We're Not Lost!: Driver Derrik, Wife Holy Spirit, Attendant God & Mechanic Jesus

So I don't know how long this has been going on, but it was just brought to my realization today. My life, at least from what I thought has been crazy. Trying to find a car, trying to find a better job, trying to do this and do that. I think it was being bred in me the moment I graduated college. This feeling that I have to get a job making good money. That if I don't have a surplus income after paying all of the bills I'm not making enough. Now add on that tons of student loans, listening to Dave Ramsey and having the strong desire to get the loans paid of asap.
  Now, none of those things are wrong(minus the student loans...blah). Dave Ramsey is a excellent financial adviser. And I give him thanks for letting God use him in the way he does. Paying of my only debt is also an excellent thing. Finding a better job so I can see my wife more than a few hours a week is a great thing. Finding the best possible deal on a car is another good thing.
   But, I have been going about it all wrong. I have begun traveling this road and have forgotten the most important thing. A map! Directions! I thought that if my resume was good enough, if I looked a certain way for interviews, if when interviewing held my shoulders high and appeared more confident than anyone else I could do it. I could get the job, pay the debt off, provide surplus for my wife and be set on our merry way to England to do Globalscope. Well, I tried to get there by not stopping and asking for directions. My way has ended up bringing me nothing to show really but a car, which has some minor issues with it. So I guess that car really defines what I have become. Confident, with minor blemishes on the exterior and interior...but not the running as good as it could be. The exterior is excellent, as well as the interior. But the interior of the interior is where the real issue is at. Now, its only real issue is that it misses a little, but it still runs better than most cars I've driven. And I should be getting it fixed in a couple of days.
     Staying on the car metaphor(wow, never thought the whole car thing would make a good lesson), imagine as you're traveling, your car is starting to break down. Your wife, and bear with me, a.k.a the Holy Spirit, keeps telling you to pull over at this gas station and that station to get the car checked out. But you insist that if you keep driving, if you drive the car with more confidence and self-determination that it will fix itself. That is where I was. I kept trying to drive my life my way and in the end I was driving a car with no engine. Hopefully, eventually you stop at a service station. You go in and tell the attendant behind the counter, we'll say this is God, what is wrong and ask for directions. He gives you a map and points you exactly where you need to go. As you wait for your car to be fixed, a mechanic, Jesus, walks in and says, "Things looked pretty rough, but it was no job I couldn't handle!" So you grab your map, thank everyone for their help and go off on your way to the right destination.
   Now, these characters are meant for examples sake, so don't make this out to be more than it is. If Driver Derrik had listened to Wife Holy Spirit sooner and stopped at a service station, then Attendant God could have pointed Driver Derrik in the right direction and Mechanic Jesus would have fixed the car a lot sooner and made the whole ride much more enjoyable. I just needed to throw away my pride, stop and get things going in the right direction. Which is going about things on God's time, in his way and letting him navigate.
©Derrik Sanders, July 2010

Magic Squirrels

So... I am driving home on my way from work this morning listening to the Bert Show on Q100 in Atlanta (just a little addie). Me and another car are driving together on the last stretch. The car isn't that far ahead of me.  So as we are driving, the car in front of me nails a squirrel. I mean NAILS it! The squirrel comes out from under the car and rolls like 10 feet. I was like, "Dang, that roll was a bit dramatic..." So as my car and I are approaching the situation, I notice something strange. The once squirrel, which I am assuming is just crushed has surprised me. The squirrel magically transmorphed into someone's weave. And not just any weave, someone's weave which had a red highlight in it.

I guess I should've stopped and tried to help the little guy, but I was so astonished and awestruck that I had to keep driving. Fear consumed me like I was in Children of the Corn. Moral of this story: Never underestimate a squirrel's ability to transmorph.

It's been a while...

It has been a while. A lot has been going on the past weeks. I have a final interview with Bank of America. A JOB!!!! I had a couple more meetings with Christian Campus Fellowship peps from West Georgia. And we got internet hooked up today!!! I must say it is very exciting having our own, fast, reliable internet!

So Abby and I, myself, received a psychological exam packet from CMF, Christian Missionary Fellowship. It is a few different tests that just test basically our sanity...so...one test is like 550 questions. It was crazy, but at least it was true/false. We have been busy filling out all of that stuff. I talked with my new Supervisor from Globalscope and set a time frame for when we will be moving to England. I think as early as next Fall(2011) and as late as Spring of 2012(which we all, and by we all I mean my one follower, know that is the last year of the Earth, lol). So all of that is very exciting.

I am really stoked about the Campus Ministry here in Newnan. I am just ready to get started. And hopefully my schedule is about to change to benefit everything about my life. I work the graveyard shift and I definitely do not recommend that for anyone, much less a newly wed couple. Only seeing my wife 2 1/2 hours during the week, well, really just sucks.

Well, I just wanted to catch everyONE of you up and I will try to start posting a lot more. I will try to get some media on here so it isnt so boring. And I will be posting things other than serious posts. Hopefully Apple will sponsor me, as it has my friend Kevin and let me advertise an iPad. But I wont get my hopes up.

Until next time and May the Force be with you!

What Better a Title For A 1st Than "1st Post"?

WARNING: This post may be a little short long, it's the first one

Welcome to all who are reading this blog!

That being said...welcome to me for beginning to blog. I have been hesitant to jump on the "Blogging Caravan" b/c every1 is doing it. It's the new "thing" to do. Well, not really the new thing, but you get what I'm saying. Let me put it this way...it's the modern version of the guitar. The guitar?! Yes, a few years ago every1 including my neighbor's cousin's newborn cousin began to play guitar. It was the thing to do. That is where blogging is at now. Every1's neighbor's cousin's newborn cousin is doing it. But, I fell in and here I am.

As mentioned in the description, me and Abby will have some epic changes in a year/year 1/2. Many of you know that we will be working with Globalscope in England. Globalscope is a campus ministry that is in several different countries around the world. Click HERE to see their website. Oh yeah, I am also possibly helping out with CCF West Georgia, a campus ministry. That's another post. I am using this blog to keep every1 updated on everything. Also, I may share insightful, awe-inspiring thoughts of wisdom and life lessons...but probably not. I will, however, try to share what is on my heart at times. Continue reading, noting that there is a disclaimer at the top.

Existence 12:2. Hmmm. Sounds like its some sort of book in the Bible or some ancient text. Well, close. I was stirring my thoughts and trying to figure out a good name for the blog. Something short and sweet, catchy but not lame. I was flipping through the Bible and trying to find something that fit. I happened upon Romans 12. Specifically verse 2. It states, ^"2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Please read Romans 12 to get the context. I think this applies perfectly for what Abby and myself will be doing. It applies to what all Christians should be doing.(12:1-8 is really a good section) What is the pattern of this world? Only caring for me, staying comfortable, keeping things convenient, not putting myself on a limb for anyone, etc. You get the idea. We have to get a makeover with our mindset. We change our mindset and are transformed into a new way of thinking. A new way of processing. Of living.To get to people, we have to be different. Must be different. We have to live Romans 12:2. (yes, we must live the entire Bible, but I'm just talking about Romans 12:2 right now b/c it influenced my blog title)

That's where Existence comes in. One of the definitions of existence is "a mode or manner of existing". Existing can be replaced with living. A mode or manner of living. We must live Romans 12:2. So the title of my Blog, Existence 12:2, means living Romans 12:2.