A quick update on the 2008 Goals project:
1. 5k - I am consistantly running a mile, but I cannot seem to get over this mark without stopping. My current routine is to run a mile, walk a half-mile, and run a second half-mile.
2. Bible - Leviticus (where I always seem to struggle) was bogging me down, so I've diverged to read Joshua and the Timothys; God is really teaching this young pastor-to-be through Paul's exhortations to Timothy.
3. Thesis - Had a hard diversion (scrapping 14 pages), but we're back on track...just a bit faster than I'd hoped for. It's due in less than a month.
4. Marriage - Planning is going well, but saving has to wait until the summer, when I can put in some OT.
5. Photographer - No progress.
6. Rafting - Aaron has suggested doing a full weekend? Maybe.
7. Bench - I hit 115 without too much difficulty the other day.
8. Memorize - No progress, but I'm thinking about switching my book to 2 Timothy.
9. Mission - No progress; because of the money issue, this one scares me more than the others. Maybe I'm thinking too long distance.
10. Journal - Picked it up for the first time since the cruise yesterday.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
March 4, 2008
February 29, 2008
an old man and his wife grow roses
“Roses” by Caedmon’s Call
High above the valley of Quito
High above the valley of Quito
An old man and his bride grow roses
Red and yellow, white and golden,
To him they are precious as children
Their daughter, she moved to America
One more break in the Tower of Babel
She has a son that they've never seen at all
They're praying that they raised her well
On the mountain high
They will live and die
As time just slips away
And the children grow
In the God they know
As time just slips away
A man, his bride, his children, and his roses
Planted in faith
And watered in tears
Honey, that's all they have And they're happier here
Than any of my friends back home
They met Jesus and they really know Him
Now I'm back at home
All alone
And I'm trying to find my thoughts
Of that old man so inspiring
And the TV's always on
And the phone, it won't stop ringing
These bills, they keep on screaming
I'm paying for the things We never really need
Wonder what he's doing right now?
Maybe walking through his simple field
Thinking about how
God has blessed him so
A man, his bride, his children, and his roses…
Caedmon’s Call released one of my favorite albums of all time in 2004, "Share the Well", based on their missions experiences the previous year to Ecuador and India. It didn’t hurt that I first heard the album driving through the Nicaraguan mountainside; after I arrived stateside I immediately rushed out and bough the album. I still marvel over the use of instruments from other cultures interspersed with traditional American folk and contemporary pop. The song above, "Roses", is from that album. While I liked the song (I like the entire album), it was not one of my favorites until I played the album for the woman who will become my wife later this year. She loves it, which made me re-listen to it. It is now a song that both inspires and haunts me.
You see, I knew my own “old man” in Nicaragua, Santos Emilio - the man whom I helped deliver Bibles to small houses dotting the mountainside. He was in his late 50s, and had taken off work for a week to help our team and his church – this is huge, as they don’t get vacation benefits in the mountains. He wore a California Angels hat and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers shirt all week. Yet he had such joy as he travelled from house to house, delivering the Word of Truth to his people. I was little more than a mule on these trips, as my gift of gab doesn’t work in a nation that doesn’t speak English. Yet what a happy mule I was! He would take handfuls of books from my backpack, and when he had delivered them all he looked back at me, hungry for more. We couldn’t speak words to each other, but smiles and laughter were all the language we needed.
I never was able to really speak to Emilio; I know nothing about his family save the few moments I smiled at his wife; I’m sure he is human and has difficulties just as I do. Yet in those moments, this song came true. Here was a man, sold out to Christ, lacking the distractions and “to-do” lists that plague so many of our lives. It is as if we have all joined a cult of productivity, attempting to stay afloat in a world that is continually increasing its speed.
Why do we do this? I think it all boils down to our definition of the word “ambition”. We have ambition in many ways because we cannot seem to rest on the laurels of our parents – and sometimes this is a good thing. We pursue innovation, exploration, and creativity. However, we also become trapped in the cycle of trumping those before us out of a fear of being insignificant; our pride will not let us be anything less than excellent at everything.
I’ve posted my goals for 2008 on this site, and I still stand by them. I think it is a good thing to have something to pursue, to improve upon oneself. Yet I can’t help but think of that man and his roses – he is improving on himself, also, growing in love, faith, happiness. My house is a wreck now, with stuff strewn everywhere by a number of events and projects…and I feel as though I wade through garbage, a myriad of things that no longer produce their expected joy. That man has pride, pride in creation, in family, in hope. I know I serve a God who provides such things, who hears me and desires to laugh with me, who wants me to fall in love with Him and His creation and His people. But there are so many distractions…
Caedmon’s Call released one of my favorite albums of all time in 2004, "Share the Well", based on their missions experiences the previous year to Ecuador and India. It didn’t hurt that I first heard the album driving through the Nicaraguan mountainside; after I arrived stateside I immediately rushed out and bough the album. I still marvel over the use of instruments from other cultures interspersed with traditional American folk and contemporary pop. The song above, "Roses", is from that album. While I liked the song (I like the entire album), it was not one of my favorites until I played the album for the woman who will become my wife later this year. She loves it, which made me re-listen to it. It is now a song that both inspires and haunts me.
You see, I knew my own “old man” in Nicaragua, Santos Emilio - the man whom I helped deliver Bibles to small houses dotting the mountainside. He was in his late 50s, and had taken off work for a week to help our team and his church – this is huge, as they don’t get vacation benefits in the mountains. He wore a California Angels hat and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers shirt all week. Yet he had such joy as he travelled from house to house, delivering the Word of Truth to his people. I was little more than a mule on these trips, as my gift of gab doesn’t work in a nation that doesn’t speak English. Yet what a happy mule I was! He would take handfuls of books from my backpack, and when he had delivered them all he looked back at me, hungry for more. We couldn’t speak words to each other, but smiles and laughter were all the language we needed.
I never was able to really speak to Emilio; I know nothing about his family save the few moments I smiled at his wife; I’m sure he is human and has difficulties just as I do. Yet in those moments, this song came true. Here was a man, sold out to Christ, lacking the distractions and “to-do” lists that plague so many of our lives. It is as if we have all joined a cult of productivity, attempting to stay afloat in a world that is continually increasing its speed.
Why do we do this? I think it all boils down to our definition of the word “ambition”. We have ambition in many ways because we cannot seem to rest on the laurels of our parents – and sometimes this is a good thing. We pursue innovation, exploration, and creativity. However, we also become trapped in the cycle of trumping those before us out of a fear of being insignificant; our pride will not let us be anything less than excellent at everything.
I’ve posted my goals for 2008 on this site, and I still stand by them. I think it is a good thing to have something to pursue, to improve upon oneself. Yet I can’t help but think of that man and his roses – he is improving on himself, also, growing in love, faith, happiness. My house is a wreck now, with stuff strewn everywhere by a number of events and projects…and I feel as though I wade through garbage, a myriad of things that no longer produce their expected joy. That man has pride, pride in creation, in family, in hope. I know I serve a God who provides such things, who hears me and desires to laugh with me, who wants me to fall in love with Him and His creation and His people. But there are so many distractions…
Maybe I should have an eleventh goal for 2008: to become a humbler, quieter man.
February 1, 2008
january update
Thought it best to give an update on all things Steve to my readers (of course, there aren’t that many of you, but you are appreciated!)
God blessed me immensely this week, after a minor “holy-crap-I-feel-like-Job-why-do-you-hate-me-God-I-want-my-momma” breakdown over the weekend. The progression of events:
Saturday – My backpack gets stolen (including my laptop, digital camera, Bible, shoes, notes, textbooks, library books, and my Braveheart DVD!)
Sunday – Attend a “dropping out” party for my friend Caleb, 19, with cancer
Monday – Freak out due to wedding concerns, loss of all my stuff on my laptop, the thought of having to throw my savings out the window to replace everything in that backpack
But God blesses his children, abit in ways we don’t expect. Tuesday morning my backpack was found out behind the BCM; my digital camera and 3 year-old shoes had been stolen, and my stuff gone through – but they didn’t take the laptop. Amazing. Stupid if you’re an aspiring criminal, but a miracle. Tuesday night an awesome speaker at our weekly BCM worship gathering spoke on grace, and I was brought to tears and smiles all at the same time. So often, especially if you’ve lost your innocence at the ways churches work like I have, we forget that church is but a pale reflection of Christ and what He has done. That’s worth remembering. Wednesday night a youth at my church prayed to receive that same grace, and God is allowing my thesis stuff to fall into place smoothly. Krissi’s had a hard week, but God has allowed me to be an encouragement to her just because I’m so happy this week. I’ve been able to pray with godly men over the past few days, and am excited about living for Christ.
A quick update on the 2008 Goals for Steve project:
1. 5k – I ran my first mile a few weeks ago. I’m getting new shoes tonight (see above), and hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll be adding laps; I want to run a 1.5 mile by the end of February consistently.
2. Bible – Currently a little behind, I’m on Exodus 25. Hope to be through with the Pentateuch by Spring Break.
3. Thesis – 4 pages in, but a good structure and direction. I’m trying to knock off a whole chapter this weekend. Also, I have a date for my defense: April 9, 2008 at 2:30 PM.
4. Marriage/Honeymoon – I love Krissi (did I mention she’s beautiful?); I’m almost halfway there as far as saving for the honeymoon. Plans are coming together.
5. Photography – Well, my camera was stolen, so part of me wants to use that as justification to buy a camera. But I’m still in the research phase, asking around, looking stuff up, etc.
6. Ocoee – This has to wait until summer before it tightens up.
7. Bench Press – I’m still at 105. I need to figure out a way to be more productive; maybe pushups on my off days.
8. Memorize – A few tries, but this one hasn’t gotten off the ground yet.
9. Mission Trip – Man, we both really want to go. Talking with that international student yesterday made it hurt.
10. Journal – This one has fallen by the wayside – I need to pick it back up.
Well, that’s my life. Pray that God continues to teach me things, and that I will keep my ears open.
God blessed me immensely this week, after a minor “holy-crap-I-feel-like-Job-why-do-you-hate-me-God-I-want-my-momma” breakdown over the weekend. The progression of events:
Saturday – My backpack gets stolen (including my laptop, digital camera, Bible, shoes, notes, textbooks, library books, and my Braveheart DVD!)
Sunday – Attend a “dropping out” party for my friend Caleb, 19, with cancer
Monday – Freak out due to wedding concerns, loss of all my stuff on my laptop, the thought of having to throw my savings out the window to replace everything in that backpack
But God blesses his children, abit in ways we don’t expect. Tuesday morning my backpack was found out behind the BCM; my digital camera and 3 year-old shoes had been stolen, and my stuff gone through – but they didn’t take the laptop. Amazing. Stupid if you’re an aspiring criminal, but a miracle. Tuesday night an awesome speaker at our weekly BCM worship gathering spoke on grace, and I was brought to tears and smiles all at the same time. So often, especially if you’ve lost your innocence at the ways churches work like I have, we forget that church is but a pale reflection of Christ and what He has done. That’s worth remembering. Wednesday night a youth at my church prayed to receive that same grace, and God is allowing my thesis stuff to fall into place smoothly. Krissi’s had a hard week, but God has allowed me to be an encouragement to her just because I’m so happy this week. I’ve been able to pray with godly men over the past few days, and am excited about living for Christ.
A quick update on the 2008 Goals for Steve project:
1. 5k – I ran my first mile a few weeks ago. I’m getting new shoes tonight (see above), and hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll be adding laps; I want to run a 1.5 mile by the end of February consistently.
2. Bible – Currently a little behind, I’m on Exodus 25. Hope to be through with the Pentateuch by Spring Break.
3. Thesis – 4 pages in, but a good structure and direction. I’m trying to knock off a whole chapter this weekend. Also, I have a date for my defense: April 9, 2008 at 2:30 PM.
4. Marriage/Honeymoon – I love Krissi (did I mention she’s beautiful?); I’m almost halfway there as far as saving for the honeymoon. Plans are coming together.
5. Photography – Well, my camera was stolen, so part of me wants to use that as justification to buy a camera. But I’m still in the research phase, asking around, looking stuff up, etc.
6. Ocoee – This has to wait until summer before it tightens up.
7. Bench Press – I’m still at 105. I need to figure out a way to be more productive; maybe pushups on my off days.
8. Memorize – A few tries, but this one hasn’t gotten off the ground yet.
9. Mission Trip – Man, we both really want to go. Talking with that international student yesterday made it hurt.
10. Journal – This one has fallen by the wayside – I need to pick it back up.
Well, that’s my life. Pray that God continues to teach me things, and that I will keep my ears open.
January 7, 2008
genesis
It's a new year, and as such, is one of the two or three times a year where I attempt to take on new habits. In many places, the idea of "new year's resolutions" has somewhat gone out of vogue, citing their self-centered nature and almost laughable seriousness - even so, with January being the start of a new calendar year AND the beginning of my last semester of college, my last semester as a single man, my last semester of having things paid for by my family, etc., its a good time for me to address a number of things in my life.
I probably have a billion things I could improve in my life - I seem to have a habit of having many good habits countered with many bad habits. For example - I enjoy exercising, but I can eat an entire box of oreos with the best of them; I can be both passionately productive and zone out for 4 hours watching made-for-TV movies in the same day.
My goals for the next year (not in order of importance):
1. Run a 5k.
A 5k? (I can hear the laughter from here) Yes, a 5k. In middle school, I was the kid who didn't even try to run, simply because I hated to watch everyone else effortlessly beat me (I once tried to WALK the mile run, thinking a non-stop brisk walk would be faster than my out-of-breath running). In high school, I tried and failed, able to run a mile in a pitiful 9 minutes. To this day I cannot jog for one mile nonstop. 5k is a good goal, and if I reach that by my birthday, we'll look at the 10k. How am I doing this? By going to the gym for a serious workout 3 times a week, and jogging on the off days to a lake behind my house. I hope these things also help me take quiet time to reflect and pray as well.
2. Read through the whole Bible.
People often make this a resolution as well. They get a plan, or a One-Year Bible with it broken up into days, etc. These things have never worked for me. I think I'm allergic to plans that are tight; I just can't seem to get into something where I have to read this portion, or check off that box. No, what this resolution is about is deeper...me developing a love for Scripture. I want to consume the Word, not just analyze specific passages. I'll take sparse notes and analyze later. Of course, this one has a catch - if God moves me, I might re-read a book or three, so the resolution isn't as much about consuming all of Scripture, but rather ending the year still having a passion for devouring chunks of God's Word.
3. Finish my Honor's Thesis and graduate FSU.
My honor's thesis will be a major accomplishment for me in that not only will it allow me to graduate FSU, but it will instill in me the academic disciplines I need to go into grad school in seminary.
4. Get married and take my WIFE on an awesome honeymoon.
Again, sounds like a given (don't worry, I am marrying Krissi James; it isn't just a goal), but having a ceremony that doesn't break the bank/drive us insane and that honors God is important. Also, I am a huge honeymoon proponant - and not just for the obvious reasons. Not that I've ever been married before, but from what I gather, getting married is an extremely public affair. Yes, you stare into the other person's eyes and make lifelong vows and dance and cut cake and drive off into the sunset, but everything up until that point is done for and in front of hundreds of people. But the honeymoon - I think it is a tangible gesture of a man's love for his wife. Just as the ring does not have to be extravagent but rather should reflect the personality and tastes of the woman wearing it, so should the honeymoon be a gift of love to a man's wife. Krissi's gonna love hers...and I'm not telling her until the wedding day!!! It's a goal because it will cost some money, and as such I need to be very careful with my spending habits so that I have the money to take her on the trip of her dreams.
5. Become a photographer.
Lately, mostly because of the influence of both my job and a seemingly never-ending quest to find a wedding photographer, I have become intrigued and awed by the beauty of photography, in all its forms. Abstracts and nudes bring me back to my days working in the art museum, nature brings out my longing for a connection with creation, fashion makes me want to take pictures of Krissi, and street/documentary photography brings back up what I wanted to do in Panama but never finished - using art to tell the stories of people who cannot speak for themselves to people who wouldn't otherwise listen. My goal is to buy a Nikon D40 and learn to shoot digital photography, culminating in getting to use my skills to document a missions experience for a church.
6. Raft the Ocoee.
Most guys let their groomsmen plan their bachlor party. Not me. In 9th grade, I got to go on a church white water rafting trip, and it was the time of my life. I was scared to even go in the water, and completely self-concious of the fact that I was the weekling in the boat - yet I had a great time. Now, 8 years later, I get to go back, and take on the river again. I want to go with a group of guys who each have meant something to me in life, and who together can worship with me and prepare me mentally for becoming a husband.
7. Bench Press 150 lbs.
Also a physical goal that goes along with the 5k, I've always been a weekling at pretty much anything physical - I have trouble lifting heavy boxes and equiptment, and have little to no endurance. That needs to change. Currently I work out with 100 pounds. Being able to bench my weight is a huge goal for me.
8. Memorize a book of the Bible.
I once knew a guy who had memorized the entire book of Romans. This is awesome. It's not about performing it in front of anyone (if it becomes that, this one gets stricken from the list), but rather the continuation of a passion for the Word - not only to devour it but to make it a part of you. Muslims honor those who can quote the Koran, and Hebrew boys once learned the entire Torah before becoming Rabbis...a man who wishes to become a pastor should do all he can to hide the Word in his heart.
9. Go on a mission trip.
Krissi and I had planned to go to India this summer, but with getting married, graduating, and work schedules we decided to postpone our trip. However, I still want to go serve somewhere this year. We've looked at the winter as an option.
10. Write in a journal.
Off and on, I've tried to keep a journal ever since 10th grade. This year, I want to continue to habit, and do so without large gaps. My goal is not to write in it every night or even every week, but in a year to be able to look on my journal and see content that records a year's worth of experiences, and to still be writing in that journal (or another one if that one is filled up!).
So there you go, Steve's 10 goals for this year. Perhaps next year I'll report on the success/failure of each. Regardless, may they all come to pass if the Lord wills, and all for His glory.
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