Something holding you back?

The phrase "quit what is holding you back" has been running through my head for some time now. Whether it be bad habits, being in the wrong friendships, or even being in  a not so great job. Someone once said to me "Quitting something doesn't make you a failure. It opens up doors to start something new" Those words really ring true to me. More so now than ever before...

This afternoon, my dad said to me that "you have an invite to play" Puzzled to what he meant, he continued to say that my brother and I have an invitation to play guitar at church. Guess it was an open invitation.  We just recently played at our church a couple of Sunday's ago. It was my first time playing at church since our worship team stopped, which has been a couple of years. I don't really play in front of people much. That's partly due to that fact that I don't think I'm good enough and I just may have a small fear holding me back. I'm also not a singer by any means. So when I say that "I suck" at singing, I'm not making it up. Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to play and sing as a career. I'm not the greatest, but God still gets all the glory. We'll see though...I guess I should quit fearing, right? If it's holding me back....yep.

For the future wife:

Keep your head up. You are a child of the most high God.  No matter what people say or think, you are a treasure! Just not a treasure to me, but a treasure to the most high God.  Hold your head high and walk with confidence. You have the power and authority to do great things!  Father right now, I pray for my future wife. Lord, let her know how prized she is. How wanted she is, and how much she's worth. Touch her heart and let her know. Reassure her that You love her. After all, You gave Your life away for us. There's no greater love than that. Your love is unfailing. Even when we mess up, Your mercy and grace is there to catch us.  Lord, keep her safe, and keep her family safe. Place a hedge of protection around them all.  Lead and guide them...and I thank you for all these things, in Jesus' name.

Amen and amen. 

  

Letter to my future wife...

So I guess I should break the ice and introduce myself. My name is Brandon. We don't know each other yet, but we will at some point in time.  I don't know where you are in the world, I don't know what you look like, and I don't even know what your name is. Maybe you're blonde, or maybe you're brunette, or maybe you've black her, and just being completely random, maybe you've pink hair...yea, pink...I know you'll be intelligent, I know you'll be a Christian, and I know you'll have compassion for others and animals...You'll have these cute quirks about yourself like biting your lip when you smile, or twirling your hair you're bored, or maybe singing in the shower.  All of these little things make you a unique individual that I will absolutely adore.  I also hope your friends and family like me...especially your dad. Giving away his little girl is tough thing...I imagine I'll know all about that if we have a daughter, but we can talk about that later.  Weird thing is, we may not even speak the same language or maybe we'll have different accents making it difficult to understand each other at times.  Heck, you may not even live in the United States. You may life in Japan, or New Zealand, or maybe Australia...I have absolutely no clue.  All I know is that you're out there somewhere...looking. I don't know if  I'll meet you at a future job, or running event,  or concert...just don't know.  You may be a Nurse, or Doctor, or Teacher, or Video game designer, or maybe a Musician...yea, that'd be cool...

I'm excited for the day we meet. Don't even think for one second that you're not good enough for me, because you'll be more than good. You'll be the one that God has chosen for me. You'll be my absolute best friend  and my companion.

Praxis experience

I don't think I expressed my experience with the Praxis exam I took earlier this week. The night before I lightly reviewed all portions of the exam (math, reading, and writing) and then proceeded to entertain myself with some Playstaion 4 playing.

I woke up early the morning of the exam (5am). Since my test was at 8am, I figured I'd better give plenty of time to find the testing center.  It wasn't all that hard to find. I think I arrived 7:20 a.m., which give me plenty of time to get checked in. They definitely take security seriously. I felt as if I were going to get a cavity search.

Taking the exam:
The first part was the reading section. It was all I thought it to be. Read a section of text and answer a series of questions regarding it.  I will say that the test tries to trip you up...which is unfair in a sense. All in all though, it didn't seem that bad.  Next up was the math portion. I focused on studying for this part more so than the rest. Math is not my strong subject. I took practice exams and studied a prep book. I honestly thought I was ready. Apparently I wasn't. What I studied had nothing to do with the exam. I probably marked half of the questions.  Lastly was the writing portion. You read some text  and mark what portion of text is incorrect or if there no errors.  Lastly was the essay part. Now I did study for this. You are given topic and then have to write an essay stating whether or not you agree or disagree with the subject.  It doesn't seem that bad, does it?  For me it was tough. First off, you only get 30 minutes to gather your thoughts. No prewritting, no word processing, no research. If don't know about the subject then I guess you have to BS your way through it. I just wrote a basic 5 paragraph essay. Intro/Thesis, three main points, and a conclusion. I think I had 3 minutes of remaining to quickly scan my essay for errors. Next up was another essay-wasn't expecting this at all. This time you had to read 2 short articles on a given topic and write another essay using information in form both articles (you were required to use and site information from both readings). Again, you only get 30 minutes to read the articles, come up with an outline and write an essay. Another tough write for me. It just seems like a rushed essay to me. I'm the kind of person who likes to prewrite and weigh my ideas. This one came down to the wire. I had seconds left to finish this beast and to scan for errors.

All in all, it was an experience.  I did not get my scores immediately, which was odd seeing that the majority of the test was multiple choice.  So now I'm waiting 10-15 days to get my scores. Praying I pass. I'd hate to go through that again.

For the future wife:
Where ever you are. What ever you're doing. Don't give up your dreams. God put those dreams in your heart for a reason; for a destiny.  You have a destiny in Christ. Be in his will and the favor of the Lord will fill your life. I pray right now that He will light your path and guide you in all that you do.

A gift?

So yesterday was my fathers birthday.  I am not really one for picking out "good" cards, in fact I normally pick out the first one I see. Browsing through cards, I came across this one that really jumped out at me. It was a normal card aside from that fact that you were instructed to keep unfolding it until it was fully opened...which made it rather large.  The writing in it was the basic "Happy Birthday, Dad!"with a cartoon kid holding a wooden sign. See, I told you I'm not one for picking out serious cards.  I'm still a big kid at heart.  It had a good amount of space in it, so I started writing.  My dad is one special individual. He used to be an alcoholic until he literally met Jesus in an empty beer bottle. That day changed his life forever. He stopped drinking and give his life to the Lord. Did a complete 180. So I started writing in this card...After reading it he looked at me said "You have a gift son. A gift of lifting people up..."

I thought about those words that whole day.  I never really thought about it much...it being a gift.  Now, though, I can kind of see what he meant. I like to encourage people -people who are struggling and need lifted up. I know what it's like to struggle and what it's like to be an emotional wreck. People growing up with an alcoholic parent will know what I mean.  I hate to see people like that. Any kind word I can say or any uplifting words I can speak into a persons life is must for me.


For my future wife:
You are fearfully and wonderfully made! You are a masterpiece-a work for art! You are worth far more than rubies-more than anything in this world. Proverbs 8:22 says He who finds a wife finds a good thing. God has great plans for us, and I cannot wait until the day we meet.

Big day tomorrow

Tomorrow is a big day for me, in the sense of starting something new. A few months ago...actually, I thought about it even before then, but a few months ago I made the decision to return to college and finish my Education (PE/Health) degree. The university I am attending in January requires a set scores on the Praxis/PPST exam.  My test date to 8AM, November 3.  Like I said before, I've been studying for a while now and I really believe that I am ready. The problem is that I keep second guessing myself. I know it's just nerves, but it's hard to shake off. Everyone, just say a prayer for me. Passing scores tomorrow would put me in good standing to get into the Education program, and a jump start in finishing my degree sooner.

Father in heaven, I come to you in Jesus' name. Lord right now I pray for my future wife-my friend-my companion. Where ever she's at, what ever she's doing, I pray that Your mercy and grace will surround and protect her. Touch her life.  Bless her life in ways that she could never fathom. Lead and direct her steps. Guide her in the direction of her ultimate Christ filled destiny.

Amen and amen.