Hi dudes. I arrived in beautiful Reno, Nevada, yesterday with my dad. It is quite good weather here, cause even though it is like, in the 90's, it feels like the 80's do in Springfield. My little sister got married and is now Daniella Kay Rodgers. The wedding was on Saturday in Houston, Texas, and it was absolutely beautiful. We all had a blast at the reception, which went on from around 3:30 to midnight! We all danced, I sang a Shania Twain song and played the guitar for them, and we all had an all around good time. My mom made Mexican food, her specialty, and boy was it good. The cake was superb, too, cause I usually don't like cake, but it was this delicious strawberry with like, whipped cream frosting on it. My sister look magnificent, to say the least, and I was so happy for her. Now, here I am in Reno, with nothin' much to do but laundry, email, and start working out again for the first time in months. I figure what better time to get back into it than when I have nothin' else to do.
Guys, please pray for me and for my family a lot lot lot. They are sooo lost, and I worry about them entirely too much. I was saddened after the reception because I don't know of a time where we as a family have felt that much love since we moved to Missouri 8 years ago. It was, of course, the kind of love that I experience most of the time with my Christian family, a taste of heaven. When my dad and I were driving away yesterday after saying goodbye to my sister, her husband, my brother and my mom, I was crying so hard. My dad was really upset too, and he wants us all to move to Reno and he thinks everything will be better. I was crying because I know that I won't get to have that with them in heaven if they don't ever accept Jesus. I believe that Paul, Dani's new husband and my new brother in-law, is a Christian now. But the rest of my family is still really, really confused. My dad thinks that he and I are on the same page as far as Jesus is concerned. But here's a taste of what he believes...that two things that contradict each other can both be true at the same time...what? No they can't! And my dad, of all ppl, should get that. But I don't know. If I do end up talking to him about that stuff more, I will bring up that 2+2=4 and 2+2=5 cannot both be true at the same time. I know that in reality, he doesn't believe that. I was thinkin' about how I understand things now that I didn't before that I don't know how my family could understand without being a Christian, and therefore how would they ever come to Him, but then I remembered that when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior I didn't understand half of what I was talkin' about, I just knew I wanted to follow Him for the rest of my life, no matter what the cost. And He has been faithful and there for me ever since, regardless of how much I understood. I read the Ragamuffin Gospel in four days when I was in Scotland, and one of the things the author talked about was the parable of the prodigal son, and how the son's motives for coming home were NOT all pure, he didn't really fully WANT to see his father, but he came home and the father loved him anyways and welcomed him. Brennan was describing that parable in a different way than we usually think of it and saying,"Hello! God doesn't care if our motives are completely purely for Him or not, He just wants us in His arms." That really hits home for me, and also gives me hope for my family, that although they won't necessarily fully understand God, Jesus, the trinity, what they are getting into, etc, etc, when they accept Him, it won't matter because God will take them in just the same. And that point is emphasized over and over again when Jesus is speaking. It just never really made full sense to me until I read that book. So it gives me great relief, when I am hangin' out with my family, whether they are drunk or drinking or smoking or cussing or whatever, to know that I am a ragamuffin just like them, and that Jesus would be doing the same thing and not caring about those things. I know too many Christians who wouldn't hang out with people who are doing that, but what does that show them? Granted, I don't like being around drunk people, in fact, I hate it with a passion, but I have learned to handle it and just love people regardless. I don't think that drinking and smoking and cussing are the things that make people 'bad' anyways, it's what is inside our hearts. Knowing this in my heart makes me smile and love when I am around drunks, smokers, whatever. I'm not condoning going to raves and being around druggies all the time or whatever, but in certain environments, if you aren't tempted in that way, I think it's fine and good. I mean, during my mission's trip, we hung out at a pub, for goodness' sake. The pastor had a pint, me and my friends learned how to play poker! I'm not one of those people whose like,"Yeah, I have freedom in Christ, so I can do whatever!!" Not at all. I think that that idea is emphasizing the wrong point completely. I'm talkin' about having non-Christian friends and loving them just the same. I'm talking about not living a sheltered life, about getting out into the REAL world without getting in over your head, and being separate from it but loving people into heaven.
All of you that have been praying for me so much, I feel it, and thank you for always being there for me. I miss all of you guys back home so much and I hope you are all having an awesome summer. :) I love you!!!

"We live in a beautiful world..."~Coldplay

"Well, I don't know about this Fourth of July filibuster..."~Me today to Lacy on the phone