Tyler’s Blog

Wow,

Who would have thought when I started at PBU that in my final year I would be leading a youth group as a youth director at Elkins Park Presbyterian? Seriously, I mean... God is crazy amazing like that!

These kids truly have me on fire for God with their questions. We recently started this Spiritual Challenges event which involves reading Scripture, Memorization of Psalms, keeping a prayer journal, reading for their family at dinner each night for a week, leading their family in prayer each night, spending private time with God, etc.

So, for a lot of these kids this is their first time reading the Gospels just straight through and I have been getting a lot of questions that I sort of took for granted. My two examples come from the Gospel of Matthew and both questions from the same girl:

1) What does 'woe' mean, like "woe to you"?
2) What does it mean to be yoked to Christ? Does it involve eggs?

Those two questions might seem silly, specially if you went to a Christian school or grew up in the Church but they were the two most encouraging questions that I have experienced in a long time.

I love these kids and I love ministry, it will be really hard to leave them when its time for me to leave for the Army.

God is good and keep these kids in your prayers please, whoever is reading this!

Tyler

Posted by Tyler at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So as I sit and diligently wait for the PBU van, that I like to reference as 'Molly the Trolly', to whisk me away from my Pendel apartment and deliver me to my night class for which I have been diligently anticipating the start of. I realize, or more have had an awakening that I have lived in every feasible accommodation that PBU offers. I have been in Souder and Stillman (Manor Campus dorms), I have been in Heritage (lower campus dorm which was a retirement home during my Freshman year at PBU), I have lived off campus for a semester in Yardley and now I find myself in Pendel apartments.

It is very interesting the journey that I have been on. I find myself now remembering Lit and Arts class with Dr. Bancroft thinking about the poem 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' (A classic of Hemingway, which if you have not read it you really must get off your rear and buy a copy.) I find that I am now within the 30 minute window before my night class and it is now for whom the Van Beeps... you see there are so many seats and it is beginning to lightly snow as Pendel becomes a mix of winter and borderlines becoming a winter tundra or sorts. So I sit inside, waiting... hoping...

The beep is tolling I must run! I am excited because it is Film Culture and Theology class with Dr. Toews, one of my favorite profs! SO I HAVE TO RUN AND GRAB A SEAT!

Tyler

Posted by Tyler at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So my current addiction are de-motivational posters. I think they are simply hilarious! I was having a bit of trouble sleeping the other night so I did a search for an hour and found hundreds that had me literally laughing out of control. I want to post up one of my favorites for you, they are designed like motivational posters but they are DE-motivational.

I could see myself potentially at the ripe age of 98 pulling pranks like this. I suppose that we will be like our grandparents in regards to technology. I have taught many of times how to open e-mails and add attachments I am sure our children will have to explain how to use hologram messaging services.

Well, have a great 18 degree day outside! HEAT WAVE!

Tyler

Posted by Tyler at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alright, so maybe my title is a rip off from a Robin Williams movie (good morning Vietnam). But, none the less it is a good morning. Classes are officially a go as of Wednesday and I am rather stoked that quite a few of my friends are in each of my classes. By each of my classes, I mean two. It is my last semester and it will be an adventure mixed with ministry, training for the army, work, homework, and fun. Stay tuned for more.

Tyler

Posted by Tyler at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that I often have the same subject line, saying that it is snowing again. But I feel that this is extremely important to note because in PA, specifically in the Southeast snow is not rare but snow that sticks for an extended amount of time is rare before January and February. Usually it is in those months that we really get pounded.

I remember my Freshman year we had a snow storm with 8 in inches of snow, so the girl I was dating at the time and myself had the BRILLIANT (and I mean BRILLIANT) idea to go cover our friend's cars entirely with snow. We went out manned with a shovel, and gloves. In the end a couple cars were covered so much you couldn't seen even the slightest glimpse of car under the powdery white. Good times.

We do not have that much snow right now, just flurries that left around .25" of snow. But it is supposed to hit hard around 11 and continue thorough out the night. It is sad that in the mid evening there will be rain in the winterly mix that will ruin the powdery effect of this beautiful snow. (I should be a meteorologist on TV, man am I good).

Anyways, a lot of students are back for J term, I am in my apartment in Pendel (if you are keeping track this is 4 different living situations in the same amount of semesters). It is good to see a lot of faces but it is hard knowing that after this semester I am shipping out, and its not that I will really be able to drop in and see them. Minimum it is a 6 year contract with the Army. I am extremely excited but a little bit sad to be leaving this "institution of higher education" (As President Williams would say).

God has been good,

Ty

Posted by Tyler at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I have two weeks before next semester, my last semester, my last two classes, my last months at PBU begins for me. I had a great Church service this morning and I am preparing for Sunday night youth group tonight. We are talking about the fruit of the Spirit and the deeds of the Flesh. We are splitting it up into two lessons, the 15 step program to death (deeds of the flesh) and the 9 step fruit of the Spirit diet. I think that is rather imaginative, but thats me, we will see how the kids take to it.

Right now though, I am sitting in Panera bread debating about if that buzzing is my phone or the lady at the table next to mine. I am listening to three Chinese ladies speaking Chinese to each other, its such a beautiful language. How do I know it's Chinese? Because I know how to greet people in Chinese, no I will not tell you where I learned.

I am excited for school to start but at the same time I do not want my last semester to end. I will miss a lot of the profs, students and a lot of the locals I have come to know over the years (THAT MEANS YOU LATE NIGHT REDNERS SELF CHECK OUT LANE WATCHER LADY!) I love old ladies because they are always so nice, and the ones that are not nice you can spot miles away by the cats that surround them.

Anyways, I regressed, I need to get my message done so I hope to see some new faces this semester!

- Tyler

Posted by Tyler at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)