Julie

I like Julie. she is great.



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Found my Camera :-)

I found my camera and after being inspired by Julie and Ryan heres a quick slideshow of some of my adventures in the past couple months...

Oct 8th- I stabbed my self. Im an idiot.

Nov 3rd- Garrett's birthday celebration. Portland. Pizza. Blazers Game.

Nov 5th- Taking Scott to PDX left Eugene @ 1230 am. returned at 7 am.

Nov 23- Hike up Spencers Butte at sunset w/ some of my favorite guys (Andy, Tony, Dan Meyers, and Dan Creasey).

Christmas Break- Tony, Aaron and myself ventured to Bend for a snowshoeing adventure. Instead we found the cougar reservoir hot springs, car troubles at midnight, bouldering, the "Boswell challenge" = eating a 3 1/2 lb burrito in under 5 min, a turkish bath, tea, mountain bikes, coffee, playing with geese on ice, great conversation, and hot tub.

Time with the family :)

Portland from Mt. Tabor

♥

brother time.

A continuation of the delayed x-mas break updates...

adventures very much worth exploring before reading on:

http://jujunelson.blogspot.com/2009/12/night-watching-kids.html

http://jujunelson.blogspot.com/2009/12/wednesday-dinner.html

Thursday the 10th.

In the past year and half my relationship with my brother has had some tremendous growth and has been becoming something I have enjoyed more and more. With my leaving to Eugene for college and the maturing of my brother as he exited high school (i guess maturation on my part as well). Its been hard for us to really connect during school due to busyness. So it was great when we decided that he should take a train down to Eugene.

So Davis took the train down. First thing I took him to was up Skinners Butte giving him a big picture of Eugene and pointing out landmarks (Autzen, Campus, my house...) We then made way to my house where festivities were being prepared. Armed with a Delicious ham, salad, and Ginger Snaps (thanks Steph Riley), our "Holiday Hoorah," was ready to take off.

There is no better way to celebrate the Christmas season and the end of finals with great food, great guest list of friends, kitchen basketball, conversation, and of course "Elf."

This was such a great chance for to Davis and I to hang out and for him see a glimpse of Will's life in Eugene, and the friends I enjoy. I love him and miss him alot.

an end, much joy, and the begining.

Here I am. Christmas break is well in to play. Many adventures had and many more to be. So where does one begin...

Well it began with the conclusion of fall term, finishing up at 8 am on the 9th with a final in 'US in the 1960's.' A term very much embraced and very much celebrated once it was over. That evening after Aaron and Andy's astro final and an afternoon hanging out with a new and great friend Dan Creasy it was time to celebrate. With the bone chilling temperatures, celebratory cigars in hand, and a pumpkin pie in the oven, there was nothing stopping Aaron, Andy, Dan and myself from enjoying a perfect night. Conversation flowed with ease as we reminisced over the months prior, and looked eagerly on to the months to come. Guided by the question "What is something you want to make happen this next term ahead?" As we shared with each other about the men we wanted to become, and the goals in which would hopefully bring us there. God to my delight quickly became the centrality of our conversation. God loves us so much, but what would it take for us to love him in return. In this fast paced world it is so easy for us to get caught up in doing things. Going to school, connecting with friends, coaching, ministry, you fill in the blank. In the more we overburdened we become by doing the more disconnected we become with ourselves and who we are in Christ. So the 4 of us burdened by doing or desiring to do, came to the realization that we want our identity to be in Christ and in Him alone. Thus we want to pray... advocating, interceding, questioning, seeking, praising... we want to pray.

"...If a man can but pray he can do anything. He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has Heaven and earth at his disposal." - Charles Spurgeon"

So we began right then and right there. What a blessing and an honor it was to pray for each individually and collectively. Due to a suggestion from Aaron I put on some worship music. To sing and pray with my brothers in our candle lit living room, so beautiful. So blessed. Ah what a night and the beginning of a great Christmas break.

Few thoughts about Dating

I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships, I feel like my whole life I have, well maybe not my whole life but especially since I dated Chelsea my sophomore year of high school. I over think over analyze, I look at my relationships, I look at other relationships, and being a guys I want to be able to fix them all. Relationships have become a huge interest of mine, I love chick flicks (this info is to stay only on my page, if it were to leak out my reputation with my Young Life kids would be donezo.), I enjoy love poetry, and to boost my knowledge I have about a dozen podcasts of sermons about relationships.
My parents are divorced, and it has been my goal since I was little to not follow in the same footsteps as my parents to be successful in my relationships with the opposite sex. So more or less I have put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed. Then I became a Christian… and the Christian culture, other Christians, piles on their pressure to succeed in relationships. Many Christians I have encountered will go as far to say only date if you’re planning on marrying that person. So with that in mind every girl I ever dated all I could ever think about was marriage, and the pressure which came with that. What is the sense in that? Well I know dating will end in two things a break up or marriage and I realize there is no point in dating someone unless you can see yourself marrying that person. It has become so much bigger than that. I hear so many successfully married couples say “I’m married to my best friend.” When is the last time, a little kid made friends with someone only under the circumstances that; that friend was going to be your best friend for life. There is insane pressure put on dating, ‘make it work or you’re a failure.’
I was speaking with a mentor of mine yesterday he was giving me girl advice (just what every college student needs). We talked about just enjoying the company of the opposite sex, now when has the church ever said anything along those lines. ‘Enjoy your time with them. ’ If it’s right, its right, if it isn’t, it isn’t. He also spoke of keys to making relationships healthy and successful primarily keeping God first… always, his second point was communication. That advice doesn’t sound as cumbersome and stressful as with what the church was presenting for me. I hope God has Ms. Right out there for me, if not I’m sufficient with God and God alone.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Proving Ones Worth (edited)

Our whole lives we have role models, people to look up to (positive or negative it doesn't matter), people to not only admire but we strive to be like them, but more so we strive to be affirmed by these people. For many of us it's our parents, brothers, sisters, a teacher, a mentor, a pastor, or a friend, and this is why I write because I myself am weary of seeking this affirmation.

Here’s a way to see my problem, to see my point. When a baby is born, parents are instantly in love with the child to the point of infatuation (in an ideal parenting model). Women and even men flock to newborns, solely on the basis of its existence. The lives of the parents of are instantly altered, yet they do nothing but love this child. What has this child done to deserve this abounding love by not only the child’s parent but the community? Absolutely nothing, under no condition other just by mere existence this child is loved, embraced, and nurtured. Unconditionally loved…

As this child grows up, it begins to crawl and is praised because it can crawl. It begins to talk and is praised. It walks and is praised. As the child goes through schooling if the child succeeds in the classroom, on a canvas, on the football field, in having the right friends, in being polite, in pointing their life towards success for the future; for these things a child is praised. And if a child does meet these expectations…sorry.

Slowly but surely parents as well as members of the community begin loving and praising the child for its achievements. Praise and a love were once given to the child abundantly at birth merely due to his or her existence no matter the dirty diapers.
The child becomes less and less loved, as merely being a child, but loved and judged based on what the child amounts to or does. Conditional has over taken Unconditional with children as a simple example.

Under what condition should love be given?

I don’t write this to bash parents. I am insanely guilty of this as well with peers and in stereotypes I make of others. I do write this to point out fault, but only so that WE can break the bonds of this paradigm we have created. A paradigm stating that love must be earned. I also write this to praise one who is unconditional, Jesus. It is his grace. Grace, not based upon what age we walk or talk. Grace, not based upon our grades, our friends, or our artistic ability. Grace, is not even based upon our selfishness or our sin. We are loved solely for who we are due to His grace. I am affirmed in His love, somehow worthy in His sight. For better or for worse in success or in failure, Jesus Loves… Unconditionally.