Shameless Self Promotion.

By now, whomever still passes by here from time to time must have gotten used to my constant need to let people know that my Flickr site has a ton of new pictures uploaded (with more to come...sitting on my harddrive waiting to be "processed"). Thank you for your patronage and patience with this constant deluge.

I have a very existential post coming up. The idea is sitting in a document on my Desktop...I just need to find time to sit down and write it. I'm giving up television for a week because the senior minister of our church asked me to, so that might lend itself well to activities other than rotting out my brain.

Oh, and I am giving blood on Tuesday (hopefully). I was denied last time because of issues with light-headedness. Maybe this time I can last long enough to get drained. I would really like to save some lives. It sounds like something nice to do on a lunch break.

Have a great week. E-mail me if you need anything.

Another? So Soon?

So, I was sitting in the den and a thought just popped into my mind. But, first, a little background.

My dad and I traveled to Midway last night to check out a coffee shop and hear a set by a musician who often plays/sings with our worship team at church. As her time drew to a close she began to speak about World Vision - a great organization dedicated to serving needs around the world. She ended with a quote from Mother Theresa: "If you can't feed 100 people, then feed just 1."

Rewind back to a conversation I was having with a friend some time ago about possibly sponsoring/adopting a child through Compassion International or World Vision. His heart and intentions are good, so I don't take this comment in a horribly negative way, but he expressed concern over the amount of help these offerings actually give. He thought of them as a band-aid rather than an immediate or far-reaching channel of change. I understand where he is coming from...it is much more weighty on someone's heart to completely change a situation for the better rather than becoming a monthly caretaker for small, simple needs.

So, as I thought about the quote from last night, and his comments, I heard a new thing in my mind. "If you cannot prevent the wounds from being made, at least apply a band-aid."

Our small contributions ($30 per month) may not dramatically improve the quality of life in these impoverished countries. There may be no removal for these families from horrible locations and situations. It might just be a meal that keeps them alive one more day, month, or year.

So as much as I want their lives to be dramatically improved; as much as I would love to see the country turn around and the effects of greed, overpopulation, disease, and so many other terribly things go away - I cannot deny these people one more day of life. One more month. One more year.

A small sacrifice can become a massive hand of help.

For The Masses.

Until I'm able to devote any time to actual content for this little blog, I figured a general update could take up some space. I think there are still a few people who come here that I do not have communication with on a regular basis...and since they come here I assume they want to know what's going on in my life - so here it is.

Work is still amazing. I feel like my transition into the real world is moving smoothly. I am still having trouble delegating appropriate use of my time - which is frustrating because when I waste time I feel like I am letting the church down. It's been an amazing opportunity to be in this position and a great six months so far - so I pray I can get serious about fixing this issue with what I would consider procrastination. Other than that, no complaints whatsoever.

Life outside of work is spent pretty much the same. I'm in my second year of co-leading a high school life group (the boys are now Juniors). We have had more "trouble" and dilemmas in the past few weeks than we had ALL last year - but it keeps us on our toes and allows us to try and be actual leaders/mentors every now and then. There is a bit of an issue keeping things on track and trying to "get deep" and have time for serious discussion - but I imagine with time, and after walking the guys through how a life group really works, things should get better.

I am totally loving the newfound interests in my life. I feel like I am kind of going through a metamorphasis, grabbing onto and placing inside me the things I want to "define" my time and who I am. Music. Art. Photography. Writing. Love. These seem to be the big things I am pursuing right now. Hopefully I am honoring my time and the One who gave me that time with each of these interests.

Nothing fascinating to end on. Just continuing to hope for better days ahead.

I'm Still Alive.

I Think.