Postseason.

So here is some of my bragging... i picked the winner of each of the division series correctly :). the only thing i missed was that the Yankees won in 3 games and not 4. bummer ;) heres some more predictions

ALCS
Rangers are winning on the road and they are going to win at least 2 at home this series. Josh Hamilton is going to start hitting and these Rangers will win by any means possible. Yes the Yankees are the ideal veterns but i feel like the Rangers pitchers will get in a groove and that will be plenty for their bats in a very hard fought series.
Rangers over Yankees in 7

NLCS
Now this is some great pitching: Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels against Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain. The big edge in this is Philly has much better bats than the Giants. In low scoring games the Phillies will easily find ways to score. i think they will display how hot this team is right now.
Philadelphia over Giants in 5

Chocolate.

choc·o·late 
–noun
1. a preparation of the seeds of cacao, roasted, husked, and ground, often sweetened and flavored, as with vanilla.
2. a beverage made by dissolving such a preparation in milk or water, served hot or cold: a cup of hot chocolate.
3. candy made from such a preparation.
4. an individual piece of this candy.
5. any syrup or flavoring made from this preparation or artificially imitating its flavor.


Chocolate is such a great snack. In the form of bars, ice cream, milk, candy, or even fountains. Chocolate is used in so many ways and many people use it in their daily diet too. But has anyone ever stopped to think about how the chocolate they are eating got to where it is now? Have they ever stopped to think about who's hands made this chocolate?


Friday morning, October 8, my family and i begin our car drive toward Havana, Illinois to attend my cousin's wedding. The car ride would last about 5.5 hours. i figured this would be a great time to once again pick up my book "Stop the Traffik" by Steve Chalke. It is about illegal trafficking of innocent people. These people are used to many things; they are mainly forced to have sex with strangers or work as slaves for farms or businesses. That is my very very brief summary of what "Stop the Traffik" is about.



When i picked up my book i began in chapter 5: BUY (A chocolate bar: just a harmless treat? But who picked those cocoa beans? Is there a darker side to your chocolate? Money to spend, choices to make - don't buy into the global trade of people.) So where does the very beginning of our chocolate in the U.S. take place? It begins with the farmers where people, mostly children aged from 6 or 7 to 13 (im sure there are places with younger and older people forced to work), are forced to farm the cocoa plant which is our chocolate.


This is slavery. These children are not volunteering to work. They are sometimes tricked into this trap by people promising a chance for an education or work with good pay. Mostly children in poverty-stricken areas are tricked into slavery. In some cases even the family can turn against these children.


May these REAL quotes from REAL people break your heart as they have broken mine.

"If you eat chocolate that isn't traffick free, then you've got blood on your teeth." -Rhys Ifans


"When you eat chocolate, you eat my flesh." -A boy, eleven, trafficked into the Ivory Coast to work on a cocoa plantation.



Is there chocolate that is slave free? Gladly i can say YES!!! Try searching Fair Trade Foundation on Google someday or visiting fairtrade.org.uk. Fair Trade is based on 4 principles: 1. Pay a reasonable prices to farmers that at least covers the cost of production and basic living costs. 2. Pay a premium that the farmers have to invest in their community. 3. Ensure that it is possible for farmers to be paid an advance to meet costs. 4. Contracts are long-term, which allows for planning and stability. i strongly suggest researching or gaining awareness about Fair Trade.

How can i tell if a product has been fairly traded? Well, thankfully fairtrade has an official mark (above) and it appears on products that are approved by Fair Trade. For a product to display the FAIRTRADE Mark it must meet international Fairtrade standards which are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International(FLO). These standards are agreed through a process of research and consultation with key participants in the Fairtrade scheme, including producers themselves, traders, NGOs, academic institutions and labelling organisations such as the Fairtrade Foundation. (fairtrade.org.uk)

"When Cadbury's and Hershey, and Mars and Lindt and Nestle and all of the others, produce chocolate that is traffick free, you cna be sure that they will be the first to put a little mark on those bars telling us that. If a chocolate bar doesn't say it's traffick free; if it doesn't say it's fairly traded it's just not. It's as simple as that." -Steve Chalke, Founder of Stop the Traffick


"The chocolate industry can give us chocolate that is sugar-free, fat-free, nut-free and additive-free... so why can't they proudly tell us it's slave-free as well?" -Ruth Dearnley, CEO of Stop the Traffik

Here are some what ifs im beginning to ask myself:
What if i decided to buy ONLY chocolate that has the fair trade mark?
What if i do not eat any chocolate unless i know that it has met the international Fairtrade standards?
What if the money i spent on chocolate was used for Teens In Need or People Being Trafficked across the world?

time for an update.

It has been quite a while since I last blogged. I am already in the 8th week of my senior year. ONLY 28 MORE!!! (i think) A lot has happened and is starting to happen.

First of all football started...YES!! Although I am not too pleased with my fantasy record, 1-3, it will turn around. The Bears are 3-1, a much better start than expected. And Illinois played half descent against Ohio State this last weekend. Yes football is pretty much awesome...Staying in sports: Baseball. The postseason begins today!! Predictions for the Division Round are as follows:

Yankees over Twins in 4 games
-You see I would love to see the Twins finally do something in my lifetime but I do not think its gonna happen this year. The Yankees are defending champs.

Rangers over Rays in 5
-I really love the Rangers and Josh Hamilton. Its a great story. I think they finally pull off a win although the Rays are very tough and always play their best.

Phillies over Reds in 3
-The Reds have struggled all season against the top teams. Philly is just now getting healthy and playing better than ever. I think they go on a run and demolish Cincinnati.

Giants over Braves in 4
-The Giants have great pitching, the Braves do too at times. The Braves have the better bats in this series. For some reason I think the Giants will win this series even though I think the Braves are better.

ENOUGH SPORTS!!!!!

Yes, I mentioned school earlier. Let us just say that this year is already flying by. Ive been super busy with college stuff and high school stuff. I will say it has been ok though.

ENOUGH SCHOOL!!!!!

Coming into the school year I figured my relationship with God would grow. I thought I would get into a schedule and therefore have a daily time for only God and I. It has been tough making that a habit thus far. Being completely honest with myself and God, I have definitely been indifferent about our relationship recently. Even though I have not struggled much thus far, I have put off being with my Lord and Savior. He deserves me. I haven't given me to Him completely. Its time i stop slacking, its time i stop dwelling on the past, its time i start desiring Him, its time i start living for Him.

NOT ENOUGH GOD!!!!!

Football.

Alright, i'm very excited that football is finally back. And well since i've read many blogs about predictions in the NFL, i decided to share some of my opinion. Brandon Snodgrass and i did our own little predictions while on one of our flights to Haiti this past summer. Keep in mind we did this about 2 and a half months ago. I considered changing some but nah i like it, kinda haha. Enjoy. (Division winners in bold, wildcard in italics, and they are in order of finish)

AFC North:
We both thought the Ravens and Bengals would fight over the division this year. The Steelers are always tough but too many distractions right now. The Ravens are so complete and the Bengals really started to turn things around last year. I think the Bengals will put up a fight till the end but it may not be enough for the division or a wildcard. As for the Browns, well yeah.

Ravens
Bengals
Steelers
Browns

AFC South:
The Colts once again will take this division. It is way too hard to pick against them, especially with the smartest player in the game on their team (oh and he's not too bad athletically too). The Titans and Texans will both fight over 2nd place and a wildcard spot. Yes most think the Texans will finally make it this year but for some reason we picked the Titans haha. So im sticking with that. The Jaguars really dont have much other than Maurice Jones-Drew. Its really hard to even pick them finishing 2nd or 3rd.

Colts
Titans
Texans
Jaguars

AFC East:
Now this was a fun division in my opinion. I dont know why but maybe it because of where we picked the Patriots to end up. We really think that are getting up there and this year could be the beginning of some losing for them. They'll fight for a wildcard but their division is finally catching up to them and their age may just do the same. We went with the Jets because we feel they are going to improve even more this year and much sooner than the end of the year. They are similar to the Ravens in my opinion, just a year or two behind. But, we feel they can pull it out. The Dolphins for some reason attracted us too so we went with them. :) The Bills just really aren't that good. They have some pieces but thats it.

Jets
Dolphins
Patriots
Bills

AFC West:
As most people think, this division sucks. Thats kinda harsh but they will easily be the worst in the AFC. On our papar, we wrote them in this order: Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos. So im not sure whether or not we truly thought the Broncos would finish last or not but owell im going with it. The Chargers will easily take this division cuz they could easily win all 6 of their division games and maybe 2 or 3 outside of it.

Chargers
Chiefs
Raiders
Broncos

NFC North:
So yeah, we did this in the month of June when Brett Favre hadn't decided yet. We assumed he would be back and hey look at that, he's back! Although the Packers could be extremely good and take the division we went with the Vikings because we think Favre has ONE last year left. The Packers have the potential to have the best offense in the league but sometimes that defense can give up quite a bit of points. The Bears and Lions, well neither one really has a shot this year at the division...maybe wildcard if they can really show up each week but not likely (As a bears fan, i hope they do but im trying to be realistic).

Vikings
Packers
Bears
Lions

NFC South:
This should turn out to be a fun division. Each team really is fun to watch. The Saints are still too complete for everyone else but the Falcons could really push them. Matty Ice is pretty talented. The Panthers dont quite have that really important position filled with a permanent guy..QB. Maybe if they did but i dont see them fighting for the division, possibly a wildcard though. The Bucs just dont have much of a defense and Freeman is still young but improving.

Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Bucaneers

NFC East:
This division usually has 4 pretty solid teams but not this year. I feel like the Eagles lost too much to put up a real fight. And the team that received some of their players, Redskins, well i dont see them doing too much either. I think it'll be the Giants and Cowboys fighting for the division. They'll all beat each other up because they normally do and i think that'll hurt them in non-division play. The Cowboys have received too much hype and won't pull through. Eli is going to lead the Giants to win the division but in a close race.

Giants
Cowboys
Eagles
Redskins

NFC West:
Very similar to that other Western division. They'll probably fight them for the worst in the league. It's not good. The 49ers are improving behind their coach of Singletary. The Cardinals really lost quite a bit in Warner but Derek Anderson could surprise some people this year. The Seahawks will be in the race for the division but they are going downhill. The Rams, well, still very young. Sam Bradford could make an impact but not enough to put them in the race.

Cardinals
Seahawks
49ers
Rams

Super Bowl:
The Indianapolis Colts make another great run and face off with the Minnesota Vikings. This year Favre does not throw that interception against the Saints, but against the Colts. Indianapolis is Super Bowl Champions.

Raffle

So this weekend my family had our Yoder Camp-out. It consisted of around 50-60 people this year. It is a time of fellowship, food, and fun. Usually occurs on two days, saturday and sunday.

This year a family inside our big family had faced some struggles. As a result the big family decided to support this family. They put together a raffle which consisted of a lot of random prizes. Each ticket cost $1. But it was mentioned that you could purchase them for more if you choose to. All of the money raised went toward the family in need.

Coming into the day i did not know we were doing a raffle and it took me by surprise. But i was entirely impressed by my family. In one day we raised/gave $840. There was only 300 tickets so figure that one out! :) it was so awesome to see my family come around and support this one family. God can do great things if we just give Him what we have!

A simple question.

So this morning started a little rough. Let's just say God was not at the center of things, where he ought to be. Thinking about this morning, i asked myself - "If someone were to ask me how my day was, what would i say?" My first response would of been - "i feel like crap." As i thought more, i realized even though i started slow, God quickly regained control. Heres how:

-God created this earth
-God created us
-God created everything in and on this earth

Because of my birthplace, i can experience His Love for us. i have a roof over my head EVERYDAY. i have a bed to sleep in EVERYDAY. i have food to eat EVERYDAY. i have clothes to wear EVERYDAY. i am healthy EVERYDAY (well almost...). i am loved by my family EVERYDAY. i have hope EVERYDAY. Jesus died for our sins, i have forgiveness EVERYDAY.

If i were born in the Mathare Slums of Kenya or Cap Haitian, Haiti or El Millon, Mexico or Nepal or the Democratic Republic of Congo or Rwanda or many others, then i would have none of these. i would not have a roof, bed, food, clothes, health, love, hope, and knowledge of forgiveness EVERYDAY. Because of where i was born, i know that i am saved. The least i can do is not complain and praise my creator EVERYDAY!!! Thank You, God! You are great!

Slow down, there is so much more.

This time of year brings many things. For me it brings fantasy baseball, playoffs for basketball and hockey, the end of the school year, and a missions trip. Everyday at work i see many people rushing in and out of Martins Supermarket. Everyone is in a hurry to buy their groceries whether it is one item or one hundred. Some neglect their children and don't care to be respectful. Their only desire is to get to the next thing, whether it is a spring concert for their child, someone's birthday, a child's baseball practice/game or even home to relax. Not many stop and think. What's there to think about? Here's a few:

So often I hear of the father's in families neglecting their children and becoming a missing part in many children's lives.
I see people disciplining their child in front of the world without a care, as long as they are pleased.
Someone slips and falls but no one stops to pick them up.
People try to gain the riches of the world, of which none will leave this earth with their soul.
Men can't find enough time to set aside sports for one night to spend with their family. On the ride to a restaurant they have to check the score or even check while they are eating.

God calls us to do HIS WILL, not ours. His will is for us to LOVE. Everything above can be seen as selfish to some extent. In Mark 1:6 we see a man portrayed as a true LOVER. John the baptist wears camel's hair and eats locusts and honey. I can't imagine eating a bug or wearing an animal as clothing. Yet this man's desire is to be with the ONE who created him. He doesn't care how he looks or if he hears the "outcome of the big game". GOD created us to be unselfish. As HIS creations, our job is to LOVE HIM and LOVE OTHERS. Stop and think for a second, when Jesus returns do you want to be watching a baseball game? or do you want to be sharing time with the poor and giving up what you have? The latter is exactly what GOD calls us to do. Someday there will be 1000 years of heaven on earth. Someday Jesus will return and save us all. Until that day our job is to reach out and LOVE OTHERS.

Join me in this mission to change our desires from self-centeredness to others-centeredness (those are words now).

Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Hope

This is why I call myself a Christian. I recently began reading Understanding Bible Prophecy for Yourself by Tim Lahaye. As you could guess, it is about the future and prophecy in the Bible. Courtesy of only a few chapters in this book, ive learned much. I've had clarity on what I believe and what is to come. The second coming of Christ must be important, the apostle Paul mentioned it 50 times! That is only one person. He spoke of communion only twice and baptism 13 times. Overall the Bible mentions it over 300 times!

Why don't people speak of His returning as much as they should? Isn't this the foundation of our beliefs? We place communion and baptism at such a high importance because Jesus said to be baptized. Didn't He also say He is going to return to save us all? Actually He even said to "sell everything you have and give it to the poor" Luke 18:22. As Christians we ought to believe He is going to return. We think of and even speak of witnessing or evangelizing to others but never know what to say. Why not talk about this hope we have? Instead of trying to convert so many people, I feel I can show more Love to others by telling them what I believe will happen and how we can be saved. Here are a few things I believe and have began to ask God to remind me of these throughout my days.

I believe that someday Jesus will return.
I believe that Jesus will take with Him the believers and saved to be in His father's house that He has prepared (John 14:1-3).
I believe He will resurrect the dead believers then rapture those alive (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).
I believe after the rapture, Jesus will judge the believers (Romans 14:10).
I believe there will be the Tribulation period of 7 years, where the world is ruled by the antichrist (Daniel 9:27).
I believe Jesus will then initiate the Kingdom Age, where there will be 1000 years of heaven on earth (Revelation 19:11-20).
I believe there is God who created all these people with the most delicacy possible, He created every single leaf on an Elm Tree (thats 6,000,000 leaves!) of course He created us with precision.
I believe His desire is to have a personal relationship with every person.
I believe He created a divine plan to rescue His people from the earth.

He will return someday!

EVERYTHING!!!

Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.

Right now God has been molding me in many different areas. God is shaping me by how I judge others and my first impressions of them. In many situations I would look at another persons life and try to find out what they need to fix. Everytime I would do this, Satan would take the initiative to attack me in some way. I used to look at my father negatively and never would give him a chance. God has shown me through his word that love overcomes. Numerous times my father seemed as if he did not want it, he did not desire to go to church or pursue what God has to offer. I would look at that and try to find ways to talk to him or influence him that he is wrong in this. So many times I would realize this is the wrong step and I would be reminded of God's love. I was tired of looking at him so negatively that I decided to look positively into his life. Since my change of view, my dad has seemed to be in a better mood and I feel much more love in our family. I was reminded to love others and love God.

Another area God has shaped me is with "sell everything you have and give it to the poor". I started reading Irresitable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. It is about his life and his encounters with desiring to be radical christian for God. So many times we go to church, give to the needy when it makes world news, and do "good things" to make ourselves feel good. God calls us to LOVE, to give to the needy all the time. Everything is this world is not mine, it is all His.

"You guys are all into that born again thing, which is great. We do need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me I have to be born again to enter the kingdom of God. I can tell you that you have to sell everything you have and give it to the poor, because Jesus said that to one guy too." - Rich Mullins

So as i look at my life and decide if what i am doing is enough, i am always reminded that it is not. Nothing in this world is mine, so why do i still try to hold on to things. Jesus said sell EVERYTHING i have, as a christian am i willing to step up and be that radical for Him or will i fade away. Giving up the judging, the worries of what others think when i do something Christlike, and my possessions is what a true radical does.