ok, ok, ok...so it has been awhile since my last post. Actually it has been over a month. My brother Josh even told me to update my blog! That means I really need to update when He tells me to. Anyways, this will be an attempt at filling you in on what has been going on in Kirstin's and I's lives as well as maybe some spiritual in site as to what has been going on in my own heart.
ok, where to start? First I will start with what I have found out with my job situation. It has been a long process and I have been waiting on the Lord for quite awhile for this, but I was finally offered a job at Jewish Hospital Medical Center South. It is kirstins sister facility and it a great place get back into x-ray again. The job is a PRN job, which means that I will only be working there on an "as needed" basis. Although I would love to find a job full time job, I am so happy and thankful for the Lords provision for this job. The manager is a hard working, expects alot type of lady and I am always please to work for such people as it pushes me to work hard! I have not started that job yet. I go through orientation Feb 4th & 5th. In the mean time, I am still working and will continue to work for Gardner Denver as the Inventory Coordinator for their facility. It is a new position for their campus and I was recently promoted(I applied for it) to this position. I have been honest with them with the other job situation and they have been very kind to me and still gave me this new position not knowing whether or not I will stay or go. The job it very interesting to say the least and I am learning things from a practical stan point that I learned educationally in school. It is a very very entrey level management type job. I do not have authority over anyone, but I am definitely learning skills that a manager would perform.
Let me share next something about kirstin. Last monday she went in for "emergency" surgery on two of her wisdom teeth. The days proceeding the extraction were quite painful for her and we found out on Sat. when we took her to the ER that she had an infected tooth. That is what happens when you put off getting your wisdom teeth pulled. needless to say we actually tried to get her scheduled awhile ago but our dentist at the time was off because he was getting his own surgery done. To make a long story short, we were able to get her to an oral surgeon and get her fixed up! She is doing much better now and we think we might even have found a drug that will help her with her migraines which is a blessing because all the medicines thus far have not work well for her.
I am continuing with my Spinning Class. For those who don't know what that is, it is a group indoor cycling class intended for intense work out. I am starting to notice in my cardiovascular system, but I have yet to shed pounds. That is ok. My main goal is to get my vascular system back into shape and drop some cholesterol. I am also very interested in learning more about road cycling and maybe even joining a bike club or something this summer. We will see. Over all i am happy to be taking the class and even though during the exercise all I want to do is get off the bike, I feel so good afterwards! That is why I have the gumption to write this long blog! I did my time at the gym today.
Recently, we got kirstin's car fixed. We had to replace all the break pads and all her struts. Turn out to be a pretty expensive job. But, it is worth it! I do not want anything bad to happen to my baby while she is on the road, especially if it was because of car neglect. So while it was painful to see all that money go out the door...I am very glad to have gotten her car fixed! Money well spent as far as I am concerned. Funny story that goes along with getting her car fixed. We went to go pay for the services and it turns out that our Debt cards have spending maximums. haha. That very same-day we just ordered new checks so we were out of checks to write and we no longer use credit cards. Needless to say we did not get the car back that day. The next day we were going through all our old files that we have gathered since we have been married and re-organized our filing cabinet. Filtered out the old stuff to be put into longerterm storage and kept all the current stuff in the filing cabitnet. Anyways, I happened to find one single check from an old check book that we must have skipped over and so we were able to go pay for the car. Well, I finailly get there and pay for the car and I go to get it home and the battery is dead. Haha. We now have the car home and it runs and everything seems to be working on it so far. What a laugh now, but let me tell you kind of frustrating at the time.
Ok...so what have I told you thus far? Got the job stuff, got kirstin's surgery, talked about the car fixing, and also my spinning class. where does that leave me? Oh, ok...so kirtin and I have been trying to figure out what church we would like to commit to. The choices have been Bethleham Baptist (nice church, more traditional, great sunday school teaching, decent pastoral teaching, worship not what we tend towards, over all a pretty basic southern baptist church) and Sojourn (larger church, no sunday school classes, younger crowd of people, urban, very missional, good teaching, worship more trendy, over all another good church) . It has been on my heart as of late to learn what it means to be a missional christian. To think of where I work, where I go to the gym, where I live my life just like a missionary would think of his mission field. This leads to being friendly with the "locals", making friends with non-christians, loving Jesus, being a little bit more culturally relevant that most churches today, and the list goes on. Pastor Mark Driscoll has been a huge influence on me in recent months and I have really enjoyed his godly teaching and ministry at his church in seattle. Anyways, Sojourn is a church plant from the Acts 29 ministry that Driscolls church supports and I believe started. So, as you would imagine I have this very large desire to go to Sojourn to learn, grow, and serve with those believers. However, we have been attending bethlehem for awhile now and have recently started to get more comfortable with the people at small group and sunday school. We have felt that God has used that church to teach us new things each week and do believe that God is at work in the lives of the believers there and especially the small group we are apart of. So you can imagine that it has not been an easy descion to decide upon a church. We did decide to continue with bethlehem and believe that God has something for us at this church. I am sad to not get plugged in at Sojourn, but I am confident that God is going to grow me and teach me where I am now. I will wait patiently on the Lord to give me a chance to someday be apart of a church like Mars Hill(driscolls church) or Sojourn. In the mean time, I will gladly serve were we are at and do my best to get real with the people God has placed in our life with our church. God has been so so good to us and no matter what seems to not go our way or things that just don't seem fair, God always seems to know what is best.
Which kind of leads me into my next topic. God is continuing to work on my heart and breaking down the walls of legalism and religion in my heart that I have held on to for so long. I am learning that to be a follower of Christ you need to believe in Him and obey. That is it. Just listen to what He is saying to me and do it. Oh, how much He loves me and wants me to find my rest in Him. He wants me to lay my head down on his lap, just as a child would a father. He wants me to come to Him and find joy. He has made me for Him, I am His bride and He longs to be with Me. Jesus, is so much more than following all the right rules, and commands, or doing doing all the right things. He is Jesus, my hope, my friend, my comfort, my strenght, my passion, my every longing. I can not say that I always see Jesus this way all the time, but that is who He is showing Him self to be to me. It has been a real up and down journey, but I do know that for the first time in a real long time, Jesus is once again increasingly re-captivating my heart. This time, it is coming with a sense of compassion for lost souls and a feeling of desperation for those who are not only going to go to hell, but are missing out on having a love relationship with Jesus. Please, don't be mistaken, I am still such a small child in my christian walk and although these things are true that I have spoken, I am such a large work in slow progress that I do not claim to be holy or perfect or anything of the sort. Jesus surely has BEGUN a work in me and I do long for the day of completion but I know I am still a ways away, unless of course He brings me home sooner than expected.
Anyways, this has been a really long Blog...I hope those who read it enjoy it. I am going to post it for now. I do not feel like editing it, I will do so later. So for now I guess you all had to suffer through the bad copy. I am sorry. I love you all. Peace
