Another cool day...

The job fair I attended today went very well and I had the opportunity to meet many new people. I will be attending another job fair next Thursday, April 2, in Institute, WV at West Virginia State University. By law we have to attend 4 job fairs each year to meet our EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) requirements.

Today is yet another cool, rainy day. I guess we can expect this type of weather in March and April, but hopefully it will warm up soon. I'm ready for the hot weather!!! Summertime. :-)

Rainy Day

Today has been rainy and much cooler. I think the warm weather we had earlier in the week spoiled us. I usually take a walk during lunch, but it was too cold today.

I'm attending my very first job fair tomorrow and, needless to say, I'm a little nervous. Our human resources coordinator will be off several weeks on sick leave and she asked me to take her place while she's away. This week I only have to travel to Mountain State University, but I will have another job fair in Institute, WV (WV State University) next Thursday. Hopefully I'll put forth a good image for the organization.

Birds in the Window

At my office, we have a large sliding glass door in our kitchen that is heavily tinted. As I was filling my water bottle this morning, I noticed several birds trying to break through the glass. Very interesting to see, but we witness this each year.

As I watched them recklessly slam their tiny bodies into the window, I asked myself "why would a bird want to come into our kitchen?" Are they wanting to venture into a new area? Are they curious? Or is it that they see a reflection in the glass -- almost like an imaginary world. I tend to think it's the latter, because each year we have to "wax" the glass to cut down the reflection. As I think about this in a spiritual realm, how many times does God have to "wax the glass" to keep us from hurting ourselves? How many times do we nearly destroy our lives in an effort to venture into an imaginary world? I'm thankful God looks out for our best interests.

Not that I'm trying to get "deep," but it amazes me how we can see the hand of God in everything. All we have to do is look. Have a great day!

I came across a blog today from a Free Will Baptist youth pastor in Indiana. I thought I would post the following video that he had listed in his blog (http://apologeticyp.wordpress.com/). When asked why I have a passion for missions, this will answer your question. God bless you and I pray you too will have a heart for those unloved and forgotten:

I can't wait to go to heaven...

Have you ever heard someone make that statement? I've heard it several times and I think we can all agree that heaven is a home that awaits those who believe in and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

With this being said, I think we (as Christians) need to realize that heaven is already a given. In mathematics, there are certain things that are "given." In other words, certain information is made available and we understand this information to be true. Our eternal home in heaven truly awaits us -- the bible make this very clear. But the question I pose to you is this -- what are we doing with the time God has given us on this earth? It deeply troubles me to see people sitting around and waiting to reap their heavenly reward. We have work to do folks! If God intended us NOT to work, then He would have ushered us into that celestial city at the very moment we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives. This was the issue the Apostle Paul faced in Thessalonica. His second letter to them (2 Thessalonians) clarified that they needed to be more diligent in their everyday work. They virtually stopped their daily routine and started to actually wait on the return of the Lord. Paul explained to them that the Lord's return was going to happen, but they still had work to do on earth in the meantime.

God has a purpose for each of us. Once again, if He didn't have a purpose for you, you would not be here. Albeit, some people in life seem to "only take up space." It's the duty of the Christian to reach out to them with the good news of Jesus Christ. Then, they too, can be a productive - disciple making - fruitful individual.

Please understand that prior to receiving salvation, good works will not give you special favor with God. However, after we are saved, we are expected to do good works:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."--Ephesians 2:8-10

Praising God for His Greatness

As the weather begins to grow warmer and the birds sing in their wonderful chorus, I can certainly tell that Spring is just around the corner.

Each morning, I am awakened by the sound of a group of song birds outside my bedroom window. God never ceases to amaze me; He is constantly giving us simple reminders which prove His love for us. As insignificant as birds may be, God still provides for them. In return, I feel they are singing praises to His name.

Many times in our lives, we may seem insignificant and without a ray of hope. It's during these times that God wants us to lift our eyes toward heaven and praise His name. Why do we worship God? We worship God because of His greatness. He is awesome and greater than our wildest imaginations. Why do we praise God? We praise God because of the wonderful things He has done for us. Even when we can't praise Him, we can always worship Him. Regardless of our circumstance, God is still God. He is still all-powerful. And, most of all, He is still in love with His creation. Let's return the favor and fall in love with Him.

A good weekend...

Is it me, or do the weekends seem to go by so fast? It just seems like I was leaving work Friday -- now I am getting ready to go to bed on Sunday. Wow! Time is zipping by.

Daylight Saving Time began today and it was funny to see a few people come into church late. Forgetting to set their clocks forward 1 hour, they were "fashionably late" for Sunday School, but they made it JUST IN TIME for the worship service, which was great by the way.

Pastor Doug preached a thought-provoking message on adultery. He spoke about spiritual adultery and how God wants us to be totally involved with Him. Kind of reminds me of the book "The Scarlett Letter." If you're familiar with this classic, you'll remember how Hester Prynne committed adultery and birthed a child. She was publicly shamed by the townspeople by having to wear a red letter "A." In the eyes of God, we don't physically wear an emblem of shame -- He already sees our heart. Unlike the townspeople, God will forgive us whenever we call upon His name. Thank you Lord for your mercy and grace!

I also had the opportunity to talk to a few of my missionary friends this weekend. Jim Sturgill in Brazil and Casey Jones in Central Asia. Casey helped me setup a program called "Skype," which allows us to use our webcams to talk back and forth. I had the privilege to talk to Jim on Saturday night for about an hour. Jim is only 1 hour ahead of eastern time, but Casey is a whopping 10 hours ahead. Although the time difference causes some issues, it's amazing how small the world becomes when technology is introduced.

Well, it's time for bed. I have a big day tomorrow.

The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress is a book written in the mid 1600s by John Bunyan. Bunyan began the work while in jail for violations of the Conventicle Act, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England. In this book, an everyday man, Christian, takes a journey from his town, the "City of Destruction", to the "Celestial City." Christian is faced with much opposition as he travels the straight and narrow path to heaven. On his journey, he meets several people who are trying to do different things to get to the Celestial City besides confessing Christ as savior. Christian is also faced with many temptations that have the potential to take him off the straight & narrow path.

Last night, I watched the movie, "The Pilgrim's Progress: Journey to Heaven." It was very entertaining, but thought-provoking. I highly recommend it! The one I watched was produced in 2008. While in Africa, we showed the one produced in 1978. I'm thankful they made a new one!

:-)

Information Overload

It's amazing to see how many things we have connected to our bodies that allow us to be "accessible." Cell phones, pagers, wireless internet, etc... Then add all the other electronic devices we carry -- IPODs, GPS, XM Sirius Satellite Radio, laptops, etc.

I was riding in a car with a friend the other day. She was getting so frustrated because she had no more 12v plugs in her car to plug up her "stuff." She had a radar detector, satellite radio, ipod, GPS, all plugged into her car. I couldn't help but laugh.

I think it's good if we sometimes just SLOW DOWN and enjoy the things around us. It's almost like we've developed a bubble -- a virtual world that we live in. Old fashioned face-to-face communication is almost a thing of the past. Don't misunderstand, I enjoy my gadgets just like the next person. I'm just saying we should cherish life from time to time instead of allowing it to zoom on by. When it warms up, spend a quiet evening outside looking at the stars. I guarantee you'll be glad you did!

WE MADE IT!!!

We made it through the 30-Hour Famine!!! The kids were fantastic. Besides the occassional "I'm hungry," they hardly complained. We are so proud of them for participating in this event. A special thanks to Preacher Doug, Sandy, Yancy, and Cathy who prepared the "break-fast" meal. Then they started cooking around 10 pm and the smell of the food was almost overwhelming.

The most touching moment of the weekend was during our 7 pm worship service on Saturday. They told what they were thankful for. Then I would have to say the most memorable part was the honesty and truth that came out towards the end of the famine. Around 10:45, the group had an opportunity to tell what they learned this weekend. Not only were they watching the clock, but I feel they were being honest. Needless to say, Maranda, Tracie, and I are very proud of these guys. They stood up to the challenge and conquered it!

With God's help, they raised over $1,100 to help fight world hunger. That will feed 3 starving kids for an entire year.