AlanBeam.net

Work Hard, Rest Well

2012-05-30T19:17:41-05:00

A week ago I would not have known how to answer the question: "Are Christians supposed to observe Sabbath?" On the one hand, it's one of the Ten Commandments. So yeah, I guess we are. But on the other hand, how are we supposed to be expected to do no work on Saturday (or Sunday)? And didn't Jesus make that no longer apply? Enter in JP. He gave a message about Sabbath on Sunday at Watermark that really hit close to home. (Listen to it here!) There are more commands around the Sabbath in the Old Testament than any of the other Ten Commandments. It's very important.

"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it." -Hebrews 4:1

So we must not forget to rest. But what does it mean to "rest"? Jesus reamed the Pharisees for putting so many man-made rules around the God-given commandment. The answer is that we are to find rest in Christ.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

*Whew* All of that is just a very, very brief summary of the message JP gave. Great stuff. But how am I to make this applicable to my daily life? The biggest thing is that I'm very guilty of kinda-working and kinda-resting every day. I don't give 100% to working, but I don't give 100% to resting, either. I get burned out really quickly from this, as I feel like I'm going non-stop. I have an endless list of things to do, but I don't have the energy to do it all every day.

My resolution for this week is to work hard all week. Give 100% at work. Give 100% at home, helping around the house or knocking things off the to-do list. But most importantly, I will rest well all week, giving 100% to Christ. I tithe every paycheck before paying any bills, but am I making it a priority to read my Bible and pray before getting anything else done? Not usually. This week, I will rest in Christ, recharging my batteries in my relationship with Him. Then, I can work.

In order to keep going, you have to keep stopping.

Like A River On Its Way To The Sea

2012-02-22T17:08:25-06:00

Alma

4 days from now, she'll be 5 months old. Craziness. I can hardly recall what life was like before Alma was here, yet 5 months seems like such a short period of time. It's amazing to watch somebody learn how to use their own body. She can't even crawl yet, but I love hearing her laugh and seeing her reach out and grab something that she wants and seeing her smile when she recognizes me after I've been at work all day. I know it is just going to get better from here, but I can't imagine what that could possibly look like.

Running

My running goals for this year:

Run a 10K at the Cowtown in Fort Worth (7:30 min/mi)
Run a 10K at the Big D (7 min/mi)
Run a Half-Marathon at the Hottest Half (7 min/mi)
Run a Marathon at the White Rock (7 min/mi)

The last one is the most important time goal, as that would qualify me to run in the Boston Marathon. I don't actually care if I get to run in Boston, but I do want to qualify. If I don't make the qualifying time, then I'll have to run another marathon. So, yeah. Hoping I get it this time around!

Church

Things are going well at Watermark this year. Our Foundations Group has started meeting regularly (ginni and I gave our Life Maps last time!), and the people in our group are so great. `I'm still serving as Floor Director for Wake, but have also volunteered to help lead a small group of 6th graders and should start that in the next few weeks. I also just signed up for a 6 week seminar for men. Meanwhile, ginni has been going to Square One, a ministry for moms of infants, and has started attending a women's bible study/discipleship group. Lots of fun stuff.

Ransom!

A new day, a new pet. This time it's a big one - a one year old lab/pit mix. He's beautiful, even if a bit dopey. He has no clue how big he is and no sense of self-preservation. He has a habit of trying to run off, so we got him micro-chipped and put a tag on him with our address and phone number. It took a few days, but he and Imma seem to be getting along great now (even snuggling up when they sleep on occasion). Plus, he loves Alma. Slurps her every chance he gets.

No promises on how long it will be before the next blog post, but I'm glad I finally got this one posted!

Dear Alma...

2011-09-26T11:09:23-05:00

You will be here very, very soon. (The nurse estimates another hour or so.) I am listening to your heartbeat on the monitor and watching your beautiful mother sleep soundly. I want you to know how brave and strong she has been today. It was incredible to see her pushing past the most intense pain she has ever felt, all so she could see you. We've both been anxiously awaiting your arrival, and lucky us, you are coming early! 16 days is better than we had even hoped.

I love you so incredibly much - it feels like my heart can't contain it all. I want to teach you and lead you and disciple you and love you every day of your life. I hope and pray that you will remember all the times that I set a godly example for you to follow and that you will forget all the times that I do not. It feels like a dream that you'll actually be here. We've waited for you for so long, the next hour is going to feel like an eternity!

There are a lot of people who love you already. So many people are excited about your arrival and have been so supportive of your mom and me throughout this pregnancy. I pray that you will always see God's love pouring out from those around you, and that you will learn to always show that same love to others.

Never forget this: Nothing you or anyone else says or does will ever change how much I love you.

Preparations

2011-07-13T13:12:51-05:00

Life seems to be in a perpetual state of transition for me. We've known about being pregnant for virtually all of 2011, but it feels like a lot longer. Everyone says time will fly by, but it hasn't. I'm not complaining (though I don't have to carry the little one around everywhere I go...) because I feel like there is so much to do before Alma comes.

The Nursery
It is coming along quite well. We have the walls painted (thanks to MD and Chris!), along with all the furniture we're going to have (crib, dresser, rocker). We're also getting close to having all the wall decorations that we want (Texas themed, if you are curious - the state, not the school). I'd post pictures, but I'm under strict orders to withhold until it is complete. Soon!

Work
I have about 2 1/2 months to wrap up the big projects I'm working on and to do knowledge transfer to others on my team so I'm won't be interrupted during my 3 week vacation when Alma comes. It should be plenty of time for my projects. It's the KT that worries me. I'm the one everybody turns to for our legacy applications. Even if I don't know the answer, I'm the one to research it since I know them better than anyone else (note I didn't say I know them well, just better). It should be alright, though.

Fatherhood
I don't think I could ever have enough time to prepare for this. I've been focusing mostly on the spiritual side of this, though the actual "taking care of a newborn" thing is pretty daunting at the moment. It can't be that hard, right?

As much as it makes me scared, nervous, and anxious, I can't wait for her to be here. It's going to change everything. It's going to make everything better than it is now. I just want to meet that kid already.

Alma Sofia Beam

2011-06-20T17:44:13-05:00

My sweet little daughter is almost here. We are now 16 weeks away from her due date and it can't get here fast enough. I'm taking these next few weeks as an opportunity to prepare for her - or more accurately, to prepare myself for her. There is so much I want to do before she arrives. I want to have more consistent time studying Scripture, be more comfortable with overtly talking about Christ with my family, friends, and strangers, and constantly finding ways to grow in my faith. Up until now, my desire to grow spiritually has been partly out of obligation (as I know that is what I am called to do), partly out of an understanding of why I have that obligation. Now? Things have changed. I have been charged with the protection and discipling of a human being. I can't just lead with my actions, I have to lead with my words. I can't just pray at the dinner table and go to church on Sunday mornings, I have to find teachable moments in every day and help her understand what it means to be a Christian.

I know that I'm not solely responsible for her upbringing, but I do have a pretty dang large role. And honestly, who can't use an excuse to be super motivated to learn more about the most important thing in their life? I feel like the growth I've experienced over the past few weeks has helped me become a better husband to ginni (Happy 2nd Anniversary, baby!) and a better employee at work. Life truly is getting better and better every day.

I can't wait to hold her.