To Whom It May Concern's Longest Post

This is a survey about me and what I look for in a girl, love, and life, I suppose. I did it for my friend Stephanie Herres because she asked me to and I figured it was an easy post.

1. Full Name: Jeffery Glen Watkins

2. Age/Birthday: 22, June 25, 1980

3. Salvation Date and Experience: October 16, 1994. I was 14 and I was hanging out at my Pastor’s house. His oldest son, Mark was my best friend at the time. I was just hanging out with his family and eating lunch. During lunch, it was just pretty much Pastor Nygard talking to me and asking me how come I had never accepted Christ. I didn’t have a real explanation for how come I had never done it, I just hadn’t. I understood everything; I just didn’t commit my life. During that lunch, Pastor Nygard pretty much convinced me of my need so I made a point to go forward at the evening service and pray the sinner’s pray. I know it wasn’t the words that saved me, for it was only by that wonderful Grace. However, I think at that point in my life, I came to a state of humility and an earnest repentance and total need for Christ and find my total sufficiency in Jesus Christ and I cannot do anything without him. All that, in one night!

4. When did you accept your call: It was 1996 and I was 16. I don’t quite remember the month. I don’t quite remember the day. I had been real enthused with what my youth pastor did. I began to be enthralled with his task as a youth pastor. I started praying about it. For many, many (8) months, I had prayed that God would show me his will for my life. I knew that if this was his will, He would make it clear to me. One Saturday night, I was up late having a devotion. Everyone was already in bed and I was the only one awake. I had felt like God was calling me to be a youth pastor. I felt like I knew it in my heart, I just hadn’t confirmed it in my head. I began to pray and ask God to deliver one more sign to me. I prayed that sign would be my confirmation. It was in that prayer that God revealed to me, this is what He wanted. He already had my soul and now He wanted my life, my talents, and gifts. After all, who gave them to me in the first place? I thanked him and the next day I went forward in church and made my call public to my church family.

5. What is your call: I feel that I’m called to do youth ministry for my entire life. I know that while I am still ‘young and hip’ (yeah right), I am do be a youth pastor. Other events that will occur (possibly) in my younger days: start/run/maintain a Christian independent record label and/or be in a band. Later life occupancies: youth minister mentor, or a youth counselor.

6. Life/Theme Verse: This always changes, but I like James 1:26-27 very much. “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (NIV)

7. What is the # 1 passion/desire that compels every aspect of your life? The Sunday School answer here would be God. I think that this is very true. I think that our faith is or should be the number one thing in our life. Everything that encompasses our daily lives should reflect this indefinitely. A second would be punk rock.

8. Do you have a daily, intimate quite time with God. This question causes me much grief. To be honest, I don’t always have a quite time. I think a daily quiet time is the most important part of your day. It’s a struggle to have a quiet time. I am pretty sure I can say that I don’t ever make it through the day without praying. I am working on the reading in the Bible daily. Struggles in life are what make things so worth accomplishing.

9. Explain something that God has taught you recently in your quiet times: I’ve been studying Isaiah 53 a lot lately. Verse 7 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth...” God’s teaching me not to get so defensive. It’s a blow to the ego not to comment on something that someone says against you. Many, many failures for me.

10. Describe your prayer life and approximate amount of time spent in prayer. The shame in answering this question is admitting how bad my prayer life is. I pray daily. Sometimes, it’s just a few minutes. Sometimes it’s as long as 30 minutes. It just varies, which is something I would like to change as well.

11. Are you an active witness for Christ: Although, I’ve had a friend tell me, he didn’t ever see me witness. I know that I do. I can account times when I’ve shared the gospel with someone in the past month. Also, when I cannot use words, hopefully my life is a living example of what Jesus Christ has done. Hopefully, I am a servant. I am learning the difficulty in this.

12. Do you regularly memorize scripture: Not really on purpose. I happen to remember things I study in my devotions, but I do not sit and write out verses constantly.

13. Describe your love for God: In an effort to not be cheesy and say something that I don’t mean, my love for God is so conditional. I say I love God with all my heart, soul, body, mind, strength, spirit, life, love, and everything else, but my actions don’t match up with my words. I feel like God has showed me that I’m the only one he thinks about when I’m talking to him or He’s talking to me. God has showed me that he does this for everyone. I think a line from my poem Love expresses my love for God in a manner, which I only understand. “As the nails were driven and the sword pierced his skin, I wonder if he was thinking of me. As now on my journey I am thinking of him.”

14. What is your favorite attribute of God: All of them, but specifically his patience for constant unconditional love and forgiveness (that’s a combination of a few).

15. What standards do you hold for dating relationships? Sexual purity: I do not date anybody who doesn’t meet up to my standards. I will not date a girl if she is not a Christian (and can explain why she is one). I try to not put myself in those circumstances where I will be forced to lust or do things with members of the opposite sex that will cause me grief and strife later on. I am a virgin, but that’s only because God has kept me from making that mistake. I have messed up with many girls and messed up many friendships but I am learning.

My dating standards:

1. Christian/ Godly Girl
2. Her beliefs/theology match up to mine
3. She’s a virgin
4 -12 are her attributes: loving, funny, kind, selfless, pretty, honoring, helping, sexy, wonderful, joyful, patient.
Lastly would be that she has to at least like or stand punk rock.

16. Do you believe the Bible is the perfect, inspired Word of God: I do believe that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, inspired written Word of God. The Bible is man made. As far as the translating and structure goes. In content it is all the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. However, I feel that God planned it that way and has allowed it to be understood by the scholars who translated it and God revealed it to those men and still reveals it to his people today.

17. What are your top 3 more important characteristics of your future wife? I wouldn’t date a girl I wouldn’t think about marrying. See question 15. I know that those things might not be totally present in her life at the moment we meet, but if those are her attributes, fragments or elements will be there and will be able to be visibly shown.

18. Which woman in the Bible do you most want your wife to be like and why? When I originally heard this question and thought about it, I gave a sarcastic answer. But, I think it’s true to me. Rahab, was a harlot, but was name righteous because of her faith. My wife will be a sinner, but because of her faith in God, she will do the things she is supposed to do.

19. What are your role concepts of men and women in a family: I’m not totally sure of who does this or who does that. I think the Bible outlines it pretty specifically. I will be working with youth and my wife (whoever she is) will feel compelled to help me and I will need her help physically, emotionally, spiritually. I’m not saying I need her to cook the brownies and make copies, I just need that support from her. And, I know God will provide those things in my wife.

20. How many kids do you want: That’s really up to God, but if I had to give a ballpark figure I’d say between 1-6.

21. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years: 5 years; probably still in seminary, I’ll have a youth ministry, and maybe a wife. 10 years; I’ll have a youth ministry, a wife, and maybe some youngins.

22. What are your standards on music? Movies? I think that art and music were created by God and man messed them up. I do listen to secular movies and I do watch rated R movies. Rating systems were set up by man. I don’t think you should watch or listen to anything that disagrees with your views. And to a point, I don’t. To that other point, I will be striving to get passed that.

23. Who is your favorite Disney princess and why? Since God chose me to be a boy, I’m not all that familiar with the Disney Princesses. I’d have to say that Snow White is because she is the first one to come to mind. She slept and she only could be awoken by the kiss of her true love. Yeah, that’s true love waits!

24. Which Disney Princess do I remind you of and why? I’m sorry Stephanie; I really do not have any clue. I even did research by going to http://www.Disney.com . I wish I could say Snow White, but it’s not her. You don’t strike me as the type to sit and wait. I’m sure you will wait on God and the guy to decide you are the one for the guy. But, I bet you’ll know way before the guy does that you two are supposed to be together.

"...make sure I know whose taking you home..."