time to breathe

Well this has been one of those weeks that i thought would never end. With Mary having surgery and getting ready for things at Church this Sunday (first meeting with youth and speaking in service) and to top it all off I started school again. Saturday will be my day to set back and relax maybe study a little but mainly relax and take a deep breathe. I guess it really has not been that bad when all is said I really love doing what I am doing at Church and school helps me clear my mind and exercise my brain a little. so here is to a little relaxation and enjoyment. The picture is my son Nick with his new toy, pretty sweet eh.

I hope life slows down a little.

So much has been going on in my life oer the past year or so it seems like everyday brings change or something else to drain me. Just a little recap. I have had good friends move away, my place of employment for 17 years closed, I started a new job in an office that is just opening my wife has had carpal tunnel surgery and Saturday had an emergency appendectomy, I started as part time youth pastor and in doing so left the the Church I had been working with youth as a volunteer for 7 years and now another school years is starting for me. As I look back on all these things some of them have really wore me down and others have been dreams come true. i have learned a lot from these things about myself and the great people God has blessed with me in my life and also know that what I have gone through is nothing compared to the trials a lot of people face every day. So with all that said I just want a few months of no change and no health issues for my family, I really need the rest.

Like a little kid

Well tonight I have become even more of a kid or maybe on second thought more of a youth director, I bought a Nintendo Wii. I will probably be up until who knows when. On another note my son Nick got a new Ducati motorcycle today pictures of it later.

A day to reconnect and reflect

With today being my first day off while I wait on my new job to start I decided to take some time and just gaze on Gods glorious creation. I found a wonderful park to set in and eat my lunch and just reflected on the things that have gone on over the past few months and found the blessings hidden in them. I now look forward to the future and all the promise it holds and know more now than at anytime in my life that God will see me through anything that occurs.

saying goodbye

Today was the day to tell the youth and the congregation at CUMC that I was leaving and it was a little hard to do. I did find out one thing though and that is keeping a secret in Church is almost impossible most of the kids and a good part of the congregation already new. I will miss seeing them every Sunday but look forward to getting to know my new Church family at Crestview U.B. I just kept reminding the and myself this is not goodbye but I just will not see you as often.

Well is just a little over 1 hour from now I will be leaving this office for the last time. I have been working here 17 longs years and seen some good times and been through some very stressful hard times but we always seemed to survive until now. I though it was apporpriate when I woke this morning that it was gloomy and rainy because that was the feeling I had when I awoke to come here this one last time. So today I say goodbye to a place where I have spent almost 75% of my life, a place that has seen my family grow and a place I have made many friends. Goodbye Lafayette Eye Center goodbye.

Skit Guys in Napoleon Dynamite

This is a great video from the Skit Guys with some help from Napolean Dynamite.

Well it's down to one more day at the place I have worked for the past 17 years. Right now I do not seem to be to sad or upset or anything like that maybe that will change as tomorrow comes or maybe having 3 months to prepare have helped ease the loss. Whatever tomorrow brings I know God will see me through it and Friday will be something fresh and new.

This week could be one of those where I just want to hide under the covers and escape all the gloom and sadness that seems to be around with eye center closing and saying goodbye to CUMC, but I refuse to let that happen. Instead of focusing on all the negatives I choose to look at the positives that are currently going on and the bright future that is ahead. I have a wonderful supportive wife at home, my son has a job, I have a place to go and work after this and I also have a part-time job working with the youth at a local Church. Even though things may look cloudy and rain is in the forecast I know that rain will bring growth to me.

Well today it began. Mary and I where introduced to the congregation at our new Church.. The people seem to be really nice and are ready for this and I hope they will support us as time goes on. Now comes the hard part., Saying good by to our current Church and planning programs and setting up at the new Church. Saying goodbye will be the most difficult part and I started that today telling a few of the leaders and 2 of the youth i am very close to. I will be telling everyone else next Sunday and hopefully that will include the congregation. This is also the last week for my current employer to be open so this has all the makings of being a pretty low week but I know it is all part of Gods plan and I know Gods plan will be the best. The picture is from our mission trip in 2006

Well today I had another talk with the Pastor at the new Curch I will be working at and he seems to be very supportive of the youth program. The future is a little scary but also looking bright. i have a lot of work to do but I look forward to the challenge and meeting the new youth.

well it finally has happened, I have a job as youth director. I have been praying for this for awhile and God has granted me this opportunity and answered my prayers. Leaving CUMC will be hard but God has called me elsewhere and I will follow. I have really enjoyed the last few years there and have learned so much from the youth pastors I have worked under and the other leaders. I have to admit I am nervous about this but I know if I let God work through me I will do fine and the ministry will do fine. So many thoughts are going through my head right now about leadership teams, programs and many other things I can hardly concentrate on anything else. I am ready for the challenge and excited about my and the Churches future.

So what a day it has been. Mary had her carpal tunnel surgery today and has been having a lot of pain and i have been up since 5:30 this morning and feel about dead. This week has been pretty good though even though I found out I will not be getting the YP job at the Church I still have a real good shot at doing a part-time YP at Crestview and even though it would be hard leaving CUMC I feel I need to go where God calls me to be. In reality this would be better for me because it will allow me to fulfill my obligations that I have made for the time being and in the future has the potential to go full time and the extra money will help pay for schooling. Once again god has revealed a little more of His plan to me and it seems to be what is best for me at the present time. another hard part about this is keeping it silent from the kids because i do not want to upset them but as soon as I find out I will seek Gods and good friends direction on how to tell them. Well enough for now I know no one else probably never sees this but it helps me just to type things out and get them out of my head.

Why does God put things on are heart and in are soul and then allow other people block us when we try to use them. what I mean by this is a few years ago I felt Gods call in my life to make Ministry my passion and since then have taken steps to start on getting a degree to appease those who say if you do not have a degree you will never get a job in Ministry. I listened to these people and have twice been past over when opportunities came up at my own church to fill a ministry position always hearing how I had to have 4 years of schooling before I would even be considered. I also want to say at this time it is not everyone who says this but a small group that some how has the ability to influence almost all of the selection committee. I am not even talking about and ordained position, I mainly am talking about the position of Youth Director which I have been working as a volunteer in for the past 7 years and in other setting for about 15 years. My big problem with this is that so much focus is being put on education and not on experience and the ability to relate to people and it seems that the Church some where along the line has decided that we all need to be Theologians and have Doctorates in religion to be able to minister to each other. So what to do now, I guess I will just have to rely on faith and continue to love those around me and show them grace and tolerance, and that you do not learn in any school.

I want to cry but cannot, I want to shout out but cannot, I want to lash out and strike something in anger but cannot. I have no emotion and do not know what I feel or if I can feel anything. How long will this last what will become of me, what will become of my family. God helps us through this time you are the only light in my darkness.

This past weekend I Finally was able to get the breath of fresh air I needed. I was able to visit with some old friends and make new acquaintances and enjoy a wonderful discussion about the Kingdom of God and share what has been going on in my life and my journey with God. I have felt more rested and at ease over the last few days and know it was because I was finally able to get a few things out that I have been holding in for a long time. I once again have a clear picture of what God wants me to do for Him to serve His Kingdom. well that's it for now peace to all and God Bless or should it be Bless God.

Another work week just about over and I am ready for it to end. This has been one of those weeks again with extra stress that is really not needed but I have come to realize that every place has the problems we do and I have started to deal with it a little better. Today I am excited though because I am going to Marion for an Emergent Church meeting at Craig's and staying over to watch the Colts on Saturday. Josh and I will be taking off around 4:15 and I look forward to the discussion on the way their and during the gathering but most of all it will be nice to see Craig and Joy. I am also looking forward to Sunday night, I love playing the music during worship time it really is my time to connect on a different level and that really is what gets me through the week. Well enough for now back to work.

Once again I remind myself that life is not so bad after all. Recently I have been going back to my old ways of worrying about what I felt where significant problems in my life and once I really took time to think them through found them not only to be small but not worth the worry. So what did I learn, with all of it's inperfections and rocky roads my life is pretty darn good and God has truly blessed me and continues to do so.

It has been so long since my last post and life has seemed to be so hetic and at times I just wanted to jump of this ride we call life but it would not slow down enough for me to do so. I was getting in a rut my whole life was work,school and Church every day and night brought something to do but things calmed down and this past month I finally got back to relaxing and seeing the great joys in my life. Mary and I spent a week in California exploring the San Diego area and I spent most of the last four days just walking on the beach and reconnecting with God and myself. That was one area I had really let slip I was so busy with all life was throwing at me I forgot who makes all I do possible and those days on the beach really helped and where needed. So now I move on to a new year refreshed and ready to go but this year I plan on taking more time to enjoy life and all the great gifts it brings. The picture is one I took on the beach in Coronado at the Hotel Del.

Well I just got back from Delbarton WV a small town of about 450 people and what a wonderful experience it was. I was there with a group of 10 teenagers and 4 other adults from our Church and about 50 people from others Churches on a mission trip with Youth Works. Once again serving on a mission trip opened my eyes to Gods wonderful glory and allowed me to serve other as Jesus did and at the same time as serving them I was served myself by seeing a world that so often is not seem We have a tendency in this country to forget about those who live in poverty or do not have some of life's basic necessities like plenty of food and clothing because it is easier to pull a curtain over them and hide there existence than it is to face them and deal with their problems. One thing that really amazed me about this area besides it's beauty was seeing a run down trailer or house and right next to it a mansion. How can this bee poverty living right next to wealth but the question that kept bothering me was goes the wealth even realize the poverty is right next door or does the huge fence around them block their view of their neighbors troubles. As always though I was amazed by how much these people care and love everyone and how we may seem them as poor but they act and feel as rich as Bill Gates and to me this even makes it more apparent that money is not happiness but love is happiness and since God is love you can definitely see God living amongst these people and through these people. Well enough of a rant for now. Peace and love to all.