afordrunning

Somewhere – something incredible is waiting for you

Somewhere – someone is waiting to be loved

Somewhere – an old friend will be waiting for you to arrive.

There is so much craziness in the news as of late – there are people passing – the job market isn’t improving – the world stage is rife with conflict – and so many people are lonely with no one to comfort them. It has me thinking…

I could pray for those who I know who have lost dear ones close to them recently,

I could pray for those who have lost their employment and desperately need a job,

I could pray for those who remain in their jobs but are overwhelmed by the pressure,

I could pray for my business,

I could pray for the economy,

I could pray for our country and the world,

I could pray for all these things, and at the end of the day, the “I coulds” are still overwhelmed by the “I shoulds”.

I should pray.

But I'm trying not to.

To truly understand someone means that you have given the time (and have the capacity) to grasp the meaning of their perspective. To “overstand” someone is to jump in before you render what they mean, or what they are trying to convey. Overstanding is something assertive people do often, especially when they get comfortable within a group of people who are all use to bouncing conversation around.

Jumping in before someone else has  finished speaking, or prior to them ending their conversation says you don’t really value their thought. Man, this hits home with me right now. Endowed with a powerful ego, and tinged with the desire to see the world fresh, and less opinionated means struggling with being an overstander sometimes.  

I want to Understand more and Overstand less.

First Digital Footprints

Hosted a talk Friday with the company regarding how one could begin to develop their own Digital Footprint. We had several people speak and the topics were flowing and everyone seemed to enjoyed hearing other people’s perspectives. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is five great places to start/ or continue your digital footprint.

1. Twitter - Twitter.com is the premier micro-blogging format available for free today. The best parts of Twitter are that you can build your community at your own pace, follow people who give information important to you, and even create relationships that can grow over time. Twitter asks the question, “What are you doing?” but think about the program more along the lines of whose brain would you like to get a peak into?

2. Flickr - Flickr.com is an online picture community that hosts more than 3 billion pictures. It is used widely by bloggers due to it’s wonderful scope, and organizational tools. Another free resource with a PRO account available for @$15. The free resource is plenty as it allows you to search for pictures, people, and collections that speak to your passions or needs. Another quick way to get into Web 2.0 without much trouble or pressure.

3. StumbleUpon - StumbleUpon.com is great resource for discovering and sharing web sites. Another free program that allows you to create a profile, search other people’s content, and tell the world about your favorites. This has been the preferred Bob Noble training wheels for training someone how to surf the net, not just look up something via Google.

4. Tumblr - Tumblr.com is a variation of a blog that features mixed media posts instead of longer text like you often find in weblogs. What Tumblr lacks in commentary it makes up for in visual presentation and low learning curve. It is a wonderful asset in gathering quick inspiration and developing a creative community online.

5. YouTube - Getting your own Youtube channel is easy and relatively simple. The reason to join a community on YouTube is wide and varied. From learning to building community. And you get to comment on video’s by Arcade Fire and destroy some 7th graders perception of crappy music. Another Joy!

I'll be naked when I leave...

The time has come for me to take a break from church. I love the people there, I like the programs, my kids still go on Wednesday night. But, I have stopped being fed by the process every Sunday. The time has come for me to take up my own walk with a renewed vigilance. Every Sunday my family will gather for a time of prayer, worship, and renewal, but we will spend that time together rather than at the church. The body of believers is important to me, the act of worship is imperative, but I need a walk worth talking about – and the demands of my church are not significant enough for me right now. 

I did not enter into this relationship with this church with exceeding expectations, and I’m not leaving with great intrepidation. Much like I entered the world, naked – that is essentially how we leave. 

There is no blame assessed here, no unsaid reason for my departure other than I need to be fed, need to be more real, need to find a place of passion and power for my Faith. I’m going to start at my own house, and we will see where it leads from there.