Archive for March, 2009
Faith in the Frameworks :: How Faith and Life Always Collide
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Pats on the back for all those who just noticed, “Hey, that’s the same title as the blog!” You see, I was reading over my last few posts and some of my drafts that are in the works, and I noticed this common thread that was present throughout everything. Be it tied onto the end, threaded throughout a post or hiding in the background, this common thread was present and beyond ignoring.
God.
I noticed God in all of it. Not in an abstract, “God made the earth, God made people, people cut down trees and made paper, so God is in the paper” kind of way, but in a real, authentic and uninvited way.
Yeah, I said uninvited.
No really, I didn’t set out to find new ways to show people God exists and argue with those who don’t believe. I didn’t set out to put warm fuzzies in the bellies of those who do, either. I just wanted to write about the random, crazy stuff that floats around in my brain on a daily basis. That’s it. No more, maybe less. I wanted this to be quirky. I wanted to get people thinking about insignificant stuff. For fun. That was the game plan, anyway. Read More→
One Coffee Fits All :: How To Find Unity In Diversity
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Seems like a simple request to me. After a good lunch, a well-brewed, full-bodied cup of coffee to finish off the meal seems like an easy wish to grant. Everyone has coffee, right? No big deal. Just place the order and it’s mine.
The problem with that is, of the hundreds of places to purchase coffee, only a fraction of them actually offer a “good” cup of coffee. Or, more precisely, a cup of coffee that lives up to my standards.
So I am left scouring the town to find the truly great cups of coffee, enjoying them only at strange times of the day when I can get free and visit those who serve “the good stuff.”
I suppose my real frustration is, if we all know what constitutes a “good” cup of coffee, why is it so hard to find places that brew one? Why are there so many varieties, degrees, roasts, blends, strengths, sizes, flavors and brands? Why don’t we just find The Coffee and brew it everywhere? Why can’t we just decide which one is the best and get everyone on board? On board with The Coffee. Then, everywhere I go, I can just order a cup of coffee and know exactly what I’ll get. The right bean, the right roast, the right grind, the right water, the right brewer, the right creamer, the right sugar, the right cup…The Coffee. I think I’m on to something here!
But, then again, there are those I run into who would say, “I’d just rather have a cup of McDonald’s coffee.”
WHAT?!!?
Now, don’t get me wrong. McDonald’s has made some strides in bringing a decent coffee to the market, but it’s still way short of being The Coffee. It’s still sub-par. It’s still just ok. Why would you prefer that? Why wouldn’t you want the best? Why wouldn’t you want… Read More→
My Smartphone Stole My Brain:: Is That An Advertised Feature?
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I assumed that, by possessing the title “smartphone,” this little device would make me smarter. More efficient, agile, and professional… yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I’ll be able to do more, do it quicker, and do it better than before. And, I suppose, those things are very true. I can check my email in my car, update my Facebook status while waiting for my lunch, be in the middle of a text conversation, checking directions with my Google Maps, and organizing my life one little calendar box at a time in the bathroom. (Well, I don’t do that too often!)
My point is this: this little device can really accomplish tons of work right from my palm, just not from my brain.
My wife asked me a simple question the other night. I can’t recall the question, (remember, my phone stole my brain!) but I know it was something simple such as, “What was the guy’s name that played so-and-so in such-and-such movie?” Now, I usually pride myself on knowing things like this. I can pinpoint actors in movies and rack my brain to figure out where it was I saw them last. I only need a few moments to kick my brain in gear.
On this occasion, though, I gave it a cursory 10-second thought and then made the move that stopped me in my tracks. I reached for my smartphone. Ten seconds. I couldn’t (or just didn’t want to try hard enough to) think of the name. I just couldn’t seem to pull it from the recesses of my brain. It was too hard. It just took too long. I didn’t want to wait anymore. Read More→
Holy Itches :: My Entrance Into the Blogosphere
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So I’m praying with my wife tonight and this phrase keeps popping up in my head.
“God, give us a Holy itch.”
A “Holy itch?” Seriously? What kind of a random thought is that? Couldn’t I get something more profound or cool or just not-so-stupid? But it wouldn’t cease. A holy itch. What is that, anyway? I mean, I’m a guy and I itch a lot, so which one’s are Holy and which one’s aren’t? (No comment.) Is there a definitive difference? Are you itching now?
But as we continued to pray, I found that the idea of an itch was precisely what I want. I want God to place down in me and my wife some sort of itch that we can never scratch. You know, like those annoying throat itches you get that can’t be scratched from the throat or the ear. They just teeter in there in some sort of tactile limbo, eluding every effort to appease the itch. But when you finally contort your face, mouth and eyes to get that thing, it feels so good that you should win a medal for reaching it.
The “Holy itch” is not too different. Read More→
