1.31.09

On my mothers iphone getting my hair cut in Washington, DC. This is crazy! I haven't had much time to be on the Internet while I have been here but this is my two cents...trusting it the Lord is something hard to do sometimes in my life. Trust in general is a hard thing for me. I don't let very many people into my life. But if I stay closed of then I seem to bottle things up and explode. Trust in the Lord with all your heart soul and mind. In life we don't always understand what is going on or why things happen but it all is part of God's plan. Have a wonderful and beautiful Saturday and smile! Love life bc each day we have is a blessing!

1.29.09

This is the day that my parents married each other 38 years ago. It is so amazing and a blessing that they are still together and still in in love with each other and God. I strive to be like them one and day and establish my marriage on such strong religious foundations. I am going to see them tonight in DC on their special day and celebrate the joy they still have even to this day! Not too much to write about today because it is so busy. All I know is that it is Friday-eve... that is what is helping me get through the day. God bless and stay tuned for more tomorrows BLOG!

1.28.09 FUNDAY

Cell phone addiction is becoming a terrible problem amongst my generation and especially the generations to come. Kids in lower school all have cellular devices. I look around on campus, in class, restaurants, churches, libraries, while driving, etc, and see people on their cell phones. Whether it is emailing, texting, talking, searching the web, youtubing, people cannot go 5 minutes without looking at their phones. Cell phones are an amazing advancement, and I cannot imagine what it was like in the "old days" without being able to connect with someone instantly about important dates, or rescheduling appointments, etc... In my life, I find myself looking at my cell phone way too much during the day. The amount of time we spend on our cell phones is ridiculous and I sometimes I just want to turn my cell phone off and focus on other things in life. But I think, "I will be so out of the loop if I do that." No I wont, I turn off my phone occasionally and really begin to focus on things that are important in my life. You feel free from the busy life we all live. Yeah you may miss a few people's phone calls and spontaneous lunch plans with a friend, but every time I turn off my cell I find that God puts people in my path that we wouldn't have reached out to if we would have just talked and walked on by. It is very therapeutic for me to detach from my cell phone and slow life down. I am guilty of using my "Crackberry" too much as well... I want you to go through your day and think about not accepting a call or starting a textvo with someone and stop and reflect on what is in front of you. Try going through your day using the time that is usually spent talking or texting and think about how blessed you are to even have a cell phone, shoes, clothes, car, everything you have is a blessing. Have a wonderful Wednesday and call me! haha!

1.27.09

Fellowship is something that I have struggled with a lot in my life. I have always gone to church and had my church friends and then had my "not so church" friends. I lived this double-life and was being two different people around certain friends. This is a constant battle that a lot of us deal with. In my life, it is hard not going back to the old ways, but they have all come to pass in my life. I am only getting through this because I am trusting in God and not only myself...God wants us to grow with Him and also with the help of others. I strongly believe in being open and accountable with someone. In this crazy life, we can become wrapped up and our views can become skewed and influenced in ways that are not pleasing to God. We all need fellowship of other believers to energize us and hold us accountable to the things we believe in. In connection to this, I strive to become more of a man of integrity everyday. Integrity is doing and meaning what you say. I have realized how hard it is to try and do this constant daily battle alone. If we are not surrounding ourselves with good fellowship through friends it is not impossible, but it is much more difficult to resist temptations and fail. But on the other hand, I do know how rewarding it is to stand up in hard situations for what is right. It is very good to be connected to the "lost," so you can make a positive impact and show the love of Jesus through your words and actions. Jesus sets a perfect example in Mark 2:15-17, "When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and `sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Jesus showed us how He never left anyone of his grand equation. I believe that if you do little things to help serve someone it will have a huge impact on their life. Have a wonderful day and try to help out someone in need today...in a big or small way!

1.26.09

The grace of God is magnificent. I am experiencing His grace in the highest degree ever. In the place I am right now, in my walk, I can see how amazing GRACE is. He tells in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” His grace is boundless and will sometimes scare you to know that whatever you do in life God has paid the price for all sins in this world. His grace is something that cannot be taken for granted. I remember back when I used think of His grace as a “credit card.” Whenever I sinned, I would just swipe this “grace credit card” and feel better about myself. When really it is not about me AT ALL, but it’s about repairing the damage I created in the my relationship. We need to feel bad about “cheating” on God in our relationship with Him. This reminds me of a story in II Kings Chapter 5 when Elisha healed Naaman of Leprosy. Naaman came to Elisha to be healed, and Elisha sent a servant to tell Naaman to go wash himself in the Jordan River seven times. “But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper” (vs. 11). Naaman thought that Elisha would come out and wave his hand over Naaman and he would be healed. There was significance in Naaman going to wash his sick body in the dirty Jordan River. He had to wash his body because that’s what was “ugly” in his life. In comparison, God doesn’t want us to just ask for forgiveness about all the sins in our lives. He wants us to go to the cross and be specific about what we are genuinely sorry about. No one is perfect, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. But through GRACE we can be forgiven of our misdoings. Try and be more specific in your prayer life this week. Whether is it asking for forgiveness, favor, healing, etc, really get closer to Him by letting him know the wants and desires of your heart. Have a wonderful START to the WEEK!

1.25.09

Everyone is searching for the answer. People fill themselves daily with temporary satisfactions. We seek to find happiness in buying the newest cell phone, car, house, etc and it always ends up losing value, new shine, and gets old. In my life, I have known what to do and how to do it, but I have continually filled it with temporary satisfactions. I remember the "things" I had in life, and I can remember how I found happiness and strength in these "things." But soon, the excitement was gone and I stood alone and empty on the out and inside. BUT there is HOPE! God gives us LIFE and JOY that is beyond all comparison. From the begging of the Bible, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments in Exodus and the very first one is, "You shall have no other gods before me." I underlined before to show how God knew that He would have rival gods in His way. If we do not understand the first commandment then none of the others matter. If our eyes are not on Him, then something else is our motive for "following" the rest of the commandments. The second commandment is "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below..." The second commandment is instructions on how we tackle the first commandment. He says you cannot make an idol of Him because that is not how He reveals Himself to us. If He were able to be sculpted from of finest material in the world then He would not be the immortal, invisible, uncommon, etc, God that He is. I used the word uncommon because it is our uncommon God that needs uncommon people to stand for what is uncommon in the world. You cannot box God up and make a shrine of HIM. God is totally omniscient, He knows everything that can be known. So the question I ask is..."What do we worship?" Look in the mirror, ask yourself, "what is captivating me in my life right now?" It needs to be GOD... If it's not, you need to reevaluate what it is you are worshiping in this life. Start fresh, and go back to the FIRST commandment! Get #1 right and the rest will fall into place.

GET #1 RIGHT! Exodus 20:3

1.24.09

Being a leader is something that we can all take a part in. In my life, I have been given the ability to lead but only because I have also been a follower. Sometimes leading in the wrong direction but still was leading. Those who LEAD well FOLLOW well. They go hand-n-hand. To tie into yesterdays post on humility. It is only through humility that I can say, "I will follow." It seems very easy to put my wants and desires to the side and follow the STRONGEST man that ever lived, but it is a daily battle that I struggle with. BUT if I want to be the leader I was called to be, the only way I(we) can lead is to follow. Leading is being able to reach back in a place and pull forward BUT ONLY if we are further along. We cannot call someone "up" when we are NOT.... In our faith, God wants us to help others along in this journey. Trust God that He is taking you somewhere and that He is advancing you in your walk. When is the last time someone thought or told you, "I want something you have..." We should long for people to see an example of Christ through our daily routine. Whether it is in school, work, or daily gestures. Be an example that exemplifies Christ and it will go a long way. We are all called to be a leader in some way or another. Don't miss it be BOLD...THIS IS YOUR TIME! 

II Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."

GREAT VIDEO ON LEADERSHIP

1.23.09

Humbleness is a great thing to have in life. No matter what the circumstance you face in life humbleness is something that is hard to come by.   Throughout the years I have been one that has tried to practice being humble but it has been a constant struggle. Humble as defined by webster is, " reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission." In other words, Being humble is stepping out of the spotlight and giving the glory of your achievements to the ONE who created you. In my 22 years on this beautiful earth God has allowed me to succeed in many areas of my life. Most of the time I was humble and tried not to boast or brag, BUT even though I tried to be humble, in situations where I could have given the glory to God I didn't and let that opportunity slip out of my hand. I feel that when you succeed in life, it's only because God, so why wouldn't we give all the fame and honor to HIM?!?! We owe so much to our creator for what he did for us. Be humble and when it's your time to shine be a shinning light from within. 

1.1.09-1.22.09

1. Energy is something that I have all the time. You rarely see me not “doing” something. I am always running from here to there and only stopping to pick up a snack for a meal. This is a good thing and a bad thing. I feel sometimes I never get a chance to stop and look around and see things in a different light. It is a good thing because I am never bored with life and always have something to do. I am slowly learning to appreciate alone time and stopping to take time to see the beautiful world the Lord created.

 

2. I am a servant at heart. I get so much more enjoyment out of life to see someone blessed by a gift, note, flowers, anything, than to receive a gift. I sometimes do too much for people and it makes them feel like they have to give me something in return, and that is not the point of what I am doing. You can change someone’s day by simply being nice...(opening doors, saying thank you, being a gentleman)

 

 

3. With being a servant comes patience. I am a very patient person. I help people and give my time to help do little things they don’t understand or coach up kids in a sport. I love to coach and try to direct people. Again seeing one’s reaction after I have used patience and time to help them figure something out is one of my greatest joys in life. In this fast world we live in, giving someone time can go a long way in a relationship.

 

 

4. Athletics is and has been a main focal point in my life. I love all sports. I love playing, watching, and coaching sports. I feel like a have a real way with teaching and using skills I have learned to help those out who need work. I feel like my whole life has been sculpted around sports and it is a good and a bad thing. I have used my athletic career to mask the real me and overshadow the issues that I have needed to deal with for a long time. It is never too late to change, but as I look back I wish I could have changed things I did and choices I made. I don’t regret anything because I have learned from everything, but my legacy is not the most glorifying to the only one that really matters in life, Jesus Christ. I have not been the real me and I am sorry to the people that I have led on and shown you the Cary that was not who I wanted to be. Athletics will continue to be a focal point in my life but with different motives behind what and why I am doing them.

 

 

5. Structure has always been a huge part of my life. I usually have a plan and try to stick to it. I was always the kid growing up who had different color pens for each class and almost OCD in some areas. My mom said I used to love to go to the grocery store and walk down the isles and begin to rearrange things that were out of order. I am also going to make a wife very happy one day, because I love to clean, do the dishes, fold clothes, and other things that people despise doing. When my life is feeling like it is going in the wrong direction I can always make my bed, clean my room, wash my clothes, and though I am usually struggling on the inside the order and structure of things I can physically see are in order. It’s a mental game I play.

 

 

6. I have learned over years that I am growing to be very impulsive. I usually have a plan, but I am becoming more impulsive and spontaneous. I enjoy this new phenomenon and it is causing me to break down the walls of the very structured life I have always enjoyed. Now I make a plan just to try and switch it up. I have never been one to enjoy surprises, but now I love them and I love surprising others. Hehe!

 

 

7. I wish I would have had more time in my life to use the creative side of my brain, but I have literally had a full time job playing sports that I have not had time to slow down. I always loved to paint and sketch, and this past Christmas I bought a sketchpad and pencils to draw and it is really enjoyable to do it again. I have always been able to play the guitar, but again I have had this sports thing going on and I “never” had time to play. I really did, I just did other things instead. I picked up my “git-fiddle” as Johnny Koch says… on Christmas break as well and has been a great addition to my life.

 

 

8. Friendships in my life have always been difficult to have for some reason. In highschool I had a lot of “friends” but not many bestfriends that would drop everything and be there in a second. I think since college has started I have bounced around so many states I have been in a weird “friend” zone. I keep just dropping into peoples’ lives and they are very accepting of my friendship but it keeps feeling like a forced relationship…this is not to say that the friends I have are not amazing friends. The friendships I have formed in the last few years are great and they were all meant to happen. I see myself being bestfriends with many of them after college is said and gone. BUT As a senior, I look back and love the people I have met and I have many friends and bestfriends, but I haven’t been the real Cary that I have always wanted to be around them. Now with a semester left, I hope to change the imprint to a positive and uplifting one. I want to say sorry to all the people that I fell out of touch with in my life. I have not been very diligent in keeping up with my bestfriends in highschool and that happens when we grow old. I am always here and I have never changed my cell phone number even though I have had many chances to. I just don’t want to lose anyone that has ever had my number in the past. I always want someone to be looking through his or her phone and see my name and just try calling that “old number” and it will still work!

 

 

9. I attend one of the greatest and historic universities in the US. And I don’t say that to brag but to tell you that I haven’t taken full advantage of my opportunity here. It is only a miracle that I am here. I would have never been accepted here if it weren’t for football. So I make that an excuse and I have made below average grades and don’t feel like I have actually learned a great deal about schooling. This is not to say that I haven’t learned so much in college. I have not spent enough time in the books as I wish I would have. I have always held myself to a high academic standing and I just slacked in this area the past few years.

 

 

10. I am a very passionate person. Whatever I am doing I am doing it to the fullest and the maximum. I can go back through the chapters in my life and see the things that I was passionate about. Some bad, some good, but definitely passionate about them. The passionate personality comes with the sports world. No one just goes to college and sacrifices so much time and effort to be mediocre in their passion about their sport. I am very passionate about playing sports whether it is on the football field, intramurals, pickup game, wherever, I do not like losing…but I really don’t know who does!?!? Whenever a challenge is given to me I am going to do it, and probably go try and go above and beyond what is expected. Right now, I am learning how my life has changed to be passionate about the Lord. I am taking the challenge the Lord has given all of us to spread the love of Christ to everyone.

 

 

11. Playing sports and being outside has always been a great joy in my life. I love being outside doing anything. Growing up in Louisiana has been a blessing and allowed me to play outside everyday of the year. I have never been “snowed in” and not gone outside an entire day. I have had a day when my school was underwater, but that was another opportunity for mud football. I never slowed down as a kid and was playing so much outside. I still enjoy just working in the yard and sweating in the heat of the summer and grabbing a glass of lemonade. There is nothing better! I love heat,…I mean blistering blistering heat. I love running out into the ocean and tripping on the waves faceplanting in the water. But what I love more, is to get out of the ocean still wet and go lay on the scorching sand. Many are reading this and are cringing because they hate being sandy, but I love it! I love rolling in the sand and staying like that for hours…I know it’s weird but that’s me.

 

 

12. People think I am weird and I am in some ways...but everyone has their weird moments (mine just might happen more often than others). Sometimes I wear a pink sweater with penguins on it and blue pants and feel completely normal. I just think my normal is weird to others. I push limits of dress codes, haircuts, and the social norms, but it just doesn’t seem right to always do what is “normal.” I don’t think standing out is a bad thing, if you’re making the right choices.

 

 

13. With my “weird” personality comes my happiness. I am a very happy person. I love to be happy and make others around me happy. It takes a lot to make me sad. But when I am sad, I don’t let anyone know. I don’t want to cause someone else the trouble of dealing with my sadness. I know I shouldn’t hide my sadness, but I just have always filled my sadness with things of the world. Now I am taking a new approach, and I am being filled with the Joy of the Lord and it is amazing. I have always found my Joy in making others happy, but I do it NOW with more reason than before.

 

 

14. I love food. And not just certain foods, but I have yet to find a food that I don’t like. There is not one food that I’ve spit it out and said, “I will never eat that again.” Give me anything and chances are I will like it. I have not been over seas yet and maybe they have something that I will not like. When I eat at peoples’ houses sometimes they think I am being nice because I go back and get seconds and thirds, but I actually like the food. Maybe it was due to the fact I was always a member of the “clean plate club.”

 

 

15. I am huge technology nerd. I love all types of electronics. It was quoted in a UVA game program that, “I love installing car stereos.” What a loser! That’s a little quirk about me that some of you didn’t know. I am also a huge computer geek and stay up to date what’s new in the pc world. It is ironic that I love the outdoors but also love the computer, so I just bring my laptop outside! I actually was a computer science major for 3 semesters but changed because I didn’t want to be inside my whole life working on computers.

 

 

16. Reading has been an area of my life I have struggled with. I am getting a lot better, but I just cant stand to be reading when I know I could be doing something active. I have always had something to fill my life besides reading. I know that reading is a key part of life and one can gain so much by reading, but I have never been turned on by it. It is sad because I wish I could sit down and just want to read. I just don’t operate like that. My reading skills are improving finally… I think I was doing Hooked On Phonics till I was 14! The more I grow in my relationship with the Lord, the more attractive reading the Bible is, and therefore my willingness to read is improving.

 

 

17. I am huge music head and I love all genres. Whatever mood I am in is the type of music I will listen to. I love finding new bands and telling everyone about them. I also love to sing. I walk around either singing or whistling all day. The best gift one can give me beside a Starbucks gift card is an itunes gift card. I also have this annual Christmas whistling thing going on with my sister, Lindsay, that has been really funny yet surprisingly pretty good (I think ☺)

 

 

18. Family is a huge part of my life. I have always been so close to my family. I am so incredibly blessed to have the parents that I do. I didn’t understand the things they made me do but now it’s all making sense. My parents are happily married 37 years and only because Christ has been an integral part in and outside our home. My parents have been great examples and it shows because they are still so in love with each other and still so in love with God. I only hope to raise three kids with the guidelines set by my parents. My brother, Jady, and my sister, Lindsay, are older than me and my earliest memories are being tossed around on Lindsay’s shoulders and double-bounced by Jady on the trampoline. I went through most of my life communicating with them by phone and it has grown into wonderful relationships. I wasn’t old enough to experience much besides holidays and family vacations with both of them. Now since we are all older, the phone conversations have so much more meaning. Liza, Jady’s wife, has also been a magnificent addition to our tight knitted family. She has meshed right in with the crazy Koch clan. I have grown in my relationship with her thus far and is a great addition to my family support team! I can talk about real things and open up to all of them, since they have all been down the tough roads of college life. I feel the closest to all of them now that we are older yet we are physically scattered around the world. All of them are pursuing life in ministry and I am so proud of them. I don’t know if I have ever expressed that to them but words don’t do it justice. I look up to you and the work you are doing. I cherish all the times we are together, but we will continue to grow on this journey together.

 

 

19. Love is very hard subject for me to touch on and needs to be addressed, but just not right now.

 

 

20. The past is something we all have. I love to bring up the past and relish in those moments with people who were with me. I love the present and I am excited about the future, but the past is something that was all a learning experience. One prominent memory was when I was with my mom’s father, Papa. He was amazing and everyone always told me I was a replica of him. He was a 2-sport college athlete at Marietta College in Ohio and was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame there for his accolades. He fought in the Battle of Bulge and earned several medals including the Purple Heart. He lived long enough to tell and even write a book to let people know what happened. When he passed, I was hurt for a long time. I turned that sadness into happiness and now I love to think about how great of a grandfather, husband, athlete, and patriot he was. I look back and I have learned so much from my roller coaster of a college career. Everything happened for a reason. God allows us to endure pain and hardships to test us when we are at the weakest moments in our lives. Who will you lean on when the road gets rough?

 

 

21. I am a firm believer that change is a good thing for everyone. Whenever we are constant it is bad thing. One is always changing for the better or for the worse. I am going through change in my life right now. I am changing my old ways for a brighter and more fulfilling life. I have not been the man that I have known that I have needed to be. I have made countless mistakes and terrible choices in my life, but our God is good and gives us grace through forgiveness. Grace came through his death on the cross and washes us clean. No matter what you are going through, you can trust in God and things will work out. He promises us that!

 

 

22. If you know me I am not much of a writer, reader, or artist, but I am learning to enjoy these things. I am becoming habitual in my daily journaling and becoming very interested by reading God’s WORD. I am majoring in economics solely because I have hated to write anything. This is not like me to post something that I wrote…hopefully one person will read this and think about me in a different light, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY SEE THROUGH THE TEXT AND SEE THAT SOMETHING GREATER HAS CHANGED ME.