Fulfilled or Frustrated?

‘In due season he will honour you with every blessing.’ Psalm 37:34

I understand that there is usually a gap between a dream and the achievement of that dream. The question worth considering is whether it is a fulfillment gap or a frustration gap – for you and I!

I know I suffer the frustration gap – where I recognise that I am unhappy while i’m in it. Especially at work. The consequence is that most days I’m frustrated instead of fulfilled, and the dream (as such) stifles me while I seek to move forward toward the dream.

The difference, or gap between dream and fulfillment is a dip, which  represents the adversity we face, the learning curve,  and the hard work we must be willing to invest between conception and realisation.

Sounds easy, but it’s not. Especially when the ‘dip’ you are in seems to be a road without end…

Here are some verses from the Bible which might help spur us on. ‘Don’t be impatient for the Lord (God) to act! Keep travelling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honour you with every blessing.’ ‘Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded…’ (Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV).

‘So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal’ (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV).

God has promised us more than just the fulfilment of our dreams; He has promised joy in each step you take toward it.

I don’t feel particiularly joyful at present, I feel worn out, out of ‘ideas’ and lacking ‘job search stamina’.

Even so…. I won’t give up my efforts, so much at stake…

Ready Steady Go / CRE Sandown / CRE Telford

– – – – – ADVERTORIAL – – – – –

Ready Steady Go is the theme of the CRE Exhibition at Sandown 2011 and Telford 2011 and this year the organisers claim that ‘Possibly everything you require will be available at this unique resource exhibition’.

That is, with one HUGE exception at least. WorkHope won’t be there! I can’t afford it, although I might be tempted to stand in the Car Park and give out the odd advertising flyer whilst dressed up as an ‘Unemployed’ person…

I jest…  All is not lost,,, you can follow my ramblings, encouragements and real life traumas associated with being made redundant and how (so far) I have survived it, on this very blog. More importantly others facing job loss or redundancy might find this stuff useful. If you do get to attend CRE, great. But that’s no reason to quit browsing now.

I won’t claim to be able to get you (or your friend) back into employment at the flick of a switch, but I hope that in parts at least should be equally entertaining as some of those late night Sci-fi TV movie offerings such as Rabid Frogs of Doom, Anaconda 999 or Destination Hornets Nest.

(Oh yes, you can search by topic to the right of this message)

If you are keen to get an abridged copy of this in handy book format… or you publish handy little books of relevance = do get in touch, I want to share the love with others struggling with real life issues associated with losing employment.

If you’re not sure where to start, how about here:-

Now What? (Sept 2007)

D Day (June 2007)

Signing On – My first time…

Dress to Impress?

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Joy of Motorcycles

Giles and his wife Heather have been coming to our church for a few months now and they love motorcycles.

I like motorcycles especially when they’re ahead of me on a motorway, purring past at stupid speeds like 2 zillion mph with the pillion rider bolt upright, motionless and very possibly keen to change their trousers.

I’m also keen on motorcycles if their engines are switched off and I can get close enough to do an inventory of the amount of chrome on view. Too close for comfort and I’ll be fearful of accidently knocking the beautifully engineered machine over and therefore alerting the owner to my crass  stupidity.

Giles and Heather also love Jesus and have a passion to tell others, how he has impacted their lives and continues to meet their needs financially and practically. This makes me smile because I believe he’s done something very similar for us as a family too. We haven’t gone without.

This said, I don’t imagine I will ever own a motor cycle.

When Wednesday comes…

After an incredibly busy few weeks and with increased stresses and pains (for various reasons that I won’t go into here), it’s good to be at the weekend.

There have of course been reasons to be cheerful… This last week Mrs W celebrated her birthday in a low key, low calorie, low budget sort of way and  midweek I got the news that I’d been invited to interview, so you can imagine my delight. Everyone knows, but interview opportunities these days, don’t come as frequently as buses. London buses that is.

But when next Wednesday comes I will be ready as I can be, my nerves may be jangling ever so slightly, but i’ll be groomed, prayerful and in my sweaty palms I will be grasping my design portfolio and heading into the city.

I will give this one my best shot, and hope to give a good account for myself… Almost certainly, this will be my last interview of 2009. No pressure.

You say, ‘It’s impossible.’

You say, ‘It’s impossible.’
God says, ‘…”What is impossible with men is possible with God.” ‘ (Luke 18:27 NIV).
You say, ‘I’m exhausted.’
He says, ‘”But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength…”‘ (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).
You say, ‘Nobody loves me.’
He says, ‘…”I have loved you with an everlasting love”…’ (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV).
You say, ‘I can’t go on.’
He says, ‘…”My grace is sufficient for you”…’ (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).
You say, ‘I don’t know what to do.’
He says, ‘…”And He shall direct your paths.”‘ (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV).
You say, ‘I can’t do it.’
He says, ‘”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”‘ (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).
You say, ‘It’s not worth it.’
He says, ‘…we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ (Galatians 6:9 NIV).
You say, ‘I can’t forgive myself.’
He says, ‘…in Christ God forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).
You say, ‘I can’t make ends meet.’
He says, ‘…God shall supply all your need…’ (Philippians 4:19 NKJV).
You say, ‘I’m afraid.’
He says, ‘…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power…’ (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
You say, ‘I can’t handle this.’
He says, ‘Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you…’ (Psalm 55:22NIV).
You say, ‘I’m not smart enough.’
He says, ‘…if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it…’ (James 1:5 NCV).
You say, ‘I’m all alone.’
He says, ‘…I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).

The above is taken from a recent daily Bible study note from UCB and I include it here as an encouragement to others.

Oh, that they were wise…

The following is an extract taken from my Bible notes for 29 October. I include it here because it made me think about how I spend my time…

The Bible says: ‘Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!’ One of life’s greatest challenges is thinking and doing the things that ultimately matter and bring success. A life in which anything goes, is a life in which nothing goes. Wisdom means having the discipline to prioritise and the ability to work toward a stated goal. The question is not, ‘Will my calendar be full,’ but ‘Who will fill it,’ and ‘What will it be filled with?’ To know your life’s priorities you must frequently pause and ask: 1) ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ (Acts 9:6 NKJV). 2) What is required of me that nobody else can do? 3) What will bring the greatest return? God doesn’t reward wasted effort, He rewards wisdom.

The story’s told of a lighthouse keeper on a rocky stretch of coastline who received a new supply of oil each month to keep the light burning. Being close to the shore he had lots of guests. A woman from the village needed some oil to keep her family warm; a farmer requested some for his tractor; a mechanic wanted some to lubricate a wheel. All the requests seemed legitimate so the lighthouse keeper tried to please everybody. Before the month was over his oil was gone and the beacon went out. As a result several ships were wrecked and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. But to his excuses and pleading their reply was, ‘You were given oil for one purpose – to keep the light burning.’ Be wise – prioritise!

The above notes we produced by UCB,  for more info go to http://www.ucb.co.uk

This Is It.

Since Monday, Premier has been broadcasting on DAB digital radio. The Digital bit all sounds good to me, but not sure about the DAB.

I guess it means is that if I’m ever asked in again for another interview I could potentially be heard by more than 90% of the British population. Should they be so inclined to turn on. My appearance on radio was on the day before.

The whole experiences was rather exciting, I must admit that much, and my prepared notes were not much help really, when it came to it. The idea was to talk about how we as a family lived on next to no income, or on benefits and in regard to the Simplify campaign and specifically the impact on us emotionally and spiritually. Andy and Andrew are very able and soon put me at ease. It did however take a while to get used to the microphone which was poised in front of me, Lucy looked at home in this environment, while I fumbled for my plastic cup of water. This is it. A quick gulp of water and we were counted in.

I realise now, after the event, that I could actually witter for England on the radio, with or without notes. Those who spoke to me afterwards, and who listened in were positive and encouraging. Indeed being out of employment for two years is a hard place to be, but this this radio experience gave me the chance to air some of my strongly held views, including the belief that God’s looking after us and ultimately in control.

Memorabilia, t-shirts and other paraphernalia marking this momentous occasion are not available anywhere. I’ve had my 15 or 45 minutes of fame. Well sort of. That was it.

A Premier Appointment

Yep, Sunday September 20th at 9am, WorkHope will be with accompanying friend in a studio of Premier Radio. Interesting. The Simplify campaign for the Evangelical Alliance will be under discussion as will this Blog.

September 20th was also the date a Premier appointment came to an end… Jose left my beloved Chelsea FC that day 2 years ago.

The following day, September 21st 2007, I left full-time employment with high hopes of quick appointment into the world of Graphic Design whilst my redundancy cheque burnt a hole in my pocket. A lot can happen in 24 months, or not as the case may be!. No “Anniversary” celebrations are planned, although a beer and a cake would be nice…

On the 22nd Mr WorkHope (Senior) celebrates his next birthday. On the 23rd, it’s back to job searching as per normal.

Media week

I never thought I would appear in a womans magazine, but that day has now come. Not as a centrefold of course but as a contributor/ writer. The excitement doesn’t stop there, oh no, also in the pipeline is a radio interview with Premier Christian Radio, which should be quite fun. The subject under discussion is unlikely to catch me unawares, it’s very likely to focus on how I (and my family) am coping with being out of work, rather than my choice of desert island discs.

Should the question be posed however, I would count the following seven gems as real contenders. ELO by ELO, Heroes by David Bowie, Genesis Live, Free All Angels by Ash, Boy by U2, Should God Forget by The Psychedelic Furs, Leftism by Leftfield.

Anyone have Jonathan Ross’s phone number?

Another mixed week…

Sunday was great. It really was. We were at church after all, the best place to be, amongst a congregation of good friends, new friends, old friends and newbies who wouldn’t know us all from Adam. Adam by the way usually sits at the front on the left hand side. The preaching was great, encouraging and for me spot on. Daniel the old testament chap and subject of the day was a man who the bible records lived out his faith, trusted God in the midst of religious persecution, and captive in culture foreign to him (excuse the pun) and oppressed.

Monday was a chance for me to shine, and show would-be-employers how I could adapt to working in a new environment, a coffee shop where the products were either fairly traded or organic. A barista I might never be, but after some helpful guidance was soon pouring lattes, cuppacino’s and milkshakes like the rest of them. It was great fun, busy and I thoroughly enjoyed the pace, the buzz and different-ness-ness (?)  of it all. Soon, I believed I would have a full-time job I could apply myself too, maybe management role would come quickly if I proved myself, once again be able to pay the mortgage… I was of course still on trial myself, at the mercy of the owner and other staff who, I guess would be reporting back… In the evening I met with others currently between jobs for our fortnightly support group, which is always such an encouragement. I hoped for good news to share soon.

Tuesday I worked elsewhere, and Wednesday was back amongst the coffee beans, and serving the customers with enthusiasm. This was great, maybe, just maybe, this was where I was meant to be…. Thursday morning I got the news I would not be offered the job after all, and after being momentarily stunned, pressed the employer for the reason. A reason was given, but it was all very vague. It is an employers market remember..

In the afternoon I went to a job fair with a friend, which helped raise hope in me once again. Later on, the graveyard shift in the department store beckoned. Whoppee doo. Another far from perfect end to a far from perfect day.

Friday was my day of rest, a chance to chill, and to do some charity shop shopping. In the evening Derren Brown was on tele lifting the lid on his lottery number prediction. Or was he? I was not convinced.

Saturday at 5.15 I would be up, awake and preparing to leave the house for another car boot sale. I was convinced the sun would shine… It did and we finshed the day in profit by £41.00.

Daniel is still in my mind. He’s still an inspiration and I have still much to learn. Faith, man, faith…