Ready, Set........Wait.

           Tonight marks the last night in my sweet Birmingham as a permanent resident. After twenty years, I must move onto bigger adventures, adventures that I am not willing to accept. As of right now I have yet to hear back from UAB, which has forced me to accept AUM's invitation and to begin this summer to secure my spot this Fall. Lots of other factors are involved with this but it is just confusing so I will just end at that. As I look around my room I see boxes, packed bags and random items that have yet to be packed. I do not have a willing heart to make this move.
           I LOVE MY CITY. I LOVE MY CHURCH. I LOVE MY CHURCH FAMILY. I LOVED MY JOB. I LOVE MY FAMILY. I LOVE MY FRIENDS. I loved my life up until last Friday when I had to quit the best job I ever had. I met so many people at my work and I am heart-broken knowing I probably won't see many of them nor the kids anymore! I am desperately trying to see the good in this move but I only see the bad. However, AUM, hands down, has some of the NICEST staff members I have ever come in-contact with! Also, I would be close to Jamie's family, which is awesome since I never got to see them much anyways! I would meet new people that obviously have the same goals as I do so that would be nice, too!
            However, today at Christ City Church, at our new location in Southside/Birmingham, I was walking out of church with a good friend of mine and we were confronted by a homeless man. Funny, but I was not scared, I had an open heart to this man. I loved the man for his desire to reach out to strangers for spare change for hygiene products and something to drink. His name was Cedric and I believe God used me through our few minutes together to share His love. I hope Cedric is at CCC next week, I want to worship with him, I want to worship with a congregation that will reflect what worship will be like in Heaven. Today, that specific event made me want Birmingham more than ever. Like I said, I love our city.
           As of now, I wait on God's answer. I wait to hear from God and what He wants for my future. He knows the desire of my heart and I hope He grants it. Please, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, pray for me during this next week, it is a crucial time for me. Amen.

Only In My Memory

      A day I was thankful for is now the day I hold dear to my heart. Since the devastation in Tuscaloosa I have wished that I was not at work but there, experiencing it all with my fellow classmates and community to then be able to help with the aftermath. The images of my poor college town break my heart. I wish I understood God's reasoning but right now, I am just thankful I am alive. I am burdened with the fact that what is left lies amongst the rubble of what is not. I see images of destroyed neighborhoods that I drove through everyday to get to campus and it sets in a mild form of depression that I can not explain. The town I remember only lives in my memory. I wish I could relax and know my friends are okay but I can't. The death toll rises and I have yet to hear from some. I have been stuck at home for days, without power, trying to find things to do to get my mind off of what has happened. Yesterday, I became so desperate that I actually washed my clothes by hand in a huge tupperware container just to find some comfort in keeping busy. I also washed mine and my dad's cars, it took forever after I decided to scrub the carpets as well. With the complete silence in my home I have had enough time to just listen. Through the noise of my neighbor's generators I have found comfort in my standing home and the clean water running from the sinks and showers. I have found comfort in God's plan for my life and His grace to keep me safe. During these past few days I have had a lot of time to think about the recent events and the death brought about. I must say, my driving passion for the medical field has never been so strong. I have felt so useless that washing my own clothes made me feel like I was actually doing some good. I wish I could do more for my community.

            Through this trying time, not only was one huge community destroyed but another as well. A town just minutes North from my home was ravaged. To those in the Pleasant Grove community, my heart goes out to you. I wish I could honestly reverse what has happened. To those who have lost a loved one, my prayers are for you all tonight. My deepest sympathy.

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
 For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City