In the Beginning (of this blog)

Welcome to the Journey!

Let me give you a little background about this blog. My daughter, Peyton, underwent open-heart surgery at 8 days old. During her hospitalization, friends of mine suggested that I utilize a blog to communicate updates to friends and family instead of manage an overwhelming mass email list. (To catch up on Peyton's blog and see some cute photos, check out peytonhanschen.blogspot.com.) While the simplicity of blogging certainly made sharing the news easier, two things happened unexpectedly.

First, so many people shared the blog with their circle of friends and prayer groups that we received encouragements from around the country and, really, from around the globe. That response was used by God to lift my wife's and my spirits in amazing ways.

Second, I found an outlet to process my emotions, my understanding of God, my struggles, my thinking--in short, my journey. By sharing with such authenticity, God touched, challenged, and encouraged a number of readers (or so I've been told by folks through email and in person). My response to that: Way to go God! Only He could leverage such a tragedy to such good outcomes.

Now that the drama has subsided, I breathe easier. And yet, I still desire to process the road I'm on, what I'm learning, and where God's pushing my buttons. So this blog is intended to carry on what began with Peyton's blog: to be a forum where I can share and explore life and God. I expect that I'll write about the goings-on in my life, in my relationship with God, and in the world around me--though I wouldn't expect this to be good place for the latest news headlines. I purpose to write about what's stirring in me, what I'm excited about, and what I'm learning. Hopefully this blog, this journey, will be used by God as its predecessor was: to honor Him and serve as tool He uses in my life and yours!

Karl

PS: I'm working on the first real post and should have it up Tuesday (6/60/09) evening.