Good and normal desires

When I need food, I have a good and normal desire of being hungry. When I am thirsty, it's normal for me to want something to drink. When I want something that I do to be noticed, it's good and normal to have that feeling. 

We at times may also be tempted to satisfy a perfectly normal desire in a wrong way or at the wrong time. Like if we have sex before marriage or steal to get food, we are trying to satisfy God-given desires in wrong ways.

When God created us, he blessed us with those feelings of desires. I can't imagine living this life with out feeling any desires for anything. God gave us those desires so that we may use those to glorify God. 

I believe we too often wrongfully indulge in those desires. We look for ways to fulfill those desires that aren't glorifying to God. Sure, those desires are temporarily fulfilling but the fulfillment doesn't last very long. That's why when we indulge in sin, it sometimes becomes hard to stop because we keep wanting to fulfill those desires in the easiest way possible. 

Whenever I am tempted, I think of when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. I'm tempted every single day. I am obedient everyday and I sin everyday. There are times where I give in and times where I don't. This story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness is so encouraging to me.

There are a couple of things I want to point out from that story...

Jesus wasn't tempted inside the temple or at this baptism but in the desert where he was tired, alone, hungry and most vulnerable. I wasn't tempted on the basketball court or in the classroom. The devil often tempts us when we are most vulnerable-when we are under physical or emotional stress, or even faced with uncertainty.

For example, I have been in a vulnerable spot the past two weeks. I am in the process of studying for the Life and Health Insurance Exam. Nearly everything I have learned the past two weeks has been brand new to me. It has also been stressful for that very reason. I have had to spend hours alone studying for this exam. There are times where I know I have been tempted because Satan is trying to get me to fulfill any sort of desire that I might be missing out on. When I sit and study I have been tempted to take a break, or sit and scroll through social media for a long time...the thing that has gotten me through those periods of temptations has been the Word of God and putting myself in stations where I know I won't be as vulnerable. I know that I am vulnerable when I am alone, so when I have studied every day, I try to find a coffee shop where I know that there will be people around me. 

In times where I felt like giving up, or needed some energy, the best way for me to fulfill those desires was having Jesus time. Immediately upon opening my bible I felt energized and rejuvenated. I was reading because I know that my fulfillment comes from the Lord, not because I needed to read my bible just to read my bible because that is what Christians "should do." 

Another thing I want to point out to you is that Jesus was able to resist all of the devil's temptations because he not only knew scripture, but he also obeyed it. Ephesians 6:17 says that God's Word is a sword to use in spiritual combat. Knowing bible verses is an important step in helping us resist the devil's attacks, but we must also obey the bible. 

When Satan had tempted Jesus he had memorized scripture, but he failed to obey it. Knowing and obeying the bible helps us follow God's desires rather than the devil's. 

My prayer is that this post helps teach you that there is a way to fulfill those desires that we feel everyday and that way is satisfying those through Christ Jesus. I also pray that you are able to obey scripture rather than just memorize it and read it. You could know all the information in the world about something but until you live out what you learn you aren't making a true difference. 

Your special curiosity

Every person that I have ever met has something special about them that has intrigued me. I have met people who have a special ability when it comes to basketball. I have met people who have special gifts when it comes to photography. I have met people who have a love and desire for traveling. I have met people who interact with people in a different ways. I have met people who are special because they are short and special because they are tall. I have met people of whom have amazing gifts when it comes to music. I have met intelligent people who seem to be the oozing with knowledge about everything. I have met people who have so many special things about them and they don't even realize it

My point here, is that we all have our own special curiosities that people notice. There is something about you and me that is intriguing to others. There might be something about me that is more intriguing to one person than other. Some people might be more curious about me playing basketball in college than me being a writer...self-proclaimed that is...

As I sit in a coffee shop and write this there are things about the people that I can see that are intriguing to me.

The guy sitting across from me on his laptop is so focused on what he is doing. He has some headphones in and is locked in. When he answered his cell phone, I could tell his wife was calling and he answered with an excited "hey babe." I find it encouraging how somebody so locked into the work that he was doing answered the call from his wife with love and excitement.

The two gals sitting behind me are working on a project for work together. I am not eavesdropping too bad, but I have heard enough from their conversation that they are really working together to get their job done. They are stressed about work, but working together has kept each of them under control.

I turn my head to my left and can observe the workers here. They have been working hard since I got here at 7:15 this morning. They have been constantly busy doing what they do at a high level with high efficiency. I have been able to see how they handle their time when there are a lot of customers and how they handle their time when nobody is in line.

I share these observations because these people have things about them that are special and make me curious to why they are the way that they are.

In Matthew chapter 3, John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus. I have written about John before in previous blogs. John the Baptist was like a nature boy. He came preaching from the wilderness, his clothes were made of camel's hard, and he had a leather belt around his waste. His food was locusts and wild honey. People from all over when out to him to confess their sins and to be baptized.

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by preparing others to welcome him. There are people out there who don't know Jesus who need to be prepared to meet him. We can prepare them by explaining their need for forgiveness, demonstrating Christ's teachings by our conduct, and by telling others how Christ gave us our lives meaning.

I don't really know what brought all the people to John the Baptist but something about him must have stuck out. He had a special curiosity about him. It's fair to say that John had a strange image! But it drew people to him because they were curious.

People may be curious about your Christian lifestyle and values. You can use their curiosity as an opener to share how Christ makes a difference in you.

That is my encouragement for you today. We all gave special gifts that make us different than other people. As humans we are drawn to many things that are strange, cool, and different. Be you, and be proud of what you have to offer.

Willingness to worship

Every day that I wake up, I have the ability, the freedom, and the access to worship Jesus. I can grab my phone and pull up a sermon, my bible app, some worship music, etc. I can do these things in a blink of eye....okay I take that back. The wifi at our house is usually not the best, so it might take a couple of minutes to load a video...you know what I mean though.

We are so blessed and so fortunate to have the technology and freedom to worship Christ whenever we want. The only downfall to that, is we really don't take advantage of it. It is so much easier to do things that are convenient to us rather than something we don't necessarily feel like doing. 

This is me, this is you, this is everybody. I am not trying to call anybody out, I am just trying to make you all aware that I believe we lack a willingness to worship. It's way more entertaining to watch some New Girl on Netflix. It's way more fun to go out to the movies with some friends. It sometimes is more fun to pull up Instagram rather than your Bible app.

This is just how things seem to be.

Tonight I want to make you aware of the Magi. Not much is known about them. The Bible doesn't talk about where they came from our how many of them there were. Tradition says that they were men of high position. 

Why the Magi? I read Matthew 2 tonight and that chapter talks about how the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and they were in search for the baby Jesus. The Magi knew that if they were able to follow the star, they were going to find baby Jesus...but how did they know to follow the star?

They could have been Jews who remained in Babylon after the exile and knew the Old Testament predictions of the Messiah's coming. They may have have been astrologers, who studied starts, planets, etc. Or they may have had a special message from God directing them to the Messiah. 

When the Magi were in search for Jesus as soon as they found the star, they followed it until they found Jesus. When they saw the start they were overjoyed. Upon coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. They they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

The Magi traveled thousands of miles to see the king of the Jews. (baby Jesus) They were so ecstatic when they found him. This is relatable to any long hike that I have done. I haven't ever hiked a thousand miles, but I have done long hikes and when you finally reach your destination, they feelings you get is overwhelming. 

These wisemen had faith that if they followed a star they would find baby Jesus. When they found him, they worshipped him and gave him gifts...after coming from thousands of miles. This is so different from the approach that people often take today. We often expect God to come looking for us, to explain himself, to prove himself, prove who he is, and give us gifts. But those who were wise found him and worshipped him when he was just a baby. 

Why can't we do that today? Where did our willingness to worship go? When did we decide to make worshipping God a less of a priority because it's not the most convenient? Or not the coolest thing to do in the eyes of people of this world? 

I tell you all about this to encourage you, to build you up, to remind you to have a willingness to worship God liked the Magi did. There were probably hundreds of better options than walking thousands of miles to worship Jesus. 

The last thing I want to take a look at is the dream they had. In a dream the Magi were warned by God not to go back to Herod, and that they should return to their country by another route. 

King Herod was a brutal king. He has people killed all of the time. He thought he was going to get the Magi to tell him where they found baby Jesus so that he could kill him, but the Magi out smarted the evil and vile king. 

After finding Jesus and worshipping him, the Magi were warned by God not to return through Jerusalem the way they intended...

Finding Jesus may mean that your life must take a different direction, one that is responsive and obedient to God's Word. 

The social stigma

What people around us seem to think is something that we always seem to value even though we shouldn’t. No matter how confident we are in ourselves, in a God, or a decision we make, it seems like we always need the validation of others.

I’m just as guilty of is as you probably are. I think about the rare occasion when I go shopping for clothes. No matter how much I think something looks good on me, I always need someone with me to validate my decision.

This isn’t a bad thing by any means. If everybody kept to themselves all the time life wouldn’t be any fun. Social stigma and caring about what others think can potentially become harmful. Say I’m confident that God wants me to go out of my way to do something for someone else in a crazy way. I’m talking about doing some sort of act of kindness in front of a bunch of people that might make me look a little ridiculous in the eyes of others.

A situation like this leaves you with two choices you can make.

 Option A: Your obedient and go out of your way to do what God wanted you too and you made someone else’s day. You also fulfilled because you were obedient and that feeling of fulfillment only comes from God.

Option B: You’re to cool. You choose to fit in. You think that what all of the other people you think is more important and more significant than impacting someone else’s life and being obedient. You might feel good right away because you feel like you’re fitting it, but that feeling will only be brief. It will quickly run out.

What choice would you make?

I want you to look at the story of Joseph and Mary in the book of Matthew for a minute with me. A Jewish marriage involves three steps: First, the two families agree to a union. Second, a public announcement. Third, the couple was married and began living together.

If you know the story, Mary was a virgin who become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph at first didn’t believe this. He thought she had slept with someone else. He had the right to divorce her because of this. He though he had two options, but in reality he had more. Jospeh could have her publicly stoned or divorce her quietly. Either way he felt humiliated because he thought she cheated on him and he didn’t want people thinking they had an impure marriage. (Conceived a child before they were married)

God had a third option for him. Mary her. This option hadn’t occurred to him yet. But God shows us that there are more options available than we think. Joseph thought he was going to do the right thing by ending the engagement, but God’s guidance helped him make the right decision. This wasn’t easy for him...consenting to marry Mary casted shade on his own innocence and as well as leaving them both with a social stigma for the rest of their lives.

When the angel appeared to Joseph, he listened and decided that he was going to marry Mary. He chose to listen to God’s commands rather than what others thought about him and Mary. This teaches us that when our decisions affect the lives of others, we must always seek God’s wisdom and than be willing to follow through no matter how difficult it may be.

I hope this post encourages you to rely on God when you make decisions because that is what matters above all us. It will be difficult. It will be weird. People might think you’re crazy, but God is faithful and will never fail you.

Family Vacation May 2019

The following is a daily journal of our family vacation that we got back from last night. It it long, but I hope you enjoy reading some of it if you choose to do so. It's a little bit different of a post than what I usually write but it was fun for me to write about so I hope that you enjoy. 

Day 1

Our trip technically began on Monday evening. Since we had an early flight Tuesday morning out of Detroit we wanted to make sure that we were already in Detroit and wouldn’t have to wake up at 4 to head up there. So leaving Monday night was best. Driving up to Detroit was so much fun. Spoiler alert...I accepted a job offer Monday night so I had so much stress that was relieved and I was high on life. We got to our hotel around 10:30 and eventually went to bed around 11:30 after a lot of phone calls that had to be made. 

Day 2

We got to the airport this morning around 6:45. The hotel shuttle bus was about as uncomfortable and unsatisfactory than any bus you ever could imagine. I’ve been on a lot of busses in my lifetime, especially a decent amount overseas. So I have had a lot of experience when it comes to riding a bus but this bus just sucked. I really don’t know why. Anyways, we finally made it to the airport, checked our bags, and made it through security. Much like most people, we had to make a stop at Starbucks in the airport. Something my parents always do is give the baristas fake names when they ask for the drink is for. I don’t really understand why because Vern and Rosemary are two of the most unique names out there. To be honest, it’s a lot of fun to do and I do it all the time. The name my mom decided to use this morning was Reagan. They ladies didn’t hear her right so the name written on all of our drinks was “Redy.” After we got our drinks we went to wait at our gate. One thing about me is that I love to travel. Another thing is that it’s a pain in the butt because plane seats are small and I don’t fit in them. Praise the Lord, I got upgraded to an exit row. The flight was about 4 hours and 15 minutes. I watched the new Zac Efron movie for the second time in a week. When we landed in Seattle the weather was stereotypical for Seattle. It was about 55 with a light rain. I could tell that it was beautiful, just not entirely. We hopped on a shuttle and went to find rental car. 

Our first stop in Seattle was Pike’s Place Public Market. This place was awesome. We were hungry and ready for lunch, but wanted to try a bunch of the food from the market. The first place we stopped at had some world famous Mac and cheese, so we got that and a fancy grilled cheese. After that we went to the world‘s first Starbucks. If you didn’t know that the Starbucks was in Seattle it could be so easy to walk right past it. The original logo is a little different, and it’s not very big. Going in it was awesome and made you feel like you were part of history. When we finished our drinks we basically explored the market. We tried more samples than you would normally try in a Costco. Everything was delicious. Everything about today was special as well because I had never been to the state of Washington before. 

After the market my mom wanted to go to the international district really bad. We arrived and it was nothing special. Nothing close to what we expected. Supposedly there was a huge Japanese market that is a popular tourist destination and we went in and it was just a grocery store. Pretty lame, but a funny story to look back at. 

We are staying in a hotel in Everett, Washington tonight. This was about a an hour drive from downtown Seattle. As soon as we got to the hotel, I made sure I got a workout in. After that we went out to eat at this restaurant called Skuttlebutts. It was delicious and right by the ports. Today was Jack’s birthday so it was his special birthday dinner. As soon as we finished dinner we went to walk down by the water and by the docks. It was really chill and a lot of fun. One of the perks about being out west is the NBA playoffs. Back home the Western conference games don’t start until 10:30. Well tonight it started at 7:30 and we got to watched the entire game. It was glorious. Right now it’s 9:08 and we are all exhausted and ready for bed. Tomorrow is about to be a super exciting day.

High: Traveling to a new state and getting a chance to see the world’s first Starbucks.

Low: Despite having an exit row, I still felt super cramped on the plane, but that’s okay. Jack and I both had and exit row.

Day 2

This morning we left Everett, and embarked on a journey towards the North Cascades National Park. This was a little over two hour trip for us. The weather was beautiful. There was not a cloud in the sky and it was sunny and cool. We sat our sights on the Cascades with really nothing planned. We were just going to wing it and find some cool hiking trails and cool pictures spots. The first place we stopped at was Lake Diablo. The lake was gorgeous. The water was blue and was surrounded by mountains. After we got some really cool pics, we decided to keep driving through the park. When eventually decided to turn around and head back to where we came from. The North Cascades are a huge national park and somehow we failed to find one good hiking trail. We began to head back West and we had a decision to make. We were either going to take the highway through the woods, or continue on the Cascades Loop. The loop would take us to the Whidbey Islands. We decided that the best decision was to head to the islands. One of the things that i forgot to mention is that when you travel to a location like a national park, you loose phone service completely. No offense to some people but not having phone service for a couple hours is always something that I look forward too. 

We entered the islands around 2:00. The first thing that we did was drive to Deception Pass. We stopped to take a picture and behind our vehicle there was a trailhead. We were finally going to be able to hike. So we hiked down to the water, took some pretty pictures and had a lot of fun by the water. It was so nice to spend some time out of the car since we had been in it almost all day. The island was about 40 miles long so we had quite the drive. Since we were on an island we had to drive to Clinton to get on the ferry boat. One our drive there my mom said one of the funniest things of the trip. There is a Naval Base on the island and my mom said: “why is there a Naval Base here?” And my dad replied with: “look at the location, it’s perfect.” Then my mom responded with: “oh, it’s hear to protect Canada.” Before we got on the ferry boat, we stopped at Cozy’s for some dinner. Since we have been by water, we have been eating at restaurants that serve seafood. I have been smashing fish and chips, which is one of my favorite things to eat. During dinner, I also tried my first ever Chowder. 

We pulled up to the ferry boat, hoping we were going to be able to get on the boat with our vehicle. There were already a ton of cars in front of us so we thought we might have to wait, but the ferry was huge and you could probably fit like 60 cars on there. The ferry boat was one of my favorite parts of the day. It was huge, and such a smooth ride across the bay. When we got to shore, we decided to head to Tacoma. Tacoma is about an hour and 20 minute drive from where the ferry dropped us off. We were pretty lucky and go to drive through downtown Seattle again. The weather was rainy and like 60, but I wouldn’t picture Seattle any other way. On our way to Tacoma we passed the Kubota Gardens which were right outside of Seattle. These were a must see for my mom. It was beautiful, but not the best weather or time of day to enjoy a Japanese Garden. As soon as we were done at the garden, we finished at our last 40 minutes of our drive. We arrived to our hotel in Puyallup, WA at about 9:15. Again, before 10 everybody was in bed and ready to go to sleep.

High: The ferry boat ride from Clinton to Mukilteo. The views were beautiful and the boat was awesome. Such a fun surprise that we didn’t expect to do today. 

Low: failing to hike at North Cascades. I really don’t know how that happens, but we still had a great day. 

Day 3

I’ve come to the realization that every night I have written about how the day has gone, I get more and more tired. Maybe I should start writing while we spend time in the car since that has been a majority of our trip. That might sound a little negative, but I promise that it’s not. Driving and seeing as much as we have in three days has been amazing. 

We started off this morning by waking up and beginning our trek to Mount Rainier National Park. It was about a two hour drive from our hotel. The entire drive it rained. Once we got to the gate, we had another 45 minute drive to where we wanted to go. Our drive was 18 miles long but was going to take 45 minutes. The drive was beautiful. The trees, streams, mountains, it all was so perfect. The further we drove the colder the temperature got. At the bottom it was about 63 and by the time we got near the summit it was 43. There was so much snow piled up it was crazy. Most of the trails up there were closed because there was in fact, too much snow. Jack and I were not prepared for the snow, we both had on shorts and sandals. At this point, we were ready to go on a hike. We had yet to go on a decently long hike. So we began to drive back down. Luckily, we found a really cool hike that we were able to do with some breathtaking views. During our trip back down, we stopped at numerous viewpoints so we could stop and take pictures. 

What was next?  We didn’t quiet now. We collectively decided that we were going to try and go to Mount St Helens. Since there was no phone service, Jack and I decided to follow the atlas to see if we could find our destination. We eventually found the right roads and when we pulled up, there were signs that said the road was closed due to snow. Nothing was gated off so we tried to go through. We drove through the mountains for about an hour and never saw any cars. Fog was everywhere and we were capturing some amazing pictures. We got to a 99, the road we needed to take and it was closed...So we drove the hour back where we had just come from. It was an unexpected payoff to say the least. On our way back down, we found an amazing waterfall. Since it was so foggy, we weren’t actually able to see Mount Saint Helens. I hope that we can see it when we drive back up to Seattle in a couple days. 

Once we got back to the main road, we decided that we were going to make our way down to Portland, Oregon. We were all thrilled about this because we had never been to Oregon before. Portland was about a two hour drive from where we were at. One of the only highways in Washington seems to be highway 5. So whenever we need to get somewhere, we just look for signs to highway 5. During our trip to a Portland, we saw an exit that lead us to a Mount Saint Helen visitor center. It was about 10 minutes off the highway and when we got there it was closed. So on our way back to the highway we saw a gift shop that we had to stop at. When we got to the gift shop, everything in there seemed to be related to Bigfoot. I don’t really get the whole fascination to Bigfoot...it’s obviously a myth. I don’t want to take the fun away from it though, everywhere we go my dad thinks he sees a Bigfoot and tries to make Bigfoot sounds just so we find one. It’s pretty funny. After that excursion, we made out way to Portland. Portland was beautiful. We ate dinner at this delicious pizza restaurant with an amazing environment. It was a place that a picture could show you better what it looked like than me writing about it. The pizza didn’t really fill us up so we decided to look for some dessert. While doing so we walked around some of the streets in Portland and we really enjoyed taking in some things that we had never seen before. As soon as we finished that up we got back into the Suburban and drove to our hotel. It was a super special day.

High: taking the backroads to Mount Saint Helens, never actually seeing it, but taking some amazing pictures and having the road to ourselves. I would also say a high was driving to Mount Rainer and seeing all of the snow covered peeks.

Low: not actually seeing Mount Saint Helens, and hitting a lot of potholes and bumps in the road. The bumps didn’t bother me, but I know everyone in the car was getting some air, even the suitcases in the back 

Day 4

Today has been the longest day in the car. We woke and drove about 30 minutes to Multnomah falls. My mom was especially excited to do this because this was a place that was on her bucket list. Seeing my mom pleased by something is one of the best feelings. It happened yesterday when we found that waterfall we didn’t expect and it happened when we were standing in front of the falls. 

The falls were beautiful but most of the hikes were closed due to mudslides. We have seemed to have a lot of issues with roads being closed due to either mudslides or snow. I guess it’s still winter over here at higher elevations. When we got in the car after the falls we decided to drive to Beaverton so we could go to the Nike Company Store and see the world headquarters. This was about a 45 minute drive so it wasn’t bad. We were all extremely excited to get into the store but when we got there we were denied entry. It turns out the company store is for employees only and those who have special guest passes. Talk about not feeling special, walking back to the car was like the walk of shame. 

Jack really wanted to go see the track at Nike Headquarters so we drove to to see that. It was pretty cool, I enjoyed seeing how happy my family was from seeing the track since they’re all runners and I’m not. After the track we went up the headquarter buildings and walked around a little bit. If you love sports, and love Nike this was like a dream. We walked around a little bit and then we went into the Michael Jordan building and decided to ask the receptionist what we should do and she gave us four guest passes to the Nike Company Store. Heck yeah! We were so excited about this. We drove back to the store and shopped for about two hours. Here is a little fun fact about the Nike Company Store, everything in the store is 40% off. Whenever I go into Nike stores I usually know what I am looking for, but when I walked into this store I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was like a sensory overload. I felt like I was in a dream. 40% off everything? It was like heaven on earth. This was an amazing experience and was so fun for the family.

When we got back into the car, we decided that it was time to drive to Crater Lake. This was going to be a four hour drive for us. While we were driving there, my mom found online that the North and West entrances were closed because of snow so the only way we were going to be able to get there was to enter from the South. This was going to be too far for us and we wouldn’t have made it by nightfall. Luckily, the plan was to keep moving South because we are going to the Redwoods National Park in Northern California. So we putting off Crater Lake and heading to California. 

We just stopped in Grant’s Pass and ate at In-N-Out. One of my favorite places to eat in the entire world. Now we are currently in route to Crescent City, California where we are staying the night tonight. 

I am sitting in our hotel with an ocean front view of the Pacific. This hotel isn’t the nicest but I won’t complain because of the amazing view. Crescent City is quite the place. If you were to picture a Northern California town along the coast, this is it. We got to the hotel and we walked to a lighthouse. There is a lighthouse that is about a half a mile away and it super cool. It’s almost high tide and as the tide was rising we had to hurry because we wouldn’t be able to get there when the tide is at its highest point. We snapped some really cool pictures and then came back to our hotel. It was a twelfth fun day today with a lot of driving

High: getting passes to the Nike Company Store. This was so much fun and the store had my shoe size so I was able to try on every shoe that I wanted to. That has never happened before in my life 

Low: riding in a car for 6 hours, but there was nothing that we could really do about it

Day 5

Today was a day spent well in California. Last night we decided on the hike that we were going to do. It was the James Irvine, fern canyon trail. It was a 4.8 mile hike one way. To get to the trailhead it took about 45 minutes from our hotel. The drive there was beautiful. Driving alongside the coast of California is beautiful because you get to see the ocean and the mountains all in one. 

On our way to the hike we saw an exit that led us to the famous drive through tree. We were able to drive our suburban through the base of a redwood tree. It was so much fun. There were no other cars by the tree so we all took turns driving though the tree at least once. 

After the drive through tree we drove to Prairie Creek Campground to our trailhead. Before we got to trail head we stopped along side the road and walked back to the famous corkscrew tree. This tree was amazing and we had all climbed up in it and while i was trying to climb down, I took a nice tumble. 

Also, before we walked to the trailhead we saw about 10 elk out in the pasture and my mom was able to get some amazing pictures. Now it was finally time to hike. To sum it up, the hike was amazing. Every couple hundred yards we would see a tree that we thought was the biggest that we had seen so far. There were giant redwoods all around us, it felt like we were in a movie. When we finally reached the fern canyon, we were a bit disappointed. What we were looking at was nothing like the pictures that we saw. Jack decided to explore a little bit and when we didn’t come back for awhile I figured I should go explore with him. When I found him I was in awe of how beautiful fern canyon was. The canyon was about 50 feet high of all green ferns and high walls. We stopped there, ate some sandwiches and took some cool pics then kept walking. For some reason we decided that we could find a road to hike back on rather than going back through the trails. When we were in the parking lot my mom asked some guys in the parking lot how far the campground was...failing to mention that there are multiple campgrounds. The guys told her it was a mile and half away. So after walking down to the shore, we got on the road and started to hike. About two miles later we got to a camp ground that wasn’t the same one we were at. We were kinda lost. Lucky the park rangers were coming down the road and we asked them where to go and they showed us the path we needed to take and it was 4.2 miles back to the trailhead. Salty, we got on the trail and started walking back. The hike seemed like it was never going to end but ended up being so worth it. 

When we got back to the suburban it was time to head to Oregon. On the way we stopped at Grants Pass and got some Mexican food for dinner. It was seriously so good. Not going to lie though, anything would have tasted good with how tired we were. Next, I hopped in the drivers seat and drove us all the way to Beaverton, OR. It was a haul...about 4 hours I think. On top of the two hours it took to Grants Pass. The drive was a lot of fun. Jack was the DJ so he was playing some pretty fire songs. It also rained the entire drive which made it a little difficult at some places. Although the drive was long, memories were made and that’s what counts. Today was the longest, but my favorite yet.

High: walking through the redwoods and just being in awe of how giant they actually were

Low: when I was climbing inside the famous corkscrew tree, I fell out of it

Day 6

Today might have been the easiest one so far. We drove about 5 hours again so we spent most of the day in the car. We drove from Beaverton, Oregon to Forks, Washington. 

The goal for today was get to Olympic National Park. Our first stop was to go to Cannon Beach in Oregon. This was beautiful. There were giants rocks out on the beach and the pictures that we took did not do justice. We walked around the beach for a little bit and there were a lot of tide pools so we tried to find some starfish and we were able to find a couple. 

After Cannon Beach we drove up the coast and made it to Olympic. This was a really long drive but we made it fun in our own little ways. Along the pacific coast highway in Washington, we stopped at a couple beaches, went on little hikes and took some pretty amazing pictures. We stopped at beach 2,3, and Ruby Beach. All had amazing views. On our way to our hotel we stopped to eat in Forks, Washington. I took a picture of where we were eating and put the location on it and I had some friends message me and tell me to watch out for vampires...I was very confused by this. I quickly learned that some of Twilight was filmed here and the whole plot was based off of Forks. So being touristy, my mom and I looked up famous buildings in Forks based off of the movie and we drove around and took pictures of these spots. It was so much fun. We actually learned that we are staying the night in Forks, so hopefully no vampires get us tonight while we are sleeping away. Today wasn’t entirely busy but it was super fun and fulfilling. The hotel we are staying in is like a 1980’s apartment according to my parents. It’s a good switch up compared to the nice hotels we have been staying in. I can’t wait to close my eyes and go to sleep.

High: finding out that some of Twilight was filmed here, and then driving around to take pictures of these buildings. I don’t know anything about Twilight but think that it’s so cool this small town is kinda famous. 

Low: feeling extra tired from the night before, and I was just extra hungry all day too

Day 7

Today we got our day started on a high note. My mom rarely wanted to see the tide pools. So we drove to La Push, which is in Indiana Reservation and found a hike down to the beach. The hike was pretty easy and was about a half mile. Once we got there it was beautiful. There were giant rocks everyone and it was low tide so we could walk all over the place. 

We walked out to the largest rock and there were so many jellyfish. We probably saw a couple hundred. Purple, orange, red, and yellow were the colors that we were able to see. We spent about an hour and half out there. We were also able to snap some really cool pictures. 

We are currently driving to the Hoh Rain Forest, apparently one of the scenes from Twilight was filmed in a meadow up there. We stopped to grab some coffee at a little shack in La Push. Out West there are little coffee shops everywhere with two little drive throughs. I wish they had little shops like that in the Midwest. While we were waiting for the lady to make our drinks she asked us where we were heading and told us that the meadow scene from Twilight was filmed at the Hoh Rain Forest. I hope we see it so I can take some pictures and share them with all my friends who actually care about Twilight! Oh, and fun fact, the radio station out here is called the Twilight. 

Now, we are back in the car after our excursion at the Hoh Rain Forest. While we were there we did two hikes. The hall of moss and the spruce loop. Both hikes were easy, but a lot of fun to do with the family. I actually didn’t know there were Rain forests in the United States, so seeing one was cool. The moss that was hanging off the trees were so beautiful. 

I don’t think I have shared this yet, but one of the things our family does on vacation is buy stickers from all of the places that we got to see and we put them on our big water bottles that we carry around. This is so much fun because it makes your water bottle look cool and it’s a cheap way to get souvenirs. I would strongly recommend trying something like that.

We are currently on our way to Quinault where we plan on spending the rest of the day. I can’t believe that we leave tomorrow. This trip has been amazing and has flown by by!

Once we got to the hotel, we checked the place out, walked around and went to some stores. This hotel is super old but really nice. It is a lodge right on the lake. It was rebuilt in 1926. It’s almost 100 years old! We made dinner reservations at 7 at the restaurant that was right in the lodge. I really don’t know why they tried to tell us to make reservations there because it was the most over priced average dinner I have ever ate. It was good, don’t get me wrong, just over priced. Before dinner we drove around the park a little bit and we tried to find some elk, but we failed. Then we found a water fall and it was beautiful. 

My dad and I finally got to watch some basketball tonight for a little bit and that was really fun. After the game, I went and walked around the lake with my mom. The lake looked so mysterious with the clouds, fog, and darkness coming in. Now we are in all bed and about to go to sleep. We are leaving tomorrow morning to head to Seattle so we can fly home.

High: staying at this lodge. It was nice to be at one place for a couple of hours and not have to drive extremely far. Plus it’s old and beautiful.

Low: this being the last night of vacation is really sad, but I’m excited to get home and begin the next phase of life

Day 8

This morning was special. Since the lodge was so nice, we were all up in lodge this morning, reading and having quite time before 6:15. It was early but one of the most special moments of the trip. We left for Seattle at 7 to head to the airport. Along the way, we stopped and ate breakfast in Olympia. I broke my intermittent fasting this morning so i wasn’t cranky while we traveled today. Once we were at the airport, mom, dad, and Jack all had some innocent issues at security per usual. It was funny though! Then we sat by our gate, were able to upgrade to exit row, and got some lunch from this place called Ever Green. 

Once we got on the plane I was overjoyed when I saw that I had the exit row seat with no chair in front of me. No seat in an airplane is better than this one for my tall self. So far on the plane I watched Creed II, Aquaman, and The Upside. All great movies that had me pretty emotional. 

I’m excited to land and get our bags and ride in our own vehicle again. Getting home tonight will be a great feeling because I will not have to be grossed out by germs and I will be able to walk around barefoot! As soon as we land in Detroit, we have about a two hour drive home and when I wake up in the morning it is back to reality!

High: quiet time in the lodge this morning and this awesome exit row seat 

Low: traveling germs

The city of God

I have been on vacation the past week with my family and when you go places like National Parks, you don’t have phone service most of the time. You don’t have it at your destination and you usually don’t have it on the way there either. (Depending on your drive)

I haven’t been the best about having my Jesus time while we have been gone. Half the days I woke up early just to work out, the other half I woke up intentionally to spend time in the word and journaling. When we were in Beaverton, Oregon a couple days ago I read through a passage in Revelation about the city of God. I wanted to share the passage with you a couple days ago but just i didn’t have the time to squeeze it in.

This passage about the city of God sounds majestic as you read through it. I just want you to read it, and really let it soak in. There are a couple of things I want you to realize as you read through it. The city of God will be 1,400 miles in length, width, and height. That is like half of the United States. Another thing, if you put your trust in Christ, your will enter the city of God some day. When you make that decision your name is in the book of life. Lastly, what we will actually see and get to experience the city of God, it will defy our human expectations. Which is amazing because the description in Revelation chapter 21 blows me away enough.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it is wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 1,400 miles in length, and as in width and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jack the, then the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are it’s temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor to it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought back into it. Nothing impure will enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:15-27)

This is such a stunning description of the new city of God. Be excited, be hopeful, and share Jesus with people so they get to experience this wonderful, description defying city as well.

Dear Mom...

Dear Mom,

Happy Mother's Day. Today is your day, along with all of the other wonderful mothers out there in the world. I could think of no other better way to make you feel special on your special day than by dedicating a blog post to you. I know that your love language is words of affirmation so this is the perfect way to show my appreciation and love for you.

I really don't know where to start. I obviously want to thank you for being the best mom in the world but there are so many amazing moms. As much as this post is all about appreciation for you, it's also for all of the other wonders mothers. I have been blessed to have other moms play a motherly role in my life as well. So this is also a post for them.

The earliestr memories I have about you mom is your work ethic. When Jack and I were little I remember spending a lot of time at grandma and grandpas because you and dad were at work and you were getting your Masters I believe. Like I said, that was a long time ago. I remember when you would come pick us up every afternoon after work and you would be joyful, energized and excited to pick us up. I didn't understand the strength that took when I was little, but when I sit here and write this it shows how strong willed you are.

Fast forward a few years and I begin playing sports. When you and dad first began taking us to parks and recreation sports you probably didn't realize what you were getting yourselves into. I remember you being so proud of how I would do, and you taught me humility. No matter how good or bad I did you were always encouraging to me. No matter if we won or lost, I knew that you wouldn't be upset. Parks and recreation was just a breeze compared to what was coming next.

But before we go to what happens next...let's forget you homeschooled me until 5th grade. You worked and you were my teacher. It was the best. A lot of the things that I learned when I was growing up was because of what you and dad had taught me. You guys made schooling fun. Even though I had to opportunity to be done with my school work before noon everyday, you made sure that Jack and I were active. You didn't let us be lazy. At a young age you helped me build healthy active habits.

In 5th grade it was time for me to go to public school. This is also the year when travel basketball, baseball, and soccer started. I will never forget all of the trips to practices and games in our old mini van of which my mom drove it like a boss. My mom was such a great sport through all of this and she probably didn't think she would be driving to games until I was 22. I was so thankful for all of the fun trips that we had to games back then. We ate so much fast-food because it was cheap, fast, and filled us up. Plus that was the age where I could absolutely smash McDonald's and it wouldn't affect me at all.

When jr. high began and I started to grow up I was beginning to hang out away from home more often. I was starting to get to the age where I would go to my friends houses to hang out and what I would hear from them was different than what I was used to at home. People are different and I was beginning to learn that at a young age. So now that I was around other people I began to want to sometimes do things differently than my parents would've wanted me to. This led to me disobeying my parents and the rules that they had for me.

I remember thinking that my parents were so strict because it seemed like they didn't want me to do anything. I used to get so mad about it. Nothing ever seemed like it was fair for me. A lot of those thoughts came because I was young and immature.

I remember being 13 and I still couldn't waited PG-13 movies. When I first got a phone in 8th grade they returned it. I had to put my phone on the kitchen counter every night until I was 18. My curfew always seemed to be earlier than everyones. Every time I had a grade below an 80 they took my phone. I don't share those for a pity party, I share those things because although it sucked, those things paid off in the way that they raised me. Every time I look back, I am so thankful for how strict they were.

The crazy thing is, it wasn't like I was a bad kid. I wasn't getting in trouble for crazy things, what got me in the most trouble was when I would lie about something.

High school. I couldn't believe I was already in high school. I loved how my mom prepared me for it. I was confident going into high school because of the way she and my dad had raised me. In high school things got even more busy. This is when AAU basketball took over our Spring's and Summer's. My mom really showed her superhero powers throughout my high school years. The love, the support, the prayers, the driving, etc. She did it all.

In high school was when I really saw the love that my mom had for Jesus first hand. Every night when I would walk up the stairs to go to bed, I would see her reading her Bible and journaling. There were so many times where I would walk by her and wonder how and the world she was able to read it every night. In high school I was't good at picking up my Bible and reading it but I was still motivated from watching my mom do it. It is amazing how one little thing can stick out when she was amazing at doing everything.

One of the greatest things I appreciated about mom when I was in high school is that she encouraged me to make my faith my own and not just based off of hers. She wasn't forcing me to read or do devotions, she was always encouraging me. If I would've been forced to do any of those things I wouldn't be the man that I am today.

Now high school wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. There were times were I lied and I got in big trouble. There were two things that stick out to me when I think about the times I have gotten in trouble. The very worst thing to ever hear is when your mom tells you that she is disappointed in you. Of all the things that anyone could ever say to me, there is nothing that makes me more sad than that. Looking at it from her eyes, I would've been disappointed in myself as well. The other thing that comes to mind when I would get in trouble is the kitchen counter. At our house, as soon as you walk through the garage and the laundry room, you open the door and there is the kitchen. When I knew I was in trouble and had to come home, there was nothing more terrifying then my mom sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for me. I say that out of humor because looking back at it, I laugh and I am sure that she will too when she reads this.

I will never forget when I was a junior in high school and I lied about what I was doing after a basketball game and my mom and dad found out. All I went to do was hang out with a girl and was too scared to ask so I lied and I disobeyed them. This was the second time I had lied about something in like a time frame of two months so they had enough of it. As a junior I was starting to make a name for myself on the court. My parents were so mad, I wasn't allowed to hang out with any friends and I couldn't drive anywhere for like 3 weeks. I remember getting dropped off at school by my mom everyday while all my friends got to drive. Getting picked up from basketball practice was so embarrassing because all my friends would walk straight to their cars. But I learned my lesson. I learned to admit when I was wrong and when I disobeyed my parents. Because of what I learned from that, I have no problem ever admitting when I am wrong about something and I screw up. That has been one of the most valuable things that I have learned from my mom and obviously my dad as well.

College. I was moving away to Mishawaka, IN to attend Bethel College. (Bethel University) I was ready for this stage in my life. It was so exciting for me. It didn't seem real that I was moving away from home. I could write a book about this part but I will try to keep it short. When I think about my four years at college, I got closer and closer to my mom as I got older. Right now we are closer than ever. This year, I made more phone calls home than I have made throughout my first three years. I think the key to all of that happening was really being open and honest with them about some of the things I was going through and realizing my parents were not only my parents but my best friends. I was finally opening up about so many things. I have never been good about sharing the details of everything with my mom and I am sure if you asked her and would tell you the same thing. It used to take a lot for my mom to get information out of me and now it just flows naturally.

I couldn't be more thankful for all the driving they have done all over the Midwest for my basketball games. I think in my four year they might have missed no more than 5 games. There was nothing better than being able to run out on the floor for a game and see your family sitting up in the same spot night after night. This past year, they didn't miss a single game.

Mom, I hope that this all made sense to you. You have been everything I could have ever dreamed and prayed for in a mother. You loved me when I made you proud and you loved me when I disappointed you. You have taught me more things about life than you will ever understand. You motivate me, inspire me, and make me want to be a better person everyday. The love you have for people is exactly what Jesus wants from us everyday. So many of my traits come from you. Love for people, love for missions, love of life, and love of relationships. You truly show love like Jesus in all that you do. I am so proud of you as well. The mission work you have done in Toledo and oversees is inspiring. You showed me that people right here in our backyard need to be shown the love of Jesus just as much as those oversees. You are loved by so many. My friends think you're awesome and when they get to meet you they tell me all about it. I couldn't be more blessed to have you as a mother. You are amazing because you love Jesus most. Your love for Jesus and your relationship with Christ is what makes you so special and such a delight to everyone who knows you. There is really no secret it that. I have seen the love of Jesus pour out of you from day 1 up until now. I love you mom.

Now I hope this post made sense to you and wasn't all over the place. I rapidly tried to write about my entire life and how awesome my mom has been in only a couple hundred words. I hope you enjoyed it.

To the moms who have been like as second mom...I appreciate you all so greatly. The love you have shown someone who isn't even your real son has been inspiring to me. Thank you for all of the encouragement. The food, goodies, snacks, meals, and everything you have done for me. Moms are awesome. There is something special about the heart of a mom that only mothers will understand, but to get a taste of it everyday is something that I will always cherish.

Moms you rock...

With love,

Anonymous messages

If you are into social media or keep up with it on a daily basis you may have seen the new snap chat feature. This new feature allows people to send you anonymous messages. Meaning you are bound to receive messages from people who are too scared to say something to you and most likely don't have the character to say something to your face. This new feature gives users the ability to feel loved and accepted because they are having messages sent to them.

To me, this is frustrating. Have we really gotten to the point where we have to send anonymous messages to people? Have we really gotten to the point where we are going to be satisfied because we are having these messages sent to us?

There are things that are so wrong about this that frustrate me. It's sad to me that we have to rely on social media platforms for satisfaction and inclusion. What happened to saying things face to face? When did it get to the point where feeling loved and like you're apart of something shift to social media? We heavily rely way too much on social media for affirmation.

This whole idea of anonymous messages makes sense. Same with the Instagram feature where you can have people ask you questions. As humans, dopamine is released in our brains when we see activity on our social media platforms. When we see those red notification numbers pop up, we naturally get excited because we know that somebody is thinking about us. For some, that feeling may be stronger than others. I could have a bunch of red notifications popping up and it really doesn't get me that excited. But I know for others as soon as they see it they have to check it out. The bottom line to this dopamine thing is that we are human and we like to be noticed and talked about.

Most of the time we know where our notifications are coming from. We get notifications that tell us so and so liked you pic. Or so and so sent you a message. We get excited about that. Think about how much more dopamine is triggered when you get the anonymous notification. You see that someone said something to you that was flattering but you don't know who it is so you want that more. You want to see what people think about you because we as humans like that sort of thing.

This post isn't me ranting about how things have shifted in our world. It's not me being mad at the people who have done this. It's a fun and creative idea from these social media giants. This post is more so a challenge and it's something to keep you aware of what is going on around you.

The challenge I have for you is to affirm somebody in person today. Tell someone that you see one thing that you have always wanted to say to them. Or complement them on their outfit or something like that. Try saying things in person to someone without coping out and doing it a weird way. Shift your focus from your screen to somebody's eyes. This really isn't that hard. One person a day for a week. Just say one nice thing to them. Before you know it you will be saying nice things to everyone. When this happens it is a win for both sides. You are showing that you are not afraid to share your feelings and the other person doesn't have to look for affirmation from social media. When you don't have to spend time on social media searching for a feeling of being wanted you save time. Time is the most valuable thing that you have to offer. I encourage you. Accept the challenge and watch your life change.

Secondly, I want you to be aware of what is going on here. I hope the first couple paragraphs of this informed you well. People are looking to social media for words of affirmation and people are becoming too scared to share things face to face. This has gotten so out of hand that you can anonymously do this now and it breaks my heart.

My friends, change someones life today because of something you looked into their eyes and told them. There is no better way to show someone that you love and care for them then looking into their eyes and saying something meaningful.

Affirmation is something that means a lot to me because it is my top love language. I am not sure if you have taken the love languages test before but I would really recommend it. Affirmation is so important to me. I feel like I matter and am important when people affirm me and say something positive. There is just no better way to make me feel loved than kind words. Not everyones has the same love language, but a kind word or two could change somebody's day.

Stop it with this anonymous stuff and show that you truly care for someone by looking them in their eyes or picking up the phone and telling them. It'll make a world of difference.

You have more to give

This morning I decided to go for a run around the block. In Fulton county all the roads are square miles. The roads from East to West are numbered 1-27 and the roads that run from North to South are lettered A-K. It's a unique set up for sure. So a run for me around the block is 4 miles.

Back in middle school, we used to have to do the presidential fitness challenge. One of the activities that had to be completed was the mile run. I remember it being 7th grade and we got on the bus and drove out to Goll Woods to run the mile. When I was a 7th grader I started to become more and more competitive. So riding out to run, I wanted to run a fast time. I wanted to run the mile in under 6 minutes because all of my fast friends had done that. Plus, it was like bragging rights. Everybody loved to talk about each others times. I hated to see people running faster than me that I thought shouldn't. So when we began our mile I started to book it. I was flying past people and was in a solid rhythm. The fastest kids in the class were still kicking my butt because I am not that fast. But I was doing good and I was happy with how I was running. I remember being about 3/4 of the way finished and my legs were dead tired but I knew that I had more to give.

I was at a point where I knew there was more to give, but I could still be satisfied where I was at. I had to make a decision in my head if I wanted to really push myself and be great, or just be happy with being good.

I decided that I wanted to be great. So I sucked it up and ran my hardest the last quarter mile and finished under 6 minutes and that was my goal. That ins't an incredibly fast mile, but remember...7th grade me wasn't that much of an athlete.

I remember crossing the finish line and I was so dead tired, but there was a feeling in me that felt so accomplished. It was the type of feeling you get after any solid workout. Riding the bus back to school I remember thinking to myself that I figured out the secret to being great at something.

That secret was pushing myself harder than I thought my body could go.

Why did I bring up that story? On my run this morning, one of the roads that I ran on was where I ran that mile and remembered pushing myself harder than I thought I could ever go. It was a trip down memory lane and a perfect reminder to me that you can achieve success in all that you do.

Running that mile back in 7th grade taught me one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned about myself. In everything I do, I do just a little bit more than I have to because I know that I always have more in me. Whether it is going for a run and finishing the run at a full out sprint, lifting more weight than I thought I could, reading an extra chapter of a book that I love, or writing a blog post when I had already done one for the day, I know that there is always more to give.

Whatever you do in your life you have the chance to do more than you think. This also correlates to success.

To me, success isn't setting a goal and accomplishing it. Yeah, that is great and everything..but you'll never be satisfied if you just keep having to set more goals everyday for yourself to accomplish. Success to me is giving yourself the opportunity to grow everyday. Success is finding joy in the process. If you look at success that way, you have the amazing opportunity to be successful everyday. Why? If you are giving yourself the chance to grow, you are providing yourself with the chance to succeed.

I encourage you to dig deep down and realize that you have more to give. There is always more to give my friends. When you channel that in your mind, the sky is the limit. Think about the possibilities you will have when you are pushing yourself extra hard in all that you do and when you combine that with growing everyday the amount of success you'll experience is unprecedented.

You always have more to give...

Lead me into the desert

If you asked me a year ago, I would've told you that it would've been ideal for me to be starting my career as soon as I gradated. If you would've asked me 6 months ago, I would've told you the same thing. If you would've asked me 2 months ago I would still have given you the exact answer. Today my answer changed.

Why did it change today?

In Revelation chapter 17, an angel led John into a desert so that he was able to get a glimpse of what reality really looked like.

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. (Revelation 17:3)

The angel took John into the desert to see the prostitute in her reality. Sometimes we can only get a clear view of reality when we step back from our daily lives and see the patterns of evil and sin around us. Retreats, conferences, and days of prayer and fasting can help us extricate ourselves from jobs, social media, and Netflix and bring us to new spiritual heights. We need to take time to view the reality of our lives and evaluate its direction and activities. We must do this to make sure that these glorify God and renew ourselves to serve others.

I came to the realization that not starting a job right away was okay because I needed time for myself.  I need time to breath. I need time to relax. I need time to recover from the past four years. I need time to build healthy habits with a brand new schedule. When it comes down to it, this season of life for me is needed.

I'm fortunate to be in the spot where I am when it comes to my offers and the other businesses where I am in the interview process. I couldn't be more excited to get that figured out. This season of life is a great time for me to really evaluate my options and see what company I can be a part of that will get the very best out of me.

I am thankful for a this time because I get a chance to really pray and seek the Lord for guidance. To be in a season where I don't know what is next is perfect for me because I can better myself and prepare my heart and mind for my future career.

So am I sad that I am not starting my career this week? Absolutely not. God has led me back home (desert) for the month of May to help me get a better view of reality. I could not be more thankful for where I am at right now in my life.

Sufficient Grounds

Sufficient - enough; adequate

Ground - the solid surface of the earth; an area of the land or sea used for a special purpose

Sufficient grounds is the coffee shop on campus. It's one of the only places where you can hang out with the opposite genders on campus which makes it a popular destination. SG is about a 5 minute walk from my building which isn't bad at all. This year I have written nearly every post in here. It's such a great spot because you can get coffee and have a comfortable location to work on whatever you want too. Sometimes it gets a little rowdy in here because that seems to be the purpose of a place like this. It's an adequate space used for a special purpose.

I could sit and write this post to give SG a good write up and good publicity but that isn't the point. As important as it is for a school like Bethel to have a place like SG, it is just as important for you have an adequate space used for a special purpose.

Humans thrive in locations where they're comfortable. I thrive in SG because I spend so much time here. I have written hundreds of posts, had tough conversations, and some of the best conversations throughout my college experience at SG. It's been a place that has been extremely important to the growth that I have experienced the past four years. SG will always be a place that I had near and dear to my heart.

Every morning when I walk into SG I am confident that I am about to get a lot of work done because of how comfortable I am here. I know that something significant will happen every time I walk through the doors. Yesterday evening I was sitting in here writing some cards and a really close friend of mine from church walked in and I had not seen her in at least 6 months. We were able to sit down and catch up for quite some time because SG is a place for that.

It's so important to have an adequate place in your life that you use for a special purpose. I can't stress how important that is for growth in all areas of life. What is your SG? Do you have a place where you can go and be comfortable in and put yourself in situations where you can have a conversation with anybody who walks through the door? I encourage you to find that place and then start spending some time there. For introverts out there, this could be a place in your house. Put together a little room or corner in a room where you can really be set free of all distortions that are out there. Find that spot where you can grow and be you. If something like this is new to you, don't feel like you have to go everyday. I haven't been coming to SG every day for four years. It starts by coming a couple times a week and progressively increasing that number. That is how it was for me, I would come a couple times a week and now in my fourth year, I walk through the doors everyday a couple of times.

A big secret in becoming who you want to be in finding a place that is adequate for a special purpose. I pray you find it. It's powerful to have a special place to go to. When you find your spot, think about the limitless opportunities. Think about the books you will read, the journals you will write, the people you will meet, and the relationships you will build.

Find your adequate space that can be used for a special purpose and watch your life change. I promise.