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Jeremy's Blog
| Posted: 9/2/2008 9:12:16 AM | Fall is Here |
| So Labor day was yesterday and for many people that was their last chance to enjoy the summer. The fall season is now officially here. Wal-mart is putting out the Halloween decorations, people are planning where they will go for Thanksgiving, the Holiday season is coming. I would urge everyone to remember what these holidays are about. Halloween: being a kid, dressing up and scaring the "you know what" out of people and don't forget the candy, Thanksgiving: being aware of what in our lives makes us happy, how we can come together as family over good food and football and have a good time. Christmas, our Lord and savior is born to the world and all many people think about is what they didn't get when they should be remembering that salvation is the greatest gift they will ever be given. I think as we head into this fall season we need be more aware of how the season affects us and make sure we are just living in the world but not of it. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 8/17/2008 8:53:43 AM | Ahhurrrrrgghhhh |
| Life is crazy sometimes and so am I. I get myself into a huge stress ball because I don't ask for help. Then I get irritated when I ask people last minute to help and they don't. If I was them I wouldn't help me either. I have to learn that even though people are many times expected to help all they want is to be asked. Look at what Christ did with those fishermen. They knew that Jesus was a great man and that he expected great things of them, yet he always asked them if it was what they wanted, if they would help him. So, the up side to this is that I will be asking much more in advance for help, the downside for everyone else is that I will be asking that much more often. I cannot do this ministry alone and I need help from parents, teens, CORE and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. W are all one body. The gifts we have are given to share. So I will be asking more people to share those gifts, because mine are far too few. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 7/23/2008 12:52:05 PM | Unfortunate events??? |
| One of the things that lets you know that you are growing up, besides bills, is having to pay for car repairs. Anyone, who has owned a car can tell you about how difficult it is to deal with a broken down car. Also, cars and car parts, for whatever reason, are really expensive. Then the mechanics want to get paid so that is a lot of money, too. Why do I bring this up well my Saturn SL broke its transmission cables this morning. This made me late for work and generally put me in a bad mood. However, I do think that God had this happen, no matter how inconvient for me, for a good reason. It allowed me to take a step back on a decsion I was going to make and reflect upon it. I needed to think just a little bit more on what someone had said to me. My car breaking down, when I thinking how dumb it was, allowed me to have this time. So when you have something bad happen to you maybe it is just God telling you to slow down and think about something. I know all of the people who were late to work on 9/11 were thankful for thoses things that kept them from getting to work on time. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 7/16/2008 1:22:50 PM | Oregon |
| So I am in the "wonderful" state of Oregon for a wedding. My best friend is getting married today. If I could have chosen a brother Adam would be it. Just so you know I do love my little brother even though I didn't get to choose him. We have been friends since 9th grade, and even a move across country hasn't changed it. Yes, when we are able to hang out or play video games is limited to the internet or once every other year. Despite these obstacles we still make an effort to keep in touch. That is the secret to any relationship, making the effort friends, family, significant others, and God. Every relationship takes two to tango and if one member it not making an effort then it really isn't a relationship. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 7/14/2008 11:34:23 AM | The Bishop |
| This weekend I was able to go to a gathering with our new Bishop. I have to say that I am extreamly impressed. Bishop Taylor give me hope. I think everyone else there agreed with me that the future of our diocese is looking great with Bishop Taylor as our leader. Please pray for him as he continues to adjust to being Bishop of Little Rock. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 7/9/2008 5:24:03 PM | Politic politics politics |
| I was recently asked what political party I belonged to. I responded by saying that I really don't belong to any political party. The guy I was talking to said "see I am an independent to." Well, I had to stop for a second and then say "no I am not an independent I’m a Catholic." I have now broken two rules of any conversation don't talk about politics or religion, unless you want to get into a fight. I was lucky the guy was like ok and we kept on talking. What I think is really interesting is that people will try and separate their political beliefs from their religious ones. Isn't being religious suppose to be part of who and what you are not just something you do? I will admit that at times I have disagreed with some of the stuff the Church has taught (I was a pro-choicer for years until God finally smacked me on my head). However, that was also a lack of knowing what the Church really taught. As soon as I learned what the Church taught, not what everyone said the Church taught, I realized that I had believed it all along. I am a Catholic it is who and what I am. I cannot and will not separate myself from that, if I do I stop being Catholic and start being something else. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 7/3/2008 11:09:54 AM | SEARCHing |
| So this past weekend IC had 16 teens attend SEARCH and St. Michaels had 2 so from this area we had 18 teens go to SEARCH. We had so many teens at search that Liz (the Diocesan YM) was blown away. I know St. Boniface has at least 5 more going in December, plus they have a member on the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council. This is awesome. All of the teens I was able to talk to when they got back couldn’t stop talking about the weekend. “Jeremy we have to do this” or “Jeremy when do we start doing stuff for skits”. They are pumped up and ready to go, the Holy Spirit is moving and as Deacon Greg is fond of saying “either get on board or get out of the way!” | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 6/26/2008 10:16:32 AM | Fun with Pain |
| So last Saturday we went paintballing. This was a blast! We have pictures on the website. Justin, Matthew, Michael, Lexi, Nick, and Daniel you guys rock. However, I think that the adults had more fun then you did. I mean how often do adults get to shoot teens and not get into trouble for it, (I guess the same could be said for teen shooting adults, oh well.) So we had a lot of fun and we all had at least a couple of war wounds to show our friends. Next, year (or next time since we aren't going to CHWC we could go again) we can do parents vs. teens. Here would be your chance to take out your aggression against your mom or dad or your son or daughter. Just think if real wars were fought with paintballs and people could abide by the rules then we would have a happier world and just some bumps and bruises. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 6/1/2008 9:46:19 AM | Hope it’s Springy |
| So this past week I went to the NHS and SHS graduations. Some people say graduations for the most part are really fun for everyone for about 15-30 seconds when their friend or family member walks across the stage. I even see people stay just until the person they are there for walks and then those people are out of there. Sounds pretty bad right? According to the statistics, and people who say they are smarter then me, American youth are going down the crapper. However, I don’t see that, and the graduations I attended last week prove just how wrong the “statistics” are. The speeches that were given by graduates for their fellow grads were amazing. They were full of eagerness and plans for the future. Whether it was getting a job or going to college these teens are pumped. It also wasn’t just the teens, but their families and friends who came to support them. Everyone was excited to see 400-500 people they may not even know walk across a stage. The seating was packed and if you didn’t get there early enough you had to wait to get a seat on the other side of the field. So what does this all mean? Well, they say hope springs eternal right? I see it differently Hope is springy. Think about it. A spring gets bigger or smaller depending upon how much force you put on it. The more force the smaller it gets and the harder it is to see. But since it is a spring it is storing that energy to use later. So the spring may look small and useless when it is under pressure. But release that pressure and all of that force comes out of the spring. The bigger the spring gets the harder it is to ignore. Graduation for the teens was a release of some of the pressure and the spring got bigger and easier to see. So you see Hope never goes away it is just harder to see sometimes. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 5/24/2008 11:28:27 AM | Blackmail? |
| Ok so here's the deal we found a bunch of old photo albums from the 1976 Fort Smith CYO. Yes that is right I have pictures of some of your parents when they were teenagers. All checks and cash donations can be made out to…what… oh… what do you mean that is illegal? Ok fine we just have to go with the other idea to raise money. The CYO had a Spook house, tickets were 75cents and they did it for two days and made $700. In today’s terms that is over $2,600.00. That was just about four days of work and a lot of fun. So I was thinking that would be a great way to raise money. All of the details have to be worked out yet. We will be talking about this in the coming months. Any ideas you have on how to scare the pee out of people just let me know. =) | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 5/20/2008 12:45:41 PM | Celeeeeebraaationnnnnn |
| So St. Boniface and IC’s Life Teen group has been around for awhile. Last month River Valley Life Teen celebrated its seventh birthday. Seven years this program has been touching and hopefully changing teen’s lives so that they are closer to Christ. This past Sunday we had our first Alumni/Celebration night of Life Teen. Did you know there have been 10 priests, 6 Deacons and their wives, 6 youth ministers (7 if you count the EDGE program), over 40-50 CORE members, and easily over a 1,000 teens and their families who this program has touched? If you added all of the people who know those people then this program has touched almost every person in the city of Fort Smith in some way shape or form. I am not saying that they all had life changing experiences, but that is a lot of people. The band had people come from Tulsa and Dallas just to play for one night and then drive home, the same night, so we are even going beyond our city to other states. One of the teen Alumni who came and spoke said that she loved everything that this program did for her and she wanted more people to experience what she had at Life Teen. The CORE member who was involved for over 6 years said that at first she didn’t want to have anything to do with the program. Now, looking back on her involvement she would not be the Catholic she is today, if it had not been for what she learned from the teens, and friends, she made in Life Teen. If all of these people have been touched in just seven years just think what we can do with another seven, or even more! Thank you everyone for your support, help and most especially your prayers. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 5/15/2008 8:52:47 AM | Holy Spirit check Him out |
| So this weekend was awesome. Confirmation took place at both St. Boniface and IC. It was also the Church’s birthday Pentecost. Both are celebrations of the Holy Spirit. Yes that is right the Church does talk about the Holy Sprit with out mentioning the Father or Son. Msgr. Richard brought it to my attention that many Catholics really don’t think about or talk to the Third person of the Trinity except when they cross themselves. I know I tend to think of God as a guy with a big white beard, flowing robes and a shining face like what Michelangelo (not the ninja turtle the artist) did on the Sistine Chapel. The truth is that the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ as a guide for us on earth after he ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Son and Father and he has the special roll of having been sent to guide us. Confirmation is getting the Holy Spirit you become “sealed” with it when the Priest puts oil on your forehead. Your soul now has a 24/7 internet access to the Holy Spirit. This access never leaves you, you will have it for the rest of your life no matter what. You can always turn to any person in the Trinity but I think that the Holy Spirit just gets left out sometimes so I just wanted to let you know that you have access to Him whenever you need it. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 5/8/2008 8:23:36 AM | IMPATIENCE |
| So since we are at a stage as a race (the human race) where information just zipps through the air and we don't even know it. It is strange to think how impatient we have become. For example I am adding photos of the ski trip and confirmation trips and it is taking anywhere from 3-7 minutes to upload around 50-60 pictures at a time. This isn't really all that long it just means that I have to wait for them to finish uploading before I can change the captions from “img 0000” to something that tells you what is going on. This also takes time. Does this just tell you that I am an impatient geek who wants everything to happen instantly or does it say something about the human race? As things get faster and bigger (or smaller in terms of phones, I really do wonder if one day will be walking around with phones like the one in Zoolander, haven't seen it go rent and watch it tonight if you want to laugh a lot.) we seem to spend more time trying to fit more things in to less and less time. Sometimes we just need to be able to sit back and just rest. I mean even God rested on the seventh day, right? The all powerful being who spoke and made the entire world needed a day to kick back and relax. So if God the Creator of all things you, me, you iPod don’t we need to do it every now and then too? | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 5/6/2008 9:26:02 AM | Weekends what are those? |
| This past weekend was busy. I was helping with the Spring Festival. I worked like a dog but had a blast. There were games and food and plenty of laughter to go around. I think I saw more of the people here at church than I did of my wife, which she kindly pointed out to me. Anywho, being a youth minister is one of the greatest jobs ever and I would never trade it for a minute. One of the more interesting aspects of the job is the fact that we youth ministers really don’t get weekends. We do have time off which I am eternally grateful for. I guess it is me just not wanting to grow up. I remember getting up watching Saturday morning cartoons until noon (yes, I still do this call it what you will I just have an appreciation for fine animations and story telling and you don’t) then hang out with my friends until late into the night maybe even staying over and watching TV. or paying video games until 2 or 3 in the morning. I miss that, I guess it is not so much about getting my weekends but about growing up. As I got older I had to start mowing the lawn and cleaning the house on Saturdays. So this is just a part of growing up, kind of. So teens hold onto your weekends and youth as long as you can because when you grow up and get to do everything adults do you have to do all of those things the fun stuff, staying up late, watching whatever you want to, eating whatever you want to, etc. and the bad stuff or all of the responsibility of adults: taxes, bills, jobs (if your lucky you can get a great on like mine) voting, changing the oil in your car and a million other things. So enjoy it while you can because your weekends don’t stay yours forever and always. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 4/29/2008 11:36:26 AM | Random Musing |
| So blogging is supposed to be this great big huge thing on the internet right? Well, I am not to sure about it. I mean what can people get from putting their private thoughts about anything on the web for anyone to see? Now, I know that wondering about this and writing a blog at the same makes absolutely no sense at all, but hey that's what blogs are for and that is what I am going to use this one for. So check this our every now and then to see what random thoughts are floating through my head or what is going on in the world of Life Teen. For example SEARCH a wonderful senior high experience will be happening this summer. If you have any interest in going on a life changing, Christ filled, will blow your mind weekend then this is your chance to do so. You will get to laugh, cry and learn to love our Lord all the more all for the low price a weekend, some money, and a little time spent driving. Sounds like a great deal where do I sign up? Well talk to me or Leah or Surennah or Deacon, any of us will be happy to help you sign up for SEARCH.. | |
| Posted by: Jeremy | |
| Posted: 4/22/2008 2:36:32 PM | What do you like? |
| So here is a request to you all? What do you like about websites? What do you want our website to have? We have the calendar and stuff. We maybe working on a form for people to talk, we have picutres what else do you want or need? Call or e-mail me please e-mail: Jeremy@icchurch.com office: 479-783-2603 Jeremy | |
| Posted by: Youth Minister | |
| Posted: 10/2/2007 9:36:00 AM | Hey whats up and stuff |
| I hope everyone is enjoying the website. If you want to see more stuff just e-mail me at Jeremy@icchurch.com. Also check out the videos from this Sundays Life Night on youtube. http://youtube.com/profile?user=RVLifeTeen (copy and paste this into your brower) | |
| Posted by: Youth Minister | |