All for Naught?

Is it all for nothing?
OR
Does EVERYTHING matter?

Can it simply be one or the other? In the midst of life's MANY everyday choices, how do you know which ones TRULY matter in the GRAND scheme of things?

Do we typically only figure out what matters after-the-fact?

What if THIS is THE moment?

Every once in a while I hear people ponder "Is THIS what life is all about? Really?"

Do you ever feel like we're living for the what's to come in lieu of the what is?

As children, we can't wait to grow up.
As young adolescents, we can't wait to be in High School.
In high school, we can't wait to get to college.
In college, we can't wait for the real world.
In the "real world," we can't wait to get married.
We can't wait for the Right job.
We can't wait for that great promotion.
When we're married, we can't wait to have kids.
When we have kids, we can't wait for them...
...well maybe THEY grow up too fast.
When the kids grow up,
we can't wait for THEM to get married
(I hear ya, Mom)
or for them to have kids
(that one's on you, Scott & Sacha!).

Anyway, you see what I'm saying.

When do we get to just LIVE our lives?
When, in that LONG stream of things to wait for, do we get to BE who God created us to be?

What if NOW is that moment? The ONE we've been waiting for? As it is?

Married/Unmarried
in-school/out-of-school
kids/no kids
right job/wrong job
good pay/not enough pay/no pay

Life "not-quite-done-but-no-longer-waiting-for-the-finish-to-get-started-REALLY-living."

Boba Fett is GROOVIN'!

First, I thought it was a random clashing of two sides of the late 70s/early 80s. Then, I was a bit awed by the length that some people go to for the detail in costuming. Suddenly, I got it. It's so very clever.

Mandalorian Dance @ Yahoo! Video

More questions about "The One"

Relationships are a common topic among... well... people.

A friend recently blogged about "The One" posing questions that one should ask while in relationship:

• Does this person make me a better person?
• Am I a better person when they are in my life or worse?
• Does this person make me want to be a better person?
• What would my friends say?
  
• When I am with this person, do I draw nearer to God, or move further away?

As part of a conversation, another friend recently posed some more questions to help weigh finding the right "One" for each of us, which led to questions of my own as well:

• Do I believe in a sovereign God to guide my life and the life of my future mate?
  
• What are my standards for someone in a relationship with me?
• What does it look like for me to be cherished? And how do I truly cherish someone else?
  
• What is "good enough?"
• Is "good enough" enough for better or for worse?
  
• What if what I think is good turns out to be not-so-good later?

What questions do you ask yourself, whether you're married or not yet (even once were)?

Are there questions we need to answer about OURSELVES before we can begin to expect to be in a healthy relationship?

• Am I looking for someone to "complete me" or am I whole on my own?
• What do I "bring to the table" in terms of the good, the bad, and the ugly?
  
• With MY FAULTS, can I measure up to be worth someone else's love?
• Will I spend the rest of my life apologizing for who I am (or who I'm not)?
• Am I lovable?

Just a few thoughts to ponder (and COMMENT upon)!

One more:

• Even once I've found whom I believe to be "that person," what if I'm not the BEST fit for them?

Reconnecting

Do you ever question God's timing?

Sometimes I think this is the topic of conversation God and I have most often, and I use the term "conversation" loosely. Mostly, it's just me asking question after question.

"Why now?"
"Why not now?"

Most examples I could offer about these conversations are on the negative side, but recently I've had SEVERAL opportunities to reconnect with friends that I haven't talked to in 5, 10, and even 15 years. (Yay Facebook!)

As much as I'm enjoying these "Pick Up Where We Left Off" meetings, believing that timing isn't coincidental, I find myself asking God "Why all of the sudden?"

Five years ago I wasn't in a place where I had reconciled who I was in high school or even after with who I am today. In more recent years, I've come to accept that misunderstandings, mistakes, rebellious choices, or even doozies are as responsible for me being who I am as good, healthy, positive influences. It's taken me quite a few wrong paths in life (and I'm sure not the last ones) to begin to understand who God created me to be and why.

Of course, the now the question is "Who's Next?"

Ahh... Harry Potter

I started reading the Harry Potter books because I had to know what it was that drew 3rd graders to read a book that's 750 pages long. And so began another book addiction...

Enter the movies, which some will squabble about the "true to the book" issue, I just like them. I like the original stories, and I like seeing them come alive on screen.

And now book six is coming to theaters November 21.
Get a glimpse at coolness...



(To give credit where credit is due, my friend T-Rev posted this video first, and I thought it was such a great idea that I'm doing it, too!)

Can we say TELECOMMUTE?

So, as if being on vacation isn't enough to make someone question the necessity of working (at least until you have to pay bills while on vacation), we here at the beach are all figuring out ways that we could telecommute for our jobs, of course with the concession that we OCCASIONALLY reappear in real life in person.

Blending of artistic talent

This is such an amazing and unique combination of music and visual art...
Song by Andrew Peterson. Drawing by Trevor Little.

"Family Man" from Trevor Little on Vimeo.

Why, God?

"Why does God let bad things happen to good people?"
"Why am I even here?"
"What difference do I make?"

Have you ever heard these questions? Or maybe you've asked them yourself?
In a conversation yesterday, I got a glimpse into some possible answers.

Maybe bad things are simply an opportunity to be shown the blessings God surrounds us with everyday.

(Names are changed.)

Shelli's brother-in-law, Charles, has been diagnosed with a cancer that's causing site loss. He is a husband and a father of two adorable little girls. In a few weeks, he'll undergo surgery to treat the cancer. Bad things happen to good people.

In the days since his diagnosis, people have come out of the woodwork to offer anything and everything in ways of helping. As one example, he made the comment that he would never need to cut another blade of grass for the rest of his life for all the people who have said they'd mow his lawn. It's a humbling experience to have people poor themselves out for you. Charles is a humble guy that spends all his energy pouring into others. Now is a time for him to receive the return blessing in the midst of his awful circumstances. Good things happen in bad circumstances.

So that's great. He's one of "those guys," but I'm not "that" guy.
What difference do I make?
Well, here's the kicker.

Charles and his family go to my church.

They go to this church because Shelli invited them to come to the place that has had an impact on her life.

Shelli comes to the church because she was invited by one of her dental patients, Liz.

My sweet friend, Liz.
What if she had just sat there quietly in the dental chair and not gotten to know Shelli?
Never mentioned her church?
What if Shelli had kept it to herself?
Where would Charles and his family be now?

IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

All Things Shopping

To many it makes me shallow... A typical girl...

...but I REALLY like to shop. Certainly clothes and SHOES are high on my list, and books are a great love of my life, but as it turns out, well-rounded 21st century woman that I am, I enjoy it just as much if it's tools or appliances.

Does that make me odd? Or just "unique" in the world of women? Or am I in fact normal?

Reconcilling your "old" self...

Scripture tells us that as Christians in our lives post-acceptance of God's Greatest Gift, we "lay aside [our] old self" (Eph. 4:22) or "take off [our] old self" (Col. 3:9) or even that "our old self was crucified with Him" (Rom. 6:6). This concept is a great relief to many new Christians... To shed the skin of old habits and vices. [Note: C.S. Lewis has an amazing story picture of this in his Chronicles of Narnia book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace is a dragon.]

Have you ever considered that at some point in our lives we might have to reconcile our "new self" with the old? Can we truly understand what stands in the way of being Christlike until we account for, accept, and apply the lessons of why we were the way we were?

It has to be deeper than "that was just my sinful nature" because those selfish and self-serving tendencies still creep into the new.


Just enough deep thoughts to get you going. More to come...

Silly People Behind Silly Songs!

Crazy Texan Rabbit!

Seriously?

New Book Hookup

So, one of the fantabulous new friends I made in Texas has the coolest hookup... a book publisher sends him books to review on his blog. He gets two copies of each book--one to read and one to give to a friend to read. How cool is that? And the best part? well, for me, at least, I got to read and write a review for one by one of my favorite authors!

Here you go!
[Be kind, this is my first attempt at this kind of writing (at least since school book reports)!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love as a Way of Life
Gary Chapman

It's amazing how the simplest concepts can revolutionize the way you look at life. As an avid fan of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages I couldn't help but chomp at the bit to read his new book. The principles he unfolds have the potential be life-changing in understanding oneself. I am a firm believer in the idea that the better we know and truly understand ourselves, the more we are able to care for, care about, work with, be in relationship with, and love others. Just when I think I reached a new plateau in relating to others, I'm reintroduce to Chapman's eloquent, yet elementary, ideas that remind me of my narcissism in life choices.

Because he's a great story-teller who weaves the concepts he is trying to convey through stories, it's very easy to find myself going from chapter to chapter without stopping. Once I got into the meat of the book, I found that I could have spent a week in each chapter looking for ways to unpack that trait and still had more work to do. There was so much there to digest! These "simple" concepts of kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity, and honesty hit home for me in evaluating my own life and putting me in check on judging others. As much as I can easily point out the failings of these traits in others, I realize how truly lacking they are in their truest form in the heart of my own life.

Yet again, Gary Chapman has given new insights to understand and accept and therefore love one another to the core of who we are—relational people. One of the greatest challenges in loving people is to understand them and accept them as who you understand them to be and to love them more the better you understand them. Chapman introduces the reality of tools that should be basic principles in our character arsenal. To love well is a life-long endeavor that goes hand in hand with being loved. This will become a new favorite gift book from me to folks who desire to love and be loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trevor's Thoughts (My Supplier)

I'm going to agree with Laura. This is a great book. Well structured. Easy to read. Memorable stories and quotes. One of the best parts of the book is the way he fleshes out the ideas into actually go-and-do practical application throughout each chapter. It's definitely a book you interact with, not just give a simple read through. In fact I'm throwing it back up on my To Read shelf, in an effort to carve out more time with it.

Honestly, this is well worth the read. Go buy a copy. I'd give you a free one, but I already distributed it.