what lies in wait
So my first post for this year of 2008, and I am feeling at the moment that it will be one of the last here on my blue trike life blog. It was six years ago I flew the coup and moved to Ballarat from my beautiful little Sale to begin my new and exciting young adult life away from my family and the constraints of life at home.
In those years I have studied 4 different courses at University, TAFE, and online Bible College, without completing any full accreditation. Been unemployed, worked nights and weekends in a supermarket, and sold mobile phones. In those years of work it has mostly been casual and part time work, always weekends, often fluctuating hours, with never any real long term stability. Along with this has been in those six years living at nine different residences, from University residence, to a friends floor, to a share house, to boarding with two different older couples, to another share house, to back with my parents in a new city, to sharing a unit with a friend, to renting a room in another share house, and I might just move again soon, but if I do it would be for a couple years at least i feel.
My family and especially my parents have always supported me in many ways, they figured out if I was calling there was probably something I wanted.
I have to say in these testing and trying years though God has been my rock, and my two church communities Wendouree Baps and Enfiled Baps have been a real source of Love and support. God has been the one stable thing in my life that has helped me through each day, week, month and year, and when my family and friends couldn't be there for me He was and is.
It has been great to go through struggles in my faith in God and what I believed and sorting through what was real and needed to be held tightly with both hands and what was not important and needed throwing out the window or at least loosely holding or simply letting go of. As well as what was missing and allowing God to change me, and allowing God to Love me. All continuing processes too. God has used so many different people in all of this, from my unit 3&4 pals at Uni, to Harvey, and Tab, Christop and Trav, Blake, to a 16 yr old work mate, to Stefan and Scotty in more recent times, and many others too. Then there has been the books that I have read by Michael Frost, John Dickson, Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, Jim Palmer and others who have helped shape my thinking and ideas also. There is also this Author named Paul who wrote a whole bunch of letters to Churches in the couple thousand years ago vicinity who God has used to help me.
During these often stressful and crazy years there have been spells of being depressed and wanting an easy way out, and sometimes hating the way I am or can be. There have been great times as well of joy and love, and happiness, when life was wonderful and things were great. God is with me through all these times never letting go of me, His Love is like no other.
There have been many nights of fervent prayer, giving all i could that God's power would flow into the lives of others and seeking Him in my own times of despair. Prayer has shaped the way I am today, the times I have spent with the Lord crying out for others as well as for my self have been so powerful and growing and eye opening, some experiences I cannot even explain.
In the years to come I look for more stability, some settling down a bit, to be more responsible with my time and money, continuing growth, growing career, a stronger mind, a stronger self confidence, continued healing, some luck in love, and whatever else God has in plan.
There may be a new blog on the way too, with a better forward looking outlook on life. So thank you to all those past six years and here is to the next six years and what lies in wait.
In those years I have studied 4 different courses at University, TAFE, and online Bible College, without completing any full accreditation. Been unemployed, worked nights and weekends in a supermarket, and sold mobile phones. In those years of work it has mostly been casual and part time work, always weekends, often fluctuating hours, with never any real long term stability. Along with this has been in those six years living at nine different residences, from University residence, to a friends floor, to a share house, to boarding with two different older couples, to another share house, to back with my parents in a new city, to sharing a unit with a friend, to renting a room in another share house, and I might just move again soon, but if I do it would be for a couple years at least i feel.
My family and especially my parents have always supported me in many ways, they figured out if I was calling there was probably something I wanted.
I have to say in these testing and trying years though God has been my rock, and my two church communities Wendouree Baps and Enfiled Baps have been a real source of Love and support. God has been the one stable thing in my life that has helped me through each day, week, month and year, and when my family and friends couldn't be there for me He was and is.
It has been great to go through struggles in my faith in God and what I believed and sorting through what was real and needed to be held tightly with both hands and what was not important and needed throwing out the window or at least loosely holding or simply letting go of. As well as what was missing and allowing God to change me, and allowing God to Love me. All continuing processes too. God has used so many different people in all of this, from my unit 3&4 pals at Uni, to Harvey, and Tab, Christop and Trav, Blake, to a 16 yr old work mate, to Stefan and Scotty in more recent times, and many others too. Then there has been the books that I have read by Michael Frost, John Dickson, Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, Jim Palmer and others who have helped shape my thinking and ideas also. There is also this Author named Paul who wrote a whole bunch of letters to Churches in the couple thousand years ago vicinity who God has used to help me.
During these often stressful and crazy years there have been spells of being depressed and wanting an easy way out, and sometimes hating the way I am or can be. There have been great times as well of joy and love, and happiness, when life was wonderful and things were great. God is with me through all these times never letting go of me, His Love is like no other.
There have been many nights of fervent prayer, giving all i could that God's power would flow into the lives of others and seeking Him in my own times of despair. Prayer has shaped the way I am today, the times I have spent with the Lord crying out for others as well as for my self have been so powerful and growing and eye opening, some experiences I cannot even explain.
In the years to come I look for more stability, some settling down a bit, to be more responsible with my time and money, continuing growth, growing career, a stronger mind, a stronger self confidence, continued healing, some luck in love, and whatever else God has in plan.
There may be a new blog on the way too, with a better forward looking outlook on life. So thank you to all those past six years and here is to the next six years and what lies in wait.
posted by John M @ 10:28 am
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