Thursday, January 21, 2010

Turning 40 in Two Weeks...



So, I'm turning 40 in a little less than two weeks. I wanted to capture some of my thoughts as I approach this milestone in my life, so I'll be blogging a few things I've been mulling over, over the next few days...

The first thing I've been thinking about is how it is quite possible that my life might be half over!
I guess for some, that might be a little disconcerting, but for me, it's really quite an exciting prospect! You see, I feel like I got a lot of living in, in my first half!

In 40 years:
  • I've immigrated from South Korea to Southern California, and from Northern Louisiana to Southern Louisiana!
  • I've learned and forgotten how to play the trumpet, and have taken up the guitar!
  • I've learned and forgotten how to fly an airplane, and then learned how to ride a motorcycle!
  • I've been in and out of the military, during peace time and war, and was on nuclear alert the day the cold war ended!
  • While in the USAF, I got paid to fly all over the world, including Alaska, the North Pole, Nevada, California, Idaho, North Dakota, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Iceland, England, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates!
  • I've changed my career dreams from music*, to flying, to ministry! *(I really was never that good at music).
  • I attended three different colleges over 14 years, and finally earned my bachelor's degree!
  • I've ministered on staff at four of the most wonderful churches in the world!
  • I've held Christian Workers papers, earned a License to Preach, and was finally Ordained to the Full Gospel Ministry with the Assemblies of God!
  • I spent 12 of the most wonderful years of my life, working with some of the greatest teenagers of all time*, in Youth Ministry! *(And a few knuckle heads, you know who you are).
  • I spent 7 of the most wonderful years of my life serving what has to be the greatest congregation in the world! (As the Pastor, no less!)
  • I've gone from being the poor son of a single immigrant mother, to owning two different homes, and accumulating thousands of dollars in debt, to becoming debt free, and now on a path to financial independence...
  • I've been the favored son of my mother, the estranged son of my mother, and now the reconciled son of my mother.
  • I've been an only child who's never known his father, but have become the youngest of four siblings, and the only son of a father that I've become reunited with...
  • I've become the uncle to two of the most wonderful young men in the world... (both of whom I'm so, so proud of).
  • I've become the son-in-law, and brother-in-law to what has to be the greatest in-laws in the world...
  • I've officiated at my mother-in-law's funeral, my mother's wedding, and my father-in-law's wedding...
  • I've made life-long friends at every stage of life, and in every area of my life, whom I am so thankful for... (And YOU know who you are!)
  • I've discovered that I'm a dog person. And have had two distinctly wonderful Miniature Schnauzers...
  • I've learned to, and fell in love with snow skiing.
  • I've become a Mac guy.
  • I've fallen in love with New Orleans, her culture, architecture, and restaurants...
  • I married the most wonderful girl in the whole wide world, (and even though she spent half of the first half of my life with me, she still wants to spend all of the second half with me!)
  • And I've discovered what faith and abundant life in Jesus really means...
And, and, and... countless other things.

So, if you made it this far, what I'm trying to say is that if I got all that living in, in my first half... I CANNOT WAIT TO FIND OUT WHAT THE SECOND HALF HOLDS FOR ME!!!