Ramblings from a life lived for God

And, in the end, God shows his faithfulness.

2009-05-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Isn't it just amazing?

Although He has touched my life many times before, I always continue to be amazed when God intervenes. I still don't have a steady job, but God has provided a way for us to live until I DO find another job. Over the past week, God has:

1) Enabled it so that our landlord, a Christian man himself, is willing to let us pay the rent up to 10 days late, without a late fee. My wife & I are able to come up with the money every month for rent, but it was rarely able to be on the 1st. With the extra time, we'll be able to make it every month without issue.

2) provided me a means to get a programming contract to help provide more income than Unemployment provides. A local company (again, a Christian organization) is wanting me to automatic their business process. Programming is awesome! =)

3) helped us to get our current bills set up so that we're better able to pay our rent on the 1st, and save money on our bills at the same time!

Of all the people in this world, I'm just I'm not in the top, oh, 90% of people who deserve His love and grace, and yet He provides it, even when I'm not as faithful to Him. I love Him, however, and continue to strive to be more like Him.

In other news, my uncle recently had surgery to have a kidney removed. It was found out that he has cancer, and that it is malignant. He will constantly be in our prayers. I have a lot of memories of my uncle... he's the only relative that has the kind of humor and wit that I do. We even look a lot alike! I wasn't able to see him on the day he went under the knife, but I aim to see him or at least talk with him very soon. I can't wait to see how God is going to show his power in that situation!

Facebook, anyone?

Anyone use Facebook? It's seriously catching on! I've found many friends that I haven't heard from in ages. Most recently, my friend Michael and his wife Amy joined the Facebook network, and I'm finally back in contact with them! Hopefully I'll be able to see them soon.
Other friends from high school have joined in. It's incredible to see how much people have changed in, oh, 20+ years or so. I barely recognize some of them, and I'm sure they think the same of me. I've gained, oh, about 60 pounds since high school (I was skinny as a rail back then!). My hair is a little grayer, my face a little weather-worn. I missed my 20 year HS reunion, so I didn't get to see the gang then. I won't miss my 25th!

On the music front

If you haven't found it yet, check out Pandora

It's a free music service that you can tune to listen to the kind of music YOU want. Basically, you give it the name of a band or the name of a song, and it picks music of that same nature for you to listen to. For instance, one of my favorite Worship groups is Hillsong. I put their name in, and I'm getting all kinds of great Worship music -- Michael W. Smith, Aaron Schust, Jim Brickman... it's great! Give it a shot if you haven't already. And, if you'd like me to share my music channel I've created, let me know and I'll send you a link!

Be blessed! God is good!

Oh, my aching stress gland

2009-04-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the search for a new job continues. The economy has hit us hard in the FletchMeister household. Having been unemployed since November, things have grown rather desperate. My wife is working, and I'm getting unemployment, but together our income isn't enough to sustain the household we have. So, it appears that we'll be leaving the house in which we live and moving in with my in-laws. I can only praise God that we at least have a place we can go during this struggle. There are thousands of other families in the U.S. that don't have that option, and are therefore out on the streets.

Still, the whole situation is so incredibly stressful. I'm a software developer by trade, which is a profession that is usually immune to the effects of an economic downturn. But this downturn is a doozy. The blame game can be played all day long, and the political pundits are good about doing just that, but at the end of the day, I'm still unemployed and getting no calls back.

It is amazing, and heartening, to find that as I cry out to God during these times I begin to feel less stressed and more confident. God truly is in control. He saw this coming, and he knows the outcome. My prayers every day thank Him for the blessings He has provided for me and my family. Through this time He has provided temporary work for me, and has shown us to others who have helped at opportune times.

Still, there are days when I struggle. I question, I get angry, I get depressed. I find that, when these times happen, it helps so much to listen to positive music, positive messages and read my Bible. Interestingly, as I'm writing, this song came up on my eternal playlist (thank you WinAmp!):

David Crowder Band, "All I can say"

"Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
Yeah that's my everything

I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
Yeah that's my everything."

God is good.

Initial Post -- Hi there!

2009-04-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ah, narcissism. How wonderfully it is fulfilled in a blog-filled world!

I created this blog, not to show off or make myself look good, but instead to provide a means to vent in written form. Life can be hard, and it's always a good thing to be able to talk with someone about things going on in your life. My wife and I excel at being able to do just that, but there is just something about the ability to put in written form what you're feeling or experiencing. This blog will hopefully allow me to do that in such a way that it may entertain some, or at least give others a pause for thought. In any case, that's my plan! =)

Living as a Christian can be difficult. Outside influences can make one constantly strive to do better in their walk with God, only to find themselves struggling at times to do the "right thing." As I go through these struggles, I long to put the experiences here so that others may be able to read them and think, "he's going through something I've gone through!"

Or, maybe I'm just enjoying the sound of my own electronic voice. Who knows? =)

In any case, I'm looking forward to it.