bingfoo's Revelife

No, you aren't seeing things...

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:05:51 GMT

I am actually making a post here!

In all reality, I am actually in thought about blog sites.   My xanga site I have been doing good to post once a week there.   Another blog site I have it has been since the 4th of July.    I have another on Blogger that I am thinking it is on a two year stretch since even posting anything.   While I have good intentions of tailoring each site to a specific creative outlet or more of a focus, I'll have to just admit that it ain't happenin' like I planned.

Needless to say, my primary xanga site will stay up, as will revelife as I have subscriptions on both sites that I enjoy reading. Secondary xanga site, well, it is time to part ways.   Blogger, I'll leave that be.   I think anyone that used to read it has moved on to others.

Life since my last post:
1. Trip to Florida for family reunion. First vacation for me in 18 months.   I so needed it.
2. Trip to Michigan for Labor day weekend. Good to see some members of the wifes side of the family that have been long overdue by years.
3. Work.   We just launched our fall initiatives here at church 2.5 weeks ago.   Needless to say the prep work leading up to it was draining.   Good thing I had that vacation!
4. Deaths. We've had 2 deaths in the church within the last 2 weeks.   One of the ladies I bowled with for a season.   Even though I didn't personally know the other lady, stuff like that has an effect on the church body.
5. Hurricane Ike. This is most recent.   The little dose we got of the storm here in Ohio was obviously nothing compared to what those in the gulf coast went through.   However, nearly half the city was without power for at least a day.   The church was without for 2 days.   Some people are still without.   With sustained gusts of 60-80 mph, tree's fell, homes were damages, lives were lost.   The wife and I are truly thankful for the power we had and the relative little cleanup that we had to do.

Needless to say, I don't know when my next post will arrive.   It may well be another 6 weeks.   Blessings on you all until that next time!

If you were on the death row, what would be your last meal?

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:16:13 GMT

As opposed to saying "If I were on death row," I'll answer it in light of the fact of "if I knew it were my last day to live...."

There are 3 things that I would want for my last meal...

1. My wife's famous chicken dish and potatoes that she only makes when company comes over.
2. My dad's grilled hamburgers (he mixes in spices, cubed bread, and raw eggs)....with tater tots.
3. My mom's runzas. The dough she uses is amazing. Good cold or hot.

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

Life may not always be a beach...

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:07:56 GMT

..but for me, next week, it will be.

I so need a vacation.

Over the last 18 months I've had snippets of R&R, but not of the weeklong variety. Last year I went through 2 job changes (one involuntary, one voluntary), upon my first job change, which lasted 4 months, I was not eligible for vacation until after 6 months. After switching to my current job, I had some vacation time, which I took some of in snippets, but not the weeklong variety. So, needless to say...

...bring on the vacation.

Course, getting ready for vacation was work upon my normal work load. I think I've managed to prep the person filling in for me as much as I can, and hopefully the lists I leave are enough to get them through. In the event of an extreme emergency, I loaded some of the files for next week onto my laptop (just in case they got into a jam). Prayerfully that doesn't happen, the wife will be unhappy with me if it does.

So, we're in the midst of packing, prepping the house, and wrapping up the last minute details. As soon as I can get out of work tomorrow, I will. That way we can hit the highway and head on to Florida for our family reuinion (which are always a blast!)

With that, I take leave of the laptop, wrap up the office, and head home to pack. I may try to hit the airwaves while down south (they do have Wi-Fi), but only if the time permits (or I can't sleep).

Still here!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:15:41 GMT

Even with intentions of being more diligent in posting, sometimes life just doesn't allow for it.

So, even though I've promised more frequent updates, I'm just gonna have to change that to "when I get a chance, I'll post." I love to blog, consider it a hobby of sorts, and can't wait to do it.

I also love to draw, but it has been even longer since I've sat down to do that.

Sometimes I just wish I could go back to age 10. Why that age. Life was much simpler at 10. Old enough to be able to do stuff with friends, but not stuck with the headaches that we sometimes face as adults. Mom and Dad no doubt shielded us from the stresses of life that we didn't need to worry about. (Homework at 10 was about my only headace.) Being an adult now, I fully appreciate it.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy adulthood. I do. I am blessed. It's just that at those times when problems arise, you just wish you didn't have to deal with it. Needless to say, the good times far outweigh the bad.

Thoughts?

When it rains....

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:58:52 GMT

...it pours!

So yeah, we got a nice rainstorm last night. Much needed. Plants loved it, and it cooled things off.

However, let me explore the double meaning behind that....

Needless to say, July has been a rough month for us. Granted, VBS was a highlight. Personally though, we just go hit with, for lack of a better term, a load of cowpies from the sky. The month started off with the AC, simple fix, no big deal. Then the wife recently lost an old crown (before we were married) to a piece of candy (JuJu Fruit to be precise). Then tonight, for whatever reason, I manage to give the wifes new camera a boo-boo of sorts (which is still under warranty, both manufacturers and extended, but still...). Needless to say, the wife is totally unhappy with me now.

Sometimes it feels like some flips up the plastic cover to the red "Sucky" button on your life's control panel and just hammers it hard. Know the feeling?

Yeesh.

Granted, yes, I've been through rougher patches in my life. Too, I have no room to complain compared to what some people go through on a more regular basis. It just seems that we manage to get on our feet again and start making general positive progress and then, "WHAM!" A month like this happens.

Then I run into Romans 8:28 (ESV):

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

*knowiingly nods head*

Instead of saying "Granted" (which I like to do a lot), I will acknowledge the fact that life isn't always going to be peachy. In this too God is still hammering out all my rough edges (which there are plenty of). It's just that sometimes I wish a streak of positive things would "work together for good." I feel guilty in saying that, but it would just be nice.

Lord, help me to look past my circumstance, as bad as they seem to me at the moment. I don't doubt that you have great things planned for my life. I'll just have to submit through the journey to your perfect will, even if it means going through rough patches like this. Help me to grow, help me to move on, give me joy in spite of my circumstances. Amen.

Colossians 3:1-3

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:36:30 GMT

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden in Christ" (Colossians 3:1-3, ESV).

These are the verses I have been working on since Thursday. all_usernames_have_been taken made up a post about the need to getting back into scripture memorization and it had been something that's been on my heart to start. I was going to wait until next week to recoup from VBS, but thought that, like physical exercise, you can make any excuse not to jump back in the game. So as opposed to making excuses, I decided, I better get back in the game. It's been coined "Operation Memorization" if you'd like to join, by all means hop on board.

Speaking of physical exercise, the wife and I will be jumping back into our kickboxing group tomorrow. We need to, plain and simple. Not only is it a physical challenge, it is a mental one as well. Yeah, I am thoroughly exhausted, but I sleep better, I feel better.

So, that's my journey to become a more well rounded individual.

Time for a nap!

Whew!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:51:45 GMT

Well, that's done. VBS....see ya next year....probably!

I will say that I am suffering a bit from withdrawal. Yes, I am excited that it's done. I'll have so much free time. However, after putting so much time, sweat, and heart into something, it's a little hard to let go, even with all frustrations that presented themselves.

I experienced the same when in college. I travelled on a singing team that traveled twice a month, on spring break, and through the month of may. I did it for 2 years. Each summer, I would feel this void. My last year I originally said I was not going to do it. About halfway through the first semester, I realized I couldn't live without it. So I approached the instructor in charge of it, and I went along as the sound guy, and learned a lot on that end too. There were many times of frustration, sometimes team members rubbed each other the wrong way, however, we always pushed through, and came together for the common good.

So, needless to say, I look forward again to the Fall when we get back into gear for our Family INtergenerational Worship Service called "Recess Live" Drama mixed with music mixed with beach balls flying through the air....good times.

Next week, hopefully, I should be back up to snuff. Not that I've posted a lot since bring up this blog site, but hopefully I'll be more present. That's the goal anyhow.

I'm off to mow my lawn. After 2 weeks, it needs it!

Life at the moment...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:35:42 GMT

Well, VBS is in full swing with 2 more days to go. Yesterday felt more like later in the week, the wife agreed. Perhaps that is due to the fact that I have been at the church at least once a day for the past 2 weeks, and it is all just kinda blending together. After Wednesday....well, there will still be work, but I should have at least Saturday away from the church.

Have had some interesting learning experiences at work involving 2 different sets of individuals in need. The first guy said he was sleeping in his car, needed gas to get to...somewhere. So I checked with pastor, who asked me to put 20 dollars into his tank. The guy kept talking about needing something to eat, but at that point in time I just mentioned that we'll get the gas and see about food.

On the way to the gas station (which I drove separately to) I decided that I'd get the guy something (a sandwich, chips, drink) out of my own pocket. So I pumped the gas, the guy asked again about food, and I said that I would take him in and grab him something from the store. To my shock I got a very negative response. He didn't want "that kind of food" and wanted something else "like Wendy's." At which point I told him I was only authorized to give him the gas. So he hopped in his car, and away he went.

The second was a couple that, from what I gathered, the husband had just lost his job, and they had just lost their house. They had nothing but what they could fit in their car, and need about 6 gallons of gas to get there. Again, I checked with Pastor, and off we headed to the gas station. I pumped the gas and aked if I could pray for them, which they were receptive to. They were very appreciative of what we had given.

It made me be very appreciative of what I have, even if I don't have a lot. Sometimes we take life for granted, even the small things.

Secondly, it made me even more mindful of the attitude I project and how I act, even if it's just me at home. The first guy I mentioned above claimed to be a Christian, but didn't act a whole lot like it. Actions do speak a lot louder than words.

.............

With that, the day needs to get afoot. Be blessed!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:42:43 GMT

Oy...

Life's been busy, a good busy. Our VBS is next week, and we have been extremely busy the last few days putting the set together, rehearsals, etc. The nice thing is that the wife and I get to serve on this together. Which is fortunate and a blessing.

Typically we tend to serve in different areas, which is fine as we are unique and have different talents. However, service apart sometimes is difficult because she has something on one night, me on the other, and we don't hardly get to see each other much before crawling in the bed and saying goodnight. Weekends typically our the only time we really get "just us" time.

However, by being able to partner together along without children's ministry has been so good. That's not to say that our creative differences don't always get along, but at the end we are united together for the same cause...positively impacting young lives for Christ.

So, I would say that until we are done with VBS, I probably won't be frequently blogging. However, the reason why I won't be is so worth it in the end.

How to approach this blog?

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:20:47 GMT

I've given thought over the weekend as how to approach this blog of mine. So far I have no remote conception of what I want to do. My one blog is more the what's going on type blog, my other (which I just recently started) I am gearing to be a bit deeper, more Bible Study-esque.

Perhaps this could be a hybrid of the first two. Life lessons (funny or serious) with a Biblical perspective....

.........????????

I just really don't know!

Perhaps more pondering is in order........