Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Change and Chocolate

Today i was thinking about how funny/crazy change has been in our lives. We are one person in one season of life and then someone who has changed a bit (maybe for the good maybe not so good). An example of this is when i was in junior college and looking forward to a life of comfort and "success." I think that a lot of factors had played into this season of my life, relationships that i had around me, some male some female. Through changes in my life i realized that God had much more designed for me than that vision that was planted into my heart and mind. As i said, many influences were around mainly being one of the culture that i was plugged into and the lifestyle that i was grown up around. A lifestyle of passion and following God began to stir about in my heart and a search for what i would enjoy spending a majority of my "work" life doing became a desire of mine.
God ultimately brought me down the path of using a bachelor's degree that had been so fortunately bestowed upon me. Through choices that i had made which i knew would ultimately be good (ie the Pink House) he directed my path. All of this to really say and comment on my opening sentence, what i had ultimately wanted to become now becomes hard to not judge against those exact things. What i wanted originally is no what i don't want for anyone yet what happens and belongs to many that i know. Its just a crazy thing that i have recently noticed and am choosing to think about in a more positive way. I hope that this doesn't come of boastful in any way b/c i am not intending it to be, just that i feel that i am content in what i have found to be comfortable for me. God has a way of changin us through seasons of our lives to i think ultimately please him and for him to use us in the most glorifying way for him. Life gets a heck of a lot more exciting when we think about the future in this lense and one that realizes that He is never done w/ our character and w/ our goals/dreams/expectations that are within us. I hope that this is making some sort of sense. What i am doing and living right now may not be where i ultimately land in 15 years but if i have realized a few things in my immature life it is that it will be one great ride.

On a side note b/c i know that everyone likes a great picture, here is one of Kimberly and me at a recent wedding we attended in bakersfield. They had a few chocolate fountains and some fine treats to put them in and she did something very unexpected (at least that is what i thought) with a table of our friends around. Man she is
lovely. This is one of the last days that the stache was at its full length, i recently shaved it down to absolutely nothing, with a razor and everything. i havent felt that in over a year and a half...

Sunday, September 7, 2008

life is toooo good

Things are a cooking here in Fresno. I want to just post a little bit about my life currently. This week is exciting for the Thrift Store b/c i recently got the store on Fresno City College's Work Study Program, which means that kids at the college who have financial aid to work can come to the store and work 15 hrs a week and the state will pay them. I posted the job and within 2 days i got a total of 18 applications! God is good, free labor and a chance to free Garth and myself up to get things rolling w/ the community! I am a little anxious about it all b/c now we have to interview people and find jobs for them to do. It is a great step and i am excited to see the new life that we can bring into the store. We have a lot of great community outreach ideas, such as creating our own currency for the local kids programs to promote good behavior/good academics and in the process get our name out there a bit more. Trying to serve the community in new ways is our mindset and i think this is a great step for us.

I also had a spontaneous opportunity to go to Shaver Lake w/ Andrew and Denise for Saturday night. He invited Kim and i up to hang out and enjoy Denises grandmas house that is unbelievable. we played an intense game of monopoly (i missed you dave) and watched too many seinfelds. Life is good. hope that you are all well. love bryan