Here We Go Again

2 years ago I contemplated this crazy idea of riding my bicycle across the United States. And at the time I couldn't even say "my bicycle" because I didn't have a road bike. $5,000 needed to be raised and just the thought of doing something like this blew me far outside my panic zone.

2012 Just+Hope NYC

I was encouraged by many and support came in. GOD PROVIDES. I began my cross country trek. Before I had even finished I discovered within my soul a passion for physical sacrifice and the want to inspire and be inspired through meeting communities to rally and bring bodies together to help countless others near and far. Because of this discovery I had also decided that I was already going to do another cross country tour.

2013 Across America Team Rockaway Beach, NY

My second time across God taught me incredible things about community and began to introduce the concept of "unconditional love". Seeing people from my past tour and continuing to impact and be impacted by many. Sometimes I can't believe my life, honestly. Straight up, Gods got His plans of refinement and growing pains. It is incredible to witness and be witnessed within this discovery process.

And now I am about to begin my 3rd bike tour. This time it is much different. 10 days VS 8 weeks. 11 people. Riding down the coast of California for Restore International. Our tour name: LOVE DOES. Some of these teammates I know and some I do not. I am not fully funded yet, but God is good and He will provided abundantly. I know it for a fact! 

From the time before I new my identity in Christ to a year after re-devotion, I couldn't comprehend how incredible Gods plans have been not only for me but for many others. In the time before I moved to California to the year following, again, I can't comprehend! From before I went to South Africa to after I went the second time, mind blown of who God is and how much my soul yearns to know more and more and devote more of my life to serving Him. And from the time that I first got on my saddle to begin my first 3500 mile trek across the United States to about to begin my 3rd tour with Venture Expeditions, there is no denying that God is Good, all the time! 

Even with being diagnosed with depression, high stress jobs and seasons with people. God has placed it all with in these adventures to continue to show and teach me that regardless, He is faithful. Through bitter loss, and attack, He is faithful. Through finance struggles and loss of direction. He. Is. Faithful

Praise God! From whom all blessing flow!

Here WE go again. Because you continue to ride along side me in this journey. Your support, prayer and encouragement continue to blow my heart and mind away. I couldn't think of a better way to travel!

Thank you again for all that you do! 

2 days after my wreck in NJ, 2013

Prayer needs:

-Funding: $1400 still needed to reach my goal of $3400

-Safety for our team

-Our community and the communities we will be riding through to share our campaign with.


-Keep Adventuring!

Safety First...For Serious (Part 3)

People ask me what my highlights were from my course in Wyoming. Instantly my mind floods with ambition to determine how much time I have to speak and which specific highlights I think about most often VS depth filled moments VS views VS insights. One story that I never leave out is the couple days upon our second excursion to the Teton Wilderness.

Let me remind you that our time in The Voo (See my previous entry) was rather structured yet unstructured. We had a plan and we stuck to it pretty spot on. As soon as we left Laramie to head 6 hours North West, God through our plans out the window. We reached the road we would drive 6 miles to the trail head and camp the night before hiking into the abyss for 10-ish days. We drove about 2 of those 6 miles and found that there was a lovely gate we weren't expecting. After talking to Leslie and her husband Bob outside of their cabin near the gate, who thought we were just some random kids wandering in the woods about to be slayed by Grizzly bears,  we headed back to town to figure a plan out.

Bear School Kev-Kev

We prayed that Gods will be done and that we would seek Him through it all, seeing that He clearly knew what was needed and what He wanted to do was communicate. So after going through some "Bear school" to learn more about how to shoot bear spray and react if a Grizzly bear were to attack or approach our team. After all we were heading into Category 1 Bear country.

We were thinking about pitching our tents right in the nice grass of the US Forest Service but thought perhaps that wouldn't build the best relationship with them. A thought struck my head and my heart that said, "Malinda"! Not just some random name, but the name of a lovely woman who worked at the gas station we had stopped at close to the road with the closed gate. My mind instantly went into Bike tour mode and I told the team we should ask Malinda if we can camp behind the gas station. We hopped into the van with our bear spray and headed back to the gas station. 

Jay hopped out and luckily Malinda hadn't left yet. The gas station was closing for the evening but Jay found her before she left. Now to understand Jay better, you honestly can't always tell what's on his mind or what's happening with him because his composure if priceless. He came back to the van and told us that he had an update for us. We waited intently while he pulled out patience thin and said, "Malinda said we could stay at her church!" 

We followed her to down town Du Boise, WY. and pulled in near her church. She ran in to see that everything was good to go. She came back out and said that she had bad news. That we couldn't stay in the church because there was a cycling team staying there as well... WHAT?! Is this real life?! Awesome. The good news was she still let us stay but we pitched our tents in the back yard of the church and then went over and debriefed the first part of course over some very needed burgers. Bliss.

The next morning we felt ambitious and headed back to the road with the gate that was still closed and decided to hike the 7 miles we needed to get to the Continental Divide. Reason being we only had permits to camp across the Divide, so either way we needed to get there. We hiked the 4 miles on a dirt road to Brooks Lodge to the "trail head" and stopped to use a real bathroom one last time in the 1920 built rustic, STUNNING, lodge. 

We hit the trail and as soon as we got to the bottom of the hill near the lake, of course, it began to rain. So we started taking our 70+ lbs packs off to grab rain gear. Now when you're in category 1 bear country, not only is it protocol to have the safety on your bear spray off at all times, ready to shoot. You must also be on top of "bear calls"... We spent the next 10-ish days yelling "Hey Bear"! You can imagine we became creative.

Nikki's eyeball on FIRE!

Jay took his pack off to put on his rain jacket and his pack fell on his bear spray which then caused it to barely spritz. But the spritz that came out went into Nikki's eye. We spent the next 10 minutes flushing her eye out. The reason? Bear spray is 10 times more potent than normal pepper spray.

We encountered more storms, more rainbows and again our minds were blown by the terrain and the views. We began hiking at 9am-ish and made it to Brooks Lodge by around 1pm. From Brooks Lake to The Divide it was 3 miles. We arrived at our destination literally on the other side of The Divide at around 9pm. Because of the time of year that we were hiking in Wyoming, there was still a lot of snow but there was also a lot of mud. so that created ankle deep marshes and thigh deep snow every couple hundred feet.

By the time we made it to where we could set up camp we had set up our tents just in time before the rain began. God's good like that. 

So we had been thinking about food for hours and couldn't wait to cook some good hardy beans and rice in the rain. Then the lightning and thunder set in and we settled for a handful of trail mix so that we could just go to bed. We carried our food bags down to the bear hang areas so that the food wasn't near us to deter Grizzlys. So we headed a little ways down and across a creek. Yelling, "Hey Bear"! the entire time. As we took the bags off our bodies to secure them for the night, I took a bag off my back and it landed on the bear spray that had its safety off in my pocket. There was a long loud spray noise and we all dispersed...

This night just got better, right? Luckily no one got a direct hit. We all just were consumed in the cloud of bear spray. Nikki was hit for the second time in less than 12 hours and Kevin shouted saying that it felt like someone had rubbed a jalapeno into the side of his lip.

The direct hit went all over my had. My head lamp looked down at my left hand and it was doused in orange liquid. The force of the jet stream caused it to shoot up my jackets all the way up to my elbow. We got soap quickly and I tried to wash it off in snow...My hands were on fire for the next 3 days. Let me remind you that this was the first night of our 10 day back packing excursion...WOOF!

The next morning I washed my jackets the best I could and several days later was using my puffy jacket as a pillow on our solo time in tents and my face began to burn... I cussed pretty loudly in my head to say the least.

So moral? Even if you're in category 1 Bear Country, ALWAYS keep the safety on when you are on the WMPC Team 2 in June, 2014. Clearly we couldn't handle the responsibility. But luckily we never actually encountered Grizzlies... Directly at least.

The Storm (Part 2)

"Yet he did not waver through Unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God." Romans 4:20
"Immediately the boys father exclaimed, "I do believe; Help me overcome my unbelief!"- Mark 9:24
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall". Proverbs 16:18
"In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God".- Psalm 10:4
"Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice".- Proverbs 14:3

Let me paint you a picture...

Imagine eating dinner outside with your cooking group. As you begin to clean up and your instructor gives you a time to meet back up for this evenings teaching on "Pride and Unbelief", you turn behind you and square on you see this massive, gross, soaked black cloud. Literally it is about to burst with electricity and wetness.

Imagine our teams faces as we see it rolling toward us and begin to wonder how we will continue with this particular lesson. Jay, our instructor, tells us a few encounters with storms while we begin to "Bombproof" our kitchen/ eating location and begin to put on rain jackets. Jay begins to pray, hands up toward the storm and sky. "Lord Jesus, I pray that you would physically move this storm and completely move it from our vicinity. I pray that you would teach us and exemplify upon this teaching on Pride and Unbelief and provide a teaching and learning opportunity in your Holy, Holy name, Amen".

Jay and Olivia, in the middle of bomb proofing, don't budge but instead watch as the wind begins to pick up and the cloud bellows toward us. As students we begin to put on our rain jackets to prepare for the coming rain. However our teachers exemplify pure faith in being obedient to God in NOT putting their rain jackets on. We begin to lean against the wind on this flat slab of Granite and while this cloud bubbles and curdles, the lighting becomes more elegant and golden.

Now really begin to picture these details:
Off to the right you look and see that in all of the wind and darkness there are glory rays piercing through the clouds where there is a sunset beginning beyond this storm. Still straight in front of us is this very real storm, this conflict within our hearts clearly reflected upon the wind that God has provided for us to feel and feel Him stripping this unbelief away from us. This storm begins to sway to our left while it continues to break apart on the right. In front of us our hearts and minds are being blown to bits as we begin to worship and praise The Lord in the palm of His creation in His wild land of Wyoming. We are spread out and you look to your left, This storms darkness is now swaying more than ever to your left moving toward Cheyenne, Wyoming. In the darkest part of this repulsive feeling, in the middle of this raging storm you see a rainbow illuminating vertical limit. You fall to your knees because you know tangibly that God is very present in this moment. You thought at first that maybe, Just maybe it was by chance this storm began to move around us but when you see that ROY-G-BIV you can't control your knees and you fall, tears overflowing in awe.

Our team spread out experiencing our heavenly Father in the ways that He has called us to. The ways that He had planned this evening out long before we had even been in existence.

Then you remember seeing those glory rays and within all of this commotion, you almost forgot to look. Truthfully everyone had. We become so focused on the darker aspect of what our fate should have been. The lightning, the rain that didn't even spill a single drop upon us. We rip our eyes back to the right. "Jay!!! Look!!! Look at the Sunset! You're name! It is written"! You can't believe it, your team can't believe it but there it is, Jays name written in the clouds above the sunset. J-A-Y.

You begin to realize that God just took the lesson of Pride and Unbelief in His own hands and let Jay have the night off. Instead He overwhelmed Jay by answering above and beyond anything that we could have ever imagined. Who does that?! A loving Father. A Fathers love that is UNCONDITIONAL.

Can you imagine all of this? Can you believe it?...

He is jealous for me...And for you.

Believe it, because this really happened...

These Sights and Great Heights...Part 1

"The mountains are calling, and I must go".- John Muir

Left to right: Andrew, Olivia, Emily, Kevin, Bridget, Rachel, Daria

The mountains speak indeed but the words that come from them glorify God more fully than I had ever imagined. 

"God called me, so I went."- Me and many other faithful servants who follow God on the daily and sometimes it's not the direction we WANT to go, but God NEEDS us to go in. With this being said, I went to Laramie Wyoming not really knowing what I would be getting into.

Truthfully, It is very hard for me to even compartmentalize what happened in this last month of revival, growth and discovery in what God knew all along would happen.
So I have an idea. I feel like one long post wont do my experience justice or make an impact worth lasting. So I will be writing posts as segments of my course and specific highlights that impacted me and those who were on the course with me.

I got on a plane and left California with a checklist of what was requested to be brought with me for a course that I really wasn't completely sold on. Between building lesson plans for topics I knew but didn't know how the topics should best be taught and meeting strangers in a random new location (one of my favorite things) I was pretty torn on how to even approach specific feelings on how best to react to this new unknown.
There were five students:
Kevin
Andrew
Bridget
Rachel
Me
There were three instructors:
Olivia
Emily
Jay
I was thinking from a leader perspective the things that I needed to work on and strengthen myself more in. However, God had better plans. My perspective was completely different than what His need for my life really was. With this in mind with in the 1st day alone my world was rocked to see what type of community God had placed me into and the intentionality of those who were facilitating the course. The genuine love and longing to be in Gods creation and understanding Him and who He is making us into on a daily basis. On top of that focusing on who and what we can be to one another with soul focused upon Him. The who and what is Jesus and Love. Genuine Christ like love. and my world was beautifully wrecked by the end of day 1. This was a full 3 1/2 week course mind you!

One of the first questions that was asked was this: Why do we do wilderness? Jay asked us to list as many people in the bible as possible that retreated to the wilderness to seek God. Paul/Saul, Jesus, Elijah, Ezekial, 12 desciples, Abraham, Jacob, Israel, Joshua, Jonah, Hagar, Job.

We took two days to prep our things, sort through gear and be oriented on how the first part of course would run. Efficiency was a huge component and my thought process and perspective already began to change and my respect levels rose tremendously for what SROM (Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries) was all about.

The wild can be pretty wild. Gods creation can rock your world in an instant. The cool thing is that He doesn't even need mountains or meadows or rock faces or lakes or oceans to awe us or woo us. But He knows our desires and what pleases us because He's created us with these things in mind.
It is not simply a beautiful or harsh place to be it is a place that holds answers and promptings from God. In these places we must go outside of ourselves and the hard casings that have formed around us via electronics, white noise and distraction. When we began to strip these things away, I quickly began to feel a sense of guilt. There was unstructured time with in my day that I hadn't experienced in almost 6 months. Literally, I sat and stared at a tree for an hour and a half during out "Time Alone with God" (TAG time), thinking, not writing, or reading or praying. Just staring.This self understanding quickly caused me to redefine my role with in my job as a servant and as a daughter of God. How can I ever pursue intimacy in a relationship with God if I can't even designate time daily where I am FULLY focused on Him. Not partially focused. But fully focused and not feeling guilty for it? I needed to begin to let go of these insecure imperfections of pleasing those who I was afraid to let down. I needed to become more human. First step admitting I am human and allowing myself to just be. Baby steps...Baby steps.

Through out the first part of the course we spent a lot of time on rocks. We learned hard skills relating to Sport and Trad climbing. Anchor set up and belay rescues. We spent our time in Vedauwoo, Wyoming. A majestic part of Gods land where the volcanic rocks are shaped like potato chips and the granite cuts your hands deep. But man is it good climbing and absolutely unreal looking. Miles upon miles of stunning views and rocks so big we look like micro ants.

In the weather, cracks and intimate discussions we discovered more of ourselves in these places. I am pleased/thankful to say that our team was already so vulnerably strong and humble in so many ways. We were all wondering what it is God was specifically teaching us on this course and more than ever it is so many things. One of these many lessons was to love who ever He puts in our lives completely and entirely, Unconditionally. Whether for a day, an hour, a week or the full course. God teaches in incredibly blessed ways.

While in "The Voo", we encountered a lot of different things. We experienced warfare and blessings. We encountered wildlife and crazy storms. We bid farewell to one of our beloved instructors, Emily, and welcomed Jay back to the team after spending a week battling pneumonia.

Clearly I can't fit life into a blog post. But I can say that this is only the beginning. This is just the intro into a beloved love story of how God carried His sheep and brought them in closer than ever.

And I can't wait to tell you more...

-Keep Adventuring

Rag-a-muffin

Lately I have been finding myself stumbling. Stumbling over what doesn't even exist. Future things that I think will happen. Things like failure. Things like the unfaithfulness of Gods promises that will never exist.

I leave in a week and honestly right now my mind set it wishing that it were to do something easy like get on a bike with a group of people and cycle my heart out for others. Countless hours on a bike with a bible and journal and faces God has placed there to encourage and be encouraged. With destinations that help me to blend into the back ground so that I am not the one being focused on.

If I'm honest I would give almost anything currently to ride my bike clear across the country than to sit and climb out of the messes of myself in Laramie Wyoming. The last thing I ever want to do is focus on my flaws and my weaknesses mixed with struggle and dark corners that so desperately need light shed upon them with in the jagged corners of my heart.

 Wilderness Ministry Professionals. How could I ever be this if there are some many parts of me that are completely broken, torn and drowning? It is just that. God calls those who are exactly like me... Or like you. "Rag-a-muffins" We are broken misfits who half the time don't even feel called or welcomed to the land of misfit toys. We are burn't. We are frayed and we are self draining.

This post is not something that I look for affirmation. compliments and encouragement are not things that will repair or make everything easier. God has not called of this life to be easy. He has called of it to be worth it.
I am not trying to look to who I will be after these experiences. I am not trying to look to the deep tissue body mesage that I'm fixing to get after my body has tolled itself from this summer's up coming events. I am looking for God. I am looking to try and clear the fog from my eyes and actually look to Him for every minute of suffering. For every layer that is stripped away and every inch of me that is exposed to the elements of sin, darkness and struggle. To let God repair me so that He can use me as a vessel to help heal others.

I leave in 1 week. There is much to do. The crucial thing that is often missing from moments of preparation is trust. My God you are with me. Always.

With in all of this, as I take each shaky step continually feeling like led because of fear, I am reminded that I can not move forward in anyway until I do this course. I can not move forward in my own faith and as a leader with out proper instruction on how to lead better. The only way to lead better is to be humbled and gain better perspective of everything around us. Those layers being continually stripped and shed.

It is this. I don't want to be forcefully stripped. As God blesses me with more days in this life I don't want to hold onto these layers. I'd much rather shed them freely. Letting these things fall off of me seeing and feeling the comfort of God freeing me from that sin and destruction. Freeing me from blinders and allowing that focus and true purpose of the seasons He plants me in. Not only to grow and be strengthened by others roots around me that are rooted so deeply in Him but also so that my roots can be planted firmly so that I can also be that secondary strong hold to someone who is seeking their strength from The Lord as well.

I ask that you be praying for my team and I as we embark on the 1st of June to become better leaders in the back country. Teaching each other the best ways to plan, encourage and live in a meaningful community while trying to accomplish teachings and learning on a biblical standpoint. With in these teachings there will be heavy back packs, high altitude, rock faces and tired feet. Elements and things with in us that will be stripped off and thrown to the wind.

Pray that God would equip our Leaders on this course to empower encourage and be bold in what God has called of them to do. Pray for our safety and pray for our discovery process.

I thank you again for your support whether it be financially or spiritually. This step clearly can not be skipped. It is more of a foot bridge than it is a stepping stone. God has made it very clear that Wyoming must happen before anything else can move forward. So I hope to be able to update you again soon in what God has been revealing and stripping from us on this team in the back country mountains of Laramie, Wyoming.

Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries.
srom.org

Letters welcome:
617 Plaza Ct.
Laramie, WY 
82070











Keep Adventuring

Worth it.

Have you ever put everything together to prepare for something so big and you can see it crashing before your eyes as it continues to unfold in the ways that you don't want? Imagine you're preparations for a musical recital of piano playing and you break your finger. Or a dance recital and you get into a ski accident and you tear up your ACL. Or how about training for a marathon and the week before the race you get a terrible respiratory thing-a-ma-jig that pins you to the floor with tissues stuffed up your nose while you pray God would just rip it out of your body.

That 3rd one is a little picture into what my last week has been like. I have spent these last 4 months training and tip-toeing around sickness of 6 other house mates and trying to find rest between runs so that I could have the privilege of running for those who can't be free. I had been slowly raising funds over the last few months to send a long to the Across America team riding this Summer Specifically for injustices in South East Asia. No, no I wont be riding my bike across the states again this Summer, BUT, there is an incredible team who will be and this cause means so much to me that I wanted to continue to reach out and educate others while taking the opportunity to connect with other runners in a race to tell them about the gospel and encourage those who were struggling.

God has given me a body to sacrifice physically and the devil has tried to destroy me on more than 1 occasions with my physical health to try and prevent ministry opportunities. However My God (The only TRUE God) is omni powerful and omni present and he provides when we least expect it.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".- Philippians 4:13

So I woke up Monday morning of last week with a tickle in my throat and instantly went into recoup mode trying to prevent any way that I could. By Tuesday, I was in full on survival mode. I took off work because I had barely slept from the pressure in my sinuses. Denying anything and everything I blamed it on my allergies and tried to alternatively take a more natural approach. But that created a rather terrible chain reaction of even worse symptoms pulling me into a full fledged head cold. RATS!

With in my denials, i admitted to my boss that I was rather struck down by admitting I was sick. He responded, "ya think?!" He then went on to encourage me with these words. "Listen, you're going to run this race. You might walk a bit but God will bring you through it. He's called you to do so. Just remember that either way when you cross that finish line you're going to feel absolutely terrible."...Thanks.

But it's true. One way or another I knew I wouldn't be feeling physically great so the best thing I could do was wait until the very last moment and pray for Gods guidance to lead me on this course in Humboldt.

My other boss suggested I eat a ton of Garlic... So I ate and entire fist of Garlic with in a 2 day period. I was thankful I couldn't smell or taste because I'm sure besides the coughing and hacking, I was also the one who detered mosquitos from our camp site and where ever we hiked in the park.

However the Garlic helped. SO! if you feel a cold or a sore throat coming on eat garlic cloves diced on some toast with butter. it will clear it or at least suppress it for now.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".- Philippians 4:13

The entire weekend leading up to it I wasn't in the mindset to race. I didn't think I would actually do it. God had other plans. He woke me up cleared my nose for the second time in race history for me and moved my legs forward. Before I knew it I was 13 miles in and praying that this strength would continue to pull me a long. By mile 19 my I.T. bands were screaming and i wasn't surrounded by many but there my encouragement team stood, cheering me on and telling me to keep going. As I ran I met those along the way who it was their first time for a full 26.2 mile stretch as well. We would chat and encourage.

I met a girl named Brooke, she was from Atlanta (Hotlanta). She had seen this place on a road trip to Oregon with her friend and needed to come back to run it because of how beautiful it was. We ran together for 4 miles as we tried to distract each other with questions about life, God and life styles. High fiving massive redwoods in the midst helped us keep our pace. I parted ways with her and took the last 2 miles alone. It all went so fast yet so slowly. and even in the midst of that, I was already looking to my next opportunity to run for others.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".- Philippians 4:13

I came up that hill/bridge with my venture jersey and Philippians 4:13 written on the back on my calves. While I had "Dave" on one knee and "Moms" on another. Kicked it into gear and crossed that finish line feeling such joy and I couldn't be happier. Regardless of the repercussions from illness in the days to follow. Standing with in His creation after the race in Eel River thigh deep in ice cold water as I waddled in. I was a lone... I was standing there in His magnificent presence. We stand there every moment of every day. Every moment of every day we are standing in His glorious presence. This experience stripped me again of walls, stepping out of boxes of what I thought I could do but in truth it's what God could do in me.

It's been 3 days and I could barely walk for 2 of them but now my legs are fine and my lungs and nose are trying to recover. Coughing fits and exhaustion. Was running while sick the wisest choice? Probably not. But was it possible and worth it? Absolutely. Because of it I was able to raise hundreds of dollars for South East Asia. Because I ran, God was able to encourage through me via scripture and through life story telling. And through his faithfulness I can say that though this body is temporary, it is very much a vessel that is being used continually.

Though we get older and our bodies continue to decay, God still brings forth opportunities to use them with righteousness and thanksgiving. Can I just tell you that there were a lot of people who were retired and much older than me that were apart of the "100 club"? Yes that's 100 marathons! And there was an older gentleman who upon finishing his race on Sunday completed his 409th marathon! What the heck! To some it might be absolutely insane. To me, however, it is absolutely inspiring.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

May it inspire you to move forward and do something that you never thought you would be able to do or even possibly think of before now. Adventure brings opportunity and opportunity is lost with out stepping out of comfort into adventure.

Keep Adventuring.

Financial needs:

Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries:
 $400 for WMPC course via SROM in Wyoming beginning June 1st, 2014 Donate here Invoice #INV-259

LOVE DOES:
6 people to contribute $100 each=$600
12 people $50= $600
Donate here for my tour for those in Uganda

Delightful Devastation

It is strange to me to think that people my age dread turning 30. I swear it like turning 40 or even worse, 50. Quarter life Crisis is the new Mid life Crisis, while Mid life Crisis has become the "Still young and kicking" jaunt.

When I was little I can recall on my 7th Birthday running up to my room crying. My Mom came in and asked me what was wrong and I explained that I didn't want to grow up. I didn't want to turn 7. She smiled at me and She told me these words that stick with in my brain upon everything it touches. With in my work, with in my walk and within the reminders I give to students on a daily basis. "You don't have to grow up, but you have to turn 7".

There are many times that from these unknowns in my life I feel like a failure. I feel like I should have it all together with a 401k and a retirement plan to get underway of what I really want to do when I grow up and finally have the money and time to be able to commit to doing something with the time that I'm not working trying to make these physical ends meet. The truth is that is I waited, I would not be physically able to to do the things I want to do. Even now being 27 I can certainly say that I'm tired. But I'm sure whom ever might be older reading this can argue that I haven't truly seen tired yet. While others could say that it isn't good to be exhausted but I am. So what? If there is any goal to have it is to completely exhaust myself through out my life by serving so that The Lord may rejuvenate
me creating the need and dependence to depend solely upon Him and Him alone to give me that rest and strength that I need. The other goal is to love to the best of my ability.

If I haven't already mentioned this, I've been reading a book called Love Does by Bob Goff. Check it out!
In the introduction another amazing Author, Donald Miller, wrote about Bobs Love. He used a phrase that I truly inspires and has completely changed my perspective. God has strengthened me through it all the more. Donald Miller goes onto explain it like this:

"I don't know how to explain Bob's love except to say it is utterly and delightfully devastating. You simply cannot live the same once you know him. He will wreck your American dream and help you find your actual dream. He will wreck your crappy marriage and help you find a love story. To know Bob is to have a facade you've spent your life maintaining beautifully strewn to ruins while, like a friend, he comes alongside you as your rebuild".-Donald Miller

Not only do I want to exhaust myself (though that has been an ongoing battle and fear of mine) for God and His kingdom but I want the love of God to not hold back as I surrender and allow it to flow out of me. Leaving lives delightfully devastated by that undoubted love.
Breaking down the walls and boxes that we build around ourselves. Allowing that stinging love to come in and strip the numbness of what life had gradually come to. To inspire and be inspired by all who God has put on my path while I witness the love of Christ shine through.

When you really look back on these trials and "errors", truthfully, Praise God because good things will always come from what God brings us through.

Keep Adventuring.