christian

TM2C Vlog 2

 

Take Me To Church

Many of my life experiences have been surrounded by church and everything that entails. I was born into the church so it’s fair to say I’ve had some not so great moments in church but I’ve also had some incredible life-changing encounters that I can’t imagine my life without. When I was at home for Christmas break in Toronto, I went to the last 2 churches I was at before I left for University, Malvern Christian Assembly and Agincourt Pentecostal Church (One Church). I really only went to Youth groups there, but anyone who’s been with me while I was there knows that we had the time of our lives on Friday nights! I was surrounded by influencing leaders and a solid support group. (Shout out to Pastor Dean and Pastor Will and Suzie) No doubt that there were many ups and downs but from those days community is what stands out the most and the fact that it was all anchored by Jesus is what makes me want to introduce and open up the church to more and more people. This is only part of the reason I’m on this journey.

Patricia Tsolis

Passion for Christ Feature

14125751_642254269284318_6361096374188268730_o.jpg

 

I grew up in a Greek Orthodox home (no way to explain it other than extremely strict), not knowing who God was my entire life. I was always sad growing up, and then at the age of 14 I tried to end my life. A week later, I was invited to a youth group and that night Jesus said “Welcome home. I love you.” and ever since then I’ve been on this amazing journey with Him.
Jesus has given me a voice — to sing — and I realized that this gift was from Him, five and a half years ago. So now, being 19, God has been giving me great opportunities throughout these 6 years. I was able to lead worship at one of my old church’s youth group for almost a year, I was able to lead worship at some young adult groups that I’ve been to, and now that I am here at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Kansas City, God is giving me opportunities to lead worship for my school!

What I’m doing here at YWAM is missionary training. I am preparing for a two and a half month trip to The Himalayas in September…which includes biblical training, spiritual discipline, major one on one time with the Lord, etc. I have been in Kansas City for 2 months already, and in order to complete the program I am in need of funds. My current goal is $4,000.00 to pay off the rest of my fees. If any of you are interested in partnering with me in this mission that the Lord has blessed me with, I would really encourage you to message me one on one so I can tell you more of what I’m doing!

If you’re feeling led to donate now, you can do so here at:
http://ywamkansascity.com/support/schoolfees
Follow the steps that are there! (Takes USD.)

You can connect with me via Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook!
Snapchat: itsxtrish
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsxtrish/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsxtrish

 

 

 

 

The Christian Bachelor Party

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.-2

Before a man or a woman is married, they are typically thrown a bachelor or bachelorette party, to celebrate their so called “last day of freedom”. These nights are usually filled with a series of adventurous, wild, intoxicated and sometimes promiscuous events. Personally, knowing that the rest of my life will be dedicated to one person, who I must love, cherish and  essentially put up with, clearly demands one night of freedom from those pressing obligations, before they’re made real. But, what would happen if a fiancé found too much happiness or fulfillment at the bachelor party and didn’t want to get married anymore? What if the party gave them all that they thought they needed; excitement, inclusion, adventure, the illusion of love and luxury; and the pursuit of these temporary pleasures led them to completely discard the person they were about to marry. What if the fiancé only thought about their significant other at the lowest parts of the night, when the high was wearing off, the people were leaving, and the excitement was no more?  Is that a commitment that you’re thrilled to have for you and your spouse?

Assuming you answered no, is this a commitment God wants from you? (Yea I went there!) If you couldn’t tell by the title, this post is going to address they way we Christians serve God haphazardly, how we like to be “lukewarm” in our relationship with Him.

Continue reading →

Jamar Ergas

Passion for Christ Feature

JAMAR

I developed the love for the game of basketball through my dad. When I was a baby he used to sit me on his lap and have me watch Michael Jordan, (when the Chicago Bulls were at their best). I was always surrounded by basketball, especially because my older brother played, there was a basketball court outside of our apartment building and basketball was always on  our TV. As a child I would try and mimic players like Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, as ESPN showed their unbelievable highlights. Once I entered middle school it was the beginning to something great. I was finally playing organized basketball for the Scarborough Blues Club team and at my middle school; Charles Gordon Sr. Public School. At that age I was wowing crowds with dunks, which no one had really seen before. This gave me the opportunity to play for the great Coach Ro Russell, who is the founder of Grassroots Canada Elite. Playing for this organization has brought me places I would have never imagined. From Detroit to Virginia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Texas. I’ve done really well at these tournaments which carried on to my first year of High school at Chaminade College School. After that year Coach Ro and I saw that I could have a future in basketball. We thought it would be a good idea to go off to the United States to evolve my game and play against better competition. So he sent me to Montverde Academy which is located in Florida. That year was probably the hardest year of my life but also the most helpful year. Going away at 15 years old forced me to learn how to do things I’ve never done before like laundry, shopping and living without my family. The competition was also unreal. This really opened up my eyes and I appreciated the game more and wanted to really get better as a player and more importantly as a student athlete. From then on I made sure my grades were the best I could get and I was always working on my game. After that year I transferred to be with my trainer/coach; Ryan Schmidt at 22ft Academy. At first the program wasn’t really stable. We moved around quite a bit considering we did not having a lot of money and schools not being able to accept a bunch of international students. It came down to us living in motels trying to find somewhere to establish our new program. We finally settled in Kentucky from starting in North Carolina, but with all the moving around and being out of school, it forced us to do online schooling so we could catch up with all the school we missed. The next year we settled in South Carolina. As a second year program we still had our struggles not having a lot of money and a lot of food compared to most programs. But we made the most out of it. I then finished my high school in Arizona under Elite 1 Academy, a first year program.

Continue reading →