Really? That's your opinion?

Ok so.... I would first like to say thank you to those of you who are supporting Samantha and I in our decision to move to Charlotte. While some of the negative advice we have gotten is appreciated and I will still look to you for input on future decisions, I feel as if some you don't fully understand the relationship Samantha and I have despite my efforts do be discreet about things. So with that said, I feel as though the negative advice we have gotten is under the assumption of others that Samantha and I are having sex. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. I can assure your that WE ARE NOT HAVING SEX. In fact I feel that because we are not having sex, our relationship is that much stronger because not only do we respect the boundaries God has set for us, but we also respect each other's boundaries as well.

It almost humors me how passionate people get when offering us advice on how we should get married because statiscally, those who move in together before getting married end up getting divorced. Where is the statistic that shows that those people are Christians and are not having sex? To go along with the previous point, how much higher is the divorce rate when people rush into marriage? Marriage is a big decision. A much bigger decision than moving in together(not that moving in together is not one, because it is). I just think it is a bit ridiculous for people to be concerned about us getting divorced later in life, but then want us to rush into a marriage that not only are we not ready for, but we do not have money for. "Just go to the courthouse" you say? Umm... no. It actually makes it worse because then when we do move in together and say it doesn't work out, now not only are we put in a living situation where we have to work out financial details, but we are also divorcees. It's called preparation people. The truth of the matter is, nobody knows our relationship better than us and God. So don't assume things are going on in our relationship that may or may not be going on. Let me clarify again, I say may or may not assuming that there are probably other things people are assuming about us but WE ARE NOT HAVING SEX. There is a great saying that goes, "if you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME." And that is exactly what has happened. I didn't want to be confrontational about this but it tears me apart knowing that close friends want us to rush our relationship even farther into a point of marriage when we are not ready for it and doing what we believe God wants us to do. As far as I know there is nothing in the Bible that states that a man and woman cannot live together before marriage. Sex before marriage? Yes, the Bible clearly states that that is a sin. But do not tell me we are committing a sin by moving in together. That's ridiculous.

To take this into a calmer tone, I understand and appreciate everyone's concern. This is a big step. I pray that you will pray for our relationship and that we continue to grow in Christ together. I still look up to you all and will continue to look to you all for advice. However, if you think that something is going on in our lives, ASK. I am a very honest and upfront person and am willing to talk about your concerns for us. Anyone who has known me over a year should know this.

In closing, thank you all so much again for your concerns but PLEASE.... do not assume things about us. We have both been through a lot and have both grown significantly from the mistakes we have made and are two completely different people than we once were in the past. I just ask that if you do have advice for us think thoroughly about what you are going to say and if you have alternatives, really think if they are going to be better if we rush into them. Thank you so much for your time and I hope I did not offend anybody(not that we haven't already by our decisions). While I may have carried an argumentative tone through most of this post I can assure you I am not holding grudges with anyone. I still love you all just as much and hope to continue our friendship. Church members often disagree on several issues, but the ones we need to be concerned about is if it a salvation issue or not. Co-habitation without marriage, without sex, is not a salvation issue. Thank you once again for you time and have a great day!

A Little Bit of Life

About three years ago I made a decision in my life to quit school and move to Charlotte to work full time with Wachovia(now Wells Fargo). About seven months later I began to wonder why I moved. I often felt saddened at the fact that I was not meeting anybody, hadn't heard from many people in Tallahassee, and that I was beginning to feel like a burden on my brother and sister as they now have their own families and need some time to themselves every once in awhile. Two months later after hard thought and prayer I made the decision to transfer back to Tallahassee and work while attempting to find a way back into FSU.

Now fast forward to today. I am now in a healthy, God centered relationship with an amazing woman, found out who my true friends really are and watched(some of them) mature in almost exactly three years. As most of you know, after much thought and prayer, I will be moving to Charlotte again this coming Saturday. However, this time I know that I will be much more happy. Samantha will be moving in with me(once we find a place to live) and not only will we get to spend time with family(not too much), but we will will also get to participate in the many wondrous things that Charlotte provides. Not only will we get to spend this time together, but a great friend of mine from high school and his family will be moving to Charlotte in June as well. We are all greatly looking forward to this time of transition as we know that this is truly what God wants. These past few days have been very stressful as is any major transition, but less for me and more so for Samantha. In fact, I think I may be starting to scare her as I often feel like she does not think I am taking this decision seriously as I continuously assure her that my laid back attitude is simply coming from that of already making this move once and knowing that everything will work out. Tomorrow will be spent contacting agents about the top 4 properties we are trying to rent and hopefully signing a lease. Although this whole "moving in together" thing may be new to me and while some may not approve, I am comforted knowing that our entire families approve of our decision.

When I think back to all the wondering I did about why I moved to Charlotte and why God wanted me there, I have finally found out.

Here are some reasons why:

1) I needed to escape from the bad relationships I had in Tallahassee and re-center my life around God.

2) I needed to know that even in a strange town, if surrounded by the right people I can enjoy my life.

3) To build professional experience in a city I can call home.

4) I needed to know that I do have real friends, it just takes some distance to realize who they are.

5) While God wants me there, He also wanted others I hadn't met yet in Tallahassee to come with me.

Since the end of October I have been frantically searching for a job and getting discouraged every time I got turned down for one. It wasn't until Samantha lost her job that I realized maybe this was a sign from God to go to a "foreign land" and make an impact on a community that needs Christ. While our decision may have seemed rushed, I can assure you(not that it's your business) that we have thought and prayed numerous times about this decision. While I will greatly miss Tallahassee and all of those who made it so wonderful, I must say that it is time for Tallahassee and I to part ways.

I look around at the friendships I have and as I have gotten older, not only have I taken note of those who are furthering their lives, I have also noticed that some of us are growing apart as well. Not because we don't like each other, but simply that we are growing up and not everybody lives in Tallahassee forever. People get better jobs, people move to be closer to family, some people just need a change of scenery. Every person has significant moments in their life starting with birth. It is usually somewhere in between graduation and beginning your career that you are faced with the decision of taking a leap of faith into a strange area to strive for success, or being "ok" with the way things have turned out rather than seeking the life you always wanted. As I see ourselves and our friends begin to go our separate ways, I know that we will never let distance come between us. All too often people use distance as an excuse as to not communicate with one another, or allow ourselves to forget the friendships we had with those we held so close. The more I think about how little people communicate once a friend's area code changes, the more I begin to think exactly what Alexander Graham Bell would say if he knew that despite the advances in his invention of the telephone, we still did not communicate to those we consider close to us because we simply cannot take 10 minutes out of our day to see how someone is doing. I say all of this to say that every one of you mean something to me. Some more than others, but I will do what I can to keep in touch with you all. I just ask that you do the same.

Hopefully the next post I put up here will be from our new place of residence in the Queen City... Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Sometimes we stare too long at the door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open." - Alexander Graham Bell

Silence, Solitude and Solutions

Over the past 30 years, technology has evolved so much that finding peace and quiet is hard to very hard to come by. Fortunately, I have come to find that there are certain activities that allow me to find some sort of peace and quiet. This time has allowed me to not only enjoy life more, but it also allows me to see the things that truly matter in life. For instance, if you asked me 5 years ago what I enjoyed doing most, I would probably reply with, "watching/buying movies, watching television and playing video games." If you were to ask me that same question today, I would tell you that none of those things really matter. I no longer am purchasing DVDs although I do have a Netflix account. My father is cancelling my cable(which I hardly watched) in my room next week due to finances and I can't even remember the last time I played my Playstation.

Recently, I have been spending my time scraping paint off of the walls at the McCartney Motel(Mallory, Samantha, and Lynn's place) which provides a great deal of time for me to spend to myself and concentrate on more important things in life. I have also started reading more books and am spending more time with friends. Although, I have realized that while friends are good company, in order to achieve our goals we all need to have the same goals and keep each other motivated. Much of my motivation recently has come from Samantha, who has inspired me to do the "Couch to 5k" program with her. Why she goes to such lengths for me I sometimes don't understand, but I guess it's just hard to believe that someone could love me so much sometimes. Samantha insisted on buying me new shoes for the program, which we got yesterday. I could have completed the program with my old shoes, but according to her they reminded her too much of my father. What that means... I do not know. Not only has Samantha inspired me to join in this effort to run a 5k, but she also reminds me to read my Bible and continue in my job hunt.

Although, the job hunt has so far been unsuccessful, I have begun to consider what it is that God wants for me in my pursuit of a career. Recently, I have considered even looking into starting my own business by providing lawn services, indoor services and car washing for people in the local area. Hopefully, after I do more research, I will be able to launch this business and succeed in keeping it afloat. I ask that you all pray for me not only in my job search, but also for my consideration in starting this business and that I can succeed in it. In saying this, if you have any work that needs to be done around the house, please contact me. I will post my contact information at the bottom of this post. With all the things I have been through in the past few months I cannot do anything but be grateful for those who have and continue to support me. So, here comes the business pitch. I can do pretty much any outside work with no supervision. Whether it be cleaning gutters, blowing off a roof, washing a car, mowing a lawn or even edging a sidewalk. I'm your man. I can also pressure wash, but I do not have nearly as much experience in this category. When it comes to indoors, I can do pretty much anything with the exception of tiling floors. I pride myself on the quality of my work so I can assure you I will do my best. So if you need anything done or know of anyone who wants work done but doesn't want to do it, give them my info. When contacted I will try and arrange a time to come over and offer a free estimate and maybe we can work out a price and time to take on the project. You may call me, but if you're number is outside of the Tallahassee area, you may need to leave a voice mail due to me receiving some unwanted calls from outside of Florida. You may also text, e-mail, or send me a message on Facebook. I also encourage you all to take some time each day to just stop and think about things in your life. Where you are going, what you are doing and what is holding you back. Is that TV show you are addicted to so important that you can't stop it to do the clean the house or even wash the dishes? Or better yet, is being interrupted by friends while watching that show enough to get angry over? If so, try grabbing a book instead, the quiet that comes from reading is so much more enjoyable and you can extend your vocabulary and learn more if you are reading from categories other than fiction. Thank you so much again for your time and please continue to keep me and my goals in your prayers.

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." - William A. Foster

Phone: 704-737-0077

E-mail: david.w.hindman@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackbiscuit22

Motivation is the First Step

A few weeks ago, I came to the realization that I haven't really been living the life I have wanted to live. Sure I think I am a good person and I try to always have good intentions in everything I do. The only problem is that you have to DO something in order for those intentions to mean anything. After thinking about the things I had wanted to achieve and seeing how I hadn't really made any progress towards achieving those goals I tried to figure out the source of the problem. The thought of not achieving my tasks I had set before me greatly troubled me because they were really simple tasks. For example, some tasks included cleaning my room and bathroom, taking strides to finding a new job and calling pharmacies to check on medicine prices so I can get the cheapest price on my medicine without insurance. Again simple tasks, but also VERY important tasks. As time began to go by I continued to tell myself, "Everything is okay, I'll find a job with benefits so I don't have to worry about my meds and my room really isn't that dirty than normal." Then I realized my bank account continued to dwindle and I still had found no job and my room was still a mess. For the first time I felt like a deadbeat. I had trouble in the past of finding ways to motivate myself continuously, and didn't know what to do. As I laid in bed, a random urge came over me that wanted to watch "The Dark Knight". I then got up, put the DVD in and the first trailer that played was a clip from it's prequel, " Batman Begins". Immediately, I was dying to watch "Batman Begins". So I switched movies and began the film. As I laid in bed watching, the scene came where Batman is talking to his childhood friend, Rachel Dawes, after just rescuing her from danger. After being saved she just looks at him(not realizing he was her childhood friend Bruce Wayne) and asked, "Wait! You could die. Atleast tell me your name." To which Batman replies with, "It's not who I am underneath, but what I DO that defines me." This response not only told Rachel who Batman really was, but it also allowed me to ask myself the question, "If I were to die today, what would I be defined as?" After giving that much thought, I found myself highly motivated to make a productive change in my life. I immediately wrote the quote down knowing that I wouldn't remember the next day, and now look at it every day and ask myself, "What can I do to define who I want to be today?" When I woke up the following morning, I cleaned my room, bathroom and managed to do laundry. The next day I started helping a friend with some work around her house. I have also been actively searching for jobs and already received one of my medications at the cheapest price I could find without health insurance. I hope that this encourages you all to stay motivated in your daily lives and if their is another way you continue to stay motivated I encourage you to comment and share your tips with those who also follow my posts. Until next time, stay strong and stay motivated!

FINALLY! The Game has come back to Blogspot.com!

Well, it looks like after a year long break from blogging, I have finally been convinced by my beautiful girlfriend, Samantha Jankowski, to continue blogging. Personally, I think she is just trying to get help from her friends on trying to figure me out because she is yet to do so. What she doesn't know(but soon will after reading this) is that my mind is like reaching into a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. While I can be serious, genuine, nice and normal, I ultimately use my mind to amuse and entertain others in order to make them smile(or gag). 

My goal this time around is to be a little bit more thoughtful and interesting in my blogging as I found in my last blogs I tended to complain a lot. I will attempt to incorporate quotes and input how they have inspired me hoping that they will do the same for you all. I have grown a lot over the past year and am noticing how I have changed now more than ever. I will discuss these in more detail in upcoming blogs. However, these future blogs will talk about such things: How I began my record fascination, my motivation on productivity, my recently newfound knack for crafts and new books I am reading. I will also of course include common day to day activities and interactions in my social life, but my main goal is to inspire others, as well as myself, to stay motivated to living a life of purpose and true satisfaction. A satisfaction that can only be felt, not seen, bought, or made by any hands, but good, pure, satisfaction. A satisfaction that only God can bless us with and help us live for.

So until next time, I leave you all with this quote from Statesman and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dag Hammarskjold. "Never for the sake of peace and quiet deny your own experience or convictions."

Treading Water

Before I get into my blog I would like to thank those of you who follow my postings. Despite the fact that I rarely do post. I will go ahead and warn you all that today's blog will not be a blog that makes you happy. Hopefully, it will not make you sad but when I decided to do this my main goal was to let people into the true things that I think about on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and knowing that I am too good at hiding my emotions I feel like tonight is a good night to just let things go. Do not feel afraid to talk to me about these things. In fact, I almost encourage it. No. I do encourage it and am subconscioucly asking for help although my pride will not admit to that.

Alright. Well here it goes.

I don't really know where to start so all I can really say to begin is that for about the past 3 years or so ago I have felt like I have been treading water with my life. I use the expression "treading water" because when me and my brother were children we would often have contests in our pool to see who could tread water the longest and the pain that my muscles endured while swimming in one place to maintain my head above water was atrocious. So... metaphorically speaking I feel like that is what I am doing to my life and it is causing my emotions to suffer that very same pain that my muscles went through while in the pool.

In the summer of 2008 I decided to move to Charlotte, NC after feeling like my friends at the time were not my true friends and didn't really care about my well being. So I decided to put school on the back burner and I had got a job as a teller at Wachovia Bank(soon to be Wells Fargo) and that September I was living at an apartment in NC with a couple I had met on craigslist. After living there for 3-4 months I still hadn't really made many friends or connections anywhere with the exceptions of my brother and his family, and my sister and her family who both lived in the area. I never really received any phone calls from friends in Tallahassee(which some didn't surprise me, some did) but those that I did get I greatly appreciated and later made me second guess as to why I left. A couple months or so after that I did some thinking and praying to God as to what my purpose was in NC and if I should stay or go back to my old home in FL. I didn't have to wait too long to realize that I was needed for something better in Tallahassee. So in May of 2009 I put in for a transfer with Wachovia back to Tallahassee and was back and working within 2 weeks.

After arriving back in Tallahassee I immediately felt like I was back at home. Everything was going great. I got to get back in touch with the friends who honestly cared about me and those who chose to let me go my ways I figured that if they truly missed me for the 8 months that I was gone and then I would hear from them in some form or fashion. Some I did, some I didn't, but I figure it's for the best. I was also ready to get back into school and finish my two semesters at FSU I needed to complete in order to graduate. However, I was lacking funds so I decided I would continue to work and save some money in order to go back to school. That June or July I also sat down with my best friend Brandon "The Chosen Juan" Marsters as most of you already know, and discussed renting a townhouse in March of 2010, which is where we now live and has been a blast since. However, what I went through from the November before moving up until that point significantly changed my life and view about things.

Now, for the record I just want to state that before I moved to NC I hadn't been in a relationship for a good year and a half. Also, while I was up in NC, I never was in a relationship. So around November I was beginning to get very lonely. Now I'm not one to jump into a relationship when I feel lonely, in fact I make sure I don't because that is how you end up in a relationship with a person that you later find out you would NEVER go out with. The good thing is that these lonely feelings would usually go away within 24-48 hours. In late November, possibly early December, I was on facebook and wanted to get back in touch with some old friends. So as I perusing through my friends list I came across an ex who lived in VA and I was curious to figure out how she was doing as she was once very dear to me. After talking to her for a few days she mentioned that she was thinking about moving back to transfer to FSU due to her not liking her current university and wanting to change her major. I told her that that would be awesome if she moved back and that I would be excited to get to see her again. Part of me wanted us to get back together, but I knew that it had been awhile since we had seen each other and had probably changed alot since then. However, as soon as she got back mid-December, we immediately hit it off. Unfortunately, she had changed and was involved in things I didn't necessarily approve of but she wanted help and I was willing to help her. On top of that I opened myself up to being taken advantage of and letting my morals drop which later led to her getting pregnant. After discussing our options we had decided that we wanted to have the child and try and work things out. Not long after me and Brandon had gotten our townhouse she told me that she regretted the whole thing, didn't want to be with me and that she was moving back to VA. Needless to say, I was mindblown by this information. About a month or so later I received a call from her saying that she was going to get an abortion. Once again blown away, and left in a state of speechlessness, I found myself on my knees praying to God and asking why I was going through all of this.  I never really received my answer until I was chaperoning for a youth retreat for our church this past summer. The discussion was on the prodigal son and how happy and gracious his father was after seeing his son return to him after going off with his inheritance, wasting it on wild living, ending up in poverty and having no place else to go but home hoping to be able to work as a servant for his father. After hearing this in depth I realized that I was very much like the prodigal son. Sure I had not been living the way I should and was slowly getting better, but after hearing that message I lost it. I had broke down into tears simply thinking to myself, and I remind myself of this constantly, "God not only sacrificed his own Son for the forgiveness of my sins, but he also sacrificed my own child for the sake that I may come back to know him." God knew what I was going through. He was going to let me make those mistakes and it is because of those mistakes that I have grown closer to Him and learned to appreciate him for who He is and what He does for me. Am I glad that she got an abortion? By all means NO. However, God knew what was best. He knew that I most likely would not be able to afford a child, nonetheless be able to go to VA to see my child that often, and He knows how much I wanted to be a part of that child's life. However, God for some reason only known to Him, decided to give me a second chance. The interesting thing is that I don't deny or regret any of this happening. Am I ashamed that I needed something that big to put things back in perspective, yes. However, I choose to look at that as a time in my life where I was, to put simply... being foolish.

Anyways, back to "Treading Water". Now that I have got myself back in gear and back to where I feel I should be. Somehow, someway, I still can't seem to get enough money to get back into school. In fact, there have been times where I've even considered simply working my way through Wachovia and making a career out of it. The problem there is is that I feel like I'm not completely happy with what I am doing. Sure it's fun and gets me by, but at the end of the day, I know that I would be much happier working somewhere in the sports industry or perhaps owning my own business. It's been brought to my attention that my managers like me and want me to succeed but I don't want to get too involved in the company so that if I do decide to go back to school I can't because my job would require me to be full time. So in order to see how things go I have applied for a small promotion which would still allow me to go to school if need be, yet still allow me to see if I am happy with what I am doing in making this a possible career. However, these painful decisions are slowly making me tired and weary.

The more reoccuring theme as of late that I wish would disappear is that of my current "single" status. Most guys say they love the single life. I'm not buying that. With the exception of the previous relationship I just spoke of I have been single for 3-4 years now. The only reason I don't count the previous relationship is because I never really was truly happy in it. I thought I was at times, but I wasn't. It just wasn't a healthy situation to be in. Now, I don't know if something has changed in the past few years but apparently I'm not doing something right and I wish all these friends of mine who are conveniently getting married and in relationships now would be so kind as to let me in on their little secret. Since my wake up call I have been on one date, who I never heard from again, and was supposed to have another recently where I was then stood up after cooking a very nice, tasty, and expensive meal. I thought girls liked nice guys? I thought girls wanted a good sweet guy that can make them laugh and is willing to be there if they need them? Where did these girls go? Oh yeah, that's right. They are too busy getting distracted by jerks who will be cheating on them the next night and not want them calling because they are hanging out with their friends the following evening. Again, I apologize for such of a somber blog but lately I had a dream where I was hanging out with a friend from a while back with whom I had gone on a date with earlier and in the dream we were sitting on the couch watching a movie all snuggled up together and slowly she began to just fade away right out of my arms. The second she was gone I woke up. All I want is that moment. That person I can sit down next to, enjoy each other's company and simply just relax. I'm tired of playing these "Mickey Mouse Games". Ladies, if you want the right guy, stop putting up with the one that's causing you problems. Guys don't change. And when they do it's few and far between and usually takes awhile to happen. I don't care who you are, if you are dating someone who is treating you wrong, and need help, I'll help you. But don't come to me complaining about him not changing when you continually put up with it. Someone once said, "Insanity is described as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Well, with all this said, all I can say now is that I am just flat out tired. I'm tired of not getting anything done about school, I'm tired about not making a decision about work, but most of all, I'm tired of waiting around for someone to come my way and actually give me the time of day and see me for who I really am. I'm tired of going to sleep thinking that my need to show someone just how much they mean to me will continue to go unfilled. I'm tired of waking up with that idea of "why couldn't she be real?" stuck in my mind all day. Yet I continuously hear of girls complaining about how they wish they could meet the right guy and how all guys are trash and how bad they are being treated. I'm sorry ladies, but sometimes you just have to fully open your eyes and look around because that "right guy" could be sitting right beside you. Oh and FYI, that's usually the guy who doesn't say anything when you mention the "right guy" but is more than happy to help when you complain about the "wrong guy".

On that note, have a great night and I hope y'all give me some feedback. Good or bad.
Enjoy your week.

Dave "The Game" Hindman

My Original Plan

So, I have realized that I am yet to meet my full intentions of this blog. My intent was to give you all an insight into things that cross my mind and what I ponder on from a day to day basis. This weekend has given me that time to think about some things and made me realize what my faults are. For instance, I've learned that I devote a lot of time to college football on Saturdays. Probably much more time than usual. In fact, I probably start this time consuming process sometime around the Friday night before.  

Why this is? I'm not sure. I noticed this when I was asked if I was going to attend an event being hosted by a friend Saturday night where my second family* would be attending. Surprisingly, I found it take a great deal for me to commit to going to this event instead of watching football with my roommate. The sad part is that I could not have cared less who was playing that night I just wanted to watch football. After pondering the idea of enjoying the company of my friends or watching football I finally settled on getting out of the house for the first time on Saturday and going. As it turned out I had a blast. I also found out that my good friend Daniel Watson was in town and had gone to this event as well.  I would have been HIGHLY disappointed in myself had I not gone being that today would have been the only day I really would have gotten to spend time with him. I say all of this because I have wondered lately why people, myself included, put so much heart into something that doesn't even know or even care that they exist? I'm specifically talking about college football fans, but this can relate to fans of any sport for that matter.

Each week we dress up in our favorite team colors, cheer, yell, and proclaim to have the best team in the nation yet get nothing in return. It has even gone to such extremes that people have started fights and wasted loads of money to show that they are THE #1 FAN. If I don't show up to or watch a game will not the same result occur? It blows my mind that fans week in and week out can allow their moods and lives to be gauged on a game that is ultimately not that vital to their lives. Fandom is a one-way relationship. Now sure, sports are fun to watch and if you are an athlete or coach can be a great career. However, from a fan perspective we cannot allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in sports that we lose sight of what is truly important in life.  

What if we took the passion we have for our sports teams and applied that to God? How much more committed would we be? How much more effective could we be in the world?  Being that I live in Tallahassee, Florida and am constantly surrounded by things colored garnet and gold daily, I tend to notice every once in awhile I will see something out of the norm. Orange and Blue. Two colors no Seminole fan enjoys seeing in their homeland.  As I see these Gator fans I often take note of their pride and how they get treated by Seminole fans here in Tallahassee.  While some are more gentle than others, I often wonder about those getting treated poorly and how they parallel to Jesus and his relationship with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Now I understand that I am probably getting negative responses already just by putting Jesus and Florida Gator fans in the same sentence.  I urge you to just hear me out. If it helps, turn the situation to a Seminole fan in Gainesville for this relationship can go both ways. We(Seminoles) persecute the enemy(Gators) with our words and gestures, and all for what? Possibly because the enemy beat us last year, or even worse, we were taught no different but to hate the enemy? The Pharisees and Sadducees hated Jesus because they were threatened by Him and didn't know any better but to hate Him. Are we no different? 

My main point here does nothing with football, but is to open our eyes to the fact that we may possibly approach our enemies with love and sincerity. Jesus calls us to "Love thy neighbor as thyself" all to often we either fail at showing this or believe it only applies to our "Christian neighbors". Unbelievers have often rejected the church all to often due to the fact that we do not appear sincere, and even hypocritical. Does this sound familiar? The Pharisees themselves were often condemned by Jesus for being hypocritical and focusing too much on the nature of the law rather than loving and accepting those who have fallen and helping them through their struggles. I feel if we approach unbelievers with a humble mind and heart, letting them know that we are in fact no greater than they are, unbelievers will begin to see us for who we truly are. Humble servants of our King, Jesus Christ, and that we have such a contagious love for Christ that we cannot help but to love and show concern for those around us who are struggling with the very issues we ourselves face. 

Romans 15:1-2

"1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up."

With Much Love,

Dave

*college group/AFC at Meridian Woods Church Of Christ