What Matters Most

Hey all. Jim, aka J-Man here. Been working at the Diary Dairy for a year and half now. It's hard work, but not as hard as some of the workouts I have at basketball practice, and not nearly as challenging as what I went through earlier this month. Melissa thought it'd be cool to share what I learned on here. I told her I was down with it.

I spent a week volunteering with an organization called Street Light Ministries. It's over in Jersey, in the heart of Camden. Dude, it's one thing to see movies with ghetto themes. You watch the movies and television shows from your warm homes, seeing kids in gangs and families losing brothers and sisters in drive-by shootings. It's hard to see from your couch. I give you dat, but it ain't nuthin' compared to actually walking the urban streets and seeing people live in conditions that would blow your mind. After working with Street Light Ministries, I've been there, and it made me all the more thankful for what I have in State College.

Street Light Ministries is an after-school program where kids can come and learn about God and get the homework done with the help of college-age tutors. Okay, so they're more like mentors.
During one of the devotional sessions, the leader there, Robyn, shared a quote from the late Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden was one of the greatest coaches ever because of the way he coached and taught his team at UCLA. I only wish I could've played basketball for him because I'm sure I'd not only up my game, but up my wisdom. Check this out. Here's what Robyn shared:

"People don't spend enough time with their families. They get caught up in material things, thinking those make up life. The pursuit of material possessions often takes precedence over the things that are more lasting, such as faith, family, and friends. Don't allow the lesser values to raise havoc on your family."

Man, when she read that at the end of the week, it summed up everything I went through. See, here in State College, I have been blessed with a nice house, good parents, a good job, sweet clothes, brand new sneakers, a kitchen full of food, and a safe neighborhood. I could go on and on. I mean, I have a couple video game systems with a ton of games. I have a slammin' stereo system with surround sound. Out back, I have a sweet basketball court behind my house. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you that I save up my money and spend it on the best video games and the best clothes. Man, I have it made.

Then I went to Camden and was introduced to kids that have houses on the verge of falling to the ground. Some of these kids only have one parent, and that parent be trippin' more than providing. The clothes some of them wear are filthy for whatever reason. One kid even talked about his dinner one night was corn chips and chocolate cupcakes. The hardest thing I my ears heard was the story of the drive-by shooting that happened that Wednesday night. The boy's older brother was shot and is still in a coma.

If I've learned anything from my time in Camden with Street Light Ministries, I've learned this:

I need to be more thankful for what I have. I have been blessed with a great life. I really shouldn't take it for granted. Sometimes I think I spend more time and money on my video games, my clothes, and material things that revolve around me. What I should do is put more value on things like family time, stuff at church, like our youth group's adopted children in Africa, and use it to help people less fortunate. That would be taking Coach Wooden's words of wisdom and putting them into practice.

What matters most to me now is not money, popularity or video games. What matters most to me is living out my faith, loving my family, and being a faithful brother to my friends. Money, video games and nice clothes can all be taken away from me in the blink of an eye. After seeing what the kids in Camden go through, I guess my family could be taken away from me, too. I'd rather invest my love in my family and friends as long as I have them by my side.

If you want to know more about my time in Camden with Street Light Ministries, you better be reading the Diary Dairy series. You feelin' me on this?

Peace out, brothers and sisters!

Jim "aka" J-Man

God can use change for good

One of the most common themes I hear when I listen to the customers talk about what's on their mind is "change." Most of the time, their conflicts and struggles revolve around change. Have you heard the phrase, "Everything changes" from time to time? Maybe you've heard it in a song or a poem. I prefer to use the saying, "Change is all around us."

A popular example of changes happens within families, like changing hometowns, parents changing jobs, changing daily routines, or changing the number of siblings. My older brother had to go from being the only child to having a younger sister to having a younger sister and younger brother to having two younger sisters and a younger brother. That's a lot of change! He went from being an only child to having three siblings!

The Diary Dairy in State College has been going through some major changes recently. Last fall, we changed locations from one end of town to the other. The new building is a little smaller, but the staff and customers have readjusted well. As long as the theme rooms still exist, and as long as they can still order a chocolate peanut butter milkshake and my famous onion rings, they're happy.

Not only has the location changed, but so has the staff. Shane has been promoted to the General Manager of the store, and Adam has been promoted to a Shift Manager. I am now going back and forth between here and the Clearfield shop, doing all the things an owner of a major business needs to do in order to function well.

Sometimes change can be good, and sometimes change can hurt one's heart and cloud up the mind with foggy thoughts. It may seem like there can't possibly be any rhyme or reason to the change, and that nothing positive could come from it. Just recently, one of my employees, Shawn, heard from a customer who moved out of town at the end of last summer. Due to disciplinary issues, the boy left town to live with an uncle in another city. In the beginning, he was not looking forward to being away from his friends, and from a couple of the guys on the Diary Dairy staff whom he has adopted as his mentors. Shawn shared the letter with me, and it was truly enlightening. The boy informed us that he has been attending church with his uncle and going to the youth group events. In both church and school, he has been making new friends. Even at his young age, he can see the good in learning how to live with positive morals and values. His uncle has assured him that if all continues to go well, he has the possibility of moving back to State College this fall to start high school.

At the beginning, the move didn't seem positive. These days, he is thankful for the change because, not only did he change location, but he has seen his heart and attitude towards life begin to change; for the better, which he claims is the best thing that's happened to him in a long time. Could he see the positives at first? No. One of the lessons my staff has learned over the years, and continues to be reminded of is that, just because you don't see something now, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, or won't be seen in the future.

Maybe you're going through some kind of change in your life where you can't see the good in all that's happening around you. Remember, though, that just because you don't see the positive outcome, doesn't mean it's not coming. I encourage you to hang in there and wait it out. I know the change may feel painful and all you feel is confused and unsure at the moment. My hope is that, down the road, you'll feel joy and see that God can use change for good.

~ Melissa