What a change

A friend from college and I recently reconnected over the phone. He's doing some training with a christian group that reaches out to athletes and wanted me to help him with a survey. This survey happened to be a collection of questions about Christianity and faith. It was a wide range of questions and I wish I had written more of them down so I could remember more. The amazing part about this whole experience was the time after the phone call and even the next day when I began to realize how profoundly different my answers were just a week ago compared to what they would have been over 2 years ago. It's talking about faith, being challenged, and reaching out to others that really helps you to see how far you have come and how much you have grown. My perspectives have changed on many things like "why do you believe you are going to heaven?" "what do you think God is like?" "do you think traditional Christianity has anything to offer today's world" and many other eye opening questions. It was really very fascinating and I had no idea before hand what these questions were going to be so all of my thought process happened right there, without looking anything up, without having other people around to influence me. It reminded me that not only do I need to surround myself with other people who share my faith but I need to be challenged. I need to get out of my comfort zone and let people know what I believe and talk to people about what they believe.

This experience was a couple of main things for me:
1. an amazing eye opening reminder of how far I've come
2. a push from God to dig deeper and strengthen my knowledge and depth
3. a reminder of how much I love to have theological conversations with others
4. a reminder that everyone doesn't think the same way that I do and I need to find a way to make things more clear to others.

Wow I serve a wonderful God who sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently reminds me that while I have made progress I still have so much more learning to do!

Sullivan Williamson :)

Funny things happen when Sully and I go running sometimes. My favorite is when people are scared of my little, white, fluffy, 26 lb, bug hunting, harking, snuggle bug, puggle. Some people are so afraid that they get off the sidewalk and let us pass! The look on their faces are priceless! I don't know whether to laugh or be sad. I mean really how could you be scare of this face!

Another vote of trust for the big man upstairs

So with all the recent engagements of friends, the holiday season, and multiple wedding planning that has been going on I had been thinking about dating a lot lately... now I am your classic over thinker most of the time. I will start with one thing and get to step z in no time and have every scenario played out in my head before it could happen! So needless to say if I'm admitting thinking about it a lot lately it is probably taking up most of my brain power. This is not good. I keep telling myself that God has perfect timing and that I need to be patient, wait, and enjoy every moment while I'm waiting but am I really trusting if it's constantly on my mind and I'm not just letting it be but thoroughly processing it in my mind every time a new guy comes to thought or mind? No probably not. It had gotten pretty frustrating recently and I felt like it was just taking up too much of ky thought process. For a few days I really struggled with clearing my mind until finally on Sunday I gave it over completely to God and really truly opened my heart and prayed about it with him. Amazingly enough I realized today that the last 2 days have been much better. It's no longer consuming all of my thought process and I feel as though I'm functioning normally. It was a really good moment today when I realized that. Another really good win for God and yet another reason to trust him with even more. Little by little, step by step, day by day I give Him more and I never regret it but cherish more and more.

What do you want to give Him today?

The first January

As I was working the men's soccer showcase yesterday I was reminded why I had not worked this event since moving back to Virginia... my family hasn't had a healthy January in 2 and a half years. This is the first January since I've been in Virginia that I haven't had to be home taking care of my parents while my step mother was being treated for cancer. The last couple of weeks in Nov and all of Dec I found myself praying often "Lord please don't let the cancer come back." Since the past two years we found the cancer at similar times. I found myself having random anxiety as I would think of those times after in the past couple of months and thinking about how hard it would be to do it again for a third winter. I felt selfish often times because I wanted to be able to be in lynchburg living my life instead of at home but most of all I just want my family healthy and happy. I am very blessed that I have a job where I could have time off to take care of my family and do what I needed to do and blessed that we made it through it and while it was hard, it only made us stronger. Many families don't make it through trying times like those, and many people don't survive the cancer and treatment so again I feel blessed. This cancer changed our lives, rocked every part of our souls, and we are still recovering but at least for right now its gone. Hopefully never to return again. In trying times like those I am so thankful for my faith and my His because I would not have made it through without him. He comforts, holds us, and picks us up and dusts us off when we fall. We learn, we grow, and we move on, never to be the same again. So goodbye 2009 and 10...2 of the hardest years of my life... and bring it on 2011 which will hopefully bring good times, growth, and love.

Ps if this is written horribly its bc I'm writing from my phone sorry!

my new home

I love going home to see my family and traveling all over creation to see my wonderful friends but most of all it sure is nice to come back to lynchburg to my house and get back in the swing of things. It might help that I'm only working 4 or 5 hours a day but still I love being back. I really enjoy my job and the people I wink with, I have great friends and fellowship in lynchburg that I truly look forward to, and I really enjoy sleeping in my bed with Sully by my side. Things are pretty good. We#ve been trying to get the house settled since we came back from new years and it is just feeling better every day.
Since getting back Brit has moved in and is now living with me! It's been so nice to have someone else in the house again.I'm eating real meals, not frozen ones and I just don't feel so alone and sluggish. It's been wonderful and just what I needed when getting back from a holiday that can make you think too much about being single and from about 10 couples getting engaged in the last 2 weeks! Sheesh!
Right now I'm content and feel blessed in my life and what He has provided for me and need to remember to be thankful everyday.