No Money, No Problems.

We had a message at church a few weeks ago called "iBucks." It actually turned out to be almost totally off the subject of money - but one thing I remember from College Café (a group for college-aged students to meet) that morning was a question that was asked:

"If money was not a factor, what would you do for the rest of your life?" (Or, something to that regard).

I don't think it took me too long to come up with what I would love to do - and, God-willing, maybe it will happen one day.

If money was not a factor...I would have a really nice DSLR camera. Not because it's flashy, but because I want to learn more about the art of photography, and a professional camera would allow me a lot of room to grow. Plus, I absolutely love to take pictures...it makes me so happy. And, maybe one day, I'll take a really great picture.

If money was not a factor...I would take my digital camera with me to visit every state in this country (even those two "remote" ones). I would take pictures everywhere I went to just capture the beauty God has created and how diverse it can be from location to location. It would be amazing to see just this small part of the world through a viewfinder - and I would love the opportunity to do so.

If money was not a factor...my camera and I would also visit a lot of coffee shops around the nation. I love sitting in a coffee shop just taking in the atmosphere. If I wasn't feeling introverted that day, I might just spark a conversation with someone. Heck, I might even find the courage to start yammering on about Jesus like I love to do from time to time, all the time.

If money was not a factor...I'd take my guitar with me. It's sitting next to my bed right now in its case - collecting dust. How I would love, like my camera above, to just learn what's possible with that thing. I want to write music. I want to play music. I want to worship God with that guitar.

If money was not a factor...I'd visit some churches. I want to see how other people who are chasing after this big, mysterious, wonderful God live their lives. I want to know what gets preached in this nation. I want to know how and what people like to sing to God. I want to capture in my mind, and also on film (since I've got the camera) everything this widespread body of faith has to offer.

If money was not a factor...I'd take someone with me. I can't do this on my own. And, even if I could - why would I want to? I love community. I love support. I need people there to pray with me and for me. I want people there to be a part of this.

Funny thing is - the more I think about all this - money is not a factor. If I started now, with some little, minimum wage job, I could probably save enough to do all this in under a year. And, if I only spent about a week in each state, I could be right back here in a year. So, two years of my life to accomplish something really big on my heart.

I might just have to look into this.