This letter was inspired by Dear18Me.com where people post letters to their 18 year-old selves. Since today is my 27th birthday, I thought this would be a good time to share.

November 9, 2011

Hi Jon,

So, you’re now a freshman at the Moody Bible Institute and you’re probably thinking about how different college is from, well, anything else you’ve ever done. Speaking of Moody… you didn’t quite see yourself at MBI, did ya? It was law school or bust and then, BAM, God changed your path. You’ll have the MIT trip to Ecuador to thank for that.

I don’t want to ruin too many of the surprises for your future but let’s just say you’ll be amazed where God takes you in the next ten years. I will give away a few spoilers though… (shhh, you’re welcome.)

In about a week you’re going to sign up for English Comp. II with Miss Hecht for next semester, not because you want to take a class from her but because you know she will stretch your writing. Get ready for some ugly assignments and grades in your ongoing hatred of English. You may laugh at this but your love for writing will turn into a passion of yours. In fact, you’ll get to the point of writing every day…and loving it!

Since we’re on the topic of love, that girl you like right now? Yeah, don’t worry about her. Sometime after college you’ll get invited to a Halloween party by a good friend of yours. A word of advice: GO! You’ll figure out the rest later. And no, I’m not going to give away what year it will be.

Random thoughts here: Your taste in music sucks but that’s okay. In about six weeks you’ll come across Coldplay for the first time, which will be a manageable springboard to good music. Learning what good music is will change your entire perspective on your major. Some advice on personal hygine? Shave your goatee and get a good haircut, please. Learn to listen more than you speak and hey, since we’re here, learn to think before you speak, too.

There’s more I could share but I tried to give you more advice to follow instead of being a fortune teller. You will go through troubles and valleys in the next nine years that will break your will, your pride, and even shake your faith. Don’t worry though, they will shape you into the man that God has called you to be and you’ll have plenty of stories to share in the future.

You’re a great guy (when you’re not acting like a sarcastic smart aleck, by the way, work on that) and you have so many opportunities in front of you. The best advice I can give you is to keep pursuing Christ with everything you are. The next best advice I can give is that when something called Twitter is invented, BUY ALL OF ITS STOCK THAT YOU CAN! You’re welcome!

Love you, man, and happy birthday to me, to us (that sounds weird), okay, happy birthday to me.

Jon, age 27