On a Personal Note... a Life following Christ. (6.13.18)

January 1, 2018, I left Facebook. For a long time, it was a favorite place where I shared my life - many facets, including my walk with the Lord.

Although I've been a conservative Christian for 15 years, I am a far more conservative follower of Christ than ever before. For awhile now, I've been in the Word of God (the Holy Bible) daily.

If you're curious or love the Lord, I'd encourage you to actually read the Bible... and get some solid Biblical teaching!! (Book of John is great place to start. John MacArthur and RC Sproul are outstanding Biblical teachers/scholars.)

Surrender, submission, and obedience are all dirty words in today's world.

I grew up a child of very liberal hippies in a world where everyone was okay EXCEPT Christians. I do love my family. All of my life has made me who I am today. I particularly love how the Lord has used a lifetime of crazy experiences to help me understand why we run from God.

Anyone who knows me well, understands I am driven... a quintessential type A personality.

I'm absolutely where I am today because of the love, help, support, and encouragement of many others... as well as a lot of hard work. Most importantly, I'm here because God allowed me to be. The longer I live & study the Bible (the root meanings of words/original language), the more I grow to understand why life is better when I actually follow the Lord's specific instructions. 

Now, to the meat of this post. As a type A person, I've set so many goals and gone after them. Once I let Christ into my heart, this did not really change... until the spring of 2011.

I was attending a fun, inspiring event celebrating the creative history and future of Charlotte. There were activities, motivating talks, and some group work. Throughout the day, I kept hearing about this new place uptown for entrepreneurship and possibly some art component. 

First thing I thought, I'm going to research who and where, then introduce myself. But, then, I did something that (up until this point) I'd NEVER done before... I prayed to God first. I asked that if this would be HIS Will for me, to get connected to this place/people, to please make it happen.

A few months later, I was invited to apply for a one time grant for an art curator in this new hub for entrepreneurship and innovation called Packard Place. Not only did I get the grant, I became a valuable team member, bringing arts, events, and even managing a highly successful innovation showcase at Packard Place during the Democratic National Convention in 2012.

Anyone who knows me, understands the HUGE impact Packard Place had on my life. When I say I'm an entrepreneur, I mean it. God wired me to love the business end of things. My several year stint at PP was life changing for me. AND, it was the very first time I waited on the Lord.

                     One of Chris Austin's cool photos of Packard Place in the early days. 

There are many times God's shown me His timing is better than mine - like getting into McColl Center for Art + Innovation in 2010. I'd applied before, but when I finally got in, it was their 10th year anniversary - which meant cool experiences & opportunities unlike previous years. 

Fun photo of me at McColl Center in 2010 by Ben Premeaux. Related side note... the experimental water paintings I created while a resident there were actually the beginning of my glass work. (Though I had NO idea at the time.) It was a year later I started my kiln glass journey.

I attempt to follow God's Will for my life. Of course I fall short all the time. But, I do have more fun, joy, adventure, and peace waiting for the Lord, than when I FORCE things to happen. (Yes, there are times His answer is NO or NOT NOW... which I'll admit is still challenging for me!)

This is a way Christians might mean "I'm obedient to the Lord," or "I'm waiting on God." (It's not that I sit & wait on God to do it. I'm actively working, listening, praying, and reading the Bible for insight:)