Thursday, September 28, 2006 |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 |
This day has gone beyond kicking my butt! If I ever hear anyone say anything that even remotely implies that computer geeks have "desk jobs" that person will win a trip to the data center with me. That most likely will take place the next time we have more 100lb+ servers to move. Looking so forward to bed.... and for the turkey sammich that Amphoras is cooking up for me! :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 |
So I only remembered a few key points from this dream. Basically, there was a marathon that me and a few others were running in and this marathon was taking place somewhere that was a good bit away from home. In the city where this marathon was taking place I had a friend that lived there and while the face and the name wasn't clear in the dream, I'm pretty certain that it was Kim. Either way, I was staying at a girl's house while I was there. I remember that in this dream Tiff had died and I'm pretty sure that I was looking for her funeral when I had become lost.... either way, I was lost and was roaming around this city. I remember being really lost and I had apparently wandered into an area that wasn't typically a public area and a tall man walked by me and looked at me funny and he had the obligatory ear piece in his ear. I asked him who he was and he said "the same as you" and I responded "FBI?" and he nodded. I also remember in this dream seeing Tiff's mom crying.... and I remember just walking over to her and giving her a big hug. So here is the thing.... Tiff dying is not a physical death but the reality of her in my life has died. It's a sign that I have finally let go. Hugging Tiff's mom had me confused for a while but then it just really hit me.... its forgiveness. I had been extremely bitter towards Tiff's mom but thinking of how I feel now, there is no longer any bitterness. The marathon is the start of a new journey.... and thats probably not just relationship-wise. Staying at the Kim's house....Its a representation that the relationship I had with Kim was a hugely important step to get to this marathon. Remember that the marathon was quite a distance from home which means it was a journey in it's self.... Getting over Tiff was a long and hard struggle and Kim was a key factor in this... If it wasn't for being able to stay at Kim's house, I would not have been able to make it to ths marathon because I wouldnt have been able to afford the motel room, etc. It's alos really interesting that I was staying at Kim's house.... this leaves the future open... It wasnt that she was my wife so it's possible that the relationship with Kim was just enabling me to make it to the new journey that I am starting... however, it's left open because I could always go back to visit... and thats how I feel about Kim.... I can't stay outside her house because I have a journey but I left her house being the best of friends which means that it is possible that she comes back into my life -- but the important thing is that I continue on this journey and see what happens and not focus on what it was that I lost but focus on what is ahead in this new marathon. The one part of this dream that stuck in my head and I kept trying to write it off as something just random and not meaning anything was the FBI agent. It didnt hit me until I was talking to my friend tonight and she actually brought it up.... and literally I got chills when she said it. I was lost and wandering around looking for Tiff's funeral... this really explains the last couple years of my life.... I kept searching for a way to just let her go... to stop the pain and be done with it. The problem was that so many things around me were things that kept seemingly pointing me back TO Tiff and not to her "funeral" (ie, the point where I let go). The meeting with the FBI agent was really interesting because this whole exchange represents the figuring things out about Jason and Tiff, etc. Honestly, there were things that kept that well hidden from me and it actually took some thought... this week when I posted the MDI files of those two pages it wasnt to attack anyone.... it was important to me because it was the first hard proof that I had ever found of what I had always felt was going on.... the case had been cracked with actual evidence. There may be a few twists to this... for one, the FBI agent actualy could have very well been my friend who initially told me the truth about some things that I would not have otherwise found out. I didnt see myself as someone trying to figure out all of this stuff and I think thats why the agent said "the same as you" ... There was a point where this entire situation made sense and it wasn't until then that I realized that there were things I was learning and that I was becoming that person that could really understand hidden things. The "accidental" meeting of the FBI agent is an iteresting thing as well... Most of the information that came to me regarding this whole situation really just fell into my lap. I didnt go looking for this information... basically, I wasn't spying on anyone but the information I needed just made it's self to me. Really, it all caught me by surprise that I had the information that I got... So there you go! In all honesty, the reason for me posting this on my blog isn't for anyone's edification but mine. This is a KEY point in my life and I want it to be here for when I look back. I say this to ask that no one attacks me for "reading too much into" this dream. These are key factors and are confirmation factors and not telling-the-future factors. If anyone wants to offer encouragement, I'd love to hear it... but I do ask that if you think I am off base because I'm "reading into" a dream, please be cautious. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Behold the future! Slashdot Comment (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Monday, September 25, 2006 |
Woooo! Go team, GO!!!!!! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
This is by far a classic! For those of you that remember the BBS era, this will definately give you a great laugh! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
In case you were having trouble learning pi! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Sunday, September 24, 2006 |
Ive just been thinking about my last post and there is something that jumped out at me. Jesus said that if we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us in front of our Father in Heaven. Thinking about the woman at the well, there is evidence that this is important in earthly relationships as well. The woman ran to tell the others... the others who treated her as an outcast... people that she didnt matter to... but she had found something so special that she had to share with everyone else. If we buy a new car, what is the point if we dont take our freinds for a ride? If we have a person that is special in our lives, shouldnt we want to tell the world? If you have a friend why wouldnt you want the world to know about him or her? If you are ashamed of your friend, are you really your friend? People need to be loved and love is something that can not be hidden.... So if its a secret, is it love? Just a thought.... (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Its amazing how much friendships can make the difference in someone's life. Typically if I miss a dose of my medicine im very down and depressed and I lose hope. Today was different. I hung out with Kat and Hunter pretty much all day. After church and lunch we went to her house to watch a DVD and then this evening the 3 of us went to see Barnyard... Aside from it being an incredible movie, it was great just being with someone... especially someone you consider a very close friend. I missed a dose but I had a dose of something better... friendship. The sermon today was about the woman at the well. This woman was an outcast and had no friends. Jesus had compassion on her.... and Im going to go back to that Scripture that I can never seem to get away from.... yup, 1 Corinthians 13. Love is above the law. What law in this case? Jesus was not only a Jew but He was a Jewish rabbi and under "the law" Jews and Samaritans did not talk or associate in any way... at all! But Jesus had compassion on this woman... His love for her was unsurpassed and that love made a difference in her life - and everyone else in the town. Another thing was that Jesus stayed in that town for 2 days because He was asked to. As Mike said today, He could have very easily left the town for the woman to teach.... but He stayed. The reason why is very important. Jesus knew that we, as humans, need people around us to encourage us. This is why during the Creation He said "it is not good for man to be alone".... If Jesus had left that town, the woman would have been left with no support... Instead of leaving, He stayed and encouraged others so that when He did leave, they could grow together. Having people around us is important. I know I feel lonely alot and I wish I had more people around me. Im sure many others feel the same way... and Im probably just as guilty in letting others feel that way. The thing we always miss is that we are all in this together. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Saturday, September 23, 2006 |
And in 2006, Bob Mertz begins his conversion. A while ago I made the "professional" recommendation to my church to convert the creative department to Macintosh computers. I made this suggestion without ever really using a Mac but I did make the decission based on facts and the history of the industry that I have seen. About a month or two ago, I purchased a Mac Mini. The biggest reason for this was so that I could start learning OSX so that I could support the Macintosh computers that my church purchased per my recommendation... I mean, one would only expect me to have a clue, right? :) I was impressed about the thing right out of the box primarily on the graphical side of things. Its instantly obvious why Apple is the choice for graphic design and video production... the architecture just handles that type of processing very well. Two days ago, my desktop computer died on me. I still havent even looked at it so it could just be something simple. I just started using my Mac Mini.... I do have my lifebook but while I'm home, I dont like to be on a laptop. Really, my computer crashing was a good thing because I have already forced myself to learn alot about OSX. And with it being built completely on a UNIX backend, I keep finding that I have a much stronger ability to use this thing that I had thought. I had used this Mac Mini here and there over the last couple months mainly for the purpose of investigating a question that someone at New Life had but now I'm here at 2 days of actively using this thing and I'm wondering why I didnt start actively using it sooner. The interface is incredible and the stability is even better. I am having a small issue with iTunes while I'm listening to my mp3s. I'm not sure what is occuring there but I have some theory. All of my MP3 files are on my samba server and I know that iTunes has one big bad "feature" to it in that it likes to take all of your media files and make it part of your library and integrate it with everything. While this sounds like a good thing, the problem is that iTunes likes to add it's DRM goodness to your otherwise DRM free MP3 files. To prevent the possibility of iTunes screwing with me, my Mac has been given no access to modify anything in my MP3 share on my samba server. So there could be something going on there because iTunes is trying to modify something I dont want it to. It's also possible that I have a bad CAT5 cable coming to my Mac and the connection isn't able to keep up with the stream. Either way -- I'm learning new things and I really am enjoying the "Mac Experience" ... I have to say, however, I am seeing alot of where this following video is true: **Language Warning** When Readnews went to ISPcon back in May, we were giving out shirts that said "My ISP Sucks Less" ... This is actually a saying that Avi has used in different scenarios. I think it's something that people should adapt tho. There are flaws with everything but its just about what has the least amount of flaws. I was told a story of how someone made a presentation to a company that they were trying to get their business from. The guy watching the presentation responded to the whole presentation by saying "everyone that has presented their services to me has all said the same exact thing and I dont want to hear about what you can do because everyone else tells me the same thing." ... he went on to say that he doesnt believe that anyone of them was realy any good. He then asked him why he should chose this guys company over the others and the response was "Well, we suck less" .... and by saying that, they got the business. Why am I loving Macs so much? They suck less. I used to have alot of ability to convert the stupid things that happen in windows into humor but in the last year or so, while I still laugh at times, it really has started to give me more frustration than anything. I also have a great fear of Windows Vista. Macs may have flaws but I really like the above video that takes all of those and makes some fun out of them. Maybe as I start learning these flaws with OSX, I'll be able to do the same thing. Either way, its alot better than what I have with Windows. Why not linux? Well, let's just say that's not ruled out yet.... right now, Mac has the application support that Linux just doesnt have.... YET :) Windows still has it's place -- no matter how much I hate to admit that. Right now, for instance, I could not easily recommend to New Life that they convert all of the office and admin staff to Macs or even to Linux. While I think Macs can fit in an office enviornment, thats not their purpose. I can only hope that someday Linux gains the application support to take over the office.... as far as usability, Ubuntu Linux is there... but it all goes back to that "office suite" problem. Right now, the best office suite is Microsoft Office. I'm not a fan of MS Office, but I am at least smart enough to realize that it is the only viable option for most right now. Open Office just isnt stable enough... there are too many learning curves if you want to do advanced stuff. I fully support Open Office but I can't make a recommendation to anyone to dump MS for it yet. It should be really interesting to see where operating systems and such go ove the next 3 or 4 years. We could see alot of huge changes -- and they might actually be good ones. 5 years ago, you had Windows and that was about it. You had Linux for servers and you had Macs for graphics.... but windows was the only option for 90% of the world. That has drastically changed within the last couple of years. Linux is now ready for the desktop and Macs are starting to gain alot of popularity. Like my friend told me... it kind of sucks that Apple's products are becomming popular because of their "trendiness" but the thing I like is that their functionality isnt hindered by that marketing -- which is much the way of Windows. So we'll see where things go... but its obvious that Windows, Apple, and Linux ALL have a place right now and they all have a shot at desktop domination as well. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
People give up on people all the time... People lose people all the time... We blame God for giving up on us and at the same time, we gave up on Him a long time ago! I love the tools that have been given to us through computers and the internet. I think there are so many blessings in this technology. Access to information that will encourage us is so much easier now. Access to find people to talk to is easier.... All of these things make our emotional lives easier. Despite all of this, there is one big thing that computers and the internet -- and even the telephone -- has made easier that I wish it wouldn't have. That is the ability to give up and to run from your problems. If you have a fight with someone, it's just so easy to hang up on someone or add that person to your block list. In some ways I wonder if this technology has made us think that we can just put God on our block list? Yaknow... I think again of my sister when she was 3 or 4 and she wanted to hide from someone and she just covered her eyes. If she couldnt see that person, then they couldnt see her... thats the way her mind thought -- and it was understandable because she was a child. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11 .... why is this Scripture ALSO in the chapter about love? We seem to grow up physically so fast but we are so far behind from maturity. It was understandable when Kari would cover her eyes to hide.... but if your 20 and you do that there is obviously something wrong with you -- for no other reason than you haven't matured to the point that a 20 year old has. So why do we think it's any different emotionally? When we're 16, 20, 30, even 60 years old, why do we still think that we can just hide from our problems and run away from them? Why do we think that we can just explain them away? If we lie about a problem not being there, we somehow think that problem no longer exists. I guess it's just easier this way. Honestly... what do we accomplish by not admitting when we do wrong? What do we accomplish by ending a fight by hanging up on someone? Actually.... the better question is what do we even THINK we are accomplishing? God puts people in our lives because we need to learn something and the more there is to learn from that person or even just the experience of being with that person, the harder it's going to be to deal with. Why do we think we can just make it stop when it gets tough? I'm probably one of the most guilty of this. I've joked about turning the internet off before... but maybe like the quote I last posted, we should just turn off the internet? I mean... Technology is a huge blessing and it gives alot of power to us but like the saying goes "With great power comes great responsibility" .... Maybe we're not mature enough to handle the power that has been given to us? As we grow up, we are given more and more power. Alot of times this is based on your age and not your actual maturity. I always thought it was funny when I would go in to Wal Mart to buy a bottle of fuel injector clearner for my car and someone needed to verify that I was 18. The first time this happened to me the cashier and I joked... "What is that? When you turn 18 you just magically stop sniffing stuff" ... There actually is alot of truth in that. There may be some 16 year olds that could handle drinking and yet, there are 30 and 40 year olds that are alcoholics. I guess its just easier to have standard rules. We shouldn't have to think about each scenario, right? It's just so much easier to say that when someone is 18 they are able to handle the responsibility of the power of buying pornography and cigarettes. When a person turns 21 they are able to handle the responsibility of buying alcohol. Oh... and when a person turns 14, they are now able to handle the responsibility of having a myspace profile. Thats an obvious one because there are too many 12 year old girls with pictures of themselves wearing almost no clothes on their myspace profile. I mean... I've never seen someone that was 20 on myspace wearing almost no clothes! Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. -- Hebrews 6:1-3 So this is where, in a properly written article, the closing paragraph goes... but it's really just two words: Grow Up! We all need to grow up.... myself included. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
And put in your earplugs put on your eyeshades you know where to put the cork... Oops, there goes another violation. Slashdot comment (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Whats really getting me is a recurring nightmare that I have been having. It's really odd but I dont think now is the time to go into that. I just realized something pretty interesting tho. Does anyone realize that this month makes 3 years that this blog has been going? I'm also something like 10 posts away from having 2,000 posts. Its really neat going back 3 years and seeing how I got to the point that I am now. Ok, those are my random thoughts for the day :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Friday, September 22, 2006 |
 Slashdot must have been slashdotted! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Anyone who knows me knows that I analyze just about everything that comes my way. In the last day I was analyzing alot. Sometimes it just amazes me how people respond to certain situations and sometimes it also impresses me how much certain events can blind others from noticing other events. This is something that I amaze myself with at times. Ultimately, what I have learned in the last 24 hours (at least more than I had before) is that you simply can not help someone that doesnt need to be helped. When Paul Revere warned everyone that the British were coming, they each had a choice to believe or not... and I think that if it was your first day in the town, you may not have believed quite so easily than someone who had seen the things that had been going on before the warning. I dont believe that God creates pain for us but He often lets pain happen but only when that pain can be used to glorify Him or when that pain can be used to mold us into something else. It's not easy to learn sometimes and while we wish that someone was there to just tell us "yes" or "no", we don't realize that either way we're still going to try it ourselves and we're still going to let the pain happen. I am in no way taking back anything that I have said in the last 24 hours but I am sorry about the way some people took it. Back in the situation when I first moved to VA and had the car issues, it got to the point that the next thing that went wrong only made me laugh. I had no other choice but to laugh at the misfortune that had been occuring and in that laughter I learned how to ride the waves. In the end, I ended up with a great car, Tiff ended up with a great car, and eventually, my friend from Brazil ended up with a great car for the time she was here. I wonder how it would have been if I didnt learn to laugh about those misfortunes? Right now, I see myself in the same situation. I feel absolutely no emotional pain from what happened in the last 24 hours. I do feel frustrated in watching a friend hurt herself. People may attack me because they dont fully understand the words that I said. The important thing is that I know in my heart that Tiff somewhere knows that what I said and what I did was only because of the love that I have for her. I do care about her very much and I think she knows that. I wish I could help.... I really do. But that was the most important thing for me to learn -- that sometimes you just can't help someone that isnt ready to be helped. I'm glad Tiff was in my life because I have learned things that I would not have otherwise learned. I was told that I need to move on but thats not something I have to do because I already have moved on -- the problem was, I didn't "shake the dust off my feet" (Luke 9:5). I'm really happy with where my life is and the things that have come my way. It's been a long time since I've been this content with my life. There is a really special girl in store for me and God will show me who she is when the time is right. Kim showed me what love was and whether or not Kim is the one for me doesnt matter -- I at least now know a little more about what I am looking for in a relationship. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Anyway.... I really need to write down here how I really feel about the things with Tiff. A few months ago I really started realizing that I needed to get over her completely.... because no matter what, there was always a part of me that was so concerned about her that it was affecting myself. That was when I joined eHarmony. My frustrations continued because absolutely none of my matches were responding to me... then one day I got a match with a girl named Kim. We quickly made it through the guided communication phase and were into open communication. It wasnt long before we were talking on the phone and we were connecting like I never believed was possible. When I pulled into Kim's driveway the day I went to see her, she was sitting outside and before I got out of my car I had to wipe tears away from my eyes. She was just so beautiful. After all the conversations that Kim and I had and now the physical meeting... I knew I loved her -- and I knew that I didnt love Tiff in the way that I thought I did. Kim and I had this amazing connection that still to this day boggles my mind. Even just writting this thinking back on what I had with Kim kind of chokes me up because it really was special. Right around the time that Kim and I knew things were really as they should be, her parents decided they had a problem with some things and we both were fearing the worst. My last phone conversation with Kim was the most touching phone call I had ever had. One problem I always had with Tiff was that things weren't important for her to tell me. If she wanted to hang out with a guy that was her right and she wasnt even going to mention it to me because I had no right to even know. Truth is, I never did mind until I realized that she hid it all from me. Things started occuring in her life that directly affected me and she never told me because she wasn't strong enough. This phone conversation with Kim was hard for both of us. She knew she had to make a decission not to see me anymore even though she didnt want to. It was extremely touching because Kim loved me enough to give me the news straight out. She didnt try to hide the situation.... She knew it affected me and that she was not going to be able to keep everyone happy so she did what she believed was the best thing she could.... she broke up with me. I admire her for that. I think that's a big reason to be admired! Kim and I had both told each other that we loved them.... and we did. When Kim broke up with me, I felt love that I had never felt before. Kim was totally 100% honest with me and her honesty was the biggest expression of love that I had ever experienced. I miss her.... I miss her dearly. Not a single day goes by that I dont see her face in my mind and think of the amazing love that I had experienced. In all of this I realized that what Tiff had for me was not true love. If nothing else came out of my relationship with Kim, I was taught what love is all about. It's about giving up everything you have for the person that you love and sometimes it's giving up the person you love when you know that keeping them would only hurt them more and more. Kim let me go because she loved me. There was no greed in her heart... only love. There have been quite a few people that have told me that it probably wasn't Kim's parents.... they tell me that she probably just found someone new. I don't believe it.... because I experienced that love and I know that if Kim was to find someone else, she would tell me that straight. I trusted and trust her. So right around this time, Tiff comes back into the picture. I don't understand why... well, I didnt at the time. Ironically the day before Kim and I broke up, Tiff IMs me. It seemed that she had no clue that I had a girlfriend but yet, somehow I knew that she had been reading my blog. She convinced me that she hadn't been.... but I know now that when I asked her if she read my blog she lied to me. She knew full well that I had a girlfriend and she didnt like that idea. Regardless, at this point I was still thinking that maybe Tiff was changing and becoming a better person -- the person that I fell in love with and the one that I thought she was. Tiff had mentioned about me going to visit her at wolf park this month. Amazingly, my boss told me that I should think about taking a vacation in the same time frame that would work for such a vacation. I told Tiff that I could not do that anymore because I was with someone. Let's back up for a second here. Ironically, both the best moment of my life and the worst moment of my life were both shared by Tiff. Tiff had been upset with me and always being in contact with work. When I worked for Carpathia I always had the feeling that no matter where I was, nothing was going to get done unless I did something or notified someone. There was one night that I went up to DuBois to visit Tiff. I had decided that this night I was going to spend with her. I turned both my cell phone and pager off and Tiff and I cuddled up to watch a movie. No more than 5 mins into the movie, Tiff's mom yells for her and I dont see Tiff again for something like 30-45 mins. When she comes back I'm told that Jim was downstairs (for those not following along, Jim was her ex) and that he was really hurting so she decided that she needed to sit and talk with him. First of all, she couldnt see that Jim picked that time exactly when he knew it was worst.... not to mention, I still have a pretty strong feeling that Tiff's mom may have actually called him to cue him. Either way, the night I made the strongest effort to focus my time on someone who meant the world to me, she felt the need to focus her time on the person that, apparently, meant more to her than me. So anyway, back to where we were.... Tiff asked about me going out to Wolf Park to visit her and I told her no. The reason was quite simple: I was dating Kim and I would not have allowed myself to put Kim through even the THOUGHT of what Tiff actually DID to me that night she left me for Jim. It's just simply not right. To me, I have no problems with my girlfriend hanging out with other guys but I think that if the girl loves me enough she would be wise enough to respect my feelings in that. Things like hiding the fact that she is hanging out with a guy can create a very bad situation. The human mind always fills in the blanks so no one should ever leave any blanks to be filled in. I also believe that if there was a strong emotional attachment to an ex that it may not be the best decission to hang out with him or her when you're in another relationship. It just leaves too many blanks to be filled in. There was no way that I was going to do that to Kim. I loved her too much and I knew that she loved me and it just wouldnt have been fair. The following day, Kim and I break up. The timing was really strange and I was kind of thinking that God had a purpose for that happening the way it did. My pastor just recently corrected me in my alsmot automatic assumptions that God makes all the incredible appointments such as this. No doubt that God works miracles such as this but satan has also been known to create a few wonders himself. I'm thinking back to Moses when he was in Pharo's palace and Pharo's magicians were able to imitate almost every miraculous sign that moses did through God. Regardless, at the time I was not thinking this way so I had agreed that we could plan on me going out to Wolf Park for a vacation. Last week I spoke with Tiff on the phone. It has seemed that she had been avoiding me and I was pretty upset. This was also the first time that I had directly confronted her about Jason. At the beginning of the phone conversation she was very strongly denying the fact that she had any interest in Jason as more than a friend. However, this was not settling right with me because I knew that the weekend before she left for Wolf Park she spent an entire weekend with Jason. I found this out from a friend (it is interesting to note that same said friend got ripped a new one by Tiff last week because she was going behind her back -- also interesting is that this friend got yelled at by Tiff shortly after this conversation took place). Things just were not adding up but I held on to the fact that people do change sometimes and I was taking Tiff at face value. As the conversation went on, I realized more and more that her interest in Jason was more, however, I also realized that she still had an interest in me. At this point, I can completely see the entire "Jim or Bob" situation replaying. I'm still taking her at face value tho until the moment that I asked her what dates I should plan on going out there. She told me that she didnt know if it was best. Imagine that... the girl that less than 20 mins ago was BEGGING me to not change my mind and go out and visit her now does not know if it's best. And why? Well, Jason had a problem with it -- however, she proceeds to tell me how wrong she believes Jason is at feeling that way. She thinks that it is her right and that no one else should be able to tell her who she can and can't hang out with. And.... that did it. I knew that not only was she either 1) telling Jason that he was her boyfriend and not telling anyone else or 2) she had full intention of asking him out. I told her that she needed to really figure out what her heart wanted and that she desperately needed to quit lying and/or hiding the truth. The following day (which was this past Saturday), I sent an email to her explaining that I was foolish to think that I could be in her life and co-exist with Jason. It is very important to note that it is NOT our of jealousy but it is within Tiff's own mind that I can not co-exist. It would NOT be fair to Jason if I went to Wolf Park to visit Tiff... that absolute horrible thing about the situation was that it had to be MY decission and not the person that supposedly loves him. Sunday I receive an email from Tiff like she never received the email I sent her the night before. The hilarious part about this is that Tiff even mentioned getting an email but didnt know what happened to it... Granted, she uses hotmail so a scenario like this is possible and if it had been about anyone else, I would have believed her -- however, it was not anyone else. My response to the email was that I couldnt do this at this time in my life and I forwarded the email I sent her again to be sure that she got it. I remember when Kari (my sister) was something like 3 or 4 years old, she thought that if she couldnt see someone that they couldnt see her. Anytime she wanted to hide from someone, she would cover her eyes and make them go away. This seems to be the way Tiff thinks about her problems. She got an email on Saturday but she didnt want that email so the solution was to make it go away -- all she did was dig an even deeper hole. When my friend told me the truth (and, mind you, it was casual conversation that I found this information out), the solution for Tiff was to push the blame on someone who has never lied to me once. In the years and years that I have known Tiff, its almost always been about her but in her mind, she has never once seen it as being about her. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is not self-seeking and I dont think this makes a difference of whether we mean to be self seeking or not. What we say and do and what we feel is directly related to what is in our heart. So that's the story... but how do I feel about the entire situation? Well, I honestly dont know what happens from here on out but I know that I have had confirmation that I need to avoid Tiff. When I saw the thing that I posted about earlier, it was the first visual contradiction that I had seen related to Tiff in a long time. Did Tiff hurt me? Sure she did.... but I'm stronger than I was last year and I functioned through this day quite well. The truth is, I do still really care about Tiff and I honestly do feel bad for her. I fully believe that Tiff has experienced alot of emotional abuse. Someone helped me realize that I have absolutely no power to help her no matter how much I want to. It's something that's going to take alot of therapy, most likely -- but ultimately I can't help her (nor anyone else) because Tiff does not believe that she needs to change. These are really hard words for me to write, to be honest. I do love Tiff... but its not the love that I used to think I had. Maybe in just the way that Kim let go of me, I need to let go of Tiff.... but whatever the reason, I know that I need to let go of Tiff and let go of the hope that I had of me helping her. I can't. I've pushed a brick wall for way too many years of my life. I've become stronger through all of this and Tiff will go down in history as being someone who helped me grow even though it seems not much good came from her. There have been many of these scenarios in my life -- many of them jobs. Actually, even my ADHD and misdiagnosises is something that seems to have not brought any good but it was something that made me stronger over and over again. So for the first time EVER, I now see that there was a purpose for Tiff being in my life -- its just not the purpose I thought. Today I listened to a song by Kutless that had this line in it: Freedom is only another perspective away This is so incredibly true. I always believed that Tiff was brought into my life because she was the one that was meant for me but now I have confirmation that my perspective has been changed and because of it I have been set free. So right now, I guess its me running out of the ocean, up the beach, and to each one of you. With my surfboard in hand I'm jumping up and down saying "Did you see that! Did you see that! I stayed on my board for 10 seconds" ... It doesnt matter that you crash but if you go longer and longer each time, you're making progress. Bad things are hitting us all the time and let's just try to stay afloat for 5 seconds, then 8 seconds, then 10 seconds.... before you know it, we're professional surfers -- oh, but that SURE doesnt mean that we'll never fall. Even professionals screw up at times. So for now, I'll keep learning how to surf.... and as is the case many times, I'm grabbing my surfboard again and running into the ocean yelling.... GERONIMO! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Thursday, September 21, 2006 |
(21:16:19) bobkmertz: and that also means that I wont sit here and say that ill never date Tiff again (21:16:21) bobkmertz: however (21:16:35) jodi: yeah, but you'll also never walk into it with the amount of trust you had in the past (21:16:40) bobkmertz: a few people in hell might start running for jackets if I get closer to her :) (21:16:43) jodi: she'd really have to earn that back (21:16:46) bobkmertz: oh yea (21:16:47) bobkmertz: OH YEA (21:16:49) bobkmertz: OH (21:16:50) bobkmertz: FREAKING (21:16:51) bobkmertz: YEA (21:16:52) bobkmertz: :) (21:17:14) bobkmertz: she'd like have to move in with me and be in my sight every hour of the day (21:17:15) bobkmertz: heh (21:17:23) jodi: eventually you'll get to the point where you wouldn't take her back too (21:17:46) bobkmertz: yea (21:17:52) bobkmertz: when I find that amazing girl in my future (21:17:56) jodi: you'll have too many good and honest things going on in your life to throw it all away for a world of wondering which end is up (21:18:40) bobkmertz: right (21:18:41) bobkmertz: well (21:18:47) bobkmertz: im always wondering which end is up (21:18:53) bobkmertz: but it doesnt have to be which end of a girl is up (21:18:57) jodi: lol (21:19:07) bobkmertz: well.... except for in certain physical circumstances (21:19:08) bobkmertz: :) (21:19:23) jodi: the face is on the front (21:19:23) jodi: with the boobs (21:19:27) bobkmertz: lol (21:28:08) jodi: man (21:28:13) jodi: you know what is SO ironic? (21:28:18) jodi: the first post you made today (21:28:25) bobkmertz: hmmm (21:28:28) jodi: about the Feds covering up their crap (21:28:29) jodi: haha (21:28:32) bobkmertz: LOL (21:28:32) jodi: ironic! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Now this is interesting dont you think? I start trying to trust someone again and next thing you know, someone else is taking my vacation. It's all ok tho... Like my friend told me -- Its a good thing I found out about Tiff not being sane BEFORE I took a vacation from hell! In case you missed it (Microsoft Document Image) Ironically, on the same day this occurs, said person above dissappears from Tiff's "top friends" list. Just in case thats been "corrected" by time you see it Believe it or not, I was completely expecting something like this to happen. It's always seemed that she beats around the bush about the truth.... She may be very right that she doesnt outright lie but she is an expert at hiding the truth from you. I told her that she had a decission to make and I was fully expecting her to try to hide what decission she was making.... and, Jason dissappearing from her profile was just that. However, I thank God that in this situation the truth has always come out and not once has it ever come from Tiff's mouth. Good thing I have friends: (20:10:11) jodi: yeah, slaughtering bambi i have issues with, but ripping humans who piss me off limb from limb, i'm okay with that (20:27:51) jodi: i totally just can't believe tiff never fessed up to the whole jason thing! :) The crazy thing was I was listening to a Kutless song today and there was a line in it that hit me very hard. It was "Freedom is just another perspective away" ... And I think I have found my freedom! Finally I can say that I have been 100% liberated from what control Tiff had of me. I started talking to her this last month to kind of proove a point to myself.... I wasnt expecting it to happen with bells and whistles -- but it sure makes for a great story, doesnt it? :) I'm not going to lie... The thought crossed my mind about Tiff and I being back together.... And I dont know that I will ever say something for certain about the future again so who knows what tomorrow brings ... but right now I can say that I am honestly liberated and free. My perspective has been changed in one day and it feels great to be free! OH!!! And dont think that I didnt find out good news today! There certainly is some great news and the future is looking much brighter: No need to wake up before 10am anymore Hehehe.... what a great day! For those of you that have known me for years should find this pretty shocking: I feel better in this hour than I have all week! :) Good luck to Jason. I really honestly pray that Tiff has learned a lesson and she won't end up destroying his life as she has many others. And if she does, I hope he is smart enough and strong enough to take it. I say this not in spite of Tiff but because I really hope that no one every goes through what I went through. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Mmmmmmmm Fuddruckers! One thing that NoVA has that Pittsburgh doesnt. Now if we could only do something about that Redskins problem! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
So if someone is about to uncover your dishonesty, what do you do? Well, if you're the federal government, you just make it all go away, of course! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 | |
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:8 Sometimes it's scary how everyone gets so caught up in rules and regulations and what is right and wrong and what is expected. We so often get so caught up that we forget about something that is evidently very important: Love. As Christians, we always seem to put God in a box. Within our logic we can't understand what God is doing so the reaction we have is to try to fit God into our world but what we need to do is jump into His. I drive to work and I drive to the New Life office almost every day and I see more acts of self-centerdness than love and this just shouldnt be. The Scriptures above I think really paint a picture of how love can break bonds of all types. What is right and what is wrong does not matter.... 1 Corinthians 13 is pretty clear about love -- more clear than we want to realize. It's so easy for us to have our sights set on something and conform to that which has been planned. It's funny that we are so lazy that we create more pain and more work for us. Sometimes we dont want to admit that we have to think about something. Some people think drinking any alcohol is wrong and some have nothing against it. Why is there such a diverse view - even within the church? Quite simply, there isnt any clear cut example one way or the other. Why do churches say all alcohol is wrong? Is it because it is wrong? I think it's more a matter of the heart. What are your reasons for drinking and does drinking control you? But the thing is, its so much easier to just say "drinking is wrong" rather than to have to think about it in every scenario. Creating a rule or a way of action inside a denomination or a business or family is only another piece to building a box around what we could be experiencing in this life. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. -- Isaiah 43:19 So if all rules have been the same since the beginning of time, how does that allow God to do a new thing? God is an unchanging God but that doesnt mean that the things He does doesnt change. How do we know? Quite simply: Love! If we have a love for Christ and a love for others, then our hearts are in tune with Him and that will keep us on the right track. We so desperately need to stop putting God in a box. We need to stop accusing others of sin when we have not been given the right to judge. Maybe someone does something that you believe is sin -- I respect that. The problem is that it is possible that your heart is convicted differently than the person that sinned in your eyes. That matter is between Him and God. Sin is born out of desire so isnt it possible that our desires could all be different? And if our desires are different and in our hearts we have different motives, isnt it possible that our convictions are different thus making certain things sin and not sin depending on the person. Someone who has a history of alcoholism may be sinning by taking a drink -- someone who is strong in that aspect may not be sinning. People say all the time that the problem with this nation is that they have lost God. I don't believe that. The problem with this nation is that they have lost Love... and in losing Love, they have lost God because God is Love. People make mistakes all the time but sometimes you just have to thank God for those mistakes because without them we would never experience love. I know someone loves me when they give me a chance -- I know someone will never let me go when they give me a second or third or fouth chance. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. -- Matthew 18:21-22 Can you imagine having someone forgive you that much? Can you imagine the love that person must have for you? Can you imagine the impact that type of love could make on this world? We make mistakes all the time... and we always will until Jesus comes back for us. We have been given Grace that is more sufficient than anything else and those sins are covered by His grace -- and they are a matter between the person who sinned and God. Matthew 7 puts this very clear. Instead of condeming someone, how about we try giving them another chance and letting God deal with the "sin". But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." -- John 8:7 (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved | |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved | |
So.... this kind of sums up how its going at work right now :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved | |
Im still working... and Im ok with that :) Tonight has been really strange but its also been really awesome. Since about 6pm I have really felt God's presence in everything. Ive had some really incredible conversations and actually met some really amazing people. I have no clue whats going on as usual but I really feel a peace tonight.... Its like my soul has found something that it didnt have before.... its odd, yes -- but awesome :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 |
Talk Like a Pirate Day (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Happy "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
It'll be ok at some point, I'm sure. I just really need that vacation that I'm not able to take now. Actually, I need alot more than that. *sigh* I'm going to try this sleep thing again..... So far it hasnt been working so well. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
That pretty much sums up everything right now. First of all, the Steelers lost so thats pretty upsetting.... But the bigger issue is I'm an emotionally confused person again.... someone who feels like he has no strength left. I cant understand how God can use me.... or even if He does use me.... I'm such a messed up person. I've been here before.... just so numb that I dont care anymore... I dont care about fighting for what is best... I dont feel like fighting temptation... I just dont feel like doing anything. Why do I let myself get to this point? More so, why do I let the stupid things that other people do push me ever faster to this point? Why can I not just accept the fact that I can't help everyone and just move on? I somehow need to turn this around. I started to learn to surf.... I need to push forward and keep learning. The problem is that the crashing and burning that I've been doing is starting to hurt and to wear me out. How do I handle that? I'm learning something, I'm sure.... I just don't understand what. God has some kind of crazy curriculum and I know that what is happening is in my best interest. I'll learn to surf.... but its such a hard thing to learn. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Monday, September 18, 2006 |
This is just me asking a favor. If I ever decide that being right is more important than truth and honesty, please correct me or just shoot me. Being able to face the truth is the greatest sign of strength and if I want to work towards being someone who is strong I need to be a man of integrity and I need people to hold me accountable to that. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
What is Kim in my life? What is Tiff in my life? I really don't know the full answer to that but I do know that I need to cut the ties with Tiff for now. I'm not saying that Tiff and I will never be in touch again and, well, I can say nothing about what the future holds.... but I know this.... I absolutely can not be the one to initiate anything. My life is so full of making sacrifices -- I make entirely too many of them. I desire to help so much that I hurt myself as well as others. The worst feeling I can ever experience is helplessness. I hate it.... but sometimes, especially when someone's motivation needs changed, any help that I give may only make the situation worse. For now, Tiff is not in my life and until she would make some drastic changes and sacrifices, it has to remain that way. So then there is Kim.... I can certainly say that Kim was in my life because of God but I can't totally answer why. Some people know this but I hadn't put it on my blog. The big reason why Kim's parents are against me is because I stayed at Kim's house and her parents happened to drive by her house and saw my car there. What can I think about that? Well... maybe I did things wrong and maybe Kim did too.... and as much as I enjoyed being with Kim and cuddling through the night.... well, it wasn't worth losing her over. One thing that Mike did say was that if Kim really did want to be with me, why isnt she? He said that kids get away with things all the time.... I told him that he may be right but in this case, Kim isnt with me because of the reasons that I respect her for. She's not about sneaking around. The Kim I know is completely honest and if she was sneaking around her parents to see me, I think it would create problems.... even if she was never "caught" she would still have that feeling and nagging and Kim is far more intelligent than anyone else I met. I go back and I think how things might be if I didnt stay at her house that night.... Would we both still be happy? I can't go back and change it but I could change things for the future.... well... I could if I was given a second chance. As I write this, I'm learning more and more about how I feel. Do I think that staying at Kim's house was wrong? Well.... the action I dont neccesarily believe was wrong but I do believe it was wrong because I disrespected Kim's parents.... and for that, I am truly sorry. I honestly dont agree with what her parents did but its not because I dont believe they had a reason... it's because I'd so much rather people discuss issues rather than just get rid of them. I believe in second chances and I really wish that I could somehow have that second chance. I really do wish that. I sincerely am sorry for the way things happened. I'll admit, some of it is because I lost Kim over it.... but I really lost the respect of her parents in doing something that was questionable. I am a very anti-conformist because so many things in the church frustrate me. It's really hard for me to sit and watch people limit God because of what traditions are. I have seen God do some incredible things out of things that someone would not believe God could use -- but the thing is that God can use them. Sometimes the things that God uses are the things that many Christians would think are the most evil things in the world. On the flip side, sometimes there is a time to be a conformist in certain situations. I have often used the saying "when in rome, do as the romans do" because I think there are scenarios were you need to be at the party like Jesus was.... sometimes you need to turn the water in to wine. It's not an issue of whether it's right or wrong but its an issue of connecting. The thing I didnt think about with that saying is that it also means that when I am with extremely conservative Christians, I need to respect them. With all that said.... if I had one wish right now I would wish for a second chance. Maybe I'd screw up again or maybe I wouldnt. I hate giving up on people and it hurts really bad when people give up on me. I really wish that Kim's family didnt give up on me..... or that they didnt give up on me and Kim...... Maybe we made mistakes but that doesnt mean that God wasnt or isnt in the entire situation, does it? I thank God that He is a God of second chances ... even when humans aren't. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
To everlasting memories Show soul Kiss the stars with me And dread the wait for Stupid calls returning to us to life We say to those who are in love It can't be true 'cause we're too young I know that's true because so long I was So in love with you So I thought A year goes by And I can't talk about it On my knees Dim lighted room Thoughts free flow try to consume myself in this I'm not faithless Just paranoid of getting lost or that I might lose Ignorance is bliss cherish it Pretty neighborhoods you learn to much to hold Believe it not And fight the tears With pretty smiles and lies about the times A year goes by And I can't talk about it The times weren't right And I couldn't talk about it Choris Romance says goodnight Close your eyes and I'll close mine Remember you, remember me Hurt the first, the last between Choris Romance says goodnight Close your eyes and I'll close mine Remember you, remember me Hurt the first, the last, between And I'm praying that we will see Something there in between Then and there that exceeds all we can dream So we can talk about it Choris Romance says goodnight Close your eyes and I'll close mine Remember you, remember me Hurt the first, the last between Choris Romance says goodnight Close your eyes and I'll close mine Remember you, remember me Hurt the first, the last healing And I'm praying that we will see Something there in between Then and there that exceeds all we can dream And all these twisted thoughts I see Jesus there in between And all these twisted thoughts I see Jesus there in between "So I thought" by Flyleaf (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
I'm hoping to talk to my pastor tomorrow... I just dont know what steps to take. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Sunday, September 17, 2006 |
I see the one who bore all my shame Well To know that you are everything I need you to be You're my ever present help in time of need I know you understand it all So why don't I get back on my feet again I know you understand it all So why don't I get back on my feet again I know you understand it all Every pain I feel inside my heart It takes a faith I know I can't depart Well To know that you hear every cry I raise to you Bringing thoughts of hope the words I bring I know are few Chorus Will you hear me when I call Were you there when I fall Will you hear me when I call Will you hear me when I call Were you there when I fall Will you hear me when I call Will you hear me when I call Will you hear me when I call I am yours Will you hear me when I call Will you hear me when I call I am yours So why don't I get back on my feet again I know you understand it all So why don't I get back on my feet again I know you understand it all So why don't I get back on my feet again I know you understand it all "Understand" by Jeremy Camp (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Saturday, September 16, 2006 |
I was looking forward to going out to Wolf Park this month and to seeing Tiff but I've realized some things all over again that I've known for a while -- I simply can not let myself be put in a position where I have to wait for other people to make decissions. There still has been no final decission on when I was going or even if I was going.... and it really has been bugging me. The only option I had was to make the decission that I was not going. People can change but I realized that Tiff hasnt yet.... and it hurts me to say that but I realize that there are still so many things that God is working on her with and they are things that would only be clouded with me being in the way. I was being really positive in my thoughts but I realized as I got closer to a point where Tiff and I were becomming friends all over again that the path led straight to the same place I was at before. I just simply do not want to be in a position where a friendship confuses me and pulls me away from God. I care about her alot but I realized a couple of months ago (for the first time) that Tiff was not the one for me. Tonight, I sent an email making that clear. Sometimes friendships are important to keep but sometimes they can just complicate things. Someday God is going to show me that amazing girl (or maybe he already has and I'll learn this later) and it just simply would not be fair for me to be around Tiff because of the history. It just isn't right. I can not let anything be in the way that would make my future wife have a reason to worry. I want to have a relationship with my wife that I trust her 100% and I know that if she says "that guy is cute" I know thats where it stops and I have no reason to worry about her leaving me or giving up on me. I want it to be the same thing in the other direction.... and spending time with an ex is definate cause for alarm. When I was with Tiff it bugged me all the time when I heard that she was hanging out with Jim... I didnt believe it was right but I dealt with it. She started learning of how it bugged me so the solution was to hide it from me which only caused more reasons for me not to trust her.... These are things that I have experienced. I really hope that she learned from them but I'm scared that she didnt. But I know the pain associated with secrets being kept and I do not want to do that to my wife... I dont want to give her a reason to believe that secrets are being kept from me.... I may not know who she is but she is already a very important person to me and I have to think of her. I've realized that you dont neccesarily have to be doing something wrong for it to seem like you are.... Anything at all that would jeopardize my relationship with my wife simply just can't be allowed. This is some hard stuff for me to write but I need to get it out there. Tiff came back into my life for a very short while again and I'm so glad she did.... for no other reason than I now have shown myself that I truly am over her.... I was over her long before she came back but sometimes when you experience it, it helps you believe it alot more. My wife is waiting for me.... somewhere.... and now I'm sure that I am ready for her! The waves are coming in... I need to grab my surfboard and run into them.... and yell GERONIMO! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
"Then lets try the impossible, because the possible just aint working" -- Porter in "The Gridiron Gang" (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
This isnt a new thing. It's actually exactly what Job went through in the Bible. Job went through more than most of us could even imagine. His life was destroyed and not only that but it was destroyed because God let it happen. Ultimately, it was all for the Glory and it was all worth it but that didnt take the pain away. Job frequently questioned God and asked Him why things were the way they were and the Bible specifically says that Job did not sin in doing this. In amongst all of this mess were his friends who knew what was best for him.... but did they really? After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. -- Job 41:7-9 Sometimes what people say need to be taken with a grain of salt. In many cases, they say what they say because they care about you. It's sometimes a hard concept to grasp because of the emotional pain you may be in. God never told anyone that it was going to be easy but He did tell us that it was going to be worth it. I'm 26 years old and I still dont know what I'm doing with my life. So many times I want to be frustrated but I need to try to realize that I am where God wants me for this time. I also need to realize that He may move me next month.... I don't know what God is doing but it's better that I dont because I have that horrible habit of getting in the way. Not knowing is such a struggle for me. The end of this month I am supposed to be going on vacation and I still have no plans for it... and in fact, its not looking good.... but I just wish I knew what to plan for. I wish I knew who was in my life and who I could count on -- but I dont. The only Person I can count on is God and as much as I try to make it seem like it's not, that is enough. It's hard when people let me down and it always seems that they do. It's hard for anyone. I dont understand why I feel so alone or why it seems like every human on earth just gives up on me. While I know it's not true, I can't help but feeling like I am worthless. You can ask me why I feel worthless when I know its not true but that really doesnt deserve an answer. It's like telling a guy that has just been kicked in the nuts "You're fine and you'll be better in a bit" .... Sure, he may be fine in a bit but that sure as hell isnt going to stop the pain he feels at that point. People interpret my struggles and my words in different ways than I actually feel them. It may be hard to deal with people not understanding me but I have to realize that God's Glory is in all of this and that somehow, someway, things will be better. Some day I will find that girl that will never give up on me but even when I find "the one" I can't expect her to never give up on me -- I can only let her not. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding -- Proverbs 3:5 I wish that we all could just follow our hearts. I look around me and I see all kinds of people (more here than in most areas) that wouldnt even know what their heart sounded like if it started screaming at them. Its so hard sometimes to ignore logic but most of the time, if we want to follow God, it's exactly what we need to do. Again, I am clueless. I had a phone conversation that scared me..... but in the end, I felt alot better..... I'm still scared and I'm still clueless.... and I actually think I knew more before I had the conversation.... but being a skier, I pray for the blizzards -- the same things others dread. If I can just take that concept and apply it to my life in general.... If I can only learn to use the bad for something exciting..... If all of us could.... things would just be a lot better. It's not about competing with each other, saying who's better or who is worse, and its not about what problems come our way.... Its about riding it out.... All we need is God.... we need nothing else. Sometimes we dont get what we want because we think we need it.... but when we realize that its not something we need, then God blesses us with just that. I said it a few weeks ago and I think it's appropriate here: GERONIMO! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Friday, September 15, 2006 |
So anyway, if anyone has ideas for a vacation I could take, please let me know... otherwise, I'll probably just stick around Ashburn and ... well, do what I always do: work. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Thursday, September 14, 2006 |
I still miss Kim but there is one thing that I realized that she impacted my life with and she couldnt have done it if we were still together. Actually, it was her breaking up with me that really showed me something. Kim was faced with a choice that no one ever wants to have to make. She was basically forced to pick either me or her family and it was a very tough decission for her to make. Kim had to decide whether she wanted to pursue a relationship with me and have her family turn their backs on her or she had to break up with me to keep the peace in her family. So what stands out so much to me regarding this? Well, quite honestly, its that she made the decission. Its no secret that when you hide the truth or deny the truth, you are going to hurt people. Even if it is with good intentions, your going to ultimately hurt someone. Sure, it hurt to have Kim break up with me but it would have hurt ALOT more if she didnt. She had to make a sacrifice and she realized that and she didnt waste time in making it and hurting everyone along the way. I am so incredibly proud of her for that. It's pretty interesting how I feel right now. If Kim called me next week and said that she wanted to pursue a relationship with me again, I would be able to 100% trust her and we would work together for that. Of course, thats probably not going to happen but boy do I wish it would. The honest truth is that if that scenario would happen, I know that I could love Kim just as much as I always did and I know for a fact that our relationship would be even better. The reason is because I saw her take life by the horns and do what she had to do. She broke up with me and did what she knew would really hurt me because she knew that honesty is more important than anything else. At this point I know that if Kim and I ever got back in touch with each other I will have already seen her take a huge leap and do something beacuse it was the right thing. It sucks when we are put in situations where we have to give something up that means alot to us. When your family is giving you a hard time to go one direction, it makes it even harder. I mean, alot of people could say that Kim should never have been faced with a choice like that -- but it doesnt matter. The fact was she was faced with that choice to make may be right or wrong and it may have been put there because of someone else's not understanding what was going on -- but again, that doesnt matter. Life is not about what choices are thrown at us or what situations we are faced with... its about how we handle them. If we are forced to make a sacrifice, we have to make it.... and sometimes we have to decide what to sacrifice. It becomes even worse when you are faced with the decission of sacrificing a relationship with a human (friend, family, etc) or another human. When we deeply care about both its hard because we know that the decission we make is going to hurt us and its going to hurt the other person as well.... but just because we dont like it doesnt mean we can not take action. If we try to pretend that its not there and we put it off and put it off, then we end up hurting EVERYONE involved and we end up hurting them even more. We should always be honest with everyone, including ourselves. This all kind of reminds me of some interviews that I have gone through with some big companies. At the very beginning there is a requirement that you sign a full disclosure agreement. This means that when you enter into a working relationship with that company, you are required to fully disclose anything that you have done related to your job. This is important on so many levels. Obviously, there are various legal reasons why this is important but it also has other meanings as well. If there is any sign of possible dishonesty, it's going to raise questions. You may not want to tell your new employer about the job you did that directly competes with your new company but sometimes its just a matter of letting them know and everything is just fine. When you make disclosures that you have reason to be affraid of disclosing, then your employer knows that you are honest -- and you also take a WHOLE lot of stress off of yourself. When you have to hold lie upon lie on your back, you get closer and closer to just collpasing. I guess this is why God told us how much honesty is important. A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful. -- Proverbs 14:25 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free -- John 8:32 I could really list hundreds and hundres more. Truth is very important. There is a Scripture that I think is really relevant to this situation. But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." -- Mark 5:32-34 Jesus knew that someone had touched Him and he was searching for that person. The woman that did it was so incredibly scared that she was hiding from Him. She was affraid that she might be punished... she was affraid of alot. But what did Jesus do in the end? Jesus healed her! It was the truth that needed to be told before she could feel relief from what she was dealing with. Sometimes you dont know how much disclosing the truth to someone, even tho you are affraid, might make the situation so much better. We all make mistakes and anyone that doesnt expect someone to make a mistake is unrealistic. But imagine being able to hear the truth about something horrible? It may not always happen, but I think when you hit the position where you tell the truth about something you did that was dishonest, you end up gaining ALOT more trust than you ever had in the first place. Maybe you've continually screwed up and continually denied the truth.... being able to take one step and tell the truth all of a sudden can really help people see something honest -- even if what your telling them was a horrible thing. The alternative is to deny it to them and to yourself and try to live your life like the problem isnt there.... If you do the later, I dont imagine you are going to be able to take it much longer.... all the lies you're holding will make you collapse. You can try to start blaming everyone else for doing wrong to you but all your doing is piling more on top of yourself. Even if we need to work towards gaining trust back from a whole lot.... we need to start unloading demons. More importantly, we really need to not let it appear that we are hiding something. Just because we arent doing something wrong, doesnt mean it doesnt look like we're doing something wrong. If its something that your not doing wrong but you think someone might think its wrong -- then make it their problem. You can live in not letting them know and having that pressure on you or you can tell them the truth and if they get mad at you and you really believe it wasnt wrong, then the problem is theirs and not yours. Sacrifices suck, no doubt. The thing is they are a part of life and they are something that we must deal with and be honest about. People are going to get hurt and sometimes, we just can't help it. The choice we have to make, we have to make. The longer we wait, the harder it is for everyone -- and the more it destroys us. We need to live our lives so that we can be trusted and alot of times we gain trust by showing the reasons someone has to distrust us. Let's just disclose everything and take the pressure off of ourselves. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Argh! Why am I still up? (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Nite (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 |
I really dont understand it... I'm starting to slip away again and I don't like it at all. Please keep me in your prayers. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
You don't feel you're any closer to the prize A dead end [thought] where there's no future Praying that tomorrow things won't be this way Things will get better this I promise you And I know that you won't feel this way forever Things will get better this I promise you And I know loneliness won't last forever Yet another day, another tired morning You're catching up to your intentions You're thinking life has to be easier than this Maybe tomorrow things won't be this way Loneliness won't last forever I promise with all that's in me to leave this emptiness behind "Promise" by Spoken (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Monday, September 11, 2006 |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
 "We Will Never Forget" In memory of those who lost their lives on September, 11th, 2001 (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Sunday, September 10, 2006 |
All I know is that I really need to get some sleep. My friend, Kat, and her little boy, Hunter, are going to church with me tomorrow and I need to be up in 3 hours. I just wish I knew how someone I knew for such a short time has left such an incredible hole in my heart and how I can miss her so much. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Saturday, September 09, 2006 |
For the last year or so I have been able to live without having financial stress. It has been hard but not deadly like I have experienced my whole life. I found out some things today that.... well, they scare me. It appears that I have not been making quite as much money I thought I was.... The worst part is, I dont even really know what I'm talking about but I just know that it's boiling down to the "cutting back on things" scenario and somehow finding thousands of dollars at the end of the year. This is killing me.... I've lived the last year of my life happy. I was not in financial stress and things were good... they weren't easy and I did and still do have to watch what I spend... and its hard in this area.... but at least I wasnt worried about people calling me and wanting money and being past due.... I just dont want to go back.... I just dont! :( (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
And this is what's been on my mind It seems like all I do is work for You, Lord But I feel empty on the inside I know that work is an important part Oh but this is also true My dilemma is an issue of the heart When I try to live for You without You I don't need to try to be The flawless example Lifted up for everyone to see I don't need to stand and shout it " Hey I've got the answer!" If Your presence is living in me I don't need to talk about it In a church committee For the world to know the truth All I need to do is just be me Being in love with You I've been spending all my time And all my efforts trying to make you proud of what You see But to my great surprise I have realized Nothing that I do can change Your love for me "Being in Love With You" by Big Daddy Weave (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
One thing I missed from working at Carpathia was the task management system. Basically, everything that was done was assigned a "ticket" and if it was a project I was working on, I updated the ticket with details of what was going on... I also had a queue that was right in front of me so I knew what I was doing and what had to be done... it also gave me the ability to wander from task to task when needed. If there is a task that seems to drift away from me I was able to log where I was and what the status was and move to another task and vice versa... as much as I needed to... this let me really take what could be a bad thing (ADHD) and actually used it to be a very benefical thing. A few days ago, we just got PerlDesk set up at MFC and I just realized tonight how much more relaxed I have been at work. Knowing what is to be done is such an amazing help to me and, quite honestly, I didnt realize it until now. Being able to hit the end of the day and go through and update each ticket and close the tickets that are complete is an awesome thing. One thing I always struggle with is that I personally feel like I'm not living up to what I should be and when I'm able to close tickets, it's kind of like a sense of accomplishment in a way.... and it confirms that I actually got some stuff done.... not to anyone else -- it confirms it to me. So I think in the very near future I'm going to be setting up PerlDesk for me to use personally. It's just incredible how much easier it is for me to get things accomplished. The crazy thing is I never realized how much of a help it was to me. So yea... thats the good news of the night :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Friday, September 08, 2006 |
There is a really good comment on the Slashdot post for this which I liked: Note to self, Time to patent new business model that increases customer satisfaction through the extension of services at prices the customer can afford while providing support and an extended "Customer is right" attitude. Then I can sue all the companies that have happy customers, hmmm It may be hard to find them now. 16067319 (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
So... my boss told me I need to schedule a vacation this month..... So I guess it is a little bit complicated -- but also pretty ironic. I can't understand where my life is and I know for a fact that is for It's actually pretty ironic that all of this came about today. I'm told On a completely unrelated subject.... going to Wolf Park is probably So I have to say again... DO NOT read too much into this. I really just I have no intention of starting a relationship with Tiff. On the other And, yaknow.... I think in the whole history of this blog, this is the Maybe I was waiting for Tiff to make the first move. I really wanted to So... I guess there is only one thing left to say: GERONIMO!!!!!!! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Thursday, September 07, 2006 |
Miami 17, Pittsburgh 27 (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" -- Matthew 14:28-31 If I had to describe my day yesterday, this would be the perfect illustration. This Scripture shows us just a glimpse of how much power we have when our eyes are focused on Christ. It also shows just how little power we have when our eyes are not on Him. Yesterday was a really rough day for me and I created a snowball effect for myself by not giving it all to God. I dont know why I didnt but I guess sometimes once Jesus gets me walking above the waves that come my way I think I am set.... and it seems pointless to stare only at One person when I can look around and see everything else going on.... but I guess thats how we always fail. We take our eyes off Jesus once He has us above the waves by whatever it is that comes our way.... maybe that ship sailing by is interesting to us so we take our eyes off of God so that we can look at something that, quite honestly, isn't important. The greatest part of this Scripture is that as soon as Peter started sinking, Jesus reached out and grabbed him and made sure he didnt drown. Peter had to start sinking and he had to feel the fear that he was going to die because if he didnt, the intensity of the situation would not have been real to him. The important thing is that Jesus did not let him drown. Once we take the step of faith toward Jesus when He calls us, we need to constantly keep our eyes upon Him because it is in Him and Him alone that we can walk on the water. This is yet another thing that is above our logic but it sure does paint a huge picture of how different God's logic is from our own human logic. Physics says that you can not walk on water.... satan says you can not overcome those sins.... Jesus says that you can! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Wednesday, September 06, 2006 |
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." -- Hebrews 13:5 Its been a rough day.... I guess at this point I'm feeling a little bit better because a friend IM'd me and actually did some cheering up. Sometimes it just gets really hard when you're an emotional mess... It takes a lot to hold yourself together.... and even when God is holding you together, its not always easy. People come and people go... It's something that is part of life -- and its also something that I have a had time dealing with. I wish I could always count on a friend to be there for me but I can't.... my happiness can't be dependant on a person and I'm really glad that I am actually getting better at that.... but there still is some work to do. Please keep me in your prayers... I'm not out of the woods yet... and actually, I dont think I ever will be.... but thats ok because maybe the woods is where God needs me! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Today things have really been hard on me and the worst part is that nothing bad happened.... actually, pretty much nothing happened. I just failed again like I always do. I'm going to get back up tho because I need to... I can't just accept defeat. Sometimes I wonder why I'm all alone in this but, as God has really been impressing on me, I dont need to know. He is in charge and He is with me. It's really hard when there is no one that cares enough to step out and say "Hey Bob, how are you doing" ... If there is anyone that will be beside me, they are only there when I ask them to be and only for the time I ask... Hopefully the next blog post won't be this sad and I'll be back up and pushing forward to what God has for me. Good things are coming -- I do still believe that. I'm stronger than what I'm facing and I can stand up to the temptation that I face. Please keep me in your prayers. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Tuesday, September 05, 2006 |
I am no one special... I am just someone who is trying my best to follow God... I am someone that God just recently got a hold of... Quite honestly -- satan is pissed. I have never really realized how comforting Scripture can be when you are in scenarios that you are not comfortable with. God really changed me a few weeks ago. I always knew that He would get a hold of me "just in time" and I realize that that is exactly what He did. In the last week I have had the burden of more emotional pain that I have ever felt in my life.... and if God hadnt changed my life I dont know that I would have made it. Maybe I cry myself to sleep from this emotional pain but I get up the next day and smile and get excited about what God is going to do in that day. I remember that Scriptures God has layed on my heart... and I go through my day doing the best at everything that I can do. So far, I've made it. I'm still holding God's Hands... and I need Him... I realize that more than I ever did before. I realize that God is about to do something because I see the pain that is occuring in people's lives around me. Satan is really unhappy about what is going on and he is stopping at nothing to make it stop.... Today I just talked to my dad and he was telling me about my sister. I realize things weren't too good with her eyes but I didnt realize they were as bad as they were. My dad has to take her to UPMC in Pittsburgh virtually every day and she has to put drops in her eyes every 30 mins. Quite honestly, I dont think anyone knows what to expect but it's my understanding that this is very serious. She has ulcers growing in her eyes.... I've never heard of it before and I hope I never hear of it again. You hear stories of the mob going after someone's family because it's more torture than actually hurting them. My parent's car is broke down.... I really havent talked to them much recently but I can tell that things are not going very well up in PA... and part of me has to wonder why. Is satan trying to get to me through my family? I thank God that I have a Christian family because I know that God is faithful to protect us all. This isnt easy on me... it's not easy on anyone around me... but something amazing is going to happen! In 1985 I remember the pain on my family (even tho I was 5) when my dad had his motorcycle wreck and was given 10% chance of living. God really produced a miracle.... in some ways, I wonder if the rest of my family has forgot how good God has been to us all.... I know it's something that I'm just beginning to realize all over again. If the solution to my family's problems going away is me falling back into sin, then I have to tell my family sorry and give them all the prayers that I have in me. I remember so many stories of spiritual warfare that occured in my family... I remember my mom having dreams and fighting for my aunt.... I remember these things so well and I dont know why. I've seen struggles in my family many times.... I've seen burdens placed on my family that were not fair in the least bit. Why do bad things happen to good people? I think the more important question is what God is preparing for good people. God is faithful and He is just. He has incredible things planned for all of His people..... Let's all be strong and wait upon the Lord. We have that promise in Isaiah 40:31. Let's wait and our stregth will be renewed! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. -- Job 37:5 (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Monday, September 04, 2006 |
-Longest relationship: Continual relationship? 1.5 years -Shortest relationship: 2 days -How many people have you broken up with? I think only 2 -How many times have you truly been in love? Love doesnt end so I have to say that I love 3 of the girls I dated... I just dont love them in the same way -How many boyfriends/girlfriends have told you that they love you? Lots... but I think only one of them meant it. -Have you ever thought that you were going to marry the person you were with? definately -Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurt? Loving doesnt hurt... Sometimes what those who love us do hurts -Have you ever made a boyfriend or girlfriend cry? yea -Have you ever cried over a boyfriend or girlfriend? Yup -Are you happier single or in a relationship? Definately in a relationship. They come with problems but those problems are worth it...... if only I was with someone who felt the same way. -Has a boyfriend or girlfriend cheated on you? Almost all of them -What is your favorite thing about the opposite sex? Being there for each other.... -What is the best part of being in a relationship? See above -What is the worst part of being in a relationship? When the other person gives up on you -Worst relationship? The hardest time I ever had emotionally DURING a relationship was with Tiff.... The worst emotional pain I ever experienced was Kim breaking up with me -Have you ever had your heart broken? Just look at my profile picture.... the answer is a big yes -Have you ever broken someones heart? yea -Do you talk to any of your exes? yes -What is the most mushy or romantic thing you have done? Actually, I've done alot.... sending flowers or cards... or just doing something special and unexpected.... unfortunately, I dont know that anyone appreciated it. -If you could go back in time and change things to where you could still be with one of your exes, would you? I wouldnt want the opportunity because if I changed something, I wouldnt be who I am... but if I was given the chance, I know that I would go back and try to figure out something so that I wouldnt have lost Kim. -Do you think any of your exes feel the same way? yes -What is your ideal boyfriend or girlfriend? Someone that is open and honest all of the time and that will stick by me no matter what gets in the way. -Do you believe that you are a good boyfriend or girlfriend? I do my best.... but so far no one else has thought I was worth it.... someday tho. -Have you dated people who were not good to you? yes -Have you been in an abusive relationship? Not physically.... but emotionally -Name your 2 most memorable exes if you have had 2: Kim and Tiff -Have you dated someone older then you? No -Younger? Yes -What is one thing that all of your exes had in common? They all gave up on me :( -Say, who is the most attractive ex that you have ever dated? That is not a fair question to ask anyone. I have dated some VERY beautiful girls. -Do you regret anything that you have done with a boyfriend or girlfriend? No, I dont think I have.... .-Have you ever cried yourself to sleep over a boyfriend or girlfriend? Many times.... including the last 4 nights -When is the last time that you were in a relationship? We broke up on Thursday..... -Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Yes... but only if they are fighting to change and not just hoping things can be different without effort. -Believe in love at first sight? First sight as in seeing a picture - no. But I do believe that you can fall in love very early on and it can be without talking.... for instance... seeing someone do something really incredible can definately send you in that direction. -Ever dated two people at once? NO! That is quite possibly one of the worst things you could do to someone. -What's the perfect date? It doesnt matter.... just being with that special someone makes it perfect. -Ever been given a promise ring? no -Do you want to get married? My dream is to be the best husband and father that I can be.... so, yea, I guess so :) -Do you have something to say to any of your exes? Every day there is something that I would like to say to someone... but everyday I remember that its not for me to say. -Ever stolen someone else's boyfriend or girlfriend? Nope -Ever liked someone elses boyfriend or girlfriend? I have... but it was never anything I would have ever done something about -Do you believe in true love? See 1 Corinthians 13 -Does heartbreak really feel as bad as it sounds? No... it's worse -Do you think that you will/or have found the love of your life? I will find her someday..... Well, God will show her to me someday. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Anyway, This weekend I havent really had anything to do so I've been playing on myspace alot. There is something that has always been on my heart so I combined the two of them. Anyone else that is on myspace that would agree with the fact that no one should be an outcast because they have different beliefs, check out this group: Christian/Non-Christian Alliance http://groups.myspace.com/cncalliance Maybe its just me feeding my myspace addiction.... maybe it's more. I guess we'll see, wont we? :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Q: Why do guys think to much and girls talk too much? A: A guy has 2 heads and a girl has 4 lips. Yea, yea, I know.... I'm gonna burn, right? :) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
There is alot of people that condem things that people enjoy. And I can't say that I can totally disagree with them. There are also times that people condem humor because it's not the right place or the right time. I think in many of these cases, God may disagree. In case you haven't heard by now, Steve Irwin (The Croc Hunter) was killed. There is a post on slashdot regarding it and the comments have turned into somewhat of a war. People are making jokes about the situation, and others are condeming those that are making jokes. One thing that many people were noting is that Steve was always someone who enjoyed what he did and always wanted others to enjoy it. He used alot of humor. I never watched him much, but from what I do know about him, he does seem like the kind of guy that would want everyone to be laughing about the situation. When anyone dies, it is a sad thing. This all actually goes hand in hand with another thing that God has really been laying on my heart. It is always important for us to make the best out of any situation. One thing God gave me was the vision of waves. Think of the waves rolling in out of the ocean and the force behind those waves. Huge waves such as tsunamis have great force and can wipe out entire communities. It all depends on who you talk to regarding waves. Victims of tsunamis may be scared of them.... but ask a Hawaian surfer about the waves and they'll tell you something totally different. Think about surfing. The whole idea of surfing is taking an uncontrollable power and using it for something enjoyable. Riding on top of the waves is a whole lot better than being crushed under them. I think this is the way we need to view the bad things that happen to us. It's never fun when your heart gets crushed or when someone dies. It's never fun to go through alot of the things we go through as humans.... but if we can only find a way to ride on top of those uncontrolable forces, we will still be able to enjoy life. Alternatively, we can just stand out there in the ocean just letting wave after wave crush us. I think all of this has a great link to humor. Last night I watched World Trade Center and one thing that really stood out in my mind was when the two port authority officers were trapped under the rubble, they made alot of jokes to each other. They laughed and they tried to have as much fun as they could in the situation. I can not say that they had an enjoyable time but it sure was a lot better if they just layed there in silence or layed there arguing with why God would let such a thing happen to them. Humor is an incredible tool that we have been given. Do people pervert humor? Sure... but I dont think its up to us (as adults) to condem another adult by the type of humor they enjoy. This was something else God layed on my heart as I watched a couple episodes of Family Guy today. I enjoy it.... sure, there is some things in their shows that I may not agree with but being able to laugh at it is a healthy thing. Each person is convincted by God in different ways for different reasons and it's not up to us to tell someone else where they should draw the lines. Don't get me wrong... there are things that are obviously over the line. When someone is being damaged by the humor, then there is a problem. Certain sexual humor that is designed to arouse someone or exploit someone is a problem. I'm not talking about someone crying about someone making a joke that they dont agree with. I'm not even talking about some jokes that are declared racist because one person is upset. I'm a white guy and I can't dance.... take that and have fun with it. I'm not going to be offended unless the joke is intended to be detrimental to me. Come to think of it, why is it that black people using the "n" word is ok but yet a white person uses it and its offensive? Quite simply, I think its because it's the source. It's a human emotion to defende those that are like you so coming from the same race you know that it's not meant to be harmful... coming from another race, you're not as sure. It goes back to the common sense that God has given us. Humor is a gift of God just as much as the differences between us is a gift. We need to learn how to use humor in better ways and accept things as jokes and laugh about things that we don't neccesarily laugh about. Sometimes when humor "isnt the right time or place" it often is exactly where we need humor the most. I know when I die it would be my hope that people can gather at my funeral and actually be able to laugh about things. Sure, I hope that I will have been a person that made an impact on enough people that there is mourning.... but I dont want people to be consumed by that mourning. Laugh about things.... enjoy the presence of each other that my death actually brought together. There is always sadness in our lives. Things are going to hurt. We're going to lose people that mean alot to us. People will come into our lives only for a short time.... disasters will occur and sin will engulf all of us at one time or another. These are things that are part of our lives but we really need to ride these things out on top of the waves whether than stand in the ocean just being beat time after time from another wave. Waves come and then there is peace.... more waves come... and there is more peace. Lets use each wave to teach us how to surf.... then when teh storm comes and there are more waves than we could stand in, we'll be ready to ride those waves on top. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Sunday, September 03, 2006 |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
I just got out of the theater from watching World Trade Center. I want to say something but there just are no words that can express what it is I feel. I don't even know if I fully understand what I feel. Why did 9/11 happen? Why would God allow so many people to die? Its more outside of our logic than anyone could even begin to imagine. But God did say that everything works together for good and, at least to me, that's good enough. That horrible day in 2001 will live in everyone's minds. Watching our world collapse around us is something that is hard to experience. There may not be a purpose within our logic but one thing is for sure: God showed us something about His creation. He created us in His image but satan perverted that image and seperated us from the Love of God. On September 11th, 2001 we wittnessed something that was incredible and I'm not talking about the horrible events -- I'm talking about His creation coming together and helping one another. As humans we put all of our differences aside and worked for anyone we could for no other reason than it was "the right thing to do" (quoting the movie). We constantly want to shake our fists at God and ask Him why He would allow something horrible to happen and yet, we never sit back and realize that He never shakes His fist at us when we fail one another. That is something that can not be explained.... We can ask why God allows horrible things to happen or we can ask how God can have so much love for people that have turned their backs on Him. Why do bad things happen to good people? Its not for us to know but God sure does give us clues if we take the time to listen instead of blaming Him for the bad. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Just a thought.... When I cry, satan laughs because he thinks he has me. When I cry, I laugh because I know God has me. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Last night I was probably in the most emotional pain that I have ever experienced. For 2 hours I layed on my bed just crying my eyes out. I could not sleep for nothing.... my medicine wasnt helping.... absolutely nothing helped.... I frequently was crying out to God asking Him why I was in this pain and asking Him to please comfort me and help me.... after two hours, I picked up my Bible and opened it up. I did the open-point-and-read thing and ended up reading the story of Lazarus. Jesus Wept.... those two words gave me a lot of comfort. I finished reading the chapter and I remember thanking God.... thats the last thing I remember. I dont even really remember putting my Bible down.... I read His Word and was instantly asleep. It was a miracle. While thats a cool story in it's self, it doesnt stop there. Today, the first words from Tim in the service were, as I said in my last post, "we're going to be talking about crying today" ... well, something to that effect. I turned around and looked at my friend Elisa, and she just kinda smiled. Something was going to happen. Tim started talking about crying and then I heard these words.... "It's the shortest verse in the Bible" and I *INSTANTLY* got tears in my eyes. For those of you that didnt pick up on it, Tim's entire sermon was based on Lazarus.... the exact chapter that I *RANDOMLY* opened to last night and read. Ok... so we know now that it wasn't random. Tim continued the message.... it seemed like everything he said made me cry more and more... for nothing more than the fact that I knew God was really doing something.... I was living yet another miracle. When Tim got to the point that he started talking about loving people I started to cry more.... my mind started thinking of all the people that judged me before they even knew me... actually, just people that judged in general.... By this point, there was a tear or two streaming down my face... then.... Tim said about how people need to love people no matter what.... when he specifically mentioned homosexuals, I really went into full-blown crying. God really stirred me up.... I just couldnt believe the words that I was hearing. Most of you know that ever since I lived in Florida, I have really had a sense of care for the homosexual community. I believe it is a sin but I believe that they are no more a sinner than I am. What is the purpose of all of this? I really can't answer that. It's like the things that happen that just make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You dont understand them... but you know something more powerful than you can fathom is at work. Whatever God did today, it was powerful. Whatever the purpose is of all of this, its pretty amazing. I'm still carrying more emotional pain than I ever carried before. After the service today I talked to Mike (our campus pastor) for a while. He knew what I went through last year regarding Tiff... when I told him that I had never experienced emotional pain like I am feeling now, he looked and me and asked about Tiff. I looked at him and truthfully and assertively said "This does not even compare" .... And it doesnt. While the Tiff situation incapacitated me, the emotional pain was nowhere near the emotional pain I am feeling right now... but the difference is that I have hope and I have a focus that God is doing something great. I have a smile on my face most of the day and I live my life just like I would if I was emotionally well.... the pain is between me and God.... it is when I lay on my bed and cry more than I have ever cried before. The pain is in God's Hands.... its not that it doesnt hurt but its that its being taken care of. I dont know how long this pain will last. I dont know exactly why this pain is allowed to be on me.... but I do know that God has me exactly where He wants me. I am totally vulnerable to what He wants... I can't take control of my life because I dont know what to do next... I dont know the next word I'm going to say.... I have to rely on Him... and being clueless is the best way to know that I'm not going to get in the way. God is awesome and He is doing something great. Someday this will all make sense.... In His time! (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
So church just started and the first words said in the service were "we're going to talk about crying today." I don't think this is by chance. Lets see what God has to say. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you" and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to You and raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you" and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away Chorus I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth Chorus "Praise You in this Storm" by Casting Crowns (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
The same way that words could never express the feeling of comfort I had while I was in Kim's arms is the same way that words are not able to express the emotional pain I am in since I lost her. My hope is in God but I can not understand why I was able to hold someone so perfect in my arms and have God let her be taken away from me. People talk about love at first sight.... For me and Kim it was love at first laugh. Being able to laugh at the same things is such an incredible feeling. I just can't describe how perfect and how different it felt. It just doesn't seem right.... Not in the slightest bit. I really am doing my best at giving this to God and following His lead. I can't help but hope that I would somehow see her again. The reality of that situation is pretty faint... But then again, the reality of meeting someone that fit so well with me was pretty faint -- but I did find her.... Well, I didn't find her. Despite the fact that she has been taken away, I still believe it was God that led us to each other. I'm going to try to sleep again. It becomes really difficult to sleep when tears flood your pillow the second you lay down. God, I know Your ways are good and that you have a purpose for all of this. Please comfort me in this time and please also comfort Kim -- wherever she may be. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Saturday, September 02, 2006 |
But really... what are those odds? :) You know what is hitting me right now regarding this.... There is somethng that God has layed on my heart ever since I moved to Florida.... Actually, there were quite a few things... but the one I'm thinking of is how critical it is that the body of Christ works together. Two of the three relationships were from parents that were ultra conservative. Don't get me wrong... I respect ultra-conservatism very much but I hate the side effect that often goes along with that. That side effect is that you end up not being to respect that God does different things with different people. Beyond that, ultra-conservatism leads to abuse whether it be the mental anguish you place on someone who you think has "gone astray" or even physical abuse from the anger that builds up from someone "going astray". There is a simple fact that people have constantly told me.... No one can change someone's heart -- no one except God. It's really a hard thing that the body of Christ is up against. We have so many arguments within our own family that we can not be effective in reaching those who have not heard. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[a]"; still another, "I follow Christ." -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-12 It just amazes me how real this scripture is to us in today's Church. We have denominations fighting with denominations. We have people within the same denomination -- or even same church body -- arguing with their brother or sister. There is so judgement within ourselves that we are choking the life out of what God wants to do. When Kim broke up with me Thursday night, she said that all she wanted was for everyone to be happy. I think that desire isnt far off from what God wants for His church. And the sad part is that as long as we continue to judge our brothers and sisters and continue to take their faults into our own hands, none of us will be truly happy. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
i'll smile from time to time and sin the song cause life goes on Chorus but it won't mean a thing without you and the love you bring it won't mean a thing without you the wounds will heal starting over ain't no big deal they rebuilt rome and life goes on Chorus the lesson learned we all must take our turn and carry on cause life goes on "Life Goes On" by PFR (Pray for Rain) (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
In your room You feel the pressure Youre goin crazy too The walls around you Closin in You need a change Claustophobic Feelin scared You need somebody But no one seems to care A one way ticket A change of pace Youve had enough Cant take no more Breaking the chains around you Nobody else can bind you Take a good look around you Now youre breaking the chains Got this letter Came today From my baby Who left me yesterday Said she loves Shell come back She wants to try I wont let her Shell be upset I know its better Than somethin Ill regret Shes been dishonest And insincere I lost my mind Twenty times a year Breaking the chains around me Nobody else can bind me Take a good look around me Now Im breaking the chains Woke up today Im alone I look around But baby you were gone But I dont mind And I dont worry I will survive Im alone Now that youre gone Dont need nobody To hold or tie me down I broke the chains So let me be Ive gotta be free "Breaking the Chains" by Dokken (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
There is something weird about human emotion and this is actually backed by some things I learned in psychology. Before I actually met Kim, I knew that she was something special. We had communicated a while before we met and by time the day came to meet her, my stomach was full of butterflies. I was so excited to meet the girl of my dreams. Now, I go through the day and often I picture her face and my heart jumps and I feel the same physical feeling -- but this time, its painful. Only the context of the situation changes whether it's a good or bad feeling. Emotion is such a powerful thing. It affects us so much physically when we feel something very strong emotionally. We can be really excited and our body is able to function normally -- or even better than normal. But emotional pain really hammers our physical bodies. In the last few days I have been plagued with more sinus problems and alot of headaches and other very painful physical things -- so much that I've already run to the bathroom thinking that I was going to throw up. Emotional pain kills our bodies. To me, it is amazing how closely the emotional body and the physical body associate with each other. While I know there is hope and I know that it gets better, I'm sure that I will frequently see Kim's face in my mind and I will remember the short time we had together and then, depending on where I am, I'm sure I'll shed some tears. I'm sure for the next few nights I'll cry myself to sleep each night and I will wake up the next day to start a new day... each day getting closer to that emotional healing that I need. Someday soon everything will be ok... Please continue to keep me in your prayers. This emotional pain really is more than I ever experienced. I know I have grown because previous times I was simply not even able to function. If I compare this emotional pain to any that I have experienced before, this is by far the worst. There is no doubt about that. The fact that I am able to function in my daily life is nothing less than a miracle. Despite that emotional pain, it is encouraging to know that I have grown. Someday... Someday soon... I'll find her or she'll find me... or maybe even someone I knew will come back to me. It's all in God's Hands. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
Friday, September 01, 2006 |
Wish I could be like her She’s got the girls and the boys So wrapped around her finger Rumor is, she’s some kind of dream Nobody knows she cries herself to sleep We are not that different from each other We just want somebody to discover Who we really are when we drop our guard That love has gotta start with you and me We He’s on the top of the social scene He’s stylish, cool and clever He’s gotta cool attitude that screams He’s got it all together You’d think he’s addicted to himself But he wishes he could be someone else Gotta come together You know you never ever have to be alone You gotta hand to hold "We" by Joy Williams (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
I have been making the point over and over again that what God does and what God allows to happen is completely out of our logic. I can't understand why God has been allowing me to be hurt the same way over and over again but I know that He has a purpose for it. While that doesnt make it any less painful, it's nice to know that every tear that I have shed has had a purpose and has gone towards making me stronger or making someone else stronger. I have a lot of choices that I can make. I can allow myself to believe and to feel anything that I want. Did Kim love me? Did Tiff love me? Did Kendra, or Tanya, or Amber... I can believe whatever I want. For some of those girls, it doesnt really matter. Honestly, to me at this point -- it doesnt matter. Romans 8:28 tells us that everything that happens works together for the good for those that serve God. There is no exclusion in that scripture saying that something bad happening to us is not working toward something better in the future. So how do I decide what to believe? Well, its a matter of listening to my heart. I believe that Kim loved me and I believe that Tiff loved me. Do either of them still love me? Well, thats something that I can't answer regarding Tiff right now but I can for Kim. I was struggling last night with how someone can really love you but not want to fight for you and it really hit me today... Kim loved me with her whole heart. When the attack came from her parents it clouded what she felt in her heart and two things are possible. Option 1 is that she lost sight of what was in her heart and option 2 is that because of the forces that opposed her, her heart was able to fall out of love with me. Either way, that does not have to dilute the fact that she did love me. But there is still a struggle with it. Why did God let this happen? Obviously what I said above applies here -- I cant fully understand because it's outside of our logic. But one thought came to my mind. "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life." -- Job 2:4-6 Undoubtedly, Job is one of the hardest books of the Bible to understand. And if you look at the above Scripture without considering the entire book of Job, it seems very odd. But the feelings that we have naturally as humans when we read the above Scripture are actually very hippocritical. Anyone who follows Christ wants to serve Him and wants Him to be glorified. We'll pray and tell God that we want to do anything we can to glorify Him -- unless it involves what we feel is unfair. Consider that when you want to buy something that is very important to you. You save your money and go buy that and what you buy is worth every penny that you spent. You dont think "That is so unfair that Wal Mart took all that money from me." We can understand the material so that we know that there is a price associated with what we want to purchase. So why is it that we can't understand that glorifying God comes with a price as well. God allowed satan to do some pretty nasty things to Job. I really believe that this is true today. I can just picture satan standing before God and saying "You know, Bob has failed you every other time someone broke his heart" and God responding by saying "Yes, that is true. But I love him and I have been working on him." A thought that is becomming more and more clear to me is the fact that God does allow bad things to happen to us -- but when He does, it is because He thinks very highly of us. It's because He knows that we are at a point that we are able to handle those things. What we often don't see is that these bad things are things that will produce some extreme glory for Him and if glorifying God really matters to us, then we need to understand that there is a price associated with that. The really awesome part is that it doesnt just stop there. God blesses us for what we go through. He allows us to learn from those problems and become even stronger people. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. -- Job 42:12-15 Job was blessed more than he was before all of this happened and thats saying alot because Job was blessed very much even in the beginning. We understand the material ideas of buying things at a store but imagine what it would be like if you spent thousands of dollars to Wal Mart over years and years of shopping and all of a sudden Wal Mart called you and said "you've have done great in helping us raise our profits so as a reward, we want to refund all of your money for everything you ever bought here and we also want to give you a $5,000 gift card." That is beyond human logic but it is exactly what God does for us. It doesnt mean that we didnt work to earn money for those things that we bought. It doesnt mean that we didnt suffer unfair things at our jobs to earn that money. It was a reward -- something we didnt have to earn. None of this takes away the fact that I am in emotional pain right now and it doesnt take away the fact that when bad things happen to you you will be in pain as well. It doesnt even fully explain what is going on because this is all outside of our human logic. Maybe it helps us understand a little bit more about why bad things happen to good people and why God allows us to be in pain. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. -- 1 Corinthians 13:12 (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
You know what I really want? I really want someone to make a radical step for me... it can be anything. I just want to know that I'm worth it to someone... I want to know that I'm worth fighting for... worth changing plans for... I wanna know that I'm worth loving -- and all that 1 Corinthians 13 says that it is. It's really hard knowing that I'm only worth something to someone as long as they dont have to work for it. The line from Dan Smith's song "At this moment" keeps ringing through my head: "You're my soulmate, unless this takes work" .... Why am I not worth working for? Not being loved is very painful ... knowing that your not worth loving is a lot worse. (C)2003-2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved |
(C)2008, Bob K Mertz - Some Rights Reserved
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