Creative Niche: Coffee-style

     Donald Miller, an author and creator of My Storyline, once wrote that each person has a setting in which his/her creativity is free to flow- that one place or scenario where thoughts, ideas, imagination, and creative passion naturally forms and pours from his/her mind, heart, and soul into words on a page, sketches on a canvas, conversations with a friend, etc... This could be a particular place such as a peaceful office or a tree house. It could be a particular setting such as outdoors surrounded by raw nature or any heavily populated area with lots of public "buzz". It could also be a particular time such as after all the "necessary" is completed or in the middle of the night when no one else is stirring. Whatever it may be, Miller claims that each person has their creative niche.
     Mine happens to be a coffee shop in downtown Columbia, Kaldi's. I swear I spend AT LEAST 15 hours a week at this place! I discovered it by doing what any college student would do when they move into a new town, I Googled "good coffee shops in Columbia, MO". Kaldi's was the first one to pop up (well, after I sifted through all fifteen Starbucks located within a ten mile radius...). Conveniently located right off campus, Kaldi's sits at just a 5 minute bike ride away. When classes are done for the day, I pack up my homework, computer, and a book into my backpack and set my course for the quaint establishment.
     The things I like about Kaldi's: it's always filled with the "right" amount of people- empty enough so a seat is always available yet crowded enough to provide that necessary "buzz" of casual conversation, the diversity expressed in its customers never ceases to amaze me (one day I was studying with two French ladies conversing in front of me, a chess club deeply lost in the confines of their games to my left, and a women's Bible study meeting to my right), it's not widely known (I love things that are unique/individual), the coffee is GREAT, and here's a little peek at what the place looks like!
     Among these qualities my brain just lets loose and creates. I focus more easily on the task at hand, but more significant than that is how the setting causes me to want to dig deeper into whatever I'm doing. Whether it's doing homework, reading a leisure book, blogging, or sending someone a text, I feel that I approach them all with a sense of deeper meaning when I'm at Kaldi's. The setting also provides me a clarity of mind that often gets lost in the stresses of everyday life.
     So I encourage you to find your place; find your creative niche. It may be a variety of things, but whatever it is IT'S YOUR'S! Make time to indulge in that niche at least once a week and let that creativity find its way out of your heart and into something physical. God gave you that part of yourself; He created you uniquely and in His image so let yourself out! I can assure you it will be rewarding for you and for those who are happen to be blessed by your creative production.

     One more thing: I would LOVE to hear what your creative niche is! If you wouldn't mind, leave a comment describing your place, scenario, or setting where you go to let your imagination flow and/or gain a certain clarity of mind.
   

Zero Dark Thirty Days of Prayer

          War. Violence. Hatred. Anger.
                          All things I've never really dealt with on a personal basis. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that war and violence happen and are happening all around us and I know that hatred is sometimes as common as joy in parts of the world (including the US), but in my own little box which conveniently resides in St. Joseph, MO I don't have the slightest clue.
                          This all occurred to me last night during my 12-minute car ride back from the movie theater. I saw the movie "Zero Dark Thirty" which documents the hunt for and eventual killing of Osama Bin Laden, and I was initially thrilled with the brilliance of the movie. Jessica Chastain showed great emotion, the sound effects of the explosions literally made me jump out of my seat (just ask my comrades...), and the storyline was effectively expressed. But something hit me when I took my exit onto Interstate 29 that I was not expecting- I began to think about the lives of those involved in such awful situations.
                          I began to view each life individually, from the CIA agents to the Navy SEALS to those involved in terrorism to the civilians being impacted by terrorists, and I became very overwhelmed. Because initially it is so easy for us to build up anger, disgust, perhaps even hatred against those involved in such terrible acts, and I'm not saying that righteous anger against evil is wrong, but all I could think about was how each one of those men and women involved in the murder of countless innocent lives must be so void of love and stripped of joy that they would resort to such evil actions. I will probably never understand their life circumstances: how they were brought up, who they were influenced by, what they were taught to do with their lives. So it's hard for me to grasp this colossal level of hurt and moral destitution. Who am I to say that if I was in the same exact situation and upbringing as them that I would be doing any differently? All I know is that these people need Christ.
                        The love of God is the only thing that can penetrate the evil barriers hardening the hearts of those involved in terrorism. I am so thankful for the freedom we have in the United States of America and I am in no way undermining the work of the military in its dealing with terrorism, that's not what this is about. I just realized how important it is to pray for our world; I realized how important it is to pray for people, for love, for joy, for God's presence to invade the hearts and lives of those across the Earth so that they might know the grace, glory, mercy, and power of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ so that the evil in this world would be diminished and those involved in such acts as terrorism could find purpose in life rooted in the hope of Christ.
                         It's so easy for me to crawl back into my little box and pretend like evil doesn't exist in the world. That certainly makes life more comfortable. But scary enough as it is, God didn't call us to live a life of comfort. As Christians, we have the gift of God's love and the gift of feet, hands, and mouths to spread it! For me right now, this means thirty days of constant prayer for those involved in terrorism. That God will work in ways that I can't even imagine and that life change will occur because of it. Our world is in need of Change- let's do it.

Blog Exposed

     Until today, I have used this blog as an electronic journal of sorts. Journaling has been an escape for me since the fourth grade, allowing me to express emotion and idea without the criticism, spoken or unspoken, of others. With the gift of my new laptop for college, I soon discovered that I could type my thoughts much faster than I could write them. So I created this blog around the beginning of this school year and have made entries once in a while. But in my prayer time this morning, I felt that God was asking me to open up. I felt and still feel this desire to share with people how Christ is shaping my life and encourage others that He can work through them as well! So if you read no more than this post alone, please know that God can and will work through you no matter your past, your shortcomings, your worries, etc.
   
     So here it is, my blog. Feel free to comment on anything and everything- that is my desire! Go back and check out the other posts, let me know what you're thinking/feeling.

For His Glory!

Make a Difference

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... 
                I took the one less traveled by, 
                           and that has made all the difference."
                                      - Robert Frost

     Isn't it interesting that the road less traveled is usually the one that leads to greatness? You look at examples such as Mother Teresa, President Abraham Lincoln, and the Apostle Paul (a few of my favorites) and it's easy to see how each "achieved" greatness by going against the flow of current culture. Mother Teresa spent her life serving others with every inch of spirit she had, taking no consideration for her own comfort or pleasure other than serving God by serving others. President Abraham Lincoln fought for the abolition of slavery in a time where the idea of black freedom was opposed by over half of the country and in the midst of a civil war. And the Apostle Paul changed his life calling from the "hunter of Christians" to the "commissioner for Christ". I imagine that I would be reading very little if anything at all about these three revolutionists if they had decided to live a comfortable life, directed by their culture. Paul wouldn't have written over half of the New Testament; Mother Teresa wouldn't be known as Mother Teresa but as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (which I'm not even going to attempt to pronounce); and I doubt President Lincoln would've made it on any five dollar bills. And what's crazy to me is how each life before mentioned appears to be driven by a humble passion. No personal gain was sought after but no small outcome was acceptable.  

     I want this for myself. Not to be great myself but to do great things. To be passionate and courageous and daring and humble and God-focused enough to do great things for the Kingdom of God. 

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 

           2 Timothy 1:7 

     Being a male, I tend to want to be the best and the biggest and the most competitive at whatever I do. Most of the time, this gets me in trouble because it leads me to become prideful and focused on myself. But when it comes to furthering the Kingdom of God, I'd like to focus all that competitive drive into something meaningful and worthwhile. But not for my sake- only for His. With all this talk to New Year's Resolutions, I decided to come up with a few simple ones for myself:

                               1. Live a Life of Necessity

                                        - I'm tired of living a luxurious life of excess. Although I am very thankful for   what I have, I am aware that materialistic possessions can easily become a distraction for the life Christ has called us to live. I heard a quote this past week, "Be aware and beware of blessings." What's the point of being "blessed" with affluence if I am the one benefitting from it? I have no problem with people  (including myself) having money, IF it's being used to further the Kingdom of God. What does that look like for me? I'm still trying to figure that out...

                               2. Quit Wasting Time

                                            - As a college student, I have a lot of free time. And what do I do with that free time you might ask...nothing. I sit on my butt and watch TV, play volleyball for 3 hours every day, sleep, etc. I have nothing occupying my free time that is worthwhile to the Kingdom (I use that word/phrase a lot but I suppose that's the best way to describe what I'm talking about). So I've decided to start a few "projects" to utilize my free time with that will hopefully impact the world in different ways for the Cause of Christ. I'm really excited and nervous about these at the same time, but I want them to grow to the point where great enough things happen that can only be attributed to the glory and power of God! 

                              3. Less Talk, More Do

                                            - Now this one is obviously very broad and involves the two that I have already mentioned, but I felt that it was important enough to list as it's own. I have a huge tendency to say that I'm going to do a lot of things and then not follow through. I have been talking about living a life of necessity for the past year but haven't really done anything about it; I've been dreaming about numerous projects and drives I want to start and haven't done anything about one of them; I have put on the face of one who is devoted to Christ's commissions to go and make disciples of all nations but my work has been nonexistent. Well that ends today!

2013, here I come with a Spirit-driven, friend-encouraged, family-supported, God-empowered, self-devoted, and action-minded passion that will REACH THE NATIONS!