Kraig Krempa

It’s easy to get so wrapped-up in what’s immediately before us that we forget life is happening. As the end of one year brings the beginning of another, I’m reminded of the psalmist’s words:

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
(Psalm 90:12 NKJV)

Numbering my days looks something like this:

• 1970: Born in Toledo, Ohio to John & RaeLene Krempa.
• 1975: Started kindergarten at Mayfair Elementary.
• 1980: Transferred to Whittier Elementary in 5th grade.
• 1984: Met my future wife, Dawn Segura. Graduated from DeVeaux Jr. High.
• 1987: Dawn sat behind me in Mr. Epstein’s English class & although we were not dating, I informed her of my intentions to marry her some day. (Oddly enough she didn’t take me seriously.)
• 1988: Graduated from Start High School in Toledo, Oh. Began attending the University of Toledo as a psychology major. (Took my first psychology class and changed my major to “undecided.”)   
• 1989: Placed on academic probation & dropped out of college. (Go Rockets!)
• 1991: Joined the Air Force & was assigned to Kunsan Air Base in South Korea.
• 1992: My daughter, Courtney, was born! Reassigned to Hurlburt Field in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Decided to give college another try.
• 1993: Met Roy Wint (the guy who was instrumental in eventually leading me to Christ).
• 1994: BECAME A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST.   
• 1995: Married Dawn!! (I hate to say “I told you so,” but…I told you so!) Six months after we were married, I deployed to Turkey. It was during this trip that I began to sense God was calling me to ministry.
• 1996: My son, Kaden, was born!
• 1997: Graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a B.S. in Aeronautics. Began ministerial studies 1 month after graduating from ERAU & preached my first sermon on my 27th birthday, July 20, 1997 at Destin Assembly of God.
• 1998: Accepted a job as the 16th Special Operations Wing, Aircraft Battle Damage Repair, Program Manager (16SOW ABDR PM – in military lingo). Became a bi-vocational Youth Pastor.
• 2002: Separated from the USAF & took a job as a Technical Writer for Boeing. Became a bi-vocational pastor at Teresa Village Chapel. Met Phil Daniels (the guy who would eventually become my mentor, boss, and one of my best friends).
• 2003: Transferred into a Project Engineering position at Boeing. Started attending Niceville Assembly of God (while pastoring at Teresa Village). 
• 2005: Offered a full-time Associate Pastor position at Niceville Assembly of God (Bye-bye Boeing). My charter included starting a ministry for young married couples and overseeing our men’s & women’s ministries.
• 2007: Enrolled in grad school at Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
• 2008: My ministry role was expanded to Executive Pastor, responsible for top-level strategic planning and overseeing churchwide ministries. Graduated with an M.A. in Theological Studies. 
• 2009: Ordained by the Assemblies of God. Started this blog.
• 2010: ????

 

Notice how easily the day-to-day tedium of life disappears when looking at things from a distance. Millions of random events are forgotten; countless trials and tribulations melt away. Entire years (and blocks of years) are not even worth mentioning.

I’m amazed at how many events that seemed BIG at the time, turned out to be NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. I’m equally amazed at how many things that seemed like NOTHING turned out to be BIG (like meeting Dawn Segura for the first time in 1984, Roy Wint in 1993, and Phil Daniels in 2002). Come to think of it, there are probably significant events and people missing from my current timeline because – at this stage in the journey – I don’t realize their significance yet!

Even so, I’m saddened by the missing years – the ones in which nothing noteworthy happened (as far as I can tell from here). I can’t get them back. There are no do-overs. Time is a one-way street and those are the years when my life was in cruise control.

This brings me back to the Psalm:

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I don’t want any more missing years in my timeline. Life is too short to spend it in cruise control, and let’s face it — none of us is getting any younger! Maybe a “heart of wisdom” simply teaches us to value life too much to let it slip past us?

Having reduced my entire life to 444 words, I think I’m going to make just one resolution going into 2010: MAKE IT COUNT.

I suspect those three words are easier said than done.

I’ll let you know in 365 days.