How do five months pass in the blink of an eye?  I woke up this morning and Memorial Day weekend was upon me, like a thief crumbling up my days like so many bread crumbs, and sprinkling them across the lawn of my life...

What have I done..?

What do I have to show for 150 days of life that God has so graciously given?

  The treasures and tribulations of the last 5 months could fill volumes....I will attempt to share with you the best, and of course, some of the rest.

The dungeon of my chosen profession devoured me for most of the first three months of my 2006.  I have never worked so hard, yet felt so encouraged...by the completion of a project that haunts me for 6 full months of every year....now for the last six years.  It is humbling to think of how I took this leap of faith...started my firm just 7 years ago... without much more than the shirt on my back and the roof over my head, and a dream in my heart.  It is amazing what God will do in your life when you give him the reigns.  Now I stand at the edge of a vast canyon, facing the next leap I must take to embrace this blessing of growth and abundance that God has poured out upon me.  I am truly scared to death.  I know that it is when you feel that fear that you must more fully put your trust in His plan.  I have always championed the importance of giving Him control, and most of you young men in my life know of that which I speak.  I can never do on my own what He does through and with me.  I love what He is doing to grow and stretch me...but man it is crushing at times....all my little heart can stand.   But so worth the battle! 

I met an incredible woman.

I can honestly say that I had forgotten what it was like to be young and in love.  It is nothing short of intoxicating.  And when 4 of your first 5 dates with this person are at a church like Bridgeway, well...you can say with a pretty good certainty that there is a great deal of God at the heart of your relationship.  Meeting a woman who loves the Lord was a chance twist of fate that took two months to finally come into bloom.  And bloom it did.  I know now why some folks just elope....  I had to keep reminding myself that relationships take time, but I just couldn't help but think that I had met the woman that I would spend the rest of my life with.  There...confession...it's good for the soul.   What's most strange is that she felt the same.  She even did the unthinkable....she spent a whole Saturday afternoon on my 1920 Case steam engine at the Pawnee Steam Show with me....she even drove the old girl around the show grounds!  As any of you who truly know me...and my passion for the days of old runs deep...this was a huge event in our relationship...and I could not have been more honored to have her there on the platform with me, in all my sooty and coal dusted clothes.  It was the best day I've ever spent on a steam engine.  

The ride that we were on seemed to take us higher and higher, and each week we experienced together firsts that neither of us had ever experienced in our thirty-something years on this planet.  It was truly amazing.  Every time we turned around, we simply had to state the obvious..."It's a God thing".  And pour out upon us He did.  Gave us character and purity in our relationship, openness and honesty that we both so valued.  And He gave us fun.  Pure unadulterated fun.  From the top of the tower at the ranch last weekend, she joined 4 of us young men to  be the first woman ever to climb the tower.  All 300 feet of it.  The wind was perfectly still, the sun was rising in the east, and we were all just that much closer to heaven that morning, as we hung our feet off the edge and stared at the beautiful countryside.  For a brief shining moment, all the world was right.  Peace ruled.  Fear departed.  Love flourished.  I could have asked her right then and there.  But my boys would probably have thrown me off right after...

Six weeks have passed since our first date at Bridgeway.  I have prayed for wisdom to guide my path, and for God to reign supreme in our relationship.  And I've prayed against the traps and snares and the doubts and lies that Satan tries to heap upon all which is good and lovely in this world.  I know that in all things the Lord works for the good of those who believe in Him.  I will not falter in that pursuit.

Fortunately for both of us, the wisdom fell upon Kerri.  The decision to put the brakes on was one of sheer necessity.  Most of you know me as the hard charging, take no prisoners adventurer.  Kerri shares that same spirit of adventure, but she also shared me with her 80 hour a week career, which when all stirred together, was simply a recipe for disaster(spelled "exhaustion").  We're also not so naive to think that a good relationship doesn't take time to develop.  Between both of our pasts, we realize the need to truly get to know each other, and I respect her for seeing that need and responding.  She is an amazingly smart and talented woman.  I would be lying if I said I liked her consuming work schedule.  But my job is not to try and change her.  My job is to show her the love of Christ.  I love her the way she is today.  It' s not important that she become everything I expect.  It's important that she becomes like Christ.

Where does this leave the saga...?  Stay tuned.  I promise to be more faithful in this forum.  Pray for my strength, and most of all for patience with God's plan for me, and for my awesome girlfriend.

g'nite.