The other day I was downtown with a friend I hadn't seen in months.  We were in the process of catching up when she hit me with the question:  "So what have you been doing with your life?"

This isn't a particularly hard question for me to answer, nor does it require much thought on the subject, yet - somehow - I found myself caught off guard at the prospect of such a straightforward inquiry.

What HAD I been doing with my life?

I suppose the simplest answer would be to first fill in the blanks.

I got a job at Blockbuster Video.  To those looking in from the outside, this might seem like a giant step down from where I had been a few months back, and they would be correct.  Blockbuster Video isn't the most ideal job in keeping up with a steady monthly paycheck with outstanding benefits, but for a prospective student looking to major in Theater and Film, this job isn't too far off target.  To begin with, I'm not looking for another career field, just a means to earn some extra spending money.  When I start getting a Housing Allowance from Veteran Affairs, I won't have to worry much about living expenses.  This, along with all the free rentals that come as benefits to the job, just makes things that much simpler.  Now I can finally catch up on all of those movies I keep missing, and potentially have a reason of doing so:  "Gotta know the product that I'm selling."

Part time jobs help free up, not only the time I'll need for school, but also the time I am using for the Youth Group.  Uprising at Gateway is said youth group, and it is, for lack of better terms, small and unrecognized.  Kind of like me at the moment, if you care to compare.  Amazingly I've been able to assimilate myself pretty well within this youth group, and though none of them suspect my plans for total domination as of yet, each of them has been welcoming and have echoed my passion for youth in the best way.  Though it's slow going at the moment, I believe the plans that we have for this youth group to grow are amazing, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them.  It's nice to be a part of something, to actually be committed to what I'm passionate about, but to actually be a major asset in helping these guys grow, thrive, and find themselves is beyond anything I've asked for.  I suppose I can thank God for this.
So...
Thank you God.

It's only been this week that I've actually begun what I set out to do in the first place, and that's to enroll in school.  It was a waiting game for a long time, as I needed those separation papers from the military to prove that I am a veteran, but that finally ended last week.  So monday I set out to finish the enrollment process.  The next day I went in for a Math Placement Exam, promptly passed it with a resounding sigh of relief, and just today I registered for the 3 classes I am to take next semester.  Right now it's only three because I'll need the extra time to give to working for rent, as the VA is still behind on housing payments from the Fall Semester, much less the semester to come.  Other than that it's going smoothly.  Once I have my schedule in hand I'll consider myself a student, and maybe...finally...this next chapter will have started.

As far as acting goes.  Well...we'll have to see what opportunities God brings me.  Currently I have the chance to audition for a lead role in Gateway's upcoming Christmas Eve Play/Musical.  I'm pretty excited about this, but I won't get my hopes up till I'm actually at a rehearsal, on stage, with some concrete lines and, I'll bet, a substantial smile on my face.

If that wasn't all, I also have the challenge of writing, not one, but two monologues for the Youth Christmas Service two Sunday's from now.  I should have already gotten it down by now, but in between battling work and sickness, not to mention all the youth things going on, I just haven't had the time to sit down and write.  Of course...I am doing this blog...but there is a To-do-list in my head somewhere, and I'd be hard-pressed to skip over the necessary step of weblogging so that my virtual audience can know what exactly I've been doing with my spare time.

But seriously...what HAVE I been doing with my life?

Right now, I guess you could say, it all amounts to NOTHING.  Though I can account for my time in various different physical forms, when it comes to the answer to that question I can't think of any significant answer.

I am doing....nothing.

So, I suppose, the real question is...what am I going TO DO with my life?
That answer...I'll let you know when I figure it out.
Cause I don't want to settle into another mediocre paycheck-to-paycheck life.
Don't want to settle for just passion for a youth group but nothing to show for it.
Not settling to be like every other college student with high ambitions but no actions.

God.  What Am I Doing With My Life?
And Where Can You Shine Through Me?
What...Next...?