A fricken Elephant

Ok, so I know I have been a bad blogger this past week and haven't posted anything since my birthday which is exactly a week ago. However I think it is only fair to update you on the prayer requests you have been praying about. First of all I was 100% correct in saying that I won't get those 3 wishes, in fact I am looking outside at some snow on the ground which is totally not welcome.

Ok, to talk about the prayer requests...

The friends from Africa are on there way home so continual prayer would be lovely still. In fact, I get to see them Sunday which I am totally ecstatic about! So prayer for the safe coming home would be well appreciated.

The "New Job" is progressing quite well, actually better than expected. When I talked to the guy who does most of the hiring told me that things are falling well into place. Nothing is for sure so we need to keep praying about all of it. I realize God is in control and I am slowly letting go to let God.

My infection will slowly get better... I am on meds right now which aren't settling well with my body. These meds are the same meds I was on last time, and they are reacting the same exact way. These reactions to the drugs are not pleasant but I know the ends will justify the means.

So in conclusion, we still could use prayer in all these areas but it is getting better. Remember, God is Good!

}and to the ends of the earth{

Watching:

Show: Bones

Season: 4

Episode: 26 "The End in the Beginning"

Wishes and Lists

So it's my 23rd birthday... wahoo! Yay! I don't mind my birthday so much, it's the getting older that isn't so pleasant. I mean they do say "Those who have more birthdays live longer". I am enjoying my birthday so far. I mean I got two new pairs of jeans, my wife went out bought me a Dunkin' Donuts' coffee coolatta and 2  boston cream doughnuts. Plus Mr. L is going to get me something hopefully tomorrow too! :) This excites me a lot. I woke up to Monkey giving me a kiss followed by a short back rub provided by Bee. :) It's ok, jealousy isn't all bad! Yes, I do have to work today, but at least we are making my favorite product to eat today. My 3 wishes today that probably won't happen are:

1. Spend the day with my family
2. Bright, Sunny, and about 78°F
3. No Snow

I am very grateful for all  of the Birthday wishes I have received so far, and if I receive any later... Thanks for those too.

Let's not forget my friends in Africa in prayer. They had a slightly rough trip but they are going to be headed home soon.

Prayer Requests:

1. Friends in Africa (Safety)
2. New Job
3. My infection

I will leave you with a video of God's beautiful Artwork

}and to the ends of the earth{

Listening to:

Artist: Hinder

Album: Extreme Behavior 

Song: Lips of an Angel

Monkey

Ok, so I have had this blog for quite some time and have never mentioned anything about my Monkey. Which is slightly odd, because Monkey and Bee are my life. I would do anything for either of them.
Monkey is about 9.5 months old now and is a very big boy. He knows about 14 words, is crawling like a pro, the size of an average 18 month old, walking while holding on to things, and starting to free stand. It is quite crazy how much has changed in the past 12 months. Just thinking about the past year or so amuses me I had yet to complete school, Bee was pregnant with Monkey, and I had yet to become an A rate Operator. God has been good, no God has been great!

}and to the ends of the earth{

Listening to:

Artist: Kutless
Album: Hearts of the Innocent
Song: Beyond the Surface

The Art of Trying

Well it's official, as of 3.20.11 we were voted in as members at the church we have been attending for over a year now. I know for one thing, I am ridiculously excited about it. Bee and I feel very at home there and have been accepted with loving arms wide open. I strongly believe God has huge plans for us through this church, I just pray that I am not to stubborn to follow where He leads.

I am very excited to announce that I have been back into reading the Bible... heavily. I am trying really hard to read the Bible in it's entirety in a year. I have only been doing it for a little over a week, but I have yet to miss a day of my daily devotions, so that is very exciting. My prayer life has also picked up steam. I miss praying like I use to, I am slowly getting back to that point. Also during my morning devotions, I have been reading "Straight Talk to Men" by Dr. James Dobson that my mother-in-law gave to me as a gift this past Christmas. Yeah sure, I could read this book easily within a month, but I am taking it really slow. I am reading one chapter a week, and I am really enjoying it. Dr. Dobson has done a very good job in writing/editing this book, at least of so far.

Another goal I have been trying to achieve is to work on my artwork. Another goal I am working on this year is that I want to try to complete one decent size art project a week. This goal is a more flexible goal right now, but it is still something I want and need to do for my family and myself.
Reasons for doing so:

1.  I don't want to lose my knowledge of the programs I went to school for.
2. I  want to have a wider variety of artwork in my portfolio
3. I want to update my art website/portfolio
4. I want to aggressively look for a career in the digital arts.

}and to the ends of the earth{

Listening to:

Artist: Skillet

Album: Comatose

Song: Better Than Drugs

The Good, The Bad, and The Dad

Growing up, I have heard that when we (us kids) grow up we will see a lot of our parents in ourself. Me, being the oldest boy of 8 kids was determined to make a statement, to show the world that I would be the exception to the rule. I was determined to watch both my parents carefully and make sure I would not inherit any negative influences from my parents. Well, if you know anything about my parents and myself, you will know right away that doing all of that hard work did not pay off very well. I am just like my mom and dad combined, both good and bad. However, I think we have to be careful when we say we inherited bad influences from our parents. Most attitudes and all emotions can either be positive or negative depending on how it is used and/or perceived. If I ask most people what the worst emotion anyone can experience, they would probably say anger. Anger is a very dangerous emotion. Anger can cause a lot of pain including death; just turn on your local news station to see what I mean. Anger can also be used for good. Jesus gave a prime example of this in the temple when he got angry at the merchants selling in the temple. Get my point? I regress...

Good or bad I am a very stubborn person, I can thank both my mom and my dad for this quality. Don't believe me? It is my dad's birthday today and 23 years ago my mom was pregnant with me. They tried everything in their power to get me out of her womb and into her arms. They drove over railroad tracks, bumps, hills, ran stairs... ask my mom she will tell you...  I would not come out, actually not for another 3 more days. I was to stubborn to come out when my parents wanted me to. I wanted my own birthday. I mean I already have my dad's name, why would I want to share a birthday? :) ;) Anyway stubborn doesn't always have to be a bad thing, it has saved my dad a lot of money by being stubborn and not just giving into the pesky sales-people. I have learned to do the same. There are plenty of other good/bad attributes that I received from my parents, but this one is the most relevant to me today. I am still very stubborn to let go. I am trying, but stubborn is second nature to me.

So before I go to work... Happy Birthday Dad, I hope you have a wonderful day and many more like it. Thank you for everything, good and bad. It has helped me to be the man, husband, and father I am today. I love you dearly.

}and to the ends of the earth{

Letting Go and Letting God

I desperately need prayer right now... Anxiety is sitting in as of lately, and I have been struggling a lot with letting go and letting God. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." That verse has been going through my head for at least a week now and quite frankly, it is driving me nuts! I mean maybe... just maybe it is a Godincident that this has been going through my head while being stressed and anxious for something in particular. I know the power of prayer is greater than any words I can come up with. I mean the God of the Universe has set up a communication system where we can talk straight to him with no-one in between. There is no Priest, no Pastor, no Deacon, No Elder... Just me and God. Then Why? Why is it so hard to let go and let God? I have run out of excuses, yet I am still doing it. As I write this blog I am thinking about the very reason I am extremely anxious about. I mean, I realize that I might know more information this week coming up, but that is no reason to question my Jesus. I know I cannot go into detail about it right now, but please pray for my job. I am currently aggressively looking for a new job and there might be one opening up for me. So I ask you to pray for my anxiety; pray that I can let go and let God, second I am asking you to pray for this new job; God's timing; God's perfect will, and lastly maybe the most important one of them all is that you supplicate that if I do get this job, that I do it at the greatest of my abilities and that when people see me in the position they won't look down and see me, but look up and see who I am really working for. I love you all in Christ.

}and to the ends of the earth{

It must be the year to blog

Ok, so it has been quite some time since I have posted anything on my blog; over a year in fact.  Well, I am turning a new leaf and would like to keep everyone posted better, and I figure this is the best way to do just that. I have changed my theme and layout of my blog a little and might do a little be more revamping before it is all said and done. If you notice I have 2 different pages at the top of my blog. One is my personal blog which you are reading now. The second page is my artwork. I will try my hardest to keep both areas up to date. In the mean time I hope you enjoy and continue reading my blog. I will leave you with a quote from my Hero...


}and to the ends of the earth{