Hey Everyone,
So I don't know about you all, but the beginning of November is one of the most annoying times of the year for me. Beginning November 1, everyone thinks it's Christmas. You can call my a scrooge, but I am a firm believer that the Christmas season doesn't begin until November 25th. One month of constant Christmas music, feeling guilty every time you pass a salvation army bell ringer, and the constant reminder that you have to go shopping is plenty for me. I mean shoot, HyVee had a band come in and play carols all day on November 1st....bah humbug. So I figured if the rest of society can begin their Christmas season on November 1st, I could write a blog on November 16th dealing with the Christmas story.
One of the things I have been fortunate enough to do this semester, is to meet with a mentor on Wednesday mornings where we get together and dive deeper into our faith. A fun thing we decided to do was to choose a book in the New Testament and a book in the Old Testament, and read a chapter from them for each week. A few weeks ago the chapter we chose happened to be Matthew, chapter 1. As many of you know this chapter deals with Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and the angel of the Lord revealing himself to Joseph in a dream.
I feel fairly certain that about 90 percent, if not more of the American society knows the Christmas story. You know, the whole Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit, traveling to Bethlehem, and Jesus being born in a manger story where he is then visited by the three wise men. I left out a lot of important details, but you all get the gist of what I'm saying. One part of the story I feel that is often overlooked is Joseph's side of the story, especially his part of the story told in Matthew, chapter 1.
Now I want you all to think about this. Joseph was just a good ole boy living life the best he could, and was pledged to be married to Mary. Out of nowhere Mary suddenly becomes pregnant, and Joseph sure as heck knows it isn't his. I don't know about you all, but I would have been PISSED if I found out my bride to be was pregnant with someone else's baby. Yet Joseph, being the upstanding man that he was, had in mind to divorce her quietly so that she would not be publicly disgraced. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife for what had been conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit, and that someday that baby boy would someday save mankind.
Okay, if I were Joseph I would have woken up from that dream, had a great laugh (probably would have gone and told my buddies in the Union), and kicked Mary's butt to the curb. Now this is where the good stuff starts. Instead, in verse 24 it states, "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as his wife." I want to emphasize, "When Joseph woke up." Talk about faith. I feel like every single one of us would have at least needed a few days to think this over, but no, Joseph straight up wakes up and does as he was commanded. I don't know about you, but that is a huge smack in the face to me! I can count numerous times in my life where I have felt called to do something, but I have let my fear take a hold of me and make me doubt what I am supposed to do. Granted, Joseph did have an angel of the Lord appear to him in his dream, but still! Joseph was willing to sacrifice his pride and his reputation to marry a women that very well could have been killed for what had happened to her. Not only did Joseph have faith to do this, but he did it IMMEDIATELY upon waking up. What an act of faith.
After reading that verse I have been challenged to have faith like Joseph. What if when I felt God calling me to do something I just got up and did it? For that matter, what if we all had the faith of Joseph? I can tell you a lot of the decisions of my past would have been different. The little things that I worry about in my life are far inferior to the struggles that Joseph willingly accepted by stepping up to fulfill his calling. The road wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I hope this has been as encouraging to you all as it has been to me over the past few weeks. I know recently I have been dealing with a lot of faith issues in my life, but the constant reminder of Joseph and his story has really put things into perspective for me. Hope you all have a great rest of your week, and a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Preston Sereg
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thankful
Hey Everyone,
Sometimes life gets a little crazy. In the midst of the craziness it is easy to forget about the things that we are thankful for in life. I have always been a huge fan of November because of Thanksgiving. It is the time of year that we are forced to think about the things in life that bring us joy and happiness. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole eat until you literally vow to never eat again, but I am also one of those saps that loves to remember what life is all about. So, in my post today, I decided to create a list of things I am happy for. The items listed are in no particular order, and it wouldn't be a blog written by me if there wasn't a little bit of ridiculousness. Hopefully this inspires you to sit down and think about the blessings in your life that bring you joy as well. Hope you all enjoy!
1) My Family- There is no way I could possibly explain how important my family is to me. Every member of my family holds a special place in my heart, and I would do anything I could to help them out. I am so blessed to have a family that will stand behind me in every decision I make in life.
2) My Jobs- Yeah, I work a crap ton, but I absolutely love my jobs. There are a lot of people out there that don't have a job, and I feel completely blessed to be able to support myself.
3) Taylor Swift/ Nikki Minaj- No comments necessary.
4) My Education- I have been extremely blessed to have been able to get a top notch education. I owe where I am at to a lot of good help from wonderful teachers along the way.
5) Oskaloosa, IA- The only town where being a hipster and a Beiber fan is banned. Praise the Lord!
6) My Faith- I suck at it, but I am growing every day. God is constantly challenging me to step outside my comfort zone, and to rely on him.
7) Prairie Lakes Church- One of the few churches I have ever been to that is not afraid to step on toes. They practice what they preach, and there are no hidden agendas. I love going to church on Sundays knowing I am going to be challenged, and not simply told what I want to hear.
8) My Friends- Oh boy.....where do I begin. These are the people that put up with me day in and day out. They are there for me through thick and thin. I truly have the best friends in the world. I tend to be a bit of a turd, and they continue to spend time with me anyways.
9) My Parents- They get their own section outside of family. My parents are the best parents in the world. If you don't agree.....I'll fight you. I have never seen two people work harder for the happiness and overall well-being of their family. They push me to be the best that I can be, and they never accept anything but my best. They made me work hard at everything I did, and didn't let me cut corners in life. I owe them the world, and only hope that they know how much I love them.
10) The USA- We have our problems, but what country doesn't. The freedoms and opportunities that I have been given by living here are more than I could ever ask for. Go Amurrica!
The list could go on forever, but I figured I would stop at 10. Hope you all are having a great week!
Preston Sereg
Sometimes life gets a little crazy. In the midst of the craziness it is easy to forget about the things that we are thankful for in life. I have always been a huge fan of November because of Thanksgiving. It is the time of year that we are forced to think about the things in life that bring us joy and happiness. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole eat until you literally vow to never eat again, but I am also one of those saps that loves to remember what life is all about. So, in my post today, I decided to create a list of things I am happy for. The items listed are in no particular order, and it wouldn't be a blog written by me if there wasn't a little bit of ridiculousness. Hopefully this inspires you to sit down and think about the blessings in your life that bring you joy as well. Hope you all enjoy!
1) My Family- There is no way I could possibly explain how important my family is to me. Every member of my family holds a special place in my heart, and I would do anything I could to help them out. I am so blessed to have a family that will stand behind me in every decision I make in life.
2) My Jobs- Yeah, I work a crap ton, but I absolutely love my jobs. There are a lot of people out there that don't have a job, and I feel completely blessed to be able to support myself.
3) Taylor Swift/ Nikki Minaj- No comments necessary.
4) My Education- I have been extremely blessed to have been able to get a top notch education. I owe where I am at to a lot of good help from wonderful teachers along the way.
5) Oskaloosa, IA- The only town where being a hipster and a Beiber fan is banned. Praise the Lord!
6) My Faith- I suck at it, but I am growing every day. God is constantly challenging me to step outside my comfort zone, and to rely on him.
7) Prairie Lakes Church- One of the few churches I have ever been to that is not afraid to step on toes. They practice what they preach, and there are no hidden agendas. I love going to church on Sundays knowing I am going to be challenged, and not simply told what I want to hear.
8) My Friends- Oh boy.....where do I begin. These are the people that put up with me day in and day out. They are there for me through thick and thin. I truly have the best friends in the world. I tend to be a bit of a turd, and they continue to spend time with me anyways.
9) My Parents- They get their own section outside of family. My parents are the best parents in the world. If you don't agree.....I'll fight you. I have never seen two people work harder for the happiness and overall well-being of their family. They push me to be the best that I can be, and they never accept anything but my best. They made me work hard at everything I did, and didn't let me cut corners in life. I owe them the world, and only hope that they know how much I love them.
10) The USA- We have our problems, but what country doesn't. The freedoms and opportunities that I have been given by living here are more than I could ever ask for. Go Amurrica!
The list could go on forever, but I figured I would stop at 10. Hope you all are having a great week!
Preston Sereg
Monday, October 24, 2011
Whirlwind
Hey Everyone,
Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! Life has been absolutely crazy over these past few weeks. I find myself being confused about what day it is because I literally have no idea. I am in my senior year of college, and I have never been busier in my life. On an average week I work at least 35 hours, go to class, do church stuff, and somehow manage to maintain some sort of social life. My Mom and Dad tell me, "welcome to the real world," and they are exactly right. It can be hard to go, go, go all the time, but for the most part I love what I am doing. It has been a challenge for me to manage my time, and be intentional about things that are important to me in my life. I straight up suck at time management, but I have been forced to get better. It also doesn't hurt that my room-mates are extremely busy with life as well, and I don't have as may opportunities to procrastinated. Don't worry, I still slack off a majority of the time ;)
Due to my lack of posting lately, I figured it might be kind of nice to fill everyone in on what is going on in my life. Get ready for the typical long, boring post of mine. Bear with me.
As most of you know I took the MCAT on September 1st. The test was four hours long, and I never ever ever ever want to take it again. It was one of the hardest things I have ever imagined doing. Even worse than that, I had to wait an entire month to get, quite possibly, the biggest test results of my life back. Bad News: my score was NOT what I was hoping for, and lower than what I would have been happy with. Good News: I can still get into all of the schools I applied to. I was crushed when I got my results back, but it has turned into a positive. I have been forced to have faith that if this is truly the path God has called me to follow that he will take care of it. While it may not be this year, or even next year, the obstacles I am encountering are all part of God's plan in molding me into the man he wants me to be. I have struggled to accept that my God is bigger than a test score, but he continues to open up doors, and amaze me with his faithfulness. I am also extremely blessed to have the greatest family and friends in the world. There is no way I could have made it this far without their prayers and encouragement.
On a lighter note, I got a new job! I was recently hired at Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. I word in the Emergency Room (or Emergency Department as they call it) as a Scribe. The position of a scribe is a fairly new position, and Covenant is one of only a few hospitals to have scribes working. Essentially I follow around a physician into an exam and do all of the medical documenting for them. I document the exam, procedures, and enter diagnoses/discharge instructions. Along with documenting I help the physicians keep up with lab and test results as to help them be more efficient in seeing patients. If you are a science nerd, you would love this job! I get to nerd out every day at work, and it is completely normal :). It takes a special group of people to be excited about draining an abcess, or shocking a patient out of V-Tach. It has been awesome to get to know some of the doctors in the area, and build relationships with them. The best part about this new job is I was able to leave my job at NABL, or the lube shop as most of my friends know it by.
Probably the coolest part of the school year this far was actually going back home to the wonderful town of Oskaloosa for homecoming. I have not been home for homecoming since I started college. I was asked to come back for an award I shared with one of my best friends (Steven Staggs). We were co-winners of the Benz Award our Senior Year of football. Come to find out this is one of the oldest running trophies in the state of Iowa. This year the Oskaloosa Boosters Club tried to bring back all the past award winners of the trophy for the parade and homecoming game. It was fun to reunite with some of the past players that I used to idolize as a child, and even meet some of the old timers that played a huge part in developing the football program in Osky. Just a fun fact: The majority of the winners were offensive linemen :) Yeah, we are kind of a big deal haha. The best part of the whole thing was seeing some friends from high school that I have not seen in years! It was nice to catch up with them, and see where life is taking them. All of them are extremely successful, and I am not surprised in the least.
Well that concludes my book for today's post :) I hope you all are doing well, and that this year has been a good one for you. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and please start your own blog! It's surprisingly fun.
Preston Sereg
Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! Life has been absolutely crazy over these past few weeks. I find myself being confused about what day it is because I literally have no idea. I am in my senior year of college, and I have never been busier in my life. On an average week I work at least 35 hours, go to class, do church stuff, and somehow manage to maintain some sort of social life. My Mom and Dad tell me, "welcome to the real world," and they are exactly right. It can be hard to go, go, go all the time, but for the most part I love what I am doing. It has been a challenge for me to manage my time, and be intentional about things that are important to me in my life. I straight up suck at time management, but I have been forced to get better. It also doesn't hurt that my room-mates are extremely busy with life as well, and I don't have as may opportunities to procrastinated. Don't worry, I still slack off a majority of the time ;)
Due to my lack of posting lately, I figured it might be kind of nice to fill everyone in on what is going on in my life. Get ready for the typical long, boring post of mine. Bear with me.
As most of you know I took the MCAT on September 1st. The test was four hours long, and I never ever ever ever want to take it again. It was one of the hardest things I have ever imagined doing. Even worse than that, I had to wait an entire month to get, quite possibly, the biggest test results of my life back. Bad News: my score was NOT what I was hoping for, and lower than what I would have been happy with. Good News: I can still get into all of the schools I applied to. I was crushed when I got my results back, but it has turned into a positive. I have been forced to have faith that if this is truly the path God has called me to follow that he will take care of it. While it may not be this year, or even next year, the obstacles I am encountering are all part of God's plan in molding me into the man he wants me to be. I have struggled to accept that my God is bigger than a test score, but he continues to open up doors, and amaze me with his faithfulness. I am also extremely blessed to have the greatest family and friends in the world. There is no way I could have made it this far without their prayers and encouragement.
On a lighter note, I got a new job! I was recently hired at Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. I word in the Emergency Room (or Emergency Department as they call it) as a Scribe. The position of a scribe is a fairly new position, and Covenant is one of only a few hospitals to have scribes working. Essentially I follow around a physician into an exam and do all of the medical documenting for them. I document the exam, procedures, and enter diagnoses/discharge instructions. Along with documenting I help the physicians keep up with lab and test results as to help them be more efficient in seeing patients. If you are a science nerd, you would love this job! I get to nerd out every day at work, and it is completely normal :). It takes a special group of people to be excited about draining an abcess, or shocking a patient out of V-Tach. It has been awesome to get to know some of the doctors in the area, and build relationships with them. The best part about this new job is I was able to leave my job at NABL, or the lube shop as most of my friends know it by.
Probably the coolest part of the school year this far was actually going back home to the wonderful town of Oskaloosa for homecoming. I have not been home for homecoming since I started college. I was asked to come back for an award I shared with one of my best friends (Steven Staggs). We were co-winners of the Benz Award our Senior Year of football. Come to find out this is one of the oldest running trophies in the state of Iowa. This year the Oskaloosa Boosters Club tried to bring back all the past award winners of the trophy for the parade and homecoming game. It was fun to reunite with some of the past players that I used to idolize as a child, and even meet some of the old timers that played a huge part in developing the football program in Osky. Just a fun fact: The majority of the winners were offensive linemen :) Yeah, we are kind of a big deal haha. The best part of the whole thing was seeing some friends from high school that I have not seen in years! It was nice to catch up with them, and see where life is taking them. All of them are extremely successful, and I am not surprised in the least.
Well that concludes my book for today's post :) I hope you all are doing well, and that this year has been a good one for you. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and please start your own blog! It's surprisingly fun.
Preston Sereg
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Grace
Hey Everyone,
Most of you that read this probably attend Prairie Lakes Church, so you will know what I am talking about. Those of you that don't should definitely check it out! This morning was an incredible service. I am always challenged by services at PLC, but this morning really hit me upside the head. In summary, this morning's service was about grace. Now I don't know about you, but grace is one of those terms that I absolutely suck at comprehending. I, as most of you know, am all about rules. I like to follow step by step instructions, knowing that in the end when I meet all the guidelines I will receive what I was working for. That, unfortunately, is completely missing the point.
Walking with Christ is not about desperately trying to gain his approval, nor is it about trying to earn your salvation. The fact of the matter is, we can't. Yeah, it's a hard pill for me to swallow as well. Everything in life on Earth revolves around success, doing the right thing to win approval. It is human nature to apply these same ideas to Christianity. It is so easy to get stuck in a rhythm and completely forget what truly saves us.
This morning I was woken up by one of the stories Pastor John read. It was the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15. The funny thing was, I didn't relate to the prodigal son. I related to the prodigal son's brother. It was part of the story I had never really focused on. I've heard that parable numerous times, but I've never really paid much attention to the other brother's part in the story. The story is essentially about two brothers. One brother takes his inheritance from his father and goes and blows it on a bunch of garbage. He soon realizes that he is the stupidest cat alive, and mopes back to his father who gladly takes him in. The other brother is slaving away in the fields when he hears music coming from his home, and finds out that his dad is throwing a party for his brother. He is pissed. His father comes to comfort him, and he goes off on him. He feels cheated because he never left his father, and has done everything right, but his father never rewarded him. At the end of the story the father says to the son that he is always with him, and that everything he has is his.
I often find myself in the shoes of the other brother, questioning the fairness of life, wondering why I'm not being rewarded for being a faithful steward. Many of you may find yourself in similar situations. The fact of the matter is, it's so easy to lose sight of what really qualifies us to be saved in the first place. This morning Pastor John hit it right on the head. If life were fair, if we were rewarded fairly for what we do in life, we would all be headed to hell. The fact of the matter is we are all sinners, we have all fallen short of the glory of God. Not a single one of us can ever earn our way into heaven. Only one man ever could, and that man died on a cross to forgive me of sins that only his blood could wipe clean. The beauty of God's grace is far more wonderful than anything I could ever imagine.
This morning really challenged me to step back and take a look at my life. I was forced to take the dreaded step of self analysis. Am I simply going through the motions of what I think it looks like to be a good Christian in order to get to heaven, or is it knowing that because I have been saved by the grace of God that I am inspired to live a life completely devoted to his will? Accepting God's grace has always been a tough one for me, and it is very possible that it always will be. However, I know that I am taking steps in the right direction.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I know I am not the most talented writer, but I hope you all enjoy at least a little bit of it. Hope you all have a great week!
Preston Sereg
Most of you that read this probably attend Prairie Lakes Church, so you will know what I am talking about. Those of you that don't should definitely check it out! This morning was an incredible service. I am always challenged by services at PLC, but this morning really hit me upside the head. In summary, this morning's service was about grace. Now I don't know about you, but grace is one of those terms that I absolutely suck at comprehending. I, as most of you know, am all about rules. I like to follow step by step instructions, knowing that in the end when I meet all the guidelines I will receive what I was working for. That, unfortunately, is completely missing the point.
Walking with Christ is not about desperately trying to gain his approval, nor is it about trying to earn your salvation. The fact of the matter is, we can't. Yeah, it's a hard pill for me to swallow as well. Everything in life on Earth revolves around success, doing the right thing to win approval. It is human nature to apply these same ideas to Christianity. It is so easy to get stuck in a rhythm and completely forget what truly saves us.
This morning I was woken up by one of the stories Pastor John read. It was the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15. The funny thing was, I didn't relate to the prodigal son. I related to the prodigal son's brother. It was part of the story I had never really focused on. I've heard that parable numerous times, but I've never really paid much attention to the other brother's part in the story. The story is essentially about two brothers. One brother takes his inheritance from his father and goes and blows it on a bunch of garbage. He soon realizes that he is the stupidest cat alive, and mopes back to his father who gladly takes him in. The other brother is slaving away in the fields when he hears music coming from his home, and finds out that his dad is throwing a party for his brother. He is pissed. His father comes to comfort him, and he goes off on him. He feels cheated because he never left his father, and has done everything right, but his father never rewarded him. At the end of the story the father says to the son that he is always with him, and that everything he has is his.
I often find myself in the shoes of the other brother, questioning the fairness of life, wondering why I'm not being rewarded for being a faithful steward. Many of you may find yourself in similar situations. The fact of the matter is, it's so easy to lose sight of what really qualifies us to be saved in the first place. This morning Pastor John hit it right on the head. If life were fair, if we were rewarded fairly for what we do in life, we would all be headed to hell. The fact of the matter is we are all sinners, we have all fallen short of the glory of God. Not a single one of us can ever earn our way into heaven. Only one man ever could, and that man died on a cross to forgive me of sins that only his blood could wipe clean. The beauty of God's grace is far more wonderful than anything I could ever imagine.
This morning really challenged me to step back and take a look at my life. I was forced to take the dreaded step of self analysis. Am I simply going through the motions of what I think it looks like to be a good Christian in order to get to heaven, or is it knowing that because I have been saved by the grace of God that I am inspired to live a life completely devoted to his will? Accepting God's grace has always been a tough one for me, and it is very possible that it always will be. However, I know that I am taking steps in the right direction.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I know I am not the most talented writer, but I hope you all enjoy at least a little bit of it. Hope you all have a great week!
Preston Sereg
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Blessed
Hey Everyone,
So over the past week I have been under a slightly significant amount of stress, and my mind has been all over the place. A couple of times this week I thought about asking the kids that live across the street to stone me (studying organic chemistry and physics all week will do that to you). Last night I was laying in bed because I couldn't sleep,and I was started going through my text messages and Facebook messages over the past week. That's when it hit me. I am seriously the luckiest kid in the world. I have been blessed with thee best friends and family in the entire world. I will literally argue with anyone that disagrees. When I get extremely stressed I have a tendency to shut myself off from the rest of the world (so if I was a complete turd to any of you this week I apologize). Last night really smacked me in the face. This entire week people have been praying for me, and wishing me luck on my test, but I was so focused on how little time I had left to prepare that I completely missed out on how incredible it all actually was. I was so angry at myself for not taking time to appreciate the support of the people I care most about. I find it funny how I (and most likely we) tend to let the little joys in life slip away un-noticed. Life is full of treasures that we fail to see.
I don't own anything that I consider to be valuable (other than my grandpa truck, I know you're all jealous), and that is fine because I feel that what I have is the most valuable thing any person could ever possess. I have great friends, and an amazing family. To me, that is all I will ever need. My dad has always told me that a person is lucky if they find one TRUE friend within their lifetime, and as I get older the more truth I find in that statement. However, I truly feel that I have to be the luckiest guy in the world. I have lots of friends that I know would do anything they could to help me out if I really needed it. It is an extremely humbling feeling to know that there are people out there that care for you as much as you care for them. As I look back on my life I have come to realize that without the friendships I've had I never would be in the place I am today. God has placed soooo many wonderful people in my life to help mold me into the man he wants me to be. I can count numerous times that I've messed up and just done some stupid stuff that there has been a friend or family member there waiting to let me know that I'm not alone (and I stinkin mess up all the time). It is so easy to take friendships fore granted, and truly miss out on the beauty of them.
I wish there was a way to fully express to all my friends and family how much they truly mean to me. I am not very good with words, and I know I don't show my appreciation enough. I am extremely grateful for the role all of my friends and family have played in my life throughout the years. I will never be able to express to you all how much you all mean to me, and I owe you all a huge debt of gratitude.
Okay this grizzly bear has been far to touchy feely for one night, and now I am going to go do some manly things like burn down Pella, or plot Justin Beiber's assassination. AKA sleep :)
So over the past week I have been under a slightly significant amount of stress, and my mind has been all over the place. A couple of times this week I thought about asking the kids that live across the street to stone me (studying organic chemistry and physics all week will do that to you). Last night I was laying in bed because I couldn't sleep,and I was started going through my text messages and Facebook messages over the past week. That's when it hit me. I am seriously the luckiest kid in the world. I have been blessed with thee best friends and family in the entire world. I will literally argue with anyone that disagrees. When I get extremely stressed I have a tendency to shut myself off from the rest of the world (so if I was a complete turd to any of you this week I apologize). Last night really smacked me in the face. This entire week people have been praying for me, and wishing me luck on my test, but I was so focused on how little time I had left to prepare that I completely missed out on how incredible it all actually was. I was so angry at myself for not taking time to appreciate the support of the people I care most about. I find it funny how I (and most likely we) tend to let the little joys in life slip away un-noticed. Life is full of treasures that we fail to see.
I don't own anything that I consider to be valuable (other than my grandpa truck, I know you're all jealous), and that is fine because I feel that what I have is the most valuable thing any person could ever possess. I have great friends, and an amazing family. To me, that is all I will ever need. My dad has always told me that a person is lucky if they find one TRUE friend within their lifetime, and as I get older the more truth I find in that statement. However, I truly feel that I have to be the luckiest guy in the world. I have lots of friends that I know would do anything they could to help me out if I really needed it. It is an extremely humbling feeling to know that there are people out there that care for you as much as you care for them. As I look back on my life I have come to realize that without the friendships I've had I never would be in the place I am today. God has placed soooo many wonderful people in my life to help mold me into the man he wants me to be. I can count numerous times that I've messed up and just done some stupid stuff that there has been a friend or family member there waiting to let me know that I'm not alone (and I stinkin mess up all the time). It is so easy to take friendships fore granted, and truly miss out on the beauty of them.
I wish there was a way to fully express to all my friends and family how much they truly mean to me. I am not very good with words, and I know I don't show my appreciation enough. I am extremely grateful for the role all of my friends and family have played in my life throughout the years. I will never be able to express to you all how much you all mean to me, and I owe you all a huge debt of gratitude.
Okay this grizzly bear has been far to touchy feely for one night, and now I am going to go do some manly things like burn down Pella, or plot Justin Beiber's assassination. AKA sleep :)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Summer Re-Cap
Hey Everyone,
Considering I got a late start on this whole blog thing, I figured it would be kinda fun to post a blog about my summer. This summer has been, well it's been interesting. It is scary to think that this is one of the last summers I will ever get! I can't believe how fast time continues to fly by. As most of you know my stories are never short, so enjoy the book below :)
One of the coolest things I was fortunate enough to do this summer was to be a leader for theROCK tour. theROCK tour is a trip that the middle school youth group at my church in Cedar Falls takes each year. As a small group leader for a group of 7th grade guys, I was asked to go along. I have never been on a trip like this, and I was really nervous going into the trip (me be nervous? never!) We left super early one morning, and made the 6 hour drive to Kansas City. I am one of those freaks that really enjoys bus rides, and I definitely had a great time one the bus ride. I got to know so many of the kids that I had never had the opportunity to talk to on Wednesday nights. When we got to KC we spend the day at Worlds of Fun. Being the avid roller coaster rider that I am this was quite the experience ;) I was teased all day by the kids who thought I was being a baby, but I stood strong and rode 0 roller coasters. I did ride the water ride about 4 times....yeah, it was pretty intense. All of my campers made it out of the camp safe and sound (probably because they had the best leader ever, but I'll continue to be modest). That night I got into a pretty intense game of UNO, and I dominated. After my win I took my victory lap around the hotel.....it was similar to an Olympic gold medal winners victory lap. I was, for some odd reason, labeled a cheater and was forced to make a deal. The girls promised to admit that I won if I let them paint my nails (see pictures on Facebook). WORST IDEA EVER. I found out quickly that nail polish is a pain in the rear to get off. The next day we went to Oceans of Fun, which is a huge waterpark. It was a blast. We were there for the entire day. I am known for my dolphin-like swimming abilities, and I gained a little bit of respect back from the kids that day. The final day of our trip we spend the morning cleaning up Lake Olathe, and then continued the long drive back. We stopped in Ames for pizza and games at a local community center. My competitive side got the best of me, and in the process of dominating the games I may have scared and or injured a few of the kids :/ ooops. The trip ended up being a great experience. I absolutely fell in love with the kids, and found myself dreading returning home. I will never forget that trip.
Two of my best friends (Brent Ford and Steven Staggs) came up and spent the weekend at my house. For those of you that have never seen us all together, consider yourselves lucky. Brent and Steven are two of the greatest guys I've ever met, but they are crazy. If you have ever seen Wild Hogs (quit laughing, it's a great movie!) we are similar to that group of guys. Steven is the fearless, spontaneous, out for a good time "Woody", Brent is the reserved, funny, "Bobby", and I fall somewhere in the middle of "Doug" and "Dudley". We had the great idea of going to Lost Island Waterpark. One of the best days of my life. From terrorizing the wave pool, clearing land speed records on the steep water slide, to quite possibly breaking one of the rides we had a blast. I grew up with Steven and Brent, and we spent A LOT of time together over the years. We all go to different colleges now, and don't get to see that much of each other. I consider these guys to be two of my best friends, and I know that whatever happens they will always be there for me. This weekend was great to just spend time with them like old times.
The final fun part of my summer was seeing two of my great friends, Molly Troendle and Seth Webb, get engaged. I have been very fortunate two have know these two love birds since the summer of my Freshman year. I had no idea the night I met them that they would end up being a huge part of my life. I am so excited to see where their lives take them, and to watch as they start their lives together. Seth was even crazy enough to make me his best man. Oh the problems I could cause ;)
Well those three events sum up the fun part of my summer (minus the trip to Colorado I am about to take this week with my room-mate, and the return home of a close friend). The rest of my summer was spend shadowing doctors, working (as always), and studying for the MCAT on Sept 1 (scary). I have grown so much this summer, and the lessons I have learned are more valuable than any trip I could have taken. I was forced to grow up a lot, and for that I count this as a great summer. I am extremely ready for school to start, and to begin my final year at UNI. I hope you all had as great of a summer as I did (hopefully a little more eventful). Thank you for reading the book above, but I hope you got a few laughs out of it, or at least a smile :)
Preston Sereg
Considering I got a late start on this whole blog thing, I figured it would be kinda fun to post a blog about my summer. This summer has been, well it's been interesting. It is scary to think that this is one of the last summers I will ever get! I can't believe how fast time continues to fly by. As most of you know my stories are never short, so enjoy the book below :)
One of the coolest things I was fortunate enough to do this summer was to be a leader for theROCK tour. theROCK tour is a trip that the middle school youth group at my church in Cedar Falls takes each year. As a small group leader for a group of 7th grade guys, I was asked to go along. I have never been on a trip like this, and I was really nervous going into the trip (me be nervous? never!) We left super early one morning, and made the 6 hour drive to Kansas City. I am one of those freaks that really enjoys bus rides, and I definitely had a great time one the bus ride. I got to know so many of the kids that I had never had the opportunity to talk to on Wednesday nights. When we got to KC we spend the day at Worlds of Fun. Being the avid roller coaster rider that I am this was quite the experience ;) I was teased all day by the kids who thought I was being a baby, but I stood strong and rode 0 roller coasters. I did ride the water ride about 4 times....yeah, it was pretty intense. All of my campers made it out of the camp safe and sound (probably because they had the best leader ever, but I'll continue to be modest). That night I got into a pretty intense game of UNO, and I dominated. After my win I took my victory lap around the hotel.....it was similar to an Olympic gold medal winners victory lap. I was, for some odd reason, labeled a cheater and was forced to make a deal. The girls promised to admit that I won if I let them paint my nails (see pictures on Facebook). WORST IDEA EVER. I found out quickly that nail polish is a pain in the rear to get off. The next day we went to Oceans of Fun, which is a huge waterpark. It was a blast. We were there for the entire day. I am known for my dolphin-like swimming abilities, and I gained a little bit of respect back from the kids that day. The final day of our trip we spend the morning cleaning up Lake Olathe, and then continued the long drive back. We stopped in Ames for pizza and games at a local community center. My competitive side got the best of me, and in the process of dominating the games I may have scared and or injured a few of the kids :/ ooops. The trip ended up being a great experience. I absolutely fell in love with the kids, and found myself dreading returning home. I will never forget that trip.
Two of my best friends (Brent Ford and Steven Staggs) came up and spent the weekend at my house. For those of you that have never seen us all together, consider yourselves lucky. Brent and Steven are two of the greatest guys I've ever met, but they are crazy. If you have ever seen Wild Hogs (quit laughing, it's a great movie!) we are similar to that group of guys. Steven is the fearless, spontaneous, out for a good time "Woody", Brent is the reserved, funny, "Bobby", and I fall somewhere in the middle of "Doug" and "Dudley". We had the great idea of going to Lost Island Waterpark. One of the best days of my life. From terrorizing the wave pool, clearing land speed records on the steep water slide, to quite possibly breaking one of the rides we had a blast. I grew up with Steven and Brent, and we spent A LOT of time together over the years. We all go to different colleges now, and don't get to see that much of each other. I consider these guys to be two of my best friends, and I know that whatever happens they will always be there for me. This weekend was great to just spend time with them like old times.
The final fun part of my summer was seeing two of my great friends, Molly Troendle and Seth Webb, get engaged. I have been very fortunate two have know these two love birds since the summer of my Freshman year. I had no idea the night I met them that they would end up being a huge part of my life. I am so excited to see where their lives take them, and to watch as they start their lives together. Seth was even crazy enough to make me his best man. Oh the problems I could cause ;)
Well those three events sum up the fun part of my summer (minus the trip to Colorado I am about to take this week with my room-mate, and the return home of a close friend). The rest of my summer was spend shadowing doctors, working (as always), and studying for the MCAT on Sept 1 (scary). I have grown so much this summer, and the lessons I have learned are more valuable than any trip I could have taken. I was forced to grow up a lot, and for that I count this as a great summer. I am extremely ready for school to start, and to begin my final year at UNI. I hope you all had as great of a summer as I did (hopefully a little more eventful). Thank you for reading the book above, but I hope you got a few laughs out of it, or at least a smile :)
Preston Sereg
Thursday, July 28, 2011
My Calling
Hey Everyone,
I have always been one of those crazy people that has to have every aspect of my life planned out in full. I like to know what I'm doing, and where I am going. Many of my friends tease me, and I've even been told the number one word that describes me is, "prepared." In my opinion being prepared is a good thing. I never have to worry about problems that come up in every day life such as; flat tires, speeding tickets, forgetting money, losing homework, etc. because I am always prepared (and freakishly early to everything). However, being a planner has a huge negative. When things aren't going according to plan, or there is uncertainty in the future, it scares the crap out of me.
One of the biggest concerns of mine for that past few years has been what my calling in life is. For those of you that don't know me very well, my faith is a big aspect of my life, and following God's plan for my future has always been a huge priority for me. I have prayed, literally, for years that God would give me some sort of sign as to what I am supposed to do. You see, I am this black and white kinda guy. I don't like to read between the lines, or look abstractly at things. I like everything laid out, and simple. Faith, in general, is not black and white, and learning to be okay with the unknown has been one of my biggest struggles as a Christian. There were times I would literally get angry with God because he had not shown me my calling under my terms. (I really hope you are all chuckling at this so far because I know how ridiculous this sounds, but it's unfortunately true) Okay, I will stop with the background, and get to the point. This past week I was finally, after years, given that sign.
Over the past few days I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to follow Dr. Tim Breon, a general surgeon from my home town. For those of you that don't know him, he is one of the most incredible Christian's I have ever met, and a fantastic doctor. I'll cut out my favorite details about all the blood, and wicked cool organs I got to see while observing surgeries because I am a nerd, and could write for days about that experience. On the last day of my shadowing we were returning home from Pella (my least favorite town in the world, grrrrrr), and Dr. Breon was sharing his testimony with me. I was amazed at how faithful he had been in his med school application process, and even his time in medical school. I was really touched by everything he had to say. When we got back to the hospital he stopped his car in the parking lot, and we talked for probably a half hour, just sitting there. Here comes the cool part. Dr. Breon looked me in the eye, and listed off every single fear that I had about applying to medical school, not a single fear more or less than the ones I've been having lately. Like I said earlier, I have A LOT of worries about my future because I have so much I want to accomplish, and he literally listed every single fear like God had just pulled them from my brain and placed them in his words. He continued to tell me that none of those mattered, and that God would take care of them as long as I was faithful in trusting him. The next words he said hit me the hardest, he said that as long as I was following God and carrying out his plan for my life that nothing else mattered.
Okay, so that may seem pretty weak sauce to some of you, but holy smokes it smacked me right upside the head. This whole time I had been doubting God's ability to use me in his greater plan. For a long time I've known that I'm called to be a doctor, but my doubt and distrust had mangled that message in my head. This was one of the greatest and most eye opening experiences of my life. Immediately following this conversation, I was filled with a new sense of confidence and passion about getting into med school. This experience was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I found it fitting for my first blog post. For those of you struggling with similar things, I encourage you to get rid of your doubt. It only holds you back from accomplishing God's will in your life.
Preston
I have always been one of those crazy people that has to have every aspect of my life planned out in full. I like to know what I'm doing, and where I am going. Many of my friends tease me, and I've even been told the number one word that describes me is, "prepared." In my opinion being prepared is a good thing. I never have to worry about problems that come up in every day life such as; flat tires, speeding tickets, forgetting money, losing homework, etc. because I am always prepared (and freakishly early to everything). However, being a planner has a huge negative. When things aren't going according to plan, or there is uncertainty in the future, it scares the crap out of me.
One of the biggest concerns of mine for that past few years has been what my calling in life is. For those of you that don't know me very well, my faith is a big aspect of my life, and following God's plan for my future has always been a huge priority for me. I have prayed, literally, for years that God would give me some sort of sign as to what I am supposed to do. You see, I am this black and white kinda guy. I don't like to read between the lines, or look abstractly at things. I like everything laid out, and simple. Faith, in general, is not black and white, and learning to be okay with the unknown has been one of my biggest struggles as a Christian. There were times I would literally get angry with God because he had not shown me my calling under my terms. (I really hope you are all chuckling at this so far because I know how ridiculous this sounds, but it's unfortunately true) Okay, I will stop with the background, and get to the point. This past week I was finally, after years, given that sign.
Over the past few days I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to follow Dr. Tim Breon, a general surgeon from my home town. For those of you that don't know him, he is one of the most incredible Christian's I have ever met, and a fantastic doctor. I'll cut out my favorite details about all the blood, and wicked cool organs I got to see while observing surgeries because I am a nerd, and could write for days about that experience. On the last day of my shadowing we were returning home from Pella (my least favorite town in the world, grrrrrr), and Dr. Breon was sharing his testimony with me. I was amazed at how faithful he had been in his med school application process, and even his time in medical school. I was really touched by everything he had to say. When we got back to the hospital he stopped his car in the parking lot, and we talked for probably a half hour, just sitting there. Here comes the cool part. Dr. Breon looked me in the eye, and listed off every single fear that I had about applying to medical school, not a single fear more or less than the ones I've been having lately. Like I said earlier, I have A LOT of worries about my future because I have so much I want to accomplish, and he literally listed every single fear like God had just pulled them from my brain and placed them in his words. He continued to tell me that none of those mattered, and that God would take care of them as long as I was faithful in trusting him. The next words he said hit me the hardest, he said that as long as I was following God and carrying out his plan for my life that nothing else mattered.
Okay, so that may seem pretty weak sauce to some of you, but holy smokes it smacked me right upside the head. This whole time I had been doubting God's ability to use me in his greater plan. For a long time I've known that I'm called to be a doctor, but my doubt and distrust had mangled that message in my head. This was one of the greatest and most eye opening experiences of my life. Immediately following this conversation, I was filled with a new sense of confidence and passion about getting into med school. This experience was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I found it fitting for my first blog post. For those of you struggling with similar things, I encourage you to get rid of your doubt. It only holds you back from accomplishing God's will in your life.
Preston
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