Saturday's Thoughts

Ahh... today I woke up at 12:30. It had been a while since the last time I did that, but it felt really nice to sleep in. I went up to the mall to get some new shirts as well as look for a few new hats. It's been a while since I bought anything for myself, and found some clothes at Banana Republic, J Crew and Fossil. At 6, I headed up to El Tequila for a birthday party for a friend in my small group named Lindsay. Afterwards, we went over to Brookside for a swing dance that they have every Saturday. It was fun, and got to see many friends there who I hadn't seen in a while, notably Sarah Spelth, Suz Winnie, Laura Bower, Zach Vincent and others. I stayed there til 10, then headed over to Cheesecake Factory where I met up with some other friends for dessert. I had Dulce de Leche cheesecake. It was awesome. Afterwards, I headed back home where I am now.
As a side note, I'm not sure anyone actually reads my blog, as its not published on my facebook, and been forever since I started really writing again. However, its been nice to have an outlet to talk about things going on, so I will continue to write even if no one is reading it. I don't care if anyone knows who I am, and I am certainly not writing this blog for some eloquent thought-provoking reading. Its just me being open with what's going on in the life of Jeff. All I really want to do is live my life to please and honor the Father, that should be enough. I don't care about new cars, big houses, trendy churches, what friend group or how many friends I have. Are those things nice and make you feel "good"? Yes, of course, but I've learned it doesn't satisfy. Too many times I have put my hope and faith in others, but we humans are going to fail, disappoint, and deceive one another with words and actions, as hard as that is to accept. People say one thing and do another. I've done it to others in the past. Or maybe its just putting too high of expectations on relationships. The only truly sustaining thing we have is Christ. I've been reading in Romans the past week. Actually, Jay and I challenged each other to read a chapter of Romans and a chapter of Psalms each day as a way to stay in God's word. I'd love to be able to talk about how God spoke through each daily reading, but its been difficult to get together with that frequency. The one verse that stood out to me today was one that I actually learned in Bible Drill- Romans 5:8. "And God demonstrated his own love to us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." When I read that verse again, the words "own love" stood out to me. God loves us with more abounding love than anyone can have for us. He loved me so much to die for ME- Jeffrey Edward Moss. That's a humbling thought.I think keeping a journal of what God is speaking to me each day may be the best option. Romans has so much meat. It seems each time I read a chapter again, I get something else out of it. Anyway, that's enough for tonight. Its been a very quiet weekend. I think i'll head to bed before midnight again. I plan to make it a great night.

A Side trip

"Wanna get away?" I love those Snickers commercials from a couple of years ago, especially one where a guy painting "Chiefs" in the end zone realized he wrote "Chefs" instead. I used to not mind at all being alone. In fact, I was overly independent and didn't need to be around people all the time. Maybe I was just fooling myself into believing that. Over the past couple of years, I have loved being around people, and feel like God has blessed me with some incredible friends in Tulsa, as well as maintaining those in Texas. There are times, however, when I feel like I need to escape from the daily grind and spend some time alone. Its a refuge to get away from the stress and frustrations as well as to listen to how God wants to speak to me. Most times, I head west. I think its the idea of open praries, rugged terrains, and adventure. Recently on a trip back from Enid, I decided to be random and exit Highway 9, which goes north right by Lake Keystone into Osage County. After driving through Cleveland, I took some roads with a point to get somewhat lost. I drove past several miles hilly terrain and it quickly felt like I was all alone in the Oklahoma wilderness. I turned off again to a windy road and parked the car. We had been blessed with some very mild late January weather, and it was sunny and in the 60s. I stayed out there for about an hour praying, thinking, and just letting God speak to me. Its sometimes difficult for me to focus when I'm in my comfort zone of home and familiarity. Being away from it all, though only 31 miles from Tulsa, let me recharge my batteries and just relax and renew in the midst of the Father's creation. I should remember to take some time every once in a while to be proactive in being alone- a retreat to learn, grow and listen to how the Father wants to direct and speak to me.