Be Careful What You Pray For, Because You Just Might Get It.

I prayed for God to stretch me for me to be who he wants and needs me to be. Little did I know that this prayer would cause so much. Upon saying this prayer, God immediately(and I do mean immediately) started to go to work. So many situations arose that I'm still sitting here with a headache. Old problems, new problems, recent troubles all rose up and struck me at once. It's like all the Colossi in my life rose up and brought more temporary friends along with them and just fell on me. Through me, Christ has conquered some of them, but there are so many of them that it's getting harder and harder to take them down. Thinking about it, this must have been what Paul meant by saying we run a race. Races are long and take endurance and mini-achievements to get to the bigger goal. The bigger goal being becoming more like Christ. The journey's just not the best part lol. It's something we all need though. What bothers me about it is that it all comes down to me losing focus on what matters. God. I lose focus that it's not about me and I keep trying to make it about me. There's only one thing I can honestly do. Say Thanks. Thank you God for stretching me to who you need me to be and I'll endure by you and through you. I find it so hard to say those words, but I know that it's true. I'm nothing. I've never been anything and I'll never be anything. But I'm a child of God, and that's something. So I'll always be a "nobody who's a somebody". Time's like this are hard in life, especially when the people you would think would be there aren't and the one's you don't expect are. There's one that will always be here thought...God. He's the reason for everything. If he can take care of a sparrow, he can take care of me. I know it doesn't make sense now and hard stuff may be on the horizon, but I'm ready because greater is He who is in me that he who is the world.

I just want to leave you guys with this verse, just in case some of you are going through a time too.

Psalm 25:10
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

Last Firsts

Well, Today Was The Day. The First Day of School. I've been dreading this all year and just hoping that summer would just be prepetual. Unfortunatly, God didn't smile on this request. I woke up at 6:50 and the day started. So much happened today. I realized my last firsts today. It was the last first day of school. Undoubtedly, there are many more to come. I also had lots of work to do. Schedule changes, senior adjustments, locker switches, essays, info, ,my job....the list goes on and on. So this whole day sounds horrid....right?

Actually no. It was actually exactly what it needed to be. A day where I had...Absolutly HAD, to rely on God. Throughout the day, I was throwing the pity party all day long in my head. But then, as I walked out of the doors of Central Center Hardware, I realized that it was perfect. I prayed all day long, thanked God for life all day long, and depended on Him....All day long!!! It was just what I needed to realize how much I needed Him. My life is so much better than I deserve and all I could think about was how bad school was. I deserve nothing I have and have it better off than most and all I could do is be selfish. God really smacked me in the face to be honest. He woke me up to who I was being and who I needed to be. Goal for the year: to make sure that all my last first's reflect Christ through me. I feel this is appropriate:

Things that God Has Blessed Me With Today:

1. I woke up and was alive
2. I rode to school with Lauren
3. I made it to school alive
4. I didn't make anyone mad today
5. I saw all my friends except Joe
6. I got my own locker on the right end of school
7. I get to be with Lauren 2 periods in a row
8. I made it to work safe and out safe
9. I ate all 3 meals
10. God smacked me in the face. (yes, this is a blessing)

See, these are just but a speck of the blessings that I recieved today. Just remember, even the worst could be the best, and sometimes your first is your last first.

God Bless,

-D.j.

Ok, So Stuff Is Tough Lately.

Ok, So If You Haven't Heard, I Need A LOT of prayer. God is really testing me this time.

Not only is my final day at Real Joy Community Fellowship next Sunday, but our house is for sale now. I am being uprooted from both of my home's. I know that God has done a lot more to other people and that He will never take something from you and not give you something better, but this one's really tough. The most encouraging words came from Lauren. She said that even though things may not seem constant right now, God will always be constant and when he closes a door, another one opens.

So all of this happening may seem fast and it may seem that I'm not even getting a gasp for air, but God is there, being my lungs for me. He is carrying me through this, even if it's not what i planned for myself. But it's not about me, is it? It's all for the glory of Christ and I am honored to do what He is calling me to do. Keep my family in your prayer, because we will be working on alot of adjustments.

How I Know I'll Be Ok:

Psalm 73:24-

You guide me with your counsel,and afterward you will receive me to glory.

To God Be The Glory

-D.J.

Surprise Surprise

So as you may realize very fast is that my blog is not a themed blog where I write about the same stuff. That's why it's called "Simply D.J.". It's whatever's on my mind. Right now, there's a lot of thought about birthdays. You see, my very lovely girlfriend, Lauren Decamp, is having her 17th birthday the same day that school starts (bummer), August 26th. I am trying to do the good boyfriend thing and make it all romantic and such. So today, I planned...yes, planned to get all the supplies: gift, container, stuff...you know, like a true gift giver. To Start with, I woke up late. Then, as soon as I got up, my very nice mother informs me that my dad has issued a decree: that the basement must be cleaned. Needless to say, it took like 4 hours. So then, almost out of time to get to the bank (closes at 5), Joseph shows up to pick me up so we can go do this thing. But as soon as we were almost to the bank, Joe's car breaks down. Surprise Surprise. Also needless to say, I am not having a very good day. So I get Lauren to pick me up because my mother is not answering her phone. They day got a little better because I just chilled with her and her family. My plans are not going as planned so to say. Tomorrow is a new day though. I'm sure God will give me the strength to get it all and get it done before the next car breaks down. Well, pray for me!

Much Love and Much Stress,

D.J.

"Taking Down My Personal Colossi"/"Introductions"

This Is Obviously My First Post and It's Quite Long.

First things first (some things you should know about me and my posts)

*I am a Jesus Following, Not Perfect But Striving To Be Christian

*I Play Music. It's a talent Christ has given me

*I Have A Wonderful family who always supports me

*I Have an Amazing Girlfriend who's always there for me

*I am a genuine ManNerd. I'm a Dork and That's Just who I am :)

Ok, So, Here...We....GO!

So lately I have been playing a very, VERY, very old PlayStation game called "Shadow of the Colossus". Nerd, right? Anyway, I have been playing this game for like 3 days straight and have been frustrated time and time again. The whole storyline is such: You are a young man that has had a girl with some relation with you die and you want her to live again. So you travel to a distant land and distant temple to talk to some power or being that has been rumored to be able to bring people back to life. When you reach him, he tells you that you must kill 16 colossi hiding all over the land and he'll bring her back to life.

As I sat in my basement being the nerd that I am, i started to think. Me Thinking??? WOW!!! Each Colossus has all of these week points that you have to go to extreme lengths of climbing and such to get to. With each struggle and after much work, the colossus would fall and the character would become stronger. Your health becomes bigger and you grip lasts longer while climbing. Now, don't ask me how this happened, because my mind is odd and works different as you will see, but I started thinking of my own life....Because of a Video Game!!! I know, keep your comments about that to yourself. But i started thinking about all of the trials in my life. All of the mountains that I have had to face to get to where i felt that Christ was calling me to be. All of the struggles and all of the tasks and climbs that I have had to do to become the man and Christian I am today. Every time God has given me that strength to hold on and keep climbing to take down that mountain for Christ to be who he wants me to be. I become stronger with each battle I win. But, different from the game, my colossi sometimes keep getting back up. I struggle with everyone of them, I fight and fight to take and keep them down, but they keep rising again. Only by God's mercy and grace have I continued. Here are some of the Colossi I struggle with:

1.Self Confidence

2.Faithfulness in Spending Time With Christ

3.Gluttony

4.Remembering Things

5.Christ-like Thoughts.

6.Honesty

These Colossi are in my heart and in my head. They are all like Giants, rearing their heads at the most inopportune moments. Satan's doing. They are a constant struggle that I have, and I know that with Prayer and God I will overthrow them and bring my Christ-like Self to life. Please be in prayer for me so that I can become more like Christ.

I Know That I Can Take Down and Keep Down These Mountains. Christ Even Said He Gave Me The Power. Not Just To Take Down And Keep Down, but to control. It's because I have Faith. Matthew 17:20- He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Well, There's The First of Hopefully Many!

God Bless and Please Pray

-D.J. Schrader