The Story of Awesome

I would like to expand the 140 characters of a recent "tweet" I "tweeted" (I'm still very uncomfortable with these words). The "tweet" went like this:

I was just told on the phone that I'm a "rare combination of talents and experiences." I think that's the best compliment I've ever received.

The story behind this tweet is a good one...one that has taken me a while to sort through and compile my thoughts on. The story begins with me, through a series of fortunate events, finding myself staring down a 'preliminary application form' on the website of a mission organization that focuses its outreach to Europe. That little blinking cursor was staring me in the face, begging me to type in my last name.

Let me pull back from the story for a second and say this: I'm not supposed to move back overseas right now. I KNOW that. I felt God pulling me back to Florida (He gently pulled as I kicked and whined like a toddler) about a year and a half ago, and I haven't yet felt the pull back to the UK for a permanent placement. I continued to stare at the screen and tell it all of this, but it wouldn't listen. I began to feel this crazy weird tug to fill out the information. "Ok God...you don't want me to go overseas right now, but you want me to tell this organization that I DO want to?" I suppose when scripture said God would direct our steps it didn't designate that we would understand where they're headed.

I filled out my info.

I got a call from a lady at the organization.

After a few preliminary questions, she inquired: "So, you are interested in moving back to England soon?"

"Umm...I don't think so."

Do you want to feel like an idiot? Tell someone you want to do something, then when they inquire further, tell them you don't. Still, she asked me to share my story with her and said she would call me back in 2 weeks.

I received that second phone call - this time with the same lady and one other guy from the organization who is helping to start the initiative of church-planting in the UK (this organization currently doesn't have any missionaries on the field in England, but they are working that direction). She asked me to tell my story again, so I did.

THIS is where the guy on the phone responded to my blabbing on about myself with what I later "tweeted" - that I am a "rare combination of talents and experiences."

You see, this guy (and several others) have been praying hard over the last couple of months for God to send them the right people for this brand new initiative to the UK. They aren't just looking for people ready to move overseas right now...they are looking for people to help shape the vision BEFORE that stage to move over permanently opens up. They need creative thinkers and people with experience in British ministry to help them brainstorm about what mission there looks like, and how to market that to potential supporters. They asked the Lord to send them people with church planting experience...who have been involved in youth ministry in the context of British teens...someone with a creative mind, perhaps with abilities in graphic design...hopefully with good contacts with college-age students who would be interested in missions...

Did you read that?? Because that is the part where my brain exploded. I have a degree in Bible and Graphic Design. I was on a church-planting team in England, and worked mostly with youth while I was there. I now work at Florida Christian College and have been asked to speak in Missions & Evangelism classes about Europe...

I have been confused about myself over the last few years. I have been thinking that the randomness that makes up my life is "my fault" - that I have been too random, wayward, vagabond-ish...unable to make up my mind about anything, and therefore unable to decipher the great mystery of God's will for my life.

Have you ever found a puzzle piece - just found it somewhere, without the context of the rest of the pieces or the picture on the box? It makes no sense! Shapes, colors, textures with no context. It's confusing, and it makes no sense alone...

Could it be possible that what seemed like me having the inability to figure out God's will for my life was in reality God shaping me for a purpose? Could it be that the seeming randomness of my life was actually not so random...but perfect? Did God actually pay attention when He "knit me together in my mother's womb"? Can I finally trust that God has "the front of the box" and knows where each and every one of us has the unique ability to fit?

What a concept.

Obviously, I have been excited about this. What this means for me now is that I am able to keep my stable job near family and friends, but am now also finding myself in phone conferences with like-minded people who are excited about what can happen when we brainstorm together about what Christ wants to do through us in the UK. Right now, I am in the process of praying for a team to lead to England for 2 weeks in the summer as part of a fact-finding, survey-taking process that is necessary to pave the way for *someone* years from now to be permanently placed there. Maybe by that time I will feel that pull back to England, or maybe I will never leave Central Florida again...either way, I am thankful for a God that knows me better than I know myself.

Prelude to the Story of Awesome

Ok. I know. I got all excited and started a new blog, and only had the one initial update. Well, listen...it's for a reason. I actually, for once in my life, have a good excuse. A GREAT excuse, I think.

I used to have a blog before this one. The "All Tied Up in Notts" blog. I always felt overwhelmed with it because there was SO much to write about when I lived in an awesomely foreign country. Since moving back to the States, I have been stuck in this awful "eh..." state of mind: I'm back to "normal" life again...what on earth is exciting about that? What on earth would I have to write about? Nothing about my life will ever be exciting again...woe is me, etc., etc.

The whole point of me starting a new blog was for me to track the exciting moments in my life. I've decided to stop being a snob who thinks life in Florida is "too normal" and actively pursue the journey out of this "eh..." funk. The greatest day of my life is coming in less than a year, and it's up to me to open my eyes and realize how blessed I am. I DO believe that I have a great life - wonderful family, fantastic friends, a good job, and the occasional "this is funny!" story will happen to me. I figured if I started writing again, I would be able to see - all in one place - that God is good to me, He is still using me, and NO MATTER WHERE I LIVE I have a life interesting enough to read about.

Since starting this blog on my birthday, some very interesting things have happened in my life. I have wanted so badly to write about them. I have started writing out my thoughts, and eventually it will formulate into a blog. But please do know...GOD IS GOOD! Right when I needed to know that, He provided me with a really, truly, completely awesome story. I am excited to share it with you.

But not just yet. :)

Allow me to sort through my thoughts and process what God is doing in my life, and then...and only then...will I share my Story of Awesome with you.

It all started in 1990

President George Bush was working on America's debt during his 2nd year as the executive power of the US government. The 125th emperor of Japan was enthroned. Space shuttle Atlantis was launched. Margaret Thatcher resigned from her position as Prime Minster of the UK. The first Home Alone film was about to be released. All these important things in the world were happening in November of 1990. I, however, was here:


Dairy Queen. That's me on my 7th birthday, just before the candles were placed in my ice cream cake. Maybe it's because of all the photos that I have from that day, or maybe that day really was truly an awesome birthday...but I seem to still carry with me so many memories of that day. I remember feeling like a celebrity. I OWNED that DQ. And seriously, look at that sweet bow in my hair. I was rockin' the birthday.

What I remember the most from that birthday is something an adult (whose identity I do not remember) pointed out to me about my unique birth-date that I had never realized before: "Oh wow! Your birthday is on 11/11! You know, you are going to live to see your birthday be on 11/11/11." At that young age, I had never really thought too much about the distant future...I had never even thought about how in just 10 years, I'd be living in the 2000's! I remember this fact blowing my mind, and me sitting in the pink, plastic DQ booth trying to do the math in my head...asking my mom for help...and realizing I'd be turning 28 on 11/11/11.

I thought to myself "I'll be so old!" I wondered if I would be young enough to even enjoy such a fantastic day. Would I grow up to be a lame adult who didn't care about birthdays? Would I have so many kids by that point in my life that I'd be too preoccupied with them to celebrate my most amazing birthday?!? I remember wishing that I could turn 11 on 11/11/11 for both the amount of 11's in that as well as being young enough to enjoy myself. On that day, 11/11/90, I promised myself that I would make sure 11/11/11 is the GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

Here I am on 11/11/10...exactly 365 days until said greatest day of my life. I'm 27 today. Definitely not feeling too old...actually, I'm feeling too young. Only one more year until 11/11/11? Really? I realize that day most likely will not be filled with fireworks, celebrities, diving into pools of gold coins, or any other ridiculous over-the-top ideas I had as 7-year old me. My non-existent children definitely won't be getting in the way of me celebrating my birthday as 7-year old me expected (unless things drastically change within the next 3 months...). I'm sure it won't be an earth-shattering, life-changing, is-life-even-worth-living-after-this-day kind of day...but I'm still curious and excited as I look forward to seeing what happens this year.

I started this blog for a few reasons. First, I'm excited to write again. I could care less if anyone reads these thoughts, I'm just excited to have some sort of creative discipline in my life. I think I've realized that is something that I need in my life...so, here goes. Along with that, I'm going to use this blog to document the things that make my life great. I really do have a wonderful life, and I want to keep that in mind as I travel through all my normal days this year towards the greatest day of my life...which hopefully will really just be ONE of the greatest days of my life.