Age.

So today I am stuck at home babysitting my brother and sister and decided it might be fun to give all you readers (its funny cause pretty much no one reads this) a quick visual trip through the past 9 years of my life. Through those years, I have laughed, cried, been broken, been built back up, loved the Lord, hated the Lord and everything in between. Those many years have really formed me into who I am today. 

Now on a less sappy note, many of these pictures are comical. Feel free to laugh at me, I embrace it. In fact, Ill even through in some attempted humor in my captions... Enjoy!

Now lets get this show on the road! Im going to start in approximately 2004. I was 9 years old.

I had the biggest gap between my two front teeth...It was atrocious.

Now onto 2005. I was 10. Heading into 5th grade.

This is when I began trying real hard to be a skater. Hence the shaggy locks and gaudy skate tee.

ONWARD to 2006. Making my way into middle school.

I also thought I could play guitar just because I had been given one. I was terrible.

This was also the year dying my hair black seemed like a good idea. Funny thing was, we bough the wrong dye and my hair was "blue-black" for a while till it faded into pure black. Those were dark times. (No pun intended)

2007. The year of wonder (not really.) 7th grade.

There is that freaking shirt again.... 

Aaaannnnnd 2008. 8th grade. One of the worst time periods of my life.

I was pretty awesome by this point in my life. Long hair, don't care.

2009! Into high school.

Black and white mirror pic.... Nuff said.

Sidenote: This is the year that wearing tight jeans and horrendous band shirts began. Some may say, "The dawning of a new era."

And so begins 2010. Sophomore year.

Slouch beanie making its way into the picture. Living the dream.

Still reppin' the black v-neck.

Onto 2011! Into my Junior year.

Getting a bit closer to my current self..

Nothing funny about this picture. To be honest, all it portrays is abuse.

2012. Current day.

So here we are. 12 pictures and 9 years later. So much has changed physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Many people would kill their firstborn to go back to the days of youth, but, I am not one of those people. I am so excited for what God has in store for me, and am looking forward to growing up and fully being the man the Lord wants me to be. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to reminisce with me. 

Justin Slaughter  

January 13th 2012.

 

10 Days of prayer. Day 10- Lust.

I am pretty blown away that I was able to do all 10 days! I am known to be forgetful, but God really put it on my heart to finish this, and I'm so glad I did! I learned a whole lot in the process and I really thankful for that. My last day of prayer is dedicated to lust just for the simple fact that is something I think everyone struggles with in some way or another. This is not just talking about sexual lust, but lust for anything, which is something so prominent in today's society that it's disturbing.

Dear Lord,
I am so grateful that you kept me on track these past 10 days and helped me complete the task I had set out for myself. Tonight I really want to pray about lust Lord, and because I know that I struggle with it more than other things. I admit to this Lord, and pray that you can take this from me Lord. I don't want to any longer take part in this sin in any form Lord. I don't want to be sexually lustful any longer, and I don't want to be lustful towards the world in general. It becomes so easy to get caught up in the pleasures of this world Lord no matter what they may be. I have been so caught up in being lustful towards sex, and money and material things, I often blatantly ignore the fact that you clearly call us to rise above those things and look not towards the pleasures of this world, and but towards the pleasure you have laid out for us with you in heaven. Tonight Lord, I want to not only call out for forgiveness, but I also want to ask for the strength to throw these worldly temptations aside and run towards your awaiting arms Lord. You are a God who forgives, redeems, and and gives strength. I am so thankful for that Lord. I am so thankful that you care. I am so thankful that you are my God and my father who loves me.
Thank you.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 9- Words.

So tonight at my small group, I said somethings via twitter that I should not have. I put little to no thought into it and really hurt some people. I regret this very much. The kicker was the fact that our topic for the night was "watching your tongue. " We were going to discuss James chapter 3 which talks all about how words carry so much weight. I was able to clear everything up with my group, send but still feel pretty crappy about it. Hence the prayer that follows.

Dear Lord,
I have a big issue with watching my words, and also stopping to think about how my words will affect those around me. I just want to pray that I can learn alot from the book of James and really apply it to my life. I also want to thank you that my group was able to teach me alot tonight. I want to pray for strength and guidance so I can fix this issue Lord in a way that pleases you. You have brought me this far Lord and I have no doubt that you can help me the rest of the way as well.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 8- Zac.

For a bit of back story on this whole relationship see my discipleship post.

Dear Lord,
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for Zac. The man has become one of my bestfriends and one of my biggest influences. You are able to teach me so much through him that I can't get from other places. I am driven to do better and be better because of him Lord and that's something I needed desperately. Not only that Lord, I have gained such a good friend as well. I am able to share laughs and pain, hope and sadness, and most importantly, love and growth. Thank you again for Zac, and thank you for the wisdom I have gained that make me who I am today.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 7- Patience.

Dear Lord,
I am by far one of the most impatient people I have ever seen. I for the life of me cannot wait on anything, I also snap at people at the drop of a hat. Keeping my cool isn't the easiest thing for me. The worst part is that I don't even see that what I'm doing is wrong or its not justified till well after I've done wrong. I just want to pray against that right now Lord. I pray that you will give me the strength to be more patient and give me the strength to be kinder as well. Help me to not snap at people (who may or may not deserve it) when I'm frustrated and impatient. Thank you for knowing my flaws and loving me anyway.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 6- Repair.

Dear Lord,
I want to thank you so much for being able to take a crappy situation and turn it around. I also want to thank you for caring enough to do so. I was hurting pretty bad yesterday, and I was really angry about alot of things, so even though I didn't want too, I sat down and confessed my anger and my sadness and you took all that away from me. You allowed me to see that I wasn't as right as I thought I was and you humbled me. That means alot, and I just can't say thank you enough. I you are a God who can take what is broken or messed up and fix it. Thank you so much.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 5- Tired.

Dear Lord,
Today I'm tired. I'm not in it emotionally or physically, and to be honest, I don't want to pray. I don't want to talk to you or anyone right now. I'm tired of this nonsense I have to deal with at my house. I'm tired of feeling like I did something wrong when I know I didn't. Take this away Lord, please. I pray that you will bring a new day and make it better than it is now.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 4- Transparency.

During my life I have spent alot of time trying to hold my emotions and thoughts inside so people couldn't see how I was really feeling. Opening up to people has been a huge struggle for me up until recently. Even now I'm not as open as I wish I was, which is why this is a prayer of mine.

Dear Lord,
I want to pray for openness. So many of the problems I face can be fixed with the help of others but so often, I simply can't bring myself to be open and broken with those who are trying to help. I just want more transparency with my mentors and friends. This is not a simple task, and it'll involve alot of effort and a bit of pain, but I have faith that you will guide me through it all. Thank you for leading me and for molding me to be who you want me to be.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 3- Community.

For the past little bit, I have been extremely fortunate when it comes to the people I've been surrounded by. The Lord has given me such great friends with whom I can confide in and growing my faith with. This is by far one of the things I am most thankful for in life.
Dear Lord,
I have always had issues with conformity. It has been a struggle since that fateful day I entered school when was six. I have always wanted to be popular and well liked, but and it seems that at times, I will do anything to accomplish that. I have sacrificed my faith, my friends, and and often my morales. Ever since you have blessed me with this wonderful group of believers, that past issues has become significantly less prominent in my daily life. Life is truly more enjoyable because of that. I can finally be myself; the person I have always wanted to be, and but never had the strength to be. This is a blessing that I can't even describe with words. I am outrageously thankful for it Lord. You knew that I needed true friends and you supplied. Thank you so much for my small group, the band guys, all the North Broadway guys,  and of course, all the people at Shomo Group. They are all doing wonderful things or you, as well as for me. Thank you for community.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amem.

10 Days of prayer. Day 2- Anger.

Just like all people, I struggle with sin. it is a constant, day to day issue that requires tons of thought and effort to keep it under control. Even with all this effort, I still fail many times a day. It sucks to know that I have failed, and it sucks even more to know that God suffers because of it. More often than not, my prayers consist of repentance from these sins, during these next few days of prayer, there will be a couple dedicated to certain sin areas in my life that I struggle with. This is the first. Dear Lord, More times than I would like to admit, I have been quick to anger. I have been irrational and frankly, I've been stupid. I lash out on those who deserve it the least without a single thought. I want to confess to you Lord that I have not been living the way you wanted me too because of these actions. I'm so sorry for my anger Lord, and I ask that you will help me leave this sin behind. Help me to remain calm in situations of high tension, and not be so quick to react to situations that make me mad. I can do all things through you, including this. Thank you Lord for caring for me and accepting me even though I sin so often. In your name I pray Amen.

10 Days of prayer. Day 1- Hope.

I have decided that it would benefit me greatly to do 10 days of prayer. This will help me stay committed and give me something to focus on. I'm also kind of hoping it will help me grow with closer to the Lord... Anyway, I guess I'll get this ball rolling.

Dear Lord,
For such a long I lived in darkness, and to be honest I still kinda do. The only difference from now and then is that I'm trying to make a change. You call us to be different, and o shine like a beacon for you, and I'm scared. It seems odd that you would want such a horrible sinner such as myself to be teaching others, but as it says in the Bible, you don't differentiate. Any of those who look to you for guidance look the same in your eyes, regardless of their track record. I truly want to be who you want me to be, I want to be a leader in your kingdom and guide the lost to shelter in You, but I just don't know if I'm ready Lord, so today I pray for guidance from you, and I pray that you can take away this fear and anxiety I have. I pray Father that you can take away the fear of judgement and stand out of the crowd for you. I may be afraid, but I have hope that you can do it. Thank you for guiding me this far, and thank you in advance for all the guidance I will receive.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

Faith.

This past week, I was able to spend about 5 days with about 900 other believers in Asheville, NC at a conference called "Faithwalkers". This truly was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had the pleasure of being part of. During this time I was blessed with the teachings of numerous pastors from across the eastern United States. These men were able to speak words of such great wisdom into my life, and I am truly thankful for them. During this time I also felt convicted about many aspects of my life. One of the main things I learned was that prayer and time in the word was not a "every now and then" thing; it is an all day, everyday thing. One of the teachings really spoke on this in a way that hit home with me, Pastor Tom Short compared life to a balloon. He demonstrated how if you only fill up the balloon part of the way, it is easily molded by outside forces (similar to us). But if you fill it all the way up (with prayer, Bible reading, and community) its not not as easy to twist it all up. This really showed me how in my life I need to fill up on prayer and reading so I cant be easily twisted to fit in with today's society (which is something I have been know to do). Another teaching stood out to me as well. I took a seminar called, "Where is God when I fail Him?" This has always something I had wondered. Being a 16 year old guy I tend to screw up quite often... Many times in really big ways, and I always wonder, "How does God view me now?". This seminar was groundbreaking because it answered that question I had so often asked myself. During this teaching we were told the story of Peter, and how he was so sure he would not fall away from Jesus (Matthew 26:31-34). But soon after he made this claim he denied Jesus 3 times (Matthew 26:69-75). He knew how much wrong he had done and wondered if he would be accepted again. He finally made his way back to the Lord, and Jesus tested him 3 times (John 21:15-17). After he had proved himself, Peter was made whole again. He was even appointed to teach at the first Christian church gathering where 8000 people were saved. This is a true testament of Gods love and forgiveness. Even someone like Peter who denied his mentor (the Son of God nonetheless) 3 times, was forgiven. I was also taught the 3 things God does when we fail Him.
1.) God prays for us (Luke 22:31-32)
2.) God is waiting for us to repent.
3.) God wants to restore us.
This truly was eye opening, and allowed me to see that no matter what wrongs I may do, God still loves me all the same.

Another great thing about this conference was the 24/7 community I had. I was able to grow close to people that I had never really spent time with (which was fantastic). I learned so much just by spending time with those more spiritually mature, which was truly a blessing. Lessons of love, compassion, faith, and hope were abundant during this week through them.

I also have a bunch of other random things I was thankful for! (Instead of trying to make a random paragraph I'll simply list them below)

1.) Time spent with Zac.
2.) My roommates for the week.
3.) Getting to know Sarah better.
4.) The super random 3am worship session.
5.) Solid talks with people while they were cigging.
6.) Random food runs throughout the day.
7.) The group prayer.
8.) The Awaken tie down.
9.) Gary Shook.
10.) That random coffee shop.

I honestly can't wait for next year!

Thank you God for allowing me to be able to go to Faithwalkers this year. Thank you for humbling me throughout the week and allowing me to serve. Thank you for all the good times, the things I learned, and the feelings of conviction. None of it would have been possible without you. You are a gracious God.