10 lights (low and high) from 2007

I’m pretty excited to be rid of 2007. It’s not that it was a bad year, but it was a very full year. And even though I know that there is no difference between the world of yesterday and the world of today, I’m thankful for the arbitrary cultural delineations that make me feel like I’m starting fresh.

Here are a few of the “lights” I’ll remember from this year for a very long time.

1.The Ice Storm
I had traveled via a 10 hour bus ride from Austin to Abilene for a week long course. A great week of discussing theology and philosophy was followed with a a cold coda. On the last night of the trip, the great ice storm of 2007 swept through, stranding me in Abilene for an extra 6 days. It was both boring and unforgettable.

2.The New Car
In December ’06 I totaled my car. This pushed me over the edge into absolute despair. Then, a couple I had known years before in Colorado gave my parents a call and told me they wanted to help out. I flew up to Colorado, and drove back in a Nissan. It is a blessing I’ll never forget.

3. The Break Up
In February, a pretty girl told me she didn’t want to be a preacher’s wife. I felt we had made a connection, that we had something deep. And maybe we did. But she felt like we were headed in different directions. But the panic and depression that had been my life for six months clouded even my best times with her. So, I said the only thing I knew to say, “I don’t have the energy to fight for this.” What I remember about that night isn’t so much the actual break up, but the aftermath. It was late at night, and I didn’t feel like the friends I had made in Austin could help me through this. I called others who lived around the country. No one answered. So I just spent what seemed like hours wandering around Town Lake, begging God to rescue me from what my life had become.

4. The Move
Easter Sunday in April, I made my first official appearance at Journey Fellowship. It still blows my mind that God has brought me here, to partner with some people who have had an unparalleled worldwide impact. Not only that, but I get to work on a team where they are trying to help me hone my strengths, and I get paid to stuff I like and I’m good at. Unbelievable.

5.The Difference
Austin is a city full of young singles who are entrepreneurs, and artists. I knew that culturally, I would be losing something when I moved to San Antonio. The reality hit me in two separate places. The first was when I spent an evening searching for any coffee shop that just wasn’t Starbucks. I finally found a place downtown, drove thirty minutes, only to find that it was closed at 9. The reality of where I was now living hit me like a ton of bricks. The second was after a few weekend parties with 20 something single Christian types in San Antonio. At first, it seemed like the average unmarried person in my age bracket I met was, an unambitious, had an immature faith and no concept of art. Since then, I’ve made some great friends that love Jesus, but I have yet to shake that first feeling.

6. The Conference
In May, I attended the Q conference. It was amazing to hear people like Kevin Kelley, the founder and editor of WIRED, some of my personal heroes like Donald Miller and Rob Bell, and tons of other people who are make an actual difference in the lives of hurting people in the name of the Kingdom of God. The highlight of this trip, however, was explaining why I’m not a huge fan of the band Switchfoot in front of the lead singer’s father, and be mocked by Rick McKinley (Pastor Rick from Blue Like Jazz) from the stage.

7. The Retreat
I joined the Singles Ministry from my church in Atlanta for a retreat in Florida. It was great to see the people who I had spent one of the best years of my life with. It was also heartwrenching to realize what I had left behind: friendships that had changed my life, mentors who had taken a huge chance on me, the girl that got away. I spent most of the weekend staring into the gulf of Mexico thankful for what I had once had, but torn, wondering what I had thrown away.

8. The Mission Trip
A week in Mexico. A half built wall. A 16 passenger van full of angry kids. Eating fajitas at midnight. One of my biggest failures ever. No one got hurt, physically at least. Sometimes the ability to chalk it all up to a learning experience is no comfort.

9. The Drugs
Finally having a job and health benefits, I sought out psychiatric help with my ADHD. What followed was a time that now feels like an out of body experience. After 8 weeks of my body going through extreme reactions, I gave up on that quest.

1o. The Rhythm
I’m slowly learning how to live my life in a rhythm. I wake up at 5:30. I read my Bible and pray. I go to the office early. I go to meetings. I pray with people. I produce media for Journey. I hang out with the High Schoolers. Each week has its regular outings and meetings. One night is Swing Dancing, one day is therapy. Compared to the few years, I feel like I’ve gotten into a swing of things and that there is peace somewhere down this road.