They stand together tall
They want to be a forest when they grow up
They seem so proud despite how small
Simply being there is enough
They want to be a forest when they grow up
They seem so proud despite how small
Simply being there is enough
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A Better Story
I'm writing this blog to enter a contest to win a trip to Portland for a seminar on what makes a good life story. A better story to me is not like some grandiose dream. I have all kinds of desires. I can envision what they might look like in their completeness. I want to be more successful in my songwriting. I want to be married and have children. I want to be involved in helping other people heal and discover how much God truly loves them.
I like to dream. I'm naturally introverted. Over the years, though, I have been challenged to step beyond myself. I learned to lead groups of people into worship, and I learned to lead a team. I grew from working with teens who struggled with addictions. I learned to speak up for myself and also to be an example in humility when I fell short. This all has come through a continuing state of growing and wanting to grow. This is what living a better story means to me.
I want to live in the process. I want to struggle. I want to suffer if I know that my pain will result in something much greater than myself. I have a love/hate relationship with this process. I grew up glued to the television and the computer, always looking for ways to entertain myself. And that always takes me away from God. I'm not saying that being entertained is wrong. I'm saying that living to be entertained is wrong. That's not why I'm here. The idea of living a better story is a calling to really live. How does that specifically play out? Well, it means making a phone call, spending time with people in meaningful conversations. It means trying new things. It means going for a run and pushing myself when I would rather zone out or focus inwardly on my anxious thoughts. It means measuring myself honestly with scripture and struggling to understand and live how God wants me to live. I have not "arrived." And I don't ever want to assume that I have arrived. But I am living this story. I am learning and growing.
When I read A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, I was encouraged and inspired. I was inspired by Donald Miller's story and by the stories of people who are part of his story. After reading Donald Miller's latest book, I felt drawn to a book called Relational Intelligence by Steve Saccone. I'm still reading this book. I'm learning mostly how relationally unintelligent I am. But more importantly, I'm struggling with learning important life skills that can have a major impact on all my relationships. How does this tie in with story? Saccone writes about being a story collector and having genuine interest in the stories of other people. I'm learning that my story isn't merely my story. I am part of a much bigger story. And all of our stories intermingle.
From the Living A Better Story seminar, I would hope to be inspired by connecting and hearing other peoples' stories. Also, I would expect to be challenged. Sharing my story in front of a large group of people would be scary and humbling, but I know I would grow from the experience!
I like to dream. I'm naturally introverted. Over the years, though, I have been challenged to step beyond myself. I learned to lead groups of people into worship, and I learned to lead a team. I grew from working with teens who struggled with addictions. I learned to speak up for myself and also to be an example in humility when I fell short. This all has come through a continuing state of growing and wanting to grow. This is what living a better story means to me.
I want to live in the process. I want to struggle. I want to suffer if I know that my pain will result in something much greater than myself. I have a love/hate relationship with this process. I grew up glued to the television and the computer, always looking for ways to entertain myself. And that always takes me away from God. I'm not saying that being entertained is wrong. I'm saying that living to be entertained is wrong. That's not why I'm here. The idea of living a better story is a calling to really live. How does that specifically play out? Well, it means making a phone call, spending time with people in meaningful conversations. It means trying new things. It means going for a run and pushing myself when I would rather zone out or focus inwardly on my anxious thoughts. It means measuring myself honestly with scripture and struggling to understand and live how God wants me to live. I have not "arrived." And I don't ever want to assume that I have arrived. But I am living this story. I am learning and growing.
When I read A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, I was encouraged and inspired. I was inspired by Donald Miller's story and by the stories of people who are part of his story. After reading Donald Miller's latest book, I felt drawn to a book called Relational Intelligence by Steve Saccone. I'm still reading this book. I'm learning mostly how relationally unintelligent I am. But more importantly, I'm struggling with learning important life skills that can have a major impact on all my relationships. How does this tie in with story? Saccone writes about being a story collector and having genuine interest in the stories of other people. I'm learning that my story isn't merely my story. I am part of a much bigger story. And all of our stories intermingle.
From the Living A Better Story seminar, I would hope to be inspired by connecting and hearing other peoples' stories. Also, I would expect to be challenged. Sharing my story in front of a large group of people would be scary and humbling, but I know I would grow from the experience!
www.donmilleris.com/conference
Living a Better Story Seminar from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
And now for the "Doing Stuff" portion of this blog...
I've been running consistently (at least three days a week) for a few months now. More recently I've been running up and down the road for a total of over 3 miles, but today I ran the opposite direction and ran over 4 miles. Here are my stats:
Time: 10 minutes per mile
Longest Distance: 4.25 miles
Amount of push-ups before and after running: 35
Number of Peet's customers who said they saw me running: 2
Number of skunks passed while running: 2 (at the same time)
Highest elevation: I don't know
Funnest places to run: On trails, in the forest
Scariest place to run: In the dark
Running is great for your body, your heart, and your state of mind. Running has been a great release for me. It pushes me beyond myself. It helps me deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way. And I feel good about myself when I run. I feel proud today that I pushed myself to run farther than I've ever ran before.
Time: 10 minutes per mile
Longest Distance: 4.25 miles
Amount of push-ups before and after running: 35
Number of Peet's customers who said they saw me running: 2
Number of skunks passed while running: 2 (at the same time)
Highest elevation: I don't know
Funnest places to run: On trails, in the forest
Scariest place to run: In the dark
Running is great for your body, your heart, and your state of mind. Running has been a great release for me. It pushes me beyond myself. It helps me deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way. And I feel good about myself when I run. I feel proud today that I pushed myself to run farther than I've ever ran before.
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