I had seen this before, but was recently reminded of it again. Thought I would post the quizzes here for more participation. The quiz is in three parts and is titled, "How Well Do You Know the Words of Jesus?" Feel free to post your results in the comments after you take the quizzes. Be forewarned, these are tough. Click below to get started.
Beginner's Quiz
Intermediate Quiz
Advanced Quiz
Enjoy!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Music Rant
Something has been bothering me for a while. Specifically, what has been bothering me has to do with a song being played on "Christian" radio. Now I don't listen to music radio very much, but occasionally I will have it on while driving, etc. I do have my alarm clock set to wake up to our local Christian station, but other than the few seconds of the song being played before I hit the snooze button, I don't really listen. However, I have heard enough of it recently to pick out a new song that really irritates me. It is the new song by Point of Grace, "How You Live (Turn Up th Music). It bothers me because I can see absolutely no reason why it should get airplay on Christian radio. Now I know that there are other songs that have not had an implicit gospel message to them, such as "Butterfly Kisses" and even Steven Curtis Chapman's current hit, "Cinderella". But "How You Live" is not only lacking a Christian message, it is actually heretical in its lyrics compared to Biblical teaching.
For example, look at these lyrics.
"So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
E'en when you don't think that you can
'Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you"
Sounds a lot like Hinduism's teaching on karma if you ask me. Yet that is not the part of the song that bothers me the most. It is actually the last few lines of the chorus that get under my skin. "'Cause it's not who you knew, And it's not what you did, It's how you live." Excuse me?!?! How does this get played on any station that claims to be Christian? "It's not who you knew, it's how you live?" The lyrics should be just the opposite. Actually it not about how I live, but it is all about who I know in the person of Jesus Christ. I know the song is along the lines of "carpe diem" yet can't we seize the day and still adhere to accepted Christian orthodoxy?
For example, look at these lyrics.
"So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
E'en when you don't think that you can
'Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you"
Sounds a lot like Hinduism's teaching on karma if you ask me. Yet that is not the part of the song that bothers me the most. It is actually the last few lines of the chorus that get under my skin. "'Cause it's not who you knew, And it's not what you did, It's how you live." Excuse me?!?! How does this get played on any station that claims to be Christian? "It's not who you knew, it's how you live?" The lyrics should be just the opposite. Actually it not about how I live, but it is all about who I know in the person of Jesus Christ. I know the song is along the lines of "carpe diem" yet can't we seize the day and still adhere to accepted Christian orthodoxy?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Welcome to the Shop
I thought I would post a few pictures of the project that left my shop yesterday. It is one of the most unique pieces that I have ever been involved with. The project is on its way to be stained and finished. After that is done I will install the furniture into the customers home. After the installation is complete, I will post some finished pictures of the completed project.
So, here is what it is. It is a queen size bed that retracts into a cabinet. The bed slides in and up the back of the cabinet so that the whole unit fits into a 24" deep space. It operates via remote control. Very James Bondish. As always, clicking on the pictures will enlarge them.
This first picture shows the majority of the unit. There is a lot more that goes with the whole piece that what is shown in the picture. The entire project is 12' wide by 10' high. So, what you see here actually will get another 30" of cabinetry on top of it. On the left hand side, there is a desk that will get a granite counter-top on it. On the right hand side there is a drawer base that will also get granite on it. The main unit in the center will have a piece of art mounted in the big section in the center. Most customers who are purchasing these are mounting flat screen tv's in that space. Due to this project being in the "not finished yet stages", there are not drawer faces on the drawers yet. That is why there are big gaps around the drawers on the left and right. When finished, the unit will be virtually flat all the way across.
Here we can see the bed mechanism coming out. What is actually the foot-board of the bed will look like two drawer faces. They will line up with the drawer faces on the right hand side when it is completed.
Here the bed is completely extended. The slats that are on the top are the box spring and the mechanism that holds the mattress in place when the unit is closed. All in all, it is very clever engineering. Getting through some of the details was a challenge, but it has been a rewarding project. Finished project pictures will come in a few months.
So, here is what it is. It is a queen size bed that retracts into a cabinet. The bed slides in and up the back of the cabinet so that the whole unit fits into a 24" deep space. It operates via remote control. Very James Bondish. As always, clicking on the pictures will enlarge them.
This first picture shows the majority of the unit. There is a lot more that goes with the whole piece that what is shown in the picture. The entire project is 12' wide by 10' high. So, what you see here actually will get another 30" of cabinetry on top of it. On the left hand side, there is a desk that will get a granite counter-top on it. On the right hand side there is a drawer base that will also get granite on it. The main unit in the center will have a piece of art mounted in the big section in the center. Most customers who are purchasing these are mounting flat screen tv's in that space. Due to this project being in the "not finished yet stages", there are not drawer faces on the drawers yet. That is why there are big gaps around the drawers on the left and right. When finished, the unit will be virtually flat all the way across.
Here we can see the bed mechanism coming out. What is actually the foot-board of the bed will look like two drawer faces. They will line up with the drawer faces on the right hand side when it is completed.
Here the bed is completely extended. The slats that are on the top are the box spring and the mechanism that holds the mattress in place when the unit is closed. All in all, it is very clever engineering. Getting through some of the details was a challenge, but it has been a rewarding project. Finished project pictures will come in a few months.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Polishing God's Monuments - A Book Review
Last week I started and finished reading the book "Polishing God's Monuments" by Jim Andrews. Jim Andrews is a pastor, author, and in this book, the father of one of the main characters, his daughter, Juli. It is the true story of Juli and her husband Paul whose marriage of nineteen years has been surrounded by the most unbelievable illness and suffering.
The style of the book is unlike any other I have ever read. The author moves through the book by writing a chapter on how Juli's health is during a specific time period and then he follows with a chapter that deals with the theology of pain and suffering from a Biblical perspective. This alternating format seemed weird at first, but I quickly realized, at least for me, that the personal chapters would have been far too emotionally taxing to read all at once, and the theology needed the break in order for me to absorb the teaching.
The personal side of the book deals with the illness of primarily Juli, but also with Paul's correlating illnesses as well. As very new newlyweds, they were both diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Shortly after that diagnosis, Juli would began to suffer from another illness that some CFS patients are susceptible to, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). These two illnesses combined would send Juli, Paul, and their families on a maddening, painful, God-questioning, journey for the next nineteen years of their lives. Juli's MCS quickly became very severe. She soon developed sensitivities to cosmetics, soap, and all household cleaners. One scent of any of those items anywhere within her house or even a scent on someone who entered the house would cause her body to shut down in a pain she describes as acid being poured through every vein and muscle in my body. Her illness advanced to a point where the MCS so severely attacked her body that she was allergic to paper, fabric, and many various chemicals that made up their everyday life. For example, she developed an intolerance to chlorine. In the summer months, when the city they lived in would increase the levels of chlorine used in the treatment of the city water, her MCS would become so severe that she could not tolerate a drop of water anywhere within the house; no drinking, no bathing, no toilet. As if that were not bad enough, she even developed a sensitivity to electricity. She soon became a prisoner in her own house. Living in darkness, she would spend her days without books or music to help pass the time. Her illness cut her off from all personal contact with her family and friends except for her contact with Paul. However,as heart wrenching as the personal side of the book is, it is the other chapters that give the book its substance.
One of the questions that first confronts the reader is why? Why did this happen to Juli and Paul? They were a young, talented couple with their whole lives in front of them. Their desire was to serve God on the foreign mission field and they were taking steps to fulfill that purpose when the illness struck. Why would God allow such pain and suffering into the lives of those who are willing to devote their lives in service to Him? The author begins to relieve that tension by describing what he calls, "monumental faith." This is not faith of an enormous size, but rather it is faith in the God of monuments. He describes various times in his life where the sovereign hand of God was extremely evident. It is those times in the past where God could clearly be seen that he describes as "God's monuments." He explains that in the periods of our life when God appears to be silent or far from us, that in those moments we go back and remember those "monuments" of God. When God appears to be distant is when we must rely on what we know of His character. He is faithful and true, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He works all for our good, even the periods of lives that are filled with pain and questioning. It is in those times that we need to fall back, remember God's faithfulness in the past, "polish God's monuments" in our lives, and continue to trust that He knows what is best for us.
This book struck a chord with me personally. I think in part due to some of what our family has gone through in the last year. However, it also revealed a heart issue for me. I think it can best be summarized in the following quote from the book. The quote is from a young lady who was a friend of the Andrew family. She was battling through her second brush with brain cancer and in the midst of that circumstance, in incredible pain, just months before her death, she said these words. "When I became a Christian, I surrendered all my rights to Jesus to do with as he chooses. If it's his good pleasure to slice me into pieces and barbecue me on a skewer, that is none of my business. The Lord is good; his ways are perfect and I have no complaints." Could I say that? What is my response to rather minor inconveniences? How I respond to the small trials in my life is rather telling about the faith I profess to have in a sovereign God.
This was a different book. A book on the Biblical theology of suffering is not going to sell as many copies as all of the other "Christian" drivel that tells us how we can achieve what is best for life here and now. However, the weight of truth in this book will stand far longer than most of what is being mass marketed as "Christian" to the evangelical community today. I enjoyed this book so much, that I wanted to begin reading it again as soon as I finished it. I have in fact gone back to read portions of it. I highly recommend it and think that it would be a welcome edition to any personal library. You can purchase it here.
The style of the book is unlike any other I have ever read. The author moves through the book by writing a chapter on how Juli's health is during a specific time period and then he follows with a chapter that deals with the theology of pain and suffering from a Biblical perspective. This alternating format seemed weird at first, but I quickly realized, at least for me, that the personal chapters would have been far too emotionally taxing to read all at once, and the theology needed the break in order for me to absorb the teaching.
The personal side of the book deals with the illness of primarily Juli, but also with Paul's correlating illnesses as well. As very new newlyweds, they were both diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Shortly after that diagnosis, Juli would began to suffer from another illness that some CFS patients are susceptible to, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). These two illnesses combined would send Juli, Paul, and their families on a maddening, painful, God-questioning, journey for the next nineteen years of their lives. Juli's MCS quickly became very severe. She soon developed sensitivities to cosmetics, soap, and all household cleaners. One scent of any of those items anywhere within her house or even a scent on someone who entered the house would cause her body to shut down in a pain she describes as acid being poured through every vein and muscle in my body. Her illness advanced to a point where the MCS so severely attacked her body that she was allergic to paper, fabric, and many various chemicals that made up their everyday life. For example, she developed an intolerance to chlorine. In the summer months, when the city they lived in would increase the levels of chlorine used in the treatment of the city water, her MCS would become so severe that she could not tolerate a drop of water anywhere within the house; no drinking, no bathing, no toilet. As if that were not bad enough, she even developed a sensitivity to electricity. She soon became a prisoner in her own house. Living in darkness, she would spend her days without books or music to help pass the time. Her illness cut her off from all personal contact with her family and friends except for her contact with Paul. However,as heart wrenching as the personal side of the book is, it is the other chapters that give the book its substance.
One of the questions that first confronts the reader is why? Why did this happen to Juli and Paul? They were a young, talented couple with their whole lives in front of them. Their desire was to serve God on the foreign mission field and they were taking steps to fulfill that purpose when the illness struck. Why would God allow such pain and suffering into the lives of those who are willing to devote their lives in service to Him? The author begins to relieve that tension by describing what he calls, "monumental faith." This is not faith of an enormous size, but rather it is faith in the God of monuments. He describes various times in his life where the sovereign hand of God was extremely evident. It is those times in the past where God could clearly be seen that he describes as "God's monuments." He explains that in the periods of our life when God appears to be silent or far from us, that in those moments we go back and remember those "monuments" of God. When God appears to be distant is when we must rely on what we know of His character. He is faithful and true, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He works all for our good, even the periods of lives that are filled with pain and questioning. It is in those times that we need to fall back, remember God's faithfulness in the past, "polish God's monuments" in our lives, and continue to trust that He knows what is best for us.
This book struck a chord with me personally. I think in part due to some of what our family has gone through in the last year. However, it also revealed a heart issue for me. I think it can best be summarized in the following quote from the book. The quote is from a young lady who was a friend of the Andrew family. She was battling through her second brush with brain cancer and in the midst of that circumstance, in incredible pain, just months before her death, she said these words. "When I became a Christian, I surrendered all my rights to Jesus to do with as he chooses. If it's his good pleasure to slice me into pieces and barbecue me on a skewer, that is none of my business. The Lord is good; his ways are perfect and I have no complaints." Could I say that? What is my response to rather minor inconveniences? How I respond to the small trials in my life is rather telling about the faith I profess to have in a sovereign God.
This was a different book. A book on the Biblical theology of suffering is not going to sell as many copies as all of the other "Christian" drivel that tells us how we can achieve what is best for life here and now. However, the weight of truth in this book will stand far longer than most of what is being mass marketed as "Christian" to the evangelical community today. I enjoyed this book so much, that I wanted to begin reading it again as soon as I finished it. I have in fact gone back to read portions of it. I highly recommend it and think that it would be a welcome edition to any personal library. You can purchase it here.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Deja Vu All Over Again
Our house is an old house. It has its charms and its problems. It has a cement cistern rendering a quarter of the basement useless, but it also has a full size laundry chute that you can access from the first or the second floor. We believe the house was built in the 1930's judging by the date of the newspapers that were used to help caulk around the original tub. The house has all original woodwork and it includes some small built in amenities that were common in that time period. One of those built ins is an all wooden ironing board that folds down out of the wall in our kitchen.
In an effort to help Kim get out of the house for work, I have long ironed her uniforms for work. We have a routine that is fairly worked out. I iron her uniform, make her a sandwich, and send her out the door. Due to the fact that it takes less time for me to get ready to go somewhere like church, I usually do the ironing of the clothes for those occasions also. All this to say that I probably iron articles of clothing about four times a week.
For the first ten years of living in our house, we kept the iron in a small pantry in the kitchen near the fold-down ironing board. After it had cooled down and when it wasn't in use, it had a home on one of the shelves in the pantry. Convenient and close to its accessory, it was a good system. About 5 years ago our iron broke and we got a new one. We ran into a slight problem with the new one. It had a slightly higher base which meant it was too tall to fit on the shelves in the pantry. The iron needed a new home. So for the last five years our iron has sat on top of the refrigerator.
In doing the math on this I come up with about 4 times of ironing a week, times 52 weeks, times 5 years, equals 1,040 opportunities to pull down the ironing board and reach for the iron. Out of the approximately 1,000 opportunities in the last 5 years, do you know how many times I walk into the pantry to grab the iron? Almost every single time. The iron hasn't lived in the pantry for 5 years! It wasn't in the pantry last week and it wasn't there when I reached for it yesterday. Yet this simple fact does not stop me from looking somewhat like an idiot as I reach almost daily for what isn't there. But it is not the last 5 years that conditioned me to act in this way, it was the 10 years prior to this that built in me a habit and a pattern that I may never break.
This past week I had one of those "aha" moments. I found myself willfully sinning again. The same sins I had committed many times before. The same situation and the same circumstances brought my same response. See, like reaching for the iron that isn't there, I find myself habitually sinning in the same way. My wicked heart has set a pattern of rebellion that has conditioned itself to respond to the same circumstances by committing the same sins. In all the years of my struggle with my sin I often look to stop the sinning, yet I need to break the habits of my life that lead to that sin in order to find release and freedom through His grace. In my repentance before God this last week, it was almost as if He said, "Why do you keep reaching for that iron of sin? Stop walking in the same direction every time due to habits that only lead to sin." My senseless reaching for what isn't in the pantry is just like my reaching for what I think I want in the moment, but what I know is just as empty as the spot on the shelf where the iron used to live.
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
In an effort to help Kim get out of the house for work, I have long ironed her uniforms for work. We have a routine that is fairly worked out. I iron her uniform, make her a sandwich, and send her out the door. Due to the fact that it takes less time for me to get ready to go somewhere like church, I usually do the ironing of the clothes for those occasions also. All this to say that I probably iron articles of clothing about four times a week.
For the first ten years of living in our house, we kept the iron in a small pantry in the kitchen near the fold-down ironing board. After it had cooled down and when it wasn't in use, it had a home on one of the shelves in the pantry. Convenient and close to its accessory, it was a good system. About 5 years ago our iron broke and we got a new one. We ran into a slight problem with the new one. It had a slightly higher base which meant it was too tall to fit on the shelves in the pantry. The iron needed a new home. So for the last five years our iron has sat on top of the refrigerator.
In doing the math on this I come up with about 4 times of ironing a week, times 52 weeks, times 5 years, equals 1,040 opportunities to pull down the ironing board and reach for the iron. Out of the approximately 1,000 opportunities in the last 5 years, do you know how many times I walk into the pantry to grab the iron? Almost every single time. The iron hasn't lived in the pantry for 5 years! It wasn't in the pantry last week and it wasn't there when I reached for it yesterday. Yet this simple fact does not stop me from looking somewhat like an idiot as I reach almost daily for what isn't there. But it is not the last 5 years that conditioned me to act in this way, it was the 10 years prior to this that built in me a habit and a pattern that I may never break.
This past week I had one of those "aha" moments. I found myself willfully sinning again. The same sins I had committed many times before. The same situation and the same circumstances brought my same response. See, like reaching for the iron that isn't there, I find myself habitually sinning in the same way. My wicked heart has set a pattern of rebellion that has conditioned itself to respond to the same circumstances by committing the same sins. In all the years of my struggle with my sin I often look to stop the sinning, yet I need to break the habits of my life that lead to that sin in order to find release and freedom through His grace. In my repentance before God this last week, it was almost as if He said, "Why do you keep reaching for that iron of sin? Stop walking in the same direction every time due to habits that only lead to sin." My senseless reaching for what isn't in the pantry is just like my reaching for what I think I want in the moment, but what I know is just as empty as the spot on the shelf where the iron used to live.
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Gentlemen, Start Your . . .
I thought I would share a few pictures from a couple of weeks ago. Every year our kids participate in AWANA and part of that participation involves making pine derby cars to race in the annual Grand Prix race. They can't race until they are in third grade, so this was Hannah's first year. Caleb and Alex have both raced before. There are awards handed out for three different categories, speed, design (what looks most like a real car), and for creativity (doing the best you can with a block of wood). Well, I am not one for the speed category, but design and creativity suit me fairly well. Click the picture to enlarge them if you want a closer look.
This first picture is of Alex's and Caleb's cars from last year. Caleb's car is a 1960 Mercury sedan. I know nothing about cars, but if you give me a picture I can carve it. Alex's car is the solar system. In the center is an orange super ball that we cut in half. Underneath the car we mounted a led light. When you turned on the light, the sun would shine. Caleb got first place in design and Alex got first place in creativity.
This is Hannah's first car. All she knew was that she wanted the car that Nancy Drew drove in the new Nancy Drew movie. Some quick Google work turned up that is was a 1960 Nash Metropolitan convertible. She took home a third place prize in design.
This is Caleb's car from this year. He came up with the idea of a car that was thin enough to race either upside down or right side up. As he and I discussed the idea, we talked about having a theme to the car that had two different views or different looks. He decided on the cross of Christ and His resurrection. This side is the cross and it says, "He who knew no sin became sin for us . . ."
This is the other side of Caleb's car. It says, "He's risen" on the bottom and on the top it says, ". . . that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
This first picture is of Alex's and Caleb's cars from last year. Caleb's car is a 1960 Mercury sedan. I know nothing about cars, but if you give me a picture I can carve it. Alex's car is the solar system. In the center is an orange super ball that we cut in half. Underneath the car we mounted a led light. When you turned on the light, the sun would shine. Caleb got first place in design and Alex got first place in creativity.
This is Hannah's first car. All she knew was that she wanted the car that Nancy Drew drove in the new Nancy Drew movie. Some quick Google work turned up that is was a 1960 Nash Metropolitan convertible. She took home a third place prize in design.
This is Caleb's car from this year. He came up with the idea of a car that was thin enough to race either upside down or right side up. As he and I discussed the idea, we talked about having a theme to the car that had two different views or different looks. He decided on the cross of Christ and His resurrection. This side is the cross and it says, "He who knew no sin became sin for us . . ."
This is the other side of Caleb's car. It says, "He's risen" on the bottom and on the top it says, ". . . that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
Monday, April 14, 2008
My First Meme
I first saw this on Tina's blog and thought, "I should do that." However, life got hectic and I didn't get to it. Today I have a few extra minutes so I thought I would play along. If you are so inclined, Kerry did one also.
I've never done a meme before, but I've seen them. Normally there is a tagging process which to me is a lot like the awful stamp club things my kids would get sucked into when they were younger, but I digress. I didn't get tagged and I won't be tagging anyone at the end. Mostly because I don't know five other bloggers who haven't already done it and I don't think that tagging bloggers I don't know would necessarily be nice. I will answer the questions to the best of my ability though quite honestly my memory is somewhat fuzzy on portions of my personal life. So here goes. . .
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, each player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Five things on my to do list today:
1. Pull school for the kids for the week.
2. Make breakfast for a friend from Florida who is dropping in with some of his friends.
3. Order a sheet of Formica for friends, order drawers for the current project in the shop, possibly order various hardware for same said project.
4. Get back to building the project. The main portion is built though it needs to be stood up and have the main mechanicals installed. Then I can start on the rest of the cabinetry around the main unit. It is very clearly the most unique piece I have ever built, a bed that retracts via remote control into wall cabinetry. Think James Bond.
5. Make supper, clean the kitchen, quote out two other potential customers on their projects, put together worship packages for the upcoming Bible conference at our church. That's more than five, sorry.
Snacks I enjoy (and allow myself to have):
Hmmmm. This one is a little tougher. I don't know that I really have one thing that I really crave or eat on a regular basis. Wait! It just came to me. Coffee. It is like my comfort food. I can drink it all the time. In fact, I probably drink way too much. Other than that the only other thing that is a real downfall for me when it is around is chocolate. Especially dark chocolate. A piece of dark chocolate in the mouth followed by a drink of hot coffee is divine. You let the heat of the coffee melt the chocolate and it is the perfect mixing of flavors.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I have no real answer on this one. Having more money is a thought that rarely crosses my mind. Not because we already have a lot, because we don't. But we try and keep an eternal perspective and personal wealth doesn't come into the equation for us. I would like to think that if I became independently wealthy that my life would stay fairly the same. I am a simple person and I don't need a lot of stuff to make me happy. However, if I became a billionaire, I would give it in various ways to further the kingdom of Christ. On a personal level, there are a few places around the world that I would really love to travel to, but they are so out of reach I have never given serious thought to them.
Three of my bad habits:
1. Being too dogmatic on my own opinions.
2. Procrastination. Enough said.
3. Whenever I dish ice cream, when all has been dished, just prior to putting it away, I have to eat one small bite of ice cream from the container off of the ice cream scoop. This is probably more of an idiosyncrasy than a habit, but it is a little bizarre. I've tried to not do it, but it just feels weird if I don't. It is always the last thing I do and no, I have never worked anywhere that served ice cream.
Five places I have lived:
This one is easy, because I have only lived in three places.
In order.
1. Waupun, WI
2. Watertown, WI
3. Clyman, WI
Five jobs I've had in no particular order:
1. Newspaper boy for 4 years. I did every route in the town at one time or another.
2. Pizza delivery. You quickly learned to get on the good side of the guy who makes the pizza's to get the pick of who you will be delivering to. We had some regular customers who were very good tippers and we had one regular customer who always answered the door in only his underwear. Underwear guy always got the new guy to deliver his pizza.
3. I drove forklift and cleaned in a machine shop for a summer. From the first day to the last, all of the guys on the floor called me, Elmer. They said I looked like an Elmer and they never asked or cared what my real name was.
4. Inventory manager for a tool equipment retail store.
5. Worked in a production furniture shop and became one of their floor leaders. That allowed me the opportunity to learn all of the different jobs in the shop. I also trained the new employees and was allowed to work on the very custom jobs that the shop would get from time to time. All great experience that helped when I opened my own business.
What was I doing ten years ago?
I changed the order of the questions because this one is the hardest for me to answer. Ten years ago was 1998. I would change jobs that year, but overall it was a year of personal crisis. I was in the last year of a two year period of running from God. I had fallen into a pattern of sin that I really enjoyed, but I never counted the cost. The more I ran from God the further I ran to sin and in doing so I was destroying my marriage, my family, and myself. After a while, I felt so incredibly guilty that I sank into a deep suicidal depression. I alone knew the reason why. I continued to run from God and even had some very serious agnostic thoughts. I couldn't understand how if there was a God, why He would let me wake up every day in such personal misery. My wicked heart told me that the only answer to free me from my pattern of guilt and pain was to no longer live. Yet through all of that, God was pursuing me. I did not run to Him and I did not come willingly. He drew me kicking, screaming, and fighting for what I thought was my "freedom". In spite of me, He offered grace and when He grabbed me I could no longer say no. "Once His enemy, now seated at His table." He not only gave me back my life, He gave me life in Him. He restored a marriage and a family and continues to give grace. I cannot think of that period of my life without thinking of Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—
I cannot think but that I should have run any storehouse of mercy completely empty. But God, who is rich in mercy called and drew me. Sovereign Grace Music in their song "Always Forgiven" puts it so well.
All You have shown me is grace, love, and mercy,
Now and forever I am Your child.
Freely You pour out Your loving kindness,
Father of grace You welcome me in.
I've never done a meme before, but I've seen them. Normally there is a tagging process which to me is a lot like the awful stamp club things my kids would get sucked into when they were younger, but I digress. I didn't get tagged and I won't be tagging anyone at the end. Mostly because I don't know five other bloggers who haven't already done it and I don't think that tagging bloggers I don't know would necessarily be nice. I will answer the questions to the best of my ability though quite honestly my memory is somewhat fuzzy on portions of my personal life. So here goes. . .
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, each player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Five things on my to do list today:
1. Pull school for the kids for the week.
2. Make breakfast for a friend from Florida who is dropping in with some of his friends.
3. Order a sheet of Formica for friends, order drawers for the current project in the shop, possibly order various hardware for same said project.
4. Get back to building the project. The main portion is built though it needs to be stood up and have the main mechanicals installed. Then I can start on the rest of the cabinetry around the main unit. It is very clearly the most unique piece I have ever built, a bed that retracts via remote control into wall cabinetry. Think James Bond.
5. Make supper, clean the kitchen, quote out two other potential customers on their projects, put together worship packages for the upcoming Bible conference at our church. That's more than five, sorry.
Snacks I enjoy (and allow myself to have):
Hmmmm. This one is a little tougher. I don't know that I really have one thing that I really crave or eat on a regular basis. Wait! It just came to me. Coffee. It is like my comfort food. I can drink it all the time. In fact, I probably drink way too much. Other than that the only other thing that is a real downfall for me when it is around is chocolate. Especially dark chocolate. A piece of dark chocolate in the mouth followed by a drink of hot coffee is divine. You let the heat of the coffee melt the chocolate and it is the perfect mixing of flavors.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I have no real answer on this one. Having more money is a thought that rarely crosses my mind. Not because we already have a lot, because we don't. But we try and keep an eternal perspective and personal wealth doesn't come into the equation for us. I would like to think that if I became independently wealthy that my life would stay fairly the same. I am a simple person and I don't need a lot of stuff to make me happy. However, if I became a billionaire, I would give it in various ways to further the kingdom of Christ. On a personal level, there are a few places around the world that I would really love to travel to, but they are so out of reach I have never given serious thought to them.
Three of my bad habits:
1. Being too dogmatic on my own opinions.
2. Procrastination. Enough said.
3. Whenever I dish ice cream, when all has been dished, just prior to putting it away, I have to eat one small bite of ice cream from the container off of the ice cream scoop. This is probably more of an idiosyncrasy than a habit, but it is a little bizarre. I've tried to not do it, but it just feels weird if I don't. It is always the last thing I do and no, I have never worked anywhere that served ice cream.
Five places I have lived:
This one is easy, because I have only lived in three places.
In order.
1. Waupun, WI
2. Watertown, WI
3. Clyman, WI
Five jobs I've had in no particular order:
1. Newspaper boy for 4 years. I did every route in the town at one time or another.
2. Pizza delivery. You quickly learned to get on the good side of the guy who makes the pizza's to get the pick of who you will be delivering to. We had some regular customers who were very good tippers and we had one regular customer who always answered the door in only his underwear. Underwear guy always got the new guy to deliver his pizza.
3. I drove forklift and cleaned in a machine shop for a summer. From the first day to the last, all of the guys on the floor called me, Elmer. They said I looked like an Elmer and they never asked or cared what my real name was.
4. Inventory manager for a tool equipment retail store.
5. Worked in a production furniture shop and became one of their floor leaders. That allowed me the opportunity to learn all of the different jobs in the shop. I also trained the new employees and was allowed to work on the very custom jobs that the shop would get from time to time. All great experience that helped when I opened my own business.
What was I doing ten years ago?
I changed the order of the questions because this one is the hardest for me to answer. Ten years ago was 1998. I would change jobs that year, but overall it was a year of personal crisis. I was in the last year of a two year period of running from God. I had fallen into a pattern of sin that I really enjoyed, but I never counted the cost. The more I ran from God the further I ran to sin and in doing so I was destroying my marriage, my family, and myself. After a while, I felt so incredibly guilty that I sank into a deep suicidal depression. I alone knew the reason why. I continued to run from God and even had some very serious agnostic thoughts. I couldn't understand how if there was a God, why He would let me wake up every day in such personal misery. My wicked heart told me that the only answer to free me from my pattern of guilt and pain was to no longer live. Yet through all of that, God was pursuing me. I did not run to Him and I did not come willingly. He drew me kicking, screaming, and fighting for what I thought was my "freedom". In spite of me, He offered grace and when He grabbed me I could no longer say no. "Once His enemy, now seated at His table." He not only gave me back my life, He gave me life in Him. He restored a marriage and a family and continues to give grace. I cannot think of that period of my life without thinking of Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—
I cannot think but that I should have run any storehouse of mercy completely empty. But God, who is rich in mercy called and drew me. Sovereign Grace Music in their song "Always Forgiven" puts it so well.
All You have shown me is grace, love, and mercy,
Now and forever I am Your child.
Freely You pour out Your loving kindness,
Father of grace You welcome me in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)