Semi-Creative Outlet

Life is an interesting thing, I used to just do all the minimum to get by, just barely doing enough school each day, procrastination was ever present, and I didn’t really feel like I was making a difference at all, which I think instilled in me an attitude of mediocrity and selfishness, which led to doing things half way, and asking what they could do for me, not what I could do for them.

I recently had the priviledge of doing something for someone else.

A friend was going through something traumatic in their life, something inside(or from above) told me I had to help, it wasn’t an option, I didn’t even know what the issue was, but I did my best to be there for them, I didn’t say much but I was there to “listen” (all of this was over instant messaging).

As it turns out, I had something similar happen in my life a year or so ago, so I knew exactly what they felt like and I was able to help them even more.

So, whats my point, as I said first off, I was living life with and attitude of mediocrity and selfishness, I had forgotten what it meant to do something whole heartily, and enjoy the feeling of a job well done.

By helping this person, I woke up to that fact that there is more to life than what I thought, I have started doing things well, not doing things just to get them out of the way, my school work has improved, my devotions with my God have been more meaningful.

If you feel like you are doing things half-way, without any heart. turn and face your Creator, then look for a friend that is grieving and stand by them.

Friends are great, you know, it gives you someone to laugh with, to share inside jokes with, to laugh at inside jokes with. Also you can be doing the most mundane task, but if you have a good friend by your side, it can be something you will remember for a long time, like, cutting down trees and making countless trips out of the woods on a three-wheeler with cut logs packed in all around you, it’ll always be a time that you can look back and say, remember when we did that… yeah, that was awesome.  Friends make everything much more enjoyable better, like going to a movie, who wants to go to a movie alone?

But some of the best things friends are for is to stand by you no matter what is happening all around you, so you can always know that you have a shoulder to lean on, or to offer a shoulder for someone else to lean on, cause at some point in life everyone will fall down and will need someone to help you back up to your feet, so that you can then return the favor when they need a helping hand, friends are there to help you along, and then for you to return the favor

A friend is someone you can stay up late with, just talking about life, whats happening in it, and what you want to happen in the future.  Relationships, friendships, recent events, inside jokes and just plain stupid stuff is all fair game when two friends are having a friend-to-friend chat. you can talk about anything to a true friend.

that’s why i’m glad I have the best friend ever!

Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

lots of stuff has happened since I last wrote on here, learned a new skill, made some new friends, got a new outlook on stuff, got a new computer (insert smiley here), got some hard blows from life and I’d like to say I matured through it all, but that is for someone besides me to say.

So as far as the previous list goes my new skill, playing the guitar, has been really cool since I started playing four or five months ago, I have been able to paly along with some of my favorite artists whether it sounded anything like them or not.

My newest friends from New Hamshire, the Mangums, all I have to say is… Peanut Butter Toast in a Bowl!

I went on two mission’s trips, to Lewes (lew-is), Deleware where I helped on a team of folks to run a soccer evangelism camp, and to Jackman, Maine where I also served on a team running a family camp for my church.

I have played many intense games of Ultimate Frisbee, made many catches, dropped many catches, scored some points in the process, put aside personal safety more often than I would care to admit, been part of a team that won a mini tournament, and had a blast doing all of it.

I’ve learned about friendships and relationships, some lessons harder to learn then others.

Oh yeah and I turned 15 (it just happens as you grow up I’m told), and I am soon to turn 16.

these are the spotlights of the last year or so I might try to keep giving updates as note worthy events happen, but of course, that’s what I said last time.

-Adam-

Last Friday marked the end to the week long Teenpact class, this was the third class I had attended, and probably my favorite of the three.

I ran for representative in my committee, I lost, I ran for Governor and surprisingly enough, I won the nomination so the next step was to campaign and try my best to beat the other 3 candidates, one base I relied on was that out of the four of us running, I had the most Teenpact experience, three years.

So when it came down for the votes to be counted and the winner to be announced I was a little disappointed, there was a three way tie between the other three candidates each with ten votes, I got seven.

during the week I stayed at Camp Good News, Residential, instead of commuting everyday to the capitol from our homes most of us stayed at the camp, it was a lot of fun. every night we would have a evening session, a devotional and then we played games, fuseball, air-hockey, ping-pong and everyones favorite, “Do You Love Your Neighbor” we played until we had to head back to the cabins for the night.

On Friday was the optional Public Speaking class where we are taught how to be more confident while speaking,also things like how to stand, what to do with our hands, one major thing they taught us that you should avoid filler words if at all possible (um, uh, like stuff like that).

At the end of the day we all had to write a speech over lunch and then present it to the rest of the class. I had help choosing the topic for mine, it was “The Merits of Pizza”, I think I did pretty well, I just need to be more Imaginative with my hand motions.

At the ned of the month our family will be going to the Teenpact National Convention is where Teenpacters from around the country come to meet, make new friends and two of the high lights, are Electing a Teenpact President and Vice President, and the yearly Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, we went last year and it was great, so this year should be doubly so.

This a a book report on “The life of General Stonewall Jackson” by M.L. Williamson

The book started out in Jackson’s childhood at about the age of five, he then lived with various relatives till he was of age to join West Point Military Academy.

At the Academy he was always behind the most of the class because he would not move to the next lesson until he had mastered the previous one.

He graduated seventeenth in his class, at the age of twenty-two he was given the rank of second lieutenant of artillery in the U.S. Army.

He then fought in the Spanish-American war, and was promoted to the rank of Major

then the Civil War broke out and he was given command of a group of men later to be known as “the Stonewall Regiment”

Before the end of the war a Confederate patrol thinking that he and his staff were Federals, opened fire and fatally wounded him, a week or so later he died at the rank of Lieutenant-General.

This book walks you through General Jackson Life in an informative and sometimes humorous way, but describes well his life and his great deeds.

This a a book report on “The life of General Stonewall Jackson” by M.L. Williamson

The book started out in Jackson’s childhood at about the age of five, he then lived with various relatives till he was of age to join West Point Military Academy.

At the Academy he was always behind the most of the class because he would not move to the next lesson until he had mastered the previous one.

He graduated seventeenth in his class, at the age of twenty-two he was given the rank of second lieutenant of artillery in the U.S. Army.

He then fought in the Spanish-American war, and was promoted to the rank of Major

then the Civil War broke out and he was given command of a group of men later to be known as “the Stonewall Regiment”

Before the end of the war a Confederate patrol thinking that he and his staff were Federals, opened fire and fatally wounded him, a week or so later he died at the rank of Lieutenant-General.

This book walks you through General Jackson Life in an informative and sometimes humorous way, but describes well his life and his great deeds.

Today is the where we all stuff ourselves on Turkey, Stuffin  and all the other Thanksgiving delicacies.

but are we skipping the whole point of this day, today is a do to do exactly what the name says, Give thanks.

What I am thankful for

1. Food, Clothes and Shelter

2. My Salvation

3. Parents and a Family that love me

4. My Freedom and living in the United States of America

5. Friends

6. My Church.

What Are you Thankful For?

Whoa! what a week.

I did not realize till the end that we did 83.5 hours of Political Science and Campaigning.

During the week I knew we were doing a lot I just did not think we did THAT much.

On election night we watched TV (for the first time in a week) to see some results,
and it was kinda discouraging seeing all the Republicans losing and the Democrats winning.

But then we looked up the candidates who we were working for all week, it was nice to see that most of them were winning.

one of our candidates, in the preliminary results lost by four votes then a recount showed that he won by two votes.

At the end of the week our Program Director, Justin Horsman said to all of us “You basically saved the state of Maine” which sent chills up my spine.

To see how I, a Ninth Grade Homeschooler had changed the results of the election by doing something out of my comfort zone by knocking on countless doors and making hundreds of phone calls, it was a very humbling feeling.

In the end, out of the six candidates our group campaigned for, five of them won their races, and this was the very first Student Project here in Maine.

So I bet the Maine GOP will fund us again in the next election.
I definitely will be looking forward to this again in two years.

Tomorrow I am going to do something I have never done before.

I am going to work on a campaign up north.

I forget the names of the candidates but they are Republicans.

This year is an important year, it is the first time in 34 or so years that the Republicans have a chance at taking the majority in house and senate, also we have a chance at getting a Republican Governor in office, which would be great!

I will be gone for one week from tomorrow.

I hope it will be as fun as people say these are.

A week or so ago I installed Fireworks on to my/our computer just to play around with it and do some misc. stuff.

after a few hours of using it I loved it.

you are able to do so many things, here are some things I did using it

Hopefully I can be doing more advanced stuff in the future.