Spartan Warriors

This week I started a workout program called "Spartan Warrior Intense Battle Training". I am grateful to my lifting buddies and to God that each morning when I wake up and go to the gym I am not going by myself. I told my wife I was starting this program and she admitted I was getting a little chubby. (see photos)

Getting a gym membership in itself was an adventure because it is one of the few American purchases in which you can still haggle over the price. I had to go back three times to try to renegotiate my deal. I ended up saving $10 a month after several rounds of negotiation. The starting deal was $30 a month ending deal was $20 a month.

So here I am in this somewhat indecent photo. All 16o pounds of me with my 12 inch biceps. My sweetie pie measured my belly out to be 33 inches, 2 inches rounder than my waist. And I have 22 inch thunder thighs and not really any abs. At the beginning of the program I can bench 155 pounds 8 times, do 10 squats at 155 pounds and do 20 pull ups. That is my starting point. I hope I go up from here. I am taking protien twice a day, taking a multivitamin, and lifting 5 times a week for an hour. May we all become chiseled for battle.

New Jobs!

In light of some recent happenings I would like to highlight some of the ways God has provided in our lives. God has provided in perfect timing, with rich bounty, and in miraculous ways in my life. This is in response to how God provided for Bethany and I as we chose to move out of GAP Ministries and into more regularly scheduled 9 AM to 5 PM jobs.

About two years ago I had two roommates who were helping me to pay rent for our apartment. Sadly, neither of them had held down a job before as they were both quite young and they also were both unemployed. I watched as my bank account dwindled down to $200. We started to get together and pray more often about the finances of our house because the prospect of not being able to afford food was a growing reality. God provided jobs for both of my roommates and they held onto their jobs.

One of the ways God provided financially during this time was when our only vehicle the Toyota Echo broke down. The serpentine belt which powers the coolant to the engine snapped and smoke started to rise from the hood and engine. My roommate Ross and I looked up the part and bought it for cheap at an auto parts store. We drove to the site of the car hoping to fix the broken belt ourselves without paying a mechanic. We started in the afternoon to give ourselves plenty of time. We worked until nightfall without any success. We started to ask God for help with the car because I did not have money, it was dark, and we needed transportation. God provided a man on a motorcycle to come by and ask if we needed help. I responded, "Yes please." And the biker let me know he used to be a Toyota auto mechanic. He finished helping us and said, "Make sure to help others when you see them in need." I told him I would.

One weekend while Bethany came down to NH she needed to find a job, an apartment, and a car. God provided all three in one weekend in response to our prayers.

Recently I was applying for jobs because Bethany and I were burnt out from doing foster care with GAP. Bethany and I sat down and talked about what kind of a job we thought she would be good at and we both agreed administrative and secretarial work would fit her gifts well. God provided a job working for Justin's (our small group leader's) father doing secretarial work at a State Farm!

While this was going on I was applying all over the place. I wanted to do computer work but I still wanted to be plugged into a social work environment. After doing 11 applications and 5 interviews I got a job offer to do computer helpdesk support for Arizona's Children Association. Evidently there were around 50 applications for that position and I had not heard anything for a month after I put in my application. This was my favorite job that I applied for and I got this call two days before my other job ended! The timing could not have been better. A few days after I got the job I got a call saying I was getting a raise before I even started work! I was humbled and very thankful when this happened. I still am praising God today, two weeks later.

The next week Bethany and I were looking for cars and God provided for us to get our favorite car we found for sale for a good price. See previous post titled "Bethany's Sweet Ride".

Now all this said I want to add two qualifying statements. Number 1: earthly treasures are of very fleeting value. They do not satisfy the deep desires of the heart nor do they provide any lasting joy. Number 2: God does not owe us anything. Bethany and I are wretched sinners who are separated from God. But through Jesus Christ's death on the cross we were adopted into the family of a God who can richly provide! I hope in these stories you can see God providing in miraculous and abundant ways. Trust God, trust His timing, and remember to trust His heart even when you cannot see His goodness in your present circumstances.

Bethany's Sweet Ride

Bethany and I have recently purchased a new Toyota Corolla to add to our fleet. We now own 8 wheels which are all Toyota’s. However the acquiring of this latest addition was a mystery fraught with uncertainty.

It all began one dark night on Craigslist. I found an advertisement for a nice looking white economy car being sold by a man named Tony. I called Tony asking if I could meet him the next day in a nearby parking lot and he agreed (public places are key). Craigslist is a somewhat risky move for buying a used car because Arizona has one of the highest rates of auto theft in the country due to the fact that it is near the Mexican border. The cars which are stolen most often are small, popular economy cars; exactly what Bethany and I wanted to buy.

Tony and I met the next day and our conversation went as follows. “Hi Tony, I’m Eric. Your car looks nice. Can you tell me about it?” He replied, “Hi, Eric. My name is actually Brian.”
“Oh okay, Brian. So do you work around here?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you where I work because it is a secret.” He replied.
“Oh okay. Well do you have any paperwork from the maintenance you did on your car in the past couple years?”
“No, I don’t really keep track of that stuff.” Brian said.
“Do you have the title for the car?” I asked.
“No, that is at home.”
“Do you have insurance or the registration for the car?” I was getting worried.
“No, not with me. I have them somewhere but I can’t find them.”
“Do you have the two original keys which came with the vehicle?” I asked him.
“No, I lost those.” Brian replied. He still didn't seem to understand the problem.
Long story short I told Brian I would not buy his car unless he showed up at the DMV with his title and we did the transfer at the DMV. Only then would he see my money. He responded sourly, “What you do not trust me!? Then I am not selling you my car!”
I replied, “Okay I understand. Best of luck to you.” 15 minutes later I received a phone call and the person on the other end said, “Hi, this is Brian. I decided I will go to the DMV with you because I need the money.”
“Great! Glad to hear it Brian. I will see you then.”

The next day Brian and I went to the DMV and I got a level one inspection done to ensure the vehicle was not stolen, the title was real, and that Brian had legal rights to sell me the vehicle. We then went to my bank and I took out a cashiers check for $4,000 dollars which I put in my pocket. I had chosen to wear running shoes that day just in case something bad went down. We drove back to the DMV. Before Brian got any money I had a license plate, registration, and brand new title in my possession. I then handed over the check to this sketchy Brian guy and said, “Nice doing business with you.”

I was grateful Bethany did not have to part of this long awkward transaction because she is not as fast as me when the situation requires a speedy getaway. I then got to pick her up at the airport on her way home from Vancouver, BC in her new car. I was very happy to have my wifey home.
Praises: God gave us one of our favorite cars! A 2002 Toyota Carolla with 130,000 miles for $4000. They are supposed to be very reliable! Thank you Jesus.

Prayers: Pray for Brian/Tony. That guy is wack and needs the Lord.