this girl.

thank you God for jennifer.

one minute i’m sobbing my brains out, and the next minute she is on her way with the pup, sprinkles and frosting.

she is by far one of the most incredible strong women i know, and i love her dearly.

forever and always.

twenty some years of endless laughter.

pants peeing.

crying.

long walks.

watching terrible slasher films.

secret sharing.

inside jokes.

sleep overs.

long drives.

snacking.

hours upon hours of phone calls.

(talking about the stuff we wouldn’t dare tell anyone else)

two graduations and a beautiful wedding.

she has been there every step of the way with me.

i’ve had the priviledge of watching her enter in to season after season with so much grace and integrity.

always always always loving.

always growing.

always a woman after God.

yup, this girl is a keeper of a best friend.

in honor to this blog post and to my sheer enjoyment, i found some old gems and scanned them.

needless to say, we were in our awkward stages longer than normal.

 

 

   

leaving for ywam eight months ago.

there's alot more where that came.

love you, putz.

bavaria.

from march tenth to march eighteenth, i was on a little something called tour. 

tour was a time for me and my group of ten, to go and just tell people about what God did in these last seven months of our lives, and proclaim His goodness and truth wherever we went. 

God opened doors for us to go to Hof, Germany, and away we went. 

every day and night we were in schools, churches and youth groups leading worship and simply telling testimonies about how good God is, how He provides, and anything else we felt led to speak about. 

it was a real good week. one of the best while i was away, shingles and all.

there were many highlights from the week, and i'll never forget the people we were able to meet and share with. God did so much that we were able to see, and i'm sure much more we'll never know about.

one of the best parts for me however, was this hike we went on for a few hours just before we left.
some people feel like their heart is at ease when they set foot on a warm beach. some people feel alive when they are diving into the ocean"s depth. and while i can definitely see the beauty and wonder in that, i've come to find that what captures my full attention is being around mountains and deep forests. the smell. the beauty. the raw nature of it all. it brings me endless inspiration and i know i could never tire of it.
hiking through bavaria took my breath away at least seven hundred times.

blue skies are coming.

my Creator has outdone Himself these days.

 

spring is here indeed.
i find myself singing this song from time to time. yes, blue skies are absolutely coming.

 these last few days have been days of joy and days of pain. but i know with everything i have in me, that my God is up to something beautiful. and these blue skies will be just the beginning.

 

this is a song for anyone with a broken heart
this is a song for anyone who can't get out of bed
i'll do anything to be happy
oh, 'cause blue skies are coming
but I know that it's hard

this is the last song that I write while still in love with you
this is the last song that I write while you're even on my mind
'cause it's time to leave those feelings behind

oh, 'cause blue skies are coming
but I know that it's hard

i don't think that it's the end
but I know we can't keep going
 i don't think that it's the end
but I know we can't keep going

but blue skies are coming
oh yeah, blue skies are coming
oh well, blue skies are coming
but I know that it's hard.

blue skies by noah and the whale. 

thoughts.

home for one week. 

how can that be? 

everyone tells you that coming home will be hard, but it never really hits you until you live it.

and it is hard. harder than i expected.

coming home in general, is tough.

but when you come back to a place that was centered around one person for the last five years, and they have made the choice to no longer be a part of your life, it's hard to face. it's hard to swallow. it's hard to cling to hope. to cling to truth. but if i can't do that then i'll drown. so through the grace of God, i'm able to. and He brings endless truth and hope. endless love when i feel alone. endless grace when my thoughts stray. endless strength when i feel weak in every sense of the word. 

but i am not weak. i'm stronger than i've ever been.

phsycically, emotionally, spritually stronger than i've ever been.

 as God has drawn me closer to Him in these last seven months, i have become free, i have become alive in who i am, who i was created to be.

and even in this whirlwind. 

in heartbreak.

i have a joy that can not be stolen.

a light that can not be snuffed out.

dreams that can not be contained or put in a box.

a future that is as beautifully mysterious as ever.

because that is who my God is.

a God of passion, dreams, and joy.

 a God who loves me deeply, and who hurts when i hurt, but doesn't leave me hurting. a God who pours truth over me. 

so yes, home is hard. but home is exactly where He has me right now.

so i'll keep going. i'll keep growing.

i'll do what it takes to find that community my heart longs for, but He has been so faithful to already bring it to my doorstep.

my God doesn't quit.

He doesn't abandon.

He is just as present as my Comforter, Provider, Truth and Life here in michigan, as He was in all of europe.

He is a God of life... 

abundant life.

and so as my time here at home progresses, i desire to walk in that abundance.

to take hold of all there is to take hold of here, and run with it.

all i have to do is keep walking forward, keep following Him.

the adventure continues.

it did not stop at graduation.

it did not stop when i left herrnhut.

He always has more wherever i'm at.

adventuring with God is a lifestyle that my heart aches for.

i want to continue to learn how to love deeper, to be more passionate, to live according to His word, and to continue to spread His light wherever i go.

on my own, i simply can not do it.

but i'm never on my own. 

He is with me with every breath i take.