Category Archives: Life

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I was reading my journal today and I found this statement on the front page interesting.  (It’s not vain to quote yourself, is it?)

“There is something freeing that happens when the ink rolls across the page.  The pages that follow will be landmarks and benchmarks; Not of epic events, but of the mundane; the everyday.  They will show my progress…”

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t write in my journal (or blog) daily.  If the pages of my journal are benchmarks, what do all of the blank pages mean?  What progress was made between the dates of August 13 and December 31 of 2008?

At first I thought it meant I was lazy and while that’s true, I think the real problem is that I love the idea of tomorrow more than today.  I’m a dreamer.  Tomorrow has unlimited potential while today is boring and filled with tasks and chores.  I like the concept of journaling–having an outlet for reflection and a means of seeing growth in incremental steps–more than I like actually writing in a journal.  Just the thought of reading old journal entries gets me excited, but I often fail to make the connection that I’ll actually have to WRITE SOMETHING TODAY to have something to look back on tomorrow.

The same can be said for my blog.  In my head, every entry will be of great significance causing dozens of people (I’m still grounded in reality) to engage in thought and dialogue both online and offline.  I begin to compose said entries in my head, complete with witty titles, but they seldom make it to the screen.

“Talk does not cook rice” says the Chinese proverb and my intentions don’t put words on paper or blog entries online.  I have an “action” problem, but I think I’m getting better at it.  I guess we’ll find out over the next few days and weeks.

Speaking of the next few days, I’m leaving for Peoria, Illinois tomorrow morning with the cross-country team for Nationals.  This trip will be all sorts of fun;  I’ll post pictures and write about it, I promise!

A Beginning, a Middle and an Ending

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The results of neglecting a blog are either A — you decide it’s not worth the trouble and it slowly fades into history or, B — your mind becomes FILLED with blog posts and it keeps you up at night until you write something.  For me, it’s B.  I’m now starting to see that it doesn’t really matter whether or not I enjoy it — it’s just something that I have to do.  Since I’m out of practice the “flow” of this post may be a bit nonexistent.  I am sure of this though, it will have a beginning, a middle and an ending.

Random thought:  I think better at 170+ BPM.  That would be heartbeats.  I can’t listen to music when I run because it distracts me from thinking.  Ideas flow freely at around 170 beats per minute, but rarely do I remember to write anything down when I’m finished.  I think I’m okay with that.  It’s kind of like my own private blog that only I get to read.  Only once, considering I never write any of it down…

Random thought 2:  (Always) Listen to Music.  I was listening to a song today and immediately it was November of 2004, and I was on the square in Denton, with her.  It was cold, and overcast.  Today, the song reminds me of what it’s like to be in love.  Every time I listen to John Mayer’s album Continuum it is 2006 and I am in downtown Dallas, sitting at a table outside of a Starbucks or driving early in the morning from Houston to Palacios, TX for a college fair.  It’s not about the lyrics or the artist; For me, songs are just triggers for my memories.  While I’m at it, Matchbox 20′s  album Yourself or Someone Like You was my “Angry CD”.  The last time I listened to it I was in college and went for a drive and almost ended up in Louisiana (I was mad at a girl).  Word of wisdom:  If you’re going to drive while you’re angry, only drive half the distance you think it will take to no longer be angry.  That way, you’re at home (and not an hour away) when you finally calm down.  Just sayin’…

There were at least 5 other random things I wanted/needed to write down but I can’t remember them now.

As promised, here is the ending.

The Big Three: Three very cool things God is doing in my life.

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1.  Job — while I wasn’t ever really unemployed, I have most certainly been UNDER employed for the past several months.  As of this past Monday I am now officially the new Webmaster at Lon Morris College.  I’ve been the unofficial webmaster there for nearly a year, working on a contract basis, but now I’m an actual employee which I am excited about.

2.  School — I registered for and (partially) paid for my first class at UT Tyler.  I was tempted to take two (don’t you just love alliterations?*) classes, but my budget doesn’t really allow for it and, since it’s been a while since I’ve taken a class, one should suffice this semester.  Eleven more classes and I’ll have my M.A.!

3.  Church — Last, but certainly not least, I found a church (as if the church were lost?  “I  found it!”).  This past year has been a bumpy ride for me theologically and spiritually but the journey has helped me figure a few things out regarding what I believe and why I believe it.  On the church website (www.livingactschurch.com) they say “we are first Christians, second Evangelicals, third Missional, and fourth Reformed.”  The last one, “Reformed” is probably the least important, yet it seems to help define (clarify or even redefine in some ways) the other three.  Not going to try to explain it here — maybe some other time :-)

4.  Yeah, I know the title says “The Big Three”, but this one kind of ties the first three together.  I spent the first half of this week helping out LMC’s Cross Country Coach with his training camp.  I can now say with a higher degree (get it?*) of certainty that I absolutely love working with college students.  Not just working with them, but investing my time, money and energy in seeing them succeed in life.  This is why I love working in Higher Ed. and why I’m going back to school to get my master’s degree.   And how does this tie in with church?  While my vocation is in Higher Ed., my occupation will always be Christ — teaching and preaching the Gospel is not just for the pastor, it is for every believer.  Bringing our occupation into our vocation — that is missional living in the workplace.

I’m looking forward to this school year — I’m expecting great things.

* If you ever wondered whether or not I was a nerd, this should remove any remaining doubt.

Army Brat

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In case you didn’t know, I grew up in a military household; my dad was in the Army so that makes me an Army brat.  I recently joined a group on Facebook titled “You know you are a military brat if you…” and spent a good 15 minutes reading through these — here are some of my favorites:

…all your former very best friends are as long gone as your last move.
…always wish you were back at the last place you were stationed even 20 years later.
…are able to imitate others’ speech patterns easily.
…are amazed at people who have never left their hometown.
…are asked “where did you learn to speak English so well”.
…are brought to tears by military music.
…are initially confused when asked where you are from, but quickly respond everywhere.
…at 22 you are trying to find someone in the military to marry so you can get a new I.D. card.
…can call up actual memories of a country while you’re in Geography class.
…can not speak the language of the country in which you were born.
…didn’t save things so you wouldn’t go over the weight allowance of the next move.
…don’t feel quite right seeing military personnel younger than you.
…every room you’ve ever had was stark white and you couldn’t put nail holes in the walls.
…feel like you should be visiting the states rather than living in them.
…find that you can easily amuse yourself for hours at airports, train or bus stations.
…get nostalgic when seeing O.D. Green.
…get the itch to move every 3-4 years and forever feel like the outsider in the civilian world.
…give someone a break because they are in the military.
…went into culture shock upon returning to the states.
…have been asked just where APO, AE was.
…have USAA as your insurance company.
…know exactly how horrible AFN commercials are.
…knew the rank and name of the kid next door’s father before meeting the kid next door.
…left school frequently for bomb scares.
…munched hot brötchen & gummies on the way to school.
…name schools in three countries on two continents when asked what high school you attended.
…played American Football at the schwim bad to impress the german girls.
…polished your fathers boots and brass for his upcoming inspection.
…remember being able to watch the Super Bowl or World Series live on TV at 2 am.
…start a major portion of your conversations with “when I was in…”
…stand up and recite the national anthem at the start of movies.
…talk to someone with an accent and pick it up yourself.
…tell everyone you are from a town that you haven’t lived in since you were 4 years old.
…try to take out your ID card when you enter a grocery store.
…went to school in a converted POW camp.
…know transfer meant pack your toys and say see ya later.