2013: A New Year a New Start

A little over two years ago I started this blog and have not done a very good Job of updating it. One of the first things I said was that I wasn't sure why anyone would want to read the Christian ramblings of a twenty year old college drop out who was new to Christianity.

I am proud to say that I have grown a little in faith and spirituality. I have become a volunteer in the youth ministry primarily working with the middle school/junior high students because I believe this is where God has called me to be and am loving it. I feel as a result of all these things I may have something to offer now.

It has been pointed out to me by a trusted friend that as part of my growth and involvement in youth ministry that I need to start networking a little more and getting myself out there. One way of doing this is by blogging more(even though he is probably the only one who will read these). I know its a little late, but my 2013 resolution is going to be to have at least one blog post per month. However I am going to try to do them more often then that.




P.S. Someone should probably hold me accountable to that.

Roots

It's funny to think about who you are, where you are in life, and HOW you got there. Who influenced you? Who turned you in a small direction that changed your life? How did you meet that person? I'm a Christian, I'm trying to let that rule my life, but I wasn't always. I was once determined that no God existed. Where was the change? Where did I go right?

I think it pretty well starts with two people, Aaron Hinds who made fun of me on the bus in the 5th grade, and was one of my best friends by 7th grade. Brandon Hall who I met in the 7th grade walking from the bus stop to my house (about one or two hundred feet), the key to starting our friendship? Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Yep. He had some out and I was way into it, so I talked to him. Also became one of my best friends.

I can't remember the exact details, but between the two of them I became good friends with Hannah Baker, and Michael Pierce. The four of us had some great times. When freshmen year rolled around we were looking at clubs to join and were greatly into anime, so we wanted to join the anime club, but I was unsure about it because I wasn't sure if my parents would approve of it and let me. Hannah encouraged me to try, what did I have to lose? If they said no, so what? That wouldn't be any different then not trying.Things were on my side and I was able to join the anime club.

This next part, I'm not sure I can explain any way other then an act of God. In anime club I had met a few new friends, and during the summer between freshmen and sophomore year I was invited by Ryan Lain to the absolute best birthday party/weekend I have to this day ever experienced. Which led us to pursue a further friendship. What's so miraculous about this is that although we were friends(and actually met in the 8th grade at lunch), Ryan and I had not spoken that much that in normal circumstances I would be someone to invite on a weekend long trip. To this day we don't know 100% why I was invited, I was just a random name that popped up on her list of invites.

Anyhow, over the next couple of years this led the close friendship of Ryan and I(and her family that I now call my own; Dorian, Kym, Kaleigh you are definitely a part of my family.) and led the key point of change in my life. One random Wednesday, during spring, after school I was invited to attend the youth group at Farragut Church of Christ. For the first time in my life I had willingly gone to church. Here started meeting a number of people, including the Wilkins(who are also my family). After school had ended I had no clue what the etiquette was of when seniors were "kicked out" of the youth group so I stopped attending around graduation time. Judah Wilkins got a hold of my phone number somehow and we went to Starbucks, talked about whatever, and went on our ways. Over the next few months he pressured me a bit into attending church, so in September of 2008 I stopped working on Sundays and started attending the church where my life would truly become something else. And on April 8th, 2009 I solidified my new world and was baptized.

To all the people I met along the way, everyone who helped in some small or large fashion to form the person I have become, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, I love you more dearly then you may ever know. Even if you weren't mentioned here, you have made an important impact in my life.


So how about you? What are your roots? Where do you come from? Would you still be you if you had met different people? I know I would not. If my parents had not come to Tennessee, to Knoxville, I have no clue who I would be.

The Times They Are a Changin

I've come to a point in my short life where everything is heading towards change:

• My parents are finally kicking me out of my house.
• I'm going to get a new job, one that pays me enough money to live off of.
• I have to leave my current job at Wendy's.
• I'll need to buy a house soon.
• The house I'm going to buy will be in an area downtown.

Depending on how thoroughly my parents go through with kicking me out this will all likely happen by or around January. And all of these things scare me to death. Things could very easily fall through, and then what would I do? Certainly God would see me through whatever trials come my way, but even so I'm scared of the changes-of change in general.

I've been submitting my resume to places online hoping to find a suitable job, but even these I have trouble following up with because I'm afraid of something. I'm not sure what exactly it is I'm afraid of there. Maybe I'm just waiting for the right job to fall into my lap. As if that would happen again.

Honestly, I should have been at this point in my life LAST YEAR... I've just sort of been floating around life, though by doing so I've gotten to experience some good things, like serving in church and strengthening new friendships. I suppose it just time to move past that and start heading towards the rest of my life. I know that once I get through all this and settled into my new house things will be much easier for me, and a lot of my stress will be for nothing.

God, I ask that you give me the strength to be fearless and get through these changes without worry, that things work out for the best, and that forever my life be a reflection of you and your will be done through me.