Watching the time pass

inspirations

2010-12-01T17:07:00.001-08:00

I was just listening to my pastor pray for our church body and thanking God for the gifts given to all believers by Jesus. I agreed in my own prayer and asked God to reveal more of His gifts in me, then I was struck with this thought; the most important gift God has given us is his word, am I being a good steward of this incredible gift?

This was just a thought that quickly pierced my heart and made my conscience twinge a little. The Bible claims to be the very words of God (2 Timothy 3:16), and John 1:1 says The word IS God, if you believe this as I do, then we can access this God who we cannot see right now (physically) any time we want.

think about it.

Lesson Learned

2010-08-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the 7th anniversary of my 12 year old brothers death, his name was Alan and he died in a go kart accident. This year it’s being viewed with a little more emotional depth for me, you see my 23 year old cousin died in a motorcycle accident not even a month ago, boy were there some memories flooding back to me during that time of grief.
Alan would have been 19 years old right now had he survived that accident, which leads one to speculate as to what he would have been up to as a young man, what would he be like? I know that from what I knew of Alan there would have been struggles with anger, severe pride, and rebellion to discipline, hold on, this is starting to sound like me. In step with his weaknesses Alan excelled in people skills, and he was hailed during his funeral as a constant witness for Jesus Christ, something I never knew about him, and this grieved me terribly then and still to this day it is the driving force behind my interaction with my siblings, I mean how sad is it to be consumed with your own affairs to the point of not knowing about the greatest joy your brother has? It took his death and funeral to wake me up. And as I sat in a church in New Jersey a couple weeks ago watching my cousins weep over their missed brother, I wanted with all my heart to encourage them to use this tragic experience to spur them into a more selfless relationship with their family, not because I feel like they were doing a bad job, in fact they were already very close, but because if we do not guard against it, selfish living creeps in under the radar and we are just plain blind to it.

So if you are reading this, take it to heart and learn from my mistake, maybe I can save you some heartache. I don’t want anyone to find themselves sitting in a funeral of someone they loved and finding out for the first time what they were like.

-TJ Shropshire

2009-06-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Lily and I are out in California right now for a little over a week with Lily's family, and it's been a very nice couple of days so far. My feelings when I walked back into the Griffith's house were a mixture of love for this place and the things I've experienced here, and a sense of familiarity with the surroundings. I like it here.

Many times in my life I have wondered whether I was operating at full capacity in things I wish to attain, in other words, am I doing everything I could be doing to prepare myself? it doesn't really matter what that something is, just that I wish to be grasping onto life like Jacob grasped onto Esau's ankle coming out of the womb, a passionate approach to living. Any way, I think about that often, and I like being around people who challenge me in those regards, a sharpening force.

For a personal update. I am still living in cocoa FL with my beautiful wife Lily, our goals are to build relationships in our church family and gain experience with working with people in the church. I am working on Radio towers with my dads company, and Lily has just passed her PCT exam and is completely done with her medical training, and now she is going to be looking for a job that fits her.

More later(maybe much later, but I don't care)
-TJ

2009-04-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is my new bike that I brought home and fixed (top picture) but is now broken again :(
I am replacing the timing chain right now which was the problem to begin with but I didn't know it, and should be back up and running again in the next week.

I bought the bike for cheep transportation to to and from work and general runabout duties, and though it doesn't look like it, it's completely street legal. on the downside, Lily doesn't laugh when we talk about the motor cycle, crack a grin or anything else lighthearted about the thing, so I am trying to be as safe as possible with the machine (though I think it's so awesome!).

2008-11-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well now, this is almost funny, I'm updating a blog pretty much no one even knows about, that doesn't motivate very well but I feel compelled regardless.

A lot has happened in my life since buying the Subaru, though that car has had an integral part in the happenings. For starters, it picked up Lily from the airport in Orlando late in August, very exciting for me. It faithfully transported the two of us around my home town and the outlying favorite places that I've wanted to take Lily to for so long, very fun for me. Next it relocated the two of us all the way to California, making stops along the way to stay with relatives and friends, a lot of relational growth for me. It then became a daily commute for me as I stayed across town at Lily's eldest brothers house, as well as being the run about vehicle for our wedding preparations, very exhausting for me.

At this point the Subaru takes a very quick turn, and of course it handles it with exceptional skill (because of the superior suspension design of course) as it becomes the vehicle to whisk away a very very happy two people how shared the ride together before, but now it's the getaway car for their wedding day, very awe inspiring for me. It takes them to their honeymoon spot in Santa Barbara where it feels like high class in the swank parking area of the private cottage, unbelievable for me. It once again sets it's course for the other side of the country, this time bearing the load of the wife's personal belongings, but it doesn't flinch, very long for me.

Here the Subaru rests, save for a four hour trip to Miami where it drops the newly married couple off at the cruise terminal relinquishing it's duties to a large ship bound for the western Caribbean, very relaxing for me. And now the Subaru continues to prove it's worth by driving me to work in the mornings and allowing Lily to figure out the new town she's living in, very rewarding for me.

So you see, this car has been in the thick of it so to speak, and all the while we haven't had as much as a whimper from it. I couldn't ask much more from a car, God has blessed us with reliable transportation that is hard to come by in the price bracket we were in at the time of the purchase, I believe He is the one deserving of the thanks for this, and for our safety through it all, all 11000 miles of it so far.

I wonder what this car will do for us in the future?

Till next time (which may be a while).
-TJ Shropshire

2008-08-16T21:00:00.001-07:00

How I see things is usually through a lens, that is (I guess) how my mind works, but I don't spend nearly enough time behind a lens.

I promised, here they are Part 3 (Final)

2008-08-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

June 25th, 2008
Location: Beach house in Cayucose
Time: Late night

Personal Journal entry.

This was a very interesting day (and long). This morning I woke Lily up at 7:30and we went to a coffee shop in downtown Cayucose on the two bikes we have here. It gave us a chance to enjoy each others company while not having think about other people at the same time. We talked about good things and bad. The coffee shop featured art in it, but all of it stunk of death and despair, made me very uneasy.

After we ate breakfast back at the house we all piled into the car and drove to Morro Bay and did a little hike, then went out to Morro Rock, it was good fun for sure and I got a lot of good pictures.

After we gpt back and ate lunch Lois sparked a discussion around the table that was very emotionally charged, all concerning the apparent stealing their daughter away from them, but it was a good talk, and I was able to lay out my position on it so that I could be understood better. Robert said some things too,about wanting the best for his daughter and things like that.

After all that I took a nap and Lily, Del, Arielle, and Lois went to the beach. After waking up I talked with Robert a little, telling him my plan for proposing to Lily tomorrow, and I just really enjoyed the freedom I felt in talking with him.

Tonight I went out to call mom and let her know how I have been doing, and then called Barry up to see if I could use him as a decoy for going up to San Fransisco area, and that worked great because when I came back to the house he called me back and I played it off as if he was inviting Lily and I up there to visit, she wanted too, so that will work out great, but she's already being pushy with time stuff, but that also means she doesn't suspect I have a plan.

Well after all that Lily was holding my guitar and she looks at me and says " I looked for a pick, but then I stopped". The place where my picks might be is the place I hid her ring, so right away I knew had stumbled on to it, though she says she didn't see the box even, just felt it, shook it, and put it back quickly. I believer her, but I still feel like she discovered a secret that I've spent so so so much time and effort and money on...I felt deflated, but all I could do was laugh at her, and she was laughing too. It's just ironic I guess, the day before I give it to her. S

So tomorrow I hope to leave around 12:00pm for San Jose, maybe do some shopping for swing clothes, then go to the Japanese Friendship Garden and I'll propose under the weeping willow tree by the water, after that we'll get some dinner and then go to Barry and Helen's.

I'm pretty damn excited.

I promised, here they are Part 2

2008-08-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

June 24th 2008
Location: Beach house in Cayucose
Time: dark:30

Personal Journal entry

Today was a good day, maybe not as exciting as yesterday, but good nonetheless. My main thought through out today has been 'I want to propose to Lily in the best way possible.' But I'm worried that I have not done enough planning for it to be that great. plus, I have have been doing nothing to prepare since getting to this beach house, and that just makes me get down on myself, which in turn means nothing gets done.

I had another chat with Lois this morning, she pulled me aside and had some things to say to me that were very encouraging. She had made a list of qualities she has seen in me, and she went through them all explaining how she had come to realize them in my life. Twice I was just kinda overwhelmed by the kindness and just the care I could see she had that I leaned over and gave her a good hug (we were on the front steps of the house).

The rest of the day was fun, we went boogie boarding after brunch, and that lasted till after 5:00, then it was chill time, quickly followed by delicious dinner, then we all went to the Cayucose pier and watched the sunset. After coming back we had desert and played dominoes till just now.

I love Lily so much, there is no doubt I want to spend the rest of my life with that girl.

-TJ

I promised, here they are Part 1

2008-08-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

June 23rd 2008
Location: Beach house in Cayucose CA
Time: Late

Personal Journal entry

Today is a pretty exciting day for me, a major milestone in my life has been reached. I came out to California on June 6th with the intention of proposing to Lily, though I still didn't have her Parents consent to go ahead with it. I've spent the last 16 days living with and getting to know Robert and Lois, as well as spending a lot of time with Lily and building a better relationship with her. But it has been a tad bit stressful for me because I've been waiting to talk with Lily's parents at a time where we're all ready, well last night and today was that time.

We sat down together last night and started talking about preliminary things, like what my passions were and why I had waited till then to talk with them, but quite quickly we realized we were going to need more time then we had that night.

The next morning (this morning) I rode alone with Robert and Lois to the little beach house the whole family was going to, and in that three hours we picked up where we left off and I talked a whole lot, and they asked hard questions, but it wasn't a stressful thing, emotional yes, but not stressful.

About ten minutes from the place we were heading we came to a point where I had answered all the questions and talked enough, so I asked Robert if he was at a place where he could give his consent for me to marry his daughter, and he waited a few minutes, then he said.....YES!

So I've been on cloud nine since then, and I can't wait to ask Lily to be mine.

-TJ

New Car Time

2008-08-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

I like white cars.

I like All Wheel Drive cars too

.I needed the right car for Lily and I.

I like station wagons for some odd reason.
:)
And I found what I was looking for

This is the car I bought.

2000 Subaru Legacy AWD Station wagon with a 5 speed manual transmission and a 2.5 liter flat four cylinder motor. tinted windows and class ll receiver hitch with trailer light wiring installed.

2008-07-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

OK, so I forgot to update this thing like I said I would ( isn't that always the case anyway?) but that's OK, I plan on posting a couple journal entries I wrote in a note book at key times, plus I have tons of pictures to put up. In other News, I'm Engaged! I'll be getting married on October 11th in Fresno California to the girl of my dreams, of course she says the same about me, so I don't really know what that means (man of her dreams that is). Wedding PLanning is kinda rough, but not as rough as things were before, so that good, but it does put more stress on Lily and I's relationship, and the s=distance doesn't help, but that's a given.

2008-06-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

The time here is passing quickly, I don't think I'll be satified with leaving when I do, but I am trying to make good use of it while I have it. I'm starting to get to know the Griffith's better as the days pass, and I like them. I've noticed a more relaxed atmosphere after the first week passed, more of a normalicy to the days, I like that because I've been able to hang out with Robert with any tension. I know that the tension I was feeling was in large part due to myself, but there was also a newcomer type feel between him and I that has been lifted through working with and for him, making it more casual. I talked with Robert and Lois for awhile yesterday, I dodn't get a chance to ask them for LIly, but we'll be talking more soon.

In other news, I went to Yosimte with Lily and had a blast, that place is really phenomenal. I've attached a picture of the two of us there and a couple of the whole family's trip up to their cabin at shaver lake.

Rollercoaster days

2008-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm in California visiting my girl and her family, and it's only been four days and already I've run through a gamut of emotions. I arrived here already under the weather with a bad cold, and then quickly experienced an incredible emotional high by seeing my girlfriend for the first time in 10 months, and all that comes with seeing the girl you love again. So you can maybe see the conflicting circumstances I've found myself in already, but put on top of that the strange position of being here with obvious intentions yet having to wait on a somewhat strained/awkward relationship with her dad has been weighing on me heavily. I don't mean to be rude with that last statement, just honest. I do not understand Robert Griffith, and I won't anytime soon, but I'm working on it, and I want to work on it. Right now I think I'm just overloaded with anticipation and expectations, those are never good, because they rarely have anything to do with reality, they just form a created reality that soon is shattered, I know this, but it's hard to put into practice sometimes.

I'll be updating sporadically these four weeks I have here, a lot is going to be happening, hopefully not dominated by bad things, and I'll try to be as frank as possible in what I say, heaven knows I tend to jumble things up in communicating.

DONE!... ish

2008-05-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

So, the seemingly large obstacle of graduating from Bible School is now behind me. I have graduated, now I am looking forward to the next step, but there's really no obstacles to overcome, things are a little less defined now, it's going to be a day by day challenge to utilize the knowledge I've so diligently acquired these past two years. I was never content to just get by, I pursued the teachers, I asked more questions than might have been appropriate in the classroom, and I trusted the Holy Spirit to satisfy my hunger for understanding. Right now my effort has be maintaining that same longing for learning, to trust that I have not arrived at some destination, even though the external things I've done would try to persuade me that I've accomplished something. If I've accomplished anything, it is to broaden my understanding of the journey ahead of me.

Already I have been faced with difficulty and failure in being a good steward with the knowledge I have, it's going to be hard, but I need my friends and family to help me in this. patience please, I am fragile in my walk right now. Though I am firm in conviction and in what God's Word plainly says, I am weak in communicating these in love, and more importantly, in knowing my place with that. If I am asked a question by somebody, I will be faithful to give insight to what God has to say about it, but I think outside that I will be a little more quiet, and I know I'll overstep that, but it's a goal anyway.

A quick video from my trip to PA

2008-05-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

2008-05-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back yesterday from an amazing senior retreat in Pennsylvania, Which was a in itself a relief to get out of Michigan. The deal was a week long planned out thing, with four hours of class time in the morning, starting at 8am, and other events or planned class events throughout the day. The classes were not bad at all, in fact, I'm glad we got to sit through them because their content was incredible, opening all of our eyes a little more to the need for, the processes of, and the basis for, reaching the unreached. The staff at the retreat we went to were all former missionaries throughout the world with New Tribes, some from Venezuela, and a few from Papua New Guinea. The week was full of good things to do in order to hang out with people I usually don't get a chance to, as well as contemplate the task ahead of me in pursuing missions full time, not an easy task. There was campfires, and singing, exploring in the dark around the woods and mountains, Hiking beautiful trails with all kinds of waterfalls, and sports all in between. Speaking of Sports, my friend Jon Laflamme and I set up a very difficult Frisbee Golf course on the property, and played every chance we got, other people jumped on that too, but we were the mainstay of the players. Also a highlight was the adventure I went on with a couple other friends trekking through the woods and a very cold creek/river and exploring cliffs and fording the river at different spots, lots f fun , but we didn't see any wildlife, unless you count one small minnow as wildlife. Now I'm back at school and ready to finish up these final two weeks till graduation, I'm excited.

Sunday means music

2008-02-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was sixteen, and my church back home in Florida let me play the Djembe that my brother brought back from Africa, I've been involved in regular sunday church worship. I graduated to a full drum set when I was about 18, and thats because I went out and bought what I had always wanted, a Pearl drum set. Since then, I've played in several churches, and the latest is Rives Baptist church here in Jackson Michigan. I've been involved with the youth group for the past three semesters helping with guitar and vocals on sunday nights (I help out with more than music though), and then about the middle of last semester was offered the chance to play drums on sunday mornings, I jumped at the chance! I love playing drums, I don't know why, but I love it more than the guitar, more than the piano, and maybe even more than singing, it just jives with something deep inside me.

I'll do anything to serve the Lord, and even though I love music, and love praising God with music, I'm alright with any role he has me in. The greatest expression of worship I can display towards my savior is setting my own desires and interests aside in favor of what he would have me do, but I'm still glad I can be used in the music area!

Bummer

2007-12-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

It seems I've jacked my ankle up royally, I don't know how bad yet, I'm getting that taken care of tomorrow. I have never rolled my ankles, I've never done anything to injure them, they are incredibly strong, and with them I've done some incredible things, never with any negative repercussions. This includes jumping from well over 10 feet in the air onto asphalt, or skateboarding for the last 9 years hardcore to name some of the more mild ankle achievements. You know what I did? I kicked a soccer ball against someone else's foot when they had planted it... I kicked a ball. This tells me one thing, I'm too proud of my abilities physically. As a believer in Christ Jesus I'm promised that everything I need to live a life doing the will of God is provided for by Him, everything. That doesn't mean that I'm not required to do what is necessary to take hold of that provision, whatever it may be. Provisions are anything I need to live this new life that is in Christ, whether that be knowledge, food, money to support me, emotional strength, purpose, security, it's all supplied through the grace of the person I now have my identity. this will be a struggle for me, I struggle with pride just as much as the next person, but what do I have to be proud of? temporary fleeting physical strength? lame and ultimately weak. knowledge and wisdom from this earth? limited and finite. The very earth itself? decaying and doomed. What then? I think the answer is clear, my trust is in the one who is eternal and infinite in all areas of character. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

Thanksgiving Road Trip to NC

2007-11-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving rocked, it was the first time I've ever eaten the bird feast without blood family present, but I still ate with close family, spiritual that is, and we enjoyed awesome fellowship.
Good music all through the trip was the equivalent of whipped cream on pumpkin pie, delicious.

2007-11-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

Conni and Valerie are my friends. I know both of them from school. Valerie is attending the Missionary Training Center in Missouri where I am looking at going within a few years. Conni is in my class at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson Michigan. Both these girls love my girlfriend Lily, and apparently miss her as well. I'm covering my mustache in this picture because Valerie hates it just as much as Lily does.

The Stache

2007-11-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

This is the monumental commencement of the story of life from here on out.

Good, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can move on to more interesting rhetoric.

I've broken a vow, a vow I made to myself when I last saw Lily, it was a dumb vow, but I was serious about it nonetheless. I vowed not to shave my beard or mustache until I saw Lily Griffith again, which would total approximately 10 months all together. Well, just over four months into it I was still looking pretty gross (I'm not blessed with an abundance of facial hair), and after a rather graphic depiction of what my beard resembled, I quickly chose to eradicate the mess, save the mustache. Honestly I don't think my mustache looks good enough to keep either, but it's not a matter of looking good, I've already got a girl. and she's not going to see me again for awhile, so I believe thats a non-issue at this point. I continue to remain committed to my vow, only now I look half as ridiculous as I did before. We'll see how long I can withstand the berating from friends and family... and girlfriend.

-TJ Shropshire