A New Element

Good day to you all! I have added a new element to my blog page today! It took me a long time and quite frankly, it was not a top priority but I now have a Contact Me link so now if you would like to email me you can! I find it a bit ackward communicating back and forth via the COMMENTS section so I was happy to learn how to create the link to enable folks to email me.

A Breath of…Helium?? -- June 24, 2008

I alluded to the fact that I had started out writing for another website called Helium.com.

It's pretty neat so far as I have been able to determine.

I have only one article so far but I hope to have more in the near future.

I think it will be a great way to improve my writing skills and the more public my writing becomes, hopefully the better my writing becomes.

I have added a link to the sidebar on the left side of this blog so feel free to look at the one article I have submitted so far and look for other articles in the near future.

If you are inclined to write yourself, check out helium.com's home page. It's free for you to sign up and potentially profitable.

 

Bye for now!

 

May the Lord guide your ways and may you look to Him in all things.

 

A Post for Today -- June 19, 2008

They took us downtown today in groups of three to take any of our personal items that had been left behind and I privileged to yet another eye opener.

On Tuesday, yes,  just this past Tuesday, we went down to pull out more equipment and discovered the downtown area was infested with workers trying to assess the mess. It was literally chaos. A war zone. Vehicles parked all over the streets with just enough room to drive through, debris, and mud everywhere.

Today as I looked around down there I would say organized chaos. People have had a few days to view the carnage and get an initial assessment of their situations.

There were neat piles of garbage ready to be hauled away and lower levels have been pretty well pumped out. It's still a mess but there is a strong sense of determination and fortitude that bubbles from the laborers. It is quite impressive.

In a former post I indicated how proud I was of my coworkers and the leadership we are blessed with as to how our part was handled in all of this muck but I want to expand this to my compatriots from the downtown district as they have accepted the fact that there is loss but they are not dwelling on that thought, they have rolled up their sleeves and are "gittin' 'er done!" Go Cedar Rapids, Go!

Through it all God has shown His hand of grace. I think sometimes it's hard to see His hand in times such as we face today but when you step back and just look you begin to see that it is His Spirit guiding the whole thing.

Why has this happened here? Why are so many of our loved ones made to suffer so much? These are age old questions that don't always have a clear cut and dry answer but it is clear that God is in and amongst us because He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

It will be a long road to recovery and there may be some of our brothers in business that never fully recover, in fact I don't know if we'll ever go back to that building again but the things of God will move forward and His purpose will be fulfilled with this disaster.

What is all of this about? I don't have an answer but I do know God is stretching out His hand to all those who do not know Him, draw those who do know Him closer and show the rest of us what He is willing to do to get our attention.

Could there be something else beyond this? Yes indeed there could be but we may never know.

Sometimes the lack of knowledge which, in reality, is a lack of control, fills us with anxiety and dread. It's during these times that we must fully employ the faith we have in Christ Jesus and His love for us.

No, it does not always make sense and it will not always make sense but to survive in the whole we must trust our God and Savior.

May the God of all Wisdom and Power guide you safely through the floods.

Bye!

Update on Things in My World Since the Flood --June 18, 2008

It's hard to believe that one week ago we were sandbagging around our building. In hindsight it was an exercise in futility but it had to be done.

We are in a new location on First Avenue for the time being but it is expected we will be back downtown at some point in the future but that could be months from now.  The new location is really close to my house (no more than four miles round trip) and it's actually cheaper for me to drive than to take the bus but I will get back to the bus once we are back downtown.

I have heard rumors that some of the buildings downtown suffered structural damage to the foundation and may need to be taken down but I do not have any first hand knowledge.  If it were to be discovered that our building were damaged that would probably end our bid to get back in.

It's hard to fathom but I think I am suffering from some grief through this as well. As noted earlier we were not directly affected by the flood as a family but knowing that there are friends that have lost a great deal causes feelings of guilt for having come through unscathed. I have been reminded, however, that God is in control and we need to be praying for and helping those who have been devastated by these flood waters as we are able to but I also need to be thankful to God for what He has done to keep my family safe.

I have found that when I get under too much stress my mind shuts down so the only writing I have been doing is this blog and my personal journal but I have been writing and to me that is a wonderful thing.

Please be in prayer for those who have lost so much to the flood and though there has only been one reported death, the loss of property and the emotional devastation is real and it is heavy. Pray people will see their need for God during this time where they may have nothing left but God and that they may see this is what they needed all along.

Maybe God will use this to take away something that someone has been holding onto to the ruin of their spiritual walk. This may sound cruel but when compared to eternity the loss of things in this life is insignificant. I certainly am not belittling anyone's pain due to loss but I am trying to show that this life is short and we need to be tending our spirit because it will last forever and the things of this life will not.

May God's grace and mercy shine on all of us but especially on those how are suffering right now.

Good Bye!

2008 Flood Update – June 13, 2008

Due to the great flood of 2008 my office is now in the middle of the Cedar River instead of just east of it. It has been incredible around here! It is painful to see the homes that have been destroyed and the damage to downtown Cedar Rapids is, at this point, uncertain but I feel sure it will be costly. With every news broadcast I see businesses that I am intimately familiar with that have water all the way up to the top…massive cleanup will be required. I can't even imagine.

My group has been relocated to St. Luke's and though it is chaotic we are managing to get things back up and running. Everyone has been incredible, so patient and helpful. So often IT gets blamed for everything I half expected that our users would blame us for the flood too but I have been so wrong! Everyone has been so helpful.
I talked to one coworker who felt heads would roll at how things were handled but as I have thought about it I completely disagree. You see we had contingency plans in place for disasters just like this and we implemented them but from one who was there regardless of how much you plan that is all it is, a plan. The plan is a guideline to help you keep on track but it has to be dynamic just in light of the simple fact that no one, no matter how gifted in planning can fully predict how bad a situation really will be until after the fact. As the saying goes, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

It is easy to criticize and find fault when you look back but in the heat of the battle decisions have to be made dynamically as the situation demands and often times it is not according to plan but according to necessity. Keep this in mind: It is good, it is right, indeed it is a requirement to be prepared, to have a plan and not just for business but for our personal lives as well. But with every plan you have to be willing to modify on the fly. Our best laid plans can come unraveled if we are so set on following the rules heedless of how the disaster plays out.

Be prepared but be ready to change as the circumstances dictate. I am so very proud of the entire effort of my coworkers! They have bent over backwards in getting things done and I applaud their efforts I wish all of you could have been here to see how hard everyone has worked.

Above all, in all things trust God. Even in the in midst of a flood that has inundated the area of our five hundred flood plain, YES that is correct: our FIVE HUNDRED YEAR flood plain, (Mercy Hospital was flooded and it sits over ten blocks away from the river! Ten blocks AWAY from the river!

It is simply incredible, unimaginable in fact. I know the pictures have been seen around the U.S. if not the world, do not do the scene justice at all, not at all.

I have heard time and time again that even in the flood of 1993, which were devastating even considered a hundred year flood, was nowhere near as bad as the current flood.

I am thankful for the fact that we are far enough away that our home was not affected by the devastation but I know that a tornado could come through as we had a couple weeks ago just north of us in Parkersburg, and destroy what we have, but I am reminded that God in in control and all we have belongs to Him and not to me.

So we continue to pray for those affected by this flood and we continue to be grateful for all that God has given to us for we know it is all from Him and it can all be taken from us by Him at anytime and in any way.

Thank you, Lord for all You do and all You have given to use. Please be with those who have lost homes or even livelihoods. Help this to be the event that will point many to You.

Amen.

 

Good bye and the Lord watch over and keep you in the shelter of His wings.

 

 

Writing but with A Difference – June 10, 2008

After a couple of weeks of not being able to work much on my story I determined to write at least some this week. Since I took today off from work I thought that this would be the perfect day for writing.

I have had a desire that has been growing within for a long time now and that desire is to write for a living. I am blessed to have a growing list of friends who have been encouraging me in this desire but I am still…afraid. I don't know what exactly what it is that I am afraid of but there is some fear that I must overcome. For sure I have a fear of my mechanical abilities—spelling and grammar -- have never been a strong point but that is because I have not had really tried, at least since high school. There is a lot I do not remember.

I also am afraid of how to start. Actually this is more of a fear of how and where to start but it adds to the anxiety. As much as I hate to admit this one, I am afraid of what people think of me because of my writing. When I write I really get to the heart of things and that can touch a cord with some. This cord can produce all sorts of emotions and these emotions can cause debate and I have lived my life avoiding debates, I don't even like to watch them. I have to say that this is getting better and when I do write I feel…bolder, as I'm sure others do but even though I am improving in this area it is still scary putting yourself out there for all to see.

I signed up for another web based writing site called Helium. It's free and easy to get up and running.

They have a variety subjects for me to write about and I am evaluated by other writers and this determines what kind of ranking I get. It is a great way to improve my writing skills.

There are also opportunities to write for money. There are articles to be written that allow me to make some extra cash. This is right in line with what I would love to do.

All in all I am writing and it is freeing to me. I now want to gain the confidence that my writing is good and consistent.

I am excited and I believe this may be a direction the Lord wants me to go.

 

Thank you for reading and may the Lord guide you in the path you should go.

 

Bye!

The Deer in the Headlights Syndrome, June 3, 2008—

This past Sunday I started teaching in the Book of James. I am excited about this particular study because it is so hard hitting, James doesn't pull any punches when it comes to putting our faith into practice and how to employ it in diverse situations. I came away from my studies nervous because of my lack in these areas.

Oh, sure, I've been through a good share of trials but I have not always handled them with the proper attitude and joy is often missing. I keep wondering how I can stand in front of folks who I know stand head and shoulders taller than I do in the faith and tell them to stand in trials with joy. It is at best humbling at worst intimidating. I feel…transparent.

I told the class that unless you're comparing yourself against the Word of God, against Jesus Himself, you are looking at the wrong measuring stick. (See, even I do it! J) We are all at a different place in our walk.

Where one may not get it, someone else may be at a point where the Holy Spirit is opening their eyes to see a truth or maybe applying a truth, and someone else may be long on the road in a particular area walking strong in God's enablement. We are each different. Even if we've been given a similar gift as someone else God might have us utilizing it in a different way all to His glory. The same yet different.

One thing that some of you veteran teachers can relate to I'm sure is the deer-in-the-headlight-syndrome.

This particular ailment seems to be more prevalent with a larger class for some reason but I've seen it in smaller classes too.

I would be a bit turned off to teaching and wondering if I was really called to teach if not for the fact that other teachers, many of whom I respect as teachers myself, have admitted to having run into the same signs.

Lack of focus, eyes staring through you as though you're not there, and the classical glaze as though you've recited the entire Constitution of the United States in Swedish….Borshky Borshky Borshk…

You wonder if everyone is bored or that you've said something you shouldn't have said.

But it is all worth it because you trust that God has the people in the class that He wants there for the purpose He has them there for. I have been in any number of classes where something the teacher says triggers some learning that was not even part of the class. In other words, I'm reminded of something else the Holy Spirit has been working on me for from something the instructor says but what I learn has nothing to do with the topic of the class. So I try to keep that in mind and that helps when all I can see is glaze…
There are also those moments when someone comes up to you and thanks you because they had never looked at it from that point of view. It's not me, never me but God using me. In fact I go into any class assuming I am going to learn as much if not more than the students.

All in all I am curious who will be in class next week and who won't. I know it's summer and the class will fluctuate but I wonder if there are other reasons…

I can get really passionate when I teach and I think this might turn some off but unless I am offensive to someone I like the passion.

It does not matter how much I prepare for a lesson when I stand up in front of that class for just an instant I forget everything and momentary panic grips my heart. "I can't do this!" "What am I doing up here?" But I remind myself that I am a willing servant and God will use what I say for His glory.

"It's just that I wish," I say to God, "That I could be eloquent when I speak Your word then I could stand up here with confidence and speak boldly…"

"Oh yeah. It's not about me," I then say as God reminds me why I'm up there in the first place, "It's not about me, I'm Your tool. Thank You."

It's not about me, about us, it's about Him and doing the things He asks us to do with a willing heart and it's not ours to be anxious about the outcome, it's our to give our best to a God who can use "our best" even if we stumble and fumble about as though locked in a dark room in the middle of the night looking for the bathroom.

 

I did not get any writing done this weekend due to extreme busyness but I am planning to get some done in the next day or so. I'm beginning to realize that 'busyness' is here to stay and I need to carve out time to write regardless. Keep praying for me because I am determined to get this book done. It took Tolkien 15 years to write the "Lord of the Rings" so I just need to be patient and steadfast.

 

Go in God's grace and empowerment! You are special and you have a divine purpose, use it for God's glory!

 

Bye