Nothing too exciting....

Well, I finally tackled the 'problem' which I eluded to in my last post. Did not have the outcome which I desired, however, the problem IS solved. Thanks to everyone who called/wrote offering to help. This was simply something that I had to take care of myself. Now that it is settled and behind me...time to move on to the next problem which attacks me LOL

Speaking of which....I am NOT looking forward to this weekend. I have Saturday off to go down to a little town near Victoria, Texas to attend my brother's wedding reception. He and his girlfriend/wife, whatever she is NOW plan(ned) to just run to the JP and get married and then this weekend her family is having a wedding reception. I am going because it's the right thing to do. I love my brother and I truly do like Amy and her two kids. They are great. However, there are HUGE religious differences and w/o offending anyone, I am praying that there is not any, muchless a huge plethora of alcohol at the reception. I am not totally against having alcohol in moderation, but I simply do not like being around it...period. I have already told my family that if it gets crazy...I am leaving. Gotta stand up for what you believe in and that is simply something that I have strong feelings about.

On a positive note however, I have preliminary plans to go to a Rangers game later this summer...possibly more. My buddy Rebecca and I may spend a weekend together just having fun at Hurricane Harbor (a HUGE water park) and then go to a Rangers game the next day. We'll see. She is job huntin now. Keep that in your prayers for her :) She has been one of my very best friends over the years.

I'll try to keep y'all posted on my goings on. Work has just kept me swamped lately due in large part to the idiocy and total incompatencies of my boss. I pray for the strength everyday to survive whatever tests He gives me LOL

Y'all please continue to give me feedback on my postings and ideas on how to spruce this up!

Power of Prayer

"Do not be anxious then, saying 'What shall we eat', or 'What shall we drink' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves'? For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:31-33 I Thessalonians 5:17 also tells us to "pray without ceasing"


These verses have been on my mind a lot here lately. Mainly because in the not so distant future, I will be faced with some choices that are going to be life changing and life shaping. Professionally speaking, I am still working on preparing myself for a transfer. Exactly where to is still up in the air and may not be shown to me for several months yet. I know that no matter where it is I go, that it will be a difficult challenge but definitely not one that I will be unable to handle. I have been praying that God's will be done and that in His time, He will reveal His plans to me. As is only natural, the hardest part of this phrase is the "in His time" part. I sometimes get frustrated with the uncertainty but I realize that I can't worry over things which I cannot change. Whatever is meant to happen will happen as long as I keep my mind open and God's will first in my heart.

On the personal level, I am faced with several decisions that I need to make. Life is treating me very well. I am content and happy with the way my life is going and I thoroughly enjoy my life. Naturally there are certain aspects which could be better and I am working on those things. Those that know me well know that at times, I can be a very difficult person to "crack". By that, I mean I tend to keep my problems to myself. It's not out of spite, or anger, or stubborness, but more related to the fact that I don't want to bother any other people with my problems. I tend to get the idea in my head that my problems are small, and wouldn't mean anything to anyone anyway.

I know that with my friends and family that is not really true, but I guess it's simply a combonation of my personality and genetics. Some of my family is most definitely the same way. There is one big issue that I have kept bottled up inside of me for a very long time. It's something that I should have taken care of long ago and I have finally (almost lol) decided that I am going to take care of this conflict in my life. It will not be an easy task, but I know that with God's help, this problem will be solved. Whatever the result is, I know that it will be His will because of my prayers. I have been praying that He give me the strength to cope with this, and I believe that I am finally ready to hit it head on.

Please keep the situation in your prayers. It will be a tough task but I will come through regardless of the outcome.

Update: My co-worker's surgery went well and the doctor let her go home yesterday. I visited her in the hospital and she was in good spirits (mainly because of the morphene lol). She should be back at work in about 6 weeks and back to her goofy, fun self.

Also, Rebecca's surgery was a success and she is doing better. I plan to call her this weekend and give her a hard time, just like old times. Thank you all for your prayers concerning these two ladies. It is much appreciated!

Another Lesson in Life

"Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

How reassuring is that? No matter what we do, or how badly we mess up in life, God is always there for us..in all of His eternal mercy and grace. This is kind of like the old saying that "if you are not with God...you moved." That statement is so very true. God never leaves us, nor does He ever abandon us. Even (as stated in Revolation 2:4) when we leave our first love, which is God of course, He is always with us no matter what.

I got to thinking about these verses recently. It was about this time a year ago that I went through some very hard things. Without getting into too much detail, I made some very regrettable mistakes, which were in large part due to not having my eyes, or my heart set on the Lord, my first love. As many of my friends can attest to, I was simply not myself afterwards. It was one of those things that once all was said and done, I knew the mistakes I had made were wrong, and I continually beat myself up over.

It was reading these verses several months later that finally made me realize that God had never left me. He forgave me once I asked. I never truly thought that He had left me at all....it was more of a case that I didn't see how He would forgive me because I simply could not forgive myself. These verses, made me realize that His mercy was most definitely given to me in my strongest time of need. He never leaves us or abandons us.

It's like the poem "Footprints". There are two sets of footprints along the way and then all of a sudden only one. That one set starts where He takes us on His back and carries us through our trials and tribulations. His grace most definitely reaches us in our worst times. He is such a loving and forgiving God. He offers us forgiveness which we most definitely do not deserve, muchless have we earned.

We all have the opportunity to serve such a loving and caring God. We need to take the time to cherish the thought, and the opportunity. Thank God everyday for the blessings that you receive. There are so many blessings that we see, yet so many more that we simply do not see or think about. It is through His grace that we can persevere and rebound in our greatest times of need.

I will end this with another prayer request. First of all, my co-worker is going in for surgery tomorrow. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Also, pray for her doctors. Pray that they can remove the cancer that has invaded her body.

Another prayer request: My friend Rebecca is going in for some surgery today. She will be home-bound for probably three weeks. She is a very dear friend of mine whom I love very much. She is a great Christian gal. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

God Bless you all!
Greg

Here's Your Chance LOL

Ok...according to one regular reader of my blog, "Talking about work is boring", so apparently I have been boring people silly with certain aspects of my postings. So here is your chance....give me some good, valid ideas on what to post to my blog and I will consider it. I live a pretty boring life. I am not exactly surrounded by people my age, nor am I a socialite. I don't drink so that definitely takes out a lot of the options that I have around here, so work is a big, and important part of my life. I have tried to keep a good mix of work and personal stuff, but apparently I have failed you LOL

So.....email me with some ideas on what to write about. Post comments. Like I have said, I want to make my blog at least somewhat interesting. Otherwise there is no point in keeping it active. I have an idea that I am working on for a post...but am unsure if I will write it or not. In the meantime, let's get some suggestions rolling.

One Obstacle Down

Today was a great day at work. It started out like it was going to be an absolutely miserable day but things ended up working out just fine.

My regional boss, Ed, was coming in today and lo and behold, I have one guy call in sick and another call (15 minutes prior to work) saying he was having car problems. However, I simply called my two back-up guys and worked things that way. Although it wasn't my strongest crew, nor the crew I would like to have with Ed here, things worked out well anyway. We were able to get the drivers out just a few minutes later than normal.

In speaking with Ed, I told him that any feedback that he could give me would be much appreciated. I told him that I wanted to have what the company considers a great facility. His reply kind of took my by surprise in a way. He said "Don't worry man. You're running a tight ship here and things are great. You're putting too much pressure on yourself. People ARE noticing what a great job you're doing." This came after Adrian told me that I was complimented on the regional conference call earlier this week. I am not the type who constantly needs or desires positive feedback, but it does feel good to know that your hard work and efforts are appreciated and taken note of......

Which leads me to the title of this post. With Ed being here, observing my management style and my people's reactions to it...he was able to "certify" me. That simply means that I am meeting or exceeding company goals in 90% of our criteria. What this certification does is start the process for me to transfer out. I have a few more things to do, and some more training to do, but this is by far the biggest and most stressful part and I passed with flying colors. Ed is a really cool guy. If you are doing a great job he will let you know. However if you are suckin up the joint, he'll tell ya too. I have been on both ends of it. It's definitely better to be on the good end of things and stay there!

So with any luck, in a few weeks I will start some of my new training. There are two primary areas I will be focusing on. Yes, it will lead to stressful and very long and tiring days, but it will prepare me for the promotion.

I leave you today with a good proverb which Ed gave me: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't; you're absolutely right"

Life is a race

"...lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Now I don't know if this verse in the past has totally been overlooked by me or if the meaning just now hit me, but over the past day or so, this verse has really been weighing on my heart. Maybe it's just a coincidence of some of life's circumstances.

Sometimes life's race is not simply a run around the track. Sometimes you have to run hurdles. The past few days some hurdles have been thrown up that I simply wasn't expecting. A couple of incidents with friends have frustrated me; yet it's not something that I will be unable to handle. I just need to take a step back...take a deep breath and let whatever God's will is..happen. With one friend in particular, it seems that nothing I do is right. Maybe it's just my perception, but that's how it seems. Try to do things one way, like is requested, and this friend gets irritated. However, I love this friend dearly and will work things out. With another friend, it just seems that personalities and schedules are sorta conflicting at the moment. My work schedule leaves little time for a social life, which is part of the reason that I am so looking forward to a transfer/promotion at work. I will work a more normal schedule.

On the positive side...in a couple of weeks I am possibly going to Memphis to visit some friends of mine. I have several sets of friends there actually. Kara and Derek just had a baby boy! It is their first baby and I need to go get as much spoiling in as possible. I am also planning on visiting another couple (and their kids) that used to live here in Texarkana. There may be other plans in the works for Memphis...we'll see.

I will close this out with a prayer request. A co-worker of mine named Charkeitha is currently in the hospital facing surgery for what I will only describe as 'female problems'. She is a really sweet gal. She's married with 3 kids. I went to the hospital to visit her and talked with her and the family. Lord willing she will be ok. We should know more tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers.