Listerine

I have taken quite a hiatus from my blog posting. This summer was crazy with all kinds of things. Many of these things I want to expand on in the future. As of now, I need to get back into the groove of things...so I thought this email that I sent to Listerine last night would be a good way to sail back "Into The Mike." 

Hello Listerine. I would first like to say, I love what you stand for and what you aim to accomplish. After using your product I immediately felt as though my mouth was further cleansed beyond what my simple brush can do. You are the Navy Seals of oral hygiene. You get the job done. I am, however, disappointed, and I am hoping you can help me solve the problem at hand (or at mouth). After I use your product, Listerine Cool Mint, the fluid leaves an unsightly blueish residue on the surface of my teeth. Is there something you can do to help me reach my goal of perfect oral appearance including the absence of plaque, gingivitis, AND the blueish residue? I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope  this can be the beginning of a long and useful relationship. 

Ah...The Trap

I constantly have to remind myself of who I am and of who I want to be. If I don't, I continually come close to falling into the trap that has been set. You know, the trap that has the goal to make everyone carbon copies of everyone else. The trap that wants us all to just strut around through life aimlessly without taking any notice of what's around us. Maybe I'm getting deep here. (This would be specifically acting against the trap) The trap is interested in surfaces and nothing more.

I've been known to fall into that trap. We all have. We're all guilty of walking under the stars, night in and night out, without looking up. The thing that is just so terrible to me about getting my pant legs caught in the teeth of that trap is that it takes me away from me. It takes me away from who I am and who I want to be.

 I haven't quite figured out the anti-trap repellant yet, but I constantly am trying to be aware of what's around me. It is my constant prayer that my eyes will see what they are intended to see, because I long to acknowledge all the daily beauty that the trap would just slap a "mundane" label on. There is so much out there and I constantly miss it. It is the most devastating thing to me.

So what do I do?

I pray for the eyes....

...and I look around.  

What If?

Life is too short to hold back. You have to take the risk. Don't hold back. If you expect to release later... When is that? Later is now. It has always been now. I mean, if all else fails, crashes, and burns, wouldn't it be worth the few moments of the "what if?"

I love the "what if" moments. Exploring the "what ifs" is navigating through a better freer world. A lot of people think it's a waste of time. They think exploring the "what ifs" can only create disappointment. I completely disagree.

At least I do now.

Embracing and imagining the "what ifs" is amazing. It can put you in a perfect world, and it can fashion new ones. It is liberating. Some may say it is living in a fantasy, but I like to think of it as living in your hopes and desires.

Let your imagination take you to the kinds of places you can only dream of.

Why?

...How else can you accomplish the seemingly impossible unless you embrace the seemingly impossible "what ifs?"

What Am I Allowed To Do?

I feel like I hear predominant questions about Christianity frequently and they always have to do with what the individual is "allowed" to do. I'm sure if we're all honest, we can all attest to asking these kinds of questions too. They always seem to sound like some of the following... Am I allowed to (fill in the blank)? Can I (fill in the blank)? What does the Bible say about (fill in the blank)? Will God be mad if I (fill in the blank)? How far can I go with (fill in the blank)? Can I drink (fill in the blank)? You get the point. 


Whenever I'm asked what God's "take" is on any of those kinds of questions, I always lick the tip of my finger and hit the Bible pages looking for the clear cut yes/no answer. The problem with that is, a lot of the time there are no clear cut answers, and most people, myself included, will take the liberty of assuming its ok to do "whatever" as long as the Bible doesn't give a black and white answer against it. Or if  we find the answer is "grey", we'll justify it to ourselves somehow, usually by saying, "Hey it's a grey area." 


This is why I love Paul. 


Please take a moment to read Romans 14:14-21 (I would type it all out but then no one would read this because it's already too long) 


Now, you can substitute "food" in that passage with a (fill in the blank). 


Basically Paul is saying, Ok we believe that some of the things we do are ok and we are justified in doing them. But some other people may think those things are wrong. So, don't let what you do get in the way of someone's potential relationship with Jesus Christ because... you see, Christ suffered a pretty agonizing death with nails ripping through his flesh to a tree for that person. So, don't ruin God's plan over the things you do, whether you think your'e right in your own eyes or not, or even if you "interpreted" scripture to justify your actions. It is just better to abstain from the questionable things if those things may cause someone else to stumble. 


This way of thinking makes following Jesus a bit more radical in terms of what we're "allowed" to do. Hmm... Jesus was kind of radical too... wasn't He? 

The Platform 1/19/2010

In life, sometimes we just need to take a chance. In the midst of that uncertain leap, we will find ourselves vulnerable. Everything within us will tell us not to jump. Fear will keep us standing on the platform. Fear can reason, and reason will keep us looking out from the safety of the platform. The platform isn’t bad. The platform is where we’ve been our whole lives. It is familiar. It is certain. It is safe. But something within us longs to see what is beyond the platform. So we close our eyes and take a step, only to find ourselves scurrying back to safety. But in the still small moment, when our feet were lifted in mid-step, a voice began to speak. It was small, yet persistent. It was there faintly behind the shouting fear. So we take a deep breath. We focus on the small voice. It is our hearts. After listening for a while, we, despite all logic, jump from the platform. With that jump comes a whole new world. With our breath gone, we manage to see the old platform as a distant memory that is soon quickly forgotten.