2:09 AM

Youth Party is over. I am finally home. My feet hurt. I have been non-stop since 10:30am, and can't wait to get in bed. As soon as Kimberly gets out of the shower, I'm getting cleaned up, and then it's ZZZ's! Thanks, Pink, for letting us have a party! It was a blast! Pictures tomorrow!

I Took the Superhero Quiz: Here are my Results:

What superhero are you? Find out here.

Frighteningly Fun

Today I stopped by our storage unit to skim through our Halloween stuff. We are having a Halloween Youth party this Friday, and the most challenging part will be creating the haunted forest, so I wanted to be sure we're utilizing all of our resources. We want to create a spooky environment to use for games and a scavenger hunt. It's going to be pretty dark, so a little will go a long way. I stopped by my parents house today, the location of the party, and walked down to the woods to get an idea for what it was like in the dark. SPOOKY! I can't wait to get there Friday morning and start decorating. Tomorrow we are going shopping to grab a few more things. Hopefully everything will be on sale since it will be the day before Halloween. Its awesome that our Youth is providing a safe, fun, God honoring place for kids to have fun on Halloween night, as this is a night for many kids to get into trouble. The weekend will be a blast, but come Monday, I won't be so happy. I'm sure at least a few kids will end up on our door-step at work because of something stupid they did this Friday. Too bad every kid isn't part of something this great!

Undercover Zombie

So, I took quiz to find out if I'd survive a zombie invasion. Here are my results:

You're an undercover zombie.

You're still human, but nobody can tell, because you're moaning hungrily and stumbling around with the zombie masses. You aren't in the mood to get involved in an exhausting zombie battle. You just want to live and let live (or let not-live, for the zombies). It seems like the easiest solution is to join the undead mob for now. It'll work out alright, as long as they don't pick up your delicious human scent. Fake zombie life isn't perfect - it's like being at a lame party where nobody talks much, and the snacks are really gross. But still? it beats hanging out at home until this zombie war is over, right?

New Song: Just Breathe

Just Breathe

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed now
Any minute I could meltdown
I could use a little help now
There is no air

Everything I know is changing
I can feel the world rearranging
All the chaos is suffocating
I cry out in prayer
“I cannot breathe!”

God answers
“Stop holding your breath”

"Breathe, And leave the rest to me
Just breathe, I am the air you need
Each breath you take, make it a praise
To my glory, to my grace
Breathe
Just breathe"

You’re looking a little frustrated
Wondering how you’re going to make it
Starting to feel a little jaded
It hurts too much to care

Something inside, it feels suppressed
The weight of the world upon your chest
It’s getting kind of hard to catch your breath
Just cry out in prayer
“I cannot breathe”

God answers
“Stop holding your breath”

Breathe, Take the Breath of Life
Just breathe, Your breath bought at a price
Each breath you take, make it a praise
To God’s glory, to God’s grace
Breathe
Just breathe

Lord you are our breath of life
We need you to survive
Lord you are our breath of life
We need you to survive

I will stop holding my breath

Lord, Breathe, In and out of me
Just breathe, You are all I need
Each breath I take, is a praise
To your glory, to your grace
Breathe
Just breathe

Everything of me is changing
Something inside rearranging
Can't catch my breath through praising

God it feels so good to breathe!

Finally Home

We've been back from vacation for a week now. It was great to get back home, and it ended up being an outstanding week at work, but something still didn't feel quite right. At first I thought it was because Kimberly and I didn't really have much time alone together during our vacation, but we had a lot of quality time together this week and I still had this odd feeling that something was missing somewhere in my everyday life. I couldn't figure out what it was, because everything seemed to be going great.

But today everything in my life fell back together. We hadn't been to church in two weeks, and as soon as the worship team started playing today I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I had just finally arrived home.

Nate did a great job leading worship and PK did wonderfully with today's message. It was great to see everyone, the children, my friends, and to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

As I entered into this church atmosphere; the sights, sounds, and emotions that come with it, I felt so uplifted, a sense of complete peace and fantastic excitement mixed, which leads me to only imagine what it will be like to enter into Heaven one day. Finally home.

As Promised, More Pictures from Chickamauga Quarry

As mentioned before, one of the best days of our trip in Tennessee last week was to a quarry that I later learned was called Chickamauga Quarry. It's found in Hixson, Tennessee and is absolutely beautiful. A local Boyscout troop tends to the trails and do a great job. After learning it's name, I was able to google the quarry and see other people's pictures they took on their own visits there, which is really neat. In these slides you will see Kimberly and I, Kimberly's brothers Mick and Allen, Allen's wife Shannon, Kimberly's father Gary, and Mick's girlfriend Leigh. Enjoy!

Today I . . .

Today I Did the Following:

-Cooked dinner

-Played Wii

-Generated a force field strong enough to withstand close-range bullets

-Manipulated the elements of nature with my mind

-Defeated a room full of enemies with an electrical shock from my own body

-Healed myself after being stabbed repeatedly

-Encased myself in armor made of impenetrable ice

-Threw three men across the room at once without even breaking a sweat -Assisted the Ultimate Alliance to save the world (they couldn't have done it without me)

-Watched a Freddy movie from beginning to end for the first time ever It was a busy day, what can I say?

Friday Has Arrived

Hooray! Friday is here! It's been a great week, but I am grateful that we are having a quiet evening at home. We just finished dinner, so I'm about to have some serious Wii time while Kimberly reads. Ultimate Alliance, here I come!

We're Getting Closer!!!

We continue to steadily approach Halloween. I have been enjoying walking through the costume and decorations section of each store we visit, each time we go. Without television this year, I've missed out on some of the creepy goodness that airs during this time, but we have some good movies to watch to make up for it. The leafs are changing and its getting pretty cold. Kimberly and I have been enjoying ourselves as we continue to plan a Halloween party for the youth group. Its all been so fun, but the other day I saw decorations for Christmas on display and it made me just a bit nauseous. I love Christmas, but tend to not think about it much until right around Thanksgiving, which I suddenly realized today is quickly approaching. The year has seemed to go so quickly, yet it seems like so long ago we celebrated holidays last. Normally, as the holidays approach, I think, "Wow! Already!?!?" but this year feels very different. This holiday season we have our own place again and it will be nice to decorate and spend some holiday time alone together because we've never really done that before. It's all just coming so quickly. Maybe thats one of the reasons I like Halloween so much. Right after it, it's seems like everything is one bit holiday blur.

So Far Today . . .

When we woke up it was 62 degrees in our house, just a bit nippy. We wanted it up closer to 69 or 70 degrees, so I kicked on the furnace for the first time this year hoping we would get to miss out on the awesome smell of burning dust while at work. Thats right about when the smoke came rolling in. Just enough to set off the fire alarm, I'm sure waking up the entire building. So now I'm hanging around for just a few extra minutes, making sure no flames are just waiting in hiding to spring out and burn our apartment down as soon as I leave. I am eating breakfast now, as I type. Whole grain cereal and soy milk. Yep. We are starting a diet today and it begins pretty strictly to help us cut cravings. Basically we are on a vegan diet for the first week or two, then things get a little less restrictive. Yesterday I heard Muncie was the coldest spot the night before in the entire state. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I do know it got pretty cold that night, last night too. So now I'm trying to think about where my coats are, which is exciting because I've been wanting to wear a coat for a couple weeks now. Well, the smell has dissipated and no flames. It's probably safe to head to work now. Holler.

Random Ramblings of Weight and Dieting

Tomorrow I am starting a diet, hardcore. I have done this before, and when I worked at a group home I was responsible for planning and making meals for the clients to help them manage their weight. So basically, I have no excuses. I know exactly what to do, I've just chosen not to do it, all while getting fat. Several people have commented on how different I look now compared to pictures taken of me only a couple years ago. It's because of the weight I have gained. My eating habits not only affect my appearance, but reflect where I'm at spiritually. Recently, I have turned to food (really tasty, artery clogging, diabetes-waiting-to-happen food) instead of God throughout stressful times. I use to look forward to getting home after a bad day and just spending time alone with God, listening for Him and sometimes hearing His voice. But lately I've just ran straight for the fridge. This habit also indicates a lack of self-control which can be found in many other areas of my life, such as my thoughts and the words that have been coming out of my mouth, as well as an impulsive nature which I find disgusting. I have even been having health issues which I believe are a direct result of my eating habit. God has a plan for me, and in order for me to fulfill what he wishes of me I need to be healthy physically and spiritually, feel comfortable in my own skin, and glorify Him in ALL I do, which does include my eating habits. I think image has an importance in it too in some instances, depending on God's plan. He is, after all, a very detail oriented god. I think back to the attention I drew when I was at my healthiest and best looking. (Believe it or not, I even had an agent once!) People would stop me everyday because they thought I was some random celebrity. I think now about what I could have done with all that attention, and the strangers I could have witnessed to, "Why, no. I'm not in that band, but let me tell you about Jesus Christ!" Now, even if I lose weight, this may never be the case again, which is fine, but I want God to be the center of my life, not food. I'm rambling on about a lot of things, but it boils down to this: I want to be my very best at everything for God. I want to glorify Him and tell people how great He is. I want to feel my best, so I am prepared to do whatever God wants of me. Somehow I feel like being healthy is a big part of this. I've bought the groceries. I have the recipes. Tomorrow's lunch is already made. I'm ready. I think.

Our Two-Year Anniversary

I cannot believe it is our two-year anniversary. It's a strange feeling. It almost feels like we just married last week, but at the same time it feels like we've been married for a lifetime. It seems life has thrown us some unexpected challenges throughout the first two years of our marriage, but these challenges have only strengthened our relationship with one another and Christ. Marriage has been a great blessing to me. Kimberly is wonderful and I couldn't ask for a better wife. And isn't our wedding party beautiful ?At our reception, I sang a song to Kimberly that I had wrote called Dreams: don't drift away / stay awake a little longer / i'll hold you tight / and all night sweet whispers / while little dreams are growing wings / deep inside our minds / when they're done fly from our tongues / just like butterflies / beautiful //chorus// dreams we dream together are the dreams i love to dream / dangerous dreams dreamed safely in the arms of you and me / lets build a house / on the clouds / from our bed / in our heads / dreams we dream together are the dreams i love to dream // once upon a time / you and i ever after / happiness / no sadness / only laughter / i'll be your king, you'll be my queen / and we will rule the land / of ruby shoes and pots of gold / and genies in their lamps / wonderful //chorus// patient kind and selfless / knows no boast or rudeness / hopeful, faithful, and strong / this love //chorus// dreams we dream together are the dreams i love to dream And after ten years of being in love and two years of marriage, my favorite dreams are still the ones we dream together.

God's Love is Unconditional, But I Want to Make Him Proud

So, while on vacation, I started dabbling around with a couple songs. On the drive home, a completely new one popped into my head, probably around . . . well, actually, probably just about 24 hours ago. It's about turning from sin to live for God, then falling back to sinful ways or thinking. It seems like an endless cycle, and the song asks how many times it will be repeated. The concept made me think of a son wearing his father's clothes, hoping to be like his father and making him proud, but inadvertently ruining them by falling in the mud. God's love is unconditional and he will never cease to pick me up, clean the mud away, and wrap me up in fresh garb. But at what point should I not be falling as often? Like I said, the song is only about 24 hours old, so it's still in the works and need lots of attention (it doesn't even have a name yet), but here it is anyway! I 'll be sure to re-post it when it's all finished.

I've walked away / from those wicked things I've shut the door / on that sin before I poured the shame / and poison down the drain I have repented / how long 'til I'll need to again? Father I just want to make you proud / every time I stand I fall down These are your clothes no one would know because I've covered them in mud Father I just want to be a light / shine for you and lead right to your side These are your clothes no one would know because I've covered them in mud Lord I have turned / to you, I have learned what is right / guided by your light I've found the way / how long before I stray? I will repent / how many times over again? Father I just want to make you proud / every time I stand I fall down These are your clothes no one would know because I've covered them in mud Father I just want to be a light / shine for you and lead right to your side These are your clothes no one would know because I've covered them in mud

Chili Meal at Christian Ministries

Today, my mother came over to teach CHILI COOKING 101. It's always great when Mom comes over! She and Kimberly shopped for the ingredients, then made two enormous batches of chili together. I, of course, was Chef De La Peanut Butter sandwiches, which does take some skill, you know! When it was all done, we packed up the chili and sandwiches, along with some cookies and crackers, and headed to Christian Ministries in Muncie to serve the gentlemen staying there this evening.

It blessed me greatly to serve them and I can't wait to do it again!

Vacation, Part 3 Continued

Today was the last, and probably the most enjoyable day of Vacation, Part 3. We spent some time down in the mountains and it was completely gorgeous. The leaves have just started changing and the colors were beautiful. We went down to the mountain to take some family photos and, for the most part, they turned out great. As always, more pictures to come!

New Song

I've had a few songs brewing in the back of my brain lately, but didn't want to focus on them just yet, because songwriting tends to consume my every thought if I let it. Well, now that my courses are over, I've allowed my mind to wonder more, and over the past few days something really cool has been developing. Well, something that I think is really cool, anyway ;o) I am at the stage of songwriting where it's all coming together and the last thing to do is figure out how the melody and lyrics will interact. Sometimes they clash and one of them, or both, will need to be tweaked some. This is my favorite part of writing, but probably the most annoying for everyone around me. I will completely focus on a very short phrase or two and sing it over and over again until I'm satisfied with it. Then I will begin to include the next phrase or so, building onto the progress I've already made.

It's slow and repetitious. Exciting for me, but not for my poor wife who's stuck in the car with me and has heard the same two phrases of a song repeated continuously for three hours. She is super supportive and encouraging, but a person can only take so much . . . Sorry Honey.

Paris Underground

I am starting to read Paris Underground by Etta Shiber. She was imprisoned during World War II for helping soldiers escape from France. The book was in print when the war was still going, so all names were changed to protect other people facing persecution. The first time it was printed, she did not change the name of her best friend. All books were traced and destroyed, reprinted with her best friend called an alias. The copy I am reading is an original reprint after the books were destroyed and changed. I can't wait to get further into it!

My New Hairdo

Today I visited a new hair stylist.

Sorry Kimmy!

Well, actually she came to me. She said she just couldn't wait to do my hair. She promised to make me beautiful.

And I think she did.

By the way, my new stylist is nine years old.

Psalm 19:14

Today's verse of the day just might be the perfect prayer for me right now. I used to have a terrible habit of saying the most awful things. And guess what . . . I've been slipping back into that habit the last several days. Before I even realize what I've said, I'll notice a look on Kimberly's face, like she's thinking, "Why did you just say that!?!?" It's funny how good habits are so easily broken, but bad habits seem to be lifelong battles. I was so excited to finish with school because I felt that God has been preparing me to use me for something, and that I would be able to focus more on that when I was done. But now the time has come, and I know the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart could not possibly be pleasing to Him right now. I think it was Mindy who commented on one of my posts once that when we finally get a grasp on what it means to be chosen by God, that's when we need to "look out!" She was so right!

Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Vacation, Part 3

Vacation Part 1 flew right by, visiting -V- and hanging out in Chicago. Vacation Part 2, completing a 10 month course in 2 days, was not so much a vacation, but non-the-less a part of my week off.

And did I mention I'm done now? ;o)

Now, we have entered into Part 3. We are staying in Hixson, Tennessee to visit Kimberly's family, including our nieces. They are rambunctious and bright, so there is never a dull moment when they're around! Hopefully, this portion of our vacation will involve lots of sleep!

Finally Finished !!!

At last! I am done with school!

To be ultra cheesy, I want thank some people, like I just won a Grammy or something. So here it is:

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your emotional and financial support throughout schooling. I truly appreciate it and couldn't have done it without you guys!

Thanks, Nate, for sharing your brains, and Kate for allowing me to sit at your dining room table until 11:00pm while Nate helped me! You guys are SO nice!

Oh -V-. The countless hours you dedicated to helping me with assignments and "assisting" me with those horrific exams for FIVE hours straight! Thanks, buddy! I couldn't say it enough times!

And Kimberly. My motivating, butt-kicking, 'get-it-done-or-else' wife. It's almost embarrassing to think how much push I have needed to complete these last two courses, but you did not stop pushing until it was finally done. Even if I could have easily completed these courses on my own without any help, the truth is I still probably wouldn't have without you pushing me. You are wonderful!

All jokes aside, I am truly blessed with great people in my life who challenge, support, and pray for me. Thank you all!

The Perfect Picture for a Day Entirely Dedicated to Social Psychology

Mere Exposure Effect

Mere Exposure Effect: repeated exposure to the same novel stimulus is sufficient to produce a positive attitude toward it. Familiarity breeds liking, not contempt.

I guess we should be careful of what we expose ourselves and our children to then, huh?

Back to . . . Whatever This Is

So, we're back. I almost titled this post "Back to Reality," but that's not quite accurate. Tomorrow, I will complete 5 1/2 assignments for my soc/psych class, 50 questions a piece. I'll then take all those assignments to campus to hand in by 5:00pm, and pick up the take home final, which must be turned in around 9:00am the next morning before we head down to Tennessee to visit Kimberly's family. Also, tomorrow, I'll be turning in the rest of my STATS work, and will be completely finished with my B.A. after Wednesday morning. Yay! The first thing I'm going to do when I get to work next Monday is order new business cards! I've just got to get through tomorrow first. It will probably be horrific, as a natural consequences of shoving a 10 month course into 2 days. But hey, as long as it all gets done, right? Kimberly will also have a whole day devoted to school. She'll be observing a group therapy session in Anderson in the morning, for extra-credit in her group-processing course. Then, she'll complete some homework and probably help me with my assignments to speed things along. After all that, she'll have class from 6pm to 9pm. So we're back. But not quite to reality. Thank God this doesn't reflect an average day for us!!!

Vacation, Part 1 Continued

Vacation, Part 1

Kimberly and I are taking the week off. Our vacation will sort of be divided up into three different sections. We have started out by heading north to Griffith, to visit -V-. Her apartment's grounds are beautiful; trees, water features, everything well kept. It's a very relaxing place to be. I'm happy for -V- that she found such a great home.

Her apartment itself is nice too. Nearly everything she has in it is black and white, so it almost has a 'department-store-display' kind of feel to it, trendy and fun.

Today we got to visit her office, where she works as a research analyst. Kimberly studied, did homework, and read while -V- and I worked on STATS tests. And yes, they are all done now after over five hours of back-to-back-to-back testing.

Thanks -V- !!! By the way, nice duck!

Tapping Out a Little Early

My plan was to pull an all-nighter in order to do lots of school work. Well, I've gotten a lot done, but there's a lot more to go. The problem is, it just hit me. I'M SLEEPY. Just enough to be a little loopy. So I think I'm going to try to get a couple hours sleep before I start getting ready for work. Alas, I almost made it!

More Good Times

Tomorrow we leave to visit -V-. I am excited because I know it's going to be a blast and I can't wait to see her in her new element. I'm sure there will be lots of fun picture taking, too. We all like to shout out random things for everyone to do right before snapping a picture. I think this picture was, "Quick! Everyone, look like you have to poop!" Kimmy's face is hilarious. She looks like she has to really go!

Ouch

This lovely picture is a canker sore. I tend to get them, and it's not fun. Several months ago my mouth and throat were full of them. It was so painful I could barely speak. I went to the doctor, who explained it was just a virus some people carry in their body and that the effects surface for different reasons such as stress, exhaustion, and low immunity. I was also having some abdominal issues at the time and he explained that if I have these sores in my mouth, then they are probably in my stomach as well. He gave me a scrip which I took twice in the morning, and twice at night for just one day. Within a couple days, they were all clearing up. A few days ago I started getting a canker sore for the first time in a while. I thought it would clear up since it was just one, but I was wrong. My entire lip was swollen and sore today, even though it was just one sore. My body was stiff and achy and my stomach had hurt all day, so I'm wondering if it's all related. I'm just a big winy baby today. I continue to have this weird pain in my upper right side that's plagued me for months now. I visited the doctor a while back but never followed up when I was supposed to. I guess I've just been nervous about finding out whats wrong. I'm good at avoiding the worst things in the world to avoid, which often leads to stress, which often leads to not feeling well, which leads to more avoidance, which leads to . . . Ouch The great news is that I am so very close to being completely done with school, something else I've been avoiding. I will officially have my bachelor's of arts. I wish I could say it's because I've worked hard, but it's really because so many people have worked hard to help and support me. I think when I'm done, I'll have a lot of weight lifted from my shoulders and will have time to dedicate to more rest and to spend time focusing on a passion God has engulfed me with to do something very specific for Him. But for now . . . ouch . . . I need to get back to my STATS book. Pulling an all-nighter, and this is my "break-time." Ouch. And maybe Yuck.

mo.men.tum n

mo.men.tum n 1. the power to increase or develop at an ever-growing pace 2. the speed or force of forward movement of an object 3. a quantity that expresses the motion of a body and its resistance to slowing down. It is equal to the product of the body’s mass and velocity. Symbol p 4. an essential part of a whole

synonyms: impetus, drive, thrust, energy, force

Let's Talk About Yarn

Let's chat about yarn, K? What are some words you would associated with yarn?

Warm? Cozy? Soft? Fuzzy? Okay. What about Sexy? Anyone? Any votes for Sexy?

No? Alright. Good!

I just wanted to double-check and make sure I wasn't the world's biggest prude or anything. Today one of my clients had to be removed from class because he became so sexually aroused during a knitting course. Seriously! No joke! He just kept on stroking the yarn gingerly, while giggling. He became so excited, the teacher was afraid he might start touching himself or other students. Wow! And I thought I had heard it all!

Today has been wonderful. Really. I got to work late after sleeping in. It happened to be the perfect day for this, as my first meeting wasn't until 10:00am and required no preparing. I went to my meeting. It was about writing a treatment curriculum for children with problematic sexual behavior. Although the meeting was not so productive, it's great for me to get a chance to have conversations with people who work in the same realm as me. And there were free donuts. After the meeting I went to my office and met up with a friend I used to work with when I was a direct care staff. Several months after my promotion, this person transfered to my program and now works for me. He had to have surgery a couple weeks ago and has been gone since. Today he returned on a part time basis as my assistant until his full recovery, then he will be back on the floor working directly with the kids again. It was great to have him back and to have someone whose sole priority was to help me with paperwork and filing. While he sorted through gobs of papers for me, I prepared somewhat of an agenda to discuss for an all staff meeting. I met up with all my staff at Puerta's and we had a great meeting. The downside to meeting off-campus is that we must be very careful about what we say, in order to keep confidentiality of our clients. However, the pros outnumber the cons. Meeting off-campus give us an opportunity to really relax with one another, something we all need very much. It gives me a chance to see a more personal side of my staff and get a closer view of the interpersonal dynamics within my team. The level of participation is also much greater in this environment. So, after this meeting, the program counselor and I grabbed a company car and headed out to pick up a resident from school and take him to his home to check things out a bit. We have constructed a safety plan for this kid to help him not re-offend and to remain stable while on home visits. It was an uncomfortable experience, but very educational. I felt very disturbed being in a place where I know so many terrible things have happened, the unmeasurable amount of sexual abuse that occurred on that property, but I'm going through a phase at the moment where "disturbed" is only a passing thing. Lets hope that lasts. I think. Anyway, by the time we returned from the home visit, I just set up a few weekend visitations for my new kids I received on Monday, then I left. I was probably only in my office for two hours today. How awesome!?!? I need days like that more often! Then I came home and straightened up the apartment a little. A lady is moving in next door and I helped her carry a couch up the stairs, and later a huge hutch. Then my mother-in-law stopped by with our cousin so Kimberly could work her magic and wax her eyebrows and cut her hair. Then she made tacos and we watched HEROES and visited a bit. There was just a little drama with our downstairs neighbors for a couple minutes. They were upset about some ridiculous parking issues. If only they could have prepared themselves to deal with Kimberly! She was very nice to them, but also very direct. It actually made me laugh a little because there was just no way for the angry neighbors to respond! Kimberly shut them down with a quickness! It was awesome! Flies with honey. She made me proud ;o) We finished up our lovely visit and watched some more HEROES. WHAT A GREAT DAY !!!

Quick day at work. Worship practice. Kimberly. Heroes. Popcorn. Good day.

Oops!

So, -V-'s comment on my last post led me to discover the song I posted is actually just the music I put together, but no vocals! Funny joke. So now I'm wondering where in the world I saved the songs I recorded. It will drive me crazy until I find them!!! Anyway, I am so excited that it's Thursday! The week is almost over! Thank God. Tomorrow I get to have a staff meeting at Puerta's, which will be fun. However, afterwards I have to go to a client's home to go over a safety plan with everyone in his family. Not fun. I've never been in one of my clients' homes before, because they live in my cottage, so it's feeling a little weird just thinking about it. It will be a good experience, however, because it will help us tailor the plan to the specific environment it was developed for.

A Song: Motives

How Amesome!

So, Christian-Friend was very excited to hear that Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend had been seeking answers from God, and wanting a relationship with Him. Christian-Friend invited Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend to visit her church, and she decided to go. She had been there before, months ago, but never returned for fear that she would not be able to make a lifestyle change for God. During the service, the pastor was led by the Spirit to stray from his lesson and speak about something he has never spoken about to the congregation before. It just happened to be about a struggle that Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend had been facing her entire life. Christian-Friend has continuously prayed for Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend since that Sunday, and had been asking God for direction in her prayers for her friend. Today, Christian-Friend opened her devotional and read the story of Jonah. A prayer that followed seemed to be very fitting for Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend, so Christian-Friend sent Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend an e-mail instructing her to read the story of Jonah and included the prayer that was in her devotional. Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend replied to Christian-Friend, stating that the story of Jonah and the prayer that went along with it made her weep and has moved her so much that she wants to take the final step of giving herself to Christ completely. Christian-Friend was very excited and wanted to know what specific thing about the story and prayer helped guide her friend to this amazing moment in life. Not-Quite-There-But-On-Her-Way-Friend then said that she had been e-mailing Christian-Friend's pastor, asking questions under an alias a few months ago when she first visited the church. The alias? Jonah.