Hey Everybodies!

And believe it or not I am finally rocking and rolling on MyChurch *yaaaayyy!* As an opening blog I wanted to use it to to actually kill two birds with one stone, that is I wanted you to get to know me and do this by sharing my testimony (aanannd take care of an assignment for a class I have, lol). It makes me happy! So here we go.

My name to start is Jonathan, and you can call me Jon (or whatever other funny fancy names you make think up). My life has had its ups and downs but God has taken care of me through it all. My parents divorced when I was young and so I grew up in a christian home, but it was only with my mom. I came to know Christ as my Savior when I was rather young at a small country church I was attending with my family. I was baptized in a river soon after that by a pastor by the name of Buddy. I was an EXTREMELY annoying child, to the extent that I was.....welll.....for lack of a better word.....EXTREMELY ANNOYING (hoping the caps bring in the true emotion brought for by the agitation I caused). But God blessed with a mom who worked to take care of me and by youth leaders who were there for me alot. I attended two youth groups growing up and in going two them I grew and matured.

As I was in these youth groups I had this habit for years of continually rededicating my life to Christ (as though the first 10 15 times wasnt enough). It was usually at youth conferences I'd go down, or raise my hand, I dont know why I just felt like I guess that if I had messed up I had to be saved again, or maybe I didnt really mean it last time so I had better make sure. I'd find myself waking up at night thinking what if I died tonight, would I go to Heaven? And rededicating my life again. It took me awhile to realize that once I was saved, I was saved! And so I now life realizing that no matter how I mess up (and I do!) God does and will always love me and hold me close.

When I was about 16...ish. I was attending a youth conference and they had a alter call that I had not heard before, and that was a ministries call. If you felt call to a certain ministry they wanted you to come down and pray with you and talk with you. At that point it hit me out of no where (a.k.a. from God) that felt led to be a youth minister. I went up and they prayed with me and talked with me and since then I've been following a path of reassurance and growth towards becoming a youth minister. Now that path also has its downs as well as its up. There are times I wonder if either A. am I supposed to do this? or B. am I living up to what God wants me to be doing and doing my part(s) in the work and task at hand? As struggles arise though God's worked and is working in me and as time continues even through me and its a blessing to know this.

My struggles as of now strongly include the shameful realization that just living up to expectations is not enough in life. Like in school you can pass with a "C" or "D" and be just find but not so in the Christian life. I live passing with a "C" (and even sometimes with a "D") and it hurts alot because I know that I'm the one keeping myself from that growth through laziness or things that sidetrack me. Yet one thing I know to be true is God is loving me (not just loves me but stands to the side, he is actually loving me, showing me this through so many blessings). I developed this image that God punishes you if you ever do wrong but God does not just smack you down when you...(or well I need to fix my pronoun)....I...(well, hey ALL OF US) do wrong! And I love him so much for that! I feel he has helped to see these things in my life that drastically need changing and has even helped me to change them, and not just yelled at me then left me alone to do it by myself. God is loving, unfailing, caring, and I wish I had not botched my walk with him growing up with laziness, procrastination, and such when he deserves so much more! Yet he is still loving and always will be loving and helping me to continue to change and to continue to grow closer to him. And he continues to guide me, I just pray I always listen.

God has blessed me in a church that has allowed me to preach and teach a Sunday School class of Jr. High students (love you guys by the way, and miss you guys [and girls of course, not to sound mean] alot! Hope to see you soon, and sooner than you may think!) And he has blessed me with awesome friends that help me and criticize me as I need it and they each give me an awesome example of youth in faith at my age. People I can look to for help and strength. I am thankful that God has blessed with those and with now being able to attend college that I may move forward into ministry telling others about him both on and off the clock. 

Well that is my testimony, it is, in a nutshell, how God has pulled me closer to him and how though I messup and fail he is still there in a loving way and caring and guiding me.