Everyone seems to talk about God's BIG PLAN for their lives. What do I want to be when I grow up?  Is God calling me to be a missionary?  Should I go into full time ministry? When focusing on these BIG questions we often overlook the little questions. What lesson will I learn today?  How can I trust God more?

We've finished a months-long study of Joseph and thanks to the gift of being able to know the end of the story, we can see God's BIG PLAN in saving the fledgling nation (just ... << MORE >>

We just got our snow and it's already melting away. As I type, the temperature is dropping to about 44 degrees (14 C). Most of December was spent in the single digits so the beginning of this year is somewhat warmer than expected.

Speaking of the unexpected.... A post from me!  Who would have thunk it?

Don't get your hopes up, however. There's no telling when the next one will be.
... << MORE >>

.I have figured out why it seems like I have been away from this blog.

See, I've gained a little weight over this last year so my perception of time is completely different than yours....

OK, so I've been slacking off.  But it is true about the weight gain and I am slowly doing something about that.  Like buying pants with bigger waste sizes.

Meanwhile, I continue my daily regiment of non-exercise by driving long distances for the soul purpose of sitting still in front of a computer. Sometimes I talk on the phone, too!

Don't laugh:  It takes a lot of effort to carry around a 5 ounce headset!  Let's see you wear one day in and day out.

And while I drive my ridiculously long commute I've decided to practice what one preacher said many years ago:  Get in the Word.

His illustration was something like this:  As a boy living on a farm he would help his mother out in the kitchen before he was big enough to do other chores. As his mother would sift flour with one of those hand-cranked sifters, the wire mesh at the bottom would get all clogged and the flour would not come out.  He would then take the sifter to the pump and run water over the sifter until the sifter was clean again.  It was the continuous action of the water that would clean out the clogs.  He wouldn't scrub it or anything else but let the water run over the sifter.

In the same way, we should let the Living Water flow over us and through us to clean out all the gunk in our lives.  The only way for that to happen is to be in the Word of God.  A lot.

Often we just read a verse or maybe even a chapter.  That's just not enough.

So I've loaded up my mp3 Bible and have been listening to the New Testament so far.  It takes about a week to get through from Matthew to Revelation, depending on traffic.  I'm going to stick with this for a few more weeks before adding in the Old Testament.

Listening is definitely different than reading and while listening while driving isn't what I would call serious study, going through the New Testament this way has helped me put some of the pieces together better than before, such as which parables belong in which gospel account, and how many of Jesus' miracles are repeated.  I "know" these things but going through an audio version uses a different part of the brain, I guess, so it sticks differently.  Plus, the continuous washing always reveals something more each time.

I'm eating better all the way around, too. As a field technician I would, more often than not, stop at a fast food restaurant for lunch or dinner - or both! Thus my extra gravity. Working in an office (and being on a tight budget) is forcing me to evaluate my eating habits in both calories and dollars. One of the first things to go was sodas or "pop" for my Ohio in-laws. Instead of a daily 20-ounce or even a 1-liter I have none.  I define "none" just like the diet sodas define "zero calories" - it's there if you actually look.  All summer I think I had 5, maybe 6 sodas of any size.  That's less gunk right there.

So maybe I can trim the fat of both my physical and spiritual bodies as we get into fall.  Since I'm in my late 30s (for EXTREMELY large values of 30. If you count in BASE-12 then I'm only 34!) it's not too late.

Already I've posted more frequently than I have for a while!  Once I get down to a size svelte, I'll be posting like crazy!

Wow!  Has it really been so long since I posted anything? It's been almost one year. What a slacker!

Where to start?  Well, I'm working again. I tried my hand at creating a job and a business. FAIL!  So I'm back to working for some one else. At least it's a paycheck.

I am glad I tried to go it alone but perhaps our economy right now isn't exactly the best time to start a business. It could be, depending on the business - just not telecommunications. Or at ... << MORE >>

What's better than a full scale Gundam?  How about a wedding underneath?



Yes, that is exactly what it looks like. Click on the picture for more wedding photos.

Like everyone else, or most everyone else, I've signed up for a number from Google Voice.  This is a nifty way to cut down on long distance costs, get voice mail, and one published number that can follow you either at home, mobile phone, or office number. You give out your Google Voice number and their server calls you one any or all three. There are even web widgets you can place on your web page so someone can enter their phone number and call you. Whoot!

Since we live in a fairly rural area, just about every other town is ...<< MORE >>

The weather has been beautiful these last few days and I'm sitting in an office. I have one window that I can't look out because I keep the blinds mostly closed in an attempt to block the majority of the sun's rays and keep my rented space somewhat cool. The air conditioner doesn't work very well and certainly cannot maintain a constant temperature. So I set the thermostat to about 70 degrees. The system runs during the cool of the night but slowly warms up to near 80 during the day. Yes, that means it runs 24/7.

Mice scurry overhead on ...<< MORE >>

Things have been quiet around the old blog this summer. As the title says, I can't bill anyone for the time spent blogging so I'm not doing much of that right now.  I'm busy trying to earn a dollar or two.

That said, I know I should at least post something once in a while so here you go!

Darin Petty, an old friend, has started his own blog. Stop by and read Darin's take on various subjects. This post is quite interesting.

Darin has been scolding me via email that I haven't been writing enough so I guess ...<< MORE >>

So I'm out on my own, trying to make a buck or two and unfortunately that's about all I've earned in the last two months.

Well, It's been a little more than that. How about I said I earned as much in two months as I used to earn in one week? That's a little more accurate.

Still: Ouch.

But no bailout money for me. No Unemployment. Just hard work, which is something I'm not really good at doing. Where are the jobs that pay me to play video games? Surf the web? Drink Mountain Dew? I've never found that job.

Actually, ...<< MORE >>

Well!

It's been a while since I posted anything. Funny, but now that I'm an unemployed bum I have even less free time than when I was working. Let's see what's been going on....

A four month long contract position ended in March, leaving me high and dry. Since then I've been double-minded about my own business. I've been throwing my resume around but no one is hiring... at least, no one is hiring ME! So I'm registered with the state as a sole proprietor for the installation and maintenance of business communication systems. That was the easy part. Now I have ...<< MORE >>