(picture is me at approx. 18-24 months old).

Well, it is here—the week I turn 25—on Thursday to be exact.

And I’ll be honest with you: I am getting so excited. Birthdays are birthdays (regardless of the number) and all I want is for Thursday to get here faster. I don’t have a lot of plans, but I am looking forward to seeing New Moon with my sister-in-law at midnight, getting a few cards in the mail (thank you, Grandma) and hopefully reach $2500 for Blood:Water Mission.

I have been thinking a lot of about the last 25 years. There’s much of it that I don’t remember (like the picture above) and most things from before I was probably 7 or 8. But one of things that I keep coming back to is how differently my life could have turned out if:

** I had never moved to Kansas (by way of Iowa, by way of Minnesota).
** I didn’t go to church camp when I was 16 and heard Andy Addis give the message of salvation.
** my brother never had that magazine in his bathroom and I never became addicted to porn.
** I didn’t meet Anne Jackson almost 8 years ago and had her help overcoming my porn addiction.
** I hadn’t started working at Westside when I was 19.
** I had actually gone to college for Meteorology (with a minor in vocal performance).
** I had never gone to South Africa and hadn’t had my eyes opened to a world in real need.
** and so on…

If even one of those things happened differently—who knows where I would be today. It is interesting to look back and see no regrets… even with the things that some may look at and say, “well, if only that hadn’t happened.” I just know that simply, I wouldn’t be me. It is amazing to see how God orchestrates EVERYTHING and has a plan for EVERYTHING. Even the bad. God never wastes an experience.

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Anyways, I thought it would be fun this week if YOU helped write the story of what my life could have been. If the last 25 years were some sort of fiction novel. This is intended to be fun, really. I will begin with a few lines to introduce my story (see below), you will then add a line or two in the comment section below. Add to the story as much as you want. There’s no comment limit per person.

You can take full creative liberty—make it funny—make it sad—make it make no sense at all. You can even predict the future. It is all totally up to you. If you need help on how this works, check here.

Don’t forget to REFRESH the page before you submit your addition to the story … just in case someone else has already added to the statement you were working with.

(Facebook Readers: Please comment on my blog so you can really be in on the full the story).

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This is the story of a girl named Crystal Renaud. She was born in small town Iowa on November 19, 1984. As the youngest of 3 kids and the only girl, she was often picked on by her older brothers. Their idea of babysitting was locking her in a closet, or trapping her between mattresses. She would often dream of…