Repost of a Repost From This Time Last Year

This is an entry I posted last year on this date. I'll post it again:

This is an entry I posted last year on this date. I'll post it again:

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Happy Anniversary Rachel.

I love you.

Happy Anniversary Rachel.

I love you, now and forever.

Simple Joys

Is there anything better in life than a simple joy? The kind that you see/experience often, but in their simplicity bring a smile to your face and a joy to your heart.

It's what happens when you are driving in the car, and a song you love comes on the radio. Even if you own a copy of the song and can listen to it as often as you want, somehow hearing it on the radio brings you happiness. That's a simple joy.

It's what happens when you crack open a nut and find two inside. Sure, if you're that hungry, you could just crack open two of them, but you don't have to, because there was a bonus nut inside. That's a simple joy.

It's what happens when you watch a child run around and laugh with innocent laughter and simply enjoy life. Reminds you of the better times in your life when you can be carefree and just happy. That's a simple joy.

I enjoy life better when I take time to notice the simple joys. I experienced all three of the ones listed above today. And I had a good day.

Thanks Reece, Phil Collins, and the almond I cracked open and had double nutmeat inside.

Repost from this time last year

This is an entry I posted last year on this date. I'll post it again:

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Happy Anniversary Rachel.

I love you.

Head Games

I've now missed a day-and-a-half of work thanks to a migraine headache. I hate these things, but even more than that, I hate the effect the medicine I take has on me. Almost no strength ... boy, isn't that fun.

On the bright side, I still love my job. Haven't had a ton of success, but I'm getting better. I've improved from getting a single "no" from business owners to getting 15 or so. I guess that's improvement. Also, I do have a couple of appointments set up, so things are looking up, at least a bit.

Had some deep thoughts to share after jOURney last week, but my head isn't in shape to share them right now, so I'll have to share them later.

Gotta love a life where just about the only thing out of place in my life is my finances. And I honestly mean that.

Weightlessness

The sensation of being in zero gravity ... now that's something I'd like to experience. Wether in actual outer space (which would be very sweet), or some kind of simulation, I get the feeling it would just be a rush like no other.

But, I'd also like to feel another type of weightlessness. They type where you don't feel the heavy burdens on your chest and your life. Where you aren't weighed down by expectations, schedules, evaluations, and the such. Where you are just free to live life as it comes.

I think the last time I really felt that way was over a year ago. Rachel and I were on our honeymoon/one year anniversary trip to Denver, and we stopped just west of Denver by Mount Evans for lunch and located a pizza place called Beau Jo's. And we sat, and we enjoyed ourselves. We talked, and we didn't have to rush off. We didn't have to order from the menu based solely on price. We were able to try new things (like honey on our pizza crust). It was totally unplanned, but totally amazing. To this day, we still talk about how good Beau Jo's is, and how we'd return to Denver just to eat there.

And, maybe i'm romanticizing the moment. Maybe there have been other times since then, but that one really sticks out. But I'm hoping we can get some more of those.

I think tonight might be an opportunity. Rachel made some costumes for the local theatre and they gave her two tickets for tonight's show, so we're going. And there won't be a schedule to keep, or a bill to pay, or expectations. Just me, and my wife, and (hopefully) an enjoyable show that we had a small part in putting on.

Maybe tonight we won't feel the weight of the world around us.

I sure hope so.

Random Items

Fall Television

Survivor

Alright, so Rachel got me hooked on Survivor a little while back. I think I watched the blasted thing once before we started dating, and now it's a regular part of our life. So, it is what it is, and it entertains me, so it's something I watch now. Watched the unimpressive season premiere last night. Wasn't great, wasn't bad. I'm always amused by the contestants who seemingly have never seen the show and are so surprised by certain "twists" that always show up.

I'm pretty certain that I've never caught a full season. Last season, Rachel and I missed the first episode, and the season before we missed the finale (way to go, miss the finale of a reality tv show). Here's guessing what show we'll miss this season.

Still too early to call a favorite, at least for me.

Dancing with the Stars

This one is *technically* my fault. I wanted to watch last season to see my boy Kenny Mayne and to a lesser degree Jerry Rice. So that opened the floodgates for it to become a staple. I don't care too much for it this year, but it's entertaining to see A. C. Slater on television again (oh, wait, his name is Mario Lopez? Whoops). My money's on him, although we have a conundrum ...

Gilmore Girls

Another show Rachel got me hooked on. This is the first season we'll have a chance to see first-run episodes as they show (just got the WB this summer), but it's on opposite DWTS. So, which do we watch? The Reality Show with a recap/result show the next day, or the sitcom with reruns in a few months?

I guess we'll figure it out, but my vote is for Gilmore Girls, if only because Luke is the closest any television show has come to putting me on tv.

Sigma Theta Epsilon

Working with some guys from my home chapter to try to help out with rebirthing the chapter at Ohio Univeristy. We met tonight for dinner (Rachel made us meatloaf and mac-n-cheese ... yum), and it was a very good meeting. We left with what seems to be a good direction and a good plan. Let's hope God blesses it. Your prayers for it probably wouldn't hurt either.

This is an exciting time of year for the fraternity. With schools starting up for the year, a lot of chapters will start to have new members. It's always neat to meet new guys at my home chapter, and I really hope we get some new guys interested in Nationals who will interact with us on the Bulletin Boards. I guess time will tell.

Of course, that also means my work load goes up there. Which is a good thing. I love working on things for STE. Working on the newsletter, printing shingles, planning meetings, deciding my future plans ... all stuff I love.

Random God Moment

So, I was driving home the other day, and had one of those wierd "God" moments. Where He brings to mind something random and then speaks to me through/about it. What he brought to mind is a television show Rachel sometimes watches on HGTV called "I want that". And it made me think, shouldn't I be reading the Bible and looking for things that make me say "I want that"? Shouldn't I be living a life so that others will see God in me and through me and say "I want that?" So, I'm going to be trying to make a list of "I Want That: Spiritual" for myself, and see what I come up with. But I'd also love to know what's on your "I Want That: Spiritual" list.





I think that's all for now ...

:)

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Happy Anniversary Rachel.

I love you.

More

Well, today the streak ended ... I guess. We got lunch, instead of dinner, at the church for free, just for helping out a little bit. So, *technically* the streak ended, but you can still totally see God providing at every moment.

Still, I say it technically ended because I cooked dinner at home. We had baked pork chops, baked with diced potatoes and a lettuce and cucumber salad. It was very yummy. And, very affordable. The taters were on sale, and we got the pork chops on a "we need to seel now" yellow tag at Wal-Mart. The lettuce was on sale, too.

But that's not the whole story of God's provision. You see, while yes, we had to use our food for dinner tonight, we still didn't pay for it. Saturday, a friend randomly gave Rachel fifty dollars to buy groceries, something we hadn't done in two plus weeks. So, we went to the store with a list of "needs" and some grocery wants (like produce and frozen pizza), got all our "needs" (like milk, eggs, rice) and a good number of our wants and still only spent $47.85 of the fifty dollars we were given. So even the meal we cooked ourselves was provided for by God's hand.

How amazing is He?

So, anyways, tomorrow I finally get to *officially* start my job. I'll be in Dayton training tomorrow and Tuesday (I think that's it, but I guess we'll see). Wish me luck!

Dinner (cont)

So, God's provisions continue in amazing ways.

Friday night saw Rachel get invited out to dinner (again) and I was fed through the leftovers from the cookout Thursday night which they sent home with us (mmm ... bratwurst ... I love it)

Tonight (Saturday) saw us get fed by Ryan and Andrea after we helped them with some work on their new home.

God's provisions truly are amazing

Dinner

So, I still haven't had a paycheck since May. Still playing the waiting game to hear back from my soon-to-be-employer so I can do training.

In the meantime, God is doing amazing things. Simply amazing.

As we all know, food is an essential requirement to live. We can go without it for a bit, but we really, in the end, need it.

So how does God provide for his servant who hasn't gotten paid in 3 months?

He arranges for dinner. Every night of the week so far.

Monday night we had dinner over at Kim and John's, two members of our Thursday Night small group at St Marks. (btw, I just learned Wednesday that it's St. Marks, not St. Mark's. Oh well). Kim called in the morning to see if we had plans, and when we didn't, we had dinner plans.

Tuesday night, we visited my brother in Cleveland. We went to a Chineese Buffet and his wife grabbed the check before anyone else had a chance too (mom was visiting, too). So we don't even know exactly how much dinner was, but it was free.

Wednesday night, we had book club pretty much directly after Rachel got home from work (we're reading Church Re-Imagined, and I recomend it to ANYONE who wants to know if they can live in a better Christian community, or just wonder if there is a different way to do "Church") so we didn't get to have dinner before we went. As the time went by, my hunger increased, and I sat there thinking "we haven't gone to the grocery store in 2 weeks. We don't have anything complete at home to make dinner. I wonder if Rachel would be ok if we went to Wal-Mart and spent two dollars on a frozen pizza for dinner?" Unbeknownst to me, Rachel was thinking "I wonder if he'd be ok if we went to Wal-Mart on the way home and got frozen pizza?". Neither of us was able to ask the other one, because as we were preparing to leave from Coffee Amici, Becky (a member of the Book Club) says to us "why don't you two come over, and I'll have my daughter throw a frozen pizza in the oven?" So that was pretty sweet.

Last night was Small Group, and we met at Kathy and John's camp ground, where they grilled up some Bratwurst, and other brought chicken, potato salad, fruits, vegitables, and a desert. So that took care of last night. Rachel usually can't make it to small group (because she works on Thursday nights), but because we went late she was able to come out and fellowship and eat.

And we left with some leftovers, some of which became lunch today.

How awesome God is to provide every need at just the right time!

Weddings

I love weddings.

And for a variety of reasons. I love to watch two people commit to a life of commitment to each other. I love to sit next to my wife and be reminded of the vows we took almost two years ago. I love to see old friends, and hear catch-up stories from people I haven't seen in months or years. I love being able to impart some of my new-found advice and "wisdom" and I absolutely love dancing with my wife.

We attended a wedding this past Saturday. I believe this was the first wedding we attended within driving distance of our actual home since we got married! Normally, we end up driving back to Columbus to stay with my mother-in-law for the night (she's a nice half-way stop between Pittsburgh and Findlay!), or we just stay with her for the entire weekend, since a couple of weddings are in Columbus. I mention this only because it gave Rachel and I a chance to reflect on weddings and have a good, serious discussion. And I think we came to the conclusion that we love weddings not because of the event itself, but because of the future it holds. We've seen first-hand the empowering nature of being with your spouse, and how it can improve your life spiritually, physically, emotionally, and so on. And not just your life, but the lives of those around you. Without my wife enabling me, I wouldn't be able to serve Sigma Theta Epsilon as a National Officer, and without my enabling of her, she wouldn't be able to serve on the board of our local Chrysalis. Neither of us, let alone both of us, would be involved with the planning of the new emergent worship service at our church, and, more likely, neither of us would probably even be involved at St. Marks!

As a result, we've started a prayer calendar. We've got five categories in some kind of progressive list, and each day we pray specifically for the designated entry in each category. The categories are STE (Chapters and Officers), Married Friends, Family, St. Marks (our church), and our Activities. I believe this will be a powerful tool to see God moving in each of these areas, and strengthening those around us, and those whom we love.

Yes, I love weddings. But I love the power of prayer more.