Exactly 60 days from learning that my department at Deloitte DCS would be closing, God has opened the door for me to start a new job!!
Starting June 4, I will begin as the Operations Manager for Capstone Painting (www.capstonepainting.com) in Medina Minnesota: a small, family-owned business that does commercial and residential, interior and exterior paint. My job will be to serve as the liaison between owners, project managers, and customers, which has great similarities to my job duties at Deloitte DCS.
I found it utterly amazing that practically to the very minute of receiving the dreaded news, I got to say with pride, "I'm pleased to accept your offer."
There remains a few large issues to work out, namely health insurance. As you know, we are expecting a wee one in November. But remember, "perfect families need not apply"...
But I sense this is God's miraculous, mighty provision which will bring Him much glory.
Thanks for your prayers.
More to come!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Where is security?
Since going into forced unemployment nearly 30 days ago, I have learned a great deal. God has been daily helping me see things in my thinking and character which do not honor Him. This was my prayer not so long ago---I told God I wanted to be sanctified and that He had my permission to touch whatever part of my life He needed to in order to refine me. I decided that I wanted to be found IN HIM and He could take whatever steps necessary to make that a reality (Philippians 1:6). Well, God has been faithful to accomplishing that. The process is sure hard, but I trust the end result to be completely joyous.
This morning's lesson was that I have been drawing my sense of security and well-being from knowing my daily assignment, which has been, for the past 14 months, wrapped up in a Company name. Without realizing it, I had much of my identity wrapped up in the name "Deloitte."
Don't get me wrong...it's not a BAD thing to take pride in your company name and to give your company your enthusiastic loyalty. But I think I went a little overboard on it: that's all I'm saying.
Instead, I need to draw security and significance from being God's beloved, adopted son with all sins washed away by the blood of his only Begotten Son, Jesus.
Security and identity and significance don't come from being an employee at a prestigious company. That's the trap I fell into: the lie I boutht-into. I pray that in my next job, wherever it may be, I will keep my identity and security and significance intact by remaining in God's love (John 15:9-10).
And my prayer for you, dear reader, is that you too will discover whether your heart draws more security from your position in the world, or your position in heaven.
This morning's lesson was that I have been drawing my sense of security and well-being from knowing my daily assignment, which has been, for the past 14 months, wrapped up in a Company name. Without realizing it, I had much of my identity wrapped up in the name "Deloitte."
Don't get me wrong...it's not a BAD thing to take pride in your company name and to give your company your enthusiastic loyalty. But I think I went a little overboard on it: that's all I'm saying.
Instead, I need to draw security and significance from being God's beloved, adopted son with all sins washed away by the blood of his only Begotten Son, Jesus.
Security and identity and significance don't come from being an employee at a prestigious company. That's the trap I fell into: the lie I boutht-into. I pray that in my next job, wherever it may be, I will keep my identity and security and significance intact by remaining in God's love (John 15:9-10).
And my prayer for you, dear reader, is that you too will discover whether your heart draws more security from your position in the world, or your position in heaven.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
My whole life shifted on just two words
I was truly, sincerely hopeful until those two words were uttered. Our small department of 6 was ushered into a meeting and I was convinced--absolutely--that the meeting was all about reviewing our previous year's progress as a nationwide department, and looking ahead to the (obvious) challenges of the coming year.
The introductions were brief: I don't remember any of it. Within one minute, those words came tumbling out of our Sr. VP's mouth:
"Business Re-alignment"
And from there, things have been pretty screwy for the past 30 days. Our entire department was to be shut down in two weeks' time, and that would put me on the job hunt again after just 14 months after my last search.
Oh, and did I mention that just two weeks prior, we learned that my beloved is pregnant with another baby??
Sometimes my faith is strong as iron. Sometimes, weak as paper. Tonight, I fit somewhere in between. It's a scary reality, trying to figure out how to support a wife and 5 (soon to be 6) kids and no job anywhere in sight.
Join me on the journey as God transforms ashes into beauty: that's always His plan and we can only cling to Him as He accomplishes it through us and his body of believers at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
May God receive all the praise.
The introductions were brief: I don't remember any of it. Within one minute, those words came tumbling out of our Sr. VP's mouth:
"Business Re-alignment"
And from there, things have been pretty screwy for the past 30 days. Our entire department was to be shut down in two weeks' time, and that would put me on the job hunt again after just 14 months after my last search.
Oh, and did I mention that just two weeks prior, we learned that my beloved is pregnant with another baby??
Sometimes my faith is strong as iron. Sometimes, weak as paper. Tonight, I fit somewhere in between. It's a scary reality, trying to figure out how to support a wife and 5 (soon to be 6) kids and no job anywhere in sight.
Join me on the journey as God transforms ashes into beauty: that's always His plan and we can only cling to Him as He accomplishes it through us and his body of believers at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
May God receive all the praise.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Confession
Comes not as a shock to almost any reader (I hope), but it is a big step in escaping pride...
After careful analysis and years of observation, prayer and pondering, I have come to the conclusion, only 9 1/2 years after the fact, that my dear wife and I stepped into parenthood unprepared. (I'm going to dare to say that I entered marriage unprepared as well, but that is a subject for a different blog).
I used to think I was a pretty darn good dad, better than average, or most (on my good days). But now I see that I'm just another thick-headed male, stubborn and full of pride and ego, bumbling his way along in half-prayed, scripturally undernourished, taking his wife and children along for the rocky ride of near-adolescent stupidity.
Heaven help us all.
Here now is my plug for scripture memory songs:
the lyrics of a song just popped into my head:
"This I call to mind, in this I have hope, the righteous love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end, they are NEW, EVERY MORNING! Great is your Faithfulness!" (Psalm something, something...).
I've heard it said that courage doesn't always express itself in conquering boisterously, but sometimes in just the meek determination to start again fresh yet again tomorrow morning.
So with that, for all my foibles and follies, I will rise tomorrow to try again to be a Godly dad and husband.
After careful analysis and years of observation, prayer and pondering, I have come to the conclusion, only 9 1/2 years after the fact, that my dear wife and I stepped into parenthood unprepared. (I'm going to dare to say that I entered marriage unprepared as well, but that is a subject for a different blog).
I used to think I was a pretty darn good dad, better than average, or most (on my good days). But now I see that I'm just another thick-headed male, stubborn and full of pride and ego, bumbling his way along in half-prayed, scripturally undernourished, taking his wife and children along for the rocky ride of near-adolescent stupidity.
Heaven help us all.
Here now is my plug for scripture memory songs:
the lyrics of a song just popped into my head:
"This I call to mind, in this I have hope, the righteous love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end, they are NEW, EVERY MORNING! Great is your Faithfulness!" (Psalm something, something...).
I've heard it said that courage doesn't always express itself in conquering boisterously, but sometimes in just the meek determination to start again fresh yet again tomorrow morning.
So with that, for all my foibles and follies, I will rise tomorrow to try again to be a Godly dad and husband.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Little Celebrations
Today at Bethlehem, we had a guest pastor, a regular guest, C.J. Mahaney speak about looking for the "evidences of grace" in others, rather than their faults. What he means is, look for the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) and also the gifts of the spirit (teaching, evangelism, leading, mercy, etc) in others---espsecially those in our own households---because it is so darn easy otherwise to see nothing but faults in our spouse or children. I'm guilty of that, for sure.
Well, here's a great one in my oldest son Nicholas and his 5 year old sister Hannah today. I just had to administer a timeout and a session of exhortation to Nicholas about speaking harshly with his sister (gee, I wonder where he get's that from...Hmm, could it be...His Dad?!). And not 2 minutes later, he and his sister collide while carrying milk-glasses to the dinner table...and milk flies EVERYWHERE!! Onto Hannah's dress, her feet, and even into her hair. It was a 1st class mess.
Folks, my kids have all been, at times, so hypersensitive and "touchy" that they have been known to launch into thermonuclear fits if molecule of air lands wrong on their skin. So I expected bucketloads of emotions, anger and tears to come pouring out of this situation. But it never did. Hannah just stood looking stunned, and wondered how the milk would come out of her hair. But as a miracle of God's grace, we all handled it, taking it in stride and moving forward to a quick clean-up and lots of forgiveness and apologies.
Wow! I was stunned at how wonderfully both Nicholas and Hannah (and me too, to be honest) handled the situation and never cried over spilled milk. I rewarded both of them with a little sweet treat and praised them abundantly.
I just had to share this little victory in hopes you find the same evidences of grace in your family this week!
Well, here's a great one in my oldest son Nicholas and his 5 year old sister Hannah today. I just had to administer a timeout and a session of exhortation to Nicholas about speaking harshly with his sister (gee, I wonder where he get's that from...Hmm, could it be...His Dad?!). And not 2 minutes later, he and his sister collide while carrying milk-glasses to the dinner table...and milk flies EVERYWHERE!! Onto Hannah's dress, her feet, and even into her hair. It was a 1st class mess.
Folks, my kids have all been, at times, so hypersensitive and "touchy" that they have been known to launch into thermonuclear fits if molecule of air lands wrong on their skin. So I expected bucketloads of emotions, anger and tears to come pouring out of this situation. But it never did. Hannah just stood looking stunned, and wondered how the milk would come out of her hair. But as a miracle of God's grace, we all handled it, taking it in stride and moving forward to a quick clean-up and lots of forgiveness and apologies.
Wow! I was stunned at how wonderfully both Nicholas and Hannah (and me too, to be honest) handled the situation and never cried over spilled milk. I rewarded both of them with a little sweet treat and praised them abundantly.
I just had to share this little victory in hopes you find the same evidences of grace in your family this week!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Welcome!
Welcome to PFNNA!
If you struggle with a gap of where you are with your family - and where you would like to be...welcome! If you feel inadequate for the task of parenting...welcome! If you sometimes think your highest hope you can dare to dream for your kids is that they will somehow, by the grace and mercy of God, NOT turn out as non-psychopathic derelicts...welcome! If you often think to yourself, "Wow! I wish I was a little more mature before I started this parenting journey...welcome! And if you sometimes feel at odds with your spouse in your viewpoint and opinion, but still love him/her dearly...welcome!
Finally, this is a place where JESUS CHRIST is proclaimed boldly as LORD and the only Savior. The only one who rescues us from the righteous wrath of God against all sin. This is a place where the bible is believed and proclaimed to be true...even when it contradicts popularly accepted claims of society, or supposed scientific "proof." If these things offend or bother you, I hope you will give us a try. If you think we are flat out wrong in our beliefs, we welcome that...but we're not changing our minds.
So with that being said, let's make ourselves comfortable enough so as to let down our guard with one another, open up with reasonable transparency (while always upholding the dignity and honor of God and our fellow man), and get down to business. But let us not get so comfortable that we lose our watchfulness over our own souls or the souls of our families. Our enemy prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking those he might devour. Let us not grow hardened by sin's deceiptfulness. And let us not grow weary in the meeting together, but encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today.
Peace in Jesus,
dbh
If you struggle with a gap of where you are with your family - and where you would like to be...welcome! If you feel inadequate for the task of parenting...welcome! If you sometimes think your highest hope you can dare to dream for your kids is that they will somehow, by the grace and mercy of God, NOT turn out as non-psychopathic derelicts...welcome! If you often think to yourself, "Wow! I wish I was a little more mature before I started this parenting journey...welcome! And if you sometimes feel at odds with your spouse in your viewpoint and opinion, but still love him/her dearly...welcome!
Finally, this is a place where JESUS CHRIST is proclaimed boldly as LORD and the only Savior. The only one who rescues us from the righteous wrath of God against all sin. This is a place where the bible is believed and proclaimed to be true...even when it contradicts popularly accepted claims of society, or supposed scientific "proof." If these things offend or bother you, I hope you will give us a try. If you think we are flat out wrong in our beliefs, we welcome that...but we're not changing our minds.
So with that being said, let's make ourselves comfortable enough so as to let down our guard with one another, open up with reasonable transparency (while always upholding the dignity and honor of God and our fellow man), and get down to business. But let us not get so comfortable that we lose our watchfulness over our own souls or the souls of our families. Our enemy prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking those he might devour. Let us not grow hardened by sin's deceiptfulness. And let us not grow weary in the meeting together, but encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today.
Peace in Jesus,
dbh
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