So, the votes are in and the winner is…Shave the head and keep the beard! And here it is:
Michael – May One
-Michael
Michael
Last Picture!
Well, my hair has officially hit the point where a part is almost a must…
I have to admit that the beard has kind of grown on me (no pun intended). The hair, not so much. So, what will I keep? I’m thinking I’ll keep the beard and buzz the hair. What do you think?
I will post a new picture once it is done.
-Michael
Michael – Day Twenty-two
Michael – Day Eight
Michael – Day One
Picture Time!
I never got around to doing this last week. So, there may be a significant difference from the last picture I posted…
Michael – Day Twenty-two
Michael – Day Eight
Michael – Day One
Work, work, work….
As this month goes on, I am finding it harder and harder to find the line between work and rest on the Sabbath. The first couple Sundays were fairly easy, but this Sunday was quite difficult. My Dad and sisters decided to redecorate my parents bedroom while my Mom and her Mom were visiting my Uncle in New Orleans. I was working all day Saturday at the church when they decided to do this and got a bit of a surprise myself. Anyway, Sunday came around and I was home for a short time between church services and was asked to help with some stuff in the room. I found myself debating as to how much I could actually help with before I would be considered working. In reality, doing anything at all to help with the room would be considered work no matter how light or heavy the lifting. At the same time, as Christians, we are taught to help those who ask and even those who do not. Even Jesus worked on the Sabbath. I’m curious, what would you have done?
I feel I should tell you, I did end up helping move a couple of the larger pieces of furniture. I may have helped with more had I not had to leave again to go back to church.
I mentioned above that I spent all day Saturday working at the church. I have to say, it is amazing how satisfying it is to work for the Lord. Myself and five others spent the day wiring in clean circuits for our church’s audio/video systems as well as relocating the systems. It was a great day full of not just work for the Lord, but also fellowship with each other. This is a project we have been working on since we started upgrading our systems over a year ago and, with the exception of some minor detail work and the building of a new desk to replace the current tables, we are finally done! It took longer than anticipated, but then again, the Lord probably has a reason for that. It is amazing what work can be accomplished when done through and for God.
-Michael
Thinking Ahead
In keeping the Sabbath, we have chosen to not do any work except that of the church. This includes school work. Of course as part of not doing work on the Sabbath, we must plan ahead and get the work done in advance. Some, like myself, are procrastinators and typically wait until the last minute to do homework. I find myself tonight working hard on a paper due tomorrow night questioning whether or not I’ll be able to have it done on time. I know that with God’s help I can do anything, but I think that God may be teaching me a lesson this time. And so, it is back to work for me. I will be back later this week with an updated photo and more, once God and I get past this paper.
-Michael
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As Promised…
My beard one week in.
Michael – Day Eight
It gets harder not to trim everyday…
-Michael
P.S. Here is last week’s again for comparison.
Michael – Day One
…And We’re Back
Who knew how hard it could be to not reach for your smart phone every time someone asked a question. The question could be as simple as “what time is it?” or “what are you doing two Saturdays from now?” I found out yesterday just how much I depend on technology. I admittedly did not go the whole day without it, but the only times I used it were to check the weather, listen to music and play games. I did not use it to do anything work related or even remotely stressful, simply to relax. Of course all of this excludes what was necessary for worship. It made a great excuse to put off my seminary homework one more day, but it also gave me time to be by myself and with God. I did not have a constant stream of text messages from my family and friends, as much as I love them, to distract me from what I should spend Sundays doing, praying and worshiping God. I went from “so groggy I back into my sister’s boyfriend’s car as I was leaving for church” to “refreshed and relaxed” through the course of the day. This, of course, made going back to work this morning and homework this evening (which I am still working on) much more difficult because I had felt so good after spending all that time with the Lord. I can’t wait to have time with Him again later this week! If you have never taken a day to just retreat from society and be with the Lord, I strongly recommend that you do so, it is extremely revitalizing.
-Michael
Sabbath
Well, tomorrow is the first Sabbath of this journey and it shall be an interesting experience. We will be turning off our cell phones and computers. The exception will be for me during the worship services at my church as the computer is my part in Sunday morning worship. Some may think that this could be considered work, but to me any work done in worship of the Lord is just that, worship. So yes, I will be behind the computer tomorrow morning and playing in the praise band tomorrow night. Stephanie will also be playing the organ all morning at her church. Everyone has their method of worship. For us, it is in our service to our churches, the people who make up their congregations and most importantly, to God.
May God bless you this Sabbath and may your only work be in the spirit of worship. We will be back on Monday (possibly with an updated picture of my uncut hair and untrimmed beard).
-Michael
The Little Things
It has been a few days since I have had time to sit down and write something. This week has been interesting. Remembering to stand for elders is still very difficult, but some of the other rules have gotten easier to follow. For example, I have stopped thinking about trimming my beard in the mornings. This may seem like a small feat, but if you have ever had to change your daily routine, then you know how hard it is to not fall back into the old ways.
I was raised to be a gentleman so when Stephanie told me I was going to have to open doors for her (and other people in general especially women) it didn’t strike me as a big deal since I had been doing that as best I could all my life. The funny thing is, it has gotten harder to do. The hardest is car doors as most women are used to getting them theirselves, they don’t usually think to let a man slip around on front of them and grab the door. I have had to learn to say things like “let me get that for you.”
One cool thing that has already started to show to me through this process is my awareness of those around me. Tonight Stephanie and I decided to go to Fridays because I had a gift card to use up. When we ordered our food, the waitress had misheard what I was ordering but I didn’t realize until after she had left and couldn’t seem to be able to flag her down to confirm my order. So the food came and sure enough, it wasn’t what I ordered. So I asked for her to correct it and she very politely did and apologized several times. Of course my instinct was to be grumpy and pouty the whole time and to leave a poor tip, but whole I was sitting there and Stephanie was praying before starting to eat her food I realized that I could have been more clear when I ordered and that this waitress is just trying to do her job as best as she can. So instead of shorting her tip or sending my plate back a second time when she came back with the entrée fixed and still the wrong sides, I tipped her just as well as I would have otherwise and thanked her for fixing our mistake. Little things like this go unnoticed by most, but you never know when they may mean a lot to someone and they always means a lot to God. Instead of taking revenge, I showed forgiveness…although I may have still been a little pouty towards Stephanie when the waitress wasn’t nearby…
So I guess the moral of tonight’s post is that even the little things count to God. Do your best to live as He would and to be aware of those around you.
Good night and God bless!
-Michael
End of Day Report – Day 1
Wow, this is going to be so much harder than I thought. Today I violated several rules or at least almost did. Rule 11 is one that is extremely hard to do in the work environment. I often get stop by’s at my cubical and it’s hard to remember to stand for an elder when they simply drop in say something quick and are gone again. After much discussion, Stephanie and I decided to refine this rule for the workplace; instead of standing for elders I will stand for those in higher level positions than myself (more often than not they are also elders). Also, when at home or in public I will stand for parent, grandparent, older folks at church, anyone that I know to be significantly older than myself.
In addition to Rule 11, several of the little things slipped by me today too. For example, helping Stephanie with her coat or opening all doors for her and others. I was raised to be a gentleman so I frequently open and hold doors for others as a standard practice, but home doors that do not have auto closers and do not require being held are much harder to remember than one might think.
The other big one for me today (not including the beard trimming as mentioned in this morning’s post) was remembering to thank God for my meals as I ate them. This is not something that is currently built into my routine, so it is hard to remind myself to do so. Thank God for Stephanie and her ‘subtle’ little reminders.
Praise God for an non-catastrophic first day of this journey! God bless and good night!
-Michael
Ancient Living 