Random Thoughts and Ideas

Providing Convictions

2008-10-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Now if anyone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially for his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. - 1 Timothy 5:8

I have been trying to provide for my family in various ways, I got a job when I lost my other one, and when I saw that would not entirely provide, I started a drafting business to pick up some slack.

Right now neither is working. The structured cabling business is construction related, so things slowed a little, and then jobs got pushed back, so I have totaled 34 hours in 3 weeks. (One with zero) This is a tough time for all of us, so I request your prayers for our family. We knew the drafting would take time, but there are a few jobs that are in the works, and the drafting order is being delayed. The stress is starting to creep in, and we are all ready for some sort of normalacy to return to our lives. (Nothing has been normal since July 21st)

"for a man's anger does not accomplish God's righteousness." - James 1:20

I am trying to not be angry about all that is going on, especially towards those I know are lying about me and lying to themselves. I have been convicted about my sins of omission lately (doing nothing when I know something should be done, ie Adam's first sin) and there are certain things I need to stand up for. There are also certain things that I will not stir up because it would be of no benefit to anyone, and that would be a sin of commision (doing what I know is wrong).

I am not sure what my intention is with this blog, but I know that I will need a little extra prayer these next couple days, as I wait for jobs to start and I stand up in areas where I have been too passive.

Boxes

2008-09-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today I finally found time to build my office. I did my desk a week ago and today it was time for the coffee table, and chairs from Ikea.
The chairs came in these great boxes, and the girls were done with their morning movie and cocoa, so I gave them each a box and went back to work (while Coraly was garage sale-ing).
About a half hour later I walked out of the room to find the girls, since they were so quiet. Here is what I found:

Layne listening to her Odyssey

Masien hiding...

Me: "Maisen!"
Her: "What Daddy?"
Me: "Where are you?"
Her: "In my box."

Swing Shift

2008-09-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Whoever thought that a swing shift was as much fun as a swing needs a punch in the throat...
Boss: Hey Jeff, we have some schools to finish, so you are working a swing shift, meet there at 3.
Me: Okay.
Me (to myself):Yes! I get to spend the day working on my business, and have time to spend with my girls before school!
Me (at 2:30 the following morning):This is not fun... zzzzzzzz... WAKE UP! You still have to drive home!

But that is the end of my complaining, since I have a job, and the swing shift has allowed me to get a lot of stuff done for my business. Business Cards, Reading Code Books, Drawing details, etc.

Before I end this very short blog, I have to say that there are a few people that make this possible:
Jesus, for giving me a job and the strength to do it.
My wife, for her support, advice, and somehow saving our budget by getting us 2 full weeks of groceries for only $95.80! (A few months ago she had $75 for one week!) You are awesome, and no matter what you say, I am the lucky one!
My kids for loving me no matter what time I am home (But they really love that "Daddy has his own business, so he is home more to play with us")
Lastly but not leastly to my great friends who are praying for me and supporting me and telling everyone about my business. The networking of my friends is what is going to keep the business alive. You are all great, I am blessed to have friends like you.

Profound Rapper

2008-09-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

I just picked up some new music. I added Tedashi to my collection, because of the beats and the message.
In his song "Houston We Have a Problem" there is a line that has stuck with me for a few days.
"if you ain't living by grace you'll die by the letter"
I am no rap translator, but this I can handle.
If you are not living by the grace of God, then you will suffer an eternal death because you could not live by the letter of the law, meaning the 10 Commandments.
There are so many religions, and even people who do not think they are religious (although everyone is, it just means what you think about the beginning and end of time) try so hard to "do what is right" hoping that they are good enough to go to heaven. Or if they do not believe in heaven, then they want to be remembered as a good person.
Well me and my homeboy Tedashi are here to tell you, that if you have not accepted Christ and the sacrifice he made for you, there is no amount of good you can do to earn heaven. In fact, even if you have accepted Christ, you still cannot earn heaven. It is a gift that has been freely given to you, and you just have to accept.
Hell is not a myth, it is a place God created for those who want nothing to do with Him, to get what they asked for. It is utterly devoid of God, and that also makes it completely empty. You will not be drinking with your buddies in Hell. You will not be shoveling dirt with other hellions. You will be alone. More alone than you can ever imagine. No one to talk to or even see. No noise. No light. Nothing to do. This is a torture that exceeds anything we can do on this earth.
My heart aches for those that think this is all a way to feel good about ourselves. Christianity does not make you feel good about yourself. It makes you realize how bad you are, and how undeserving you are of God's love. It also makes you the most thankful you can be to be loved and saved.
Don't be wrong because of your pride and selfishness.
Eternity is a long time for regrets.
Eternity is also a short time away.

Tagging... for my wife.

2008-08-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

A. Attached or single? Married
B. Best friend? My wife, there is none closer. Secondly my brothers.
C. Cake or pie? Pie, made by my wife, who does not like pie, but makes the best pie ever.
D Day of choice? Sunday, the sabbath (and football)
E. Essential item? Cell phone, wallet, keys. I can't leave the house without them.
F. Favorite color? Blue, no wait Yellow!
G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy Bears, covered in chocolate.
H. Hometown? San Diego and surrounding
I. Indulgence? Fat Tire
J. January or July? July 4th and 27th are great days.
K. Kids? 2 girls, one boy hanging out with Jesus and a X on the way.
L. Life isn't complete without? Jesus, you may not agree, but then you don't know the real Jesus
M. Marriage date? July 27,02
N. Number of brothers and sisters? Three younger brothers.
O. Oranges or apples? Apples, but they have to be crunchy
P. Phobias? I don't think I have a phobia
Q. Quotes? "What if you are wrong?" (Me to anyone who does not believe in Jesus)
R. Reasons to smile? Time with my girls (all three of them)
S. Season of choice? I cannot choose one, they all have great parts to them:
Winter, I like being cold and finding ways to warm up.
Spring, everything looks new and smells great.
Summer, my girls get to play outside, especially in the sprinkler / pool.
Fall, the leaves changing and the fun foods.
T. Tag seven peeps! No, I cannot do this to anyone else. Okay maybe just my mom!
U. Unknown fact about me? If I knew then it would not be unknown...
V. Vegetable? No thank you.
W. Worst habits? Cracking every joint in my body (including my nose...)
X. X-ray or ultrasound? If I have to get an ultrasound something is probably terribly wrong, so I would rather have an Xray for a broken bone (including my nose if I crack it too hard)
Y. Your favorite food? BBQ
Z. Zodiac sign? Sagittarius

Big News!

2008-08-24T21:12:00.001-07:00

I finally got Coraly to take off the songs that scream at you when you visit her blog!
Aren't you excited? I sure am...

Oh yeah, I am also starting my own drafting business. God has opened a lot of doors for me, and I feel that He has called me to stay in the PNW for now. I think it has to do with Grandparents to take care of, church commitments, and maybe even the guys I am working with in my structural cabling job. I invited one to church, and he said he would be there, but didn't show... oh well I will keep trying for Jesus!

I am not quiting my cable pulling, I actually like it! But it doesn't pay all the bills, and with my limited skill set, I cannot find another job that would. So drafting will be a hobby that pays for now. Maybe one day it will be full time, but I expect that to take a few years.

When I get more time (like a week that I work less than 57.5 hours)I will write some more, because I have a lot of theological thoughts I want to get out. So keep checking back!

The News

2008-08-12T21:00:00.001-07:00

Well there is not a lot to say. I am still getting up really early, but thankfully I have been a little closer to home, so I have been "sleeping in" until 4:55am. This location also only has a 8 hour workday, so I have been really enjoying being home in the afternoon to spend more time with my wife and kids.
Thanks to all of you who are praying for our family. Please don't stop, there are a lot of things coming soon (Have you read my wife's blog?) so we still need your prayers.
We are so thankful for all the love and support that we have received, that we want you all to know that we are praying daily for our friends and family. We realize that what we are going through is not unique, and others around us need prayer too. So please let us know how we can be praying for all of you.
Thanks again, and we will keep you updated as there is more news to share.

Blue Collar Week 1

2008-08-03T21:32:00.001-07:00

Well this has been a long week. It was really hard adjusting to the new work time and the commute, but I made it through. I have been working hard, but I am not sure if that has caused me to lose weight yet, my tummy is smaller but my arms are larger. It takes a lot to pull 800ft of cable through an overhead pipe...
Through this whole experience, I am learning the value of having good friends and a great family. I have had so much support and encouragement these past 2 weeks, that it really has not been as hard as I thought it would be.
So a huge thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me through this, I know that I could not have made it without you. An even huger thanks goes to my wife for putting up with my tired and cranky butt this week. She has been nothing but encouraging and that makes it just a little easier to get up at 4:30.
But the biggest thanks possible goes to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without His strength and His ability to take all my worries and cares off my shoulders, I know that I would have resorted to drinking or drugs to take away the pain, disappointment, fear, and confusion. My biggest hope for coming through this tough time is that I can have the opportunity to show the love and power of Jesus to at least one person. If one person meets Jesus, then this was all worth it, and I would do it again, just to have one more for Jesus. As we sang in church this morning, "I am nothing, without You."
The message this morning was also incredible. I think the notes are up, and the audio should be up Wednesday. Check out Smokey Point Community Church for the message on assurance of salvation.

PTL!

2008-07-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well I have a job.
It may not be permanent, in fact I may not be able to handle it, but I have something to do. I get to start at 6:00am, and since it is an hour away, I will be up at 4:30am. I will also be working 10 hour shifts, so I will avoid traffic in the morning, but not in the evening.
BUT! It is a job that will pay some bills for now.
So don't stop praying! This may be where God wants me, and this may be a holding place.
Thanks again for all your support.

Life As I Know It

2008-07-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

So as of Monday morning at 8:02am, I am unemployed.
The recession caught up to my company, and since I was the only expense each month, I had to go. So now I am looking for my next adventure.
There is a good chance that I can start working for a company who runs the cables for schools and commercial buildings. That has the potential to start Aug 4th.
This will be the place for any and all updates, so comment the heck out of it, and check back every few days.
I thank you for your prayers and support, I know that with my family and friends beside me and my God carrying me, we will make it through.

Download my Resume

Little Bro Rockin

2008-07-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Although I missed it, thanks to the power of a little known site, Youtube, you can watch my little bro play the guitar like a rock hero. (He is the one in the striped shirt from the clearance rack of the goodwill... wonder where he got that idea from... see post at the beginning of May)

Paul, we are proud of you and we like your hair the way you have it now, even though you think the lady at Fantastic Sams screwed it up. We tried to warn you about those $3.99 coupons!

Unplugging

2008-07-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well I have been a little busy with my friend from Denmark visiting at the same time my mom was here, and that has kept me from blogging.
Besides the fun of shooting fireworks, there has not been a whole lot of news around here.
The only thing to talk about is our unplugging our television from DirecTV. We have loved all their services and I have nothing bad to say about them, we are just looking for ways to cut costs so I can afford to drive to work and feed my kids. After having the account on hold for a few months, we realized that we do not miss TV. We still have our DVD player and a Netflix subscription that allows us to watch some things on our computer, but instead of turning on the tube, we are playing more games (mostly Mario Kart!) and spending more time with our kids. We are also going to downgrade our phone to the basic service, without caller ID! I know some of you are screaming heresy, but we can save $12 a month, and that gets me almost 3 gallons of gas, which is 3 more days I can drive to work. Coraly will just have to screen calls with the answering machine like they did in the old days.
I know that this downturn in the economy will not last forever, and I am not too worried yet, but for now, if I see a way I can save a few bucks, I will do it. I am also looking for ways to pull a little more cash into my pockets. You can also visit my ebay page, where I am selling my left and right appendix.

Flippin Hot

2008-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know that the San Diego crowd will not sympathize with me, but here near Seattle it got to 91.7 degrees today! We have not had anything over 80 this year.
I spent the day driving around without air conditioning because we never need it up here. Yesterday it was pointed out to me that I had a very flat tire, and I noticed that except for being flat, the rest of my tires were not in much better shape. So I hopped on Craigslist and found 4 tires, in my size (38 slim...) for $70. I was super excited and drove the 45 minutes in the heat to get them. Then after nearly separating my shoulder using the tire iron to get my flat tire off, I discovered that the new rims were for a bigger Chevy and would not fit by about a 1/4". After kicking my car off the jack, then getting it back on, I called Walmart and they offered to patch my tire for a mere $9.50 and 3 hours of my day. I was smart enough to come home and play in the pool while my tire was being repaired. I also let my girls in when I was done skinny dipping...

We made it back from Wallyworld, with a few popsicles to cool off our insides and I returned my shoulder to its proper position while putting my old tire on. I still will need tires soon, and I am fortunate enough to have a friend who has the machines to put tires on rims and balance them too. So it was not a total waste.
We also went to church this morning, and had an awesome sermon on worship and how even though we usually feel better after worship, that is not the point. It is something that is not for us, it is for the glory of God and his Kingdom. The audio is usually up by Wednesday, and I highly recommend you all listen to it. You can find it at www.smokeypointcommunitychurch.org.
Well I am sweating from all this typing, so I am heading back to the pool.

Manly Men

2008-06-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had a BBQ with the small group I am in through my church. We got to hang out, eat meat, and play golf. It was Montana Golf, but that was as close as we could get on our budget...

It is a true blessing to be part of a group filled with such Godly men. They strengthened me and encouraged me in my dark times. I always looked forward to Wednesday nights, and I cannot wait until we start up again in September.

Left to Right: Kenny, Me, Greg, Dave, Doug, and Curt... Curt! Where are you?

Thanks to the guys for a great year, and sticking through the lessons. Also thanks to all the wives for supporting us and blessing us with our "guy time".

Also, my brother is doing awesome, in fact he will be going back to work after the July 4th weekend. Less than 4 weeks after having a mechanical heart valve surgery... Many thanks for all the prayers, God is good, and God is great.

(The slide show in the past post has been updated)

Finally!

2008-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Man it has been a long time since I have been here.
I went to San Diego to give some blood to my brother Mark for his heart surgery. The woman (term used loosely) who skewered my arm succeeded in getting the blood, but also left a pear sized bruise that has now been there for a week!

But I would do it again if my brother needed it. Scott had a worse time giving platelets, they would take some blood, spin out the platelets and plasma, and then put the red cells back in through the same needle! He has a new respect for older women and their hot flashes!
After being shishkebabed I got to spend an entire afternoon and evening with my mom, which I have not done in years. It was so awesome, and I hope I can do it again soon.
Sunday I spent mostly with my three little brothers; Scott, Mark, and Paul. It was a lot of fun to get the four amigos together.

Left to Right: Me, Mark, Paul, Scott

It was a great weekend and I was glad to be able to help Mark in a little way.
His surgery went perfect, and his recovery is going so well he may be out of the hospital tomorrow, only 5 days after his surgery! Only the Lord God could provide him with the strength to do that, and for that we praise His name! Even through the tough times, we can rely on God, who has orchestrated all for the glory of His kingdom. I will admit that it is hard to think that God allowed Mark to require 2 heart surgeries before the age of 24, but we have seen many miracles through them, and it has strengthened our faith.

If you can handle the sight of a little blood, I recommend you see the slide show my cousin Melissa did the night after Mark's surgery.

View Slideshow

Those who want, have to wait

2008-05-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

I missed this past weekend because it was Memorial day weekend, and since I did not get the day off work, I took the weekend off from blogging.
This coming weekend I will be at Men's Retreat, so I will miss my weekend blogging again.
The following weekend I will be in San Diego to spend time with my brother before his 2nd heart surgery in 6 years (he is only 23). I look forward to seeing my brothers and family, but I wish it were under different circumstances.
Since my small group is done for the summer, and I have a while before the study of David book is coming for my wife and I to do this summer, I don't have a lot of theological thoughts.
But please be praying for my brother and his heart surgery on June 10th.
I hope to blog before then, but I cannot promise anything.

I also apologize for my brevity, I just don't have a lot to say.

Sunburnt and Sore

2008-05-18T21:50:00.001-07:00

This weekend was the big "Men's Workday" through my church. Out of the 15 guys that signed up to do it, only 8 showed up, one was my grandpa and 3 were from my life group. So we really only got 3 guys out of our church of almost 1500 to show up to help out a neighborhood. I have to say I am a little disappointed, but not too much, because the Lord came through in a big way. Every one of my neighbors that asked for work to be done, we got it done. We did a lot of yard work, replaced a heater, swept a roof, replaced a front door, put in a new light switch, built a new gate, and put down some weed felt. It was an awesome experience, and I hope we can do it again. The neighbors were really thankful and quite a few asked about our church. I did not hear any stories of converts, but that was not our intent. We did this to show the love of Jesus in a practical way. Since we cannot feed 5000 with some bread and fish, we knew that we could mow and weed gardens. Then the rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

That is about all I have for this weekend's edition. My neck is fried and my body is sore. But it was a great weekend, and ending it was my good buddies 29th bday party with BBQ and some poker. I had never played Texas Hold 'em before but I had more chips at the end then when I started so I did OK.

Lessons from the OT

2008-05-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

A lot of people look at the Old Testament as a place for some interesting stories and maybe a few good ideas to follow. As I study the Bible I am learning more and more that the OT all points to Jesus Christ, and there are a lot of amazing things to learn.
At least the first quarter of the OT is about Israel and them falling in and out of favor with God. It starts in the garden, and with the fall of man comes the curse of the earth. (Does anyone else see all the recent disasters as the earth's curse as it "has been groaning together with labor pains" ? Rms 8:22) Then we see Israel enslaved and set free, and then because of their lack of faith, the wander the desert for 40 years. I am not anywhere near 40 years old, and I feel like I have been on this earth forever. Yet they wandered for that time. Something that hit me as I was doing my Nehemiah study was this in 9:21 "You provided for them in the wilderness for 40 years and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell."
Going back to my time on this earth, I have been through a countless number of clothes. Probably more in my first 8 years than my last, but can you imagine, clothes lasting 40 years? Talk about hand-me-downs. Yet they never wore out. So we see that even when we are lost and wandering the desert of our spiritual life, God is still providing for us in miraculous ways. Probably in ways that we do not see. I am not sure the Israelites noticed their clothes were not wearing out, but we know they did not have a Kohl's to rummage through the clearance rack behind every outcropping of boulders.
The last point I will talk about was one that was brought up my my pastor this weekend. He too was talking about the Old Testament, even though our current study is through Romans. We are going through the end of Chapter 3 and we were looking at the fact that we all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. Pastor guy reminded us that in the Ark of the Covenant are reminders of our imperfection. The 10 Commandments remind us all that we cannot live up to a few simple laws. Aaron's staff was with the Ark as a reminder that the Israelites did not trust God to rule them and they demanded an earthly king. There was also a jar of Manna that God had preserved to remind them, again, that they did not trust God, yet he provided.
This blog could go on a long time, because the OT is filled with good stuff, but I will end with that and encourage you not to shy away from the Old Testament. There is a lot to learn, and you will see that it is an important prequel to the Good News that we can all put our eternal hope in

It is Officially a Recession

2008-05-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Financial Experts in the USA disagree whether we are in a recession or not. Some say we are, because house prices are down and gas prices are up, which is causing the price of groceries to go way up. (Top Ramen is up to just 10 boxes for a nickel instead of a dozen) Others say since our GNP is up, it is not a recession.
So using all the authority I got from my 2 semesters of Economics (one in high school and one in college) I am going to officially declare that:

We are in a recession.

It has been told to me (by a very reliable source) that he read an article that says once we admit we are in a recession, we can get out of it quicker. Since my blog is an international phenomenon, (thanks Jesper!) I will use all my clout to aid the USA out of this recession. (George, you can call me on my cell to thank me)
I would love to hear from all of you, with your thoughts, especially those blonde political experts I know read this blog.

Psalms 5:9

2008-05-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

In addition to my other post about life, I thought I would also go after some other topic that could ruffle a few feathers.
This morning at church, our pastor continued taking us through Romans, and we hit 3:13 which is from Psalms 5:9
For there is nothing reliable in what they say; destruction is within them; their throat is an open grave...
In case you are not a Bible aficionado, this is David asking God to keep the unrighteous enemies away from him. Since the Bible is timeless, it works today and I am praying for the same thing.
It seems to me there is a group of people that have self-righteousness at the forefront of their mind, and they are willing to step on their brothers and sisters to gain a higher altitude on their "pillar of righteousness".
If we look back to the verse, let's pull out the grave analogy and look at it.

To me this is saying that our words (coming from our throat) can have as much harm as murder. When we talk about our fellow humans in awful ways, whether it be about the names we pick for our children, or the friends we choose to have, or if we choose to have a few drinks with a friend, or even how we would raise other people's children, we are cutting into them. Maybe not literally, but when we gossip about people, we give them no chance to defend themselves, or to show who they truly are to other people. We can ruin friendships before they can even start. When harmful words are said and taken as truth, even when there is no truth in them, we are producing destruction.

So to those that are gossiping (and sharing "prayer requests" without that person asking for prayer in that area is gossip) and to their spouses that are allowing it or even participating in it: Your gossip buddies do not see it, but the rest of us are avoiding you because of the stench of death escaping your "open grave" and we do not want to be any part of it.

Thank Goodness for the Goodwill!

2008-05-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

As all three of you may already know, Coraly and I will be playing on the softball team for our church this year. We wanted some old T-shirts that we can wear, since our team is not cool enough for uniforms. So I remembered back to my college days, when my brother Scott and I would go to the local Goodwill and find random shirts. Scott's prize winner was a black shirt with sparkly gold embroidering, stating: Bangkok, Thailand. Coraly thought it was a weird idea, but once we got to our local Goodwill she found this winner!

The girls found the toy area in the back and within a second latched on to 2 bikes. We have been looking for bikes for them, but I have not felt like paying $40 a bike when we have limited summers. So for $15 and $5 we found some great bikes, which Layne helped me adjust.

Maisen used the "pumper" and quickly found out how to make a farting sound by putting it in her bellybutton (somehow that got through the genes from my brother Mark).

They sure like riding their bikes. We are in for a great summer... If the sun ever decides to hang out for more than 12 hours.

What a Weekend!

2008-04-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

The great NW sun decided to stay out for more than a few minutes and we took full advantage of it. Which means that I pulled out the BBQ, scrubbed the mold off it, relocated the slugs that hibernated there all winter, and fired it up!
The girls spent the morning digging for worms (see my wifes blog) and during their nap I mowed and cleaned up the yard a little. We also went to the park across the street to throw the softball around as we shake the rust out of our muscles getting ready for another church softball season.
We ended the evening by having some friends over to play the Wii. The bowling, tennis, baseball and boxing were hits, and the Wario Smooth Moves drew some laughs but the favorite was Carnival Games. It doesn't get much better than shooting ducks, throwing darts, dunking the Joe Dirt look-a-like and shooting hoops in a rim too small. All this without Bubba and his mom/cousin/uncle Betty Anne spilling nachos and cheap beer on your shoes as you try to whack the frog onto the teflon lilypads.
Sunday was spent helping a friend move and helping a friend get to Hawaii (see Wifes BBF Blog)
I have strayed away from my typical deep thoughts, but I may get there this week and get something for all of you to chew on. For now I will just hope for a 2-14 season for the Miami Cowboys and their recent Michigan additions! GO FINS!

Weekend at the Beach

2008-04-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

To all my fans who have been "crying for more".
I wish I could be sorry for not blogging recently, but I am not. I had the opportunity to spend a weekend at the Washington coast in a town called Grayland. Someone won a gold medal for naming that town. Gray was all we saw the first day. We tried to head towards where we thought the beach would be, but after being pelted with frozen rain drops and almost losing my youngest a la rejected nannies in Mary Poppins, we decide to stay in our shelter.
It was an awesome day of absolutely nothing.
The next day was filled with adventure. We went up the "Cranberry Coast" to Westport and had the best apple fritter to ever touch my tongue. After a walk along the beaches where some locos were surfing, we found a little place called the Westport Grill which had one of the greatest fish'n'chips to ever fill my mouth.
I also got to drive on the beach and took my daughters on an adventure of chasing seagulls and turning around so fast, their carseats tipped as I dug massive donuts in the sand. They call it "driving crazy on the sand" I call it pure fun. Thank goodness for "Low 4x4" mode or I would have called it "Geico pulling me out"!
So this blog will finish without any deep theological thoughts or soapbox ideas. My brain is still on "do nothing" mode. I sure hope it switches out by the time I clock in tomorrow morning.

This is the view off the deck of the house we stayed at:

Profound Quote

2008-04-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

"What you are speaks so loud I can't hear what you say!"

- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

   This quote was used this weekend by the speaker at our church. It really got me thinking about the church in general and why it is so despised by some. As a church we speak at people, tell them to repent, tell them our way is better. Then we gossip about our neighbors, curse at our kids, and treat others in ways we would not want to be treated ourselves. Although we "talk the talk" we don't "walk the walk". So we should not be surprised that church attendance is down.
   Unfortunately the church is thrust in the spotlight and most people miss that everyone does this. I think that we all like to talk the good talk and tell people that we really are better than the way we act. We tell everyone things like "I am not one to gossip, but Mrs. Jones had the gardener over three times this week" or "Usually I am really nice to the people in line at Walmart, but that guy looked at me funny". Even our politicians who are out to clean up the streets are finding out that it takes a lot more than talk to show people what you are.
   It saddens me that the church is like this. But it frustrates me that the whole world is like this, and the church is condemned for it. Does anyone notice that the church is a group of humans? Although we strive for a higher standard, we are still humans and humans are not perfect. It is also unfortunate that only the bad "Christians" make it into the media, not the ones who are feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. But the media and it's treatment of the "religious" is a whole other soapbox that I will save for another time.
   I will end with this:
Next time you think that the church is just a bunch of hypocrites, look at the 3 fingers pointing back at yourself and realize that no matter what you say, it is what you do that will define who you are.

Fourth Post

2008-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Wow it is really hard to blog during the week! I started a few times, but kept being interrupted by life. Two little girls will do that to you! Although I guess they are not so little anymore. Layne is signed up for Kindergarten and Maisen has finally toilet trained herself. I would like to think that Coraly or I had something to do with it, but the most we did was make her wear panties, and when she messed herself, we let her stew in it for a short time. That sure changed her attitude towards using the "potty toilet".

Then our good friend had to choose this week (Spring Break) to have chronic deflating lungs. So she dumped her kids off on us to go have surgery. Good thing her kids are just about the same age as ours and they are all best friends. I guess we could call them our B.F.F. (Best Friend Family) Our kids are best friends (Maisen and Tirus are practically married) Coraly and Laura hang out all the time, and although Anthony works a lot, we get out to play racquetball a few days a week. They have always been there for us, so it was our pleasure to give a little back.

That just added to the crazy week with our church and my men's group going through some changes that were unexpected. I wish that I could report that the modern church is perfect, but anyone who has read the news in the past few years would know that I was either lying or seriously out of touch with reality. Maybe after this weekends sermon I will be brave enough to tackle my thoughts on religion. For now I will just pray that our church will use this time to refocus on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and make sure that he is our priority, not the business side of church.

Well I am really looking forward to this weekend, the sun should be out, and we might break 70 degrees tomorrow! Tomorrow is also our day we can upgrade our cell phones, which is a good thing since we have to recharge them after talking on them for less than 30 minutes. I think I will be getting the "chocolate" so I can recycle my MP3 player. I will keep you updated on how well that works.

I am writing all this as Coraly is at the hospital with Laura. We are praying that she will be released tomorrow as she has been there since Tuesday! Please pray with us and I will let you know how it works out. I promised the girls we would make popcorn at 8, while we are watching Disney's Tarzan, so I better spell check this and post it.

Third Blog

2008-04-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday; well I guess I am already getting my blog off to a depressing start. The weekends are always filled with so much fun, and the girls hate when I have to go back to work. It is even harder for them this week, since they have Spring Break from preschool and BSF. They are still a little confused why daddy does not get a spring break.

My men's Bible study took last week off, because most schools had Spring break right after Easter. We are studying the book of Nehemiah, and I just finished re-reading my lesson. I usually talk with my wife about what I have learned and it was amazing how her studies of Daniel and Matthew coincide with my study of Nehemiah. Something profound stuck out to both of us this week.

In Matthew 8, Jesus leads his disciples into a boat. In Nehemiah 2 we see the beginning of opposition. Both Nehemiah and the Disciples were clearly doing God's will. They were both following what God / Jesus called them to do, there is no doubt about that. Yet the Disciples suffered through a storm, and Nehemiah is threatened.
So why is it that Christians think that when trouble comes it is because they are not doing God's will? Why do we think that everything will be peachy for us, when we see that Jesus was persecuted his entire ministry and then beaten nearly to death, then executed in the most horrible way? And he is God's own son! If anyone should have had an easy life, it should have been Jesus.

So why are authors like Joel Osteen making millions of "christian" dollars off a false testimony of God wanting us to have a posh life? Why do we try to comfort our "brothers" by trying to help them find out what they did wrong. Why do we not get on our knees and pray that we will learn the lesson that God is trying to teach us? Since I am not God, I cannot judge whether people are in God's will or acting on their own selfish motives. But why are we so quick to think that tough times are always a punishment?

Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of people that have made bad choices and they are paying the consequences. I am one of them, I am still going through tough times because of decisions I made more than five years ago. But I have also recently been through quite a few things that were just "part of life". If you have read my wife's blog #1 you know that we lost our son only 15 weeks into the pregnancy. The doctors tell us it was a chromosome thing, and there is nothing that we could have done to prevent this.
I will get to my point and close what may be my longest blog ever.

Just because Jesus asks you to get into the boat, and you obey; don't expect a Carnival Cruise. We often learn the greatest lessons, and gain the most inner strength and wisdom through the darkest times in our lives.
If you are stuck in a time like this, take time to thank God for every breath you take, and ask that you keep your spiritual eyes open for an opportunity to turn your darkness into a light for someone else.

Second Blog (Sorry for the delay)

2008-04-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Apparently this whole blogging community (my wife) expects this thing to be updated hourly so she knows what I am up to. This being Sunday and I have spent the whole day with her, I think I will password lock the computer so she can get a life!

We woke up this morning and as I updated my budget tracker I found there was a little extra money for the week and immediately decided (my wife told me) we were going out to breakfast. After last weeks "Horton" pancakes at IHOP, the girls thought that is what "going out to breakfast" meant. We told them very firmly that Mommy and Daddy did not want to go to IHOP, we wanted to try Boondockers (a newer restaurant in our town).

So on our way to IHOP we decided to inform the girls this is last time we are going to get "Horton" pancakes, that went over better than I thought it would and they agreed. The girls shared the "Horton" pancakes (which are covered in frosting, and M&M's with a pink sucker sticking out the top) and our waitress was nice enough to throw 2 suckers on there, so Coraly and I did not fight about which one of us got the sucker this week (last week we shared and I think I got cooties).

Coraly had the Smokehouse Combo and I had the Bacon, Egg, and Cheeseburger. Many people probably think that was a typo (unless you have been to IHOP lately) but let me assure you, it is not. We got to IHOP around 10, and my stomach said it was too late for breakfast, so I flipped the page and started drooling. Let me tell you, it was as delicious as it sounds, unless you think it sounds gross, then I will tell you it was awesome. In fact I think when the snow melts and I can BBQ again, I will get a griddle to put on my BBQ so I can fry and egg as I am cooking my hamburgers, it was that yummy!

First Blog

2008-04-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

So the other night as my wife was blogging on my side of the bed, when I wanted to go to sleep, I asked her if I could write on our (her) blog about my day. She told me no, and to get my own dang blog. Well I was against it, thinking it would just be a place for me to waste more time.

That night I had a dream about blogging and in my dream:
- I named my blog thewallinfrontofme
- I thought about naming it thewallbeforeme but then thought people would assume that I was a wall in my previous life and my blog would be about that... and that is just ridiculous!

So now that we have decided as a family to cancel our TV and invest in Gasoline (not stock market type investing, just the security of having gasoline in our cars) I feel like I have a lot more free time.

So here I am starting my own blog that 3 people will read: My wife, My boss, and my cousin Melissa who I think reads everyone's blog (even yours). Maybe someone will stumble upon this and get a laugh at what goes through my head, so this is for you random blog readers:

Snarkle fuddy invertojump tanash. (You know what I mean!)