Salutations

I've dabbled in blogging before, but it's always been for a focused project - this time it's personal!

I've recently graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a major in History Pre-Law and am "setting sail" into the "real world" - so I suppose you could call this a pivotal time for me. I hope to include some thoughts on the travels I take, the books I read, the people and ideas I encounter - and I will be most pleased if I can spur a little discussion. I don't claim any particular wisdom in the subjects I post about, just interest.

I'm a believer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I come from a family of faith, and it's a central part of my life - but my understanding of that faith has morphed since my baptism at the young age of 8, and continues to change. I want to continue exploring some of those issues of faith and what it means to be a follower of God.

I also want to explore what it means to be a person of faith in this world that is pretty tough to wrap our minds around. I'm a believer that, for all of our flaws and even our destructive tendencies, humans are made in the image of God, and I'm a believer in the American creed that all people are created with worth and with tremendous potential. I hold to the political philosophy that governments should be responsive to their people, and responsible to preserve that oft-praised, but rarely defined blessing we call freedom.

These "twin beacons" of faith and freedom, as Ronald Reagan described them, are among the topics I want to consider. Reagan Christmas Address 1981

I've learned enough to know that graduating from college doesn't mean too much. I'm only beginning a journey that I hope will lead to greater knowledge and understanding - but more importantly greater faith, hope, and love.

I'm not a sailor; I don't have a boathouse or anything - and I always have trouble waterskiing. But I've always found the image of boats and ships stirring - they represent travel, exploration, freedom. They also are used for trade, for making contact with other people.

People often apply the image of a ship on the stormy seas as a metaphor for facing life's challenges. Well, I'm setting sail on a new phase of my own voyage, and I hope that it will lead to some new discoveries. I want to use this space to figure some things out along the way. Thanks for tuning in!