This School Year

So, I realized today that something amazing happened last night… I grew up. Not that I wasn’t somewhat grown up but there were things between me and God that were ridiculous. Since the end of last year God has really been teaching me about surrender and how life is not about me. This particular school year is going to be challenging in many ways. I am with a completely different church on campus, I am living on my own outside of the dorms, and my “pursuit” (see note: “This Chapter is Called The Pursuit” for more info) must continue. 

 

The first thing God taught me last night was that I had to let go of my old campus ministry for good. I really didn’t want to do that but it was one of those moments where God couldn’t have been more obvious with what He wanted. The next thing God taught me was that I am here, at Ohio State, for Him alone. I am not here to get a degree but I am here to achieve things for his fame. That meant that certain people who mean an awful lot to me might have to go on the back burner for now. I need to concentrate on building up the Church here on campus and if I lose that friendship so be it. I don’t want to lose the friendship but I can’t keep putting in all the attention I have been giving it. 

 

With all of that said I do want to note… to anyone reading this… if you ever need me I will be there for you. I will do whatever it takes to serve you at any time. If you are on campus call me at ANY time. I am called to die to myself and take up my cross and if that means no sleep but helping you out it would be my pleasure to help. For everyone off campus please message me or call and I will get back to you as soon as I can. May the peace and love of Jesus Christ be with you in the classroom, dorm, apartment, and everywhere you travel this school year. You are not alone.

 

Love You All!

Nick Geisen

There She Stands: Remembering September 11th

“There She Stands” by Michael W. Smith

 

Speech by our president: George W. Bush pay attention as he reads Romans 8 at the end.

 

We must never forget what happened this day. Though we are weary from two wars being fought we must stand together as Americans and support our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pray that peace and true solutions to the war come soon. We cannot afford mistakes in these countries as we now owe it to them to fix the turmoil. Learn from history that leaving early without finishing the mission is a grave mistake. The world was never the same after September 11th but on that day, even if only for a day, most of the world was unified.

Brick Wall

It’s been said that if we hit a brick wall in life we should find our way over it if we care enough about the path we’re on. Well, I’ve hit a brick wall. (They hurt and I don’t recommend them). I think this note will go along with the last one I wrote so refer to it “This Chapter is Called The Pursuit” if you want to know what I’m rambling about. 

 

Part of me wonders why the brick wall ever came. Why would God put this roadblock in front of me if He wanted me to get over it anyways? I certainly don’t like the brick wall that’s come. Maybe I’m supposed to realize the brick wall is God telling me “you don’t want to go that way son” or maybe God’s trying out another trust exercise or something. But when I ask Him what to do He stays silent and that doesn’t help very much. See there’s nothing more in this world that I want to experience than love… the type you find in a true relationship. And every time I find someone God seems to change His mind and go “oh that was just a learning experience.” I can’t begin to tell you how tired I am of “learning experiences.” I want the real deal… everyone else seems to just stumble into relationships and they work out… why not me God?

 

So here I am… staring at another brick wall… it’s big.. red… you know the deal. I haven’t decided if I’m going to climb over this wall or just skip it and go a different direction. See I’m afraid all I’m going to find over that wall is thorns and that I’m going to land in something I don’t want to experience again. But at the same time I don’t know how close I could be to finding what I’ve been looking for. Let me tell you a parable:

 

There once was this swimmer who wanted to achieve something really great. She decided to swim a body of water that had never been swum before… bigger than the English Channel. She wanted to prove she could swim from one end to the other. The day arrived for the great swim. A camera crew and her mother were going to follow behind in a boat. The day was rainy and very foggy. You could barely see in front of you. This made the swim that much harder because our brave swimmer didn’t even know if she was going in the right direction and neither did the boat following. It had been over an hour and the swimmer was starting to feel very tired. It was getting hard to breathe and the water conditions weren’t getting any better. Her mom kept calling out from the boat behind “you don’t have to do this… we can go on another day.” The swimmer would just keep going… she had to prove she could do this. Over the next hour things got even worse… the fatigue was showing and the swimmer wasn’t sure she could do it… after all she had no idea if she was even swimming towards the shore any more. She finally decided to give up. She couldn’t take it any more so she got in the boat and they sped towards where they thought the shore was. Because the fog had taken away her line of sight she had no way of knowing this but she was only 20 yards away from the shore.

 

Can you imagine how that would feel? The moral of that parable is simple: you never know how close you are to the finish line so don’t give up! I guess this is all I have to go off of as well. I don’t know how close I am to the finish line with her so I might as well see if there is a finish line. I hope there is.

This Chapter is Called The Pursuit

It’s official I had finally achieved writer’s block all across the board. I couldn’t write music, I couldn’t write a blog… and I had trouble holding conversations with anyone. There’s been so much on my mind that I just don’t know what to do. I lie awake at night wondering if God really hears me… if He’s really doing anything in my life right now. I sure can’t see it or feel it… it’s like the voice on the other end of the phone line has gone completely silent. No doubt He’s done things before… but why so silent all of a sudden when I am talking to Him the most? 

See I guess I should explain a little more. This part of my life… if it needed a title… would be called “The Pursuit.” God has exploded this desire within me to meet the one He has set aside for me. My future wife… whoever she is, wherever she is. I lie awake wondering if God has already put her in my life or if I am still destined to meet her. I wonder what she is like… what makes her laugh, what makes her sad, and what does she dream about? I pray for her as much as possible and I wonder if she prays for me to. I know she’s out there. I can just feel it. God would not have put this huge desire in me if He did not desire it for me too. I can’t get my mind off of this girl and I don’t even know who she is. After I think of her I think of our kids. What are they going to be like? Are they really going to be as goofy as me? Could one of them change this world someday? … How is it that the people I miss the most are people I’ve never met?

These questions go to God every night. He doesn’t seem to answer but the desire to meet my future wife grows with every passing minute. I know she’s out there… so why don’t I feel at peace? I don’t know how long I will have to wait but I do know that when that day comes… when I finally know it’s her… it will be the gift of a perfect day. I couldn’t ask for anything more… and when it comes I hope it never ends.

The Story Behind God of This City

This is an amazing story behind a song that is sweeping across the church. Please watch the video from Chris Tomlin.