Today=

Already happened:

Woken up by Riley, take her downstairs so Mommy can get more sleep.
Watch some "Demolition Man" while Riley plays.
Take Riley to Mommy to feed and put to nap.
Fall asleep.
Wake up, clean up dog poop (he ate something bad) from all over kitchen.
Mow lawn.
Re-string weedeater and eat some weeds.
Run inside because rain starts pouring.
Shower.
Eat lunch and watch remainder of "Demolition Man."
Watch Riley while Hannah goes grocery shopping.
Desperately try to keep Riley calm who misses her mommy.
Put away groceries.
Rest and relax with Hannah and Riley.
Get on computer.
Return movie to store and get chips.
Eat chips and greet Mother-in-law returning from Florida trip.
Get on computer.

Soon to happen:

Get ready for bed.
Hang out with Hannah.
Read.
Go to sleep.

"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" by Helen Lemmel

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

Job Interview!

So I am going to a new job interview on Tuesday. I applied to Uline a few days ago for a shipping/physical inventory position in their warehouse and they called me for an interview! We will see what happens here. My sister-in-law works there and they treat their employees very well. Personally I have been very impressed with them through my dealings with them from here. We were ordering our shipping supplies through multiple companies, but I was so impressed with their products and professionalism that I got all of our shipping materials switched to them. They are a very good, professional company all around. They hold themselves to a very high standard, which I respect. It is still family owned, but is growing by leaps and bounds every year. They have 9 locations right now, but more will be opening up. The one I applied to is off of route 100 near in Breinigsville, not far from our current home. If they would offer me the job and I accept, I would be making more money than at Walkers, have 16 yearly days off (including sick and personal days), full medical/dental/vision insurance, company-matched 401k plan, and college tuition reimbursement for general courses. Also, as I work there I would have opportunities to advance within the company, especially after I have a college degree. After that I would be eligible for even higher paying shipping/warehouse management positions.

We will see!

George W Bush on September 13, 2001

"Let me make it clear to you all as my close friends that my mind set is this: one, I weep and mourn with America. I'm going to a hospital right after this to comfort families. I wish I could comfort every single family whose lives have been affected.

But make no mistake about it, my resolve is steady and strong about winning this war that has been declared on America. It's a new kind of war. And I understand it's a new kind of war. And this government will adjust. And this government will call others to join us, to make sure this act, these acts, the people who conducted these acts and those who harbor them are held accountable for their actions. Make no mistake."

Great Talk

I just had a great talk with my dad about what I have been thinking recently. He pointed out that maybe it would be good to look around and see where I could put my experience in shipping/receiving to use. Maybe there is a company around here that would be willing to hire me for a decent amount because of my domestic and international shipping experience. It makes a lot of sense to me because I really enjoy that part of my work.

So much is happening right now, it is quite dizzying. But we will see what happens next.

Digging In

Now with the ability to do schooling online, it frees Hannah and me to live wherever we want and work wherever I want. So the question now is, where do I see myself heading in my job. I enjoy what I am doing now, to an extent. I am good at administration and management, but I really do not get any satisfaction from what I am doing. The most satisfaction I get is from seeing a big stack of papers at the end of the day being reduced to a small stack. I would really like to get more into manufacturing, but only if there is a way for me to move up within that. My current job here is kind of a dead end job. It was established as a temporary position that has moved into a necessary position, but regardless is basic administration with lots of paperwork and almost nowhere to advance to. Basically, the job I am working is as far at it goes. If I want to get more real responsibility and pay, I need to move into another part of the business. I could head down the administration route and head more into project scheduling and maybe purchasing, but I just do not see myself heading down that route. I really want something hands on. I am getting so tired of endless piles of paperwork. So that leaves console shop, warehouse, and electronics production. Engineering also, but I am not qualified for that nor do I want to head down that direction. Out of what remains, I could definitely see myself moving into Electronics Production. The people working in production are the oldest people here and they will only be here a limited time, so within the next number of years things are going to be shaken up up there leaving openings which I might like to fill.

I talked with John C today about my job and where it is heading and it went really well. We talked about what areas I could move into and where I would like to head. In the end I could see myself heading into electronics production and as I gain experience hopefully moving into diagnostics and service. But obviously I do not have the training to truly move in that direction yet, so it is looking like I am going to need to start getting some technical training. John also said that would be a good thing for me to do. That sounds really fun to me. I have always wanted to know how electronics work and I could at least get the basics there and I know that I can figure out the rest over time.

Nothing is for sure at this point, but a lot is happening and I am spending a lot of time in prayer. I need direction from God.

Please lead me, Lord, and I will follow.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, I need your direction,
You alone have the sovereign plan,
You alone know exactly where You want me.

Should I stay or should I go?
Do You want me here or do You want me there?

I am ready to take a step of faith,
Just show me where to go.

Shine Your light upon me,
Fill me with Your wisdom,
Guide my steps.

I need You more than ever,
Every day I realize I need You more,
I need to hear from You,
I need a word from You.

Speak to me, Lord,
For Your servant listens.

All praise be to You, my awesome, gracious, merciful, loving Lord.

Maranatha.

Amen.

Dinner With Ed

We just got back a little bit ago from dinner at a diner with Ed and his wife Pat. He recently had quadruple bypass heart surgery and this is the first time I saw him since then. He is doing very well given what they did to him. On July 7 the doctor will tell him whether he can go back to work yet or not. We will see. It hurts not having him around. He has been out more than four weeks now and the person who is supposed to be keeping up with his work has literally been working for three weeks on what Ed takes a couple of days to do. I hope Ed is able to come back soon, we need him!

He has been reading The Case for Christ which I gave him right before he got sick. He is not saved but has been asking questions and is always willing to listen to what I have to say. He told me a couple months ago, "I want the facts. Facts are what can convince me so show me credible facts and I will re-evaluate what I believe." So I got him this book which lays out the most logical and reasonable case for Christ using only the facts. I told him that in that book are the facts and he can do with them what he will.

So it has been a good evening. I hope Ed finishes the book while he is out, he definitely has the time. Most of his time during the day right now is spent watching Court TV. He has seen all the episodes and now they are all reruns to him.

I have been and will keep praying for him and his wife.

"From Hope to Higher Ground" Excerpt

by Mike Huckabee

"As we saw victims of Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed by the unexpected storms and surges of water that washed away their hope, we also saw ourselves as likewise being vulnerable. We are reminded that in many ways we all live below sea level, surrounded by levees that we think will hold and that we trust to keep us safe. But whether the levees are those made by human hands with concrete and steel, or are the levees of our personal health, our jobs, the safety of our neighbors, our pension plan, or the confidence we have placed in our government, churches, banks, or other institutions, all of us indeed live below sea level and are but one breached levee away from devastation.

Sadly, for too many Americans, the levees have been breached, the water is pouring in, and they are rapidly losing real hope. When hope is lost, all is lost. The will to seek higher ground is rooted in hope that the present calamity is not a permanent condition.

America today is a deeply troubled nation. But its primary problem is not a political but a a perspective problem..."


As I read this today, it really rang true to me. We all have certain things in our lives that we hold as essential and would be crushed if they fell through. But the truth always is that this is not the end. It is not the end of the world as we know it. Through perseverance and the grace of God we can and will get through the trials and tribulations in this life. I can not help but think about the levees I have in my life: money, working cars, good health... I need to be able to trust God with these and know that should any or all of these collapse, we can and will make it through.

All in all, God is our hope and can get us through even the wildest of storms.

15 (or less) Word Movie Reviews

Diary of the Dead - 4 of 5 Stars
Less horror more suspense, very claustrophobic feel, zombies are great, humor is great.

Prince Caspian - 4 of 5
Good action, great story, excellent message, darker that the first Narnia movie.

Rambo - 5 of 5
Revolutionary action movie, more war than action, Stallone exposes the killing machine within.

Witless Protection - 3 of 5
Larry the Cable Guy always makes me laugh, lots of great lines, very funny premise.

Atonement - 3 of 5
Excellent movie production, tragic love story, beautiful writing but slow movie.

Fools Gold - 3 of 5
Lots of humor, little romance, some action, very fast moving movie.

My Political Classification

I try to flee from one-word classifications in my life. Normally when you reduce what you believe down to one word, you have the possibility of people attaching any preconceptions and stereotypes they may have into that one word and therefore misunderstand you. The only one-word classification I am proud to claim is that I am a Christian. But politically, where do I fall?

I am a small government, strong defense, pro-life, pro-family Republican.

Or if I am willing to reduce it down to one term: Conservative.