Coming up

I just thought i would blog again, get these fingers typing about something up on this website. Any who, this Monday that is Coming up as we all know is labor day. I am so thrilled and excited for it because it is another day for Wake Church.

What is Wake Church, it is a time where people get together talk about God and his word real early in the morning (6:30) and then go wake-boarding afterwords. It is so much fun.

So in light of all this, i think you should totally come, if you want to, just reply to this before Monday and we will connect.

Also, if you are thinking of coming, we will be reading Psalms 23. Yes, very befitting of the day... we know.

Any who, i will totally write more on this topic latron.

Deuces

Killin me softly

No, the title of this post is not the lyrics to the song "killing me softly."

Any way's what i mean by this title is that procrastination is killing me softly. It is something i hate and that i now i need to manage better but it is soooo tough for me to do. I think i procrastinate for fear of commitment or i just get anxious and want to push the inevitable away. The strange thing is that by doing this whole push-back thing i get hurt. Doing this whole procrastinating thing brings death, fear, anxieties. You know these words don't seem like ones that should be involved with anyones life... especially a person who follows after Christ, yet they are... and it is ok.

It is ok to experience these emotions but the way they are brought on is the problem. The reason why i experience emotions like fear and anxiety is because i hold off on doing almost everything and it kills me. I sometimes get emails from individuals and i don't open them for maybe a couple of days avoiding the inevitable message that has already been sent and even maybe hoping for a reply.

I think procrastination is one of the things a greatly dislike about myself and i am glad that i can have some help from Lindsay (my girlfriend) in this area but it is something i know that I have to work through. I know God has more for me then anxieties and fears. I know that there is no need to be rushed and so panicky just waiting and wondering how things are going to come along for my class schedule this semester or i realize that i don't have to redo things if i completed them proficiently and on time with the first go around.

Procrastination is a killa and it adds un-needed stress. This is also the point in the blog where i could make some super spiritual comment or tie in some scripture but... it aint going to go down like that. I just want to share my experience and shed some light on this silent creeper, this slow sulking shadow that adds just enough darkness to start blotting out Christ and adding to His light and easy yoke. Run from the shadow's of procrastination and find your freedom in the pastures that Christ has promised. All of that may be a little more work but it adds endurance which eventually leads to hope which Christ has lavishly poured out unto us in his love. Romans 5: 3-5

Mario Party

I just thought i would let the world know that i love Mario Party 8 for the Wii. It is a great game of bonding and it keeps you from getting hurt like in the Nintendo 64's version of Mario Party.

Examples.

You would think their would be some cool story being my stigmata but their isn't. I was playing against Lindsay Carol Stroud aka My girlfriend = the woman i am madly in love with... that is right, i said it... MADLY IN LOVE WITH.

So any who, i was playing and there was a game where you had to spin the joystick as quick as possible and so i just went crazy and spun with the center of my hand for thirty seconds strait and after it was all done i looked down and noticed that my hand was blistered and in just a smidgen of pain.

All of this to say that i did dominate her that game and i was the SUPERSTAR!

Bread

Daily Bread.

These words are pretty simple, yet have so much meaning to them. On there own they are pretty useless but when you combine them with something so infinite, something so powerful, something so... beautiful and mighty, these words bring life, hope, peace, and joy. These words, Daily Bread bring money, shelter, full, quenched. These words are... really incomprehensible and the only reason why is because they are what our heavenly father provides us.

For a long while now, probably since around the beginning of the year, my mindset on prayer has drastically changed. As my views on prayers changed i started praying in a different way and something i usually do is pray the Lords prayer in the morning... you know start my day off with a little scripture, truth, life.

So for those of you who may not know what the "Lords Prayer" is... here it is, from Matthew 6: 9-13

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Honestly, until recently, which is after many months of saying this scripture over, something dawned on me... "Give us this day our daily bread." This verse hit me so hard and it makes me smile even now as i read it. God is in control. God has everything and can give everything. God wants us to ask him for what we need that day. This verse is us saying, "God i don't know what today has in store for me but i know that i need you and i want you to provide for me the food that i will need to survive, the shelter i will need to survive, the clothes i need for today, the money for the things i need, God please give me LIFE."

These verses our so amazing. I stinking love them and the life and the joy and the everything that they bring. It is such a comfort knowing that God will give me what i need for that day. God has this amazing journey for me... for each one of us and i am just hoping and praying that i will continue to have the faith and trust in him to provide what i need. I mean what a relief that is, to know that what i need: shelter, food, money, clothes is provided for by my heavenly father who has everything.

So know that God desires to provide for us so that we can bring him glory. He isn't providing the winning lottery number but he is providing the money for groceries and food and shelter. He isn't providing all of the items we have in our house but he is providing the essential things we need to survive day to day. He provides the heat in the cold and the cold in the heat. He provides us with life abundantly instead of the death that we bring upon ourself. God is a provider, but within that we must realize it isn't easy, it may not seem perfect and it may seem scary, but it is always good and for his purpose and glory.

He provides for us our what we need. He provides for his glory.

Daily Bread.

So Games

So i just thought i would put up a random blog as i wait for William Gregory Britt III is setting up some stuff on his phone. And the blog consists of this. I love Call of Duty: World at War. I mean it is one fantastic game and i especially love killing zombies and all of the fun levels offered. If you have a PS3 or that other lame system X-box whatever or a Wii, then you should probably get it.

I mean it is a great bonding time with friends plus a really great game with good graphics. I mean you should totally check it out and buy one at your nearest retail store.

I know i know

It has been like a year since i have last blogged but i just wanted to let everyone know that it is going down in China town... and i will start blogging every so often. I mean God is doing some pretty cool and amazing things in my life and i just want to share them, not that i am anything special but i think i have a story to tell and a few people who would like to hear about it.

Rest

Last night was an interesting night for me, in driving home from my friends i was just overcome with this somber mood.  I think it is God really pre-paring my heart for missions in the future, but i don't know.

I also got a text from someone incredibly important to me and in essence it was one that she was asking for prayer.

I think both these things made me realize that all we need is God's love, and that God is love.  That concept is something that we all forget and overlook though.  So on the way home i was listening to this band called Parachute that i just discovered on iTunes.  The song was She Is Love.  I don't know there meaning behind it, or if it has some super hidden cool story, but what i did was changed the words to HE is love, and HE is all i need. Basically wherever she was sung, i put HE or GOD.  The song is amazing, and last night as i heated up some sausage links and poured a glass of milk i just went on my back porch and rested in the beauty of the night.  

I am still feeling this somber or thought provoking mood.  I don't know where i am going or headed but what i do know is that God is love and he is all we need.

Solo

Last Sunday, aka Mothers Day, i saw a movie with my mom and brother called the soloist.  I really enjoyed the movie and thought it was great.  Not to spoil anything about it, but at one point Jamie Foxx's character ends up going to this community center Called LAMP Community.  This community is right in the middle of the slums, the projects, the worst of the worst of Los Angeles full of the poor, brokenhearted, lost, confused, mentally ill.

My thought during this movie was that our world is so broken, not just because there are people homeless and hurting, but because there is just so much hurt and pain going on around us.  I don't think i could comprehend how much struggles and troubles there really are.

As i was thinking about this fact that our world is broken i thought, "i can do nothing about it."  You may be saying Paul that isn't true, you can do plenty of things to change the world around you and i would only partially agree.  I am not saying that i have nothing to give, because i have tons of shirts and jeans and other items.  I am not saying that i have nothing to offer, i am just saying that on my own i am nothing and without God's grace and love i can give nothing with meaning.  Only by God loving me can i truly love others.  

This movie just re-confirms my call to missions and i love that.  I can't wait to see how God will use me to help the brokenhearted, lost, and confused.  I can't wait to see how i am changed.  I can't wait to really see the world as He really sees the world. 

I am nothing and have nothing to give, but because of God, i can change the world.  Because of the passion he has put in my life, i can help others and be a part of the joy that is around me... meaning that even though people have nothing, they still have joy, they still dance and sing, which is another scene that you will see in the movie.  

One thing i have learned and what i will end with is this. Just because they are poor and homeless, doesn't mean people who are poor, hurt, mentally ill have no joy or anything to live for.  There is joy in all situations and i want to be a part of it, or unveil peoples eyes to it.

Will you join me?

A Reply to The Matt Scott ladies and gentleman.

So my friends blog is being a little sketchy so this post is actually a reply to his Post... Make Sense?  

OK!

Before you read my reply, read his post, it is very very.... You guessed it... interesting. 

Matt Scott's Post: Conversing With The Other

Enjoy

Matt, is interesting to hear you say that you struggled to listen and hear what others say. Well only sort of now that i really think about it. One reason being the fact that your wife loves you for being so open to hear her thoughts and opinions on things as you grow together. But i also understand how you could consider yourself struggling with that with the desire to question everything (most everything) and not just listen.  

But it is fun and actually really cool for me to hear you are a part of a group, a cohort as you put it, of diverse people with multiple views. Excited and wish i had something of the sort. (Hint hint) i mean i would just like to visit, but that is off point.  

What i am trying to say is that i am sure you could realize at times it is hard for me to just listen. Just listen and not offer advice or thoughts or whatever i feel i should, but then i just rest and am still and God has grown me in that. One last thing, just a thought, bullet point number two seems contradictory to itself and the blog. Maybe i am just putting a different light on it. But... lets discuss.

Freedom

Freedom isn't really free, ever heard of those cheesy quotes.  I mean sure they could be true and some would say they are but lets be honest... free or not, we really don't live with freedom.

Christian or not, we really don't live in freedom.

American or not, we really don't live in freedom.

This thought of what if i really lived in the freedom that i was given has hit me hard.  I find myself falling into the same traps, snares, (sins) over and over again.  I find myself putting back on chains and shackles that really have no locks to hold me down.  I find myself reverting back to my old self, to my old ways when there is so much joy and brightness ahead of me.  I find myself living in slavery.

It seems kinda funny that most people that get the taste of freedom never want to go back to slavery, but over time they slowly realize that with slavery their was guarantees of what was going to happen and what you could expect.  They realize that with some forms of slavery there is comfort and short term pleasure.

Now don't hear me saying that slavery is good and people loved and African Americans should still be picking cotton because that is not what i am saying at all.

If you look in the old testament, when freedom got tuff, the Israelites complained and wanted the comfort and guarantees of slavery.  If you looked at anyone around you, even after they escaped from their addictions or corrupted actions, you still find them struggling not to turn back to their old self and go into the sureness of their highs and problems.

Slavery is an evil demonic thing.  Slavery goes beyond the physical and goes into the spiritual realm.  Slavery goes beyond what we can see and into the human psyche.  Slavery corrupts and makes you see roses when really it is all thorns.  Slavery makes you smell fresh Krispy Kreme Donuts when really it is a vile putrid rotting carcass.  Slavery makes you see beauty instead of the pain, hurt, guilt, remorse that really comes with it.  Slavery is corrupting and easy while freedom is life giving yet so hard.

Slavery... Freedom...

Which are you living in?

How different would we be if we really lived in freedom, if we let love when out.  I keep falling back into slavery, but in all honesty... I AM FREE!  I WANT TO LIVE IN THIS FREEDOM! I WANT TO BE FREE, and yet i am... but still live in chains that i put over myself.

Do you want to be different?  Do you want to live in the freedom that Christ died for.  Heck if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, do you just want to escape from the pain that these short term pleasures bring you.  Do you want to live in the freedom that each one of us is given, or in the slavery that has been taken away from us.

Slavery it goes beyond the physical, i hope you realize that, and i hope you choose freedom, but don't just say it... act it out.  Lets see if we can hold each other to this freedom.  Ehhh, sound good?

Climbing with the Bro's

So yesterday after picking up one of my great friends from the Ritz in Buckhead i went climbing at Escalade climbing gym with my brothers minus one of them.

Erik and Michael went climbing with me and it was a ton of fun.  I am just glad that we got to bond and hang out a little.  Little sad that Conrad couldn't come because his church went long but hey... maybe next time.

Well, it was a blast just showing them the ropes, pun intended, of Escalade and letting them try out all of the different routs.  They did pretty good and Erik even had some hidden skills and Michael had some endurance in his arms, maybe it is from working at PCE.  Any who, i just wanted to let you all know that it was a blast.

I mean even if Mike did fall, fly across the room and slide on the floor and gently hit someone, we made up a rout.  Any who, we did a lot of climbers and i feel that i was able to be better at gripping all of the stuff.  I mean i have been working towards that.  I still didn't complete some routs that i would have loved to, still need to build endurance and hand grip, but hey, that just means i know right where to go from the beginning so i can bust it out and rock it.

Well that is all, hopefully there will be some more posts in relation to me and the brothers hanging out. 

I miss him.

I know this blog is going to sound... peculiar but i am WAY ok with that.

I MISS Andrew Walden.  Let me explain why...

He got married this past weekend to an amazing woman now known as Claire Miller Walden.  I know i know, great last name.  So any who, i am beyond pumped and excited for them and this journey that they get to share, even a little envious, but i know i am supposed to wait, and i am sorta ok with that.  I can't wait to discover who my beautiful bride is.  But none of the last few sentences have really shed any light onto this missing of Andrew Walden.

So during the wedding i was talking to a friend named Greg Britt and we mentioned how are relationship with Andrew is going to change, and the amount of time we see him will change.  All things that are ok and i am good with... even though i hate change. 

All this to say that this whole marriage thing has really set in for me and i just miss Andrew, so much so it is making me not even care about Call of Duty (COD), and i love COD.  I mean we used to play at night and last night around 11:30 he had twitted that he had gone to bed, and on a normal night before this weekend he would have been bright eyed and bushy tailed playing with us.

I just miss him

But, i would hate for him to choose games or us over his wife, not because it is the first week of marriage but because i mean really, lets be honest, she is way more important.  So Andrew i am sad about the changes, i hate the changes, but i love them all at the same time. 

 Enjoy the youth and beauty of your bride.  I am pumped for you and welcome the change with open arms.

Hectic Morning

Well this morning kinda sucked.  I have been a little sleep deprived because of a small addiction to COD (Call of Duty: World at War) don't get any crazy ideas. haha

I mean even if i didn't mention that game i still am just not going to bed early so that kinda took a toll on me today.  Basically i had about 2 hours of sleep the night before and so my body thought it would be a great idea to make up for some of that sleep this morning, you know, when i was supposed to be places.

Well this morning started with a call from Andrew Walden because we were playing at Walton's FCA this morning.  He had called me twice before and i had slept through 3 different alarms on my phone before getting his call.  So i completely missed that FCA.  Luckily i was only playing hand percussion and not guitar or speaking.

So then my day continued to suck as a stayed awake for about 45 minutes as i tried to go back to bed for another hour and a half before waking up for school.  3 hours later i wake up when i am supposed to be leaving for class.  I mean COME ON!!! REALLY, i couldn't believe that i had slept through another alarm after i pushed the snooze buttons a few times. So i rushed off to school, or really tried to before remembering that my parking decal thing was not in my car and so i spent 15 minutes searching for it before finding it in between my Bibles that i put in my back pack.

So i get to class 30 minutes late but only after my teacher had left the class a little angry.  So any who my day was crazy and hectic but i wasn't ever really worried the whole time.  Sure i was a little stressed but i listened to some praise and worship music and just drove to school.  Honestly my morning has been crazy and hectic but in all of this mess i have the faith and trust in God that it is all going to be ok.

On the other hand, my teacher who left in a furry doens't believe in God and because of things that didn't go as planned with the class, and because of the economy and the state of the United States, she is worried out of her mind.  Because she doesn't have a faith in something greater, God, she has no hope and she feels the weight of the world is on her shoulders.  She feels that she has to fix everything.

It is interesting to me how having faith and a hope in something more then yourself can be so relaxing.  It is interesting to me that having faith and trust and a real God who desires to advance His kingdom can be so peaceful and stress relieving.  Also, in the midst of all this, it is amazing how we as believers can unveil peoples eyes to the hope, joy and peace that is really around us all the time.  God gives us these opportunities and a group member of mine from that class is burdened for our teacher.

How amazing is God!

How has he lead you through stressful times peacefully? Comment and let me know.

BOO YAH!

Not about ME

Something so obvious but something so true... It is not about me. I mean I have realized this for quite some time but i think it takes new meaning as i go over it in my head.

I know this phrase means to me that life is not about me. That i am not the end all be all. That i have nothing to give. That humility needs to reign in my life instead of arrogance.

But something more clear has come up since i have really started thinking about this phrase and that is this, life can and will go on without me. I do not have to be a part of everything that is going on around me ministry wise and life wise.

The biggest thing for me honestly is realizing that as much as i want to help out North Metro, or SWAT Ministries or whatever have you, it isn't about me. The things i do for those ministries are things that God is allowing me to do and accomplish only because of his mercy and grace. If something good happens, it isn't because of me, it is because i listened to Gods plan and was who he designed me to be. This is something i am still trying to grasp and hold onto.

This Summer i will be doing missions all the way across the world and it is going to be an adventure. It has been a tuff time getting to a place where i feel ok to go, but that is not really the point of this blog. Since i am going to this place all the way across the world i am missing out on plenty of ministry opportunities. I am missing out working for the GBC this Summer, I am missing out doing many keeps like ones and Texas and one put on by SWAT. I am also missing out on working with North Metro in many other areas instead of just this mission trip. As i have thought about all these opportunities this one phrase comes to mind, "It isn't about me."

It isn't about me serving with the GBC, SWAT, or churches. Life is about where God has me going. Life is about living to the hilt of where God has you. Life is about God. Life is about living love. Life is far more about the other instead of about me. Life, my life, has nothing to do with me. My life has to do with living for God, being who he has made me anew. My life is about serving. My life... haha, My, it is funny that i keep on using that word.

Gods life is about doing what is planned and purposed to advance HIS kingdom. Gods life is about being humble and not worrying about these opportunities missed but living fully where HE is taking me.

I hope you get that last paragraph, because it is not about Paul Michael Stippich, it is about God. It is about everything but me and the opportunities missed, because in all honesty i have not and will not miss anything, i am exactly where God has planned for me to be.

Subtle reminder

So i was having some free dinner with a friend at Chick-Fil-A at East Lake when all of a sudden a certain man walks behind me and just starts talkin to me.

Not to mention any names or go into any details, but let's just stay he was not in a perfect state of mind.  I am not judging or incriminating, i just want a more full picture painted of this story.  So as i begin to talk to this guy i discover, and he outright tells, he is not in a "perfect" drug free state of mind.  As we talk he just opens up and shares so much about himself.  He mentions that his birthday is next Tuesday and so i wish him an early happy birthday.  He mentions he is 26 and then he asks how old i am.  I tell him i am 21 and he asked if i got drunk and i said that i didn't.  So he jumps ship and says that he goes to church too.

I love the connections there.  Not being drunk on your 21st birthday means that you are a Christian, or at least go to church or are a Southern Baptist. Ha.

But he continues to open up and share his story and i mention that i go to Echo and North Metro, a non-denominational church, and he gets interested and says he would love to come, especially to Echo. 

Well after all of that and as we finish our conversation he says that we should hang out.  So i respond with "Yah, if you come to Echo we can sure hang out."  So we said a few more things and then i went on about eating my dinner as he gets his hand spun milkshake.

So i think to myself, why does he have to come to me for us to hang out?  Why does he have to be in the right state of mind for us to do things together?  Why is this about me and doing what is best for me?  I understand that there is some wisdom in being careful about how the hanging out would go down, but why does it have to be about me?

I immediately thought of Jesus and how he met others where they were at.  He met others in their greatest need's no matter the problems or junk that they had going on in their life.  I was thinking to myself, "What if I met others in their great need?"  How different would my life be?  How uncomfortable would i be?  As i walked away from this gentleman  with a phrase of basically come to me under these guidelines i thought of how selfish i was.

God seems to be reminding me of quite a few things lately and i will be sure to blog later about them, but as for now, he seems to be reminding me of this question of how different would my life be if i sacrificed myself and did things that would make me more like Jesus.  More like a man who trusts instead of tries.

What if i trusted in God to change lives including mine, and what if i trusted God to break me of my wants and meet others where they are at, where they are hurt, where they are struggling, and where there is death and pain.

I am...

Australian!

Yes it is true.  I know work at the Australian bakery in the Marietta Square.

I love love (Oh Brett Younker) working there with a passion.  It has been so much fun.  It is a job that consists of everything from running the register, making different Australian and American delicacies to dipping sheet cake in chocolate and rolling it around in some coconut.

I mean i really do love this job and i am going to give some partial credit to a big Rob McDeezy.

Well it has been a blast so far getting to know everyone that works there and getting to meet a ton of regulars.  I mean some of these people even have tabs, how cool is that.

Well i hope to see you around this awesome bakery getting some great Australian goodies and desserts.  Give me some mo of those.

Oh Hey Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:10-14 (English Standard Version)

 10"For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

So i have slowly been reading through the bible this past 3/4th's of a year.

Now after reading quite a few books of the Old Testament i am in the book of Jeremiah, and i seem to be at what is everyones favorite chapter and verse, Jeremiah 29:11

It was kinda funny though, i was reading Jeremiah 29 not really thinking about anything im-particular like, ewww Jeremiah 29:11 is coming up, what a popular verse. To be honest it kinda caught me by surprise... and i am glad that it did because i saw something that i only partly understood before.

To forgo delving into my past with this scripture lets just go into the now. So let me just say this, context is everything.

It seems that everyone uses Jeremiah 29:11 as pure encouragement that everything is in control, that everything in your life is going to go great because God has a plan for you, that you just need to sit back and relax and God will take care of your situations, just follow him and you will be ok. I think this verse has so much more meaning, and honestly verse 11 is just something that is really squeezed in there. Yes this verse packs a nice punch, but all 28 chapters and ten verses before make it truly worth reading.

Verse ten is where it is at and it seems we always skip over this verse. After 70 years of going through struggles and being torn away from their home do things only start going well for the Israelites, Gods chosen people. This verse is beautiful because it gives you reality. It shows you that life isn't a cakewalk, but that it will be tough. God desires us to follow him and trust him. God wants us to pursue him, not necessarily for 70 years before he will do something, but God is bringing us through a tough yet rewarding process.

As we read on we see that God then calls us to REALLY REALLY Seek after him. Not just say, God is in control and i don't need to do anything. I mean these verses say "seek him, WITH ALL YOUR HEART." That is huge, that is bigger then just sitting around.

I think God is beautiful and amazing. I am so excited to be reading the Bible all the way through. I am thrilled that he shows me the beauty that he has created and the literal sweetness of his word.

Glory to God, and in giving him glory, look around at the context, look at what he is trying to lead you through, because he truly does have a plan that he knows will rock your world.

Just for your 411

I would also like to mention that i am slowly... and i mean slowly creating my own website which will be located at www.paulstippich.com.

It is far from complete, but as i start creating and shaping this website, i will fill you in on the purpose and method for which i am creating it.  Lets just say it will go much deeper than this blog can go and i feel it will be more helpful to others. 

Mmmm mmmm relationships and connections.  

Late night switch to morning

Well, i just thought i would blog about being addicted to Call of Duty 5 (Call of Duty: World at War)

This game is crazy fun and i am getting a lot better.  I mean although my kill to death ratio isn't the best, i put it on the fact that i go more for challenges instead of just strait killing.  I know this doesn't make much sense to most people, but it will to Greg, Andrew, Matt, Paul, and so many others.

Oh and as for the post that is much deeper, i am moving it to tomorrow morning, well this morning, it will give me something to wake up to.

BOOYAH!

Australia... Here i come?

Well Australia... i am not actually coming to your beautiful little country, well right now that is but i am going to a beautiful little bakery off of the Marietta Square for a job interview.

I hope it will go well because then i can rightfully speak in an Australian accent and throw shrimps on the barbie.  Ewww hopefully i get that job.  But honestly i am ok with whatever happens.  God has this all in control.  In fact there might be another blog today about a little Jeremiah 29... and yes for those of you thinking here comes verse 11. We are going to dive in just a little deeper then that.

The only thing with this interview at 2 today, is that they said weekends are a must and i am just not going to give up my Sundays.  The hours of the bakery are a little estranged and so they would completely conflict with my Sunday so i can't give them up.  Aside from that i think i have a fair shot.  I mean this will be the first realish job in over a year.  Not that i have not been working for over a year, i have just been doing events and such that are not constant jobs.

So hopefully i will soon be able to speak with a new accent and have a new and fun job.  BOTH BAKING and maybe even a little BUTCHERING.  Wow, Butchering kinda seems a little scary. Thoughts, comments concerns.

Let me know.

UPDATE: 

I think the interview with the bakery went really well.  Seems like a cool job and something that i want to do for this little season of life. 

Balentines Day

February 14th.  I think is probably one of my favorite holidays.  Right now because it means cheap candy the next day, but i am sure some time in the future the reason for it being my favorite will expand to biblical proportions.

Yes, i mean exactly what you think.

So skipping on along from that, i just wanted to say that i am not one of those people who are bummed out about a day focussed on dates and love because honestly, i am content where i am.  Now i am not saying that if an irish or scottish accented (or just the right) woman showed up on my doorstep with a plate of soggy / crunchy bacon i would not get hitched right away.  All i am saying is that i am loving where God has me.  I am enjoying this time of waiting and growing.  I am enjoying this time where my focus is on him and serving him in some pretty fun and amazing ways from playing hand percussion to hanging out with six grade guys.  

So i just thought in honor of Balentines Day that i would say that i don't hate it, i love it because one day i will get to really enjoy it and have one more excuse to lavish my wife with some gifts.

Mmmm, sappy yes, but all good and honest truth.  

Walking Dogs

So i am trying to be a little more healthy these days.  

Now that doesn't mean i am on some crazy diet because i never really want to be on one of those, and this doesn't mean i am doing some crazy work out routine... my hernia keeps me from all of those crazy shenanigans.

This means i am eating a little better, drinking a smidge more water and doing a little work out now and then.

So besides all this i want to fill you in on one more thing.  I hate running, to me it is just blah.  I don't like it, especially by myself, i mean if i had company it becomes a whole other story.  So i figure i know i need some exercise and i am pretty sure all my dogs over here: G-Baby, Sonic, and Bruiser need some exercise too.

So i have decided to break out a little training schedule (not really though, i just thought that sounded so cool and intense) and walk , Bruiser, and jog the other boys on different days.  So hopefully this will result in a little healthier me. Yay!!!

Plans

So this Thursday i found out some really exciting and thrilling news.  You wanna hear what it is?

I have the pleasure of Graduating in December 09 instead of May 09.  I know, what a treat right?  The reason why is because i have to drop.  Now it isn't because i am failing the class soooo badly right now that i wont be able to pass, it just overlaps with a capstone class for PR, which is my Major and we just can't have that.

Well i just found out it overlaps because i looked at my syllabus, something that was not shown to us until a couple weeks in and the first class ended promptly when a normal 12:30 class should end... 1:45.

So i talked to the teacher and all in all it was a no, i have to be there the entire class from 12:30 to 3:15 which i can't do because i really really need to be at my PR Campaigns class from 2 to 3:15.

Any who, i found out about this all, this past Tuesday and it just hit me, God has these amazing plans which are so much better then mine. 

Proverbs 19:21 (New Living Translation)

21 You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

I think this scripture is so huge and i have never really comprehended the fullness of it until this week.  It seems to me that all these little plans that i create come to fruition, but the big ones... God takes them shakes it up and his unseen, only for the time being, purpose prevails.

I am pumped, thrilled, excited, ecstatic even to see what he brings.  I have no problem actually graduating in December it just seems to me that i don't need to worry because the Lord has things in control.  It is just cool to me to see how God has prepared my heart and plans to help me comfortably except this little bump in the road.  God is amazing and i have loved seeing how he has shaped me and prepared me for all that he has in store.  My plans are many and sometimes small, but the Lords are always so simplistically beautiful, even if it takes a few years of set up.

God is good and i love his plans. Even if they are drastically different then mine.  

Summer confusion

I am sure i will write, type more on this topic later, but i figure i wanted to give you something to look forward to.  Plus i feel i should just let you in on my life.

This Summer is going to be the start of a new life for me.  I am pumped and thrilled because i am done with college... well only for a little while.  I will have graduated with a four year degree which i think is a pretty huge deal.  My degree will be in Communication's with a Public Relations focus.  I will also graduate with a related studies in Human Services with a Not-For-Profit focus, which is pretty rockin.  All in all, i will have done a lot.  I wish i could have tried a little harder but i had to break, and still do, some bad and lazy habits. 

Beyond my degree i am free from school for as long as i choose, which wont be that long, but the Summer, man it is just full of so many possibilities and i am thrilled to see what God brings my ways.  There are going to be some huge changes, some that i know, and others that i don't.  But no matter the case i am excited and thrilled about each and everyone of them.

But, as excited as i am, i am completely lost.  I have a ton of opportunities before me to travel the world and serve God.  Because, honestly, i want to serve others and love on others doing mission trips for a year or two, or maybe more when i am out of college.  I never want to really go into the business world but i for sure want to die to myself and live for God wherever he calls me whether here or abroad.  I have opportunities in EA, Jamaica, and other places here in the US, but i have no idea what to do.  I mean it is far away so no real worries, but I just want some peace in the matter to be honest, so... if you all wouldn't mind, help me pray for all of that.

Well i am excited for what God is showing me and where he is leading me so expect a change to the layout of this and expect great and mighty stories to be shared because of my God's glory. 

Million and One

I have been given a million and one thing's to write about, and yet i don't.  I say i want to blog, and yet i don't. 

Why?

Great question, i think it is because of laziness and being uncomfortable, but my friends this is changing.  God has given me a gift, a forum of encouragement and i plan on using it.  So i hope that you will continue to enjoy this journey of life with me.  Lets kick this back up again.

BooYah

-Paul

Baker

So i have a pretty busy weekend coming up and i will take pictures (maybe, not too sure) and be writing about it in a couple of future blogs, so get your engines revved up for some good old reading with me.

Besides that i just wanted to say that i am going to check out a bakery today to see what it is all about and to see if they are hiring.  Because if you don't know this already, i would love to be a butcher or a baker but not a candle stick maker... so just get that crazy rhyme out of your head.  :)

Death, Silver, Poison, Healing

I am just going to jump head first into these scriptures so yep, read away my friends, read away:

Proverbs 10:20-21 (New International Version)

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, 
 but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, 
 but fools die for lack of judgment.

Proverbs 11:11-12 (New International Version)
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, 
 but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, 
 but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

Proverbs 12:18-19 (New International Version)
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, 
 but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever, 
 but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Proverbs 15:4 (New International Version)
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, 
 but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Psalm 39:1 (New International Version)
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, "I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."

In reading over these verses it is so clear to me that the tongue is such a powerful... lets say instrument. 

For awhile now God has been ruling me with the thoughts and ideas of allowing him complete control of my tongue.  I have found myself at times saying crude things, hurtful, and crippling things.  Sometimes i may say something to others but most of the time it is usually in the company of just myself.

God has been laying it on my heart to control my tongue because it brings life... or death, Silver... or rubbish, Healing... or poison,  Love... or hate,  LIFE... OR DEATH.  These words are a constant reminder for me, so i looked up some verses to not only help me write this blog, but also to remind me of the power of what God has blessed me with.

Our tongue's can be used for good or bad, we have the option of choosing God... or the devil, Others... or ourselves.  Our Tongue can build up walls and bring healing, or crumble nations and bring death and decay.  I don't think i am going over the line here by giving such drastic examples.  God is showing me the power of something he has created.

By God showing me this power that he has allowed me.  I desire to watch what i say, especially in the company of others.  I don't want to be a person who brings others down for a laugh.  I want people to leave my presence with a sweet taste in their mouth.  I want people to feel encouraged when they are around me.  I want to bring life, silver, healing, Love.  I want to bring peace and joy.  I want God to help me control my tongue, forgo crude jokes, skip the laughs and live love.

Help pray for me as God takes back his tongue, and as i bring life to others.  Oh and by the way... you have the same choice.