I don't blog.

It’s official: I am moving to the DC area to be a Software Engineer for Opower, a company based in Arlington, Virginia. I start Summer 2013.

After a long and grueling recruiting semester, my search ends at an amazing company that is making an impact on the world. Wiki describes Opower better than I can:

Opower is a privately held Software-as-a-Service company that partners with utility providers around the world to promote energy efficiency. Through contracts with more than 75 utility companies in 31 US states and 5 other countries, Opower’s software creates individualized Energy Reports for utility customers that analyze their energy usage and offer recommendations on how to save energy and money by making small changes to their energy consumption. The average customer receiving Opower reports has cut energy usage by more than 2.5 percent

How ironic, I leave Arlington, TX (2000-2009) to end up in Arlington, VA (2013-????).

I trust that God has a plan for me to bring glory to the name of Jesus in the city of Arlington. I am thankful that despite my sins and weaknesses of this semester, Jesus freely gives forgiveness through His victory at the cross. I am thankful that God has blessed me with interviews and offers. I am thankful that I will not be that far from my dearest girlfriend Rosanna — 2 hours north isn’t too bad! I am thankful that I will be closer to my house in New Jersey.

I will miss Austin, the greatest city I’ve lived in. I will miss legit barbecue and Mexican food. I will miss AACM, a fellowship full of friends I call family (alliteration not intended). I will miss UT Austin, a school I am proud to receive an education from. I will miss Texas, it’s home to me. And it’s cheap.

I look forward to forming a new community to share the mission and calling of God with. I look forward to exploring the DC area. I look forward to having FOUR (4!!!) real seasons. I look forward to saving the world by minimizing wasted energy, one line of code at a time, one home at a time. I look forward to continue seeing how the holiness of God increasingly contrasts with the depth of my sin, a gap filled more and more by Jesus. I look forward to the rest of my life.

Jesus reigns. Please visit me in DC.

All public tweets about Rez Week 2012 at UT Austin. Yoik!

Hello world. If you’re still following me, then I’m sorry for the unfamiliar name that is suddenly appearing on your dashboard. If you unfollowed me, then I wish you the best with your Tumblr travels. May your future follows post more often than I do.

Here’s a long post for you. Read if you dare.

Recently, my mind has been flooded with many thoughts concerning one focus: my career. I am a Mechanical Engineering student, but my resume screams Software Engineering. I chose MechE to change the world with one engineering solution at a time. I wanted to make a real impact by making real products. Yet, here I am with multiple developer positions under my belt. I’m not saying that software companies aren’t making a real impact, I just wanted to build real physical products. So, WHAT AM I?! Engineer or developer? Ah, but this frivolity is for another time. What’s more pressing is of a deeper resolution.

Do you know those feel-good stories told by pastors and speakers everywhere? Where a kid is changed by Jesus and becomes a ninja missionary in a godless land? I’ve heard so many. I feel that many churches/fellowships measure success by how many of their members went into a full time ministry position. “Yes lads, your very own [insert church/fellowship] alumni/member is now making 1.4 converts a day as a missionary in the land of Catania (the ‘c’ is pronounced like an ‘s’). And did you know [insert another member from church/fellowship] is now a full time pastor at the giga-church up in [urban city]? How wonderful!”

Perhaps you feel there is a bitterness in my tone. There is none. But it has made me think, “so I’m not a success if I don’t go full-time ministry? They won’t mention my name during feel-good-story-sharing meetings?” That part doesn’t really bug me. The thought that was most pressing was, “what happens if I just simply become an engineer/developer. I’ll get $80k-ish a year and live in a good house and go to church and serve the Lord.” That option felt so empty compared to the grand stories of missionaries abroad.

But.

Just a couple days ago, such a simple question concluded all my worries. “If there’s nobody to be a salt and light in the workforce, how will they ever get a chance to see and hear about Jesus?” Yes yes, it is quite a simple question. A very obvious one too. But I never really thought about it. Now, I’m at peace with where God will lead me. I no longer have to feel like I’m not being the best Christian I can be if I choose to go to the workforce. Because the truth is, the souls working in the soulless companies need Jesus just as much as the souls barely living in the starving countries.

It doesn’t mean that God is calling me 100% to the workforce or missions. I don’t even know what I’m going to do after I graduate. It just means that I am confident that wherever I go, God will use me in a way that is glorifying to Him.

Thank God for the gospel in giving me purpose and meaning in Jesus so that I don’t have to strive for purpose and meaning in the world. For the former leads to life, whereas the latter leads to death, burn-out, and chasing wind.

At the beginning of the year, I was so excited to be like this to people.

Now, I’m this:

Desperately trying to refill the wax every single day. Every day. Every day.

Now, I can insert some paragraph about how Jesus lifts me up. But I’m tired. Perhaps I’ll insert a poem about how I’ve found peace amidst my schedule. But I’m tired. No, a verse will suffice. But I’m tired. Or what about a picture of me and my top [insert number between 1 and 5] best friends that has helped me keep going and not give up. But I’m tired. Maybe I should just put an inspiring story about how God saved somebody from drugs and death that I can’t relate to. But I’m tired. What else can I put here? Maybe some good quality picture of a silhouette of a cross on a hill with perfect lighting and a bit of lens flare. But I’m tired. Maybe I can’t put up any of these because I would just be lying. I’m not going to post anything but those two pictures and this useless paragraph.

______________ and _________ is ____________, but Jesus.