Pet Project: Giant Photo Stream

The goal: Create a way to view photos after they are removed from the iPhone, (that is larger than the 1000 photo cap of Photo Stream)

I have tried a few cloud storage options. (there are some great ones) Mega seems to offer the most space for free (50GB), Google Drive and G+ are solid options as well- but the problem with iPhone is that in order to actually backup your photos you need to either

A. have an app running in the background constantly watching your camera roll (not a great option for an already battery hungry phone.

B. Remember to start an app that claims to backup your camera every so often. Problem with that is if you forget to for a few weeks, you have one giant upload waiting for you. (if you are like my wife, and take many photos! :)




There are two ways to go about this. The very involved, mostly web-based, super-nerd way. And the less involved, desktop app way. We'll look at the mostly web service way first.



Things needed (all free)


Dropbox account
Flickr account
Icloud on PC (or mac)
ibeam.it account 
Belvedere File Manager (or alternatively, create a .bat file that Windows Task Scheduler can run that will delete files in a folder..more on this later!)



Setting Up iCloud

In order for any of this to take place, PS (photostream) has to be brought to a comp first. Sadly, even though PS is somewhere in the interwebs, Apple doesn't appear to provide access to it other than an iDevice or a PC/Mac iCloud client.

Assuming everything is setup and good to go, first step is to change your PS folder to a dropbox folder in windows. (anytime photostream is updated- it will automatically go to dropbox)

Sidenote: delete folders to shared streams (if any) as they are unnecessary to the process, and take up a lot of space.

PS will only update on WiFi, also, I had some issues with it at first (wouldn't really start syncing on the windows side) until I took a photo on my phone- that seemed to kick it into gear.

Once your PS is consistently going to dropbox on your pc- move on in the process. (Don't worry about dropbox running out of space, this will be addressed later)

Setting Up IBeam.it

I was initially using an ifttt recipe to move any file it saw come into dropbox, over to flickr. Unfortunately, it has an upload limit of 15 files per upload, and runs on intervals of 15 minutes. If you bust the 15 cap, the entire recipe dies, and needs to be deleted and remade (ugh.)

This led me to ibeam.it. A similar service to ifttt that is somewhat odd at first, but definitely gets the job done.

After creating an account, you publish a beam. IE: "Every time I save a photo to drop box...."

This is all you do on your end as the initiator- you are then provided a link. Other people (or you) can visit that link to subscribe to the beam with a service of their choosing. (in this case, flickr)

Ibeam.it will then poll your Dropbox every 5 minutes- if it sees new photos, it will push those photos to the beam's subscribers.

The service's Limitations should be enough for any iPhone camera user. I would say they're pretty generous for being a free service.

Auto Erase

Once you have this system going, photos being downloaded to Dropbox, uploaded to flickr. One obvious problem would be the eventual running out of space on Dropbox.

I circumvent this by having the dopbox folder auto erase at 3am every night. This can be done...

1. With Belvedere. (program has to be running though)

2. Writing a .bat program that you can have Windows Task Scheduler run every day.



That's pretty much it! What should be happening is every picture you take is being downloaded by iCloud to Dropbox folder, Ibeam.it sees it go to dropbox, and uploads to flickr every 5 minutes. With a Terabyte of free storage, this should create a pretty massive photostream.

The less involved desktop version is downloading Photosync and having icloud store PS photos in it's folder, as opposed to Dropbox. This app claims to watch that folder and upload to flickr- haven't tested it out myself yet.


A few stipulations:
1. This is most beneficial on a comp that is always on (think: server.)

2. This isn't a great backup option per say, (there is no organization being applied to the uploaded photos) but rather, a way to have one GIANT photostream for after the photos are off the phone (and beyond what actual Photostream currently offers)...automatically.

3. The "staging area" doesn't have to be Dropbox, Google Drive may be more beneficial for this.

4. If you go the flickr route, may want to set your account to private by default. (it's set to public initially)

Thankful

Now would probably be a good month to write about thankfulness ;)

despite my complete abandonment of this blog, life has been...well, awesome. There are many reasons to thank our God.

Parenting

Getting into this will be interesting! We are due Christmas Eve. (hoping for earlier) with a little girl :) :) :) (interestingly enough, we were both hoping for one)

I  am assuming this is probably abnormal, (?) but I have pretty much zero fear or anxiety about stepping into this role- almost as if this is exactly what is supposed to be happening in my life. I felt the same way about marriage beforehand. I think part of the reasoning is the amount of examples of both successful marriages, and parents in my life.

We are immensely blessed to have parents who have been where we are, and give sound advice! It always excites me to look at how God has fit the pieces together in mine and Jen's life, to put us in a place where He is glorified, and we are provided for. Looking forward to 12/24/13.

Church

Church has been  one of the biggest blessings in our life. This year in particular has been very geared (for myself) towards bending my everyday rhythms towards God, incorporating Him into all that I do- A big part of this is being accomplished through Huddle, and while I am not (at all) the biggest fan of meeting at 6:30 am on a Wednesday, every single time has been worth it- as it is encouraging me to seek after God more and more.



There are a few other things going on, but overall I am excited to be apart of a community that is both unwavering on God's word AND boldly loving people the way Christ instructs us to do.<------- This, is a very hard balance to strike in a lot of churches I have noticed. Something I don't think can be done apart from Him- very excited (and thankful) to see this take place on a regular basis!
 




Work

Oh work....The many things I would like to write about and can't ;) BUT, this year has been awesome. I have instituted a lot of change over here at Genesis. This year, probably more so than any other, is less about learning my role- and more about just flat out improving fundamental office/company practices.

I am indefinitely thankful of where I am in career- seriously love what I do.

Finances

I include this section because things really did change at the beginning of the year. I think God got a hold of these and urged a change in direction.

Back at the end of October- we started attending FPU (and are currently attending through December) and love it. We have a fantastic coordinator! ;) Long description short, it covers a lot of money topics. (insurance, investing, emergency funds)

It has been a long year of financial reworking, but the progress has been AWESOME. This year, I have really taken a passionate interest in money- and especially what God has to say about stewardship in general...I have much (MUCH) to learn, but know more than I ever did..So, very thankful for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How I Work

My days at work are very interesting. Dabbling in AP/AR, IT, HR, Accounting, Financial planning, Crisis handling, Problem solving, Equipment delivering, and much more. A lot tends to happen in my day and this is a sort of blog that spells it out. (Look familiar? Format from Lifehacker.com How-I-Work series.)



Name: Sean Coleman
Occupation: Jack-of-all-trades for Genesis Fiber Optics.
Location: Portsmouth, VA
Current mobile device: iPhone 5
Current computer: Dell Desktop running 2 SSD's- Windows 7
I work: Joyfully

What apps/software/tools can't you live without?

Quickbooks online is an amazing program. Completely cloud based, not a day goes by without heavy usage of it. I am discovering new uses for it on a very regular basis as well.

I use Evernote to cut down on as much paper as possible. Almost all mail is scanned, put into Evernote, then shredded. I love having the digital database to search through as well, as opposed to having to sift through a filing cabinet.

I use Lastpass on a daily basis for filling out MANY forms. Fantastic program.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?

The iPad has essentially replaced my computer at this point. Since most of my tools are in the cloud, I can do a lot of things from it.

What's your workspace like?

Somewhat messy- but a structured mess. Just about every item on my desk is a physical to-do list, reminding me that in order to clean it, I have to attend to what it refers to. I tend to shy away from open windows, and personal things on the desk. When i am working, I am definitely in this type of "zone" or other-world mindset where I am completely focused on the task at hand- this has been brought to my attention as being "odd"- I do have a few books (Bible, Case for Christ, Case for Faith) and video game cases though!

What do you listen to while you work?

Depends on the type of work I'm doing. Most of the time I enjoy working in complete silence, but if it's a type of data-entry or not very thought intensive- I'll throw on a Spotify playlist, or a Podcast.

  

What's your best time-saving trick/life hack?

Reminders reminders reminders- my whole life is based on them. I love putting something on some sort of reminder basis, and moving immediately to the next task. between that and intense note taking- it's how I get through the tasks of a lot of days.

As noted in the picture above, i tend to leave important things on or around doors as to not forget them when leaving. This has not always worked...

What's your favorite to-do list manager?

I use multiple! Sticky notes for things that have to eventually get done, email, paper on desk, Outlook calendar, and my favorite- Siri/Iphone. It's on me all the time- so it will always remind me when that all important task needs to be done.

What's your sleep routine like?

Most of the time I am to bed at 10-10:30pm- up at 7:30-8. Oddly enough I am still capable of the occasional 3am video game binge every once in a while.  

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else? What's your secret?

I would say not ever forgetting a task. It immediately goes into some sort of system designed for me to remember it later, if it is not done right then. Oh, and driving. I'm an excellent driver, but some talents are just God given ;)

 

What's the best advice you've ever received?

"It's ok to make mistakes. Learn from them and try not to repeat" -Dad

"Break down the seemingly giant mountain into smaller, scalable hills."-Dad

"Every time you avoid getting into a useless argument with a hater online, an angel gets a snowboard"- Jon Acuff

"We don't have to serve God, we get to serve God. Grace is a gift. Through grace, we get to serve God. For His glory, we serve."- Pete Berlin

 I would love to hear your responses to these questions!

Trust and Talents

You know one of things I find particular fascinating about the Christmas story?

I mean, God does some pretty amazing things throughout scripture. You got the whole creation of the world, preservation of said creation when things go horribly horribly wrong and need to be "rebooted", a manifestation of a chosen people which Christ will come from, a love story between said nation and God...among a few.

But one of the things I find absolutely, groundbreakingly shocking is God's decision to place His son in the care of people. It's pretty ridiculous when you think about it- people up to this point don't have a great track record. infact, if an angel of God told me that our next baby was going to be the savior of the world, and also God in human flesh, my reaction would be probably very different from Joseph's reaction in Matthew 1:24- which is seemingly pretty chill.

God entrusts man with seemingly impossible tasks, to point towards His glory. This is what I am learning in my run-through of the Old Testament now. God chooses a person, a lot of the times this person is reluctant (Jonah, Gideon, Moses...etc) and God assures them that HE is the one who will equip them for the task at hand. It really excites me as I reflect on what I am capable of, and how do I use it for Him?

Our mens group went through Matthew 25 last night. One of the things I can count on with these guys is sharpening discussion on how the Word is applicable both in our lives, and eternally. One of the three parables in this chapter talks about 3 men being entrusted with a masters funds. Two of them make an interest, one of them buries the funds out of fear.

What if this story is about the talents God has given me, and I was designed for so much more? What if they were meant to be used for more than just getting me through this life? What if verse 40 isn't in the same chapter on accident?

 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

It was very convicting, humbling, and exciting. God cares enough to use others in my life to bring these things to light.

Last night empowered me to use what I have been given to further His kingdom, not my own. My kingdom doesn't last- it's here and gone with the wind, and forgotten about shortly after. But His is eternal! 

Recap

Whoa- Blogspot sure has changed. I like it!

It's been awhile since I have been around here. I have enjoyed the summer break from blogging, and now plan to blog at least twice before the year ends! Ha..May not be too far from the truth...

In anycase some highlights of my past couple of months have been....

-Getting more involved in the lives of others at Crossroads.

It has been very exciting to see/experience what Christ is doing in other men's lives over the summer! So very different from this time last year...A lesson of how God does not work immediately, but His work is worth waiting on.


-Getting a puppy (penny)!

While she may have duped Jen with her cute looks, and quite demeanor- I knew the storm of crazy that was coming. She is a beagle/mix (Jack Russel Terrier?) and is pretty insane.., and also awesome. Coming along quite nicely I'd say...for a beagle ;)

-Went to Myrtle Beach

This place was awesome and I can't wait to go back...Featured is a science museum, if you notice- the whole building is upside down. Lot's of cool buildings such as this. Jen spent 10+ summers here vacationing...She knew the ropes :)


-Lakehouse with Family

 This was a very exciting week, and the first one I can even recall with which I spent with the fam. While the entire week was relaxing/somewhat stressful at times/exciting, I would say one of the highlights of it was being challenged on what I thought the scripture had to say about things...Very exciting discussion.



-Opportunities to serve in the church
I am currently responsible for getting the audio portions of the sermon up every week, and am no longer doing keyboard. Among some other things I may be stepping up to- God has been doing amazing things at Crossroads- very excited to see Him moving there. Feel blessed to be able to call them my church family.


-Work
Work has been going well. I realize more and more as time goes on that this is where God wants me to be. It's pretty exciting to know that- growing lots with lots of responsibilities!

Romans 15:3
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Emergency Broadcast: Two Sentiments

Despite my earlier post, I feel this definitely needs to come out in the written form.

I have been speaking with two childhood friends recently, and they have both said something that has forced some good reflection for me.

-I would much rather have girl friends over guy friends. Guys are competitive jerks that I cannot connect with on a real level.

This I found interesting as it made me look at the relationships in my life. Definitely true to an extent, guys are pretty competitive. So much so that true friendship cannot be accomplished?

I have had the exciting pleasure to be a part of a body of believers who have been encouraging me lately to bring everything encountered in life back to a God context, via the scriptures. I think John 15:12-17, and Philippians 2:3-4 speaks a lot to this particular sentiment.

 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 


I have been curious lately about non-christian friendships, and this is definitely not the first time I have heard this sentiment. But do you see what Christ is saying here? If my priorities are to elevate myself over another, my priorities are off.




-There are two places to get friends. Work and Church. And I am not going to church to find friends.

This one really grabbed my attention. I questioned a few things with this sentiment. What would stop a non-christian from going to church exclusively for the purpose of finding people who (hopefully) don't abandon you on a moments whim? Chances are, if you were to find these types of people anywhere- it would be a church.

Or, how would a church respond to an individual walking in off the street with this sole purpose in mind? How would my church respond? How, based on the scriptures alone (aka, the authority of any church), should a church respond?

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  Ephesians 2:11-13

And because our church is currently going through book of Ruth!...(and it just so happens to apply)

 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me —a foreigner?  Ruth 2:10

While not direct ties per say, I believe the heart of what is being said in both of these passages still apply. In the first, Paul is speaking to a group of people (Jews) who alienated another group of people (Gentiles) for thousands of years of the basis of not being "God's people."

After Christ's death however, this is no longer acceptable- which is what Paul is saying here. If the common denominator is Christ, for all, then how does that spell out what our response should be to outsiders of the faith?

The second example goes back a bit further, and is a fascinating story really. Ruth, (A Moabite who is a foreigner to the land of Israel) is found favorable by a well respected Israelite man by the name of Boaz. She is astonished by the show of favor from Boaz to her, as this is unheard of in this time/land. Foreigners are foreigners, and are to be kept at arms length.

I believe this sentiment is a very..very common one among those who don't attend church. I also have a lot of reason to believe the majority of churches today do not wish to tackle the challenge of relating to those who not only disagree with what is the most important aspect of a church goers life, but flat-out hate it, in some cases.

But by falling into the comfortableness of only communicating with those who agree with me, how does this coincide with the scriptures?  How does this grow me as a Christ follower?


Thankfully these questions are answered by my current body of believers. Men who show me via example on a regular basis that by ignoring outsiders, it definitely does not line up with scripture. It's refreshing (and humbling) to see this in my church...Praise God for it!

Out for the Summer!

Gone for the summer. Life is very busy!

My Life In the Tech World

Seeing that I am heavily involved in the computer world as of late..I've decided to post a short review of each of the apps I have been using recently. (all of which are free)



Teamviewer
This one has been awesome. Perfectly fulfilling the needs to access my computer remotely from home, or phone...for FREE. Very useful. Allows file transfer, multiple screen support, and a fairly simple interface.

Waterfox
Apparently, a 64-bit version of Firefox does not exist. This isn't a big deal, but once I read an internet article saying my browser isn't using my comps memory to its full potential, I'm a sucker to immediately fix it. Enter Waterfox, the 64-bit version of Firefox that claims to be slightly faster. An exact clone of Firefox that even ports settings/bookmarks over. (except for the odd fact that I had to reinstall all Adobe plugins) Have I noticed the massive speed increase? Nope. But still, my mind is at ease that it's ever so slightly faster then Firefox (no...I'm not switching to Chrome)

Lastpass
This is an interesting browser extension that I didn't trust upon first hearing about it. It stores all your passwords. Sketch right?! Their webpage (and outside praises) convinced me enough to give it a shot. The convenience factor is pretty awesome. Stores every password for any website you visit and syncs them across multiple comps.

You can go on their website and read their security claims. One of the things I really like is the extra authentication you can add to your account. For instance, You have a master password to access it, but, you can add a feature where if your account is accessed from an unauthorized computer (aka any computer that is not your own) the program then requires you to use a Google authenticator code (app on phone with a constantly changing numeric password) to access.

So far so good, I'll report if anything happens! Heh...

Xmarks
This one syncs all of your bookmarks, for all browsers, across multiple machines. I like having all of my bookmarks at hand, but dislike that it syncs the bookmarks toolbar near the top of the browser. I'm sure this is an easy fix though.

AutoHotkey
My work sometimes consists of doing the same computer tasks over and over again. I am currently working on automating a lot of it with this program. Hasn't been too successful but I'm not giving up! This program, with a little knowledge of script writing, can automate keyboard and mouse inputs. Sadly, this little knowledge is hard to come by for me.

7-Zip
This program can compress a file down to 73% of its original size! Awesome, but does so at the expense of speed (took me about an hour to compress a file of about 12 gig)

FastCopy
This program is especially useful for transferring large files on a windows XP machine to an external. Turns out that OS can't really copy large files (10+ gig) very fast. Took an hour long copy job down to about 20 minutes. I tested this program on windows 7 and Vista and it's not that much faster then when what those systems can do on their own.

John's Background Switcher
This program pulls images from Google, your computer, or various other sources and automatically makes them a wallpaper. I like coming into work everyday to a different Wallpaper....Combined with windows scheduler, adds some sweet variety.

Revo Uninstaller
Use this to not only run a programs uninstaller, but then goes and searches for leftover files/folders and registry entries left behind...Very thorough uninstaller.

Mozy
I use this to remotely back up my work comp every day. Yet to use for a restore, but it faithfully backs up what I set it to on a daily basis, and is very simple to use. Kind of wish you can tell it what files to back up specifically, but for now you can tell it what kind of file types, and folders.

Microsoft Security Essentials
A highly praised anti-virus software from what I have read...Surprising. (or at least I was) and the comp has been clean for the past 2 weeks. I switched out AVG for this bad boy and all is good thus far.

Spybot
An oldie but a goodie...Catching those tracking cookies in real-time.

CCleaner
I cleaned out like 20 gig of junk when I ran this the other day! A program specializing in getting rid of unused temp files, browser stuff, and general upkeep...pretty good I'd say.

Updates

WOW...SO- life has been interesting as of late. Let's see if I can start (and keep going) in a sequential order of updates.

Snowboarding
I have recently been snowboarding at Snowshoe resort in WV. This marks a couple of firsts. First time going to snowshoe, first time snowboarding with my dad (who opted to ski) and first time snowboarding to music. All of which made for a very, very exciting trip.

Relying on the shuffle option of my ipod for the day proved to be a mostly exciting experience. In fact, so amped by the music I was, I decided to roll up to the terrain park hoping my playlist would provide some ultimate motivation for the more dangerous of activities on the mountain. Turns out my ipod deemed Pink's "Just Like A Pill" (oh hey, how did that get on there??....) to be the most fitting to the moment. Needless to say, I rolled right through the terrain park...as fast as I could.

Marriage
Not exactly fitting in the order format, but I have been reflecting on our almost 1 year of marriage. Exciting, interesting, and over all a huge blessing/gift from God. I stick with my original assessment of marriage being the few things in life that actually meet and surpass the hype and build up to it. I'm a lucky man.

Reading
Gotten back into that. So far I finished The Case for Christ, and The Case for Faith (Lee Strobel) and am currently working on Quitter (Jon Acuff) Which does not directly apply to my job situation, but has awesome views and ideas I find interesting. How to not hate a job you don't feel called to, and how to practically pursue your dream job. Very good so far!

Worship
This past Sunday was my very first opportunity to play keyboard with Crossroads Church!! This has been my active pursuit for the past couple of months, and my secret passion for years. What's particularly interesting about this pursuit is the fact that fear wasn't enough to dissuade me from going for it, and there were many reasons to be afraid...

1. I've never played with a live band before
2. I've never had music lessons prior
3. The usual in my head excuse was that I wasn't good/experienced enough.
4. Public performing is terrifying...At first. (amplified that I am clearly the least experienced musician in the bunch)

 But with the help/encouragement of some awesome friends, a sermon on fear and calling, and the incredible patience of our worship leader (heh..) God made it happen. He made it happen. I can't put into words how excited I am for this opportunity to worship God with the gifts He has placed in my life!

 I mean its pretty ridiculous to come from a mindset of "I am nowhere near good enough, or confident enough to pull this off" to actually experience God fulfilling in His own words, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find."

While there is still MUCH work to be done- I am once again reminded of Him placing me exactly where I need to be in this life, while also providing the exact people that need to be there.
  

Emergency Broadcast: Book Review for "The Case For Chist" by Lee Strobel

Over Christmas break I obtained a very interesting book through a white elephant gift exchange... (Thanks Gavin!)

This book was pretty amazing, and I didn't even plan on reading it in the beginning. In short- it is a former atheist's objective journey into the claims of the Gospel, Christ, and what existing evidence (interior and exterior to the bible) says about it. What experts in the field of archeology, ancient writings, modern medicine, and psychology have to say about the scriptures.

It struck me as interesting how a lot of people would like you to believe there is little to no supporting evidence for the gospels, and if you do decide to go about that route in life, then it's mostly faith. Well, not to take away from the faith aspect, but there is a lot more historical evidence then you (or I originally) may believe...For instance-

-More then 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament exist. The closest runner up is Homer's Iliad at 650.

-Ancient historians who could care less for Christ's mission/purpose mention Him in their writings as a "sorcerer/healer."

-Historically documented change to Jewish culture. Changes so serious, they believed they were condemned to hell if they were wrong.

-No archeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference.

Those are just a few points, it also goes into the resurrection, (Historically documented at the time that nobody disputed that the tomb WAS empty) Christ's claim to being God, (did he claim it, and was he sane while doing so) were the disciples telling the truth and more; while also making the point that if a person doesn't want to believe...no amount of evidence will change that.

I really like one of the final quotes included by the author: "The things Christ said can not lead to the conclusion that he was just 'a good moral teacher.' the words he spoke reflect Him to be the Son of Man. Or a lunatic/mad man or something worse." (C.S Lewis)

This book has relaunched my love for reading- and I will be posting more reviews to come!

 

Consistency Part 2

Continuing on from my previous post- I find it fascinating the decision to draw close to God despite the obvious acknowledgement of unworthiness.

David returned to God.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 Do not cast me from your presence
   or take your Holy Spirit from me.
 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Similar story with Jonah, who recognized his despair.
To the roots of the mountains I sank down; 
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God, 
brought my life up from the pit. 


Gideon got to see God's provision, despite initial hesitation.
Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years. 

Lately I have been thinking about the decisions people, and myself, make. How the results of decisions are very consistent with the values of which they are made. What's the rock of my decision making, and how could it be better? (decisions can always be better) How am I improving others with my decisions, or is it just about how I can benefit? The decisions David, Jonah, Gideon, and many other biblical people make, all have that interesting turning point from self-service decision making, to God praising/glorifying decision making. From that comes the benefit of others, and the fulfillment of the role He has made me for.

 Important end-note: God honoring people help with this particular goal ;) and He has blessed me with what I need!

Consistency (As We Do Today) Part 1

I've had a hard time thinking about things to write lately! Lately I have dived into the spoken language much more then the written. Which is odd considering I used to be a much bigger fan of the latter....

In anycase, it came to me during men's bible study a topic to write on that I am pretty on fire about, consistency. Pretending that I have blogged more then once in the last 2 months, I love seeing consistency in a few things.

One thing I love and purposefully seek out in people is a mindset. How do they decide how to do things? Why do they feel that is the best method to go about this decision? You'd be surprised how much you can learn from others...I find it interesting how a person will come upon multiple situations in life and yet tend to make very similar choices. Usually the decision is based off past experience. If none exists, moral/ethical/belief system. (or even a mix between the two) and if that doesn't exist, emotion or a logical prediction of an outcome based on what has been witnessed in life thus far. (<--which is very variable if you think about it) Possibly a few others that don't immediately come to mind.

I guess what I'm saying is the consistency in what I have witnessed in this area is that there's always a rock. A deciding factor, or a basis for decisions. Always. And from what I have noticed, that basis will determine how a life is lived. People will tend to face very similar situations, and react very differently. It makes me question how I make decisions.

Something I find interesting while going through the old testament lately is that the people then and the people now are very consistent in at least one area that sticks out to me. People can choose to be with God and they can choose not to, and that one decision will affect every other one a person makes- directly or indirectly.

If I pay attention, I notice consistent theme's in God's word. One of the ones that have jumped out to me lately, (with the help of my awesome wife!) is how people in the old testament have the exact same decision to make as we do today! They knew, (as do we) what is was that was required to be considered "good enough" for God. They also knew, as we do today, that nobody met the requirements.

Sadly, for people then and now- the decision tree stops there. Too many people I know today don't consider themselves good enough, without even seeing the beauty of that very realization being step one. Just the slightest bit of more digging would beg (what I hope anyway) a very revealing question- How is it that if nobody in the bible was good enough for God, (Christ excluded) there are a number of people "after God's own heart?" Clearly it must be because those particular people were indeed good enough...Right?


2 Samuel 11:26-27
When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. 


Back story- King David (that is, KING of GOD's people) basically impregnates a woman, then arranges an army's battle plan so that her husband (woops- married.) goes first, and dies. Shady.


Jonah (not even kidding you- favorite book/story in the bible) God calls this dude directly!

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 

Instead, Jonah pulls what could quite possibly be the most notorious "peace out" ever recorded.

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

We just recently went over the story of Gideon at our church. Fascinating really. Maybe not as well known as the previous two. This is a guy that God calls to lead an army of Israel out of oppression. Except Gideon cites...

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 

To which God responds...

The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites (oppressors), leaving none alive.”  

Hmm- this is getting a little long..Stay Tuned for Part 2! 

This Is It!

This is what I have been brought back to Hampton Roads for.

A sequence of events would probably help.

Called away from comfort/familiarity. Almost 2 years ago from today God called me out of Northern Virginia. Devastated at the time as I was hoping that would be the area He called me to permanently. As I was called from everything I knew and loved, (back to a place I knew and hated) Jeremiah 29:11 was the only reasonable explanation to what was happening- even though at the time I had no idea...For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 God provides for Jen to be able to come down and join me. Crazy at the time. we weren't even engaged and yet she trusts God telling her to move, and me not up and deciding we weren't going to work out. A bold move on her part. But God provided for a job and place to live. A slight inclination/confirmation we are indeed supposed to be in the Hampton Roads area, but as for what exactly we weren't sure yet. But we were taught that resources (something we as people hold so tightly to, plan, schedule, and stress how to make them provide for us) are literally limitless to God; and He gives according to His will. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?


 Allows a role in work that I actually enjoy. Rough transition, but about a year and a half into it I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. Work I want to do, and not work I feel like I need to do in order to make money. (<-- big difference) Without even realizing it, God knew that if I stayed in my current position as an outside plant fiber tech, I would have hated it and it would have adverse effects on me as a person. Doing something you hate indefinitely is a horrible idea...I'm sure an example can be found in your life (it can in mine) of what that eventually leads to. How can you work like Colossians 3:23 tells you to without being designed for the task at hand? Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Provides a church home. Not gonna lie, when first approaching the idea of finding a church down here I was so skeptical that I already resigned to the idea that we will just have to find one good enough or close enough to what we believe, because that's all that existed. Foolishly forgetting that if God called us to the area, then why would he not provide a church home?! Foolishly believing that facts and trends dictate truth, and not the other way around. He not only provided the perfect church home (Crossroads Norfolk) He actually provided two. The first one wasn't exactly for us per say, but through it we found Crossroads, and God is definitely moving in that church in exciting ways. I continue to keep tabs on what's happening in it and am encouraged by what I see! They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

Provided relationships of impact, challenge, and life change for His kingdom. I'll never forget my final bible study with the guys at Chris's place. It was sad. I didn't want to go! But I remember when prayer requests came around to me I mentioned that I felt God called me to Northern VA not permanently, but to change and equip me for what I was leaving to do. I had no clue what it was at the time, but the amount of change I had undergone wasn't so I could just be a better person, but so that I had the tools and boldness to do His work where He wanted me to do it. Which is here, in hampton roads, for now. Just this past weekend we got to fellowship with 2 amazing couples who have already impacted us more then they probably know, and hopefully us them. 

How easy it is to look at our situation and contribute it to a random sequence of happenstance, coincidence, and fortune....Except God isn't a God of distance. But rather a personal God who draws close to those who draw close to Him....(James 4:8) Despite my MANY Flaws.

Because There's More to Life Then Being Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking

This past weekend I had the chance to volunteer at a 200 mile run relay race called Ragnar.

Ragnar is a relay race done all over the country. This particular race was held from Cumberland Maryland, to National Harbor, DC. Me, Jen, and Seth Klein volunteered for our friends who were running in the race.

Quick rundown of Ragnar- teams of 12 people taking turns running over a 24+ hour time period to reach the finish line 200 miles away. Intense yes? A lot of our close friends signed up together and have been training since spring to accomplish this task. 284 teams participated. Our friend's team name was "Blue Steel Projekt."

First off, we got the BEST volunteer position in my opinion. It's a position that if I were in any other, I would look at and wish I was doing. We got to welcome the runners across this finish line and hand out medals/water!

Man, that was an awesome role to play. A first hand look at the faces of accomplishment. It inspired me to want to do it SO bad. (I haven't ruled it out yet)

Sadly, our shift did not last until our friends crossed. But we did get to talk to them and hang out a bit before they did "officially cross" the finish line. Teams are in a back stage sort of area shortly before the finish line waiting for the last runner to finish their leg. Back there I saw some interesting things..

1. One team carried one of their injured runners across with them. I don't know if she ran and got injured on the run or what, but I thought that was pretty cool.

2. Some teams just didn't care at all when they crossed the finish line. I mean, I get having no feeling after a 24+ hour run with "sleep" stops scheduled in- but why would you not celebrate? How could you not be moved to express some sort of celebratory emotion? Is this just another event in their running career? If I am on a team- that's mandatory. We aren't crossing (no matter how tired we are, or how much our relationships were destroyed in the process...hehe) without passionate screaming, waving, and giving sweaty hugs to strangers.

On the contrary- Blue Steel Projekt

 I got to talk to them before they crossed and heard amazing stories of accomplishment, craziness, and inspiration. awesome to hear how God worked through their entire process. I wish I got a photo of kruz's (barefoot guy) "speed suit" beforehand....epic.

It reminded a lesson Nova taught me along time ago. Runners are crazy. Not just the type of people who say out there things every once in a while crazy, no, a special kind of crazy that involves stories that belong in books and on blogs crazy.

Between starting this blog and finishing it I agreed to run a 5k for Breast Cancer October 15th...No 200 miles BUT- still excited. It will be my first official run.

Edit: This pretty much rounds up my point of runners entirely...(courtesy of Beth Sweatman!)

Life Lately- Boldness And A Passion Pursued.

 -Soul Surfer is a fantastic movie. Carrie Underwood is a great singer. Unfortunately, someone decided to combine the two to create that which would later result in the executive decision to have her go from speaking roles in the first part of the film, to significantly looking at things in the latter. Still a great movie though and worth a watch.

-I have recently been in a lesson about boldness from God. I think the point is- what I would miss in life if I didn't take certain steps (sometimes out of shear terror)...for instance...

•    I would never have met my wife. In fact, I constantly tell her I bet some alternate version of myself is out there somewhere watching my life and kicking himself for never asking her out as he scores his 160th Fantasy Football victory in a row. Awesome? Yes. Guinness worthy? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely not. He knows and weeps this fact.

• I never would have experienced the moment of practicing God of This City with the lead guitarist from Crossroads, to then have the drummer unexpectedly add a beat to our session mid-song. Indescribable, and electrifying really. 

•  I wouldn't get to know people. Hear their stories, and learn from their experiences. 

-Watched the season premier of survivor the other night. Ever wonder how you would socially react on that show? I do. A few seasons back there was a guy who was really interesting socially. He lied, cheated, stole, and promised a lot of people he would take them to the end.(where your fellow survivors get to vote if you win or not) He actually did make it to the end twice (no easy task) only to be shot down by voters who saw him for who he truly was. His claim to the money was that he played the game so well he deserved it, but in the end, non of the jury voted for him because of his character. I find that fascinating.