September 18, 2012

Familiar Paths

This is my spot. I come here when I need to write or think, or if I just want a good drive. It’s a nice park, but nothing special. Neither urban nor rural, quiet nor bustling. I wouldn’t have picked it for my spot, but it seems I had no choice. You see, I became a writer here.

I first stumbled into this park five years ago (nearly to the day, as I realized on the way here tonight). It was an evening much like this one, the cooling breeze of the bright, early fall playing with my hair. I came here frustrated with a creative writing assignment that just wasn’t flowing. Somehow I found the inspiration I needed, and I walked out with a rough draft of the piece that would be a creative turning point for me. It’s still, I think, the best thing I’ve ever written. I’d found my sweet spot.

August 30, 2012

Plot

Yesterday I wrote about some wrong assumptions I’d made about contemporary, seeker-sensitive megachurches. To follow-up, I thought I’d explain some of what I’ve fallen in love with during my time around Southland and Crossroads.

I love free coffee. I mean, I really love it. I know at first it may seem like a waste to spend thousands of dollars and hours on something that’s not “ministry-related,” but it’s actually one of my favorite parts of going to church on the weekends. For me, coffee is much more than a drink. It’s a pivotal part of breakfast with my family. Most of my great friendships were built around it. Coffee, I think, communicates two things: community and welcome. It says, “we want you here.” (And, consequently, “God wants you here.”) Hospitality is a grace many of us have lost sight of, and I love being part of a church that extravagantly invests in making people feel at home. It’s just a reflection of God’s unreserved love.

August 29, 2012

Plot

I love the Church. I don’t know if anything so broken has ever been so beautiful. We get so much wrong, and always have. But, looking back through history, the most astonishing thing, I think, is how much we’ve gotten right. The people of God, the Body of Christ, pursuing him and bringing redemption to the world — it’s breathtaking. I’m honored to be part of this community that spans centuries, nations, subcultures, and opinions.

I can be arrogant at times, and I used to be very arrogant toward most of the Church. It wasn’t completely conscious, but I assumed if you didn’t fit into the small circle I did, you probably just didn’t love Jesus as much as me. I cringe even writing that, but I really treated other Christ-followers that way. Jesus broke my heart over that during college, but for a long while I had one prejudice left: I was anti-megachurch.

August 10, 2012

Plot

Life is beautiful. In a world of sunsets and back roads and skyscrapers and movies and fireflies, how can anyone have time to be bored? We forget, and we live as if an 8 to 5 cubicle existence is all we can ask for. Too many of us are weary and disillusioned, when all around us the most shocking and wonderful things happen. Why is this? How can so many, even the young, feel that life is simply something to be endured? What’s gone wrong with our souls?

July 11, 2012

Plot

So, I’m currently sitting outside enjoying what seems like the 100th day of 90 degree, sunny weather. Please read as much sarcasm as you can into the word “enjoy.” The only reason I’m outside is because Starbucks is closed and I’m using their free wi-fi anyway. I’ve been pretty miserable the last few weeks, and at this point I’d consider selling my car for a good thunderstorm. I wrote something two years ago that I was going to wait until this October to put on the blog, but lately I’ve been longing for autumn so badly that I’m going to pretend this is appropriate now. Enjoy.