A Christmas Eve Service

Mary with baby Jesus

Our church normally puts on a Christmas Eve service.  However, this year the church wasn’t going to put one on.  Knowing how important this is to our family and other families, we decided to organize a service.

Last year we did a family service, due to snow canceling the regular church service, so we had a skeleton to work from.  From there, we put together a song list, a powerpoint, and finally a narration to be read about the birth of Jesus.  We recruited some musical talent, as that is something Tracy and I are lacking in, and we had our Christmas Eve service under way.

Tonight we got to the church early, got everything ready, and waited for our talent to show up.  They arrived early, we had a small rehearsal, and then it was time.  We had no idea who would show up, but several other families did show up.

We sang all the familiar Christmas songs, listened to me and my brother in law Jeremy narrate my version of the Christmas story, and had a nice, short, casual service.

Thanks to Bake and Dave for the musical talent.  Thanks for Jeremy for narrating.  And thanks to all who showed up.

If anyone is interested in the actual

College Shortcomings

I was working on some items yesterday for Unemployment Training reimbursement, figuring out finances and the like, and came to the realization that I’m extremely short on funds to finish all the college courses I want to take.  Short to the tune of over $6000.

Now, my first reaction was, of course, to panic.  How the heck am I going to pay for this?!?!?!  But, after some reflection, I realized that God has brought me here for a reason, and He is more than sufficient to provide.  So, I spent a few minutes in prayer, laid this need down before His feet, and did our grocery shopping.

Working through my options, I realize that the Unemployment Training is one option.  I have no idea if I can even get any money from them, but I will pursue it nonetheless.  I can check into scholarships as well, to see if there’s one for a poor, short, fat, nerdy white guy with lots of kids.  I can also lay this before my brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, if you are a believer, please pray that God will provide for our family, both for school and for all the miscellaneous expenses that will come up.  I know that $6000 is nothing in the sight of God.  I know He can cause that money to fall out of the sky if He so desired.  But, I also know He wants me to trust Him and wants me to wait on Him and trust Him, which of course means He will drag the provision out to test me.  I do not want to take any loans out, as I’ve been working on getting out of debt for years (having paid off my old student loans several years ago.)  So, please pray for us.

Life Changes- College at 39

Having been unemployed since July 1st, I’ve been frantically looking for work and finding no one is hiring me.  Not that I don’t have any experience or anything to offer, it’s just a tough job market.  Given that it’s tough, I’ve been looking into ways to make myself more employable.  And what better way to make myself more employable than to get some IT certifications.

In the past, I’ve tried the self study method.  Problem is, that method assumes you won’t be constantly interrupted by screaming kids, fights, barfing, and a wife who wants to spend time with you.  Taking classes is a much better way, as you can get away and focus.  So, with that in mind, I began exploring some of the CCNA certification courses in the area.

After much web searching and a trip to the unemployment office to find out what providers they can help pay for, I narrowed my options down to 2:  Heald College and PCC.

The folks at Heald were very friendly and not pushy (which I was expecting).  The gal in recruitment said she probably wouldn’t be able to answer my questions, so she called the director of IT and arranged for me to meet him.  My meeting with him was excellent; this guy was an IT pro, and he was heavily involved with the Cisco training in the whole Northwest.  His advice to me was this:  To be employable, I need experience, education, and certifications.

I have experience, don’t have a degree, and only have one certification.

This changed my thinking dramatically.  If I have several months I can make it on unemployment (albeit barely), I should take advantage of this time and finish a degree and get some certs.  Heald’s program does gear you towards that path, but I wanted to check out another school that I knew was more widely recognized.

Portland Community College:  A massive, sprawling institution with 4 campuses across the greater Portland/Metro area.  Information from them was widely available on the web.  They even have Associates degrees in Computer Information Systems.  So, I began the quest to see what they can offer.  Talking with someone in person was quite problematic, since it was getting close to classes starting.  I applied for the school, was accepted, and got my transcripts ordered.  Then I went to speak with an advisor.

The advisor wasn’t really much help, however, since she was a generalist and I had some very specific questions on the programs and which direction I needed to take.  She did give me an email address for the department advisor, and that person actually responded to my emails.

Now, this process has taken several weeks, and I’ve been really wrestling with how to make this happen and which direction I should go.  Should I go for the Associates?  Should I take the certification path?  Should I try to squeeze my Multnomah University credits in and finish my degree from there (I’m only 21 semester credits away from a Bachelors there).  And, how is school going to look with my chaotic life?

Well, I still have questions.  I know I’m getting a Pell grant, but I have no idea when they’re going to pay out.  I can get extra assistance through Unemployment, but have to jump through all their hoops to do it.  Life will still go on, and that means unforseen expenses, which I have no idea how we’re going to pay for.  And, to take my certification exams will cost money as well, ranging from $150 to $300 an exam, depending on which one I take.

But, between the chaotic and tumultuous moments, I’ve been asking God to direct me, and asking for strength.  I can’t do this on my own.  Tracy can’t do this without God’s help, either.  This is a big unknown, and that scares her.  I’m going to be too darn busy to think about it, as classes start Tuesday (12 credits in general ed and roughly another 12 in non-credit classes geared for IT certifications.)  I also have no idea what textbooks I need or how much they’ll cost.

So, pray for us.  I need direction, and Tracy needs reassurance.  I hope I can handle this, my track record at being a student hasn’t been that great.  But, this time, I know I can’t screw around.  This is my future and my family’s future, and I need to make the most of it.

10 years of Marriage

Brett and I have been married for 10 years as of June 12th, 2009.  Time has flown by so fast, I can’t believe it has been that long.  We have shared lots of laughs, smiles and tears together.  God has kept us together through those rough times and we have grown closer because of them.  God has provided many memories and precious gifts for us that we are so grateful to Him.

 

Katelyn turns 8

Happy Birthday to Katelyn!

Looking for Work

My employer just announced some layoffs and hours reductions, and as the good Lord would have it, I am one of the people being laid off.

I have until June 30th to find some other work.  So, if any of you know of any IT related work, let me know.  I would appreciate any leads at this time.  And, I would also covet your prayers, too.

Brett

What Happens When You Cross A Tired Boy With A High Chair?

Greggory Broken Collar Bone

Answer:  You get a broken collar bone!

Last Thursday evening we let the kids stay up a little past their bedtime, as Tracy was finishing up a dessert and wanted to treat the kids with some.  Sometime after 8:00PM we began dishing it up, and told Greggory he needed to get in his high chair if he wanted some.  Now, normally Greggory has no trouble accomplishing this simple feat, yet it was late and he was tired, and his motor skills were severely hampered due to this.  Nevertheless, he wanted the apple crisp and ice cream, so he attempted to climb into his high chair as I dished him up some dessert.

A few seconds later we heard a loud crash and saw Greggory lying on the floor, crying as he laid there.

I immediately set the dessert down and went over to him.  He appeared conscious and wasn’t bleeding, so I picked him up.  He kept crying.  Tracy and I cuddled with him for almost an hour, and his crying did not stop.  Finally, I decided I would need to take him into the emergency room to get him looked at.

If you have never had an emergency room experience, let me just say this:  Don’t plan on doing anything else for the next 6 hours, minimum.

We checked in, Greggory was exhausted from crying and started falling asleep, but would wake up crying every now and then.  We figured out before the trip there that picking him up hurt him, and that messing with his right arm hurt him.

The emergency room folks were obviously busy, because it took at least an hour before I even saw our nurse.  But, Greggory fell asleep, and the lady across the hall screaming about wanting to be let out keep me well entertained (I believe they had to restrain her, as she started assaulting the nurses).

Eventually, they got Greggory in for a CAT scan, as they were worried about the possibility of concussion.  I was really glad he slept through it, because had he been awake I’m not sure how he would have handled it.

At around 2:45am they sent us home, I got to bed after 3AM, and resolved to get to work the next day.  The next day came and while I worked, Greggory laid around all day, refusing to play.  He didn’t want to move, didn’t want to play, he just sat on the couch watching movies all day.  We were obviously concerned.

Our chiropractor thought he might have some bruising up near his ribs near his shoulder, given that he didn’t want to move his arm.  Physically he didn’t react to being touched, just moving his arm bothered him.  We followed up with her again and she was still concerned, and suggested we get x-rays.  Today, Thursday, we took Greggory in with us to Josiah’s one year checkup to have our doctor look at him.  She felt around, moved his arm, and didn’t think anything was broken, but ordered x-rays to make sure.  And, amazingly, Greggory sat perfectly still while they did the x-rays!

Well, we got a CD with the x-rays on them, opened them up, and to our untrained eyes it looked like little Greggory’s collar bone was broken.  And, when the doctor’s office called back, they confirmed that it was indeed!

Apparently, with a broken collar bone on a young child, there isn’t much they can do for it.  They are giving us a sling for his arm, assuming he will use it.  Other than that, they said it already started healing and was coming along nicely.  Just keep him pumped up on ibuprofen for the pain and wait it out.

So, what do you get when you cross a tired two year old with a high chair?  A recipe for pain!  I don’t recommend it!

Josiah’s First Year of Life

Happy 1st Birthday Josiah Richard Gorley!

Degree or No Degree. That is the Question.

Brett Getting a Degree

For some time now a friend of mine has been bugging me about finishing up my degree.  A co-worker has brought it up to me before as well.  I have always rejected the idea due to the time that would be involved and the uselessness of a Bible degree for someone working in the computer field.  Finally, I checked on what it would take, out of curiousity.

Well, it seems I am 21 credits shy of my Bachelors degree, and most of the classes I need are offered online.  Also, given that I work for the institution that I would be getting my degree at, I get a substantial discount- to the degree where the cost isn’t really an issue.

Now, I am still curious as to what benefits having a degree will give me, but everyone I’ve ever spoken to said it can only help.  But, I’ve been praying about this, and wondering if I should go through with this.  So, like most limited-faith men, I put out a fleece.  “God”, I said, “if you want me to get my degree, then make my wife 100% behind me on this.  If she is even at all hesitant, than forget it.”

Well, my wife is behind me on this, and willing to support me 100% in this.

I guess all excuses are behind me, and it’s time for me to get ready to go back to school.  I plan on doing online courses this summer, next fall, and next spring, and have my degree come May 2010.  I started attending Multnomah in 1992.  Strange that it would take me 18 years to finish what I started.  But, God leads us all along different paths.

I will require prayer to finish this.  Please remember me in your prayers.

P.S.  I guess my wife told me before to finish my degree, but I’m too forgetful to remember that fact.

Tracy, Kids, and Life

It’s been 6 weeks since Tracy’s hysterectomy, and so far it looks like that is going well.  We’ll find out today for sure after our doctor’s visit.  Though on the downside, it looks like she’s dealing with another sinus infection.  Today she woke up experiencing extreme vertigo, making her nauseous.  Sigh…. I hope and pray she gets better.  She’s been through enough she needs to just feel normal for a change.

Josiah turns 1 year old at the end of this month.  Greggory is two and obnoxious.  Obnoxious as in he’s a curious boy and gets into everything.  Kate hates school, she wants to go back to homeschooling.  We have applied to get her and Angelique into Arthur Academy, a charter school.  Lord willing they get accepted.  And Tanisha has a boyfriend.  They aren’t allowed to kiss or do anything that could get them into trouble.  So far she is being honest with us, and we’re being honest with her, keeping the relationship open.

And Brett is contemplating going back to school.  I have 21 credits to finish to get my batchelor’s degree, most of which I can do online.  But, we will see.  Time to do homework is really the only hinderance.