There is something beautiful about it too; the insides echo back the old and familiar song of renewal that emerging Evangelicals harken to and jaded artists guiltily pleasure in. The building's tired walls hold works of beauty, like weathered, fading hands of a new grandmother holding crying new birth; the old, under-appreciated furniture sits staunchly upon the eroded hardwood planks and invites regulars to revisit it's historic parameters; the new meets the old.
The new year is going to ring in like a coat of freshly lathered paint; covering the old, but leaving the subtle cracks and bumps that give life a sense of story and character. There is no escaping the fact that I have had seasons where my life hasn't looked very appealing, but that is the beauty of restarting. I love that our culture makes that a big deal. I love that we have new years.
Needless to say, I am brimming with excitement and anticipation of the coming year.
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in Roma's, just down the street from Margie's. At the Bar, my friends Daniel, Jeff, and Tim sat around and watched the football game. Interspersed in our conversation were voluminous amounts of pauses, followed by widening eyes and yelling, but sometimes sighs. Then, a short recap of what just happened, and a short explanation to help me keep up (after all, im just an aspiring pseudo-hipster/Indie musician...what would I know about sports?) As pure testosterone continued to shine down at us from the flat screen, Tim and Jeff leisurely threw around advice concerning life and spirituality.
"Too many people let life happen to them, not enough people take initiative...", they said.
Glaze still covered their eyes as they afforded half their attention to the game, and half to my presence. I gained a lot from that day. And I think that I hold more than hope for the new year, but need to forge a way in life. Tim and Jeff are right, too many people let life happen to them and honestly, too many people sit around and let God happen to them. I mean, doesn't a relationship denote that two being interact with one another? God's will is very important, but I think that we view the will of God as a regimented itinerary on a missions trip to earth and that if we find something good to do on free time, then no harm, no foul. Honestly, I feel like God's will for our lives has more to do with who we are, than with what we are doing. Yes, there are times when God calls us specifically to certain places and tasks, but I think that is the exception to the rule. God created a creative creation (excuse the redundancy) so that it could forge paths and ideas and movements inspired by him.
All that to say, this new year is going to be one in which I hope to take steps, to take initiative to venture outward in what I do, and to adventure into who God is to make me who I want to be. I love God. And I love life. By no means do I want to pay God any disservice or disloyalty, but I can't keep expecting that somehow my calling is going to show up in my mail-box or in a text message.
May we forever be sensitive to the movement of God, whether that be a specific calling or a call to just move. May we revel in the beauty of our cracked walls covered by coats of new paint.
That is all.
The new year is going to ring in like a coat of freshly lathered paint; covering the old, but leaving the subtle cracks and bumps that give life a sense of story and character. There is no escaping the fact that I have had seasons where my life hasn't looked very appealing, but that is the beauty of restarting. I love that our culture makes that a big deal. I love that we have new years.
Needless to say, I am brimming with excitement and anticipation of the coming year.
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in Roma's, just down the street from Margie's. At the Bar, my friends Daniel, Jeff, and Tim sat around and watched the football game. Interspersed in our conversation were voluminous amounts of pauses, followed by widening eyes and yelling, but sometimes sighs. Then, a short recap of what just happened, and a short explanation to help me keep up (after all, im just an aspiring pseudo-hipster/Indie musician...what would I know about sports?) As pure testosterone continued to shine down at us from the flat screen, Tim and Jeff leisurely threw around advice concerning life and spirituality.
"Too many people let life happen to them, not enough people take initiative...", they said.
Glaze still covered their eyes as they afforded half their attention to the game, and half to my presence. I gained a lot from that day. And I think that I hold more than hope for the new year, but need to forge a way in life. Tim and Jeff are right, too many people let life happen to them and honestly, too many people sit around and let God happen to them. I mean, doesn't a relationship denote that two being interact with one another? God's will is very important, but I think that we view the will of God as a regimented itinerary on a missions trip to earth and that if we find something good to do on free time, then no harm, no foul. Honestly, I feel like God's will for our lives has more to do with who we are, than with what we are doing. Yes, there are times when God calls us specifically to certain places and tasks, but I think that is the exception to the rule. God created a creative creation (excuse the redundancy) so that it could forge paths and ideas and movements inspired by him.
All that to say, this new year is going to be one in which I hope to take steps, to take initiative to venture outward in what I do, and to adventure into who God is to make me who I want to be. I love God. And I love life. By no means do I want to pay God any disservice or disloyalty, but I can't keep expecting that somehow my calling is going to show up in my mail-box or in a text message.
May we forever be sensitive to the movement of God, whether that be a specific calling or a call to just move. May we revel in the beauty of our cracked walls covered by coats of new paint.
That is all.
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