As of 10/4/09

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged but I’m bored and it’s fall break so I figure I’ll just sit here and type about myself. I’ll justify it by thinking that my family and friends back home will get to see or here what’s going on with the Jarrett Family (Jack and Laura edition).

Laura’s in bed. She has to get up at 5:30am for work. She’s not super excited about it. I’m proud of her though. She is such a hard worker and when it comes down to it she does it with a great attitude. I love her so much.

I taught bible study the last two weeks at Glenn and Amy’s. Matt and I are doing a series on 2 Corinthians 3:15 about examining ourselves. Its going really well so far I think. Tonight was about examining the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We talked about bearing witness to Jesus through the Spirit (John 15:26-16:15).

I’ve had plenty of new root beer encounters. On the way to and from my cousins wedding in Cary, NC Laura, Ray and I hit up a place that made their own root beer. Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva, NC and Farley’s Hot Dog Stand in Barboursville, WV. The Growler I picked up at Heinzelmannchen is just flat-out beastly. Heinzelmannchen is German if you couldn’t tell, it has the two little dots above the “a”. The root beer was a little disappointing and I’m beginning to think that I might have caught them at the end of their keg, because it took the guy like four or five minutes to fill up the growler which is only half a gallon. Anyways it still had a unique taste but it just wasn’t carbonated enough for me. Over all I was disappointed. Farley’s root beer was unique as well. It had brown-sugary taste and felt more like an actually soda in the mouth. You know what I mean, it wasn’t rich and creamy it was carbonated more like A&W or Barq’s. Anyways I enjoyed it more than Heinzelm…yeah you know the German one.

I have also just received a package in the mail containing two of each of seven brand-spanking-new root beers and one bottle of a root beer I have had before, but never in a glass bottle (only in a can). I have tasted three of them so far and have not been impressed with any of them, but I think I’m going to devote a separate post to each of them with a picture of the bottle, maybe. After these seven root beers I will be right under one hundred different kinds of root beer.

Changing gears, I have discovered that Laura is awesome at throwing a football. She has a great spiral and can throw it at least 30 yds. It is my new favorite hobby. A couple of weeks ago we both had the afternoon off and decided to go to Cherokee park to throw the frisbee and walk some trails and what-not. Laura decided she wanted a football as well so we went to Dick’s Sporting Goods and got a 10$ (actually we got a 20$ one and took it to the park and didn’t like it and took it back) NFL sized football. Ever since we’ve have been throwing the football every chance get. We’ve taken with us to class, church and work, I kid you not, and have thrown the fields and parking lots at each. It’s great fun if you have a couple of minutes to kill.

My Personal Evangelism class is really pushing me spiritually. It’s really forcing me to get outside myself and share the gospel with people. Our sunday school class participated in a church wide prayer walk this afternoon and it was great to get out and slow down and pray for the people living around our church as we walked through their neighbor hood. Its given me some ideas for personal evangelism and a project I am doing for the class. The purpose of the prayer walk is to pray for the seed that will be sown this upcoming March. Our church is going to be doing a mass handout of information about the church and about the Gospel, trying to peak families interest in Bethlehem and to let them know that we are a church in the area that cares about their spiritual and physical well-being.

I think that’s all I got for now.

Oh also basketball season is going well. My team is undefeated 5 or 6 games into the season. We’ll see if I (my team) can bring home the championship shirt this year…

Home For The Summer

I am really excited for this summer. Here’s why…

1. I’m youth pastor at The Rock
2. My bro is getting married this coming Saturday
3. And most of all I’m getting married July 25th

Now, reason number three would be enough in and of itself to have me super pumped, but I also get the privilege of serving as youth pastor at The Rock, alongside my Dad, and being Rayford’s best man in his wedding. What a great summer! Today was my second Sunday as youth pastor at The Rock, but it was really like my first because last Sunday I had only been home for a day and I had no clue what was going on. This week I was actually able to answer most questions and make announcements about our action packed summer. I am really excited in aiding our youth in their spiritual growth. It’s going to be an awesome summer.

Refund

Thanks Jimmy, Laura, and Emily Marion for your honesty. Well Jimmy and Emily, Laura I hate to say it, no I’m proud to say it actually, that you are just bias sweet girl. I just got through processing the return order, so I will ship them back tomorrow or Monday and become sunglassless again.

What do you think?

I’m unsettled about my new sunglasses….

Are they cool or not cool?

Pros: good quality, polarized lenses, strong frames, one year warranty from Oakley
Cons: not settled on the style

So help me decide. Rate them 1 to 10

1 being “silly, stupid, and ugly” and 10 being “off the chain and you want some too”

Evangelistic Encounter

My last post was about an assignment for my Spiritual Disciplines class. This post will be no different. Seventy five percent of my grade for this class is to keep a journal this semester. There are a number of requirements for the journal, it’s not just a “journal everyday” or “journal whatever you feel like” thing. It’s journaling….for the purpose of Godliness and the professor requires certain journal entries that he feels will help us in the process of journaling for the purpose of Godliness. As hinted in the titled we have to journal about an evangelistic encounter from that occurred during this semester. Here is my entry…

It’s Thursday 11:59 pm, about forty five seconds from Friday. Last night, Wednesday night, I had an evangelistic encounter with a guy at work. Devon is one of the store managers at my work place, which is Snappy Tomato Pizza. I started working there when I moved up here last August. I think it was September by the time I actually found a job. Anyways Devon started working there shortly after, in November I think. Upon meeting him I could tell he was not a Christian, or at the very least not at all concerned about being one. The first conversation I had with his wife, Jenny, she told me how she despised the Church because of its big buildings and wrong use of funds. Needless to say neither where interested in God, although they said they believed in “God”, I think they meant more like “a god”, because it is definitely not the living God of the Bible. Through talking with Devon over the last couple of months I gathered some information about his life. He went to Church until he was seventeen. He married at nineteen, but already had a kid by someone other than his wife. He stopped going to church because he thought it was bogus and he loves all things about wrestling, hard rock, and using foul language. But I have been praying for Devon, praying that God would allow me to talk to Devon and share the gospel with him. Wednesday night I got that opportunity. I was praying, it was a slow night and we were making dough for the next day, which normally would be a one-man job, but because it was slow and the other driver had left I was helping Devon because, as a driver, I had no other responsibilities. He said something about his sixth anniversary coming up soon and mentioned the church he and Jenny got married in. I saw my door, “what kind of church did you go to back home”. “A Quaker church,” he said. Seeing the door opening further I asked, “do Quakers have any unique beliefs?” It was quite amazing, what followed was genuine interest in my schooling and beliefs about God, the Bible, Jesus, and other God-related stuff. I was able to tell Devon that the Bible was true and the it accounts for people suppressing the truth that God is real and that he made the world and that sin is real and that God must punish sin, and Jesus was sent to save us from our sin. I was able to present the full gospel, and the highlight of the evening was when towards the end of the night he said, “well I’m sure I’ll sit down one of these days and think about all that stuff.” My response was surprisingly bold, but I think given to me by the Holy Spirit. “Well Devon I think when you finally do you’ll know in your heart and mind that what I’ve told you is true.” At the end of the night he was still holding his ground and resisting the Holy Spirit, but I’m praying that God will be gracious to him and allow him to see the gloriousness of His Truth, and the Light of the Gospel.

I’m sharing this with you now, so that you can be in prayer for Devon and his wife Jenny, that they may be saved and turn to Christ. Next I want to invite them to church so you could be praying for that too.

Jackpot

Not intended to be a pun

God seriously landed me into one of the most stacked families ever. I am so thankful for my family. I miss them, save Rayford…and Becca (although technically not my family yet, but whatev). Okay first we have the patriarch, Dad (Mike Jarrett aka Pastor Mike), and he’s awesome. He has always been there to love on me, sometime of the tough variety, and guide me in the best possible direction. Then there’s Mom, (Karen Jarrett aka Momma, and Momma J, although not to me, mainly Adam and Laura), and she has always been there as my conscience, asking me questions and making think and stuff, and feel guilty when necessary, and praying for me, 24/7 I’m almost positive. Then Carrie, the eldest of the kids (Carrie Jarr…Robertson aka Carrie Jarrett, on accident, out of habit, also Carrie Berry or Care Bare) and Adam (Adam Robertson aka The Wreckingball). Carrie used to beat me up until I reached puberty, then the tide changed and she turned to getting under my skin about still being able to take me, even though she couldn’t. It worked for awhile, then I just realized how crazy she was. She’s the best big sister ever! Adam is great, I would have chosen anyone else for Carrie in the beginning, but then God showed me how stupid I was and how awesome he actually is. We share a great passion for Root Beer, one could say he is my right hand man when it comes to Root Beer.

This is getting long….sorry.

Next is the Rayford. He’s my roommate as of right now (soon to change as he and I are getting married this summer). I know he’s got my back no matter what. I’m his best man and he’s mine, nough said. Becca, God’s gift to Rayford. Then Sara (Sara Jarrett aka Sara Beth), she is very much like me, I see myself a lot in her, hope that’s not a disappointment to her. People say we have the same eyes. She is just getting started in life and I’m excited to see where she goes. Last is Renee (Renee Jarrett aka Nee Dog) she is the the culmination of all of us. Her intelligence is off the charts, she’s stunningly beautiful, as are the rest of the girls in the family, and good at sports, which I had my doubts early on, boy she proved me wrong.

And if you missed her there in the picture Laura Brocco, soon to be Laura Jarrett, which sounds amazing. I am so thankful for her and I miss her so much. She’s tearing it up this semester 20hrs of classes and a journalism internship, where she’s soon to have her fourth front page story.I miss them all so much. Of course I’m most ready to see Laura and start our new life together, but I also miss my family a lot.

Love you all!

Sunday…

was a great day! Church was really good this morning. The kids put on a play for the whole church and did an awesome job. They really did an awesome job.  It was the best kids play ever, and they sang out their little hearts and told the great story of Jesus.

The invitation was cool at the end of the service, Pastor Mike (Dad), invited people to come forward and get Rock Christmas cards to pass out before Christmas. There was a really good response. The Christmas cards were so cool because inside were gifts of hope, which are stories from different people in the congregation of how they came to know Jesus through unlikely circumstance, basically saying, “anyone can be saved out of any situation.” The stories were all very touching and the Christmas card handout is going to “Rock.”

We had open house tonight and a bunch of people came over, including the Hermans. It was great to see them and their kids. Meagan, Emily, and Joshua are getting so big now. There was some awesome fellowship going on at the Jarrett’s, including a little flashflight (click on the link to find out what a flashflight is.)

Kicked back a brew tonight with the future Mrs. Jarrett, Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer is the bomb. It impresses me every time I try it.

Carrie and Adam taught Laura and I how to play spades Saturday night. We played me and Carrie vs. Adam and Laura. But Sunday night Laura and I played Adam and Carrie and Laura and I, on our second night of spades, took them down in a really close match, in which the winning round we won by Laura getting fifty points for her books and me getting a hundred points for going nil (trying to get no books for the entire round.)

Going to pick up Laura’s engagement ring later today (Monday.) It’s getting resized. We are happy to be getting it back.

Merry Christmas.

23

“I’m 23 now but will I live to see 24 the way things is going I dont know” Gangster’s Paradise by Coolio

“Amazing still it seems, Ill be 23, I wont always love what Ill never have, I wont always live in my regrets” 23 by Jimmy Eat World

“Nobody likes you when you’re 23″ What’s My Age Again? by blink182

So there are quite a few songs that talk about being 23. In most of the ones I know of being 23 is not that great, but I got to say, it’s been pretty good so far. I mean I’m only on my second day of it, but on the first I was taken to Smokin’ Jim’s for lunch, my dad cooked me his world famous filet mignon for dinner (it was the best it’s ever been). I got 34 bottles of root beer from Laura (AKA: The best fiancee ever). 12 of Henry’s, 6 of Kutztown, 6 of Empire, 6, of Barrel Brother’s, and 4 of Baumeister. I’ve had all of them but Empire so far and they have been surprisingly good. My mom bought me some cool warm winter boots that are waterproof and I already took them hiking. Carrie and Adam got me an awesome frisbee that lights up when you turn it on, Laura and I took it out to a dark grass field parking lot last night to test it out, it was awesome. So I’m looking forward to the rest of 23.

Key Ideas

1-2 Samuel: 1) The institution of kingship 2) The process towards establishing a covenant with David’s line 3) The importance of divine kingship.

1-2 Kings: 1) Kingship: Good and Evil 2) The prophetic voice as royal conscience 3) Worship: Yahwism vs. Baalism 4) Covenant blessings (repentance and restoration) and curses (judgment and exile).

1-2 Chronicles: 1) The retelling of the past to inspire hope in the present 2) The reign of David and Solomon idealized 3) The centrality of temple worship 4) The validation of priests and Levites as community leaders.

Ezra-Nehemiah: 1) The physical restoration of the city of Jerusalem 2) Yahweh as covenant keeping God 3) Religious and social reform as the aftermath of repentance.

Esther: 1) God is at work even when he is behind the scenes 2) The schemes of the wicked are doomed 3) God’s plan for his people cannot be thwarted.

I thought I’d combine blogging and studying. These are the key ideas I have to write out on my final exam. I’m also responsible for the key ideas of Genesis through Ruth (eight more books), but in a matching section.

It snowed again while I was studying for my finals.

Post Thanksgiving Update

I’m back in Louisville. Things are looking real nice, a forecast of mid-thirties with rain and snow tonight, and finals Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday this week.

Thanksgiving at the Jarrett’s was awesome. I think it was the most solid Thanksgiving food line-up ever.

Laura was really surprised to see me Tuesday morning. I drove from 10:30pm to 9:30am to get to Jacksonville and it was so worth it. It was so great spending time with her. I’m not going to lie though I cannot wait to get back down there again for Christmas break.

I had to leave the Blazer in FL. My dad got a bunch of stuff fixed on it while I was down for the break but apparently the guys at the shop missed a little something. So just to be safe and get it done right my dad kept it so they could fix it right. We (me, Rayford, and Becca) drove hot momma (my mom’s car) back. I slept the whole way back, it was great.

Rayford and Becca are engaged. They are going to beat Laura and I to the punch and get married May 23, 2009. Congrats Rayford and Becca.

2 days…

until I get to see my girl.

Oh how sweet it will be.

3 days…

until I have the most wonderful privilege of seeing Laura Brocco.

I’m also excited to see anyone else I get to see when I’m home.

4 days…

until I get to see Laura.

Sorry if you’re growing weary of the countdown.

I’m bored and its keeping me hopeful.

5 days…

until I get to see Laura.

I’m running dangerously low on fuel. Finals are looking pretty tough at the moment and I have no motivation in the tank right now.

It will be good to see Laura and my family to refuel for finals week.

6 days…

until I get to see Laura.

Now I know the truth of the saying, “home is where your heart is”.

After six weeks of not seeing Laura I just don’t feel at home up here.

7 days…

until I get to see Laura.

And unlike Laura I’m serious about this countdown. I’m super excited and cannot wait until I’m out of here. I’m antsy to the core right now.

I’m coming Love.

8 days…

until I get to see Laura.

I can’t wait!

I also can’t focus at work or school or anything else.

I’m ready to see my beautiful girl!

Addition

I’ve added another one to the growing collection. I feel as if I am truly becoming a root beer connoisseur. I don’t have an exact count yet, but I am fairly certain the one I’m drinking right now puts me dangerously close to the 80 mark if not at, or over, it. It’s a fun hobby. It makes traveling especially fun, because you never know what kind of root beer you might run it to. Bundaberg Australian Root Beer is the newest addition.

I’ve gotten new wind in my sails about this root beer thing because Laura says she really likes doing it with me! There’s just something about having your girl on board with you.

The End is in Sight

Well I’m not sure yet, but I think I have survived my first semester of Seminary, or at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have turned in the bulk of my papers and read most of the books. Finals are the week after Thanksgiving and they are going to be challenging.

I finished some book reviews yesterday, the morning really, at 2:00am. After that I had a chapter to read for my 7am class. After that I was just getting into bed when Rayford said from the bathroom, “you won’t go rent a movie”. Feeling pretty awake, it was now 2:50am, I said, “I’m game”. We left ten minutes later and drove a couple minutes down to the Redbox outside McDonalds only to be disappointed that they didn’t have the movie we desired, Get Smart. So we turned around headed five minutes south to the McDonlads equally distant from our apartment in the opposite direction, which was the one Rayford suggested we go to first. Got home at 3:20am, popped in Get Smart, laughed, cause it was funny, and then went to sleep at 5:20am. Did I mention I, Rayford and John Micael too, have a 7am class that we get up at 6:05am normally. Me and the Rayford held-up pretty good today considering 50min. of sleep.

The only reason we were able to do that last night/this morning is because the end is in sight. Thank you Lord!

Lazy Sunday. . .

I woke up just before noon.

Yeah I didn’t go to church today (Mom I know you wouldn’t be proud) I was just really tired. I worked until 12:30am last night, it was a long night. It was the slowest weekend night I have worked so far. I developed a pounding headache with about four hours to go. I think it was the temperature changes, inside around the oven it was like 100 degrees, and outside to my car it was like 40 degrees. Rayford tried to get me up but I just wasn’t budging this morning. While he was in the shower I made the decision to sleep in.

It was a good decision. I woke up around 11am and took a shower, read the bible, did some journaling, and jumped on some homework due next week. I also ate and did the dishes. It was a good productive morning.

Tonight its on to small group at Glenn and Amy’s, which should also be good. We are doing an interesting study on the Church.