noidiotsplease's VirtualTourist Home Page

I used to use this page mainly for listing the places I have visited, ranking them according to my personal preference, and boasting about the blessings that make my home city, Jacksonville, extra special. I enjoy traveling, photography and writing, so it's a no-brainer that I contribute to this site. About a year ago though I began the most rewarding journey of my life, and without having to go far at all. Please bear with me and I hope you too will understand from where I am coming.

All my life I have always thought that I was a good person and considered myself a Christian. After all, like many, I thought I knew the basics and for many years have prayed on a daily basis. Unfortunately, also like many other people, I always felt uncomfortable discussing Christianity -- largely because of my own naivety on the subject. Here I had been an honors student all the way through school, have for years had a voracious passion for and geeky knowledge of travel, big cities and beaches, but I was a dunce when it came to understanding the very faith to which I proclaimed to subscribe. Growing up I was familiar with some of the Bible stories that are commonly read to children but did not attend church except for on a few rare occasions. I was under the impression that being “born again” was something that convicts declared after doing hard time as a way of telling the world that they were all better now.

For years later, as a young adult, I knew that I should start reading the Bible someday and that I should look into finding a church someday. I just kept filing those thoughts in the back of my mind along with things like dream vacations to plan and new home improvement projects I could start. My wife also grew up without having regularly attended church. Despite this, we each pressed on with the notion that we were Christian and that we were both good, honest people who had the morals in place to do the right thing when push came to shove. After getting married, of course, the typical life events of married couples in their twenties (job woes, financial trouble, having children, crises with relatives, etc.), began to unfold, but each with its own unique twists, quirks and consequences that certainly could not always be described as textbook.

Last year, my wife and I started reading the Left Behind series, which, of course is a fictional story based on Biblical prophesy, but it kindled our interest in reading the real Bible for ourselves. At the same time, a neighbor who has attended several different churches over the course of his life told me about Celebration Church here in Jacksonville, and how he seriously felt that this was a blessed church. In the spring of 2006, we were born again, surrendering ourselves to Christ. We started attending the neighbor’s church (now our church) in August, bought a Life Application Study Bible in September, and dedicated our children the following March. While I am certainly not by any means an expert theologian (I still haven’t come close to finishing the Bible), I do know that the past year has truly changed my life. Seriously. I mean, I have always been a happy and optimistic person, and always get filled with great excitement when taking a vacation, but never before have I known the joy that I now feel. I used to wonder why people would act so overcome when praising Jesus on TV. I knew it was something that shouldn't be made fun of, but, given the context of our culture, it just seemed bizarre to see people so openly humbled and passionate. Today though, I've got to tell you something. I am really humbled by the Lord Jesus Christ and gladly profess that I too feel no shame in being overcome. I love Jesus! I and am very eager to grow in my relationship with Him and to step up, as all men should, to be the spiritual leader for my wife and children.

While I tend to be shy in social situations, I know there are other ways to spread the Gospel. I feel that anyone with writing talent, an interest in photography, and online access (um, yes… that would be me and probably a lot of you) can enlist themselves to a calling higher than merely chronicling the latest family vacation or bragging about how lucky they are to live where they do. Please consider what I have written here. Traveling is fun and has its rewards, but actually experiencing God in your life today and knowing that the ultimate life trip will be an eternal one enjoyed in the presence of Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment. So, enjoy traveling the far reaches of our amazing planet. Just don't forget to commit yourself to our Creator along the way. After all, no matter where you go, you can find our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many blessings!