Mmmm... Buttery Hot!

Things were solid down south... Charlotte was sweet, and the beats were bangin'. And I can't help but mention Dave Blake, he came through in the clutch - we stayed at his house in Spartanburg, SC before coming home Sunday. Thanks go to: Sho Baraka, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Dave Blake, and Our Lord... > what a weekend.

To say that the trip was great would be an understatement.
Pictures are sometimes better than words:

get hype...

Big things are gonna happen this Saturday.

The picture above is a clue.

If you need to know more, click here.

Jeremy Hobbs, Evan, and I will be leaving 'the 859' early this SAT morning. We are travelin' down to Charlotte, NC. And yes, when we get back - YOU WILL SEE PICTURES. And Yes, you will wish that you were there...

more NASCAR fun... (?)

I never thought I'd be using 'more NASCAR fun' as the title of a blog post, but I guess there's a first time for everything...

-Anyway, one thing I learned at the track on Saturday is that NASCAR is all about these 4 crucial things: Driver's Name, Driver's #, Car model, & Car Sponsor. > This determines EVERYTHING! (if your a crazy fan: this determines a lot of things: your tattoo's, your favorite type of beer, your favorite number, your favorite colors, your child's name, your enemies name, etc... ) So, realizing the importance of these little details - I have carefully chosen my own NASCAR identity if I were ever to be a driver. (and I asked John Wiley for his specifics too)...

For me:

Name- Taylor Wehrle
Number- #16
Model- Ford
Sponsor- Old Spice Deodorant













For Wiley:

Name- John Wiley
Number- #24
Model- Nissan
Sponsor- Dean's Chocolate Milk

***leave a comment: let us know what your NASCAR info would be***

the right ingredients...

What ingredients do you need - to have a good time?

What if these were your ingredients:

• cars
• a 1.3 mile track
• mullets
• clothes that don't match
• Vienna sausages
• skoal
• loud engines
• a country accent

Well, if you mix all these together (and many more) you get a special creation that is commonly known to the public as NASCAR. But this actually turns out to be an interesting mix; And lil' did I know that a NASCAR race woud be a good time w/ lots and lots of laughs...

While my first NASCAR experience did NOT include skoal or Vienna sausages, I still had a good time this past Saturday - I went to the Pepsi 300 at the Nashville Super speedway. Myself, John Bailey, Larry Thompson, Chad Elliot, J. Canler, J. Woodyard, & J. Wiley all traveled down to Tennessee for this crazy race. There was lots of racin' and a sweet lil' Third Day concert right beside the track before the start of the race... No, it wasn't Daytona, Talladega, or even Charlotte or Bristol, but it was The Pepsi 300 & it was fun! - - - before you're mind starts to drift to far, know this: I'm NOT a NASCAR fan yet, but this past weekend allowed me to take a few steps in that direction... scary, I know - but you should give it a try....
oh ya!

We're all weird people...

thoughts from the day:

Life is full of ONLY weird people.

There's no such thing as a normal person.

Catch people at the right time, right moment, and you'll see. We all say dumb things & act the way we shouldn't ...

Take a moment and think about all the people you know - friends, family, acquaintances . . .
If you do - you'll be sure to laugh.

no one gets excluded...
(although these pics only represent a tiny % of my friends...)

my Wildcats lost...

I was gonna post something awesome,
but my wildcats just lost.
-
I've been a UK fan since birth
and I've always counted the cost.
-
There's no greater feelin' , cheerin' for that White & Blue,
but when the CATS go down,
O so Sad, so sad, it's true.
-
But hey, the next season is around the corner
and the tradition WILL continue,
Keep your head up: a Nat'l Championship is surely on the menu.

Spring Break Hunting Island pics...

I guess being in college automatically means your Spring Break will be amazing. Well, this year - that theory was only confirmed again in South Carolina! Traveling to S.C. to spend time with a good friend (Dave Blake) and having fellowship & fun on Hunting Island was nothing but solid. These pictures don't reveal the true fun of the trip, but they are better then me writing a paragraph. Let these photos suffice:






The man in S.C. we came to see: the one, the only --> Dave Blake

playing some beach baseball & 'beach golf' (so we called it...)




fun in Spartanburg, S.C. - "night of the downtown signs & statues" :












putting up a beautiful tent by the beach:







Pictures below = places where we had delicious food:
(disclaimer: We did NOT go to the gay fish co.)






craziest beach sign ever:

Do You Tattoo? . . . who knew...(?)

Do you know these fellas:
Nick Cooper & Ben Cooper, or Jeremy Hobbs ?

What do these men have in common?

Answer: They all have a fresh tattoo on their arm! They look good - ask to see 'em the next time you are around these guys. The Cooper brothers have the word "Brothers" written in Greek (very nice), along with other a few other tatts...While Hobbs is now sportin' a sweet "To Live is Christ, to Die is Gain" tattoo... (I know I could have mentioned many others with a tattoo, but these are the most recent of my friends to get one...)

Getting a tattoo is a big step, a permanent step. Care and consideration is crucial in choosing what mark will be on your body for the REST OF YOUR LIFE! Wow, that is a scary thought - maybe that is why I'm so hesitant to get one. However, I must give a shout out to these guys, it takes guts to get one, and even more discipline to even pick out what you want... I tried to pause and think about what I would have for a tattoo...

after some thought, It could look something like this:


of course it would be in all black (not half gray, half black) and it would be slightly different than the Timberland symbol. Although not too different. Moreover, I would probably put the word "Psalm 1" in Hebrew letters. Maybe even have it written within the art - between the bottom of the tree and the two lil' rivers... ha just a thought...

Psalm 1 has meant so much to me in life. Words in a post like this are too few & would only barely express my love for this psalm. Indeed, if I ever get a tattoo - it would probably be following that theme of scripture...

what would you have as a tattoo?

motivational poster...

quiet study...

Having the chance to study in one of the nation's largest collegiate libraries is a joy & privilege. Other times it can just be downright hilarious. No, I'm not talking about the students rappelling from a rope of off the 5th floor core, nor am I talking about having CD players hidden strategically in the library blastin' out tunes; although both are funny and both have actually happened in W.T. before. However, this time my laughs came with no one else around. I snapped this quick photo (above) while in the W.T. Young library yesterday. Did you notice the simple command on the white card in front of me? It says, "Quiet Study - Be Courteous, Be Quiet." I laughed after reading it... -b/c I was the only guy in the library! Whose gonna make noise besides me? Who's gonna be offended if I make noise when I'm the only one there? What kinda punk does this lil' white sign think he is? So, what did I do? I showed that lil' white sign who's boss... - - - I did what any person (or kid) would do if he finds himself in a huge room all alone; I shouted a hearty "whoot! whoot!"
Then I waited to see if there would be an echo. There was. I Smiled. Then went back to readin'.

I love the library...


it all reminded me of that age ol' riddle:

If a tree falls in the forest,
and no one is around to hear it - does it make a sound?

or

If a kid yells in a library,
and no one is around to hear it - does it matter?

wedding Shout-Out....

... Truly, this is the 'Year of the Wedding'. If I include the month of December (2007) - A total of 10 'friends' I know will all be married in a few months! Oh ya! I'm pumped, and also perplexed: never in my life have so many of my friends moved towards marriage in such a short time... I guess that's just how things go.

A shout-out must go to these grooms and their brides:

John Ross & Brooke !
Jason Lamb & Laura !
Andy Henard & Kate !
Chandler Snyder & Kelli !
Nick Cooper & Jennifer !

who will be next?

2 options...

kill or be killed.

"For if you live according to the flesh
you will die,
but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live."

-Romans 8:13

believe the REAL hype... (in Africa)

The past couple of days have been kinda rough. Nope, not because of external things, no big tests due, no papers to be typed, no sickness, nothing like that. Difficulty has come through my mind and heart: the conviction of the Holy Spirit. You see, ever since the last post (about Vitamin-Water) I have also been looking at my Blood:Water Mission brochure from the Passion conference. Ya, I gave a lil' $cash$ to them at Passion, but then I just went on my way and here I am back in school; no big deal right? Well, I took a moment to pause and think about the kids who have a daily struggle to find clean water to drink. Then I looked around my dorm room; I especially looked at my fridge full of Vitamin-Water! I felt so convicted that my only problem consists of choosing which flavorful drink will give me the most 'extra' vitamins - basically something that kids in a 3rd World would never even dream of having! I could not take the conviction any longer (the Holy Spirit is too strong). Therefore, you are now looking at the manifestation of that conviction. Yes, a blog post. It may seem weak or to overly simple - but I wasn't about to log on my computer each day and look at my apathetic attitude to the needy...

Quick Rundown:
Essentially, Blood:Water Mission is an organization that is sort of like the financial 'well' (pun intended) that other organizations like Africare and LifeWater International use to accomplish kingdom work. With an ultimate purpose "Compelled by God's call... to empower communities in developing countries to gain safe water, adequate sanitation, effective hygiene, and a knowledge of Jesus' love..." A solid group with a solid purpose.

OK, I recognize that this may seem like just another post, just another needy mission organization asking for money, just another 'guilt-trip' to try and get you to care about the suffering world around you. However, I'm simply posting here today to live out some conviction that the Holy Spirit has placed on my life. So while I'm not asking you to travel out of the country and commit your life to working for Blood:Water Mission (although you could). - - - I am asking you this: What things does the Spirit convict you about now? How often to stop and think about the crazy immeasurable blessings we have living in this country? Do you believe that giving in truth faith ($ or anything) has ripples that go on into eternity?


How to Help? (1000 wells project)

*Make water your only beverage for just two weeks.

*Save the money you would usually spend on beverages and collect it in a special cup.

*After two weeks, send the money to Blood:Water Mission and it will be used to drill clean water wells where the need is great.

more info? -click this picture: