the pain of a heartbreak.

"Woke up this morning, and I heard the news. I know the pain of a heartbreak." - Ben Rector, When a Heart Breaks

Heartbreak. The first thing you probably think of when you hear "heartbreak" is most likely a breakup. But heartbreak comes in many forms... Illness. The death of a loved one. Even the death of a dream.

Heartbreaks. This world is full of them.

This week has been a long one, a heavy one, for me. Among other things, I found out a friend of mine from college took his own life. And then shortly after that I was told that a friend from high school had taken his life just a few days before that. Needless to say, this news brought up a lot of emotion, but specifically brought up a lot of emotion in regards to some significant losses I have faced in my life.

Do you ever feel as if heartbreak is somehow surrounding you? Like Satan is trying to weight down your heart so much that you begin to lose hope and think, "there's just too much pain in the world. It's hopeless here."
It's hard to not be overwhelmed by the pain, loss, and heartbreaks of this world. It's hard not to let those thoughts creep in...

But that's the lie Satan wants us to believe. If we start thinking that way, well, then Satan has got us right where he wants us - focusing on the darkness instead of the light.

But Christ came to be the light in this world of darkness...

"No shadow comes without the light making it's way." - Steven Curtis Chapman, You Never Let Go

God will never leave or forsake us - no matter how dire the circumstances.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I am reading through the book of Job right now, and talk about dire circumstances. This man Job was an amazing man of God, an upright citizen, a truly righteous soul. Yet God allowed Satan to tear him down - physically and emotionally - to see if Job would stand firm in his faith.

Job experienced many heartbreaks. The loss of all of his material possessions. The loss of his health. The loss of his entire family. He didn't "deserve" those trials. He didn't "need" to experience such heartbreaks so that he would seek God. He was already seeking God.

But there's so much more to it than that. There's so much more to it than us. Thankfully, in this life we don't get what we deserve. Sometimes that doesn't seem fair, but if we have two alternatives, I'll take the grace every time.

There's a quote I love that says, "Be kind. For you never know the battles someone is facing."

This week I was talking with some actors I didn't even really know when one of them asked me how my week was. And instead of giving the typical, superficial, "My week's been great! What about you?" I actually "got real" and opened up about how heavy my week was.

And you know what happened? It opened up this amazing, deep conversation, pulling in other actors as we talked - about pain, depression, faith, and heartbreak. I learned some things about these people I never would have expected.

You never know the battles someone is facing until you ask. Others will never know that battles you are facing until you open up. And you never know... maybe the pain you have experienced is so that you can help others. Maybe the heartbreaks of your life will be of encouragement to someone else who may be going through something similar.

People in this world - strangers you pass, acquaintances you meet - are going through some very real stuff. I think it's time we start getting real with each other. I think it's time we start opening up. I think it's time we stop being superficial and start being intentional.

As believers, we have the opportunity to take the heartbreaks we have experienced, the dark places of our lives and share them with others. We have the opportunity to empathize with others and say, "Yes. I know you feel. I have been there." And then we have the opportunity to share the hope that we have in Christ.

I read a quote from a Christian author - though I can't remember who it was, I will never forget it. It was this:

"Your greatest battles will become your greatest ministry."

(Sidenote: Now, just to be clear, I'm not saying the only reason we experience heartbreak is so that we can help others. I think God is always working in our own lives to shape us, mold us, make us more like him. I'm just saying that instead of keeping all our pain bottled up inside ourselves, instead of being "me-centric," if we become more "Christ-centric" and, in turn, become more "others-centric" we can help spread compassion, support, healing, and love.)

My prayer for myself, for you, for this world is this: that the heartbreaks we face on this earth would provide us with a beautiful opportunity to rely on Christ in a whole new way, to draw us nearer to Him than ever before, to knit our spirits together with His as he carries us through...

"Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." - 2 Corinthians 1:9

There's a lot of pain in this world. But take heart. For Christ has overcome it all.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

No matter what you are going through. No matter how alone you feel. No matter how much your heart is breaking... You are not alone. There are others who can relate to what you are going through. There are professionals who are equipped to help you. And there's the God of the universe who placed each star in the sky, who knows every hair on your head, and who wants to use your life in greater ways that you could ever dream up for yourself.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and now grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  - Isaiah 40:31

Ben Rector's song continues on with the following lyrics:

"This isn't easy. This isn't clear. And you don't need Jesus till you're here." 

The truth is, we all need Jesus. All the time. Even when all is well in our lives. But regardless of when we decide we need Him, regardless of when we choose to seek him, He is there, waiting for us always... to be our light in the darkness, to mend our broken hearts.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." - Psalm 147:3

how to lose a girl in one date. coming soon.

How do you lose a girl in one date? Let me count the ways... But before I do, I will give you a little background to this story.

Four years ago, I packed up and moved out to LA to pursue my career in acting. I didn't know what to expect. What to do. Where to go. I still don't. But my dad once said something that stuck with me.

If you ask anyone who has achieved great success how they go to the "top," they will likely tell you they had the confidence they would succeed and just figured it out along the way, taking one step at a time.

There's a great quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. that is such a beautiful picture of this:

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." 

Now, having faith that everything will work out and that success will come is great. But that doesn't mean we don't have to do our part, taking the first step, and then the next, and then the next...

There's another quote I love by Ann Landers:

"Opportunities are often disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."

Ain't that the truth.

As an actor in LA, it doesn't take long for one to realize how incredibly competitive an industry this is. Even if you are incredibly talented, there are no guarantees for success. I believe those who do achieve success do so through a combination of perseverance (through all the rejection) and being proactive (making things happen for themselves.)

So, instead of sitting around waiting for my agents and manager to call me with an audition, instead of waiting for an opportunity to come my way, to magically show up on my doorstep...

and let's be honest: very rarely, if ever, will an opportunity just show up at your doorstep... unless yo're on one of those tv shows where some guy with a huge, oversized check shows up at your door with cameras and tells you that you just won millions of dollars...

I have decided to get out there and make my own. Why wait for someone to hire me to play a role when I can write one for myself?

I have combined my love for writing and acting along with my plethora of - eh hem, interesting - dating experiences to create a series called, "how to lose a girl in one date." 

I have developed the concept, storyline, and characters. I have written the first season. I have sat around wondering how I would ever get this shot. I have doubted my efforts completely. And then I have decided to take a step of faith.

And the Lord has been so faithful. I have prayed that the right team would come together to make this possible, and God has truly begun to bring such an incredible group of individuals together to help me bring this vision to life. And I can't wait to see who else he brings together to play a part in turning hard work into opportunity, turning a dream into reality, and ultimately turning a tragedy into a comedy.

And YOU can be part of that team. Find out how, HERE. 

How do you lose a girl in one date? I will count the ways. But you will have to stay tuned and find out! Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest.

Until then, I will leave you with some very deep, very profound words from the a great and wise lyricist of our time:

"I'm not the girl who always has a boyfriend; I'm the girl who rarely has a boyfriend." - Taylor Swift

That's deep, Taylor. So very deep.

when nothing is certain, everything is possible

The future isn't always so clear in life. There are times of great uncertainty... Which way should I go? Which job should I take? Should I move here? Should I serve there?

There's a quote I love that apparently multiple people claim to have said first. And I don't blame them. It's profound and inspiring:

"When nothing is certain, everything is possible."

I snapped this photo the other day while riding my bike at the beach, but it wasn't until I got home that I saw this bird soaring through the frame. Free to roam. Free to soar. No set direction or agenda. Endless possibilities. Endless opportunities.

What a great, positive outlook to have. Instead of looking at our future with anxiety, let the uncertainty be an inspiration to us, a sense of overwhelming opportunity ahead, a great unknown.

See, the Lord has is all planned out. We just have to seek his face and take it one step at a time. He will reveal the path to us, his purpose for us. Just not all at once.

I know, I know. It's easier said than done. Tom Petty sings about it...

"the waiting is the hardest part." 

The in between times are the worst. I've been there, literally crying out to the Lord, "Okay, God. I'm here. I'm waiting. I'm listening. I will do whatever you tell me to do, I will go wherever you lead me to go. Just show up." 

And then He does.

And somehow I'm always shocked. But nevertheless He is faithful. He shows up. He leads me. He guides me. One foot in front of the other...

One stretch of open space into the next.

Paul was one of the most dynamic, passionate, risk-taking preachers in the New Testament. He used to persecute Christians, until one day on the road to Damascus, the Lord appeared to Him and he experienced a dramatic conversion, an overwhelming passion to turn from his ways and live his life for the Lord.

He devoted his life to doing so. But the following excerpt from my Bible in Romans really stood out to me, especially at this time in my life:

"Some years passed, though, before Paul found his role."

Huh. So even Paul experienced an in between time, a time when he was trying to find his specific role, his exact purpose, the steps he needed to take in order to make the most of his life and serve the Lord the most completely.

I can relate to that. Knowing that my ultimate goal is to be a light for the Lord. Knowing that I want to do so with the gifts He's given me. But not quite "finding my role" yet.

But then I am reminded, and comforted, by those oh-so-wise words...

"When nothing is certain, everything is possible."

I'm standing at the edge of endless possibilities. One of which is this. I hope to turn this possibility into reality. Endless opportunities await...