Thursday, December 18, 2014

2014 Year in Review: New house, new car, new job, family members fighting cancer, and how I became an author.

2014... All I can say is what a year. There have been so many events happening to me and to people close to me this year. It's really wild. The year started out pretty normal for me. Nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn't long that we found out that my grandpa had colon cancer. It felt like a huge blow. For anyone who knows how big of a part that my grandpa had played in my life, they would understand. My family and I prayed through the circumstances and they were able to get it all with one surgery when they removed part of his colon. We were very thankful that no further treatments were necessary, but it was a long hard few months of my grandparents having to deal with a catheter and colostomy bag until he got his reversal surgery. He is pretty close to being back to his old self now and all I can say is that God is good! It could have been much worse, but it wasn't. In the summer, I changed jobs and we moved. For anyone who has had to deal with either one of those, they know how exciting and stressful both of those experiences can be. With Gods help, I navigated through all of the challenges that brought and we are on the other side of it as I've settled into our new home and my new job. My wife also got a new job at the preschool where my youngest daughter started in August. In November, my dad went to the doctor for what we thought may have been a bite on his arm. After a couple of visits and a biopsy, it became apparent that it was some form of lymphoma. We find ourselves in another faith opportunity where we can trust God that He has His hand on him and that all is well. My dad has been the strongest man I have ever known. I look up to him a great deal and to see him going through this as well as my mom going through it has made me a lot more emotional than I usually am. The upside to this is that I have accessed a part of Jesus that I hadn't felt in a long time. He identifies with our pain and suffering. He is there every step of the way and it has become even more evident to me this year. There is a fellowship with Him that comes when adversity hits, if we would only seek it out  and embrace our vulnerability so that we can be made strong in Him. In addition, I have had one of my best friends battle a serious infection for several days in the hospital in three different states and I recently found out that my grandma has a malignancy on her thigh. I don't "just" trust Jesus, I have the privilege to. It's the best place you can be. Another big part of my year was becoming an indie author. I had wanted to write for quite some time and just never "got around to it". Back in April, while spending the weekend in Nashville with my wife for our anniversary, I was seeking God on what I needed to be doing. I never fully felt like I was doing something that was my "green" or my niche. Through prayer, He revealed to me ideas for a book series. One month later, I began working on The Called. It was published on Amazon in November. Through all the support, reviews, and downloads of the book I have received; I can safely say that I have found my niche. I feel like a big part f me that had been missing for several years was restored to me and I am getting some confidence back that I had lost along the way. God is just good like that. he has done so many good things in my life. I am blessed to have a wonderful wife with a heart for God and others. Two beautiful girls that mean the world to me and are growing to become ladies of God. All of my family, friends, and church there are so many awesome things about being in a relationship with Jesus Christ. I couldn't do much without him, including getting through the hard times in life. His grace allows me to be more than a conqueror. That's what all of us are after all. Conquerors... And even more than that. We were destined to reign with Him forever. 

1 comment:

  1. Justin, great testimony and very encouraging for me. I am glad to have become part of your author journey. I look forward to reading and reviewing your future novels. You have blessed me immensely through your novels and your faith in Him.

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