Hold on to What You Believe

I was listening to music at work (big surprise) and this song came on my Pandora, "Hold on to What You Believe," by Mumford and Sons. I love Mumford and Sons. This was several weeks, or maybe even a couple months, ago and the words have been floating around in my head ever since. I'm finally getting around to writing about it.

In this song is the question, "What if I was wrong?" That sort of question reeks of regret. It's the sort of question that can easily take a person into a very sad place. It is best to avoid such places.

How is this a good song then?? Because of what is said next:

"But hold on to what you believe in the light, When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight." 

There are times in life when things aren't "all coming up roses." Those are the times with the darkness robs of you all your sight. I'm not saying that I'm in such a place right now-- but I can relate. Good music is something you can relate to, right? Hurt, sadness, loneliness, and pain are all part of life; but just like there are dark days, there are days of light-- hold on to them. "Hold on to what you believe in the light," so that when the dark days come the darkness doesn't overtake you. Remember who you are; don't stumble around blindly; hold on to what you believed in the light.

And here's my addendum: The light never leaves, but sometimes you just can't see it. You will see the light again.

Here's to Days Just Packed with Mumford and Sons!

Ash Wednesday

Five more minutes... Just. Five more minutes. I've said it before: I am by no means a morning person. On average, I hit the "snooze" button five or six times before I finally decide that I had better get out of bed, throw on some clothes, make coffee, pack breakfast and lunch, and rush off to work. This has been my struggle ever since the thought of Saturday morning cartoons was no longer enough to get me up and around by 6am, at least on Saturdays anyway. Just five more minutes of lying in bed with my eyes closed, pretending to sleep, and waiting for the alarm to go off... again.

What a waste of a morning! There's so much more I could do with that extra bit of time. I'll admit that my New Years resolution of becoming more of a morning person has failed miserably so far. It's time to change gears. As we enter this season of Lent, I have decided to keep trying. Lent is a season of humility. Lent is a season of  sacrifice and self-improvement. Lent is a season for thankfulness of the sacrifice already made for us. This year for Lent I am giving up the "snooze button."

Based on previous years, the question is: "What am I gaining in replacement of this sacrifice?" The answer is simple-- Time. Time to read a devotion, time to go for a run, time to eat a good breakfast, time to call a friend and wish them "Good Morning!"... well, maybe I won't go that far! The point is having time to enjoy the mornings we have been blessed with. Will I succeed? Time will tell.

Here's to Days Just Packed with five more minutes (x 5 or 6) of extra mornings!

Rhubarb Pie

This post has its very own soundtrack provided by the ska stylings of Five Iron Frenzy. Go ahead-- press play!

Can you hear the music? Good. I love this song-- not only because it has a catchy off-beat feel with a walking bass and horn interjections, but also because it's about one of my very favorite things about spring and summer!

"Rhubarb pie, in the Summer. Rhubarb pie, made by my mother." Sometimes it's some of the simplest things in life that make us smile the most. Yes, my mom's rhubarb pie definitely gives me something to smile about and, as the song says, it makes my mouth water just to think about it!

Mom's rhubarb pie is definitely tasty, but it's more than just a delicious treat. It's the memories involved that really make it special; it's having the family at the dinner table on a Sunday afternoon, clearing away the dinner plates, brewing some coffee, and hearing mom announce, "And now, it's time for pie." Glorious.

Maybe you don't get as excited as I do about mom's rhubarb pie, but I sincerely hope that you have something that has the same effect for you. What is a little thing that makes life special for you? What is your "rhubarb pie?" Think on it while you bounce to the music...

Here's to Days Just Packed with rhubarb pie!

Lent VI: Grudges

Carrying a grudge can often get quite heavy, especially if you're trying to carry it over a long distance or a long period of time. Sometimes however, it seems like it would be a lot easier to just hold onto a grudge than it would be to forgive someone.  It isn't, by the way. A grudge will eat at your soul until there is nothing left, and forgiveness is the only way to come out of it alive.  Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean that you have to be best buddies, but it does mean that you no longer hold over their head whatever it is that they did.

"Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die."  
~Malachy McCourt


Have I been holding a grudge? Yes, or at least I had been for awhile. Have I let it go yet? Mostly. It still needs some work. These things take time, but I have taken some great steps toward reconciliation.

Over the last week of Lent (Holy Week), focus on the last two petitions of the Lord's Prayer:

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Here's to Days Just Packed with letting go of grudges!

Lent V: Fasting

I am not good at fasting-- at all. I'm sure I'm completely missing the point, but I just don't see any worth in depriving my body of much-needed nutrition on purpose. I realize that fasting is a way to show spiritual and physical discipline in devotion to God (or one's specific cause), but I find it much easier to concentrate and be productive when I've had a meal.

I think it's good that I recognize this fact about myself and come up with an alternative to fasting: Since I don't like to go without food, I will donate to the food bank so that others, who aren't given the choice, will not have to go without food either.

 On to the next week:

April 6: Forgive us our Trespasses, as we Forgive those who Trespass against us
Focus: Giving up a grudge and replacing with prayer for our enemies and seeking reconciliation.



Here's to Days Just Packed with finding alternative ways to serve!

Lent IV: Facebook

Was giving up social media a successful sacrifice for me? No, not really. In my defense, I don't usually use the Facebook for mindlessly browsing the newsfeed for the latest gossip-- usually, but I still do. Is that a constructive use of my time? Not really, but sometimes a bit of good can come out of it. As I said earlier, it is good to stay balanced and maintain a relationship with God, your family, and your friends.

God may not have a physical (legitimate) Facebook page, but you can find Him there. God shows up in people's posts, photos, groups, and likes. Satan shows up as well (you wouldn't expect him to pass up this opportunity, would you?). Take a day to really look at what shows up in your newsfeed.

Here is the focus for this week:

March 14: Give us this Day our Daily Bread
Focus: Fasting for a day or giving up a comfort food or drink (dessert, alcohol, coffee) and replacing with financial support and prayer for the poor.


Here's to Days Just Packed with a small dose of social media!

Napping Geese

Nature is pretty awesome. A couple of days ago, before the ice all melted off the pond behind my office, I decided that it was warm enough to take a mid-afternoon stroll. When I came to the pond, I saw a whole gaggle of geese napping out on the ice.  If you haven't ever seen a goose taking a nap, it's pretty easy to recognize: It just turns towards its head backward and rests its beak on its back.  The cool part is that there were nearly 100 geese on this little shelf of ice all taking a nap! Well, almost all anyway...

As I walked closer to snap a quick photo on my phone, I noticed that there were a few geese scattered throughout the gaggle who were slowly scanning the perimeter. The instant one of their "perimeter guards" decided that I was spending too long inside their "safe zone," he began crying out a very loud and obnoxious alarm to wake the others. It must be a rule among napping geese that once you wake up to an alarm, you join in. Within seconds, I had unleashed nearly 100 honking geese to wreak havoc upon the peace and quite of the little pond behind my office. They didn't fly away, they didn't walk around, they just sat there and honked... and honked-- until I walked away.

Once I was back on the other side of the invisible safe zone, the geese slowly stopped honking and went back to their naps. So, so cool...


Here's to Days Just Packed with napping geese!

Lent III: Keeping Your Scales Balanced

It's hard to believe we're already gearing up to begin week three of our Lenten journey! For the past week I have been trying to focus on giving up a social activity and replacing it with service to an organization or individual. I had some difficulty with this one since I seemed to be so busy all the time! I kept trying to figure out how I was going to find the time to give up a social activity... wait a minute-- What exactly have I been so busy doing?

I started a mental list of everything that kept me busy for the last week and found that after time spent at work and the gym, I spent a lot of time on service to my church without many "social activities." Granted, I was in Louisville, KY, for a youth ministry conference for four days over the weekend, so my data may be skewed a bit, but even after discounting those four days I am starting to think that I may have tipped my "time-scale" too far in one direction. Just as service activities are important, so are social activities and maintaining relationships with one's friends. I think I need to work on balancing my scales.

 Here's week three:

March 7: Thy Will be Done
Focus: Giving up social media (Facebook, email, etc.) and replacing with scripture reading and devotions.


Here's to Days Just Packed with balanced scales!

Lent Week II: The Journey Continues

Last week's Lenten journey centered around giving up a form of media (TV, newspaper, radio, etc) and replacing it with prayer (or something at least more constructive than vegging out on the couch). This was a fairly simple challenge for me. I already don't watch much TV, I don't get the newspaper, and I typically just listen to music on the radio. Out of those three things, I decided to go without television. I can do more constructive things with my evenings than watching a favorite show, right?

Time to reflect about what I added to replace no TV...  While I didn't spend every hour I normally spend watching TV in personal devotion or prayer, I did catch up on some pleasure reading, I got a start on getting my budget in order, I spend a few evenings with my friends, and I started a brainstorm list of things for our young adult group at church to do (I have recently taken charge of finally getting our group together). As it turns out, I don't really need to watch much TV! This is something I believe I will incorporate into my normal daily life.

Here's the next part of the journey...

February 29: Thy Kingdom Come
Focus: Giving up a social activity and replacing with service to an organization or individual.

Here's to Days Just Packed with constructive things to do in the evening!

The Lenten Journey

Once again, we find ourselves in the season of Lent. Can you believe it?! Time flies when you're... not writing in your blog! The Lenten season is a time for reflection, which means that it is also a great time to share some of these reflections.

Ash Wednesday was two days ago; Lent has officially begun. When I talk about Lent with others, the most common question they ask me is, "What are you giving up?" Making a sacrifice for Lent is a long-standing tradition which seems to have overflowed into the secular world. Even people who consider themselves "spiritual, but not religious" enjoy the challenge and personal growth involved in a 40+ day sacrifice. As a Christian, I see this as a great opportunity for discipleship. With this common ground as a foundation, I like to share a different outlook on the traditional sacrifice--

A personal sacrifice takes something out of your normal routine. Where once there was something, now there is nothing. Inevitably, we will try to fill that void. What are you going to do with the time spent not watching television, not checking your Facebook, or not playing video games? How will you spend the money you save by not drinking alcohol, not eating chocolate, and not dining out at restaurants? Considering the outcome of personal sacrifice helps to breathe new life and, more importantly, purpose into this Lenten tradition with the hope that, through spiritual discipline, you may form a closer relationship with Christ our Lord. What are you adding to replace what you have given up?


Last year, my church challenged us to focus each week on a different spiritual discipline centered around the words of the Lord's Prayer. I like this idea, so I'm doing it again this year. Will you join me on this Lenten Journey?


February 22: Hallowed be Thy Name
Focus:  Giving up a form of media (TV, Radio, Newspaper, etc.) and replacing with prayer.


Here's to Days Just Packed with Lenten reflection!

Day 182:

If at first you don't succeed... try, try again! We will continue this discussion later.

Day 7:

What is it about Saturday? I can wake up on Saturdays.  Maybe it's because it's my "special day" -- the only day that I don't have anywhere I have to be before 10am. But here I am: Day 7, one week, half a fortnight.

So far so good? I'm thinking so. It's quarter til 7 and I'm bright-eyed.  If I had a tail, I'm sure it would be bushy.

Day 4:

So Tired.

Day 3:

Found myself snugly tucked into bed by 10pm last night. Success!  After just a couple days of my new routine, I found myself sleepy enough by "new bedtime" to convince myself that I would not just lay in bed for hours and hours.  I don't think I finally fell asleep until close to 11:00, but it's a start!

This morning I woke up to the sound of my... cell phone? I set it for 7:00 as a "just in case" precaution. I must have turned off my alarm clock when it went off at 6 this morning.  I blame Night Man. He's still not thrilled about this new arrangement.  I'll consider this morning to be a minor victory. I have time to blog, putter around a bit, eat breakfast, and get to work.

Baby steps.

Becoming a Morning Person...

I've been a long-time admirer of people who manage to wake up and see the sunrise every morning.  These people seem like they've got a good thing going.  They get up, eat a good breakfast, work out, and plan their day long before the bleary-eyed most of us finally stop hitting the snooze button. I want to be one of those people, but... I hate mornings. Check that. I love mornings-- I hate getting up!

Yesterday I finally decided to undertake the bold adventure into the morning mist. I read some articles, made a trip to Vitamin Cottage for some herbal sleep aids (I could write an entire post about why I probably won't go back there), and hit the sack at about 9:30 on a Friday night. I slept horribly.  My body fought the sleep aid with a fiery vengeance and I kept waking up throughout the night. It was as if the little "Night Man" inside of me kept poking me in the ribs and saying "Hey, what are you doing? It's time to play!"

Day 1:

6:00 am. My alarm went off. I sat up in bed, rubbed my eyes, hit the "off" button instead of that horrible invention we know as "snooze," and dragged myself out of bed.  I wasn't necessarily tired anymore, but I was groggy.  Night Man launched his final assault,

"It's Saturday, you fool. Why are you up? Go back to bed! If you get up now, you won't be able to stay up and play! Tonight is poker night, remember..."

I almost gave in. Almost-- except I remembered... I dreamed of pancakes.

Here's to Days Just Packed with early mornings to come. And pancakes!

Lent: A Journey in Spiritual Discipline

I admit it.  I've never given up anything for Lent.  Part of the reason is due to the fact that I never actually "had to"  (it was more of a suggestion rather than a requirement).  No, I didn't switch churches, and I still don't "have to" give anything up for Lent, but I was missing part of the point of this whole Lenten sacrifice thing.

This year my church as taken a different spin on the tradition of Lenten sacrifice.  We printed off bookmarks and handed them out to those in attendance at Wednesday night worship during this Lenten season.  We were encouraged to keep these bookmarks someplace where we would see them regularly in order to remind us of the depth and true nature of the spiritual journey upon which we were about to embark.

Instead of following the tradition of giving one thing up for Lent, we were given a list of 6 different aspects of our lives that we would focus on during each week.  The idea was to be able to build a stronger relationship with Christ through more areas in our lives than that gained through the sacrifice of one indulgence for a full 40 days.  I thought it was an interesting twist and one worth blogging about.  The following is from the bookmark:

 ------------------------------

Lent is a season of 40 days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lenchten, which menas "spring." The season is a preparation for celebrating Christ's victory over death on Easter Sunday.

To assist our faith community in this journey, we will focus on a unique spiritual dscipline each of the 6 weeks of Lent. You will be challenged to give up something new each week, replacing it with  spiritual discipline such as prayer, fasting, givng to the poor, etc. Our prayer is that by engaging in these disciplines, you will draw closer in relationship to your Savior Christ Jesus.

March 9: Hallowed be Thy Name
Focus:  Giving up a form of media (TV, Radio, Newspaper, etc.) and replacing with prayer.

March 16: Thy Kingdom Come
Focus: Giving up a social activity and replacing with service to an organization or individual.

March 23: Thy Will be Done
Focus: Giving up social media (Facebook, email, etc.) and replacing with scripture reading and devotions.

March 30: Give us this Day our Daily Bread
Focus: Fasting for a day or giving up a comfort food or drink (dessert, alcohol, coffee) and replacing with financial support and prayer for the poor.

April 6: Forgive us our Trespasses, as we Forgive those who Trespass against us
Focus: Giving up a grudge and replacing with prayer for our enemies and seeking reconciliation.

 
April 13: Lead us not into Temptation, but Deliver us from Evil
Focus: Giving up individualism and replacing with accountability and mentorship.

------------

The good news: Because the ultimate sacrifice as already been made through the blood shed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the cross, no further sacrifice is necessary among believers to gain admittance into Heaven.  Lent is a season for prayer, humility, honor and glory to God in remembrance of what He has done for us.  Personal sacrifice, although not required as a merit to receive the grace and mercy that God has shown us, does have benefit in the penitent heart and prayerful stance called forth in building a stronger relationship with our Father in Heaven.  

As God's children we are called to spread the good news of this Gospel to all the earth.  Not with a pious "My Lenten sacrifice is greater than thine" attitude, but with good cheer and pure hearts.  In building a stronger relationship with our Lord in our own lives, we are better able to serve Him and spread this good news!

Here's to Days Just Packed with spiritual discipline this Lenten season and spreading the Gospel to others!

Peripheral Vision

My last post talked about anticipation, and looking forward to certain things in your life that you have deemed to be significant.  Goals are good!  In building on that philosophy I've decided that it would be appropriate to write a little something about plans.  What is a plan?  I looked it up on Wiki: "A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with timing and resources, used to achieve an objective."  Nice definition.  Plans are separate from goals--check.
 
Over the past year or so my ideas about making plans have experienced a drastic shift.  There's something about living by myself in a new setting that has brought out the more spontaneous side of my nature.  Once I got over the shock of "Wow, I really just moved to Denver and hardly know anyone-- now what?" I came to the realization that I'm at a wonderful stage in my life where, save for specific things like work and church, my schedule rests almost entirely on me.  I have several hours each day that I can fill with...  This scared me.  I'm the type of person who feels a need to be productive, a need to work towards accomplishing something.  How could I possibly plan out that much free time toward productive things?!  I felt a bit overwhelmed, so something had to change.

Back in the day, blinders were used on carriage horses so that they could only see straight ahead to the task at hand.  If they were allowed to use their peripheral vision, they would become distracted or spooked.  I think this example fits fairly well.  I no longer wear my blinders; I'm not a carriage horse.  Even though I may be distracted, or even spooked, if I'm "allowed" to see anything other than a direct path, I gain a new world of possibilities in how I can accomplish my goals.  Is this the safest way? No.  Does life need to always be safe?

I quit planning.  I started doing.  Problem solved.  There is a time and a place for making plans...but I'm actually at a loss as to when and where that may be-- maybe if you're working for NASA blasting people into outer-space or something of that magnitude, but that's a little bigger deal than "how am I going to spend my weekend."  This doesn't mean that I just wander around aimlessly without purpose or reason; if that were the case, I wouldn't get anything done.  I still have purpose, and I still have goals.  What I mean is that in looking at a theoretical map of "Point A" to "Point B," I no longer feel a need to have a set list of scheduled steps (an itinerary) to go along with it.  My goal is to get to Point B...go!  There are so many more adventures to be had, things to learn, and potential mistakes to learn from if you allow yourself the freedom to do so.  And I actually get more done-- who knew?!

Here's to Days Just Packed with peripheral vision!

Anticipation

I've been looking forward to a lot of things lately.  I wouldn't necessarily say that any of them could be placed in the "momentous" or "earth-shattering" category, but I still await their arrival with anticipation, and regardless of how important they may end up being in the long run, I'm still excited.  It's good to have something to look forward to; it means you're looking up from you're day-to-day life in order to see what is waiting for you just over the horizon.  Even if what you see in the distance remains unclear, that's what makes it so exciting-- it's an adventure!

What am I looking forward to?  My list may sound simple, and a little silly, but I still find adventure and mystery in it.  Trying out the cheap pair of skis I bought on Craig's List, spending a random Saturday at Blackhawk with some friends, playing volleyball on Sunday nights, finally being able to have a conversation in German, the first pitch of the year, beer and peanuts at Coors Field, the first time I walk outside this Spring and smell rain-- my list could go on and on.  Simple, yet satisfying.

What is life like without looking forward to something?  What would the future look like without goals?  That's one thing I intend to not find out! 

Here's to Days Just Packed with anticipation.

Sabbatical

Sabbatical: (from Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos, from Hebrew Shabbat i.e., Sabbath, literally a "ceasing").

That's my explanation anyway for not writing any form of blog post for the past 4 or 5 months. I didn't actually take a sabbatical from work or life or anything interesting like that-- just from blogging. It seems like the motivation to do some things goes in waves, and I guess my blog has just been setting at low tide for awhile!

Regardless of reasoning behind motivation levels, I've decided to give the blog a little jump-start. CLEAR!

Hold on to your hats!

Fantasy Football

I'm at it again! I just joined a fantasy football team, so that means...Logo design! Oh yeah, and setting up my draft (I better get on that). Anyway, In order to get my logo over to my team page, I have to have it referenced somewhere on the web. I figure my blog is a good place to do this so enjoy!


Oh, and here's to Days Just Packed with watching football and making cool logo designs that make my team look good even if we lose.