Yep, it’s true. I’m on the other side of my “20s” hill. Kinda scary to think about. What have I really accomplished? So much, yet so little. I have many goals for my 27th year of life. I want to train for and run a full marathon. I’d really like to start dabbling in painting again and see what could come out of that. **As a side note, my sister recently told me that a designer came into their home to design and organize their bedroom and the guy asked where her painting came from (the one that I painted and gave to her) and the guy said that it was quite impressive. Who knows, maybe God could lead me out of full-time ministry and into the art world? Well, I highly doubt that.** Back to the serious note. Yes, I’d also like to settle down, which may include a wonderful woman named Laura.
Speaking of my Proverbs 31 woman, Laura made my 26th birthday one of the best yet. She flew into SLO on Thursday afternoon (the 15th, my actual b-day) and we spent that afternoon just enjoying each other. I was absolutely blown away when she revealed to me a book filled with encouraging notes and truth about my character from many of my friends, co-workers, disciples, and family. Here are some snippets of encouragement that I received:
“I am so proud of the man you have become and I am sure that your dad is also — watching you from heaven. You are indeed a “man after God’s own heart.” – my mom
“I miss waking up in the morning with WAY more energy than you and harassing you.” – Lee, a good friend
“I am really in awe of how you have responded with grace, a listening ear, and a willingness to change. This takes humility and definitely strong character.” – Jamey, my team leader
“You have pushed me since day one to be more and more of a man of God in my daily walk. I have always appreciated your passion to bring everything back to the gospel.” – Stephen, one of my disciples
“When I first met you I knew you to be someone who loved Jesus and His word…I respect, admire, and adore you in so many ways.” – Laura, my girlfriend
Wow, can I just say that I am a VERY blessed man to have so many friends and family that care deeply about me. And let me give a shout out to Laura, the best girlfriend in the world, for putting together the book and encouraging me in such a great way! WOG, you are the best!
Later that night Laura and I went downtown and walked through farmer’s market, a beloved tradition here in SLO, and ended up at a great BBQ restaurant called Firestone. Out in California the way they cook BBQ is much different than the south. Instead of mustard-based pulled pork, which I’m used to having back in Columbia, SC, the main way of cooking meat is called the “Tri-tip” which is sliced into think cuts of meat and thrown on a bun with lots of butter on top. Mmmm, so good. About 10 guys that I disciple here at Cal Poly came to dinner and then we went back to my place and had cake and ice cream.
One of the highlights from the night was playing a game called pictionary operator; I think that’s the name. You write down a random sentence (mine was “Taco Temple has bomb carrot cake.”) and then you pass your card around the circle and the next person has to draw the sentence and the next person has to write the sentence, repeating the process until it comes back around to you. The final answers that get made through the process are hilarious! I don’t even remember what happened with my sentence but I do remember all the laughs and good times that were had that night. I felt so love and appreciated by all the guys that showed up that night. Just another lesson the Lord is teaching me about how he uses community to bring about healing, redemption, and change in my life. And to top it all off, one of the guys from Cal Poly recently visited Clemson during spring break and brought me back a Clemson baseball hat!
The rest of my weekend was so great b/c Laura was in town and we got to just enjoy each other’s presence without an agenda or plan. Our best “discovery” for the weekend was when we took a jar of olives, bottle of red wine, and hummus and pita to the beach and watched the sunset together. A great meal for only $10 and such quality time with my amazing woman. That’s what I call a bargain!
God has been incredibly faithful to me the past year as I have been going through so much transition: moving to California, learning more about myself through hard circumstances, learning to trust God through the realization of the death of my father, and pursuing a woman of deep character who always believes the best in me and points me back to Christ every day.
What about you? How have you seen God’s grace in your life recently? Leave a comment, I’d love to rejoice and pray with you.
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