18 years ago today<\/strike> (Oops, lost track of what day it was. It was yesterday, the 26th.) I joined the family of God. After a couple of months of studying the Bible, re-evaluating what I had thought was my faith and making some hard decisions on what I wanted my life to be, I was baptized at a campus devotional in the Old Chem building at the University of Cincinnati.
\n18 years.
\nThe events of that summer turned my world upside down. If you had met me in the years immediately following, 16-17 years ago, I would have likely told you that I began my spiritual journey that summer. That my relation with with God started on that Friday night.
\nNow, older and wiser and hopefully a bit more humble, I know that the journey began long before that. Long before I knew that there was a journey to take. It began with parents who made sure I had a foundation of faith to build on. Unfortunately, more than once in my pride and immaturity I dismissed their efforts.
\n18 years.
\nA lot has happened in that time. I’ve seen a fledgling movement rise and then fall under the weight of its own sin. I’ve watched my own faith rise and fall as well. I’ve lived in 4 cities in 3 states, gotten married, had 3 girls and participated in a church planting. I’ve seen my eyes opened to new realities, more than once, and I’ve watched my spiritual priorities get reoriented in recent years.
\n18 years.
\nIn many ways, I feel like I’ve learned so much, come so far and grown so much. In others I feel like I know even less that I once did and I’m less clear on many things.
\nI hope the next 18 bring more clarity, more humility, more unity and more relationships with those who are His.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"