A new growth.

This is hilarious. My view of Christianity is becoming somewhat cynical. I'm not sure what to think about Christians at times. Is it jealousy? Is it genuine conviction in my heart? I'm not sure, but I'm not too sure I like it.

This weekend:
This weekend was my birthday weekend! I went to Winter Camp '08 with my CCF Core (small group) and had a blast! One of the first things I realized was that I was growing more and more intimate about the most seriously in my life (my relationship with God) with people I barely know. A lot of good things happened this weekend, but I specifically want to share one event.

I met a girl:
"What the heck, Joe?" Hear the story out! I have to start with the lamest part. Some guy said this, "Don't you hate it when you listen so intently and hear nothing?" Bah! So, I was listening to her story and didn't remember her name! I remember her parent's names, though. Jim and Karen. I'll get back to those later. Anywho, I was responding the the message God was speaking through Brady on Saturday night, and I turned to the right and asked Core Leader Jeffe Springer to pray for me to find a deeper love of diving into God's Word. I found myself in a rut, but pressed through continuing to pray. All weekend there was a girl who caught my attention. She is gorgeous, let's get that out of the way upfront. Here's the deal, though. She caught my attention and I literally asked this question to God, "God, what do you want me to see in this girl?" I brushed it off, and prayed for her to find what God was looking for her this weekend. Craziness. I went to a session that night called Sex, sex, sex... what about relationship? Awkward, right? Nah, it gets worse, she was there, too! (I can't believe I don't remember her name.) I came in late and didn't sit next to a few of my friends because she probably would've noticed me, y'know? I'm such a dork. Well, the rut was this. I wanted to pray, but God kept bringing her to my attention. It was distracting me from worship and prayer, normally that's not a good thing, so I started praying for her and all of a sudden... "Mom" came up in my heart. I didn't understand this at first, but I started crying BIG-TIME and started praying for my mom. She (seriously, once she contacts me through facebook I'll tell her about my blogs, she might make fun of me big time for not knowing her name!) came up and layed her hand on me. I instantly knew it was her because her voice calmed my screaming heart praying for my mom. I started praying for my dad next. My parents aren't saved. I maintain composure and sit up. She spoke, and the night flipped. This girl whom God was bringing my attention to has my story. We talked about it, and it was awesome to see someone else with the same heart for their parents. I'm not going to make this anymore significant than it is, but I'm going to let this out so it doesn't remain a stumbling block in my life. I found out she's in a pretty serious relationship... (hear me out guys!!) It's lame to me because I know she's going to be a wonderful mother one day. I'm going to keep her and her parents (Jim and Karen) in my prayers. It was one of the most beautiful nights I've ever experienced, Jesus really is the author and perfecter of my soul! Beautiful work, Jesus!
Hopefully, we do get in contact with each other, within the next few weeks I'm going to tell my dad everything God has been doing my heart and tell my dad I love him. It's going to be awesome!

That's it. This weekend rocked, but it's only a foundation to a great life to follow!