Choices

Choices. Every human being faces them and makes them every day. From things as simple as either having eggs or cereal for breakfast or to more complex decisions such as choosing which college to go to or how to spend their hard earned money. Every choice comes with consequences. Some good, some bad. Some small ones that have a huge impact on how the future plays out and some big ones that only affect the moment. But one thing is for sure; choices matter. I'm going let you in on some choices I made and their outcomes which will hopefully aid me in the point I'm trying to make.

Last summer, I made two choices that turned out to be some of the best of my life. The first happened in late June. I was working for the summer (for the first time in my life) as part of my engineering/co-op program at CSU. Every year we take our young people out to an Indians game and the date chosen was a day game on a Thursday afternoon. Normally, I wouldn't miss these games being a die hard Tribe fan, but I was already getting a week and a half off for the other church summer events and that's unheard of for a position that lasts barely four months. There was also a threat of rain.

As the date got closer, the tickets we bought weren't getting snatched up like in the past and there was a need for drivers still. At this point I wasn't willing to risk a postponed game or liked the idea of asking for Thursday off and then going back to work on a Friday. But then, a few days later, I had a feeling of really wanting to go and all my other reasoning vanished. So I asked my boss for the day off. Thankfully he let me have it.

The night before, we still had a good number of tickets left and the person in charge was praying the game would be postponed so the tickets could be rain-checked. I at this point thought I had made the wrong choice.

The next day, the sun managed to rise, but it had to fight through the clouds. The game was still on and those who had tickets came. We made it to the ballpark and the clouds slowly but surely evaporated and the sun made its presence well known. The game turned out to be a pitcher's duel with each side only scoring one run. Now some of you may be thinking "What a boring game." I'll admit that at some parts the game was slow, but if you really appreciate the game of baseball, then you can realize how intense the game actually was.

Nine innings came and went with the score still tied. So into extras we went. In the 10th inning, the unthinkable happened. The opposing team (Angels) got not one, but two runs. With the way the batters were faring, all hope seemed lost. The Tribe came up to bat and the pitcher walked the first batter. The next batter struck out. The third batter stepped up and crushed a double putting the tying run on second and the winning run at the plate. The fourth batter walked, loading the bases. The fifth batter flied out, leaving one out left. The sixth batter was possibly the Tribe's last hope. it was Nick Swisher. He was not the guy you wanted batting because in that game he was 0-4 with three strike outs. As fate would have it, he quickly amassed two strikes. The Indians were down to their last strike. One nasty pitch and the game would end. The pitcher checked the runners, stared the Swisher down, then let the dagger fly. Swisher swung. Instead of the heart breaking thud of the ball hitting the catcher's mitt, a loud crack was heard as the ball connected with the bat. The ball flew right at us and cleared the wall. The next sound heard was the deafening roar of the crowd as they had just witnessed a miracle. A walkoff grand slam. The pitch? A fastball down the middle. The Tribe had snatched improbable victory from the devastating jaws of defeat. I was so happy that I was shouting at the top of my lungs and jumping up and down. It wasn't winning the world series or a playoff game, but it was the next best thing.

Once I came back to earth, I thought about what would've happened had I given into all my doubts and shoddy reasoning for not going. I know for a fact I would've regretted it for a long, long time.


The second choice occurred a little more than a month later. My dear friend and brother in Christ, Paul Mann, was getting married. His brothers organized a camping trip for his bachelor party. We were talking one night during our week-long summer training (Vision Week) and Paul invited me to come. At this point, it was a week away and I had already had plans in the works. I wasn't sure what I would do because the other plans were a five year high school reunion involving people I hadn't seen in a long time. I went back and forth with it, but made my decision three days before when Paul's brother started giving me details and I was already on the list. I decided that a camping trip with a handful of close friends was the better route. I'm not going to recount all that happened that weekend because that would require a blog post of its very own. I will say that it was 100% the right choice. Why? Because I met some awesome people. Gained stories and memories I can tell for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I didn't miss out on the opportunity to get to know Brian Brickner. That weekend I truly experienced who he was and am grateful the Lord put him in my life. As for the five year reunion...it ended up being not much of anything because rain washed out the original plans.


Not all choices end up being grand slams or life changing. Back in August of 2012, I made a choice that proved to be a bad one. I needed to go run errands, but had to wait for my sister to bring the car home so I could use it. I finally got it and was entering a store when she called me and said my brother needed picked up from the high school. Frustrated with the timing, I exited the store and went to get him. It was rush hour and it was a major street so there was a lot of traffic. I was in the left lane and the only car in front of me wanted to turn left well back from the light. The only problem was that there was a long string of cars coming the other way and none were letting him through. I was at a dead stop and getting impatient. I looked in my mirror and saw two cars pass me. I looked forward and he was still sitting there. I looked in my mirror, saw headlights (it was also raining) and swore they were stopped at the light. I looked forward once more and made the choice to go around this guy. I slightly pressed the gas, turned the wheel, and heard a crunch. I guess those headlights weren't stopped. I had nailed a brand new 2012 Ford Focus. I had only had my license for a little over a year and did the one thing I hoped I'd never do with a car. Luckily no one was hurt and since I was driving a Chevy Suburan, it took a tiny dent in the fender. The Focus had a major dent in the driver's door. The couple, once finding out I had insurance, was sympathetic. The policeman wasn't, however, since changing lanes from a dead stop is illegal because it causes accidents. Case in point. So I got a $250 ticket that nearly emptied my bank account because I hadn't worked in a year because I had just finished my year long Christian internship. I made a choice to go rather than wait and the consequences were brutal. There was a plus side to all this. I learned from my mistake. Now I check multiple times and make sure that the blind spots are clear. I've had no tickets/accidents since.

Where am I going with all this? I want you to understand that you are faced with choices every day. Every choice needs a decision. Not every decision will have an amazing or catastrophic outcome, but every one is important. People go through life making choices based on instinct, gut, irrationality, wisdom, etc. There is one choice that people make every single day. That choice involves how people live their lives and what the purpose of life actually is. You may say "What about the people who don't care or don't think there is a purpose?" Well, that's the choice they made. They choose not to believe in something greater. They choose not to think outside the realm of understanding. They choose their own path.

Someone made the ultimate choice. That Someone is Jesus Christ. He chose to leave His throne. He chose to humble Himself to the form of a man. He chose to put Himself among a crooked and perverted generation. He chose to be put to death on a cross. He chose to save the human race. He chose you.

The shocking thing is that He didn't have to do a thing. But He chose to do EVERYTHING. He could have avoided all this by making us without free will. He could've had a people who did everything He asked and praised Him unceasingly. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I know I've posted this before before but it's worth posting again. "Every decision you made in life has led you to this exact moment, reading this exact sentence."

I believe there is a reason for everything, but it's still your choice. Maybe you reading this is your opportunity to chose salvation. Christ chose you. Which way will you chose? With Christ in life or alone in death? The choice is yours.

I Challenge You

This post is going to be totally different from the norm because it is a contest with a prize should you choose to accept. I got inspired and thought it would be fun to find out how much my beloved readers know about the very few things people know about me. It's 20 questions long and will be open until 1/1/16. It's set up so that the internet will be of little use to you, but if you choose to do so, enjoy the journey. RULES: Anyone is eligible for the prize except my immediate family (although if no one gets it by the deadline, they each can have a shot if they so choose). You may NOT use my immediate family to gain information in anyway, shape or form. Doing so will forfeit your eligibility.  It is not multiple choice and you may have as many tries as you like, but the winner will be determined by the least number of tries to get all 20 correct. You will be told how many you got correctly, but not which ones you got correct each time you submit your answers. You may NOT collaborate answers with anyone else. Your answers may be submitted verbally, by email, text, facebook, or anyway you so choose. The winner will receive $20. This is not joke. Good luck!

1. What is my favorite flavor of ice cream?
2. What is my dream car (year, make, and model)?
3. Who was my middle school celebrity crush?
4. What year did I officially become a Cleveland Indians fan?
5. What is the first movie I saw in theaters?
6. What is my favorite food?
7. What is the fastest time I've ever run a mile (min and seconds)?
8. What was my favorite childhood movie?
9. What was the first thing I wanted to be when I grew up?
10. How many Microsoft Word Document pages long is the story I wrote titled "A Young Love"?
11. How many Mountain Top Conferences have I been to?
12. How many American States have I visited?
13. What public arcade game did I achieve a high score on?
14. What is the biggest fish I ever caught lengthwise (in inches)?
15. How many days of school did I miss from 7th-12th grade?
16. What color and brand was my first bicycle?
17. What band instrument did I play freshman year of high school?
18. What famous criminal's autograph do I have?
19. Who is my favorite Pokemon?
20. How many times has my name or picture appeared in a newspaper?