Choices, Choices, Choices

Choices are in every phase of our everyday life, but how many times do we even think about the choices we make.

As most of you know, I am a big thinker. I think about things a lot, but to be honest, I have been kind of stumped on this one.

I understand we make choices, and a ton these are programmed into our brain based on our morals, family, friends, and to be honest what mood we are in. I understand the fact of making a choice, but how many times do we think about the decision we make, and what it can do to someone else. So ultimately how should we make our choices, and at how should we look analyze them.

I think we can look at it from a lot of different angles, and I think the answer is different for different people. I have thought of a couple of different types of decision makers.

The Team Player:
This is the person who makes unselfish choices. Thinking first of others before they think of themselves. Sometimes not make the choice they want.

The Individual:
This is the person who only thinks about what is best for them, and doesn't care about how they might influence/affect someone.

The Mom (completely not meaning it in a bad way):
This is the person who thinks about a select few around them first, and then everyone else second.

The Hidden agenda:
The person who makes choices, to ultimately create what they want to happen in the end.

The Pimp:
This is the person who makes choices for themselves, but also makes choices for the people around them.

These are just a few, and feel free to add any in the comments if you'd like.

I don't think we fit in one category all of the time, but I do think we have a dominate group from above we fall in.

So like all of my earlier blogs. Is a correct answer to be had with this question?

I can't say that I can put a finger on it, because we are all different. Although, I will say we, as humans, can put a little more effort into the choices we make.

Thought of the day: " Do you strive to do what is best, or what is good?"

Greenbrier in American Samoa ?!?!?!?!

That's right. These are a couple of kids from when I was in Samoa, and yes they are wearing Greenbrier jerseys. Just thought you guys might like this.

O yeah forgot to mention these guys are only JV players (either a freshman or sophomore.)

A couple of Pics from Samoa

Just thought everyone might like to see a couple of pictures from our trip. (Sorry about the size, I tried to get the pictures as large as I could)

Picture of entire Camp

My Group

Our Team

American Samoa - Day 6

Wednesday 06/30/2010

09:18 p.m. ISLAND

03:18 a.m. CST

I realized today, that tomorrow is our last day. I knew in my mind, but it didn't really hit me until today. This week has been amazing, and I have learned a ton about myself, our team, and this place.

I am truly sad to leave, because I feel that I am starting to get to know the kids, as well as they are starting to know me better. My group throughout the week has been awesome. I have learned so much from them, I just pray that they have learned something from me.

I pray that tomorrow is an awesome day. I hope that we finish on a high note tomorrow. I have faith that we will.

Kind of short tonight, but its been a long day. Going to get some sleep, so I will be ready for a great day tomorrow.

Goodnight and God Bless.

Thought of the day: It's okay to be content sometimes. (Huge struggle personally. Tough pill to swallow, but very true.)

American Samoa - Day 5

Tuesday 06/29/2010

10:24 p.m. ISLAND

4:24 a.m. CST

Today was a great day, and a rough one all at the same time. We had a great day at practice, but personally I was a little uneasy because I kept thinking about our team member who is leaving tonight. I am continuously praying for him as he is dealing with all of the emotions attached to this situation.

Camp was great and the kids were great. I have truly been blessed this week with an experience that I will never forget. From the feel of this week, the kids are absolutely having a ball. I pray that the week continues to go well.

Huddle:

We did things a little different today, Brian and Jeff (our team member who is leaving tonight) talked to the kids. Jeff shared his story and his current situation, and Brian talked about the same situation. Brian focused on Exodus 17 when he spoke to the kids. This passage is where the Amalekites were defeated by Moses holding his staff in the air. His main focus was on the fact that as long as Moses held his staff in the air, Joshua and his army were winning. If you are familiar with this story, then you know Moses grew tired, and could no longer hold the staff up by himself. Then he asked Aaron and Hur to help him hold the staff up. Brian's speaking point was that we are all going to have times in our life where things are too heavy for us to hold up on our own. In these situations we should know that God is with us, and we shouldn't be scared to ask for help.

This really hit home with me. When things get tough for me I usually become very quiet, and don't want to ask for help. I think we all struggle with this, but all on different terms. Next time your having trouble and it starts to feel to heavy or overwhelming then think of Moses' story.

Thought of the Day: Never be to prideful to ask for help.

Goodnight and God Bless!

American Samoa - Day 4

Monday 06/28/2010

9:37 p.m. ISLAND

3:37 a.m. CST

Another beautiful day, and another great day of camp. It's days like today that I often question myself and ask, "am I really doing what God wants me to do." I was at camp today and just couldn't contain myself. I love, and I mean love working with young people, and seeing them excel in what they are doing. I think that the fact that our camp is centered around football is just icing on the cake.

Huddle:

Today we talked about commitment. In my group I hit on different areas of commitment (friends, school, family, our relationship with Jesus, etc.) I built on one of my earlier topics of "starting and finishing something." If you are going to start something, then you need to be willing to be committed to it throughout the entire process. I feel pretty strongly about this, because I think our culture has a serious problem with this. We also talked about a relationship with Jesus, and the level of commitment you have to have. As a person, it's not just a walk through it's something you have to work at and nurture.

Bad News:

One of our coaches found out today that one of his previous players committed suicide. The majority of people in this world aren't coaches, so I think we sometimes don't understand the relationships players have with their coaches, or coaches with their players. I know this situation is one of those extremely close situations, because the family has asked for him to speak at the memorial service. I can't fathom the thoughts and feelings of this person, but I know it is probably a struggle. He was able to book and earlier flight, and leaves out tomorrow night. I pray tat God is with him during this situation, and my prayers tonight go out to my friend, and his player's family. I pray that God helps them through this situation, and helps to ease their pain.

Goodnight and God Bless!

American Samoa - Day 3

Sunday 06/27/2010

10:04 p.m. ISLAND

4:04 a.m. CST

Today was another great day in Samoa. Got up and went to Church this morning. Brian did an amazing job this morning. His message covered Phillipians 2. I have personally covered this set of scripture before, but it was great to get another perspective on it.

The greatest and hardest piece of this scripture is, "then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

How great would this world be if we lived like this? How many times do we wish this could happen?

I feel that I have done this before, or felt this way before. This is a daily struggle everywhere. In our world, I think we can see this in all phases of life. Whether we're in church, school, work, etc., it just seems like we have trouble getting on the same page.

Brian made a great point when talking about this. A lot of times we ask the question, "How can you serve me?" instead of, "How can I serve you?"

How many times have we caught ourselves asking this? We see something and we try to figure out who should be the person who is responsible for the situation instead of thinking how can we maybe help or even find a situation. If you ever want to try to grab a deeper look on this issue, the check out Philippians 2: 1-8.

Personal:

I have had a lot on my mind during this trip, and even before I left to come here. God has definitely been working on this guy. I just have a lot of situations I am trying to sort out.

The worst thing about scary situations is the simple fact, that we generally know what the solutions are to these situations. This issue is hard, because we don't want to be the person to have to make the tough decisions. I have a couple of these exact situations currently going on, but don't know what the solution should be.

As I go to bed tonight, I pray that God will help me sort these out. Not necessarily to just give me the answers, but to help clear the water.

I thank God for another amazing day in American Samoa, and on this earth!

Goodnight and God Bless!

American Samoa - Day 2

Saturday 06/262010
10:00 p.m. ISLAND
4:00 a.m. CST

Today we had the day off from camp. Today and tomorrow are the only two days off from camp. We start camp back up on Monday and go thru Thursday when we leave.

Eventhough we had the day off, it was still a great day. We took some time and drove around the island. We also went to the ocean/beach today. FYI the ocean here is not like what I am use to. It was very rocky, and you had to wear shoes while you were in the water due to the rocks.

The Team:
This was a great day to be around everybody on our team. I am new to the group, and still learning about the guys, and they are still learning about me. To be honest, I have been rather quiet because I am just trying to soak everything in. (I know this might be somewhat of a surprise to some people, but it is very true.) The guys on our team have great minds, and are great to listen to. I have learned so much in two days, and I thank GOD for our team. Today was also a great day to catch up from the 12+ hour flight from Thursday.

Turning in for the evening. Can't wait for church in the morning.

Thought of the day: "Who am I" Thanks Tim for this thought.

American Samoa - Day 1

Friday 6/25/2010
9:32 p.m. ISLAND
3:32 a.m. CST

IT HAS BEEN A LONG BUT AWESOME DAY!

It is amazing how I feel right now. Full of about every good emotion you can have. My first day with the people here has been great. My first day really started last night, but I knew then I was were GOD wanted me to be as soon as we were through customs and outside of the airport. I was standing there when a group of high school age kids walked by, and said, "Hey Coach." This caught me off guard and amazed me all at the same time. These kids have never seen me, but yet they knew who I was because they knew what group of people I was with. Better yet, you could hear the excitment in their voice because we were here. Needless to say, I was completely surprised, and didn't get much sleep last night because I kept thinking about that encounter.

1ST DAY OF CAMP
To be honest I was a little nervous, but was soon calmed by the voices of the kids. Before we got started all of the kids sang a 'vesper,' which is a praise song. I thought this was cool to see the unity between teams, and it sounded really good. These kids have amazing voices, and sounded amazing.

Practice went well. I know that GOD showed me a lot about the type of people I was working with today. While working with my group, I could see how passionate, and respectful they are. I just thought it was cool, because I don't think we see much of these two traits practiced at the same time in our culture.

HUDDLE GROUP
During this time, I really took most of the time giving a testamony. Mainly to let the students know about me, and explain to them what GOD has/is doing in my life. I probably rambled a little, but had tons and tons of emotions going through me at the time.

THE REST OF THE DAY. . .
after both camps was great, and also a good time to rest from the previous day's flight.

Tonight we had dinner that was provided by a local church. It was neat, because their is another group of people here doing disaster relief at the same time. It was good to share that time with the others that were here, especially since they were also from Tennessee. Dinner was great, but the best event happened was right before we had the blessing. The pastor from the church led us in a hymn of 'Because He Lives'. I have heard/sang this hymn many times, but this time it was different. It is hard to explain, but I just knew that moment in time was something special. While singing, I got goosebumps like never before. I felt this experience was another example to me to assure me that I was in the right place.

Day one has been great. We have the next two days off from football, I can't wait to see what will happen next. I pray that GOD continues to bless me and our group with new and exciting experiences throughout the week

Goodnight and GOD BLESS!!

Scarlett Rhea Dickerson

Weird title if you don't know the news, but My brother and Sister-in-law are having a baby girl and 'Scarlett Rhea Dickerson' will be her name.

I am extremely excited for them, and know that they will be awesome parents. I wish them the best, and can't wait for my little niece to be born.

Mission Trip: Tomorrow is the day

The title of this post pretty much sums up my thoughts. I can't wait. I don't know that I have ever been more ready for a trip to get here than I am now. My emotions are a little overwhelming right now. It is a complete culmination of being excited, nervous, and a bunch of other things all combined into one. Let's just say I'm ready for this trip to get here.

Updates throughout the week:

I am going to try to keep everyone up to date as much as possible depending on if I can get to the internet sometime through out the week.

I might try to update through several avenues: Facebook, Twitter (@titodickerson), and here. I will probably update here first, and direct others to my blog. I'll try to update as much as possible.

Thanks:

I just want to stop, and say thanks to everyone who have wished me luck, and said they would be praying and thinking about our group. Those of you know who you are, and I can't explain to you what they mean to me. I was telling someone tonight, that if I had any doubts about this trip they are all gone now. It is unexplainable what kind words from people would do to the heart and mind. Just wanted to stop and thank everyone.

I'm out. Don't know that I will be able to get much sleep tonight, but I am going to try.

God Bless

High/Low

High:

Gained a new appreciation for the older generation. Sat and talked with an older lady a while back and was amazed by the conversation. This lady was amazing to me. She lives in this area, and doesn't really have a lot if any family around, but it doesn't seem to phase her. A devout Christian is an understatement for this particular person. After five minutes of conversation you can tell that she is a individual with a purpose in live. I hope and pray that I can be that type of person when I am her age.

Low:

Been a week of over analyzing. Topic of choice this week, 'Relationships'. I go through phases like this every now and again, and it kind of sucks (to be plainly honest). I don't necessarily look into this as I wish everything was different, but "Am I in the right places across the board?". I tend to value relationships differently than others. As most of you know I view things very black and white, so my relationships tend to fall into those categories. Agree or disagree with me if you want, but that is just how I am. So what I tend to do is put one pile of relationships into that extremely close category, and the others kind of go into that 'acquaintance' category. I often times find myself creeping to the middle of that gray area, and that is when my analytical side kicks in. That is when it sucks, because I want things to be extremely defined, and categorized. That is usually when I will a) try to morph things into that extremely close category, because I feel like that is where it should be, or b) I will just let it go the the wayside. Sounds weird, but I think we can see situations in life were we have done that before.

Mission Trip Update

Only one meeting left before we leave for Samoa on the 24th. A lot has happened since our last meeting.

A container is being shipped to Samoa in the next couple of days. Within this container is a ton of stuff that has been donated to the kids in Samoa. A few things that have been donated are: Various pairs of shoes, football equipment from some of the local high schools, and 40 brand new pairs of cleats (Thanks to Ryne, and Nashville Sporting Goods). I am sure their is some more things, but that is all I am for sure on.

Also found out that the position coach I was going to be working with in Samoa is not going to be able to make the trip. It is somewhat upsetting that someone will not be going on the trip, but then again I am excited about the challenge in front of me. I will more than likely be taking on the position I will be coaching by myself. It might be my first year, but I can't wait to see what God is going to do with that situation. Not necessarily for the kids in my group, but what He is going to do with me personally and spiritually.

Can't wait, wish we were flying out tomorrow!!!

Random

The past couple of weeks have been utterly random for me. Since my weeks have been random so have my thoughts. This is the main reason you haven't seen anything in a while.

Mission Trip Update:

Had another meeting this week. Our meetings continue to be a blessing and learning experience for me.

High/Low for the Week

I think this is going to be something I try to do every week. We use to do this in college, and I always enjoyed it. I figured a couple of you guys might enjoy it also.

High: I know it's two weeks late, but mine has to do with Mother's Day. The day was great, but an event happened that day that I didn't even realize until my brother made mention of it. We sat down and ate dinner that night, and it was just the family. Mom, Dad, Heather, Stetson, and me. It has been forever since we have sit down and had a meal with just the family. Not to say any additions to our family (past, present, or future) haven't been a blessing, but it was just kind of neat. Just brought back old memories.

Low: Don't necessarily have an overwhelming low, but if I had to have one I could probably say work. Not that I hate my job, but who honestly loves their job everyday.

Thanks

Also wanted to drop a note to say thanks to the comments people have posted. In particular the phrase 'Trevor's Brother'. This has and will always be a timeless phrase. Thanks to a random night, and to a random encounter with my girlfriend from kindergarten, and to Josh who loves saying this any time he gets a chance. Hilarious.

Thanks, and God bless.

Mission Trip to American Samoa

One word can describe my feelings about this mission trip 'pumped'. I have wanted to go on one for a while, and I have been trying to go on this specific mission trip for the past two years. Needless to say, I am long overdue, and this has added to my anticipation.

Where:

As I mentioned above we will be going to American Samoa. We fly out June 24th.

The Mission:

We will be in American Samoa for about a week, conducting football camps for high school, and middle school age kids. Throughout the day we will also be having huddle groups where we will share God's word, along with our own personal faith.

Blessings:

-Having the opportunity to go on a trip like this.

-Going with the group of people I am going with.

-The opportunity to grow both spiritually and emotionally.

That's about all I have for now. I'll have another update after our next meeting.

Please pray for our group, and our trip.

God Bless

Perception

Well Dictionary.com defines perception as:

1. the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.

2. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment

By looking at these two definitions this word seems very black and white, but is it really? We can all grasp the concept of the fact that we see something in our lives, and draw a perception about it. I don't really think this is very hard to understand, but I feel we have problems with the second part of this equation. It is the part where our perception isn't the same as someone else.

How many times have you and I included, been frustrated by someone else because they aren't seeing things the way you do, or the way you want them to. Well for me, it's happened a lot. In the moment it can sometimes be hard to decipher the correct way to act, due to the fact that we are selfish creatures. We want things the way we want them to be, end of story.

So to my point:

All I am trying to say is that we are all different people, at different stages, or from different walks of life with the key word being different. Why can't we understand this concept? People always say the world would be boring, if everyone was the same, but sometimes I feel like people are trying make everybody think and act alike.

Let me be very clear in regards to this topic. I don't think we as a society should always condone other people's perception. However, I do feel that we should understand the fact that others have a different point of view about something.

So back to the question. Is 'perception' something that can be Black and White?

What's this blog about

This blog will mainly be a culmination of thoughts, feelings, and events in my life. I thought it would be pretty cool to share the happenings in my life with the people I don't necessarily see or talk to on a day to day basis.

Why the Title

I have thought about starting a blog for quite some time now, but could never settle on one name. I literally wrote down and thought about a lot of names before I thought of this title.

THE REASON

I have often pondered this exact thought throughout my life, and it can be a topic that creates endless conversation.

THE ANSWER

Have you ever tried to answer this question??

If you have, then you have probably come many conclusions. Well I have what I like to call 'a back door mentality' about this question. I believe, in life, that we focus entirely to much on a name/title that we lose focus, or sometimes can't even see what is in front of us. Think about it, Stereotypes, social statuses, race, and so on. All of these things often times keep of us from meeting people or even encountering a situation that could change our lives forever. I struggle with this subtle problem as much as the next person, but I often find myself asking this very question.