A Thing Happened at Work Today

So today as I entered the building a strange feeling was the air. I didn't exactly know what it was, but it felt ominous. Certain people had a strange knowing looks in their eyes and others just looked like they hated their jobs or had a very rough weekend. I shrugged it off and got on the elevator. When I got off on my floor and entered my team's area, there were three coworkers huddled in a conspiratorial fashion. At first I thought they were talking about the weekend football playoff games and the way they had worked out, but I was wrong. They didn't look like they were enjoying the conversation. I walked over to a guy who sits near me and casually asked him what was going on. He casually replied that one of the managers in our area had been laid off, or so he had heard.

At this point my area erupted into disarray. There was wild speculation and at lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) running rampant. Then we got an email invitation to a meeting for everyone at 10:30. A couple ladies in my area started to immediately pack up their personal belongings because they believed that they would be able to just grab them and go home after this "termination" meeting. My manager came in and very emotionally asked them to stop speculating about what was going on, they would find out soon enough. There was complaining and a little argument.

I have to say that I was very calm. People get so caught up in their emotions. I understand that people have mortgages and car payments and debt payments and need to eat, but I usually err on the side of not worrying about a situation. It may have something with what Jesus said in Mathew 6: 27-33

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in
all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry,
saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that
you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.

There are things in this world you can not control. I'm grateful for those things because they make me depend on Christ more. If I could control everything what need would I have for a Savior? I'm not saying that I never worry, but I worry much less than those with no hope.

So we had our meeting at 10:30, and we were told that 15 people got 60 day termination notices and that the rest of us will be phased out over the next 18 months. I suspect that I have around a year left. Lots of time to still have a job, but also lots of time to rely on Christ and to truly discern what he wants for me. I can't wait to see what opportunities He has for me. Yes, I have a mortgage and a car payment, and credit cards and I have to eat (I could actually do this less), but overall I must trust in Romans 8:28

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose.

I just need to understand and trust in His purpose. So I am employed for now, and grateful for it. But I may not be employed tomorrow. I need to prepare for this, but not worry. I need to make the necessary decisions to make sure I meet my responsibilities, but I need not fret. It will work out to His purpose for my life. Amen amen.

Sabbatical (A return to blogging)

So it is obvious that my posting has slowed considerably, and then when I did post they were either video clips or little things. I know that this is a horrible thing for bloggers. I must admit that I have been a bit overwhelmed with life the last several months. Some of you may be thinking that a single man with no kids should not be so overwhelmed with life. I disagree from the observations of my own life. I over commit. I work a full time Monday thru Friday job, on top

of that I was spending on average 4 nights a week participating in something at church. I also began kickboxing at the beginning of October. My home life consisted of me leaving my home in the morning and then stopping in to change clothes or grab this or that. My condo became for of a convenience store stop for me that my home. I was getting burned out.

 

This became apparent to me around early November. I began to speak to some people whose counsel I trusted about these feelings. Through that counsel and my own thoughts I decided to take a sabbatical from everything. I would take a break from youth work, choir, etc.. I can't tell you the last time I read a good book on theology or even my Bible consistently. I think that I can be held up as the poster child for doing ministry work, without personal growth. So beginning in January I am free. I still attend Sunday morning worship and sing on the worship team when needed, but that is a one morning a week commitment. The rest of the time I am focusing on some things that I have let slip. I am taking two classes this semester to accelerate finishing this degree hanging over my head. I am also looking to dramatically increase my working out and health goals.

 

I have also decided that I want to write more. I have long had a dream of being a writer of some sort. This means that I need to actually write something. Part of my dearth of blogging is because I want to put well thought out posts up, not just quick quips here and there. You will see more of that going forward. I know that most of this post is driving you English scholars crazy, but I think that writing well is like building a muscle. We'll see if I improve.

 

So there you have it. I'm going to be blogging more, and here is a list of things that I plan on talking about in the months ahead.

 

1. I want to decide how I feel about infant baptism. It has long been a topic of conversation between me and a couple of my more theologically interested friends. Some are for it, and some are not. I have always said I don't have to make up my mind since I have no kids, but......I just need to explore this issue and decide.

 

2. Issues of the modern church and how we "do" church. There is a lot of discussion going on about the emerging vs. emergent vs. traditional churches. I've posted some videos in the past with very little comment, but I want to actually discuss some of these ideas.

 

3. My goals with my weight loss. My successes and my failures. I have a friend who feels that journaling some of this stuff was vital to her journey. She blogs about it and suggested I try the same. It will be personal and I will need to become more public about some of this, but I think that it can be worth it in the long run. I really feel that there are certain things in my life that I either can't deal with or God is waiting to give me until I deal with this issue. More late...

 

4. Interesting stories and other odd posts that I think I may have a good angle on.

 

So I hope I can recapture your readership if I have let you done over the last 6 months, and if your new to my blog, then say hi.

 

RAV