Extraordinarily Normal Life

Writings blogs is hard. It’s hard because all of the “cool things” that happen to me and that you want to hear all about are all just normal life to me. They are just not that big of a deal anymore, there is no “Africa shock factor” anymore. But I don’t mean this in a bad way, I just mean that I’m not in Africa anymore, I’m at home and I’m just living, I hope that’s clear enough. Ya know Africa has this epic title to it. When people go to Africa, you automatically think, “Dude that is epic!” ya know? Like when you hear about Africa there should be some epic background music (preferably played by Dan Tracy).  I’ve had multiple people from back some say to me, “I wish I could be doing something as cool as you,” or, “I wish I could be going against the grain like you dude,” or, “God has you doing big things there, man,” or, “what God has brought you to doing is so inspirational.” Thank you everyone for those comments but really people, it’s just normal life. See it is normal life, but at the same time, yes, it is extraordinary. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world…” To the world, this is an extraordinary life, but to someone who has the Holy Spirit “…but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” it is a normal life we are called to live. Now I’m not sure if I’ve just acclimated to this life and now it seems normal, or if really this life is just normal. Honestly, it’s probably both, but what I’m saying is that, I have changed a lot. I’ve changed a lot because if you compare my two lives, meaning, take my life before I left to come here with what that looked like and my life now with what that looks like, those two lives are very very different. Now I don’t mean they are different by “what I do” when you actually compare the two. Like now I deal with starving HIV + people at Care Points and I play on a Professional Soccer team and battle against the spiritual darkness on a regular basis and eating meat rarely happens, and before I went to college and I lived on my own in a house with 6 guys (eating meat rarely happened then too ha), I worked at a fancy restaurant, quit at selling books, and I was involved with Young Life. But what I mean by saying my lives are different is how I am different and how I am different effects the way my life is.

I’m not even going to try to touch base on how much I have changed, it will be near impossible and it will be failed attempt. I have been wrecked and I just can’t recreate that into words, especially when the all metamorphoses are from God. But I think with what I am saying is that, big things are happening, have been happening, and will continue to happen in my life and all for the name of Jesus Christ, and just because I am in Africa (cue the epic background music)doesn’t mean that it your life can’t be as gnarly as mine. If you share the same spirit that is in me, you have everything it takes to have mondo-extreme experiences with God to bring glory to Him and further the kingdom. Mr. Rick Sheer (I know I spelt his name wrong) always says, “You don’t have to go to Africa to be a missionary.” So when I come back to the States, I will continue to live a normal life, but it will be far away from what my normal life looked like 5 months ago. I mean really my life is not my own, I was bought with a price.