Best friends

 Some of my best friends came in to visit me for the Brandon Lake concert at the end of last month.   I had not seen Wes since the Engagement Party weekend at the end of April.    I had not seen Jordan since Arturo's wedding in early August.    It was great to see both of them getting to know each other and hanging out.   I felt like Wes had not really had a chance to talk to Jordan much last April.  

They were hoping to come in town late afternoon but did not end of getting in until early evening.   They unloaded their stuff and I got Wes some coffee.   We talked for a little bit before we picked up Amanda, my fiancée at her apartment.    We went to eat at Modern Market Eatery before the concert.   The food was good overall though the guys piazza was not very filling.   From there we went to the Bee Cave campus at Austin Ridge for the Brandon Lake concert.   

We missed the first musician of the night Brandon Haskins.   We stayed for the whole night of the concert which was really awesome.   The old band Leeland came on stage and played some of their old songs with Brandon Lake.   The next day we slept in and went to the 11 am service at church.   After church, we went to eat at  Jack Allen's right by the church.   The food was pretty good though they mixed up our order and gave it to the wrong table.   They made up for it by giving us soup and we did not have to pay. 

Trust in the Lord

 God has been reminding me how important it is to trust him with everything in my life.   Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean on your own understanding.  But in all of your ways acknowledge him."   God has been showing me that it is a constant trust with everything we have.   I have to lean on him with everything in my life.   Jesus wants me to acknowledge his presence and leading in my life.   I need to trust in his goodness despite waiting on a few things right now.   

I am trying to trust in his leading for a Children's Ministry position.   My fiancée and I are trying to trust him for the right time to get married.   We are trying to trust him in seeking other couples to encourage us.   Also, we are trying to trust him with fiancé's right now.   I am working at HEB full-time job but it's not enough to pay for wedding.  We are trying to trust in his leading for jobs we both enjoy that pay well.  

How can we trust God more today?   What are you struggling with in the area of trust?  Let's pray that we can learn to trust God more.  

One Year

 Recently, Amanda and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. It's been one year since God led me to meet my fiancée Amanda Love.   It's been an amazing year of ups and downs.   We talked for three hours that day on the HOD Meetup.  At first, the meetup was going to be on another day.   

God ordained us to meet that day.   She has become my best friend, and I am excited for her to be my future wife.    It has been a year of ups and downs.    Also, it has been a year of a mixture of emotions and a lot of different transitions.   God has been there with us through it all.   

It was a great weekend celebrating our one year together.   We went to Lady Bird Lake where I proposed.  We had a great time walking around the lake and hung out at her apartment in the afternoon.    In the evening, we went to Central Machine works where we first met.   We had piazza, danced, and enjoyed a live band.  We ended the weekend eating healthy chocolate brownies after church.  

Jeremiah Takeaways so far

 Here are a few takeaways from the book of Jeremiah so far.   God's judgements are true, fair, and according to sin.  God hates when we break his covenant and laws.  Judgement through Babylon is used by God as a time of refining in the lives of the Israelites.    Persecution comes when we preach and teach according to the name of God.    We are to speak against false lies.   God has a plan for restoration for our lives.   God is faithful and just to lead us back to him in times of exile in our lives.  He will give us peace and protection as he leads us back to a place of restoration.  

Ecclesiastes-Takeaways

 Here are some things to take away from the book of Ecclesiastes: everything in this world is vanity and passes away.   We will not be remembered.  Enjoy our wife/the things that God has blessed us with in life.   Fear God for, he judges all things in life.   God is sovereign and in control of all things.   Everyone will end up dying in life.  True godly wisdom considers God in all things and leads us to an eternal focus.  

Proposal weekend

 Last weekend, God worked out all the details for my proposal weekend when I proposed to Amanda.  It was an amazing weekend seeing how both of our friends helped and attended the Engagement Party on Saturday night.  Everything came together last weekend from the scavenger hunt to the proposal, to the engagement party.   Miranda and I planned out all the details months prior to that weekend.  I texted each of our friends and some family about helping out.   Around 20 or so people ended up attending the engagement party last weekend.  

Also, we were able to find the friends to help out that weekend pretty quickly.  The people that wanted to be at the engagement party were there.  On my end, the Airbnb details worked out last minute.  Miranda and I were able to keep Amanda guessing so she did not know.  The scavenger hunt and proposal weekend was a good surprise to Amanda.   She was only somewhat surprised for the engagement party. 

God showed me from that weekend how he ordained us to meet August 27,2022.  It was truly a God thing in leading us to meet that weekend.   We talked multiple times that afternoon before I asked for her number.  We just had an instant connection that afternoon.  Two days after we talked for five hours on a Monday night.  Then, I came to Austin in the end of September for our first date weekend.  

Now, we are going on eight months of officially dating.  We are transitioning as I move to Austin in a few weeks.  It has been amazing see God work out this relationship these past eight months of long-distance dating.  Neither of us have had much dating experience before.   God has totally worked this out for his glory.  

Wait on God

 Right now, God is calling me to wait on his leading in my life.  He is calling me to wait on him for a Children's Ministry position in my life.   He is calling me to seek him in his leading in my life.  God shown me this paid internship program when I am waiting on this move to Austin to be close to my girlfriend.   I am trying to trust that God still has a plan to lead me to a Children's Ministry position.  

Psalm 46:10 is a verse that reminds me to wait on God in my life.   Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!  This verse shows me that I need to be still and rest in God in silence more often.   God also reveals that I need to constantly remind myself God is God is above all the problems and struggles in my life.   God is sovereign and in control of all the problems in my life.   He is over all the nations and does things according to his will and design.  

God is calling me to wait on his leading in my life.   He still has a good plan for me and he is still working.  I have to listen to God and what he is saying to me.   I have to be still and listen to God in silence.   Also, I have to know that God is sovereign and in control of all things in my life.  

What God has been showing me through Ecclesiastes

 This is a short post that describes what God has been showing me in Ecclesiastes.  Solomon who is David's son wrote the book about his life and what he learned.   The main things that God has been showing me in Ecclesiastes are everything is vanity under the sun, God is eternal and above all things, we are the fear God and give him glory, enjoy the good gifts that God has given us, true wisdom is found through God, and worldly things cannot bring us joy but God alone.  The preacher searched out all wisdom through pleasure, building things, attaining wisdom, and he found that even those things pass away under the sun.    Those things did not give him satisfaction and joy but only God alone.  The preacher had many wives and a large sum of may but even those things pass away under the sun.  

The preacher found through all this searching that we should enjoy the good gifts God has given us.  We should pursue our passions with joy.   He tells us to eat and enjoy the goodness of God in our life.  For it is God that has given these good things for us.  God is the true provider of these gifts in our life.  

Main themes in the book describes are God's immutable, God's sovereignty, and a healthy fear of God.  It is important to realize God is immutable the preacher tells us.   The preacher also says numerous times how much God is in control of everything.   Lastly, the preacher discusses in detail the importance of having a healthy fear of God.   Fearing God is merely an awe or reverence of God.   Solomon says the end of it all is to fear God.  

Fear God

God is calling me to fear God when everything going on in my life.   I am seeking God where he wants my girlfriend Amanda and I to live.   I am seeking him for direction to a Children's Ministry position.   I am also looking to propose and get a ring soon.   I feel like God is leading us to marriage and calling us to fear God.   Fearing God helps us obey his Son, Jesus Christ and draw near to him.  

Fearing God does not mean we are scared of him.   It is a healthy fear of him that shows, awe, reverence, and respect.  Fearing God helps examine the way we live our life.    It brings us to our knees in remembering who God is.   It draws us closer to him. 

Immutable

 A couple weeks ago Justin Flores preached on Ecclesiastes 3 and he talked about Solomon describing the changing seasons in our life.    Solomon described how there is a time to die, a time for birth, and etc.   In verses 9-10, Solomon talks about how he has seen every burden under the sun.   He concludes in verse 13, saying that we should enjoy the specific gifts of God that he has given us.  Justin touched on verse 14 in depth, describing God immutable nature.  

Immutability is a theological term which describes the fact that God never changes.   Isaiah talks about how the grass withers but God never changes.   Verse 14 in Ecclesiastes talks about how God endures forever.    Justin described how even when our seasons change, God never changes.   God is eternal; he is never ceasing.  

God has been reminding me of this in this season that I am in.   I am seeking God's leading for a Children's Ministry position.   Amanda and I are seeking God were God is leading us to live.   God is reminding me he is never changing.   He never ceases or changes.

6 months

 It's amazing that today would be six months of dating my girlfriend Amanda Love.  Neither of us have had much experience in dating and relationships.   It's also crazy that God led us to this long-distance relationship in our first serious relationship.    We have had some hard conversations, but God has been faithful in bringing us through those times.    It's interesting how God used the circumstances of this Christian Singles meet up in middle of August so we could meet.   God showed Amanda it was his will for her to move to Austin so we could meet.  

It has been a great relationship where we both encourage each other in our faith.   Also, we are both building each other up in seeking God's will for our life.   Both of us are seeking God's direction for career type stuff.   We are both trusting in God's goodness, direction, and provision for our life.   It's interesting we are both working part time jobs that we do not enjoy.  

There have been some hard conversations we have had in our relationship so far.  Even in those hard conversations, we are willing to work through anything to make the relationship flourish.   We are willing to work together with any older couples and mentors so we can come together.    I feel like we both want to make this relationship work despite some differences.   As a couple, we recognize how God has brought us together these past six months.  

Trust the Lord

 God is calling me to trust God in his leading in my life to a Children's Ministry position.  He is calling me to trust in his plans for me, Jeremiah 29:11 and trust that he is good in my life.   Also, he is calling me to trust him with all of my heart and to not lean on my own understanding but acknowledge him, Proverbs 3:5-6.  When we trust God more and more therefore our faith grows and multiplies.  In the D-focus Discipleship Focus program, Will Wyatt talks about how our faith grows like a thimble as we learn to trust God.  

Jeremiah tells the Israelites that God has a plan for their life in the midst of exile.  This was a reminder of God's greater purposes for the Israelites.    God was still working in their life even during a period of exile.   God has been reminding me that he is still working in my life in a period of waiting for a Children's Ministry position.   Even in the midst of rejection of a ministry position, that God is still good in my life.  

Also, God is calling me to trust him with all my heart and lean on him.   Proverbs 3:5-6 says to "trust in Lord with all of your heart and do lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowled.ge him and he will make your paths straight."   Jesus has been showing me I need to keep leaning on him for direction in my life and seek his wisdom in all things.    I need to acknowledge, the Lordship of Christ in my life.   He is Lord over all things, and he is sovereign despite frustration with rejection of Children's Ministry positions.   

How can you trust God today?  God is convicting me to keep trusting him and his leading in my life.   I have to keep relying on Jesus' leading and acknowledge that he is leading me.   I can love Jesus more with how I trust him.   How are you trusting in God today?  

God's faithfulness from this past year

 The Discipleship Pastor asked the question on Tuesday night about what characteristic of God that we have seen from this past year.   God revealed to me in the past three or four days that God's faithfulness is what he has shown me.  He has been faithful in bringing me through some frustrating situations and being worn out at my current job lately.    I have been super tired lately and recently it has not been too fun.  For a while I had a few friends there and now there is not that many people at Home Depot that I would call friends.  

First, God has shown me he is faithful in giving me the strength. when I faced rejection in regard to Children's Ministry positions not working out in this past year.   Last April, I had an in-person interview at a bigger Arlington church for a Children's Ministry position.   I thought the interview went well, I had good eye contact, answered the questions well, and asked the interviewers good questions.  There has been other positions that I thought were a good fit, but they ended up being a closed door.  God has lifted me up out of disappointment in seeking a Children's Ministry position.   He has still used me at First Irving to teach the Bible and disciple children despite my calling not being fulfilled yet.  

Second, God has shown me he is faithful in providing me with a godly relationship, with my girlfriend Amanda Love.   I went through a series of rejections from different women before I met my current girlfriend.   Our love story is amazing how God brought us together at a meet up for the Heart of Dating Texas group.   Heart of Dating is a singles ministry that Kait Warman started that was initially a podcast.    Now, we have been dating for five months and we are seeking God's will in engagement/marriage.   The interesting thing is we are both seeking God's leading on God's wisdom in career stuff.  

We can trust God in faith by remembering what he has done in the past.   Jesus is matured my faith in the past, I need to keep trusting he will provide for him in the future.  David saw God's faith in helping him as he tended to the sheep, so he asked God for strength to defeat Goliath.   Hebrews 11:6 says, "without faith it is impossible to please God." How can we keep trusting God in faith?