Reminded and thoughtful! He is RISEN!

I am really blessed... and I know it sounds cliche given Easter... but really I am. Friday is our usual hangout night and Brian, Ryan and his new gf with her daughter came, along with us girls here at the house. And I am just reminded of how great my friends are. I know they put up with me, they listen, and I provide them material for good fun ;o) Anyway, then Natalie came into town for a wedding and we got to spend time together as she stayed here over the weekend and it was like old times minus the fact we never slept in the same room when we lived together.. anyway...and just being around people who are positive and honest and people who love others and love God... and you can see it in how we all interact together.

Then Saturday rolls around and it was a staff meeting for camp coming up this summer (Camp Challenge-- very near and dear to my heart), and somehow throughout I was reminded about convictions. As I prepare to serve... where I am, where I was, and where I need to be. Not just so I can serve for a week and be done with it... but for myself... where do I need to be. I know that the Holy Spirit lays down our convictions and I may not have the same ones as the next person, as everyone has different things they struggle with. Some things are battles til they day you die and others are no big thing.

Then being around more friends as we came together to celebrate Heather's birthday. Heather and I ... we had a rough start and it is very new for us to have a friendship based on our experiences with each other putting aside false perceptions of the other... and it is a blessing to see how God answered that prayer... as I think about it. And it was another opportunity to see how calm the water can be when two people who have some well... together can make some waves currently... managed to keep it calm and hopefully there will be more moments like that.

This morning I said good bye to Nat as she headed back to Ventura... sadness... but then went to church later and it was just awesome. Everyone was just full of joy and it was good times at Oak Park this morning. Oh and Brian was wearing a white tie... it was classy ;o) Afterwards headed down to spend time with what I consider extended family in Santa Ynez. Wine tasted at a couple place in Santa Ynez (first time in the Santa Ynez Valley to wine taste--Thanks Duane and Judy) and well.... Paso and SLO just do wine better. The wines were not anything to brag about and some were AWFUL! And then they were expensive. Some were way too tart some were not fermented along enough, or some felt like they didn't even make it to a barrel before being bottled for consumption. But anyway... I degress... Judy was such a blessing in having me come down and spend the day and have dinner and then I came home to wonderful roommates. But in all that... I am reminded that there is nothing I can do or will do to make God love me more... or less. He has loved me with EVERYTHING from the beginning. The sacrifice of His Son is testament of that. As I continue to battle things from years ago... and what not I know He is always with me. As I move forward and concentrate on not wasting my life and doing something that will make an impact. I don't want to ever put my God or Christianity in a box. I will never have it all figured out. I will always learn something new. I know God has a sense of humor... God is logical, analytical. God is grace and forgiveness, and He is love. I am meeting Christians or know of some for awhile where pretty much the safest they see themselves is in their house so they don't sin... or mingle with the world. Some people have convictions then try to push them on me. Sorry... I am still a Christian and my relationship with God is a personal deal and it is not affected by that in my life. And if it was making my friends stumble... then that is a different story. I don't go out and get smashed or stoned (and never will), I don't party, I don't date around like I got nothing to do, I don't use bad language (okay, I do slip once in a while-- do you know how much I run into stuff or hit stuff with my car....?) But in all that... end of the day God sees the core of who I am and what I stand for. I am honest-- sometimes too blunt--eh I am learning to embrace it. My favorite band is not a Christian band-- oh Heaven forbid, but you know what... God doesn't care. It doesn't change my motives or intentions. God knows the heart. He knows everything. People need reassurance... God doesn't. God sees through the masks and hypocrisy and lies. God sees through people and their gossip. I don't need legalism, nor do I need to argue about fundamentals of Christianity that have no affect on whether or not I am saved... like the gift of tongues or if alcohol is a sin or not... I don't need to go there with people. There are some things God says in black and white... but there are some things we like to say are there and we like to take things out of context to prove some point. All lame.

So, yeah, I have been thinking lately.... no wonder I have a headache right now ;o)