Paid in Full !!!! :)

PAID IN FULL

What a phrase. No. I am not totally out of debt yet. But I just got through paying a round of bills, and I got to pay off one of my credit cards. I still have three more with balances to go, but this one is special. I have been a card member since 1996, my freshman year in college. I do not even want to go back and see how long I have had a balance on this card. To think of the hundreds of hours worked and thousands of dollars wasted in interest paid on this card... it is insane!

If I can give any advice at all to everyone, it is to stay out of credit card debt. It is a trap. A very profitable trap made by our culture to anyone and everyone. It is just way too easy to fall into it.

It is so much more rewarding to just do what the Bible says. Stay out of debt. Do not be a servant to the lender. We have that choice. Funny how servants aren't usually thought of having choices. But we do. We can serve the lender, or we can serve God.

Thoughts

I am up late at my office… waiting.


Lots of computers, but nothing to watch at the moment. Something broke down on the rig, so we have some down time. We are still on call, but we really do not have any idea on how long this could take. We will see.

Current thoughts… time, money, the Bible.

Time: So much and so little at the same time. There are so many ideas running through my head. So many things I want to do, to read, to study. And yet, I find myself watching TV, sleeping, daydreaming. What is that all about?

Money: I just saw a documentary on the top 1% of American families financially, and the inequality found in our country. It is kind of frustrating that despite the fact of the inequality found in America, America is the richest country in the world, and compared to the rest of the world, there is even more inequality. Incredible inequality. Even minimum wage is far more and easier to make per hour, than MANY places in the world making less than that per DAY!

The Bible: If the Bible truly is our guidebook as Christians, why is it so hard to put into everyday practice? Why is it so hard for me to put into practice? I know what it says, and I know what God has told me to do, but why is it so easy to get distracted and frustrated?

If you cannot tell there is a little bit of frustration coming through. But that is OK. It helps to get all this out of my head.

On another note: Here is what I saw in Clinton yesterday.

A tornado hit here last week. We are working about 20 miles south of Clinton. A sober reminder to pray for safety, regardless of where one lives or works. God is still very good. Much more than I will ever deserve.

Blessed Beyond Measure

It's a girl! Yes, my brother just had his first child. Chloe Beth entered this world yesterday at 4:44 PM. I unfortunately was at the time in Arkansas. But I was extremely blessed to be able to see her today. She is beautiful.

Chloe was unexpectedly early, but just as my mom called to tell me the news, my coordinator called and asked me to take some equipment to the shop in Houston, 15 minutes from the hospital! Absolutely incredible. I get paid to come and see my newest niece!

And adding blessing to blessing, as I drove through a rainstorm to pick up the equipment from a rig in Oklahoma, it didn't rain for the 15 minutes we were breaking it down out in the cold night. Then, 10 minutes down the road it starts to pour again. Something so simple, but a blessing nonetheless.

It just amazes me how good God is. I really do not understand it. I don't deserve it. In fact, deserve the opposite. But His grace really is amazing.

Here is something I have gained through this. And really something that I have been struggling with for a little while. I really can trust God with everything. Something I know in my head, but have yet to put it fully into practice. I can take Him at His word when he says "Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." "Those who love me keep my commandments." "All things work together for good to those who love God and and are called according to His purpose."

Something just clicked as I got back on the road, in the rain. I should have gotten it by now as I have seen over and over and over in my life how good He is. But seeing something so huge as a perfectly working out this road trip, contrasted with something small as a window of no rain, got my attention. I can trust Him with not just my finances, or my weekends, or my friends, but with everything. From something as small as my diet, to an issue as important as my future spouse. He is so good to me.

Yard Work

I cannot believe it has been almost a week since I last posted. My time schedule is all messed up. I finally got word that I will be going back to work this weekend. It looks like Sunday or Monday at the moment. I almost feel bad about not having to work so much, while everyone else has to either work or go to school. Almost, but not really. I really have enjoyed my 4 weeks off!

Gorgeous weather today! A little too windy for my taste, but with the sun out totally bearable. So I got outside yesterday and today and got a little work done. Broke out the chainsaw and did a some man work. I don't know what it is about cutting down and up a tree that is so much fun. But it is. Here are some pictures from the afternoon...

Here is the section of my yard I am cleaning out.

The tree I am about to cut down...

The downed tree. Conveniently felled onto my brush pile.

Me, posing with my downed tree.

The section I am clearing after most of the work is done. Still have some work left.

And there is Gravy. Trying to stay interested. Mostly mocking the fenced dogs next door, that he gets to be out and they do not.

Yes, Gravy is my dog's name, no I did not name him that.

He is a strange dog at times, but he is a good dog.

Jimmy through the years…

I was cleaning my third and final room today and here is what I found… my old baby blanket. Awhile back, mom had made a decoration out of it, tacking it up to the wall with some pictures through the years on it. So I decided to go ahead and post it.


And here are some of those pictures...

I still have the stuffed dog.

Me and my little sister.

Halloween GI Joe!

Me and little brother Ben getting wood.

Studying at the Grandparents in California.

Yes, Jr. High was an awkward time.

Romanian mission trip.

Sr. Picture I believe.

And finally me sporting my High School Letter jacket that I came across.

Running across all these old pictures, knick knacks, and all the other crazy stuff I have saved, really gets me to thinking. I often think of that phrase if you knew then what you know now, would you do anything different? My answer to that is an emphatic yes! I missed so much just by being naive, oblivious, lazy, or scared.

But I have had a great life so far, and God continues to bless me in so many ways. I am nothing but excited about the rest of it.

Ekklesia / The Church

I just finished listening to last Sunday week’s sermon. Wow. What a challenge. It was a reminder of when I first attended Living Hope.

It is awesome to me that we have the technology to go back and listen to sermons again. What a privilege to live in the time and place we do. I will go back to sermons I have even heard, so I can get it better. Reiteration is one of the ways I really learn things.

When I first visited Living Hope, I was looking for a church to go to because that was what you were supposed to do. And being the good kid, that is what I did. I remember very distinctly that Butch said, much the same thing he said last week, “if you are not willing to get involved in the church, find somewhere else to go.”

I liked the church. I liked Butch. I liked the music and the skits. But I only came twice. I took him at his word, because I knew that at that time in my life, I did not want to get involved in the church.

I wanted to go to feel good. To make some friends. To find a girlfriend. To have a good time. I did not want to be challenged.

That was almost 5 years ago. I hope that it was not a complete waste of time, but it does feel like it sometimes. I came back to Living Hope about 2 years ago, knowing that is where I was supposed to be. And I finally came to church for the right reason. Little did I know, that as I slowly relinquished myself to God, He was drawing me closer to Him. I got saved for real this last June, and gave my life completely to Him.

That is the short version, and all I can say is that God has been tremendously good and patient with me. I still struggle with what I want, and with my pride. But it is great to be reminded that Christians, Believers by definition do what the Bible says. For me that is “Thou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And your neighbor as yourself.” What a challenging commandment.

I have been blessed tremendously with a church body, who corporately, not just from the pulpit, encourage through word and deed, complete obedience to God.

I know that what is here on this blog is piecemeal, and that it probably does not make sense, but even little things like spring cleaning of my house, or exercise, is work on my character, changing my habits to better reflect God. Changing my life, preparing to do what I am supposed to do.

Thank you God, for your tremendous mercy and tremendous grace towards me.

Spring Cleaning II

Well things are coming along slowly but surely. I believe I mentioned that I have 2 junk rooms, when in fact I have 3. I forgot the back porch which houses most of my tools and work clothes. I can proudly announce that 2 of the 3 have been gone through and at least organized to a small degree.

Here is another brief list of things I ran across: mini-collections of old photos, baseball cards, maps, stamps, money both foreign and domestic, media such as CD’s, DVD’s, 3.5 inch diskettes, paper, notebooks, pens, file folders and such. Personal items such as love letters, (with an embarrassed grin), old ID cards, tools, work clothes.

It is a trip to me to see how much stuff I have collected. I often think how I would love to be my own grandkid going through my stuff in 50 years. And that thought often goes along with wanting to see my own funeral, etc.

On a side note, I must mention that I have been extremely encouraged to work on my house by the Hendricks. I have been fortunate to be able to help a little with the 2-room expansion of the upstairs of their beautiful 100+ year old house. Aaron’s work ethic is pretty amazing. He and Mike stayed up until 5:30AM one morning. And that is after several nights of midnight plus. I figure that if he can do what he has done with a full time job, wife, and kids, then I should be able to do something to my house, with my schedule of days off in a row, and few other distractions.

So that is what I have been up to for the last 4 days. And quite honestly I am enjoying it. The next part is the hard part – re-flooring and possibly re-plumbing the bathroom. I hate plumbing. Maybe I will avoid that and work in the yard. :)