Seriously???

LIFE:

Okay... let's just get this out of the way right now! The sports writers and media people are the most finicky people on the planet. I can't believe that OU is undefeated and currently ranked #3 after starting the year at #1! At least the coaches, who actually know the game, still have OU ranked #1.

And while I'm on my football soapbox... I have new reasons to not like Vince Young. Thanks for putting the "dream team" label on my Eagles (that's right, mine, not yours Vince!) The pressure (or big egos) have lead to a 1-3 start. I'm not at all happy about that. One last football note: Aaron Rodgers you're a great player, but did you really have to put up 53 fantasy points on me this week. Not cool!

Well, it seems I'm complaining a lot tonight, so let's keep it going! I loved my time working in the music industry. I loved the people I worked with and meeting all the artists that I grew up listening too and seeing young artists develop! But now that I'm on the outside... I REALLY miss the free music. There are a bunch of great artists that just released CD's in the last month! I picked up a few: Leeland, Switchfoot, downhere, and needtobreathe! I must say that Leeland's "The Great Awakening" and needtobreathe's "The Reckoning" are INCREDIBLE! I forgot about that feeling of buying a CD and having that anticipation of wondering if I would like it or not! I like that feeling, especially when the project is amazing!

I started back on Weight Watchers this week. I've gained some bad habits during my time of being unemployed. So much so that my clothes were starting to fit tight. I lost 7 pound last week and hope to lose another 19 over the next 10 weeks! I hope to look good in slacks, shirt and tie soon! Or is it okay for an insurance salesman to wear jeans, a dress shirt, and no tie???

GOD:

I made it through Joshua in my chronological reading of the Bible this week. It must have been really cool to see the promises God gave his forefathers come to fruition. To actually walk into the Promised Land and see a city fall simply by walking around it and blowing trumpets. I can only imagine what that seen would have been like in person.

I had a great time at the first ever Station Hill "Man-ference"! It was great to connect with other men who want to be Men of God! Then, the very next day, Stephanie and I went to a journey @ home conference. It was a great weekend!

INSURANCE:


I passed my state Life and Health exam! I'm so glad to have passed my exams the first time! I keep hearing about people failing, then having to wait 30 days before taking it again. I'm also glad that I don't have to study all day anymore!


I started my in person training last friday and it continues all this week for a couple hours a day. I should be able to quote auto, home, and life policies by the end of the week! There are quite a few goals that Farmers puts in front of you and I can't wait to see how many of them I can hit! Bonuses, Blue Vases, and Clubs... all sounds like something to work towards!


Final note for this week: Thank you Karen Jordan of PA. I don't know who you are or even if we might be distantly related, but thank you for sending me my P&C License which was accidently sent to you!


The journey continues...

Has it really been a month???

LIFE:

Ever try to sit down and do something and get interrupted? Yeah... that's why it's been a month since I've blogged. Okay, that's one reason. Ever just go through life and it's same-ole-same-ole? So there isn't really anything to blog about? Yeah... that's the real reason.

Life is just cruising along. Steph and I wake up, get the kids ready for school, Steph goes to work, I get started on my studies, Steph and kids come home, kids do homework, eat dinner, watch a little TV, everyone goes to bed. A day in the life of the Nashville Jordan's. Pretty ho hum!

Highlights over the last month...

1. FOOTBALL SEASON has STARTED!!! The best part of the year: Fall and Football! My Sooners are undefeated, my Eagles are 1-2, and my fantasy team is 2-1. Early prediction... OU vs LSU in the BCS Championship game and OU finally gets revenge from all the times Les Miles and OSU beat us and of course that BCS Championship game.

2. I agreed to be the Co-Tournament Director for a local disc golf tournament, Liberty Fall Spectacular on Nov. 12th.

Yeah... it's just been life as usual recently!

GOD:

Okay, so I've been reading Numbers and Deuteronomy lately. It's altering my thoughts on WAR, but am holding off coming to a conclusion until I finish the entire Bible. Jesus came to Earth and changed things. But after reading the books of The Law, God's Chosen People did some pretty awful things in completely destroying towns and cities as they went into the Promised Land. All because God told Moses and Moses told the people and so it was. And when you start thinking of what is going on in those same lands today, well, it's just got me thinking.

Alright, here's one of those weird things that come to mind as I read scripture. Sometimes God speaks directly to me in these moments, other times its just me thinking crazy thoughts. So, I read the verse (sorry I don't have the actual verse) about how a thousand years on earth is like a single day to God in Heaven. So, is it possible to think that Jesus will come back to earth in the year 3000? After all, he rose from the dead after 3 days. Could he come back to earth after 3 days in Heaven too?

INSURANCE:

So the lingering question from my last blog is "Did you pass your first test?" Answer: YES!!! I was very relieved and feel very thankful, especially since I normally don't do well on tests. Never have. So here I am thinking I can start selling Home and Auto insurance... WRONG! In order to apply for my license with the state of TN, I had to get a full background check including getting finger printed. And of course, that takes time. So as I wait for everything to come through, I registered for my Life and Health course. I've actually managed to complete the course work and am scheduled to take this test on Thursday, Sept. 29th at 2:30pm. I've also been doing some online training with Farmers and assuming that I pass my exam, will start my in person training on Friday, Sept. 30th.

I'm so ready to quit reading, studying, and listening to online modules!! I'm ready to start doing, selling, meeting with people, and making some money.

The journey continues...

Sooo tired...

LIFE:

Ah, the rigors of getting back into the school schedule! Madison has started 2nd grade. Connor is in pre-school. We've almost got our routines down with some minor changes/additions to it coming in the near future.

Ok, as any good dad should... I've got to brag on my kiddos!

Madison's class has a behavior chart. It goes, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red. Everyone starts on Green and moves to yellow or red if they misbehave. The Blue is a special color indicating you've had the "Best Day EVER!" Well, in the first two weeks of school, Madison has had 5 blue days! I think it's time for the teacher to raise the bar in what is considered "best day ever" for Madison.

Connor has moved from the Intermediate class to the Advanced class in the first couple weeks of being back at pre-school. He read his 6th book and is progressing nicely!

I played in a disc golf tournament (The Skeeter Heater in Smyrna, TN) last Sunday! I played in the Advanced Amatuer Division. I moved up to this division this year. My goal has been to cash (actually don't get cash, but payed out with products (discs, bags, etc)) in every tournament I play in. I've cashed in all but one this year. I finished tied for 7th out of 32 players. Definitely my best finish this year! Maybe I can eliminate the mistakes I made and actually have a Top 3 finish in Advanced before the years out!

GOD:

Nothing profound here this go around. Sometimes you just do life and do your best to walk in Christ's footsteps. I will say though, with our new routines, I've been able to allocate time to actually read my Bible every day. I've picked up where I left off in trying to read the Bible in a year. Confession: I won't read it in a year, but the point is to build the habit and keep at it, which I'm now doing! Exodus was interesting where I found the first recorded song in the Bible as well as the answer to the age old question, boxers or briefs?

INSURANCE:

I'm sooo tired of reading! I've completed my course work for Property and Casualty! 20 hours of online reading and simulated tests for both (40 hours total). I take my official P&C licensing exam this Wednesday (August 31st) at 8AM. I can't wait to get my license so I can start selling! I've also been completing Farmers training modules. These aren't the most exciting videos (are any training videos though??). But, they're required and I'm moving through them as quickly as I can so again, I can start selling. I can't wait to get my Farmers email address and new business cards. I'm so ready to actually be productive rather than just read or watch videos about it!

So there's the skinny on the last three weeks. I'm really looking forward to the coming weeks... OU football kicks off on 9/3, the NFL season kicks off on 9/8, I start leading a new group of high school guys on 9/7, and then there's the fall weather that can't get here quick enough!

Later friends!

The Next Step

They say it takes 28 days of doing something to make it a habit. I guess I've got a long way to go before blogging becomes a habit. What is the appropriate time span between blogs anyway??

LIFE:

Congrats to both of my kids, Madison and Connor, who played softball/t-ball respectively this summer. Connor learned that t-ball is too slow for him and needs to play something that's more active, like soccor or football. Maybe next year! Madison on the other hand loved softball! Her team made it to the semi-finals before they lost to the eventual champion (a team stacked full of good players by the head of the league). Yes, even in little league, life isn't fair! Anyway, Madison learned to hit, throw, and catch. She even learned a little baseball strategy too! I'm so proud of the fact that she didn't strike out during the tournament! It was fun to watch her skills progress during the season! She really struggles when asked "Do you like softball or ballet better?" :)

Now that we aren't spending all of our nights at the ball park, we're gearing up for the beginning of the school year! Madison is starting second grade and Connor will be in his final year of pre-school. I know this sounds bad, but I'm ready to not hear the word "Daddy" every two minutes all day!

GOD:

Ever hear this one?

There was a big flood and a man got trapped on his porch as his entire house was surrounded by water. A row boat came by telling the man 'get in, I'll take you to safety'. The man said, "NO, my God will save me!" The water kept rising and now the man is looking out his second story window. A speed boat came by telling the man 'get in, I'll take you to safety'. The man said, "NO, my God will save me!" The water rose some more and the man is now standing on his roof. A helicopter came by telling the man 'grab the ladder, we'll take you to safety'. Again, the man said, "NO, my God will save me!" The man died and went to heaven. The man saw Jesus and asked him, "Why didn't you save me?" Jesus replied, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"

Well, I'm the man in the story. Although, I didn't die of stupidity nor did my house flood. I think that sometimes we miss the obvious because of our own desires. For five months, I've been unemployed. For at least four months, I've had insurance and financial recruiters calling and emailing me almost every day about working for their company. I'm just glad I finally realized His plan for me and my career!

Anyone got a verse that ties this scenario all together???

INSURANCE:

I met with the District Manager at Farmers Insurance last Friday. He's been with Farmers for about as long as I've been alive. He gave me the good and bad, yet still tried to sell me on Farmers. Thanks to by brother-in-law Patrick, a Farmers Agent in OKC, for giving me the real story before I met with the DM. The DM approved of me and asked me to fill out the $63.50 online application. WHO HOO! My first expense in starting my own agency! The application involved a full crimnal and credit background check and all the typical application information. I got word today that I was approved by Farmers! I will meet with the DM and the recruiter on Monday, Aug. 8th to establish my training timeline. I've already signed up for my first of two classes that the state requires before I can take my first of two licensing exams. WHO HOO! My second expense ($145.46) in owning my own business! My third expense comes tomorrow as I'm going to buy my first laptop!

As strange as it may sound, I'm actually excited about doing this. I have more of a purpose in my life when I wake up in the morning. I'll be providing for my family and not accepting a government hand out every week. If all goes well and my hard work pays off, then we'll have the kind of life that a regular job could never provide. I really can't wait to get started! So much so that I'm already building my professional network (Thanks Steve and Benjie!!). If you're reading this, live in TN, and are in the real estate or financial services industry, please contact me! I think we could help each other out!

Last but not least, a very special thank you to Stephanie's parents for assisting us with the final piece to my six month plan! Much appreciated!

Please pray for me as the next six months will be tough!

My journey continues...

The Beginning

Alright, so i'm starting a blog. So let's start with a quick introduction.

My name is Jeff Jordan. I'm married to Stephanie and have two kids: Madison who's seven and Connor who's four. The other member of our family is our dog, Boomer, who we rescued in March 2010 and believe to be a Lab/Grey Hound mix. I love music, movies, football, video games, and playing disc golf.

That's the basics. So why start a blog now? Well, first of all, I've always wanted to journal as a way to help me remember my life. I've just never been good at it, so hopefully I'm starting a good habit. Secondly, I'm starting a new phase, or journey if you will, in my career so it seemed like a good time to start.

I've been unemployed for 4 months and am about to start a brand new career path. Ever since I've moved to Nashville in 1999, I've been working in the music industry in some sort of sales rep capacity. It has been a dream come true. I've met many of my music idols and have gold and platinum records on my wall. I've worked for several companies in that time frame, but now feel like a piece of chewing gum. I've been chewed, used, and spit out, which is not an unusual story for someone in the music business. So, I am now picking myself up off the ground and am about to do something I never imagined I would do... SELL INSURANCE! My journey towards owning my own business starts Friday as I meet with a District Manager of Farmers Insurance. If all goes well Friday, I'll then get licensed and trained. I honestly can't believe that selling insurance is what God has planned for me, but after a lot of prayer it seems this is the direction He has me going.

This is the beginning of my blog on my life, the God I love and the unusual ways He speaks to me, and my journey as an Insurance Agent.