Kudos for honesty!

I read a really interesting article about a woman who cashed in some gold coins at face value. Well, it turns out that the gold coins are worth a lot more than just face value and they are trying to find the woman. Kudos to all the honest people in the world!

http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story/Woman-tries-to-buy-groceries-with-gold-coins-then/xOmnvx-yFUSOG9KOFOlq4g.cspx

little bit more levity...

This picture reminds me of a supervisor I once had...

Picking up Hitchhikers......

When I was in Rifle yesterday I picked up a hitchiker. Wait, I know what you are thinking and you are right. It is, and can be, a potentially dangerous thing to do, and I would not always do that. However, when I took her to where she needed to be I had a great opportunity to minister to this person. She talked about how messed up everything was in her life and I told her that I knew what it was like to be in tough situations and I would pray for her. Would you ever do that, or do you think that the days of being a Good Samaritan are long gone for a fear of one's safety?

This is just a song I like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xslO6Qi_kGQ

On a lighter note....

My wife and I are parents again....to some brand new kittens! We are also trying to sell our mixed breed Chihuahua and Dachsund puppies and have been getting nibbles all the time.

Calling or Catharsis?

The one thing that I do struggle with from time to time is whether my desire to become a pastor is a calling or just simply catharsis. Catharsis is defined in the dictionary as "a purging of emotional tensions". I do know that I am going through a lot right now and it has pretty much been one thing after the other. But I do know that certain circumstances have occurred which have changed my whole entire perspective on a lot of things. I currently teach school, but I feel that I was eating, drinking and breathing that and did not leave any room for my faith, for God. I think the best thing to do right now to find the whirlwind of emotions is to look at examples in the Bible. Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and a lot of other people all got discouraged but they handled it in a godly manner, and that's what I need to do also.

signs that you blog too much

Okay, okay time for a little levity here....In grand David Letterman fashion, here are the top ten signs that you blog too much:

#10: You have to turn back on your way to the airport because you forgot to "tell" your blog you were going away.

#9: You think Nike should make a shirt that says "just blog it."

#8: You would buy that shirt.

#7: You keep a blog ideas notepad by your bed and got to bed early just to write in it.

#6: Your listening to the travel news and get excited by the phrase "heavy traffic".

#5: You've got more "blog friends" then real friends.

#4: You can't remember what you did last week without consulting your blog.

#3: Under the hobbies section of your online dating profile you put "googling myself."

#2: You think LSD is something to do with RSS or XML.

#1: You finish reading this and go make a post with your own additions ;-)

Purpose of this Blog

The purpose of this blog is, simply put, to minister to people. I understand now, after the year that I have had, what it is like to go through really stressful and upsetting situations.

I know now how the Psalmist felt when he said "have mercy on me Lord, I am weak." (Psalm 6) I'll also give my opinion on current events, keep up on sports stats from time to time, and all the other things that bloggers do, but the main purpose of this blog is to help people and have compassion for them. Whew! Now that I'm done with my little spiel I'm going to find some late lunch....

Brave Pastor (?)

Has anyone else been following the story about the Pro Life Pastor in Union City California? I definitely think the man is brave for standing to his convictions and even going to jail for them. It is good that someone is standing for the rights of the unborn. It's unfortunate that abortion even has to be necessary or an issue. I wish that President Obama would pass some laws to encourage adoption and make it easier for those who want to adopt but I don't expect it anytime soon. What is your take on it?

Song lyrics

In my earlier blogging days I used to use song lyrics to communicate and express how I was feeling...I see no reason to change that per se. This song by the Dave Matthews Band communicates how I'm feeling at the moment:

Where are you going?
With your long face Pulling down Don't hide away
Like an ocean That you can't see but you can smell
And the sound of the waves crash down
I am no Superman I have no reasons for you
I am no hero Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing Is where you are is where I belong
I do know where you go
Is where I want to be Where are you going? Where do you go? Are you looking for answers To questions under the stars?
Well, if along the way You are grown weary
You can rest with me until A brighter day and you're okay I am no Superman I have no answers for you
I am no hero Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing Is where you are is where I belong
I do know where you go Is where I want to be
Where are you going? Where do you go? Where do you go?
Where are you going? Where do you go?
I am no Superman I have no answers for you
I am no hero Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing Is here you are is where I belong
I do know where you go Is where I want to be
Where are you going?

I would appreciate a prayer or two so I know "where I'm going". Got a long drive ahead of me tomorrow so I had better get some rest....

Hmmm....where to start?

To make a long story short, I have seriously been through the ringer these past three years....but in order to make a fresh start I deleted most of the silly posts on here and will start again. In Early 2005, I decided to go into teaching, and through a variety of circumstances since then I have decided that teaching more than likely is not for me. In 2008 I finally found a teaching job in the ESL department of an elementary school in the Western Slope of Colorado. I really honestly thought that it would be a good fit for me, (and it sort of was) but there were a lot of external things going on and it was (and has been) a very tough year. Needless to say, I'm very disillusioned with teaching school.

I'll tell you what I do know now though.....I have a firm conviction in my heart and soul that God has used this year and these struggles that I have had to make me more willing to consider full time Christian service. I am now exploring the possibility of one day going to seminary to become either an Assembly of God or Non Denominational Pastor. I hope that you will join me on this journey! Also, before I totally forget my manners, this is a picture of me (Vaden) and my wife (April).