I've been doing something wrong. A lot of things actually. Fortunately, a friend gave me a book to read that was really able to convict me and open my eyes to something new. I'm about to share a lot about what God has been doing in my life, what I thought it meant, and what I now realize was going on. If you read this and feel convicted, that's great, but it's not my intent. The book was written by James MacDonald and is titled "Way of Wisdom". My friend Mark had started reading it and realized it was something I needed to read so gave it to me as soon as he had the chance. I've needed wisdom, and I've known I need wisdom. Up until this point I thought I just needed patience, and I've been living with the idea that I just need to wait in mind, but I learned quickly that I needed a lot more than patience.
The book begins by breaking down the traditional view that God has one perfect plan for our lives and if we fall out of it we're left playing catch up for the rest of our lives. I never believed that I had to play catch up, but I always kind of had a feeling that I had to make the right decisions in every situation. I always thought one option in a decision would allow God's will to be played out much easier than any of the other options. Decisions like where to go to school, where to find a job, where to live, who to have as friends, whether to listen to this music or that music. I thought all those decisions had a clear answer that I could seek out and discover if I was in prayer and reading the Bible every day. What I learned from this book is that God's will for my life is a perfect will independent of those decisions, as long as I stay within the moral boundaries God has given us through the Bible.
I thought of myself on the road system in the United States. Originally, I thought that God wanted me to take one specific route when getting from my origin to my destination. Let's say I want to get to Dallas from Atlanta. What I believed is that I would have to take I-20 through Birmingham and Jackson. Maybe God had certain things for me to do in those cities, or those periods in my life and that's why I had to go that route. My mind was always so concerned on finding the "right" road or the "quickest" road that I never saw that there were other options that would get me to the same destination. I could just as easily go through Memphis and Little Rock and still eventually arrive in Dallas. Both routes would have choices along the way. Do I get off on a back roads around Little Rock and check out Popeye statues? Maybe there's a car accident between Birmingham and Memphis, so I change my route and head back down toward Jackson. God may use me to save a soul on a detour to Nashville. If I'm not on that route, God will still use someone to save that soul and may use me to encourage someone in Montgomery. God's free will allows us so many options as long as we stay on the roads He's laid out for us. If we get off the road, or outside God's moral will for our lives, we'll find ourselves struggling to get through the wilderness we encounter, whether it's forests, rivers, or swamps it is not God's will for our lives to get off the road. Originally I thought I was just waiting for traffic to start moving again so I could continue down I-20, but I've realized that God has given me options. I may be in God's perfect will staying on I-20, but I could also still be in God's perfect will if I decided to take any one of a number of other routes. So what are my other routes?
I still believe that God directed me to Charleston. Maybe it was just to transition me away from the comforts of home, or maybe for another purpose. The problem is that I've been sitting around waiting for a job in Charleston to come, as if this was the only route. I've been reading Exodus while reading the book, so I know that there are times where God has a specific will for us to go somewhere and do something. There's a chance that is what God is doing with me in Charleston, but I need to be open to other routes and know that God will close and open roads if He wants to direct me somewhere specific. My job search up until a few weeks ago had pretty much been focused on the Charleston area along with companies that could eventually lead me back here because of their national spread. Recently, I've started applying to jobs internationally.
Here's what I've found:
I keep talking about God's moral will. I asked myself, is there anyway I could end up outside God's moral will through the time I'm spending job searching. The only thing I could think of is if I were to not pay back my student loans in the time I promised the bank I would pay them back. God has asked me to be a man of my word and to not be a slave to anything of earth. So, I need to make sure in my decision that I find a job where I can pay back those loans in a timely manner. I also need to keep in mind that some things may benefit me more than others. If I get the choice between a traveling salesman and an engineer, and my future desire is to be in the construction field, then it would definitely be more beneficial to my future to take the engineering job. Both options are perfect in God's moral will, but one of them is better using the gifts I've been blessed with. Other than that, God will direct me if He wants me to go somewhere specific. If I'm blessed with options, God has given me the free will to choose from those options and remain in His perfect plan regardless of the option I choose.
I'm definitely ready to go wherever a job opens up. I have a little hesitation with going back home, because when I'm surrounded by so many mentors,parents, and family, it's difficult for me to fully seek out my own personal relationship with God. I'd definitely love to stay in Charleston because of the friendships I've been developing and the ministries I've been working in, but first I need to attack the ways I could possibly fall out of God's moral will. If I can do that in Charleston, that'd be great, otherwise, I need to find a place and a job that I can do it through.
PRAYER REQUESTS
A job.
A clear mind.
Continued wisdom.
Love you all.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Trust, Patience, and the Adventure
It's been a while since I spent some time to blog. I've been spending a lot of time hanging out with Dylan and introducing him to all the people I've been so fortunate to meet in Charleston. I also had the opportunity recently to go back to Wisconsin for a week for a friend's wedding. It was great to see my parents, spend some time in the northwoods, and see a few friends. It was starting to get cold though!
HOMELESS MINISTRY
It's been difficult to meet new homeless people since we are living close to a half hour from downtown. Fortunately, Leroy and Leon stop by after our college aged group called "The Well" on Monday nights to see my friend Neil and I and in hopes of getting some food. We have food after the group every week and if they get there early enough, they are able to have some, or we usually have leftovers we can give them if they come after all the students have dispersed. Leroy always has something encouraging to say about his walk with the Lord and how encouraged he is by our love for God. Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera today or sometime soon so that you guys can put a face to his name. I believe that Leroy really knows and understand who God is and that his relationship with the Lord is growing daily.
Leon doesn't really understand it all. He was very confused the first time he walked by The Well. He thought that the building must've turned into a bar and that we were all getting drunk. I explained to him that we were worshiping God and that all the college students in there just hoped to grow deeper relationships with the Lord. He was still confused, so I hope that he continues to stop by. Maybe one of these weeks he'll be interested enough to come in and experience an hour of worship with us!
For the past month Dylan and I have been hoping to find an affordable place to live downtown. We had hoped to be in a location where we could go outside and find people to talk to within a short walk or longboard ride down the street, but the prices to rent downtown are outside of our budgets. While I was in the woods at home I spent a lot of time thinking about different living options, along with what I've been taught through God's Word about spending money and placing myself in useful situations. I decided that I could probably live outside of the downtown area and still have this ministry as long as I made it a point to frequently place myself in locations where there are people in need.
I want this ministry to be a lifestyle. Too often people separate their ministry from their life. People volunteer at a soup kitchen once a month, then ignore those same people when they pass them on the street. I want them to know me and recognize me as a Christian. I want them to know who I am and know why I am the way that I am. I want them to trust me, and trust, for these people, only comes through a lot of time spent together. I hope that I will have the opportunity to continue seeking out new relationships and growing in depth with the relationships that have already been initiated.
JOB SEARCH
Well.... Dylan got a job today! We stopped by Lowes and he bought some of the equipment he'll need to start a painting job tomorrow. He is feeling a lot of pressure to perform at top quality, so we'll be praying that he hasn't lost any of the skills he'd previously acquired and that he impresses the new crew.
I'm still searching daily. I recently came across a couple opportunities that I'll be following up on this week, but nothing looks promising yet. I also had time to think about my job search and what I really want to do for work while I was at home. I've decided that I really want to get into energy consultation. I would go into businesses or homes and talk to owners and occupants about different options for lowering their utility bills. This kind of position would utilize my engineering background while determining what changes could be made, but would also utilize my communication background by integrating marketing and sales of equipment to owners into the job. This type of job is something I may be able to start on my own through partnerships if the doors open, but I'm still learning about how it would work and the different options I would have through it. It's still in the early planning stage, therefore, still only an idea.
I was encouraged during multiple discussions while at home that I need to be more dauntless and approach companies with confidence that I have skills that can benefit them. I plan to walk into a couple companies this week and discuss potential opportunities with them, hopefully making an impression and allowing them to see who I am as a person and a potential employee before even applying for a specific job.
HOUSE SEARCH
Dylan and I found an awesome place to live today, but it was a 3 bedroom house. We're hoping that we can find someone who would be able to share it with us, but after contacting a few people about the opportunity there doesn't seem to be much hope. We trust God's plan in where He places us, so we will continue searching until we find the right match. Until then, hopefully we can continue to serve the women we are living with in appreciation for allowing us to bring our stinky, uncleanly, and unemotional masculinity into their home.
ADVENTURES
I haven't talked much about the adventures I've had since moving down here. Some people have suggested to me that if I'm having fun, I must not be trying very hard to find a job. I may be wrong, but I've learned that the best thing for me to do sometimes is completely separate myself from something in order to think about it. Having fun and meeting people also leads to opportunities that aren't found by sitting on a computer searching indeed.com and monster.com all day. Therefore, I try to keep going on as many adventures as possible!
Our current roommate, Kristen, has an amazing family, and a father that so often blesses us by taking us to places where we can experience God's awesomeness! A few weeks ago we were invited to go fishing offshore. The ocean was as flat as a table. It looked like a northern Wisconsin lake at sunrise. We spent some time fishing and saw a sea turtle a few times, then Kristen and her dad went scuba diving, while Dylan and I sat on the boat watching to make sure everything went safely. I had the fortune of getting the invite to go diving the next dive a couple hours later. I have snorkeled before, but never scuba dived. I got a quick crash course and was told to just hold onto Captain Bo's back in order to stay with him and for safety purposes. I think I made it a little difficult for him to swim, but I didn't want to get lost!
While we were diving we saw a ton of fish. There were large schools of Black Sea Bass and Spanish Mackerel. There were also a lot of cool reef fish. We were actually spear fishing while down there and ended up shooting a couple Flounder and Mackerel. I kept showing my air gauge to the Capt. so that he would know how well my air was doing. I wasn't concerned about anything other than running out of air. There were a few moments where I would start freaking out about the fact that I was breathing underwater, but I'd take a breath and by reminded that everything was okay.
We were about half an hour into our dive when I looked into the distance and saw a very large shark. I tapped on Captain Bo's shoulder and pointed it out to him. At first he didn't see it, but then turned back around and looked at me putting a hand above his head which indicates that there is a shark. Like I said, all I was concerned about under there were my oxygen levels, so I was still very calm after seeing the shark. It helped that I had seen a sand shark while snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. The shark we had just seen didn't seem to want much to do with us either, but we didn't take any chances. Captain Bo took the stringer of dead fish off my arm and started swimming toward the nearest anchor line. I didn't realize that he was concerned about the shark til after we had gotten out of the water. I was convinced everything was going to be alright, and thought we were only swimming back to the boat due to our oxygen levels. I guess we didn't want to be swimming around in the water with a huge shark and a bunch of dead fish hanging from our arms!
We did a little more fishing then decided that Captain Bo and Kristen were going to come back that night and go for a night dive. We headed back to shore and had dinner, got more supplies for the night, and caught some more bait, then headed back out to the same spot. By time we got back out it was dark so we had some lights on in the back of the boat that light up the water a little bit. After a short time anchored down in a spot Dylan started freaking out, "Yo, whoa, whoa, whoa!". We all turn around and see the shark swimming through the lights in the back of the boat. Captain Bo asks if we want to catch it, and Dylan responds with a "yes" without even hesitating. We end up tossing some bait out and waiting.
At 2:30 in the morning we're all sleeping and the shark hits our Amberjack tail that we had thrown out as bait. I stepped up to the plate first and fought the shark for about 10 minutes before it felt as if the shark was no longer on the line. I kept reeling and the bait was soon in view off the back of the boat. Right behind the bait was the shark chasing it down. We opened the bail and let the shark hit it again and take it for a little while before we tightened up the line again. We finally had the shark on good and took turns fighting until we got a look about an hour later! It was a Tiger Shark, the third most dangerous shark found in the ocean. In the water I would've called it 14 feet long. From in the boat it looked more like 11, but I'd say that looking into water from air leads to distortion, so I've decided to go with the more accurate measurement of 14 feet!
We ended up fighting the shark for about 2 and a half hours until the line eventually broke due to a mixture of stress and friction. The sharks tail would weaken the line as it pulled away from the boat. We weren't too upset about the shark getting off. We had all gotten fairly good looks, our muscles were spent from the fight, and we were going to have to cut the line eventually anyway. It was awesome! I was scuba diving with a 14 foot Tiger Shark!
ADVENTURE 2
We went offshore again yesterday. I was able to go on two more dives, so I'm feeling a lot more confident than I did the first dive. I learned that it's very important to know the difference between the button that puts air into my vest and the button that removes air from my vest. At one point I was hoping to sit on the bottom and pressed the wrong bottom which led to me floating toward the surface, almost to the point where Captain Bo was out of view. Fortunately, I figured out what I was doing right at that moment and I was able to get down to the bottom.
After we returned to the boat on one of the dives I was told there were Remora suctioning onto the bottom of the boat. I had already taken off all of my gear but I wanted to take a look, so I grabbed a mask and jumped back into the water. I was watching the fish and I was about to surface and get back into the boat but decided I wanted to keep watching for a little while longer and took a breath. At this moment, I also remembered something I was taught when I was very young- humans can't naturally breath under water. Hopefully I don't make that mistake again!
On the way back to Charleston we saw some things jumping out of the water in the distance. The first time I saw it, it had jumped so high that I thought it was a pelican diving into the water. Then, it happened again, and again! We realized that they were dolphins jumping at least 5 feet out of the water! We approached what ended up being a pod of 20-30 dolphins and watched as they surfaced and swam all around the boat. Fortunately we were still offshore far enough that the water was clear and we could see their every move. Dylan jumped into the water first, then I followed after taking a few pictures. With our heads under water we could hear the high pitched sound of the dolphins communicating with each other. We swam around for a while and had the dolphins swimming all around us. We watched them swim in formations to our left, to our right, and under us. I watched 6-8 dolphins go under me, then come straight up to the surface, flip upside down, swim back down, do flips, then come right back up, all synchronized together like I was at Sea World, except, I was in the wild!!
We swam back to the boat after the pod had gotten some distance from us and decided we would try to take the boat back toward the dolphins. As we approached them they came to the bow of the boat. As Captain Bo drove and I controlled a video camera, the 4 other members of the crew were able to lay on the bow of the boat, reaching down, coming within inches of touching the backs of the dolphins as they led our boat back toward shore. It was a glorious event!!!
I'll never forget either of these adventures, and I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with such amazing opportunities.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Thanks for Dylan, his car, and his job!
Pray for a place that we can live, either the two of us or with roommates that the Lord has placed before us.
Pray for continued patience in my job search and that I would find a job where I can utilize my skills and knowledge, but more importantly, live for God and serve Him.
Love you all!!! Charleston is a great place for a vacation for those of you who need a break from the cold!
HOMELESS MINISTRY
It's been difficult to meet new homeless people since we are living close to a half hour from downtown. Fortunately, Leroy and Leon stop by after our college aged group called "The Well" on Monday nights to see my friend Neil and I and in hopes of getting some food. We have food after the group every week and if they get there early enough, they are able to have some, or we usually have leftovers we can give them if they come after all the students have dispersed. Leroy always has something encouraging to say about his walk with the Lord and how encouraged he is by our love for God. Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera today or sometime soon so that you guys can put a face to his name. I believe that Leroy really knows and understand who God is and that his relationship with the Lord is growing daily.
Leon doesn't really understand it all. He was very confused the first time he walked by The Well. He thought that the building must've turned into a bar and that we were all getting drunk. I explained to him that we were worshiping God and that all the college students in there just hoped to grow deeper relationships with the Lord. He was still confused, so I hope that he continues to stop by. Maybe one of these weeks he'll be interested enough to come in and experience an hour of worship with us!
For the past month Dylan and I have been hoping to find an affordable place to live downtown. We had hoped to be in a location where we could go outside and find people to talk to within a short walk or longboard ride down the street, but the prices to rent downtown are outside of our budgets. While I was in the woods at home I spent a lot of time thinking about different living options, along with what I've been taught through God's Word about spending money and placing myself in useful situations. I decided that I could probably live outside of the downtown area and still have this ministry as long as I made it a point to frequently place myself in locations where there are people in need.
I want this ministry to be a lifestyle. Too often people separate their ministry from their life. People volunteer at a soup kitchen once a month, then ignore those same people when they pass them on the street. I want them to know me and recognize me as a Christian. I want them to know who I am and know why I am the way that I am. I want them to trust me, and trust, for these people, only comes through a lot of time spent together. I hope that I will have the opportunity to continue seeking out new relationships and growing in depth with the relationships that have already been initiated.
JOB SEARCH
Well.... Dylan got a job today! We stopped by Lowes and he bought some of the equipment he'll need to start a painting job tomorrow. He is feeling a lot of pressure to perform at top quality, so we'll be praying that he hasn't lost any of the skills he'd previously acquired and that he impresses the new crew.
I'm still searching daily. I recently came across a couple opportunities that I'll be following up on this week, but nothing looks promising yet. I also had time to think about my job search and what I really want to do for work while I was at home. I've decided that I really want to get into energy consultation. I would go into businesses or homes and talk to owners and occupants about different options for lowering their utility bills. This kind of position would utilize my engineering background while determining what changes could be made, but would also utilize my communication background by integrating marketing and sales of equipment to owners into the job. This type of job is something I may be able to start on my own through partnerships if the doors open, but I'm still learning about how it would work and the different options I would have through it. It's still in the early planning stage, therefore, still only an idea.
I was encouraged during multiple discussions while at home that I need to be more dauntless and approach companies with confidence that I have skills that can benefit them. I plan to walk into a couple companies this week and discuss potential opportunities with them, hopefully making an impression and allowing them to see who I am as a person and a potential employee before even applying for a specific job.
HOUSE SEARCH
Dylan and I found an awesome place to live today, but it was a 3 bedroom house. We're hoping that we can find someone who would be able to share it with us, but after contacting a few people about the opportunity there doesn't seem to be much hope. We trust God's plan in where He places us, so we will continue searching until we find the right match. Until then, hopefully we can continue to serve the women we are living with in appreciation for allowing us to bring our stinky, uncleanly, and unemotional masculinity into their home.
ADVENTURES
I haven't talked much about the adventures I've had since moving down here. Some people have suggested to me that if I'm having fun, I must not be trying very hard to find a job. I may be wrong, but I've learned that the best thing for me to do sometimes is completely separate myself from something in order to think about it. Having fun and meeting people also leads to opportunities that aren't found by sitting on a computer searching indeed.com and monster.com all day. Therefore, I try to keep going on as many adventures as possible!
Our current roommate, Kristen, has an amazing family, and a father that so often blesses us by taking us to places where we can experience God's awesomeness! A few weeks ago we were invited to go fishing offshore. The ocean was as flat as a table. It looked like a northern Wisconsin lake at sunrise. We spent some time fishing and saw a sea turtle a few times, then Kristen and her dad went scuba diving, while Dylan and I sat on the boat watching to make sure everything went safely. I had the fortune of getting the invite to go diving the next dive a couple hours later. I have snorkeled before, but never scuba dived. I got a quick crash course and was told to just hold onto Captain Bo's back in order to stay with him and for safety purposes. I think I made it a little difficult for him to swim, but I didn't want to get lost!
While we were diving we saw a ton of fish. There were large schools of Black Sea Bass and Spanish Mackerel. There were also a lot of cool reef fish. We were actually spear fishing while down there and ended up shooting a couple Flounder and Mackerel. I kept showing my air gauge to the Capt. so that he would know how well my air was doing. I wasn't concerned about anything other than running out of air. There were a few moments where I would start freaking out about the fact that I was breathing underwater, but I'd take a breath and by reminded that everything was okay.
We were about half an hour into our dive when I looked into the distance and saw a very large shark. I tapped on Captain Bo's shoulder and pointed it out to him. At first he didn't see it, but then turned back around and looked at me putting a hand above his head which indicates that there is a shark. Like I said, all I was concerned about under there were my oxygen levels, so I was still very calm after seeing the shark. It helped that I had seen a sand shark while snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. The shark we had just seen didn't seem to want much to do with us either, but we didn't take any chances. Captain Bo took the stringer of dead fish off my arm and started swimming toward the nearest anchor line. I didn't realize that he was concerned about the shark til after we had gotten out of the water. I was convinced everything was going to be alright, and thought we were only swimming back to the boat due to our oxygen levels. I guess we didn't want to be swimming around in the water with a huge shark and a bunch of dead fish hanging from our arms!
We did a little more fishing then decided that Captain Bo and Kristen were going to come back that night and go for a night dive. We headed back to shore and had dinner, got more supplies for the night, and caught some more bait, then headed back out to the same spot. By time we got back out it was dark so we had some lights on in the back of the boat that light up the water a little bit. After a short time anchored down in a spot Dylan started freaking out, "Yo, whoa, whoa, whoa!". We all turn around and see the shark swimming through the lights in the back of the boat. Captain Bo asks if we want to catch it, and Dylan responds with a "yes" without even hesitating. We end up tossing some bait out and waiting.
At 2:30 in the morning we're all sleeping and the shark hits our Amberjack tail that we had thrown out as bait. I stepped up to the plate first and fought the shark for about 10 minutes before it felt as if the shark was no longer on the line. I kept reeling and the bait was soon in view off the back of the boat. Right behind the bait was the shark chasing it down. We opened the bail and let the shark hit it again and take it for a little while before we tightened up the line again. We finally had the shark on good and took turns fighting until we got a look about an hour later! It was a Tiger Shark, the third most dangerous shark found in the ocean. In the water I would've called it 14 feet long. From in the boat it looked more like 11, but I'd say that looking into water from air leads to distortion, so I've decided to go with the more accurate measurement of 14 feet!
We ended up fighting the shark for about 2 and a half hours until the line eventually broke due to a mixture of stress and friction. The sharks tail would weaken the line as it pulled away from the boat. We weren't too upset about the shark getting off. We had all gotten fairly good looks, our muscles were spent from the fight, and we were going to have to cut the line eventually anyway. It was awesome! I was scuba diving with a 14 foot Tiger Shark!
ADVENTURE 2
We went offshore again yesterday. I was able to go on two more dives, so I'm feeling a lot more confident than I did the first dive. I learned that it's very important to know the difference between the button that puts air into my vest and the button that removes air from my vest. At one point I was hoping to sit on the bottom and pressed the wrong bottom which led to me floating toward the surface, almost to the point where Captain Bo was out of view. Fortunately, I figured out what I was doing right at that moment and I was able to get down to the bottom.
After we returned to the boat on one of the dives I was told there were Remora suctioning onto the bottom of the boat. I had already taken off all of my gear but I wanted to take a look, so I grabbed a mask and jumped back into the water. I was watching the fish and I was about to surface and get back into the boat but decided I wanted to keep watching for a little while longer and took a breath. At this moment, I also remembered something I was taught when I was very young- humans can't naturally breath under water. Hopefully I don't make that mistake again!
On the way back to Charleston we saw some things jumping out of the water in the distance. The first time I saw it, it had jumped so high that I thought it was a pelican diving into the water. Then, it happened again, and again! We realized that they were dolphins jumping at least 5 feet out of the water! We approached what ended up being a pod of 20-30 dolphins and watched as they surfaced and swam all around the boat. Fortunately we were still offshore far enough that the water was clear and we could see their every move. Dylan jumped into the water first, then I followed after taking a few pictures. With our heads under water we could hear the high pitched sound of the dolphins communicating with each other. We swam around for a while and had the dolphins swimming all around us. We watched them swim in formations to our left, to our right, and under us. I watched 6-8 dolphins go under me, then come straight up to the surface, flip upside down, swim back down, do flips, then come right back up, all synchronized together like I was at Sea World, except, I was in the wild!!
We swam back to the boat after the pod had gotten some distance from us and decided we would try to take the boat back toward the dolphins. As we approached them they came to the bow of the boat. As Captain Bo drove and I controlled a video camera, the 4 other members of the crew were able to lay on the bow of the boat, reaching down, coming within inches of touching the backs of the dolphins as they led our boat back toward shore. It was a glorious event!!!
I'll never forget either of these adventures, and I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with such amazing opportunities.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Thanks for Dylan, his car, and his job!
Pray for a place that we can live, either the two of us or with roommates that the Lord has placed before us.
Pray for continued patience in my job search and that I would find a job where I can utilize my skills and knowledge, but more importantly, live for God and serve Him.
Love you all!!! Charleston is a great place for a vacation for those of you who need a break from the cold!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Slapped Across the Head #1
I make a lot of mistakes. My mom would say that they're mainly physical, but she's a nurse, so she's very keen to my injuries. I would say a majority of my mistakes are done mentally. I forget things. I actually just remembered, as I have been typing this, that I was supposed to find a way to sell my books back to school a couple weeks ago. I'll have to follow-up with that as soon as I fill you guys in on the adventure. Lots of times as I remember things that were forgotten, I often feel the need to hit myself on the back of the head. I'm not sure that this ever happened to me as a child, so it's most likely not because of my upbringing, but I've seen it in a lot of movies.
I was recently convicted about something and I felt as if I had gotten hit over the back of the head by the Holy Spirit. A lot of my friends are joining staff with Cru, so I have a lot of conversations with people who are trying to raise financial support in order to go where they feel God is calling them. I often take some time to talk to these friends about not being so focused on the future of their ministry that they miss the opportunity to partake in ministry as they are raising support. I was reminded of that as I was listening to a sermon yesterday, and I started to feel a slight sting on the back of my head.
I wouldn't say that I've been missing opportunities for ministry, but I realized that I've been so focused on finding a job and a place to live that sometimes my heart isn't all in for what God is bringing to me today. Every day is supposed to be lived in and of that day, and I continually catch myself living for what God is bringing in the future. I appreciated a little reminder that God uses us every day. He doesn't just wait to use us in the good times. He doesn't wait til we're on some sort of pedestal, but He uses us all along the way.
HOUSE UPDATE
Dylan moved down last week. We've had some amazing and crazy adventures since he came down, including scuba diving with and catching a 11-14 foot Tiger Shark! I was very glad I made it out of the water. We're both currently residing in Kristen Machado's beach house. Emily, the girl with the heart of a champion, is living here as well, and Megan Green, she's a Texas girl. I never would've thought I would come down here, being blessed by the company of Dylan, and living with a bunch of women, but it's been great! They are all very wonderful and make sure we're fed and well taken care of, which I'm sure our mothers in Wisconsin will be happy to know.
We've been looking for a place to live downtown. Dylan doesn't have a vehicle and isn't sure he wants to get one, and I still feel called to be downtown in order to be closer to the homeless people and college students where I was feeling so many ministry opportunities. We have been following up with a few craigslist opportunities, so we're really hoping that one of them works out soon.
JOB UPDATE
I have still been networking and attempting to find an engineering job, but I still haven't found anything. With the arrival of Dylan and the hopeful opportunity to be living in a house together soon, I have decided it's time to start making a little bit of money, so I followed up with a few craigslist ads today that I'm waiting to hear back from.
I truly believe that God wants me here. I still don't know whether it's for ministry or for a career, but I will continue to walk forward so that I walk right along with His plan. Just as I told you about the vision I had where God was the size of the Hulk, I will continue to walk forward with my eyes on His back, knowing that I'm following the Man who knows the perfect plan for my life.
Dylan picked up a bunch of applications for restaurants a few days ago, and we returned them today. He is also following up with some craigslist ads, so I'm sure he'll find something soon.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Praise God for bring Dylan down and providing us with a home with two warm beds and air-conditioning!
We would love to have a place to live downtown. The girls are great and they have been a huge blessing, but we think it is time to give them their house back and get to serving the Lord downtown.
Jobs. I'm not sure where God wants us to be, but pray that He leads us to a place where we can serve Him the most.
Thanks! Love you all!!!
I was recently convicted about something and I felt as if I had gotten hit over the back of the head by the Holy Spirit. A lot of my friends are joining staff with Cru, so I have a lot of conversations with people who are trying to raise financial support in order to go where they feel God is calling them. I often take some time to talk to these friends about not being so focused on the future of their ministry that they miss the opportunity to partake in ministry as they are raising support. I was reminded of that as I was listening to a sermon yesterday, and I started to feel a slight sting on the back of my head.
I wouldn't say that I've been missing opportunities for ministry, but I realized that I've been so focused on finding a job and a place to live that sometimes my heart isn't all in for what God is bringing to me today. Every day is supposed to be lived in and of that day, and I continually catch myself living for what God is bringing in the future. I appreciated a little reminder that God uses us every day. He doesn't just wait to use us in the good times. He doesn't wait til we're on some sort of pedestal, but He uses us all along the way.
HOUSE UPDATE
Dylan moved down last week. We've had some amazing and crazy adventures since he came down, including scuba diving with and catching a 11-14 foot Tiger Shark! I was very glad I made it out of the water. We're both currently residing in Kristen Machado's beach house. Emily, the girl with the heart of a champion, is living here as well, and Megan Green, she's a Texas girl. I never would've thought I would come down here, being blessed by the company of Dylan, and living with a bunch of women, but it's been great! They are all very wonderful and make sure we're fed and well taken care of, which I'm sure our mothers in Wisconsin will be happy to know.
We've been looking for a place to live downtown. Dylan doesn't have a vehicle and isn't sure he wants to get one, and I still feel called to be downtown in order to be closer to the homeless people and college students where I was feeling so many ministry opportunities. We have been following up with a few craigslist opportunities, so we're really hoping that one of them works out soon.
JOB UPDATE
I have still been networking and attempting to find an engineering job, but I still haven't found anything. With the arrival of Dylan and the hopeful opportunity to be living in a house together soon, I have decided it's time to start making a little bit of money, so I followed up with a few craigslist ads today that I'm waiting to hear back from.
I truly believe that God wants me here. I still don't know whether it's for ministry or for a career, but I will continue to walk forward so that I walk right along with His plan. Just as I told you about the vision I had where God was the size of the Hulk, I will continue to walk forward with my eyes on His back, knowing that I'm following the Man who knows the perfect plan for my life.
Dylan picked up a bunch of applications for restaurants a few days ago, and we returned them today. He is also following up with some craigslist ads, so I'm sure he'll find something soon.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Praise God for bring Dylan down and providing us with a home with two warm beds and air-conditioning!
We would love to have a place to live downtown. The girls are great and they have been a huge blessing, but we think it is time to give them their house back and get to serving the Lord downtown.
Jobs. I'm not sure where God wants us to be, but pray that He leads us to a place where we can serve Him the most.
Thanks! Love you all!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
God's Plan Takes Over
I've been uncomfortable for two weeks. Everything I thought I had going for me fell apart, and I've been living on faith since. I was approached shortly after that happened, and questioned as to whether I was supposed to really be down here or if it was my own desire. It was already a thought on my mind, and it actually has been ever since I moved down here. Does God really want me in Charleston? It's beautiful here, is this my own desire?
In Acts 13:2-3, and many other places in the Bible, we can read about the importance of prayer and fasting, and that God rewards those selfless acts by making Himself known. So, that's exactly what I've been doing. Through my time seeking God on this, I've made sure to talk to some of my closest friends because God often chooses to talk to us through the people in our lives. God has revealed a few things to me through this time.
God is a God of clarity. While talking to a friend, I was sharing with him what has all happened since I've been down here. I told him I didn't know what God wanted me to do. I don't mind staying here and being patient, but I don't want to be an idiot and ignore something that God is showing me. He told me that when God has a plan for us, He wants us to know that plan. Imagine your dad wanting something for you. He doesn't sit back and not tell you. He comes to you, and he tells you what he wants you to do. That's the same for our Dad in Heaven. When He wants us to go one way or another, He's going to make that clear to us, so that we know it's from Him. All else, all confusion, comes from the devil. God called me to come down here and be patient in finding a job. It seems that the confusion of everything going on with that has made me uneasy. It was a great reminder that God doesn't want me confused and that He'll make His ways known.
While meditating on a number of late night beach walks I realized that I'm extremely uncomfortable and would love to move back to the comforts of my parents house and the community that I have in Wisconsin. If God were to say "move", I'd do it in a second. Those thoughts helped me realize that I'm not down here because of what I want. I want comfort. There's a desire inside every person to be comfortable. Usually, in our American society, comfort is sought out through our financial status. Our true comfort should come from God, and knowing that we're in His plan and not our own, because when we're in His plan, He promises to take care of us and lead us. Every day I spend money, and there is none coming back to me. That's financially uncomfortable, and I know that the solution would be to move back home and seek out one of the opportunities that was previously offered to me. But, I can't let my lack of financial comfort drive me. I have to let my comfort in God drive me, and I know that right now He wants me here.
When I first moved down, I decided that I'd be in a pretty needy state financially by the end of August. I thought I had about three months before it was necessary for me to have a job. Well, due to the love of the people down here, and the living situations that God has made available to me, I have spent a lot less than I originally thought I was going to be spending. I started praying the other day that I wouldn't have to spend up everything I have in savings in order to continue in this season of patience. I quickly got hit over the head by my Father, who asked, "Why not?". It's true! Why is it so scary to me to spend something God has given me to spend? If I'm truly trusting in God to supply for my needs, then I don't need a financial "padding". Once again, I was seeking the financial comfort that we often seek as Americans. The same financial padding that many believe is the reason we don't experience the miracles in our country that they do in the third world countries around the world. I need to trust God more than I trust money, otherwise I'm a fool.
I'm so excited that Dylan is coming down. I'm picking him up tomorrow evening from the airport here in Charleston. He's had a few curve balls thrown at him over the last week, so he's currently seeking out God's will for his future like I am. Regardless of where God takes him, I'm extremely thankful for the time we'll get to spend together. Although there are not many men here, the few that I know are great guys, but there's nothing like someone who knows your heart and the path you've been on. It will be great to talk about what God has been doing in our lives and what He wants to do with us in the future. Dylan was living in the national forest in Colorado while working in the town of Estes Park as a waiter. He was approached at work and told that he had 24 hours to get out of his campsite. As God closed the door on Dylan's plans, He felt God directing him to move out here. We had a short conversation on the phone where he told me he was considering it. I told him I'd love it if he were here, but that first we needed to pray about it and wait for God to tell him to move. A few days later he told me that he was going to be coming to Charleston. I don't know what God has planned for either of us here, but I'm excited to be with a friend as we wait for the Lord to reveal Himself to us!
HOMELESS MINISTRY
Due to my current living situation, it has been much more difficult to get out and minister to the homeless. I'm about a 20 minute drive from downtown Charleston right now, and most of the homeless aren't out in the areas I go until later in the evening, so it has been difficult to spend much time seeking them out and spending time with them. Before I moved to Isle of Palms I had met Leon and Stan, two men who hang out a couple blocks away from the apartment I had been staying in. I've stopped to talk with them and hang out for a little bit a couple times since then, and it's been awesome! There's about 4-10 people that hang out in their group, and they all truly cherish whatever time I spend hanging out with them. Although I wrote in "My Dream" about having a beach house that could be used to bring people together, I think that right now God is calling me to be downtown. I'm really hoping that things will come together soon and, Lord willing, Dylan and I can move into the apartment and sign a lease there together.
NEW MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY
The church I have been attending just watched God come through with a miracle yesterday, and we were able to have their first college aged worship night downtown, just a few blocks from the College of Charleston, and right in the middle of the bar scene. Here's a short video on what happened and how God moved: http://vimeo.com/48308295. I feel like the season that just came to a completion with the Well is the season that I've just started. It was an encouraging night!
God also showed me how great this is as a ministry opportunity I have for all the people I've been meeting and will be able to meet if I move back downtown. Every time I walk around the city of Charleston I meet new people. I knew how to treat those opportunities when it was with the homeless, but could not figure out what to do with the college students and young adults who just wanted to go out to the bars all the time. God provided an opportunity. Who can turn down free food?!? I hope that God will bring me back to that area so that I can be used to pack the house on Monday nights. It's a huge opportunity to have something so close to campus, and I can't wait to see how God uses it.
PRAYER
Well, Dylan is coming and neither of us know what God has us in Charleston for. We need a place to live, and we both could use jobs.
Dylan is in need of clarity for what God wants him to be doing for the next year.
I'm praying very heavily that God moves with a job by the end of the week. Sometimes we need to ask big things of God and trust that He will answer. I will not lose faith if I do not have one, because I know God has a plan, but the Bible teaches us that sometimes the answer is to "wrestle with God" as Jacob did in Genesis 32. (Thanks to my current roommates for this insight, and Beth Moore for what I heard was an amazing conference last weekend.)
Please pray for The Well and the new opportunities available through a downtown location.
Thanks!!! Love you all!
In Acts 13:2-3, and many other places in the Bible, we can read about the importance of prayer and fasting, and that God rewards those selfless acts by making Himself known. So, that's exactly what I've been doing. Through my time seeking God on this, I've made sure to talk to some of my closest friends because God often chooses to talk to us through the people in our lives. God has revealed a few things to me through this time.
God is a God of clarity. While talking to a friend, I was sharing with him what has all happened since I've been down here. I told him I didn't know what God wanted me to do. I don't mind staying here and being patient, but I don't want to be an idiot and ignore something that God is showing me. He told me that when God has a plan for us, He wants us to know that plan. Imagine your dad wanting something for you. He doesn't sit back and not tell you. He comes to you, and he tells you what he wants you to do. That's the same for our Dad in Heaven. When He wants us to go one way or another, He's going to make that clear to us, so that we know it's from Him. All else, all confusion, comes from the devil. God called me to come down here and be patient in finding a job. It seems that the confusion of everything going on with that has made me uneasy. It was a great reminder that God doesn't want me confused and that He'll make His ways known.
While meditating on a number of late night beach walks I realized that I'm extremely uncomfortable and would love to move back to the comforts of my parents house and the community that I have in Wisconsin. If God were to say "move", I'd do it in a second. Those thoughts helped me realize that I'm not down here because of what I want. I want comfort. There's a desire inside every person to be comfortable. Usually, in our American society, comfort is sought out through our financial status. Our true comfort should come from God, and knowing that we're in His plan and not our own, because when we're in His plan, He promises to take care of us and lead us. Every day I spend money, and there is none coming back to me. That's financially uncomfortable, and I know that the solution would be to move back home and seek out one of the opportunities that was previously offered to me. But, I can't let my lack of financial comfort drive me. I have to let my comfort in God drive me, and I know that right now He wants me here.
When I first moved down, I decided that I'd be in a pretty needy state financially by the end of August. I thought I had about three months before it was necessary for me to have a job. Well, due to the love of the people down here, and the living situations that God has made available to me, I have spent a lot less than I originally thought I was going to be spending. I started praying the other day that I wouldn't have to spend up everything I have in savings in order to continue in this season of patience. I quickly got hit over the head by my Father, who asked, "Why not?". It's true! Why is it so scary to me to spend something God has given me to spend? If I'm truly trusting in God to supply for my needs, then I don't need a financial "padding". Once again, I was seeking the financial comfort that we often seek as Americans. The same financial padding that many believe is the reason we don't experience the miracles in our country that they do in the third world countries around the world. I need to trust God more than I trust money, otherwise I'm a fool.
I'm so excited that Dylan is coming down. I'm picking him up tomorrow evening from the airport here in Charleston. He's had a few curve balls thrown at him over the last week, so he's currently seeking out God's will for his future like I am. Regardless of where God takes him, I'm extremely thankful for the time we'll get to spend together. Although there are not many men here, the few that I know are great guys, but there's nothing like someone who knows your heart and the path you've been on. It will be great to talk about what God has been doing in our lives and what He wants to do with us in the future. Dylan was living in the national forest in Colorado while working in the town of Estes Park as a waiter. He was approached at work and told that he had 24 hours to get out of his campsite. As God closed the door on Dylan's plans, He felt God directing him to move out here. We had a short conversation on the phone where he told me he was considering it. I told him I'd love it if he were here, but that first we needed to pray about it and wait for God to tell him to move. A few days later he told me that he was going to be coming to Charleston. I don't know what God has planned for either of us here, but I'm excited to be with a friend as we wait for the Lord to reveal Himself to us!
HOMELESS MINISTRY
Due to my current living situation, it has been much more difficult to get out and minister to the homeless. I'm about a 20 minute drive from downtown Charleston right now, and most of the homeless aren't out in the areas I go until later in the evening, so it has been difficult to spend much time seeking them out and spending time with them. Before I moved to Isle of Palms I had met Leon and Stan, two men who hang out a couple blocks away from the apartment I had been staying in. I've stopped to talk with them and hang out for a little bit a couple times since then, and it's been awesome! There's about 4-10 people that hang out in their group, and they all truly cherish whatever time I spend hanging out with them. Although I wrote in "My Dream" about having a beach house that could be used to bring people together, I think that right now God is calling me to be downtown. I'm really hoping that things will come together soon and, Lord willing, Dylan and I can move into the apartment and sign a lease there together.
NEW MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY
The church I have been attending just watched God come through with a miracle yesterday, and we were able to have their first college aged worship night downtown, just a few blocks from the College of Charleston, and right in the middle of the bar scene. Here's a short video on what happened and how God moved: http://vimeo.com/48308295. I feel like the season that just came to a completion with the Well is the season that I've just started. It was an encouraging night!
God also showed me how great this is as a ministry opportunity I have for all the people I've been meeting and will be able to meet if I move back downtown. Every time I walk around the city of Charleston I meet new people. I knew how to treat those opportunities when it was with the homeless, but could not figure out what to do with the college students and young adults who just wanted to go out to the bars all the time. God provided an opportunity. Who can turn down free food?!? I hope that God will bring me back to that area so that I can be used to pack the house on Monday nights. It's a huge opportunity to have something so close to campus, and I can't wait to see how God uses it.
PRAYER
Well, Dylan is coming and neither of us know what God has us in Charleston for. We need a place to live, and we both could use jobs.
Dylan is in need of clarity for what God wants him to be doing for the next year.
I'm praying very heavily that God moves with a job by the end of the week. Sometimes we need to ask big things of God and trust that He will answer. I will not lose faith if I do not have one, because I know God has a plan, but the Bible teaches us that sometimes the answer is to "wrestle with God" as Jacob did in Genesis 32. (Thanks to my current roommates for this insight, and Beth Moore for what I heard was an amazing conference last weekend.)
Please pray for The Well and the new opportunities available through a downtown location.
Thanks!!! Love you all!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Leroy: A Reminder
I've spent a few days determining whether or not I'm supposed to continue with my time in Charleston or consider moving and job searching somewhere else. Although it is very uncomfortable, I am convinced that Charleston is where I'm supposed to continue job searching right now. I have recently found out that a friend of mine is moving down here, and there is a really good chance that we can rent the apartment I was staying in on a month by month basis, which would allow me to continue being flexible with future plans. At the time of moving in I'll be able to take a job waiting tables or something similar so that I can start saving money to use to pay back students loans after the grace period expires.
I've noticed a couple things over the last couple weeks that show me God still wants me here. I really questioned whether my time in Charleston was done after I had two jobs fall through, then had to leave the apartment very soon after. Shortly after all this happened my friend called and told me that a lot of crazy stuff had happened to him recently, and that he was considering moving down here. I just told him to pray about it. A few days later he told me that God had confirmed that he should move down here. It seemed as if everything was closing down, and that God was pointing me in a different direction, but I found clarity through my friend moving down that I'm supposed to stay.
I also have had a lot of car trouble recently. I guess it wouldn't had been so bad if I had taken it in right away, but I thought I would be able to fix it so kept it out of the shop for a few days to try figuring it out. I remembered yesterday that I had prayed a ton before I left Wisconsin in early June that God would break down my car before I came down if He didn't want me down here. My car didn't break down on the way down from Wisconsin, but it did break down recently when I was considering possibly leaving South Carolina.
I used to call these types of things coincidences, but I've learned that God has power over coincidences. I believe that if a coincidence is going to point me in the wrong direction that God will turn me around and use something else to point me in the right direction. So, because of those two situations and the fact that I am still being told that people "may have opportunities" for me, I'm convinced that God is just asking me to continue being patient, and that a door will open in the near future.
A NIGHT WITH LEROY
It's funny how sometimes our plan is so different than God's plan. I rode my longboard down to the dock again yesterday. I was thinking I would ride down there and spend a couple hours praying and listening to what God had to say. He had different plans.
I sat down and spent a couple minutes praying before a tour sat down right next to me and the guide started telling a ghost story. Within minutes of the end of that distraction a man walked up to the water right next to me and started playing a recording of a Seaside Sparrow. I recognized the call and knew that it was a bird I haven't yet seen in South Carolina, so I approached the guy which led to us hanging out for a little while as we hunted for one of these small marsh birds with No luck.
I returned to my bench and spent another couple minutes in prayer before two kids that I have been forming a relationship with ran up to me and started hanging out with me. Their grandmother, Trudy, sells sweetgrass baskets and palmetto roses near the dock. I've met her niece and nephew during the time I've spent down there and they recently taught me how to make my own roses! They asked me to hang out with them and help them sell roses, so I decided to go spend some time with them.
After a couple hours selling roses to tourists the kids got hungry, so I decided to treat them to some pizza a few blocks away. We ate the pizza and I got to talk to the kids about how much they are blessing their grandma by hanging out and helping her. The kids used some money they made earlier in the day to get a ride back to the dock on a bike taxi, while I decided to walk. I ended up running into Leroy on the way back.
I had met Leroy previously one night when my friend Neil and I were walking around downtown. Neil had taken him out to eat once before and I guess he had left a great impression because Leroy remembered a lot about him. He remembered my face last night too, so I sat down and spent some time talking to me. He asked me how my job search was going and talked to me about his current financial troubles. He is not homeless yet, but if his unemployment checks don't keep coming then he will be soon. He told me that he doesn't want to sit there and beg, so he just prays that someone will recognize his need and that God will use them to provide for him.
I went back to the dock for a minute to say bye to the kids, then returned back to Leroy and told him that we could go out to eat. We ended up going to a bar nearby that surprised me and told us they were still serving food at midnight. We spent a lot of time there because Leroy really really enjoys taking his time eating, so we had some good conversation. I told him about the blog and that I really have a heart to share time with people who are struggling in the ways that he is struggling. He was a man of faith, so encouraged me and reminded me of times in the Bible when Jesus did the same thing. We talked a ton about the plans God has for us, and the things He has done and is currently doing in our lives.
I may not have had the time praying that I wanted to have, but I got to spend some awesome time with some people that just needed a friend. Leroy and I prayed for each other multiple times throughout the night. He prayed that I would be able to find a job and that I would continue to be a warrior for the Lord. It was really encouraging to hang out with him and spend some time talking about God's plan and our place in the world.
PRAYER REQUESTS
I told Leroy, whose given name is Carnes Lee Watsen, that I was going to write about him and that people would pray for him. He asked that you would pray for him and that God would continually provide for his needs. He also has a 36 year old daughter in Atlanta, named Michelle, who he said is lost in the world. She has 3 kids named Q, Destiny and Chico. He has a 40 year-old step-daughter who is also not saved named Angie. He asked me to pray for his family before himself. He was very confident in knowing that he's going to go to Heaven when he dies, and he wants the same for his children and grandchildren who haven't given their lives to the Lord yet. Please keep Leroy, his children, and his grandchildren in your prayers, especially for his family's salvation.
Everything is the same for me as it was previously. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!
I've noticed a couple things over the last couple weeks that show me God still wants me here. I really questioned whether my time in Charleston was done after I had two jobs fall through, then had to leave the apartment very soon after. Shortly after all this happened my friend called and told me that a lot of crazy stuff had happened to him recently, and that he was considering moving down here. I just told him to pray about it. A few days later he told me that God had confirmed that he should move down here. It seemed as if everything was closing down, and that God was pointing me in a different direction, but I found clarity through my friend moving down that I'm supposed to stay.
I also have had a lot of car trouble recently. I guess it wouldn't had been so bad if I had taken it in right away, but I thought I would be able to fix it so kept it out of the shop for a few days to try figuring it out. I remembered yesterday that I had prayed a ton before I left Wisconsin in early June that God would break down my car before I came down if He didn't want me down here. My car didn't break down on the way down from Wisconsin, but it did break down recently when I was considering possibly leaving South Carolina.
I used to call these types of things coincidences, but I've learned that God has power over coincidences. I believe that if a coincidence is going to point me in the wrong direction that God will turn me around and use something else to point me in the right direction. So, because of those two situations and the fact that I am still being told that people "may have opportunities" for me, I'm convinced that God is just asking me to continue being patient, and that a door will open in the near future.
A NIGHT WITH LEROY
It's funny how sometimes our plan is so different than God's plan. I rode my longboard down to the dock again yesterday. I was thinking I would ride down there and spend a couple hours praying and listening to what God had to say. He had different plans.
I sat down and spent a couple minutes praying before a tour sat down right next to me and the guide started telling a ghost story. Within minutes of the end of that distraction a man walked up to the water right next to me and started playing a recording of a Seaside Sparrow. I recognized the call and knew that it was a bird I haven't yet seen in South Carolina, so I approached the guy which led to us hanging out for a little while as we hunted for one of these small marsh birds with No luck.
I returned to my bench and spent another couple minutes in prayer before two kids that I have been forming a relationship with ran up to me and started hanging out with me. Their grandmother, Trudy, sells sweetgrass baskets and palmetto roses near the dock. I've met her niece and nephew during the time I've spent down there and they recently taught me how to make my own roses! They asked me to hang out with them and help them sell roses, so I decided to go spend some time with them.
After a couple hours selling roses to tourists the kids got hungry, so I decided to treat them to some pizza a few blocks away. We ate the pizza and I got to talk to the kids about how much they are blessing their grandma by hanging out and helping her. The kids used some money they made earlier in the day to get a ride back to the dock on a bike taxi, while I decided to walk. I ended up running into Leroy on the way back.
I had met Leroy previously one night when my friend Neil and I were walking around downtown. Neil had taken him out to eat once before and I guess he had left a great impression because Leroy remembered a lot about him. He remembered my face last night too, so I sat down and spent some time talking to me. He asked me how my job search was going and talked to me about his current financial troubles. He is not homeless yet, but if his unemployment checks don't keep coming then he will be soon. He told me that he doesn't want to sit there and beg, so he just prays that someone will recognize his need and that God will use them to provide for him.
I went back to the dock for a minute to say bye to the kids, then returned back to Leroy and told him that we could go out to eat. We ended up going to a bar nearby that surprised me and told us they were still serving food at midnight. We spent a lot of time there because Leroy really really enjoys taking his time eating, so we had some good conversation. I told him about the blog and that I really have a heart to share time with people who are struggling in the ways that he is struggling. He was a man of faith, so encouraged me and reminded me of times in the Bible when Jesus did the same thing. We talked a ton about the plans God has for us, and the things He has done and is currently doing in our lives.
I may not have had the time praying that I wanted to have, but I got to spend some awesome time with some people that just needed a friend. Leroy and I prayed for each other multiple times throughout the night. He prayed that I would be able to find a job and that I would continue to be a warrior for the Lord. It was really encouraging to hang out with him and spend some time talking about God's plan and our place in the world.
PRAYER REQUESTS
I told Leroy, whose given name is Carnes Lee Watsen, that I was going to write about him and that people would pray for him. He asked that you would pray for him and that God would continually provide for his needs. He also has a 36 year old daughter in Atlanta, named Michelle, who he said is lost in the world. She has 3 kids named Q, Destiny and Chico. He has a 40 year-old step-daughter who is also not saved named Angie. He asked me to pray for his family before himself. He was very confident in knowing that he's going to go to Heaven when he dies, and he wants the same for his children and grandchildren who haven't given their lives to the Lord yet. Please keep Leroy, his children, and his grandchildren in your prayers, especially for his family's salvation.
Everything is the same for me as it was previously. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Leon and Stan
Last night I needed to get out of the apartment and clear my head. A lot has happened over the last couple weeks that I know could start feeding my doubts, so I knew I had to go and spend some time listening to the Lord.
Normally I would've stopped at my car and grabbed some cash in case I would run into someone that needed some food, but I decided I probably wouldn't need it because of the intentions I had for the evening.
I went down to the dock again and spent some time talking to friends, asking the Lord for open doors, and hanging out with a few friends that stopped by to talk for a little while. After a short rain storm everyone went their separate ways, and I decided I would walk back through the craziness of the downtown Charleston night life to get back home.
I had decided I would walk passed the spot where I met Jimmy to see if I could find him there and spend some time talking to him. Jimmy wasn't on the bench, but a man named Leon stood up and put his hand out to me as I walked by, asking me if I could help him. I immediately told him I didn't have any cash on me, but that I would love to help him in any other way. We started talking both standing up, then Leon sat down and kept talking for a little while. Eventually I felt comfortable sitting down on the bench next to him, and listened for a long time without having very much to say.
The spot where this bench is located is next to one of the most popular post-drinking food spots in the city, so there is a continual flow of traffic that made it hard for Leon to fully concentrate on anything we were talking about. He stopped our conversation every time someone new came in order to ask them if they could spare him some change or give him a cigarette.
He had asked me multiple times as we were talking if I would go buy him a beer or a cigarette. I continued to tell him that I didn't have any money and that I wouldn't want to buy him those things even if I did. As he was telling me his desire to go buy some beer, a young guy that looked like Dawson from Dawson's Creek starts grilling him about the poor decisions that he's been making in life. He told Leon that he was just trying to help him out, but continued to yell at him telling him that he could use the money he gets to buy something that can help him instead of continually buying those things that just hurt him more and more. Everything the guy said was very true, but he failed to talk to Leon in a loving way. Leon was getting very frustrated, and I slowly realized why some of these men are so thankful just to talk to someone who will just sit and listen.
After a little while God showed me why I didn't have any money on me last night. A college student had just bought some food and walked out of the little restaurant. Leon said, "Excuse me, excuse me young sir, do you have a dollar you could spare, I need uh... uh... uh... a water." The guy took a dollar out of his pocket and gave it to Leon. At that point Leon said, "I'm just going to get a water, you can wait and see, I'll just go in right now and get it." The guy replied, "Don't worry about it" and walked away. Leon turned to me and grinned, understanding that I had just witnessed him fake a guy out into giving him a dollar to go buy a beer.
Before all this had happened Leon had mentioned God, Heaven, sins, Hell, and talked about the bigger sins he had committed previously in life, including shooting people, being in charge of a drug run, and setting up a robbery at the store he worked at when he was younger. After he grinned at me, I wanted to take advantage of what I had just seen him do to talk to him more about his actions and how they affect his relationship with God. I said, "Leon, you said a lot of stuff earlier about God and your desire to go to Heaven. Do you think that God would've wanted you to lie to that guy in order to buy something that you must know isn't something God would desire you to be drinking right now?" He got very upset and pretty much told me that he wanted me to be there to listen to him, and if I was going to tell him how to live his life that he didn't want to talk to me.
I decided the rest of the evening would be listening. If that's what he needs, then that's what I can offer right now. As I listened I was very happy to hear that most of the restaurants in the area will bring out sandwiches or food of some sort at the end of the workday and give it to the guys on the street. He said, "Everyone knows Leon. They take care of Leon." I quickly realized that it wasn't food they needed or a place to sleep, but the love that comes from the Lord and a friend to talk to. I knew I could offer him both of those things by just sitting on that bench and listening, which I did for at least two hours.
As I was talking to Leon, his friend Stan came over on his bicycle and started talking to us. They asked me where I lived and I told them on the corner of Spring and Coming. There are a group of homeless men that hang out a couple blocks away from my apartment, and I learned last night that Leon and Stan are two of those men. As we talked they began to vocalize their appreciation for my time. They told me that I lived on "their block". I inquired a little into what they meant, and they proceeded to tell me that I was their brother and that we were family. Then they told me that family looks out for each other. As they continued to talk about their "family" and my place in it, I began to see that they pretty much thought of themselves as a gang.
They were scared. It was as clear to me as anything has ever been that although they were acting so tough, they were very very scared. They told me that they still pack heat just in case anyone starts trouble on the block. They told me they had my back if anyone tried to mess with me. I realized that they don't have any peace at all. They don't know the Lord, and because of it, they think that all they have is themselves.
I continued to listen to what they had to say. I was really surprised at what I had learned through my conversation with them, and definitely felt like the Lord was preparing me to meet a lot more people in the same position as these men.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray for Leon and Stan and their hearts. We learned that their physical needs are being met, but that they are in great need of love.
Please also pray for me as I try to understand them as they are talking. There is a very different dialect down here called Gullah. It originated in the rice fields during the era of slaves and plantations so that the slaves could communicate with each other without anyone else being able to understand them. The men I have been talking to clearly have the Gullah tradition and dialect as part of their background. Just like we struggle to understand someone speaking English with an accent from a different country, it is very difficult to understand these men sometimes when they were raised speaking Gullah.
Today is also the first day of a very uncomfortable unknown future for me in South Carolina. I pretty much told a friend I'd be sleeping on his boat tonight, but I don't know what I'll be doing in the days to come. If you want to send some thanks, he's a great guy- Neil Lamm!
Love you all!
Normally I would've stopped at my car and grabbed some cash in case I would run into someone that needed some food, but I decided I probably wouldn't need it because of the intentions I had for the evening.
I went down to the dock again and spent some time talking to friends, asking the Lord for open doors, and hanging out with a few friends that stopped by to talk for a little while. After a short rain storm everyone went their separate ways, and I decided I would walk back through the craziness of the downtown Charleston night life to get back home.
I had decided I would walk passed the spot where I met Jimmy to see if I could find him there and spend some time talking to him. Jimmy wasn't on the bench, but a man named Leon stood up and put his hand out to me as I walked by, asking me if I could help him. I immediately told him I didn't have any cash on me, but that I would love to help him in any other way. We started talking both standing up, then Leon sat down and kept talking for a little while. Eventually I felt comfortable sitting down on the bench next to him, and listened for a long time without having very much to say.
The spot where this bench is located is next to one of the most popular post-drinking food spots in the city, so there is a continual flow of traffic that made it hard for Leon to fully concentrate on anything we were talking about. He stopped our conversation every time someone new came in order to ask them if they could spare him some change or give him a cigarette.
He had asked me multiple times as we were talking if I would go buy him a beer or a cigarette. I continued to tell him that I didn't have any money and that I wouldn't want to buy him those things even if I did. As he was telling me his desire to go buy some beer, a young guy that looked like Dawson from Dawson's Creek starts grilling him about the poor decisions that he's been making in life. He told Leon that he was just trying to help him out, but continued to yell at him telling him that he could use the money he gets to buy something that can help him instead of continually buying those things that just hurt him more and more. Everything the guy said was very true, but he failed to talk to Leon in a loving way. Leon was getting very frustrated, and I slowly realized why some of these men are so thankful just to talk to someone who will just sit and listen.
After a little while God showed me why I didn't have any money on me last night. A college student had just bought some food and walked out of the little restaurant. Leon said, "Excuse me, excuse me young sir, do you have a dollar you could spare, I need uh... uh... uh... a water." The guy took a dollar out of his pocket and gave it to Leon. At that point Leon said, "I'm just going to get a water, you can wait and see, I'll just go in right now and get it." The guy replied, "Don't worry about it" and walked away. Leon turned to me and grinned, understanding that I had just witnessed him fake a guy out into giving him a dollar to go buy a beer.
Before all this had happened Leon had mentioned God, Heaven, sins, Hell, and talked about the bigger sins he had committed previously in life, including shooting people, being in charge of a drug run, and setting up a robbery at the store he worked at when he was younger. After he grinned at me, I wanted to take advantage of what I had just seen him do to talk to him more about his actions and how they affect his relationship with God. I said, "Leon, you said a lot of stuff earlier about God and your desire to go to Heaven. Do you think that God would've wanted you to lie to that guy in order to buy something that you must know isn't something God would desire you to be drinking right now?" He got very upset and pretty much told me that he wanted me to be there to listen to him, and if I was going to tell him how to live his life that he didn't want to talk to me.
I decided the rest of the evening would be listening. If that's what he needs, then that's what I can offer right now. As I listened I was very happy to hear that most of the restaurants in the area will bring out sandwiches or food of some sort at the end of the workday and give it to the guys on the street. He said, "Everyone knows Leon. They take care of Leon." I quickly realized that it wasn't food they needed or a place to sleep, but the love that comes from the Lord and a friend to talk to. I knew I could offer him both of those things by just sitting on that bench and listening, which I did for at least two hours.
As I was talking to Leon, his friend Stan came over on his bicycle and started talking to us. They asked me where I lived and I told them on the corner of Spring and Coming. There are a group of homeless men that hang out a couple blocks away from my apartment, and I learned last night that Leon and Stan are two of those men. As we talked they began to vocalize their appreciation for my time. They told me that I lived on "their block". I inquired a little into what they meant, and they proceeded to tell me that I was their brother and that we were family. Then they told me that family looks out for each other. As they continued to talk about their "family" and my place in it, I began to see that they pretty much thought of themselves as a gang.
They were scared. It was as clear to me as anything has ever been that although they were acting so tough, they were very very scared. They told me that they still pack heat just in case anyone starts trouble on the block. They told me they had my back if anyone tried to mess with me. I realized that they don't have any peace at all. They don't know the Lord, and because of it, they think that all they have is themselves.
I continued to listen to what they had to say. I was really surprised at what I had learned through my conversation with them, and definitely felt like the Lord was preparing me to meet a lot more people in the same position as these men.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray for Leon and Stan and their hearts. We learned that their physical needs are being met, but that they are in great need of love.
Please also pray for me as I try to understand them as they are talking. There is a very different dialect down here called Gullah. It originated in the rice fields during the era of slaves and plantations so that the slaves could communicate with each other without anyone else being able to understand them. The men I have been talking to clearly have the Gullah tradition and dialect as part of their background. Just like we struggle to understand someone speaking English with an accent from a different country, it is very difficult to understand these men sometimes when they were raised speaking Gullah.
Today is also the first day of a very uncomfortable unknown future for me in South Carolina. I pretty much told a friend I'd be sleeping on his boat tonight, but I don't know what I'll be doing in the days to come. If you want to send some thanks, he's a great guy- Neil Lamm!
Love you all!
Friday, August 10, 2012
How Strong is Faith
I originally told myself I was going to live in Charleston until August, and if I still didn't have a job I would pray about moving back to Wisconsin. I knew God wanted me down here, but I was never sure whether it was something temporary or permanent. Ever since I moved here God has continually opened doors to keep me comfortable and trusting that this is where I'm supposed to be. I found a place to live, great groups of friends, and the doors to job opportunities, although they have all closed, were opened to give me faith that being down here was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I recently had two separate job opportunities get back to me and tell me that they'll "keep me in mind for future opportunities." It was honestly really discouraging. I know a lot of people look at me and value the huge steps of faith I've taken due to my trust in the Lord. It's hard for me to admit that I was discouraged, but I was so convinced that God was finally going to award my patience that I had already started planning my future around jobs that I hadn't been offered yet. The reason I posted about Lecrae a couple days ago is because it wasn't until I started listening to the truth in his music that I put the discouragement behind me. God is good, and if I continue to be patient, I know that He'll provide for my needs. I need to continually remind myself that things aren't going to come together in my own time, but that everything will come together exactly when God intends on it coming together. I just need to continue "staring at the back of the Hulk". (From Adventure in the Lowcountry).
So, I'm at a point now where I still don't have a job. I've had a lot of discussions with people about waiting tables or taking a part-time job until I can find something full-time in my field. The situation right now is that I have some money to hold me over for a little while, so it's not the biggest problem financially, but I only have health insurance under my parents for another few months, and as a diabetic health insurance is something that is necessary for me. I really need a full-time job that I can support myself with, and that also offers the benefits I need to maintain my health.
I've considered getting a job in order to make sure that I remain in the right spot financially, but I haven't felt that God is calling me to possibly sacrifice ministry opportunities to do that quite yet. I have recently gotten to a point in the relationships that I've made over the summer where God is coming out in conversation fairly regularly. I know God is moving in some of their lives. I also have been spending a lot of time walking around on the street hoping to come across some homeless people to bless with time and food. I want to continue having the time to put into these people until God calls me to find a job.
I almost feel like I'm back at square one. I'm once again at a point where I don't have any job opportunities that I'm waiting to hear back from, and once again I'm in need of a place to live. Fortunately, God has reminded me of the many relationships I've formed and the potential that can come from such a large network. One of my friends is currently praying about possibly moving down here to live with me and do ministry together. I think it would be great for both of us, spiritually and financially, but we're waiting for the Lord to say "move". Having someone else here with me would make it much easier to find a place to live, and it would definitely bless me with someone to conquer the temptations of life together.
I got worried for a little while, but I still have insurance for a few months! So many opportunities have come and gone in the last two months, so there is plenty of time for something great to happen. I know God is using me here, so there is no way I'm leaving unless He tells me that there is somewhere else in greater need. I've felt since I moved down here that God was going to supply for my needs through networking, so I will continue to meet people every day, letting my light shine into their lives.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please pray that I would continue to trust in the Lord and be patient in His timing. I know that He wants me here, and that makes me confident in knowing that He will provide for my needs. I just need to be patient. Pray that I wouldn't act in a way that causes people to question who I am in the Lord. As far as I know this has not happened, but please pray for any conviction that needs to happen and against any misunderstanding.
Continue to pray that I would be able to find a job, and now a place to live, preferably a place that I could use to serve the community around me. (Read My Dream for more information on where my heart is in finding a place).
Also, pray that my friend would be led to go where the Lord wants him to be. It would be awesome to spend time living with an awesome brother, but it's something that God and him need to determine.
Thank you for continuing to read and pray. I love you all!
I recently had two separate job opportunities get back to me and tell me that they'll "keep me in mind for future opportunities." It was honestly really discouraging. I know a lot of people look at me and value the huge steps of faith I've taken due to my trust in the Lord. It's hard for me to admit that I was discouraged, but I was so convinced that God was finally going to award my patience that I had already started planning my future around jobs that I hadn't been offered yet. The reason I posted about Lecrae a couple days ago is because it wasn't until I started listening to the truth in his music that I put the discouragement behind me. God is good, and if I continue to be patient, I know that He'll provide for my needs. I need to continually remind myself that things aren't going to come together in my own time, but that everything will come together exactly when God intends on it coming together. I just need to continue "staring at the back of the Hulk". (From Adventure in the Lowcountry).
So, I'm at a point now where I still don't have a job. I've had a lot of discussions with people about waiting tables or taking a part-time job until I can find something full-time in my field. The situation right now is that I have some money to hold me over for a little while, so it's not the biggest problem financially, but I only have health insurance under my parents for another few months, and as a diabetic health insurance is something that is necessary for me. I really need a full-time job that I can support myself with, and that also offers the benefits I need to maintain my health.
I've considered getting a job in order to make sure that I remain in the right spot financially, but I haven't felt that God is calling me to possibly sacrifice ministry opportunities to do that quite yet. I have recently gotten to a point in the relationships that I've made over the summer where God is coming out in conversation fairly regularly. I know God is moving in some of their lives. I also have been spending a lot of time walking around on the street hoping to come across some homeless people to bless with time and food. I want to continue having the time to put into these people until God calls me to find a job.
I almost feel like I'm back at square one. I'm once again at a point where I don't have any job opportunities that I'm waiting to hear back from, and once again I'm in need of a place to live. Fortunately, God has reminded me of the many relationships I've formed and the potential that can come from such a large network. One of my friends is currently praying about possibly moving down here to live with me and do ministry together. I think it would be great for both of us, spiritually and financially, but we're waiting for the Lord to say "move". Having someone else here with me would make it much easier to find a place to live, and it would definitely bless me with someone to conquer the temptations of life together.
I got worried for a little while, but I still have insurance for a few months! So many opportunities have come and gone in the last two months, so there is plenty of time for something great to happen. I know God is using me here, so there is no way I'm leaving unless He tells me that there is somewhere else in greater need. I've felt since I moved down here that God was going to supply for my needs through networking, so I will continue to meet people every day, letting my light shine into their lives.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please pray that I would continue to trust in the Lord and be patient in His timing. I know that He wants me here, and that makes me confident in knowing that He will provide for my needs. I just need to be patient. Pray that I wouldn't act in a way that causes people to question who I am in the Lord. As far as I know this has not happened, but please pray for any conviction that needs to happen and against any misunderstanding.
Continue to pray that I would be able to find a job, and now a place to live, preferably a place that I could use to serve the community around me. (Read My Dream for more information on where my heart is in finding a place).
Also, pray that my friend would be led to go where the Lord wants him to be. It would be awesome to spend time living with an awesome brother, but it's something that God and him need to determine.
Thank you for continuing to read and pray. I love you all!
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