my birthday blessing

Last week I had some friends over to celebrate my birthday.  As I was cleaning up my place before the party, I realized my vacuum cleaner was broken.  I only had $10 in my checking account.  “I definitely won’t be purchasing a new vacuum any time soon,” I thought to myself.  Now, normally (and by normally I mean before I was saved), I would have flipped out and would have spent the rest of the night worrying about how I was going to make a big purchase with only $10 in my account.  For some reason that I didn’t understand at the time, I just let it go and enjoyed spending time with great friends.

Fast forward to the next day.  My roommate and I like to spend Saturday mornings having coffee and listening to Jazz music at a local café near our house.  As we were walking back to home we came to a driveway that had an Oreck vacuum cleaner with a sign that read “FREE.”  Needless to say, I started jumping up and down and doing a little victory dance.  I praised God the rest of the way home with my new vacuum cleaner in tow. 

Now, you may not think that finding a vacuum cleaner is a big deal and might chalk it up to a mere coincidence.  Not me.  This was an act of God.  How do I know?  Because of faith.  This is how I live my life.  This is only one story, one testimony, of the many ways God has been working in my life over the past year.  I see God’s blessings every single day. 

When my vacuum cleaner broke, I knew that it would be taken care of.  I wasn’t sure how, but I didn’t waste my time worrying about it.  I gave it to God.  And he moved.  He always does, you just have to give him the opportunity.

insane in the membrane

Albert Einstein described insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

If that's the case, I'm definitely insane.  You probably are too.  As human beings, we have a strong desire to do what is comfortable - even if we know it's not necessarily the right thing for us.  We do what we know.  I'm guilty of this.  You probably are too.

We fear the unknown.  Why?  What if the unknown is something more beautiful and fulfilling than we could ever imagine?  Would you take that first step outside of what is comfortable, outside of yourself?  I would.  I am.

I've tried doing the same things over and over, and yep, you guessed it, I got the same results.  My pastor (Joel A Brooks of Christian Life Center, who is AWESOME by the way) comments often that "if you want something new, you have to give God something new to put it in."

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for something new... I'm ready for something real... something beautiful... something truly satisfying.  I'm journeying into the unknown and documenting it along the way.  I'm sure my writing is a little rusty and I've never blogged before so all I ask of you is to extend to me a little grace and keep an open mind.