Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a very important person's birthday - Kem Meyer.

Some may be asking, who is this Kem Meyer you speak of? Should I know her? Yea, you should.

Kem is an amazing woman, leader, wife, mom, friend and boss. Yep, I said boss. Normally the term "boss" is viewed negatively - but I am blessed to have some of the best. So, here are some of the reasons I think you should get to know Kem...

• When I first met Kem, it was in an interview for an IT position. I left with the feeling two things. One, that I would really like to work with Kem. Two, that I didn't think I was qualified to do the job well. And I would never want GCC to have anyone less than the best. As it turns out, God had different plans, and I was later hired for a different position in Kem's department. Kem is an amazing person because she saw me for who I was - she saw my heart. Not many people even bother trying.
• Kem is one of the most authentic people I know, who is always willing to shoot it straight - even if it's not the easiest choice.
• She is easily distracted - which if you know me at all, I can totally relate with.
• When Kem is excited, she shows it. No guessing. I love that!
• Kem's life has not always been easy or full of roses. She can relate to people in all kinds of life circumstances. She chooses to use her past pain to help others. She never lets an experience go to waste, she always finds a purpose or a lesson.
• Kem cheers her team on. We always know Kem is there to have our backs, cheer us on, and encourage us to always do better.
• Kem prays for us. And then she'll tell us. And that is even more encouraging.

The list could go on. Let's just say, I'm thankful Kem and Daryl hired me onto the Communications Team. It's more than just a job and co-workers. It's more than anything I could have ever asked for or imagined.

Happy 40th Kem!

Great Commercial

I saw this for the first time yesterday - genius!

Looking back and Looking forward

Tonight was spent with a great friend. It started out as a spontaneous trip for ice cream. It ended three hours later. And I needed it.

Have you ever been looking forward in your life for so long, that you forget to look back? That you forget to stop, turn around, and see how far you have come? How much you have changed? The person you used to be?

A lot of my past was revisited in our conversations tonight. And I realized something. It doesn't hurt anymore. I can talk about my past, reference certain turning points, and see how God was at work the entire time. I find myself stopping and thinking about how my experiences relate to those in the Bible. How there is only one person in the Bible who never screwed up. How David murdered an innocent man to cover his mistake - but yet God still loves him and chose to use him as an example of a Godly man.

All too often we read about grace in the Bible, but forget that these were real people, with real problems and real faults. We read the stories and see in a few words God extending grace, but it's so hard to imagine it works the same for all of us. We are no different. We are all children of God and grace is in the reach of each and every one of us. We just need to ask for it.

Looking back tonight reminded me of how far I've come, but more importantly, it reminded me of all the grace I've been given. And how long it took me to accept it. I pray for my friends to realize what an amazing gift the grace of God truly is, and will choose to accept it. God has great things in store for his children - we just need to stop getting in the way.