Unsaid Thanks, Part 3

6. I am always astounded how quickly "normal life" can consume me. I build daily and weekly routines and pretty soon days are rapidly dissolving in my past. Do you know it is almost September? If you are lucky, though, God will bless you with a friend to break those routines. A friend who points out to you, "Hey, that dream you just had, that's your exit ramp, take it.". They don't let the routines blind them. For me, that was a friend I met in Kalamazoo, Josh.

I, in all honesty, never remember being Josh's acquaintance. From the moment we met it seemed we were friends. We had great conversations, played off beat games and just had a good time. Our lives were so different, but we were kindred spirits.

After being friends for a few years, I had begun to develop a little game called Empire, just for fun. My gaming group played it, but it was just a diversion. It was Josh who said, "This is it.". He was convinced that with some tweaking this game could have mass appeal. While not financially successful, that little game got published, sold in eight countries, was nationally distributed and changed everything I knew about the business. I'm proud of many things about that complete experience.

For recognizing my dreams were worth being chased, and convincing me that they could become a reality, Josh, thank you.

7. At church, I am surrounded by couple who give up their time for various ministries. They come in all flavors. You have the couple where only one even really attends the church, while her husband is completely unknown. Next to them, you have the man who serves so faithfully there, he is loved and loyal, which his wife is dragged into his ministry, but her heart is not their. Next to them you have wife who teaches and her husband offers complete support, so she can, but hasn't ever been in her class. Each in there own way falls short of the ideal model.

When We came back from Kalamazoo and started attending Main St. again, I pretty quickly started sighing with the youth group. I had done this in Kalamazoo and I knew I had a heart for the kids. The leaders they had at the time were perhaps the best couple in ministry I have ever met. They were in the ministry together and made it clear they were called as a team, by God, to be there. The opened their house and hearts to the kids. They co posted each other, strength covering weakness Nd weakness being covered by strength. In was clear to all God had called them for this. Their names were Steve and Brenda.

Over the years I got to know them and m opinion never changed. I was impressed by them, but more importantly, I was inspired. This became even so when, on a leap of faith, they began life as missionaries at Pine Ridge Bible Camp. How could you not be inspired?

For following God's call and being a role model for believing couples in both faithfulness and devotion, Steve and Brenda, thank you.

8. One of the things I have been learning recently is my need to be pushed, not by myself, but by other people. Left to my own devices I spend too much money, I eat food that is bad for me, and I don't get the things that need to be done, done. I'm not happy with that state, I'm just lazy. Add to this the fact I am hard to push, and you have wicked combination.

For too long I have been a writer that didn't write, or at least not much. I was in this state when friend of mine broke this struggle wide open. I had just had a very serious conversation my friend James on some struggles he was having, when he said to me, "don't you have anything like this?". I squirmed and game him and half answer. The lazy writer was not to be uncovered. At this point nearly all of my friends stop, but he didn't. I was uncomfortable as he probed around looking for what he knew what must be there, In the end, he gave me assignments to effectively kill the laziness and it might be the best challenge I have received. You might think, this is a one time event, but that would miss many of the details. He pushed because he had pushed previously and afterwords he continued to push with harder assignments.

This has changed my life. Not only is my writing getting better, but I have greater desire to connect emotionally and man of my relationships have improved because of a friends pushing. It annoys the crap out of me sometimes, but it is always what I need.

So, for not letting my own stubbornness win out and forcing me to recognize my own flaws and continuing to push me into uncomfortable situations so that I can grow, James, Thank you.