Thanksgiving

10 Things I Am Thankful For From NYC: (in no particular order)

1. The baffling grace and mercy of Christ that leads me into a life that makes sense.

2. The job that I have at Choice Kitchen and Cocktails. Even though it is not many shifts at the moment, I know over time I will get more.

3. New friends in NYC. Church really is a good idea. More than that, this is what Christ gave his life for!

4. I got to attend two great parades! The New York Yankees Championship Parade and the Macy's Day Parade.

5. I ate 2/3 of a napkin on accident and didn't get sick (ok this merely made it on the list b/c we have a pic of it).

6. Family who loves me and I them, and friends that keep in touch (even when I'm bad at it).

7. I am thankful that I feel safe enough to fall asleep at times on the subway trains (I'm thankful for this even without the pic... the train rocks me like a baby).

8. Financial and prayer support.

9. The Wyatt family for letting me live with them in NYC while I get my feet on the ground (I am listening to my two 1 year old roommates cry it up right now).

10. The number 10.

19

"19". That’s how many days it took for me to finally find a job. I'll have to say it was an experience. I do want to say a special thanks to all those who have been praying for me in my transition and recent job search. I know that my joining the ranks of the employed is directly because of your faithfulness to prayer and God’s faithfulness to each of us.

Speaking of God’s faithfulness, without question He completely prepared the way before me prior to my coming to New York – to include the job I have now. A few months ago while I was still in Nashville I was working at Rippy’s when a couple came in for lunch. Casually I asked them where they were from and they told me New York. I immeadiately began to tell them about my impending move to New York in a few weeks to do ministry work. He was genuinely excited and began sharing with me all about New York City. At the end of the meal he gave me his card and said, “My son owns three restaurants in New York, so when you get to there and need a job, give me or him a call.” Amazing!

I got in to town and gave his son a call. However, at the beginning it was virtually impossible to get anything worked out as we played phone tag for forever it seemed. In the meantime I put together my resume and applied at over thirty other restaurants in New York. Yes I did say the word resume. I found out that you absolutely need one of those things in New York to apply for a servers gig. That exercise resulted in me hearing the answer “no” in a multitude of different ways. The most common being, “Sorry, you don’t have any New York experience.”

However, God came through again and I finally connected with the man’s son. He set me up an interview with a manager and I went into the process with a resume and a big smile. Turned out the manager didn’t need my resume, he hired me on the spot! Maybe, it was the big smile?

Since then I have worked three shifts and I recognize it can easily be a great place for me to meet people, connect, and network. On top of that I get to make some money there too! So after nineteen days I served my first table at Choice Kitchen and Cocktails. It was a party for a baby shower in our private area. How many people were in this party? Silly question,19 of course!

Go Green! (an apology)

This is a formal apology to all my environmental followers. It has unfortunately recently come to my attention that I have been involved in certain situations where I have supported and may even contributed to activities that might be considered offensive to you. Please know that I am truly regretful and remorseful for any pain that I may have caused my "green" friends, especially those that have such a passionate heart for the many trees of the world.

Yes it is true! I was at the Yankee ticker tape parade this past week. Regretfully I did cheer for the MLB World Champs as tons upon tons of paper were being tossed out of windows and rooftops of many downtown office buildings. While I didn't personally participate in the actual misuse of these resources that nature has so graciously bestowed on us, I did however stand idly by and do nothing to prevent it from happening or even clean it up afterwards.

It is also true that I have been recently applying for several, no many, jobs. In doing so I have dropped off quite a few resumes in the hands of many, many potential employers. Sadly, I have not even checked to see if I was using recycled paper or not. This fact in hindsight was not my best decision. However, I do feel as though it is vitally important that I do continue to hand out my resumes.

With that being said I hope that you will still keep up with me and follow my blog. The Internet is a quite environmentally sound option for communicating. Hopefully the bottom line is that I have obviously admitted to my mistakes and will more carefully consider my options in the future. Unfortunately I cannot promise I won't be at the next ticker tape parade for the World Champion Yankees when they win the 2010 World Series, but I might lend a hand and actually pick up some of the ticker tape confetti and then place it in a recycling bin. And who knows... after I have actually found a job I might just go out and plant a tree. Okay lets be honest, that probably won't happen. Go green!

The World Series

Johnny Damon hit a two-out single off Brad Lidge in the ninth, swiped two bases on one play and scored the go-ahead run on A-Rod's double for a 7-4 N.Y. win and a 3-1 Series lead Sunday night. What the Yankees have been able to do over the last three games has been more than just a simple turn around. After the first game was won by the Phillies in N.Y. sports heads began saying that the Yankees were close to done and certainly a step behind the Phillies. Now, as the whole world watches, this series has obviously taken a dramatic turn.

I was able to watch the ninth inning of the Yankees game from the comfort of Freddy T. and Susan Wyatt's apartment. Shortly before that I was watching the beginning of the game at a Wildwood, a local BBQ joint in downtown Manhattan, with several of my new friends from the Gallery Church. Most of you know by now that yesterday I relocated from Nashville to New York to start a new series in life. For me, my world has quickly and drastically changed.

At a young age I knew that God was calling me to full-time ministry. My idea of this meant that I would be doing youth ministry somewhere at a church in the south. So I went to seminary and studied what it took to be a youth pastor and my first job after graduating was just that. Three years later God has obviously redirected my plans! Never in my life would I have thought that I would be in NYC by the time I was 30 doing ministry as a church-planter. To this point I still don't even know what it takes to do church planting or if I have the skill set for such a challenge. But I'm willing to give it a shot as surely God has led me here. If there is one thing I am comfortable about at this moment is that I am surrounded by some great people here as I worship at The Gallery Church. I look forward to being intimately involved in the life of the church and soaking up whatever God desires for me to learn.

Thank you to all the people that are praying for me and also those who have committed to giving to me financially. Without you I could not be embarking on this new series in my life. Please stay tuned to my blog as I truly want you and anyone else in my world to know what God is doing and what I am up to. Look forward to sharing more with you very soon. Go Yanks! For the record I have been a Yankees fan since I was a kid. Some things never change.