#br2014

[fotogenix-blog]

My handmade photo coasters from the Bread and Puppet performance at the Bread and Roses Heritage Festival this year! I'm selling these and others at the @americanmademagazine Holiday Pop Shop at @eltaller_arts! #lawrencema #blackfriday #smallbizsat #shopsmall #shoplocal #localfirst #spend10 #ammpopup2014 #photography #byme #brhc #br2014 (at El Taller)

[embracelovereach-blog]

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Just doin' some backbends on the crazy busy beach :]] #br2014 #beachreach14 #backbendmadness2014 #backbendsfordayz #ocean (at Majestic Beach Resort Panama City Beach)

[aledclar-personal]

Nothing Can Even Come Close

This past week has changed me so much for the better. I built on so many of my friendships that had already begun growing before Beach Reach and I planted the seeds in many new friendships. I got to know everyone on my team and I love each one of them so much. I could not have asked for a more supportive group of people to serve God with this past week. My faith in God grew so much this week and I am going to try my best to let my Faith in him fail just because I'm not surrounded by amazing examples of him working in our lives.

I got to share a condo with a few of my friends and a few guys I didn't know too well. By the end of the trip though I would have trusted all of them with my life. I seriously loved all the guys that I lived with the past week. Never once would I even thought that I was missing such an amazing friend in a guy that I just needed to get to know.

I have matured so much spiritually in the past week. I went into Beach Reach really curious about how in the world God was going to use me. I always thought that I wouldn't have been able to make an impact in hardly anyone because I wasn't good enough. I know after this week that God has a plan for us all even if it isn't clear from the start. I worked on both Street and Van and Pancake Breakfast ministries but I felt liked God called me to be best in Van ministries. I worked on vans twice this week and both nights were amazing. Both nights I had Justin as my driver and Sarah as my navigator. I could not have asked for a better pair of people to be on Vans with. You guys are seriously a huge encouragement to me and your encouragement throughout the week meant the world to me. I made so many memories with everyone during the night that I will never forget. Throughout the week I felt discouraged sometimes that the conversations I had with people weren't leading to any noticeable differences in them. I realized by my second night on vans though that regardless whether I see it or not I could be very well be planting a seed for someone to come later and lead that person to their salvation. 

This week really gave me a lot of bonding time with people from the BCM I'm involved with. I never would have guessed that a new girl from Dyersburg would end up being one of my favorite new friends this semester. This trip really made me realize what characteristics I want to have my wife to have when I get married. So many of my friendships that were already great are even better than they were before. 

God used me as a conversationalist to talk to others at Pancake Breakfasts and to serve on the drink stand my second day of Pancake Breakfast (Being on Noonday every Thursday helped a ton here :) ) I was so nervous starting pancake breakfast the first day when I realized that I would be one of the people walking around talking to complete strangers and getting to love on them and get to know them. I know I may not have led anyone to their salvation but I know my love for them impacted them in a way that I may not even know yet. 

God finally showed me what I could be good at and showed me that every story of anyones salvation is beautiful even mine. I refuse to use the excuse that I'm not good enough for things anymore. I know God can accomplish anything through me. 

I am so beyond blessed to have had the opportunity to serve God over my Spring Break and get to share the love of God to people in Panama City. I loved everyone I met this week so much. 

-Alex 

PS: Thanks to Justin I am now crazy obsessed with Phil Wickham

[aledclar-personal]

Beach Reach 2014

The past few weeks have been a roller coaster of life for me. Everything has been settling down the past few days. A few weeks ago a girl that I went to high school with was murdered by her fiancé. I didn't know her that well but when things like this happen they really make me wonder about whether I would be happy with dying today if my life were to end today. A week after she died one of the girls that lives in the apartment next to me died in a car wreck. I took this death harder because it wasn't clear after her death whether she was a Christian or not. The girl I went to high school with was an amazing strong Christian and looking on back to knowing her in high school I realize now how amazing she was. I went home to last weekend to spend some time with my family and get some luggage for Beach Reach. I spent most of the weekend playing cards with my Mom and talking to my parents. It wasn't until the past few days where I realized how blessed I really am. This past Sunday I started a prayer journal. So far this is going amazing and I love writing in it and spending time with God every day. Tonight was the 7:14 Prayer Night that we have before we send everyone off on missions. I realized tonight how supportive friends I have. Tori came up to me and gave me a card that I didn't read until I got back to my room but her words of encouragement that she wrote meant so much to me. All of my friends have been so supportive of me going on Beach Reach and it means the absolute world to me that I have been blessed with a family that loves me here. The past few weeks I have been getting to know John from my life group. He graduates this semester which sucks but its been amazing getting to know him so far. 

Please be praying for me as I depart for Beach Reach this Friday! 

PS: I have the best Beach Reach condo ever.... Me Studard John Gill, Justin Owens, and Michael Kelly. This week is going to change me so much and I'm so beyond ready for God to rock my world. 

For live updates every night as we hit the streets check out 

http://www.beachreachlivepcb.com 

Starting March 2

[aledclar-personal]

My Heart is Ready for Change

  I never would have guessed that the simple story of Jonah and the whale would speak to me on so many levels. The past two weeks at college fellowship the pastor of my church has been talking about the book of Jonah. The study of this book could not have come at such a better time in my life. Over the past few weeks I have been struggling with so much and my relationship with God has been affected. Hearing the story of Gods forgiveness for Jonah after he ran from Gods will is an inspiring story. 

Over the past few weeks I have been running from God. At the same time I could feel God trying his hardest to bring me closer to him. One of the biggest things we talked about tonight that stuck with me is that God will only chase people whom he loves. No matter what I am going through or how far I have gotten away from Gods will for me he will always be welcoming be back with the biggest open arms imaginable. 

The biggest thing that has been bothering me the past few weeks is that no matter what I do nothing seems to have an influence on my families salvation. I am so hard on myself and blame me not having an affect on them on me not being godly enough of a person. I have been impatient with God and whether it is in his will for my family to be saved. I know now that nothing I can do will speed the process up at all. All I can do is be praying for my family that God would work in their lives. God will work in his own time if it is in his will for my family to be saved. I struggle a lot with realizing that if my family would to die today I would never see them again and they would all spend eternity burning in Hell.

I know I brag about how amazing all my friends are a lot but honestly I wouldn’t where I am without them. I have the most amazing friends in the world and they are all huge influences on me whether they realize it or not. I have so many in this world that care about me and I can’t believe that I even considered self harm in my first few years of college. God has worked a miracle in my life and I change more as a person every day. My first ever mission trip is quickly approaching and I’m still nervous about it but I’m also so excited to see how God is going to use me at Beach Reach. Every person going on Beach Reach had to get at least seven people to commit to be their prayer partner while they served over spring break. I decided I would try to get as many as I could before the deadline tonight and I ended up getting seven within about a day. I ended up with around 17 people committing to pray for me over my mission trip. I had a few friends decide to tell me that I just wanted to show everyone how many friends I had. I admit sure I may have bragged about it some and I’m sorry for hurting anyones feelings in the process. It is just things like this that truly remind me of how blessed and how supportive my family is here in Martin. 

Every day that goes by I get more and more excited for Beach Reach. We have such an amazing group of people going on this mission trip and it will be an amazing time. Over the past few weeks we have had a few more people sign up to go with us. One of them was Courtney. I feel like I hardly know Courtney but almost instantly he first thing I notice is that she has one of the most amazing personalities and always seems to be so excited about every day. I have honestly never seen Courtney not look happy. I wish I had the same enthusiasm that Courtney has for every day. There are so many other people going on Beach Reach with me and I could write so much about every one of them and I probably will before I leave for the trip.

So far this semester I have been trying my best to make my friendships that I have with others even better than before. One of the biggest things that has really stuck out to me this semester is how caring of a person you really are. I know this isn’t a huge deal but talking to you while on Winter Retreat was one of my favorite moments of this semester so far. I know we are friends and all and friends are there for each other but I honestly never expected you to quit a crazy game of spoons because you noticed I wasn’t talking much and could tell something was bothering me. You give some of the best advice and you are such an amazing person. I am so beyond thrilled that we are going on Beach Reach together and I know we both are going to grow a lot throughout it. Thanks so much for everything you have done in my life Sarah. I know I can always come to you when I need prayer or need to talk to someone.

I am so blessed to have the amazing Christians in my life that I do. 

I love all of you guys so much!

-Alex