First Day

So I started my first day at the new job today. First day's are always fun because you have an excuse for walking around looking lost the whole day. As soon as I got to work I was handed a large stack of papers that all new hires have to fill out. Then it was off to meet all of my new coworkers, there were about 20 workers there so it was tough to keep all the names straight. Luckily about 6 of the employees have the same name, so if I wasnt sure of a name I defaulted to that name. The rest of the day flowed smoothly; did some training, got my new login, filled out new hire paperwork and faxed info to HR. I will be in training for about 8 weeks, by then if I cant figure out the system then something is wrong with me. I have been super blessed to have this job and I look forward to getting to know my coworkers and having a better understanding of the software I will be using.

Thank You

To everyone that has continued to pray for me during my time of unemployment I wanted to sincerely thank you for everything. I received word today that I am hired pending a background check starting Monday!! I cannot begin to express how thrilled I am with this news. My severance was quickly depleting and I was beginning to get worried. I kept praying and all of my worry seemed to go away. I spoke with one of my friends that is still working at Make a Wish, she said that the rest of the employees that were laid off are still without jobs due to the rough economy; I would ask that you continue to pray for them and all of those that are still without jobs. That is a tough position to be in and one that I never would like to be in again.

I am starting to believe just how powerful prayer can truly be. I was reading Matt. 17:20&21, paraphrasing Jesus says that the power or prayer can move mountains. I dont think it was a coincidence that I read this as I was going through this rough time. I started praying a lot more and believing in my prayers. I have not always been the best example of what a Christian should be, but I think this whole thing was a wake up call. I think God was telling me I have blessed you with many things and I can take it away just as easy. This has definitely been a wake up call to not take God's blessings for granted and not to lose sight of what is important.

Bout to Get My Preach On...

So I have been going through some tough times lately. Many of you may not have known because I haven't spoken too much about it. January 22nd I, along with 3 other employees, was laid off from my job. It was tough for me, because just week earlier I had been told by a superior that they had seen some real progress in my efforts at work. I was assured that the lay off was more an effort to cut expenses than anything that I had done wrong.

The timing of everything was odd. I was laid off the 22nd, which was one day prior to the day that we found out the sex of our baby. Obviously I was thrilled out finding out that we had a healthy baby girl on the way and all my sadness from the day before completely vanished. We had a wonderful celebration that evening and I couldn't have been happier.

I am talking about this emotional roller coaster I have experienced over the past few weeks for a reason. I believe that as Christians God is always speaking to us, sometimes we just don't listen. I don't think that it was a coincidence that the next day after I got laid off that I got to see my daughter growing. I think it was God telling me that this job that you just lost is not that important and He will provide everything that is needed for my family.

So here I am...Feb 6th...no job to speak of (at least I have a severance). I have interviewed at a place that I feel confident about, however I am by no means a shoe-in. I know this though, if I put my trust in the Lord he will provide and his plan is better than any plans that I may have made for myself. Whether I get the job or not, we will be alright.

Prayer is a powerful tool and one that I fear I do not always take full advantage of. I think of it like a phone call to God. So I am asking prayers for myself and my family as I continue trying to get back into a job (get on the phone). I ask you not to pity me, b/c as far as I'm concerned there is nothing to pity. I still think I am one of the luckiest guys around when I look at everything the Lord has blessed me with.

I ask prayers for those that have been on the same roller coaster of emotions that I have been on and encourage them to "pick up the phone". God's line is never busy. He may not always tell us what we want to hear, but he'll always answer.

James 5:13- Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.