Nostalgia...

What do these have in common? Cabbage Patch dolls, Pound Puppies, Care Bears, Nancy Drew, DC Talk (old school), NKOTB (sorry dad, had to throw that one in there), and family vacations to places such as Hershey, Gettysburg, and we can't forget Washington or Iowa :)... For me- they are all parts of my past. Earlier this week I was having a blast of nostalgia- I found some things that led to looking at Youtube videos of old school DC Talk and Geoff Moore. It really took me back to a time when things were much simpler. When I look up nostalgia (online because who really uses a paper dictionary anymore?) this is what I find: Nostalgia : a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition

Looking back can be a good thing but it also can be something that destroys us (look at what happened to Lot's wife when she physically looked back). It is a time that can help us trace God's hand in our lives- a time that helped build our characters- a time that shows us who really matters in our lives and who our true friends are. However, too often we dwell on the past and let it take hold of us in ways that we can't even fully understand. It can affect our present and our future in negative ways- IF we let it.

The important thing to remember is that we can't go forward if we are looking behind us. Paul addresses it in Philippians 3:12-14:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Embrace the past- it's over and can't be changed- but RUN toward the future with hands wide open to grab onto the teachings place in front of us and a heart that uses the wisdom gained!

35 Years Down... A Lifetime to Go

Yep, it's my birthday and I figured what better day to blog on in the month of June (since apparently I am good to blog one day out of a month). This past year has been an interesting year- but in looking back through all of the other years- it's really not been so different. There have been ups and downs, goods and bads, and everything in between. The question I have to ask myself- Have I TRULY been following HIM in all I say and do? In the life I am leading am I living as one totally sold out and committed to Him? Some days I could definitely say yes, some days I could definitely say no- and some days- well, some days I know that I am just lukewarm and that scares me a bit because I know what the Bible says about those who are lukewarm.

My prayer for the upcoming year is simple-
it's that the fire that I have had returns and burns brighter than ever before
it's that I live a life worthy of the calling that has been given to me
it's that I live a life that TRUSTS in THE ONE who is trustworthy
it's to dream the dreams that He has planned for me and not being afraid to take those steps
it's to look in the eyes of the people I come in contact with and see Christ in them no matter how the world sees them
it's to have a pure and holy passion that starts and ends (or doesn't end) with Christ as the center.