Well, the time of year is once again upon us. We have been out with the masses (many of them unwashed) dropping our debit cards left and right in order to bring the love of Jesus home and to extended family by giving away shiny stuff. Those darn wise men made it rough on everybody! Oh well, I usually get some neat stuff too.
We are spending the day with the in-laws today. We have had a pretty good time. Zach came away from it feeling like he hit the jackpot, and Jessica got enough new books to keep the average 6th grader tied up for at least four months. I expect she will finished by Thursday. Tammi got some nice stuff, and I came away feeling like a big winner. I got a really nice picture to hang over my new computer desk.
We got a new desk this summer, and we now have an empty wall above it. Tammi saw this as an affront to her innate decorating abilities, and immediately set out on a quest to remedy this travesty. I was able to reign her in and get her to wait until I could find the piece I wanted to hang above the desk. I could see the fear in her eyes as she pictured a fender from a wrecked Nextel Cup car hanging there above the desk which is in a corner of our living room facing the couch. I consoled her and said I didn't know what I wanted, but I would know when I saw it.
After much searching, I came across the right picture in Rainbow bookstore. It is a picture of an old farmhouse that has been just stuck to a black board. It is a very simple picture, but it ties in with the black desk, the room decor, and my love for old barns and farmhouses. I knew it was what I wanted. Well, Tammi's mother wanted to know if I would be offended by getting a gift of cash for Christmas. When I was asked I said that would be fine, because I would then use it toward buying the picture. Long story short, tomorrow when I get home from work I am hanging my new picture because she went and bought it for me. Very cool.
It is nice to get what we want for Christmas. There have been many times we don't get what we want, but if we are honest, we quite often do get something that someone who loves us thinks we really need. That is what happened at the first Christmas. The gift we got might not make the top ten list of most wanted Christmas gifts, but it was something that we need. God gave us His Son at that first Christmas. We needed Him to save us from the sin in our lives. It might not be something that we see the need for at a certain time, but that doesn't change the fact that we need Jesus in our lives.
Two weeks ago tomorrow, Tammi realized that she had lived her whole life without having Jesus in her heart. After 36 years she made the decision. It wasn't easy for her. She was afraid of what people might think of her. She was afraid of what people might think of her parents. There were so many things that she could allow to keep her from that need that she had. Finally she realized it, and is now born again without a doubt in her mind.
It would be an understatement to say that I am very happy. I can honestly say that I would gladly have nothing else for Christmas save the fact that my everyone under my roof is on their way to heaven. It is a feeling that goes farther than the joy we can receive from even the shiniest of gifts. It is eternal peace. There is no greater gift than the salvation we have through Jesus.
If there is anyone out there who might ever read this and wonder about a need in their own life, I pray that they would find someone who can talk to them, or contact me, and I would be happy to correspond. Take the gift that started it all. Merry Christmas to everyone!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Nothing on Earth Is Constant Except Change
Well, I got word last night that my route will be changing again after the first of the year. I am going to be getting rid of a few of my new stores, and that is both good and bad.
I won't have Charlevoix, or Boyne City, and that is a good thing because I have not been able to really make any type of connection there. I think in time it would come, but these stores seem to be more headache than anything else. Lewiston will also be going away, and that is fine, as they are again, a store that just never seems to open up and welcome a person. I had that store for three years before, and it was the same way then.
On the down side I will be losing Alpena. This is a double-edged sword. I hate the drive, but I love the people. I really think that this next year would have been really big over there as I worked with those stores. I will miss the chance to see what could have been.
I will be getting Bellaire back for sure, and I will be picking up Houghton Lake, Roscommon, and a couple other stores. I'm not sure which ones, but I hope they will be productive. One nice thing is that I will have a store manager in Houghton Lake that I used to have years ago, and we always got along very well. I look forward to doing business with him again. Also, by going to Bellaire again I will be able to see my cousin Jodi at work there. I called her last night to tell her and she was very excited.
Well, gonna go do some Christmas shopping. Need to do what I can to keep the local economy rolling along! Take care!
I won't have Charlevoix, or Boyne City, and that is a good thing because I have not been able to really make any type of connection there. I think in time it would come, but these stores seem to be more headache than anything else. Lewiston will also be going away, and that is fine, as they are again, a store that just never seems to open up and welcome a person. I had that store for three years before, and it was the same way then.
On the down side I will be losing Alpena. This is a double-edged sword. I hate the drive, but I love the people. I really think that this next year would have been really big over there as I worked with those stores. I will miss the chance to see what could have been.
I will be getting Bellaire back for sure, and I will be picking up Houghton Lake, Roscommon, and a couple other stores. I'm not sure which ones, but I hope they will be productive. One nice thing is that I will have a store manager in Houghton Lake that I used to have years ago, and we always got along very well. I look forward to doing business with him again. Also, by going to Bellaire again I will be able to see my cousin Jodi at work there. I called her last night to tell her and she was very excited.
Well, gonna go do some Christmas shopping. Need to do what I can to keep the local economy rolling along! Take care!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
A Quick "Catch-Up"
Greetings. I thought I would give a quick little post to let you all (funny) know how the work change for me is going. There are definite pros and cons.
Pros
Pros
- No more loading/unloading a van in the rain, snow, sleet, or wind.
- No more standing outside the backdoor of a store in the rain, snow, sleet, or wind
- No more shoveling snow in the bitter cold mornings at the warehouse.
- Jeep Liberty to drive now for work and personal use
- Jeep Liberty fuel card!
- Jeep Liberty is a lot more comfortable/ quiet to drive
- Able to get down to one insured vehicle at our house
Cons
- Cut in commission
- Route that takes me through the following towns: Charlevoix, East Jordan, Boyne City, Mancelona, Kalkaska, Grayling, Gaylord, Lewiston, and Alpena - 1200+ miles weekly
- Twice as much work to do
- Twice the headaches from management
- A loss of autonomy - I used to be able to decide when I would go to a store based on how my day was going, but now I am at the mercy of the semi that delivers for me.
- Again, I mention Charlevoix to Alpena!
I don't want people to think I am not grateful. We had one guy lose his job, and two others were demoted. I am very fortunate that I had an increase in volume to offset my cut in commission. I think things will get better, but it is going to take some time.
We are also going to ave some other changes after the first of the year as we will be taking on more items. This is going to give us more work to do, but hopefully it will translate into more money, although they are changing our pay structure so we don't make too much! Also they are looking at changing the routes, and when they do that I might lose Alpena and pick up Houghton Lake. I will welcome the shorter drive, I just hope the volume is there.
So, overall things are going okay. I can't say that I am thrilled, but I can say that I am getting along okay. I know that God will take care of me, and I am resting on that. I still think He has a bigger plan for me, but I am not yet sure what that is. Keeping doors open and ears tuned.
Well, I think that is enough for tonight. Man, I have been a posting fiend lately! Hopefully I will be able to keep up some type of a regular routine. Talk to you all (optimistic) some other time! Can I get a roll call to see who is still reading? Later!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Inadequate
Ever get that feeling? You're rolling along and then for just a split second you lift your head and look around. It hits you like a ton of bricks. "I can't do this! What was I thinking? How the heck did I end up here and more importantly, how am I going to get out?"
It happens to all of us from time to time - face it, we're humans. We like to think that we can just walk boldly along and handle whatever comes our way, but inside, down deep, where nobody ever sees, we are scared to death. What can we do? How can we get over it all?
Like any other problem we have, the first step is admitting it. We were not designed to have all of the answers or to be able to handle the load that we often end up trying to carry. Sometimes that load is given to us, but often we let our pride and lack of common sense dig us a hole we can't begin to climb out of. We need to admit that we can't do everything on our own. We have someone we can go to for help. God is there for us. he has the power we need to do what we cannot do on our own. That power could show itself in many ways, but the key is we need to yield our control to access the power.
The second step is claiming it. It would make no sense to not accept what you need when it is right there for the taking. God has given us His Holy Spirit to give us what we need to accomplish the tasks God has given us. We often try to do things on our own, even though God is right there wanting to help. We might, if we are lucky, be able to pull off something that those around us would consider a victory, but it will not come easily, and there will be pain, scars, and a lot of wasted time.
I know from my own life that when I have tried to do things on my own I have felt all along that I was a phony. I went through the motions because I knew how to "pull it off". A lot of people were convinced that I was doing things the right way, but they couldn't see the problems I was dealing with on the inside. It wasn't until I realized that I was living a lie that things started to turn around.
I finally understood that I needed to let God take the control. I had always been afraid that He would make me do things I didn't want to do, and sometimes He does! The neat thing is that by yielding that control and allowing myself to be used I am enjoying those things now. It is still scary at times, but now when I look up and see where I am and what I am doing, the feeling is different. I'm still amazed and at times a little scared, but I know Who is in control, and that takes a big bite out of the fear that I have.
As John the Baptist said in John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease." That is the way it has to be. It is the only way that I can feel adequate, capable of handling the life God has given me.
It happens to all of us from time to time - face it, we're humans. We like to think that we can just walk boldly along and handle whatever comes our way, but inside, down deep, where nobody ever sees, we are scared to death. What can we do? How can we get over it all?
Like any other problem we have, the first step is admitting it. We were not designed to have all of the answers or to be able to handle the load that we often end up trying to carry. Sometimes that load is given to us, but often we let our pride and lack of common sense dig us a hole we can't begin to climb out of. We need to admit that we can't do everything on our own. We have someone we can go to for help. God is there for us. he has the power we need to do what we cannot do on our own. That power could show itself in many ways, but the key is we need to yield our control to access the power.
The second step is claiming it. It would make no sense to not accept what you need when it is right there for the taking. God has given us His Holy Spirit to give us what we need to accomplish the tasks God has given us. We often try to do things on our own, even though God is right there wanting to help. We might, if we are lucky, be able to pull off something that those around us would consider a victory, but it will not come easily, and there will be pain, scars, and a lot of wasted time.
I know from my own life that when I have tried to do things on my own I have felt all along that I was a phony. I went through the motions because I knew how to "pull it off". A lot of people were convinced that I was doing things the right way, but they couldn't see the problems I was dealing with on the inside. It wasn't until I realized that I was living a lie that things started to turn around.
I finally understood that I needed to let God take the control. I had always been afraid that He would make me do things I didn't want to do, and sometimes He does! The neat thing is that by yielding that control and allowing myself to be used I am enjoying those things now. It is still scary at times, but now when I look up and see where I am and what I am doing, the feeling is different. I'm still amazed and at times a little scared, but I know Who is in control, and that takes a big bite out of the fear that I have.
As John the Baptist said in John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease." That is the way it has to be. It is the only way that I can feel adequate, capable of handling the life God has given me.
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