maybe i'll keep doing this.....

so it's christmas break, and i'm back at Hidden Acres after spending a little over a week at home with family.
i've been using this blog simply to do assignments for LAUNCH (the leadership program i'm doing at camp), except for once. in September a long time master science teacher from my high school died, and i posted something on here just to work through some thoughts. i found out over christmas break that someone who i never would have expected to read my blog read that post and found inspiration in something i said. so now i'm thinking, "what if i did that more often? what sort of unknown effect could i have on maybe just one more person?" and i like writing; i feel like i can communicate more effectively by writing and process things better, so this is my attempt at starting to blog regularly. i hope that God uses something i say to touch someone else's life and mine in the process.
i feel that i have to confess that i'm much better at talking the talk than walking the walk (that's Christian talk for doing what you say you're going to, just in case any non Christians are reading this. we have a bad habit of using words only mean something to us, sorry!) for example, in that september blog i said,"i'll admit right out that i've spent my time here on this earth unwisely so far, but i don't want that to continue, and i hope and pray that you'll join me in examining your life and challenging yourself and learning to trust God and chasing after God and cherishing love and your loved ones. but most of all God i pray that i would not continue wasting what you have generously given to me and that i would be able to use your gifts to me to give glory back to you as you created me to." yeah, not much of that really happened in my life. if anything i've been backsliding into some sinful habits and behaviors, but one thing that i've been learning is that GOD DOESN'T CARE. it's not that He doesn't mind when i sin, but it never once affects His love for me. i've been learning that Christians can be just as sinful as non Christians, and it's not my place to judge anyone. my job is to let the love of God flow through me and show Jesus to them. and, God, i pray that you would help me with that!

one more thing; we're doing the Truefaced study in LAUNCH right now, and i would highly reccomend it to anyone. it is a message of hope and grace for the Christian and non Christian alike. God bless you!