(re)set

its been over a year since my last update.  so many things have happened in my life and in our world in my absence from this blog; however, i won't bore you trying to recap all of those things in any depth, but here's a brief recap.

it was a great year though in a number of ways:
  -began dating my best friend (Brittany Watts) and eventually moved her back home to Louisiana where she belongs :) we've now been dating over 11 months!
  -volunteered in Joplin, MO cleaning up from the devastating tornados.. definitely a humbling experience.
  -participated in tons of events with the youth @ Live Oak (remix, vbs, camp fuego, guys retreat, q&a panel for girls' retreat, serve n ski)
  -graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on Dec. 17th, 2011, with a Master of Divinity.
  -starting Jan. 1st, 2012, i went on staff full-time at Live Oak United Methodist Church in Watson, LA as the Associate Minister/Worship Leader, leading worship for 4 services throughout the week (plus special services like Good Friday, etc.), assisting with the youth and helping with pastoral care/visitations as needed.  its definitely been a growing experience so far.

i could go into so much depth on all of those topics listed above, but i'll spare each of you the in-depth play-by-play details. if you'd like to know more about anything above, hit me up and i'd be glad to give ya the whole scoop.

obviously, i haven't done the best job (to say the least) at keeping this blog updated. it always proved difficult to find the time to update while i was in school/serving at the church, etc., then when i did have the time, i was so far behind in updating that there was so much to cover.. so we'll consider this a(nother) reset.

i've been reading a bunch of books lately, many of which i had been waiting to read for quite a while, so i'll post those book reviews soon.

to make sure this blog isn't just another boring recap, i'll fill y'all in on my current thoughts.  i'm really happy with where my life is currently.  i've got great friends and an amazing girlfriend who are all passionate about God and serving Him wherever He leads and whatever that means.  its exciting to see what God is doing in each of us and the ways in which He continually draws us to Him, while also giving us the opportunities to grow closer together as we serve Him.  even when we're just hanging out on the weekends or whatever, our conversations constantly shift back to talking about church, our youth, exciting ideas, etc.  clearly this is a passion God has placed in all of our hearts and lives.  it is super encouraging to see and helps keep me on track and motivated to continue doing His work.

i'll do a better job of updating this blog now that my schedule is more (or less) structured (as far as free time/time "off" goes). stay tuned for updates soon and very soon.

muchlove, trenticus.

stay tuned

hola mis amigos. it's been over a month again since i last updated this thing.. i'm really not doing so well at keeping this current.. probably why i don't have hardly any readers..

i have, however, come up with an idea to make this blog be much more frequent in its updates (personifying the blog haha), more relevant in its information, more enjoyable and hopefully more beneficial to you, the reader. i am going to start writing small reviews on the books i am currently reading.. to still be coupled with (hopefully) frequent updates of life and all that jazz (read like the song hehe)

i went into this summer with a stack of about 7 or 8 books i really wanted to read and people are always asking about particular books, books to recommend, etc. so this will be a good way to provide you, the reader, with my take on the books i am reading, as well as give me the opportunity to look back and remember what i liked or didn't like about the book. i started looking at my bookshelf and realized a couple (not many) books on there i hadn't ever read.. so i put them in my stack of books to read. i don't want to have any books on there that i've never read because.. well, i can't really provide any feedback on it or recommend it to someone if i've never read it myself.

the books that will be coming in the near future range in topics from refuting calvinism to a small book about angels (they gave it to us for free during red carpet week at seminary).. from open theism to renewing our passion for God.. i'm excited to begin reading them.. and to re-read others.. and to enlighten you on how they were.. who knows, maybe my reviews will cause you to read one or more.. or perhaps you could suggest some to me.. that'd be great too!

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i leave sunday morning at 5am, headed for daytona for Student Life's college camp thingajig at the beach.. not really a camp.. we have a ton of free time and its for college students so the entire day doesnt have to be booked up like it is with youths, but anyway, Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman will be there for sure.. plus others most likely.

shortly after we get back from there, i leave the next monday (19th) for kansas city for the national worship leader conference.. where several leading worship leaders will be conducting seminars, etc.. including (heh) Chris Tomlin and others.

soon after I get back from that trip, I will be headed to Boston with the family to visit my brother for a few days.. i'm looking forward to that trip for sure.. well all of them really, but whatever.

the summer so far has been pretty laid back, focused on VBS and schoolwork for the most part, but its about to get quite adventurous.. traveling the country in just a few short weeks.. well i guess, mostly just east of the Mississip..

anywho, stay tuned. reading has already commenced, i just haven't had the time to write reviews yet. but 2 books are already down for sure.. more to come.

chapter nine

so i figured it was time for an update. lots of news. well not really, but it sounds good haha

the trip to boston was great! the weather was in the 60s the entire time, and although it rained pretty much every second of everyday we were there, it was extremely enjoyable. much better than the 100+ temperatures down here.

tuesday, dad and i moved the rest of my big stuff (bed, dresser, nightstand) home to help get the pool house/game room finished for me to move into and live here for.. well, i'm not really sure how long it will be. i just knew that commuting to seminary, working a part-time job, plus other expenses would be much easier without a rent bill over my head every month so here i am. there's still some work that needs to be accomplished, but i hope to post some pictures soon. stay tuned :)

tonight is my first night to stay out here. i've slept out here countless nights over the years when i was growing up.. sleep overs. late night n64 parties (haha), watching tooth and nail compilation videos, shooting pool. good times. great memories. but tonight is different. its not just a sleepover-esque night with friends over and back to the house tomorrow.. no, this is now my home. i'm excited about it though. excited about what the future holds in store. everytime i've moved into a new apt or whatever, i can look back and notice a distinctly new chapter being written in my life. i'm excited to see what this one holds.

i received my official acceptance letter to seminary earlier this week! classes start august 17th, with orientation the thursday and friday before then, so i'm not quite sure what courses i'll be taking yet, but i have a general idea. i'm really excited to get started with seminary, immersed in the study of God's word.. it can't get much better than that!

all of the money i needed to raise for Ecuador was raised, plus some, so excess money is being set aside to help fund my tuition/books for my first semester in seminary, but it was definitely a blessing to have the Ecuador trip fully funded. thank you all for your help and support, both financially and prayerfully.

much love. trent.

create a moment

i have now been school-less and job-less for one entire month. at the beginning, i didn't really notice how much free time i had.. all the holiday festivities were going on with christmas and new years, plus graduation and the crazy excursion to boston.. so my first truly "free" week was last week and i enjoyed it to its fullest.. i did absolutely nothing, played way too many video games, stayed up late, just acted like a complete bum.. and enjoyed every last second of it.

then monday came. video games were no longer appealing to me (and haven't been for the entire week), tv is getting dull and not entertaining me much, books lose my interest after a few short minutes.. basically, its hard to fill up a whole day with pointless, time-wasting activity. i have no commitments, no obligations, no nothing. just wake up.. find something to do to kill the day and go back to sleep. and none of it entertains me anymore. i need to get out of this apartment.

i've broken up errands into small duties.. meaning i have little errands to run each day, as opposed to getting them all done in one day. while that would feel extremely productive and make for a great day, i would then truly have absolutely nothing to do on the other days. today, i went to the post office to mail 2 documents, one an application, the other a thank you note. yesterday, i went to lsu to pick up 2 official transcripts to accompany the 3 applications i faxed from fedex kinko's to various employers (who knew faxing was so dang expensive?!)

yesterday was my first day back at lsu when school was in session and me there not as a student. actually, heck its the first time since spring testing (as a high school sr) that ive been to lsu when its in session and not been there as a student. the feeling of being finished hit me again when i was there yesterday. i saw a bunch of people walking around.. some excited to start a new semester, some still sleepy from not having re-adjusted their sleep schedules since the break. i thought of the first week enthusiasm, skepticism, and even anxiety felt for your new classes, new teachers, new faces. the pressure of seeing the syllabi, knowing what awaits you for the next 4 or so months of your life. i saw, and pictured, these thoughts on everyones faces.. and i was simply there. no anxiety over school work. no wondering what my next class will be.. whether this professor was putting on a show for the first day (whether positively or negatively).. i was simply there to handle business. i think the feeling would have been better had i had a job though.. i could have been there with no anxiety in my life whatsoever.

to return to my previous statement of "i need to get out of this apartment" also requires a look at my previous post entitled "Life Is Beautiful?" I understand that the majority of people, my friends included, work during the day. if they work at night, they sleep during the day. both of those provide no day-time relief for my symptoms (when did this turn into a dayquil commercial? hmm..) so during the day, i occupy my time with pointless nonsense (and redundancy). by night time, and i mean early night time, not this current time of night.. i am completely bored out of my mind.. seeking any sort of relief, any sort of escape from this repetitively bored state of existence. however, my friends, the ones that would hang out with me during the week, typically reside in the parish of livingston and don't have much incentive to drive out to BR just for me.. maybe i should provide more incentive.. hmm.. anyhow, so my night consists of even further boredom, leading to a great deal of ranting (as is exhibited through this post)

in closing (i know, finally! right?), i need something to do. something to occupy my time. i would love to stay busy the entire day and wonder where my free time went. at this point, it sounds like such a capital idea. people watching, eating, driving (not at the same time), catching up with old friends, anything really. heck, tennis would be nice! i need the exercise