Sunday

Sunday was an incredible cap to a great weekend. I got to hang out with 2 of the coolest people in the world jeff hill and david jacks pretty much all weekend long. I had alot of fun hanging out with them. Sunday school was better than it has been in a long time. I had a guy pray the prayer of salvation but said that he rededicated so I only hope that he gets it right with God cuz that is all that i want. We actually talked about in sunday school what me and jeff and david talked about over the weekend. Jeff and i are from very different spectrums and see very differently on a lot of issues. But he challenges me and helps me so much to see things from a different perspective. David is one of the most creative people that i know and can always turn an ordinary thing into something you will never forget. We talked about so many things this weekend from our future goals to our future partners in ministry to many other things. One thing i know for sure is that these guys make me so much better than i am and challenge me without them even knowing that they do. But anyways, we talked alot about Rom. 10:9 and what the word believe meant. A hot-topic where i live right now is how screwed up American Christianity is at this point in time. Which isn't really something that you can argue with but its gonna keep getting worse because that is God's plan. So we talked about what believe really means and that is what we talked about in Sunday school the greek translation says that believe means to entrust or to give complete control to basically by believing you entrust your spiritual well-being to God. Its more than simply knowing what happened or stating that He is God. It takes a commitment something that we don't really understand in America. Im smiling right now because as a supervisor u realize how tough it is to find someone that is committed. Its tough but funny cuz one of the main things that i remember being drove into my mind as a child by my parents was that as a Thompson you keep your commitments no matter what. But regardless i will try to blog some more even though i might be the only one reading this thing haha!

just thinking....

yeah so the last couple of days ive been thinking about life. Its advising time at school when you go into a cramped lil office so some guy can tell you what classes you can take and you say ok sign the paper and leave. So this wonderful time in my life where i gain much needed insight (that is sarcasm) gets me to thinking. No but seriously ive been thinking of my future career and just thoughts about where im going and where im going to end up and all kinds of crazy things. Kristen came into town this past weekend and we had so much fun. Its so sad when we have to separate again for like another month but God has used our separation (distance not in our relationship) for so many awesome things. An increase in trust, communication, and the thing that i didn't see coming was a thirst for God. Since she has been back from ol Argentina the connection has been as vibrant as i would have liked to have with God but maybe its not a bad thing maybe i needed a break from searching and striving to relax and just be happy with where God has me at. I have renewed my commitment to my job and the kids in my ss class bcuz as i realized this week i haven't spent as much time with them as i want to. And even though i was with the love of my life this weekend i was very dissappointed with the fact that i didn't get to hang out with my high schoolers. Besides all that i also am trying to seek God in what he wants me to do when im done with my first degree. Do i just find a job as a salesman or something similar and wait to get another degree then start doing things that i've dreamt of doing my whole life or do i start right after college? Do i get married immediately after college or do i get settled in order to make things a much easier transition? Questions just flowing through my mind constantly. Oh yeah and i just thought i would mention this school is killing me lately i may have like a below 3.0 semester or at least that is what im looking at possibly worst case scenario. Plus with work starting to roll into peak season im struggling to find the time for all my necessary activities. I realized this week that i put in around 48 hours a week with school and work that are required not to mention the 8 hours i lose driving everyday. so around 56 of the 85 hours are consumed leaving not much time for studying and homework. Unless i don't eat and if you know me that is a definite no-no. And yes i did this math on my own. But time management has never been a superb strength in my repetoire but its not horrible either but i need to improve in order to maximize my efficiency. Sorry business major jargon. Anyway just keep thinking and praying about me. I need it and i can't wait to start my alumni status. O to graduate!!!!

i miss wednesdays

i was thinking last night on the way home from work...by the way i have so much stinkin time to think with like 4,000m miles that i drive every single day, but anyway i miss wednesdays so much. I was there every chance that i got when i could be there and now i can't go ever. I miss the preaching and just being able to hang out but what i miss most of all is the worship. Jeff Hill if you haven't met him is absolutely incredible i look up to him in many different ways. I know that God has put him in my life to fuel passions about Christ and ministry and people. He is the lead singer of the praise band in H20 and one of my very best friends. I like different kinds of music but when people ask me to tell them what my favorite kind of music is i tell them people that sing with passion and fire. I love songs where you can tell the artist is working their butt off to hit the right pitch with so much strength and committment to the note. On wednesdays it is the most incredible worship i have ever experienced. I went back a couple of months ago and the music and worship brought so much joy and excitement that i literally felt consumed by the Spirit. I know that sounds weird especially for me to say cuz i don't like to diverge into what people see as crazy things and i also see them as personal experiences that God gives us between us and Him. But it was absolutely amazing. I've never experienced anything like that. I miss that so much. If we could take some Jeff Hill and put into young people all over the world things would change, they might not always be the right changes but things would get done. anyway all this to say i wonder how many experiences like this i have missed in the past year and a half and furthermore i couldn't imagine people that are saved just deciding not to attend church.

But maybe they don't see the spirit of God move in the way that he does in other places. But i beg you guys go to a place where people are giving all that they have, somewhere where there budget reflects an effort to reach people, somewhere that has excitement and passion like you've never seen.

I pray that God will give me passion to serve Him and that i will meet people who will join me that bring the same if not more passion for Christ and His work. I pray that God would give me people to minister that have untapped creativity and thirst for something more than what they are currently living for. I pray that His vision would become mine and i would seek it with all that i am.

Election

i was listening to the radio as i do every morning on the hour drive to school. And i caught the Grace to You broadcast (John McArthur). He was speaking about divine election i think that is the official name, but if you are like me its always interesting to hear about different things that people believe. Before i voice my opinion i would like to give everyone a chance to sound off on what they think if God chooses the "elect" before the foundation of the earth, or whether you think that God knows the choice that we will make i want to hear what people have to say so let me know.

So many thoughts...

Well i couldn't really decide what to write about today because there has been alot on my mind the last two days. But just an update on me will suffice for now. I've been struggling with my call to ministry but only because of my growth in interest in another area of my life. I have been into marketing from my first principles class in high school and continue to be fueled with my passion of knowing what people want and being able to display the best way to let them know that we have exactly what they are looking for. My passion for people is shown in this way that everyone is searching just like when you go out to buy some kind of large purchase like a TV or a computer and you do all the research but are still looking for the deal of a lifetime. Well as a marketing man i have to express in my most heartfelt opinion that our product is not only better than everyone else's but that there is some reason that your life will be missing something if you don't experience our product. So my passion for people and Christ are fueled by this tool that God has given me. I have thought and thought and thought but never really focused on what to do with my life but now time is running out or so it seems and i will have to make a decision very soon on in which way can God use me to have the most impact in my lifetime.

I have thought about being a pastor, a children's pastor, an executive pastor, a student pastor. Also i have considered working through the corporate world to earn my living there and invest in people and programs that will benefit the body of Christ. I have thought of writing books to help people truly live out the song they sang as children "this lil light of mine, im gonna let it shine" and now im considering opening a marketing firm when i have some money for churches to allow them to have as many resources possible to reach the people of their community with the message of Jesus Christ. All these thoughts going on inside of my head at the same time creates sort of a jumbled mess.

All this to say that as i was listening to Charles Stanley today on the radio he asked when was the last time that you got on your knees for more than one day in a month sought God's face to discover His will for your life. He said that it took Him eight years to know. It might take more for me to wade through the clouds of uncertainty but i have a renewed sense of urgency to discover where God wants to take me. I urge you all to do the same.

Ole Memphis`

I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that i haven't had time to post a blog but here is one because im sure that people are waiting for this one. I stayed out all night Friday waiting for the game to get here. Knowing in my mind that the chances of us winning were like the chances of me putting a 42" lift kit on my 1999 saturn sl1 and replacing my system in the trunk with a large cooler filled with imitation crab meat. But i keep remembering in my heart that our average wide receiver height is around 6'3" which is pretty tall. Plus we have this guy we call slim that we should call the freak of nature (6'8", 4.29 40 yard dash!!) plus we fired the only downside of our team the last 3 years Jo Lee Freakin Dunn. So my mind clearly says no but my heart keeps yelling we've got a chance. I'm not gonna go over the problems that i have with the game both in the game and the Liberty Bowl and certain Student organizations...but i will say this we played horrible, Martin Hankins is overrated, Joseph Doss is not Deangelo Williams, and Tommy West is not the greatest coach ever. But what makes me more angry than anything in the entire world is UT fans....well except for Ole Miss fans....but by beating Memphis all that they say is what now, we proved that you are a second rate football program blah blah blah blah....the only problem that i have with college football is this: the BCS creates the most unfair advantage in any sports association ever created. The budget of Memphis compared to Knoxville is like 1 million times more (not really but it is like 10 times more) so schools like Memphis are put at a competitive disadvantage based on conference. If i were a lawyer i would take this to court because the BCS is most obviously a monopoly. This seems outlandish and maybe i am speaking out of frustration and i refuse to go back to my old Memphis ways and wait til basketball season so i can watch our great team with the Tennessee fans that were at the football game as they wear the Tiger Blue. But i feel sorry for schools like TCU, Utah, and Boise State that are not perennial powerhouses but also will never be allowed to be because of the BCS and their maniacal, money hungry, egotistical, numbskulls eliminate them from competition all-together. Anyway good luck Deangelo i hope you break more records than you did here and you join our other future Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce.