I'm excited...

Here are the things going on lately in my life...

Continuing relationship towards marriage with my Jenny Penny, my sister moving to Spain for 4 months, my roommate working on helicopters overseas for another year, my first car accident, work changes, friends' relationships, finally getting a cell phone, the Cleveland Indians sucking big time, future changes, and God's peace in my life.

Jen and I are doing wonderfully. Okay, now that's the broad statement of our relationship. Now what does that mean exactly? Well, I'll let you in on a secret... no relationship is perfect. I'm stubborn and she's stubborn. I expect one thing, and she expects another thing. That's just the way it is with two relatively selfish people coming together to learn and grow with each other while on a path towards marriage. Knowing boundaries and keeping them is something that is just so difficult, sometimes we question why God wants us to obey Him. But we think about it, and realize how we are just His creation and have no right to decide that our way is better than His. My relationship with Jen is not a two-person relationship...it's a three-person one... me, her, and Jesus. And Jesus is what holds us together. That doesn't mean that whenever we get into an argument or a disagreement or miscommunication that we just say a prayer and it's all fixed. No way. Jesus wants us to work at being better communicators, better servants to one another, better at putting ourselves in each others' shoes and understanding each other. If we want this relationship to last, we have to look at it from God's perspective and realize that when we are selfish and stubborn and sinful, the relationship will go nowhere. So yeah... Jen and I are doing wonderful!!! And I'm excited about the future.

My sister moved to Spain almost a month ago to study abroad for her Spanish major. I can't say that I have any idea of what it is like for her over there seeing as how the furthest I've been outside of the US is the Canadian-side of Niagra Falls and that's it. This is a weird change on our family as she has been close to home her whole life. From that going to Spain in just a handful of hours on a plane, it's quite a big leap. But thank the Lord for the technology that we have in the internet and she's actually been able to talk on Google talk to family and friends back home! Even though she has been having a great time while also missing home at the same time, she knows that God is the only one who will allow her to feel a comfort of being at home in God's arms no matter what country she is in. And I'm excited about her future.

My best friend Dave decided to take a civilian job as a helicopter mechanic and go back overseas for another year to either Kuwait, Iraq, or Afghanistan. He flies out of Texas on Sunday and it will be difficult to be without him again for another year. He has brought so much joy in my life as well as being challenged on my own views about God's world and my opinions about them. This job overseas will be a great opportunity for him for his future with teaching and provide stability in many areas that he was unsure about. He knows that God will use him while he is over there and when he gets back too. And I'm excited about his future.

My first car accident was just crappy. I was looking in my rear-view mirror for too long while driving and saw a car stopped waiting to turn left in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and slid into them, rear-ending them. There was little damage to our cars, mostly just pushed-in bumpers. At the scene, they seemed like nice people and no one was hurt and they were understanding about the fact that "accidents happen." But the next week I get a phone call from the insurance company telling me that they are now reporting injuries. I was very thankful that I had the insurance to cover anything that might have happened. However, I have been getting more calls from the insurance company and they are still trying to settle disputes. This could be anything... maybe people trying to be greedy and get free money from the insurance company, but I just don't know right now. And I'm excited for this to be over.

I'm very thankful that I just got a new position at my work that will secure my job for a year until next August, so this accident couldn't have come at a better time because of my paycheck now coming in consistent amounts. This position will be good for my resume and getting into grad school and I know that God has provided for me. And I am excited about the future at work.
It also seems like so many relationships out there are not the way that I want to see them being developed. I am always saying, "why are they doing that?" My problem is that I want to control other people's relationships but I know that God is telling me to just trust Him and know that He is in control. I have to continually tell myself that I have no control over other people's relationships and that I need to pray more instead of saying "why?" all the time. I know that God is bigger than I think He is. And I am excited about the fact that He is in control of things bigger than myself.

I have finally got myself a cell phone, and I must say that I'm still not used to it. It's been over two months now! Haha, I have to admit that it's really nice to get ahold of people whenever I need to and I don't have to come home to get my messages. I'm not just using the phone either, I'm also using the scheduler and the to-do list and making my life much more organized! I finally have all my notes and dates in one little hi-tech device! I have finally caught up to where I wish I was years ago! And I'm excited about how my organization will benefit from these new resources.

My Cleveland Indians have been doing very crappy. I'll just leave it at that. And I'm excited for next season to begin.

The future holds a lot of changes. I know with my continual service to God, the church, my community, my girlfriend, my friends, my family, my coworkers and also all the strangers out there, a humble heart will get me through. Putting God first is certainly the answer to all of life's hard questions, but it's not without hard work, the desire to run away from the crap, and seek after what is holy. The Lord is our shepherd and we should be knowing that He takes care of us and leads us, and even though we have the freedom to run away from the flock, that's just our own pride getting in the way of something that can be so great.

I want to be the one who is joyful even through the pain and crap that unfortunately happens in these sinful lives of ours. And I'm excited that I've found the joy and peace that is Christ.