October is Over

Sooo.... I think it's been a while since my last Tuesday post. Sorry about that, but life has been getting in the way of blogging. Monday night is always a hard night for me to want to do anything. Many things to recap though. Jessie and I have been enjoying lots of things in our life recently. One thing that I am happy about is no longer having to cut and chisel apart frozen chubs for the dog.

We had been buying 10 lb. chubs of frozen chicken meat for the dog, and I was responsible for cutting apart and portioning it for the dog.

She is always very interested in how I portion it out.

Well the most exciting part is that the age of the chub has ended! The dog food company has discontinued making the food, and now we just buy whole, sliced chicken from the store and thow it in her bowl. I feel like I work at Pollo Tropical. "You want a quarter chicken or half a chicken?"

Work has been going well, and we can now say that we are debt-free! So thankful that God has provided good work for me and has more than provided for our needs. I have been working next to a guy named Gary and have really enjoyed hanging out with him some too. He had the front cover off a Cummins ISX the other day. I thought it was interesting, so I took a picture.

Might look like a scrap pile to you, but it's very organized.

Also found a very old Mack in our truckyard the other day. It came in for a state inspection and failed terribly. We enjoyed the train whistle of a horn that it had though.

I think the year model was 1990

Not a very nice ride

Had to dig some wiring out of the frame rail in a trash truck. I was proud that it only took me about two hours to find the issues going on with this truck. Normally, it would have been in the four to six-hour range. 

Hydraulic oil had leaked into the wiring and ruined it. Along with trash juices :/  

All that to say, work has been going well. I am currently in a class at a Mack and Volvo training center for three days. Although it has been mostly review, I'm glad that I get to attend. Gary has been taking the class with me, and the other day we also went shooting. Because it was so close to Halloween, we decided to shoot zombie targets.

If you look closely, you will note ten fatal holes in the zombie.

I shot the ten rounds from about 12 yards

This is Gary who is very happy to be shooting the zombies after a long day of work.

Jessie did a great job with her Halloween activity by carving a really scary jack-o-lantern.

I was impressed

We spent the evening at our pastor's house, giving out candy from his front yard and enjoying a small fire on one of the first cool nights of the season.

Jessie also did a great job breaking her PR on a Half Marathon run.

Here you can see her passing the competition at the finish 

We also had a good time at the first drive-in theater we have ever been to. It was really fun watch a movie on the big screen from our car with everyone else and their dog.

The power wagon out to the movies

Great times were happening at this photo shoot with Matt and his new gal, Olivia. We love having good friends - old and new - here in the big city. It makes it feel smaller.

Things were taking a little longer then I wanted. 

The month of October had really been full of great activities and I will end with one of my favorite that happened. I was called up by our local Indian Motorcycle dealership and told about free demo rides going on through Saturday. I was very excited to go. The morning of was about 45 degrees outside, and I rode my bike out there (and was kind of frozen when I arrived). They asked which one I wanted to ride and I replied, "Which one has a windshield?" Here are the bikes I was able to ride.

First ride was on the Chief. Base model complete with windshield 

This was my next ride called the Roadmaster. It had an adjustable windshield, heated seats, and heated handle grips.

The last ride was on the Scout once it warmed up.

Had a great time but don't plan on ever buying any of those bikes. Either too much money or not enough bike.

Thanks for reading through this random catch-up post and hope you enjoyed it.

Currently listening to: Miss May I, Bon Iver, and Audio Slave

Currently working on: test questions like "What is the part number for an injector nozzle kit for a 2003 Mack CH?" 

Currently thinking about: Is it socially-acceptable to wear spandex running pants outside of the house without shorts over them, or do the shorts make it worse? Why is it cold?

Tyler Thursday: An Evening of Encouragement

Jessie and I have been thinking long and hard about where we are going to settle on the issue of church. This has been a focus of our relationship ever since marriage was in the picture (which has practically been forever). Even before we had decided on what schools to apply to, we were thinking about possible churches to attend.

I know from experience that moving across the country will have a large impact on your church life. So we started looking around online and researching places that line up with what we believe and what we want in a church; we found that Dallas does church big. We tried attending a church on a survey trip to Dallas, and we ended up being shuttled to an overflow room of a satellite campus. Crazy!

One thing that a mentor of mine told me is that a good church is worth moving your family for. I knew it had to be priority, and it had to be about the people. Even if the website said all the right things, we knew the community needed to line up, too. Otherwise, we would be better off staying home and reading the website every Sunday.

It's amazing to think that while I was praying, God already knew where he was going to put us. We showed up to King’s Parish our first Sunday in Dallas, and there were about four cars in the parking lot. We thought, “Are we in the right place?” It was small. Probably about five-or-six-families small. But there was simple music, (check), there was good sound teaching (check), and there was COMMUNITY (check)! We were welcomed from the moment we arrived, and a lady even offered to let us do our laundry at her house! We had only met minutes before, and she was already offering to do our laundry? That is good community. The whole church went out to lunch with us and bought us lunch. That is good community.

We continue to attend church at King's Parish, and we can't help but think that we have found a new church home. So as not to be stragglers, we are also considering membership. We mentioned to the pastor that we had questions about what it looks like to be a member at King’s Parish, and he offered to come to our home and talk that same week.

Well that brings us to tonight when Pastor Winburne came over and shared about the church's journey over the last three years during the planting process. The thing that has stuck with me the most so far is a good analogy that he used. He said something like, “Being a member of a church plant is like going to the kitchen and making a great meal for everyone, instead of going to a larger church and running through the buffet.”

We are excited to be part of what God is doing in Dallas and part of the kitchen serving committee. I’m working out a contract now since we are a fairly valuble couple as a piano pianist and drum/bassist/guitarist, but we will see what they offer J. Pray for us, that we can listen to what God would have us do and make good choices.

Currently listening to: Secret and Whisper, Woven War

Currently Working on: About four trucks, because parts department never has the parts I need. I diagnose about four or five and then all the parts get here at the same time. AHH!

Currently thinking about: What it means to be a godly leader.  

Tyler Tuesday: Trucks, Trucks, and More Trucks

There are many types of trucks that I work on here in the big city of Dallas. There are the day-cab delivery trucks, which locally move loads of pallets, equipment, boxes and supplies and are happily parked in the same yard every night. There are the line-haul trucks, moving things around the country and crossing state lines as one would cross from the living room into the kitchen. They are larger with extended cabins to sleep in and have heavier components to handle the weight. And then there are the tough vocational trucks. These are the trucks that every little boy wants to crawl all over: sit in the seat, play with all the switches, and marvel at the huge tires, long chassis, and low growling idle. The bulldog brand Mack Truck is known for making tough vocational type trucks. 

This was due to the type of engines they made early on to go with the outstanding Maxitorque transmission and revolutionizing camel back suspension. While other truck brands were making their engines larger, Cummins producing one of the first 15L engines (the ISX series) and Caterpillar following suit with the C15, they could not keep up with Mack in the off-road world. These large engines of the competitors almost killed themselves trying to rev up and down all day tearing at the mess of hot pipes and pounding pistons. If you know a little about engines, the larger the displacement of the cylinder, the slower the speed of the engine. Mack was producing engine around 9 to 11 liters and found a different way to make power: through the transmission.  Driving larger engines in an off-road situation was like trying to drive a race car in a shopping mall parking lot. Every time you let the clutch out enough to start moving, you have to slam on the brakes to stop from going through a parked car.

Trucks can be powered by large engines or by small engines which turn more gears. I had written out an entire paragraph about how power is made and why transmissions can distribute power over smaller rpm bands, but I decided it was very boring/confusing. So just trust me when I say Mack had a better application for off-road vehicles by using slightly smaller engines and heavier duty transmissions. This was combined with a genesis suspension system that I could go on and on about but basically the idea is that when one axle goes up it forces pressure on the other to go down, so that you never loose traction. 

What I was faced with on the truck yard was one of these trucks. Mack thoroughbred, heavy duty, extreme killer of a truck. 

It’s called a cement pump truck, and it takes large amounts of cement and pumps it into foundations or second stories of buildings - or anywhere within its mass arms’ reach. This truck had a code active that only let it rev up to about half of its capability. As I started the fault tracking, it took about two hours to find that I needed to repair wiring on top of the transmission. The transmission, I discovered, had been involved in an accident. And not just any accident: an accident where the people using this truck dropped a bunch of cement on top of the transmission. It probably looked like an insignificant amount compared to what was being pumped elsewhere, but trust me when I say that it was enough to make my job very hard.

I spent the next four hours chiseling cement with an air hammer while stooping halfway between the body and the top of the transmission. The hardest part was making sure that I chiseled only cement and not truck parts. Even then, I couldn’t help but think it was one of the coolest jobs I had ever done. I was smiling the whole time.

How awesome is it that I get to work on cement-covered pump trucks and top-of-the-line highway trucks all in the same place? I truly am grateful for such an awesome job. 

One last note, if you think that driving a truck like that is hard, you should talk to the tow-truck driver who brought it in. He was driving a truck just as long with the cement truck behind it! That takes some serious driving skill!!

Currently listening to: Bon Iver, Foo fighters, and U2. Where did that album come from?

Currently working on: Volvo VNL64T EGR valve is stuck open and needs to be replaced. 

Currently thinking about: Swimming, biking, and running.   

Tyler Tuesday: Work is Work

This past weekend, I was bed-ridden sick. Jessie has already given you all the details about that, so this post might be lacking in content. I think I broke my record for how many movies I have watched in one weekend.

It might be better, rather than give an update of what is going on, to talk about prospects that I have been thinking about.

I have really been liking my new job here in Dallas. The pay is good, the work is what I like to do (fix trucks), and the hours are easy. I have been able to complete almost everything thrown at me and my boss is happy. There is also the opportunity for further training. Life is good, right? But there is still this nagging urge in the back of my mind to do something crazy. Something as crazy as work for myself.

Self-employment or self-infliction, as my mother calls it, has always been something that I have thought about. But maybe that’s everyone little dream right? Opening your own shop, greeting your happy customers one by one, and providing a unique service that nobody else has ever thought of. Washing your hands and sweeping the floor as the sun sets. Satisfied with another hard day’s work, knowing that you left an impression that meant something to people and made some real money that goes straight in your pocket, not to some corporate overhead. The problem with this is it's just a dream. I know enough about business to know these ideals are not very realistic. 

More likely you have thirty or so odd-ball people screaming at you to unrealistically get their work done simultaneously. You hate them for the way they treat you, but you’re bending over backwards to put on one more smile for them because they are the only hope you have to try and pay off the huge business loan you took out to afford the shop you work in . The landlord cut the lights off and you are scrambling with flahlights into the night just to make it through one more day, exhausted. All the while at home awaits three weeks of paperwork in a corner drawer that you haven’t yet dealt with. You keep it in that drawer because it's important and if you don’t deal with it something bad will happen. You don’t know what that is, but its bad.

I really see it from both sides. You can go to work, clock in and clock out without having to stress about all the difficult things in business, but you get paid less for that luxury; on the other hand, you can work for yourself and get all the pay and all the accompanying stress. This is not to say that hourly jobs don’t pay well and owning a business does. Or that hourly jobs are stress-free and owning a business is all work an' no play. I think that a lot of it has to do with one's personality. 

I know myself fairly well at this point, and I know that it takes a lot for me to take care of certain things. Things as simple as sending email replies, filling out some insurance papers, writing weekly blogs on time -- they are difficult for me and take me forever. I have always had this struggle, and I purposely try and battle it with the little things. But if you give me a task and a time to show up and do it, I have no problem. Wake up early or stay out late, whatever it takes. I can work hard but not in that way that is helpful for an entrepreneur. 

Seeking out contacts, setting up meetings, researching tax benefits, and filing the right paperwork for the right time are things that I just want to run from, and I know that is not a good business plan. I will need to work on things that I’m not good at in order to even think about trying to start a business. And I know that there are lots of different paths besides employer and employee. These are the things that I have been thinking about and looking into as I work my job every day. Every day is a day under my belt for whatever I need to do next. Thanks for reading.

Currently listening to: Hillsong United, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Jessie Welsh Piano.

Currently Working on: 2011 Mack CHU613 with active engine code 4094 derated condition likely caused by faulty EGR flow. Found the EGR cooler clogged with soot.

Currently Thinking about: all of the above. 

Tyler Tuesday: Sunday Funday

So this week's blog will look more like a journal entry and will keep you up-to-date with the latest happenings in the Welsh household.

The latest breaking news is that right now Brooklyn is wearing a diper and scared of a fly that got in the house. This has caused her to cower in my lap while I am trying to type. I know, too much information. 

This past Sunday, Jessie and I enjoyed church and then really enjoyed going to our friends' house in the evening for music, food, and prayer. Their names are Aaron and Deb. What an Amazing couple! They just moved here from New Zeeland, where Aaron (who is from the States) was serving with Deb's local Church. In a short two years, they have met, married, owned two houses, moved to Texas, begun Semenary, and learned they are expecting their first child! We were commenting that it’s a good thing he is the most relaxed person you will ever meet because his life sounds crazy.

I tried my best on guitar while Deb and Jessie traded the piano back and forth. I was trying to make a set list and practice a bunch of songs and Deb was really great when she said to just jump in when ever anyone feels inspired!

It reminded me of being really young and just jamming out in the living room. Everyone was just playing loud and singing out! Had a great time of doing that, and then one of Aaron’s classmates (from East Asia) shared about his overseas missions experiences. Really awesome to hear what God is doing all over the world. 

We jumped back into the routine this week but with a fresh start knowing that God is so good and so gracious to us. He has given us friends and a church family that have been so loving.

Thanks for listening, and I hope not to make a habit out of forgetting to blog.

Currently listening to: Foster the People, Brook Fraser, and Sea Wolf

Currently Working on: 2008 Volvo VNL, resealing the exhaust manifold and replacing the turbo.

Currently thinking about: how to get involved in more music projects without over-committing myself.

Tyler Tuesday..Err, Thursday: Something's Missing

I went to the gym and started my work out, and it was very quiet.

I tried to check the time and had to find a working clock.

I drove to work, and it was quiet.

I ran into traffic and didn’t know if I would be late.

I arrived at work and checked my pocket to find it missing.

Like a ghost, it was expected, but it was missing.

I started work and checked my tool box…missing. 

I wanted to tell Jessie something and couldn’t.

I wanted to check for updated pictures and couldn’t.

I wanted to check my email and couldn’t.

Still missing.

Check the time? No.

Check the inbox? No.

Check the time…

Missing.

No matter how many times I told myself it was missing, I kept looking for it.

My phone has become unusable due to a faulty battery. Until now, I never realized how much I have grown attached to it. I have a battery on order, and I thought that a day or two without a phone wouldn’t be that hard. But it really is. Phones have become such a part of our lives that it’s embarrassing. I normally keep my phone in the top drawer of my tool box, and no matter how many times I wanted to remember that it wasn’t there…I kept opening the drawer in search of it. For eight hours! I have read an article about studies involving cell phones and how people think they feel them in their pockets when they’re not there. People feel them vibrate when there’s no notification. It is the same psychological issue related to phantom pains felt by amputees. Phones have become a part of us! Its crazy. I am determined to observe myself and note the daily differences caused by the absence of a phone. I think this is a great point to note, and I feel as though experiencing life without a phone is more significant than we realize. Life is really different.

I have worked it out so Jessie can call or text a coworker of mine if there is an emergency, and I have written down several phone numbers in case I have to dial one. So don’t worry about me too much. 

Hope this blog is interesting to you, and sorry for being late. I will work on having something ahead of time next week. Thanks for reading

Currently listening to: Iron and wine, Fleet Foxes, and Bon Iver……so chill

Currently working on: 2015 Volvo VNL, fault tracing electrical short to the after treatment five volt reference. New trucks have new problems. Found a connector full of water.

Currently thinking about: What to do on a three-day weekend without spending too much money.

Tyler Tuesday: Postponed

We are taking a break from Tyler Tuesday this week. We are quite caught up with very important activities at the present.

Not to worry; we'll be back to our old antics by Thursday.

Stay tuned!

-The Editor

Tyler Tuesday: Did Someone Say Chicken?

It's true that Jessie and I have been enjoying some grilling goodness, but there is a third member of our family who also loves chicken. That would be the crazy Weimaraner.

After spending some time cutting and preparing chicken for us, I find that I just can't get enough of that raw chicken fun...so I cut up about ten pounds at a time for the dog. It ends up looking looking like this.

Brooklyn loves to watch and hopes to be rewarded with a few pieces for sitting perfectly still.

It really is amazing how focused she is when there is food to be had.

I know this is a short blog, but chicken cutting has become a large part of my life. It's not an easy job, but somebody needs to do it. Otherwise, the dog becomes very annoying.

I have also developed a new workout technique called the "Weim Squat." It is very practical for building "real world muscle," as they say, because it involves quite a bit of balance.

I would like to end this short post with a shout-out to my sister, Kelly, whose birthday is today. I love you, Kelly and hope that this year of your life is the best one yet!

Currently listening to: Killer be Killed, Woven War, and Paul Simon.

Currently Working on: 2004 Mack CHN613, Started with a safety recall replacing fuel injector lines and ended up finding the EGR cooler had failed. Estimate is in and hope to start my morning with that one.

Currently thinking about: How many times can one eat grilled chicken for dinner before one is sick of it? It seems like we might find out.

Tyler Tuesday: Engine Exegesis

I have been having a great week, spending time with friends and family - including my sister, Glenna!

I know she must really like us, because she paid her own way. It wasn't even a family vacation or anything. I think that Jess will be updating everyone with the "Glenna Itinerary," so stay tuned for that.

While hanging out has been fun, there is also the other half of my life where I fix trucks all day. My new job has been great, because I get to do more of what I really enjoy doing: fixing trucks. You would think that in a truck shop that is the main thing one would do, but there is a lot more to it. Customer relations, organizing productivity, and delegating work for everyone are some of the many things outside of fixing trucks.

I have been able to work on all different Mack and Volvo trucks and try to solve all their many and different problems. One truck in particular came into the shop today with a very bad problem. The work order read, "Leaking coolant out of the exhaust." If you know anything about trucks or cars, then you know that to have your coolant leaking through your exhaust is a very bad thing. I checked the easiest things first and found no issues. This was not a good thing.

Basically for all you mechanical readers out there (I know thats almost everyone), the cylinder head seals the pistons and is water cooled. If the cylinder head has a big leak, the water that cools it will leak into the engine and start flowing through out the exhaust.

The top part of the engine leaks water into the bottom part of the engine. It ruins both halves.

In my last shop this type or work would be passed on quickly to one or two of our engine guys. Here they believe in a "start to finish" type of work. Once I determined that the cylinder head needed to be removed, my boss said (without batting an eye), "That's fine, go ahead and take it apart."

I walked to my tool box eagerly and began to make a plan. I have done this job only one other time before, and you may have seen the leftover exhaust valves on display in our old home. I looked through all the components and decided what needed to be done. About four hours later, this is what the motor looked like.

And this is what was left of the valve found sitting on top of cylinder number three.

My engine head job just became a major overhaul job. The piston rod, rod and main bearings, turbo, cylinder head...it was all going to need to be replaced.

I talked it over with my boss and agreed upon the repairs and then put together a parts list. We will see if it gets approved. Word is that this company won't spend the cash to repair and will likely scrap the truck, but we will see.

This is my shop.

It's larger than the last one, but it's much older. And my old shop was old!
This is the creepy staircase....

...to go to the creepy hall way...

...and into the second-worst break room ever.

The first-worst was at Good Year Tire back in TN, where there was only a microwave on the floor.
This break room has great A/C but recently has not been draining the condensation very well, so it gets the entire floor wet right at lunch time.
We also enjoy watching Family Feud with Steve Harvey everyday. More TV then I ever want to see.

After that you try and survive the afternoon heat and look like you're getting something done.

I will admit it, TX is hotter than FL. At least right now. Hope you all have a good week and don't miss Glenna too much!

Currently listening too: The Killers (Day and Age), MUSE (again, but with Glenna now, since Jessie hates them), and Copland (Eat, Sleep, Repeat).

Currently working on: 2006 Volvo VNL, removing and inspecting the cylinder head for engine damage.

Currently thinking about: getting back out on the new bike (Glenna doesn't have a bike here).

(The author would like to inform the readers that the title name should be credited to the Editor-in-Chief.)

Tyler Tuesday: Hubs & Stubb's

Welcome back to the second edition of Tyler Tuesday. Thank you for the great feedback from my last post! I hope that you will all continue to enjoy some of my recent thoughts and events posted here on my lovely wife’s blog.

To follow up last week’s post, you should know that I was successful in getting a new bike! I am very excited to be riding again, and especially to be learning to ride a sporty new Specialized Sequoia!

I bought it from a private seller on Craig’s List, but not without the normal running around and stressing out. I was about to buy a lesser brand bike with similar features, but the seller texted me just a half hour before we were planning on meeting and backed out.

“I’m having second thoughts,” were his exact words. But that was just God’s way of having me wait for the right bike. For all you bike nerds out there, this is going to be a good post. My new bike is equipped with…

Dura-Ace Rear derailer   

Ultegra  Front derailer, shifters, Brakes,  and hubs.

FSA Gossamer Triple Crank set (all chrome, which I guess is rare)

Cat’s Eye Wireless Computer

And a newer set of Continental Ultra Sport tires

All of those items are aftermarket or replacement parts, if you will. This is what mainly caught my eye in the advertisement, because these are a lot of the parts I would have wanted to add on later if constructing my own bike. (See first post.)  The bike rides on an aluminum frame with carbon fiber front forks, rear forks, and seat post. (Everything that looks black). What really through me for a loop is learning about compact frames. 

The bike that I previously owned was a 58cm and fit me ok. It might have been a little tall, maybe just right, not sure. The bike I just bought was advertised as a 57cm frame. I figured that would work, and I decided to try it out when I went to look at it. I had learned how to measure frames, so I brought my tape measure when I went to buy it - just in case the guy didn’t know what he was talking about. On the bike there is a sticker that shows you a picture of the frame and the measurement “57cm.” No problem then, right? Well I measured it anyway and found it coming out to 52cm. Seems odd right? The seller looked puzzled, and I was also confused. I went for a short ride in the parking lot and it seemed to fit okay. Also odd. The seat needed to be moved up but there was plenty of height left to raise it. 

Well the mystery was solved after I bought the bike, in the tradition of buying bikes on Craig’s List, at my local hipster bike shop. Most of the employees were also confused. “What? It’s not a fixed gear bike?!”

Only the owner of the shop seemed to know what was going on. The top tube that goes from the seat to the handle bars on the frame slopes down and causes the seat post to be much taller. Therefore it is a theoretical 57cm. If you pretended that the top tube went straight across to the seat post, its height from the bottom of the bike to the top tube would then be 57cm. We got a level out and everything; it was awesome!

After researching my bike more, I have found that I bought a really sleek, really fast, really comfortable old-man bike. The compact frames provides a more upright riding position and makes it easier to go further. Not as extreme a riding position as most racing bikes. That’s fine with me though, as it still feels very fast and should keep up with Jessie’s bike.   

(Photo added at the discretion of the editor)

I almost forgot the best part! The bike came with carbon fiber water bottle holders!

The bike shop owner, whose name is Fran, said, “Did the bike come with these?”

I said yes, and just like the last hipster guy in Nashville he said, “you got a really good deal.”

We also became somewhat good friends, and I sold him my broken bike for about the same amount of money to re-tape the handle bars and true the rear wheel.  It was a great Saturday. I enjoyed my first ride out but didn’t quite get my seat adjustment right…25 miles later, my knees are killing me! 

Enough about bikes. In other news we now have internet! I have been able to look up all my bike stuff so much more easily! I also attempted to watch an entire concert by the band MUSE, but about an hour in Jessie wouldn’t have it any more. I’m really surprised that she made it that long. 

We also have been enjoying new friends here in Dallas. Our old friend Matt has connected us to a diverse and fun group of seminary kids. We have game nights on Friday night at his place and had a group over for dinner at our house on Sunday. 

We are looking forward to hanging out with some young couples from our church this week, one of which just moved here from New Zealand. We have been really blessed that God has given us new friends and old friends to make us feel at home in a new place. 

Speaking of old people, Glenna is coming to visit us this weekend! It’s going to be awesome. Maybe not in the way she thinks…it will be awesome though. I’m thinking a lot of cooking and cleaning will be happening with a little sister around. Just the other night I sat down to watch a movie and forgot to put the movie in the player and thought, “I really wish Glenna was here.” Seriously though, I am looking forward to showing my little sis around our new town and getting to catch up on what is going on with her. We are both looking forward to it.

I have been working steadily at my mostly new job and I’m glad to report another month with satisfactory results. My boss told me that he wish he had three of me, so I guess that a good thing? Jessie and I were talking the other night about how rare it seems to be that a tradesman is a follower of Christ. The church settings that we have been seem to have Christians in other fields of work. Plenty of software developers, property managers, and bunches of seminary pursuers, but so few plumbers, electricians, and home builders. We started to wonder if it was the trade route that tended to draw unbelievers or if it was just easier for unbelievers to be in a trade instead of going to a four- year school. I know there is a lot of generalization in that, and I’m not sure I have the time or thoughts to complete this topic, but it has been on my mind recently. Are the more difficult careers  drawing people who are more devoted and committed? Is the church drawing the same committed and devoted crowd? Maybe just our churches are. When I tell people at church both here and back home that I work on and repair semi-trucks they almost get this look in their eye like, “You do something practical?” Like it’s the craziest thing. 

Feel free to give some thoughts or resources because my aim is not to try and split the church demographic or demand union rights in the pews for “workers.”  My main interest is in how Christian culture fits into real -world culture. Shouldn’t there be some intersect of culture? It would be crazy to find out that any of my co-workers are following believers in Christ. I see it as an amazing opportunity to live out grace to them, but what about the churches? Are all the working-class people in a different church down the street? I bet that’s what it is. It’s called “Bible Builders Church” or something.  

Hope this doesn’t offend or stereotype too much, but I see it as part my current real-world experience, that’s all. 

Enjoy the rest of your week and look forward to Jessie posting some awesome stuff about The Glenna Itinerary. 

Currently listening to: MUSE live in Rome. Oh, Sleeper’s Titan EP, and Brandon Flowers (just to keep it real)

Currently Working on: Mack CHU613 Dump Truck, Checking the EGR cooler for a mechanical fault (clogging with soot) Happy to report there was no fault found and it was simply a programming issue for the engine ECM. That dump truck will be dumping dirt again tomorrow.

Currently thinking about: How much money can I spend on my latest hobby before it’s an Idol? 

Also, this happened at work...