Purpose

Hello, dear reader. Whether you stumbled upon this page as a stranger or were directed here by me, I welcome you. I figure I should put up some explanation as to why I chose to create this. As you'll find (if anyone ends up following this), I like lists. So here goes:

1) This is first and foremost meant to be a public journey/discussion board/testimony of faith. Although I have called myself a "Christian" as I came to know the Lord at a young age, it has only been recently (meaning the last few months) that I've realized I haven't been living life the way I needed to. Actually, let me rephrase that: it has only been recently that I've decided to DO something about the way I've been living life. I mean, who was I to tell God to wait? That I had better things to do, better ways of accomplishing, security in my own strength? Anyway, that all will be addressed over time. So this will serve as a place for my stories, both past and present. It also will help to hold me accountable in some ways to "walk the talk," so to speak.

But really, why a blog about this? Well, for a while I have desired to talk with someone, anyone, about the amazing changes happening in my life since I moved to Florida (and even before, though I might not have realized it). I have found time and time again that I am an awful speaker, so this provides me the security of hiding behind a computer keyboard (and saves you the trouble of my muttering, stuttering, or otherwise struggling to make words come out of my mouth. Trust me, it's painful sometimes to listen to) (Oh, I'll also mention now that I like parenthesis and often interrupt myself, which you have probably noticed).

2) For 40 days, this blog will serve as my partner as I read through Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. It was given to me as a gift over a year ago, and I hadn't even thought about it or really looked at it until I was home last week for Christmas break. Recently I've been craving some non-ficiton Christian literature. I had purchased a book about prayer (that I'm finding to be very interesting and encouraging- I'm sure it'll come up in this blog at some point), and then I remembered that I had this book and had never done anything with it. So, for the next 40 days (starting tonight) you can read my reactions, thoughts, and reflections on this book. If you've never read it, maybe this is your time to pick it up and join me on the journey. If you have, maybe this is a great time to re-read it. It's always more fun when you can discuss things and toss around ideas, right? If only my students felt that way . . . . but I digress.

3) Finally, this will be a place for others to catch up on my life. I've had a few people specifically ask that I put my Florida adventures out there in a public form, and while I've had a Livejournal for a few years, that is completely protected from the general public (and filled more with my own ramblings and venting sessions rather than being very informative most of the time). So, for the time being at least, this will be that outlet.

I look forward to this journey, and I hope you feel the same. I will post again later this evening, as I am now being called to action by WiiFit :)