Tap Out Ten; January 12, 2025

Well, I'm not quite sure if it was exactly ten minutes ....

So ... I haven't written in awhile.

Welcome to a new calendar year, 2025, and I've started another year with a birthday last Sunday, January 5.

And my Mom's birthday was today.  I spent a little time over there before I left to go to church late this afternoon.

Of course, we're coming up on a little bit of a sad note as my sister, Holly, passed away 11 years ago on January 17, coming up on Friday.

I had a very good birthday.  Waverly and I ran 10 miles together at the Texas 10 Series race in Bridgeland.

Thank you to Willie Fowlkes and Tiffany Renken for allowing us to do the race in exchange for me helping them out at Texas 10 Conroe the month prior.

I announced some before and after, Waverly sang the National Anthem and won an age group award to boot.

She helped lead worship in The4 service at Houston's First and then we went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate it all - our usual spot each year.

Back to Houston's First, I'm really grateful that I've found a place that I can be back in church on a regular basis.

I don't go in the morning - as I'm a little slower getting moving - and I don't want to encroach on my daughter's space as she attends one of the morning services in addition to Sunday School, but the time and the style of sermon - albeit the same message as in the morning - suits me well.

I really enjoy the pastor for The4 - used to be the The5 until the time change here in the New Year - and I've had the chance to share with him that it really feels more like a bible study than anything else.

Or when I was growing up at North Freeway Baptist Church and even to the majority of the time at North Park Baptist Church, it feels like Sunday evening service, where the dominant part is the message (which is what I think it really should be).

I think one of the biggest things in my life right now - I don't know that I'd call it an issue or a challenge - is that I don't have a ton of close friends.

My core four are my daughter, my friend, Bill, who heads up Volte Endurance Training, and my two private school sports colleagues, Dan and Dave.

There are a few others, such as Edwin and Catherine, that are tucked in behind those, and while I'm grateful and thankful to know a lot of people - and have the majority of them think well of me, I'm not getting the opportunity to spend any amount of time with them, but I'm also a little bit anti-social too.

So, I look for opportunities and areas where I can contribute and ask God to lead me to where I can use my talents most wisely.

I was grateful to be able to get out of town Friday evening and Saturday.

I just have to move after working from home all week.  I'm kind of stuck whereas in my last position I could work from anywhere and had a lot of flexibility. 

Currently, I don't, but I'm thankful for what I'm doing right now.

Not sure what more to say right now.  And I think that's where I'm at right now:  looking for where and what to do.

Therefore, if you stumble upon this, please pray for me just that God will lead me - even at my age - to what I should be doing to use my talents and abilities wisely.