Well, how much do you guys want to hear?
Here's the gist of my beginnings; I was born into a christian home, loving parents, strong church family. When I was 3 my Dad left my mom for a guy, a tad confusing for a 3 year old. As I grew up I began to get angry at my dad, and when I turned 7 I found out I had epilepsy which just made things worse... I allowed it to get worse. I began to live the soap box christian life... good little christian boy at church and around my mom, than this infuriated kid when I was alone.
When I turned 12 I started going to this youth group at my church, that was step 1 to my recovery. I can look back now and see God working through it all, even allowing my father to take the actions he did. At the youth group I began to deepen my relationship with God; I began to realise who he was again, that same childish faith I had as a kid was coming back again.
As the years past, I continued to grow. Between all the retreats and studies we did as a group of 7 or 8, we became a family. That was the first time I had felt like I belonged to something bigger than my troubles. We ventured all across Ontario from grade 6 to grade 9; from Toronto to Ottawa to Sarnia to Barrie and everywhere in between.
In grade 9 we went to a big conference called Acquire the Fire, we had been there before but this year the theme was about forgiveness. That day in that huge stadium filled with thousands of other highschoolers God began to finally show me direction in my life. He was pulling me out of my bubble for the first time in my life, and he was asking for the one thing I held the closest in my life... my anger towards my Dad. That night, God changed me. The whole course of my life from that point on was going to change. I fell to my knees and just handed it all over, and for the next few years my old youth pastor helped me through a lot of it.
In grade 10, I joined a team heading to Big Trout Lake native reserve. It was my first mission trip, and although I was completely alone in the group, at least in the sense that I knew no one, I knew God wanted me to go. The reserve was a 20 hour drive up to Sioux Lookout than a 4 hour plane ride out to the reserve, it was way out there lol. We were doing a day camp for the kids there. That week up there changed my life, God opened my eyes. I can see now that he was planting a passion within me that would lead me to where I am today.
Over the next few years until graduation, God continued to trim and teach me. Although my life has been full of mistakes, he has never let me down. He helped me with forgiving my father, and with forgiving myself from mistakes I had made. It's amazing looking back on it now, seeing how he was working the whole entire time lol. And how stubborn I've been, a word of advice; your ego is your worst enemy, it gorges itself on God's gifts but never benefits you in any way. Humility is so liberating, so relieving, it's funny how often we dismiss it. As if we deserve better, and if you honestly believe that, you need to stop squinting, open your eyes to exactly where God has placed you in this life. He always has a reason, it may not be obvious now but it will be.
Anyway after high school I worked in the construction industry for 2 years. God through a couple challenges my way over the last 3 years since I graduated; spiritual, mental, and emotional challenges, but I don't regret any of them. Each one had a purpose, and each took part in placing me where I am today. God had a reason for it all.
So right now you are standing somewhere in the fall of 2005 in my life. The next 3 years are a little nuts and will take a couple posts to explain to you lol.
later
God bless
Here's the gist of my beginnings; I was born into a christian home, loving parents, strong church family. When I was 3 my Dad left my mom for a guy, a tad confusing for a 3 year old. As I grew up I began to get angry at my dad, and when I turned 7 I found out I had epilepsy which just made things worse... I allowed it to get worse. I began to live the soap box christian life... good little christian boy at church and around my mom, than this infuriated kid when I was alone.
When I turned 12 I started going to this youth group at my church, that was step 1 to my recovery. I can look back now and see God working through it all, even allowing my father to take the actions he did. At the youth group I began to deepen my relationship with God; I began to realise who he was again, that same childish faith I had as a kid was coming back again.
As the years past, I continued to grow. Between all the retreats and studies we did as a group of 7 or 8, we became a family. That was the first time I had felt like I belonged to something bigger than my troubles. We ventured all across Ontario from grade 6 to grade 9; from Toronto to Ottawa to Sarnia to Barrie and everywhere in between.
In grade 9 we went to a big conference called Acquire the Fire, we had been there before but this year the theme was about forgiveness. That day in that huge stadium filled with thousands of other highschoolers God began to finally show me direction in my life. He was pulling me out of my bubble for the first time in my life, and he was asking for the one thing I held the closest in my life... my anger towards my Dad. That night, God changed me. The whole course of my life from that point on was going to change. I fell to my knees and just handed it all over, and for the next few years my old youth pastor helped me through a lot of it.
In grade 10, I joined a team heading to Big Trout Lake native reserve. It was my first mission trip, and although I was completely alone in the group, at least in the sense that I knew no one, I knew God wanted me to go. The reserve was a 20 hour drive up to Sioux Lookout than a 4 hour plane ride out to the reserve, it was way out there lol. We were doing a day camp for the kids there. That week up there changed my life, God opened my eyes. I can see now that he was planting a passion within me that would lead me to where I am today.
Over the next few years until graduation, God continued to trim and teach me. Although my life has been full of mistakes, he has never let me down. He helped me with forgiving my father, and with forgiving myself from mistakes I had made. It's amazing looking back on it now, seeing how he was working the whole entire time lol. And how stubborn I've been, a word of advice; your ego is your worst enemy, it gorges itself on God's gifts but never benefits you in any way. Humility is so liberating, so relieving, it's funny how often we dismiss it. As if we deserve better, and if you honestly believe that, you need to stop squinting, open your eyes to exactly where God has placed you in this life. He always has a reason, it may not be obvious now but it will be.
Anyway after high school I worked in the construction industry for 2 years. God through a couple challenges my way over the last 3 years since I graduated; spiritual, mental, and emotional challenges, but I don't regret any of them. Each one had a purpose, and each took part in placing me where I am today. God had a reason for it all.
So right now you are standing somewhere in the fall of 2005 in my life. The next 3 years are a little nuts and will take a couple posts to explain to you lol.
later
God bless
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