Unashamed

Would you have the courage to stand for Christ?

Back at it!

SO summer is now over its back to school and to blogging!

Awe Factor of God

So today is Earth day and just has me thinking how awesome God is...look at the Earth and everything he created it blows my mind. From the mountains to the oceans to all the animals, I am just in awe. I love watching shows like animal planet and discovery channel. Our planet, our galaxy, we as humans scream God is real. The bible is chalk full of verses proclaiming his works by creating the Earth. Here is some sweet verses about God & Earth.

Genesis 1:11-12 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed‑bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:20‑21
And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.


Genesis 1:24
And God said "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according their kinds. And God saw that it was good


Creativity belongs to God, look at the stars, the jungles, the lions, the tigers, the flowers, the sun

Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.



Isaiah 43:20‑21
The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.


God's creation is soo amazing it even states in Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities‑his eternal power and divine nature‑have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.



Psalm 19:1‑6
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.


Job 12:7‑10
But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.


Here is a sweet video that shows the magnitude, power and awe-struck wonder that God is and this is just the tip of the ice berg.

Amazing story

Gospel Graffiti

CSU Oval Race

So this last weekend was our home raceweekend. I was supposed to race 3xs but we had so bad luck and due to weather racing on saturday was cancelled. So that left a crit on Sun.



Race started off actually pretty hot. There was a prime on the 2nd lap which actually caused some decent attacks/ splitting of the pack. A group of about 6 riders got off the front and formed a pretty strong break away. We actually got 3 guys in the break including my boy Koonsman so Luke & I chilled out in the pack since we had no obligation to chase the breakaway.



Overall the pace in the pack was fairly easy and the breakaway was about 35 seconds in front. I was sitting 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the main pack for the whole race which was really good position since all of us in the main pack were racing for 7th place. Well with about 5 laps to go Mesa State came to the front and started turning some screws and tested the main pack. Gaps started to opening up and it seemed lots of people were actually tired or bad at holding the wheel in the corners. So with one lap to go I attacked as hard as I could and got a small gap. Sadly I got caught. In when it came to the field sprint I was shot from my attack and took 14th. So overall not a super high place but based on what happend I feel good. My next race will be back home in the Springs

CU/UNC Race Recap

So here is how everything went down. CU crit was on saturday and the weather was perfect. It was my first mass start race of the year so I was interested to see how I would do. I felt pretty good during warm-up an prepared. So the course was not technical and pretty fast you could pedal through every turn. Race started off pretty normal we tried to get Luke into the break but it didn't last that long. I got into a solo breakaway but didn't feel like I could hold it so I just chilled and got back in the main pack. I felt really strong during the race for the majority of the race I was in the top ten and near the front. We worked well as a team sending some counter-attacks along with bringing some back. Well everyhting was going great I was in the top ten with 3 laps to go when a rider from CU tried to advance in the one sketchy turn and ended up causing a fairly decent sized crashed. I luckly slammed the breaks and avoided flipping over downed riders but by then it was to late to get re-clipped in and back in the field. So pretty much my race was over...but massive props to Matt Miyamoto my buddy/teammate had an awesome solo attack to win the day! Matt way to go!

So Sunday was the UNC crit. It was freezing!! I wasn't in the mood to race but decided I needed to anyway. The course was changed like 3 times because it had very dangerous corners and they finally got the course acceptable for my race. I was absolutely shot before the race started. During warm-up I knew I didn't have much in my legs. This was my first double race weekend so it was understandable. Literally the first part of the race I was done, what didn't help was the new brakes I had put on were rubbing my wheel and I got off the back. So I had to pit and got the problem for the most part solved but realistically I coudln't hold the wheel because my legs were done. So I was off the back with 1 other guy who I decided to attack like 3x per lap but couldn't drop him. In the end I did horrible in finished in the last group. I knew that even though I was tired it would only help to not quit.

I am happy I didn't crash at CU but was pleased with my progress since the TT. Wasn't happy with my performance at UNC but I have a bagillion races left and I am only going to make more progress. Next weekend is our home race weekend @ CSU on the oval so I am really stoked. So I am hitting up the training hard this week so I can rock our home race weekend. Only the strong survive baby.

Race Numero Uno

So first race of the season, didn't feel so hot, still not fully recovered from being sick but I did what I could and took 14th. I am not super stoked with my performance but did what I could with how I felt. I got the CU & UNC Crits this weekend so time to step up my training so I can start putting down the hammer.

Simple but Sweet

ROMANS 4:25-He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Lets get it started

So racing finally starts this sunday. Am I stoked? Yes, Am I nervous? Yes ... I have some big goals for this season but by far the most important goal is to bring God glory & honor through my cycling. I thank Christ for dying for my sins and giving me a freedom that allows me to do all things through him. It took me awhile to realize its more than the medals. Whether I finish with a gold medal or as the last rider in the race my goal is the I have represented Christ and given an effort worthy of my King. I love cycling and racing its super sweet but I understand that Christ has to be at the center. I used to race and ride to get rid of deep pain. Stuff from my past the haunted me for a long time. Last spring I finally let Jesus take my pain away and now I race for him. No longer do I race to make my past numb but rather to honor him and bring him praise. I can do nothing without him. I can't compare myself to others. So here we go ...the start of a long season. I give everything thing I can so when I hit the line I have nothing left to give because Jesus hit the line with nothing left to give. He died..and rose again. For Christ!

Date Doctor

So this past Nav Night was all about the supa fun subject that we all love to talk about..relationships & dating. I really enjoyed the talk and feel we can apply it to all of our relationships, even if you are not dating.

Lets start of by giving God some credit..marriage or man & woman was his idea. Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Now a key part of relationships is for men to grow in understanding of women..Here are some things that as men we must realize

~Women value relationships and feelings over facts- As guys we tend to hide or cover our emotions and bury them deep down so this is something we have to continually work at since this is the way women connect to us.
~Women value questions over stories-As guys its easy to fall into the trap of who has the best story to impress or to take the checker flag but when it comes down to it, women don't care how much you know or how many stories you have until they know how much you care
~Women value praise over criticism-Instead of trying to "fix" the problem as men we need to realize women just need someone to listen to them and be their friend
~Women are more intuitive than men are-this sounds like I am saying men are not smart, i'm not, but women kinda have a 6th sense about things guys can't even sense

Men need "guy time" and women need "girl time". This is a vital part of any relationship. You need time away from each other its plain and simple. Even my best friend in the whole world Lane and I if we start spending too much time together with no break we get on each other's nerves. Even married couples need to hang out with their friends. Why?? well because for girls you get special love & fellowship that you can't get from your man and for guys well we just need to do manly stuff ..haha that sounded weird but you get the point. Yes i am not saying don't spend time together but it is necessary to keep your outside relationships strong. Especially making sure God is your number one priority instead of that special someone.

As godly men we must 1)Show Strength 2) Risk to Lead 3) Risk to Love

For all you ladies out there this verse shows what godly men are looking for..."Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Deep down most men are looking for respect which can sound weird..some women might say well can't I show him love by loving him..well yes, but men feel love in a completely different way which comes down to RESPECT.

Learning to be a man of God takes time and work, the same should be for dating. Dating should be practice for marriage.

Here are so tips that Jim, Monica, & Gentry gave us for a high-standard of dating and keeping our relationships pure & full of joy

1) Don't compare your relationships to other couples
2) Never go to bed angry with each other (Eph 4:26)-talk it out
3)Set the boundaries high & at the beginning-men we need to do this
4) Vertical vs Horizontal-stay veritcal (think about it)
5) Keep doors open
6) Home by midnight-what good thing ever came from hanging out after midnight
7)Pray together
8) Read the bible together

Now you might be thinking wow that is ridiculous and way to strict. In my opinion I feel that by setting boundaries like this will not only keep each other pure but focused on God. As men of God we can think about it like this... "If you don't marry her that will be probably someone else's wife and how would you want someone treating your wife??" It is important to set the bar high because as awesome as relationships are they can be a stumbling block.

I think dating/marriage is awesome and should be fun but we need to honor God in our relationships. Purity is what we should strive for. Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you."

I have never had a girlfriend, never kissed a girl, or anything so how can someone give dating advice? when I have no experience..well I know alot about God and God is Love and love is at the center of all relationships..so I do know the key to any relationship is God. I know one day soon God will bring her to me and say thats the one, but until then I guess there is only one more question to ask....

Do you wanna go to dinner & a movie??
:)

That's My King.

Jesus Christ is my saviour, friend, King, hope, Father, my peace, my joy, my everything ...Do you know him??

Fact: God exists

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Jesus > Pain

Here is song about Haiti from Christian rapper Lecrae, this song not only moves me about Haiti but it makes me realize that no matter what the storm may be or look like God is our refuge and our Rock & our Hope. No matter how hard life might be Jesus is bigger than anything and Psalm 34:18 says " The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" Even if you don't know Christ if cry out for him to heal your broken heart he will...Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life is Christ Jesus". You don't know what life will bring but you can have an assurance that if even if you died today that you would live in eternal peace in Heaven. Call out for Christ even when he feels far away....he will always answer.

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How would you introduce God?

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So how would you introduce the King of Kings??

Psalm of the day

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

A Saint...literally

Here is a cool video about new super bowl champ QB Drew Brees talking about his faith...

My Obsession

Obsession –noun 1. the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.

What are we obsessed about?? Is it God? Too often I feel the answer is no. TO be obsessed with something means the domination of ones thoughts or feelings...whether its girls, school, cycling I always place other stuff where God should be...Number one in everything in my life should be God. He needs to be the center of everything...if he isn't the center of school..my priorities aren't right...if he isn't the center of cycling I am not riding for the right reasons..everything needs to revolve around Christ. Christ died so that we may live..but how are we using the time we have been given? are we just going through the motions and waiting to go to heaven? Matthew 10:39 "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Are we willing to give up our life...our time..our energy for Him..As each day passes I realize more and more that each time I give up what I fear to lose the most I find/experience the most precious beautiful satisfying joyful amazing thing I could hope to find...Jesus. Now since God has given his kingdom and blessed us beyond belief how should we conduct ourselves..how can we honor him? I feel one way we can show gratitude is by obeying God with fear and humility. Psalm 103:11 says "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him" When we fear God we learn to obey him...and we see in John 14:21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Its so cool to see how when we humble ourselves and become nothing that God truly makes his love complete in us

Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The problem with soley giving every ounce of your soul, strength, heart is we have an enemy that wants you to do anything that doesn;t have to do with God..distraction is an amazing way that we get side-tracked. Its when you don't want to read your bible you should, its when you feel to busy to pray you need to get on your knees and lift your heart to God, its when you afraid that you need to share your faith etc.. Have you ever seen a couple thats crazy in love...that can't stop spending time together..and think about each other when they're apart..this is how I want to be with God...Jesus I want to wake up to your glorious mercy, I want to dance in your joy, I want to breath in your life, I want to speak your Love, I want to hear your sweet voice...I want my life to be a love song for you. I want you to make you proud...I want to fall in love with you..

Isn't it funny how time and time again we try to fill our life with things that only satisfy for a moment when God satisfies us for eternity. Nothing, whether its a girlfriend, a sport, a hobbie, a job should come close to your obsession with God. The best part is when you look for God or spend time with him or give your life to him you find exactly what you wanted/needed. He never disappoints...He always is there..he will always answer you when you call.

Once again are we obsessed with God?? do we long for waking up in the morning just so we can speak to God? do we live our lives for him or do we just put on a mask, blend in, and look like the world? do we pray and read his word? do we live like they are dying or do we live like just we were dying? See 1/1 people die...if I were to die tonight I know I would go to heaven, but what about everyone else. No one, whether it is your aunt, dad, cousin, friend is guaranteed tommorrow..the one thing you can't do in heaven is witness to non-believers. See if we are really obsessed about God and are willing to give up everything to serve him how come we are so afraid to share our Hope...the world's hope in Jesus..He came to save everyone. See we have been saved by grace, we can't save, that's the Holy Spirit's job but it needs a body to work through..we just have to let God use us.. as scary as witnessing might be its just telling your story. Not mine, not your friend's but your own story that only you can tell...I love it!! All we have to do is tell the story of our life written by God. We should overjoyed to tell people about the greatest gift they could ever recieve..

So when life is hard..be obsessed with God, when life doesn't make sense spend time with God..he makes sense..When you are busy..be obsessed with God, when you are sad be obsessed with God, When you are filled with joy..be obsessed with God


BE OBSESSED WITH GOD....BECAUSE HE IS OBSESSED WITH YOU.

Date Doctor?

When it comes to girls...I am content until God brings her to me.

High Schooled.

Do you ever get the question O what high school did you go to? I have tons of times...but unlike most people I am not excited to talk about it. High school to say the least was terrible. I went to Coronado High School. I didn't really have any friends that went there my one & only friend at the time went to another high school. People didn't like me..I would go sometimes a whole day without talking to anyone. I never was with the "in-crowd" or any crowd. People teased and harrassed me..even peed on my car. My house often got egged. I played the trumpet which was really sweet but no one else really thought so. I didn't ever have a girlfriend. Never went to or got invited to with everyone to Homecoming. I missed both my junior & senior prom even though i love dancing. I was laughed off the baseball team due to horrible ridicule from so called teammates. I don't miss it at all...I was really lonely and didn;t have alot of hope for things to come..See I don't get excited to talk about what happened rather super excited because out of pain, tears, and what seems like a dark time in my life God shines through. Jesus was what got me through those hard times and has used it to forever change my life and it has given me enough strength to handle anything. That's the beauty of Jesus -2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
It took me losing all that I knew from friends to dreams to find out that when everything of this world is put aside the only thing left is Jesus. It was Jesus that stayed faithful to be my true friend when I needed one the most. See underneath all the pain & what I was trying to fill the big hole in my heart was Jesus. I done all I could to get rid of my burdens but I couldn't ..so I let go because Jesus is so loving he is willing to take the broken pieces of our heart and put them back together.Without Him I can do nothing & I am nothing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast." It was all Jesus..he saved me. All we have to do is cry out for help & he will hear us and come to our rescue. Romans 5:8 -But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While I was lost in sin & without hope for this life..he gave his life for me. See God refuses to stop loving us. Yes there are times life is hard even downright unbearable but Jesus is bigger than anything this world can throw at you..he created it. Life is like a blacksmith making steel, to make the steel the blacksmith first has to heat the steel until it melts..when this happens the impurities will float to the top..the blacksmith will see the impurities and remove them and then forge beautiful metals. Jesus does the same with use...by turning up the heat it allows our impurities to become visible..this can be hard sometimes but it is how he makes us pure again. So what happened to me after high-school...God overwhelmed me by giving me tons of friends, an amazing college, cycling, and the most amazing years of my life...God is GOOD all the time!

Ok Break!

So why haven't I blogged lately well its because its because I have beeen way too busy enjoying break! Break has like usual been super sweet. I have seen lots of friends, spent countless hours sleeping in, gone-skiing, visited the zoo, and tons of fun activities. This break was very needed. I almost thought i wasn't going to make it through all the crazyness of school but I did. I was feeling burnt out and just tired. Break once again has done its job and got me back to 100%. Its almost a week till school starts and I am already getting pumped for this semester. I begun my training for the 2010 cycling season and despite freezing temps its nice to be back training again. It always helps me to focus, think about stuff, and most importantly spend time alone with God. Also this semester we are starting Joshua Team! So cool, and with all the ballin awesome guys in my study I can't wait to run head over heels after God with them. My sister is actually going to be up in fort collins this year which is very exciting. Last night I went to the college night at New Life Church. It was so refreshing to just be surrounded by over 1000 college christians all worshiping and learning about God. The pastor's talk really spoke to me. It was all about so called New Years Resolutions..Yes Resolutions aren't bad and are good goals..but to put God on a checklist with for example working out isn't good. Our list should be to know God more.....end of list. Often we look to the New Year to cut out procrastination, to be more productive etc etc but when it comes down to it the most important thing is this life is knowing God. This sounds crazy when some many things in life seem more important. The best way to known God is get in that WORD!! thats right because we know from scripture that the bible is the very breath or word of God. By simplying reading your bible your are reading the living and active words of the creator of the universe.In Matthew 10:39 Jesus says "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Our Resolution should always be about Him not us..we just have to let go of those things that seem so good but are really nothing in comparison to Jesus. I know its hard ..sometimes when looking to the New Year I have so many questions..How will I do in School? Where will I work? Will I find a girl to date? What about cycling? What should I do about this??? While I was riding God answered...ME..yes its not the answer you want to hear but He is the answer. No we don't know what will happen on this crazy roller-coaster ride of life but we do know Jesus is with us...Sometimes as bad as we want answers we need to step aside and say God no matter what happens you are all I need. So for this year of course I have hopes & dreams along with fears but I know God will be there tommorrow, the day after that and forever. So I have my resolution..or prayer is that I might come to know God better and make him known. Its a daily process of taking small baby steps and if ever fall Jesus is there to catch us..Its preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily..Christ died for my sin..and everyone sins so that we might live with him in eternal peace. So this year I intend to learn more about the prince of a glorious kingdom whom left everything to rescue the one whom he loved..that being you&me.