Racing Into The Light

Should be interesting!

Beauty

There is not a single person in West Michigan right now whom you will find complaining about the weather. We are living daily with temps 40degrees above average and everyone is happy. Everyone.

This past Friday night, I was drawn to visit Lake Michigan, walk along the beach, and watch the sunset. It was an amazing experience. Only a few people. An expansive gorgeous sky. Peaceful rolling waves.

It was an evening of quiet, reflection and restoration after a full week consisting of both good and bad days.

This moment of calming gratitude set my mind at ease from concerns that had been swirling and filled my heart with peaceful assurance that my life is truly blessed.

For the good and the bad, past mistakes and triumphs, I am thankful. Days ahead will consist of the same, and God will be faithful still.

He is there.

He has created the beauty of the sunset.
He has created the beauty of friendships.
He has created the beauty of memory and the beauty of dreams.

Really?

"Missing someone gets easier everyday
because even though you are one day
further from the last time you saw them,
you are one day closer to the next time you will."

Only as old as you feel

Understanding the new mathematics of age determination for dogs, Silas and I are the same age... until May and he jumps to 36 years old!

Poor guy.

Then next year the big "4-0"!

Some days ...

... you just gotta get yourself a bouquet of flowers.
This is one of those days.

I love this... church

"That'll preach!"

I'm afraid I can't give proper credit as to where this phrase originated. I first heard it from a dearly beloved youth pastor turned pastor in the church that I grew up in. It was used in various situations and circumstances when something was said or done that had significant redeeming quality and life lesson attached to it.

I get these "that'll preach" moments at odd times. I recently was sitting in chapel at Calvin Seminary and listening to a sermon when a complete different sermon on the same text was being written in my head. I do indeed hope to get the chance to develop it further someday!

Nonetheless, it brought me back to another "that'll preach" situation. I was in a country music phase (they come and go) in the early 2000's when I had first heard Toby Keith's "I Love this Bar". I was fascinated by the lyrics. My immediate thought was, "This should be our churches!" and a close second was, "That'll preach."

May the front (and back) doors of the church open wide and the Christians therein embrace all those who enter with far reaching and welcoming arms, so that all can say that they indeed love their church.

We got winners, we got losers
Chain smokers and boozers
And we got yuppies, we got bikers
We got thirsty hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like movie stars

I love this bar

We got cowboys, we got truckers
Broken-hearted fools and suckers
And we got hustlers, we got fighters
Early birds and all-nighters
And the veterans talk about their battle scars

I love this bar

It's my kind of place
Just walkin' through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain't too far, come as you are

I love this bar

I've seen short skirts, we got high-techs
Blue-collar boys and rednecks
And we got lovers, lots of lookers
And I've even seen dancing girls and hookers
And we like to drink our beer from a mason jar

I love this bar

It's my kind of place
Just trollin' around the dance floor
Puts a big smile on my face
No cover charge, come as you are

I love this bar

Of Buckets and Gardens

When the movie "The Bucket List" came out in 2007, it set the trend for dreamers and demanders to create their own record of experiences to have before they kicked said “bucket”.

As with most other viewers inspired by the tale, I sat down to make a list. In doing so, I realized that my perspective on my life’s journey was very different than the two terminally ill men in the movie and consequently my bucket list remained empty.

Looking back on my 32 years, it has been an exciting adventure. I do not have regrets. I do not have “I wish I would have…” whispering over my shoulder.

Trying not to be cliché, I have tended to live under the banner to “bloom where you are planted.” Changing cities, countries, jobs, and friends, I've pursued to love life and enjoy what each setting has to offer. Certainly there have been times of discontent, unhappiness, and longing for change; but overall I believe I have found meaning and delight in a variety of experiences every place I have lived.

I do not want to go bungee jumping. But if I were in the right place at the right time, I may be persuaded to jump off some bridge while attached to an extra strength rubber band.

I don’t need to sit at a street café with a view of the Eiffel tower or float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea. However, if my travels took me to the Champ de Mars or wandering through the Jordan Valley, I certainly would absorb both of these opportunities with pleasure.

I won’t feel my life is not complete if I haven’t seen a kangaroo searching for its breakfast in the Australian grasslands or identified the presidential heads of Mount Rushmore. Though these would be experiences I’d never forget, to be sure.

I’ve danced in the rain, eaten random raw and non-raw items, been skinny dipping, gone on a cruise, stayed up all night to watch the sunrise, ridden a camel in the Sahara desert… and the list continues. My relationships have been sincere and meaningful, as well as, silly and mundane. I have loved and I have lost. It's been a rich and extensive journey. Every bit of it, I'm thankful for and truly have experienced God's goodness and grace throughout.

This being said, I’m excited to see where the trajectory of my life is headed and curious what new opportunities await. Excited about the future and enjoying the present. No buckets here, just gardens!