the fall

Ever since The Fall, we’ve been in denial of our true purpose. As men, we were brought into this world as the likeness of God, made to make and lead. But ever since The Fall, we’ve doubted ourselves in that task. We think, I can’t lead. I’m not strong enough. I’m afraid of being exposed as the fraud I am.

Then women, also created in the likeness of God as a companion and nurturer, fall into doubt. They think, I’m not good enough. He doesn’t value me.

Where does this get us? I guess we can’t get any farther away from God, so why now pursue him?

the darndest thing

I love being powerless to art.

I can listen to a song, but I can’t choose how it affects me. Sometimes a song makes me feel the darndest thing. For instance, I was listening to the Fergie song “Big Girls Don’t Cry” on the way to a bowling outing with some very rambunctious RA buddies.

So, so far we have Fergie + rambunctious, dancing-in-their-seat ladyfriends. Not always my best formula for a heart-rendering moment.

But there I was, in the middle back seat of a huge caravan, actually getting into a Fergie song. It’s mostly the chordal structure and back beat. There is definitely a formula for creating the perfect pop song–damned if I know it. But that’s why they hire professional songwriters. They know how to make a song. Who cares if it’s sung by a trashy, no-talent diva–at this moment, I like something in what I hear. I’m powerless.

It’s a strange, yet oddly cathartic feeling. A song comes on, and you have a spiritual awakening. I love it. It’s a moment in time, in space, in God, that makes some dissonance in your life resolve. No matter where you are, it will find you. And that’s sweet, basically.

the intersection

“What direction now? Life begins at the intersection.” – Switchfoot

This lyric smacked me right in the face. What direction now? What are you doing to do now? Which path are you going to choose?

When you’re staring down your options, burning holes with your eyes, which way? What direction now? Are you going to stand up to the darkness, the unknown, the fear? Or are you going to embrace mediocrity, complacency, unproductivity?

What direction now?

It’s your decision, make it the best one. Stand up and decide. What direction now?

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

I want to be allowed to change. It seems that if you like a certain food or dislike a certain practice, everyone who knows it will hold you to it forever–unless you change. Even then, they will give you flak, saying incredulously, “I thought you didn’t like that type of shoe” or “Look who all of a sudden doesn’t like that anymore.”

Give me a break! Cut me some slack! Give people grace. I’m saying this because I need to hear it for myself. Grace: it’s the hardest thing to give, yet we receive it without a thought. We all change, so why put up a fuss?