How the Times Have Changed

I know that the times have changed over the past few years. I have no doubt that you all don't agree that when this blog account started in 2019 the world looked and operated differently than it does now, five years later. Not only does it look and operate differently, but my understanding of it's operation has changed. As I have grown into a young adult, gone and finished college, and moved away from the place that I had known as home for the whole time this blog was around, I know have a much different understanding of, well, everything. My worldview, while not flipped around, has changed and grown dramatically in the past few years. I have seen God work in some powerful way, have had some wonderfully deep conversations with some amazing people, have been challenged in my faith by wise counselors as well as strangers, and have experienced time and time again the consequences of making the wrong choices. 

As I keep on growing up and learning more, the more I find that I want to learn, and I want to share what I have learned. Both of those are the whole purpose that this blog page existed. While I was confident that I was a strong writer in high school, looking back at some of the creations that I publicly poste I am ashamed of the work that I have created. What keeps me going is that I am reminded it is physical proof of how much I have grown from. It would be more shameful if I did not understand what was wrong with my previous writing or if my writing skills had not been developed since then. 

Along with my writing skills, my cultural experience has expanded. Even though I grew up overseas, which I am sure I have mentioned a time or two before simply to clarify, not to brag (though I do apologize, because I know it sounds like I was bragging) I have been able to go back to experience it again with a fresh perspective, as well as experience another culture shock that before February of this year I never had dreamed of or assumed I would need or get to experience. Through seeing worlds of culture, my eyes have been opened to how much of the Christian faith in America is operated on cultural principals. Worship, for example, looks like one thing in America but that does not mean that it is the correct way. Not all of worship is singing. Not all of singing is worship. 

I hope to get some perspectives from some of the other members of TEAM and CLAY from when we existed all of those years ago. We might get to see how much they have changed as well!