This comes in very handy in an administrative role where I may be asked to do 20 small tasks a day – and I love it!

So in bringing this all to SAVING MONEY, I also realized today I have been waiting until that moment when I can save in increments of hundreds of dollars before I save. That’s why I LOVE the following video from MSN Money. (So that $60 check I just sent to my Cash Management Account was a great idea!)

New Yorker Nick Goddard, an unemployed tech guy, brought fellow jobless New Yorkers (apparently there are plenty to choose from, to the tune of 400,000 people in the city) outside for a lovely day in Manhattan last March.  The Unemployment Olympics drew dozens of participants for the Office Phone Toss (I’d sign up for that competition in a New York minute), Office Phone Pinata, and the Race to the Unemployment Office.

While it’s all in good humor, here are my thoughts about unemployment now that I have a little more perspective.

1. It’s not “someone’s” fault. Yes, a person (maybe yourself) had to make a decision for you to make the change. I get it, it happens. But, like the organizer of the event, Mr. Goddard, take it as a GOOD change. We get so sticky-fingered about our employment that we forget to be thankful for the blessing of having work available to us to start with and having the opportunity for a change in scenery. Also, every job I have has been valuable for the next step in my career–so quit whining or like the gal who tossed the phone in this video, quit BLAMING (but she really is my favorite athlete!) You’re just going to be miserable and really, why not take advantage of this brief hiatus? Remember: all that can be shaken, WILL be shaken.
2. The Race to the Unemployment Line--It really does look like that mob rushing the doors! I tried calling the Idaho Department of Labor on Monday at 11 a.m. (Idaho has about 1.5 million people as of July 2008, with about 350,000 in Ada County–so not crazy), and it took about two hours and five phone calls just for my call to connect. I was happy to talk to Summer though, she was very nice.
3. Mr. Goddard had an idea, and he “went ahead and did it”. How fun is that?! The dude is smart, he had an idea and he did something. Instead of being bitter, he did something–wait for it–productive! Do it. I’m sure he has a job by now. In fact, the man had Newsweek, the New York Post, and the AP cover the day. Those aren’t just NY1 local television coverage–it’s national coverage!
4. I Am Cool, Gary Ross! Being unemployed isn’t forever. So while I am working hard to find a job, cleaning my house, giving my time to people who need it at 2 p.m., or whatever–I’ll stay positive.

Psalm 16:7-9

I’m not going to pretend like everyone wants to hear what I’m saying on the blogosphere (I’m sure the two or three people who subscribed to it have since left–one of them was me), but if you’re feeling like you’re in a night season–here you go. He is the Author and Finisher of that night season so do not be moved.

The biggest reason being that I am glad I never have to hear again, “What are you doing after college?”

When Spring semester hit, and walking the line drew closer, I knew I had to do something I would only attempt under onerous circumstances: I fasted.

It’s not that I expected God to move right away, or to thunder down from heaven with a geographic coordinate. I just kind of wanted to sift through a few of the options, maybe decide which city I would be in first. I had this picture about the situation: life after college was like walking through a long hall. A long, dark hall.  And I’m blindfolded. My task was to open the door but it had to be the right door.

How did I know which one to choose? I had to listen.

Near lunch that day  instead of having some lunch at the Bookie, Washington State University’s bookstore, I headed there to sit in a quiet corner and do my devotion, hoping it would be distracting enough from the hunger pains too.

There was a celebratory atmosphere near the bookstore (it was a college campus, so there’s a reason to celebrate on, say, a Tuesday). The Bookie was a hub of activity on campus, and a prime location for organizations to promote their events and clubs. Now, I either never payed close enough attention or I could have sworn this was the first time I had ever witnessed something like this. An off campus apartment complex sent a team of students to recruit tenants for the fall semester, and on this day in particular they brought more than just lease agreements and free pens to entice applicants.

So as I unwittingly headed toward the Bookie, I ran into the enthusiastic group of young salespeople who were hustling more than a free t shirt.

Free hot dogs.

Let me just say I love free things. I get excited when I hear radio announcements that free hot dogs will be served at local car dealerships. And remember, as a college student a free meal is a valuable opportunity that you don’t pass up.

Picture the scene in slow motion:  I am walking toward the bookstore, and what do I see out the corner of my eye? A giant steaming bin. I catch a whiff of a very distinct aroma. Within two seconds my mind goes through a process like so: “Oooh! A free hot dog! I need one!” But immediately my mind flashes back to the fast I have voluntarily put myself on. I think, “Well, maybe I could fast tomorrow?”, and all this time I don’t stop walking, yet my eyes are locked on the free food staring me in the face.

I spotted my friend, Camille, inside, who shared my affinity for food and who I went to church with. I proceeded to tell her the angst that I was experiencing, that free hot dogs were available but I was fasting, and how unjust was that? And who would have thought? But she didn’t feel what I was saying. I remember her eyes getting wide, her smile being kind but her words being few.

So I said half-heartedly, “Maybe God is telling me something.”

It’s hard to take this seriously, but keep reading.

Getting It

God showed me in that moment of natural hunger, where I almost turned down the opportunity to hear from the Him, that feeding the natural at the expense of the things of God can cause me to miss out on something valuable that he wants me to understand. Jeremiah 33: 2-3 says, “‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ When I’m engaging in the natural–putting on makeup, driving a car, eating a bowl of cereal–it’s harder to listen.

It took a few hours for all of this to sink in, and it wasn’t until several months later as I was packing up to leave Pullman, Wash. that my pastor shared this same principle in a more direct way. She said, “Don’t trade your spiritual dreams for your natural dreams.”

For the next several months, the Lord showed me areas that seemed like a great idea in the natural sense but for the spirit would not have any benefit. Even ideas that seemed insane in the natural were vital in the spiritual. And during the period prior to and soon after graduation, there was a definite peace and a quiet that told me if it didn’t make sense naturally then spiritually it probably will.

I now live in Boise, the town I grew up in. That didn’t make sense naturally–my plan was New York–but spiritually it has made all the difference.

I wanted to go right through the front door–no, I wanted the door man to open the front door for me– to enter into every desire I had for life after college, but instead God took me to the back door. Through the alley, past the gate, into the back and around the kitchen.

I think God would value the process much more. Jeremiah 29:11 promises that he has a plan not to harm but to give us a future and a hope, but it also promises more in the following verses, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD…”

Now, two years later, the Lord is using this one day in my life to speak to me again. I’m once again in the job status of “looking for work”. Really. In this economy, during the holidays. And you know what, the thing about the last six months of working for a non profit organization and cutting back on everything natural–budget, traveling, selfish ambition– free hot dogs came back to me and I decided I finally need to publish it (the original draft date on this is April 14, 2009. How life has changed!).

And, just so you know, that free hot dog stand showed up again on campus later in the Spring. Yeah, it tasted pretty good.

Leon Timbo comes from the Gospel/Acoustic Soul movement out of Tennessee. Cut from the same cloth as Lisa McClendon and Antonio Neal, Leon blends acoustic guitar, soulful vocals and at times a beat to create a unique style in what is known as Christian music. And he is an artist you should know. This song in particular is drawn from a prayer for change–in his heart, in how God sees him (or more importantly how he views God), and for how that affects the relationships in his life.  

Honestly, if God would have told me two or three years ago that my life would look the way it does now, I would have started to hyperventilate. So I trust it is because he loves us so much, and he knows I have a knack for creating messes, that he doesn’t want to give me too much information until I come to a point at which I can actually deal with it. 

I experienced that sort of hyperventilating-worthy moment the other week. Earlier this month I was in a completely different state of mind at work, gearing up for a big event in Boise. Four days, and 6 hours of sleep later, I was laid off.

I was the one in the meeting, by the way, asking questions that started with, “I really don’t know how this works, like, because I’ve never been laid off before. And this is, like, my first real job.” 

Here’s where the process and planning really becomes evident, with God’s amazing ability to work through all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Only a couple of weeks ago I was reading in Exodus 14:15, as the Israelites were leaving Egypt–a task certainly requiring immeasurable faith–and found themselves at the Red Sea. God pointed out that not only were they up against a large body of water, but they were being chased by 600 of Egypt’s best chariots plus all of the other dudes in Pharaoh’s army. That’s a hyperventilating-worthy moment, if I have ever heard of one. 

Then God says in Exodus 14:15, “Why are you crying out to me?! Tell the Israelites to move on!” 

I can sit and cry, even tell God how uncool this is, and doesn’t he know I have student loans, and doesn’t he remember that I just signed a lease and have roommates relying on me for rent, and….on and on.

But he spoke to me several weeks ago, “There is a time to cry out. Then there is a time to step out of the boat, like Peter. His faith was manifested when he stepped out. Now get moving!” A friend also pointed out to me that Jesus, of course, called Peter out of the boat so there was no lone-ranger walking on water happening here. 

Matthew 6:32 reminds me that God already KNOWS what I need–clothes, food, water, rent money, money to pay student loans, and yes even a new job. He essentially says, “Don’t worry. I got you. Just be concerned about how you’re going to serve me and the people around you, because if you haven’t noticed my Kingdom is a big deal too.”

Remember, in the midst of an economy that says to us “you’ll never find a job”, the God of the Universe–who makes the sun to rise and fall and never lose its job–is able to provide and even redirect to maybe the destination that you and I have been waiting on in prayer and with the trial of patience.

Okay, not really.

But, thanks to the help of Lee Vander Boegh–writer, author, blogger, and a guy who sits across the room from me at work– you can now subscribe to this blog. So I’ll tell  you what, for the price of a subscription to this blog–free– you’ll receive a free subscription to Vander Bites.

What do you have to lose? Nada. Just go to the tab “Subscribe” above (following still?) and click on the link. Enter your email addy, confirm you didn’t steal that email from some poor sap (I have a story about that!) and wait. Just sit at your computer and wait, it may be a few days. Then read. Kidding.

I absolutely love that Forever 21 prints scripture on the bottom of every signature yellow bag they sell. Don and Jin Chang, founders of Forever 21, are devout Christians. 

This story in the NY Post  helps to explain the heart and interesting “advertising” by the Tiffany Taste, Wal-Mart budget clothing outlet. How’s this for marketplace ministry? 

What are you thoughts about Forever 21  printing scripture on every bag?

When I tore open the envelope, I pulled out a stapled stack of 21 sheets of notebook paper. The front cover had a hand-drawn title of a book I wrote when I was 11 for my aunt and cousin. Each page is hand written in my best penmanship, with colored-pencil drawings. The subject was a typical story line of that era when I would write books.

As I sat on the bed in the room I grew up in (and probably wrote most of the “book” in), a wave of memories came over me. Like a brick wall, some of the details that went into it came back. I remember illustrating the first page and the colored pencils that I used. I remember saying one day when I was all grown up I wanted to be a writer. I recalled the sense of the accomplishment I would feel after writing something at that age. I forgot I was creative at a young age! I had shoved it away for so long, all through my teenage years, that I totally and completely forgot that I had creativity inside me until about a year or two ago.

I moved on from this publication to many other writings, and eventually received a degree in Communication, a major that every professor said would be applicable to a wide variety of jobs because I could do something unique: write.

Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

I’ve seen and felt God’s hand on my life for many years. Israel Houghton says it best: Even if the half were ever told, it would be nothing but supernatural. I remember being 7 years old, standing in my kitchen and having compassion for a friend. I felt at that moment and soon after that God had big plans for my life, but it was not a vision that I could even express to myself so it stayed dormant until he awoke it again.

As 2009 is coming quickly, I am more than ever looking out for the Vision that God Himself has for the next year. Pastor encouraged us to make goals in the next year and to continue to make adjustments to them throughout 2009. By December 31, 2009 we will see great work that God has done.

Even so, I am encouraged by the impact of small beginnings. Writing has stuck with me and is something that I not only get paid to do (Hallelujah!) but I still enjoy practicing. A verse in Habakkuk 2  says to write down the vision to give it to the runner for all to read, and this has been spoken over me in the past. It has been a means to take me to some interesting places and I am thankful to God for the special gifts he gives us.

If you see small beginnings in your life–a hobby, an area to serve, a ministry, or a talent–do not be surprised where God will take them and use them for His Glory in the next one year, two years or 13 years.

Some observations from a self-proclaimed author:

• Use spell check! My  hand written spelling errors (okay, so I was 11) are funny but now days I can’t use “being 11 years old” as an excuse
• What I see is important and normal will permeate so many areas–like writing. It’s an interesting “footprint” on life
• What was life like without computers??? The pencil was the only means I had at 11, but that would never do in today’s society. Maybe I need to get back to using the pen more often, for old time’s sake?

I am coming to the sureness that I truly am where I am supposed to be, for this season (or a few more), in the process that I need to be in. I am able to say I am truly content doing the things, learning the skills, and meeting the people that are in this space in the life God is giving me. For months after graduation from college and the much-hyped entrance into the real world (which included a reluctant move to Boise) I felt almost, dare I say, let down by God in the plan he had. But in this place, he isn’t shunning me but showing me what his process can look like done his way.

I spent a short time in New York, serving in the Christian music and creative industries. It was the highlight of my life (so far). It felt as if a call on my life had come to pass. Living in a city I had a heart and love for starting many years (approximately ten years) was a dream come true and truly a desire of my heart that God met amazingly!

In New York, I felt at home immediately, and it’s a place that has stayed with me, so every now and then a feeling wells up inside me of deep homesickness. More than that, it feels as if a destiny and a purpose have been put either on the back burner or taken off the menu completely. I was nearly convinced that when I left Queens I would be returning in only the amount of time it took to finish my degree and move all of my stuff back to South Jamaica. But now there’s an understanding that it is not for me. Not right now, anyway.

See, when God got a hold of my life I knew his call was serious. I knew he was an exciting God who wasn’t asking me to just learn to be a quiet and reserved female who went to church and listened to the sermons, and just lived in my own weird world. No, thank you. His call included exciting places and experiences, along with the purifying fire, the call to repentance and the need to change to be more like him. My prayer became request after request to prepare me and show me how to be the person he desired for me to be, wherever that was and however it needed to happen. That part of the Lord’s Prayer that says “Your Kingdom come and Your will be done” is not a light statement. It’s heavy stuff and it’s a sign of Lordship.

I find myself today pursuing the things of God with a fervency that has shocked me, a freshness of how God perceives me that I have tried to grasp for years, and a contentment in God’s path that I had prayed about for years. There but for the grace of God, right? But it’s taken time and process, and his harnessing to get me to the place that says “Okay, Lord, my way has not worked, so let’s try yours. You know more than I do, so I’ll trust you.” And opportunity after opportunity to get me to stick with that confession. I want to run, I want to hide and just do my own thing sometimes and I still cannot seem to do it.

In the epic story that encompasses all of history and time, I’m realizing it’s really not about me. It’s not even about where I am or what I am doing. We’re taught and brainwashed almost to believe that the “point” of it all is so many different things. When God is the Point and each time–no matter what the severity of the situation–I know that I am exactly where God wants me to be, I am at peace. I am filled with joy. And he blesses that place. There’s nothing that gives me more fulfillment. The picture in my mind is this: I would rather be washing dishes, knowing that I am where God would have me than be in a mansion with a life void of God’s perfect plan and process.

God has much better and more creative ideas for my life.

One day I was getting ready for the day and I glanced at photos hanging on my wall from the city, feeling sorry for myself, that he “took this away”. Then he spoke. “Be thankful for the opportunity that was given to you. What if it had never happened, and you were just left wondering? Don’t feel like anything was stolen to you now, but gifted to you.” And that brought immediate freedom.

How did that place and time ever exist? It was God’s divine timing and his open window that took me there. Nothing less. A grant that was given to me to pay for summer school, a FREE apartment in Queens, an opportunity that started with a simple email and a phone call two years earlier. And the list goes on.

I am beginning to see a lot of the promises God gave me several years ago being met in this place, along with the people I fellowship with here. Kirk Franklin said it best: “Your delay is not a denial.” Say word. I’m convinced his heart is good, and he knows his timing. And in that, he knows where destruction can lie which he protects us from. Even in the destiny he has, he is sure to see that every detail is met.

Have you ever struggled with a decision that you knew God wanted you to make but you didn’t want it for yourself? What was your choice and how has it turned out for you?