Van Doss!: LoVe!

A lot of things have been happening this summer. One of the greatest events is God working in my life. Since my junior year in high school I haven't had the best relationship with Him. Prior to my junior year I was highly involved in my church youth group, sang with a praise team, and felt very confident in knowing and loving God. Then, March 24th, 2002 happened. My boyfriend and one of my best friends died in a car wreck on the way home from my house. It is interesting to me how strong I thought my relationship with God was. I feel that if it were stronger it wouldn't have taken me so long to not be angry with Him. When I say angry I was ANGRY! I had hate in my heart and could not understand why a loving God would have let this happen. The only thing that gave me peace was knowing Wesley was in a much better place.

So, this summer my sister asked me to go to Athens Church with her. Don't get me wrong, I have been attending church, but there is something about it there that feeds me. It may be the younger crowd, the music, or the message (I think it's all of those and more). The Spirit inside me has been reawakened. I have let God fully back in to my life. It's not because I don't think bad things can happen, but I am learning to completely trust Him again. I have wonderful examples all around me and it's amazing how God works.

Ryan has been going with me and we both LOVE it. It feels bad if we miss a day. ¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom his whole family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3 : 14 - 19.