I have not been neglecting this blog willingly. It seems like every time I say "I'm gonna post this or that", something happens. I've been without regular Internet access for a while now. I am able to get on and check emails and messages via the mobile phone but it's not all that great. Hopefully I can get Internet again soon.
But I'd like to give you a brief update of some of the activities in my life. I am happy to say that I finally found a Church in Tennessee. It was less than a mile away from my home. The reason I did not find it sooner is because our family never took the road that took us to it. My entire immediate family is now saved and we are active within our Church.
On Monday nights our Church offers it's building for the use of a program called "Overcomers Outreach." This is a faith-based /alcohol recovery program. Many of the members that attend are court-ordered to do so. Our pastor encourages the Church to come out and support this ministry. After attending one of these courses I realized what a powerful ministry it is. I try to attend these classes on a regular basis. I pray for others while I'm there, I may share a scripture or two that applies to the message, and sometimes I simply listen to what others have to say. It may not seem like much, but I appreciate being able to help out in whatever way I can. After Overcomers ends, there is another class (Anger Management). I attend this one as well in hopes of being able to help out and minister to someone. I love these classes. The people are so sweet and while some of the attendees are saved, quite a few are not. It's an amazing way to present the Gospel.
I've also been getting back into youth ministry. Our Church recently had a youth night. We had a bonfire, food, games, and I got to share a message. I felt like it was a great way to bond with the kids. I've also been helping out in the teen Sunday school class. Jim and Margarita (the youth directors) are allowing me to plan the next couple of lessons for the teens. The subject? The sacrifices of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and how they apply to us. We'll eventually start having a weekly youth night for the teens. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this! The last weekly youth night I was actively involved with was when I lived in Maryland a couple of years ago.
I've been reading a lot more. I'm currently reading a book called "Tactics: A Game Plan For Discussing Your Christian Convictions" by Gregory Koukl. This book is not so much a witnessing style, as it is a conversation plan. It teaches you how to really listen to what others say, and expose their words and message for what it really is. Since reading this book I've learned that many people use words so lightly and our conversations are so full of slogans and cliche little phrases that have very little thought behind them. I'd suggest checking this book out if you get a chance. It's a quick read I've found to be very helpful in my every day life. I've also been working my way through "Institutes of The Christian Religion" by John Calvin (though it's been on the back burner for a bit since I've been busier than usual), and I have a good amount of books by R.C. Sproul that I need to finish.
Mikey turns 9 years old tomorrow. He's adorable as ever. He's recently discovered that he can film little video clips on Amber's laptop and edit them using the movie-maker program. We recorded a talk show with a puppet last night. He especially loved being able to add his favorite song to the beginning of the clip with an opening caption introducing the show.
Amber and I would like to start witnessing again. For a while there we were walking around our town and sharing our faith with whoever would talk to us. But since it's been so cold this past month or so, we haven't been doing it. I've got a good amount of tracts though and as it warms up, I'd like to start passing them out. At Church we're actually doing a series on evangelism for the teens. Perhaps we could have some sort of day to get together and have some evangelistic community outreach.
Last night we went to court (yeah... they have night court here). My dog Mr.Fancy got out of his kennel a month ago and barked at a few neighbors, barked at an older boy, and ran around the street. The neighbors got upset and called the police. When the officer showed up, Mr.Fancy barked at him too. We had to appear in court. The charge? Dog at large. I won't lie, seeing that on paper made me giggle. Since that happened, we've secured the top of the kennel (Mr.Fancy can climb and was climbing out over the door). The Judge said please just make sure we keep our dog in our yard and dismissed the case. Justice was served for Mr.Fancy.
I'm still looking for work. I've had no luck at all. I've applied all over our small town. Nobody is hiring in our town. In the Sunday paper for the city of Cleveland (the largest city near us) there was a total of 10 jobs listed. Six them were part time, four full time, and one of the jobs was as an Avon representative. I mean I understand the economy is bad, but I think here in the south it's a little worse. Situations like these make me miss Maryland.
Anyways, I hope to be able to update this more often. Thank you guys for always checking in and even commenting. Hopefully I'll be able to make this a more regular thing.
