Being in the moment

There are a few things that irritate me about facebook, but one thing that I always roll my eyes at is when I see someone post this or something similar to this: "Is it Friday yet?"  or "Sigh....can not wait for this week to be over!". I'm guilty of this attitude occasionally, but I've tried to purposefully train my mind not to think this way anymore. What a waste! I feel like people consciously run out the clock each day, and miss the opportunity to be "present" with the countless opportunites to make a difference and do something significant with their lives or for others.

We should be living each day with fullness and zeal, making the most of every opportunity we have been given. Being present. Proactively seeking and seaching for purpose for each day.  I look back now and (this is so cliche) the days seem to be going faster and faster and faster. There are days when I'm lying in bed at night and  I have "buyers remorse" when I look back and think: "what did i do today?"  I've been convicted about using every hour given to me as an investment. What am I doing with each hour? How am I using it? Am I being a good steward of the time that work has given me to accomplish my tasks?  For myself, am I treating my body like a temple of God or am I being lazy and unproductive? Getting up earlier to work out and run has helped me feel more productive. For people in my life, did I send a note, or a text or call someone to encourage them today?Am I making a difference in someone else's life with this time or am I mind-numbingly wasting it away through mundane tv shows or even sometimes, hanging out with the wrong people? To clarify, when I mean wrong people, I'm not just talking about the "wrong crowd". I talking about people who don't build you up and make you a better person. Sadly, these can many times be believers who lull us into a pool of mediocrity. Its time to change that.

Another struggle I have had over the years is looking back too much on the past and yearning for those "better" days. That's as bad as wishing the weekend was here now or the day was just over. I miss opportunities for what God wants to do at this current time when I think this way. Isaiah 43:18-19 says to "forget the former things- do not dwell on the past (whether good or bad), for I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?" Anyone who knows me well knows this is an area I have needed to work on.

The charge to myself is that we take our uncertain amout of days given to us and treat each like a Christmas gift.  Each day is Christmas morning. We get to unwrap it, enjoy it, and hopefully be fulfilled by it.

Make it a great day!

Jeff

September 12

"Have Mercy", the basketball team I'm on with some good friends, played tonight and we ended up losing.Sad. It capped off the end of a day where I got home just drained and feeling lousy in general. It wasn't so much a physical tiredness of the game and driving to Fayetteville and back.  I felt overall frustrated and just kind of down on myself.  I hate that feeling as I consider myself a positive, glass half full kind of guy. So....I'm going to reflect on the good things happening lately or coming up in my life!

1) Its almost my birthday. I turn 33 on October 7th. October is my favorite month of the year because it signals fall, and frankly, I love getting cards/letters even more than a gift, because words of encouragement feed my soul.  I keep all things written to me and reflect upon them at different times. I'm not sure what I will do this year for my birthday. For several years, I was in Europe each October and spent my birthday solo.  Chet mentioned doing something for me this year.  I'm going to reflect more on this in a later blog.

2) Working out. I've been working out with Chet almost daily since Jan 2012, and its been great to see physical gain of muscle for both of us. I enjoy this time of day, whether its morning or afternoon, where we challenge ourserlves physically, and also catch up on the day. There is usually alot of laughing and jokes about fitness instructors but we work hard. Chet is very loyal to me and our workouts. I'm very thankful for him.

3) Roadtrips- I'm gearing up for several roadtrips to see Baylor football this fall and maybe a Rangers game. I'm hoping I can get some friends to go with me to see the games and eat at some cool local places in Manhattan, KC and Stillwater. I've asked a few people but no commitments yet.

4) I've been able to meet some new friends lately, which has been a breath of fresh air. I'm thankful God has brought me these new relationships. He is faithful.

5) I've tried to serve others as best I can over the past few months -financially, relationally, prayerfully and tangibly. Its been so rewarding to be a part of something greater than yourself.  

6) I'm running the Tulsa Route 66 Half Marathon in November. Its given me motivation to train and be in shape for the Nov 23rd date. I don't think I'm going to get a PR but it will be fun to get a medal!

7) I'm headed to Boston Sept 20-22 to see Kathleen! I haven't been there since 1999 so this will be so cool to see Harvard (she lives very close) and eat some chowder....

8) I've gotten to be a part of experiencing a cherished friend Michael as he grows in Christ. We have met every Sunday for 11 weeks and has been awesome to see him grow in his faith and Biblical knowledge. I care for him like a brother. We memorize 1 verse a week and talk about 3 chapters of a book of the Bible each week (we are in the middle of Romans now). One of Michael's best qualities is his encouragement to me.  He is always positive, generous and has a wonderful heart.His whole family is very special to me. This time together is definitely a highlight of my week.

That's it for now. And Jay, thanks for commenting on my blog. I never know who reads these. I'll work on the suggestions you gave me- all great ideas!

Make it a great night!

Brian Eastland- Mosaic

Brian and his new wife Kristin in Seattle.

I was going through some old pictures the other day, and ran across some of my dear friend Brian Eastland. I went up to Seattle in 2008 to see him get married. Brian and I weren't particularly close friends when we were at Baylor, but were always glad to see each other and hang out in group settings. He was rather quiet and kept to himself. However, as we progressed through college, we became better friends. He got his BBA in Entrepreneurship (I think) but was called to start a church in Seattle. He came and visited me when I lived in Grapevine to share his vision- reaching college students near the University of Washington area.

Some of my college friends in Seattle.

I felt an instant peace about supporting him, and for about 7 years, I partnered with Brian as they started a church to reach the lost in Seattle- Mosaic Community Church. There were many ups and downs, but it gives me great joy knowing that I could help play a small role in helping him fulfill God's vision there. I loved getting his updates through the years about the successes and challenges. All the while, God was there through it all. . The church is now thriving and even expanding! Sometimes you can't go on a mission trip, but you can always do something- whether sending/supporting someone and prayer. I'm so glad he reached out to me; otherwise I would have not gotten to be part of this opportunity.



Here is their website:   http://www.mosaic-seattle.org/#/home

 His roommates I stayed with in Seattle (all 14 of them) were awesome guys. They had a "Bro Night" every Monday night where they all just hung out. It was like one big frat house, but it was called a Disciple House, where they lived in Christian brotherhood and did life together before they found the right girl to marry. I was highly impressed. I wanted to pack my bags and move to Seattle. Here is a pic of the house, built in like 1900. It had a pool table in it and all kinds of sweet old house touches. It was huge inside!

Awesome porch and cool roommates for the weekend in Seattle right by University of Washington.

 

Make it a GREAT day!
Jeff

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)