something has been very different about this camp for me. I was talking to a friend here I have known since my first trip and he feels it too. God’s doing a great work in the darkness!

Camp has gone very well and we haven’t had any big incidents – Praise God! My English class has been AWESOME this year, which has been a huge blessing. Our team and the Czech team have blended and have been getting along great.

Tonight is our talent show so everyone is getting very excited for all the music and skits to be put on display.

I need to go now though. It’s sports time and if I’m late I have to do pushups haha!

Some things to pray for….

- Ola, who is in my English class. She has been broken this week over a close friends death.
- My voice. Its about dead. Basically.

Dan

From Czech

2007-07-26T04:57:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the Czech Republic!

It’s hard to believe the week is already coming to a close but at the same time it feels like we’ve been here for weeks. We arrived safely in Prague Monday morning and – to our surprise – we had no dishpacks or my guitar! Regardless of the lost luggage, we headed to our hotel to rest up before heading to downtown Prague to see some of the sights and hang out. When we came back…the dishpacks were sitting in the lobby! Unfortunately, no guitar. L We and about 5 other teams from the US and Canada left Prague Tuesday morning on a 5 hour bus ride where we enjoyed more rest and getting to know a couple other people from different teams. There is a team here from Peoria AND St. Charles! This is the term of Illinois for sure. ;)

Training started Tuesday evening and even though the schedule hasn’t been totally full, we have felt weary at times. One HUGE praise is my guitar came in yesterday morning in great condition (though the case was a bit beat up). We’ve had many meetings on camp conduct and English teaching as well as prayer and worship times in the morning and evenings led by our team.

Today is our last day of training then all the other teams will leave Malenovice to their camps and we will stay here to prepare for ours. Which is awesome since we don’t have to travel anywhere we will have all of Friday to chill and prepare for the students which will be coming Saturday afternoon. Classes will start Sunday and go til Friday of next week.

PRAYER
+ This year has held the most responsibility for me in the leadership aspects with music and teaching so pray for endurance. I’m up right now with Laura Tabbut and Steve Rupsis going over our worship sets for tomorrow and writing up hand copies of our camp songs so Elle has something to read on the piano.
+ UNITY Not only for our team but also for our team alongside the Czech team here from Cseski Tesin we’ll be working with.

That’s all for now - I’ll post more this weekend with some pictures hopefully!

Its finally here...

2007-07-18T12:18:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm sitting in LAX waiting for my flight to leave for Midway in about 50 minutes. A lot has happened since my last post and I don't think I can go into everything so I'll just go over some small things.

While I was in Cali I met a group of students (mostly students, anyway...) through Dan Powell who met every week to play ultimate. Not only was this a great way to keep me off my lazy bum but God used those times to encourage and prepare me for the project in Czech and the upcoming school year. So, for anyone who was part of that group and reads that -- thank you for your encouragement and time even though I was only here a short while!

This past Thursday Katie, David and I drove up to San Fransisco for a family reunion of sorts. My Grandma (dads mom) turned 80 this week! One of my uncles has a church up there and his oldest son is the worship pastor. Dad was able to sing for the services, and I was able to play drums w/ the worship team which was an awesome experience! And of course, fun. :) I rocked out...haha! Below are a few pics and maybe a video from the weekend.

Once I returned to LA I had a ton of packing to do and pushed my flight to Chicago back a day so I could spend it with my family before leaving because mom has spent a good amount of time in the hospital lately doing tests etc. I soon realized I didn't know where my passport was! This sucked - hands down - not cool. Long story short, I ran downtown to get a copy of my birth certificate so I could apply for a passport in person in Chicago later this week and then at about midnight last night dad told me about a box that never made it to my room when we moved and it was in there! Praise God...again!

So here I am...at LAX. I will be back in the burbs for just a few days. The czech team leaves Sunday afternoon and I'll be gone for almost 3 weeks then straight back to school! I'll update again before we go.

Blessings...

The countdown begins...!

2007-07-02T01:25:00.000-04:00

Well July 1st is quickly coming to a close...

Its crunch time.

Before I explain the "crunch" in my time I will give a brief update on what I've been up to these last few weeks. A week and a half ago, after much job-searching and absolutely no avail - I heard about a temp. agency that matches up people with different jobs for short term work (usually a week) and the people just rotate different jobs. This idea was more than perfect for my situation so I checked it out, filled out some forms, and they said they would call by the end of the week. Two days later I had a full-time warehouse job that I could work until I left for Chicago. I even went in to work the same day they called me! Talk about a blessing! Only here for a month and a half and God provides a FULL-TIME job that pays quite reasonably. I think an amen sounds about right.

So, I've been busy working and doing not much of anything else basically.

Last weekend we had one of my moms college friends from Hawaii come visit which was quite nice. Dad and David were in San Fran (dad was covering) for about a week so it was nice to have some peace and quiet around the house.

Then this weekend we had our cousin and his wife along with their beautiful daughter, Aria stay the weekend with us (see pics below). That was great. We've only gotten to see them every other year or so and to be able to have the whole weekend was great. My cousin (Andrew), is a worship leader at my Uncle's church so we had some good talks about worship and theology so that was great. Before I head back to Chicago we will be staying with them (Katie and I, specifically) for a family reunion and I will get to play drums with Andrew in their service which I've gotten to do once before. I'm really looking forward to that weekend!

Flash back to reality... due to dental issues and the immediate need of a crown on the tooth I have come to realize is a direct result of the fall - I will not be going back to Chicago until July 17th. In the meantime I have a bunch of ESL lessons and worship sets to prepare for czech! I'll be back in chicago for 5 days before we take off for Czech on the 22nd. You'll hear more about the trip as time draws near and as I'm away. I'll be getting back August 9th and heading straight to school seeing as classes will have started on the 6th and I'll miss the first week.

PRAYER!

Today Rick Holland spoke in college group on prayer from Colossians 1:9-12. I was challenged to re-examine my own prayer life and avoid vain repetition so that I am talking to God instead of merely repeating lines I have trained myself to say. I've begun to do that more so w/ friends from back home and now I ask you would do the same for me! Some specific things would be...

+ Time management in getting cz lessons and worship sets prepared adequately w/ a full-time job and many, many side projects.
+ That I would make the most of these last few weeks with my family as I will probably not see them again until Christmas.
+ God would humble my heart and focus it even now on what He is doing in the Czech Republic as I ready myself to be a tool for His glory
+ Rest! This Fall I will be taking 16 credits w/ Greek!!! AHHH! Pray for that one especially... haha
+ And finally, for my time back in Chicago. That I would not waste it. That I would use it wisely to prepare even more for the trip and take advantage of the relationships I am able to continue and encourage people through.

Sorry that one was so long. I'll try to post again sooner w/ a shorter tidbit.

Webb

Reflections on Mark 3 and the sabbath

2007-06-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

I recently began going through the book of Mark. Today I'm going through the 3rd chapter. The part I wanted to pull out specifically is the beginning verses of the chapter. They read...

1Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2And they watched Jesus,[a] to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." 4And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. (ESV)

Jesus came for people. He came to save people who could not be saved to Himself so that those people would reflect His mercy, love, and kindness. This explains how we can know what Jesus is going to do for this man with the withered hand.

Now to another subject - the sabbath. In God's law the Jews were commanded to keep the Lord's day holy by rest from their everyday labor. But the Pharisees had taken this law to the extreme of extreme. Not only should you take a day off from your job, but any physical exertion could be considered in direct violation of this command. This idea had so much twisted their hearts that they would not serve another person if it involved any physical activity.

Shocking? Yes. And, no.

You and I are Pharisees. Though we have been saved through the blood of our precious Savior, our selfish lusts still creep at our doors. When I think about this passage in light of the Sundays. I usually take them off from work but in my rest all I think about is me, me, me and I'm tired, how can I feel better.

What is so radical about what Christ did is not only did He do work (in the eyes of the Pharisees), but He served someone else! He did a GREAT favor for someone. Someone who did not deserve it. And He didn't do it because He thought he deserved it, He did it for Himself! For His glory!

As we continue in future "days" of worship (as to Sundays, the days when we meet as a people) I pray we would go with a heart overflowing with God's love and we would seek to serve one another for Christ's glory as He demonstrated for us.

Much love to all,
Dan

Pictures!

2007-06-03T18:53:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately they are in reverse... and I am far too lazy to fix this. But here they are anyway! haha.

Day 4 (thurs)

2007-05-25T01:07:00.000-04:00

Well... we made it!

Our stuff isn't supposed to get to Cali til Friday so we decided to take about 2 hrs our of the way and check out the grand canyon. It was pretty sweet. So we did the whole walk around, take pictures, and look like tourists who are louder than everyone else thing for about 20 minutes and then left. It was worth the $50 in parked we had to pay...or should I say...dad had to pay. :)

The scenery today kicked butt as well. Driving through mountains was basically non-stop which was tight. Cali is awesome. The weather is kicking but our stuff won't be here til tomorrow so we're in a hotel tonight. We got to see the house and everything though and its awesome! Pretty good for an over the internet deal haha. I'll get some pics on soon hopefully.

Avg. speed: 90 mph *insert cool smiley* :D

Windows: up!

Bugs killed: 2

Best cd played: Eyes Open, Snow Patrol

Thoughts: how much longer should the madness of the beard continue?

Day 3 (wed)

2007-05-24T00:55:00.000-04:00

Today could basically be summed up in one word.......

"blah"

Leaving Texas and coming to New Mexico at first was nothing special. Lots of flat and very dry land. Oh man wait...we saw about A MILLION cows all at once at the same plant (or whatever you call it). It was probably the strongest of anything I have ever smelled in my life. The 2nd half of New Mexico was beautiful though! Lots of hills and rock faces. I loved it.

We drove by Vaughn, NM. (yeah vaughns!!!)

Andddddd apparently where we are right now (flagstaff, AZ) is 2 hrs from the butterworth residence. Unfortunately we cannot meet. Perhaps on the way back! I love you guys...all 3 of you.

Avg. Speed: 75 mph (borrrrrringgggggg)

Windows: up

Bugs killed: 27

Naptime: 7 minish

Best CD played: music from and inspired by Spider-man 1 (booooyaaaa)

Thoughts: The world would be a better place if David and Katie Webb never made another sound.

ROAD TRIP!!!

2007-05-23T00:33:00.001-04:00

Well... we are on our way... and here is some of how the trip has been so far...

Day 1 (mon)

So we got a new Saturn vue! The webb van has been traded in and a 2005 saturn vue has been purchased for the webb family and I get to drive it. Beeeeeaaaaaaaauuuuuutiful.

Anywho…we left the greater Chicago-land area around 1pm (no thanks to my lazy-bum self) and arrived outside Kansas city at grandma’s about 10pm and stayed up til 1230 (not a good idea). No fun stories to report. Only some good quotes and little highlights, so, here you go…

“If you’re frustrated that they don’t allow laptops on the ferris wheel you may be a workaholic.” (this made me think of my dad…haha)

Avg. speed: 80mph (meh…)

Windows: Up.

Naptime: 30 min(ish)

Best CD played: Minutes to Midnight, Linkin Park

Day 2 (Thurs)

From Kansas city to Dalhart Texas!!! We made it quickly through the DJ capital of America…Witchi-TA! Haha…I love you tim. Then we drove through liberal Kansas and I declared that I was from conservative Illinois. (haha not. But yeah….really) Here we passed Dorothy’s house and La Fonda’s motel on pancake ave. (you think I’m kidding)… it was also here that I saw a sign and all it said was air museum w/ an arrow pointing in some direction. In all honesty I thought the display for that day might be oxygen. We also ate at an Applebee’s in Oklahoma and because it was there it might as well have been a Texas Road House w/ an apple on the front. No joke.

On a more serious note…the scenic highway in eastern Kansas is BEAUTIFUL! Oh my gosh! So many hills and turns and…fun. :) I’m coming back with my band in 5 years to write an album.

I don’t think we almost died…although we didn’t see the sign for our next turn so we went from 100mph to 5mph in about 5 seconds. Because of the hills though driving was awesome. Never really tiresome or boring. At least for me…maybe not Katie. Here comes tomorrow!

Avg. speed: really fast J

Windows: DOWN (hair up!)

Naptime: none

Best CD: Passion 07

Tumbleweeds seen: 8ish

Bugs killed: 1,297

Semester closing!

2007-05-09T00:18:00.000-04:00

Well, I have one "test" left on Friday and my second semester is no more! I can't believe how quickly its come. This semester has really been awesome. God's opened doors for ministry in music at our church and in the dorms with different guys on my hall. A lot has happened and I feel to try and go into detail over it all would be vain. I'll let pictures show how it went.

I come back to Chicago Friday after my last class and I'll be home for barely a week. We leave for Los Angeles on the 21st. I'm planning on being out there for at least a month and then coming back to Chicago to get ready for Czech.

In the meantime... please pray that I would still end strong. And that once I get back we would be quick in getting things packed and ready to leave. I still have a lot to prepare for cz and man am I getting excited for it!

That's all for now...

Movies, anyone?

2007-05-08T18:41:00.000-04:00

Enjoy! :)

New blog location...

2007-02-20T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know I've moved my blog over to wordpress due to some changes in blogger so this should work a lot better for me. I know its been a long time since I've posted but I plan on getting back into it very soon! God bless.

new blog ----> http://chicagosky.wordpress.com/

DW

The changing of times...

2006-11-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

Classes have ended and all that is left are finals. It's only Saturday and most everyone has vacated the dorms for friends, family and home. Part of me wishes I could be gone as well but the tranquility overwhelms me. I don't think I've had a time of as much peace and quiet since the summer.

The Lord has brought me through a strange ride this semester and it is only the beginning. I want to put to words my thoughts of what has happened in my life this semester but I don't feel it possible. So many physical events, emotional stresses, character developments and changing seasons seem too many to asses respectfully.

They say your first year of college reveals who you are - rightfully so - away from comfort and the familiar there is nowhere to hide. Through my church, friends and classes I can see the pieces of God's puzzle for my life come together though I am still so unsure of where I am headed. Our high school group will split officially over the winter break and I am very eager to get back and start to work with the Jr. High. I've gotten to know a couple of the guys very well but at the same time I feel the fraility of my heart as it wonders what else is out there.

I have learned to be content with where I am. So many people here search for God's immediate will in the now..."should I take these classes, go to this church, talk to these friends, date this girl etc," but although these things are important His will is in the longrun. Its in our lives and how we run this race and if we are even running at all.

Next week I'm going to NYC w/ the family for Turkey Day before coming back for finals and heading home for almost 2 months. I'm excited to be home again but I think 2 months is too long. I need to find a job among other things and stay on my toes. I can tell next year (like this one) will be a year of incredible changes in my life. Trusting God sometimes only gets harder as He leads you on a twisting road that you can't even see - but I'm trying. Unfortunately I am full of more flaws than I have ever known and I am hopeless to change on my own. That is probably the biggest thing God has shown me this semester...He will take me as I am and not for who I could be. If you're going through a time of struggle right now I pray that thought will give you peace.

DW

Attack of the Dogs

2006-11-08T01:57:00.000-05:00

I had to do a cause and effect paper for English today and the class thoroughly enjoyed it so I thought I would share it with you all. It shows the lighter side of attending a Bible college. ;) We only have 8 days left of class before break and finals...wow. I'll post more soon.

~DW

-----------------------

Dan Webb
11/6/06
English Comp. 1
Cause and Effect Essay

Most people have witnessed someone or something being chased by a dog. I remember as a young boy watching a friend of mine being chased down the street by a dog that wasn’t even up to his ankles. I can think of a couple reasons for why a dog might chase you with the malicious intent of biting your leg off. A dog will chase you if you jump a fence landing in its territory, are carrying drugs, or you decide to pick up a rock and throw it at the dog’s face.

Imagine you are out with your closest friends and you have just completed the best TP job of all time on your youth pastor’s house. As you turn to leave the backyard a light in the house turns on and you hear the dreaded voice of your leader scream, “HEY!” The only logical route is through the backyards of the neighbors so without hesitation you take off. Three houses later you land on your feet and hear a bark. As you turn to face the dog you meet its eyes and realize there is no chain and there is no fence to block you in. The dog, in natural instinct to defend its territory, pursues you down the street and into the next neighborhood as your friends laugh out loud. Because you entered the land of the dog it thought best to escort you back to your own.

We all know not to do drugs. Mainly because of what they do to us and the negative effects they will always have on our lives. But there are still people who do not think it is enough to be concerned with your body. Today you have brought some drugs to help a friend who had been caught TP’ing the previous night, but something happens you did not expect. The principle of your school has authorized a random drug search in the main hallway and what better means of finding those drugs then a dog. You start to sweat as the dog comes within five people of yourself and you tell God if you make it out alive you will never do drugs again. Too bad God has already pre-destined this dog to find out and make you pay. Before the dog reaches the third person in front of you it lets our a tremendous bark and you take off towards the door. You make it across the street before you feel the sharp fangs sink into your leg. Perhaps if you had decided to share Jesus instead of drugs things would be different.

Jumping into the territory of a dog is an honest mistake and carrying drugs is a crime, but sometimes a person is just so stupid it is only inevitable. After school was over you saw a drug dog chase someone down the street before taking him out. You laugh with your friends because you all know that you are man enough to show any dog whose boss. Unfortunately for you your ego is now ten times the size of your head and as you pass a home with a dog in the front yard you tell your friends you will prove who is the real boss. You pick up a rock and throw it at the dog. In your minds-eye you hear the dog begin to whimper before it wobbles away in humble defeat; however, the bark of the dog quickly brings you back to reality as you turn to run from the dog while your friends lie on the ground laughing.

In conclusion there are many reasons for being chased by a dog like, invading its privacy, carrying drugs, and throwing random objects at its face. No one wants to be chased by a dog, so if at all possible please avoid any and all of these actions at all times.

It's been a month...... (almost)

2006-10-20T00:37:00.000-04:00

It's October!!! I'm not terribly sure as to what I should write about so I think for now I'll just give a (semi-)brief update.

Life has changed a tad since fall break...on the way back to chicago from minneapolis my engine overheated and to make a long story short my car is resting in peace somewhere outside the city there and I finally made it home via bus. God was very gracious throughout this experience and He gave me great peace (for the most part...hehe) and showed me the desires of my heart and how I have ALWAYS felt in control of my own life. The phrase "no control" now has a totally new meaning in my life because I have none.

School has been going well for the most part. College life has really started to sink in. I lost 4 hours of dishwork at our cafeteria and after talking to management I gained 10 hours of stock work divided into Monday and Thursday (monday its from 7am - 12!!! AHHH!). So although this once again may not be my most ideal choice for means of funds I am content and I know its a good thing. I had my first day of stock yesterday (Thursday) and it wasn't too bad...I just need to bring gloves because I spend half my time in the freezer.

Nothing else is very new...I'm coming home next weekend for the hallelujah party and to spend some time w/ the family and friends. School work has been going grand as far as papers etc, I just need to catch up in some reading. We will have another wave of tests/papers the first week of November. :( I'm eager for Christmas though! I can't believe how fast its coming.

Prayer needs are and will always remain. Some of them are:
-Diligence in my quiet times (because of classes its hard to do in the morning and only gets harder as the day goes on)
-Patience in the walk God has planned for me. I always want to be able to see through the fog...but I know He knows whats coming.
-Boldness. Most of the time I like to sit back and watch people here and now that we've been here a little while some people are changing and I wish to remain strong and keep a passion. It's been hard though...I'm looking for some 1on1 accountability and/or a mentor so pray for me as I seek that somewhere.
-Joy, as I mourn the loss of an amazing car ;)

God bless you all and have a blessed day!!!
dwebb

Hallball

2006-09-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

Last night was hallball (a school-wide dodgeball tournament) and yes my hall, doulos (bond-servant of Christ) won! We went 4-1. :) Here's some of the guys...

mid-terms already?!

2006-09-25T01:20:00.000-04:00

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,
And in His word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Well this passage is definitely fitting. Wait on the Lord oh my soul! I wish I did that more often. School has been crazy and I apologize for the lack of updates. Amidst the bubble of school there are still cracks and imperfections. I got a job at our cafeteria a couple of weeks ago and as of now its going great. The only thing is that the head chef (who "trained" me) died suddenly of a heart attack 5 days after I met him at the age of 36. God is sovererign, amen?! Yes He is, even in that.

Recently I have had friends who have been getting sick, one of whom went to the ER only a couple of hours ago so please be praying for Kim and Steph that God would sustain them. And usually the most of my worries is homework and how clean or not clean my room is.

I've been searching for a long time for a church to become a member at and after almost 2 months of prayer and seeking I've finally been given peace on a church called Bullitt Lick. They have a passion for God's glory, the community is SO welcoming and I love the worship. I've been to the youth group to and just today I have finally felt that is where God has me. I will be looking to serve on the youth staff which will be a 1-year contract after 6 weeks of being watched by the youth pastor and staff. So I will begin that purpose after Fall break. :) I'm very excited!!!

Mid-terms are "almost" over. Just a few more days!!! Life on campus is hectic and will only get worse this week. BUT I will be coming home on Thursday and right after arriving will be leaving for Minneapolis, MN to do volunteer work at Piper's "The Soverignty of God is a Postmodern World" conference. I'll be staying w/ Ryan Griffith and coming home sometime Sunday night. I'll be home until the next Sunday. :) School is great and I love it here but I am eager to be home for a chance to breathe and see some old friends I have missed.

PRAYER:
-I don't get my first paycheck until Friday and I am low on funds, plus I will not even be here Friday so pray that God would provide.
-Mid-terms this week, tests and papers etc :-/
-Safety in travels back home and to MN
-That I would be able to focus on school, its so easy to not be focused...lets face it
-Also that I would seek to glorify God just as much on campus as off

Hopefully I will write again while at home!

dw

"not to us O Lord but to Your name be the glory..."

(here are some pics once again)

"Well butter my butt..."

2006-08-29T00:39:00.000-04:00

Tonight at dorm meeting we were welcome by Dr. Mohler...after relaying to us how he had struggled all day with finding a new and creative way to say welcome to us noobs on campus he shared his joy of how he found a picture of a welcome mat in a magazine he had recieved which read as follows... "Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, look who's here!"

With that said you can only imagine my joy in being able to be taught by such a man and at this school. Not to say that Mohler makes the school - but it is a nice perk. ;) School continues to go well, so far not too much homework and I am still looking for a church. I visited a smaller church this past Sunday and I really enjoyed it. I'm considering it as one I would like to be at full time but I've decided to visit maybe 2 more before I make my call and continue praying.

Tomorrow I'm going to a big meeting about a possible advertising job and if that doesn't work I'll be applying for the school cafeteria or tech group.

Pray for my walk as its hard to seperate my devos from homework...but I love my homework!

Here are some pictures...I hope you enjoy them.

DW

School is officially in session...!

2006-08-15T15:02:00.000-04:00

Well here I am...in Kentucky. I never thoght I would end up down south but hey here I am. Orientation was awesome. I've gotten to meet some awesome people and the faculty here is fantastic. They really have a passion for God's glory and seeing it manifested in us and this school.

I had my first classes today and they rocked. I was sitting in my OT survey class and basically in shock that I was finally taking a Bible class. It was great! Maybe I'll take some pics later this week and get them posted.

My big prayer this week has been that while I'm here I would be ALL here. Over the weekend I kept feeling like I would be going home soon, or that my ministry point is back in Chicago. But I want it to be here. I haven't found a church yet...I went to a small reformed baptist church w/ my roommate but I won't be there long-term. I come home this weekend and I'll be doing some more research this week now that we have internet.

I hope everyone is doing well...

dw