As much as I know people are sick of hearing about me and Dana and how our story keeps going back and forth, it appears that some stability has finally been restored, and not a second too soon. We met with Pastor Rol tonight and had a really good talk. He spoke a lot of wisdom into our situation and helped us see that this time is actually healthy for us in many different ways. I know it sounds weird, but after he had a fuller grasp on the history of our relationship, his experience in marriage counseling leads him to believe that we are years ahead of where a couple would naturally be at this time. In order to continue with the stability Dana and I have felt this past week, Pastor Rol wants us to meet with him at least every 2 weeks for a time of accountability for what Dana and I need to do in our friendship and also to address any issues that might arrise in the meantime. He also had Dana and I both commit to working through this as friends until the end of the year, at which time we will re-evaluate our progress and from there decide how to proceed. As hard as I know this will be for both Dana and myself, I’m kinda looking forward to things being good between us again. Of course we both have our reservations and are trying our hardest to protect ourselves from being hurt, but hopefully by following the guidelines that Pastor Rol established and by adhering to his accountability, maybe a resolution can be reached and in the process Dana and I become more mature in our different weaknesses.

I would just like to go on record for thanking Pastor Rol for his continual involvement in this process throughout the past year and a half, his objective and insightful wisdom, and the impact his commitment to me is making in my life. Ministry can be tough and full of very challenging situations, but he’s always supportive and offers great insight to any situation. I definitely value the opportunity to serve along side him and learn from his legacy of ministry.

Tomorrow I’m taking some vacation time from church and am heading down to Houston. I have a week of vacation to use and here we are in October and I haven’t used any of it yet, so I’ll hang out in Houston until Sunday night. I just loaded up my Creative Zen Micro with new music and stand-up comedy, so I shouldn’t get too bored making the 4 hour drive down there. Oh, and that guy who’s been staying with me is leaving tomorrow too. As much as I’m glad the Lord could use me to share my blessings with someone else, I’m ready to have my apartment back to myself again.

• Back together with Dana for 2006
• Home from Houston
• Growing old with you, Dana
• Date night with Dana
• Dana’s senior pictures