Moments Worth Mentioning

Well here we are, in 2010.  Weird year to write… that’s going to take some getting used to.

Melissa, Kristin, Michele and I all smiles a few moments before midnight.

01-01-10 began with the sound of laughter from my living room.  I had two great girl friends stay with me and we woke up that morning feeling refreshed, happy and thankful.  We celebrated the new year with a few bagels from Einsteins and then they were on their way back in Gainesville.  I have adored those girls for 12 or 13 years…  It’s magical to me to still have them in my life and to spend the second year in a row bringing in the new year with them.

Next stop on this first day of 10′ was to see one of my favorites.  I threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and make the 15 minute drive to a house that I know very well.  It’s the place where I met and fell in love with so many friends, a place where I have slept on sofas, where I have celebrated birthdays and the place where Austin lives(d).  I walked in and that boy was sitting at the computer… just where I had seen him sit 100 times before.  I immediately had flash backs and Remember When moments because Austin no longer lives at that house.  He now calls Maryland home and eventually home will be Afghanistan for him.  He jumped up, I ran over and I think we hugged for about 6 minutes.  I have seen him a few times since he left, but not in his house…. not in the company of some of the original circle of friends.  It made me miss those early days when I first moved to Atlanta.  I love the fact that I spent the first day of the new year with a guy that had such an amazing impact on the previous year.

Austin, back at "home".

To see Austin back in the house was that much more special because in a few more weeks those guys are moving out.  I feel like its honestly an end of an era…  I know that sounds dramatic, but its true.  So, after we said our goodbyes to Austin I went along for the ride as two of the guys went house hunting.  We spent the next three hours driving around Atlanta in search of a new home for them.  I laughed till my stomach hurt as we contemplated their new address.  We walked through and around a huge spectrum of homes…  Ones that had holes in roofs, others were million dollar estates.  If laughter is the best medicine, I surly will be able to make it through 2010 with amazing health.

As the afternoon winded down, an offer to venture down to see a Hawks game was put on the table.  The three of us that spent the day house hunting as well as four others found ourselves sitting at a great basketball game a few hours later.  You couldn’t help but get swept up in the crowds energy as the teams went back and forth, eventually going into overtime to dual it out.  It was a great way to spend a Friday night.  I love this city!!

The night came to a close with a few rounds of Rock Band (back at my favorite house).  This is also a tradition that always makes me smile.  Nothing quite like seeing adults play a video game…  I love it.

Here’s to 2010.  May it be half as fun as 01-01 was…

I have recently found a group of girls through Buckhead Church and we meet once a week to check in, share, and learn a few things about Jesus.  Its been incredible to witness the forming of this group and how the six of us were put together in such a random setting, and yet we have so so so much in common.  Truly Gods work!

These past few weeks we have taken our small group time to be apart of a series that the church is offering.  The topics center around dating while maintaining a Christian walk and also keeping a balance between the new love, the friends, the family, etc.  One of the questions that came up last night was about keeping Christian friends around when you are in a relationship.  The speaker asked us if we should take advice from our Christian friends over the advice from our not-so Christian friends.  The conversation that swirled around was eye-opening. People had strong and valid opinions for both choices.

We all have those friends.  The friends that may not share in our values.  The friends that we love and whose opinions we honestly cherish.  But at the end of the day, those friends don’t have the same moral compass, the same biblical understanding, the same perspective as our Christian friends.  The advice they give is in a secular sense…. without the backing of Christian standards.  I’m not saying that their advice is bad.  I’m not even saying that the advice is wrong.  But I think we need to be careful when trying to walk a path that brings us closer to God when those walking with you don’t have the same destination in mind.

My past once again sheds light on how important this truth is.  I sat in that auditorium last night and had the realization that there is a chance that I wouldn’t be divorced had I not listened so much to a close friend of mine.  A close friend that is by no means walking on the Jesus path.  And in all fairness, at that time, I wasn’t exactly on that path either.  I love this girl.  I truly value her friendship and her opinion.  But at the time, her opinion was all I had.  And in her eyes, walking away from my marriage was what needed to be done.  I don’t blame her.  Not by a long shot.  But I do wonder what would have happened if my friends surrounding me at that time had been a little more….. well….. Christian.

I think its great and necessary to keep all sorts of people around us.  We need the strong Christians to keep us accountable, to help us grow.  But we also need our secular friends so that we can experience all that life has to offer. They are there to challenge us in ways our Christian friends might not be able to.  They are there to keep us from becoming closed minded.  They are there to remind us that we cannot judge those around us who don’t think or act like us.

I’m so blessed to have found some fabulous Christian girls.  But I have no plans to forget about the amazing people in my life that may not be exactly on my same page spiritually.  Being christian means we made a choice to follow Jesus. But we have to remember at one point we were right where our non Christian friends are.

All of our friends are invaluable.  Let this be a reminder to ask for lots of opinions.  To truly hear from everyone around us.  But to ultimately seek what would be best in order to keep us on that path that brings us closer to God.