Day: January 11, 2009

This was an old post that I never finished. I think it was from back in early August 2008. I never finished it, and don’t intend to, but do not want to remove my thoughts from the time.

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Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

So Danielle got a call from Patrick, her ex-husband, last night. He’s moving to Missouri. Apparently, he is moving with some family he just met. He may be back in a few weeks, or he’ll ship straight to the army. Danielle is understandably upset. She will now have the children full time. She had been with them only from Saturday night to Tuesday morning, and Patrick the opposite. He is doing this all in the “name of God”. He says that God has spoken to him and told him that this is his path.

So I had a pretty bad week. The “new” Kia that I bought had some major issues. At first, the fuel pump stopped working, but that was just some corroded wiring. Then the timing belt broke. Then the power steering started leaking. The last one took several days to fix. I had to tear out the rack and pinion from another Kia. I kept rounding bolts and it was not making me happy. I did however get it for free with a trade for some memory that I have laying around anyway. So I get it to Larry’s (my mechanic who happens to be a customer) and the mechanic has left for the day. So I try it myself. First I attempt to patch the power steering line. While doing this, the power goes out. It starts to make me wonder. Either God is telling me something, or he is testing my patience. I finally get a hose over the line, and it still leaks through the hose. It was worth a shot. I look at what it would take to change out the whole thing, and decide it’s out of my control. I leave the part there for the next day when the mechanic comes back. I venture out again the next day after work, and surpise, it’s working! Wooot! Of course, I do think he bumped the starter because it clicks now, but I am not worrying about it right now. What I am more worried about is the wheel bearing and Danielle driving to Ybor everyday and the wheel flying off. Anyway, this whole experience has taught me more patience and that persistence pays off. Danielle did not want to believe me about the persistence.

As mine and Danielle’s lives get more intertwined, she will need a much more reliable car. We’ve been looking into what it would cost to get another car. Fortunately, her aunts ex-husband (whom are still very good friends) is a used car salesman at a small lot near Mt Dora whom only deals with two to three year old cars in excellent condition. He’s offering $1,000 off book value. However, one car (a Saturn Vue that looks EXACTLY like my mother’s) is valued at $12,000, and he is offering $10,000. It’s only two years old, so it’s been a thought. It’s funny because in the last few days, I’ve thought a lot about sales people and how to interact with them. I seem to have this ability to just say “No.” A lot of people don’t have this. I was in Walmart yesterday looking to buy Hancock. I found the movie, and the tag on the shelf said $19.95. So I go to the self-checkout and all of a sudden the movie is $24.95. So I hand it to the guy standing there and say “I don’t want it.” and walk away. Most people would have given in and just paid the extra $5. The same goes for buying cars. I remember reading or someone telling me about the power to just say “No.”

So in church this Sunday, Tim Sizemore, decided to change his approach a little and ask us all some questions. He gave everyone a sheet with questions, and invited everyone to answer them during his time to speak. Below are those questions and my answers.

1. Why have you chosen the Lakeland Fellowship as your place to worship and experience fellowship?

When I was about 14 years old till I was about 16, me and my family went to Scott Lake Baptist Church. Before that, I knew nothing of religion other than who God was. I quickly became interested in the things that were talked about in Sunday School and morning worship (well, as interested as a 14 year old could be). While going there, I was saved and baptized. I had started my spiritual search. Unfortunately, due to the pastor leaving the church, my family left with him as they started Trinity Baptist Church. We however started going less and less, until no more. For years, I didn’t go to church unless I was visiting with a friend. Then I became friends with Bryant for a second time. I knew him in high school, and met up with him later when he came back in town from college. He invited me to come by to his church after some of our religious discussions. So I came one Sunday morning. I was very surprised to find how welcoming everyone was. What quickly grew on me about the Lakeland Fellowship was, as Danielle describes it in one word, “humble”. I like the fact that everyone is not above themselves to meet in a gym. I like the small atmosphere and getting to know people personally (not that I know everyone’s names). Every weekend, I look forward to Sunday mornings. I know that I may not seem all that involved at the moment, but I work at a slow pace. It may take me months to come to a decision. I want to learn more, and I feel that at the Lakeland Fellowship, that I will be able to do that and do it in an environment that I enjoy.

2. Do you believe the Lakeland Fellowship has something unique to offer people in the Lakeland community and surrounding areas? Can you give examples?

Apart from being Cooperative Baptist which I had never heard of until I started going to the Lakeland Fellowship, I think it is the people that make it unique. I’ve said for a while that I didn’t want to become a member of a church because it feels like the people change, but after going for over a year now, I’ve not seen the type of change I experienced at Scott Lake.

3. When you speak to your family and friends about your church what do you say?

Unfortunately, my friends consist of about 3 people locally, whom are either not religious or already attend somewhere. The topic of religion rarely comes up with people I know, and I do not feel that I am educated enough to start a big discussion. My family (which is really my immediate family, as I do not talk to my extended) has fallen out of the religion circle so to speak and I rarely talk to them as they have moved out of state and I am all that is left. I know my father is still interested, but does his own spiritual search on his own time and me and him have had religious discussions. I now discuss things with Danielle quite a bit.

4. What can we do to increase our visibility in our community and connect with people who might find our church to be a meaningful community of faith?

Unfortunately, I do not have much experience in this area. I’ve had a successful business for almost six years now, but I’ve never done any “advertising” to speak of. All of my business comes from word of mouth. I do believe this to be the best form. Maybe bumper stickers?

Earlier this week, me and Danielle met with our pastor, Tim Sizemore and officially joined the Lakeland Fellowship. I’ve been going for a year and a half now, and Danielle six months. This morning we did the whole stand up in front and shake everyone’s hand (which turned into mostly hugs instead).