This is me:)

Hey guys! I'm writing this because I want you to know who I am. You all know me as the free pizza guy which is awesome:) Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of free pizza and here's how I got to where I am now. When I was two years old, my parents divorced. My dad moved down the Southern Colorado and my mom moved to the Westminster area. Both my parents remarried when I was about 6 years old. When my mom married my stepdad, my step brother came into the picture. He is 19 now and attends CSU. When my dad married my stepmom, they had two kids together who are my half siblings. My half sister is 9 and my half brother is almost 7. So that's a little about my family situation. Feel free to ask me anything about my family! I have lots of stories about them and I would not be where I am today without them. Now a little about school. Preschool all the way through high school, I attended the same school, Faith Christian Academy which is a small private Christian school in Arvada. It was great education wise and it is a huge part of who I am, but when you go to the same school with the same people for more than half your life, you cannot wait to graduate!:) Transitioning from a small private Christian school to a huge public college was a huge culture shock!  When I came up to CU, I felt like I was in a whole different world. Coming to CU was and is one of the best choices I've made. I've learned so much about myself and it gave me the opportunity to meet all you wonderful people! Growing up, I was huge into sports. At some point in my life, I participated in all these sports: soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and track. I played football for about 10 years, basketball for about 6 years, baseball for about 7 years, track for 2 years, and soccer for two years but that was when I was like 5 years old. My favorite sport was either track or football. I love to run long distance so running is a huge hobby for me these days. In fact, I ran my first marathon ever back in May of this hear which was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life! I am always looking for a running buddy so if you are interested, hit me up lol The next part of my life I'm going to tell you about is what makes me who I am and the reason I stand out on Farrand Field every Wednesday night handing out free pizza. When I was 17 years old, I gave my life over to Christ. Now, what exactly does that mean? Well my whole life, I grew up in a Christian family and Christian church but my faith was never my own. When I turned 17, due to some events in my life, I made my faith my own. Out of that decision, I transitioned from a boy to a man. I started forming my own beliefs, opinions, and making my own decisions. I may be wrong, but I'm assuming for any of you who have ever come face to face with a person who believes in God whether it be in a church setting, on campus, or wherever, the experience probably leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. I know the feeling. Whenever I get approached on campus by someone trying to preach to me, it only hurts my faith and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Well let me be the first to formally apologize on their behalf to any of you who have ever experienced that! I do believe in God, and I do believe that one day we will all live forever in heaven, but I'm not here to shove God down your throat. I believe in building relationships with each of you, a relationship that is on your terms. The reason I created this whole free pizza thing was for that reason exactly. I want to know each of your stories. I want to know what makes you you and I want pizza to be a place where you can come and just relax and get away from the chaos of life. I also want free pizza to be place where you don't feel judged and where you are free to ask questions about anything whether it be school, relationships, God, or just life in general. I will never pressure you into doing anything that you do not want to do. I do pray and hope, that out this you are able to trust me and in long run trust Christians again because there are good Christians out there who aren't here to change you or force you to do anything you do not want to do. So if you ever have questions about anything at all, feel free to ask me. I cannot guarentee that I will have the answer but I can guarantee that I will not judge you and I will sit down with you and talk it out! Seriously if you ever have any questions, I am more than willing to do my best to answer them. Well this is a little about me and if you ever want to hear my story in person or more details about my story, please feel free to ask!

For I am with you always

Have you ever felt like giving up? Having you ever wondered what's the point of going on? Have you felt abandoned? Have you ever felt discouraged? Have you ever felt like God just isn't there? These questions and many more are many questions that go through our mind in our walk with God, especially during the most difficult times our of life. There are times in my life where I truly wonder what I got myself into. How could such a loving God allow all these evil around us? It is so hard to lose hope during the most difficult times in our life. Hope? What does that word mean to you? Why is it so easy to lose hope? Hope is the light that shines when all else fades away. When it feels like I cannot go on anymore, I hold onto the hope that has been given to me through Christ. When everything inside you feels dry, hold onto that hope. When it feels like God is not there, hold on to that hope. When your life is going up in flames, hold onto that hope. When it feels like everything is going wrong, hold onto that hope. When it feels like all hope is lost, hold onto that hope. I don't know what bad things happen to us. I don't know why it feels like the whole world is crashing down on our shoulders at times. I love this poem by Mary Stevenson that paints a picture of true love:
One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.