Renewed and refreshed, I return to the daily grind after my fall break spent in Huntingdon with fam and friends. It's always such a good time getting to see all my immediate family (of eight between two households) and most of my extended. Since I've grown enough to glimpse their value, I always get hit with overwhelming gratitude to God for how many amazing people He surrounded me with as I was growing up. It's so rare these days to have biological and step-families love the children with the same furvor and intensity. I know it exists. I have it. I don't deserve it, though. They offer so much to learn from: work ethic, self-sacrifice for a greater good, wisdom-both general and spiritual, and unconditional love. I have a lot to live up to. But God is definitely big enough to pour life and love out of this broken vessel.

Switching gears...I got to watch Huntingdon thump Gibson County in high school football. It was nice to be for a team that shows up and plays like they know what's up (unlike TN). I was so proud of the boys. It was also a great opportunity to run into old friends. And on Saturday I watched the Union girls' soccer team play. Daron, one of my sisters, is on the team. She's had a lot of trouble with her calves. There's a pain of unknown origin keeping her from being able to play her best. It's really frustrating because they've tried a couple things already. She's a trooper, though. I'm very proud of her, as well as of all my siblings. I don't know that I worded that right, but hopefully you get the picture.

Things in general are good, fast-paced, but I'm surviving. This past week, after Bible study on Wednesday night, God started showing me a lot of areas in my life He wants me to let Him integrate. This has been one of those great growth experiences where each step brings a sweet freedom with it. He's blessed me with the understanding that He still wants to make God-sized changes in me. Our Bible study, The Search for Significance by Robert S. McGee has been rocking our faces off. He talks about four lies that Satan gets us to believe, and then four truths from God's Word that combat the deception. One of the truths is that because of the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration, we are no longer bound to our past, whether it's good or bad. Our identity lies solely in Christ's love, sacrifice, and redemption. So if we allow anything else to define our self worth, we are being deceived and living less than the fullest possible. It's really freeing to think that I can wake up tomorrow and (because of the power of Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead) be loving and compassionate to those whose path I cross. Those who know me know that's not always natural for me. But God's big enough.