Verses

When I was in East Asia on our mission trip in April , one of our five teammates, David, was such an inspiration to me.  David went to Oklahoma State and carried a 6.5 foot cross around with him at all times. He preached outside the student union almost daily during lunch, and has surrerended his life to become a medical missionary after he graduates from medical school. What I found most inspiring was that he was in the midst of memorizing whole books of the Bible. He knew many of Paul's letters word for word. He asked me to test him a couple of times on our trip (I think it was 1 John). I was amazed at how it was "written on his heart". David was an example to me, and I returned home convicted about my sad state of scripture memory. Being able to reference God's word in conversations, or knowing where to turn to is critical.

I've challenged myself and a new friend of mine to learning one Bible verse a week. We are on the 3rd week, and I am really excited to see how many we can memorize. Each time, we test each other on the current week's verse, as well as every verse learned previously so that it sticks in our long term memory. I was in Bible Drill as a youth in Irving, and to this day, many of those verses are still with me. Luke 2:52, Malachi 3:10, Hebrews 12:1, etc.  I've really became lazy in my 20's with scripture memory, and especially being able to reference where a familiar verse was in the Bible. Satan is always on the attack in our lives, and to be able to recite the word of God to combat him in these tempting/challenging times has helped me.

 This weeks verse is "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things". -Colossians 3:2.  Simple verse  but hard to make that choice daily.

Make it a great Day!

Jeff

Flower Beds and Ann!!!!

             Busy busy busy the past few days. I'm still here and am committed to blogging, so wanted to send out a short update. Last weekend, I helped Chet and Karli with a new flower bed. It was HARD work but the results were worth it. We started at 9:00 AM on Saturday and went to Hardscape Materials to pick up some good stone. We loaded it up and took it back to his house. After removing the manufactured stone and taking out all the black mulch, we slowly laid out two levels of natural stone, giving it a nice curve as we progressed. We took out some grass and extended the bed out to make it one seamless area. We went back and got a load of dirt, took out all the old bushes and built up the area with new dirt. After that, we headed back to Lowes for bushes, flowers and mulch. Did I mention it was near 100 degrees? We finished around 8 pm and were exhausted. We all took a shower after a day's hard work, and it was amazing how much dirt came off of me and into the shower. We all headed up to Pei Wei and got a snow cone because, heck we deserved it. I got home about 10 and slept like I haven't in years. All worth it though. Had some great fellowship with Chet and Karli and was able to make a small difference.

                This week has flown by! I went to Austin from Monday through Wednesday. Best reward was the food! Had Rudys Monday and Chuy's Tuesday night. Amazing! I'm back in Tulsa now and ready for the weekend.

              Today I went to spin class with Chet for his birthday to see our amazing instructor Ann at 5:45 AM. We love Ann. We have an unhealthy obsession with Ann. I kept waking up last night hoping it was time for spin. You see, we used to see Ann 3 times a week for Spin, but Chet got a new work schedule so I was a team player and joined the gym by his work. We both agree we miss Ann terribly! She is like a cat- she makes you work for her affection. She is sassy, a Mid-town snob, and a cunning sense of humor. Chet did not like her the first time we went to her class (shocker!). But, we have more than warmed up to this high-society post-cougar. Most of the times, our adventures on spin bikes involve rescuing lost children or ones that were kidnapped by guerilla gangs. You never know what to expect with the music. She usually yells at me for not trying hard enough (its my long legs....makes it seem like I'm going slower or that's what I'm telling myself). She was so happy to see us today.This was probably one of my favorite mornings of 2013 no doubt! Below is a picture from this morning. Please note we are wearing matching shirts from Chet's bachelor party (yes its a picure of him on the shirt). We both agreed that we will be going to her funeral when she passes away. She is just one of those people you like for a reason you can't quite put your finger on.

Make it a great day!

Jeff

Rental Car Roulette

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       It’s a nearly perfunctory ritual each week to hear from friendly Rita “Thanks Mr. Moss. Your rental car is in spot A82.” With keys in hand, I’m off.  I swiftly walk toward my designated parking space. I’m excited and slightly nervous. You see, the thrill and anticipation of which car Hertz is going to give me provides a lot of mind clutter as I wait for a plane to taxi to our terminal, or just trading in my car for a brand spanking new rental.  Could I look at the keys and see the make/model that they chose for me? Sure. That would ruin the suspense of the moment. Internal dialogue is always optimistic but cautious as I pace towards my spot. ‘Maybe Rita hooked me up today? She knows I like Volkswagens. They seemed to have lots of Jettas in the lot.’

      Its really just a guessing game of what you will get.  I’ve had highs and lows in my hundreds of rental experiences. During my first trip to Tulsa to check out the town and be introduced to my team, I sat in a Toyota Prius  the Tulsa Airport for I dare say 30 minutes trying to figure out how to turn it on. I ended up exchanging it for an Aveo. Another time they gave me a full sized mini-van. I wanted to offer to take kids to random soccer practices but that would have been creepy. Other times, you just get lucky. I’ve had a tahoe, a Volvo and a decked out Cadallac cruising though the Rocky Mountains. I’ve also been blessed with cars that I wasn’t sure if they needed to be wound up before leaving the lot. We are talking small cars here people.

Jeff and the Passat- a rental car winner

      Here are the awards for cars I have tried in rental car roulette:

Best Ever Rental: Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Edition(Tulsa)- got to keep this baby for a week. Leather seats, sunroof…it was amazing! I took it down to OKC for a roadtrip with some friends (unlimited miles on our rentals) and we still talk about that cool Jeep.

Silver Medal for Best Rental: Toyota Solara convertible (Tucson, AZ)

Worst Car Rental: Ford Fiesta. Definitely not a party. I felt so big in it. Close behind is a Chevy Aveo. You just feel like less of a man driving an Aveo. Trust me.   

Worst Name for a Car Rental: Toyota Yaris. Sounds like a Japanese anime bug. Also, I’m fairly sure it’s a V-2.

Most improved car rental: Ford Focus and Fusion- Ford has come a long way in the past couple of years. I love the interiors of these two models.

Most “get out of my way” Rental: Hummer H3 (Little Rock, AR). I felt like I was driving a Panzer tank.

Most surprised liked rental: Kia SUV (Tulsa) - I can’t remember if it’s the Optima but its their SUV and it was a smooth ride and lots of bells and whistles I didn’t think Kia would offer.

Car I would buy after renting it: VW Passat. Love the feel of the road and the German engineering. I seriously may buy one after my Accord dies. 

Make it a great day!

Jeff

Reassurance

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

This verse has been my life verse in 2013. Whenever I have self doubt, I can say this scripture in my car or wherever I am and it gives me peace. I know with certainty that Yahweh created me uniquely, as He did with all.  I am God's handiwork, and created to do good works to honor Him!  (Ephesians 2:10)

Working out with a nightlight

4:15 AM. It’s a time that no man or woman should ever see with groggy, caked eyes as you stubble around a dark room to turn off the phone alarm or answer a wake up call.. Yet, for the past year or so, with the help of a faithful workout buddy Chet, I’ve been getting up MOST days (except when we negotiate via phone that we want the other one to catch up on sleep- how thoughtful…).  Workouts begin at 5:00 AM and some mornings are more of a challenge than others.

Working out has been a good thing for me. It’s a time to push yourself to new limits. You can literally see a difference with a dedication to lifting. I started very weak in January of 2012. Chet basically forced me to work out after months of faithful spin classes. Its hard for me to do both cardio and lift weights well, but there was no getting around it. We were going to lift weights. As the months went by and I saw improvement in my chest, arms, back and shoulders (who has time for legs?), I became more and more motivated. Soon it became more than a routine….it was a morning right of passage. I was able to hit a peak at the beginning of the year with my chest bench press- I think it was 210. Its been challenging keeping up with working out since  I’ve been gone a lot in 2013. We are back working out again after he was out last week on his honeymoon, and it feels great to be back in a routine!

One bonus of working out besides the added muscle is the plain fun. Many inside jokes have formed from our mornings working out. We also have shared a ton of personal stuff between sets.  Aside from the accountability of keeping up with staying fit (or trying to stay fit), I’ve grown closer to a friend that is Christ-like, encouraging, challenges me, and always dependable. I think that’s a better reward than any new personal max in weightlifting, but feeling more confident in yourself without a shirt on at the pool is also a nice bonus.

Good coffee, good Monday!

What a beautiful July 1st. Worked out this morning and when I left my house it was probably 65 degrees. So refreshing! Now I'm enjoying some awesome coffee as I wait for our work's 2nd half employee meeting via webcast.

Here are 15 things I have learned about myself over the past couple of years. Some are unique. Some are funny, while others are a little more serious. A cornacopia of things you may or likely don't know about me. Enjoy!

1) I like to watch chiropractic adjustments on youtube. Its weird, but intoxicating. I just sit there any keep watching them. I'll watch one then click the related videos on the right and watch more. It make me want to go get an adjustment. Odd? Absolutely! 

2) I suffer from wanderlust. I love travelling- with groups or by myself. And there are times where I’m not sure the final destination. I’ve sat on a train  in the station in Brussels, and randomly deciding to get off the train and head for Amsterdam at the last minute. I love the idea of adventure, surprise, randomness and finding joy in the simplicity of a travel bag and a railpass. I was able to go to Asia in early 2013. This trip had a purpose other than just tourism.  I've included a picture from my East Asia trip this past April. Such a wonderful trip to minister to a specific city there. We learned how to play a mandolin (or something like that).

 

3) I have an easy time remembering in details in my long term memory but struggle remembering what happened last week. I vividly recall details of trips, conversations, moods, and relationships. I can probably name every person in my high school choir and what section they sang in. However, sometime I can’t remember what I did last Wednesday night. 

4) I love getting written words of affirmation. I can’t tell you how much I love getting a letter in the mail or even an email.  I really could care less about any gift of physical nature. I love getting encouraging, authentic words. A letter like that can lift my spirits for months. I think we all desire to be lifted up. I treasure these letters and keep them filed away for times when things aren’t going so well.

5)  I loathe hot weather. I love bundling up and having a roaring fire going all winter long.   As I have told Christine, I get cranky when temperatures get over 85 degrees. Ultimate solution would be me going to Crested Butte from Memorial Day to Oct 1 each year!

6) Serving others/giving is my love language. I want to do more of this.

7) I struggle with jealousy and envy. I noticed I wrote about this in a 2010 post too. The thing is, at 32 years old, I still struggle with some things I dealt with as I was younger. You aren’t in the same life status as your similarly aged friends. Things seem to be easier for some people when you work harder and they are lazy, etc. Or you see someone post on FB that makes you want that situation or thing, and wonder why you don’t. I’ve also struggled with people not reciprocating the value I place in them.  I’d like to say I’ve made progress in this issue here over the past 2 years.     

8) I am pretty competitive. I may come across as a soft, easy going guy but inside I want to win-----badly! Ask my basketball team about “the incident” where I was fighting for space down low. I ended up knocking a guy down and (this is not how I should of acted) walked away not helping him up. We both got double fouls and warned of getting thrown out of the game.  

9) I like pop/rap music sometimes. Jason Derulo, Nelly, Usher, JB (my old friend), Katy Perry, and even a song or two by Nicki Minaj (but I can’t stand her personality). I'm trying to ween myself off of it, but the music is so dang catchy.

10) I enjoy getting massages in the middle of the mall. There are Chinese massage people in Woodland Hills Mall that have 4 chairs set up. Some people might find it awkward to be massaged as people walk by. Not me. I throughly enjoy it! Its also the only reason I go to Irving Mall when I'm home.

11) I love dancing. Years at the Caravan have helped me love line dancing too.  I want to learn to Salsa dance. I would love to enter a Salsa Dance Competition (eating salsa is also something I love). Sometimes I’ll turn up a salsa-esque song at my house and pretend I’m on Dancing with Stars. As my grandma has said, we went to a Holiday Inn one time in Northern New Mexico and in the bar they were playing some music. I ran in there and started tapping my shoe on the dance floor and dancing around . They have called me a "dancing fool" over the years ever since that night.

12) I'd like to be a teacher in round 2 of my career. I may look into this if I ever leave sales. If I did work in a high school, I can tell you right now I would be the student council sponsor. Being the “Tiger Guard” sponsor would also be great!

13) I’ve challenged myself with a really fun task this year (I’m being vague on purpose). Only 1 person knows the details.  I’ve completed 3 tasks and need to continue to push through them. I get a lot of joy out of it!

14) I have become a big fan of trying to keep myself in shape through running races and working out. Getting up early is sometimes painful but feels really good to have accomplished something before 7 AM most days.

15) I really want to have chickens in my backyard. I was gone the 1st half of 2013 but I want to build a chicken coop and enjoy some VERY local eggs out of my backyard each morning.

16) Love me some roadtrips! Desitnation dinners (OKC, Talequah, McAlester, NW Arkansas) are always some of the best memories. I am a big fan and always go if I can.

Make it a great day!
Jeff