My Christmas Update

Hello my friends what an amazing holiday season its been!  Christmas truly was a great time of year for me and my family.  It couldn't have started any better, because on December 23rd, just hours before Christmas Eve, I worked up enough courage to ask someone who I had been talking to every night on skype for a month and a half to be my girlfriend.  The amazing thing about this is that she had been praying about this for quite some time.  Even more incredible was the fact that one of her friends dad's had said this summer that the two of us would be together eventually.  Well he was right, and I am now in the first serious relationship of my life.  Kayley, I am so glad that I met you and that God has given us the chance to be together.  It is only through His divine power that both of our prayers were answered.  I've been waiting for God to show me that special someone for quite some time, and it makes sense that He would give me the answer the day before his Son came into the world to save us from our sins.  I am so grateful to Him for everything he's done for me.  As for Christmas itself, it was great because I got to see my aunt and her new husband, and my cousin and his wife from Tennessee.  The food was great as always, and in large amounts, because my grandma Lois could easily run a restaurant if she wanted to.  Then on Christmas Eve we visited my grandma Lucy at the Edgerton Care Center and had pizza for dinner.  Then my family had our Christmas, and we opened our gifts, I got some CD's, the new Legend of Zelda game, a new photo album, and other things.   Then the next day we had Christmas and my aunt Lynne's birthday celebration at the Hospital, then we went back to my Aunt's house for more presents.  After that we went home and watched the Packers beat the Bears on Christmas Night.  What a Christmas Day gift.  I will write again after this weekend with my girlfriend and all of my camp friends.  Talk to you guys later!  

Romans 11:22-24
Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: Sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness.  Otherwise you also will be cut off.  And it they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.  After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree.

In Christ, Amen

One road ends, a new one begins...

 Hello my wonderful readers, welcome to another post here on Tyler's Thoughts!!!!  I would like to give a shout out to my great friends in Michigan, Bekah, Katelyn, and Kayley, you guys are all awesome, and I love you all!!!  So I can't believe that I am saying this, but my journey at Carthage College in Kenosha Wisconsin has reached its end, baring any unexpected circumstances.  It has been a three and a half years of both good times and bad times, joy and despair, triumph and failure, and most importantly sinning and being forgiven.  These years at Carthage have been good to me, for the most part, and I have learned many things that should help me to be successful in graduate school.  While all the things I learned in my classes were important, they were all overshadowed by the amount of spiritual growth that God has blessed me with.  There are several things that I credit this to, other than God's power in my life of course.  The first and most important is Inspiration Retreat Center, which I will probably discuss in later posts.  The second would be the sensational choir known the world over as the Gospel Messengers, who I was greatly privileged to have been a part of during my time at Carthage College.  I am greatly blessed to have two "families" outside of my home.  If the first is all of my fellow camp staff, the second would have to be the Gospel Messengers.  I can honestly say that without the Gospel Messengers, I would not have made it through my time at Carthage.  There is just something that is beyond this world that happens when so many people gather to sing praise  to Jesus, and every Thursday night I knew that it didn't matter what had happened the week before, I was going to go to the chapel, and sing my best to give Jesus all of the praise and the glory.   If I was feeling down, I knew that I could always look forward to Thursday night to pick me back up.  The best thing about it was, when I first started singing with the choir, I had probably heard gospel music one other time in my life beforehand.  When I heard the choir singing "Bless the Lord" at the freshman introduction to religious life ceremony three years ago, and was told that the Gospel Messengers were the only non-auditioning choir on campus, I figured, I love to sing, so why not give it a shot?  Needless to say, I was hooked after the first rehearsal, and I kept coming back every week after that.  What makes the Gospel Messengers special is that we do not just sing to impress people, or to make our school look good (which we do, by the way) we sing because all of us in the choir believe that it is of the upmost importance to give Jesus all of the praise and all of the glory by sining his praises so that the world can hear of the things that He has done.  We've sang his praises in at a women's prison, to people in Puerto Rico, to vacationers at Disney, and to many a congregation.  We also have had the opportunity to minister to many people at the annual Carthage Christmas Festival, which I highly recommend you see at least once if you get a chance, because it is something you will never forget.  That's all I've got for now, keep on the lookout for a new post!!!  I'll post on facebook when my newest post is up!!  Peace, and Christ's love with you all,

Tyler

Isaiah 5:1-3
I will sing for the one I love 
   a song about his vineyard: 
My loved one had a vineyard 
   on a fertile hillside. 
² He dug it up and cleared it of stones 
   and planted it with the choicest vines. 
He built a watchtower in it 
   and cut out a winepress as well. 
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, 
   but it yielded only bad fruit.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Hello Friends,
     Greetings to you all again!!!   In regards to the day I got to spend in Chicago a few weekends ago, it was a great time, and I very much enjoyed hanging out with Katelyn, Jonathan, and Kayley.  I'm really glad that I didn't have to walk through Chicago by myself that night, so I'm extremely thankful for my friends being there for me.  I can't wait to see all of my camp friends around New Years!!!!                                               So I pray that everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and an equally good time of of school and work.   I write today in the spirit of preparing for the season of Christmas, the season of Advent.  Advent is a time when we look to remember just what God gave to us on that Christmas night!  In the society we live in today, it becomes so easy to forget that Jesus is the true reason for the our celebration of Christmas.  We tend to get so caught up in the gift purchasing, holiday decorating, Christmas card writing, and visiting relatives and friends, that we forget what's most important. As we draw closer to the celebration of the birth of our Savior, I implore us all to reflect upon what God has given us during this season of Advent.  Today at my home church, our pastor talked about how our the hope that God gave us through Jesus Christ is a revolutionary hope that only He can grant to us.  There are many things in this world that we can place our hope in, but the bottom line is that all the things that this world has to offer will eventually let us down, be it a family member, a friend, money, possessions, or the way we live our lives.  There is only one thing that will never let us down, and that is the hope that we are given through the death of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We are called to place all of our hope in Him, and in Him, we will not be let down, as the end result of our hope will be everlasting life with Him.  In Christ,
Amen

Hebrews 6:13-15, 19-20
     When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, " I will surely bless you and give you many descendants."  And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised...  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Last Weekend in Michigan

Hello again readers,  I trust that you had a good last week, cause I certainly did!  The week of classes went well, culminating with a Modern Japan exam, which I felt I did well on.  Then I got to spend the weekend in Michigan with my new friend Kayley, who invited me to a MMA fight.  I had a nice train ride from Harvard to Chicago, and then I met Kayley at the station, and she rode with me from Millennium Station to a station in Indiana, then drove me to her house in Michigan.  We arrived at her house around 8:00 and then we just sat in their living room for the rest of the night watching Wipeout along with Katelyn and the other two sisters, Kim and Kelly.  It was funny to watch some of the people just stand around and do nothing until they made a move when it was too late and got taken out in a hilarious fashion.  Then on Saturday I got some stuff done with my American founding paper, and then we ate at a nice little diner called Jan's with Katelyn before she went to work.  Then we rented the movie Children of the Corn to watch after the fights.  Then we just relaxed at the house until we had to leave.  Then we hung out at a Christian Caffe called Disciples Gathering, and got smoothies and played a game of chess before we left for the fights.  I got to meet some of Kaley's friends, which was nice.  Then we went to the fights.  The first four were over in the first round.  It was pretty cool, cause a guy named Tyler won his fight!  The fights after the first intermission were a lot better, one fight even went three rounds, it was really good.  We should have stayed later, because apparently the girl's fight was the best one of the night,  but that was okay because Children of the Corn was pretty good.  Despite all of the bad reviews, I thought it was a decent horror film, with quite a few jump scenes and a bunch of funny parts, especially a guy that looked like an ugly Ron Weasly.  I'll post more tomorrow about the day at Chicago.

Galatians 5:16-18  "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law."

Praising God in the Midst of the Storms of Life

Just thirty minutes ago, I was told something by a close friend that broke a piece of my heart.  It will not be easy to get over this sudden change in my life, but I know that with God and all of my friends and family behind me, I will be able to come to terms with this.  It has been a while since I have had something like this happen to me, for the most part I haven't had to deal with major emotional issues.  But I have just lost something that has been one of the best parts of my life for the past four years.  Right now, I'm not sure how I'll be able to move on, but my faith in the power of Jesus in my life will see me through this difficult time of accepting what has happened as being God's will, even if I do not agree with the decision that was made.  It becomes so easy to blame those who are responsible for the decision, but what God requires of his people is obedience to His word and to His will, in both the good and the bad.  So to my friends to whom this directly applies to, I just want to let you know that I'm in as much pain as you all are, but this is the time for all of us to draw closer to each other in the name of Jesus, and we will all make it through this difficult time.  As the song by Casting Crowns says, "You never left my side, and though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm."  This is my prayer for all of my friends who are hurting right now, that the power and grace of Jesus Christ be with you all, and that the Spirit of contentment and peace come to rest in your hearts.  While we will all cry and wonder why, help us to be able to understand that You are the one in control, and that nothing on this earth happens outside of your control.   In your Name,
Amen

Psalm 49:5-20
Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?  No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-that he should live on forever and not see decay.  For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.  Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.  But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.  This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.  Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them.  The upright will rule over them in the morning, their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.  But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.  DO not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.  Though while he lived he counted himself blessed-and men praise you when you prosper, he will join the generations of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.  A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Thoughts of inadequacy and how the Bible tells us to deal with it

Hello again my friends and readers, This time I am going to discuss something of greater personal significance in regard to my own spiritual development and current struggles that I have been through in my faith recently.  Over the past few months, I have been dealing with feelings of uselessness and inadequacy, feeling like I am not doing what God wants from me in my life.  I've been thinking about how to deal with these troublesome thoughts, and with some help from my friends, and a little look inside myself, I have been able to discern how to move on in my life.  I had been feeling like I wasn't moving ahead quickly enough; like I was stuck in the place I am at.  Since I am human, I want to be able to move forward quickly with my life, and get on to what I feel God wants from my life.  But in the midst of school, preparing for grad school, and many other things, I have forgotten what God says about relying on my own strength in order to survive in this world.  I have trusted too much in my own strength instead of placing everything I have in Him and trusting in His promise to sustain me.  As a result of this, I have been feeling burned out and drained of energy at times.  My friends and family have reminded me that I am where God wants me to be, and they have been very graciously praying for me.  They have reminded me that even though I have been feeling useless lately, I still have ways in which I can live my life for Jesus while I am still at school.  I don't now what I would do without my family and all of the great friends that I have.  It is important to remember to fill our lives with His Holy Spirit every day, because it's presence is all that we need in order to carry on day to day in this world.  Our troubles may seem like they are unconquerable, but nothing is impossible with God. Amen.

Matthew 11:28-30   Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Hello and Welcome

I would like to thank all of the people who will read this blog.  I plan on posting whenever I my thoughts become overwhelming and I feel the need to express them, or when I have random bursts of inspiration.  So for this first blog entry I'm going to introduce myself to my readers so you all get to know me better.  My name is Tyler Bartz and I am a senior at Carthage College, graduating with my bachelor's degree in psychology this December, and then eventually getting a doctorate in occupational therapy after 2 years at least.  I'm from Roscoe, Illinois, but Wisconsin is the state that holds my heart.  I see myself living in Lake Geneva Wisconsin, on the beautiful lake, in a nice home, and a medium sized family.  Unrealistic?  Maybe?  Possible? Definitely!  I am a Christian who believes that Jesus Christ is the one who came to save us from our sins, and it is only through his sacrifice on the cross that we are freed from the power of death. This is central to everything that I have done in my life for the time that I have been in college, since I graduated from high school in 2008.  My faith has been greatly supplemented through my having served at Inspiration Ministries for the last 4 years, going on 5 years.  It is truly a great place that has given me some of my best friends, and allowed me to create some of the greatest and proudest memories in my life.  I guarantee that you will all hear more about I.M. in later posts of this blog.  Among the things that I have done at Carthage, my involvement in the Gospel Messengers choir has been the most powerful influence on my Christian life.  I have been greatly honored to have been able to be a part of this amazing group during my time here at Carthage, and I can not imagine life here without it.  I will also say more about my experiences in Gospel in later blogs.  Don't expect all of my blogs to be this serious, some will be more light-hearted in nature, and discuss less spiritual things such as sports, music, entertainment, cars, etc.  Even though I am a strong Christian, I still love to have a good time while I'm serving Him.  Also, expect subsequent posts to be much longer than this.  This one is short for several reasons:  One it's late, two its my first post, and three I don't have a pattern set up for how I want this to work.  So thanks again for reading, and be sure to check back often for new posts!!!!  The next post will be more spiritually based, focusing on the things that the LORD has been stirring up in my heart regarding how everything in this world is essentially meaningless when compared to his glory, and He has a way for me to overcome this feeling of being useless and living a meaningless life.
Psalm 107:1-9      Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the LORD say this- those he redeemed form the hands of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, form east and west, from north and south.  Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.  They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way, to a city where they could settle.  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and for his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and  fills the hungry with good things.   Amen