It has been a long time since I have blogged on this site, or Uriah Ministries, and a LOT has been going on. The Lord has been good and blessed me profoundly, and I can’t begin to describe how He has worked in my life, and the lives of those close to me as we have gone through this first month of 2008!

           I am not a full time student at MTSU, studying English with a minor in print journalism! I can’t wait to get my degree and start applying for grad school, I won’t say why yet, but I have set some pretty good goals for myself. I will write more about school later, and let you know how it all goes!

           I have also gotten a lot more involved at Church… and big things are happening at the UC that I can’t wait to share with y’all! Stay tuned and I will be writing more on here soon about it.

          But back to the point of this blog! I wanted to tell you that for the first time in several years I actually know what I will be working towards with my life. God has opened doors and a few goals have been set. Thank God for finally showing me what I have wanted to know for quite a while.

          I will be writing more on here soon!

          It’s New Years Eve! Can you believe it? 2007 has already come and gone and we are about to embark on the 8^th year of this brand new 21^st century deal… I love it… The fact that time never stops and no matter what we choose to do with out time we are forced to look ahead to something beyond us. I heard a preacher say that hope can not exist in the past, it may only live in the future, where we should be looking. I agree mostly with that thought, and as we move forward I hope that all of us will remember to set our hopes in the Lord first and foremost as we walk through that door, into 2008.

          I have been thinking a lot about making a new years resolution, but have finally decided against it. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in setting goals, but doing it at new years is pretty typical. I think that as I enter 2008 my only thoughts will be on doing what I have never fully done before… Selling out 100% to Christ. Lately I have allowed myself to become completely distracted my a myriad of things- friends, women, work- and now I know how wrong I have been. So I am making this year about personal growth and about creating a foundation and a life for myself that will eventually serve as a cornerstone for future endeavors. What does this mean? Well I have been dating steadily from the time I was 16 to now and I think I need a break from that whole world for a while. I have also been working since I was 16, and that greatly hindered my school from high school to college, so I plan on focusing on school and church while this Spring Semester is in session. And believe me, I will get enough of work when I am in Florida for 4 months… 50-70 hr. weeks during my whole stay down there will satisfy any desire I have to be employed!

          So what does 2008 hold for me? It is really hard to grasp that my year has pretty much been planned out, but I know it will be much more in-depth that the outline below.

Jan. 14^th - May 5^th- Semester 1 at MTSU…

May 6^th-October 5^th- Working for Service Pro Pest Control in Florida

October 6^th- Dec. 31^st- Mucho Mucho Traveling! (This is tentative of course)

          I pray all of you have an incredible and blessed year… And instead of making a million resolutions I encourage you to just live your life day to day, tackling the small things in your life as they come, and giving God all the glory. Talk to you all soon!

          Im sitting here, in the house of my youth, listening to the music of my past and feeling divinely content about the here and now, for it is always nice to return to the places where the concept of home was felt most prevalently in the times before now. I do not know what it is about this place, it just makes me calm and comfortable, and no matter what occurs I know that, for a time at least, I may return and just remember, after all remembering is the most simple thing to do, and it brings the most warmth. I can’t help but smile.

          The brunt of the play of my life thus far have been performed on the stage and streets of Bellevue, a small city about 7 miles outside of downtown Nashville, and it is here where I feel the most at home. Granted, it does not feel as it once did, but things and times change and I count my blessings that I may still return and enjoy the same familiarity that makes this place what it is. Yesterday I went to the Doctor, the man that has treated my illnesses from the time I was six, and had a pleasant talk with not only him but the nurses that have been there as well. After that I went and got my prescription at the Grocery store that was once Albertsons, and is now Publix. I met up with my pastor at the Starbucks my ex worked at for almost a year, and ate lunch at the Mexican restaurant my family has frequented too many times to count. I perused the harmonicas and guitars at World Music of Bellevue, and stopped in to feed the alligators at Emerald Bay Exotic Animals & Fish, got some food for the house at Kroger and ran into about 12 friends along the way. All the while, I was just breathing, breathing in the essences of places so familiar and so comfortable that they could be nothing but the place I hung my hat for 15 years.

          After getting home I was invited to hang out with a friend that I have known for a little over six years. We caught up,  watched a hilarious movie, and just reminisced about all the funny times we have had. It was great! I got home and downloaded a new cd and can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am just happy to be alive. What is it about home? What is it that makes a place so ideal, even in its imperfections? I hear people talking about “the old neighborhood” with such a reverence and a devotion that it makes me wonder if God is giving us pieces of heaven now, in our hearts, and in the places that we take our shoes off and hang our hats.

          Next month Bellevue mall, the focal point of Bellevue and the one place that holds more memories for me than any other place, is being torn down. The thought of that makes me sad, and even though I know it’s for the best, I am sad to see the beautiful place go. It was there that I worked for Hatworld and Lids and despite the HORRIBLE lack of mall traffic, took my tiny store that everyone hated on, to number 1 in the district and number 3 in the company for two quarters. It was the place I met Aaron Mulroy, my sage Tim, from the bookstore, Sean Yeaworth, and it was where I first met my brother and best friend Josh Sisson. What a place it was! I thank God for Bellevue mall and for all the memories I have had there, and I thank God for the people and places that make Bellevue my home.

          So what are my plans for today? I am going to go hang out with my buddy again and take in all that Bellevue has to offer, once more breathing in the essence of home and of comfort and of joy… Thank you God, for all that you give!

New blog at Uriah, please check it out!

http://uriahministries.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/confessions-of-a-ragamuffin/

          Fall has given way to winter, and the cool sting bites my hands and nose as I make my way outside to my car. Even my windshield is frozen over as I reach my vehicle, so I resort to turning on the engine and letting it sit for twenty minutes before I am able to successfully see out in front of me. It is a hassle, but a welcome one as this time of year spells a time of family, and a time of growth second to none throughout the year. I remember so many winters before this one, and the smiles and laughs that accompanied them. They will always live on in my memory, and beyond in the memory of my legacy, in the stories I will write and the poems I will pen. I am blessed. I can breathe deeply knowing this, thanking God for the mercy He has had on me in the most undeserving of times. And that is why I love Him and that is why I trust Him.

          For some reason the sky seems so much clearer during this time of night. I look up with a shiver and can hear the music playing above me, the music of the cosmos shouting its melodies to the great distances beyond my human comprehension. Oh how I long to hear that symphony, that eternal progression of notes upon the drops of light in the vastness of God’s sanctuary. It has been a long time since I have felt this peace, and a long time since I have known this rest. It was needed, so, so sorely needed. In working so much last summer I had forgotten what it was like to just look, to take notice of the creation and beauty around me, and it saddens me. How much did my eyes fail to see? How deaf was I to the rhapsody of this planet, to the songs carried so perfectly upon the winds? But I will no longer lament the past. Today is a new day and with it brings a new song, one of hope and of peace… A song that yet again leads me to my Father’s feet, to His throne of grace and to the comfort and safety of His house.

          I do not know if anyone out there is able to identify with me on this feeling, or this thought, but in the coldness of winter I am able to feel the warmth of life so much more keenly! It is a recognition of faith as I inquisitively watch my breath leave my mouth like smoke out of an unkempt fireplace, and for the first time in a long while I can actually feel home. I love Nashville. I love this weather, and this perfect combination of nature and city life, a balance of the fast and slower paced lifestyles that goes unparalleled in the south. I love that no matter where I am people wave and smile, making me feel at home even more so with their tenderness and easy going spirits. I love this ground, this earth upon which I meander about searching for meaning and finding the beautiful freedom of truth. God said, “You have but to ask”, and I am asking, proving my Father’s promise with each meager request. Such is my life at the moment.

          As we move forward into this season of joy and fellowship and cheer I have but one request of all of my readers… Cherish life. Cherish everything and everyone that God has brought into our circles and our lives, and as we celebrate the birth of the greatest Son that was ever among us, reach out and share what we have, and what we know with those that are in need. Pure and undefiled religion is this… I pray that all of us are blessed and are enjoying the world around, as we take the time to pause our everything, so we might better incline our ears to the music, and adjust our lives to the natural rhythms that God has established all around us. May God bless you and keep you. May His beauty and light shine upon you. And may we give Him the glory for all He has done, as we move forward into the concert set so perfectly before us.

          Why are certain people in our lives SO STUPID?! I am sick to death of encountering these people but it just keeps happening and happening, and I am at a loss as to how to deal with them. The sad thing is that stupid can be found anywhere… In friends, that run amuck into the land of idiocy and mediocrity, and even family that do not understand the concept of thinking before you speak, stupidity can be found ANYWHERE! But oh well! I can not control, nor determine how the people around me will be. I can, however, walk away into a better place and just let them be, and that is the freedom and cure for this growing frustration.

Anyway, thank you for listening.

Tim

p.s. I changed the look of the “Florida Chronicles” because I am obviously not in Florida till next may. Until then I will be blogging on here and I hope it will be entertaining if nothing else!

http://uriahministries.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/the-responsibility-of-thankfulness/

Check it out and comment if you care to!

P.S. This site is under construction if you hadn’t noticed…. The Florida Chronicles will resume next may!

http://uriahministries.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/to-my-dearest-wormwoods/

 Its not original, but it was what was on my heart!

Hey guys,

          The off-season is going well and I am truly enjoying spending time with my friends and family! I especially want to say Happy Birthday to my bro Josh Sisson who is turning 23 tomorrow! Dude, you are awesome and thank God I do not have to miss you right now!

          I also wanted to let everyone know that I just got a great deal on a new digital camcorder and will be posting some video blogs here in the near future!

          May all your days be blessed! I have 7 months until I am in Florida for another season of Pest Control!

 http://UriahMinistries.wordpress.com

Please check out Uriah Ministries if you haven’t already and read my latest blog! Gotta love Jesus…

          This blog has been a very long time coming, but thank the Lord it is finally here! And for the sake of ease I have split this into a two part entry, one for The Florida Chronicles, and the other for Uriah Ministries because not only did I learn a lot and have a lot of fun times, but God also used this time in a mighty way. So with that I begin.

          A lot has happened, but that is to be expected when six months have passed. I was originally only supposed to be here for three, but unfortunately I have been lazy with such amenities as the beach and the nightlife around here. Yep, that is what my summer was mainly filled with, snorkeling and salsa dancing. I met some very cool people while I was down here too. Natlie taught me how to salsa in Tampa, and Joey became my instant friend in West Palm. Evan and Derrin kept me sane through the job, and Kelton took me out for my first beer when I turned 21. Wolf, a German bodybuilder, worked out with me and went to the movies with me, and Gina took me fishing, kayaking and became my Barnes & Noble companion. These people helped me survive being away from my friends and family, and I thank God for the cast of characters that have played a supporting role in this very interesting and unique act in the play of my life.

          My job has been interesting as well. I have met more people than I ever thought I would, and seen more homes than I ever dreamed of. I have sold pest control all over Tampa, and all over West Palm Beach, and have somehow learned how to make my way around both of these cities. I have learned how to turn concerns into selling points and questions into yeses. I have learned how to use body language to make people more comfortable with me, and have learned just how to get any customer to laugh, taking them out of defensive mode to impressionable mode. In all of this the Lord has taught me how to sharpen my abilities, hone my sales skill, and has given me confidence in a job that I never thought I would feel sure about.

          Oh, and did I mention that I have lived with 4 engaged guys and have seen all of them get married?! Mormons will someday out-populate any other country… I am sure of it! But the coolest of the marriage situations was seeing two of my close friends make the decision to be with one another for the rest of their lives. That happened August 11^th, and I will never forget the image of Conny walking down the isle towards Tim, and seeing them give their lives to one another.

          At the end of the Summer I saw friends leave, their goals having been hit, and their lives going back to normal, and I sat in wonder. Where had my summer gone? Why hadn’t I made more of my time, as it pertained to my job? Post-season started. I set a goal to make my month profitable and fun. God blessed that diligence. Over the past four weeks I have gotten right at sixty accounts, each one averaging $450 for the company, and for me that is awesome. Where I had failed in proving my sales abilities to the owners of the company, and where I had failed myself in working hard, I succeeded completely in my last month here. As a result I hit will hit my bonus scale, pay off my car and will actually get to go on vacation! The Lord has blessed me and it has been Him and only Him that has seen me through this wilderness experience. I am so in awe of His power and His willingness to bless those who have a broken heart. Time and time again I hit the pavement, praying for a certain number of sales, and time and time again God gave me the exact number I asked for, or more. Whoever doubts the complete power of prayer doubts in the truest form of communication we have as finite beings!

          To read part two of this blog click here…

          So now I am at the end of the road, with one more day left to hit my final goal. All I need is 2 sales, and I will have changed a Summer of defeat, into a Summer of victory and all because of the Lord. To God be the glory, great things He has done! Pray for me as I embark on my last morning and early afternoon of sales, and pray that the Lord will give me one last day of victory. I leave either today, in the afternoon, or tomorrow morning. Either way I plan on driving straight through to TN, only stopping to go to the bathroom and gas up. Food is irrelevant, stretching is useless because every second I waste is one second less I will have with you guys!

          I want to thank a few people in this last chapter of the Florida Chronicles. To my family, you guys have given me the strength and the inspiration to continue strong until I succeeded. I can’t wait to annoy you guys in person and be a part of your lives back home in good ole Nashvegas! To Josh Sisson… Brother you have been a constant and immovable friend while I have been Gone and I am so grateful that God has allowed me to know you especially during this time. The night before I left for Florida when we were praying together in front of the Parthenon, meant more to me than almost anything and I want you to know that the Lord has answered your prayers! And to the members at Uprising Church, thank you so much for keeping up with me on this site. I created this blogsite to keep in touch with all of you and it has been more of a success than anything I had anticipated. Next summer in May I begin this wild journey again, and I encourage you all to check this site out periodically as I prepare for the next season of the Florida Chronicles.

          I want to leave you with this thought… No matter where we are God is with us and will get us through any trial as long as we lean on Him. Not only that but God has given us all talents and if we trust and rely on those God given gifts, we will prevail. Thank you so much you guys!

          With that I bid you farewell and hello as I make my way back home!

I’M FREE!!!!!!