The Big Yellow Bus/True Bond of Friendship

What is Friendship? What are Best Friends? What is a True Friendship?
How do these all tie together with what we, as people value and want in life?

Kindergarden is the first year most children go to school.  When we go to kindergarden we jump on the bus, turn and wave good bye to our parents.  Some of us even have a fit and run off the bus screaming.  Have you ever wondered why some little kids are scared of the big yellow bus?  I have recently thought about this, as an issue came up at college.  In order to understand my point I will have to go into detail about what happened to me and my friends.

The beginning of the fall semester went so well, at least I thought. In case you don't know I attend Davis Bible College, you know the place where people who believe in God normally go to. Well anyway I have a group of friends from various backrounds. There is one kid from Belize and we call him JV. Another one is from a few different places so I just call him New York. The other is my roommate, who I also live with back home, he has many nicknames. My favorite nickname for him is Lunch Box and sometimes Nikkers.  Me, well I'm describe as the Big Guy, the Defender, the leader.  I love the group of friends I have, they are awesome and we are all young in the faith.  Long story short, we all became great friends and started hanging everyday.  After awhile, we all, started to make rude comments about one another.  We kept it in, most  of the time, but it had to come out sooner or later.  Well it all finally came out the other day, when I told two of them to keep talking and not stop just because New York walked in. You see they were talking about him behind his back. This is something everyone is guilty of.  Well I got offensive because Lunch Box and JV turned into cowards, after becoming silent when he showed up.  About five minutes after that Lunch Box and I had an arugement in our room and he left. New York showed up to do some homework shortly after and play Plants vs. Zombies.  When we were in the room we both received text messages. New York received one from JV, I received one from Lunch Box. I am not sure what JV said to New York, but forgiveness was given and received by both of them.  Lunch Box apoligized to me as well. I forgave him, knowing that we have all wronged one another I sent a text to all three of them saying,  " Forgiveness on all parties, We have all wronged one another in some way. This is the crap we sort through to make us the Brothers that we all will become."  We all agreed, forgave, and moved on.  Later that night we all got together and watched a movie in 3D, it was that quickly forgotten

 You may find yourself asking, "Whats the point of the Big Yellow Bus then?"  Well, I will get there shortly.  I asked some questions before that little story, so I wanna to answer those first.
What is Friendship? What are Best Friends? What is a True Friendship?
How do these all tie together with what we, as people value and want in life?
What is friendship? Friendship is the basic acceptance of the other party, then enjoying similarities.
What are Best Friends?  Best friends are the people who are next to you, they are the ones on your recent call logs and texts messages. Best Friends are the ones to catch you before you fall, not pick you up. All your friends will pick you up when you fall, it is the best friends who are there to catch you before you hit hard.  What is true friendship?  True friendship is the perfect relationship you can have.  True friendship, is when others have your back, to their back, fighting all attacks side by side. True friendship is loving, humble, sacrificial, mercy, grace it is full of God's characteristics.  True friendship is the willingness to be corrective, held accountable, and submit to one another's criticism.    

Now comes the answer about the Big Yellow Bus. I believe that the kids who automatically have fits while getting on the bus face a separation issue. I believe this comes from leaving their parents and going somewhere they have no idea or control of.  Now the other half of the kids are quite different.  Those kids who get on first have it easy, they just sit down. But as the bus seats slowly fill in each seat you realize that the next kids who get on have to sit with someone.  This is the vital part. This is the child's first dilemma, choosing who to sit with is big.  You can sit with the clean kid, the one with glasses, the fat kid, the boy with long hair, the cuties on the bus, maybe others with messed up teeth or even a nerdy kid, you might just see your little suit kid there as well and we can't forget the little boy dressed in church attire... My point is that picking your friends begins with your first action of sitting on the bus. I had my best friend from kindergarden to tenth grade, all because he was the first person I sat with.  This is why I believe kids are afarid of the Big Yellow Bus. They are forced with a choice that could last a life time and even dictate who they socially click with.  Just like in college, the friends I have now are all the people I first sat with. It just goes to show you how simple actions in life last a long time.

The reason I wrote about this, is because It is something I care about, I love my friends and I wouldn't have them any other way.  I want to challenge you readers to evaulate yourselves and your decisions.

I want you to think about the places you sit,  areas you visit, and the message that your giving off. Is it worth sitting next to? Is it worth listening to and following? Are the areas you visit the same place you would tell everyone you go to? My challenge is to truely think about these things.

---God Bless---
MattyMiller 

A New Generation

The Door Generations
When I was in tenth grade I started going to a youth center called The Door, located in the Bellwood Antis township.  The Door was something new to me as I only saw some of my friends there hanging out.  I noticed that when I started going, there were a lot of stories about the older people who had graduated.  I went to the youth center from tenth grade to my senior year and graduated and left the youth center as a student. After the next two years all my other friends graduated as well. A whole new generation had come up through the youth center's program.  While my friends were still in high school I volunteered at the youth center and I even did a summer internship there.  I went onto college at Mid-Atlantic Christian University, then to The Altoona Bible Institute and I am now currently at Davis Bible College.   I came back for my Fall Break from Davis College and I went to The Door to do some volunteer work.  Now that I am here and helping out I hear the same stories about the generation before. The only difference is that the stories consist of me and my friends. It is truly an eye opening event seeing how the generations of stories continue through so many people. 

So why did I write my first blog about generations and a youth center called, "The Door"?
I wrote about The Door because, it is where my new life began. I also wrote about generations because I want be remembered.  I do not want to live life and be just another grave stone.  I want to be that person that you hear stories about, I want to leave a trademark, even if only last couple years after I pass.   

So I will leave YOU with these questions. What are you doing to leave an impact that will last a lifetime? Are you challenging yourself daily to live a worthy life of Modelship? What have the generations before you done in order that they are remember and how long will that last?