As of today, I am officially financially secure (for the next year or so, at least). This summer has been a long, difficult road for me, and one that involved a lot of prayer and a lot of sacrifice on my part in order to make it through.

I sold all of my videotapes, all of my DVDs (those which weren't already used when I got them), all of my graphic novels, all of the comic books I had collected during the past spring (when I needed a way to replace porn as a source of entertainment while I was in the process of becoming more sexually healthy), and almost all of my Christian books (and a few non-Christian paperbacks I had bought during the spring).

When you spend 3 months worried about whether or not you're going to be able to eat next week, your perspective on money changes. I am really amazed at how much I took for granted this past summer, and the ways in which I abused my body, my mind, and my soul with things I not only didn't really need, but which in many cases were outright poisonous.

I wonder if I had become so accustomed to living in a society where people surround themselves with distractions, noise, and unhealthy input that I didn't even see what was so obviously hampering my energy and my progress as a student, an intellectual, and a man.



I learned a great many lessons this summer--about myself, about God, and about the ways in which I can (and should) conduct myself in this world. I feel stronger, better, and more confident in myself as a man--and as a spiritual person--as a result.

I'll begin to write more regularly (and more daily) next week, but for now, all I can say is that in the wake of this past summer, I now have at least some small idea of why I am here, and what my mission in this life really is.