Today I . . .

-Drove a bus of ten “tweens” to McDonalds to have a celebratory breakfast to honor the 6th graders moving on to the youth group.

-Kneeled at the altar of Northwest with the staff of Camp Hosanna 2009, as the church gathered around and prayed for us.

-Got whip creamed for the second time, in honor of all the “Splash Points” that were earned during our preperation for Splash Kingdom.

-Wrote a “Weekly Reflection” to finish up my first week of my fourteenth and fifteenth classes with Nazarene Bible College . . . the college I will graduate from in May of 2010.

-Will go to watch Zach play some baseball, while hanging out on the sidelines with my friends Tron, Ruth and Anna . . . a wonderful way to spend a summer evening.

This is my life . . . my breathtakingly beautiful life.

“Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me.” ~Sanctus Real

This is totally so much bigger than me.

And I am all in . . . 100%.

I love that this life is journey, how each day you get to find yourself with the opportunity to grow and change, to experience life in a new and different way.

This weekend I experienced people that have been in my life for over ten years in what felt like a brand new way.

I spent the last four days in Central City, PA with the Jackson Family.

I am so grateful for their friendship and their beautiful presence in my life.

John & Jen Jackson . . .  true Kingdom builders in Central City, PA

Ben (Caleb’s Friend) & Caleb Jackson . . . a future history maker.

Hannah Jackson . . . she is growing up way too fast.

Abby Jackson . . . what a spitfire.

Chloe Jackson . . . the youngest and possibly the loudest.

Nikki (w/ Franky the puppy) . . . the newest and very welcome addition to the Jackson Family . . . meeting her was a highlight of the weekend.

I read this today over here . . .

“Being takes a certain kind of stillness. A certain kind of listening. A certain kind of confidence to let things unfold. A certain kind of trust. It’s hard to explain and it can sound crazy if you’re too careful trying to get it right. But it is powerful and perhaps the only way to see the truth of your life shine through. It is for certain the most powerful contribution you make to the people around you, if you have the courage to stop hiding and let yourself be seen for who you truly are.”

Good thoughts to sit with . . . very good thoughts.

Today I ran the fastest mile I have in my whole young life . . . granted it was a long 11 minutes and thiry seconds . . . but for me it a most magnifiscent start.

I am tired this morning and wee bit hungry, but still happy to be awake and alive.

The last eight months has been whirlwind of sort, especially this summer.

Camp Hosanna is winding down and I am excited to settled into the routine of the fall.

I am also excited for the fall weather . . . running around the track this morning in the brisk 60 degrees was super fantastic.

I have been learning and growing a lot lately . . . conversations with old friends and new ones have deeply impacted how I choose to live my life . . . how I go about following Jesus.

Life is heading a good and real direction . . . no over the top superficial happienss or deep dark depressions . . . just plain old, beautiful, every day life.

And I like it.

This Sunday in Sunday School the conversation ended up centering around prayer.

One of the aspects of prayer that has been sitting heavy with me is confession.

One of the student’s in my class, shared how he feels when he has done something wrong (something pretty equal to guilt), until he makes a point to confess and ask for forgiveness.

It occurred to me tonight as I was leaving a voicemail for a friend, that I don’t have much experience in the confession and asking for forgiveness department.

It is not often that I will admit to making a less than great choice . . . mostly because I am terrified of the confrontation that comes along with confession.

In the past I have been more willing to lose a relationship than admit my fault and attempt reconciliation.

But tonight this reality hit me like a ton of bricks . . . if I make statements about wanting my life to be lived entirely unto God’s service . . . than each day of my life should be spent becoming more like Christ.

Becoming more like Christ means becoming well acquainted with humility and confession . . . regardless of the costs.

I was told this afternoon that I should be aware of what happens if I ask God to make me humble . . . I guess I am going to just have to wait and see.

What a week this is turning out to be.

Vacation Bible School at Northwest is in full swing and I have been thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.

I also started my first class with Nazarene Bible College this week.

I don’t think I knew how impacting it would be . . . just how much it would awaken inside of me.

I am excited for my future . . . for the things that God has planned.

Peace to you and your today.

God’s timing constantly surprises me . . . and I love it.

Tonight I got to talk with an old friend that I met at Zion.

Her and her husband are the kind of people that I always want to know . . . no matter how far apart our journeys take us.

It had been almost two years since we had spoken . . . but with Russ and Shari time does not really seem to matter.

I was a scared eighteen year old college kid when I met them . . . I had little self-confidence, not so many social skills and an inferiority complex to top it off.

The year I spent at Zion, I did not spend very much time on campus.

A majority of memorable moments were spent with them.

I am too tired to spend any quality time on memory lane this evening . . . but I truly do love their family.

It was great to catch up . . . to hear all about their life and where God has taken them.

It was great to hear myself talk about where God has taken me.

I am excited for the future . . . for the fire that is rumbling around in my gut.

God is nothing short of amazing.

It has been over a month since I have written . . . and I probably should be resting instead of writing.

For some reason it feels like last week was a really long week . . . I feel tired . . . like I could sleep for days.

But I also feel like I have this fire in belly that I can’t settle down.

It would seem I have be having the same argument in my head for the last two months or so.

There are weeks I will go days without thinking about it . . . and other times when it feels like it is constantly present with me.

At the age of twenty four I have been trying to nail out my vocation . . . or at the least the current practical application of it.

I do believe the root of my vocation . . . the gut level of who and what I am has changed very little in the last twelve years.

However the context of my life has changed immensely in those same twelve years.

In about two weeks I will become a full time online student with Nazarene Bible College.

After six years of “waffling” back and forth about finishing my bachelor’s . . . I have decided to pursue my BA in Pastoral Theology.

This is a huge step for me . . . and the weight of it all as been sitting heavy on my shoulders that last few days.

In the midst of the heaviness . . . I just need to remember Isaiah 30:21 . . . this is the way . . . walk in it.

This is the way . . . walk in it.