Man of Many Homes

Do you know that feeling when you are driving back home from a long trip, or time away? When you start to recognize some of the road names, major intersections, land marks? You are returning to a place that is familiar to you, a place you call… home.

I know that feeling. I felt it last Saturday when I was driving back to Dade City to see my sister and aunt and uncle for the day. I was driving to their place and started recognizing some of the street names: 301, Fort King Road, Clinton Avenue. Recognizing some of the buildings and landmarks. Returning to a place that is familiar. A place I can call "home". Strange though, I've called my aunt and uncle's house "home" before, even though I've never actually "lived" there, only stayed there for breaks from school, Thanksgiving, Christmas, at the beginnings and ends of summer. I've stayed there many times for periods of a couple weeks, 4 weeks at the longest. But I have many memories from that place. Many hours out in the sheds, pulling papers. Times out in the front lawn playing catch, eating Thanksgiving dinner with my grand parents over and friends and family all having a great time, setting up Christmas decorations, jogging coupons, packing my bags to head off to Alaska. Without a doubt a place where I have made many memorable memories. A place where I know what I can do, what I can't do, what I should do, what I shouldn't do. A place that I am familiar with. A place I often refer to as my "home away from home", but easily a place worthy of being called home.

I haven't been able to visit my "real" home, the place where I grew up and my parents and younger siblings currently live, for a little over 3 years now. Yet, I still call it home. Being a missionary kid, with your parents in a different cotenant, it can be difficult to go back and visit on the weekends. =) One day I was looking on Google maps, and I zoomed in on my "home" there in Poland, and I saw the street names and started reminiscing about the days long ago, when I would ride my bike to school, when I first get onto Reymonta and the road is only dirt. Swerving back and forth to dodge all the big dips and holes in the road. I zoomed on the school that I went to, saw the athletic fields in the back, remembering those days at school, on that field when we would play soccer. Looking at the school gym, remembering how my brother and I used to ride our bikes there in the evenings when we were taking karate classes. Then I zoomed back on my house. Looked at the trees, remembered that one birch tree that I used to climb, but needed my rope to get me a boost up to the first branch. Looked over at the spot where we had the old tree house years ago. Looked at the yard, all green and grassy, remembering how my brother and I used to have to mow that whole thing with our one little push mower. Remembering how the whole yard used to be completely covered in nothing but sand before my parents planted grass. Looked at the hill, remembering the days when it would snow, and we kids would break out the sleds and slide down it. Looked at the trampoline and remember how my friend, Daniel (Polish kid), used to do front flips on that thing and tried to get me to do them too (though I never was successful). Looked at the roof of my house, and pictured the inside, the 2nd floor, the ground floor, and the basement. Picturing them in my mind as if I had a blueprint laid out in front of me. Very familiar with that house, that yard, that area. Definitely home to me.

Yet there are other places I call home. BJU is one of them. Yes, I have actually referred to my college as "home" before. Some people observe that as an oddity, but really, in the past 3 years that is where I have lived and spent most of my life, slept there, ate there, washed my clothes there, everything. Basically all of my friends are there at BJU as well (or used to be there, but have graduated already). I have many memories there such as getting lost in downtown Greenville on my bike, at night. Running in the turkey bowl every year, attending various Artist Series events, spending hours locked up in the library studying for my classes, shooting pictures for class, going on bible club extension every Friday evening since arriving on campus as a young, wide-eyed, energetic freshman, having crazy/hilarious conversations with roommates. So many things. So many memories, mostly favorable, though some not as much. Sometimes I wish I could go back and undo problems I caused, or others' emotions I damaged because of not realizing the extent of my actions. But other times I think back on an event and a smile emerges on my face, because of the many wonderful times with friends. BJ is also a place I am quite familiar with, a place I know, a place where I am comfortable being. A place I feel I can call home.

The fact of the matter is that a "home" is not just a building you live in. It's not just a physical structure that protects your body from the elements. It seems that a home is more than that. It is a place where you reside, yes, but also a place where you feel comfortable, a place you know well, a place you are familiar with, because you have spent the time required there to become familiar with it. Because of my situation, with going to college a great distance from my mother and father, yet still having family here in the US where I often stay, I have several different places where I can call home. I know I am not a unique case, and that there are others who have several places where they call home as well. Here I have mentioned 3 separate places that I call home, but there is a 4th that I haven't mentioned yet. That one is actually the most important of the group, because I won't live there for 2 years, or 5 years, or even 13 years. I will live there for an eternity, in a mansion none the less. Yes, that home is heaven.

The question is though, when I arrive at that home, will I be familiar with it? Of course I can't go currently and visit or anything like that, but will I have spent the time becoming familiar with it? Have I spent time getting to know the master of the house, his character? I should, because in reality that is my true home. We often get caught up with things happening in these homes, and neglect to spend time learning about our future home. However, we must remember that these homes here are just temporary, but that future home is our true home. For, this world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through. Never neglect your true home, because you are caught up too much with your current home. =)

Far from homeless,
Tim

Internship Activities

Josh patching the tar paper

Greetings everyone!

As probably most of you know already I am at Calvary Baptist in Winter Garden, Florida this summer working on my church internship. Many people ask what I do on my internship, and I respond that it's a little bit of everything. =) We don't really have one specific task. Instead we have many various tasks that we do here and there. For example, some of the things that I've done since arriving here at the church have included roofing a building, cleaning showers, vacuuming floors, preaching messages, teaching Sunday school, planning youth activities such as a mini-golf trip, organizing and teaching a Awana night, door-to-door visitation, and setting up and tearing down tables and chairs for church activities. Like I said, a little bit of everything. =)

The roofing nails to hold the tar paper on

Overall I've been having a great time. I have an office there at the church where I can stay and work on Sunday school lessons, or make phone calls to miniature golf places to find the best prices and most convenient locations, or anything else I needed to work on. I come in to the church in the morning and am there until about 4 pm. In that time I do a variety of different things, and also I'm there so that when people want to talk to me they know where to find me.

my sheet music

Even though I am doing a good amount of stuff at the church and working on getting things ready for the numerous youth and kid's times I still have a healthy chunk of time that I can spend on tasks which I put on my list of things to accomplish this summer. One of those tasks is practicing the guitar, which I have been able to come a good ways in. I'm managing to get some of the easier chords down such as D, G, A, Em, and such. I can play a song or two, such as "Are you Washed in the Blood," and sing slowly along with it, so that has been a great encouragement to my journey of learning the art of playing the guitar.

Playing tennis with a wall

I have some other things which I would like to work on over the summer such as practicing the piano, practicing tennis, working on Greek so that I can hit the floor running in the fall for my final semester of undergrad Greek. And then finally, lifting weights. Piano hasn't been going very far, partly because the people that I'm staying at have a piano, but it is severely out of tune. I think that I will bring my books here to the church and find a time a place to practice on one of their pianos here. Tennis is going fairly decently, I have been able to go to find a court and practice my serves there, and then here at the church's gym practice hitting the balls off the wall. As for Greek, it has been very hard to get myself siked up to for school work, but it is coming however slowly.

The Church's weight equipment

Lifting weights is something that I just started actually because I found out that the church has a spot in the gym where they have the equipment to be able to do it. Sometimes when I pray I like to talk out loud and walk around, especially if I have a large burden on my mind, it helps me keep my mind from wandering and getting distracted. So anyway, I was walking around the gym, and wandered up into the balcony area and in the discovered that in the far corner they have some lifting equipment.  Currently the equipment is pretty much unused, but pastor Klapperich said that I could use it if I wanted to, just to be careful, obviously. I just started last Friday, so we'll see if I keep it up. =)

So, those are some of the things that I have been doing. I trust that you are having a blessed summer as well. In the daily devotional that I read for today it had Proverbs 3:5-6 for its passage. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Always remember to acknowledge God, never forget that He is there, watching over you, and caring for you in every trial.

Never forget who your mostest, bestest friend truly is. =)

 - Captive of Christ

Tim

Summer Time

It's June!  That means summer is in the air. And everybody loves summer because it is so wonderful! It's hot, and… and that means that I'll sweat, and that means that my glasses will slide down my nose…. No! I can wear my contacts, so that way by glasses won't slide down my nose! =D Instead… the sweat can… drip into my eyes and make my eyes sting. =§ Hmm…. Why is that people like summer so much then? Oh, Yeah! That's right because of summer vacation, they don't have to go to school. They can find jobs and work instead. =D What? Work isn't fun? Yeah it is. It's fun because you get those 6.14 inch long pieces of paper with peoples' faces and numbers on them. So, why do people want those pieces of paper again? It's not like you can do a whole lot with them. I mean, they work pretty well for making paper roses, but they'd be better if they were red or something. Oh wait! That's right! People want those pieces of paper because they are useful in trade, I remember now. You can trade them for food and other useful things. So, that's why summer is fun.

Oh! It's also fun because you can spend time with your friends on the beach and stuff. =D Well actually, the beach probably isn't a very good place to go considering the world as it is today. =/ Hmm…. Aha! Instead, you can go to Disney World and Epcot, or other Amusement Parks! =D Perfect! … But then again, actually, maybe not, because then you'd have to trade in those greenish pieces of paper that you were collecting. =( And that's no fun, because you wanted those. Hmm… I know! You can sit around for half the day and watch movies and playing games on the computer. And then you can just sleep for the other half of the day. Go to bed at midnight and then don't get up until noon, it's perfect! =D There you go, all your problems solved. Well… actually… the majority of my friends aren't here for the summer. I only see them during the school year, so I guess it's not so perfect. =C Hmm…. So, why is it that people like summer so much anyway? =S

Oh boy, some people's kids…. =P

Well anyway, summer is in the air, and even though summer does have it's own disadvantages (such as the heat), it also has a vast array of wonderful advantages. First is that you have more free time which you would never had at school unless you skipped all your classes and didn’t study for anything. And that free time can most definitely be enjoyed by watching movies or other recreational activities, but it can also be used for growth. Growth and developing the man or lady that God has created you to be. You have more time to read, and develop your mind that God has given you. More time to exercise to be a good steward of the body that has been entrusted to you. More time to practice musical instruments that you might be trying to learn or other hobbies that you might have, again, developing the gifts and abilities that God has blessed you with. Then most importantly you have more time to interact with your closest friend. Time to spend a little bit longer reading the letter that He has written to you, and time to spend a little extra time talking to Him and sharing your burdens and problems with Him. Free time seems to be greatest thing about summer. It must be used effectively though, used for God's glory. =)

Don't waste the time that you have.
- Tim

Psalm 136 - Personalized

Nathan Crockett in chapel on Thursday encouraged us to think about taking Psalm 136 and personalizing it, making it your own by taking it and basically writing your own version with the things God has worked out in your own life. God really touched me through Mr. Crockett's message, and I felt like that would really help me, so I did it, and it was a blessing.

I've been debating posting this for a while, but I think that maybe it could be a blessing to someone else, so I'm going to post it, but please don't think any more highly of me because of it, I struggle with just as many things as you do every day, if not more. And at the time, I really was not thankful for some of these, the fall, the memory loss. But praise the Lord that He forgives us and helps us grow.

So, here it is:

1.  God is a mighty and wonderful God, for his mercy endures forever.
2.  God formed me in my mother's womb, for his mercy endures forever.
3.  God gave me many gifts and abilities, for his mercy endures forever.
4.  God gave me a good memory and good determination, for his mercy endures forever.
5.  I was born into a God fearing family, for his mercy endures forever.
6.  With parents that love me more than I will ever understand, for his mercy endures forever.
7.  At 4, my family moved to Poland as missionaries, for his mercy endures forever.
8.  I was given brothers and sisters to love me and to teach me, for his mercy endures forever.
9.  And for me to love and to teach likewise, for his mercy endures forever.
10.  God convicted my heart, and saved my soul, for his mercy endures forever.
11.  God's hand kept me from death, while riding my bike, for his mercy endures forever.
12.  When I turned my bike right in front of a car, for his mercy endures forever.
13.  At 16 I suffered permanent hearing damage in my right ear, for his mercy endures forever.
14.  At 18 I left home to work, then start college at BJU, for his mercy endures forever.
15.  I went ice-skating with my cousin in Alaska, and had a great time, for his mercy endures forever.
16.  Until I fell and hit my head, causing memory loss, and brain damage, for his mercy endures forever.
17.  7 months later I woke up in an ambulance, staring up at an EMT, for his mercy endures forever.
18.  I had had a seizure because of my fall, for his mercy endures forever.
19.  I now have at least one seizure every month, for his mercy endures forever.
20.  Through my seizures, God has taken away my good memory, and my good grades, for his mercy endures forever.
21.  But He left me my life, for his mercy endures forever.
22.  He showed me that my good memory, and my good grades, were really his all along, for his mercy endures forever.
23.  He humbled me and taught me by all these things, for his mercy endures forever.
24.  I look through my life, and at the trials, but I wouldn't change a single thing, for his mercy endures forever.
25.  God, I examine your work in my life and love you even more, for Your mercy endures forever.

Never forget the blessings that God has given you, for His mercy really does endure forever. Take the time to stop and remember.

-Tim

Tools of the Trade

My Past Tools

My old knife

Growing up, I really liked knives. I'm not sure what it was about knives that made me like them, maybe it was the fact that if I needed something cut, I wouldn't have to go and find a knife, since I would already have one ready to go. Or maybe it's just a guy thing. I'm not sure. Anyway, when I got old enough for my parents to let my have a knife, I started caring a knife around everywhere I went. It was a really cool knife, had too blades, a long one and a short one. I would love to use that thing. Everywhere I went, that knife accompanied me, riding along in my pocket. I did a variety things with it, mostly whittling on pieces of wood to make various toys to play with. I remember carving out a sword and a knife one time, and they I would play with those self-carved weapons, much fun.

My Swiss Army knife

After a while I got a Swiss Army knife, so I carried that along with my old knife that I had. The Swiss Army knife was really good, because it had a pair of scissors, and screwdriver, and other tools that a regular pocket knife doesn't have. However, as I aged my little knife aged too. Eventually, it's blades got very loose, and dull, and sand got in its workings, so it became less and less useful. When I just didn't see a reason to keep it around anymore, I retired it to my wooden box of knifes, to make it part of my collection. After that, I just started carrying my Swiss Army knife everywhere.

Leatherman Fuse

I don't remember how old I was, but one year I got a Leatherman Fuse for Christmas. The Leatherman was amazing, I wore it on my belt everywhere I went, and then I always had a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a knife, and whole bunch of other tools with me. Having the Leatherman was pretty much amazing. It had a very nice knife blade, and pliers and everything. I was very glad to have it with me whenever I might need it.

My Leatherman Fuse had served me very well, for probably at least 4 or 5 years. I even had to buy a new sheath for it because the first one wore out because I had to so long. But all good things must come to an end is what I'm told (though I don't necessarily believe that). When I was going to Disney world and Epcot with my family in the beginning of May 2010, I had to take my Leatherman off (no knives allowed), and leave it at the motel. And my poor Leatherman Fuse got left in the motel room that we were staying in, I thought that I had put it in my bag, but evidently I had not. Very sad.

My Present Tools 

When I found out that I had lost my Leatherman Fuse at the motel I was rather sad, but at the same time I was also rather joyful because for a long time I had wanted to purchase a new Leatherman, the Leatherman Wave. The Leatherman Wave is a nicer design and higher up model than the Fuse. The Wave is actually Leatherman's most popular Full-size Multi-tool.

Some of the key advantages of the Wave over the Fuse are the fact that it has a couple blades which can be opened with one hand, and without having to open the pair of pliers, and it has two bit drivers, one normal size and one small, eyeglasses sized. By "bit driver" I mean that it can change out the screw driver ends so I can have all different types of screw driver sizes, and allen wrench sizes. I can carry 24 different screwdriver bits with me in my Leatherman holster at one time. I often find it very hand to have 24 various drill bits at my disposal whenever I need them, very, very handy.  =)

So, anyway I now have a Leatherman Wave which I carry around with me everywhere I go, but in addition to that I also have a flashlight which I carry around everywhere. I started off by carrying a Maglite around, but after a while I realized that that wasn't bright enough or durable enough for my needs, it kept breaking.  So I did some research for the perfect flashlight for me. I looked and looked until I finally found out about Surefire flashlights, and bought one for myself. It was perfect for my needs, bright enough to light a room, yet small enough to keep on my belt, and durable enough to keep from breaking even though I carry it around everywhere with me. (Since they are made for the Army, they make them pretty tough. =) )

My Future Tools

Well that's what I carry around with me now, a Leatherman Wave, and a Surefire 6P, but in the future, most likely I will upgrade my tools sometime before I pass away. And when I do, the next Leatherman I will probably get is the Surge. The Surge is very similar to the Wave, but at 12.5% longer, and with 4 more tools than the Wave, the Surge has a couple distinct advantages over the Wave. However, I think that I am going to hold off a little bit and just make do with what I have for the time being, because my Wave is working just fine. =) As for my flashlight, I don't even know what I would upgrade that to. I already have the best one for me needs, until they invent something new that is.

So, that's my arsenal that I carry around with me everywhere I go. It's not that big, but it gets the job done. =)

Before I head out, let me just mention a couple of the things that I do with my tools. I most definitely use them, quite often in fact. I use my flashlight every day for sure, I use it when I get up in the morning to find my clothes and get changed without waking up my roommates. And I also use it many other times when someone dropped something when it is dark, and they need to find it, I can help them out with my flashlight, stuff like that. I use my Leatherman a great deal as well. Often there are cases when I use it, and if I hadn't had it then we would have been in trouble, like the time last week when I was on a CSC (Community Service Council) Project and we were helping set things up for a race. We were there setting things up, and we needed a knife to cut some rope to attach the signs, but no one had a knife, except for me. Then we also needed a saw to cut the PVC pipe to the right length for one of the signs. I was able to help because I had both a knife and a saw on my Leatherman. Then there are other times when I use my Leatherman, but we wouldn't have been in dire trouble if I hadn't had it with me, it would just have made things less convenient. For example, I am often tightening up screws, or bolts, or other things that I notice are loose with the tools that are on my Leatherman. Basically I am using my Leatherman all the time for things that are big and small. I can't imagine what it would be like to not carry it around anymore, it has sort of become part of me. =)

Well, that's all I have for now, hope you have a wonderful rest of your day,

Signing off,

Tim