thankfully, I now wear clothes...

because 40 years ago this day, I came into this world with nothing.....today is my 40th birthday.

WOW!! There is so much to be thankful for!! There are alot of intangables and little things that come to mind that make life so precious and wonderful. Below I briefly outline some highlights, and good ones indeed:

Faith:
God has given me a true faith and hunger in Christ to live and love Him in a way that grows stronger everyday. I have learned so much in my walk as a Christ follower, but have mostly come to believe and trust that God is never-ending with His love, mercy and grace giving me a focused purpose to live the best life possible.

Marriage:
Tori and I are in the 3rd year of a fun, healthy, uplifting and growing marriage seeking Gods will for the direction and purpose of being together.

Family and friends:
I really have a great loving family and group of friends, new and old, and all are doing really well in their careers, ministry, and with their families. I can't thank each one enough for loving us. Visiting family and some old friends in MI this past weekend really refreshed me and sent me strolling down memory lane in a wonderful way (more of that in another post).

Health:
God has blessed me with great health: rarely catch colds, always have plenty of energy, can still play competitively in any sport I choose.

School:
So blessed and humbled to be able to go to a God glorifying, Biblically sound school studying in pastoral ministry for the next adventure God has called us to, wherever and whatever that is.

Career:
It is just over 11 years in a second career in design engineering (I previously spent over 11 years in foodservice, highlighted by 8 years as a chef). It is truly a God thing to be able to work in a highly technical and complex field with passionate, brilliant engineering and manufacturing people as an integral team member designing the latest and greatest jet fighter to serve our country.

Do I think my life is perfect? Only if perfect means that at I am living the way God intended to the best He has revealed, than yes, thank You Lord, it is a most perfect life.

Am I perfect? No way, not by a long shot, but thankfully God isn't done with me yet.

I firmly and humbly set myself to live faithfully by my favorite verse in the Bible, "But above all pursue His kingdom and righteousness", (Matt 6:33a), and also as Paul said, "I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phi 3:13,14). I can live with a clean conscience and a strong resolve to better myself and the world I live in.

My life is not better than anyone else's, and there is so much to look forward to....I am still dreaming and setting goals, but so far it has turned out better than any alternate I could have ever imagined or planned.

I truly thank my Father in Heaven, my wife Tori, my family and my friends for being a part of all of it.

Well enough about me... here are some June 7th facts and tid-bits

Some notable historical events:
- Christian history
- Daniel Boone first began to explore Kentucky, 1769
- French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin was born in Paris, 1848
- Battle of Midway ends
- Japanese invaded Western Aleutians during WWII, 1942
- 1965: Monarchy restored in Morocco
- 1990: Hungary announces plan to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact
- American history

Some notable birthdays:
- 1799: Alexander Pushkin, Russian playwright and poet
- 1848: Paul Gauguin, French artist; lived with Van Gogh for some time
- 1909: Jessica Tandy, American actress; 'Driving Miss Daisy'