Wow, hard to believe it’s over! The last week and a half has been an interesting mix of family relationship time, and Mac just taking care of life things. Hard to explain. The time has been spent in Abilene, mostly with my family here in town. Just like my family that lives far away, I realize that for the past several years I have not made a strong intentional effort to be a part of their lives. Sure, I’ve gone to baseball games and ballet recitals, but have not truly invested in their lives like I wish I had. The last week and a half has been an awesome time, I think, to be able to do that and quickly see some cool results. I spent some time with my brother, who is going through the awkward 13-year-old stage (no explanation needed). The best quality time I could find to spend with him was simply talking to him about the video game he was playing, and being there to hear his rambling on whatever else he wanted to speak about… Definitely learning patience! I also took my little sisters on a date, took them to dinner and a movie and had a great time. Even though they’re a very young, I want them to always know how a man should treat 
them; to make sure they expect to be treated like princesses. We even so Beauty and the Beast! Some would argue me taking my sisters to this movie was just a cover so I didn’t feel like less of a man for seeing it… Those people would not be completely wrong. But it was also great spending that sweet time with my sisters.
Like any father-son relationship, my dad and I spent a lot of our lives arguing and being hardheaded towards one another. Throughout the week, making myself available to him and for him, I can honestly say we had two or three of the deepest, best conversations that we’ve ever had. Very very grateful for those times with him in moving into more of a friendship style relationship than 100% father-son relationship. It’s a lot of fun and great to know you’ve always got someone on your side 100%.
I wrapped up both of my books in the last couple weeks, and truly learned a lot from the teachings. Wild at Heart, for example, really painted a picture of always seeking the extraordinary and adventure in a man’s life. To simply go about the day without any specific purpose is to waste many potential opportunities. A man must have passions apart of and with in his professional career so that he may be fulfilled as a man. Also, men don’t have to apologize for how we are: rambunctious, loud, looking for a mountain to climb, or anything else. I feel like the truths in this book really encouraged me to always seek adventure and trust God in the little daily experiences. The other book I read was Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis. This book is “the book about things all Christians believe.” Lewis takes a very non-biased approach to explaining both the broad and specific details of Christian faith based on the Bible within all different denominations. This was a great reminder to me of who we are as Christians, and the simple reasons we believe what we believe. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone who is on the fence about buying into Christianity.
I truly am grateful for this time to relax and reflect on God’s truths in my life. I am currently in a very challenging situation, but this last month has began to paint a picture of God’s mercies in my life, his plan for me is securely set in joy and mercy. Although I don’t know what tomorrow brings, I rest assured that I am in God’s hands and in His sight… nothing I could do would ever move me out of that position! I’m looking forward to moving back into daily life with these truths in mind and applying them to my surroundings every day.