Cell Phone Bill? What's that?

I've had a lot of people ask me how I can afford to live so well while making so little. So I figured I'd begin a series of blog posts sharing some of my secrets. Some may be right for you, others may not, but these are the ways I make a small paycheck go a long way and still take epic vacations. I will be posting referral links, but I wouldn't try to give you anything I don't really believe in. And if it has the Nate Stamp of Approval, you know I've done my research!

The first post will be about my cell phone bill. How much do you pay a month? Probably about $60-$120, right? If so, you're in the same category as a lot of people. I say you're paying too much. Let me tell you about who I get cell service from. It's a small company called Republic Wireless. And I pay $10 a month.

Ten dollars? How is that possible? You may be wondering these things, then thinking that I probably have terrible reception or a dumb phone that can't even go on Facebook. The truth is, I get great reception and I have a smartphone.

Republic has four plans, which you can see above. I use the $10 a month plan, which gets me data on Wifi and unlimited texting and calling when not on Wifi. But you can change plans twice a month. So when I go on vacation I'll bump up my plan to the $25 plan with 3G. It works stupendously. Republic uses Sprint cell towers, which are ok but not great. But the way the prices are so low is because it uses Wifi whenever possible.  And if you have good wifi, call quality will be excellent. It can even switch from a Wifi call to a cell call seamlessly! I love the $10 plan because I don't want to be constantly connected to the internet. Only sometimes. Also, I'm almost always near Wifi. Republic Wireless saves me tons of money on my Wireless bill, and I love it. Note that you will have to buy a phone from them, so it's only a couple phones to choose from. But they are a couple of the best phones on the market. (The Moto G and Moto X)

I tried to keep it brief. You can find out everything else you need to know on their website or by contacting me. Here's a link where you can get $20 off (2 months if you use my plan!) I recommend this very highly. They also have a sale going on for the next 24 hours. So if you're looking to save on your phone bill, check them out!

I tried to keep this short. There's so much more I could say, but I want people to actually read this. Don't forget to subscribe or follow so you can get the rest of the series. Thanks!

Put it DOWN!

I woke up this morning determined to try something new. Namely, not look at my phone until after breakfast. I know it's not good for me to have a screen be the last thing I see before going to bed and the first thing I see after I wake up. So this morning I made sure I had breakfast and spent some time with God (as well as moving my car to avoid a street sweeping ticket) before I as much as glanced at my cellular device. And guess what?

It was HARD! The desire to pull out my phone was intense. I was able to resist, but at least ten times I caught my hand reaching for my pocket to pull out my phone. The time that most resonated was when I walked down the stairs, I tried to pull it out. As if my inner psyche said, "You may as well multitask. You have four seconds as you walk down the stairs to see how popular you are this morning on Facebook, Gmail, and texting." Blegh! This mindset is disgusting to me. How did I become so attached to a simple piece of technology? More importantly, how do I fight the effects?

At dinner last night, I had a conversation about something that happens to me every day in the break room at work. This probably happens to you too. How many times a day do you find yourself in a completely silent room, save maybe the sounds of the television. Everyone in this room is either staring at their phones or at the television screen.

Now let's travel back in time with me to the 1950's. Grab a milkshake and see a drive-in movie really fast. OK, now let's get to the point. Back in this time, there was something called the art of conversation. Starting to talk to a stranger was not uncomfortable or weird, it was what you did. If you entered a room with one other person who you did not know, it wouldn't be nearly as difficult to sit down with them as it is now.

Flash back to the present day. I often sit down with strangers, because I'm outgoing and weird like that. I get one of two reactions:
- Pleasant surprise. They're happy that someone wants to talk to them, since they were only sitting alone because they didn't know anyone. (Apparently not everyone is outgoing to a fault like I am.)
- Awkward silence. These people either don't want to talk to anyone or aren't able to maintain conversation.

Why has staring at our phones almost entirely replaced conversation. Sure, check your texts really quick. I'm not opposed to using phones. But I plan to cut back on the checking Facebook seventeen times during my half hour lunch break. I'd rather start a conversation. Everyone has a story. That person sitting across the room could become your new best friend, or your future lover! You'll never know unless you start the conversation. And in today's culture, they're not going to start that conversation; that's up to you! I'm starting a new life policy: If I'm out and about with people, the phone is a tool, not a toy. Quickly responding to messages: fine. Constant staring at the screen, not OK! And if you get one thing out of this, let this be it:

Text messages can wait.
Facebook notifications can wait.
Snapchats can wait.
Your Instagram won't self-destruct without constant viewing and uploads.
0% of your happiness should come from things you see on your phone and 100% from things that happen in real life.

Let me repeat that last one. You say you enjoy spending time with your friends, then proceed to spend that time on your phone. Live, laugh, love, and put away your cell phone!

Church?

Lately I've been thinking. A dangerous habit, I know, especially for me, but I like to live on the wild side. This thinking has led to everything from patentable inventions (patents are WAY too expensive) to thoughts about society to thoughts about church. Which is what this article is about.
I could say one heck of a lot in this article, but I'm going to try to get my point across without writing a novel. Because I am writing a novel. Separately; not related to this. And it will be awesome, just wait!

Anyhow, I've grown up in the church. Like, I had a house, but I grew up going to church. I guess that's a "churchism," "grown up in the church." As if there's a dormitory in the belltower. Strange childhood. ANYways...I've grown up around the notion, stated out loud, that church is God's people, gathered together, wherever they may be. But, beneath that stated principle has been the unstated concept that church is a building, and church must be all that church is today. Let's see if any of these sound familiar.
1. Church has a pastor.
2. Church has worship, which includes singing songs (Sometimes hymns, sometimes Chris Tomlin. One church I visited sang the Beatles. That was interesting.)
3. Church requires a 10% payment of your money, and you will be made to feel guilty if you don't pay up.
4. Church is mostly non participatory. Meaning, you sit and listen while other people talk and sing.
5. Church is boring. Alternatively, church is not boring, and there's an insane stage production or a tiger up on stage, but you really don't learn anything except that you can rent a tiger. (Did you know that? Crazy world!)
6. There's a raised stage, or a pulpit the pastor talks behind, or both.
7. Looks similar to this:

Now, these are just a few things. But look at them outside the lens of tradition. They range from no biblical reasoning for them whatsoever (#6) to questionable reasoning (#1, #3).

(Side note: I know some of you reading this will first respond by writing up a massively long response with how all these things are justified in the Bible. Don't waste your time. If you want to talk to me about it, talk to me. In person. No reason to start a flame war online.)

A lot of the basis for these things has been found in the book Pagan Christianity. Go ahead and read it if you like. I feel the conclusion may be a bit extreme, but many of the points are well taken. I don't think God intended the church to be a place where we never open our mouths or contribute at all. And I think the church today is far from what it used to be/should be. I've found that I'm not spiritually satisfied in "church" that we have today. Occasionally I'll learn something, but overall, I've found a different environment to be more stimulating to my spiritual development. Note that I said 'my.' If you LOVE church and walk away feeling 'fed' week after week and feel very close to God, then awesome! But I think God is leading me to something different.

Anyways, I could go on. But I think you get the jist. Now here's where I ask you something. Do you feel the same way? Do you want to start something new and passionate? Something from the ground up, as in line with the New Testament as possible? I'm praying that through this post, or however else God chooses to do it, that He'll send me at least one person with the same passion. Preferably near me so we can meet in person like once a week. So if God's "tugging on your heart," (I'm good at these churchisms!) hit me up! My greatest desire is to glorify (churchism!) God through this. So even if you don't, feel free to pray that God's will be done. Ok, that's it for now. Nate out, God in.

Things I'm Thankful For Limerick

Thanksgiving's an excellent day,
Which inspires such things I must say,
Expressed in a scheme,
That's not often seen,
But is just the most excellent way.

For so many things I am thankful;
Let's start with the winter and rainfall,
Although it'd be a bummer,
If I forgot summer,
At Huntington with sand to my ankles.

Although the weather's a-changin,
And my schedule has been rearrangin',
I'm thankful for Jesus,
All the ways that He frees us,
And his grace and mercy I take in.

And you bet I'm thankful for Disneyland,
For a job it's an occupation most grand!
You could call it profession,
Or maybe obsession,
But I'm glad life did not go as planned.

A huge Thanksgiving for friendships!
The kind of friends who accept dumb quips.
By myself it's frustration,
But with friends, motivation!
Without friends I could never get ripped.

Did I write a limerick on food yet?
Make sure I include it, you bet!
With flavors like bacon,
Or pie's pleasing sensation,
I know it's as good as life gets!

Now I'll say a couple things more:
Computers and musical scores.
Road trips, dancing, singing,
When my telephone's ringing,
And of course a carpeted floor.

Roller coasters, Nutella, and my bicycle Billy.
Family, hiking, and my car; her name's Gilly!
Taking baths in a bathtub,
The lack of a backrub.
And that visit to Disney World, really.

Now I'd like to go on and continue.
To name things and create a menu;
Of all things I love,
And thank God above,
But I don't want to sound better than you.

So I will just leave it at this,
To limerick too long is remiss.
Accept the occasion,
Join in celebration,
And now let's prepare for Christmas.

Lunch with Strangers

I have an idea. I want to meet people. I want to get to know people's stories. I want to take strangers to lunch and hear their stories, their ideas. Their perspective on life, their religious views, their passions: these are the things that make up a person. Too often I feel trapped in my own perspective, my own worldview. Maybe trapped is too strong a word. I feel content.

I've learned that content is a dangerous word. It can be an amazing thing, and Paul preaches contentment in the book of Philippians. This kind of contentment is something much of America needs more of, with our greedy consumeristic mindset. But that's neither here nor there. The kind of contentment I'm talking about is more of a settling. If I don't go above and beyond to improve myself in every area of my life, I settle into a period of stagnation. Take the gym for example. Am I happy with my body now? Sure. Perfectly happy. But do I want to get better? So much. And I'm going to work toward that goal. I want to do that in every area of my life.

So the idea is this. I want to have lunch with a stranger once a week (or whenever my schedule can manage). I'll cover the lunch, and we'll both cover a variety of topics. I'm thinking I'll go to a mall and use restaurants there, or maybe an area with a lot of people. I'll need a sign explaining what I'm up to. And I may blog about the people I talk to, if they're agreeable. I expect many surprises, a few exhilarating encounters, and a few commonplace. But I'll get to meet some of the faces of my community/nation/planet. I'll be exposed to different perspectives and different people.

But here's the thing. I need some support. I need ideas for my sign, so that I come off the right way and not as a creep. I need prayer, that I handle the lives of people totally different from me with respect. So I'm basically asking, is this a good idea? Bad idea? Somewhere in the middle? And mostly, should I do it?

A Purposeful Life

Please note before reading that this blog is not about a life full of porpoises, or a life full of proposals, although I hope to experience both of those things at some point. This is about a life of purpose. 

I go through life every day doing many things. Sometimes I think about them before, other times it's simply reflex. After reading my devotion this morning, I was thinking about how important it is to be purposeful and intentional. I thought about some of the things I'm excellent at being intentional about:

• Planning events with friends/professional meetings and following though on my plans
• Going to the gym consistently
• Having a morning quiet time spent with Jesus
• Eating healthy and making sure to get three meals a day

And I though about some of the things I have been less than intentional about:

• Consistently attending a church and becoming part of a family there
• Being clear with girls and letting them know whether I'm interested or not
• Catching up with old friends who I still love but haven't seen in years
• Starting a Bible Study

Of course, these are just examples. Those of you who know me can likely agree with this list. I need to work on the second half. And I'm trying to change. I have a church that I like. I have been once and plan to go more, and this is the last morning I'm going to skip church without a valid excuse. I'm going to start trying to communicate to girls what I'm interested in, whether that's being just friends or taking it further. Although, honestly, I need to work on the first half more...I want to catch up with old friends. Remember, if you're reading this and wondering if I even still know who you are, I do. Once friends, always friends. I love all my friends, and I pick things up wherever we left off, no matter how long it's been. And I've been trying to start a Bible Study, but I've decided I need to stop trying to gather the perfect group and just find one solid guy to have the study with.

Being purposeful can help in so many areas of life. And I have also come to believe that it's a part of maturity to live with purpose in everything you do. Kids (and sadly, teenagers and twenty-somethings) go through life too often doing just what 'feels good.' Ask anyone, and they'll tell you that's an ultimately empty way to live. I want to do great things, and to do great things, I must intend to do great things. So here's to being intentional. It's time to stop going with the flow, whether it's the flow of the world, or the flow of how my life has been. Time to step up. Anyone with me?

Girls: A Brief Trail Guide as to my Thoughts on the Mysterious Species

"Freaking girls, man!" I don't know how many times I've used that phrase in my life. I do know it's probably more than the phrase, "Yes, I'd love to do your dishes for you!" or even, "Where is that stupid phone?" Girls have been the cause of so much frustration, fun, and all kinds of emotions. I love girls. Some of them love me. There's been good times, there's been bad. All right, I think I have enough for an intro paragraph. Let's dive into the meat.

I grew up in a conservative Christian home. My parents never urged me to date. Heck, they still don't, and I'm 23! I'm not sure when they think I'll be old enough; I'm not sure I ever will be! :P But I know the philosophy on girls I was surrounded by growing up. Here's a few of the major tenets:

• Girls deserve respect.
• If a girl has any sort of curves, they should be fully covered up. Modesty is more important than fashion.
• One should only date a girl one intends to marry. Because there is clearly no other reason to be dating.
• Pornography and masturbation are terrible sins.
• You should save sex for marriage. And petting. Probably kissing too. And just to be safe, let's throw in hand-holding, because that's a pretty serious commitment. 

At the same time, I was surrounded by our culture and media, and their ever-present messages, like these:

• Girls should have the right to do whatever they want.
• Girls should wear the sexiest clothes possible in order to draw the most guys to them. 
• You should be free to date whoever you want. As much as you want. Have fun while you're young.
• Pornography and masturbation are as normal as eating and sleeping.
• Saving sex for marriage makes you a virgin. And if you're a virgin, there must be something wrong with you. You better not let that secret out at a party!

I don't know if you noticed, but those are polar opposites. And neither sounds all that great. The first option strips all the fun out of life. It turns anything sexual into a taboo, and suddenly marriage becomes not a way to spend your life with someone you love, but a way to skirt the rules and have sex. This option creates massive guilt in anyone who doesn't follow its rules.

But the second option is no better. It makes everything as pointless as a trip to Las Vegas with no money. Once you go all the way, you may as well do it again. And again. And somewhere along that road, it isn't special at all anymore. Marriage becomes a recipe for divorce, since we're always looking for someone better and don't know how to stick with one woman/man. 

Like many things in life, I believe this calls for a middle ground. And no, I don't think there's a clear cut line. The whole "shorts to your fingertips" rule for girls I was around in school? Ridiculous. Not only because to some that may still be scandalous and to others a bore, but because all it really does is make those same girls wear the shortest shorts they can find when the rules aren't enforced.

(Disclaimer: All my examples on clothing restrictions are based on girls, since the conservative community has absolutely no rules for guys. I was ok with that, but I always felt bad that the girls had all these silly rules. Sorry ladies!)

So where does one end up? Both sides end up looking very bleak if one is to take each by itself. I think everyone will make their own decisions on that. But I'm going to share the decisions I've come to. Not because I think you should make the same ones, but because I think it might help you to make your own. I think the worst thing you can do is to blindly follow those around you, whether they're telling you to keep six inches from the opposite sex or telling you to have sex every weekend. So without further ado, here's some of my standards:

• Women definitely deserve respect. From men, and also from themselves. I will open up doors for women and small motions like that solely as a sign of respect.
• I will wear whatever I want. I'm ok with girls wearing whatever they want. But there is a balance. As a guy, I definitely enjoy it when girls are a little less than fully dressed. I may stare at a girl when she's dressing for attention. But I really pay attention and want to know a girl when her clothing is stylish and still somewhat modest. Remember, wearing a burqa is fine, but it's rather pointless when everyone else around you is wearing bikinis. It also looks really hot.
• Save something for later. I'm not going to not spend time with girls, but I also have very clear standards on how far I will go. I may not always communicate those standards when I first meet a girl, since that would be pretty high on the weird-meter, and I'm a kinda weird guy already, but the standards are there. 
• Pornography and masturbation? Gosh, I'm not going to do all your homework for you. Check out your Bible. If you're not a Christian and don't follow the Bible, then I'm not going to make you do what the Bible says, but I would love to tell you about my good friend Jesus sometime.

Anyways, these are just some thoughts I've been having. Whenever you see me, you don't know that my brain is always going a million miles an hour. I could write a book with my thoughts, but I don't think anyone would buy it. Anyways, there it is. Feel free to stop in next time for my thoughts on aliens. Just kidding...the imminent zombie apocalypse is far more interesting!