Thoughts

1) Birdy can sing. Straight up.

2) Saw Les Miserables. Thought about crying. So good.

3) Writing the next series of blog posts. These should be good and interesting. Prieview: "The aim, or the end, of Christian living – the goal, if you will - is not to be the pastor or even a pastor."

4) Leaving for India on Monday!

5) Because I'm leaving on Monday it may be a couple weeks before the series gets posted. Maybe.

6) I have a mantel clock. It's beautiful and chimes and tick-tocks. The chimes are three hours off.

7) Kat has to know I'm leaving soon, she is getting super cuddly.

8) Taylor Swift and I should grab coffee.

9) Job hunting. If you have recommendations let me know. Por favor.

10) Thinking about changing the name of the blog anyone have any suggestions?

Friday's Thoughts

1) Mumford & Sons "Holland Road" don't overspiritualize it, just listen to it:


2) It's going to be 85 degrees today in Wichita. It's Novemeber 2. Dumb. (Read that as a tiny rant.)

3) The Senior editor for The Wichita Eagle taught my class last night. We got out early.

4) Some of the kids who trick-or-treated at my house had costums that scared me.

5) Kat tried to climb the curtains to catch a moth just after she jumped on someone's stitches. She spent the rest of the evening in the bathroom - you know, in timeout.

6) Hey, creepy old fat guys talking about going to Twin Peaks - you're gross.

7) Taylor Swift's new CD was okay. Wasn't as enchanting as the last one (see what I did there?)

8) Cleaver and clever are dangerously similar in spelling... It's possible I didn't send a text because I couldn't figure out which was what.

9) Boil it all down and away and every Christian ever knows only two things - whether mature or immature, smart or stupid, strong or weak - we all know we are sinners and that Jesus is Savior. That's enough.

10) Name your blessing - count them one-by-one. Stupid cliche, but Oh so necessary.

Friday's Thoughts

1) Got an email from my prof on Wednesday, the first line read, "Due to an accident ... I broke both of my wrists." Is it bad I thought this was the beginning of a joke?

2) Yesterday was a dust storm. Needed a 1930's soup line and it would've been a replica picture.

3) Alright, can we have Thanksgiving break next week? Cause fall break was nice, but I'm still tired.

4) Anybody else's phone been dropping calls? Super frusterating.

5) It's possible I know when T-swizzle's new album is coming out - gonna buy it.

6) This has been the week of non-sleep. The 4 hours I got Wednesday night was partcularly stupid. Also, being tired makes my thoughts sound like Anthony Bourdain - angry cynic.

7) Evernote is a phenominal app just start writing and it's on all the devices (soundin' nerdy).

8) Tomorrow is Saturday!

9) Admission: taking 12 hours of grad-school was a terrible idea. We're half way through the semester and it feels like I've done 2 back-to-back... Crap. (Mom was right.)

10) Went for a walk to my tree the other night. Something about sitting under a massive living thing makes one feel comforted. 

Trip Thoughts: Part 2

Could’ve sworn that sign said, "Judas Baptist Church." awwwwwkward.

The only thing begging for my time is an unfinished game of solitaire & a book.

Reminder: never buy a graphic tee, sport a mullet, or have a chester-molester mustache.

I hate being a tourist. But I love traveling. Issue.

Craziest line I've heard so far: "I started smoking heroine 5 years ago... But I only do it every now & again."

Merridees coffee house... Shoot Franklin, TN altogether is like a place I've been to in a dream. Gorgeous. I'd live there.

Southern hospitality? Nah.

I wonder how many broken dreams are in this town?

People are incredibly interesting to me.

Elevator do’s/don’ts means whaaaa?

That awkward moment you get off on the wrong floor and walk into the wrong room. That never happened to me... I mean it could've... Maybe.

"Honey, I'm in the car that's why it's so loud." said the man on his phone next to me at the bar...

Taylor Swift didn't take me up on my coffee offer. Fiddlesticks.

I've got a love triangle going on: Wichita, Nashville, & India... Scotland, Egypt, Germany... I'm in trouble.

Kansas roads- superb

Tennessee roads- wonderful

Oklahoma roads- meh

Arkansas roads- I can't think of a word worse than, "absolutely-terrible-and-deplorable."

Might as well work on my left arm tan while I'm driving.

I'm in a parking lot on I-40. Going nowhere. For the second time. Both times in Arkansas... Makes sense.

Merging seems to be a tricky task in this strange land.

I'm glad Wichita has more than 7 stoplights.

Shell & Subway are the saviors for most tiny Arkansas towns

Tulsa, get a life.

Wichita is like a tiny Nashville. & Without all the money.

Returning has been like a bad break-up. Fooie.

Friday's Thoughts

1) Can I have another Spring Break?

2) The Hunger Games movies/book/soundtrack are all good.

3) I had Taylor Swift's song "Eyes Open" on replay. It sounds like NEEDTOBREATHE's "Keep Your Eyes Open." It's like they were on tour together.

4) I have some classy friends

5) Psalm 139

6) If I have to ask, "Is that a t-shirt or a skirt?" You a) didn't look in a mirror this morning, b) did look in a mirror but your mind is mush from reality TV so it didn't dawn on you that sitting would be awkward or c) dumb.

7) I dreamt about my Kat... Imacrazycatguy great.

8) H&M has pants that fit my tiny butt!

9) With some people you just click.

10) Bacon. Bacon. Bacon.

India Trip Thoughts Pt. 1

1) It shouldn't be too terribly difficult to find your seat on a plane. They don't move & they're both alphabetical & numerical.

2) "you'd be able to board a train." ~Dumbledore
"and where would it take me?" ~Harry
"On." ~Dumbledore

3) 2 nights on planes. Woah

4) I lost Friday somewhere.

5) Need The Anchor.

6) We barely made our domestic India flight. Barely.

7) Taylor Swift is comfort music. X4

8) There are two white guys in this plane, and they're us.

9) I miss my Kat. A mucho

Pre-Trip Thoughts

1) I hope I can post something to the blog somewhere in the trip.

2) I’ve bought so much music in the past 3 days that if I listen to it all before I get back it’ll be a miracle.

3) There will be a post-trip list of all the random thoughts had.

4) I won’t eat bacon for 6 days… it hurts just to say it.

5) Psalm 23

6) My travel partner has reserved some first class tickets for the trip home. That's. What's. Up.

7) If I can’t drink the water there then chances are I can’t drink the coffee there… poo.

8) Taylor Swift is comfort music. (Judge away judgers.)

9) I hope I packed everything.

10) The Kat is in good hands. Whew.

Bonus:

11) Let’s do this thing.

Weekly Thoughts

1) I bought two new albums this week because I heard the songs on commercials. (OneRepublic’s, “Wake Up,” and Fun., “Some Nights.”)

2) Some people just throw you. Like huh?

3) If you don’t speak sarcasm you don’t speak my language -- or my generation’s language.

4) They’re not calling it the iPad3 but errybody knows that’s what we’re gonna call it.

5) Esther 4:16; the story of Job; Daniel 3:16-18 are who we’re told we should be, but the guy from John 4:46-54 is who we are. Our belief hinges on what we want…

6) Someday soon I’ll meet Taylor Swift, and yes, it’ll be enchanting.

7) The Scarlet Letter took a turn for the boring, now it has taken a turn for the heart rending.

8) Joseph Kony has been around for more than 20 years, and has been a bastard for all of them… Dear Facebook status’, thanks for finally deeming him, “bad enough,” to do something about. Someday see these kid’s faces in real life and then you’ll know why I’ve not watched the video or won’t talk more publically than this about it. #rantover

9) I want fireflies to catch. Who’s joining?

10) Coffee. Is. From. God.

Things I Struggle With...

1) Loving The Avett Borthers, NEEDTOBREATHE, The Civil Wars, Adele (Ahem-Taylor-Swift-ahem), and Mumford & Sons too much.

2) Agnostics: I was one. And I love logic.

3) Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: The American Church’s fake Gospel. It’ll make sound truth of Matthew 7:21-22.

4) Lady Gaga: What’s a ‘gaga?’

5) ‘Christians’ taking their list of conscionable (extra-biblical) morals and placing it on everyone (i.e. legalism).

6) Folks that ask for advice then don’t take the advice. The Three Musketeers had a quote about that, “As a general rule, 'he had once said, 'people ask for advice only in order not to follow it; or, if they do follow it, in order to have someone to blame for giving it.'-Athos”

7) WSU’s Earth Science class, last week we learned about Mars (?!?), and all the videos are from 1980, so mullets prevail.

8) Jalapeño Cheez-its. They look like the original, but they are most definitely not the original, surprise!

9) Straight evolution: If it was Theistic evolution I might could understand a bit more, but straight up undiluted evolution makes me go, “Whoa, that’s a lot of faith,”

10) The Silmarillion, it’s good, but you need to focus to read it.

Thankful Gratitude

I’m usually opposed to writing about trending topics, but this Thanksgiving I’m making exception cause writing about being thankful makes me more thankful.

So here they are (order has nothing to do here) some things I’m thankful for:

1. The new/focused job. I went from Elder to Deacon, From Community Pastor to Communication/Connection Pastor, and I’m stoked about this. Someday there’ll be a series of posts chronicling the exact reasons for this change.

2. Family. If you’ve met my family you know why I’m thankful for them, their odd, quirky and deeply in love with Jesus. Plus they all speak fluent sarcasm (well… my sister may not, but she’s becoming, “culturally relevant.”)

3. Literature. Dracula > me (I couldn’t do it, too scary for my lil self. And reading scury stuff before bed was not a good idea) The Three Musketeers = Amazing (so far).

4) Writing. Having a blog is dang therapeutic for me.

5) Scripture. Without it there is no message, there is nothing to proclaim. For in it we know of Jesus and his Gospel.

6) Music. Yes, Taylor Swift is a favorite of mine. Her words get to me. And she is seems to be a rather classy woman.

7) Words. Without them I have nothing to say, nothing to write and no way of relaying my deepest passions. Shoot, I couldn’t even say ‘hello.’ Which means I should watch how I use words.

8) Friends. Who listen and care. Who stand beside me and proclaim truth with me.

There was a thought recently, one, which has continued to reoccur in my mind. In this thought I am an old man sitting near a fire recounting the life I’ve lived. Thinking back and being able to say, ‘I’ve done that.’ Not from a proud perspective, but from a humbled view. To be unworthy of the capability of doing what was done.

But, I suppose, the catch should be this: in our thankfulness and in our doings there should be little obligation but much gratitude. For none of this is deserved. Because God rains down mercy, for now.