Our culture teaches us that it is acceptable to do as you please no matter who it hurts (although they might not blatantly say that). It’s all about you. God teaches us that love is so much greater and that showing your family His love is one of the highest of His callings. So, men, man up and love. Lead well. Point them to Christ with your life.

Sanctus Real – Lead Me (Official Music Video)
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Josh

I look forward to see what happens.

- Josh

Josh

– P.S. – After reviewing my last post about the vlog, my wife suggested that I delete it – and rightly so. It was pretty bad. I found out that I am distracted easily and can’t look even a webcam in the eye. haha I might try to start it over in the future. For right now, I just need to focus on other things. Take care!

As I already mentioned, I got a concussion on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Basically, a bunch of us at the church Memorial Weekend Campout were playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Our outnumbered team was not doing well. There was a low throw from someone on the other team. Josh Hurst and I both took a dash and dive for it. Unfortunately, we did not see each other and were both on the same team. From what I understand, I hit the ground with the right side of my face and my right shoulder. I believe Josh landed on me somehow with his left arm stuck underneath me. I ended up with a concussion and he ended up with a broken arm in three places. Josh was rushed off the scene to a gracious doctor who was with our church. He knew that is was broken and tried to brace it as much as possible. I walked back and was in a daze of what just happened. From what I hear from others, my eye looked like a black eye and I had a really bad look on my face. The people decided that I needed to go to the hospital with Josh.

The closest hospital was about 20-30 minutes away. Our doctor came with us and called the hospital ahead to get Josh’s information in. Josh and I were both admitted. They ran some x-rays on him and a CT scan on me. The verdict was a broken arm for him and a minor concussion for me. There was no bleeding in my head for me (Praise the Lord). They said that it would not take too much time before I was healed. For Josh, his arm might have to be reexamined to see if they need surgery for a little triangle piece that was “floating” around in his arm.

I have not heard anything since then about Josh’s arm. As for me, there has been a lot of pain through headaches and a lot of dizziness/dazing out for me. I think this last Friday was the first time since the accident that I have seemed “aware”, as my co-workers say. The headaches also seemed to be mostly gone. I asked my younger brother to come over on Saturday to help me with my yard work since the grass needed to be cut for a long time. In just the time time that it took for me to get the lawn mower going and the weed eater going, my headaches all started coming back. I took a pain killer that the doctors pescribed for me. The pain went away. Not realizing that it was the pain killer that helped my pain go away, I thought that I felt well enough to go help with the weed eating. I helped a bit but soon we had to leave. I could feel my headache coming back slowly. As I went to drop my brother off at a graduation party and go to my brother-in-law’s birthday party, the pain from the headache increased. When I got home that evening, I was in a lot of pain. I didn’t realize how much pain I was going through until the pain killer wore off. So, in the end I am doing well as long as I do not do much. It is a bit frustrating to me, but I know that it is good for me. While I am not normally that active of a guy, I do enjoy walks, working out, and other things like that. All of these start headaches back up for me. So, for now, I am just doing my office work and doing some household chores while I slowly heal.

Please keep the Hursts in your prayers as they deal with the results and bills from the accident.

I think the main thing that God has used in my life from this comes from my reaction and their reaction to the incident. When asked about the first reaction from the accident, Miriam Hurst (Josh’s wife) replied that she prayed. As Josh Hurst got into the vehicle to take him to the hospital, his reply to everyone was “God is sovereign, but you can pray if you want to.” Although humorous, he is right and yet different than my reaction. My reaction was more to the worry of the bills and if I really was going to be alright and what was wrong with me. God was teaching me a lesson of reliance on Him and not to worry. It is a lesson that Hannah and I have been learning since this spring. Read through Matthew 6 for me. That has been the passage that God has used most to teach us.

Well, I must get back to life here. I hope to be able to write some more on here now that I have more free time. We will see though. For now, may our good God bless you with grace and peace.

Josh Blaha

Life has been crazy lately. I guess it gets like this around this time of the semester. I have two 10 page papers due this week. In a couple weeks, I have major project due. That is going to be from 15 – 20 pages. Needless to say I am going to be busy.

Several topics have been swimming around in my head lately though. Here are some of the topics. Maybe you can help me choose which one to write on first.

- Church: The Showcase for Elite
- Denominations: Human Branding of Christ’s Body
- Silence: The “Loving” Kiss of the Enemy
- Life Without Facebook

Well, I had a few more, but they slipped my mind at the moment. Off to do some more research for my psychology paper on addiction.

Drop in a line to let me know that you are there too. haha

BTW: Who is the one from NY that frequents my page?

Pray for me,
Josh

I tried to do a bit of research on Brandon. I found out that he just got back from a missions trip to India. From what I can tell on his blog, his heart for Christ was infectious. (I wish that I could have known him.) His vibrancy for life and excitement for Christ are two characteristics that exude from his writings. I also noticed his faith in Christ for his life. He wrote on his biography for his blog, “I am alive because of Jesus Christ. I am passionate about music and love having the chance to lead worship. I’m not sure what God is going to do with my life, but I know He has a plan.” God’s plan for Brandon’s life has now been revealed to us, but the effects are still to be seen.

I would highly encourage you to give his blog a visit. I know that I have been encouraged by the little that he has written there. Maybe you will find encouragement in it also.

In Daniel’s words, “Our God is glorious and righteous.

Oh, praise Him.”

Josh Blaha

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Update on 18 March 2009

I found a couple articles as a follow up to the accident. One is from the Greenville News and the other is from WSPA.

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Update on 23 March 2009

I also just found the obituary for Brandon. Feel free to write a word of encouragement in the guestbook.

Sweets – To help with weight loss, I have to be willing to give up sweets. Meats and vegetables are more filling and healthier. In spiritual growth, I also have to give up “sweets”, or things that are addictive and enjoyable but not edifying. This can be anything from entertainment to common talk. There is nothing wrong with Dark Chocolate. But if I keep a steady diet of it, it is really going to slow me down and help add the pounds.

Healthy Food – As I alluded to with sweets, I need to eat foods that are healthy for me and provide the most nutrients in the smallest amount of food. For me, I enjoy chicken, salads, and fruits. These fill me up as well as provide the nutricion that I need for my health. The same concept applies to our spiritual growth in that we need the meat from the Word. I find it rare that a lot of our laymen actually dive deep into theology and the “hard” texts. These are so helpful to us though. They are areas that will make us and break us.

Exercise – An obvious part of our walk with Christ is exercising what we learn. God providencially has had me read through 1 John lately. Three verse stuck out to me in this aspect. The verses are found in 1 John 3:16-18. They read,

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

I personally do not understand how God works this in our lives, but I have found that it works. When we act on what we learn either through helping others or in personal trust and faith, our relationship with Him is deepened. We grow and develop so that we can take more depths of His word.

I hope that you have found this insightful as I have. I encourage you to be in the Word and grow. Meditate on Him day and night. He will bless you. Do not do it just for the sake of doing it though. Do it because He is great and worthy to be praised. As a friend of mine recently encouraged me, “Be stubbornly godward…”

Enjoying the cross,

Josh

I love you, Hannah!

Josh

Tiffany Huff is so happy how God answers prayers..my Papa got saved today!!!!! .(20 hours ago)

How incredible is that! I don’t understand God’s ways, but I know that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Of course, we know that the ultimate purpose of this is so that we will be conformed to the image of Christ. I praise God that He is the Creator and sustainer of life. I trust that through this many will be drawn closer to Him.

Humbled,
Josh Blaha

Check out a post by another school mate.

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Here is the news report.