Instead of another insipid round of self-evaluation like I would normally engage in on an occasion like New Year's Eve, I decided to focus on awesome things that God did this past year. Here goes!
1. I was let go from Walmart on December 26th, 2012 and spent a month searching for work in an economically stagnant Hanover. The day before I would have had to go through the application and hiring process again, I got a call from the HR office saying they'd like to bring me back on as a permanent employee. I was later told that I was the ONLY seasonal cashier that they called back. They were authorized to call one person back and I was the one they picked. That was a God-thing.
2. In February, I flew out to Phoenix, AZ to interview with the Arizona Teaching Fellows. I didn't make it into the program and was a bit bummed out by that fact. Mere weeks later, I realized that I really wasn't interested in teaching again after Korea. Can you imagine if I'd made it into that program, moved out to Phoenix and THEN realized I didn't like being a teacher?! God saved me from stepping in a big pile of it there!
3. After coming back from Phoenix, I started work at a turkey-processing plant in New Oxford. It was miserable and I hated every minute of it. I went back to Walmart and pleaded with them to give me my old job back. God made sure they hadn't hired another person to replace me yet and I was able to finish out the week and then return to a job that I didn't mind as much. And I got a great pair of galoshes out of the deal too!
4. I found a great place to live that I could afford on my budget shortly after that fiasco. Living on a part-time Walmart job isn't a great financial base and I had to pass up a few places before finding this one. It's been such a blessing though. The landlady is great, it comes furnished, and I even have money for extras now and then.
5. I started experiencing major tooth pain in April but I didn't have the income to see a dentist right away. The dentist referred me to a credit offer that would allow me to have an emergency root canal done with no interest for 6 months. I applied and was approved. I had the procedure done and God provided the money I needed to pay off the whole bill within the 6 month time frame.
6. God provided the finances I needed to travel down to Lynchburg in September for an interview in Student Accounts at Liberty. I didn't get the job but I had a great time visiting friends and resting. I think God just knew I needed a little break to enjoy myself but that I wouldn't "waste" money doing it just because.
7. When I felt the financial noose tightening in November, I became really upset thinking that I wouldn't get any sort of a Christmas celebration. The worst moods were the week before my hours started shooting through the roof and the 10% grocery discount went into effect. God gave me a terrific Christmas and even lovingly reminded me on Christmas Eve that He really was the greatest reason to celebrate and that I shouldn't be so fixated on giving or receiving gifts or enjoying nice food.
8. God has opened the door for me to really get to know my dad better. His schedule is pretty full but we've had enough time to visit just the two of us together a couple of times. I am thankful that I have this opportunity.
9. God did so many little things this year that I can't list because I don't remember them. I've become more aware of how richly He has blessed me in the past couple of months. Every Sunday, I learn more about His love for me and His grace and compassion. I've gotten to meet with my mentor Bruce several times. I'm getting ready to retake my driver's license test. I've become involved with two small group bible studies. I've been a member of eHarmony for a few months and have met people on there that I'm getting to know better. I've gotten a couple pieces of furniture that make my house feel more like a home. And on and on and on. And He's done these things in the face of my sinfulness and rebelliousness. He. Is. Awesome!
31 December 2013
29 December 2013
A Christmas 2014 Challenge
Every year I hear people talking about how Christmas has become too commercialized and every year we continue to just grumble and become stressed about the whole holiday season and just wish it was over. It is literally the same every year. First comes Thanksgiving, then special sales, then parties and gatherings, then Christmas Eve services, then opening many, many presents, then big meals, then "relaxing" and visiting. Have you noticed the presents? Most of them are so superficial. Everybody gets excited about them as Christmas Day approaches but by mid-February most (if not all of them) are forgotten. We buy a whole heap of stuff but usually by the following Christmas we struggle to remember what it was we got last time. Why is that? No, really. Why? So much money gets spent on presents but what we get out of them is not proportionate. Hence my idea...
Next Christmas, let's just NOT buy a whole TON of gifts! We'll save a little bit of money which (contrary to what some economists tell us) actually really helps the economy; especially when it's money that we don't have (aka credit cards). Now I'm not saying to not have gifts next Christmas. I'm not saying that staring at each other around the Christmas tree thinking "Gee! It's great being non-materialistic!" I'm not saying that at all. What I AM saying is let's THINK of one (or two) gifts that will really, really be appreciated by our loved ones. Let's stop thinking superficially about Christmas gifts and get things that really speak to each others' personalities. For some people, this will mean working little by little on a big art project from August to December. For some, this will mean writing something to a person that will stick with them as being really, truly heartfelt. For some, this will mean taking a lot of photos and compiling a scrapbook. For some, this will mean learning about ice fishing, buying a few cheap supplies and planning a trip up to Minnesota for father-son or brotherly bonding time. You get my point. Basically, let's think about what really matters to our loved ones and going above and beyond to give it to them for next Christmas. I challenge you. Choose one or two people that you really want to express your love to as a gift next Christmas and then do it.
After all, this is EXACTLY what God did for us at Christmas time. He had been thinking for millennia and gave the absolute perfect gift that is beyond our wildest dreams. Imagine if He had chosen to give us 10,000 little things but left out the big one. The exact same thing that happens for most of our Christmases would have happened on a grand scale. We'd have gotten tired of the novelty and forgotten them fast. Let's give gifts next Christmas on a small scale like God gave us on a large scale.
Next Christmas, let's just NOT buy a whole TON of gifts! We'll save a little bit of money which (contrary to what some economists tell us) actually really helps the economy; especially when it's money that we don't have (aka credit cards). Now I'm not saying to not have gifts next Christmas. I'm not saying that staring at each other around the Christmas tree thinking "Gee! It's great being non-materialistic!" I'm not saying that at all. What I AM saying is let's THINK of one (or two) gifts that will really, really be appreciated by our loved ones. Let's stop thinking superficially about Christmas gifts and get things that really speak to each others' personalities. For some people, this will mean working little by little on a big art project from August to December. For some, this will mean writing something to a person that will stick with them as being really, truly heartfelt. For some, this will mean taking a lot of photos and compiling a scrapbook. For some, this will mean learning about ice fishing, buying a few cheap supplies and planning a trip up to Minnesota for father-son or brotherly bonding time. You get my point. Basically, let's think about what really matters to our loved ones and going above and beyond to give it to them for next Christmas. I challenge you. Choose one or two people that you really want to express your love to as a gift next Christmas and then do it.
After all, this is EXACTLY what God did for us at Christmas time. He had been thinking for millennia and gave the absolute perfect gift that is beyond our wildest dreams. Imagine if He had chosen to give us 10,000 little things but left out the big one. The exact same thing that happens for most of our Christmases would have happened on a grand scale. We'd have gotten tired of the novelty and forgotten them fast. Let's give gifts next Christmas on a small scale like God gave us on a large scale.
14 December 2013
Christmas Letter of a Single Bachelor
Merry Christmas, everyone!
I remember when I was younger (perhaps 11 or 12), I used to really want to write a Christmas letter for my family because the idea was just such a romantic (in the sense of idealistic) one and I was already pretty serious at that age. So after seeing a couple different ones this year on Facebook and another blog I decided to have a go at it myself. Now the problem is that I'm the only one that's a part of my family unit (or at least the only visible one). And it's that parenthetical addition that let me feel that writing a letter from an unmarried, childless guy wasn't an exercise in narcissism or self-centeredness. Because when you know God, you're not the only one in your family unit and it makes all the difference in the world as you grow in that knowledge. So here's the story of me and my God and the goings-on of the past year.
I'll start a little bit before last year to give more context. I arrived back from two years of teaching English in Korea in August of 2012 planning to return in a month or two after a chance to regroup. I decided to do this myself and didn't bother consulting my Father about the decision. I simply decided that of course I would return because it was a good source of income. I'd been searching for a new school for the past couple of months and continued (in theory) for a couple weeks more into my vacation. My vacation consisted of traveling from Baltimore, MD to Amsterdam, NY to visit a close friend pastoring a church up there. I spent about 10 days with him and his new wife and their families. Mike was the first to urge me to reconsider returning to Korea. He knew it had been anything BUT a walk in the park for me spiritually and emotionally and urged me to consider the wisdom of it and consult my Father. He didn't press me on it, though, and my journey continued to the town of my alma mater, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA.
So I stayed about a week in Lynchburg visiting my old haunts, seeing several friends and old church comrades. One of the nights while I was down there I had a rotten sleep and the thought "Should I really return to Korea?" kept flying around my head in a circle. I thought about the various logical aspects and weighing my desire to get married, the shortage of women who spoke fluent English over there, the spiritual struggles I'd encountered and the intense feelings of loneliness and isolation that had swept over my soul from time to time. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the ONLY reason I wanted to return was the money. So I consulted with a couple of older friends and they didn't feel that returning for solely financial reasons was honoring to God and displayed a lack of trust in His ability to provide for my needs. Well at that point I was a bit dazed realizing that I likely wouldn't be returning to Korea despite my having stored a lot of my personal possessions in a suitcase over there.
To complete my vacation, I flew out to the West Coast to visit another close friend and his wife and son in the small northern California town of Yreka. While there, I contacted my dad and expressed the situation I was in having decided not to return to Korea and needing a place to live. He and my stepmom, with incredible grace and understanding opened their home to me for a few months while I figured out how to get back on my feet again. A job was the first order and I found one shortly after starting my search at Walmart in October 2012. I have (more or less) been there for a full year making various excursions to different places in the search for more gainful employment.
The real theme of my life during the past year has been grace and contentment balanced by continuing to venture out to move forward in life. Among the things I can say I am most thankful for this year are my church (Hanover Valley) where I have sat under a man who preaches the fullness and depth of God's love for people who are weak and sinful and ignored or rejected by the world, my mentor Bruce for letting me share my life with him, and (more than anything) for the reality that my Father loves me so patiently when I get life wrong again and again and again and again and when I fail to love Him as He ought to be loved and fail to love others as I ought to. It's that love that, little by little, changes me to be more loving and giving and gracious to people.
So that's my year. I hope you have experienced the depth of God's love for you too.
Merry Christmas,
Wesley
I remember when I was younger (perhaps 11 or 12), I used to really want to write a Christmas letter for my family because the idea was just such a romantic (in the sense of idealistic) one and I was already pretty serious at that age. So after seeing a couple different ones this year on Facebook and another blog I decided to have a go at it myself. Now the problem is that I'm the only one that's a part of my family unit (or at least the only visible one). And it's that parenthetical addition that let me feel that writing a letter from an unmarried, childless guy wasn't an exercise in narcissism or self-centeredness. Because when you know God, you're not the only one in your family unit and it makes all the difference in the world as you grow in that knowledge. So here's the story of me and my God and the goings-on of the past year.
I'll start a little bit before last year to give more context. I arrived back from two years of teaching English in Korea in August of 2012 planning to return in a month or two after a chance to regroup. I decided to do this myself and didn't bother consulting my Father about the decision. I simply decided that of course I would return because it was a good source of income. I'd been searching for a new school for the past couple of months and continued (in theory) for a couple weeks more into my vacation. My vacation consisted of traveling from Baltimore, MD to Amsterdam, NY to visit a close friend pastoring a church up there. I spent about 10 days with him and his new wife and their families. Mike was the first to urge me to reconsider returning to Korea. He knew it had been anything BUT a walk in the park for me spiritually and emotionally and urged me to consider the wisdom of it and consult my Father. He didn't press me on it, though, and my journey continued to the town of my alma mater, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA.
So I stayed about a week in Lynchburg visiting my old haunts, seeing several friends and old church comrades. One of the nights while I was down there I had a rotten sleep and the thought "Should I really return to Korea?" kept flying around my head in a circle. I thought about the various logical aspects and weighing my desire to get married, the shortage of women who spoke fluent English over there, the spiritual struggles I'd encountered and the intense feelings of loneliness and isolation that had swept over my soul from time to time. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the ONLY reason I wanted to return was the money. So I consulted with a couple of older friends and they didn't feel that returning for solely financial reasons was honoring to God and displayed a lack of trust in His ability to provide for my needs. Well at that point I was a bit dazed realizing that I likely wouldn't be returning to Korea despite my having stored a lot of my personal possessions in a suitcase over there.
To complete my vacation, I flew out to the West Coast to visit another close friend and his wife and son in the small northern California town of Yreka. While there, I contacted my dad and expressed the situation I was in having decided not to return to Korea and needing a place to live. He and my stepmom, with incredible grace and understanding opened their home to me for a few months while I figured out how to get back on my feet again. A job was the first order and I found one shortly after starting my search at Walmart in October 2012. I have (more or less) been there for a full year making various excursions to different places in the search for more gainful employment.
The real theme of my life during the past year has been grace and contentment balanced by continuing to venture out to move forward in life. Among the things I can say I am most thankful for this year are my church (Hanover Valley) where I have sat under a man who preaches the fullness and depth of God's love for people who are weak and sinful and ignored or rejected by the world, my mentor Bruce for letting me share my life with him, and (more than anything) for the reality that my Father loves me so patiently when I get life wrong again and again and again and again and when I fail to love Him as He ought to be loved and fail to love others as I ought to. It's that love that, little by little, changes me to be more loving and giving and gracious to people.
So that's my year. I hope you have experienced the depth of God's love for you too.
Merry Christmas,
Wesley
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