I was born in Dayton, OH and grew up in the northwest suburb, Englewood, since I was a lad. I am blessed to have two parents who love the Lord and taught me to do the same since I was very young. I grew up going to Salem Church of God and went to Salem Christian Academy for elementary school. It was at the academy, in third grade after chapel one Wednesday that I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I realized that I could not live on the faith of my parents, but that I had a choice to make. It was the best choice of my life. I continued in private Christian school up until 8th grade, but I lived out my faith in my head, and not in my heart. It wasn’t until a youth convention one summer that I decided really start living out the Christian life. I decided that I would either call myself a Christian and live out the Christian life, or that I would stop calling my self a Christian.
After graduating from Northmont High School in 2002, I started college at Miami Univeristy in Oxford, OH. From early on I knew I wanted to get involved with a group called Campus Crusade from Christ. My freshman year I got involved in a Bible study in my dorm. An upper class guy involed with CCC began to disciple me and encouraged me to lead a freshman Bible study my sophmore year. I said “Heck no! I can’t talk about the Bible for an hour!” Through prayer and some encouragement I said ok. It was at Miami that I also first learned to share my faith with others. I always knew what I believed, but I could not communicate that to someone else. CCC helped equip me to tell other the most important thing about me.
It was my junior year at Miami that the guy who encouraged me to lead a Bible study began to encourage me to appy for an internship with CCC. I said “Heck no! I can’t do that!” Through prayer and the Lord’s not so gentle nudging, I decided to apply. Now I am being sent to reach students for Christ in Rome, Italy. I would have never guessed the path the Lord has set out for me, but I am humbled and extremely excited to be right where the Lord wants me.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Sorry for the random blog comment. I recently graduated from Vanderbilt University, and I was supposed to go to Israel on scholarship to start grad school work. The war there made that impossible, and I’ve been redirected to Rome. Do you know of any bible studies or churches there? I had set up stuff like that in Jerusalem, but I haven’t been able to do so yet in Rome (mostly because of time). Let me know!
Did you go alternative in this photo? Just kidding…you know, I don’t think it’s wrong to speak about God for an hour. It’s wrong to babble nonsense about God for an hour and being happy about it.
Anyway, when I’ve read that “Campus Crusade” name, suddenly the Imperial March from Star Wars came up in my mind (dun dun dun dun du-dun, dun du-dun), but it’s okay, it’s just me.
I would have never guessed the path the Lord has set out for me, but I am humbled and extremely excited to be right where the Lord wants me.
The question is…where does the Lord wants you to be?
“Who would have thought that Starbucks would have neglected a whole people who absolutely love coffee???”
Joel,
If you absolutely love coffee, I really wonder how you could call coffee that “muddy water” that Starbucks sells.
You are in Italy. What are you doing there? Come back to Ohio and enjoy Starbucks.
There is where coffee culture was born. Open your mind and show that you are abroad for at least a good reason: to learn some culture.
To make it easier, would you ever eat at Taco bell in Mexico City?
I really hope not, especially because it doesn’t exist. And do you wonder why? Because such companies’ products are only poor copies of the taste and flavor you can encounter in their original birthplaces.
To make it even clearer. Starbucks will never open in Italy because it wil be a fiasco. They can’t afford this to happen, since they are trying to imitate (badly) a product.
http://innovationzen.com/blog/2007/01/15/why-starbucks-is-not-present-in-italy/
Italian people consider Sturbucks disgusting. And they know a “little” about coffee, don’t you think?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060815065357AAS1aa6
So go outside, in any of the locations you named. Order a Caffe con Panna or Caffe Shakerato or Granita di Caffe’.
After such experience you will be ashamed of what you wrote here and will never step inside a Starbucks anymore, unless you are looking for a restroom.
Also, I’m sure you will never dare to call coffee Starbuck’s dirty water again.
You are so lucky to live in Italy, try to take the best out of it.