That seems to be a constant theme that continues to reappear. "Trust in the Lord, with ALL your heart.." I went to my manager last Wednesday to try and settle this issue that was clearly apparent. However, he wouldn't speak to me. He insisted on remaining hostile towards me and wasn't interested in fixing anything. After quite a scene, and a big blowout on his part, I calmly walked away. Knowing that there was nothing else that I could do, and after seeking advice from a few friends.. I decided that I needed to just continue to do my work and try to keep a positive attitude about the situation. Yesterday morning, he approached me and apologized for the way that he had been treating me and that I had done nothing wrong, and that it was just a lot of other circumstances that were to blame. Even though this was a very good thing that happened, this entire situation is ongoing. I really need a lot of prayer for this.
I was hoping for a job with a lot less stress than this. I'm taking it as a crash course in how to deal with difficult people 101.
In other news, Jesse and his family came down to visit the campus this past Thursday. He is trying to get everything worked out to start school here in the fall as well, and moving in with me. This was the unspoken request that I mentioned a few weeks ago. It appears that this will become a reality. I'm pretty excited about it, and I know that he is as well.
But the truly wonderful news happened in the midst of my cheerful and uplifting week when Thursday morning, my power was shut-off. When I called my electric company they said that the letter that they had received from my previous electric company, to waive a deposit, was actually declined and they informed me that it wasn't good enough. Utterly speechless, I politely thanked them for informing me that this was the case. I hope everyone is picking up on my sarcasm here. So the short version of the story is, I switched electric companies and actually got an incredibly low rate, and along with having to pay a $100 fee in order to get my power turned on as quickly as possible, it was finally turned on Friday evening at 5:30pm. Jesse stayed with my Thursday night and it was a little warm. So after nearly 2 days of no power, it was finally restored. All in all it turned out to be a good weekend, in spite of all the stress and umm.. electrical difficulties.
I also learned of a few jobs that will help pay for my tuition while I'm in seminary, so please pray for that as I look into those jobs this week. I was also asked by someone earlier today if I wanted to lead worship for a youth group! The idea of this excited me quite a bit. But I said that I would take a little bit of time and pray about it and let them know, hopefully by next week.
In conclusion.. It seems that no matter where I go, there is of course, always going to be stressful and unwanted situations/circumstances. But it is the way in which we deal with those situations that shows who we really are to ourselves and to other people. And so, with many trials upon the horizon, and several already within my reach.. I'm pressing on.. and holding to Proverbs 3:5-6 -
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Keep praying!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
When trials come, growth soon follows..
My week started with visiting a church on Sunday morning. I did oversleep just a tad, but I did make it.. about ten minutes into the pastors sermon. However, it was a good message. I really liked the church, and the people were wonderful. Due to my tardiness, I'm going to attempt to be on time and visit again next week, so that I can really get a good feel for the church.
After the service a large group of us went out to eat at a local mexican restaurant.. It brought back memories of when I used to go to el rodeo after church in Bolivar. Good times.
Over the weekend I have been thinking about a children's home that is about 45 minutes away from here. It's called Happy Hill Farm, I think.. As it turns out, one of my bosses actually lives in the town the this home is located in. I had previously considered working there, but then reconsidered because of the distance. But I think I made my decision a little too quickly.. I decided to go ahead an submit an application and see if I can work there on the weekends. If this were to work out, I would be able to just stay there and work throughout the weekend without having to commute back and forth. The other good news is that I have heard that they also help seminary students and offer them tuition assistance.
This would be a tremendous opportunity, not just because of the benefits.. But also because this is my field. This is what I want to do one day. This is the experience that I need, and that I've been looking for. It's kinda hard to just pass up.
Please be praying for me about this.
On a separate note, I found the most amazing bike trail this evening. It was awesome! I went about 15 miles tonight. I got quite the workout. Beautiful scenery, pleasant ride, it went along side a little river.. Pretty cool. This trail literally runs all over Fort Worth. It even goes downtown. Speaking of downtown.. I attempted to improve my picture taking skills this past weekend, and I went downtown and took quite a few pictures of the different buildings. It was a good time. I think I might take a few of them and blow them up, and frame them to decorate my apartment a little bit.
Any way, I do have a bit of a prayer request.. Lately I've been having a little bit of a conflict with someone that I work with. Tomorrow I'm going to be confronting this person about the situation, and see if we can resolve the issue we're having. The frustrating part is, I'm not even entirely sure why this person is acting this way towards me. So, for the sake of ending conflict and restoring a relationship, I'm seeking this person out. I'm not really sure what to expect. I'm hoping we can get things worked out.. Please be praying for me tomorrow, and continue to pray for me as I keep looking for a church here.
That's about all I have for now.. Thanks for reading. God bless, and keep praying!
After the service a large group of us went out to eat at a local mexican restaurant.. It brought back memories of when I used to go to el rodeo after church in Bolivar. Good times.
Over the weekend I have been thinking about a children's home that is about 45 minutes away from here. It's called Happy Hill Farm, I think.. As it turns out, one of my bosses actually lives in the town the this home is located in. I had previously considered working there, but then reconsidered because of the distance. But I think I made my decision a little too quickly.. I decided to go ahead an submit an application and see if I can work there on the weekends. If this were to work out, I would be able to just stay there and work throughout the weekend without having to commute back and forth. The other good news is that I have heard that they also help seminary students and offer them tuition assistance.
This would be a tremendous opportunity, not just because of the benefits.. But also because this is my field. This is what I want to do one day. This is the experience that I need, and that I've been looking for. It's kinda hard to just pass up.
Please be praying for me about this.
On a separate note, I found the most amazing bike trail this evening. It was awesome! I went about 15 miles tonight. I got quite the workout. Beautiful scenery, pleasant ride, it went along side a little river.. Pretty cool. This trail literally runs all over Fort Worth. It even goes downtown. Speaking of downtown.. I attempted to improve my picture taking skills this past weekend, and I went downtown and took quite a few pictures of the different buildings. It was a good time. I think I might take a few of them and blow them up, and frame them to decorate my apartment a little bit.
Any way, I do have a bit of a prayer request.. Lately I've been having a little bit of a conflict with someone that I work with. Tomorrow I'm going to be confronting this person about the situation, and see if we can resolve the issue we're having. The frustrating part is, I'm not even entirely sure why this person is acting this way towards me. So, for the sake of ending conflict and restoring a relationship, I'm seeking this person out. I'm not really sure what to expect. I'm hoping we can get things worked out.. Please be praying for me tomorrow, and continue to pray for me as I keep looking for a church here.
That's about all I have for now.. Thanks for reading. God bless, and keep praying!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Another Week
Wow, another week has already gone by. I've been in Fort Worth for just about two and a half weeks now, and I've picked up a third job. This past Saturday I started working for an elderly gentlemen.. Who is 85! This guy still gets around pretty good though. Saturday consisted of cutting down thorn bushes and clearing out some brush. Somehow I got poison ivy.. Not fun. But it was still a good day. So I work for this guy every Saturday, I'm a handyman on Monday's, and I work for the lawn care company throughout the whole week. The amazing thing, is that all of these jobs work around my class schedule for the fall. It's amazing, just how God continues to provide. There are a few other things that have happened in this past week that I'm still waiting to hear if they are going to happen. But God is providing, and just blessing me more and more every day.. God has been showing me, that if I have a need.. All I have to do is ask, and He will provide. God is good.
On Sunday I visited a new church. It's a church plant, that currently meets at a local high school. I think I enjoyed visiting this church more than any other. It was by far the smallest, which was really great. There were about twenty to thirty people at there, and it was great because it was so much more personable. I got to hang out and get to know the people there. After the service we went over to one of the members' house and had lunch and just sat around talking and fellowshipping with one another. It was a great time! I'm going to visit a few more churches and then make a decision on where to go. Please be praying for me as I make this decision.
I have a few things that I could use some prayer in.. The first one is related to one of my jobs. I have the opportunity to work around a lot of guys who aren't Christians at my lawn care job. A lot of the guys are Mexican and speak little English, and other guys who you can tell have just had a hard life. Pray that I can be a Godly influence on these guys and that God would open some doors for me to share Christ with them. The second one is what church to join. Third, I have to keep as an unspoken for the time being. There's actually 2 unspoken requests.
But God has been good and is continuing to provide. Over and over again, in so many ways. Thank you all so much for your prayers and your support!
Thank you, and keep praying!
On Sunday I visited a new church. It's a church plant, that currently meets at a local high school. I think I enjoyed visiting this church more than any other. It was by far the smallest, which was really great. There were about twenty to thirty people at there, and it was great because it was so much more personable. I got to hang out and get to know the people there. After the service we went over to one of the members' house and had lunch and just sat around talking and fellowshipping with one another. It was a great time! I'm going to visit a few more churches and then make a decision on where to go. Please be praying for me as I make this decision.
I have a few things that I could use some prayer in.. The first one is related to one of my jobs. I have the opportunity to work around a lot of guys who aren't Christians at my lawn care job. A lot of the guys are Mexican and speak little English, and other guys who you can tell have just had a hard life. Pray that I can be a Godly influence on these guys and that God would open some doors for me to share Christ with them. The second one is what church to join. Third, I have to keep as an unspoken for the time being. There's actually 2 unspoken requests.
But God has been good and is continuing to provide. Over and over again, in so many ways. Thank you all so much for your prayers and your support!
Thank you, and keep praying!
Monday, July 7, 2008
A Good Day
Today has just been, a great day! Now pulling weeds, sweeping porches, gardening, and fixing leaky faucets may not sound very fun, but a job is a job. It's funny, I think I enjoyed doing that more than my last job and I actually just got paid more for it than any other job I've had. Which was a blessing.
Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to visit 2 churches. Please keep praying for me as I continue to look for where God would want me to be and serve. There are no shortage of churches here, that much is clear. It's just finding the right place. Of course, I don't want to take too long in finding a place. So just pray for God's direction in that.
Back to the events of today. After my fun morning, I had an interview.. If that's what you want to call it, with a very sweet elderly couple, who own a lawn care service here. They have been around for about 30 years now. It went very well.. They needed someone to do basic maintenance on their equipment, inventory of everything, some bookkeeping, and really just getting organized as they continue to grow. Everything went so well, they hired me and I start first thing Wednesday morning! What a huge blessing! God provides!
The really cool thing is that this is a Christian couple that has worked with seminary students in the past and continues to, obviously.. They told me at one point, that they probably have old employees scattered all over the world working in ministry in some fashion. Really neat stuff.
I'm continually reminded of God's goodness as He provides and just, continually brings things together. I've only been here a week, and I've already worked one day and now have another job. Incredible. I am however, still in need of some furniture. Up until Saturday, I've been sleeping on the floor. No bed. My neighbor happened to have a nice little blow-up mattress and is letting me use it until I get a bed. So that has been very nice. It's great to have something a little nicer and more comfortable to sleep on, but the floor wasn't too bad. I'll buy what I can, when I can.
God has really been teaching me and convicting me about what I spend and how much I spend. Now I'm not one of those people that goes off and just blows money, but there's always something that you can cut back on. It's amazing how much of an eye opening experience, being poor can be for a person. I am so thankful for this time in my life, because I'm learning so much. Also, just living alone has been good. This is the first time in my life that I have actually lived alone. Throughout my college years I have lived with over 20 different people, and now I have total and complete SILENCE! Sometimes the silence is good, so that you can really hear, and listen, to the voice of God. God has already been working on me, and teaching me SO much! It's amazing.. When you just.. turn everything off.. when you're not anywhere near anyone you even know.. absolutely no distractions.. and just live in that silence.. Wow. This is the start of an amazing year. I can't wait to see what God does!
Keep praying!
Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to visit 2 churches. Please keep praying for me as I continue to look for where God would want me to be and serve. There are no shortage of churches here, that much is clear. It's just finding the right place. Of course, I don't want to take too long in finding a place. So just pray for God's direction in that.
Back to the events of today. After my fun morning, I had an interview.. If that's what you want to call it, with a very sweet elderly couple, who own a lawn care service here. They have been around for about 30 years now. It went very well.. They needed someone to do basic maintenance on their equipment, inventory of everything, some bookkeeping, and really just getting organized as they continue to grow. Everything went so well, they hired me and I start first thing Wednesday morning! What a huge blessing! God provides!
The really cool thing is that this is a Christian couple that has worked with seminary students in the past and continues to, obviously.. They told me at one point, that they probably have old employees scattered all over the world working in ministry in some fashion. Really neat stuff.
I'm continually reminded of God's goodness as He provides and just, continually brings things together. I've only been here a week, and I've already worked one day and now have another job. Incredible. I am however, still in need of some furniture. Up until Saturday, I've been sleeping on the floor. No bed. My neighbor happened to have a nice little blow-up mattress and is letting me use it until I get a bed. So that has been very nice. It's great to have something a little nicer and more comfortable to sleep on, but the floor wasn't too bad. I'll buy what I can, when I can.
God has really been teaching me and convicting me about what I spend and how much I spend. Now I'm not one of those people that goes off and just blows money, but there's always something that you can cut back on. It's amazing how much of an eye opening experience, being poor can be for a person. I am so thankful for this time in my life, because I'm learning so much. Also, just living alone has been good. This is the first time in my life that I have actually lived alone. Throughout my college years I have lived with over 20 different people, and now I have total and complete SILENCE! Sometimes the silence is good, so that you can really hear, and listen, to the voice of God. God has already been working on me, and teaching me SO much! It's amazing.. When you just.. turn everything off.. when you're not anywhere near anyone you even know.. absolutely no distractions.. and just live in that silence.. Wow. This is the start of an amazing year. I can't wait to see what God does!
Keep praying!
Friday, July 4, 2008
The start of an adventure..
Last Saturday I moved down to Fort Worth, and Monday I got settled in to my new apartment. This is the first time I've ever lived alone.. Crazy. The only bad thing about this place, is that it's right next to railroad tracks! Haha! I just have to laugh about it. Not at like, 2am when a train is roaring by.. But campus is right across the street, which is very nice.
I've already met some really nice people here. I can't wait for the semester to begin. This is going to be an incredible year. I know that God has brought me here, and has worked so many things out for me to be here. It's been incredible.
My focus right now is just trying to find a job.. I got some good news yesterday, and actually had a couple leads on jobs. A lady called me yesterday to come and do some work around her house. Different odds and ends types of things. At the start of next week, I'm going in to talk to a local business man about possibly working for him and doing some very basic maintenance stuff for his lawn care business. Please be praying for these opportunities, as well as other possibilities.
God is the great provider, I know that He is going to continue to provide. Keep prayings. :)
I've already met some really nice people here. I can't wait for the semester to begin. This is going to be an incredible year. I know that God has brought me here, and has worked so many things out for me to be here. It's been incredible.
My focus right now is just trying to find a job.. I got some good news yesterday, and actually had a couple leads on jobs. A lady called me yesterday to come and do some work around her house. Different odds and ends types of things. At the start of next week, I'm going in to talk to a local business man about possibly working for him and doing some very basic maintenance stuff for his lawn care business. Please be praying for these opportunities, as well as other possibilities.
God is the great provider, I know that He is going to continue to provide. Keep prayings. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)