-Random... Any ol Wednesday but can't Complain-

So i found a little encouragement for the firs time ever in my Organic Chem class... my professor said that if we make an "A" on the final we get an "A" in the class... pretty sweet deal if you ask me, and especially if you are failing as i am! So the day started off well. After class i headed to the gump to help the all too soon to be bride that is my sister move all her stuff out of her apt in preparation for her next move in with future brother-in-law bmay on Dec. 17,2005!

-Turkey Day-

I've realized the older you get the more awkward it can be to be around family. Don't get me wrong, me and my relatives are very close and we have great relationships with eachother and have way too much fun together. I love em dearly! It just seems that the older i've gotten, i've just gotten a new prospective on things and its actually a little frustrating. I'll try to explain...
My explanation beings upon our arrival to my dad's sister's house in albany on Wed. afternoon. Hugs are given, food is munched on, dinner is eaten, the usual you know... yeah we had fun but it just all seems so fake to me the older i've gotten, Fake meaning we are just going thru the motions of "family holiday times" you know? Yet for some reason i choose to be fake also in a way... the casual conversations, playing silly games & watching T.V. The question runs thru my mind... "So, you can talk about Jesus comfortably with friends at school and immediate family but why not your relatives?" Whom i love and care for just as much as my friends and immediate family! Why can't i be intentional with my conversations instead of tuning everyone out and watching t.v. like everyone else is doing so i don't have to talk to anybody? This burden is good but its just a little confusing cause i can't figure out a solution... Any thoughts?

Going to bed... fat and happy,
-Blessings-

- ATL and Turkey Day Beginning -

I've been behind i know in my postings, sorry (actually, im prob. apologizing to no one, cause nobody bothers to read about me). Nevertheless, i am posting just cause i enjoy it and if others read well, good! Left AU round 11 am to head to the ATL to hang with a friend from home that's in school at Kennesaw. Didn't get lost or ne thing so my trip started off rather well, still over joyed about my Tiger's victory in the Iron Bowl the previous day...WAR EAGLE!

Had a great afternoon, went to the "greasy V" off of 75 and then to both Guitar Centers with wade... what could be better? Hit up some Starbucks and a bit of studying cause my freak of a teacher decides to schedule an exam the Tues. we get back from Turkey holiday... suck! So after doing more talkin/laughin (as we always do!) then we did studyin,our stomachs began to talk so we decided to down some over priced ATL Japanese cuisine! The price was worth it.. best sushi, hot&sour soup, and egg rolls ever! Wade recently bought the "Evening with Shane and Shane" DVD/CD so we watched that and played some shane for oursleves after, fun times with our guitars! Shane and Shane got nothing on Zach and Wade! haha (yeah right).

Well off to play in ATL

-Blessings-

-Finding Joy-

Just a quick post before i head to class... in the storm that my world is right now, its hard to be content with where He has me... pretty much feels like a desert. I woke up this morning and just claimed that i have nothing to offer but this life He has given me. Moving to the tiger transit bus stop by my apartment, the usual a.m routine, only to be picked up at 8:58 for my 9am class my day was already starting wonderfully, no offense to my little old man bus driver who does not exceed 35 mph ALL the way to the Haley center. Looking out the window frustrated still, the Lord broke me and he challenged me to find JOY in Him in the midst of a morning the devil was winning more or less unknown to me. Total change of perspective fell on me... appreciate each moment he gives and take each moment in stride with our Jesus, its honestly the only way to walk this Christian life, a lot easier said then done but it should be our heart's desire and daily goal.

-Blessings-

-MBY Fal Retreat-

-MBY Fall Retreat Thoughts-

My home church’s Fall Retreat was this weekend and me and the band got back to together to lead worship for them. So me and my good ole friend Catherine road tripped it for the second week in a row. (And we’re not done yet! Next week we’re headed to Athens for the game… o yeah, get excited! WAR EAGLE). The retreat was at Shocco Springs, same place where the Encounter retreat was… pretty neat, im just glad that I didn’t get lost! (For those of you that know me, im sure you are laughing and for those of you that don’t know me… im pretty much directionally challenged). As we were unloading all the equipment and I walked into the worship room and saw the stage, I realized that I have played at this camp before (didn’t realize it when I was on the Encounter retreat because we were in a bigger room and it was in a totally different part of the camp). So, Zach smiled as memories came flooding back from one of my first MBY worship gig retreat weekends! So much fun… Pierce, P-Diddy, Ant, and Spearman… love you guys!

The turn out for the retreat was a little on the small side but it was still good to see everyone and they didn’t hold anything back in worship Friday nite. Wade’s friend from Kennesaw came with him to play lead… awesome, so glad you came Nate!

The whole time during worship, the Lord was just reminding me that these gifts and talents the Lord has given me and the band are simply gifts and should be held lightly and with gratification… My prayer was… “Lord, remind me of my smallness so I can reflect your greatness in my life to these kids and may they not only worship because You are worthy of all of our praise but because without you we are nothing, may our smallness and your Glorious GRANDNESS be the reason for our worship!”

Got up at 6 a.m. & ran with Ms. Sarah Christianson… what a stud that girl, she was running circles round me and I’m not afraid to admit it! That could be my new favorite time to run… I don’t think my body really realized what it was doing… still too early for it to register to my brain! O, really random… almost killed the entire A T O pledge class from Alabama while in my car...( i know, your thinking “From the University of Alabama? Why did you stop?” Don’t ask, well you can… it’s a pretty funny story!

-Saturday Nite Worship-

Free time was relaxing and we practice for a bit and such an expectation for Saturday nite was sensed… Dinner, prayer time and then the Lord revealed himself in an awesome way through worship and singing. From our heart of hearts with all we knew God to be to us, we began to cry out for HIM to dwell and invade us, show us something new and reveal himself as the creator of the universe, lover of our souls and divine romancer, giver of life, crucified and risen Savior! He is so faithful, as a band the Lord softened our hearts and gave us a sensitivity to the youth’s cries for Jesus, then “All Who Are Thirsty” resounded across the entire camp it felt like, as we sang, “Come Lord Jesus Come over and over again, honestly words cannot describe worship or even our small encounter… Jesus reveals so specifically and lovingly thru music and worship, I hope and pray again the Lord daily reminds me of how lightly, humbly, and sacrificially I should hold my talents and musically ability… if I lose my talent, or it is taken away I would be no different, love God any less and still rejoice in His sovereignty in my life.

Came home and took a glorious two hour nap... and could have kept on sleeping until my 9:00 a.m. class tomorrow! Highschool guys just don't find sleep a necessary part of a retreat weekend, but come to think about neither did i when i was in highschool. Im just getting old!

-Blessings-

-Jason Upton = Blessing-

How I love You
You are the one
You are the one
How I love You
You are the one for me

I was so lost
You showed the way
'Cause You are the way
And I was so lost
You showed the way to me

I was lied to
But You told the truth
'Cause You are the truth
I was lied to
But You showed the truth to me

Oh God, how I love You
There's longing for You
You're the dream of truth
How I love you

I was dying
You gave me life
'Cause You are the life
I was dying
You gave Your life for me

How I love You
You are the one
God's risen Son
How I love You
You gave Your life for me

Hallelujah
Oh I sing out hallelujah
You are the one for me
Oh I sing out hallelujah

Hallelujah
You are the one
God's risen Son
Hallelujah
You are the one for me

http://www.jasonupton.com/mp3_clips/GRR/Track%2010_GRR.mp3

i have not really given upton's second album "Great River Road" a chance.... been hooked on his "Faith" album which is probably the most worshipful album i own.... really. So i put another of his albums in, "Great River Road" and listen thru it, sooo good but then i got to track # 10 the song written above (either click the link or cut and paste it into a URL strip and listen!) I really had to stop the car and just sit with Jesus. He totally captivated my attention, my heart, and my mind, this beautiful afternoon on Wire Road. Solid truth rings throughout this entire song about Jesus' character and what He has done for us! Before Christ in our lives we were LOST, BELIEVING LIES, BLIND, & DEAD! He took each of these and replaced them with being found, revealing truth, & making us ALIVE in Him...gave us life Eternal...He IS Life. So i ask myself... why do i complicate the simple and essential truth that this song and Jesus offer? Well, let me rephrase that... (the Christian life is impossible) Far too often we choose not to allow His Glory and Spirit to guide us in our weakness/ sin struggles... why? I've heard someone say or i read that, "sin is His children choosing not to see/believe God for all He says He is and promises" - a simple refusal. Claiming my small,self-constructed idols are worthy of higher praise, my life, my career, my financial stability, my instant gratification, my finding satisfaction in dating that certain person, the love he or she offers, the comfort of some earthly someone, or whatever moves the "God intended spotlight" from Him to Zach or whoever, is better then the One who SPOKE the EARTH into existence and hung it in NOTHING. We are imperfect people who must DAILY recognize our relentless need for our Savior's glory, love, peace, and joy to amplified in our lives...without Christ living in us we have not a life worth living.
Lord i pray we... i, can admit smallness the moment i open my eyes tomorrow and each day that u have for me!

-Blessings while being small-

-Death on a Cross-

A medical doctor provides a physical description:
Thecross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man isquickly thrown backwards with his shoulders againstthe wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression atthe front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, squarewrought iron nail through the wrist deep into thewood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeatsthe action, being careful not to pull the arms tootightly, but to allowsome flex and movement. The cross is then lifted intoplace. The left foot is pressed backward against theright foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, anail is driven through the arch of each, leaving theknees flexed. The victim is now crucified. As heslowly sags down with more weight on the nails in thewrists, excruciating fiery pain shoots along thefingers and up the arms to explode in the brain- thenails in the wrists are putting pressure on the mediannerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid thiswretching torment, he places the full weight on thenail through his feet. Again he feels the searingagony of the nail tearing through the nerves betweenthe bones of his feet. As the arms fatigue, crampssweep through his muscles, knotting them deeprelentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comesthe inability to push himself upward to breathe. Aircan be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fightsto raise himself in order to get even one smallbreath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungsand in theblood stream, and the cramps partially subsided.Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward toexhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. Hours oflimitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint wrenchingcramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searingpain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as hemoves up and down against rough timber. Then anotheragony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chestas the pericardium slowly fills with serum and beginsto compress the heart. It is now almost over-the lossoftissue fluids has reached a critical level - thecompressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick,sluggish blood into the tissues - the tortured lungsare making frantic effort to gasp in small gulps ofair. He can feel the chill of death creeping throughhis tissues. Finally, he can allow his body to die...All this the Bible records with the simple words, "andthey crucified Him" (Mark 15:24).What wondrous love is this? Many people don't knowthat pain and suffering our Lord, Jesus Christ wentthrough for us...because of the brutality, crucifixionwas given a sentence to only its worst offenders ofthe law. Thieves, murderers, and rapists would be thetypes of people who got crucified. Yet, here Jesus isbeing crucified between two hardened criminals...Whatdid Jesus do? Did he murder anyone? Did he stealanything? The answer as we all know is NO!! Jesus didnothing to deserve this type of death, yet He wentwilling to die, in between 2 thieves, so that we mightbe saved. And there, in between the sinners, was ourslain Savior for our sins. God sent his son Jesus tothis horrible death so that we wouldn't have to.


... Yet we still try to deny Him, worship our own idols, play the leading roll in our story, try to live the life alone that He wants to be glorified in and apart of...

-Blessings-