i'm that new year goal makin' kid

       Well here it is 2013. Who knew?! Definitely not the Mayans, they apparently thought the world was supposed to end, oh 3 weeks ago. Today we are already at the beginning of a new week. But that's not why we are here. I want to talk about me, my life and what I have planned for 2013.

        Normally I don't make ANY new years resolutions because i think everyday we should be striving to be a better person. I really think that it is my goal to be a better man by the end of each day, but mostly by the end of the year.
So having said that I want to talk a little bit about who I want to be by the end of this year. First off I turn 30! No seriously I turn 30 in eleven months. Its crazy to me that I;m already climbing the first hill. But welcome to being older than most of your friends.Whenever I'm around people and they ask how old I am but they always look shocked when I tell them my age. It's amusing and slightly humbling at the same time.

Here are my goals, not resolutions, for 2013:

1. I would like to weigh around 175lbs by the time i turn 30. I have eleven months to lose about 30 pounds and I'm pretty sure that I can do it. I'm tired of being a chubby guy. I'm not obese but I am tired of not doing anything to keep myself in shape. My plans are being worked through but a gym and healthy eating are part of it. I'm not normally one to spend money on being healthy, but I HAVE to. I NEED to. Plus since I get the honor of being a rec director at Fuge Camps this summer!!! So I feel like I need to be a little more in shape for a job like that. For me it is not a vanity issue but health issue. I'd like to be healthy and happy. I am pushing that 30 button so its time to do something about it.

2. This year I would like get more into scripture. The typical cliche Christian answer to a New Years resolution But in all seriousness my walk with the Lord has not been anywhere near it should be. Sure I read a lot of Christian books on spiritual growth and life focusing on God, but am I really applying any of the stuff to my life? Not nearly enough. So I plan on spending a lot of time with the Lord. I spend way too much time watching TV or sleeping so maybe if I actually made an effort then my life would be in a better place. Mind, body, spirit.

3. I have gotten to a point where I really enjoy reading so over the next year I will be doing a  lot of reading. Not only Christian spiritual growth books. I'll be reading more. period. Reading helps the mind expand and develop so I'd like to see how much I can learn

My life over the next year I want to make a better. I want to be happier on December 31, 2013 then i was on December 31, 2012. I want to be a better man. Everyday I want to be a better version of myself than I was the day before.

2013: livin' the dream

I'm that faithfully-faithless kid

So the Lord has really been challenging me a lot lately. Mostly in my faith walk with Him. Having said that....

Am I following Him or am I am following my own agenda? Honestly I can't truly answer that question, because, well I don't know myself. Spending the last 3 weeks looking for a job has really tested my faith in the Lord. I know that everything is done in God's time and not my own, but sometimes I want to pull Him along instead of Him leading me.

My mother (bless her heart) sent me a really long message on Facebook the other night about faith and having faith in the Lord.

It really got me thinking. Do I really I have faith in God or do I simply say that I am faithful to Him?

In the beginning of the message was quoted Psalm 25:5
"Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

Do I really believe that passage, or rather am I living by that Psalm.

Over the next few weeks I'm really going to be diving into the word and really listening to what God has for me and how my faith will change over the course of the time.

I'm 27, soon to be 28 (in a few months). I want to get my life back to where it needs to be. I am not that kid I used to be. That has both negative and positive connotations. It's good that I have moved on from my old ways... the college life the stuff I did that I'm not proud of, etc. Anyway I used to be the kid with all the answers to the questions before they were ever asked. I want to dive back into the word, AKA the Bible. I want to be able to answer questions and help lead people to the places in the bible they can get answers.

By doing this, I will be able to mold my faith into a more personalized faith that will be about me and God and our relationship.

Please be in prayer for me as I begin diving into God's word and all kinds of studies.

Of course I know I won't have all the answers but I will be able to know that my faith is truly genuine and not flaky like so many Christians out there. (OOOOO did I hit a sore spot... not ashamed at all).