The Road Not Taken - An Introduction

Perhaps the best way to begin this journey (writing is, of course, a journey, as is most things in life, even life itself) is by introducing the travelers. My name is...Oh, wait, that's how everyone does it.
Robert Frost said in 'The Road Not Taken': "Two roads in a wood divurged and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." This is one of my favorite lines in poetry, because I can so well connect with it. Quite literally, I can't help but follow a path that shifts around the bend. "Where does it lead?" haunts me 'til I yield to the temptation.Yet this is also true in life. I won't allow myself to follow the way that everyone else takes, to jump on the bandwagon, so to speak. Not that I need to stand out, because I could care less if I do. But untrod ground feels better than pavement...
In our culture, a name doesn't describe a person's identity. So, before giving you the basics about me, I'll tell you who I am.
I am, first and foremost, a child of God. I'm not religious, don't get me wrong. But I am passionately in love with my Savior, and I'm not ashamed of it. Some people will say, "Well, if Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus, then you should keep it personal and not push it on others." However, does it make any sense to keep quiet about good news? If you get a promotion, you tell those around you. If you are getting married, you tell those around you. If someone sacrificed their life for you so you could have the greatest gift of all (eternal life), and wants to offer the same gift to others, not only is not talking about it foolish, but also dangerous for others! I am who I am because of who He is, and that's the simple fact of the matter.
Now, to more trivial things. I grew up on a farm in Ohio, and was homeschooled from junior high on. Our farm is almost sixty acres. On the gentle hill just about in the center of the farm is the building site where we have been constructing a log cabin (since I was 14). Just behind the house to the west is the barn and chicken coop, and, scanning to the south, is the garden. Continuing in that direction, you'll see the new orchard, two small lakes, our present house, and the old farm house. Between the new house and the old house and again behind the farm house you'll see corn fields (actually corn and soy beans, as the crops are varied). In front of the new house, you'll see another lake, then to the rear (northwest)you'll see another field, and directly west, behind the new barn, lie acres of woods.
The farm is a great place for raising nine kids, as my parents know. The children enjoy playing with the animals (new twin kids and kittens keep life interesting!), boating and swimming in the ponds, and, for the older ones, hunting in the woods. Being country-raised, you will rarely actually find children wearing shoes around my place; they prefer running barefoot. As my dad would tell you, he has a bit of "hillbilly" in his background, and those genes have worked their way into the next generation.
My family has been in church since before I was born. My dad was a first generation believer, and made sure all of his children grew up in the Church. For me, this packed a whole lot of head knowledge in at a young age, but it wasn't until I was 13 that God finally got my attention and I realized this whole Christianity thing was supposed to be about having a relationship with Jesus and not attending church every week, knowing all of the Bible stories, and "behaving good".
My dad spent a decade or so doing part-time missions work in Asia, though he'd say it wasn't really missions, just trying to figure out the Lord's will. I jumped on board when I was ten, for my first missions trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I went back at 16, on my own this time. I interned at a local orphanage, and fell in love with the children there. My next trip to Southeast Asia came in late May, early June of 2009, when I went to Chiang Mai, Thailand. I started a small import business at the time: Affordable Luxuries Enterprise. I returned in January of this year, this time specifically for business. By this time, I was beginning to see my life's dream of owning a business that would serve as an avenue to missions coming true. I had just completed my first semester at Grove City College, in Western PA, where I am pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship. By the way, if you are looking for a top-notch, conservative liberal-arts school that has rigorous academics, is affordable, and has strong Christian values, Grove City College may just be the place for you. Now, with that blurb out of the way, you have pretty much caught up to where I am now, at the end of my freshman year, looking for a summer job, and looking ahead to the opportunities and challenges of next semester.
Next semester will be a busy one, but I like it that way. I'm not very disciplined, and I can't stay in one place very long, but I like the pressure of rushing around trying to get stuff done. I am most productive when I'm surrounded by deadlines, when the adrenaline and exhilaration of the situation course through my blood stream, when I'm darting in and out of my room (as can be verified by my oft-interrupted roommate!).
I like tidy, yet my work space is often overly crowded (hence the reason for never working at my desk). I need to rearrange things every once in a while. I enjoy reading a good novel, and will watch just about anything (yes, I can even stay attached to the screen during a chickflick). I am an average chess player and enjoy playing hand drums. I am fascinated by finance and investment, and am an ancient history fanatic. I'm an ideas person, but I've never been very good at turning those ideas into actions. Of all my dreams, I have always wanted to be an author more than anything else. Who knows, maybe one day the Lord will open a door there. I tend to be somewhat of an introvert, although once I get to know someone I take the whole friendship loyalty thing very seriously. I believe relationships are the key to fulfillment in life, and will skip class to talk to someone if they have something going on. I have a weakness for white chocolate, and tend to deal with things by talking about them with my best friend, Greg. A photographer, and my senior by three years, I have the utmost respect for him as a mature believer. He is my first source for advice about life. My roommate, Matt, the ideal Grove City College student (from now on to be simplified to "Grover"), discovered this tendancy this past year, and several late-night discussions showed me once again just how blessed I am to have the people in my life that I do. We got along almost ideally, it seems, despite the fact that, as he is electrical engineer,our minds work completely differently. I have to say that I admire him for both his discipline and maturity on multiple levels. As I have shifted into talking about people that I have had the opportunity to "travel" with this year, I can't leave out Brittany. Brittany is a Grover graduate with whom I attended church. Her impact on me was in her gentle spirit that evidenced the presence of God in her life in a way that was more tangible than just about anyone else I've ever met. There have been countless others, of course, that I could spend hours discussing, but I'll simply say that God has been so good to me in giving me such a wealth of friends that have helped shape the path that I am on.
In wrapping this first post up, I want to touch on one more thing. I decided to start this blog after a friend suggested it in order to follow what I am doing in terms of missions, business, school, etc. This is my purpose; however, just as every other person out there, I have my battles with pride. Therefore, while I am writing about things going on in my life, this blog shouldn't really be about me. Rather, it should be about the glory of God, as expressed by my weaknesses. Ultimately, I hope that in writing this, someone will recognize how good He truly is, and will seek Him out more fully because of it. While I've discussed just about every other area of my life, the most important is the why. My purpose in life is quite simple, really, although I make it more complex than need be. It's simply this: to reflect the glory of God.This is the journey that I am on. What's yours?