Washington (Thursday and Friday)

From the very beginning I could tell that this was a trip that God had his blessing on. On my 5 hour flight out to Seattle I sat next to a Christian lady who was a stay on home. (with the exception that she was flying to Seattle) She had son in GA tech and one in Southern Poly for CS. Frank may have had some classes with him. It's a small world.

After arriving in Seattle I got my rental car and started driving North to Bellingham for the 2 hours of work I came here for in the first place. Everybody at the University was surprisingly friendly and was probably one of the best punch list visits I had made. Everyone had great advice on where to go for hiking and having some fun in Washington. Everybody also had different opinions one where to go. I talked with the general contractor for awhile while waiting for the man in charge of the project. The university had a coffee shop next to the Chick-fil-a that had been giving the workers free coffee so so the GC and I grabbed a cup while waiting. Little did I know that the GC (who was college age) kinda had a thing for one of the girls working at the shop. So he was standing there flirting a little while getting the coffee and the subject of camping and hiking came up, so I jump in the conversation and pretty much took over the conversation with girl. Later had commented on the fact that I had undercut him on that one. I was like “oh, my bad” I was just trying to figure out where to go hiking.

After work I drove down to meet an ALERT guy that I kinda knew that lived in the area. He is a state trooper and was working the state fair that night. I really didn't want to pay the 9 bucks it would take to get into the fair just so I could meet up with him and eat supper. After all I had already paid 7 bucks just to park. So I tried talking with the nice old ladies at will call hoping they would just let me slide in on something. They were nice but basically said no you're an idiot. So I start walking to the booth to buy a ticket in and a cop from the sheriffs office comes out. I think to myself “What the heck, it's worth a try” so I ask him if he know my friend who is a trooper and explained the situation. He said he didn't know him but I could have the ticket he was holding in his had. Turns out he had a free ticket he was looking to give away to somebody. If that is not amazing I don't know what is.

Friday my friend and I went hiking. There are so many trails, waterfalls and mountain here to hike it made it hard to pick just one. After getting advice from many random and known people we headed out up a mountain. It was beautiful. There were a few waterfalls on the way up and at the end of the hike was a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains and small waterfalls cascading down the side of the mountain. There was still snow frozen on the ground around the lake. God's creation can be breath taking.

My friend from ALERT (which to be honest neither of us could remember what the other looked like, just knew the name) has given me a place to stay, given me breakfast and dinner, (i bought lunch) and took off work so we could go hiking to together yesterday. As we were sitting on couch last night watching a movie eating ice cream it seemed like we had known each other for years and were close friends once again reunited. God has blessed.

Abandoned

I have thought about starting a real blog site for awhile but haven't for various reasons. Facebook is nice because I can tag people and practically force them to read whatever random and estranged thoughts I may have had at the time. To start a blog would mean that I have something I write about that someone at some point may want to read. Those profound progressions of thought applied to 1's and 0's (what would have been paper and ink a few years ago.) are far and few between for me, but for whatever reason people seem to read what I write. This isn't going to be a site that I update daily weekly, or any set amount of time with regularity. I write much like I live, spontaneous and free. Full of thought that sometimes leads to conclusions but many times just leads to more thoughts. (Disclaimer: English was never a strong suit of mine. I may have bad grammar, spelling, and dropped words. Believe me, it's not because I don't try so give me a break.)

First of all: Why the name? I don't really fully know. I guess it sounded kinda of cool was the first thought and at the time of thinking of names abandoned that is how I felt. It seems fitting that the name of my site would be as spontaneous as the rest of me and yet still have thought and meaning behind it. Abandoned is what I was, what I do and who I am. I bought a ring almost 2 years ago and I wear it pretty much everywhere I go. It is made out of titanium one of the hardest metals know to man. If I'm in an accident and something happens to my hand to make it swell the hospital will most likely have to cut off my finger to get the ring off because many hospitals do not have the equipment to cut it off. Inscribed into the inside of the ring is Gal 2:20. If I had to do it over again I would have put 20-21 but the idea is still the same.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (ESV)

I have abandoned who I once was. It is on longer I but Christ that lives in me. I know longer have to struggle with who I was because who I was is dead and yet Christ lives. Although I still live in the flesh (as our spirits were created to live, but cursed by sin) I live abandoned to faith in Christ the Son of God. I have abandoned the law because righteousness can only be found in Christ. At no point do I look to the law for salvation or redemption. I can never become more righteous by what I do, because I already am everything I need to be or can be.

One of the reasons I bought the titanium ring is because I do a lot of stuff and knew I would be hard on anything that is constantly around me. (yes, that had a double meaning for those wondering. I tend to do that.) I needed something that would hold up, that wouldn't break and wouldn't be marred easily. Even then I have still scratched and nicked it in a few small places. But I know that it will hold up and not fail. What better place to inscribe the defining of my faith than on that which will not fail?

I have abandoned, I do abandon, I am abandoned.

I hope you enjoy the site and that by reading it you are challenged to think.