Good.

Let it be known that today was good. 

And not just a "Hey, how are you? Good, how are you?" formal kind of good.

It was the kind of good that makes you feel just a little bit better about all the emotions you've been going through. The kind that lets you smile in the morning and cry in the afternoon and at the end of the day, everything will still be okay.

It was the kind of good that reminds you that this isn't as scary as it seems. It reminds you that even though you're leaving everything you've known for nearly your entire life, what you're leaving it for can be just as beautiful if not more. And it makes goodbye just a little bit easier.  

It was the kind of good lets you know that you are right where God wants. It shows you that you are in the best place for you to be at this given moment. That God is going to do marvelous things and not only do you get a front row seat, you get to take part.

It was the kind of good that shows you that even though you left people that love you tons, there are people where you are going that love you too. It takes your aching heart and soothes it. It shows you that love is everywhere. Even when you're 3,000 miles from home.

Yes, today was a good day.

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psalm 34:8

I Need.

To stop writing blog posts in the Google Chrome browser.

Thumbs down to the 20 minutes I spent writing my heart out only to lose every word.

Fail.

Maybe someday, when my late nights are spent sleeping, and my days are spent feeling less frazzled, I'll try again to blog.

I promise I honestly don't hate my readers who I know are just hungering for another post straight from the deep recesses of my mind (haha, my apologies, I get delusional at 1 am).

I also promise, I will try to post at least once a month. So here it is, The post for August.

Brilliant, isn't it?

Jimmy

Life is but a vapor. It is a fragile drop of water, sustained only by a thin thread, strung from who-knows-where. We do not understand life, nor the losing of it. As J.R.R. Tolkien once stated through his character, Gandalf the Gray, “Many times, those that live deserve death. And those that die deserve life.”

Late last night, early this morning, the world lost a great man. Not just a great man: a man completely and utterly sold-out to Jesus Christ. His face glowed with the shining light of God’s love. He could not open his mouth without proclaiming the joy of one who has lain their entire life down before the throne of God. Who he was made people love Jesus even more. His faith was unshakeable. He led in a manner unmatched by his peers.

I had the honor of being introduced to Jimmy Brazell at my very first TeenPact state class. As one my committee leaders, his cheerful, Christ-centered attitude cast a bright ray of sunshine on the week. He served as an encouragement to fumbling first-timers such as myself. He led worship with a passion I had never seen in any other person.

While I only knew him for a short time, this short time was well spent. His impact on my life will stick with me as long as I live. Because of Jimmy’s example, I love Jesus more. Because of his encouragement during my Rep campaign at my first National Convention, my comfort zone is outstepped regularly.

Jimmy was no ordinary person. He was as close to an angel as any human could ever get. He impacted literally hundreds of people in his short, but well-lived nineteen years. While I mourn the loss of a friend, I also am compelled to celebrate. Jimmy is right where he has longed to be all of his life: right in the arms of Jesus Christ. He is pain and care-free, celebrating the beginning of an eternal life with his precious Lord and Savior. He has finally heard those words his ears once constantly strained for: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Death was not the end for Jimmy. It was only the beginning. Oh how I long to be up there in Heaven, singing and celebrating in the presence of Jesus, as Jimmy now does.

I’m gonna miss you, Jimmy. We’ll be seeing you soon.

In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,

Give me Jesus, 

You can have all this world, 

But give me Jesus

When I am alone

When I am alone

When I am alone, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus, 

Give me Jesus, 

You can have all this world, 

But give me Jesus

When I come to die

When I come to die

When I come to die, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus, 

Give me Jesus, 

You can have all this world, 

You can have all this world, 

You can have all this world, 

But give me Jesus