The Hunt Pays Off

I ran into a friend of mine who has been going through a rough patch lately. He's been out of a job for awhile now, but been searching relentlessly, putting in applications any and everywhere. I saw him today and he told me that HE GOT A JOB! I let out a whoop and couldn't stop smiling! I was so proud of him, happy for him, and loving the smile that he couldn't get off his face :) Sometimes in the midst of all the mess it's really good to have some news that puts a smile on your face and makes you feel proud of someone.

Differing Perspectives

I went out to lunch with a couple of teen girls today that I haven't spent time with in awhile. We had a nice time, but as with many of my encounters with them, I walked away thinking, "Is this really my life?" :)
We talked about a lot of things, and they ranted and raved about several different situations in their lives. I finally stopped them and asked, "Don't you ever just get tired of it all?" "Sure", they replied, "that's why we're trying to do something with our lives." That made me pause, because I often feel frustrated with the fact that they seem to be doing nothing with their lives. Apparently they think they are. So who's right? Obviously we are both looking at it from a different perspective...
You do what you know. So maybe, in their eyes, at their age, they're already going "above and beyond" what they've seen those before them do. In their eyes, they are "doing something with their lives".
Maybe instead of always wanting, pushing, and encouraging them to do more, I need to start with acknowledging what's already being done.

The Church Prays...

Church was "good" today. I joined the service team, and today was my first day being an "official greeter". It was the kind of day where you don't really expect many people to come out; rainy, dreary, and cold. Yet, in people came, one after the other, all in fairly high spirits too! I tried really hard not to, but couldn't help but laugh at some of the people who came in with their hair sopping wet, or rain dripping off their glasses, with looks of "What was I thinking coming out in this!" on their faces. It was nice to see people and say hello as they came in. I kept thinking to myself, "Man, there's a lot of people I don't know!". I guess I have some work to do....
Towards the end of the service, our Pastor had everyone stand up who works with youth in our city. Being in that category, I stood up and found myself quickly surrounded by people laying hands on me in prayer. My first thought was, "Wow...this feels kind of uncomfortable." My second thought was, "Wow...I really need this!" For the past several weeks I've been very discouraged, and I haven't really even known what to pray for. It was a blessing to have the CHURCH surround me and PRAY without even knowing me personally, or my exact circumstances. To have people pray on my behalf for things that maybe I can't even pray for myself right now.

Here's to Friendship

Good friends are often hard to come by. Good friends who can also give good counsel, ask thought-provoking questions, and challenge you, are even harder. I found myself sitting at my friends' kitchen table last night experiencing just this. A quick stop by their house turned into a 3 1/2 hr. conversation, over the course of which I was forced to think hard about some things that I needed to, yet didn't even really realize it. I walked away from the conversation not necessarily "settled" about everything, but definitely mulling over some well-timed questions that were asked.