Providing Convictions

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

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

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

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.

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!

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

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.