New workplace

Yes, that is Home Depot in the background. I am currently working in Arlington, Texas. I go from the backwoods of Arkansas to the DFW metropolis. It feels weird actually to have a highway right at your back. It is good though being closer to family and friends. The family actually got together for Thanksgiving this Saturday and I was able to go, even while working. I would have pictures from that, but the battery on my camera was out, and I forgot to take my charger with me.

Work has been good. A little frustrating, but most of that stems from not being able to be home and be working on my house there. Since finishing my taxes, the next step is fixing my house. I am now looking forward to it since I have some money saved for it, and know that is next.

Well, there is a brief update. Like always there is a lot going through my head, but it does not all make sense at the moment. So I will spare you all the randomness.

What a Relief!

It has been a crazy month! I have been back home for two weeks, and have just finished a project I have been putting off for some 5 years. Crazy I know. But I just finished my back taxes going back to year 2003. I would really recommend not putting off taxes for that long.

So... for the last two weeks I have been working on taxes. I ended up having to redo 2004, but it saved me about $200, so it was worth it. All in all, I am coming out a lot better than I had even hoped for. Reminds me of a verse that says something along the lines of "Now to Him who is able to do more than we could think or imagine, be glory." It has been an up and down month and still for some reason God blesses me more than I could imagine. Glory to Him.

So today, I actually accomplished something that I have not done in a long time. I actually finished all my to do list before lunch. Of course, it wasn't too too much, but they were some things that had to be done. So I think I will take the afternoon off and look forward to visiting with friends this evening.

Sunday Church Service

This is the second night this week I have worked on this post. I started it this last Sunday night. Warning that it is a little long and rambles some. Sometimes it helps my mind to just get thoughts out of my head.

I went to church today at the church I have visited the past few times I have been up there in Arkansas. Honestly I did not want to go. Once I get into my sleep schedule up here, it is often hard when something messes it up. I work 6 PM to 6 AM, get to sleep about 6:30, and wake up between 11:30 and 12:00. I stay up for a couple of hours, reading, checking email, whatever, then go back to sleep about 2:00 to wake up at 5:30.

Well on Sundays I have to get up at 9:00 and that is hard in the first place, after being up all night with only 2 hours of sleep. What got me going is the fact that I need to be a witness to the guys out here. I have gone to church before, and they know that I am a Christian, so it would be inconsistent of me to not go.

Even when I got to church, during worship, I was thinking I would really like to be back at Living Hope. I miss church at home.

During the preaching though a couple of things happened. First off the pastor started what felt like was an addendum to the sermon. It did not seem to fit with the sermon at all. He mentioned money and that you cannot out give God. He told how at a PK conference a speaker spoke about the amount of debt 60000 men represented, and how that should not be the case. So he determined to get out of debt. He was able to on an unexpected gift, even after God told him to contribute to the church’s building fund from his retirement account. He mentioned the word “hope”, which has been on my mind lately. In fact I read just last night in I Timothy to not put your hope in deceitful riches, but to put it in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

I have been struggling a little bit lately with what is next in my life. I am in a position I have never been in before. I know without a doubt the money I can make in the oilfield, and have a good idea that I could make plenty with further investments whether I stay in the oilfield or not. So I have been trying to decide how much energy and focus I should give to that, or even if I should.

My thinking has changed over the past few years. First was the no debt thing, gotten directly to me from the Bible. And for me that includes my house, so that is what I am working for. But I have been asking and just started looking at what the Bible says about accumulating money and financial independence. I have seen that true wealth or financial independence is having more in passive income than what you spend. But is that what we as Christians are supposed to strive for even if it is possible? I have gotten the idea lately that no it is not. And the idea of “Well, I could do so much with that money, time, etc!” comes to mind. But our trust, our hope must be in God, so while I believe that financial independence is not wrong, I do think that it is wrong to strive for that, to put our hope in that.

Side note: Speaking of hope – I was talking to mom about the hurricane and evacuees. (And seeing it again now with the government “bailout of Wall Street”) And I could not get over how some people put their hope in FEMA or the government. Their hope for a better life is found in the only thing they know, the government.

That just should not be the case. Our hope should be in Jesus, and the Church especially should be demonstrating that. And I just do not think we are doing that very effectively. I know for myself, I am making very good money with what I am doing, and I am scared to think of how I am going to live, if I were to quit and pursue what I know I am supposed to be doing – teaching. Lack of trust in myself.

So to get back to the second thing that happened in church that affected me… I was sitting next to a man and his 3 year old son. During the sermon I glanced over at his son next to me, back to the pastor, leaning on the seat of the chair, just closing his Bible and I heard the phrase “… and I treasure it.” What 3 year old uses the word treasure? What adult uses it? It just totally caught me off guard. Did I actually hear him say that? And then to compound the point, at the invitation he looks up at his dad and says that he is going to go and pray. So he does, as his dad follows behind to pray beside him.

It just seems strange to me that God would take the time to orchestrate two or three little things to encourage me in something as small as not wanting to go to church or even in just having the wrong attitude towards it. Honestly it blows my mind. I do believe that He does work in our lives daily, but that can be easily said or believed, and not seen.

Book Review: Desire by John Eldredge

Background: I just finished this one this week. I have not been on a good reading schedule, and am trying to clean that up. I have started and am in the middle of about 5 books. Not a good habit. So I have been reading Desire for the past 5+ weeks. I liked Eldredge’s Wild at Heart (and am reading that for the second time), so got this one as well.

Overall I liked the book, but was not captured by it. The main idea is that we cannot ignore or kill or give in to substitutes of our desires. Our desires must be protected for what they really are: the real, the eternal. He also had a very good description of heaven. Explaining how the American notion of heaven (and mine) is dominated by a very vague, not all that exciting place, but that it is better than the alternative. And yet it is so much more.

Eldredge asks us to examine our desires to see what they really are. Are we just giving in to easy substitutes the world provides? Or have we just killed any and all desires to be “spiritual”? Or are we truly seeking the desires God has instilled in us, which are for Him?

I probably should have read it more consistently to have gotten the most out of it. And therefore I would recommend it, but not highly.

First of Book Reviews - Do Hard Things

I decided to add book reviews to my blog. I have started reading a lot more in the past few months and have enjoyed it. So to futher cement the book in my mind as well as share with family & friends what I am learning/studying/enjoying, I decided to write reviews. So here is the first:

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

Background: I heard about this book first from Mark Henry as he was teaching on Sunday night, or perhaps leading prayer at church. I then ran across their website off a news story by Yahoo. I went to the website, and liked what I saw, so I ordered the book, just in time to pass time with the hurricane as I got back from work.

First reading I read quickly, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very challenging. At first there was some “teenage” language that I was bothered by, but it is a book by teens for teens. And that language changed as the book progressed. The message however transcends age, which I really like.

I am currently reading it for a second time. A little more slowly. It basically challenges teens to not settle for the low expectations our culture has for them. The challenge is to do the hard things that are necessary to achieve big things, everything from the small, seemingly insignificant, to the first steps, to the huge potential that they all have. There were several ideas and stories that struck a chord with me. The story of kids (teenagers) in school able to be “above average” with little to no effort at all. Good grades, recognition in sports or other achievements, all achieved KNOWING they could do better and that they didn’t deserve the attention they got and KNOWING that they could do better, but nobody expected it of them. Also the idea of getting attention and praise for what was not done, instead of what was done. Kids are often praised for not getting into trouble, not doing drugs or alcohol, etc, instead of being praised for what they do. It is nice to know that throughout my growing up I was not the only one, and that in fact there are many different people who have had these feelings. I only wish I had this revelation when I was a teen.

But the book challenges all ages to not settle for low expectations. I tend to have high aspirations, but settle for good intentions with little to no real results. That has been my personal challenge.

Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age. It will challenge adults and their expectations of themselves as well as their expectations of teenagers. I think it will also impact the lives of teens who might read it as well. May get them to reach for the potential they have.

Authors website: The Rebelution – http://www.therebelution.com/

M.I.A.

I have been out of touch for a little while now. I have used the excuse of my computer crashing, and thus not being able to use my internet at the house, but I do have a backup work computer, and have access to the internet at friend’s house, library, coffee shop, and plenty at work. So like usual, there really is no excuse, just lack of priority.

(I have learned however that I do not NEED internet at the house. I have been getting a lot more reading in, which is a good thing.)

I have been thinking and praying a lot lately. To be honest I am a little scared. I am nervous about the coming months. Part of me is very excited, but part is very scared. I am conflicted when it comes to change. I like change, but I like to know what is coming. If I have a good idea of what is coming, then I am OK. Right now I have no idea what is coming. There are so many options.

A couple of things I would like to cover in future (not too distant future) posts:
Education
Reading list review
Natural disasters
The Church
Time, priorities, and goals

I am back at work at the moment after a very good weekend at home. I was able to come back just before Ike hit, and was able to help out with the shelter that was set up at our church. We are very blessed.

Thank you all so much!

Thank you all who came to the party, those who couldn't come but wanted to, and for all the congratulations. I am so blessed. To have such a great church and great friends and family. Who could ask for more? I should have taken more pictures Saturday, but I didn't. Honestly I didn't have a good feel for exactly how good my camera is. I took some of my family and they turned out really well. Here are a few.

The whole family. Together for once.

Dad and Mom

Brothers with dad.

The sisters (in-law)

PB and Christie - a great surprise to see them.

Ben, Court, and Chloe.

And a close-up of Chloe of course.

Dad and Luke - They are both so photogenic. I love taking pictures of them both.

My family was all able to come which was amazing. We so rarely ALL get together, that even Christmas is hit and miss. (The oilfield will do that to you.)



To answer a question that I have been asked a lot... So what is next? I have been thinking and praying about it a lot these days off. I was really hoping God would make it very clear like he did with the "No Debt" thing. But He has not. I will be focusing on my house mortgage, and hopefully will have that paid off in 3-4 years. Dave Ramsey (who's course I did not follow, though I probably should have) recommends saving 3-6 months worth of expenses. And though I REALLY want to quit my job now, (so I can be in Bryan/College Station) I don't have anything lined up, the wise thing is to get the backup savings saved. So I have a set amount to save, and hopefully will have that by November or December.

As I have mentioned to some, I know that I am supposed to be teaching in the future. I really have not known what that will look like exactly, and I still do not know. But up to this point I was thinking 3-5 years in the future. As I have this milestone of "no debt" behind me now, I can let myself think more concretely about the immediate future, and teaching really does not seem too far away. I can see myself starting to substitute teach on my days off, and start going back to any school I need this next spring. We will see how God works all that out. So teachers, I may start to ask a lot more questions and advice.