first impressions

Hello all.

I'm a world traveler! woo.

I've been here two days and really haven't seen much outside of Mannheim (where we are staying), but I love it here so far. I just spent like three hours just walking around the city. I came back to the hotel to cool off for a second.

So here are some things I've noticed so far:
-Jet lag sucks. By the time I got to the hotel yesterday, I'd been up 24 hours. Needless to say, but I took a nap, lol.
-The food is different, but I've enjoyed the majority of it so far. I bought a pretzel from a street cart today. It was delicious.
- I feel like God is hogging the cool part of the clouds. On the plane ride over, the clouds were beautiful.
- From the plane I noticed that Germany is very green.

And most of all, I love how classic everything is. In America we have to constantly update everything. I now decided we got screwed out of just awesome looking places. From what I've been told, Mannheim is pretty updated because I guess during WW2 it was bombed a lot. Not sure why, about to look it up though. The oldest things here are the wasserturm or water tower, and the university which used to be a palace. Some of the streets are still stone and some of the apartments are pretty classic looking. OH and people ride their bikes EVERYWHERE. Which is something I would also say the states is lacking.

Well that's all from me so far. May not hear from me again until I get home seeing as I have to pay for the internet in the room and it's like 13 euros a day. And my dad is off work after tonight, so we'll be doing more sight-seeing. I'm about to head out and try to find this chocolate shop I passed by earlier and to get some food. Wish me luck ordering food... haha.

God bless!!!!

Explorer!

Time to become a world traveler.

Tonight I hop on a plane and travel over the big pond. I am beyond excited. I don't know what to expect from this trip but I know it's gunna be good. I get to leave my norm and explore a new place.

This will be a nice break for me. I'm happy to have the chance to escape everything. I don't know when this opportunity will happen for me again, so I am going to cherish every second of it.

I'll see ya'll when I get back. Probably with a bigger need to explore and experience new places. Because that's usually what happens when I leave my usual stomping ground.

Stay tuned. :)

Everything&Nothing

Everything we need. Nothing we deserve.

Today at church while we were praying, that phrase popped into my head. Not sure where it came from or how it got there, but I may have come up with it on my own. Amazing. I'm not good with words most days... I wish I could write beautiful songs, or stories, but it's just not in the cards for me. So I'm proud of this.

Anyways. I digress.

It's so true isn't it? And it's just awesome. My faith in God and the power of Jesus will provide me with everything I'll ever need in my life. Yet I deserve none of it. How is that even remotely fair? It's not. But that's what makes Grace SO beautiful.

It keeps me going in life to know that God is beautiful, grace is beautiful, because this world is an ugly place. I like to try and have faith that human nature is mostly good. But there are some days that I just don't see that. I want people to be good, but it's just not there. Why do we hurt each other? Especially those of us who are helpless...defenseless. It doesn't make sense to me.

That's why I'm glad God shows His beautiful face everywhere. I see God in almost everything. I'm really blessed to see God in my world. Even if it's the small things, like smelling rain, pretty clouds, a kind word, my wonderful friends. I can see some of my friends really starting to grow in the Spirit and it makes me smile. So so much, it makes me smile. I hope they never lose that.

This post doesn't really flow. It's okay though. Sometimes the greatness of God jumbles up my thoughts because I don't always know how to put into words how amazing God really is.

Maybe I'll try my hand at songwriting... my creative brainfart has made me curious...

Worries.

I am not a worrier. Just not. Actually I think I'm so far the opposite, it's probably not good. But I like living virtually care free.

I do have a current worry though. At a meeting with our CEO and COO yesterday, it was brought up how my program's contract is up in October. They are putting in the bid for a new contact once it becomes available, but there is a chance that they won't get it. Then I will not have a job. So I'm in a pickle. Do I plan for the worst and look really hard for a new job, or kinda just ride it out and see what happens?

I don't like planning for future things. I will wait until the very last minute to plan anything and it's because when I plan things, they usually fall through. Which is fine, because life happens. :)

Maybe this is just my extra push to find something different, or maybe God is showing me to trust Him to provide for me no matter what. Maybe it's a little bit of both?

I guess we'll see what happens.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not really that worried. My ability to worry is probably pretty much non-existant I think. Ha.

That's all I got for now. I got some random things floatin' around in the 'ol noggin, but I'll save those for some other day. :)

God Bless. :)

organic praise.

Today at church the power went out. During praise and worship.

The band kept playing.

It was awesome.

It was nice to hear everyone singing. A few laughed, myself included because it was such ridiculous timing. But we just kept singing.


Not having words to read, not having power behind the music would not stop us from praising God. Rock.

God was smiling with us today.

That is all.

gettin' out of dodge..and when I say dodge, I mean here.

I am a bit perplexed about something. Go figure...

For quite some time now, I've felt that where I am now, is not where God wants me to stay. At the moment, things are going well for me here. God is using me through my job and my responsibilities at my church. But there is just this thing in my brain that keeps telling me to leave. I've got an itch to go someplace new, someplace different.

I'm perplexed because I do not know where that is, or how to get there. Or if that is even God telling me that or my own heart's discontent. And it worries me because I do not know if there is something different I should be doing to take these steps that I"m just not seeing. Something God wants me to do but I'm not doing. Not out of rebellion, but out of, just, ignorance or distraction.

It seems that within the next year things are going to be really different around the 'ol homestead. Lots of people making big choices and moves in their lives and I hate to see them go, but I'm happy for them. Happy that their lives are moving, and God is moving. Makes me think I NEED to be moving. And soon.

I don't know if I have the courage to go far. By myself. I'm terrible at making friends and it's taken me this long to really make good ones here. Nothing can stay the same, as it shouldn't. And I'm glad it's not, happy, in fact.

I need some direction. I need to know where and when I should be making my steps. God will guide me. Otherwise I wouldn't know what the heck to do. And I'm glad He's there, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do.

I think I may start looking for jobs in other cities. Maybe outside of Michigan and I know I've said this before but maybe I'll actually do it this time and if it's God's will then He will open doors for me. I know this for a fact.

So just pray that God will reveal His path for me. So I know what direction I need to be moving in...

What If?

I don't usually ask 'what if?' questions. I don't like the uncertainty it causes me to have about my own life or that I feel like I've missed out on something better because of the way things transpired. Some 'what if's' can leave me feeling grateful. Others can leave me feeling empty.

I was thinking of a "what if" right now and it led me to think of the ultimate "what if". What if Christ had never risen on that first Easter. It gives me chills to think of it, but sometimes I need that reminder of how important what Christ did is to me and to us. He took on OUR sin, to save US. That kind of Love is SO beyond me. Even as I sit here at my computer and try to comprehend that kind of grace and love... leaves me without words to say.

I know I don't deserve that kind of Love. I don't. I sin constantly. Even without realizing it until later, if at all. I am broken, we are broken, the world is broken. But what God has done can make us whole again. Even now, after so many years of being a Christian, it amazes me. I guess that's why songs like "Amazing Grace" are so popular... it speaks volumes.

So tomorrow (today) and every day for the rest of my life I will try and remain amazed and in awe of God's love for us.