Category Archives: Life

ask. seek. knock.

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“All you got to do is ask…”

I often hear this phrase in the form of that oh-so-subtle ‘gentle whisper’. But I’m a worrier. I get anxious really easy. It’s hard for me to ask for help. I’d rather stress out and believe that the world is actually caving in. Why? I have no idea.

Right now I’m at a time in my life where all I can do is ask God what’s “next.” If I don’t start seeking I’m not going to find anything. I’m at a crossroad and not sure which way to go. And then I hear it: “All you got to do is ask…” Wait… There it is again. “God? Is that You?”

I’m sure everyone would love to receive a personal visit from God and listen intently while He reveals His grandiose plan for their life. I know I would. But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen. What I can bank on though is that if I ask, I’ll receive — if I seek, I’ll find — and if I knock, the door will be opened. Agh, it sounds so easy, but what if I don’t get the answer I want? What if I don’t like what’s on the other side of the door? Hmmm… That could be a problem. I think the real question is Do I believe that the Father is good?

Yes.

So the answer I receive should be good. Right?

What I find will be good.

What lies on the other side of the door is good.

Even IF it’s not what I had in mind.

The bottom line is this: The Father is good and He gives good gifts to His children.

I am His child. So if I ask, he’ll give me something good.

All that’s required of me is to have faith that He’s the good Father He promises to be. And I do.

So I stand outside the door and knock, waiting for the surprise that awaits me. God, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for Your promises. Help me to treat others with the same goodness You have shown me. I’m looking forward to the journey of what lies ahead — the joy, the suffering, the pain, the adventure. No matter what it looks like, I know that it will be completely and utterly rewarding, so long as You are at the CENTER. Amen!

What do you need to ask for? To seek after? What doors are waiting to be opened in your life?

On the Road…

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Well, since traveling the streets of Italy, Spain, France, Greece and other European hotspots, I have always had a dream to own a Vespa. Now, that dream has finally come true! Yes, I’ve officially fulfilled the inner-European in me and it feels good. It also saves on gas. :-) While getting 75-80 mpg, I filled the tank up the other day and it cost me a whopping $5.86! You just can’t beat that!

Some may scoff at the decision to invest in a scooter, wondering why I didn’t “just get a real bike” [motorcycle]. But, I am quite happy with my Vespa 150 S and, as a bonus, I got a great deal on it through Craigslist. What I’ve loved most is the feeling of freedom you have while driving. It’s both relaxing and peaceful.

I recently took an early morning ride near the Superstition Mountains and captured a few shots along the way. Check them out!

Swiss Army Romance

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I recently had the privilege of meeting and seeing one of my favorite bands in concert — Dashboard Confessional. Chris Carrabba started the band over 10 years ago and he’s currently doing a Swiss Army Romance 10th Anniversary Tour. For my birthday, Tara got me the “meet and greet” ticket package for the January 20th show at the Troubadour in Hollywood, CA (they weren’t coming through AZ). It was an amazing night — one I’ll never forget!

First, we arrived 45 minutes before doors opened, as the email instructions stated, and jumped in a line of about 50 people. We waited. And waited. Then waited some more. If you’ve ever been to a show at a smaller club this always seems to be the routine. However, I started getting a little nervous so I decided to walk up to the will call booth. I spoke with an employee of the club, asking him about the “meet and greet” to which he responded, “there is no meet and greet tonight.” I insisted there was and even showed him the email with the instructions. He still insisted there wasn’t a meet and greet. I asked to talk to a manager, to which he replied, “I am the manager.” Confused and frustrated, I got back in line to process through my options. Not long after a security guard came walking by the line shouting, “Jared…Victoria….Jared….Victoria.” I didn’t know who Victoria was (and I didn’t care) but all I knew is that this must be my ticket in. It was indeed, but the best part about it was that Victoria (whoever she is) and I were the only ones for the meet and greet that night. Even better, Victoria never showed up so it was just going to be Tara and I hanging out with Chris for a bit. I was happy!

The guard took us to the entrance of the club and I must say that it felt so good passing by all the “others” in line, knowing were being ushered in to hangout with Chris one-on-one. They brought us inside were we waited for a few minutes for him to finish up an interview. Then his manager took us into the staging area where Chris greeted us. We introduced ourselves and did some small talk about random things. When he found out we traveled from AZ to see the show, he was surprised and thankful. After that, he invited us back stage to hang out for a bit. It was pretty stinkin’ cool just to talk to him and see who he really is — just a normal, down-to-earth guy who’s passionate about telling stories through music. I asked him about “Get Me Right” (one of my favorite songs) and he shared a few details about the message behind it. After 20 minutes or so, his manager came up and said he needed to go eat dinner so we said our goodbyes. Good times!

The show was great too! Here are some pics, videos and more thoughts about the whole experience.

GET ME RIGHT lyrics:

I made my slow way home
Limping on broken bones
Out of the thickest pine
Across the county lines
On to your wooden stairs
I know you can repair
I know you’ve seen the light
I know you’ll get me right…right….right…right

I own a sinners heart
I know the rain falls hard
I know the currency
I know the things you’ll need
I hope he hears my prayers
I see you cut your hair
I know the saving type
I know you’ll get me right…right….right…right

But, Jesus I’ve fallen
I don’t mind the rain if
I meet my maker
I’ll meet my maker clean

But, Jesus the truth is
I’ve struggled so hard to believe
I need my maker
I need my maker

To cure of my doubting blood
And drain me of the sins I love
And take from me my disbelief
I know it should come easily
But it remains inside of me
It battles and devours me
It cuddles up the side of me
And whispers it convinces me I’m right…

Woe is me!

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Job 2:7-10

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.


I know now that Job’s suffering was FAR beyond anything I could handle. Why? Because somehow, someway I had a random allergic reaction to some unknown source. That reaction led to THE worst week of my life! It started off small, but eventually my body was covered from head to toe with the hives. I have never been more uncomfortable in my life (even worse than when I got sun poisoning a few years ago). My skin was itchy, burning and full of massive welts. NOT FUN! Although I’m sure there are much worse things that can happen (I don’t want to find out), this is the closest I ever want to get to relating to Job. Sorry if it grosses you out, but here are a few pics to prove it.

It started on a Tuesday night and didn’t go away until Wednesday of the following week. It made for the worst New Year’s eve ever, as I laid in bed drugged up on benadryl. I hope and pray that I never get the hives again!

It Never Hurts to Ask

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Recently Direct TV stopped airing the Versus channel because the two companies could not reach an agreement to renew their contract. This made me furious because Versus airs 75% of the IndyCar races for the season. With two races left I was faced with a decision – do I cancel Direct TV and go with Cox or Dish Network in order to see the remaining two races? Or do I keep what I have and avoid the hassle of cancelation fees and switching services?

What I decided to do is give Direct TV a call and see if they had any “ideas” for me. I explained to the customer service representative that I didn’t want to miss the races, but I didn’t want to leave Direct TV either. She immediately apologized, blamed the situation on Comcast (company that owns Versus), and offered me a $120 credit on my bill. That definitely perked my interest, but was it enough to entice me to miss the last two races of the season? No… Ok, well yes, but I thought I could squeeze more out of the deal.

I told her that is was tempting and reassured her that I did not want to change my service, but she was going to have to do a little better than that. So I asked, “Is there anything else you can do for me?” Silence….

“I can comp your DVR service for 6 months,” she said. Do this would be a $6 per month savings on my bill – a total of $36. That’s not a whole lot but it’s a nice addition to the $120. Then she added that she could throw in some movie channels and extra sports channels as well. Overall, not a bad deal. I was glad I asked further to get that nice little bonus.

Through this whole experience I was really impressed with the representative from Direct TV. She was helpful, positive and willing to work with me through my situation. Even though I am bummed that there is no more Versus, I am glad to know that Direct TV wants to keep their customers happy.