When the ball drops or the trumpet sounds.

Its a new year tomorrow.  All debt and dirt will finally get wiped clean and all can start a new exciting and free year on this loving planet.  Not! Well although the world wishes it could happen, the Lord does not promise the world will get better, cleaner, more efficient, "greener", more loving or agreeable politically or spiritually.  We know that is exactly the opposite of what the Lord shows us in the book of Revelation.

Recently, (over 2 months or so) I have taken a huge interest to the book of Revelation.  The Lord has a lot in store, and to "the world" and nonbelievers, it's not going to be all that pretty or fun.  But if we are saved, meaning; trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior who is the Messiah of the Old Testament, the Savior of all who believe in Him, the God incarnate, who died for all mens sins who ask for forgiveness and then came back to life (portraying we would also have eternal life) and rose to heaven (as we too shall rise)...we have nothing to fear from this world or the people in it!!!!  We should not fear men but trust the Lord's will is just and perfect.

Reading Revelation I love particularly the  few chapters 19, 20, 21 & 22.  I have found that my excitement and my confidence in Christ (and not my own attempts to be confident) grows the more and more I reread those chapters every few days.  What am I living for?  What am I "here" for?  What do I do with my time?  What will tomorrow bring?  How much money should I have?  How can I keep going?  When will I get a break from all the stress and expectations?  ALL these questions can be answered and make a believer smile when reading those chapters.  Or really all of the "red letters" in the NT.  We are of a different spirit, birth, inheritance, character, mind and purpose than EVERYONE on this planet.  We are given a new name, loved, given peace, and accepted.  As most other religions wait on a "world teacher" we know that we are different.  We know Christ came as the Lord of Lords and not  just a "good world teacher who will bring justice and peace" but Christ came and is going to come back!  This WE know will be the antichrist for all of them.  [pray for the lost around you, and instruct them into the love the Lord gives freely]

Christ is coming back someday!  We are "waiting on the curb"so to speak and waiting for His return because we want to go home and we can only get there by Him giving us "that ride there".

So tonight marks the ending of a year.  Lets all eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die [like the lost]. OR Lets take joy in what the Lord has done in our lives.  Lets GET EXCITED about how we know Him, who He has changed us from, and how He loves us unconditionally. Lets take each day as an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God our Father.

So when someone asks 'off the cuff' "What's your new years resolution!?" Answer back something with a meaty answer.  Something That the Lord desires for you this year, NOT yourself.  Not weight control, investment gains, or popularity etc. But to grow in Him, learning how to hear Him, and how to OBEY Him when He asks you to speak, love, encourage or instruct.

Rev. 22:12 "Behold, I am coming SOON!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

John 10:7

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the Sheep."


At a time when my job and a way of life is becoming more and more at the front of my mind I become more and more interested in a marketable trade which allows me to still enjoy life and not become overwhelmed with the "the boss vs employee delima".  At my age I know I can and should work. Actually I have come to realize I'll be working till i die I'm pretty sure with the look of our countries changes towards uncertainty etc.. So ill work, for a long time doing something I love or something I moderately enjoy but somehow "tolerate".  Although I may tolerate my job, i don't want to become overwhelmed with monotony of a dead end job.  Some people do well with the everyday deal.  I on the other-hand, tolerate it.  I am somewhere in the middle.  I hate drastic change, and i never want to do the same thing everyday.  

where i am:

Having a degree in Social work, somewhat understanding of the construction process, musically inclined and at a recording level, daily growing in the field of Solar Power at my current job and wondering daily what I will do next.  Example-Overseas orphanage work, SW with at risk teens, or continue installing solar energy solar panels, cutting an album, or combining them into one very eclectic/energy saving new business/group home.

All great options. And still content with my current situ.

What I have been looking into for the past months:

Specialized Organic Herding/farming.  This would be first as a hobby.  But through my research, reading and asking people who have experience...there can always be a profit with a hobby.  For my inklings, Goats/Sheeps in particular have a large market in the US and all of the world for their meat, dairy and fiber.  The industry of goats and Sheep (personal favorites for positive gains due to their similar avenues of gain) 65-70% of all red-meat consumed globally is goat meat.  This is more of a larger % outside of the US but with the US growing ethnically the growth for goat/sheep meat in the US is growing rapidly.  That is just 1 thing ill share over too many stats you don't want to read I'm sure.  But thoughts towards doing this only generate a joy in my heart.  

Pros:

Working from Home;  Being Self-Sustaining;  Sheep herding;  Learning how to really Weave Yarn;  Learning how to slaughter meat for myself;  Knowing where my meat really comes from;  Selecting profitable breeds good for fibers, meats, show and dairy;  Learning how to pasteurize milk;  Learning how to breed;  Having a farm land and many many more. I could also have the youth group kinds over frequently to learn life lessons through herding metaphors. 

Cons:

Start up $, Slow growth, A lot more research for breeds vs sicknesses vs shearing techniques vs breed uses... Also the most important- the need for land. 

But although I may have to work till i die, I wouldn't mind working 2 jobs till I'm 30-40 if after that I can stay at home working with my own resources to feed Jodi and myself.  

Also, Sheep are stupid animals.  What? Yeah, not the brightest, and SO are we.  What a joy it would be working with the greatest metaphor for God's people.  We are his sheep, He loves us all equally (no matter how often we mess up) and "feed my sheep" (not only the literal sheep though).

This life we live.

John 10:27

1 Peter 2:25

Hebrews 13:20

Romans 8:36

Letter to my wife.

We recorded this song after waking up one saturday morning.  This recording is missing a line though near the end that actually gives meaning and purpose to the song.  The line missing is found after "i hope you understand my travel..." and the line missing is "this life is short but it wont stop here!"
We want to start recording our songs. Recording is expensive. But we have a good friend who is great studio recorder so maybe we can get a chance in the near future to record better quality music and then share them with you all!

Lyrics

honey, im goin down stream, im rushin the forge 

hidin in the woods

and makin friends with indians

they're given me paint for my face

and i look like a zebra

ive given them many looks and they think im fierce 

they call me the man from cave mountain

the wind it blows it blows and it goes south

past our home in the valley

past our home in the valley 

down on the range

down on the range

i hope you'll understand i hope you'll understand my travel

i hope you'll understand i hope you'll understand my travel

ive walked all day and night because of how ive missed you

ill be home when you get this

you'll jump and ill smile

you'll see now im a zebra

and ill take you to see the tribe Yahawuh

i hope you'll understand i hope you'll understand my travel

i hope you'll understand i hope you'll understand my travel

this life is short but it wont stop here.

this life is short but it wont stop here.

down on the range

down on the range

watch out!

I'll be writing this to inform family and friends of what all is going on in my life and to bridge that gap between distance, phone calls and emails.

For example,

Today is the first real snow we've found falling all around us. As I type the snow is rising quickly and from our 3rd floor apartment we can see white covered rooftops and cautious drivers passing on the near road.

We got home at 3 after church and having a pancake lunch with Roger, Shelly (Jodi's parents) and awesome newer friends Paul and his 2 cousins from S. Korea.  His two cousins are visiting in order to enjoy a time in the American culture, learn English and visit family.  Next we were/are hoping to have friends over for a music hour and fellowship at 6:30 but with the snow coming down and no one living less than 10 miles from us we might not have a room full of as creative music as we hope.  But our fingers are still crossed.

Recently I brought from Jodi's parents house an old small organ and violin, which go well with guitar and mandolin.  I've also taught myself all of the major and minor chords for playing piano.  Violin will take a lot longer learning ALTHOUGH it is the same tuning as a mandolin so it makes it really easy to know where notes are and so on, the bow part is tough.

Outside of our music and weather news Jodi and I would greatly appreciate your prayers towards understanding what to do job-wise.  Although we DO have great jobs that are a HUGE blessing we have been looking into social service etc. jobs near us in Bethlehem and Allentown.  Even though we are searching we are not in any rush either but we know that we are called to do what the Lord has blessed us with scholastically and using our abilities in our field of study.  BUT although I/we would love to work with young to older teens at risk/ homeless/ addicts etc., we are perfectly fine with how the Lord has provided us a job at The Heat Shed/ GeoGenix (Jodi in the office and me installing Solar energy power panels) and we could do it till the Lord returns.

The great thing about our jobs is that no matter where we are and who we are around that right there is our mission field.  God does not call literal missionaries who travel overseas the only ones who are doing His work but those who are following Him everyday in our everyday life.  Having lived in Greece for 3 months last year and going to give help to missionaries I have grown in respect towards missionaries and the call they have on their life.  I respect their obedience to God's call on their hearts.  Jodi and I are also both willing to take that risk if God ever brought to our lives an opportunity where He needs us to go somewhere to serve Him and His people.

I will write more as time goes on, Jodi has just made some awesome smelling soup and I'm starving.

Praise God we have more than we deserve.  A warm small apartment, friends, soup, His Word, His Promise, and a Father who calls us his Children.

We love and miss you.