It’s kind of a surreal feeling, knowing that at this time tomorrow I’ll be hanging out with everyone I’ve been talking to the last six months. I kind of don’t know what to make of it all. I’m excited, a little scared, nervous, but absolutely ready for all of this to go down! I seriously think this is the best birthday present God could ever have given me!
In light of my 28th birthday (because I’ve seen other people do something like this and thought it was pretty cool), I present to you 28 Blessings for the first 28 years of my life!
1. James.
2. Bob Smiley on iTunes. Yes, I am listening to him on iTunes as I write this!
3. The bus ride to and from work every day.
4. Mary… and Smallville Monday and The Guild & Heroes Tuesdays. And Friday night movies. Thank you for helping me recognize when I need to rest!
5. Having a job that was willing to take me on (or back on) knowing I would be leaving in a few months for The World Race.
6. Grandma. Thank you for all the stories about missionaries and preachers in the family history I never would have heard otherwise. Knowing I’m not the first in my family in this respect is kind of comforting.
7. Mom. A more flexible, patient, and humble person I have yet to meet. I don’t always understand how you can be, but you are. Thank you.
8. Travis. Yes, you generally get on my nerves. Yes, you just walked by. And yes, I put you on my list of blessings. But that’s just because you and all your crazy schedule and drive and determination to do something with yourself reminds me to not be complacent with where I am. That’s why you’re a blessing.
9. New Life. My church family. Words fail me on a regular basis trying to articulate just how much of a blessing you’ve been in all of this!
10. Compact bibles. Perfect for reading on the bus when you forget to do your reading when you get up in the morning.
11. I-Pods. Great for walking from the bus stop to work while listening to worship music. Personally, it’s my favorite thing to do. As long as I don’t end up with so much music I can’t fit it on my I-Pod anymore.
12. My groupies. We’re going to be pretty far flung this next year, but you’ve always been and I am sure always will be a constant source of encouragement. I love you so much!!!!
13. Zack and Gwen.
14. Prayer Team.
15. Manda. You know everything you do, sweetie. And sometimes I think I couldn’t do half of what I do get done without you and Mary. Thank you!
16. My sore arm – sore because of shots, which will allow me to better serve people in other parts of the world. The blessing? Access to said shots.
17. Cheesy 90s CCM. Yet another thing I can add to the list of things I could pretend to feel ashamed of about myself, but really don’t. It makes me incredibly happy.
18. Pens & paper.
19. Dad. You’ve stepped out in faith that God will provide, and I’ve seen God do it. How can I ask God for any less in my life?
20. Laptop carry case. You never know how much you miss something like this until you need it. Thank you, God, for providing it!
21. Good friends. Especially the ones who are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to help you raise money to go around the world.
22. Dena. You have a knack for reminding me of just much the little things really do matter… usually when the big things feel like they’re starting to overwhelm me. And I don’t even think you know you’ve done it – until now.
23. Nita. You haven’t doubted me or the WR for a second from the moment I told you about it. You don’t know how much that encourages me to keep up with this.
24. Random blog comments. Sometimes I forget that people read these things. All of you random commentors, keep it up! You really do bring a smile to my lips and a skip to my step.
25. Jeremy Camp. The story is too long and complicated for this blog. Just trust me… we’ve never meet, but the man is a major blessing in my life (even if he did “break up” The Benjamin Gate).
26. Jars of Clay. Specifically, “The Eleventh Hour” album. I have yet to meet a time where none of your contents relate to something going on in my life. This would make you my favorite album of all time.
27. Happy Birthday emails from co-workers. Especially when you haven’t made any kind of attempt to let people know when your birthday is.
28. Lastly, each and every one of you who read this blog. Even if you’re not a random commentor. Just knowing that this blog is here for anyone to read is a blessing because you could make some kind of a comment.
That’s about it! I’m not sure what my internet access is going to be like at training, so I’m going to say that this will probably be my last blog until I get back. Just think… next time I blog, it should be about training, and my team! Until next time…
