Just as a quick recap of events of the past year and a half or so...
February 2009 - got back from 4 months working in Maryland. still no work in SD so placed on leave with no pay
May 2009 - officially laid off with two weeks worth of severance
June 2009 - officially found out my dad has gastric cancer (stomach)
December 2009 - dad finally got surgery to remove the tumor. successful surgery!
February 2010 - dad started chemo/radiation treatment
June 2010 - VBS at LBCSD
July 2010 - helped LBCSJ pack and move
               - dad finished chemo
               - offered job at Panalytical!

God's plan and timing is crazy.
- It is good. Because God is good, anything and everything He does and plans is also good. He has a purpose for everything, and orchestrates it for good, the ultimate good of course being His glory. I haven't always known rhyme or reason for the circumstances that were going on in my life, especially at the time, but I trusted in and never doubted God's character throughout.
- It is perfect. God's providence is so amazing. The sovereignty of God is typically displayed in the normal things of life. And He orchestrates every detail and circumstance and emotion (and even our sins) in such a way to fulfill His ultimate purposes and plans. From our perspective, things seem to fall into place in a funny and crazy way. But it is exactly as it was meant to be. As soon as LBCSJ was sent off, and my dad's chemo treatment ended, boom! the job!
- It is sanctifying. For the Christian, God's plan works to sanctify them. After all, being more like Jesus glorifies God because we kill sin and we magnify Christ's righteousness and character as we bear the fruit of His Spirit. It is crazy to see how sinful and lazy I can be. It is humbling to know that I still have so much work to do. Certain circumstances provide the context to reveal specific aspects of my sinful state, for which I am grateful because then I acknowledge them and can seek to work on them specifically.
- It is transcendent. I didn't know the purposes and how or when everything would work out, especially at the time. They are beyond my comprehension and reasoning. But that's ok because I trust in this transcendent plan because I have faith that God is good.

Being without a job...
- It was humbling. I had, by all secular accounts, a fantastic undergraduate education. I finished a MS program online through UCLA. Yet I couldn't find a job. And as a man, I am called to be the provider. How do I provide without a solid job? It doesn't necessarily need to be high paying or even along what I studied, but I still need a solid, steady job as a man to provide for a family. I wasn't there yet.
- It tested my patience. Day after day, week after week I applied to jobs and asked for prayer. At times it seemed it would never end. When I saw the stat that the unemployment rate dropped, but because people stopped looking for work, I thought of different career paths that I might pursue, or going back to school for another degree. There were many days when I was bored and aimless. What kept me going? Many times I looked to future glory, even hoping Christ would return or I would die in the midst of all this so I wouldn't have to worry about a job any more. The fact that  Ultimately, it was the promises of God that gave me hope and helped me to take that next step forward.
- It helped me be more financially frugal. Living at about half what I was earning (because of unemployment benefits) helped me be more responsible with my money. I know now more the difference between what I need and what I want, and learned to budget for that purpose. 

Hopefully I made good use of the time God gave me...
- My dad's cancer. The initial news was quite shocking. But the free time I had gave me the opportunity to take care of all the insurance stuff (initially with County Medical Services [CMS], and the with Medi-cal), which got pretty messy at times. In addition, I had the opportunity to take care of all the hospital care stuff, which wasn't as messy as the insurance stuff but was a lot to keep track of. I went with my dad to all the doctor appointments, diagnoses, procedures, treatments, and especially the surgery and his hospital stay after the surgery.
- Ministry to other guys at church. I tried to keep myself somewhat busy by meeting up with various guys for lunches and dinners. What a privilege to see how they are growing and being challenged by God's Word.
- Church ministry. Particularly with VBS, I was freed up to serve with my all. The month or so leading up to VBS I was almost full-time ministry. It was a lot of responsibility that I put on myself because of the time I had, but it was also a lot of fun. And I liked being free to come to church whenever I was needed to do anything. I was also able to participate in every church activity possible, including all the things that led up to and including the LBCSJ send off.
- Helping LBCSJ get ready. This included driving up Pastor John's books and coming back that day, helping to pack PJ's things at church, and to help drive PJ and his family up when they left for San Jose (and coming back that day).
- Learning from books. I probably could have read a lot more, but I did get a chance to go through some really good books in this time. The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love. The Gospel According to Jesus. Worship Matters. Peacemaker. A Tale of Two Sons. Wordliness. Spectacular Sins. What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter. And a bunch more that I have started that I hope to finish one day.

I'm humbled to think that God felt I had the character to go through 17 months of unemployment. By no means was it easy. If ever it seemed it looked easy, it was entirely because of God's grace in my life. I want to take NO credit for getting through this period. God's grace truly is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). soli Deo gloria!

v 4 - Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

This verse became one of those "aha" moments for me this morning. In the context of not passing judgment on one another, specifically fellow Christians (because whether weak or strong, both have faith), here in the context of food or how someone spends their day, Paul's argument made a lot of sense. As fellow Christians, we have but One Master. I am by no means anyone else's master. Therefore, I have no prerogative or right to dictate someone else's way of seeking to honor the Lord. Just because they prefer to honor God in a different manner from me doesn't mean they are wrong. But if I look on them with contempt because of their different practice, I am in the wrong. Of course this is all in the context of assuming true, genuine saving faith, and it's not dealing with apostasy or heresy, which must be dealt with and corrected.

It is natural to think though that I am right to correct others, especially towards someone that is weaker in the faith, whether actually or only in my mind. There's this prideful sense of knowing it all, but only God knows the heart. So with respect to preference issues like diet, if done to honor the Lord and give thanks to God, and done according to their conscience, I must not be a stumbling block to that. Christians should not and must not follow me. We must all follow Christ alone. Like that one analogy where you have dozens of pianos. You don't tune them to each other. You tune them to a singular tuning fork, an outside source that is reliable and consistent and never changing.

v 13 - Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

This is something I must actively pursue. This is something I need to decide to do, choose to do. This can't be just wishful thinking or hope and pray. Scripture instructs me that I must continually choose never--and I'm guessing that means "never" in the Greek as well--to be a hindrance for a fellow Christian, whether weaker in the faith or stronger in the faith than I. I am not their master or lord. I am a fellow worker that must come alongside, in love.

v 14 - I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.

As Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. As we meditate on the words of Christ day and night (Joshua 1:8, Colossians 3:16), the Holy Spirit leads our thoughts and motives and uses our conscience for our own benefit. So in non-essential, non-gospel-altering issues like food preferences, I MUST not disrespect a fellow believer's conscience. I must not take it lightly or make fun of it, even in passing, out of respect and love for their personal convictions. They are seeking to honor Christ. Who am I to poke fun at that, even in a joking manner (especially in a joking manner). There is no love in that.

v 17 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.