Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27 (NASB)

As many of you may know, due to my recent attacks to the interwebs, come June 12 through the 21st, I’ll be on a trip to Cambodia to support a local ESL school and some Orphanages in the surrounding area. I’m not trying to be super-saint-man or anything by my repeated assault with this information, I’ve just been thinking about it a lot lately, and I wanted to share some of my self-realizations.

You may or may not know about my heart for missions, and just a desire to help people where they are in general, but it’s something that’s been a part of who I am for a long time now, and I’m really excited to have another chance to step out and spend my time and energy on things that matter far more than the things I usually fill my days with.

James 4:14 is a fairly powerful statement, and oh so thought-provoking: “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. (NASB)” I’ve been really pressed with just how true that is of late, and I don’t want to waste my time. I read in a book recently that it’s very likely that in 50 years (give or take a few decades) everyone you know will be dead, and you will likely be forgotten. I’m not trying to be morbid, just tossing a little dose of reality out there.

The image on the left is more an accurate representation of the lack of fruit that I’ve produced with the majority of my life than it is to say anything about a want for finances.

I have been so blessed in my life with good jobs, marketable skills, and the often-used ability to either storm my way through almost anything, or use duct tape to boot-strap my way over just about any hurdle I’ve come across.

The realization I’m facing lately is that it has all been for myself, and for just about nothing worthwhile.

Don’t think for a moment that I’m moping around all “woe-is-me” with this action either. I’m just waking up a bit and realizing that I want to do more with my life.

I want to be in the middle of trying to gum my way through a delicious steak at the ripe old age of 50 (I wasn’t very good to my teeth, and didn’t age gracefully), and look back and be confident that I made a difference in lives around me, and in the lives of the less fortunate in the world, and you know what? I want to be confident that it wasn’t for me. That it wasn’t so I would be able to strut about telling you this or that, blah blah blah.

I want a life of purpose; a fruitful life, and I’ve decided that I’m going for it. By the grace of God, and with the help of like-minded people around me, I’m going to step out in confidence, nay(olde speak ftw), in faith, and live the life I know I’m called to.

I know this is a jumble of poorly[swiftly]-written word vomit, but it was on my mind. I’ll try and be a little more organized when I get the urge to attack you with a paradigm shift I’m experiencing.

For now, further up and further in.