Cloth and Christmas

This year, I went up to my parents' place for Christmas. We received an invitation to join some people in their subdivision for Christmas dinner and it was a wonderful time over meal and fellowship.

One of the guests at the table was a man named Dr. Pentecost, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. He was quite a wealth of knowledge on the Bible and I was struck by one of the items he shared with the group after dinner.

We were sitting around after the meal reading some Scriptures and sharing some thoughts about the Christmas story and one of the insights that I really found interesting was that the Hebrew word for "cloth" in swaddling cloths was the same word used in the cloth used the wrap Jesus' body in the tomb after he was crucified. This may have been common use for the cloths for babies as they were less expensive and maybe more commonplace, but the idea that Jesus came into the world and was wrapped in the same type of cloth that he would be wrapped in as a man in death was interesting to ponder. In light of the fact that Jesus came to the world as a sacrifice for mankind's sin, it seems fitting (telling) that the same type cloth used in His death would be used in His birth.

This year marked one of the more special Christmas dinners in my mind as we really seemed to be able to step back from the commercialism of the season and really focus on the true reason for the season. It was a blessed celebration!

Hobbies...and geeks

I went to a store called Hobbytown USA the other day on a tip from a co-worker that it was a good place to find some games. I generally enjoy board games and when I can scrounge up enough friends to play, it's fun to gather and visit and be competitive and laugh.

One of the board games that I've enjoyed is called Ticket to Ride (thanks to Brad Hopp for the introduction to the game) and I've got the European board map. It's a pretty easy game to pick-up and enjoy in a small recreational group. I have often thought of breaking down to buy the Settlers of Catan game, but for whatever reason, I've just not wanted to spring for it.

I thought I might be able to find the game at this Hobbytown USA store at a good price which was the reason for outing. When I went, I finally found the store and wondered why I'd never seen the store from the road before. Anyway, I went in a looked around and found some pretty cool things in there. In addition to games, there were models, train sets, balsa wood, and larger motorized airplanes and all the little parts and supplies necessary for using/building all said items. I came to the realization that I, for the most part, really have no hobbies (at least not any in this store). It was interesting to hear the enthusiastic conversations taking place around me about different games, and finding airfields and tarmacs to fly motorized model airplanes. It was fascinating to see how excited these people were about their hobbies.

I don't generally place myself in the category of geeks, but for a few fleeting seconds, I found myself thinking maybe I am for being in a store like this. There was a stranger that came up to me in the store as I was perusing the games aisle and he was asking me if I liked a particular genre of games (a word I didn't know was even used to classify the type of games I was looking at). I told him that I was just looking at games and didn't really know what I was looking for. He went on to ask if there was a particular level I was looking for and how many players I could typically get for a game. I told him easy games and anything for 2-4 players. Though he was just a shopper, he was kind enough to share some of his knowledge of the various board games in front of us and suggestions for what I might want to buy. Seemed like a nice guy though there was definitely a knowledge of the whole genre of games that I was unaware of which made me think I was just stepping into a pool of geek knowledge on these games. It went over the top when he suggested I look at the website called boardgamegeek.com for more information on the games and reviews, etc. He also was kind enough to inform me of board game gatherings around town and times, etc. He explained that it's a bit geeky and that if most people can get around that, it's a lot of fun. I'm not sure if I can get around it since I'm not that heavily into games, but I may proclaim a touch of self-geekness in checking out the boardgamegeek.com website.

I think my hobbies tend more towards traveling, but since it takes more time and money than I'm usually willing to spend on a given weekend, I now realize that my life is quite boring!

Bittersweet day

Today was such a bittersweet day. I just felt like I was on a roller coaster all day. It started off by waking up before my alarm because the sun was nice and bright outside due to Daylight Savings ending last night. I also must've slept on my back wrong since it seemed quite sore this morning which probably added to my waking up earlier than desired.

I got up and went to church this morning (the first in quite some time due to essentially working through each weekend at the office). It was such a sweet time of worship and hearing the Word. They played a few of my more favorite praise songs and I just felt challenged today by the message on deception. I loved the thought of pursuing love, faith, and peace and following what makes me want to do right. I was particularly challenged by the idea of always being quick to the truth about one's life and the thought that if I choose to argue/defend against my lack of character observed by others, then I will never gain more character. It's so in my nature to try and defend myself and exonerate from any wrong, but why argue about them if they are really true. Why can I not be quick to accept the truth and learn from it to change from inside out?

Coming home, I checked work email quickly to make sure nothing was pressing and then headed out to Buena Vista to visit my parents for the day. It was a beautiful day and perfect for a drive to the mountains. I had the sunroof open, Dr. Pepper in the car and the music going. The temperatures were warmer, the sun was shining, the sky was clear and so blue and the mountains had their snow caps on. It was great until I took a curve a little too quick and proceeded to hit some loose dirt/gravel with one of my way too bare back tires. This caused my beautiful afternoon drive to become quite depressing as I fishtailed and lost control of the car. I managed to swing it around 180 degrees to the oncoming lane, but ran out of road and shoulder and offered up a quick prayer to God as I went over the side of the road and rolled the car.

I am so thankful for God's protection on me, on others around me on the road, and for good weather. As I came to a halt, I just sat there making sure nothing else was going to happen before proceeding to get out of the car. Other cars up on the road see me and had pulled around to make sure any assistance that may be needed could be provided by them or by others. I am thankful that I was in a coverage area where my cell phone worked and was able to call 911, I am thankful my parents were home to answer when I called them as well. I am thankful for the public servants (fire, sheriff, state patrol) who were very gracious and kind to offer me water as well as a ride to meet my parents whom had opted to drive out and meet up with me halfway. I am thankful for only having sore muscles and sustaining a minor skinned knee.

After getting things resolved and getting a citation (of course, the state trooper seemed apologetic that he even had to give it to me, but it was warranted), my parents and I drove back to their place where I had an opportunity to just relax, calm my nerves and enjoy a visit and dinner before heading back home. I am thankful for their extra car and their willingness to let me use it for the time being and I am thankful for the full moon tonight which shined very brightly and reflected well off the large amount of snow still on the ground from the storm last week.

As I drove home, I was able to appreciate the beauty and stillness of the night with how bright everything was and seeing the snow caps on the mountains reflecting the moonlight. It seemed almost magical.

I am very sad that my car is wrecked and am wondering what the adjuster will say as to whether its repairable or not. I really did like that car and even more so now that it kept me safe in my first major accident.

The highs and lows have exhausted me today. That's way more than I want to experience on a typical weekend. I thank God for His protection over me, for the beauty of His creation that He allowed me to enjoy today, for the opportunity to be worshipping Him this morning, and the opportunity to visit my parents this afternoon.

Maybe the week will be less uneventful...

Stress and stress-free

Stress - Undergoing audit by the Government on my most recent proposal submission.

 

Stress-Free - Going to see Where the Wild Things Are tonight!

Restless

So, here I sit at 4am (MST) wondering why the heck I can't sleep. I just spent the last couple weeks of my life finishing up one of the most strenous proposals to date and losing a lot of sleep during that time, to include one all-nighter at the office. I managed to catch up on sleep over this weekend, but I didn't think I'd had that much sleep.

As I tossed and turned, I just decided it wasn't worth it to just lay in bed if I wasn't ready to fall asleep (I've already been up a few times prior to now). So, here I am just wondering about some thoughts as I suspect that's a large part of my restless state.

Some of the thoughts on my mind right now:

1)Impending audit on the proposal by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)

2)Future job opportunity in Afghanistan

3)Future job opportunities at Compassion

4)Future job opportunities with Samaritan's Purse

5)Finding my passport

6)What I need to say and what I really want to say in the upcoming After Action Review regarding process improvement for future proposals

7)Current state of my relationship with God

8)Current state of my relationships with people

9)Continued aging of my parents and wondering whether I'm taking their existing time for granted

10)Finishing up house projects

11)The future in general

The one thing that has been on my mind most this year has been my future occupational choices. Ever since I left Crusade, I think I've struggled with finding something that means something to me. I feel like I'm not cut out for climbing the corporate ladder all my life. I think that pursuit has been about average for me, but I also think I needed to know that for myself coming out of college and having only experienced Christian non-profit work.

My friend, Thomas, was kind enough to pass along a contact name at Compassion which I've been hoping to find some time to sit down and update my resume to pass along. Now that I've finished my proposal, I think I'll be able to complete that exercise. I feel that I need to be doing something that supports a greater picture than corporate wealth-building, though the current experience I'm gaining is undoubtedly valuable to building upon down the road.

For the next couple of years, I see that the path I'm on is the right one, but the overall desire for something greater continues to be out in front and I think it's good to be able to keep that in focus in light of where I'm at and the commitments I've currently made.

Confession:

I like the sausage, egg and cheese breakfast burritos at Taco Express and buy them much more frequently than I should...

Ohnosecond

Last night I had one of those ohnoseconds.  I was working late and trying to meet a deadline.  I got up from my cubicle area to use the restroom and get some water before resuming work.  As I was filling my water bottle and began walking back toward the access door to the floor my cubicle is on, I realized I did not have my access card on me.  Dangit!  I was trapped.  My mind started racing about what my options were before me.  In the end, I called my boss whom was so gracious enough to come back up to the office and let me back in to my cubicle area to get my access card.  The part I feel really bad about is the fact this took place at 2:00...in the am.  Dangit!