HOW TO BIBLICALLY COPE WITH FUTURE ANXIETIES

In two weeks I'm graduating from a year long school the Navy sent me to. I'm excited to be finished but still have no idea what my next job will be. For several complicated and uninteresting reasons, I may not know what my next assignment is for several more weeks. I have also been trying to sell my house and a boat before I have to move. As you might imagine, I have been worried and stressed about these issues and what might come next...even though there isn't anything I can do to change my circumstances.

DO YOU TRUST GOD ENOUGH TO LIVE LIKE IT?

I was recently reminded of a critical lesson I learned my first year at in college at the Naval Academy. Pretty much everyone who goes to an Academy finds it academically demanding, but it was even harder for me. I studied every waking moment for months; I saw tutors, went to study sessions, spent hours getting extra instruction from my teachers, and was still failing several of my classes. I didn't take the time to work out, hang out with friends, watch movies, or read more than a verse or two from the Bible. It was looking like I wasn't going to make it and I thought the only chance I had was to spend every available second studying.

HOW TO THINK BEYOND THE DAY TO DAY

For the past seven months I have spent the bulk of my spare time working on a house rehab project. As of now, I have spent almost 60k on repairs, made 71 trips to the project site, spent countless hours of my own time, and have hired lots of people to help with various tasks. It has been a big job and I have been pushing really hard to get it finished. Some days it has consumed me; it can be really exciting or really stressful, depending on what is going on.

ARE YOU MAKING THE WRONG LIFE CHOICES?

For the past several weeks I have been scrambling to put together an application package to transfer to a different career field in the Navy. I have spent hours on the phone to discuss different options, get career advice, and ask for letters of recommendation. Sometimes I feel very excited about the opportunities I'm applying for. But I have also woken up in the middle of the night thinking about all the worries and concerns that come with potentially moving to an entirely different career field. I have been wondering if I'm doing the right thing. There are so many different options and I don't know how to ensure that the one I am choosing is the right one; if it is the direction God is leading me in or not; if there is a better choice; if I should wait longer or do it now.

SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT MY POSSIBLE CAREER FAILURE?

Last week I spoke with my job placement officer about my career progression and potential for future advancement. He told me that the numbers are not looking good for me to be selected for my next career milestone (Department Head) when the board meets in April. Until then, I'm taking a hard look at all my options and trying to figure out what to do. 

WHAT WILL YOUR LIFE'S STORY LOOK LIKE?

I've recently been reading a couple of books (Chronicles and Kings) in the Bible that give a short life summery on each of the ancient kings of Israel and Judah. The authors say how old they were when they became king, how long they reigned, and if they "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" or "did evil in the eyes of the Lord." The write-ups go on to give a varying degree of details from each of their lives.

The passages never judge the kings' reign on their work ethic, job performance, or effectiveness in defeating enemies. Rather, these kings are judged almost exclusively on if they followed God or followed their own desires and embraced idols. All of these kings were Jews and most practiced some degree of the Jewish religion. But only a few were deemed to have lived their lives in such a way that earned them the distinction of having done what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

HOW DO YOU LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF?

For some time now, I have been writing about being a Christian in the workplace but have wondered about how I am supposed to apply all these things since I am in school this year (rather than a traditional work environment). One thing that I recently realized is that we are all (workers, students, family members, etc) called to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). This is more than just reacting in love or treating each other with respect. It is those things and more. It is a proactive love. It does something, not just reacts to something. It is a love that thinks ahead, that initiates. 

HOW TO HAVE RELIGIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITHOUT BEING AWKWARD

I used to be extremely uncomfortable with how to share my faith with co-workers (or anyone, for that matter) or even how to bring up the topic of religion. I was afraid of talking about religion because I thought people might have a closed-of or even hostile response. But I also knew that as a Christian, I am supposed to be a bold ambassador for Christ. Still, it took a lot of courage for me to do it...and when I did do it, it felt clumsy and awkward.

Since those days, I have learned that I'm not the only one; many Christians struggle with how to evangelize. It shouldn't be so hard to talk about something we believe is true and life giving.  Nevertheless, it is very difficult for most of us.

I'M TIRED OF BEING AN HGTV CHRISTIAN

Several years ago I read a book about how to find, fix, and sell (FLIP) houses; shortly thereafter, I bought my first FLIP property. Though I am still very novice, I am on my third house and so far they have all been successful. Since I started doing this, it feels like everyone seems to know about FLIPing houses and everyone has advice for what to do and how to do it. When I ask if they have ever done a rehab, they often say something like "no, but I love watching it on HGTV." 

IF IN DOUBT, READ THE MANUAL

Fairly often I get into religious conversations with people and end up asking them what their faith background is. Most recently, I was talking to a guy at work and he told me that he was a Christians and then he went on to describe some of his theological beliefs. I was a little surprised because I would not have guessed he was a Christian. 

Lots of people are like this...when asked, they claim Christianity, but their behavior and speech don't reflect it; they aren't working the way God intends them to...in other words, they aren't properly functioning Christians. 

Have You Ever Wanted To Be A Double Agent (for Jesus)?

One day I was thinking about the idea that Christians are said to be Christ's ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20) on earth. I started wondering what it would mean for me to live or act as an ambassador and while there are likely many ways to do this, one example stood out to me.
I realized that missionaries are some of the best at realizing and tactically applying this idea to their daily lives. One way that a missionary might act as an ambassador for Christ is to go into another country with a work visa and get a "cover" job so that they can have a means of connecting with the people in that culture for the sake of Jesus.

They would use that "cover" job and the neighborhood they live in as platforms to build relationships with their co-workers,

I got rejected-one reason I'm happy about it.

Recently, I was up for a new job (Operational Aviation Department Head in the Navy) and was surprised when I found out the selection board didn't pick me. I have done pretty well professionally, but still didn't make the cut. The Navy will give me one more shot at that job this coming year; if I
don't get selected for it, I will have to change career fields in order to stay professionally competitive in the Navy. 

Before the job results came out, I would have told you that if I didn't get picked it would be a clear indication to me that God had something else in mind. My hope and faith aren't in the Navy, but in Jesus Christ. While I still believe that is true, I was disappointed when I found out that I wasn't selected. It was more of a hit to my pride than anything else. The rejection helped me to

Don't Be Nice, Be Courageous

A while back, one of the more senior people I worked with (I technically outranked him but in reality it didn't always work out that way due to his organizational influence) had a very negative response to an idea I wanted to implement. Like many people, he didn't like change and seemed to resent my

Gay is ok?

Once homesexuals were allowed to be open about their sexual preference in the navy I found out that one of the females who worked under me was engaged to marry another female. As someone who believes that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, I thought about the topic a lot.

Jesus. Yes or No?

Recently I spent some time in a car ride with a friend I met through work. We hang out on a weekly basis and have gotten to know each other fairly well. Eventually, the conversation landed on religion. I really like it when I get to talk about this topic and am always trying to figure out the best way to

My limbs are being cut off...

When I do not prune my lemon trees, they produce a lot of wasted wood that branches and grows in multiple directions, each one trying to make it to the top where it can get the most sunlight. They produce a lot of light green leaves that clutter up the tree. And, they produce lots and lots of very small, and largely useless, lemons that do not have the nutrients to mature and be used in my lemonade. 

Is it ok to talk about religion at work?

When I started my first grown up job about a decade ago, I knew I wasn't supposed to "leave God behind" when I went to work, but I felt an unspoken social pressure to not do or say anything that would give anyone any hints that I might be a Christian. I'm not sure why, but I was terrified to talk

Why you're not religious, even if you think you are.

I often hear people make comments about religion or religious people; its one topic that everyone seems to have an opinion on. But few people seem to agree or even have the same definition of the word. And oddly enough, some of the most religious people I know say they aren't religious. I'm not

Most people make this retirement plan mistake early in their career.

Since I was a kid, I have always given a lot of thought to finance and investments.

I have usually thought of my career and finances from the perspective of how many years I have been working versus how long until I can retire.

Is this one thing holding you back?

A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to encourage a fellow believer and co-worker as he started a lunch break Bible study at work. Like most of us, he was concerned about details, who would show up, and what it would look like. He wasn't sure what kind of material to cover or exactly