a stereotype, a generation, and a young man

Dear young man,

Young man with the beer in your hand, the beer that comes in a collectable set, the kind of set that comes in thirty (what comes in sets of thirty)?

Dear young man, I am sorry, but I just don't understand.  I cannot see the point of so many drinks at once, you could come by this store again, then again, I've never quite understood, perhaps I should have asked you?

Dear young man, why is it you caught my attention?  Why is it my heart has sunk?  Do you even care what I think?

Dear young man, do I have the right to guess what you are doing with your purchase?  Should I even care?

Dear young man, are you a student or statistic?  Pretty content with life or reeling from the tension?  Somewhat found or barely understanding?  Where would you go tonight?

Is there a reason to drink alcohol at all?

Am I really Irish?

What color are your eyes?

Do you see me, right behind?

Or is there something you are trying to hide?

Are you escaping or looking to find yourself (or something else)?

What's the point?  What isn't the point?

Will you you follow your dream tonight?

Will you forgive me?

Can we grab a cup of coffee sometime?

Listen:
Moving Mountains (cover)- "can't afford this color"

Taking stock, counting blessings

"Hope for a better, November"- Jimmy Eat World

Dear friends, its time to stop and smell the, ugh, dying leaves and dried grass of another summer come and gone and a fall into the new year that is coming.  Autumn.  Fall.  Here we are, we are here.
How is your life?
Where is your heart?
What new dreams have you dreamt?
Where in the world are you?
Do you believe?
WHat can you do to get there?
What do you need to let go of?
Have you given your best?


"Not all who wander are lost"- JRR Tolkien
listen:
jimmy eat world- "futures"

Book Review: Love & War

 

To go forward we must first go back.  A Number of months ago John and Stasi Eldredge, some of my favorite Christian authors put out a new book.  It happened to be a marriage book, called Love and War.  I was excited for the book, but quickly realized I was neither married nor did I have the extra funds to be a book to stick on the shelf and read at a time that was more applicable then when I was a single young man with a few part-time jobs.  But low and behold, Ransomed Heart ministries was offering the first 200 copies to those who would review the book on their blog.  I figured, I had a blog, it was worth a shot.  Here is my end of the bargain!
  Although I concluded the book approximately a month and a half ago, I am finally ready to give this review thing a GO.  I am particularly excited to review the book for many reasons, but particularly because I have quoted the book many times over the last few days.  Ever since I finished school, I have had a lot of extra time (normally spent doing homework) thinking about and pondering love and marriage in particular.  It is interesting to first note the title.  This is a marriage book, not a movie title or a lesson in battlefield relationships or a fictional drama; this is a marriage book. Yet the two seemingly contradictory words that make up the title are fitting, as the authors unveil over the course of the book.  This is Love, in the romantic and relational sense, and yet it is a war, a battlefield, a great fight.  Why do we so seldom see it this way?
  I Love the intro to this book.  The intro cuts from an actual wedding ceremony (with John performing the service) to the thoughts and ideas of onlookers and the narration of the authors.  You are immediately captivated and you feel part of the story; and of course, you desire this for yourself, or rather, you enter yourself into the equation with your own "dearly beloved."  I also enjoy how John and Stasi describe things in terms of the epic and extraordinary importance of the stories we all have and share, in this particular example, within the context of marriage.  The story of marriage is that special.
  Each chapter is wittingly titled, speaking on everything from a new roommate, to a shared adventure to, (gulp) even a chapter on sex!  But each chapter does a good job summarizing the themes and presenting proof for said ideas in a Christian sense.  I think the most important aspects covered include spiritual warfare and the importance of couples praying with one another, for these are often topics that are difficult to speak about and even more difficult to apply to couples lives.   
  The final chapter sums up the entire book well, and is aptly titled, "Learning to Love".  This chapter is neat because much of the chapter is applicable to all of life.  Is this not the aim of all? Yet learning to Love in a marriage sense is even more profound and delicate.  The chapter speaks on choices, sacrifice, and forgiveness, and continually refers back to the reason and source for it all; to God.  John and Stasi are so good at using quotes from others (C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald in particular) to bring home their point.  They also include daily prayers on marriage and sexual healing which are particularly important in this capacity.
 The only aspect of this book I did not care for was the details that we're shared.  Sometimes both John and Stasi reveal a little too much in a relation to their own personal experience.  hence the subtitle of "taboo topics".  Some things must be revealed, but the depth of their details may take away from the actual message being presented.  Real world examples are good, but sometimes a little too much just causes a whole lot of confusion for the reader.
  All in all, this is the first marriage book I have read.  But, having read a number of John and Stasi's books, I believe they have a good idea on the subjects they speak and they always remind us of the core of what we are searching for.  In this case, we are looking for Love.
Then again, is that not what we are always seeking?
Love really is a war, yes, even Love in the romantic sense.  But over and over it is confirmed, that it is worth it, and God is for it.  May John and Stasi continue to be great vessels of that Love, of that co-mission-  I just Hope I should be so blessed to have such an opportunity

"It does not come easy.  Falling in Love is how God gives us a push in the right direction.  But then we have to choose...
When we abandon ourselves to Love, we find ourselves closer to the one who is always doing that himself.  We find ourselves closer to God." -John and Stasi Eldredge


Listen:
Brandon Heath- Love never Fails

alex

I was in need of an adventure, in need of a break.
This week offers some alternatives to work (see conference) and a concert with some of my favorite people (and I am not even talking about the bands) before the bump and grind commences on Thursday... and I couldn't be more thrilled at the timing.  Just a couple weeks left for my Americorps post!
So staying local but trying something completely new and intriguing was the theme of today.  After skipping out on Fridays race due to an injury today was meant to be a get away into the woods and some light hiking to limber up and rest my tired body and mind.  Sitting down after the days adventures, "rest" or "light" was no longer in the books as words to capture the day.  But rather the day was summarized by "adventure" and "encounter".  After speed hiking about a quarter of Kearsarge's hidden gem, the Lincoln trail, I spotted another hiker just above me on the ridge, moving slowly but confidently.  Just as I caught up with him, we reached the top of this hill and the trail entered an exposed section with full sunlight. We exchanged greetings and shook hands and i quickly moved forward.  But he was not in the rear-view.  Oh no, rather he was was literally breathing on me and quickly asked if he could get by.  After he moved by I quickened my pace and decided to follow.  The encounter quickly turned to conversation, which led to questions, which further turned to the great tradition of hiker's sharing stories, sharing life;
and Alex, as I later found his name to be,
had stories, upon stories,
adventures, upon adventures.

This man had been places.

Among those mentioned were Warner, NH (of course), Argentina, Peru, Patagonia, Norway, and his current place of work, the Atlantic sea.  That's right, Alex is a lobsterman.  Tried and true, strong and adventurous.
All of a sudden, the quiet Sunday hike turned into something more.
A shared adventure,
a comparing of stories,
a companion for the ride.
After a conversation with another Colby-Sawyer friend at the top (Ricky), it was time to descend;
for myself back down Lincoln, for Alex, down the access road and over off into the dirt of one of NH's many class 6 roads and eventually back to the place where he would spend the night and prepare to go back out on the boat the following day.
This encounter has done more for my spirits and energy then I can even explain,
and it taught me a few important lessons that I believe to be universal to all-
That perhaps it is not about the speed or the distance, but rather the adventure itself,
That perhaps the work we do is only done to earn the means by which to pursue our true passions,
That perhaps each person's story, even our own, has the capacity to be marvelous and exhilarating,
That perhaps each one of us has a mission, a great task, and it likely involves helping another, perhaps some person or group of people that have otherwise been ignored...
 
So as for when we depart our homes in the morning, looking for a break and an adventure,
Let us leave with soft hearts and open minds,
for we never know who we'll meet, but,
you can rest assured,
that the craziness and seemingly random connections and correspondences along the journey of life are somehow weaved together to form extraordinary stories;
Would that we can share these stories often,
and play our part well.

"I watched the changes
(I watched the changes)
through your eyes
like a movie of my life"  

Listen:

As Tall As Lions- "if I'm not out burning bridges, I'm buying more matches"

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/200283828-001/The-Image-Bank

An old song (She still moves me and dares me to believe)

PLANS- the Track Record

"It's so crazy how suicide occupies the minds of so, so many happy people
Don't lie you know you've thought about it, we all have
Part of growing up is asking questions

Isn't it mad weird how our wildest dreams tell us about our fears and what we want out of this life
Some say that it's healthy to experience breakups, mistakes, letdowns, or the death of a loved one

We owe all that we have to the people in our lives
We can only hope that this song reaches you in time

(Two pairs of eyes share a beautiful silence
Perfect weather breeds perfect smiles
So show me that face when you can't hold back yours
Plans to wake up on the beach
You know how it feels so fucking awesome when a song lets you know that you're not alone
Well these 3 minutes will beckon you too think, dance, live, learn, teach, and love)



So i'll meet you in front of Hagerstown at 10

And we'll live for the single moment
I swear i will hold you
On this bathroom wall forever
I promise not too hold this grudge against you
if you love like you've nothing to lose
I swear i will hold you



We owe all that we have to the people in our lives
We can only hope that this song reaches you in time"

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, whatever thought is on your mind,
I Hope it finds you well.
More then well,
I Hope it finds you Alive and well-

The purpose of this life is to truly live- -

The Track Record- Plans (to wake up on the beach)

fall away * * line

I had this idea.  Call it a catch phrase.
You know those lines in movies- the lines where everything relies on that moment; the in or out, the win or lose, the love or leave line...
or even the line your friend gives you before leaving that you just needed to hear "one" more time
or
that word that "makes your day" at Dunkin donuts as the sweetest lady in the world pours your coffee again.


Edward Bloom "they say when you meet the love of your life, time stops.  What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves twice as fast to catch up" [Big Fish]
A phrase of spoken word that hangs in time, as fireflies dancing on an August evening or the PA announcer letting the crowd know the home team has won, the title, again.
Andrew Largeman "Yeah, the ellipsis, it's dumb. It's dumb. It's an awful idea. I'm not gonna do it, okay? Cause like you said, this is it. This is life. And I'm in love with you... [Garden State]
Our lives are made up of hundreds upon millions of these lines.  'Lines and phrases like knives" as Anberlin says.  In a world of busyness and technological miracles, it is our words that still carry the most weight in our thoughts and feelings moving from one person to another, most often spoken word, but written as well. 
So it would be good then to remember how important this is and to think before we speak, because just as a few words can finalize a brilliant story or seal the deal on an epic romance, lines can also break hearts and crush dreams.  May your lines today and all days carry the Hope and Love of your favorite lines, and may you slow long enough to see the "fall away lines" that make our days and may even make up the very people we are today.  We all have these lines and we all have stories worth telling.  Share or remember the lines that make them move; today.
Charley Waite "Be seein ya, Sue"[Open Range]
listen:
Josh Moore- Shadows in the Dark

"let him without sin, throw the first stone"

summer skin in the Empire State

There is something special about the first warm days of the year.  Snow is all but forgotten (even if it stay til April), school slows and eventually ends, summer plans are made and the dark northeast becomes a tourist magnet for city dweller and hibernating animal alike.  I have always thought the term "spring fever" for young men and women is an intriguing phenomenon.  Somehow, the weather changing gets people, in body and mind, to feel Alive and rejuvenated, ready to seek out another, hoping for romance...


yet there is a correspondence beyond a summer romance we truly seek.
There is a Hope that does not disappoint,
There is a Love that never fails...
  or keeps score

As a good friend reminded me recently, Love is the one thing we never stop seeking as a human race.  Maybe it is a part of our being, celestial in nature, cut to the core.  Maybe it is written on our hearts.  Maybe it is part of the fantasy we attempt to breathe life into.  Regardless, Love, and the pursuit therein, is the most cosmically engaging aspect of the human existence and the element that proves we are not so evolutionary after all. Why would a species hold onto an element of their being that consistently destroys and stretches their very existence?  And why, upon reaching this love, do they realize it is flawed and many times not enough?  How can we be made for this, yet seek more?

this summer, make sure your Passion has purpose <><;

There is something special about the first warm days of the year...


Listening: Matt Nathanson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXvMJ2UF4RM&NR=1


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Niagara_Falls_-_American_Falls_At_Night.JPG