The Best Shape of my Life

So I know that this title may sound misleading. No I am not in the best shape of my life, yet. Though it is a huge passion I have on my heart. Something that I haven't been able to do since high school. As of last week, fast food is no longer a part of my diet. I don't know if that is something God told me to do but I am sure glad I am doing it moving forward. To move along with that I have a gym membership now, not cable television. Therefore my lifestyle has no choice but to change.

Before I moved to Portland I have always wanted to be in good cardio shape to run my grandmothers 5K fun run on the 4th of July. If it wasn't for a friend of mine being willing to run with me to get in shape I would have never ran the 5K with the confidence I did on the 4th. After that run and moving to Portland I desired to get a gym membership. Now I have one. As an engineering student the past 5 years at OSU, my schedule never allowed me to have the schedule I do now. Starting tomorrow will be the beginning of what should get me to the best shape of my life.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I will lift weights on this 5x5 program my buddy Zack recommended me back in January. Given my schedule then it was the only thing I could possibly pull off so I am actually looking forward to having more than enough time to do it. On Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning I plan to still do cardio. Though that 5K has passed I still desire to feel good and to look good. Not eating fast food anymore and preparing more food defiantly has me feeling better than I ever have. Looking good is another issue.

I will be honest. I have never given two thoughts about my figure going through college. But once bagels became an every other day thing and I discovered some good beers I have put on a gut a little bit. I look okay with my shirt off but I need to look great from my perspective. That means I have to find that 6 pack I once had and I can tell you it isn't in the fridge. Sit ups will begin to become my friend again just like they were in high school.

I look forward to recording the process over the next couple of months. I have always been a goal driven individual. These goals that I have made if I break then or fail I will be disappointed. That isn't going to happen. Usually in the past I have had accountability when it comes to having to workout or go for a run. I don't have that yet but at the same time I don't need that. These goals and this drive I have to meet these goals should be enough motivation. That is what drives me! I look forward to being in the best shape of my life in the coming future. Not only do I hope to see a difference I hope you can see a difference too. In a good way and not a stuck up way :) God bless

Hope, His Word, Our Faith

These last two weeks in my new home have been some of the best times when it comes to getting into God's Word. As an engineering student during the school year I could never invest the time in God's Word like I wanted to. It wasn't that I didn't have the time, I just chose to do other things. Whether that be serve others, do homework, or have a fun time with friends. Recently since being in the Word more, I have found God revealing more and more to me. I have come to believe he puts these opportunities and desires before us to not only teach us but to bless us as well. I will share a little with what He has shown me recently.

Since I've moved I've been going back in forth through the Bible. I first have started by reading a chapter of Hebrews a day, which I am almost done with, going through Jon Courson's commentary on Hebrews, transcribing Philippians which has been such a blessing, and digging into Psalm 119. During these times hope, His Word, and our faith have really stuck out to me. Here is how.

In Hebrews 6:19 it says, "we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain". I read this over a week ago. This put the image of an anchor on my heart. What makes this crazy is that I know of at least three people who have shared on the same thing in regards to how the anchor symbolizes our hope in our Lord. I recently purchased the newest Hillsong Live album. There last song on the album is called Anchor and has become one of my favorites. Below is the link to the song. I suggest you check it out. It has blessed me.

Anchor - Hillsong Live

With being in the Word more lately, I decided why not read Psalm 119 again. I have in the past but why not dig into it a little more. I am not an English major but I love the way this psalm is written. The mention of the "word" is mentioned 28 times unless I missed one. That right there sends up a red flag to me for something of importance. Going through Courson's commentary he mentions that people who don't like to worship are people who are not in the Word. He also mentions that when times are easy, we usually don't take the time to search God's mind or to hear His heart. It's in affliction, difficulty, or problems that we tend to open the Scriptures much more. This hit home for me. This is a new season for me, I have been having a blast but it hasn't been easy. I am so thankful that for the time being I am living by myself for this season to build new habits in my life when it comes to God's Word. It is something that when I look back I will be happy with I know for sure!

Yesterday I went to a church right up the road from me that my cousin recommended. Willamette Christian Church was what it was called. I really liked it but I want to check out a couple more churches before I make my decision on a new church home. The teaching came out of Galatians 3:1-14. A passage that mentions faith. The same way we enter the Christian faith is the same way we are to advance in the faith. Faith puts you in right relation with God. During the sermon I turned back my Bible to Hebrews 11:6 which I read earlier that morning. It says, "and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him". Not even 5 minutes later he mentioned this passage. What a reminder to me about how important it is to continue to put my faith in Him daily!

Lastly I want to share a picture I posted on Instagram yesterday morning. You can see it below.

I finally got to unpacking everything from the move up here and came across the letter my brother wrote me before I left for Singapore during Spring Break. The verse of encouragement he wrote down happened to be Psalm 18:30. This verse has always been one of my favorites but to be honest I had forgotten about it. Everything God has been showing me lately points to Him. It is an overall theme. It will always be like that. I am just so thankful that I notice it more now. Even though I have just begun this new chapter in my life, I never want this to stop. My prayer is that He would continue to reveal Himself to me everyday in different new ways. It has been a blessing for me. 

My hope is that somehow something somewhere will bless you in this post. It is an honor to serve God and I am completely overwhelmed by the love He has for not only me but for you. Thanks for reading, until next time...

Familiarity and other things

Another week has come in the books. It is hard to believe I’ve already been working for two weeks! Time surely flies! I continue to be amazed with how much God has blessed me with my jobs and family and friends I am surrounded by. It sure makes waking up in the morning a lot easier.

This last week of work was pretty busy. I put in 48 hours with some Saturday work which will only come sparingly when needed. I continue to learn new things with the computer program AutoCAD where I do all of my work. I finally got out of the office a little bit to do some surveying work as well as go see the site I would be doing the weekend work for. I am so thankful to have a job that will always keep me busy for the most part. Each day is something new and that is something I like.

A difference this week from my first week is the familiarity I am starting to get with the Portland area and the surroundings. Each day of the week I was doing something in the evening which is something I don’t usually do. In the past when I have had a job over the summer and I’ve worked 8-5 I would just come home and do nothing. Some of you may not see it but it does take a lot of courage for me to step outside my comfort zone something I am learning how to do better.

Tuesday night I had dinner with my grandparents which will start to become a regular thing week to week from the looks of it. I can’t complain that means I won’t have to cook J Wednesday night I went to the gym and hung out with my buddy Jonathan and his girl Kelise. It was good to catch up with them. Thursday I saw Despicable Me 2 which was hilarious and visited my buddy Sina at a 24 hour coffee shop called Ava’s. I pretty cool joint. On Friday I played basketball with Sina and Danny then Danny and I went and visited our friends Roxy and Lucy in Beaverton and hung out with them for the rest of the night. We went to this place called Henry’s Tavern which was pretty cool! I barely got any sleep that night then had to be in Vancouver by 8 to cut blackberry bushes which sucked. But overall it was a pretty busy week and I really enjoyed it J

Yesterday I picked up my cousin from the airport in the morning. He most likely will be moving in with me in September so I showed him the place and got to catch up a bit which was nice. Next I tried out the church up the road from where I live. It is called Willamette Christian Church. I really liked it but am not going to make a decision for a little bit until I try other churches out. I will have another post devoted to the things God has been showing me later on. I finished the evening with some grocery shopping. I should be set for the next month. I am gonna get myself on a workout/run routine for every other day in the week starting today! That begins with eating healthier to which also starts today. I am excited to see what I have ahead of me in the future. Look forward to future posts, God bless.

A great first week and a very busy weekend!

Well my weekend was full of excitement. I have yet to branch out to find that excitement in Portland but the weekend I had in Corvallis was great! It is still weird writing it in that order because usually it is the other way around. Now that I am a working man, the roles are switched. Still settling in but I will get used to it I am sure. It was good seeing everyone as it is always.

I want to find the best way to keep everyone informed with my life up here. I am so blessed to have so many people who care about what I am actually doing with my life. I am lost but not forgotten as some would say. I hope this blog will be used to fill you in on the latest news in my life ranging from work, life experiences and whatever God is showing me at the moment in time. I hope you can find enjoyment out of my posts somehow.

Starting on the day before my first day of work, it was my birthday. It was relaxing and quiet which was different for me, but I liked it. After saying a thank you on FB for the birthday wishes, I ‘wanted’ to go to bed. I then began to get text after text wishing me a happy birthday. My brother then managed to post a photo of me and him that made me tear up. The day before I have my first day of work I didn’t go to bed until 1:30am. It was for a good reason though so I am thankful.

Monday comes. I head to work. I work for a really small design engineering firm so I wasn’t too nervous. I started off my day trying to get familiar with the software they use every day since I haven’t used it in 3 years. After calculating some areas of sub-division parcels for 4 hours (should have took me 45 minutes) the boss had me proceed to update some existing documents that have been reviewed by the City of Gresham. Before I knew it 5pm came around. The day went by so fast but just from that one day I could tell I would love what I am doing, at the time being J

Tuesday became pretty much the same thing. After lunch though my boss pulled me into the conference room to discuss one of the projects they have received. He then proceeds to tell me that I would be the main designer for these projects! I was shocked! Talk about throwing me into the fire, but I have to learn at some point so I was up to the challenge. I kept myself busy the rest of the day that is for sure.

Wednesday was pretty much the same thing, working on the project. At the end of the day, it being the 3^rd, I jumped into my car and headed to Eagle Point for a quick round trip. Though I would have to work Friday I still wanted to go one to see family and two I had been training for a 5K and really wanted to run in it. The morning of the 4^th I ran the 5K and got 3^rd overall in my age group and a time of 22:45! I was happy with myself and hope to continue to get in shape in the coming months.

Before getting back into the car my cousin and his wife were having a cake reveal for there soon to be child. It was so creative and cute and they will be having a baby girl in November! I am so happy for them and can’t wait for Amelia Rose Erickson to be entered into this world. After the reveal I began to head home to West Linn. Really quick trip.

Friday only three people including myself were in the office, kind of a weird day since most of the rest of the country had the day off but I am the noob so I dealt with it and kept myself busy with my project. At the end of the day I would then head in the car again to Corvallis this time for a really fun weekend little did I know. My buddy Danny picked me up and we proceeded to Corvallis.

Our first stop was a birthday party for our friend Kayla then out to a cabin for a 5^th of July firework campout. It was a blast and the firework show wasn’t bad either, 12 minutes. The next day after having breakfast at my buddies grandparents place I just hung out with friends and relaxed the whole day, it was really nice to have a day like that with all of them. We attempted to go to the drive in movie theater after the UFC fights but were denied. We decided to go back to my brothers place and watch a movie instead to end the night.

Today, as I write this was my first time to Calvary Chapel Corvallis as a visitor and not a resident. The service was really good and I am so blessed to have called that church my home for the last 5 years. I am looking forward to finding my new home in Portland soon. After church I got lunch with some really good friends of mine, met up with a buddy downtown, played some Frisbee with some other friends as well as some volleyball before heading back to West Linn where I sit writing this post.

There is so much more I could expound on at the moment. I don’t want to leave this blog post too long but there has been some really good times in the evening that I have had that I plan on sharing with all of you soon depending on when I getting to blogging on it. To entice you a little bit God has been revealing things to me this past week and I believe what he has shown me will not of course benefit me but also some of you. I look forward to sharing that with you soon! Along with that I hope to keep you all informed more, you all mean so much to me so I feel I owe it to you. Thanks so much for always being there for me! Love you all! Until next time J