The reason for the season

Christmas has come and gone, and although we celebrated the birth of Jesus yesterday, God was very generous to us. All the gift-giving and getting made me think about what it is I am doing to give back to the God who saved me.
I know my Christian faith is not about works but about faith, but the apostle Paul said, show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do. Paul isn't saying that we need to do things for God but that our lives should reflect the faith we have in Christ, who died for our salvation. I won't go through my list of "things" I think I am doing to serve God, and I don't need to, but my challenge to you - and probably more to myself - is to take some time before another year ends to reflect on what your life is about and whether it reflects to other people what you believe. I hope that mine does, but I know too often it does not, and I will be making a concerted effort to continue the change that is taking place in my life.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Plans

Who knew Chick-fil-A could be the source of so much love? Since I started working there two years ago, two dating couples have formed among team members, one has gone out with another mall employee, and if you ask my boss's wife, who also works there, she isn't done playing match-maker. And that's not to mention the man-love between me and my friend Joe.
Along with the friendships, I can also say that I really enjoying working there. I have my moments and sometimes even days of frustration, like at any job, but it's rare to find a place I look forward to going to every day, seeing my co-workers and catching up with them, and really serving right beside them as we try to give people more than just the best chicken sandwich money can buy.
It seems like a cheesy thing to say about a job, especially when my boss will likely read this, but it's true. We had our Christmas party today and his wife made several comments about how much she likes working with the tram we have, and I agree. That's really what got me thinking about this whole thing. At my previous jobs, I never saw how I fit there, always knowing there was more out there for me, wondering and hoping for what God had for me next. I never would have imagined it was managing a "quick service restaurant," but what do I know. What do any of us know as far as God's plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29).
He gave me hope and a future my freeing me of the chains of my old desk job and putting me into a place outside my comfort zone, making me an introvert in a very extroverted profession of service. It can be exhausting to interact with people on so many different levels for an entire day's work, on top of managing the day, the team, the products, etc.
But it is rewarding. Steve (my boss) has his mission posted on our door - changing lives every day. It is exciting to be a part of that, and I have to remind myself of that greater goal when things get stressful and people want their chicken two minutes ago and we don't have something because I didn't order it.
I posted a while ago about how I don't like things, but if I had to make a list, in no particular order, I would say that I like my wife, my son, Jesus, my job, writing, listening to music and sports. Until two years ago, my job would not have been anywhere near a list of things I liked. It probably wouldn't have even been on a list of things I hated. I would have had to make up a word for such distaste.
So to conclude the love-fest, I will say thank you to Steve for taking a chance on me, and thank you to God for saving me from a sad, dark office and taking me to a less-sad, much brighter mall where I get to work with some great people and serve God at the same time.

Jeremiah 29:11-14: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity."

Lots of thoughts, one post

Our church community talked today about the things we are thankful for, focusing on the past year of our lives. Many of us are thankful for each other and who we are as a group, our jobs, our families, our children.
Kate agreed with all of those, but also said she was thankful for me. Obviously, I am thankful for her as well, but she focused on the qualities of mine that I do not dwell on or even believe that I have.
I owe all of that change over the past two years or so to God, but some credit is due to the men I meet with on a regular basis that those of you who read this are probably tired of hearing about. But meeting with them, walking through life together and working on our junk has given me a mission for my life and a focus for who I am in Christ and how to be that man every day.
One of the many things I am thankful for is the ministry I have with those men, which has been sparked by the two weekend getaways we held this year, which resulted in the transformation of the lives of nearly 40 men. Every time I experience one of these weekends (four now), I come away amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit to move and work actively in people's lives. Witnessing the Spirit work, as it is happening, is one of the most incredible feelings I have ever had. Knowing that this happens daily blows me away.
I got to see the Spirit move this weekend, as well, watching Kate preach the gospel to 500 high school students at a Young Life retreat. I knew she could do it, and I have heard her give the same message before, but God spoke through her in ways I haven't seen, giving her the courage to speak truth and the words that kids needed to hear. I want to go on and on bragging about her and how proud of her I am, but I also know that it was 100 percent God using her to send that message and change the lives of dozens of kids.
I suppose the point I am making is the same as Kate's message to the kids this morning, that God is alive and active, in the form of the Holy Spirit that he gives each of those who have committed their lives to Him. He does amazing things, performing miracles every day, including softening my heart and making me a man excited to serve others, especially my wife. 

Transformation

I used to think people who hung out at places like coffee shops were weird, but I have spent the past two hours of my Friday night at Panera drinking green tea and sitting by a fire and it has been great. I've been reading and writing, but maybe more importantly, I have been relaxing. As an introvert who works in a very extroverted profession of service, I need my alone time to recharge and gather my thoughts.
I have also been preparing for the men's weekend that my small group and I are staffing next week. When I attended the same weekend more than three years ago, I went into it thinking I would meet some guys from church and maybe make a new friend or two. I did make some friends, but I got much more than I bargained for. Since then, I have been meeting with about 10 of those men at least twice a month, plus the time we spend together just because we want to.
More than that, I saw the man God wants me to be and the obstacles that stood between me and that man. I'm still not there, but I believe it was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said something to the effect of “I’m not the man I ought to be and I’m not the man I want to be, but thank God I’m not the man I used to be.”
I now have a mission and a purpose that I am working toward. I spent a lot of this Panera time revisiting that mission and how I am going to live it out. I am going to love God, lead my wife and family to serve the Lord and share the gospel by living my life in such a way that God can not be denied.
MLK also said, "If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."
Jesus tells us in Luke 17 that at the end of that day of streetsweeping (or for me, serving chicken sandwiches) "when you have done everything you were told to do, (you) should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’"
My desire is to pour myself out daily, serving God with all I am, knowing I have only done my duty in service to my Lord.

I still write sometimes

I have read the gospels plenty of times, but every time something different pops out at me. Luke 8 gives the warning that we can't hide anything from God, and I think it is safe to say that we can't hide anything from those closest to us either. "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.  For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." 
Scary, but true.
However, the next verse is the one I never saw before: "Therefore consider carefully how you listen." As if I needed any more conviction, my wife and one of my co-workers both told me in the same day this week that I don't listen. And this verse doesn't just say listen. It urges me to examine with a fine-toothed comb how I listen. Jesus said these words, and he doesn't just want me to listen closely. He wants me to thoroughly contemplate and reflect on the way I listen. 
As someone who doesn't listen, I guess I understand why I skipped over that in the past. I don't even know why I don't listen. My mom says my dad doesn't listen because he is too busy thinking about what he is going to say next to have time to listen. My dad says it is because he has significant hearing damage. I don't think what I have to say is all that important, so I can't use my mom's reasoning for my dad. Maybe I just don't care that much about other people's opinions, or that I just assume I am right so there is no need to listen. That's what Kate says. I guess she would know, since I am the biggest non-listening offender toward her. On the other hand, she says she listens too much because she thinks she is always wrong. Seems like the perfect combination to me.

I once was lost

Our small group's discussion today focused on our belonging to God - I am my beloved's and he is mine. Some made comparisons to a dating relationship that leads to marriage. As a man, it is difficult to make that connection, as I have never viewed God as my "boyfriend" or "lover." I get that the context is different, and that isn't really the point I wanted to make.
I do long for the day that I am so in love with God that I want to do nothing but what he wants me to do, instead of seeking to do things I want to do. I want my worth to be found in Christ and for my life to be such a reflection of Christ that people have to recognize that my life is different.
I did relate to my friend, Krista, who was talking about getting married right after college graduation and moving to a new place where no one knew her apart from her husband, Dan. At first, she wanted to have her own identity, but she says that if she met someone now and they didn't meet Dan, she feels like they wouldn't really know her. She drew that parallel to her relationship with Christ, which I think it great.
I had a similar experience when I quit my job, packed up and moved to Cincinnati to be closer to Kate before we were even engaged. I left behind my friends and everything that was familiar just to be closer to her.
That is how we must live with Christ. We have to be willing to drop everything we know, everything that is easy and comfortable, to follow him. I recently wrote about the amazing responses of the first followers of Christ when he said, "Follow me." The common response in their circumstances was to literally leave everything and "immediately" follow him.
Christ is calling us to a life drastically different that what we know - a life full of surprises, discomfort and joy, a life of love, mercy and grace, a life of hope and truth.
We must be found in him.

What DO you like?

I resisted liking Mumford and Sons for awhile because I don't like to like things other people like. It drives my wife crazy.
I had to give Mumford a chance after asking too many times, "What band is this?" I just wanted to share this song and video because I like it, and maybe you like liking things other people like. I tried to look up the meaning behind the song because, of the few things I do like, writing is obviously one of them and I know there is always a meaning behind the written words. Message boards had people saying, "I think it means (and then typing in lyrics from the song)."
They were no help. My take on it is a story about a prodigal, having lost everything familiar to him, gotten into some trouble and now searching for answers anywhere he can.
Also, this live version is cool because Mumford goes crazy on the drums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hBkeX3k48M&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Greater things than these

I love reading the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John because it helps me get to the basics of why I have committed to living my life for Jesus. The miracles, the healings, the promise of real life - not an easier life, but a better one - life to the full.
What strikes me are the instances when Jesus invites ordinary men to follow him. The incredible thing is not the invitation, but the immediate response of each man to literally drop what he was doing and actually follow Him. These men left their jobs, families and everything normal to go where Jesus went and see what he saw and do what He did.
At the end of John's gospel he writes, "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name... Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
Can you imagine the events that didn't make it into the Bible? There are a few accounts of times when people decided it was too difficult and did walk out on Jesus, but I wonder how many others said to Jesus, "No thanks, I'm good here fishing in this same watering hole I've been to every day for 10 years," or, "Oh maybe, let me check my schedule."
Jesus doesn't work that way. Life with him isn't scheduled or planned. We don't operate on our own accord and we don't always get to do what we want to do. We get to do "even greater things" than those Jesus did. What?
How could we possibly do anything greater than Jesus? That's exactly what he said, according to John, shortly before his death when he promised to send the Holy Spirit to live not just with us but in us. Jesus said having the Spirit is even better than having him on earth, referring to the Spirit of Truth as an advocate to help us and be with us forever, to teach us and remind us of everything Jesus said (John 14).
Aside from the most incredible miracle of taking on the sins of the world, being crucified in our place and raising from the dead, we don't even know the depths of the amazing things Jesus did because the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written to account for them.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to write a book, which I guess is why I started a blog. My inspiration started by reading a lot of C.S. Lewis and thinking about how smart he was and how many lives he touched through his work. But then I realized that he was really really smart and wondered how I could ever do that.
Then I read a lot of Donald Miller, who I think is great and represents a style that I think I could replicate on a smaller level. I know he is a best-selling author and has published several books, but what I am saying is, my dream became more real when I found someone I could relate to.
This could apply to anyone and their own dream. When I was young, I emulated baseball players like Ken Griffey, Jr. and Roberto Alomar while playing in my backyard. I could never reach the level of Hall of Fame baseball player. But maybe I could be an author.
I am not saying that we should set our goals low - just the opposite. I want to encourage you to dream big but also to be realistic. I am not going to write the next Chronicles of Narnia or Mere Christianity, but by telling my story and putting my experiences on a page, I could pen the next Blue Like Jazz because that was a normal guy talking about his life and his pursuit of God.
What I am saying is, if you want to open a coffee shop, like my friends Chris and Vanessa Cannon, find coffee shop owners to talk to and learn from. If you want to be a hairdresser like my wife, find one you admire and find out how they got to where they are. If you want to be a contractor, find someone who will hire you and teach you everything they know.
My dad was a great personal baseball coach, but Jr. and Robbie were not coming to my house to play catch with me. However, I know a lot of talented writers, published and not, who I can talk to and read and learn from.
My encouragement is to think big, pursue your dream and figure out what you need to do to get there. Seek guidance, take criticism and grow with it.

On Spiritual Gifts

As I try to get some things organized for the next Iron on Iron weekend with a manly group of man I have been meeting with for more than three years, I started thinking about my gifts, both spiritual and practical. In both cases, I am an administrator, which I think is lame, regardless of its necessity.
I have taken spiritual gifts assessments and personality tests, and they all point to me being an administrator. I do enjoy making spreadsheets and plans and organizing, and I know God uses that. But I see my friends who are gifted in prayer, prophesy and healing, and I want those. I guess God has allowed me to use all of those specific gifts at one time or another, but I want to tap into those.
I believe God allows that, too, from my understanding on 1 Corinthians 12:

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed... There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I realize the scripture says that there are different kinds of gifts, but I also think that the last verse - "he distributes them to each one, just as he determines" - allows us access to all of the gifts, although we are each most strongly gifted in one area, that God uses for his glory.
So I will continue to schedule and plan and review. All in His name.

We found out today we are having a boy! I know I would have been just as excited if the baby was a girl, but every father wants a son, I think. Now I have to figure out how to raise this kid. Good thing we have 20 more weeks.
What are the lessons I want to teach my boy? What position will he play on his little league team? How do I raise a godly man? Heck, how do I become a godly man?
I do know I will teach my son about the importance of surrounding himself with other godly men that he can look up to and turn to for guidance. Hopefully I will be on that list, but he will need boys and men his age to help spur him on.
Dad will always be there, regardless of his choices, but how do I protect him? How much should I protect him? When do I let him learn from his own mistakes?
I'm blessed to have several men in my life who have done this many more times and had to answer these questions themselves.
And what am I going to name him?!?

To whom shall we go?

How long will I do the things
I don't want to do
Say the things I don't want to say
Think what I don't want to think
How many times will I ask
For a sign, a miracle, a gift
What more do I need
To see that everything I need
Is being offered for free
I read the words
He fed 5,000
Gave sight to the blind
Raised the dead
He even raised himself
I've seen the wonders
Healings, forgiveness, the lost brought home
I pray the prayers
Pleading, asking, praising
But what happens
Before all that
Makes it to my heart?

John 6:68-69: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

Knock, knock. Who's there?

Are you waiting for God to do something in your life? Jesus challenged the people of his day because they were always asking for signs and miracles to be performed so Jesus could prove himself to them.
How blind could they be? The Messiah was standing in front of them, telling them who he was, that he was the Savior they read about in the Scriptures, and performing the very miracles they were looking for.
And they still wanted to kill him. It's easy for us to see as we read the Bible today, but if Jesus was standing in front of you, inviting you to follow him, what would your response be?Well, he is doing just that. Everyday. "I stand at the door and knock," he says. "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
That is the offer of life. Real life, spent in the presence of our Creator. Life to the full, eternal life, salvation. There are so many ways to say it, but Jesus is the only one who offers that life. Read the Gospels in the Bible, particularly John, and marvel at the things Jesus did. Every time I do, I know I am following the only one who will lead me home.

What's in a name?

As Kate approaches the 20-week mark of pregnancy and we get more and more excited to find out if we are having a boy or a girl or both (kidding!), we have been spending a lot of time trying to pick out a name for the unknown soldier.
We have searched lists of hipster names, Shakespeare names, athlete names and Indonesian names. We searched by meaning. We searched by popularity.
Still, we come up empty. Wouldn't it be easy to follow the Native American tradition of going outside and naming the kid whatever you see (or did we make up that "tradition"?). In Biblical times, children had named that defined their lives and changed the course of history.
But what is in a name? Does it define us? Does it dictate who we are or who we become?
Of course not. But who we are will define our name. A person's character, they way they live and present themselves, will be what people think of when they think of your name.
When people think of Ryan, I know what I want them to think, but I also have a good idea of what they actually think. I am still trying to make those two Ryans have the same meaning.
I would love for people to say, Ryan, yeah he's a man of integrity, reliability, honesty, a great dad, a man to be admired. I won't tell you what people do say, but if you know me, you know what you would say.
So, what does your name mean?

Comm-unity

I didn't know the value of Christian community until I found it, which also means I didn't know what I was missing. Between the group of men I have been meeting with regularly for more than three years and the newer group of couples we have started a house church with, I am starting to see what the Church can be.
I started to think about all this yesterday when I had to miss our home church meeting. My whole day was thrown off at first. I am selfish about my time, and when my schedule changes, I don't like it. All week I look forward to seeing those 12 other people on Sunday afternoon, but not seeing them left me feeling distant and disconnected.
Fortunately, I had a meeting scheduled with some of those men I was talking about. Seeing them was rejuvenating. It's hard to explain where the energy comes from, but if you are in a similar community, you know the feeling I am talking about. And if you don't have people you get together with regularly to pray with, eat with, be real with, you are missing out, especially if you think you're not.
I would encourage you to read Acts and something by Shane Claiborne, whose friends have taken community to a level we aren't used to.

Come stand in the light

One of my favorite songs right now is "Christ is Risen" by Matt Maher (who my wife tells me is a hipster and that is probably why I like him). The chorus says:

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive!

I have found encouragement in this song many times, especially as I contemplate the Church and the small groups I am part of that I believe embody the qualities of the first church Paul writes about in Acts. We are called to stand in the light and rejoice in the fact that Christ is alive, giving us purpose and drive to share that news with our friends.

  
I didn't realize until recently that Maher borrowed from 1 Corinthians 15: 

"'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Coincidentally, my boss recently posted that last sentence in our Chick-fil-A, which I look to often as a reminder that I can make a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of others everyday.

Grace vs. Works. Grace wins.

Our small group/house church had a great discussion yesterday, mostly centered around works and grace (I think). While we all agree that we are saved by grace alone and not by anything we have done, can do or will do, the discussion was about what we should or should not be doing as Christ-followers to bring us closer to Christ.
I need to pray for God to change my heart because without that, I will never change. But I also contend that there are things I can and should do to help spur that on that change. My specific example was that I can sit in a room alone all day and pray that I will no longer gossip, complain or criticize, and I will probably not do any of those things because I am alone in a room.
But what happens when I leave that room? I do realize nothing will change if I am seeking to change for change itself, but I will only be transformed for Christ's sake.
The real issue is not how I will change, but why - and if - I want to be changed.

What is our good?

“And what you thought you came for
Is only a shell, a husk of meaning
From which the purpose breaks only when it is fulfilled
If at all. Either you had no purpose
Or the purpose is beyond the end you figured
And is altered in fulfillment.” – T.S. Eliot

Things don’t always – if ever – turn out the way we planned. Sometimes they do turn out in our favor, even if it wasn’t according to our plan. The reason?
Romans 8:28. God works for the good of those who love him. And I do not believe I am using this verse out of context. Our “good,” according to God, is often far from what we want or even what we think we need.
In my experience, the things I have wanted, the things I thought I was working toward, were more often a means to an end I could have never imagined, rather than the end itself. Those desires were only the shell of the real purpose for which I was striving, and I couldn’t see it until it happened. Thus, in Eliot’s words, what I thought I was working for was altered in its fulfillment, and I ended up working for something else.
God is funny that way.

Where were you?

I've been watching too many shows about the events of Sept. 11, 2001. I refuse to watch anything that has to do with 9/11 conspiracies because I think anyone who believes our government had anything to do with the attacks is crazy.
But I have learned a lot in the several hours I have spent watching these documentaries. My favorite so far was about New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He recapped his day, which included a lot of walking the streets of New York that day because he couldn't drive anywhere. I was impressed by his honesty, bravery and the way he tried to stay calm even though he said he wanted to stop and cry several times.
I will always remember my Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. It was my second day of classes of my freshman year at Ohio University. I woke up late, didn't turn on the TV and went to my 9 a.m. class. I had no idea what happened until about 11 when news about the planes hitting the towers was buzzing around campus. I still didn't know many details until I got back to my dorm around 1 p.m.
I went to a scheduled lunch at Grinders with Ryan Ventura. We had just met, so it was awkward to say the least, as we just watched the TVs in stunned silence. I spent the next three days watching Brian Williams in MSNBC (I was a journalism major, so I was enthralled), and contemplating joining the Army. At the time, it seemed like the only logical solution. Fortunately, I didn't sign up, but my life, like the rest of the the country's, was changed forever.

Christ in me, the hope and glory

What does it mean to be all things to all men? We spend so much time trying to make people think we are a certain way or a certain thing, why would we want to be what they are?
Paul says it is for the greater good. He said he did it do "save some," as if he realized he could not save all.
"I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings," (1 Corinthians 9).
I read this last night and I am really mulling over what it looks like to be such an influence on others that they are so attracted to Christ in me that they have to know what it is that makes me live the way I do.

How far did you run today?

I ran zero miles again today. And I will probably pay someone else to follow a recipe to make my dinner. Do I epitomize American culture? If all you knew about me was that, you would say yes, obviously.
But I can't get into a debate that will surely turn political. I could, however, start a discussion about "church" culture - what is the church, what is the role of the church, what the church isn't. Instead I'll just brag on the group I am a part of that is venturing out to start our own house church/small group in an attempt to love our city of Hamilton.
Last year, eight of us starting getting together weekly to meet some of our needs for fellowship and authenticity. Now, there are 14 of us. We eat, pray, worship and get to the heart of why we are all there - to learn how to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. So far it has been a lesson in humility for all of us, as we discuss scripture, pray for each other and open up about issues in our lives we have never told anyone else. The key for us has been creating an environment of safety, love and honesty.
I'd love to hear about your church experience.

My mom reads this

I did put it on facebook, but it didn't take long for my mom to find the blog. At least someone will always be reading it, right?
It's too early to be out of original thoughts, but here's a poem I wrote a few months ago contrasting my old life with my life as a Christian. Enjoy.

I'm standing on the outside because I won't let myself in

Caught in the middle because I won't reach for the net

Feeling alone because I locked everyone out

Gasping for air because I'm holding my breath

Blinded because my eyes are closed

Lost because I threw away the map

Hungry because I won't enter the banquet

Thirsty because my well has run dry

The future looks dark because I turned out the lights.

But now I'm sitting in Your presence, surrounded by love

Held by Your hand that will never let go

Accepted because of Your grace that lets me in

Breathing deep the air of each new day

Found because Your voice called out to guide me home

Full because of Your body, broken for me

Quenched by Your living water

Now my cup overflows

My path is lit

And my hope is in the unimaginable glory

That awaits those who love You.

What this blog is not

Honestly, I don't know yet what form this blog will take. That depends on my following, if there is one. I have always wanted to write a book, but then I heard Seth Godin say that if you want to write a book, don't sit around and wait to get published - start a blog.
So I did.
Most of the contents will be my ideas and thoughts, some poetry I've done and excerpts from the book I still hope to complete and have published some day.
I do know this blog will not contain recipes, complaints about my (future) children, my top five tips on how to get ripped or a daily log of the number of miles I ran (it's zero and will always be zero).
In that same seminar, Godin theorized that we are in the midst of a revolution, saying man first started as a hunter/gatherer, then became a farmer, then a worker. But in the midst of the current economic climate and high unemployment, there aren't many workers left. Godin believes we are becoming artists in the business of creating new ideas, products, etc. I like that idea.
Where do you think we are heading next?