Wild Ride!

Wow, this last year has been a crazy ride. While working full time with Joe Lunghamer selling cars, going to school full time, working more and more with the youth at Faith and loving on my family, this last year has been a huge blessing.

I often remind myself that everything I do is for the Lord. I cannot express the amount of knowledge I have gained while attending Liberty University. Everything from my Theology classes to Philosophy, to the love gospel of John, it has been an incredible journey. I thank those people that have encouraged me to follow this path that the Lord has given me; my beautiful wife Amanda, Pastor Chris Doak, Pastor Jayson Combs, Pastor Jim Combs and Pastor Ernesto Alaniz. You all kept encouraging me to get my schooling and now that I only have 6 months left, it makes me a little sad. I don't want to stop. I have learned so much about God's word that I didn't know before.

                                                       

My amazing wife has been so awesome this last year. She has had to put up with a lot of late nights, me staying up to do homework, not coming to bed with her, Sunday's with me locked in the bedroom studying, not being able to help as much with household chores. Thank you babe for being so amazing and supporting me through this amazing journey!

                                                  

My little girl has gotten so big! Every day is new, every day is a new adventure, a new word, a new look. Lorelai changes everyday and sometimes I feel like I missed something. She is now speaking in full sentences. This morning as I am leaving I give her a kiss and say I love you, and she says Love you too, and that she'll miss me. When did my baby girl turn into this sweet little girl that runs up to me when I get home and raps her arms around my legs.


                                                                

To the amazing pastors that are my spiritual mentors and guides, you guys are amazing. I am SURE that Jayson is probably getting annoyed with me, asking so many questions. We don't always agree on things, but you have sure been a huge help to me through this time. I love being able to work with you in the church, and learning how to work with youth. These kids are a huge part of my world! I am so blessed by these kids everyday and especially this year working on these service events.

                                              

Writing this blog has been an amazing journey for me. I thank all of you that continue to read it. It helps me further my knowledge and my writing skills. It is amazing to write down all that I feel on a specific subject and get feedback from a lot of you. Writing this helps me to expand on what I am learning at Liberty and also let all of you learn right along with me. This is probably my last blog for the year. I am taking 18 credit hours next semester, so I am sure I will be posting a lot of material after January 14. Pray for me because this will be hard but I know that the Lord has a plan for me, and I know that He will guide me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

Beauty

I wanted to share some amazing, beautiful things that have happened to me yesterday. Yesterday, God gave me new life.

While I was getting ready to go to church yesterday to teach the amazing middle schoolers for Sunday School, my daughter comes out of her bedroom carrying her Bible. I look at her and ask her "Lorelai, are you going to read your Bible?" She says Uh-huh, sits down on the kitchen floor, bows her head, closes her eyes and starts praying. Praying in Lorelai language, sure, but she was praying. She looked like she knew who she was talking to, prayed for about 30 seconds with her eyes closed and head bowed. I heard a little "in Jesus name" and then she said "AMEN!" Opens her eyes and then starts reading her Bible out loud. She is pointing to the pictures and says "Jesus." Pointing to the words and reading in her little own language. My wife and I look at each other and I could tell that it blessed Amanda's heart too. We both got a little weepy after that. It was the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life. That a little girl that is not even 2 can do that just amazes me and shows me God's love!

Another thing that happened yesterday is I took out some middle school kids to rake leaves yesterday. An achy, sore, tired body 1 day later and I am still beaming about those kids! They were amazing! They worked so hard and I am so proud of each of them. We raked 3 yards and not once did they stop and say "I'm so TIRED!" I couldn't let a whole bunch of Middle schoolers show me up, so I worked right along with them...shows me I am not such a young person anymore when I can't really feel my arms today. Also a shout out to Bill for coming along for the ride. I feel so blessed to have this group of kids, to take out their Sunday afternoon to serve the community and to show Christ's love!

Christ showed me these things for a reason. I have some good things going here, and I don't deserve them. Only by God's amazing grace do I have the blessing of my little girl and these Middle Schoolers. Thank you God for such an amazing, beautiful Sunday!

Blessing

As I sit here beginning the next chapter in my life, Liberty, the next challenge, the next step...I think to myself that this is such a huge blessing.

This whole weekend has been amazing. Lorelai, my princess and the one who stole my heart a year ago has just turned 1. We had her birthday party yesterday at Milford High School pool and it couldn't have been better. It was amazing. As I look at my little girl and how much she has grown in the last year, I start to tear up a little. Where has the time gone? For those of you have grown kids, I am sure your saying right now..."Just wait." But in the past year she has grown from a little baby who resembles a oompa loompa (from the jaundice) to a beautiful young toddler. SHe is my princess and I will love you forever Lorelai.

And today I took the first steps into both of my classes. Mixed emotions on this. First I began with math and already I start getting frustrated. I despise Math, but I am so giddy and happy to get started that I seem to forget that what I am doing is so despicable and ....you get the point. I have also started my Old Testament Survey studies and this is going to be fun. I am already learning so much. Did you know that every time the Word has the LORD all caps it was originally "Jehovah" or Yahweh (YHWH?) I had no idea! Going through Genesis and Creation right now and I am learning.

Now with the house quiet and Amanda and Lorelai in bed I am going to continue studying and learning, but I wanted to post how amazing our Lord is and how great it is to be a Father and student. Thank you all for tagging along in this journey.

Short post today but I promise to post a more profound and interesting post tomorrow.

-James Clouse