First Day of Classes

The first day of classes was great! I have to admit I did fall a sleep in the first class was Apologetics with Dr. Wicks, not that he is a boring teacher, I think the problem is he teaches so beyond my knowledge it's hard for me to follow him and that I was tired. However, the rest of the day wasn't a problem. Next 3 classes was with Joe Jordan, on discipleship. He is an amazing teacher, and has so much knowledge and experience in this area. If only we can truly grasp this concept, and if churches would do a lot better job in this area, imagine how much better and more knowledgeable leaders we would be developing. Then we got hit with Bible Study Methods, learning I will have a lot of work to be doing every week in this class. It is going to be a challenging year but a great one.

Ministry
My ministry this fall is not curtain yet. I may have an opportunity to have a evangelistic skateboard ministry. I will be going to NJ to work with Steve Wolfe, he runs a ministry that last throughout the week and then on the weekends in the skatepark, shares a gospel message. Then I will have other opportunities to go to Albany, and Saratoga to skate with kids, and share the Gospel of Christ with them. I just need to do a lot of work figuring out transportation to get it all to work out. Please pray for the ministry.

Memory Verses Week 1 Fall

These are the First Week of Memory Verses for 2nd Year Students

John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even those who believed in His Name." (NASB)

John 10:27-30 "My Sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (NASB)

Romans 8:16, 17 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (NASB)

Romans 8:38, 39 "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NASB)

Mission's Reality

As a 2nd year student we will be taking a 10 day missions trip in the spring. We had many good options to choose from, I wanted to go to all of them, but I can only choose one. We were presented with the locations at registration then sunday told we have to decide by tuesday where we want to go. Not much time to think about it, in the end I just decided Ukraine sounds like a really interesting place to go. I probably won't have as many opportunities to go to Ukraine as much as Argentina and other places. Please pray for me as I prepare to go, so that I will be effective there, and that I will raise the support needed.

BI has begun

Thursday and Friday us R.A.'s sat in front of our dorm from 1-5 awaiting the arrival of the new students. We greeted the new comers, eagerly listening to find out if they are going to be in our room. I still await one more student. I currently have in my room across the hall; Adam Yoder (My roommate last year, and is currently the Physical Education R.A.), Tim (Is on the basketball team), David (Came from France, lived there all his life), and Brian (A pretty decent Halo player). In my room, I have Josh Griffin (Whom I roomed with all summer for STC) and Gun-Mo (From Korea, he is teaching me Korean). I am also learning Japanese this year from Mana Daitsu. I was kinda worried about the kind of students I would end up with in my rooms, but I think God gave me a great group of guys to be with.

Birthday Kidnap!!!
Friday night was Adam Davenports' birthday he turned 19. He has been commenting that nothing ever happens on his birthday for various reasons. So a group of us decided to try to do something special. We concluded to kidnap him. As all the Parents with their new college kids stood around/in the dinning hall, we put a pillow cover over Adam's head and guided him out of the dinning room. We made Adam climb  over bike racks through bushes and trees, made him jump over holes that didn't exist, and had him climb under some fences. It was a fun time, we enjoyed cake and ice-cream and tons of watermelon thanks to Mark and Amy Wallenwine.

Team Building & Training

This week, as our R.A. Training is more of a bonding time to get to know, our fellow R.A.'s and to get to know the R.A.'s in our sister dorm. The First day we went to Saratoga to walk around the city and go shopping. We found a fountain that apparently has this natural mineral water flowing from it. It looked a little rusty and sketchy but we tried it anyway. The sign said it was good for you. It was the weirdest tasting water and was not very good. It was like a mixture of carbonated water, rusty pipe, and rotten eggs. It was such a beautiful day though, didn't know many people but had a great time hanging out getting to know them. Today we went on a canoe trip. For some reason my canoe was smaller then everyone else's. We had 3 people in the boat, it was Bianca Brown, and Gun-ju. Gun-ju was the kinda of guy that every time we got a little water in the canoe he wanted to beach the canoe and empty the water out, which is a bad combination when I'm in the boat and Miss Brown. There was definitely a little race down the river between some of the other canoes, and then there was some canoes that didn't paddle at all and just depended on the water current to take them. However it turned into a little battle, not really in anyone else's eyes, however in my canoe we were something like pirates or native americans. We tried stealing other peoples paddles, at one point I jumped into another canoe. Then after jumping out into the water, my canoe seemed to stay very distant from me. So I ended up swimming down the river for about half a mile. When finally I convinced them to let me back on the boat. About every 10 minutes we would rotate positions on the canoe, by the end of the trip we got pretty good at it. It was a great day, and I had a lot of fun spending time with people, and getting to know them better. I really have come to like all my fellow Dorm R.A.'s and my D.C. I think Hungry Dorm has a good crew this year.

R.A. or Not R.A.

 R.A. Training has been good very smart, wise, and great leaders coming here next year. However the decisions have been made on who is an R.A. and who isn't. Lots of people who didn't make it are definitely qualified. I did make the R.A. Dorm position. I am in Hungry 24 and the other room I am responsible for is 25. I have great guys in my rooms already. First of all it was an awesome surprise finding out that Adam Yoder, who is going to be the P.E. R.A., was my roommate last year, and became one of my best friends will be in room 25. I will also be over Josh Griffin who was an stc'er this past summer, I also roomed with him all last summer. I met one more of my guys named Tim. and have 4 more to meet. Please be praying for me I have a lot of responsibilities this next year. I think it is going to be very challenging year and a lot of growth and discipleship happening in my life.

R.A. Training

This morning was our Handbook Exam. I think I got most of it right. I did have to live in all the rules all of last year so I think I can remember most of it, but some rules have changed for the better and worse. I still don't know if I have made the position, I will post on Sunday if I made the R.A. position or not. It's been a great week, getting to know everyone who wants to try out for leadership training. A lot of new faces and some old ones. There are a lot of very godly students coming through the leadership program. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't make the cut and I am fine with it, if I do or don't.

This morning Rick Garland spoke on building walls. His message is titled "Castles and Bridges". You picture castles as have huge walls with a pit full of water and alligators. Most castles have a drawl bridge, so you can remove any access to the structure. However Bridges, are a way to connect land masses or groups of people to each other. When we get hurt by someone we want to build a Castle. When we build our castle with the big walls, and they build their castle from us, it makes it really hard to communicate. You have to yell over your wall, and they are trying to yell over their wall. It doesn't work very well. We build castles to protect us from getting hurt but when you do that "you lost the ability to show love or to receive it." He then went on talking about how to build bridges. He defined Love as "The ability to see a need and finding a way to fulfill it." It was a good message pertaining to Discipleship. Sorry about shortening the whole thing so much.

Missions Reality 2009

As 2nd Year students at WOLBI we have the opportunity to go on a missions trip from April 29-May 8 2010. It is a great ministry, with lots of different opportunities. We will do open air evangelism, work with local churches, work on projects around the Word of Life campus' visit missionary homes, and even use the game of soccer to evangelize. This years options of trips consist of Argentina, Hungary, Quebec, Ukraine, and Brazil. They all will cost around $2,000. I'm not really sure where I want to go, but I think I'm leaning more towards Argentina, Ukraine, and Brazil. I will have to turn in my application by Sept. 20 so please pray for me and my decision on where I'm going to try to go.

First Day of Leadership Trainning

I am currently rooming with two other first year students, Diego and Laser. Diego is here for soccer and Laser wants to be a Maintenance Supervisor. Today started out  getting up around 6:30 am going to breakfast. Then getting into the Word at 7:15-7:45 in psalms 83:1-18. After that at 8 am training began with basic overview of everything, the rules, kinda what's expected and how things are going to work the next few days. Then we headed off to lunch. After lunch we had work from 2-5. I got on the path repair team. We weeded the paths, straightened them out, flattened/leveled them out, while others worked on many other things. I got a chance to talk to some new people, while working and also catching up with friends I haven't seen in a long time from last year.

Speed Interviews


After dinner we had to do some speed interviews, the best way to describe it is, it's kinda like speed dating. You talk to 10 people and you only have 30 sec. Most of them just stare at you and won't say a word. The first person I talked to had a cowboy hat on with a white wig, and a dear antler on the table. I tried talking to him, but it was a one way conversation, with little distraction of him trying to pick my nose with the dear antler. It felt like forever getting through that interview. The Next person I go to was a girl with sunglasses, chewing bubble gum. I don't know if I was acting silly but she started laughing at me, probably was because she was trying to be so serious. In the middle of me talking to her someone started to shoot me with a squirt gun in the back of the neck. Then we move to round 3. Seeing these people weren't really talking to me, I started talking to the Monty, who was sitting next to me, getting interviewed.  The next few people were more normal, with just me talking to them, and them not talking to me. The last guy I actually talked to, at the end of my interview with him said he read my interview on Youth in Action Mag. So He already knew more about me then I realized. It was a lot of fun. One person went around singing to everyone when they got interviewed, other people spoke in different languages, one girl talked about her favorite ice-cream to everyone. I wish I could do speed interviews every time I get interviewed...

Youth In Action Mag Interview

Check out my Online interview on Youth In Action Mag. I share my testimony and a little about my summer ministry and being a student at WOLBI. Click here for Interview.

Back at WOLBI

I am now back at school. I am here about 10 days sooner then most students and that is because I am doing leadership training. Its been great seeing all the old faces again. The trip up went great. Dave who is going to be a first year student, kindly gave me a ride. He never met me or my family before. He is planning on being a missionary to Costa Rica. And is hoping to get to be the Maintenance Supervisor for the year. On the way we stopped at my Grandma Nolan's for the night. She never thinks we have enough to eat, and is continually trying to stuff us with more food. We got to WOLBI at about 3:00pm, got registered and settled in our temporary rooms, until they decide who is going to be the official R.A.'s. There is a lot of new faces up here. I know there is going to be at least two other skaters. Please be praying for me, with all the R.A. stuff, and if I make for me to do a good job and have an impact on other students.

Romans 13:1

Movie Review: The Board

Check out the Trailer below of "The Board". It was played in my church this morning. I highly recommend it. It is a interesting movie that depicts the mind as a board of members. The members are different characteristics that play parts in our decision making. On the board they discuss making decisions and come to a very important life altering decision that they have to make.

"Purchase "The Board" here.

The Answers

Here are the answers to my questions down below.

1. Alan Gelfand in 1978
2. Rodney Mullen
3. Jason Lee
4. Guy Mariano

Skateboarder Mag.

Dale Nolan Seeing Skateboarder Mag.'s new issue has a cover of Lance Mountain (age 45), I thought I would ask a few questions of back in the day, for you old school guys.


1. Who Invented the Ollie and When?
2. Who Invented the Kickflip?
3. Who Landed the First 360 Flip on Street?
4. Who did the first switch Krooked Grind on Vert?

Back to School

This is one of the rooms in my parents house. It is messy not because we are messy people but because I'm getting all my stuff organized and ready for going back to school. I will be going to Word of Life Bible Institute for the 2nd year program. I have to go back a little earlier then everyone else because I'm trying to be a RA (Resident Assistant). If I make the cut after I go threw their test and challenges, I will get a scholarship towards school, I will be required to enforce the rules, do devos every week, disciple the guys in the rooms I'm in charge of and take on other extra responsibilities. Mainly be an example for other students, being a leader for them. It will be a very challenging for me and that is why I decided to become an R.A.. Not for the scholarship, I really don't need it, but to be challenge, giving me a lot more room to grow. Please pray for me to become and R.A. (being God's will) and for me to do a good job in the position, having patients, and it not effecting my studies, but helping me learn and grow closer to God. I will be leaving Monday to go back to school.

Park Review: Holland, MI

Holland, Michigan Skatepark

Today I headed out to Holland, MI to go skateboarding with Doug Tuls. It was about a 40min. drive to his house. We had a great time. It was an ok park, not one I would make a special trip to go skate. It has some decent ledges, probably the best part of the park is what you can see right here in the photo. The bench to the left and the half bowl section. The cement was really nice and smooth, but that became a problem because when you would push your shoe wouldn't grip to the ground and would slip. I did have a great time with Doug though. After the park we went back to the house. I played golf and baseball with Silas and Maya.  It was nice seeing everyone before I go back to school and they go to Pittsburgh for LCM.