Crimson Red Sports

Hey all
I think I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to ask for your prayers again. I will be finishing grad school at South Alabama in about two weeks, and I am still searching for work. It is been very frustrating, either getting no response from people or getting rejections. Today I received a letter in the mail from the University of North Carolina rejected my application for a project archivist position (this is the type of work I am looking for, as well as museum work or nearly any other position where a historian is needed). I became very depressed over this, due to the fact that I am really feeling the need to find something by the end of May. I have to admit my faith is not very strong at this point, and I need my bros and sisters in Christ to pick me up a little by going before the throne of Grace.

cb - my prayers are going out for you. Just remember to listen to His plan for you. He may be gently nudging you to something much more fulfilling and something you may love.
Keep us posted on your journey.

Terri :)

Thank you Terrie. Will do.

cbbama99 I am going to pray about your job. Now let me tell you, read Psalm 91 and remeber why he went to the Cross. It was to set you free. Your Faith should never get weak, because that is Satan doing that. Please check on Phillipians 4:6 and Phil. 4:13. If I can help any more let me know. God Bless brother.

I will be praying for you.

Great posts everybody.

:pray:

How about some testimony and scriptures to go along with the prayers?

My wife and I were living out of state several years ago, before we had kids.  We had moved away from Alabama 5 years earlier.  When we left I told my wife that it would not be forever, that we would try to come back in 5 years once I had some job experience.  I told her that we would move away, I would make some business contacts, and then maybe I could convince one of them to let me move back home and work remotely.

After having been gone for about 5 years, through prayer and meditation we realized that it was time to come back to sweet home Alabama.  I had no job and had no idea what kind of work I would be able to find.  It looked like my original plan was a complete failure and we would have to go back home and start over in a new career.  All of my experience was in computer programming, and I seriously doubt to this day that there is another programmer in this whole rural Alabama county with the experience that I have.  Of course there are no technology jobs here at all, let alone programming jobs.  But nevertheless, I knew in my heart it was time to come home to be close to family.

So I walked into my boss's office at work the next day and resigned my position.  I told him that I loved working there, but it was time for me to move back home.  He was a little surprised and did not really know what to say.  I told them that I had not even started looking for another job yet, so we had some time to work out a plan to transition my duties to someone else.  I then went back to my desk and went back to work.

A couple of hours later, the VP of the company comes by and invites me to his office to talk.  He told me that this was an unusual situation, and then proceeded to ask me if I would be interested in staying on with the company and working remotely.  Of course I accepted immediately and we began to work out the logistics.  I moved back home, and I worked for them for several years.

A pretty miraculous story up to this point.  But that is not the end of it.  One day, that same VP decided it was time for him to move back home and be close to his family.  He ended up leaving the company.  When they hired his replacement, the new VP was not the least bit interested in allowing me to work remotely.  He did not know me at all and quickly dismissed my contributions without stopping to consider why I was allowed to have this "special" situation in the first place.

So there I was again, but this time I was already in rural Alabama.  No jobs anywhere.  Then one day, just before my job was supposed to end, I hear from an old friend that I had known for a long time.  He heard about what was happening, and it just so happened that there were some openings at the company where he worked.  He went in and talked to the CEO of that company and explained the situation, and really vouched for me.  I ended up going to work for that company, got a raise, and was still allowed to work remotely.

But again, that is still not the end of the story.  A couple of years ago, that new company shut down their entire operation.  At just the right time, the VP at the first company, the one who wouldn't let me work remotely, finally had been given enough rope to hang himself with bad decisions and he was fired.  When I heard about this I contacted his boss, who was an old friend of mine who I started out with at the bottom of the ladder at that company.  This old friend was now the CEO of that company.  At this time they did not really have any openings.  But they created a new position and hired me back anyway, knowing that they would need some more help sooner or later.  Again, I was allowed to continue living here out in the middle of no where and work remotely.

Well, I am still working for that company to this very day.  It has been 9 years since I originally walked into that first office and resigned without even having a job lined up.

My message to you is this:  God has a plan for your life my brother.  You might not know what it is yet, but he does.  He even knows when you are going to get off track, due to your own mistakes and shortcomings, and already has the plan in place to get you back on track.  Trust in him and be assured he has you in the palm of his hand.  As you can see, I can testify without a doubt that God will provide for his children.  And there is nothing special about me that he would do all of this for me.  He loves you just as much and will do the same for you.

Here are some scriptures about provision, physical, spiritual, and otherwise, that will encourage you during this difficult time.  This first one parallels my own testimony perfectly.

Jeremiah 29

¹⁰This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Isaiah 55

Invitation to the Thirsty

¹“Come, all you who are thirsty,
   come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
   come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without cost.
²Why spend money on what is not bread,
   and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
   and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³Give ear and come to me;
   listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
   my faithful love promised to David.
⁴See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
   a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵Surely you will summon nations you know not,
   and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the LORD your God,
   the Holy One of Israel,
   for he has endowed you with splendor.”
⁶Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
⁷Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹²You will go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
   will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
   will clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
   and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
   for an everlasting sign,
   that will endure forever.”

1 Kings 17

Elijah Fed by Ravens

²Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ³“Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. ⁴You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
⁵So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. ⁶The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

⁷Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him: ⁹“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” ¹⁰So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” ¹¹As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
¹²“As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

¹³Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”

¹⁵She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

Matthew 6

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

These stories and the scripture above all have been so uplifting. Thanks to all of you. I know that faith in our God is above all things, but it is also good to know that my brothers and sisters are with me in this as well. God Bless each of you!!!

Praise God SUPERCOACH. I had an ordeal when I got called to Preach. I knew the Lord had been calling me about 5 mos before or a little more. I would not except it. Everything would go wrong, I would drop the little screws and nutts and stuff off the tops of Ladders. Finally one day, it was on Christmas morning of 2004, my Pastor called and said he was deathly sick. He hadn't miss a Sermon since he had been preaching some 20 yrs. before. He was so sick that day he couldn't come to Service, so he called me. He explained how he felt and how he wanted to call a couple of other preachers to get one to fill in for him, but the Lord would not let him. He said God made him call me and ask me to fill in. This Preacher did know about me but he knew it had been so long I thought God had given up on this play thing I had received, but not so. So I agreed to the Pastor. Well when I hung up the phone, my wife ask me what Bro. Pete wanted and I told her. She came running out of the bathroom and hollered "WHAT." She said " You don't know how to Preach and I agreed. She said what are you going to do? I said I don't know go preach I guess. She said how hunny?"
I said with a small voice I didn't call him he called me. He better give me what I am to Preach on and my wife said what is it? I said I don't know."
Well we sat there in Sunday School and my wife would punch me, Do you know yet, and I said no I don't. Well we both sang in the Choir and she couldn't sing the notes right. She was all messed up. She was afraid they would be staring at her, I said no baby they better be listening to me. She was really getting bad the closer to time it got for me to preach. She said what if he don't give you something, I said that is fine I won't preach. She why not, I said because he called me I didn't call him, what I have, has to come from him. Well with my wife making our Choir Section sing all out of whack because my wife was so off key from worrying we finally got through. Usually my wife and I usually would sing a duet. This day it was not to be, my wife couldn't read her song book, lol. This went on till about 5 miuntes before Preaching and wham the Lord gave me John 15:5, that is why it is in my signature today. Please take time to read it all but listen to the best part. "Without me you can do nothing." I learned that day what I already knew, I couldn't do it without him. I ask as a joke if any of the old ladies had any Zanax for my wife? They just laughed. So I got up and preached, and at the end of Service when you shake hands at the door I was inspired by everyone in the house with how good I did. I had to apologize to the Lord cause I knew where it came from. I did tell them all. My wife that day found out what it was like to be a Preachers' wife. I know I can not do anything without him and I can do all things through him. "The one thing we have to come to knowledge of is "Turn my life over to him in every way." If it takes away your Sat. Afternoon beer and popcorn or fishing with friends on Sunday and the Budwesier Fest, do it. The Lord is the only free thing you will ever have that gives back more than you can take. I again Pray Gods' Blessings on you but let the Lord lead you home and your problems will be solved trust me my friend.  Read 2Cor. 12:9 and it will sure help. It did me. Luke 10:27 is another good one. God Bless my brother.

That is a powerful testimony Ricky.  I went and looked up John 15 and read it.  I've seen it in your signature and have been meaning to do it for a while now.  Whew, that whole chapter is powerful and particularly poignant to me right now.  I will paste it in here so everybody else will have it handy.  I would encourage everyone to read it.

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

The Work of the Holy Spirit

²⁶“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

 #+  :pray:  :D

Praying for you cbbama99.  :pray:

These are trying times and things can be stressful. Keep the faith and things will work out good for you and your family.

Great job to all the Prayer Warriors. SC you have made my heart and Spirit jump with joy. Praise God who gave this to me and for everybody to understand. God Bless!

We sure need to keep our Prayer Warriors alive and working here. Everybody should be a Prayer Warrior everyday. If you would like a sign up sheet so someone could contact you in case they need some one on one Spiritual build-up feel free to let SC know and I think he could fix something on here. Praise the Lord for all things. God Bless!

Praying for you cbbama99!! When things aren't going the way I plan, I remind myself of the Scripture SUPERCOACH has already posted (Jeremiah 29:11) and I read the the story of Joseph in Genesis 37. Most of the time I never know why I go through things or why certain things happen, but I do know without a shadow of a doubt, God has a plan for me.

I grew up and was raised in the Roebuck/Huffman area of Birmingham, AL. As time went by, as usual, all of my friends had moved away. I found myself in some unsavory places doing unsavory things. One night I was on my way to my favorite nightime hangout, but something told me to go by the Galleria while I had a little time. As I sat in the food court, an older woman and two young men approached and asked if they could join me. The woman then proceeded to witness to me right there. I prayed the sinners prayer right there in the middle of the food court and my life hasn't been the same since. Needless to say, I never made it to my favorite hangout.

Not long after this, I met my wife on a blind date (will be 20 years this July) and another part of God's plan was coming together. He knew I needed her to keep me in line. After a few years of marriage, we were ready for kids. Not according to the doctors, though. We tried for five long years without success and listening to the doctors tell me I didn't have what it took. So I finally prayed and told God, if it's your will for us to have children, then let it be. Me and my wife were going to church regular and doing all we knew to do, and I remember the scripture in Ephesians 6:13 where the Word says, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." So that's what we did. We stood on God's word. Continued.....

Brother Igarner, I loved your testimony so I had to give you an e-creddie. Just preach it when you feel like it we will make time to listen. God Bless!

Continued.. Not long after this, my wife became pregnant. We were extremely overjoyed, but she miscarried. We didn't give up. God had a plan. At this time my best friend and his wife had moved to Hayden, AL. so my wife and I started to look at moving out of the area we were in. We really wanted to be close to our best friends so we started looking in the Hayden area and just so happened to come across a lot on a Cul-de-sac that was perfect. We knew it would be great for kids even though we didn't have any. Got the lot, found a builder and started building our home. And lo and behold my wife gets pregnant. We were having trouble selling our house and our builder decided to purchase it so we could get our new home. God has a plan. So our first child is a beautiful little girl. We needed a daycare because we both worked full time and finally decided on a church daycare close to our house. The couple who ran the daycare, invited us to a church outing they were having and to church on Sunday. We wound up going to both and God planted us. The best friends we had at the time got divorced and both moved away, so God knew we needed new best friends.

God called me to be an Armor Bearer for my pastor and also to preach when needed. My wife, my oldest daughter (who is 12 now) and I lead worship in that church. God has also blessed me with another daughter (8) and finally a son (6). It hasn't always been a bed of roses and I don't always know why things happen, but I do know God has a plan for me. All I have to do is be willing to follow Him wherever He leads. Sorry for the long read.

My brother, don't you ever be sorry for a testimmony about what God has done for you. Someone very special needs to hear what you had to say. May God Bless your future and your familys' future. God Bless!

o'man ... this is some good stuff guys ! 

cb I will pray for you too ...

the only museum I go to is the Bryant Museum , have you tried there ?
you could get us all in on the hook up ... 

 ;)

(http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/yy285/CRTodd14/b6ffcd32.jpg)

ok.. enough of my crap ,  I'm sure God will see you through

A job at the Bryant Museum sounds like a dream job to me.

I really can't think of anything that would be better than getting to work there. Alabama football all day, every day.

I can see a job I would Love better than anything else at Alabama that is to work in the Canterbury Church. God it would be such a Blessing. God Bless!

yeah ! we could catch a service from Ricky and visit the museum after the service   #+


about that picture I posted of Coach Bryants chair ... ummm ... errrr

cb99 ....

when you get the job there ... you think there is any way I could sit in it ? just for a minute ?
maybe pick up the red phone and call auburn and tell them they suck ? real quick like ?

TIA   8)

As long as you can get me another job after I am fired for letting you do it X, that is fine by me.  :D :D Now as far as calling up the barn and telling them they have the sux, I can do that no problem.  ;) ;)

Bump.

:pray:

How is the job search going CB?

Still looking coach, but there is a small chance that I could end up staying in Mobile. At the pacle where I am working part-time, the guy who is my supervisor may be getting another job elsewhere. If so, then I stand a pretty good chance of getting his job, which would be a TREMENDOUS blessing if it were to happen. :pray:

The last time I was at the Bryant Museum, John Mark Stallings was working there. He walked around to the exhibits with us, and enjoyed them as much as us. I told Coach Stallings, a couple years ago, how John Mark did not get a lot of work done that day. CGS chuckled.