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!

Google's Big Dilemma

This one will be short and sweet. Google just came out with Google Keep, a product for taking notes. I love trying new Google products and was about to transfer over from my current notes app, when I remembered Google Reader. Google has no motivation to keep services going for us. So I refuse to trust them with even more of my personal information. If I'm the only one thinking this, no big deal for Google. But if this is a common sentiment, this could mean big trouble for future Google Products!

Catching Up

A lot has happened since I've last posted. My life is rather a whirlwind of insanity. That's kind of the way I like it though, so no complaints here. In the past month I have:

• Moved into a new apartment in Anaheim with two roommates who I had never met before. Fortunately it's working out really good!

An astoundingly low-resolution photo of my incredible bedroom

• Lost my full-time job teaching out in Palm Desert and began looking for new work.
• Discovered my love for building furniture and IKEA after buying IKEA furniture and putting it together to fill my empty bedroom. 
• Picked up a second part-time job doing some tutoring for high school and college students. Not a lot of hours or pay, just a little something extra. 
• Applied for another medical study over the next couple weeks, got into it, and hopefully I make it all the way through. That would give me a good amount of cash!
• Began to cook and have a kitchen. I can cook!!
• Brushed up on my Spanish skills. I went from "un poco Espanol" to "un poco bien."
• Going to multiple free concerts and shows and such! This month I should be seeing B.O.B., Wicked, and any number of smaller acts.

So that's a small update on what's been going on in my life. How about the things I've learned from it?

• God always provides what you need, when you need it. I didn't say what you want when you want it, or what you need when you want it. He just provides what you need when you need it.
• When you graduate with a major in something that can lead to an excellently paying job, you'll get a lot of pressure to obtain a job in that field. But God has been consistently leading me away from such jobs and towards other ones. This may be inexplicable to others, but God knows best, and I'm beginning to see that.

Matthew 6:26-27

Jeremiah 29:11

Pray for me that:

• I'll rest in God instead of money or financial contentment.
• That God will provide something I've been wanting for a long time.
• Another job to fill my free time, or more hours at my current jobs.
• I'll be able to have enough extra money for some fun road trips this fall (that's a want!).

Getting Real

You'll get the bird. Keep reading.

I haven't posted a blog post in a while, but I suppose it's time to throw some stuff out there. Let's be real, the side I present on Facebook isn't the full details of my life. It's mostly the fun stuff; a more ideal portrait of my life. Don't tell me you haven't done it too. We all have junk in our lives, but we choose to share just the good parts of life with our friends, sharing the crap with no one or if we're lucky, with our close friends. I'm not down with that anymore. It's time for full disclosure. No more hiding behind the veil of Facebook. I'm gonna put some stuff out there.

First off, I have a Mechanical Engineering degree. And I'm living paycheck to paycheck. That whole "Engineers are in high demand," shtick is a load of BS. I had two jobs, one at Disneyland which I love, (still do, as I still have that one) and a teaching job which I felt I should have loved but didn't. Anyways, the teaching job, which was the bulk of my income, is gone. School went under, nothing was my fault, but still, I'm down one job. And I'm job hunting again. No one knows my history with job hunting, but I have spent so much of my life doing it, I absolutely abhor it. I've spent four entire summers of my life job hunting as well as various other periods. I HATE it with every fiber of my being. Yet God has me here again. Really, God?

Second, I live in my car. Have for a month. I engineered it a bit better, and it was supposed to be a short term thing, but it's gotten a bit longer. I'm hoping to move in with a friend in about a week, but until then, here I am. Living in your car is not that bad...at first. Then it gets worse...and worse...and soon you want out. Then you lose a job, and it's back to the car...

Anyways, those are the two things I wasn't sharing with all of Facebook. Now I don't care. Also, don't give me the "Poor Nate..." lines. I don't need your pity. God has surprisingly given me a large enough measure of contentment for where I'm at. And He continues to provide what I need. He always will. So, here I am, in a situation that the world, and probably you, find pretty terrible. But I'm okay. I'm content. Am I entirely thrilled about the situation? No. Do I sometimes put on a face that says I'm happier than I really am? Yes. But am I content; am I okay? Yes. I'll make it. And I thank God every day for his contentment and peace, and pray for a larger measure of both.

One last thing: Don't judge me for this and think I'm a loser, a slacker, lazy, etc. I can assure you, I'm none of the above. Me and God just had a chat a while ago, and we both agreed I didn't want a normal life, cubicle job, 2.5 kids and a house in the suburbs. I wanted, and still want an adventure! God said okay, and little did I know what that entailed. Just know, as hard as this gets, and as crappy as it may be sometimes, I'd rather be living this life than the "American Dream."

Matthew 6:26-27 "Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?"

Next Up in My Life - A Story of God's Provision

Well, my life has shifted around a bit in the last month. One month ago I was living with my parents, had no job, and had less than $100 in my bank account. Today, I'm living out on my own, I have two jobs, and let's just say I'm blessed. :) This is a story of God's provision.

August 31, 2012 - I have no way of paying my September rent. Unless I get a job I'm going to be living with my parents. Today is the last day I have in SoCal to wait for a call. Then, at 5 pm, I get a call for a screening for a medical study. Doesn't seem likely that I'll get it, but I figure I'll go for it anyways. Then, at 10 pm, I get a call offering me a job as well as free room and board. But at this point, I need to go move in with my parents anyways to figure stuff out.

From that point until now, a few things have happened.

• I got the medical study. This meant a few weeks in confinement, but a HUGE replenishment to my bank account. Thanks God!
• I accepted the job and the free room and board. Thanks God!
• I interviewed for another job, one working at Disney, and was offered the job ( I took it!)

Now here I am. I have one job teaching kids at a school in Palm Desert, another job working as a Cast Member at Disneyland on the weekends, and a full bank account. Earlier this summer, I was expecting to get a well-paying job that I may not have liked all that much. Now, God has given me two awesome jobs as well as plenty of money. I spent the whole summer working on finding the job that I thought was right for me, but little did I know that God had other, much better plans. Seriously, my life is awesome! God always comes through, even if it's at the last possible second. (Ten pm on the last day before I moved out after 8 months of job hunting was pretty last minute!) Trust God, because He sure knows what's best for you even better than you think you do!

God's in the Small Stuff

Sometimes one just must share about something God has done, insignificant though it may seem. A couple weeks ago, my car's coolant light came on. As I don't have a job yet, I couldn't afford to get it checked out, so I spent the last few weeks with the windows down and the heater blasting to keep her from overheating. Not the greatest, but she got me where I needed to be. Then this afternoon, I had a job interview. I knew that if I did the usual windows down, heat on routine in my suit, I would be a sweaty potato by the time I got there. Sweaty potatoes don't get jobs. So I asked God to help me get there and stay cool.

Now a couple days before, the coolant light had turned off. But the problems behind the symptom continued to happen, so I figured it still needed fixing. But today I got in the car, turned on the AC full blast, shut the windows, and prayed that I'd be fine. And I was. The car didn't overheat. I got to the interview plenty cool, and I think it went well. Dunno how God did it, but He fixed her, at least temporarily. Thanks God. Now...about that job that I need... :P

Eureka! (I've Found It!)

I need to share something with you. I've found the greatest gift of my life. The one thing that I can rely on, the one thing that can keep me going. At the risk of sounding cliche, that one thing is Jesus. I'm sure you've all heard stories of how people have found Jesus. Maybe you've had your own experience; maybe you even made the emotional walk to the front of the church in front of all your friends. Maybe you've been there many times.

But I want to let you know that finding God is not just an amazing one day experience. It's more like finding a treasure chest that's filled with new gifts every time you open it. If you stop pursuing God once you've found Him, you will be missing out on SO many gifts that God has ready to pour into your life. The Christian life should be a constant pursuit of God, His presence and His glory. It can be challenging to pursue God. It takes time and it takes work. It takes commitment and dedication. Just like learning an instrument, you have to dedicate time to the things you value the most. And this isn't to say I've figured this out. But I have noticed that the more I pursue Him, the more I want to. The closer I get, the faster I run toward Him. And the more the things of this world fade away. A few years ago, I had many things that were more valuable to me than God. But my relationship with Jesus has grown to be the most important thing in my life, and I can now say that I am sincerely willing to give up anything I have, whether it be possessions, relationships, or even location for God. It's ridiculous how far I have come and how far I have to go. And I look on the future in fond anticipation, knowing that every time I am growing closer to my Savior is a time that I will forever savor.

Knowing all this, how can I sit and enjoy God by myself? How can I sit in His presence and marvel at His goodness without sharing it with the world? I haven't nailed this sharing my faith thing yet. I have work to do. But I want to be on the right path; I want to tell the world the hope that I found. I want to tell them that not only is there more than what the world sees, there's more than what much of the church sees. I want to share that!

If God is not the one thing you rely on, your one true love, you're missing out! Pray and work toward having that relationship. I could never go back to my previous 'normal' Christian life. Feel free to ask me about any of this, I'd be more than happy to share!

A Christian Perspective on Drinking

We have all formed our own judgments and conclusions on this topic. I've had my preconceived notions for years. But now that I have tried quite a few types of alcohol at a good share of crazy parties, I feel that I'm actually qualified to write this and share what I've learned. I'm first going to share what the Bible says and then expand on that with my personal views.

Biblically, drinking is acceptable. Jesus drank wine many times on various occasions. Sure, it wasn't as strong as today's wine, but regardless, he drank wine. Now, there have been debates on this and some say that the wine referred to there was actually grape juice, etc. I'm not a Greek or Hebrew scholar, but the conclusion I've come to is that alcohol, in and of itself, is not a bad thing, nor is it a sin to drink it. However, in Ephesians 5:18, the Bible does tell us not to become intoxicated. That much is clear, and there are many examples in the Bible (and in real life!) of when drinking too much has been a very bad thing. So, to sum up the Biblical perspective as I have come to understand it, drinking is OK. Drinking to excess is not.

Now this brings me to how to apply this knowledge. Should I feel free to drink as much as I want, provided that I don't get drunk? Is being buzzed OK? Let me note that this is the part that is not based solely on the Bible, but on what I've put together. I want to start with a pros and cons list of drinking.

Pros of Drinking:

• Having a buzz can be a lot of fun. It makes everything funny, and just makes everything looser and more free.
• It's much easier to fit in with a crowd where everyone is drinking when you are, in fact, drinking.

Cons of Drinking:

• If you pass that line, you're going to have a terrible night/morning, and if you go REALLY far, you might die.
• You can't drive. OK, you can, and most do, but you shouldn't.
• Alcohol doesn't taste good. I know, you're going to tell me it's an acquired taste. But really, the guy who took bath salts and went rogue zombie in Miami acquired a taste for human flesh, and no one's fighting and saying that human flesh tastes good! You can acquire a taste for anything, but in reality, alcohol's not that good.
• You have to keep pictures off of Facebook and guard one side of your life from others you don't want to know about it. (Or do you email your Aunt Edna pictures of the latest keg stand?)
• You could be arrested. Because wherever there's alcohol, there's people under 21 who want to drink it, and do drink it. And if you're over 21 and at that party where the underage are drinking, you can get busted for it. On the other hand, if you're under 21, you already know you can get busted.
• Some Christians will judge you for drinking at all, even if that view isn't biblical. And if you're a Christian, the Bible explicitly instructs you not to lead your brother astray.

In my opinion, the cons greatly outweigh the pros. Maybe you don't think so. I'm going to present two more points that I've come to. 

Firstly, most drinking is done at parties. If you've ever been to one of these parties sober, you know that the alcohol is really the thing that makes it fun; the party itself isn't great. Beer pong is really not an exciting sport, hence why I don't have a favorite beer pong team that I watch on TV. If the party runs out of alcohol, the party is over. Alcohol shouldn't be necessary to have fun; I know how to have tons of fun without it! All I see at these parties are people trying to fill their lives with something where they have nothing. And when I go to these parties, the fact that I have that something stands out to me. I have this thing, this amazing peace, fulfillment and happiness in Christ, that the crowd is fulfilling with alcohol. But how will they begin to see what I have if I'm drinking alcohol as well? Sure, I can be cool and take down quite a few shots, doing crazy stuff like the rest of them. But if I act the exact same way the world does, I'm not really spreading the message that I have Christ. Sure, if I tell them I'm a Christian, I'm giving off the 'Christians are cool too!' vibe. But that's not the vibe I want to give off. I'm looking for the 'Christ is cool!' vibe. Alcohol doesn't make me stand out as a servant of Christ.

The other conclusion that I came to comes from 1 Corinthians 10:23: "Everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial." This verse is talking about our freedom in Christ. In regards to alcohol, I believe that it's saying drinking is OK. Christians can drink. But we need to form our own conclusions about whether it's beneficial. I've laid out the evidence that has led to my decision, but you must make your own. My life goal is to bring glory to God, and I don't see how me drinking brings glory to Him in most situations. So I'm going to apply it to my life by not drinking anymore. Now, I'm not going to make an ironclad agreement where I say that I will never drink again. I may have a glass of champagne to celebrate a birthday for a friend. But pointless drinking to fill a void in my soul? I don't need it; I don't have a void in my soul! I have Christ, and that's what I'm living for.

My Life As a Small-time Celebrity

All of us have wondered what it's like to be famous at one point in our life. I'm here to tell you my (short-term) experience with it in a brief expose.

Place: Spirit West Coast Christian Music Festival, May 2012
Goal: Become a local celebrity at the festival.
ACHIEVEMENT REACHED!

I decided to dress up as Waldo just for fun. As Nate, I was a friendly, somewhat crazy guy. As Waldo, I was a fun, somewhat crazy guy who everyone knew! Everyone talked about me in low voices as I passed. People stopped me and gave me hugs. I heard the joyful exclamation, "I found you!" countless times, and took more pictures with people than I can count! I ended up in the middle of a Family Force 5 mosh pit, and was apparently all over the screens. It was a blast, and I was a celebrity for a day. I couldn't go anywhere without being noticed!

Let me let you in real quick on my motivation for doing this. I do crazy and strange stuff sometimes just to make people smile. Humans laugh and smile at things that are out of the ordinary, so I do things that are unexpected, things that no one does. I have no issue whatsoever with being the center of attention, to be honest, I love it. But I mostly do these things just to make people's lives that much more joyful.

Lessons were learned though. Fame is fun for a day, but by the end of the day, it gets tiring. You can only hear your name whispered behind your back so many times before you want to change your name. (Maybe that explains Meta World Peace? Nah...) Waldo was the perfect way to learn the price of fame. I can be famous or not simply by putting on or taking off a costume. It was great, I could choose when to be me and when to be Waldo. But consider before you get famous...do you really want to have all that pressure all the time? Could you handle it?

Running Through My Mind

This will be a bit of a venting and processing my thoughts blog...If you want a look inside of my brain and me getting real, here it is. I just need to get some of this stuff out of my head.

I've really been struggling lately with my future and what it will contain. As you probably know, I just graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Now, it's time for the next step. Well, the next step is to find a job in engineering right? Start out low and work your way up! Engineers make bank, so I picked a great major for my future, or so everyone around me tells me. But I don't know if I'm buying it.

Let's rewind. My three college summers have taught me a lot. The first two I spent as a camp counselor at Ponderosa Pines Christian Camp. Amazing camp, and best summers of my life. I LOVED meeting people, forming relationships, and being on the move 24/7. I thrived there. The next summer, or the summer before this one, I found an engineering internship in Sacramento. I needed to do it to gain experience, so I searched really hard, got hired, and did an internship. And boy, did I learn a lot!

That summer was one of the hardest of my life. Now, the company I was working at was great. Great people, great pay, great location, awesome bike ride to work every day (15 miles each way, stayed in shape!), and a good amount of variety. So why was it the hardest summer of my life? Simply this: I didn't feel like it was for me. The previous two summers, I was in my element. I felt ALIVE as a camp counselor, I was doing something I was passionate about and loved! But this last summer...I wasn't. I was trapped in a cubicle in an office building doing things I really didn't find myself very interested in. I still did my best and completed every assignment with excellence and a good attitude, so I did good on that count. But I was left with a permanent impression that engineering wasn't for me.

So all throughout this past year, I've told myself I'm wrong. I was already three years in, and there was no chance that I was going to change my major at that point. I knew that if I had done a major like communications, I would have very little in the way of job opportunities and I wouldn't have been challenged at all. (Side note: Engineering didn't challenge me that much. I don't want to brag...but others found it difficult. I would have been so bored with a 'normal' major.) I do still enjoy building and designing things, and my dream job is still to design theme park rides for Disney. But now I know who I am, and that I LOVE people and want to be around people 24/7. The cubicle life killed me last summer, (I literally counted down the weeks and days until I was done) and I never want to do that again.

But now I'm searching for a job. I've been searching for an engineering job because that's what everyone says I should be looking for. But all the passion, the drive, the enthusiasm, is manufactured for the sole purpose of obtaining the job. I've seen other people working jobs I would love, jobs that are 'low' jobs. Secretaries, servers at restaurants: I'm told I'm 'above' these jobs, and that they are fallbacks in case I cannot find a great-paying engineering job. But they interact with people all the time...and (most) engineers don't.

So I find myself at a crossroads. Option 1 is to continue applying for engineering jobs, and when I get one, work hard at it, fighting my personality and who God made me to be the whole way, holding out for the chance that God has a perfect engineering job for me somewhere along the line, and I need to endure through jobs I don't enjoy to get there. Or I could look for other jobs. But where else? Where do I start? Where do I fit? I have defined myself, or at least the career-oriented part of myself, as an engineer. If I don't have that, where do I start looking for jobs?

God, where do I go? What do I do? I seek your will for my life, and I want to make the right choice, but I don't know where to turn! I'll take a difficult job if it's your will God; I realize the road won't always be easy, and I'm willing to do another difficult job. But I will never be as at home behind a desk as I will in a Jr. Hi cabin, never as enthusiastic in a cubicle as I will in a crowd. I pray right now that you lead and guide me to the proper job, preferably something that pays well, but if not, something that pays poorly. Money is no object, and when I say that, I mean that I know You will provide me all I need, God, so there's no need to worry. Please lead me, Lord.

Stop Judging!

Mahatma Gandhi was a great man. He is well known for his many non-violence and civil rights efforts, and everyone is taught in school that he was a great man. But let me tell you something you may not have known about Gandhi. While he was a student in England, he did some serious research into Christianity. He read the gospels and put a lot of consideration into becoming a Christian, as Christianity presented a real solution to the caste system in India, which is a terrible system that destroys many lives. One Sunday he decided to go to a church and ask the pastor to explain some of this to him so that he may possibly convert to Christianity. But when he entered he sanctuary, the ushers refused to give him a seat and suggested that he leave and worship elsewhere with his own people. He then left, never to return. He said, "If Christians have caste differences also, I might as well remain a Hindu!" He is also quoted as saying, "I like the New Testament, I like your Christianity, but I do not like your Christians."


This story stood out to me like crazy. One of the most influential men in world history could have been a Christian, if not for one man's judgement of him. One man prevented the salvation of potentially thousands of people! Now this is an extreme story, and to some extent it can be hard to relate this story to our own lives. After all, we live in America, the land of the free. We have no caste system, and thus, no judgement, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. Just because we do not have a caste system per se, we think we have no judgement issues. Let me just point out a few people we may look down upon as Christians:

• The weird kid who you think may have some sort of mental disability. He probably has other friends, right?
• The metrosexual guy who everyone thinks is gay. I can't love him, he might fall in love with me!
• The janitor you pass in the hall and don't say a word to. He's busy with his job, and I'm sure plenty of other people say hi to him.
• The clingy girl that you try to avoid. If I pay attention to her, she'll never leave me alone!
• The crazy guy with a tattoo that includes the F word. He's way too far gone for God, right?

If you're going to tell me you've never judged any of these people, you're lying. I know that at some point in my life, I have thought every one of these things. I have judged, I have looked down on, I have not been Christ to others. And that's dead wrong. That's a sin. "Love your neighbor as yourself." We are called to love everyone, not just those we understand or feel comfortable with. Stop judging others! 

Multiple times in the Bible, it says, "Judge not, that you not be judged." I've screwed up countless times, I'm the greatest sinner there is. I would rather not be judged. So I resolve to stop judging and treat all as God would treat them, by God's grace and to the best of my ability. How will I do this?

1.  I'm going to admit I have a problem. I am redeemed and saved. I no longer identify myself with my sin nature. But some of it still hangs on, and I pray to God to help me identify those areas of my life. I still judge, and I desire not to.
2. I'm going to pray about it. God, please let me stop judging. Put people in my path who make me uncomfortable. Then give me the courage to talk to them, to show them your love. Give me Your strength so that I can show them Your love, God.
3. Go do it. Destroy your prejudice, bring the judging thoughts and glances to a screeching halt. You don't need a new year to resolve to do something, you need the will to do it!

I strongly encourage you all to do this. I know I need to. And after reading the Gandhi story, I realize that the smallest thing I do to someone else or fail to do to someone else can make the biggest difference in the course of eternal history. I pray that I will never be the man that will lead someone away from Christ. Do you wish the same?

Cell Phone Stereotyping

Do you have that friend who's always on their phone? I put together this handy list of a few stereotypes to help you identify them!

1. The Absorbed Texter: This is the person who has their face to the ground all the time, buried in their phone. It's the technological equivalent of the nerd we all knew in elementary school who always had their face buried in a book. (Spoiler alert: It was me!)

2. The Facebooker: You know the Facebooker by their checkins on Facebook. If there's a page called "Jill's House <3 <3" with 172 checkins, 171 of which are from Jill herself, you know you have met a Facebook addict. These are also the people who will decide to fast from Facebook to dedicate more time to more important things in their life, and reactivate it two days later and tell everyone what a sacrifice it was. They will force you to become their friend seconds after meeting them so they can tag you in their newest photo "Chillin on the escalator!!! <3"

3. The iPhone user: You know this one. This doesn't apply to everyone that has an iPhone, but to those who just KNOW that they're better than everyone else because they have the iPhone 4S. (They'll make fun of you if you still have the archaic iPhone 4.) Stick around and laugh as they ask for a Taco Bell and Siri recommends 7 childcare locations near them.

4. The Parent: You know you're dealing with a parent when you recieve a voicemail in which they tell you the number at which to call them back, and it's the same number in your caller ID! Parents are known for their failure to understand technology. Also, a text that says, "HEY are you free 2 night to go 2 gmas house? Gma is baking CheRy struedel for uz and your csns." is a sure-fire indicator that your're talking to a parent. Note that some parents are techno-savvy to the point where it's scary. Watch out for them, as they will guess your passwords with the ease of an easy chair.

5. The "I need to charge my phone" Friend: Seriously, that ONE person always needs to charge thier phone. It's a brand new phone, but it runs out of battery by 11 am every day. No one can understand this phenomenon. It's just one of those facts of life.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Just keep an eye out for these cell phone stereotypes, and maybe even call them on it!

Why I Prefer my Kindle to your iPad

So I had some extra money in my Amazon account from selling back books. For a long time, I contemplated spending this money in various ways: magazine subscriptions, renting an elephant for a few days, or buying a Kindle. Apparently Amazon doesn't (yet) offer an elephant rental service, so I decided to go with the Kindle, thinking it will be useful on Male Chorale tour. I just got it yesterday and have been playing with it for the day, and I love it! Here are some reasons why I love it and it beats the iPad, at least in my opinion:

1. Energy efficiency. The Kindle lasts for a month without charge. The iPad? Well, the iPad 3 lasts 9 or ten hours on a full charge, depending on what you're doing.
2. The technology. The Kindle uses e ink, which I originally knew nothing about, but researched just now and found it super awesome. Basically, there's ink inside, and the electricity is used to move the ink. Once the ink is moved to its new position, it stays there without electricity. This leads to my next point.
3. Genius marketing strategy. This one is not in competition against Apple, as they obviously also have a brilliant marketing strategy. My Kindle is ad-supported though, which means that while in sleep mode, it shows an ad. Right now, it's showing an ad for a fitness center. This is genius because it uses no battery, and everyone will leave their Kindle just laying around anyhow. Most won't find this a reason to love the Kindle, but I appreciate good marketing, and this is very well done.
4. Access to free books. Did you know that any older books are in the public domain? Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland, and others are all free on Kindle because they're in the public domain. I can also rent books from the public library without even going to the library!
5. It fits in my back pocket. I'd like to see you try to fit all the Harry Potter books and the Bible in your back pocket!

These are just a few reasons the Kindle is awesome. I could go on, but you probably have something very important to get to, like watering your lawn. At the school I go to, watering the lawn is priority number one. Have fun!

My Plans to Make Everything MASSIVE!

I was at a conference the other day when I saw a projector. It was only a few inches across, so small that I stood there for a few moments and awkwardly stared at it. I continued awkwardly staring as the man who was in charge of the booth came and explained what they did, which had nothing to do with projectors, unfortunately. But walking away from that, I have come to the realization that there is a trend making all electronics smaller. Projectors are tiny, cell phones fall through your fingers, televisions are huge, but also razor thin. These things called iPads will be broken if you drop it too hard once, and as for the Macbook Air...I have to squint to see it. 

After comparing this trend to clothing trends, I have noticed that all trends come back. So I have a preparation plan to become the new trend-setter. Clearly the new trend will be huge electronics. So I have some ideas. First I will make a cell phone the size of a refrigerator. It will be on wheels, so transportation will be no problem. Also, the days of losing your cell phone will be over for good. Definitely one of my better ideas.

Next I will bring back a computer that takes up a whole room. It will double as a heating system for the room in the winter, thereby killing two birds with one stone. The keyboard will be large enough that one must dance on it to type. I'm convinced that dance-typing will become all the rage, and it will be common for secretaries to be panting as they answer the phone due to the exertion from dance-typing ninety words per minute. This technology will be akin to Dance Dance Revolution, except that you can play at work and no one will be mad at you.

I have more ideas, but your brain is probably on mental overload already with how much of a genius I am. Be sure to join us next time as I explain the new trend of your dog walking you backwards!