Hometown Loyalty

This year I have spent very little time in Michigan, where I grew up. Going to school in Chicago, then working for the summer down in Atlanta kind of keeps me from spending time back home in Michigan. Through these last six months I’ve realized though I love living in these new place I miss many things about Michigan. Here is just a list of some random, unexpected things I miss about Michigan…

• Driving: Living in Atlanta has made me realize that driving can actually be one of the most annoying/detested parts of someone’s day. Though there are no pot holes, you stop at almost every light and are basically going 25mph the whole commute. I miss getting on the high way in Michigan, going 70mph, and getting places fast.

• Michigan Sports: At least in Chicago the White Sox, Blackhawks, and Bears are rivals with the Tigers, Red Wings, and Lions so I people are slightly interested. So far this summer I think I might have been the only person in the state of Georgia that actually knew that the Stanley Cup finals were going on. And the only time I can watch the Tigers is when they’re on ESPN.

• Roads Making Sense: Here in Georgia, every road is winding, so there is no rhyme or reason to the road system they have. The roads are nice, but unless you have a GPS you’re going to get lost.

I don’t what you to think that I hate living here in Atlanta or in Chicago. Sometime I’m going to try and share what’s great about living in each place.

What drives you nuts about where you live?

Why Can’t I Write?

To catch anyone to reads this up, since school let out, over a month ago I’ve moved down to the metro Atlanta area to intern with Growing Leaders, a non-profit leadership development organization focused on developing leaders in the next generation that will transform the world, and I haven’t post anything since Chicago.

Sadly there isn’t an excuse for why I haven’t posted anything besides what I am about to share with you. Basically since moving down here I have missed out on spending my free time writing mainly because I have been in this state of writers block. I’ll start writing something, but half way through I don’t know where to take it next or how to make it into a conversation instead of me sharing random information that I wouldn’t even care about.

One thing that I have set out to do over the last year when it has come to writing here is to make it more of me sharing what is going on and not give answers, but ask more questions that I truly do not have the answer to.

The question, “Why can’t I write?” is not something that for me right now can be answered one way. Instead when I examine everything that I’ve been doing so far in the recent months I don’t have any excuse that is good enough to dismiss all the opportunities I missed out on to share what is going on. I’ve learned so much about myself down here it is sad that I haven’t shared it as it has been happening. So for the next few weeks I hope to share what been going on while I’ll been in this writers block.

But until then:

What are excuses you give for why you aren’t doing something you want to or should be doing?

Chaos Behind Me

Recently I was asked what my favorite thing to do in Chicago is. At the time I did not know how to answer that. Sure there are plenty of cool places to go and hangout, but so far nothing had wowed me. A few hours later I remembered one of the coolest things I had done here in the city, and highly recommend for anyone visiting the city to do.

If you start walking towards the lake eventually, you’ll reach Lake Shore Drive. On the lake side of Lake Shore Drive there is a cement trail that is probably the coolest places to walk in the city. I have gone on many adventures up and down this trail, and every time God seems to work on me while I’m walking.

The other day I decided I needed to walk it one more time before I leave for the summer. Eventually I sat down facing the lake to think and pray some more. Once I sat down, the noise of the cars flying down Lake Shore Drive was an immediate distraction. In front of me was this calm and peaceful lake while all I can think about was the hundreds of cars going 60 miles per hour behind me. I then realized that’s how I spend my quiet time with God as well. I’m sitting there trying to focus on the awesome creator of everything, but all I can think of is the hundreds if not thousands of other things that are flying through my mind.

Even though I have finals going on right now, I am trying to find time to sit and have time with God. Instead of fighting all the chaos in my head, I am going to sit there and give it all to God.

What are things that are holding you back from God during your quiet time?

Being Vulnerable and the Opportunity to Open More…

I haven’t posted recently, because it’s the end of the semester and I’m trying to tie things up before the summer starts next week. I’ll try to post once more before the semester ends, but here is where God is working in me right now.

The other day I was reading an article online from Sunday Magazine. Stephen Brewster, the Creative Arts Pastor for Cross Point Community Church in Nashville Tennessee, wrote this:

“Put a piece of you into all your creations. It won’t be easy, it will hurt, and at times it will be rejected. But that creates more opportunity for you to be broken and recreate your next piece of art that is even more vulnerable and more real.”

That made me think about when we put ourselves out there creatively, socially and most importantly spiritually, we all seem to have this fear that we’ll be hurt by those we trust with that piece of us. Wither its family, friends, girlfriend/boyfriend, or even people online, we are afraid of how people might react to the real us.

I personally have struggled with sharing who I really am with others for years. I would have an artificial façade that the world saw, but I was really feeling broken and alone.

Over the last year, I have slowly and surely been able to open up and show people who I really am and it has been a blessing in many ways. Though I have been hurt along the way, I wouldn’t trade the friendships I have now for not going through the brokenness that I experienced.

What I have been trying to do and am going to continue attempting is putting pieces of me into what I do online. Instead of using Social Media as a wall that people see a made up person that is not me, I’m going to share the real and authentic and vulnerable me.

How has being vulnerable helped your spiritual walk? How has it hurt you?

Future…

Today, I got the news that I would be joining the staff of Growing Leaders for this summer as an intern. I’m super excited!

It got me thinking about my future and preparing for it. Preparing for the future is something that I have always done. A lot of times, it has prevented me from trusting God with my future and what he wants for me. With this upcoming summer I tried to give the outcome to him and this is what happened.

Looking forward to sharing what I learn this summer with all of you!
What are ways you can trust God with your future?