alexthrisgata

Hello!  Welcome to my LiveJournal. 

Listening to my random mix of music.  Right now, it's Story of the Year.  I like these guys.  They get a lot of crap for how "pop" they are, but they're actually a decent heavy band.  The singer's got a great scream, and some of their stuff gets downright crazy.

- Last summer, I took a job at Salem United Methodist Church here in Council Bluffs.  I got hired to be their Site Ministry Coordinator (big fancy sounding title - it's the lead role - think of me as a pastor without having to go to seminary - i couldn't marry or do baptisms, but could do everything else) for the 2nd campus they were building in Lake Manawa (it's practically a 2nd city built in the midst of Council Bluffs).  After several months of stumbling blindly through the job and figuring my way through it all, I finally got comfortable enough to start services in January 2009.  Since the Manna Campus (that's the name of the 2nd campus) wasn't built yet, we started services in a local high school.  Things were going along OK when, out of nowhere, the job got yanked from me.  The SPRC (Staff Parish Relations Committee)  decided to "restructure the staff", and, OVERNIGHT, got rid of me and the treasurer.  I was raised a pastor's kid - twice over, even - and what's ironic is that my dad actually was the senior pastor at Salem during my last two years of high school.  Church has always played some part of my life.  Now, for the last 3 1/2 months, it hasn't.  At all.  I haven't set foot in a church since I got let go, save for the one INCREDIBLY awkward Easter service I had to sit through at my Mom's church in Harlan.  (She's not preaching anymore - the fibromyalgia got to be too much - but she attends pretty damn regularly.)  I honestly don't know where my faith is right now, and that scares the living shit out of me.  I can't decide if I should keep believing in anything right now.  What's worse is what this whole thing did to my wife and her parents, long-time members of Salem.  They also haven't set foot in the church since this happened.  My wife's dad was an incredibly active member of said church and was even their lay leader (in simple terms, the "second-in-command").  Now that's all gone.  All fucking GONE.  I had a great job that actually fucking MEANT SOMETHING, and now, I work at a goddamned Target.  I am once again faced with having to decide just what the fuck to do with my life, and I have no idea how to answer that question.

Just heard Chevelle's "Closure".  A great band.  Saw them live a long time ago.  Now it's Manson's "Coma White", but the acoustic version.  This is a great song.  The video's pretty messed up.  I also saw Manson live at the same show (Ozzfest 2k3).  Funny.

- Tomorrow marks 13 months for Rachel and I.  Rachel is my gorgeous wife.  She is the one thing that keeps me sane and grounded.  This girl is my world.  I love her so much.  Going to celebrate tomorrow by going to Grisanti's (GREAT Italian place in Omaha) and just goofing off.

- We've been living with Rachel's parents for about a year and a half now.  It's helped us pay off nearly $6000 in credit card debt (I think - not terribly sure on the number, but it sounds right in my brain).  We're moving into an apartment of our own in about three weeks - a great little place with free cable.  STOKED.

Rocking out to Trivium's "Throes of Perdition" from the "Shogun" album.  GREAT metal.  These boys have some chops.  They lost their edge on the last album, but they've seemed to pick it back up on this one.  It's no "Ascendancy" - that album is just SICK - but it's pretty damned close.

All for tonight.  If you're actually still reading this, please add me so I can read your LiveJournals.

~Pooh~