Category: Uncategorized

The Journey Part I

I was invited to perform a couple spoken word pieces at Mosaik’s International Food Night on Saturday. The theme of the evening was inspiration. This is the first piece I performed.

I was once called air
Assured it wasn’t meant as offence
But I couldn’t help the hurt
As I wanted to be of more substance

Now I have long been on this journey
Ten years of attempts to be profound
But the scenery is looking too familiar
As I realize I am at the starting ground

The things I’ve tried to be
The costumes I’ve tried to wear
Are starting to have a comic effect
And people stop to stare

So I have learned my lesson
It is best to be my own element
And if people find me flighty
It is just because I am different
But trying to wear their expectations
Like ballast weighs me down
And I can no longer fight the feeling
I am meant for higher ground.

Continuing the adventure,

Jessica

March 1, 2012
International Good Luck

Hoping Pauls test goes well today. Crossing my fingers and pressing my thumbs

What other actions of good luck do you know?

Continuing the adventure,

Jessica

February 28, 2012
Snow Day

Last week, it was finally warm enough to snow.

I know.

As someone who grew up in the desert of Southern California, this statement doesn’t make sense to me.

Warm enough to snow.

Strange as it seems, it was very beautiful. Sabine and I went out for a jaunt and of course I brought my camera along. Hope you enjoy the snap shots.

Continuing the adventure,

Jessica

February 23, 2012
Why to take a 50% Pay Cut

Hopefully, I will be starting an internship in March at a local company here in Düsseldorf.

This internship will reduce my monthly income by about 50%.

So why would I do such a thing?

Strategy.

The job I currently have allows me to work with great people, in flexible hours, and pays decently. However, it is not a career. It does not utilize my greatest strengths. It will not bolster or improve my resume or recommendation to others. It is not in a field I want to work in for the rest of my life.

I could probably get another job which would pay better, have better benefits and more security. However, based on my previous work experience it would most likely be in a customer service role which would also not utilize my strengths and would actually require me to work from my weakest points.

So I am taking a leap. This internship will help me to break into a field which I want to work in. It will allow me to utilize my strengths. It will help me to learn about how a real creative firm works. At the end, I will have a new entry in my resume which will recommend me to other firms and companies in this field.

Ultimately, the value of the experience and the improvement to my resume outweighs the immediate financial gain I would have by staying where I am. It is an investment which looks long term over short term.

When was the last time you evaluated your career strategy?

Continuing the adventure,

Jessica

February 9, 2012
Meet the Baetckes

A miraculous thing happened yesterday.

We all had nothing to do.

So we Boctors and Baetckes took the dogs to the Rhein to walk and play on the ice. It was a beautiful day full of fun and wind chill. Paul brought the camera and captured some great shots of the Baetcke family.

February 6, 2012
Now Lord?

I have had some really great conversations with friends about the Holy Spirit lately. As a result I thought it would be a good idea to re-read the book of Acts. It didn't take me long to find something particularly applicable to my life.

"So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?" Acts 1:6

Let's put this question into some modern language:

Lord, now will you lift my financial burdens?

Lord, now will you fix congress?

Lord, now will you stop the wars?

Lord, now will you make my life easier?

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Hold Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:7-8

Reading verse six gave me instant empathy for the disciples. How many times have I asked God, "please finally fix something"?

Lord, now will Paul get his work permit?

Lord, now will we both be healthy?

Lord, now will you fix my depression?

His answer is not easy but if I really say I want to live a life for His glory, than it has to be enough.

It has to be enough to know He is in control and has set timelines for everything which is happening.

It has to be enough that he has promised send me his Holy Spirit and will give me power.

It has to be enough to be his witness in Riverside, California and now Düsseldorf, Germany.

Continuing the adventure,

Jessica

February 1, 2012
Forget Thug Life; Try a Job Life

I really want to share some good news.

I just don’t have any.

It’s during these times I truly struggle to blog and share our lives. I don’t want my attempts at practising authenticity to turn into a free fall of whining.

But really?

The past few weeks Paul and I have been feeling the pressure of taking an offensive step in building the kingdom of God. Our few victories since moving to Germany–my job, registering Paul for school, navigating our way through bureaucracy–feel as though we have cut them from stone with our fingernails. The many walls we have faced–physical affliction, delays in Paul’s Visa and work permit, the draining of our financial resources–have started to feel insurmountable.

Today, as I was trying to keep composure in the face of this pressure, I began to think of Job. He was a man who lived a blameless life and even he could not escape misfortune. He was attacked financially, relationally, and physically.

Paul and I are far from being out on the street but the continuing delays in getting a work permit for Paul are costing us money. While I do have a job the money I make barely covers our expenses currently and will not cover us if we moved out on our own. The money we brought with us to Germany (with the exception of our bingo fund) has been used up faster than anticpated because of large expenses which we didn’t know to budget for; such as Paul’s classes or the possibility of having to go to another city for Paul’s A1 certificate.

Since arriving in Germany Paul and I have both been hit physically. He immediately had a reaction to the tap water which gave him stomach problems (the water is perfectly safe but doesn’t agree with his system). I had the flu. He got a splinter in his eye which required an emergency room visit. Upon our return from the states I faced my third bout of shingles. The last few days have been filled with doctor visits and check up’s as Paul developed a superficial Venous Thrombosis which we have had to deal with.

Our biggest blessing is our relationships. All of Job’s children were taken from him when God allowed him to be tested and his friends turned on him. I am thankful that our marriage is doing well and the community here in Düsseldorf has rallied around us. This is an amazing love to experience. I am grateful God has provided these people in our time of need. We would really be lost without them.

If you would like to know how to pray for us right now I think the best way to sum it up would to ask for wisdom, shielding, and provision. We need wisdom in the best ways to move forward with Paul’s Visa/Work permit requirements. We need physical shielding and health to be restored to us both. We need financial provision and jobs which will allow us not only to be self sufficient but to be a blessing to others.

We need God to move on our behalf.

In remembering Job’s story I was reminded Satan was not allowed to do anything to Job without asking God’s permission first. The God who loves us is in control. Things may not go how I think they should but even the difficult times are for our benefit. This gives me comfort and helps me to remember it’s all for God’s glory.

Continuing the adventure,

Paul and Jess

January 22, 2012