Here's me, found in Christ!

So, I'm totally new to this whole blogging thing, we'll see how it goes! But I guess the whole purpose and philosophy behind this craze would be to get my thoughts, ideas, questions, and purpose out into this, sometimes dark world.

Here's me; born and raised in small town Missouri, I'd have it no other way! Brought up by two of the most God loving, God fearing parents I know and shown the love and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Playing soccer, running, hunting, driving that old '82 red pick-up, trying to stay out of trouble while always finding it. I remember finding my worth, my value, in these things! If I had a bad game, it was the worst day of my life! If I didn't get to go run, I'd be in a bad mood until I was able to! I remember one time I made bad grades and my dad wouldn't take me hunting with him, I was quite upset! And that dang pick-up was the root of most of my trouble, it was my personal country song, ran off in the middle of the night with the "girl of your dreams" got stuck in the mud 10 miles from home, only to have to walk home and explain to dad what the heck you were thinken! "What was I thinken!" That really is a country song!

But then something happened, something only God would allow to happen. I heard the words "Now I know what it means to live for someone else, to give up myself". And when I say I heard the words, I don't just mean I listened to those words, like so many words just go in. I heard these words! I knew that in that moment they were intended for me to hear and not just listen to, and at the same time had no idea what they meant! I had no idea what it meant to LIVE for someone else, namely Christ Jesus.

The story is huge from that point on, the work of Christ Jesus in my life has been revealing and painful, but filled with grace. Christ has shown Matthias the meaning of 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 when Paul reminds the Corinthian church that "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." It doesn't matter how good I play, how fast I run, how many deer I shoot, what car/truck I drive. It doesn't even matter that I play, or if I run, if I shoot a deer or drive anything; Christ has called to so much more than the things of the world.

So here's me, struggling every day to find my weight in Christ Jesus.