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.