A Few Random Things About Me

So i am sitting here at home on a nice Saturday, putting off going to the office at church, so I thought I'd do something useful... Well, sorta useful. Here's a few random things about me you may not know.

-- I am a geneology & history buff. On my mother's side, I have traced my lineage back to the Kings of Scotland, England, and France. One line goes back to the time of Christ. I found out that I am a direct descendant of Constantine the Great, William the Conqueror, & John Rogers (wrote the first complete english translation of the Bible). Its kinda neat, but unfortuneately, my line was disinherited.. so no castle for me....

-- I like trees. No, I am not a tree hugger, but there is something great about sitting under a nice maple tree reading a good book.

-- I am a VERY picky eater. But lately I've been feeling bold with my palate.

--I am an elected official. Yep, I'm one of the few UB's out there who has been elected to serve the public. I am a member of the Eastern Local School board (easterlocal.com)

--Politics really interest me, but at the same time, I can't stand it when people put their trust in politics to solve problems.

-- I have this deep fear that people think I am fake. I have real security issues with that one...

-- I HATE IT when people who go to buildings on Sunday Morning think that is all the Church of Jesus Christ is about.

-- I never want to stop learning.

-- I have the ability to understand both sides of almost every issue, which makes it very hard to be decisive when I need to be.

-- I am always willing to learn from people who have differant outlooks on life than I do; But I will never compromise my values and principles in order to be liked by everyone.

-- I really believe I saw some kind of angel when I was 8 years old. I was in an accident (not hurt) but I did see a strange sight.

-- I am the vice-president of the Meigs County Right to Life Society, but I have serious problems with the pro-life leadership. We need to show people we are truly pro-life from conception to natural death, not just abortion.

-- I come from a family where three generations of the man of the house was/is not a follower of Jesus Christ.

--I live on a farm. Now it is split up in the family, but we still call it a farm.

--When I was four years old, I said I wanted to be either a preacher of the president. My father graciously informed me that those two don't often work out well together.

--Lately, God has just been rocking my world. He has shaken me to my very foundations and causing me to build my life on Him.

--I am engaged to the most wonderful being in the world (who is also SMOKING HOT) Christina Ann Layne. The only bad thing about her is her last name which needs to be changed to Will!

--I hate college. I love to learn but I have had bad experiences with schools. But I guess we all have.

--I like any kind of music (some in moderation).

--I've drank before. I didn't like it and I won't drink again. I can think of quicker ways to pickle my liver.

--People who drive while on the phone sometimes tick me off...
--I talk on the phone while driving... lol...

--I am afraid of heights. God made me 6'4. If He wanted me up higher, He would have made me grow more.

--I've been half-way round the world.

--I can speak a little tagolog (language of the Philippines).

--I am blessed to have several male role models in my life who have taught me so much and always been there when I needed them. Bishop Ron Ramsey, Peter Martindale, my uncle Dan Will, Dale Colburn, my uncle Jeff Wyers, Rev. Bob Sanders, Patrick Jones, just to name a few.

-- I am a compulsive blog reader, but rarely post myself.

-- I am late for the office!!

God Bless!

I have just discovered ping.fm. It seems good to streamline stuff.

My Thoughts on (and hopes for) Barack Hussein Obama-- Part I

First off, let me give a disclaimer: I haven't talked about Obama much here if at all. But he is going to make history no matter what your opinion of him and therefore, I feel the need to blog. I blog, therefore I am. By the way, this is my rant, and not a political endorsement or policy of Eden Church or any of my affiliations. Okay, here goes!

I did not vote for Barack Obama. I know people who did and I am sorry for them. Joking! Okay, sort of. I find Obama a fascinating figure. His rise to nation renown is a stuff of legend. The fact that a person of mixed race who admitted to always finding it hard to fit in with either whites or blacks has risen above a rough past to achieve is dreams is something to find admirable.

But here is my issue with him. I am a follower of Jesus, or what is commonly called, a Christian. I realize a lot of my friends aren't really on fire with God, and that is partly a result of all of the hypocrisy in the churches. So I am the real deal. I want to show people that my faith doesn't end on a certain day to only begin again on Sunday. If my faith is the real thing, then it should consume me. "For I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live, but it is not I that lives, but rather Christ that lives in me!"

If my faith really consumes me, it is not compartmentalized, but rather makes up my life. My purpose is to make Jesus famous and glorify God in all I do, not just some of it. Barack Obama is part of what is being called the "religious left." That's just it, their religious but not Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus. I think that to support abortion by claiming that the evangelicals only care about the baby in the womb is STUPID AND VILE. I realize we have to deal with poverty and the issues that sometimes lead to a woman choosing abortion. And I concede that the evangelicals have at times been lacking in that area and we REALLY need to step up. But COME ON! So the holocaust of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto was okay because they were going to have a miserable existence living in the ghetto during the Third Reich? Ridiculous!

On dealing with helping others, the Church of Jesus has really been loosing focus. We need to advance the ball down the field here. Jesus talked often about sharing your possessions because in reality, they don't belong to you, but rather to God. Obama needs to realize something here. Jesus was all about the re-distribution of wealth, but only on a voluntary basis. Another thing, all these possessions belong to God, not to the government. I am convinced if the U.S. Government were to use the Book of Proverbs (even taking out the God parts) we would not be in this recession. I am not talking about a theocracy but rather using common sense and wisdom, bot of which God literally wrote the book on.

Obama is like a messiah to many people and this REALLY TICKS ME OFF! Even if he is a great guy, and I am sure he is and I would even like to just hang out with him, he is just another fallen guy trying to fix a fallen world with fallen methods. I know of people who have honestly stopped paying their bills simply because the think Barack is going to solve all their problems. In Obama's defense, lately he has been distancing himself from the extreme "Obama = Jesus" fanatics, but during the campaign he seemed to encourage this cult of personality. Democrat, Republican, Independent, or what ever, this is not a healthy thing. Nancy Pelosie said Obama was a gift from God. Huh? This statement about God's Will coming from a secular Catholic? Oh boy, let me pin that on my wall! Seriously, these people need to calm down and let the dude do his job.

I do wish Obama well and I will pray for him just as much as I did for George W. Bush, and maybe even more. I will follow up with more on this after the swearing-in later today.

My Goals for 2009

2009 is already here and before you know it, it will be half over. So many times I've broken my resolutions for the new year. But this year, I thought that I needed to make some. Not just some random goals, but goals that I think God has for me. So without further ado, here they are:

• Loose 40 Pounds by July.
• Get married July 11th.
• Learn to be a better fiance and future husband to Christina.
• Get back to focusing on my education.
• Disciple 4 men at Eden Church
• Find new supplemental employment.
• Make personal time with God a priority.
• Finish the 40 or so books I have started in the last year and not finished (everything from history, to cooking, to church leadership, to mysteries, to humor, to Max Lucado and John Ortberg).

So there they are. And that is probably not all of them. Back in August, my bishop gave me a homework assignment to complete. I needed to name 1 or 2 short-term goals (6-12 months) in 9 different areas of my life. Well, I haven't really worked on them thus far, but now is the perfect opportunity.

Yes, I have already broken some of them. I did eat that Peanut-Butter Ice Cream I swore off. But in my defense, it wasn't as much as I used to eat! Ha!

I really want to be all that God wants me to be because I find myself desiring a deeper intimacy with Him. Notice I said desire. I am not always as close to God as I should be. I fall at times. But I am so thankful that God's Holy Spirit is stirring in me and is causing me to have a deeper desire for a closer walk with God.

What are some of your resolutions?