This past weekend

I can't believe May is already here. It doesn't feel like it. Its been in the 40s and 50s for the past couple of days. I had a really nice weekend. Friday, I went with Chet, Bobbi, Amanda Willie and a new friend Kyle down to Pop's on Route 66 near OKC. It was really a great time. If you haven't been, I would highly encourage it. Its a gas station with about 500 kinds of sodas, and it also serves food as well. It was built by the CEO of Chesapeake a few years ago. Its kind of a throwback to the old Route 66 days, but also looks modern if that's possible. I drove the group down there and we enjoyed some nice cherry-limeade slushes as we waited for a table to open up. We hung out on the grass and got to know one another better. Kyle played on the TU basketball team, and seems to be a really cool guy. I knew Bobbi and Chet well, but we played "speed friendship" during the night, and always learn more each time. I had a buffalo burger along with whole fried okra. The burger was great, but I prefer the cut fried okra. After dinner, I bought some Cheerwines and a few orange sodas and we came back home. It was nice to get away from Tulsa for a little bit. Saturday was pretty relaxing. I woke up about 11 am. That evening, I celebrated the fact that I paid off my car and and now debt free! You don't know how good it feels to have no debt (except the house). I will never buy a car with credit again.   Sunday, I went to church, then ate dinner with a new friend from church who just moved to Tulsa. I took him to Fuddruckers and we had some good conversation. Sunday night, I went over to Lindsey's house and had pizza with her, Chet, Kevin, and Natalie. I like it over there because it brings back some great memories of when I first became friends with all of the LifeChurch people. We went over there after a Valentine's dinner. There are many times I wish everything was just like it was then, but that's not how life works. People move on. I headed home afterwards, got some coffee at Cherry st, and headed home to get ready for the week. I'll try to blog more often. Its a good outlet!

Saturday's Thoughts

Ahh... today I woke up at 12:30. It had been a while since the last time I did that, but it felt really nice to sleep in. I went up to the mall to get some new shirts as well as look for a few new hats. It's been a while since I bought anything for myself, and found some clothes at Banana Republic, J Crew and Fossil. At 6, I headed up to El Tequila for a birthday party for a friend in my small group named Lindsay. Afterwards, we went over to Brookside for a swing dance that they have every Saturday. It was fun, and got to see many friends there who I hadn't seen in a while, notably Sarah Spelth, Suz Winnie, Laura Bower, Zach Vincent and others. I stayed there til 10, then headed over to Cheesecake Factory where I met up with some other friends for dessert. I had Dulce de Leche cheesecake. It was awesome. Afterwards, I headed back home where I am now.
As a side note, I'm not sure anyone actually reads my blog, as its not published on my facebook, and been forever since I started really writing again. However, its been nice to have an outlet to talk about things going on, so I will continue to write even if no one is reading it. I don't care if anyone knows who I am, and I am certainly not writing this blog for some eloquent thought-provoking reading. Its just me being open with what's going on in the life of Jeff. All I really want to do is live my life to please and honor the Father, that should be enough. I don't care about new cars, big houses, trendy churches, what friend group or how many friends I have. Are those things nice and make you feel "good"? Yes, of course, but I've learned it doesn't satisfy. Too many times I have put my hope and faith in others, but we humans are going to fail, disappoint, and deceive one another with words and actions, as hard as that is to accept. People say one thing and do another. I've done it to others in the past. Or maybe its just putting too high of expectations on relationships. The only truly sustaining thing we have is Christ. I've been reading in Romans the past week. Actually, Jay and I challenged each other to read a chapter of Romans and a chapter of Psalms each day as a way to stay in God's word. I'd love to be able to talk about how God spoke through each daily reading, but its been difficult to get together with that frequency. The one verse that stood out to me today was one that I actually learned in Bible Drill- Romans 5:8. "And God demonstrated his own love to us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." When I read that verse again, the words "own love" stood out to me. God loves us with more abounding love than anyone can have for us. He loved me so much to die for ME- Jeffrey Edward Moss. That's a humbling thought.I think keeping a journal of what God is speaking to me each day may be the best option. Romans has so much meat. It seems each time I read a chapter again, I get something else out of it. Anyway, that's enough for tonight. Its been a very quiet weekend. I think i'll head to bed before midnight again. I plan to make it a great night.

A Side trip

"Wanna get away?" I love those Snickers commercials from a couple of years ago, especially one where a guy painting "Chiefs" in the end zone realized he wrote "Chefs" instead. I used to not mind at all being alone. In fact, I was overly independent and didn't need to be around people all the time. Maybe I was just fooling myself into believing that. Over the past couple of years, I have loved being around people, and feel like God has blessed me with some incredible friends in Tulsa, as well as maintaining those in Texas. There are times, however, when I feel like I need to escape from the daily grind and spend some time alone. Its a refuge to get away from the stress and frustrations as well as to listen to how God wants to speak to me. Most times, I head west. I think its the idea of open praries, rugged terrains, and adventure. Recently on a trip back from Enid, I decided to be random and exit Highway 9, which goes north right by Lake Keystone into Osage County. After driving through Cleveland, I took some roads with a point to get somewhat lost. I drove past several miles hilly terrain and it quickly felt like I was all alone in the Oklahoma wilderness. I turned off again to a windy road and parked the car. We had been blessed with some very mild late January weather, and it was sunny and in the 60s. I stayed out there for about an hour praying, thinking, and just letting God speak to me. Its sometimes difficult for me to focus when I'm in my comfort zone of home and familiarity. Being away from it all, though only 31 miles from Tulsa, let me recharge my batteries and just relax and renew in the midst of the Father's creation. I should remember to take some time every once in a while to be proactive in being alone- a retreat to learn, grow and listen to how the Father wants to direct and speak to me.

Oct 18th....

I was reading tonight out of 1 Corinthians and Isaiah, which are a part of a devotional I am reading. A verse that resonated with me was 1 Corinthians 2:9, which is tied with Isaiah 64:4. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."

I read that verse over and over again. It has multiple meanings to me. Heaven, of course, is something we can not even fathom. The beauty and majesty of of what that place will be like is something we can't conceive. But how it really spoke to me was that if we love God, we will get ourselves out of the way and follow his will for our lives. His ways provide a more fulfilling life than what I fuel myself with everyday--temporary things. If we can love God more and more each day, we can take our minds off fleeting earthly joys, and be prepared for the greater things He has in store for me.

The Roaring 20s

This week I turn 30. That seems like a big number. The past 10 years I learned a lot about myself. I thought I would break down some of the last 10 years and highlights as I look forward to the next decade. Here are some of the highlights from my 20's....

-The Baylor Years-age 20-23. I thrived at Baylor. I loved it from the beginning. Growing up going to homecomings and games, it was kind of surreal being an actual student there. I made tons of life-long friends through my years there. People like Wes Cash, Trey Guinn, Greg Rowe, Davi, Erik Olson, Toby Tull, Drew Mitchell, the Boehrs, Laura Collins, and many more. BRH Choir and Phi Chi were the two things I cherished most. In BRH, I was able to travel to Mexico, Paris, and Canada on trips each May. My only regret is waiting until sophomore year to join. Through the fraternity I was in, I made some great friends, did SING 2 years, mission trips to Tennessee, and a lot more. I spent many days eating lunch in the SUB, napping upstairs in the great couches, and just walking around the beautiful campus. I spent long nights at Common Grounds, the library basement, and the business school. I remember on 9/11 getting ready to take an ISY test and running over to the SUB to watch the coverage on TV. Also, I loved my Baylor sports. I went to every home football game, lots of away games (Boston College, Kansas, A&M, etc). Basketball was just as fun, although the team wasn't as good back then. We saw BU beat #6 Kansas when I was pledging, including lots of Terry Black dunks. I was really upset when I had to leave Baylor in Dec of 2003. Seriously, I almost had to be dragged away from my house kicking and screaming. Sic'em Bears! -Backpacking in Europe- age 21-29. I went to Europe 9 times in my 20's. I went for the first time in May of 2002 with the BRH Choir to Paris. It was so fun. Afterwards, about 6 of us stayed for a week and went backpacking/hostelling in Switzerland and Italy. It was love at first train trip. I went again after I graduated in Jan of 2004, and every year since (mostly in October). A couple of years I went twice. Highlights include Poland, Auschwitz, Norway fjords, Switzerland, Munich, Edinburgh, Ireland, and many many more. I enjoy backpacking because it lets me get my mind off of life and just get to live as a vagabond for 2 weeks. Seeing different cultures and how people interact give you a different perspective on life.

-IBM- I interned at IBM at age 22, and came back once I graduated in Dec 2003, and have now been there nearly 7 years. I have really enjoyed working for the company. I have enjoyed the 5 managers I have worked for. I made some great friends in Dallas working at IBM in Coppell. I loved travelling to Colorado every couple of months for customer visits. My favorite memories are the 100% Club trips for when I made my number. I especially liked San Diego and Palm Springs. We went on a cool hummer tour through the desert, and got to see Jay Leno perform for us on the last night. Very memorable.

-Investing in my home church- When I graduated, I spent age 23 to 27 back at my home church working in the singles ministry and later, working with 6th graders in youth for 2 years. I love my home church, Plymouth Park Baptist, in Irving. My parents still attend. We did a lot of fun things in the singles ministry. I was Bob Barker one time (grey hair provided by lots of baby power) as we did "The Price is Right". I also lead a welcoming team where every Monday, we would take fresh Eatzi's Bread to first time guests. Later, we started taking bread to the surrounding neighborhoods. In youth, I was able to lead a couple of kids to a relationship with Christ. We did tons of football games, parties, etc. My time at PPBC was a labor of love. There were few times I did anything out of obligation. It was for the love of the Church, and wanting to see people come to know Christ. I really loved doing ministry with my longtime close friend Kim Holland-Bacon. Her husband Brett challenged me as a leader in our sunday school class and church ministries. I'm glad I chose to stay while many others were fleeing to other "cooler" churches and cities for whatever reason. That would have been the easy thing to do.

-Family life. I have a wonderful family. I always felt so loved when I came home from college and now. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. One of the things we loved and still do is get I Fratelli pizza and bring it home as we watch the classic movies like Patton, The Great Escape, and others. My mom and dad paid for my education, which left me debt free when I graduated from Baylor. That is sacrifice I am really grateful for. There are no better grandparents than the ones I have. I loved the trips to Carlsbad to see Grandma and Grandpa, including the hikes in Guadalupe Mountains, the Caverns, and recently, the new trail in town. My Papa and Granny gave me a lot of inspiration. I loved having Easter at their country club each year, and always thought it was cool that my 89 year old Papa was still selling houses.

- The Tulsa Years. Ages 27-29. I moved to Tulsa at age 27 in March of 2008. It was a hard move for me, but a really great decision. My uncle Scott and aunt Vicky helped me transition to Tulsa. They live a street over from where I moved in to, so I got lots of invites to home cooked dinners and after dinner warm chocolate chip cookies. It took me about 6 months to feel plugged in. I now have a great community of friends here, especially through church. I met Krista Rahija through a phone call thanking me for visiting the church. We've been friends ever since. She was my small group leader and is a trusted friend. I think our love of coffee and talking brought us together. I met Amber and Suzanne Winnie at Jason's Deli, and through them, was able to meet a ton of friends. They are very special to me. John Holland, aka The Motivator, is a goliath of a man, and one outstanding individual. He was my small group leader as well. I've met my match for people who like to eat out. I respect him greatly for his wisdom, and his ability to emulate what it is to be a "man". I met Jay Stevenson, my best friend, in Oct of 2009 at church. I knew we would be good friends just from our first few times hanging out. We both went to Baylor the same years, but didn't know each other, even with the same major. He has been a loyal and supportive friend. He encourages me to be a better Christian. We keep each other accountable in our Christian walk, and I'm extremely grateful for his friendship. Also, we have developed a code language that a Navajo Indian could not crack. We are headed backpacking in Europe in a couple of weeks, which will be a blast. This year, I've made more friends. Through Jay, I met Chet, Lindsey and many others that have been a real blessing. I even went to Vegas with some of them over the 4th of July. I'm grateful for these special years, and look forward to the next years and beyond.

Today

Im in the middle of writing my 20s rememberances.....its a fairly long entry. So it will be up tomorrow. Today was really incredible outside! Wish this could day be the temperature every day.

Thoughts from 9/1

Listening to "Your Love is Extravagant" tonight as I wind down the evening. Just such a great song to remind me about the extravagant love of our God. Learned this song my freshman year at Touchstone, the Monday night worship at Baylor, and it still speaks to me today as much as back then. My favorite lyrics are "Spead wide in the arms of the Christ is the love that covers sin. No greater love have I ever known, you'd consider me a friend, capture my heart again." Why is it so difficult to stay true to the one who is always faithful? I catch myself drifting all the time. Why am I seeking the things that don't satisfy in the long run, and even knowing that, continue to chase after it? Maybe its just the nature of flesh.

Anyway, on a lighter note, it was a full day. I worked til about 5:15. Had some fires to put out from the opening bell today. I went to eat lunch at Baker Street pub with Jay, which had some great fish and chips. Then, I went downtown to print off some papers for work, and stopped by Topeca in downtown, which is a great coffee shop inside the historic Mayo Hotel. Its kind of my favorite coffee place, and no one else seems to know or agree with me, and that is ok. I like the sitting on the cool leather couch and log in remotely to work. The hotel reminds me of some old Chicago hotel on State Street, like the Palmer House. Going there to work is a nice way to break up the routine of staying at the home office, and I don't have to sit in a cubicle. I got a house blend today, which was strong and really good. Before heading home, I met with Pastor Brad for a little bit at Starbucks. He gave me a new book which I plan on reading very soon. It was really thoughtful of him. Tonight my small group went out to the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma where we packed boxes for the hungry that they distribute. We then went out as a group to Chipotle. Afterwards I came home to help a friend out with some stuff she is working on. A challenging day, somewhat frustrating, but also rewarding.