Money: Coming In and Going Out

I really do enjoy writing. I love writing blog posts and getting people’s feedback. And I know that at least some people enjoy reading my blog. =) I know my parents enjoy my blog posts, as it helps them have a small window into my life and some of the things that are going on. During this Christmas break I’m hoping to be able to spend some time writing since I won’t have all the pressures of school bearing down on me. 

My first post will be about money.

Money. Why is it so important? Why do I go to my job and spend hours and hours working just to see a little number go up on my computer screen. The reason is that money can be used to satisfy desires. Basically, any desire that you could ever have could be satisfied if you had enough money. (Every desire except for one, which also happens to be the most important one. And it also umbrellas over all the other desires not allowing any of them to be complete without it. I am of course speaking of Jesus Christ. But that is another topic for another time.) Now, desires that we have are not all necessarily wrong. It is not wrong to have a desire to eat, to sleep in a bed, to seek further education, to purchase gifts for others. Money is needed to buy all of these. So I think that it is safe to say that money can be a legitimate need.

But my point today isn't to discuss the philosophy of money and its potential for good and for evil, but rather to talk a little bit about some of my experiences with budgeting that I’ve been through recently.

A section of my budget report

Back in mid-June I decided that it was time to start building a budget for myself. The first step I took was to track my spending and earnings. I started diligently keeping all my receipts and filing them according to month. I then put together a very basic program in Access which allows me track of all my money coming in and going out. It has been very good to be able to see where all the money I am earning is going. Granted, I’m not making scads of money, but I am making a decent amount and sometimes it seems it runs out all too quickly. So, starting a budget and tracking my spending seemed like a good, responsible, grown-up thing to do, so I did it.

Examining my spending and earnings has been both a comfort and a challenge to me. It has challenged me to be very careful in my spending and only purchase things that I truly need. Thankfully my parents were very wise and taught me these principles as a child, so I am usually very good about evaluating my purchases before I make them to be sure that I can justify the item and the cost.

But also it has actually been far more of a comforting than a challenge since I have been able to see how I am spending my money and know that I am actually doing a good job at spending it wisely and not wasting it. So, when I don’t have a whole lot left over at the end of the month, it’s not that I am wasting it, it’s just that that is the stage of life I am in right now. Not saying that I can’t improve my spending at all, but as a whole, it’s going pretty well.

A chart of all my expenses

Life is expensive, and tracking my spending has helped me understand better just how expensive it can be. Just as an example, take my school life: I work 30-32 hours a week during the semester at Public Safety which gives me a decent amount per month. But of that, 75% goes directly into my school bill. Then 10% is for my tithe, and then about 6% is for vehicle expenses such as gas. That only leaves 9% of my net income for everything else such as medicine, home necessities, savings, clothing, food, gifts, etc. So, basically, 91% of my expenses are fixed and there is no way for me to cut back. That actually makes me feel better, because it’s not really that I’m wasting all my money, it’s that I’m spending most of it on actual needs. So, if Public Safety were my only source of income I really wouldn’t be able to buy anything other than the bare necessities. But thankfully God has allowed me to earn some extra money through yard work and driving to supplement my Public Safety income so that I am actually able to buy some clothes, and food, and gifts for others (which is a good thing.) But even with that extra income a significant portion still goes straight into fixed expenses, though not quite 91% (I can’t really calculate how much because my extra income can vary significantly from week to week).

But all this to say, that tracking my spending and income has really helped me understand more about finances and good stewardship. Though it is not always fun, this process of budgeting has been very beneficial to me. If you don’t already keep track of your spending in some way I suggest you start sometime soon, maybe as a new year’s resolution. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it could be as simple as saving all your receipts and reviewing them at the end of the month, but I believe that you would benefit from it. Even if you don’t change how you spend your money, I believe that it will help you appreciate the money that you do have even more. It certainly has helped me praise God for all that He has given me, and I think it would help you in the same way. Because really, every cent that we receive is a gift from God, and I can know that He has given me exactly the right amount. The philosophy of our world is designed to make us always want more, but if we step back and look at what we have already been given, as Christians, it is impossible not to turn back towards heaven and praise our Lord God for His wonderful blessing. For He is wise and generous God who will supply all our needs.

       Thanking my savior for His wonderful blessing,

                   Tim

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

~ Hebrews 13:5-6

We can be content in Christ.

Amazing Senses

Humans are born with a vast array of senses that their bodies use to function during normal day-to-day living. God has designed our bodies to work together harmoniously by utilizing all these sense at the same time. Typically, when people think about the senses that we have, they think about the five most famous or well known senses, hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell. We have other senses which we don’t even think about such as themoception (the awareness of temperature), nociception (the awareness of pain), equilibrioception (the sense of balance).

These many senses that our God has given to us are absolutely amazing. When you stop to think about just what exactly is taking place every moment of every day, it is just astonishing. Think about some ordinary thing that you do all the time, and then stop to think about how your senses are actually all working together to allow you to accomplish that task.

Picture this: You are at home. Your mother just pulled out some fresh-baked brownies from the oven and sets them on the counter. You smell the sweet aroma given off by the brownies. Your mind takes that smell and then links it to past experiences and makes your tongue remember just how good those brownies tasted in the past. Because you know that they are good, you want to eat one. You reach out to take one, but before even touching the brownies or the pan, through themoception you can tell that they are too hot to grab and will hurt or even burn you if you touch them now. You sit there waiting for the brownies to cool down and when they do, you cut out a piece and pick it up. You see the perfectly colored center of the brownie and feel its soft, moist texture. You bite down on the brownie and you experience the spectacular flavor which your mind remembered and anticipated. You quickly finished the brownie, but you can feel something still on your fingers and realize it is some of the brownie. You close your eyes to savor the sweet moment while you lick the last of the brownie off of your fingers. Even though your eyes are closed and you can’t see your hand, through kinesthesia you know where your hand and fingers are, and you also know where your mouth is and are able to lick the tips of your fingers without even looking at them. As you lick the last of the brownie off your thumb you open your eyes again and reach for another one.

The example of the brownie just shows how much our senses work together without us even realizing or thinking about it. For another example, imagine that you stubbed your big toe on your right food and it hurts when you walk on it. Your body recognizes the pain (through nociception) and sends a message to the brain saying that it hurts to put pressure on that foot. The brain compensates by taking shorter, quicker steps with your right foot and slower, longer steps with your left foot, so that less time is spent with pressure on your right toe. Now you are walking with a limp and your stride is all messed up, but because your body has a sense of balance and movement it instructs your body to lean a little bit more to the left to compensate for the pressure difference, and then continues to make fine adjustments as you walk to keep you from falling down. All this is going on even while you are just walking across your bedroom.

Many more examples continue to astonish me, things as small as hearing a knock on your door. Though you may not be able to explain exactly how you know, you can tell if that knock was on your door, or on the door right across the hall. “It just sounds different.” When driving down the interstate, you can tell that you are slowly gaining on the car in front of you. The car appears bigger as you get closer to it, but since you are gaining so gradually the difference is unnoticeable, yet you still recognize that you are getting closer. You hear a glass break when it is dropped to the floor and instantly turn to the direction where the glass broke even though you didn’t see it fall or know where it was before. Your body measured the volume and time difference between your two ears and recognized that the sound was 60% louder in your right ear as opposed to your left, and also that your right ear heard the crass 3 milliseconds before your left ear. All this is taken, calculated, and acted upon in the fraction of a second it takes you to hear the crash and turn to look at the person who dropped his cup.

The more I think about it the more and more astonished I am about how truly amazing our bodies actually are. Here I have only been focusing on our senses but there are many other things about our bodies that, when examined, bring me to awe at the handiwork of our creator. Even things so mundane as our digestive system or bodily functions such as white blood cells fighting off infections are things which are spectacular to observe and understand, recognizing the master-worker behind them.

Our bodies are studied with great interest and continue to bewilder the most brilliant mind of our day. Computer scientists for example continue to study our sensory perceptions with astonishment and try to replicate them with modern robotics. They have robots today that can even walk on two legs, recognize an object, and pick it up. They have been able to do many, many things with robots and computers, but they will never be able to match the genius who formed the human body, God. We serve a Being who is genuinely worthy our all our praise.

Praising my Creator,

Tim

Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Back to Scratch: Before the World Got All "Mixed" Up

Well, I'm in Poland with my family for the holidays. It's been 5 years since our whole family has been together for a Christmas, so it is quite special. =)

There are many things that I have been enjoying about being back in Poland. I'm enjoying many of the memories. Many things are just different from the states and it's nice to see things from a little bit different perspective again. One thing that is different is cooking. And not just what people fix here, but how they fix it. It's true that most Polish people fix different things that Americans do, but even when I am with my family and we are having the same things that people in the US have, things are done differently. Very little is done from mixes, or pre-prepared frozen food. No hot pockets or anything like that here, (which can be kind of sad sometimes). =( But things here are done mostly from scratch, and I enjoy that. Instead of just pulling out a cake mix from the pantry, reading the instructions on the back of the box, pouring in the mix, two eggs, and some water into a pan, sticking it in the oven, and Voilà! You have a cake. Instead of that, you pull out the old Betty Crocker's Cookbook, and put in the flower, milk, eggs, baking soda, sugar, butter, and chocolate all yourself, the old fashion way.

The other day I was like, "I want to make pancakes this morning." So what did I do? They don't sell pancake mixes here. =O I don't know how to make pancakes without a mix. So, I find the cookbook with the recipe and find the things that I need. Flower, sugar, baker soda, eggs, milk, water, salt, and butter. Mix it all together and start making some pancakes. They do sell maple syrup here now, but it is super expensive, so I made the syrup from scratch too. Well, almost from scratch. I didn't stick a faucet into a maple tree and drain its sap and make syrup from that, but I put 2 cups of sugar, and one cup of water into a pot and set it to boil. Then added some maple flavoring to it. It actually tastes really good. =) Took the pancakes, and the syrup and had a great breakfast.

Later, I made some hamburgers. Pulled the ground beef from the freezer that morning to give it time to thaw and when it was ready I threw it into a bowl along with some eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and other stuff. Formed the meat into patties and threw them on the skillet. We wanted cheese with our hamburgers so I pulled out the block of cheese, cut off the little bit of mold that was growing on the side, and sliced some cheese. Got the hamburger buns fresh from the bakery that day. Ended up with some very good burgers.
 
And then my brother and I wanted to try our hand and making stuffed crust pizza so we worked on that.  For the dough I got mom's help so that I would do everything the right way, making sure to add the ingredients in the right order and making sure to have the water at the right temperature so as to not kill the yeast, and all that. Once the dough was ready, I buttered and corn mealed the pans, separated the dough into the right amounts and laid it out on the pans. Then my brother and I stuffed the crusts of 2 of the pizzas with cheese, put on the sauce and spices and toppings (and we didn't skimp). After that, we put them in the oven and cleaned up the kitchen while they baked. When they were done, we pulled them out and called the family to dinner. The stuffed crust turned out pretty well, and the pizzas overall were absolutely amazing.
 
 

 I'm definitely enjoying the time here getting back to the basics. Back to the old fashion ways. Not just with cooking and food, other things too. Grandmothers riding their bikes to the store to pick up groceries, buying your vegetables from the old man at the corner, the many unpaved roads, the people with wood burning stoves, stuff like that. =) There's nothing wrong with cake mixes, or frozen pizzas, or hot pockets, but sometimes it's nice to shake things up a bit and see that even things that are the same are different in different areas of the planet.

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas almost as much as I am. ;-)

                                                                                                                                           Tim Petersen

Skewtruth Letters: Magnifying Small Restrictions

Preface to the Skewtruth Letters

This post is slightly different from a typical post. It is actually an extra credit assignment for one of my classes, Christian Masterworks. This post is an imitation of S.C. Lewis's book Screwtape Letters. Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written by a master demon to his nephew, a less experienced demon, teaching him how better to tempt the person he has been assigned to, his "patient." C. S. Lewis is not claiming these letters to truly be factual in the sense that this is really how people are tempted, but he wrote Screwtape Letters to view the subject of spiritual living differently. To see how it could perhaps appear from the opposite perspective.

Writing this letter was indeed very interesting. It did feel very strange writing advice on how "better" to get someone to sin, as opposed to avoiding sin. =P As mentioned, this one was written for an assignment for class, but I do hope to write a couple more in the future just for fun. It was very beneficial for me to write, and I hope that it can be of benefit for you as the reader as well. 

My dear Weazelwolf,

I understand that your patient has now been enrolled in a Christian university, and will be starting at the end of the summer. This is unfortunate I must say. If you had done a better job getting him to reject his parents' wishes and long to be with his basketball friends from Florida State then we would be on much better ground. But now, since you were too incompetent to manage that simple task, we are in the worst dilemma we have yet faced. This Christian university he is going to is one of the most conservative and best universities in the country (from the Enemy's perspective that is, of course). However, all hope is not lost. There are still opportunities at this university which we can use to bring your patient back. Assuming you don't mess it up again.

One of the things which we can use for our advantage is that this university is one of the larger Christian universities, and therefore must have many rules to keep things in order. Rules involving dress, personal appearance, punctuality, and many others. By themselves these rules aren't that useful, they are merely put in place to reduce "mishaps," and to keep the university unified, and to maintain a professional atmosphere and appearance. But these rules should be a great benefit to us with your patient. As I understand it, your patient greatly enjoys his own personal comfort. He enjoys wearing his jeans and T-shirts, and strongly dislikes dressing up for any kind of event, including church. The fact that he dresses more casually than most to attend church and formal events typically isn't much of a help to us since he is not doing so out of rebellion. So normally it isn't an issue. But when he gets to the university you should be able to exploit this factor in a spectacular way. Because of the nature of the university, they require their students to look nice and dress professionally, both for classes and especially for any formal events that they have on campus (and they have many of them). Your job will be to convince your patient that the reason the school requires him to dress up is because they think that "Christians are more 'spiritual' if they wear a tie." It is actually quite humorous how easy it is to convince some of these people that that is the case. Even though the university only has those rules in place to keep things organized and to have a professional appearance, it is very easy to get the students to falsely judge the university's motives and claim that they are wrong in establishing their rules. (When in all actually, if those same students become businessmen or women in a non-Christian environment, they will most likely be held to an even stricter dress code).

This example of the issue with the dress code is just an example though. What I want you to do is to take any small rule and magnify it in his mind, to the point where he sees it as a major spiritual issue. Help him see things as restrictions and not just rules. When he is told that he must keep his room clean, make him think that the university considers that anyone who has a messy room obviously must not be a "spiritual" person.

It is critical that you fulfill these instructions carefully. If you do, then we will be well on our way to building a hostile attitude in your patient toward the university and any Christian authority over him. He will grow to believe that everyone who has rules set up which keep him from participating in any activity which he wants to participate in or requiring him to do something which he doesn't want to do, has those rules set up because they think that the only way to be a proper Christian is to do it their way. Once you have him thinking this way, we are only a short step away from getting him to believe that he is his own source of authority for right and wrong. He will come to believe that if he sees something as acceptable or right then it must be right, no matter what anyone else thinks.

The Enemy has often stated that Christians should be willing to give up various pleasures or niceties for the sake of avoiding controversy with others or causing another person to "stumble," as they put it. It is imperative that you blind him to this sickening ideal which the Enemy has concocted. When your patient is thinking about any rule, regulation, or restriction which is set before him, you must only let him think about how that rule is affecting him and him alone. You must block out all others from his mind, and have him focus on how that rule restricts his freedom, his liberty, his rights, how it is a nuisance to him, an inconvenient for him. If you allow him to get his focus off of himself then all our efforts will have been for nothing.

I trust that you will be able to accomplish this task without fouling up like some of the assignments you have in the past. I am looking forward to your report next week. Make sure to include any useful information from Goudsin on how she is getting your patient's mother to annoy him by her constant nagging.

Your affectionate Uncle,                   

Skewtruth                             

Brackets

No, this isn't a post about math and algebra and why it is vital to know basic algebra. Granted, unless you go into a field like construction or engineering, you probably won't be using trigonometry and having to figure out the sine and cosine of different triangles. But algebra is still vitally important. (But enough with the math now, and on to the real post. =P ) 


As  you go through life, you go through many different stages where you are positioned socially. I think that most people would agree that high school, college, and married life are all vastly different stages of life, with different opportunities, responsibilities, and duties. In each stage of life there are a variety of things to look forward to, and other things which are less looked forward to. But because of the wonderful God who has created us, every stage of life is completely and wonderfully blessed by His hand.

Now you might be wondering what the title has to do with this post so far, since, aside from the title I have yet to mention the word "brackets" a single time. Brackets are a devise used mainly in writing, or mathematics which separates whatever is inside the brackets from the outside material. In English writing, the normal form of brackets used are the round brackets, also known as "parentheses". When parentheses are used, they generally add a side thought or additional comment which is not essential to the sentence or paragraph (like this comment right here). Sometimes square brackets are used in English, but it is fairly uncommon. In mathematics, when brackets are used, they designate that whatever is contained in it should be completed first, before completing the rest of the equation. Such as: 2 x (2 + 1) + 4 = 10
With the set of brackets the answer is 10, if the equation were lacking the brackets, then the answer would be 9. If we add another set of brackets it changes the answer of the equation again: 2 x [(2 + 1) + 4] = 14
When solving equations with brackets within brackets you solve the innermost set of brackets first, and then move out to the larger set of brackets. Typically the round brackets "( )" are the innermost set, and then the square brackets "[ ]" are the second set.
Basically, the point is: Brackets connect the items contained in them and separate them from outside content.

I'd like to examine some of the different brackets which are generally present in American culture.


The "Baby - Jr. High" Bracket

I realize that there ore other brackets contained in this bracket, but for the most part the individuals in this bracket are always looking forward to growth. Always wanting to grow taller and stronger. As they grow they are respected more by others in their bracket. They are considered more and more to be "big kids," able to do more and more with out mommy's or daddy's help. Able to take care of themselves. As they approach the end of their bracket they are highly respected by the others in their bracket. 

The High School Bracket

The high school bracket is considered to be a very strong bracket. Most of those in this bracket communicate and socialize mainly only with others inside of their bracket. This is partially due to the fact that they spend a great deal of time with the others in their bracket. They are around each other in classes  and after-school events such as athletic events or Bible quizzing. Those in this bracket are commonly considered to be immature, particularly by older individuals. They get this reputation for a variety of reasons, namely because often they do a lot of "stupid" things for which are frowned upon. Those in the high school bracket are developing a great deal, both physically and mentally. Part of that new development involves: a member's becoming very aware and concerned with others' opinions about him, as well as a new interest in the opposite gender. Members of this bracket are also considered to be very emotionally unstable. They become so engrossed with their bracket, that they fail to see the big picture. When anything happens which might ruin their social standing in their bracket, they become emotionally down-trodden, and require support from another member in their bracket (the more mature members will accept support from other members in their bracket, as well as others such as parents or siblings). Those just entering this bracket are generally looked down upon by members in their bracket for their lack of understanding of the social "norms" and inexperience with the way things work in their bracket. Once the new members adjust to the expectations of the bracket they begin building their social status and network of friends. As time passes they rise higher and higher in their bracket and are looked up to more and more by other members in their bracket. Every year they obtain a new step and social status: Sophomore, Junior, Senior. Each step brings with it more responsibly and a higher standing with other members in the bracket. By the time a member reaches "Senior" status, younger members in his bracket most often consider him to be royalty. After graduation from being a senior in the high school bracket the member frequently moves into the college bracket.

The College Bracket

The college bracket actually contains a great many ties with the high school bracket. Both are quite strong brackets, however those in the college bracket tend to reach out more to the "real world" bracket than the members of the high school bracket. For the most part the members of the college bracket are more mature than those in high school bracket (though not always). There is a stronger emphasis on academics in the college bracket than in the high school bracket. The most significant different between the college bracket and the high school bracket is that in the college bracket you are not living with your parents, but instead you are living in the dorms, with and amongst other members in your bracket, which often leads to some very strong ties. Not all members of the college bracket live in the dorms though. There are some who still live at home while attending school and are members of the college bracket. Those members however are unable to fully experience the breadth of the college bracket. New members of the college bracket are fairly easily discernible from the experienced members. The experienced members  have established a routine and are familiar with the basic "rules" of what is considered acceptable  by other members, and what is considered unacceptable. Members in the college bracket often develop strong ties with other members because  they can relate to each other so well.

As with the high school bracket, ranks are assigned based on how long a member has been in the bracket. The ranks start with Freshman, then advance to Sophomore, Junior, and Senior. (Graduate Student is a rank which is reached by about half of those in the college bracket. It is only received if the member decides that he wants to remain in the college bracket for some time, even after completing the requirements for the college bracket.) As a member advances through the ranks he receives more responsibilities, and as with the high school bracket, he is looked up to more and more by others in his bracket. There is a great deal of mental development in the college bracket. Both from the mentally stimulating classes, but also from conversations in the dorms and time spent encouraging and discipling one another. When the member of the college bracket completes his requirements and  chooses to leave the college bracket he enters the "real world" bracket.

The "Real World" Bracket

The "real world" bracket has been named as such by many people, but it is actually a very poor name for the bracket. The name "real world," assumes that all brackets prior to it were in fact, not the real world. This however, is a false statement. The "real world" being defined as: an individual being required to live outside of the home, supply for his own needs through a consistent job, being able to organize and manage his own schedule, and being able to maturely handle unexpected crisis's, based primarily on his own judgment. That description can be, and often is, fully filled by members in the college bracket, therefore concluding that many members of the college bracket have also experience the "real world." Concluding that the "real world" bracket is a poor name for this bracket, but it is the established name so it will be the name used for the bracket throughout this post. 

 

There are many differences in the "real world" bracket from the college or high school brackets. First, the members of the "real world" bracket are not primarily focused on education anymore. Instead, they are focused on finding a job and working at that job faithfully to be able to earn money so that they can purchase needed and/or unneeded (but enjoyable) supplies. If the member is married then another focus would be building and keeping a good relationship with the member's spouse and family. The member will be trying establish himself with a home and a local church to attend. Depending on the member's direction taken throughout the college bracket he will either stay in the area of his college, go back to where his parents are and work there, or travel somewhere else where he feels strong desire to start his career. For someone just entering the "real world" bracket it can be especially difficult to find a good job which fits the member's needs, but once he finds one, he will be able to rejoice and thank God for His provision. As will all the brackets, the longer you are in it, the higher status you obtain. There are many sub-brackets which are represented under the title of the "real world" bracket, such as: the young couple bracket, the  mom-and-dad-and-three-kids bracket, the parents-of-teenagers bracket, the grandparents bracket, and so on.

Brackets will never end. We will always have things which draw us closer to some people than others. Even though it seems that most members of a bracket desire to move on to the next bracket, thinking that it will be better, but none of the brackets which I have mentioned ever solve all your problems. There is only one bracket that will solve all your problems, and that is the heaven bracket. I am certainly looking forward to someday advancing to that bracket.


Looking at these brackets we can see some things which remain the same. First, when entering into a bracket the member must first prove himself before he is respected by the others in the bracket. Second, the work never finishes; though a member may be at the peak of one bracket, soon he will have to move to the next bracket and start from the beginning again. And third, The flow of brackets never ends. A member of any bracket is always growing in one bracket, and heading for the next bracket for as long as he lives.

Those similarities between the brackets can also be applied to our spiritual walks. First, whenever we are around new people or in a new setting we must be living out a consistent Christian life before we can make a good Christian testimony for ourselves. This is especially important when around unbelievers because if they see that we are actually living out what we say we believe, they will be much more willing to hear what we have to say about the gospel. Second, the work never finishes. It's true, the work is never done. That's true in the sense that there will always be trials and struggles which will come up. We will never escape the fall. We will never be able to avoid our own sin nature or the state of the world around us, but we can continue to trust in Christ, and handle every problem that comes our way through his strength. And third, there is always more room to grow. There is always something else that we can strive for. We may be growing closer to God day by day, but even after 30 years of consistent growth, there will still be room to grow, another "bracket" to get to. It's a wonderful thought. Our God is so great, so mighty, so vast, that we could not possibly ever come to understand Him and His ways completely, because God is so far beyond anything that we could possibly comprehend. We serve an God who is worthy of awe and worthy to be praised.


Praising my creator,

Tim