Welcome back to Myself!

And. I'm. Back...Well really I never left. I wanted to continue to blog, but it turned into one of those things like a text message or an email where if at first you can't think of what to write, you leave it until tomorrow, hoping and praying for some inspiration, so you can give the perfect response. And tomorrow turns into the next day, and the next day, and so on, until it feels like if you were to respond or write back, the person would almost be offended that you took so long. I know people read my blog, but I guess I figured after such a long time, people wouldn't expect a new one. However, I lost sight of why I started writing in the first place. First, it was to keep our friends and family informed as to our whereabouts as we jet-set all over the country (and the world as you are about to find out) throughout the year. But most important, I wanted to use this blog as a tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to whoever is open to hearing it.

I know that it is not my words that will bring people into a relationship with Christ; it is God himself who enters into a willing and open heart and changes a person from the inside.  However, God does not allow believers to sit idly by as He does all the work (though he could if he wanted to). In Mark 16:15, God says "...Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation," sending his disciples to spread the good news of Christ. In the Old Testament, before Jesus was even in the picture, God charged his people to "pave the way" for him, so all peoples and nations could witness his glory. The prophet Isaiah gave God's people a job: "A voice cries: "In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 40: 3-5) This can be interpreted literally, but also as a metaphor for believers everywhere to try to make God's task of changing people's hearts a little easier. By setting an example in the way we live our lives and, when given the opportunity, using our words to share the Gospel, we set the stage for God's transformative power, in essence paving the way for Him into people's hearts where the glory of the Lord shall be revealed in their everyday lives.

So that is my goal with this blog. I hope and pray that God uses me as he sees fit. I can't wait to share what God has done in our lives over the past year and as we continue on with the rest of this year. Michael will be entering his 3rd year on the PGA Tour in January and we are so excited to see what a new year brings!

Oh and as an afterthought, I am writing this blog in JFK airport, where Michael and I are waiting to board our flight on El Al Airlines to Tel Aviv, Israel...that is right. Michael and I are going to Israel today as a part of a mission group with Wasserman Media Group (the sports agency who represents Michael) It includes us, several other golfers, several NBA players, reporters from NBC and Golfweek, and many friends of the leaders of the group, Arn and Nancy Tellem.

For the next week, I will be blogging from Israel (probably while on the bus since the Wifi is free and expensive at the hotel) We are so excited to walk the streets that Jesus walked, visit all the places where Jesus taught, and see all the ruins of the places described in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. I will try to update everyone everyday or so about what we have seen and include pictures. Please pray for us as we travel over there and that the trip may bring the Bible alive!