September 2011
1 post
July 2011
1 post
Power in Numbers
Yesterday was AMAZING. With the help of 10 amazing people, 3 pickup trucks, a trailer, a mini van and a toyota carola, Ashley and I got our whole apartment moved in just under 5 hrs. How sick is that!? So a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you goes out to David, Jeff, Corey, Team Swartz-ations, The Coopers, and Mary and her awesome little girls. Ok so maybe it was only 9 people but I’m counting all the...
April 2011
3 posts
My Spiritual Birthday! 8 years in the making
So tonight at around 8pm tonight will mark the 8 year anniversary of when I said yes to Jesus.
Wow….
What an incredible trip its been so far. Through trial and triumph its been so amazing to see what faithfulness in the Lord will do. No matter how far or how close I have been its been such a blessing to see what kinds of things that have taken place in my life. Im so excited about this...
In the Storm
37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet Down!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there...
Drastic Faith
So im in the the beginning of Mark 2 this morning and Im reading about how Jesus heals the paralyzed man. I think its awesome that a guy and a group of his friends had SO MUCH faith in Jesus they knew if they could just get to him, he could be healed. But to those who know this story, we know that where Jesus was the place was packed. There were so many people there to see Jesus. But they...
November 2010
8 posts
Watchan awesome teaching for men by an awesome pastor. Thanks to my awesome fiancé for showing me this. awesome!
“You can not be a man of endurance without pain”
– ken graves
Living the Dream: White Falcon
Alright, most of you already know this but heres the scoop. This is the Gretsch White Falcon. To many guitar players throughout history (since the 1950s) this guitar has been named the Cadillac of guitars. This is not only the cadillac of guitars to me. This is my pinnacle. Ive been playin guitar for over 14 years and never have I owned a guitar that was really really nice or over 300 bucks. So...
Living the Dream: Going on Tour
Living the dream: Going on Tour.
This was so much more than a band going on tour playing music. This was a band of three bros (and one awesome chick) going on an epic journey (I know, it sounds corny) fulfilling long time dreams. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually ever go on tour, but God made a HUGE way by joining me with two of the greatest guys I’d ever meet. We...
Living the Dream: Preface
Ok, again, I want to get back into blogging. So I figured if I give myself a Solid Plan, I can stick to it and achieve well…achieve something. So here it is.
Living the Dream. For the next 5 days Im going to list and relive 5 of my top dreams I have been so incredibly blessed to live out. Some are material things and others have been life long dreams that I never in a thousand years...
May 2010
2 posts
Life update
Alright. So here we are. It is the 27th of May. And maybe you’ve been wondering…”Jon, what have you been up to? I haven’t seen or heard from you in a while” Well in a nutshell (as much of a nutshell as I can put it) here’s what’s up.
Feb I started a job at Cox communications as a technical support representative. It was going really well. I had a couple...
“O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;...”
– Psalm 63:1-4
April 2010
1 post
March 2010
2 posts
February 2010
6 posts
Operation "My Life is about to change big time"...
So this coming Monday, I start a new job at Cox Communications. Im really stoked about it. Its the start of a new chapter in life. Literally. Everything is about to change. Stay tuned. I’ll have a pretty big blog about all this coming soon.
“Sometimes life is more about dropping our agendas and picking up Gods agenda”
“Having a vision from God isn’t about God catapulting you from your current...”
– My thoughts going through a devotional with my fiancé
What is the focus?
As the worship leader for the 830 service in my church, I am challenged with a question that I believe God has brought to my attention. “What is the focus?” Now Im not askin the regular where is the focus question that normally revolves around worship (you know the performance vs worship battle) but Im challenged with the thought of, What is the focus of the worship team? What kind of...
January 2010
10 posts
“Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the...”
– Shannon James
A chat between jeff riggs and I
This one is for all the L4D2 fans.
Me: And did you bring your cricket bad and gun? I brought my katana and combat shotty. You know. Just incase. It's raining pretty hard.
Jeff: For real! I was unprepared and am completely unarmed. But I've turned off my flashlight and am walking around crouched all day.
Me: Nice. Good idea. I mean as long as you're not playing life on expert then you should be fine.
Jeff: Haha I never play life on expert. It pwns me on normal.
Me: Word. I'm still looking for easy option myself.
Yeah. We play way to many video games.
A chat between npeaks and I
This happend last week and I thought it was hi-larious and deserves to be posted.
Nic: is everything ok? and what was the deal with the ring? (im on ichat if thats easier)
Me: We went to go get it resized like last week, they called us Saturday to come get it after it came in and it was all messed up. The bottom of the ring was all bent and stuff and It just looked really bad. So I demanded the lady to get it fixed and in my hands by tues, and that's what she did. It looks good now and fits her perfectly.
Me: This filipino was about to cap some heads!
Nic: do fo sho. shes tryin to put one past jon carolino. does she not know you tear goats in 2 and sprinkle the blood on the ashes of the great filipino gods?
Me: I mean I don't know how you can miss it. My emaculate bicepts and aggressive hands scream " hey I can take a 180lb animal by the jaws an rip him in half straight down the middle" I mean couldn't she smell the burning goat sacrifice and see the war paint drawn with lions blood on me when i walked in? Jeeze!
Me: Dude can't get no kind of respec!
Nic: i just peed out of fear...
Me: May the brothers of zues fear the wraph of jon Carolino....the CHIEF Filipino.
back to uh...
I can’t ever express how hard it is to get back to “normal” or “real” life after such an amazing weekend leading worship and being surrounded by such awesome people and a spirit of worship and seeking the Lord. It just reminds me of what God has in store for my life and Im determined to not just sit behind a desk my whole life. I want more. I want to serve Him with...
can't sleep
Pslam 34:18-19
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
May this be an anthem of my life. May my life be a song of praise to the Lord. May the Lord find favor in me. This is pretty a awesome promise from a pretty awesome God.
May you who endure trials allow the Lord to...
DISCLAIMER: Im not declaring war...
ok, so I’ve been thinkin about my post this morning and im not apologizing for anything, but I just want to make something clear. I’m not trying to fight. The “war” or “fight” I’m talkin about is not projected at anyone or any situation or anything like that, I was referring to my own spiritual battles that are ahead of me. I was referring to my own...
out of the valley into the battle
Prepare the masses cause this is war!
ok maybe a little too intense. heh. but yeah, in the past month, I’ve got engaged to the most wonderful beautiful gift God has ever blessed me with, Ashley Freytag, and things are on the serious up and up. Its crazy. New job opportunities are opening up and God is heavily moving in my life and I love it. But that doesn’t come without a new and...
December 2009
5 posts
Vision Check
You ever get so focused on the things you “need” you lose focus for the things God has called you to do? Maybe time for a vision check. Number 1 or number 2. Which one is better?
I kinda hit this revelation last week on my way to my new job. I’ve been a christian now comin on 7 years and the one thing I’ve always been absolutely sure about in my Christian walk (other than...
Makin the move.
So I think I’m ganna make the move and make tumblr my new blog home. I’m hearing is better at customizing and well I’m a designer so why not eh? I do, however, want to keep my hold posts so probably through out the next couplemof days I may dig some of them up an move them over and relive them. So yeah. This is my tumblr. Welcome.
Big bold and Beautiful
December 1, 2009
2 Chronicles 15:7-8 (New Living Translation) But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.” When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in...
April 2009
1 post
2 tags
Here I am to worship?
April 19, 2009
This past weekend my band Standstill had an incredible opportunity to lead worship at a youth conference called Dnow at Crossroads Community Church. In a nut shell, it was a great time, I’ll post about that some time later cuz it was pretty ground breaking.
Anyway, in the middle of the day we had an opportunity to have coffee with the speaker for the weekend, Erik Smith. Great guy...
February 2009
3 posts
1 tag
The Heart to Fight.
February 26, 2009
So we started a new home group (college age bible study) the other night, and we started a study on the armor of God. It was pretty cool. At first I was just like, “ok, another study on the armor of God. I’ve heard it before but who knows, maybe God will bring out something new” lo and behold, He did.
We started talkin about the first part of it. Heres what was read.
...
2 tags
By a Beautiful Savior
February 24, 2009
About a little over a year ago now, I was up in my youth room writing songs. It was around 7 or 8pm that night and I sat down by my gear and prayed that God would just give me something that my youth group, that the youth and young adults in the world need to hear. Immediately He gave me the visions of the times where teens in my youth group would break down to the point of...
3 tags
On Wings Like Eagles
February 13, 2009
This is a chapter in the bible I have been studying a lot lately. Probably for the past week or so. It has so many awesome promises in there and its so encouraging. Especially right now in my life. Let me tell you why. Last month, I was notified at my place of employment that I was going to get laid off at the end of the month (the end of January) and so I did. Immediately I...
January 2009
1 post
We're Not That Cool
Alright I told you I was ganna start by moving all my old posts over from wordpress (don’t worry, there are not that many) So heres my first one from there. Its crazy its almost been a year since this post. A lot has happened. A lot of faith building and trials and growth. A lot of awesome is what I think.
...