Thanksgiving Weekend

One could not be more happy than to have his beloved, somewhat strange, and quite quirky family visit for Thanksgiving weekend.

I had to come up to St. Auggie to take care of some car issues and we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Wednesday at my parents house.  It was just me, the folks and the dog.  The next morning we were going to drive down to Tampa and my parents were going to stay till Saturday.

It ended up being a great drive.  We decided to make a stop in Orlando to have lunch and go to Dad's favorite store on the planet:  Bass Pro Shops.  Now, this store is THE ONE store that my dad could literally spend all day, and never get bored.  It is his sanctuary; his home away from home.



So, dad went on his way, speeding around every person potentially in his way on his shopping spree.

Although, there was one thing that stopped him dead in his tracks: the bass pro fishing T.V.

Now, of course, Mom and I had to keep ourselves entertained and busy while Dad whisked himself away on his motorized cart through his own "heaven on earth."  So, I went shopping for Mom.  And, boy, did I find her the PERFECT gift!

But, of course, I wasn't REALLY going to get that for her.  We both agreed we'd pass on the gift opportunity and followed our fearless leader to the check-out line so we could continue our journey to Tampa.

We arrived in Tampa safely, took a couple naps, then it was off to Best Buy for my Black Friday graveyard shift.

After searching for a parking place in my mom's Forrester, I finally started my ten hour shift- 11:30 Thanksgiving night to 9:30 the next morning.

After getting off, we went to the best breakfast Tampa Bay has to offer at Pach's Restaurant.  Afterward we strolled down Bayshore Blvd. to check out the amazing view of the bay.

....Ooops!  Well, after a couple tries, we had it figured out....

There we go!  It was a beautiful day!  Afterwards, we went back to the apartment for an afternoon nap. Then it was off to Saint Petersburg!  Dad had never seen the Gulf before and wanted to see the sun set. We got a little later start than what I had planned.  After listening to a faulty GPS, which needed to be updated, we finally found Treasure Island.  What a site!  It was gorgeous!  Just what dad needed to see!

After that, we found a neat restaurant with great food.  Mom got a fried chicken salad (Yes, she ate fried chicken.  It's amazing, I know).  Dad and I had some pulled pork sandwiches.  Delicious!

It was a fantastic trip!  I loved having my family down here.  And, it was so good to see Dad out of the house and enjoying the sites and sounds that he loves so much.  It was a weekend to be truly thankful for.  God has blessed us indeed.

Even in the small things, God is faithful.

Well, it has been awhile since I have blogged about how I am doing.

To give a quick update: Work is good, but, sometimes very hard.  I have been going in at 7p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays to unload their trucks and usually get off anywhere from 4a.m. to 6a.m.  I have also been working the cash registers in 5-6 hour shifts on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and/or Thursdays.

Now, when on register, we are supposed to be selling these really cool protection plans that go beyond the manufacturers warrantee on certain products.  My sales on the registers were not good the week before.  I sold maybe 10% when our goal is 20% per shift.  I talked to a manager and he set me up to work with a guy for about 45 minutes after my initial shift ended.  I stayed on the clock and got some really good tips about making better sales.

The next week I came back in and had been praying on the bus to help me do a great job at work. I wanted represent God well and glorify Him in all I do.  I also asked Him for favor with the customers.  I walked out of the store with a 37.5% sales goal met.  THANK YOU JESUS!  The following shift, I prayed again.  My manager told me they had done real terrible the day before so our goal was pushed to 25%.  My sales were 47% after that shift.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT the selling type.  My roommate asked if I thought that was because of training from the week before.  Possibly.  But, the funny thing is on both shifts I was getting really big products that people really wanted to get protection plans on.  Some of them had already heard about it, and asked me for without me even presenting it to them.

God has been so faithful and has been teaching me about true humility and trust.  It can be challenging to see exactly what God is doing in you.  Many times , He doesn't reveal that to you at all.  Other times, it's only a little bit at a time, yet not enough to make sense of it.  Yet, He continues to show Himself.

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers and support.  Don't forget if you would like to donate to my YWAM fund you can click on the donate button to the right of this blog, or if you would like to send a check, you can contact me for my information at aaronlovesmusic23@gmail.com.  I am also on facebook at Aaron Gray at YWAM-Tampa.  You can also follow me on Twitter @ Awaron1515.

Thanks everyone!

Stay posted for more updates soon!

Are You a Builder or a Decorator?

At bible study this morning, we were talking about encouragement and the humility it requires.  Our initial conversation began with little ways to compliment each other: "Hey, I like that shirt" or "That's a cool hat you're wearing."  Those are nice things to say and they can be encouraging to someone.  We often refer to this as "building someone up".

But, after a little discussion, one of the guys chimed in and said, "I don't think it's talking about giving someone a compliment.  That's nice and all, but I think it's more about encouraging someone in the truth of God's Word."

But, God's Word can often offend.  How do you encourage someone when the truth can hurt?  The only way to "build someone up" is to point them to the Builder.  Jesus called Himself the Cornerstone.  He is the foundation of the church itself.  So truly building the church means that all of our conversations need to point to Christ.  It's there, in His presence, we can be encouraged and convicted.

Yet, we have this idea that encouragement is merely this pretty way of flattering people.  We pay each other compliments, say nice things, and claim we are building the body of Christ.  To some extent, that might be true.  But, there is more to building each other up than just saying nice things.  What if one of us has a sin or bad habit we can't break that will lead to our destruction?  Will we tell the truth and call each other out like Nathan to David after sleeping with Bethsheba and murdering her husband (2 Samuel 11-12)?

So here is the question: Am I a Builder or a Decorator?

The builder is often subject to uncontrollable elements and uncomfortable situations that can be hard to navigate.  The decorator, on the other hand, has a job once the house is already built.  This job makes the place a pleasant, livable area that is enjoyed by anyone who walks through the door.  

However, many of us try to decorate a house that is not completely built.  Some of us need to be demolished for a complete rebuild, and yet we don't want to lay the foundation because it means we will have to drip sweat and get dirty.  It also requires great strength and precision.  We'd rather decorate  and compliment each other than make a house that is functional.  But a nicely painted house that has termites, dry rot and water damage is not a very safe one.  It might look nice on the inside.  But, once an inspector comes to check it out, he's going to make sure you leave until the necessary repairs are made.

So, am I willing to help build God's house?  Am I willing to encourage and edify my brothers and sisters who are working alongside me?  More so, am I willing to be built, and even torn down to allow the necessary renovations to take place in my life?  We can decorate each other all we want.  But if we aren't properly built, we could cause someone real pain.

Now, constantly tearing people down doesn't make you a great builder at all.  That just makes you a demolitionist.  Remember, the only reason for tearing something down is to build something better in it's place.  It's so important to appreciate each other.  The goal is to genuinely build AND decorate someone to their full potential in the Lord. 

So, are you a builder or a decorator?  I would pray we can all function as both.  Some of us need to be built, while there are others who need some decoration.

Anxiety, Faith and the Steps in Between

In light of the new exciting things that God can take us through, sometimes in walking out that new exciting step we get stuck in a place of fear and could very well end up paralyzed if we are not careful.  Thoughts of doubt and worry can so easily creep up on us.  Praise God for His Word actively at work in our lives!

In addition to that, take a look at what my friend posted on her blog about 12 hours before this.  God really is awesome!  What hope we can find in Him!

Check out my friend's blog "With Radiant Faces: Abundance" Here!