Overflow

Wow.  I’ve finished the first three chapters of Wild Goose Chase and can I say that my cup runneth over with all sorts of blog posts.  Well, 5 so far.  I started making a list of quotes that ran my mind down a rabbit trail only to realize that hey wait a minute these quotes could be expanded upon greatly and provide some thought-provoking blog posts.  I also realized that they each deserved more than a simple bullet point in a list.  So, basically, I’ve got some thinking to do.  Then some writing.  Then some posting! Until then…enjoy this:

haha. no clue who these people are, but enjoy the youtube findings

FREE BOOK

Tomorrow is the BIG day.  This book goes on sale!  Except the awesome part is that I already have it.  And even better…I have an extra copy thanks to some great marketing!  I’m going to be diving into the book starting tomorrow.  I thought it would be fitting to start on the day it’s released (plus, I just finished Wicked by Gregory Macguire so this will be perfect timing.  So, here’s the deal…I have absolutely no clue if anyone reads this other than my sweet friend Carrie who puts up with me because we both love blogging and talking about blogging.  But I’m going to give this a try anyway.  Plus, I figure the word FREE gets a lot of hits.  So, leave me a comment by Friday, August 22, 2008–I figured I better put the year just in case ;).  Then I’ll use some super technical skills and choose a winner assuming there are comments.  So surprise me and let me send you a book.  Leave your e-mail and we can chat via that on how you’d like to receive the book.  I’ll post updates from my reading as well so check back if you’d like!

Summary:

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect. 

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” –from the introduction.

 

Author Bio:

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

 

Cover art:

 

Don’t forget to check this site out too!

summer days

I am sickened by my old life.  I am revolted at how I used to spend my days.  I filled my life with nothing-ness and gossip.  I ran around trying to “look” busy.  I lived for summer.  I loved summer.  Summer meant laying outside getting skin cancer a tan while reading cheesy awesome magazines and chatting about “anything and everything.”  At the time, I thought life couldn’t get any better.  I thought running from one activity to the next would bring satisfaction and acceptance.  If I was invited to go on the lake X number of times then life was happy.  If I had to stay home, I felt rejected and left out.  The gossip turned into a game of who hung out with who more and other petty things.  I sought the approval of man.  I played along in the popularity game and desperately wanted to win.  Only when I thought I had won the coveted position of friend or even best friend, I quickly found out that sometimes those “friends” don’t want or like all of you.  They only like the “happy-go-lucky” gossip personality.  They don’t want to hear the struggles, the pain, the whys, the questions.  Plus, I’m a brooder and dweller.  So, they definitely did not want that.  Yet, unlike others they spared the truth in love and gave all truth.  I’m saddened that relationships and friendships come and go, but am exhilarated to see clearly now that the fog has begun to lift.  I’m not saying that I don’t still seek the approval of others because honestly, I DO!  I struggle with being an ultra people-pleaser.  But, I’m learning.  I’m also learning that sometimes relationships that bring you down are better left in my past.  Dwelling and brooding don’t get me anywhere.  I can’t answer the “why wasn’t I good enough” or any of the other “whys.”  I can only look to the one who I know.  The one who gave up so much for me. Even today when I feel like I’m one step away from hopelessness, He brings me back to a little bit of hope. So for today, I’ll choose to fix my eyes on him and let the whys fade away.  

I life my eyes up to the hills

where does my help come from?

My help comes the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

 

When I wander through the desert

and I’m longing for my home

All my dreams have gone astray

When I’m stranded in the valley

and I’m tired and all alone

seems like I’ve lost my way

I go running to Your mountain

Where Your mercy sets me free

You are my strong tower

Girlfriends

Tonight… I’m thanking God for a specific girlfriend that has stood by me through a lot of tough stuff especially the last eight months or so.  This post on Girlfriends rings home and reminds me of her.   Here’s to friends who listen even though they’ve heard the same thing over and over and still speak words of truth even though they haven’t been through it.

 

p.s. no more dwelling on things that bring me down.

I Get Knocked Down!

I listened to this song on my way home.  I got really happy.  My awesome professor used to play this before exams.  Oh, school, how I miss thee.

Texpectation

I found this tonight and I love it.  Totally describes the feeling I got earlier tonight.  Oh, text messaging.  How I love and hate you!

 

(noun) : The anticipation one feels when waiting for a response to a text message.

Via Urban Dictionary.

Post of Questions

Are we willing to own up to our own mistakes or do we slip under the radar whenever possible?  Do we feign ignorance to prevent admitting failure?  Or do we shy away from new tasks or adventures for fear of failure?

Dreaming

Dreaming, vision casting, planning excite me.  All of the possibilities and different obstacles to problem solve make everything even more fun.  Over this past year, I learned the importance of flexibility and change within this area.  Metaphorically speaking, I put all my eggs in one basket and lost a bit of my desire to dream “alone.”  Dreaming with someone brought even more excitement and possibilities.  But, of course, the basket developed holes and I found myself dreaming alone.  For a long time, I couldn’t dream.  I was numb.  Nothing sounded exciting. Life, simply put, was boring.  I ran to fight away the pain and to find the numbness.  In the last few days, I’ve realized that I’m beginning to see the light.  I’m beginning to come out of this deafening coma.  I’m getting ready to dream again…and I’m terrified.   This is me.  Stepping out. Trusting God as evidenced below.  Here goes.

Instead of Trying Harder…Trust Him More

How true!  Thank you for the reminder!  I OFTEN push myself to try and try and try before I even think of simply trusting Him.  I’m learning how to trust big time regarding the applications below…

Applied.

There you have it.  I have officially applied to Seminary. Scary, huh?  What’s even scarier is that I applied to something else, but for various reasons I can’t share on here yet.  I’ll let you know when I can