It doesn't get any better than 1987!

Do you like my high school graduation pic? Well not really. It is from a very cool website called Year Book Yourself. I dare you to try it.

Speaking of high school, back in November my wife and I went to my 20th high school reunion. It was such a blast to see everyone again, and I was glad we were wearing name tags because otherwise I wouldn't have known who some people were.

I had the honor of praying for dinner (I'm the token pastor of my class) and leading a moment of silence for the seven classmates who have died. My wife and I spent the night dancing and having a good time and we were a hit on the dance floor. Many people came up to me and couldn't believe I was a pastor, that is awesome.

During the night I had a few classmates come and talk to me about God, some negative towards that whole subject, some honestly searching. I was thankful for those moments.

I didn't really have a ministry to my friends in high school. I didn't come from a great youth group, and I didn't have a youth pastor pushing me in my faith and my witness to my friends. That is a sad fact to me. It was four years of missed opportunities. Yet God in his grace has given some of them back.

So to the Ambridge High School class of 1987, I say thanks for the memories and I hope you come to know Jesus's love for you.

Below is a picture from the night. Three old friends and me, collectively known as THE FOUR HORSEMEN!

Comments

[Alexander Wilhelmsen]

Fun facts as I'm a good 5 years or so away from my high school years (I'm not sure if we'll have a reunion, I'm not sure we've figured out how to do that yet). Anyways, I remember my own yearbook pictures, and I have to say that I only had one good high school one, and my senior year picture was the one that reminds me of my worst haircut and worst use of judgment, as it's one of the few pictures (and only one in my adult life, as I turned 18 as a high school junior), where I don't have my glasses on, and it's a picture that freaks me out because it is just a horrifying wide-eyed, wild-eyed glare... don't ask, well, maybe do, but that was when I tried and immediately hated contacts... you can't replace good friends that have been on your face for all but 2 1/2 or so years of your life.

Anyways, the website was interesting, especially trying to match up glasses to my own glasses.

As for my own high school years, I think I did okay, not great, but okay for who I was, and I'm not really much different today. I was not one of those who went out and saved 50 people in one year (that would be Robert Leatherwood, honestly, that's part of his story), I've never been one to just approach people that way. What I did is what I think really sinks into people when they get it from me (or atleast I'm marked as being Christian).

* Catholic school doesn't give great opportunities, so I'm throwing out my freshman/sophomore years out while at school.

* At church, we had YoungLife primarily and Youth Music and Drama. At YoungLife, I was kind of there, but on work crew, I worked hard and when I could be the Christian that knew a few more things, I showed that. On the music side, I was something like 2nd or 3rd string mic, and got a solo/duet or something like that (one in which my partner had gone to Van Dyke, and that led me to that chapter of my life), a bit part, and my title role was that of Jabez (and you should know his story). The humble guy in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10... how ironic being me.

* There was a presentation that I remember that I was presenting leaders/influential people to my life, and one of them was Jesus.

* I also busted my butt in sports, especially Soccer. I was the guy who played a few minutes when the bench had been exhausted (my only full game played as a JV senior was when 12 players showed up and the regular coach hadn't shown), but at the end of the year, my effort was noticed.

* As a college student, it was really my show and the five people that listened (it was more, but it wasn't that many people).

During my high school years, and now, I didn't have anyone driving me when it came to faith, rather it was friends or the lack of a youth pastor (until Ryan, who I only knew for the year). Outside of church, what was my ministry? A quiet one that I hope made some kind of impact.

You can probably figure out that I did and still do by doing. There are people that I know that aren't of the faith that really respect me for how I carry myself while know that I am very much of the faith. That's been an awakening as of late. Another awakening is that over my final year and a half with Van Dyke (starting with ONE NIGHT) was how much it mattered that just showing up meant so much. Sometimes that's enough for people, for me, I just kind of think of what could happen if some leader and some peers of mine really give me the license and the drive to do everything I'm able to do (and maybe never knew I could do).

I think you at least had a formal youth ministry and some close friends... I kind of missed out of both in some way, and have hoped to bring that to others somehow.

The reason I really root for the guy who kind of lives life on his own at his own lunch table, who might end up the butt of some unfriendly fire and doesn't have a crowd to run with (but watches the crowd runs) or is kind of oblivious to what life could be is because I am that person.

Then again, you can think of "What if?" but then someday you figure out why things are as they are, and you're better for it all happening.

Anyways, on the "Four Horsemen," I remember you referring to that... wild guess, but did you ever get any "Nature Boy" Ric Flair references due to a stretched, but slight resemblance?

Moving along... "Wooooooooooooo"

In the end, we'll all get our chances to minister to people in our own different ways and in God's time.

[Alexander Wilhelmsen]

* One thing I left out that I liked doing that involved Christian music was using the instrumental introductions for Morning Announcements, and once using the first sentence to "Jesus Is Life" by Steven Curtis Chapman." By accident, I also used "Jesus Is Just Alright" for a highlight video where I meant to only use instrumental parts.

Anyways, the instrumental parts were sometimes recognized by some Christian friends of mine, and if anyone had asked, they would have had to hear a Christian band's song.

Just another creative way of doing things.