Weblog

Wednesday, 03 December 2008

  • Moving. Again.

    I miss the days where I could sit in front of a computer and type my thoughts and experiences out on a more regular basis. Perhaps one day that will happen... In the meantime I'll assume this note will get imported through Facebook to update everyone on our latest challenge.

    Our homeshare attempt in Ann Arbor is coming to a halt and we've been given approx. 30 days to find a new home. [In other words - Happy birthday Nigel, here's an eviction notice.] I'm confident that I don't need to explain in length how stressful this is on top of the holiday season. Please pray that we will find a new home quickly. We're expecting to be moved by mid-January. I will make sure everyone is updated with our new address as soon as we know what it is. Also please pray for my heart as well as Tina's. The current events are rekindling the strong feelings of rejection and heartache that we suffered through last winter/spring. Some days are much harder to be like Jesus than others.

Saturday, 21 June 2008

  • Face on the Floor

    About a week ago I was at the end of my rope.  I've intentionally tried to avoid dwelling on the bad things in my life but it can be overwhelming at times.  Last weekend was one of those weekends.  It has been months since I've had a job.  I haven't found a church yet or a youth group to serve with.  I'm tired and our new space hasn't felt like home just yet.  So I was up late after Tina had already gone to bed and I decided that I should pray again.  I really don't know what else to do and I know I don't talk to God enough about such matters.  So I just collapsed on the floor.  Face in the carpet style.  I was down for the count and prayed and prayed to God to bring us through this.  I couldn't stand the thought of my wife having to work full time through graduate school. 

    Why God held His timing until now I'm not sure I understand but prayers have been answered. 

    I HAVE A JOB!

    I had not one but TWO job interviews for different companies this week and three hours after my second interview on Friday I was offered a job!  I will be starting on the 30th as a Housekeeping Manager for Healthcare Group Services!  Basically, after 90 days of training, they will place me in a nursing home facility and I will be in charge of the cleaning and laundry services for that facility.  I will manage the cleaning staff, do payroll, hiring/firing of employees, and all in all, make a nursing home a sanitary and more pleasant place to live!  Monies and benefits are included to help get my wife through grad school!  I'm really excited about this opportunity.  I'm a little sad I won't be working in youth ministry right now but I think those feelings will subside once Tina and I find a church community to serve in.  God threw in the bonus of finding my wedding ring and holding the rain off of our Chicago picnic last night!  Thanks and praises!

    And if you were wondering, the first job interview was to be a salesman for Schwann's food services.  I would drive a truck door to door for 12 hours a day selling icecream and corndogs.  I'm happier with option B.  : )  So that now means free beer for friends that visit us in Ann Arbor and I'll be working on that plane ticket to visit Kevin and Hannah because I miss them too much.  Hooray! 

Thursday, 19 June 2008

Tuesday, 17 June 2008

  • Job Interview

    I had a job interview today with Schwann's food service.  I'm taking the night to process my thoughts and feelings about the job.  I think it would be pretty fun but it's long hours.  Other than that, I only have one or two applications cooking right now.  I think I'll see how far I can go in the interview process.  Frozen corn anyone?

Thursday, 12 June 2008

  • Currently Listening
    Supply and Demand
    By Amos Lee
    see related

    Miserable Love

    Somedays I wish I was a bench warmer in the Church.  Some weeks I would even prefer to be the Christmas/Easter Christian who attends out of tradition or for the sake of warm fuzzies.  You see, the more that I delve into what it means to be a Christ follower- the more I feel overwhelmed.  Perhaps it would not be so bad if my wife and I were connected to a church community in Ann Arbor. . . but then again I often feel surrounded by bench warmers in a church.  I don't understand why the hours following a Sunday Church gathering aren't spent processing the sermon.  I don't understand why people don't get together to brainstorm creative ways to love on a person or a community.  I don't understand why 'church' has become this thing that we do instead of something that we are. 

    That said, being the Church is lonely sometimes.  Tina and I have been hit pretty hard this year.  On top of our South Lyon baggage and unemployment stresses, we just added moving stress to our pile.  Tina's Honda had to be towed this week and we're anticipating a $1000ish repair to fix it up.  We're also anxious about our HomeShare situation.  We've openly discussed how we're both in a state where we are extremely sensitive to rejection.  I battle my tendencies to say "yes" to everything that is asked of me.  I even learned that I need to watch myself so that my yes be yes and my no be no.  *That's biblical son!  So now I'm trying to love in the best way that I can which, sad to say, is imperfectly.  Anyone else ever feel that way?  To quote the amazing Dorothy Day, "Love is a harsh and dreadful thing to ask of us, but it is the only answer.  Getting in the game and loving authentically is harsh and dreadful.  It opens me back up to the risk of rejection.  It opens me up to feeling wronged, unappreciated, and generally worthless.  However I realize my need to be reminded that love has a tremendous payoff.  And instead of saying something cheesy like "I'm storing up treasure in heaven!", I'll simply say that my motivation to love is to simply imitate the perfect Lover.  It might feel like getting nailed to a tree somedays but it will change the world.

    So I'm going to push through, loving others as they come and go through the day all the while trying to remember that God is bigger than the stress, hurt, and hungers in this world. 

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