The other day I blogged about applying to become a community leader at Tentblogger.com. And to be honest, I was confident about my chances. Actually, I thought it was going to be a sure thing.

I thought this way partially because I have blogged for John Saddington before (he is the owner/manager/blogger of Tentblogger.com). Through his video coaching chats, his writing and the brief times we have communicated, he has taught me so much about blogging – both in terms of best practices and principles.

It was nearing the deadline for his decision and so I tweeted at him wondering if he had chosen yet. I was so embarassed when the next day, I realized that he indeed had chosen, I just didn’t make the cut.

I’ve learned a few things from this…

Nothing is a sure thing

Looking back, I probably would’ve made a better application video had I thought more realistically about my chances. My confidence, usually a help, proved to be a hindrance.

As I was processing this, I realized that one difference between pride and confidence is that when we are prideful, we don’t work as hard. I think I was guilty of this. Okay, I was but it is hard to admit.

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Great title, right? I know, I know – I can be awesome sometimes. 

As many of you know, Hannah and I have been fundraising to join students on a spring break missions trip to Mexico. I have actually never been to Mexico and we had never been on a mission trip together. I was looking forward to brushing up on my Spanish and anytime I can eat carnitas and it counts as part of ministry, count me in! As we all got back on campus, we began to discuss the trip and the details.

Unfortunately, we ran into some obstacles. We didn’t have as many students sign-up as we had expected. Our team’s skill set didn’t match the projects available. There were more staff going than there were students.

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Okay, I know I am a little late to jump on the bandwagon for “end-of-the-year reflective posts”. I promise, it has been on my mind (and my task list) for over a week. As Hannah and I talked through last year, we still couldn’t believe everything that happened. It was a big year for us. We experienced God’s faithfulness, provision and peace in ways that we never had before. To be honest, I don’t even know where to start (and I probably forget a handful of things)…

After months of prayer and fasting at the end of 2010 and in the beginning of 2011, we felt that God was asking us to take a step of faith and to leave our jobs at Family Life Church so that we could minister to college students in Washington, DC. We love the people at the church and the staff team, so it was a challenge. Yet, as we told those around us of the transition – we found nothing but supportive people who offered their prayers and their resources to make this thing a reality. In those moments, we were humbled and honored to feel the love of so many. And it was in that time of transition, that as a couple, we really learned how to hear God’s will and discern his direction. I never want to forget that lesson. It wasn’t always easy but the hours we spent in prayer and fasting, were well worth it. I pray that this year, we continue to keep our hearts and minds open to how God would like to use us. It is all to easy to create a plan for ourselves and then ask God to bless it. Since I love plans, that is a big temptation for me.

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Okay, okay. It’s a bold title, right?

Let me explain. This year, Hannah & I spent Christmas in Mt. Airy, MD with her aunt, uncle and cousins (it was amazing, by the way). And one of her cousins, K.S., invited us to go to church with her on Christmas Day at Covenant Life. Since I tend to be the megachurch jeopardy champion (man, I wish I could cash in on my knowledge), I knew that Josh Harris is the lead pastor. He has written a handful of books including Dug Down Deep, Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is), I Kissed Dating Goodbye & Boy Meets Girl. [You can see the full list on his blog].

Even to this day, I remember the moment when my mom handed me a copy of I Kissed Dating Goodbye when I was around twelve years old. I was right smack dab in the middle of experiencing the crazy years we call, “Middle School.” Even at that young age, the book was a challenge to glorify God within the context of relationships and it really gave me the framework for cultivating healthy friendships, maintaining physical purity and how to pursue someone romantically with the idea of God’s plan for marriage in mind. I hope that extremely long sentence (comma splice?) conveys the impact that book had on my life and eventually, my relationship with Hannah. It was a game-changer, to use the lingo of the cool kids.

Fast forward a decade to Christmas Day. As we drive up to the church, I am of course, counting the number of hosts/parking lot greeters/ushers outside and scoping out their facilities. Don’t ask, it’s just what I do. We get out of the car and walk to the front door and none other than Josh Harris is greeting everyone while holding open the door, which is pretty cool. This guy made a huge difference in my life, so, I was pretty stoked about the handshake. Well, it gets better. K.S. pulls him aside and introduces us. And thankfully, she owns an iPhone so she snagged the picture in this post. But then, the best part happened. I had the chance to personally thank Josh for writing. As I looked into his eyes, I had the chance to tell him that his books truly changed my life.

So, I guess it is a stretch to say we “spent Christmas together”, but hey, it makes a catchy title!

Tell me about an author that has impacted you or shaped your thinking in some way…