Since being laid off last week, I have had a lot more time on my hands.  It has been great to be able to get a lot of the little things done around the house that I haven’t had time to do recently.  I have also been able to spend more quality time with my kids lately.  I have also been looking for an I.T. job like I had before as well as church jobs.  It feels like a lot of opportunities have been coming my way and I am checking to see which one pans out.  I have no idea where I will end up.  It is kind of scary, but I still feel like God has his hands all over it.

My biggest problem right now is that I have so many things that I could be doing and it is difficult to decide exactly what I should do.  If I play all day with my kids, then I get behind on other responsibilities.  I have been doing a good amount of housework to help Faith out and let her sleep more.  I feel good about accomplishing that kind of stuff, but then I feel like I am neglecting my job search.  I also want to participate more in online community because I have more time to do so.  I thought I would be able to blog everyday while I am off, but that has not happened either.

I still feel very busy and am getting better at blocking my time and dedicating it to certain projects.  Having my kids around is the wild card though because I cannot keep them from interrupting me and I can’t run off and hide from them for very long anyway.  If I ever work from home I know that I will definitely need a good plan to keep the kids entertained and allow for me to stay focused for more than 5 minutes at a time.

I am working on something that I am very passionate about right now that I can’t wait to share with you all.  I should be done with it by the end of the week and will be posting it here as soon as I can.  In short, it is my social media strategy for the local church.  This is something that I have been dreaming and crafting for some time now.  Friday, I will have the opportunity to share this with my church to see if this is something that they could implement.  It would be a blessing to me if this would turn into an opportunity for me to be employed about something I am very passionate about.  I hope I have good news about that very soon.

Loved this video from Youth Specialties.

I finally got to see the cheetah run at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday.  I knew that cheetahs were fast, but it is pretty crazy to see in person.  Here is the video that I somehow managed to take of him running.  They do 2 shows per day Fri-Tues if you have a chance to go see it.

Cheetah Run – Cincinnati Zoo from Chris Walker on Vimeo.

Last Week’s Weight – 264.6 lbs.

This Week’s Weight – 265.6 lbs.

Total Weight Loss Since Jan 1st – 13.8 lbs.

I am up 1 pound this week, but it has been difficult adjusting to being at home.  At work, I was able to control my snacking because I only had what I brought with me.  Now I have a kitchen that is accessible and full of free food to me.  So I am not upset with being up a pound especially since I was down 2 last week.  I do have more time so it should be easier for me to exercise, but I will need to be better disciplined about snacking during the day.

Poop On Satan from Chris Walker on Vimeo.

Nobody likes to hear the words, “Reduction in force.”  But that is exactly what I heard yesterday afternoon.  So I didn’t have to go into the office today or login remotely.  I tried to sleep in but my kids were early birds.  I didn’t have to pick out clothes or pack a lunch.  In fact, it has been kind of a weird day adjusting to the unemployment life.  I always feel like I should be doing something, but I am not sure what.

I have been laid off before, so this is not unfamiliar territory.  It is really different this time though because last time I felt like I was knocked down from my pedestal.  I wasn’t being very smart with my money when I was first laid off.  For some reason this time it feels like a breathe of fresh air.  I will receive 6 weeks severance pay, so I have a little time to make things happen.  Right now it looks like a long vacation to me, only I won’t be traveling or spending a lot of money.  I hope to get a lot of projects done around here that I haven’t had time to do while working.  So I will be plenty busy for sure.

I will be looking for new work of course, but I see this as an opportunity to do a job that I really want to do.  With CompuCom, I had been moved around from job to job and just never felt like I was on any kind of career path.  I have often thought about working for a local church, but wasn’t sure how to go about switching jobs.  Now I have that opportunity.  I will most definitely be looking at churches or para-church organizations.  I want to be working on something that has more meaning than how quickly I can work to make money for the company.  I want to work somewhere that has vision.  I have done computer work my whole life it seems, but I have also been a director of youth ministry in the past as well.  I feel that I have a good range of skills that would benefit a local church.  If you have any ideas for me, let me know.  I really need to stay in the Cincinnati area so that Faith can finish school, but I am not opposed to looking at relocating or commuting.  I will be working on resume stuff soon and will probably post info here to promote my job search.

I know many of you will be praying and I appreciate that.  I am looking forward to a little break and will enjoy sharing the adventure with all of you.

In Acts 1:4 Jesus tells the disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”

I feel like this is where I am at. Waiting. Not for the Holy Spirit exactly as I have experienced that moment already, but I feel like I am standing in the sandals of the disciples at this moment. I am waiting on God to do something great. It has been a common theme in my life. I always seem to be waiting for something. I am always looking for what is next. But often in life, I was unsure if what I was waiting for would actually happen. Would I meet the special woman who I was to marry and grow old with? That finally happened. Would I come right out of college and land the dream job that I enjoyed and paid me a lot of money? That one didn’t happen. There are no guarantees for these things. Nobody can promise me that they will happen.

Right now, I feel that God is getting ready to move and do something great. I am hanging onto God’s faithfulness as I prepare for whatever He has planned for me.

For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.

Psalm 33:4

Last Week’s Weight – 266.8 lbs.

This Week’s Weight – 264.6 lbs.

Total Weight Loss Since Jan 1st – 14.8 lbs.

That was a bigger jump than I expected this week.  I was up a little bit earlier in the week and was just hoping to be down close to a pound for today, but it turned out a lot better.  I don’t expect to drop much from today to next week because 2 pounds is more than I want to drop per week, but I am not complaining too much.  Here is a cool fact.  I weigh less than my driver’s license says now.  At this rate I should be getting close to what I weighed in high school by the end of the year.

I feel like I am living this right now.  I can’t find the whole song anywhere online to listen to, but you can find a clip at Amazon
where you can download the 6 track album for less than $5.  Here are the lyrics I am feeling so well right now.

CHORUS: [x2]
You Gotta Hold On
Help Is Coming
You Gotta Hold On
You Going To Make It Through The Rain

Through The Rain Through The Pain
Through The Fire And Flame
The Same Name I Cling To
The Same Name That Remains Forever
The Name Above All Names
Above Death And The Grave
The Name That Cures Cancer
And Gives Strength To The Lame
The Same Name That Came And Shattered My Chains
The Same Name That Will Come And Do The Same Again For You
He’s Going To Come Through
Yes It’s True
Jesus The Only Name That Will Pull You Through

CHORUS [x2]

‘Cause He Said He’ll Never Leave Us
Nor Forsake Us Man And That’s The Only
Word You Need To Hold To
And You’ll Never Be Lonely Homie
I Know I Ain’t The Only Person Out There Hurting
Who’s Flirted With Thought Of Ending It All
But Been Averted And I Know So Many Out There Who Have Had It Much Harder
They Got No Food In Their Bellies
Got No Mothers Or Fathers
So Many Questions Out There That Need Answers To But Even If It Comes Down To The Final Hour
Man He’ll Still Come Through

CHORUS [x3]

If You’re Waiting For A Miracle
You Gotta Hold On
You Gotta Make It Through The Rain

CHORUS [x2]

Bridge: [x2]
Through The Rain
Through The Flame
You Are The Name Above Every Name

Through The Rain
Through The Flame
Jesus The Name Above All Names