What I meant to say....Part 1

It has been a while. Sometimes it just takes time to put together what you want to say.
The first part of what I failed so miserably to say on Wednesday is there are a few words that describe what I have learned from Stone Church and the Crew. The first word is Embrace. Embrace to me, means to hold close, to draw in. I have learned to deeply embrace my faith. I feel that in a lot of ways I was a spiritual baby when I first stepped through the doors at Stone Church. I have found that to embrace my faith is a call to use it. As I embrace each of the relationships that have been cultivated, a bit rubs off on each of the two parties. A little stays with me...and a little with you. As I embrace each of the friends that I have met, a little bit of that person's personality and ideals stay with me. I hope that I have affected others in such a way. Embracing something also helps us to grow because in order to embrace something you have to open yourself to it. In order to give someone a hug, you have to open your arms to wrap them around the other person. If we all try to embrace everything in our lives, we become open to more things. Hold close to everything that brushes your life. You never know when it will be time to let it go.
Remember that there is not a single person that enters your life, even for the briefest of moments that you cannot learn something from. By embracing them, there is a better chance to know them, to teach them, to love them.
So, to begin: Embrace. Embrace your life. Embrace your faith. Embrace your family. Embrace your friends. Embrace people that you have just met.
It is not always comfortable to embrace people that we don't know very well...BUT you never know who will be your new friend. You never really know what you might learn until you open yourself up and embrace them.