Those of you who follow this blog with any regularity know very well that my last week was spent in observance of Lent, denying myself each and every source of social media in an attempt to draw closer to God. It’s been a good week; a long week, for sure! Yet, I feel like the first three or four days were actually more like a much-needed break. An over-due nap, perhaps. Either way, I didn’t feel much self-denial or sacrifice and I don’t feel like it was a dedicated “draw closer to God” time at all.
I did seek His counsel on one very important issue regarding this blog, however, and that was the question of whether or not to continue. I believe He’s answered that with a definitive “yes.” And for that, I am so very grateful! I can honestly say I feel ready to return to regular writing and am invigorated to share life through this medium once again. I’m just not sure about the regularity just yet. As the last post stated, I have another site that is just beginning and seemingly tons of other weekly responsibilities I have to tend to. Responsibilities that I am unequivocally called to…I’m sure of that. And as difficult as it is to admit, this blog plays second fiddle to those responsibilities.
So, I continue to wrestle with those questions and continue seeking God in more deliberate ways this upcoming week. One way or another, the blog posts will resume. The interaction will continue. And the heart of this website will remain. I’m excited to return, but for at least another week I ask for your patience as I seek God’s heart a bit deeper. May you be blessed!
UPDATE: While I still hold to the fact that I will continue writing, I won’t be doing a whole lot on this site for the time being. Sometimes we just have to cut out the things that aren’t necessary for a season, and that’s exactly what I’m doing for now. I will, however, be doing lots of work with the Open House webpage and blog. So come by there often to connect!
Until then, thanks for coming by! I’m sure I’ll return some time in the future! =)
Wow! Lot’s of stuff to cover here. Lot’s of stuff has happened and is happening and will continue happening.
First things first: Tricia, my wonderful, beautiful, awesome and incredible wife is PREGNANT!!! Holy crap!!! Most of you reading this have probably already heard this, but it bears repeating again and again: we’re going to be parents!!! Tricia’s gonna be a mommy!!! I’m going to be a daddy!!! I could write a whole, whole lot about all this…but not here! In the future, there will be posts about things that impact us here, but I will leave most of the blogging about this whole parenthood adventure to a different place.
Which is the second thing to cover. There is a new blog I’ve started that is everything Baby Payne and all our adventures along the way, colorfully cataloged for your reading pleasure. However, my greatest hope for this site is that it might become a place where parents of all ages feel free to comment, leaving their wisdom for us and other new, ignorant, and green parents who follow after. I hope it becomes a great resource! Here’s the link to it (and it’s in the sidebar over there, too!):
http://the-green-parents.blogspot.com
There is a high probability that it will move to a better domain in the near future, but I’ve done what I can so far and hope you enjoy it!
The third, and last thing I want to cover is Read More→
Revisiting Google Buzz :: How’s Your Experience Been?
By · CommentsCategories ::: | Life | :::
I found myself in the midst of a couple conversations about Google Buzz today and thought that my post on the subject could use a revisit. Hop over and read it if you haven’t already, and then let me tell you what I’ve encountered. Read More→
Just the other day, I was browsing the internet and clicked on a link that someone had posted on Twitter. It wasn’t a “work from home” link or “make millions by eating Doritos” scam; it was simply a link to a website with some interesting info.
At least that’s what I thought.
Thankfully, Google Chrome (my internet browser of choice) was smart enough to fend off my apparent stupidity, taking me to what could basically be described as a “are you really sure you want to load this, because I’m quite certain it will ravage you computer?” page. Funny thing is, I actually gave it a thought. I’d never run into this before and considered it might be a silly ploy to get me to click something and be courted by a new, better, sleeker virus protection software. But it wasn’t that at all. It really was threatening. Chrome wasn’t just messing with me.
So I backed off and left it alone.
Shortly after, I started wondering exactly what Chrome was protecting my computer from when it said there was “malware” on the site I was attempting to access. After doing about 90 seconds of research, I quickly found that malware is basically anything that falls under the scope of malicious software: i.e. viruses. These are broad terms, understandably, but Wikipedia defines malware as “…software designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. The term ‘computer virus‘ is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses.”
OK, so I get the basic gist of this. Good software vs. bad software. Good vs. evil. Right vs. wrong.
The nagging question for me, however, is why? Read More→
On Tiger Woods and Grace :: To Forgive or Not to Forgive
By · CommentsCategories ::: | Life | :::
As I watched Tiger Woods stand behind the podium on Saturday morning, delivering his “statement” to the general public, a few thoughts ran through my head.
- I know this is well-rehearsed and scripted, but is it sincere?
- Is there any way to know for sure?
- Even if I feel it is sincere, what are others thinking?
The only question I found a solid answer for was the first. I felt as I watched Tiger say the words “I’m so sorry…” that he actually meant them. I’m a Tiger Woods fan. I love watching him play golf and I was devastated on some deep level when I found out what he had been up to. Not that I felt he was perfect or above reproach, but I simply thought he had things together. No dirt was ever brought up on him. No bad press. No tabloid talk.
Nothing serious, anyway. Read More→
