Love is…

Restless

Restless by Audrey Assad

My time machine

My current time machine: Kona Dawg Supreme

Fire Fall Down

Fire Fall Down by Hillsong United

Lyrics:

Lives of quiet desperation…

I just got back from two weeks of vacation.  I went home to the Black Hills of South Dakota where I rode my mountain bike.  To say it was great would be an understatement.  (More on mountain biking later.)

I usually ride with friends and/or family, but things did not work out for me to do that this time.  I rode every day, and I rode alone every time.  I know this sounds kind of sad, but looking back I see it was just what I needed.  It gave me time to think about life broadly and specifically: friends to family, work to church, recreation to entertainment–I turned it all (and more) over in my head.

Some people might think I am having a mid-life crisis.  I don’t agree; I think I am coming to terms with Thoreau’s quote: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.”

More than any other, this quote challenges me to think about all the “settling” I have done in my life.  From work to church to home to relationships, I have sold out for the safe and easy life.  I rarely put myself in a position where I might face genuine risk.  I really do not like coming to this conclusion.  If I am honest, I have to conclude that I am very much a risk averse person.

All I Need is You

All I Need is You performed by Jesus Culture

I love the simplicity of this song.

St Francis

St. Francis by Kristene Mueller

A prayer for San Francisco…

Only Love Remains

Only Love Remains by JJ Heller

Lyrics:

Love Came Down

Love Came Down by Brian Johnson

I don’t know if there is such a thing as a “perfect” song, but this song does make for a really honest prayer.

Lyrics:

What does “sorry” actually mean?

When I have done something which offends another, I believe in offering an apology.  It’s the first step in making things right.  The problem is many of us never go beyond the apology.  It’s like our responsibility ended when we said, ”I’m sorry.”

Lately, I have been asking people who frequently say “sorry” to me that I appreciate their apology, but I will believe them when their actions change.  (Just so you don’t think I am an incredible jerk, I want to clarify that I only challenge an apology when it comes from someone I know (well) who has already apologized to me several times for a similar offense.)

My thinking is that if someone is truly sorry for what they have done, then they will change their behavior.  That all follows logically in my mind; how can someone be truly sorry, if their behavior doesn’t reflect the change?

Anyway, I was offering an apology the other night to a close friend and realized that I was now guilty of the very thing I was just addressing: an apology without a changed behavior.  The voice in my head said, “Gee…looks like you have a similar problem with your follow through too.”  (Sometimes I hate that little voice, but I am grateful that I still hear it.)