The Dragon of Self and Loose Change

It has been almost a year since I last posted. A lot has happened. I've gotten my NREMT-B, a car, been to 10 different states on disaster relief missions, done over 300,000 push-ups and run and hiked several hundred miles. I've had to give up on hopes and dreams and been able to reopen new ones. I have, to my shame, let friendships die and then built new ones, I have searched and fasted and prayed for the will of God in my life and my future. I have watched people die, and helped bring them back, I have made a lot of mistakes and recovered from a few of them with dignity. I have met with discipline and been found wanting only sometimes on par with the standards. I have led men and learned to follow, I have learned that I, me, the great and odious self, is a monstrous dragon that will devour anything in its way. Except, that self is nothing. It it is a mere speck on the face of existence . I am so small, so tiny, I do not even need a comparison. This loathsome beast lets pride grow up within it and tear at the fiber of my being to 'rear it's ugly head' so to speak.
There is so much that has happened, so much that I have done and much that I have missed. Yet I know I am where God wants me and he will continue to provide for me in spite of my resistance to him and my failure to trust him. I am headed back to the International ALERT Academy in Big Sandy, Texas  in a few short days. I know I will be stretched and grown and made more like Christ but what I pour into it will determine what I get out of it.
I named my blog 'Passion' for multitudinous reasons. Some people have told me I have no passion, so I need more. Some have said I am depressed, (LIE!) some have said I'm a goof-ball, most say I'm a cynical, sarcastic, demeaning hunk of beef jerky. Well maybe not the beef jerky part. I desire to serve God and to advance his kingdom on earth. It will be difficult it will be hard to find he way sometimes but I am looking for a few good men and women who are devoted to the cause of Christ. I don't want his to be some sort of mamby-pamby I am a part of this support group and I like Jesus on Facebook. I want to know who wants to change the world by living out God's plan for their life. Oh boy! Where's my sarcasm meter? This is great! Let's go serve God. NO! Not that at all, I don't even know how it's gonna work but I'm willing to do what I know is right and trust God for the rest. Time is too precious to waste go do something with it.
It has been amazing year, now I will go get ready for another year of change in life.
This is not a New Years resolution: this is me being passionate about impacting the world for Christ by doing what you do best the very best you can. That's not repetitive at all...

Up, Up, and Away (a brief farewell)

Well here it is, I am off to Texas for a good 5 months to begin training as an EMT/Paramedic. I feel that I have somehow shortchanged the blog world, not really, but you know how a blog's advertising campaign goes: Get a blog so you can be an elite expressionist or just re-blog the elite expressionists of this world, or you can just get one and do absolutely nothing and feel horrible about yourself, but hey at least you can tell your friends you have a blog right?
Anyway, I still like writing when I get the chance and without having a professor hand you the topic and say: "I need 5 pages on that tomorrow morning and you can have no fun."
So perhaps you'd like to know a little about the academy I'm attending? It's pretty awesome. Its a Christian academy in Big Sandy, TX a town with one stoplight (yehaw!). They train young men to serve in various public service roles i.e. firefighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, para-medicine etc...
I thought the same thing until I saw this:

So yeah it's pretty cool. I'm really looking forward to what God will do to me and through me during this time. It will be silent at this end of things for a good while but I believe I will try to get out a few good ones (as in posts) during my summer break...

2 Peter 1:5-8 ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Use the time you have because a man knows not his time.

--Connor