A Challenging Year....or shall I say a Year Challenge

Let me preface this post by saying I may be a little bit all over the place but it will all make sense in the end :) Now with that being said, a couple of months ago I moved away from the metro area and in doing so I had to kinda leave my church home.  While I haven't found a new church in my new city, I do get a chance to go to my home church every now and then, however, as of lately thanks to a friend, when I can't get to church I normally check out messages on Buckhead Church's website ( http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages ).  Now I have listened to SEVERAL different messages and series on the website and there is one idea or theme that keeps coming back up. Now before I get to that idea/them let me go back and say this, I have been single (by choice) since April 2010, I've gone on a few dates during this period of singleness but none with the thoughts or intentions of pursuing a relationship.

Another stop before I get to the idea/theme that is reoccurring for me...I was initially not going to blog about this because it is a very personal and very intentional decision and I feel like putting it out there opens me up to challenges and difficulties but then I thought, I never know who might be helped or encouraged by me putting it out there so that's why I'm sharing...I also shared this because one thing I know about myself is I am a great "starter" and not so great of a "finisher" so by my sharing this with YOU (whoever you might be) I am making myself accountable to you.

Now to the "main idea" of this post...the idea/theme that kept coming up for me in several of the message that I viewed/listened to on the website was this challenge that Pastor Andy Stanley issued which was to look at "today's" date on a calender and go to a year from "today" and from this day to that DO NOT date. Basically, you are COMMITTING to a year of INTENTIONAL singleness. Like I said, I have been single since April of 2010, so we are talking about 1 year and 9 months for me, but, as of my birthday  this year, I decided because this keeps coming up and because I know there is so much more for me, maybe committing to this year isn't such a bad idea at all.

Some of the messages that I listened to on the website were:

http://buckheadchurch.org/messages/the-new-rules-for-love-sex-and-dating ALL PARTS
http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages/twisted Part 4 Category of One
http://buckheadchurch.org/messages/guardrails Part 3 Flee baby flee

...Forgiveness...or lack there of

So I haven't posted anything on forgiveness in a good little minute. I can say that I have still been reading, however, I haven't posted because I haven't really had much to say reflection wise.  Although we are only a few days into the new year, I've been tested in a major way as it pertains to forgiveness...so...I'm not doing as much as I can in order to forgive those who have wronged me per say...I'm trying hard to forgive (and forget) but I have a major issue with holding grudges...

I can say that I no longer feel like anyone owes me anything (not that I truly believe I'd get anything anyway if I felt that way)...however, I can say that I hate that in some situations I'm tired of being made out to be or made to feel like the bad guy when clearly I'm not. There are some things are just a given...

Well I guess...that is my random ramblings for now...