"Then the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you... even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back" -Deut.30:3&4 (niv) "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten..." -Joel 2:25 (kjv) Today is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. & it's also the 5th anniversary of my own reformation (defined as 'the action or process of reforming a practice'). It's been a crazy five years. One thing I've recognized in my life lately is God's faithfulness. No matter what insane circumstances, God is not giving up on me. The last two and a half years have felt like much more of a whirlwind than the first two and a half, but altogether, I'd never trade the past five years for any other path or plan or dream I could think of for my life. God has been a God of freedom, peace, challenges, justice, restoration, grace, gentleness, and He has been a God of identity. From the challenges of childhood, the angst of the teen years, the sin of the world, you name it; I've never known who I am. And I never figured it out until I gave up trying and decided to find out who Jesus is. Five years ago, I laid down my life and claimed Jesus as Lord. He has indeed had compassion on me. He has indeed freed me from captivity and restored many years to me. He has restored my relationship with my mother, my relationships with my brothers, given me a second mother, given me a father, graced me with a sister and friend who disciples me, given me a city to thrive in, give my heart something to break for, and given me an identity to walk in. What a life it has been. What a life Jesus has breathed into these dead bones. What an adventure it will continue to be. #happyreformationday #happy5years #happyhalloween #Godrestoredmyhairtoo