t-1 day.

"...permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other. Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed."

2 John 1:6; The Message

I find this message beautiful. John does us a favor here by reminding what it is all about. Reminding us that the stresses of evaluation, judgement, analysis can be reconciled by this simple commandment. Love. Because of their gnostic mindset, John's audience was well acquainted with the search for knowledge-- for finding the right answers, forming the correct opinion, searching for black and white answers. Love isn't black or white, nor is it satisfied by objective definitions. Though it is the latest buzzword in the world,  it is truly the one thing that resolves everything. It all flows from love. Without love, nothing else can exist.

I feel like I could speak of God's love from now until the moment I die. How I feel it, what it gives me, what I do with it, how I see it in others, and on and on and on and on and on. And on. But I'd prefer to not convey it merely through speech. See, God has done this silly little thing. He has given me a talent: writing. He has given me one topic that is so difficult for me to record in written form: Himself. I have slowly come to find this to be a blessing and a commission to go out into the world and discuss it with my hands, my feet, my voice, my intellect, every part of me.

In about 40 hours, I will be in my Jeep heading out to begin satisfying this commission in a place away from "home." Tonight, a group of my family and friends came together just so I could spend time with them and be reminded of the incredible, unthinkable preparation God has provided me with to follow His call. Thanks guys! I am on my knees in humility tonight because of the people that have expressed excitement and care for me. I am going to try to keep this blog updated frequently from now on... not because I want to let you guys know every detail of my days, but because I wish that all of my friends were moving with me, experiencing the things I am about to, seeing new landscapes, meeting new people, and drinking lots of good coffee! I am in love with Missoula. If I have told you to come visit the city.... I mean it. I have spent a total of 13 days there, but it nestled its way right into my heart. In those days, Missoulians showed me what it means to be passionate. Not just to love something, but be devoted to and excited about it. Many people I met were living life on purpose... with purpose. I want people everywhere to be able to experience Missoula with me. I hope my experience stretches beyond myself, beyond Missoula, Montana, the West, the States. If I affect one person, but never am aware of it, my heart will be deeply pleased.

All this to say, you should probably keep up with my blog (a) because I want you to go here with me, even if just virtually and (b) because I deserve a gold medal for getting my attention span to a place where I can handle writing a blog. ;-)