Anticipation

OK before I get into my thoughts on anticipating I have to make a few comments that have absolutely nothing to do with this entry. First, I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a few weeks. Most of my time has been consumed with prepping for River of Life (from here on out I will refer to River of Life as ROL...that's the local lingo around these parts.) Second, because it's taken me so long to get to this entry, it took me quite a while to remember my user name and password. Don't you hate when that happens? It seems like I have to have a user name and password for everything these days. My email, my blog, my bank account, my cell phone account, my itunes, rhapsody, laptop, desktop, church computer, home computer, every piece of software that I buy and register, I even have to have a password to get to my passwords that i have stored on my palm pilot!!! I'm overloaded with passwords. So, tonight's password is....anticipation.

Just because I'm a nerd, I thought I would check out the definition of anticipation. Here are a few different definitions that I thought helped to describe the anticipation that I am feeling as I look toward ROL.

1.realization in advance; foretaste.
2.expectation or hope.
3 : mental attitude that influences a later response
4: anticipating with confidence of fulfillment

all of these definitions came from different places, but I think they all help us to understand anticipation a little bit better.

Here's what I think is interesting. Myself and many others are waiting...anticipating something cool to happen at ROL. Many of you reading this are agreeing with me. The questions is what are we anticipating? Fun with friends? Feelings of satisfaction for a job well done? good worship music? exciting environment? getting out of the house for a few days? have a slumber party for a week with 200 of your closest friends? for God to move? Maybe it's a little bit of all of these, but I can't help but think that there are a few of us that are anticipating an encounter with a real living God.

Everything in me wants to argue that we should always come to church expecting God to move, or that we don't need ROL to encounter God, or what makes ROL so special it's the same band, and the same room, etc. But the truth is I know that I too anticipate something different. I know that when you get right down to it, so much of the set up is the same 'ole routine. But for some reason this week is different. I think it has more to do with definition number three. Attitude. The attitude that you and I bring to this week is so positive and so strong, that it helps us all to focus, and it helps us put away frustration and anxieties, and seek after a God that loves us.

It is my prayer that you would begin now to have God work on your attitude about ROL. If you come to ROL expecting to meet God, you will.

Anticipation...What are you anticipating this week?

If you want, reply to this blog or email me at jeremywilson@foresthillsmacon.com with some of the things that you are anticipating this week from ROL.

thanks

jeremy

back home/father's day

Hey everybody,

This is going to be short...I just realized a few minutes ago how tired I am and how late it now is. Anyway, myself and 34 of my closest friends went to camp this week at the beach. Needless to say, it was quite awesome. I could spend a really long time talking about what a great week it was, and how great the messages and the worship was, but I don't have enough time...as I am...starting to yawn.

Anyway, I do want to say a special thanks to all that went to camp. Particularly for those that shared with me about their camp experience either during our group times and/or through a letter. All the feedback I got about camp was really great.

If you still want to send something to me, you can do so by email...
jeremywilson@foresthillsmacon.com

As for father's day...it's been great! Got some nice cards and presents from Taylor and Rennata and had a great relaxing by the pool. I couldn't have asked for much more. I did, however, miss youth tonight and I'm looking forward to Inside Out and Fusion next Sunday. I hope to see you guys there.

jeremy

good news

hey everyone,

I just wanted to pass along some good news about camp next week. I was trying to figure out what this hotel is really going to be like. It turns out that this hotel is not a regular hotel like a Holiday Inn or Best Western or whatever. Supposedly it is a condo hotel. Basically it has hotel rooms and condo/suites and there are quite a few rooms that are owned privately and then rented out. It seems as though some of these privately rented out rooms are really nice. When I spoke to the guy on the phone he said, "I think you are going to be really surprised by how nice some of these rooms are. Depending on the condo owner, some rooms have plasma TV's, some have lazy boy chairs, some have marble countertops in the kitchen."

I was blown away. I have no idea what to expect in this camp, I just know that I'm really starting to get excited about it.

good night ya'll,

jeremy

the Countdown is on

In just a few short days, I will be heading to Myrtle Beach, SC with a few sr high students and some counselors for a week of camp at the beach!! I'm really looking forward to it. It's been quite awhile since i've been to the beach. I grew up near the beach and grew up going to the beach alot. Because of that, the beach is always a real special place to me.

I've got so many memories...

- the first time I found a sand dollar with my feet.
- the first time I went body surfing
- jumping the waves with my friends
- being in high school and going to the beach with friends on our days off from school
- I learned how to swim in the ocean
- I met my wife for the first time at the beach
- 8 years of summer camp

this list could go on and on...but the point is that somehow God meets me there in a special way...I'm looking forward to camp.

I will leave you with a quote from a praise and worship song by Ten Shekel shirt:

Something about the ocean
Makes me rise up and praise
Something about the heavens
Makes me stand in awe again
Something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
Something about the ocean
And I'm lost in love again

jeremy

OK Ok Ok I'll post

Back by popular demand. That's right!! It's a new post. However, since it's almost midnight, it will have to be brief.

Since I took so much grief from you guys about not having posted, I decided I would stop being lazy and put something out there for you. And by the way, now that I'm doing this, it makes me wonder: if you guys are wanting me to put something on the blog, then why not email me? Or leave a comment or something? It's just a thought. I'm not the kind of guy that needs a ton of pats on the back or anything, but a comment on the post, just to let me know your out there goes a long way towards motivating me to write something.

Now that I'm off my soap box. I'll put something out there worth reading...This one is for you graduates. In the life of a youth minister every year, there is this season where students graduate and I find myself attending every last minute ball game, concert, competition, party, award ceremony that I can possibly attend. Then that season is followed up by graduation...the granddaddy of all ceremonies for a high school student. While I can't make it to every graduation because of scheduling conflicts, having to be in two places at once, raising a 10 month old, and trying to be a family man, etc. I do try to make it to as many as I can. This is something that I do with a smile eventhough graduations are boring. Dreadfully boring at times.

But every time I find myself fighting traffic, fighting crowds, squeezing into seats that are made for someone half my size, listening to people talk that I don't know (and often times aren't very interesting) somewhere in the midst of all that I always have a moment to reflect back on the student/s that I'm there to see. I get to think back to when I first met them. To reflect on how they've grown. To see where God has moved in their lives. I remember retreats and trips and conversations and laughs...and I relive in just a few short moments some many good memories. And I'm proud. Proud to know those students. Proud to know that I'm there because I was allowed the priveledge of being a part of their lives. Proud to know that they've accomplished something. It's an incredible honor that I've been given to know students from when they were children and then see them walk across that stage and become young adults.

Then after a few moments of reflecting I wonder...I begin to wonder if that student I've shared so many good memories with will remember me in 10, 20, 30 years? Will that person remember the things I tried to teach them? Will the life lessons make a difference? Will they go to college or get a job and remember that being a Christian isn't something that you do, it's who you are? Will they remember that the church exists for them and they for the church? Will they be one of the masses that falls away from Christ and his church for a season? for forever? or will they be faithful? will they be a revolutionary? will they give back to others the way that others have given to them? I wonder...

Graduations are not fun...but they are necessary. The are necessary for the student and for those involved in their lives. They are a time for us to reflect on where the student has come from, where the student is now, and pray for where they are going. Class of 2007...you are in my prayers.

jeremy

update time

Ok, it's been too long since my last post. I will do my best to give you guys and girls something interesting a little more often.

Quick update. In the past month...

I've been skiing in West Virginia (mucho fun!)
Traveled to Colorado for 4 of the most spiritually fulfilling days of my life
Read 3 books
Had my daughter baptised
Started coaching tennis again
Re-strung about 20 tennis rackets
written an entire months worth of curriculum
and watched an entire season of Pro's vs. Joe's (a show which I became hooked on during our ski trip because of Jonathan Griggs)

Anyway, it's been a great month, and I have plenty more adventures ahead of me this month. I can't wait.

Anywhoo, I've been teaching on Sunday nights the past couple of weeks about self image, and the fact that God desires to help us with our self image. Tonight I talked about the self images that girls wrestle with....the "questions" about themselves that they wrestle. What an incredibly hard lesson this was. I don't know that there has ever been a lesson where I have felt quite as underqualified to teach as this one was. I just hope and pray that I was helpful in someway, and that I didn't embarass myself by totally missing the mark. I guess we'll just have to see. If nothing else I hope that the young ladies will be thinking about the fact that God is the one who provides a healthy understanding for their true beauty and worth...not men.

On to other business...I am looking forward to this spring and summer already. I have to say that my favorite time of year in Macon really is March and the Cherry Blossom festival. I'm not a huge carnival type person or whatever, but I do love the weather in Macon in March. Also, I love being able to walk downtown and listen to the music and smell all the smells that come along with the Cherry Blossom events. I'm really looking forward to March.

well, that's enough for me right now. Hopefully it won't be too long again before my next update.

later,

jeremy

good report

OK...this will be different than usual. Only because it's been a long day and I'm going to bed. I just wanted to point out for those that are going on ski trip...the weather is going to be PERFECT!!

Go to weather.com and then type in Flat Top, WV and read the 10 day report. It's going to be awesome!!

I'll put up something profound later this week.

jeremy

oh yeah...Happy Birthday Meghan!!