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‘Literacy’ Category

  1. Not Quite The Same

    July 31, 2011 by John

    Typically, I try to write things that will make someone think. This first part isn’t that. This is just a status update as to the changes in life we’ve undergone in the past month or so. We’re here. We have driven 2200 miles (give or take) across 4 days and have seen some of the most flat, and the most beautiful scenery that the US has to offer. It’s been quite a trip, but we made it to Santa Clara, CA. This is our new home. We’ll be in this specific apartment for about 30 days and then move to another place after that.

    Typically, a lack of writing or journalling is indicative of some lack in inner thought. It’s tough to write what you are specifically feeling and thinking about when we don’t know what those things are outside of our job, the lawn, and how the kids are going to get to soccer practice. I have written very little in the last few weeks and there’s the best of excuses that still mean nothing.

    This move has been an emotional one. Leaving community is difficult, especially when the community is instrumental in your life. Thinking about it isn’t much fun, either. I feel like I’m only on vacation, but that’s going to end soon. I am stressing out about that, and trying to embrace the excitement that is this opportunity. The mix of emotions is difficult for me to grasp and make sense of.

     

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  2. Playground Metaphors

    July 1, 2011 by John

    Steven Covey talks about the necessity of first seeking to understand, then to be understood. This is a part of his thoughts, ideas, mantra that is included in 7 Habits. It’s Habit 5, which is in the “public victory” piece of the habits, so is a description of one of the habits that effective people have as they deal publicly, with other people.

    The piece that’s missing is the framing. In what public interactions should we first seek to understand? The lack of this specific framing seems to imply that we must do this with all interactions. Whether we’re trying to persuade someone of something, sell something, hear someone’s cries for help, or tell someone that we’re crying.

    There is a rub that comes in between when telling someone we’re crying. If we seek first to understand, but we have no indication that we’ve ever understood their side, or that the other party is even interested in understanding your side, do we have permission to speak our hearts? To say “this hurts, and I would like this to change?”

    Brene Brown, in all her TED glory, speaks a key phrase revolving around the necessity to ask for what you need. To say “This is where I am, and I need this.” I am struggling to ask for what I need when I feel I have yet to understand the other perspective, or even feel as though the other party is interested in my perspective. I haven’t sought to be understood as I try to understand their side. It’s difficult because it’s an unbalanced teeter totter, leaning the other way.

     

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  3. Revelation Song

    June 17, 2011 by John

    In Revelation this week at our church, we’re going to be talking about how John eats the scrolls, and they are sweet at first, but then turn bitter. The scrolls are the scrolls of life, the one’s protected by the seven seals that are broken in the story.

    Anyways. In the week that precedes the Sunday morning sermon, we can typically see God working the message from Sunday. He seems to ripple through our community with the same message in our small groups, our conversations, and in just “what’s happening.” We’ve almost gotten to the point to brace ourselves for the negative when the story isn’t a “fun one.”

    This lesson is hard for us this week. As John eats the scrolls, he notes that they are sweet at first, but once in his stomach, they turn bitter. We’ve talked about this resonating with how at first, following after Him is sweet and amazing, but when the enemy focuses in on you as a target, it seems bitter because of the cost of following.

    We’ve recently decided to take a job offer in California. This is a pretty big, fast, and crazy decision for us to make. The sweetness is that we have very few opportunities in our young married life to go after things like this. This is an opportunity for us to see new things, travel, and go on an all out adventure. This is so sweet to me as the change of pace and the risk is almost a necessary part of my life style.

    The bitter is telling our friends, the people who’ve been so close to us, that we’re going to be gone. Looking someone in the eye who knows you intimately, who understands your struggle and rejoices in your successes, and telling them we’re leaving is hard. As much as the sweetness is beckoning, I’m having a hard time with the bitterness.

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  4. What will You do?

    June 11, 2011 by John

    God promises us that He has it. That it’s under control.  He also tells us that we’re able, and welcome to be in his court. We can partner with Him to do His work. He wants us to be his hands and feet and has designed us to be a specific function of the hands and feet. This is a recurring theme.

    Free will steps in and plays a role here. He has given us the incredible ability to decide for ourselves how to act as his hands and feet. He describes the principles, then gives us the space to decide what to do.

    He tells us that He wants nothing but the best for us and that He will make sure of it. He has an intimate understanding of the world we live in, and tells us that even though the enemy will rear it’s head and make things seem dark or impossible, our God will use those situations for our good and His glory.

    He also has given us access to the same influence that he has. Our very creation gives us this ability. We are not the same as Him, and we are not identical to each other. We are individual, unique, beautiful works of His art that are capable of doing great things.

    Despite our unique creation, we are nothing without our ability to choose. More so than the choice to follow Him or not, is the choice of how we follow. The degree at which we follow matters so little to our salvation. No degree of “following” will win you onto His good side.  Our ability to chose and our creation in His image allows us to define our own priorities and our own individual value system as a tool to make decisions.

    The rub comes in that it’s difficult to decide what to do. We have the capacity to bring Heaven to Earth now, to become more like the You you were meant to be…now. We can easily become disoriented in the choices of “this or that” in our pursuit to become more like the individuals we were made to be. With each new decision, we must consult Him, and our own hearts.

    I am seeking the clear voice through the white noise of the enemy. Deep down, l know what I want and am just too afraid to seek after it. More afraid of digging to what I want than striving after it once I find it.

     

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  5. It’s almost a Disease

    June 6, 2011 by John

    We are told that we are in the World, but not of the World. The Bible actually tells us that because we are not of this world, we are hated by the world.

    If the odds feel stacked against you, it’s because they are. He tells us they are. Going into this place and wreaking havoc in the enemies territory is not an easy task. Nobody said war was easy.

    The easy way out is to step out, to let the war take over, and to eat the steak.

    His pleads at the end of the video have a sense of “This isn’t going to work” to it. He knows he’s giving in, and he grasps for any medication he can think of.

    The problem is that we can’t forget. We will always remember. Treat it as a gift from the Holy Spirit. He constantly prods us to look at what He is offering. To say “You’re of a place that is so much greater than this. You are more than what the place that hates you is telling you.”

    Today, a blog that I follow regularly posted the following:

    “We happily give up our freedom and our income in exchange for having someone else take responsibility for telling us what to do next.”

    My challenge to you, and only because it’s a huge challenge to me, is to think of how you’re giving up your freedom of choice, your ability to decide between stimulus and response. Where you’re going for the steak.

    The steak I am eating now is in the form of a steady job, of employment. I have failed at running my own business in the sense that it isn’t still running. I am scared of walking back into that area, of being a self-employed individual, because of how my end in mind was an uglier painting than the painting I was given (someone telling me what to do). I didn’t feel like I was a good enough painter, so someone else should guide my hand. He is prodding me to reconsider.

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  6. 6 Words or Less

    May 2, 2011 by John

    When I first started writing today, I had all these bible verses I was going to go quote and was trying to think through what they all meant. Mostly all in Proverbs, if you want to read along with me. The truth is, I don’t have much to write about or think about today. I am struggling to stay motivated with the things I say are important to me. I’m not communicating with my wife as well as I could. That’s about all that’s on my mind.

    It’s been a bit of a bland couple of days. Not bland in that “nothing great happened” but bland in that it felt as thought it all happened exactly as planned.  One of the things I heard before getting married is that it’s easy until “life” starts happening. I think life is starting to happen, but in really subtle ways. It feels like it’s happening in that things are going as expected. It’s almost as thought I caught myself in the middle of one of the principles I really try to follow. Beginning with the end in mind actually brings the end to fruition, and it’s thrown me off. Not quite what I had in mind.

     

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  7. Layers of the Onion

    April 28, 2011 by John

    One of the better books that I’ve read, that’s really challenging and exciting and straight up difficult, is Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” or more affectionately, “7 Habits.” It’s not a tough read, it’s a tough practice. To do the things He’s suggesting takes not only your time and diligence, but your focus over time on that. You’re never “there,” although I take that attitude more often than not.

    We signed up for this triathlon today. We’re going to do it. I said that before, and I trained for 3 weeks, very very diligently. I spent the time in the gym to do the three different exercises and to finish what I started without skimping out on the exercise. “2 miles is good enough” was a tough one to break.

    I then…stopped. Like completely. I haven’t been to the gym steadily in a few weeks. Looks like I’m back to where I started. Covey talks about how you spend your time doing the things that are most important to you. Your values are lifted out from your activities. I spend a lot of time doing X, Y, and Z, so I value those the most. If I want to change that, I have to…change that. Decide what I value, and go from there. I haven’t placed enough value in the training for the triathlon.

    I tried to copy paste my calander from iCal in here so you could see it, see what I’ve been placing value in, but I couldn’t get it all there. It suffices to say that I’ve done some of what I said I value, and missed others.

    I will continue to look at how I’m doing and will figure out how to post it here. Would you be willing to make your own schedule, stick to it, and post your experience? Here is a good template to use. Define what your roles and goals are, then fil out your schedule with the most important roles in first.

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  8. Water for Elephants

    April 25, 2011 by John

    Easter is always full of the pictures of Heaven and thankfulness for what He’s done for us. During our service, we talked about how some people (me) actually aren’t that interested in the depiction of Heaven where it’s all singing and praises and worship all day long. Every day. Forever.

    If that image of Heaven doesn’t sound as appealing as it “should,” what does Heaven look like in your mind’s eye? This isn’t a clear picture for me, yet. It isn’t something that I’ve thought through. I know more about what I would rather not have than what I would have.

    Heaven, to me, is less of a place that we travel to and more of a state of being. It isn’t that I feel like we’ll all go flying off into someplace, but that the place we are now, the Earth we live on, will be complete. Fulfilled. Pure. Individuals will work together to use the skills they have to their fullest potential. We will be limitless not as an individual, but as a collective group.

    The details for what’s awaiting us aren’t as clear to me as they could be. I can’t put the entire picture together. I have some scenes and areas that I can think through for what I expect and believe to be waiting, but not the entire picture. I believe that I don’t have the entire picture because you have the rest of it. And so does she. And him behind you.

    Will you help me paint this picture. What else do you see when you think of Heaven?

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  9. Mustard Seed

    April 22, 2011 by John

    My Eulogy, as I’d like it said. Reply with yours. It’s a good exercise, to say the least.

    “Like David, John strove to be a man after God’s own heart. He knew the source of joy, of peace, of comfort, and of life. He saw his relationship with our Father as what it was meant to be and relied on Him fully.

    Although he is no longer here to see, touch, and converse with, we are still able to see glimpses of John in his family, and in his friends. John’s love, adoration, and complete happiness with his wife was contagious. Seeing them together was inspirational to both individuals and couples as they worked harmoniously as an integrated pair. She was his pride, his helper, his partner, and his friend.

    John’s children are his legacy. Although John was influential to all of us, he spent his time focusing on being with his children, teaching his children, and reflecting his understanding of God’s love for us to his children. They were the sparkle in his eye and they knew how much he cared about them.

    Watching John live his life was infectious. With all that he was given, he was never afraid to risk every piece of it to expand the bounds of the kingdom. He lived his purpose with a fervor, an intense application of what he knew and understand with a seemingly unwavering amount of faith for how much God has him under his wing. He led his life as a servant, always tipped towards what his Lord would ask him to do.

    Anyone who spent time with John would tell you how much they felt like the world for those moments together. Each time someone sat with John, they felt like the most important person or thing in the world to him. There were no distractions that would take precedence over time with you. He made every person he spoke with feel like his highest priority.

    He was a man of dedication, integrity, respect, and love.”

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  10. Changing Aperature

    April 21, 2011 by John

    I spent a little time reading through and thinking through the things that I’ve posted over the last few years on this site. The things I’ve written about and the things that have been hitting my heart. It’s an interesting endeavor and if you’re a journal-er, I suggest going back and reading through.

    The neat thing is being able to see how God has moved for you. You can see your desperate-ness shine through (my desperateness) and then see how He’s answered that cry.

    It was a good exercise, albeit a somewhat depressing one. I noticed that a lot of the things related to my writing are negative and more of a downer than an upper. I tend to focus on the things I’m feel I’m doing wrong. This was a focus as I hoped a shred of honesty would go a long way and you, the reader, could empathize and feel less hesitant to respond with the same honesty.

    The realization is that it shed’s a light on the way that I see Him. My picture of Him is closer to the fatalistic believer than the faithful follower. I highlight all the ways I’ve let Him down vs looking at all the ways He’s shown me it doesn’t matter. I’m into going through this paradigm shift and want to do it with you. I want to explore and document the ways He’s shown himself to me, and to other believers.

     

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