This weekend two of my best friends got married. This is the first time I have had two great friends meet, fall in love, and tie the knot. It's pretty crazy and awesome. It was also the first time I have known almost everyone in the entire church. I sang in the wedding so I had the super nerdy seat in the choir loft which allowed me to watch everyone walk in. By the way, do you know how hard it is not wave back to people or not make dumb faces at people who are making fun of you from their safe seat in the crowd? It's very difficult. But I watched people from every stage of my life walk in...older couples from my first church, my first girl friend (hehe), friends from college, people from my current church, my parents, etc...and I thought about how much things have changed. It's crazy thinking about how God weaves everything together. I am who I am today because of all those people who I have lived with or gone to church with or played baseball with or whatever....my crazy life isn't crazy at all...God had everything planned out a long time ago.
The funnest part (besides singing, which I really loved...sometimes singing at weddings isn't awesome. Sometimes as in most of the time) was seeing some neato college friends. That's what got me thinking about how different things are now compared to 9 years ago. They have wives and kids and mini vans and I lead worship at a church. Those are all very adultish things. But more than that, I'm not the same 18 year old punk I was when I first met them. I'm still a punk at times but for the past five years I have had some very Godly men come along beside me and gently punch me in the face, which I needed. I can't believe I had any friends back then.
I will never claim to have everything figured out but I will say that I have grown up a lot, which I fought the entire time because I am a baby. But as I stood with Jeremy (who looks like Jimmy Page from 1970) and Jeremi (who is dating a radical lady) and Jeff (who needs to have a twin sister so I can marry her) I wondered if I had actually grown up any. When I see them do I turn back into Josh Ridings of 1999? I hope not. I don't want to ever be a stiff, old, geezer but I do want to know when to act like I am 26, not 14. Anywho, that was a lot of rambling. All I wanted to say is I hope I don't ever stop growing and I hope God continues to prune me even though it hurts...and I hope that the pruning is evident.
The wedding was terrific. I love Emily and her family and I will miss Brent (he is now property of Emily Hensley Brown). They are going to be the greatest couple in Lyman. I can't wait to see which one of my friends bites it next. We all know who it's going to be.
Josh Ridings Band
2 comments:
Let me tell you that I have been waiting for this day to come for a long time now. I mean the day that you write a blog. I think the world is ready for your mind. Keep up with it though and try to write more often than once every 6 to 8 months. I don't want to see a post about how much you love summertime and laying out in the sun with your new Banana Boat bronzing oil followed up by a post about your New Years resolution to stop calling the Starbucks barista, "Chief". No one likes a procrastinator, Josh.
In response to your thought about your old self, I think you have changed drastically. The old Josh Ridings would have pointed and waved while on stage. You were very composed and I commend you for that. One thing I have always admired about you is how you are able to pull yourself together when you are supposed to. When it is necessary. There is absolutely nothing wrong with acting immature and weird around your old friends. It's a sad day when I see some friends who think they are too grown and mature to cut up like old times when they are around their buddies. Who are these people and why have they changed so much? This world is weird and it's best not to take it or yourself too seriously.
Holy crap... I'm so excited right now. Say that there won't soon be a link from my blog to yours...because there will :)
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