As the calendar year is coming to an end, I spend a bit more intentional time reflecting on the past 12 months, specifically all the ways that my life has been blessed. This year, more so than any other year, I have been blessed in change, transition, and times of uncertainty. In a matter of four months, I lived in 7 different places ranging from apartments to homes and the occasional basement. In those same months I traveled over 5,000 miles and experienced a variety of roles, including the dream of working for a professional sports team and being a barista. Never in a million years would I have predicted that at this point I would be back in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Looking back to May when I felt led to Dallas to pursue the sports job, I guess I never would have ever imagined dropping everything I had for a position with uncertainty and a lot of risk. I also embraced the hospitality, warmth, and love of many people in my life. I received support and guidance in all sorts of ways, in times where I simply didn’t deserve any of it. Needless to say, the Lord continues to shape my life and affirm me that our life is filled with many seasons, and our ability to adjust and remain flexible in those seasons is an acquired skill that only comes with time and experiences. The people that He has placed in my life, from work relationships to random encounters and even social media connections,  have all been such a valued part of my life. 


My heart is still heavy for traveling the world, experiencing new places, and continually connecting with people of all types. Every so often, I selfishly wish that an opportunity to work did not show up so that I could have spent the next 4-6 months in Haiti helping to build an orphanage. It takes a lot of trust in the Lord that my role for this project must be stateside. It is a goal of mine in 2011 to continue providing education, assistance, and support for projects such as this as I am pursuing other things in my life.


I’ve been diving into a book that I found at a local library book sale, perhaps the best 35 cents I spent all year long. Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, has been at the core of a lot of my reading. “Life of the Beloved” was an appropriately themed book that taught me a lot in a time of life exploration. Beyond anything, it reminded me that I am blessed, broken, and given in the Lord. “Reaching Out” dives into three movements of our spiritual life. The most relevant was the movement from loneliness to solitude. My outgoing and people-oriented personality doesn’t always seem to fit well to my independent living situation in a home by myself. The home is huge and is the perfect spot for community to take place, yet often times I find myself alone and seeking the affirmation of friends, family, and anyone willing to connect. Several weekends of intentional alone time left me very vulnerable to the Lord, but it was in these moments that I truly sought after solitude and understood its importance. We can not understand community, fellowship, and hospitality unless we first have found solitude through the Lord. As I struggled to understand more about the movement of hostility to hospitality, I was greeted by an unexpected visit from two Mormon missionaries. An incredible conversation stirred up, and I was able to discover even more about my personal faith and the power of simply listening. These movements have sparked a personal challenge of confronting my insecurities, fears, and using each of them to continue learning.


What season of life are you currently in? I’d love to hear your story. I encourage you to seek the knowledge, but not necessarily understanding, of where you are in your life, and most importantly, why you are there? The truth is, it may not be relevant to know why you are where you are, but simply being aware of these questions presents an opportunity to process where you have come from and how those things shape your identity and story.