I’ve been wanting to write about life after leaving my dad’s house for quite some time. I just haven’t made the time to do so.
So – yeah… here it goes…
So much has happened since I started living on my own and left my home church. I guess that process started about 4 years ago. Maybe a little longer than that. I’ve learned a lot about myself and a lot about the people around me. It’s been a rough but amazing journey. And – it’s kind of funny that it’s sorta come full circle because my current chapter ends with me living in Moody with a friend and going back to my home church, Bethel. I have to admit…. I was SUPER nervous about going back to Bethel but it’s been the most amazing blessing. And – it’s proof that His plans are better than mine. But – that’s the end. Let’s start at the beginning…….
I met David back in 2009. He was a semi-new friend and he had a room available for rent. Him and his roommate were looking for someone to move in soon so I jumped at the opportunity to get out of my dad’s house. Looking back it probably wasn’t the best decision but I, honestly, don’t regret it. It wasn’t perfect. Far from it. There was lots of drama, lots of fun, lots of conversations, and lots of mistakes. But there was also a lot of love. They, to this day, know me better than most do. The true me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. and – they love me anyway. Thankfully, my former roommates are still two of my closest friends on the planet. Without that experience…I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t have the friends I have today. So much in my life would be different if I hadn’t moved to Center Point.
It was after I left CP that I visited a new church with David. I wasn’t necessarily looking to leave my church. I just wanted to check it out. After a few visits, meeting the people, and finding out what they were all about…I really felt led to plug in there. So – I very slowly made my transition from Bethel to Branch Life. This part was rough, friends. You try leaving a church you’ve been a member of for 14 years and let me know if it’s easy. Because this wasn’t. People weren’t happy. There were lots of talks. I was getting pressure from both sides. “Choose.” “Don’t choose.” “You can go to both churches.” “You CANNOT go to both churches. Have you lost your mind?!”. I heard it all. And – I know both sides love me. I know both sides wanted what’s best for me. And – my mistake was dragging my feet. My mistake was not explaining why I felt led to BLC. And – now that BLC is over…I think there is one main reason God wanted me there. Well, maybe two. First was this… I’m a people pleaser. I’m a people person. I love people. And – there were certain people at Bethel that I had on this pedestal. They were idols in my life. And – for those idols to come down I had to be completely removed from the situation. Relationships suffered and hearts were hurt… but with time things are getting back to the way they should be….to a healthier better place. and – it makes my heart happy. The second reason I think God led me to BLC was to grow. To think differently than I’ve ever thought. To challenge me and my beliefs. To make me decide what I believe and why. During that time I met amazing people. I was challenged and changed. Branch Life Church had a huge impact on my life. They taught me what true community is all about. Community like that is hard to find. It’s something I miss very much today. I count myself lucky to have met and known those people. To talk with them, and grow with them, and learn from them was a blessing.
For the majority of my time at BLC I lived downtown on 16th Ave. South with 4 other ladies. Let me just say… living with people is HARD. It’s fun and crazy and difficult all at the same time. I LOVED IT. Well… most of it. Haha. Relationships aren’t easy. They take quite a bit of work. Plus – I’m not perfect either so… ya know. But – I think we did the best we could. I can, honestly, say… that house was full of laughter most of the time. We prayed together. We loved on one another. Birthdays were IMPORTANT and never forgotten. I learned a lot. I learned a lot about myself: Mess doesn’t bother me….AT ALL. I do actually need alone time. I have a temper from time to time. Noises drive me crazy when I’m attempting to sleep. Opossums invading your room during the night is not ideal and causes sleepless nights for DAYS. and – I like to scare people but cannot handle being scared. Haha. I also learned a lot about others: Mess really does bother some people….A LOT. Others require way more alone time than I do. People don’t get over stuff quick like me. and – people fall down the stairs…A LOT. Hahahaha. Most of my roommates fell down the stairs at least once. Most of them did more than once! Hahaha. Oh, man. We had Halloween and Christmas parties there and I don’t just mean a few of our closest friends. The entire world was at those Halloween parties. I’m so glad I was able to experience that! and – to live with those people!! I’m still super close to one of the former roomies. I was in her wedding and we hang out a good bit. We were perfect roommates. I don’t know that we’ve ever had a disagreement, which is quite impressive. So – yeah… living with 4 other women was fun and difficult and awesome. I highly recommend it!
Life now? Well, I’m currently sitting in my bedroom in Moody. I do live with another guy who is also just a friend. We get along really well and everything seems to be going perfectly so far! That fact makes my heart happy. I’m back at Bethel…and like I said earlier… it’s so GOOD. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed being there. It’s home, you know? It’s comfortable and familiar and my “family” is there. Relationships are growing again that had been kind of stagnant because of my leave, which is INCREDIBLE. I never thought some of those would be good again. But – that was just my lack of faith, I suppose. God is good. His plans are far better than any that I’ll ever make. I trusted Him when I moved to Center Point and I’m trusting Him now. I do miss living downtown from time to time. I mainly miss the people there. I’m lucky to know them. and – even luckier to call them friends. I’m happy here. It’s peaceful and nice and it’s home. It’s so nice to finally be home.
What does my next chapter hold? I have no idea. and – I kind of like it that way. The unknown used to freak me out…. okay… it still kind of does but… it’s a welcomed freak out. Haha. Bring it on, world. I’m ready for just about anything! Hey. I said just about anything. Let’s not get too crazy. ;o)
Until next time….
James
So – yeah… here it goes…
So much has happened since I started living on my own and left my home church. I guess that process started about 4 years ago. Maybe a little longer than that. I’ve learned a lot about myself and a lot about the people around me. It’s been a rough but amazing journey. And – it’s kind of funny that it’s sorta come full circle because my current chapter ends with me living in Moody with a friend and going back to my home church, Bethel. I have to admit…. I was SUPER nervous about going back to Bethel but it’s been the most amazing blessing. And – it’s proof that His plans are better than mine. But – that’s the end. Let’s start at the beginning…….
I met David back in 2009. He was a semi-new friend and he had a room available for rent. Him and his roommate were looking for someone to move in soon so I jumped at the opportunity to get out of my dad’s house. Looking back it probably wasn’t the best decision but I, honestly, don’t regret it. It wasn’t perfect. Far from it. There was lots of drama, lots of fun, lots of conversations, and lots of mistakes. But there was also a lot of love. They, to this day, know me better than most do. The true me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. and – they love me anyway. Thankfully, my former roommates are still two of my closest friends on the planet. Without that experience…I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t have the friends I have today. So much in my life would be different if I hadn’t moved to Center Point.
It was after I left CP that I visited a new church with David. I wasn’t necessarily looking to leave my church. I just wanted to check it out. After a few visits, meeting the people, and finding out what they were all about…I really felt led to plug in there. So – I very slowly made my transition from Bethel to Branch Life. This part was rough, friends. You try leaving a church you’ve been a member of for 14 years and let me know if it’s easy. Because this wasn’t. People weren’t happy. There were lots of talks. I was getting pressure from both sides. “Choose.” “Don’t choose.” “You can go to both churches.” “You CANNOT go to both churches. Have you lost your mind?!”. I heard it all. And – I know both sides love me. I know both sides wanted what’s best for me. And – my mistake was dragging my feet. My mistake was not explaining why I felt led to BLC. And – now that BLC is over…I think there is one main reason God wanted me there. Well, maybe two. First was this… I’m a people pleaser. I’m a people person. I love people. And – there were certain people at Bethel that I had on this pedestal. They were idols in my life. And – for those idols to come down I had to be completely removed from the situation. Relationships suffered and hearts were hurt… but with time things are getting back to the way they should be….to a healthier better place. and – it makes my heart happy. The second reason I think God led me to BLC was to grow. To think differently than I’ve ever thought. To challenge me and my beliefs. To make me decide what I believe and why. During that time I met amazing people. I was challenged and changed. Branch Life Church had a huge impact on my life. They taught me what true community is all about. Community like that is hard to find. It’s something I miss very much today. I count myself lucky to have met and known those people. To talk with them, and grow with them, and learn from them was a blessing.
For the majority of my time at BLC I lived downtown on 16th Ave. South with 4 other ladies. Let me just say… living with people is HARD. It’s fun and crazy and difficult all at the same time. I LOVED IT. Well… most of it. Haha. Relationships aren’t easy. They take quite a bit of work. Plus – I’m not perfect either so… ya know. But – I think we did the best we could. I can, honestly, say… that house was full of laughter most of the time. We prayed together. We loved on one another. Birthdays were IMPORTANT and never forgotten. I learned a lot. I learned a lot about myself: Mess doesn’t bother me….AT ALL. I do actually need alone time. I have a temper from time to time. Noises drive me crazy when I’m attempting to sleep. Opossums invading your room during the night is not ideal and causes sleepless nights for DAYS. and – I like to scare people but cannot handle being scared. Haha. I also learned a lot about others: Mess really does bother some people….A LOT. Others require way more alone time than I do. People don’t get over stuff quick like me. and – people fall down the stairs…A LOT. Hahahaha. Most of my roommates fell down the stairs at least once. Most of them did more than once! Hahaha. Oh, man. We had Halloween and Christmas parties there and I don’t just mean a few of our closest friends. The entire world was at those Halloween parties. I’m so glad I was able to experience that! and – to live with those people!! I’m still super close to one of the former roomies. I was in her wedding and we hang out a good bit. We were perfect roommates. I don’t know that we’ve ever had a disagreement, which is quite impressive. So – yeah… living with 4 other women was fun and difficult and awesome. I highly recommend it!
Life now? Well, I’m currently sitting in my bedroom in Moody. I do live with another guy who is also just a friend. We get along really well and everything seems to be going perfectly so far! That fact makes my heart happy. I’m back at Bethel…and like I said earlier… it’s so GOOD. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed being there. It’s home, you know? It’s comfortable and familiar and my “family” is there. Relationships are growing again that had been kind of stagnant because of my leave, which is INCREDIBLE. I never thought some of those would be good again. But – that was just my lack of faith, I suppose. God is good. His plans are far better than any that I’ll ever make. I trusted Him when I moved to Center Point and I’m trusting Him now. I do miss living downtown from time to time. I mainly miss the people there. I’m lucky to know them. and – even luckier to call them friends. I’m happy here. It’s peaceful and nice and it’s home. It’s so nice to finally be home.
What does my next chapter hold? I have no idea. and – I kind of like it that way. The unknown used to freak me out…. okay… it still kind of does but… it’s a welcomed freak out. Haha. Bring it on, world. I’m ready for just about anything! Hey. I said just about anything. Let’s not get too crazy. ;o)
Until next time….
James
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