It’s been a while since I last posted a blog, so I figure it’s about time! I’ve got some Andy Mckee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU) going on in the background, so I’m set for getting this busted out. Life has been fairly interesting since my last post.
A lot has gone on, for instance, I’ve moved down to California, and am selling Pest Control contracts for a company called Dewey Pest control. I basically go door to door, which everyone seems to love door to door salesmen, and I try to persuade people to buy from me. So, for any of you who may doubt man’s inherent sinfulness, I beg you, try cold-call sales, you’ll change your mind quite soon. But selling is not too difficult in Fresno, California, because let’s face it… a lot of bugs are out here. That also means, however, that there are a plethora of other companies to choose from, which makes things a bit more difficult. Cause then you run into customers who already have a service, and when you mention the fact that you can save them money, give them a much better service, and really good customer support, they get all sorts of defensive, clam up, and you are then looking at the wrong side of their door. With all that being said, I’ve made much better money than I ever have in my life, and I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such a great opportunity. I work hard, but it’s good work, and it’s such a blessing from God to have a job right now when so many folks are out of work right now (I run into far too many people out of work out here). This job is also pretty sweet cause I’ve gotten a lot of sermon illustrations out of it!
This job also has its difficulties though. Apart from often working 10-12 hour days, 7-8 hours of which are spent in 100 degree + weather, I am essentially on an island. I am a very gregarious person. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m nothing short of a full blown extravert, and so relationships are very important to me, and this job is completely void of relationships. At the very most I talk to somebody for 45 minutes, however most folks I talk to for about 30 seconds. I do have a few co-workers, but they both have families, and are best friends with each other, and they’re both in their 30’s, so it’s a little difficult to relate to them. All of my friends are back in Washington, and my girlfriend is in North Carolina, which makes things that much more difficult. So my life lately has consisted of work, and when I’m not working, I’m mostly making food, or doing laundry, or going grocery shopping. I do get to chat with Julia and some friends online, and talk on the phone when I get the chance, but I need some real face time. So that has been one of the biggest struggles for me.
I have had a few breaks though, which has been good. I was able to attend my sister’s graduation in June, and that was great! It was really cool to see my sister come to that accomplishment. She has always been a very intellectual girl, but she slacked off pretty bad her first few years of highschool, so she had to work extra hard to do well towards the end, and she really worked hard, so it was cool to see that. Plus it was nice cause all of my family was together (which has only happened once in times past… my graduation) and they all got to meet Julia, which was a cool experience. However, I think they may like her more than they like me now… okay, maybe they like us equally. Anywho, Brianna, my youngest sister attached to Julia like a leech, and really took to her. It was really really good to catch up with my mom too. I haven’t lived with my mom for over ten years, and I’ve only seen her 3 times in that ten years, so it was really really good to see her again, and get to spend some good time with her. She’s disabled as well, and doesn’t really have a guy around, so I was able to get some work done around the house, which Julia helped out a lot with, and was really fun.
Then towards the end of June, I was able to go to North Carolina to visit Julia and meet her family. It was a lot of fun. Nerve wracking, but fun nonetheless. It was really good to see Julia again, and I always love being around her. She’s so amazing, and I am soooo blessed to have her in my life, and so it was nice to meet her family who have helped shape her into the woman she is today. Her family was very hospitable, and easy going, which was a big relief… I just hope I didn’t shock them all too much with my crazy antics. I take getting used to, and they are all introverted, and I’m wildly extraverted, so I hope I didn’t mess anything up too bad! ;) Anywho, they are a very nice family. Julia’s parents were full time missionaries to Papua New Guinea, and now they work at an organization called JAARS, which if I remember stands for Jungle Aviation and Radio Services, but don’t quote me on that. Anywho, it’s affiliated with Wycliffe Bible translators, which is a pretty sweet organization, since they translate God’s Word into so many obscure languages. Julia’s dad is an airplane mechanic there, and her mom is going back to school to be a nurse, and they are both very hard working, good people. I feel like I got along with her parents pretty well, it was easy to talk to her dad especially about cars and such, since I’m a fairly mechanically inclined guy. Her mom is fun, and I can definitely see a lot of resemblances between her daughter and her. They share many of the same idiosyncrasies, so it’s cool to watch them interact with each other. Julia’s brother Luke is a cool guy, who is one of the most tech savvy guys I’ve ever met, perhaps only second to a Mr. Mike Lovely. He’s a really laid back guy, and introverted like the rest of the family and he’s a genius at finding deals. We went out for a pretty sweet bike ride in the woods that Luke led, and I have to say, it’s rekindled my love for biking, but I broke my flip-flops while riding, so it wasn’t a casualty free adventure. :( Anywho, I really like her family, and hope they feel the same about me, it’ll be cool to get to know them more in the future, and I hope I get the chance to talk more with them next time I visit.
So, now for the part you’ve all been waiting for! My crazy inflections about where my life is headed, and things that are going on in my life. Okay, you are welcome to skip over this part… if you’ve even made it this far… but I have had some things happen in my life recently, mostly internal, that I am really happy about, and some that I’m not so happy about and this is where you can read all about them! So, for the bad first. I feel like I have drifted way too far away from God lately. I hate it. I haven’t read my Bible nearly enough, which is ridiculous, since I should have no problem finding the time to do so. I have had a difficult time finding a decent church here, although I did finally find a good one. Northpointe Community Church! It’s a reformed church, which is a bit of a change for me in personal attendance, I do follow Mark Driscoll and John Piper fairly closely, and have multiple podcasts from each, so I listen to some reformed sermons, but this is the first time I’ve attended a reformed church. But still, I feel like I’ve relied too heavily upon being fed at a church, instead of feeding myself. I really enjoy reading the Bible, and I really enjoy studying it, but I haven’t felt the passion or drive to read as much lately, and I really need to work on that. I do pray every day, but I still don’t feel as close to God as I should. I feel like I’ve let too many other things occupy my time recently. This is going to change. My relationship with God needs to be my primary focus. In one of our little meetings we have for this job, my team leader Greg (he’s Mormon) said today that we need to prioritize. The first thing in our lives should be our relationship with God, to which I say amen, then second, our relationship with significant others, then our jobs. He’s exactly right. I don’t feel like that has been my list of priorities lately. I feel like it’s been, job, girlfriend, then God, although this past week, more like girlfriend, job, God, cause I’ve been missing Julia pretty bad. This needs to change though. I’ve got to start taking time for God, and so please hold me accountable to that.
I also haven’t been paying as much attention to my debate preparation as I should be. I intended for this summer to be the most intense preparation for debate ever, since it’s my goal to make it to the final round of the National tournament next year, and to break into the semi-finals of the world tournament, but I haven’t focused nearly enough on that. I know exactly why too. The computer. It’s a two-edged sword. On one hand, it helps me keep up to date on current events, on the other, it distracts me with its delicious glow. I am addicted to this screen, and it kills me sometimes. Part of it is because it’s one of the only ways that I still feel connected to the real world, since Facebook allows me to keep in touch with all of my friends, and a good portion of my communication with Julia is via chat messengers, since cell signal is sparse out at her house. Seriously though, I really should be reading more. I have a whole slew of great books with me that I should be almost done with by now, but I haven’t barely started them. It’s terrible. In fact, just writing this blog post isn’t really helping, but I feel that this is a more worthwhile investment than just lolly-gagging around on Facebook.
Also… my drumming skills have gone down the toilet. It’s killing me. I used to be a more than average drummer, and now I feel like I may be a better guitarist than drummer, which is not okay. That’s honestly my biggest complaint about Northwest. Every other instrument has the space to practice. There are a ridiculous amount of piano rooms, which anyone can sign up for, yet there isn’t a single drum room. If you do want to use the joke of a drum kit that the Jazz band uses, you either have to be in drum lessons, or you have to be a music major. It’ ridiculous. I can’t use my drumset in the dorms, because it’s too loud… I can barely use the electric drumset that Robert Otto brought with him last year, because all the guys downstairs complained all the time. It’s one of the most disheartening things ever. I seriously have watched my drumming skills fade before my eyes, and it really hurts. Drumming has been one of my biggest passions since I first picked up a pair of sticks in the fifth grade. Then when I got a drumset my sophomore year of highschool, it got crazy. I practiced a lot, and got good really quickly. Now I can’t do anything compared to what I could. My hands and feet won’t do what my brain tells them too… it’s frustrating to say the least. I think my friend J.D. also experienced this problem… he wasn’t able to drum for about a year, but he just jumped back into it, and has been fine since, so maybe there is still hope for me. I just wish I could work something out with the school… I think a petition is in order.
Anywho, now on to some good things! Well, I think I finally cemented my political stance. I am now officially calling myself a Libertarian. I know it’s not a perfect system to describe what I believe, but I think it’s the best ideology for me. The hardest thing is dealing with some of the personal issues which naturally come with being a Christian, but honestly I think that those are all things which society ought to be dictating. I don’t think the federal government should have much of a say in anything you do. If you want to smoke pot, then go for it. If you want to do stupid things, you should be allowed to do so. The government only has certain roles, the likes of which are spelled out fairly clearly in the constitution. I am a fan of Madisonian thought. I think the FDR approach to constitutional interpretation is nothing short of abhorrent. For instance, this healthcare bill is killing me. I don’t see how anyone can justify FORCING a person to engage into a monetary agreement with a third party. Ever. I’ve heard it all too, interstate commerce (which is terrible… I can get into that later if anyone wants…), I’ve also heard the classic: well they make us have car insurance! This one’s my favorite. Of course they make us have car insurance. 1.) We don’t have to drive a car…. We kinda have to live. 2.) You have car insurance so if you drive like an idiot and hit somebody else, you can pay for the damage you caused to them, health insurance is around so if YOU get sick YOU can go to the doctor. I could go on, but I don’t want to take up all of your time reading my blog. So, anywho, back to role of government. The government is only designed to protect sovereign states from foreign threats, and… from itself. That’s why there are checks and balances in our government, to make sure no particular branch gets too powerful and begins to become tyrannical. I will save the rest for another post, but I would gladly talk about this with anyone, if they like. :)
So that’s most of what’s gone on in my life since my last post. I’m really excited to get back to school, I really miss classes and my friends, and I’m really excited to start debate again. Pray for me that I can stay motivated out here, since it’s getting harder and harder with each day, and pray for me that I can find the love for God’s word again. Thanks for reading all of this if you have! Keep in touch, and feel free to comment if you have any concerns, questions, exhortations, or rude remarks!
Shalom!
Max
