salvation [lost blog post]

[a lost blog post - never published... never finished either]



do you feel alive?
can you feel alive?

this morning is/was one of those mornings. you know, one of those morning in which you feel hung over? only i've never been hungover. but the splitting headache took away most of my joy. the pressure around my eyes was forceful enough to make me want to close them for good...

but i went about my business. taking care of business... here and there. up and down. the little things that needed done, done.

but now - in much need of caffeine (my fix for days like this) i hope for salvation. but my junkie provider is a good 20 minutes away. and so i wait. and so i yearn. an extra shot of espresso would suffice.

it's one of those days... a lazy saturday where my get up and go has already come and went.

what do we do when days like this rear their ugly heads? is it a red pill, blue pill kind of day? a choose your own adventure-type day? because as i see it right now, the day could go in either extreme direction.

the red pill of temptation tells me to go back to bed. waste the day. like a rusted wheel, stagnant and collecting dust.

but blue pill of reality says that if i lay around - the pain will only settle in...

the story of howies®

howies® is a small, but productive clothing company based out of Cardigan Bay, Wales, England. they playfully boast: "we're the third largest clothing company in Cardigan Bay."

playful often comes to mind when looking at the howies® website. i've been drawn to their sense of style, sense of play, and sense of simplicity for quite some time. i think i stumbled upon the howies sight after Jonny Baker made something from the howies® webite a worship trick years ago.



the company began back in 1995 making t shirts in their flat and then selling them out of the back of a BMX magazine. it took off from there, selling clothes designed to last. designed to be worn. designed to get dirty. they went on to make more than just t shirts...






now 14 years later, they have this to say:

The journey is by no means complete. And the journey so far has taught us some important things. Like where we want to go. And just as importantly, where we don't want to go.

The journey is the destination. sometimes we don't find the answers to life's big questions until we venture out on the journey of uncertainty. Sometimes we don't know where we want to go until we, well... go. (sounds a lot like faith, eh?)
[side notes about the connection between faith and journey: luke 9; john 4; acts 9]


although the clothes are higher priced, the company has a reason for such a price tag (as their set beliefs page says):

A higher quality product will invariably last longer. It will keep on performing as it was designed to for longer before it finally needs replacing. And so over its lifespan it will have consumed less valuable resources than an inferior product that will have been replaced many times.

That's why we make the best quality products that we know how. Because ultimately the best thing we can do for the environment is to make our stuff last a real long time.

this t-shirt runs £25 (about $40 U.S. dollars)
this video below shows 'the making of a t-shirt.' who knew a t shirt could be so exciting?

the making of a t-shirt from howies on Vimeo.

i like their home-grown, grass roots approach to things. they are trying to grow mostly from word of mouth. imagine... spreading a message that you want to be communicated to the masses, through conversations?
kind of like the Gospel, right? spreading good news, about t shirts or Jesus... probably best done via the 'word of mouth' technique.

but howies® appears to be more than just a clothing company. they are portraying an image. a way of life. maybe it's a bit cynical to think that they aren't also in it to make a buck. but i think they are on to something with the way they approach promoting not just clothes, but living.

get outside. play. make things. simplify. experience beauty.



they have a series of wallpapers that are pretty sweet. found HERE on their website.


i've never worn or owned any howies® product... probably never will... unless someday i make it over to England or decide to shell out some major coin to order one and have it shipped to the U.S. but i like how they do things.

there just might be a lesson for us all found in the way of howies® (even if they are trying to make a buck).

change

Change Your Life
But there's also this, it's not too late—
God's personal Message!—
"Come back to me and really mean it!
Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!"

Change your life, not just your clothes.
Come back to God, your God.
And here's why: God is kind and merciful.
He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now,
maybe he'll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all's said and done,
there'll be blessings full and robust for your God!

Joel 2:12-14




post#401

run forrest run

the 23rd annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement 2 mile and 5 mile races were held yesterday morning. Jen and i took on yet another running challenge, as did a number of young adults from our church. we ran in the 2 mile race with 882 other people. it was very crowded and the race started without any warning... some guy with a bullhorn hit the siren and we were off. the biggest challenge was weaving in and out of the masses of people... i think a couple of kids tried to take me out when we were running across the bridge. i was pushed to the outside. i felt like i was in Nascar - zig-zaging my way through, hoping not to blow a tire. after the one mile marker it thinned out. i started out running with THIS guy who finished about 20 seconds ahead of me... i think i could have ran with him the whole time - but he used to be chased by defensive lineman and linebackers back in his QB days so he's used to running fast.

i finished in 16 minutes 36 seconds... 45 seconds faster than the two mile race i ran two months ago at the YMCA. my pace was around an 8:19... when i ran my first 5k a year and a half ago - i was running a 9:35 pace. sweet, yo.

like before i ran with what Bryan might called a robotic-iPod arm band that no doubt makes one run faster. running with the Nike+ iPod system does make a race less boring, though.

we are planning on running a race in each of the next three months.

i'm pushing the 300 mile mark since i began running with Nike+ and have been a lot more consistent this spring and summer. i hope to keep it up.

my results... # 243 out of 882.

it's all about perspective

They asked him, "John's disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?"

Jesus said, "When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn't the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. When the groom is gone, the fasting can begin. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!

"No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don't put wine in old, cracked bottles; you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine." (Luke 5:33-39)

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Mary knew what it meant to be in the presence of the Messiah. Levi knew it. He walked away from the lucrative business of tax collecting. Simon Peter knew it. Him and the others dropped their fishing nets (apparently overflowing with a fresh catch of fish) on the beach and followed Christ. His mother Mary knew it (as referenced in a previous post) when she pleaded that Jesus to 'keep the party going.'

it's all about perspective... point of view. glass half full or half empty? do you visit the Grand Canyon and complain about the dirt on your shoes? do you watch the sun setting on the shores of Lake Erie and focus on the sand between your toes? the big picture reveals greatness, and the big picture of Christ's invitation to a changed life is to be celebrated.

being in His presence brings about change. if we don't want to change - do we really want to be in the presence of Jesus? why resist the party?

open your eyes. there is something more.

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Make a wish on a silver sun
a day like this can't be wasted
make a wish don't tell anyone
Cool this temper with laughter

Daylight comes crashing in
Time is of short supply
The wind streams through
broken rooms
Underneath darkness lies
From this fear there may come light
Stretch me out over this divide
Make a wish on a silver sun
when it comes, it comes

Make a wish on a silver sun
a day like this can't be wasted
make a wish don't tell anyone
Cool this temper with laughter

Daylight comes crashing in
Time is of short supply
The wind streams through
broken rooms
Underneath darkness lies

From this fear there may come light
Stretch me out over this divide
Make a wish on a silver sun
when it comes, it comes.

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Now playing: South - Silver Sun
via FoxyTunes

Run Lola Run

yesterday, jen and i ran in the 3rd annual YMCA 2 mile fun run / 10 K race. right before the 2 mile race was to begin it began to rain... hard. thankfully, by the time the starting gun sounded, it was a mere drizzle. although it was only a 2 mile run - it was still something. it was the completion of a goal (much like the one i set about a year and a half ago).

there were 120+ people who ran in the 2 mile fun run... most of the fast people were running in the 10k - but i think i came in around the top 10 in the 2 miler. i ran it in 17:22... about an 8 min 40 sec pace. i was happy with my time and my pace. the first mile i ran mostly on the tail of a woman with short hair, black pants and a white sweatshirt. she helped me set a good pace. for the last 1/2 mile - it was mostly up hill. that was a tough way to finish. but right at that time i hit my power song on my iPod (i was running with the Nike+ iPod system). that song was The Catastrophe and the Cure by Explosions in the Sky. it carried me through to the finish line. there was spacing all around me - so i had a nice finish. it was almost worshipful (To God be the Glory) coming up around the bend, music playing through my earbuds, race workers cheering along the trail, coming up around the bend, seeing the finish line... inside, i couldn't help but rejoice.

the run kind of gave me the itch... i want to run some more now - so now my wife and i are thinking about signing up for some future 2 mile runs or 5k's.

it felt good to run. it felt good to accomplish a goal. i hope to carry on.

on a side note - i checked out Run Lola Run from the library.


























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Now playing: The Appleseed Cast - Signal
via FoxyTunes

what sort of legacy will you leave?

i've been thinking a lot about legacy lately. maybe it has to do with thoughts of my father who passed away one year ago last week. i can think of the legacy that he left for me. i can think of the impact he made on others. i can think of the number of persons he mentored - men and women who would eventually follow the Lord's leading as they entered into ministry. but this post isn't really about my father. i honor him and we paid respects to him when we visited the grave this week - but this post is about us... me... you... whoever you are.

what sort of legacy will i leave? what sort of legacy will you leave?













while visiting the cemetery where my dad was laid to rest i couldn't help but look around at all of the other grave sites. some have been there for over two centuries. men who fought and died in the Great American Revolution and in the Civil War; babies who died months after birth, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands wives; some lived long, some not. with each stone placed in the ground a legacy goes with it.... a story... some untold, forgotten or too far in the past for anyone to know. but there was a legacy left there in the burrows of the green grass.

what were there stories? did they live productive lives? did they struggle with the same struggles as you and i? was life simpler for them? what did they stress about... rejoice about? did they know Christ and follow his teachings? did they have faith and if so, was it visible, plain and seen by one and all?

were they heroic or drunkards? housewives or heretics? what was their vice... their tragic flaw?

What was their legacy? did they even think about what kind of example they were leaving behind and how it might impact the world?

we know of the legacies of so many. Martin Luther King left us a legacy of peace and equality. johnny Cash left us a legacy of music and raw emotion that will sustain us for many years to come. Mother Teresa left us a legacy of service. Bill Gates a legacy of technology. I could go on. So could you. but again - it's not about them. it's now about us.

what legacy will we leave?

in the movie Meet the Fockers (yeah - i'm referencing that movie in a post about legacy...) Greg's future father in law (Jack - played by Robert DeNiro) asks what's truly important in life. Greg replies "love... friendship." Jack reminds him that leaving a legacy behind is of the utmost importance. Jack doesn't want a 'chink in the chain' of his families lineage.

Love... friendship. kind of sounds a lot like what Jesus said was most important...

1. Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them." Matthew 22:36-40

Love God. Love People. it's that simple. that should be the foundation of our legacy.

Peter gives further instruction on leaving a legacy.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?

1 Peter 3:8-13

another fine reminder. what legacy will we leave? what example will we set? what stories will people tell about us and how might those stories further the kingdom of God?


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Now playing: Portishead - Glory Box
via FoxyTunes

even as i sit here

at this very moment, the only sounds surrounding me are the not so smooth strokes of my fingers on the keyboard and the climate-controlled air being blown out of the vent above my desk. i can't help but think how God is in this time of silence. i rather enjoy it.

this morning, while walking over across the parking lot, the smell of a skunks ripe scent clashed with the cool air of the morning. the crows cried out to the world from atop their perch. the sun wished itself upon us - but the clouds were surrounding it as if to smother it.

earlier, upon my undesired rise (for i wished to remain in a restful bliss for a bit longer) i prepared myself and attended to my typical thursday morning functions at the middle school. i arrived just after lights first appearance in the day sky above. a morning Bible study with teachers, students and youth pastors was in full swing. the discussion dealt with the company you keep. unfortunate as it was, nae a few of my youth heard the words of truth. for the company they keep, it seems kept them away from the meat of the Word this morning.

contemplation of commitment and contentment race through my mind.
peacefulness of mornings like this are ruined in the lives of the content.
even the crow is committed to his calling... if he weren't he'd perish.

i didn't want to wake up, but i'm glad i did.
so many others are hitting snooze.

am i not awake enough so that others might desire that which brings me life? why do they not want my caffeine? some are very selective... they arise when it's convenient. not the sun. not the crow. not the air, or the electric which lights my room.

even as i sit here i can't help but ask God for inner peace to spread - and may i be that vessel of peace that continues to bring Good news.


i don't really know why i am writing this.

words.

Paris Je T'aime

well i have to thank my sister for giving me a gift subscription to Netflix for christmas. our third Netflix film (after Away From Her * and Somersault **) arrived yesterday and we watched it last night.

Paris Je T'Aime is a creative idea for a movie in and of itself. it features 18 5 minutes vignettes directed by 18 acclaimed directors and featuring an ensemble cast of well known domestic and foreign actors. Each vignette takes place in a different part of Paris and in small ways, each short is connected to the others.

Paris Je T'Aime (Paris, I Love You) is basically a movie about love... our longing for love, the chasing after, childhood innocence, passion for deep connections with others, dealing with love and loss, circumstantial love, the love of pain (and vice versa), love through sacrifice, and just plain joy brought about by a genuine love of love. This movie is resonating with me so much. I think in the end I realized how connected everything is. After all it's the hope of love that is ingrained in our very being (a gift from God, accepted and rejected) and that hope connects us all. We all want it, search for it endlessly and always mange to muff it up in the process - but it is that pursuit that keeps us alive. when we lose that desire to pursue love - life, i believe, is lost.

Patis Je T'Aime (website, trailer) is a wonderfly beautiful film... pleasing to the eyes, ears, heart and mind. It also features a nice soundtrack and a wonderful closing song by Feist (in which i found an mp3 download here). As the trailer says, fall in love again 18 times...

There was truly only one of the 18 that i didn't really like (Porte de Choisy: about a hair product sailsman trying to sell to a beauty salon in Chinatown)- and even that one was visually stimulating, i just didn't get it. It's hard for me to pick a favorite segment... but Tuileries directed by the Coen brothers and starring Steve Buscemi was a highlight... as was Bastille and Parc Monceau filmed entirely in one continuous shot.

See this movie. See the different faces of love. let your heart be filled with joy... again and again.



(further reading: review... wiki... but honestly - just see it first - then read more about it.)

*Away from Her (3 out of 5 stars... great beginning... then... meh)
** Somersault (4.5 out of 5 stars... this Aussie film has gotten better in my mind as i've thought more about it and discovered truths found within)

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Now playing: Feist - La même histoire
via FoxyTunes

seize.life

---

---

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.

(THE MESSAGE)

Created to Create

Are you creative?
Are you unique? How so?
THINK ABOUT IT!

FACT IS: You were made creative beings!

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” {Genesis 1:27}

We don’t always understand our creative nature or where it comes from.

Psst. It comes from GOD! We spend a lot of time SEARCHING... for proof... for answers.
Do we SEE Him?

WE WERE MADE TO WORSHIP. From the beginning - we’ve worshiped... Cain & Able anyone? {Genesis 4:2-4} But like Cain, we are easily distracted. Look at our society - we worship many things: fancy cars, big homes, material things, sports teams, celebrities, etc.

but we were made to worship GOD!

“We can spend our whole lives trying to satisfy the one insatiable part of our being, our soul craving.” - Erwin McManus

That CRAVING can only be found in the fingerprint of God.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19)

Through Christ we become NEW CREATIONS. (2 Cor. 5:17)

Our genetic make up shows that we are made to have relationship with a Higher Power... God... and thus all that we are made to do comes full circle.

NOW GO. BE. DO.
Be who you were created to be.
Do what you were created to do.

Embrace God along the way.

place in this world

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19...




inspired by: Boards of Canada - Dayvan Cowboy (Odd Nosdam Remix)

i live

If you had permission to do what you really wanted to do, what would you do? Don't ask how, that will cut your desire off at the knees. How is never the right question; how is a faithless question. It means "unless I can see my way clearly I won't believe it, wont venture forth."

...How is God's department. He is asking you what.

What is written on your heart? What makes you come alive? If you could do anything you've always wanted to do, what would it be?

A man's calling is written upon his true heart, and he discovers it when he enters the frontier of his deep desires.

...Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive because what the world needs are men (and woman) who have come alive.
[excerpt taken from john Eldredge - Wild at Heart]




DO THAT
WHICH MAKES YOU
come
ALIVE







LIVE.

a live

live [verb] 1: to be alive 2: to continue on 3: to dwell
live [adjective] 1: having life
live [adverb] 1: at the actual time of occurrence

what does it mean to survive?
choice: exist or live.

true living? follow Christ. receive your gift.

full. not empty.

embrace risk.

kick.

A]+[K redux

ALIVE]+[KICKING

ALIVE]+[KICKING
season of change.
always real.
striving to follow.
giving my all.
living.
breathing.
kicking.
challenging.
discipling.
seeking God.

what is the next step?
red pill / blue pill
left / right
high road / low road
complacent / dust-on-my-garment
same old / new dream
creative / cre8tive





alive & kicking. simple minds. can be purchased at the iTunes store.