Friday, December 31, 2010

Goodbye to 2010, may we never see or hear from you again…

In all respects, one should be happy that a year is coming to an end, and no one can vocalize that more loudly than I can. I have never been more excited to see a year go away than I have 2010. When 2011 gets here, I can say, wow, this is a new chance at life, and I can be happy no matter what happens.

Let’s see, how did 2010 go down? Well to start things off with, right around this time in 2009, like the 30th/31st of December, I was angry that I had to go back to Boyce. I wanted more than anything to be finished so I didn’t have to listen to people tell me that I was going to a school that was different theologically, and I spent all of my time worrying what people thought of me, and what I did with my life.

I was working for the North American Mission Board as a church-planting intern in Louisville. The LifeSong Church in Valley Station, where I served for an amazing year doing ministry alongside some amazing people, some of whom I regard now as family (you know who you are). After the first of the year, I saw the same movie 3 times within a month (AVATAR), I had settled into a dorm room by myself, and the entire semester, I spent my time doing schoolwork, hanging out with friends, and above all, not caring about my life (physically).

The turning point of my year, as well as my entire life happened on April 17th. Everyone knows what happened, so I don’t need to mention, but basically, I got a second chance. I got another chance to say to myself, I can live. I can have a life the way that God intended for me to have it. You do not appreciate life until you come within an inch of losing it. When I had the episode with my heart, the doctor in the ER told me that if I had waited to receive treatment by about an hour, I could have died. It was when I took the time to understand that God is the God who heals, and that he holds you in his hand when you don’t know what to do. My relationship with God got just a little bit deeper. I also was able to understand how deep friendships really get. VJ, this goes out to you. You are my brother from another mother and I love you. I understand completely what a true friend is because it was you who slept at the foot of my bed when I was sick in the hospital and scared out of my mind to be there.

I graduated from Boyce College, class of 2010 with a 3.5 GPA, and started my long road to recovering my life, health wise. It was a great summer. I ended up working for Chosen People Ministries, and I did some traveling. Mostly to Orlando on vacation, but also in June I was able to go to New York and indulge my passion for the performing arts and got to see the Lion King on stage. I got ready to move out to Texas, and in essence start my life all over again. I had to swallow a huge dose of humility and learn to accept that I couldn't have the things I wanted, even though God was giving me everything I was needing. I made some awesome friends this semester in seminary, you know who you all are ;) and learned how to accept the challenges that come with growing up. I am wanting to go onto the mission field, and this summer, I will have the chance to do that as I will be going to Thailand. The year ended with a great amount of understanding that when you commit your way to the Lord, he will give you the desires of your heart.

I am blessed to say I have a journey that I am in my life right now, and I am experiencing that journey with another person. I started dating a wonderful, Godly woman named Donna in December, and since then my life has been filled with joy as she has been encouraging me and telling me to pursue the things of God in my life.

That is where I stand for the year 2010, so I pray that as we all look to the future, that God would bless our decisions, our actions, and tell us how we are to live.

Grace and Peace.

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