Debut

Ok, so I'm a little behind in blog world.  I know blogs were trendy a while ago, but I have given up on trying to be ahead of trends.  So, here it goes! If anyone else is actually reading this, well, great.  Welcome.

I spent a while thinking about why write a blog? 
Do I expect to impress the masses that will obviously follow me with witty commentary on life?  
Do I want to share the good and bad every-day details of our family with the general public?

Thoughts like these kept convincing me to just skip it and write in a journal.  But, a small comment from a friend, other inspiring blogs, and a momentous event in the life a friend yesterday pushed me over the edge.  One of my very best friends told me that I should write down things students say because they often produce a good laugh.  What better place to do this than a blog?  (Expect some student quotes once the school year starts... 13 days and counting.) 

Those will be fun to record and remember and look back on.  But, the event that really made me want to start blogging happened yesterday.  Because it was so encouraging to me, I had this mini vision of writing a blog that even just one or two retired family members read in their multiple hours of free time.  And if this story was on the blog, perhaps it would encourage someone else too.  Blog decision made. 

Yesterday, a friend from college came over for coffee and dinner.  We went on a walk towards the lake, and not long after our walk started, she announced, "Well, on a more serious note, I've become religious."  "What do you mean by that?" I asked.  She went on to explain that about a month ago, following the death of her childhood pastor, she realized she needed to follow Jesus.  She joyfully laughed as she continued to share.  I will try to paraphrase her words.  "I just got to the end.  All that counselling and it got me nowhere.  They weren't telling me anything worth while.  Nothing I was doing was working.  I was trying so hard.  Not to mention, I made fun of Christian people- I mean I like you and stuff, but I just thought it was weird.  Like, what they believe has nothing to do with life.  But now, it makes so much sense to me. It's as if everything I learned as a kid in church makes sense and gives my life meaning.  My life makes sense.  God has a plan.  God loves me.  And I was scared to believe in Jesus when I was depressed because I thought I would ditch out when life got better.  But it's like, I need Jesus all the time.  I just want to follow him every day.  And when life is good, I'll praise Him.  Renee, I even listen to KLOV." 

All I can say in response to that is that this friend's life has been miraculously turned around by our RISEN, LIVING Savior Jesus Christ. 

2 Corinthians 5:17  "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone, the new has come!"