Song # 3

Legacy: A Song For Eisley

You were born in mid September
Was a day way will remember
Peace of God was on our shoulders
Was a day we will remember

We're so sad to let you go

And your legacy will live on

In your memory and the way that we live

We'll be thankful for each day that God gives us

Tiny baby loves her mother
Listens to her lullaby
She's so glad to be her daughter
She's the girl we will remember

Child of God, a living power
Gift that came down from above
Miracle, we recognize you
We gave you all of our love

You were born in mid September
Was a day we will remember
Peace of God was on our shoulders
She's the girl we will remember

First of 31 Songs

Very sloppy, yes, I know. I don't expect to come up with masterpieces in these 31 days, but I hope to have fun trying out different ideas and just challenging myself. And maybe some of these songs will spur on ideas for future more complete songs.

Court ordered fun

One place I haven't been to in awhile is the beach. I went to Laguna Beach yesterday just to read, reflect, and chill. I felt like that time was really great for connecting with God. There's something peaceful about the rhythm of the waves. All of the extra things in life seemed to be washed away.
Today, I went back to Laguna Beach, but I went there to help clean the beach. I received a traffic ticket a few months back for a rolling stop. I went to court and requested community service as an alternative to paying a ticket I could not afford. I called up Save Our Shores to ask about volunteering opportunities. They host beach cleaning events once a month. The man who supervised today handed me a checklist with all kinds of different items on it. Searching for garbage on the beach was very similar to a scavenger hunt. It was interesting to see what we could find. I found an unopened beer can, an unopened Pepsi, part of a computer, human poop wrapped in a paper towel, a pair of socks in the ocean, plenty of broken glass, plastic wrappers, a butane gas cartridge can. There were only 3 of us volunteers cleaning up Laguna Beach. We sent about 100 pounds of garbage and recycling away from the beach today. The experience was very rewarding because I know that I was involved in preserving something that is so beautiful. After we carried our loot to the road to be picked up, I spent about 30 minutes just enjoying the beach. I took my shoes off and dipped my feet in the water. I saw a seal pop his head up out of the water just a few feet from the shore. As I was leaving, I saw other people showing up at the beach to enjoy the beauty and the peace, and I felt a sense of pride and ownership. I feel thankful that something that was such a disturbance to my life a few months ago has become a mandate for me to make time to be refreshed. No amount of vegging can really refresh me like that.

Song Every Day

A fellow songwriter invited me to join himself and others in writing a song every day in the month of October. I haven't written anything for months now. But I figured I would try this challenge and not worry about how terrible the songs end up. I'm just going to do it and see what I come up with. So there should be a new blog every day in October.

Trees Make Their Stand

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

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!

www.donmilleris.com/conference

Living a Better Story Seminar from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.