It's not about me...

OK, I am going to quit promising to update this blog daily, although I will make another attempt to keep this updated! I'll start today by giving you a little update on my life as of late...

I am still working as the Donor Relations and Communications Manager for New Moms, a Christian organization that serves teenagers who are pregnant and homeless, or at risk of homelessness. I am also in graduate school, where I am about halfway done with my Masters in Business Administration. My family and friends are doing well, and I am blessed to be dating a special young lady who is also dedicated to serving the Lord with her work, and with all parts of her life.

I am going to focus more of my updates on my personal life, so I had better introduce you to the people who I share most of my life with...

Tom- One of the best men I know. He's a teacher at Hope Christian Academy on the Westside of Chicago. We are getting ready to start a new book study together.

Adam- Adam is a newer friend. He is friends with one of my favorite people who you will meet in a second, Mandy. He went to Hope, and is working towards his Masters in Social Work at UIC here in Chicago. He seems like a great guy, and I am just getting involved with a small group with him and some of his friends. Byron the accountant, Jackie the communications gal, and Rachael, whom I have yet to meet. I am really looking forward to getting to know him, and all of them better.

Mandy- Mandy is a second grade teacher at Cambridge Christian academy on the Southside. Mandy is a great Christian Gal. I've known her for a few years, and she is actually my connection to my lovely girlfriend.

Katie- Katie is a kindergarten teacher also at Cambridge. She's a great gal, with a passion for kids. She went to Cedarville, and is friends with "the gang" from her high school days back in Michigan.

Sarah- There aren't many people that inspire me more than Sarah. She's a teacher at Coles Elementry on the Southside, and she is just such a faithful servant. She has such a tough job, and is constantly knocked down, and kicked while shes down, but no one stands more firm than she. I hope she always knows how inspirational she is to all.

Emily B- Emily is a nurse, and is in graduate school to become a Nurse Practitioner. She is a great Christian gal, who owns the condo where Mandy and Sarah live. Her and I are really able to connect as we have a lot in common, both owning property, and having more advanced portfolios than most of our friends, and both being in relationships with significant others.

(Sarah, Tom, Katie, Mandy, and Emily make up a group that I will often refer to as "the gang")

Emily P- Emily P is one of my favorite people, who lives in Indianapolis. Emily and I have become really close friends over the years, and have been through a lot of growth together. A couple of years back, Emily P left the Catholic Church to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So, when I refer to her as Emily the Mormon, it is with all due respect. I love and respect her, and her faith. We have some great conversations about life and faith on a regular basis.

Emily W- Emily W is a great newer friend. She's an undergraduate student from North Park. She is dedicated to serving the Lord, and I am excited to see how He uses her. She volunteers some of her time to New Moms, designing some of our promotional materials.

North Park Small Group- Dan, Joe, Matt and John are a group of undergraduate students that I meet with on Wednesday afternoons when I lead our small group. They are a great group of guys whom you will meet one of these Wednesdays.

Leslie- Ah, the young lady who puts up with me as her boyfriend. We met here in Chicago last summer, and we have grown a lot together. She is constantly challenging me to become a better person, spiritually and physically. It is my hope that I can challenge her, and love her in the way that Jesus taught us. She is really special. She is finishing up her undergraduate work at Hope College in Michigan, but is going to be moving here to Chicago at the end of June. I am really excited to be able to grow more with her near by. You will get to know more about her in the coming posts.

You will meet more people as they are involved in my life and stories. I will go on to share some thoughts from today, and some other updates.


Well, last week I visited Leslie in Holland, and we had a really nice weekend. We did a lot of stuff, and had tons of fun. Both Friday and Saturday night, we had some super conversations, that shared some personal thoughts and feelings with each other, that hadn't really been shared before. It was really good stuff. I have been in other relationships before, and felt as if I knew a lot about what I wanted, and what God wanted for me. I had no idea. It's been such a powerful experience dating Leslie, and just trusting that the Lord has an amazing plan for both of us, whether He intends for us to live that plan out together, or on our own. It's really an incredible feeling, and unlike normal for me, I have no words to describe it. Oh, I also got a new book in Holland, it's about Joseph from the Old Testament. I love it. You will hear about it over the next few weeks.

This week has been a busy one, but very good. I got back from Holland on Monday, and had dinner with Emily P and her boyfriend. It was really great catching up with her. I showed off some of my new swing dance skills! (Thanks Hans and Leslie!) Tuesday night I met up with Adam, Jackie and Byron for a small group. It was really great! We had an awesome discussion on how faith and politics are interrelated. I am really going to enjoy getting to know each of them, and study the word with them. Wednesday I relaxed. I was dead tired, so after work I just tried to catch up a little bit. On Thursday I had dinner with the gang, and Adam came along. It was nice to catch up with them. They were all pretty happy because they were just about on spring break. Sarah and Katie are headed to Florida, and Mandy is going home, to be with her family during Holy Week.

On Friday, Leslie left for her Spring Break. She made a quick stop to see an old roommate in Indianapolis, and then is going down to a cabin in TN with some friends. She's really lucky! It should be a great time...I need a vacation myself! Well, after work on Friday I went swing dancing at the University of Chicago with 4 people I know, and about 10 of their friends. We had a blast, and for the first time ever, I felt like I was actually pretty decent at dancing. I'm not good yet, but I am having a blast learning. I also tuned my guitar again, and I am going to start practicing again, it's going to be hard, but I am going to do my best! Friday night, my good friend Jana and her roommate Jana came down from Milwaukee. We just crashed Friday night. Saturday, we went with Mandy to watch the river get dyed green, and then off to celebrate St. Patricks day. (I pretended that the burrito and Chinese food that I had was Irish!)

I laid low today, started to prepare for my classes, and then met Andrea and went to Church with her. Here are some of the things that this weekend, and Church led me to think about...

Well, one thing that I had really been praying about this weekend was that I would keep a very tight reign on my tounge this weekend. I struggle sometimes when I am around my non-Christian friends. Not in huge way's, but I just realize that I give into some pressures, and make statements that are more like the Kingdom of the World, than the Kingdom of God. Praise God that I am always growing stronger, but I also want to praise Him for his conviction. I feel like as I become a better servant, I feel even more convicted for the smallest of sins (That said, I want to give the disclaimer that all sins are equal. It is no better in God's eyes if you curse, than if you murder or committ adultry.) than I did for sins that seem bigger. I feel like as more of my actions are honoring to God, I feel more convicted for the sins that I haven't overcome. This weekend, I did a good job with my tounge at most times, but I wasn't the witness that I could have been to my friends. I struggled to shine Jesus in everything that I did. I am going to work hard to change this in future encounters with these friends, and other Christian friends.

This can be tied in by part of our discussion on Tuesday. I am passionate about politics, and have been getting very involved in the presidential race right now, because I strongly feel that certain candidates are running with motives that don't include the future of our country. In our discussion, the sermon that we analyze mentioned that we need to focus on our own sin, before we can start getting involved in the sin of others and the masses. You know what I am talking about. Don't try to get the speck out of your brothers eye until you get the log out of your own. I never related this to politics, but I think it was God telling me that He wants me to focus on me, and my service, and to pray and have faith that He will take care of our nation.

Ok, well, I need to get some work done before bed. Hopefully though, you will hear plenty more from me over the next few weeks. If you are so inclined, please pray for me as I begin another quarter of school. I have a lot of work to do to help us to better serve our teen moms, and school is going to challange me to stay organized and to work hard.

One final thought for the week ahead...Jesus is enough...we should serve the Lord well with all we do, but know that He is all we need...no sin is too large to be covered by Him.

Have a great week!