This week on March 4th, Alex and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. It blows me away to think of all that has happened in these fifteen years, but even more so the life that has transpired this last year alone. In March of 2019, two very distinctive events took place that shaped me very personally in almost opposite ways, both of which had a domino effect in different aspects of my relationship with God. It is still a mystery to me how these two facets of my faith journey could coexist, but I think that God may begin to illuminate the darkness as I walk out this new blog project, which officially began on Thursday, February 27th, 2020.
The first event I referenced was the final personal training session I took with a trainer at my gym. The short version of its impact can be described as a motivational call upon my own self will to take over my physical health journey. This included setting personal fitness goals that would not only help me maintain my over 100-pound weight loss, but continue to improve on my strength and stamina.
The second event was a short term mission trip to Peru at the end of March. My first solo-led mission since 2012, as well as my first solo-led Peru team ever, this crew represented a unique take on missions in general, in that it gathered a group of teenage ballerinas who unreservedly shared their love for Jesus through dance and witnessed Godβs glory in bringing souls to Him through their obedience. Such a monumental trip to me, the effects not only took me by surprise, but they also had and continue to have far reaching ramifications that are only beginning to become evident.
Yes, I am intentionally vague on both events, as their results continue to spiral through my mind while I attempt to find the right words to convey their meaning. I stopped writing back in September of 2018 thinking I was tapped out. Certainly, a great many meaningful experiences have occurred since then and clearly given me a feast of food for thought, now overflowing into this new blog project. But also, I am compelled to write in order to make sense of these events, how they have changed me and how such changes have affected those closest to me. My family and closest friends may not yet recognize how these powerful moments in my life have also influenced them, in some positive and some negative ways as well.
To make space for my thoughts, I am clearing some mental clutter, which takes the form of phone games. Yep. Itβs an addiction that must have boundaries. So I am limiting my gaming to Mondays, as it has actually become a family affair that my children sometimes enjoy with me. There may be a few other mental cobwebs that need clearing as the months progress, but we shall see. For now the plan is this: 7 months, 27 blog posts, culminating on September 27th, my 42nd birthday. And so it beginsβ¦
The Art of Choosing True Life 