Saturday, December 17, 2011
Holiday Fun
Sitting in church last week I watched as this video was presented to the congregation. This video, a cartoon only about 4 minutes long, really made me feel a bit ashamed. Ashamed at myself for forgetting or never taking the time to learn what the facts about the Christmas story which is the birth of our Savior. This wont be a long blog post, as I forgot to post on time yesterday for all that follow. I hope you enjoy the video, and take a step back and think.
Friday, December 9, 2011
A TGIF Kind of Friday
This week has gone by so fast. Time doesn't seem to take as long to go by as it used to. I'm told age has something to do with that but I don't want to admit to that quite yet. Needless to say I'm glad Friday is here. Also, I'm not quite sure why Arkansas has the craziest weather patterns from week to week like it does. But I suppose I should be used to it by now since I've lived here most of my life. This time of year has always been special to me ever since I can remember, I just wish it wouldn't bring with it the weather change.
The season change, along with the holidays are always exciting experiences for me as we draw closer to the new year. However, I've never been a fan of cold weather, especially since my stay at Ft Dix, New Jersey before my deployment. I was getting gas in my car one day this week, Monday I think it was, when I thought back to my time up there in that dreadful hole the Army calls a training facility. The temperature was in the teens as I stood outside my car waiting for the gas pump to shut off. With my hands in my coat pockets and my shoulders squeezed up to my neck like people do when they are standing in the cold I looked up at a flag pole that stood beside the building. Old Glory was waving fast in the bitter wind, and the rope was snapping against the metal pole sounding off like a bell ringing constantly. I thought back to the 4 am formations we had to endure in New Jersey. Every morning we stood there in the pitch dark, half awake, listening for our name to be called for role. With the snow and ice mix beneath our boots, we could hear the rope and the flag sounding off from the flag pole that was over 4 blocks away from our ears. The wind up there in Ft Dix, NJ is something of an amazing thing, it never stops blowing. Looking at that flag pole on Monday made me think about just how many hours we were forced to stand, sit, run, drive, sleep, eat and go #1 and #2 in the snow, ice and bitter cold up there. What better way to train for middle eastern conditions that to send us all up to New Jersey in the middle of winter. That picture above, by the way, is from our three month stay in the field. The picture says it all so I don't have too :) We had shower buildings 500ft from our tents that never worked. Our latrines were port ta potties or "The Bob" as we called them that were another 200 ft from our tents. Let me just say, that walk or slight jog at midnight to relieve yourself was just awesome! No not really. We had a chow tent, that took 10 minutes it seems to walk to every day. And of course, chow in the military isn't worth the effort, so most of us shammed out of having to go and just shoved down pogey bait from our tote boxes. I suppose the best aspect of being out there was our heating systems in the tents. A gas powered heating unit sat outside the tent, with a huge flexible duct that ran from it into the tent itself. The heat was surprisingly nice, and considering we were in a tent, it stayed halfway pleasant in there at night when we finished training. All except when the fuel ran out, and we woke up to 0 degree temps at 4 in the morning. Awesome.
The pump shut off, I returned the nozzle, secured the gas cap and got back into my car. I had purposefully stayed outside my car to experience the cold and stare at the flag pole. The short trip down memory lane was a nice little day dream getaway from the dreads of Monday morning. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that I had made myself uncomfortable that morning by standing outside my car instead of waiting inside the car. If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have felt the bitter cold, looked up at the flag pole, resulting in thinking back to my time in New Jersey. Now that may sound weird to most of you but when you think about it, it's our comfort zones that keep us from so many great things. As horrible and crappy of an experience Ft Dix, NJ was, looking back I wouldn't have traded that for the world. As I was walking through that time in my life, I hated it. But whats funny is that as soon as we left the field, and packed our bags for Iraq, we were all proud that we had survived it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I don't know who coined that phrase, but there couldn't be any more truth to it. My self image sky rocketed after those harsh months in the field. I was "in the trenches" so to speak with my brothers in uniform enduring some of the worst conditions we all had ever gone through. We were all better men because of it, and had a sense of pride that no one could penetrate. SO.... I say all that to say this. To really grow and succeed in life, we have to kill our comfort zone on a regular basis. A daily basis if you ask me. If you have a dream, and you're pursuing that dream at whatever pace, then killing your comfort zone is a necessary habit to form. It's through struggle and overcoming fear that we become better individuals. Through that process we grow substantially and have better things to offer the ones around us. Whatever the endeavor is, stepping outside your comfort zone will bring a higher level of play to your game. So many of us are distracted by the tangibles of life and because of that we miss valuable opportunities. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to stand up on my soap box and preach to anyone. I'm just as guilty as the next guy of allowing myself to be distracted. Laser light focus is difficult to achieve, especially as all of our lives are extremely different, with different circumstances. However it is possible and very attainable. It takes practice, but once the habit is created it becomes second nature, and somewhat of a challenge that you become addicted to. If there is a dream that anyone is pursuing, then your comfort zone, and the time you spend in it is one of your worst enemies.
We can find numerous examples of this from a biblical standpoint. David, who stood up and faced Goliath when no one else would. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who told Nebuchadnezzar they wouldn't worship his golden image even after they were told they were to be thrown into a fiery furnace if they didn't. Jehoshaphat and the strength it took to seek God's counsel and lift up a prayer of thanksgiving... after the bad news that multitudes of warriors were at the door against him in battle. There are several more I could mention, but the theme here is that none of these decisions were comfortable to make. Comfortable, would have been to stay safe back in the rear instead of facing a giant in one on one combat. It would have been comfortable to just bow down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar commanded be idolized. Comfortable would have been to seek someone else out for leadership and counsel when the sound of battle horns are at your door. To pass the buck onto someone else for the hard decisions. If you read these accounts in the Word, not only did they stand apart and make the uncomfortable choices, but afterwards they were better men because of it and were blessed abundantly.
So, this was what has been ringing in my mind this week after that trip down ol' memory lane Monday morning at the gas pump. Inspiring myself, from a military memory to step outside of my comfort zone on a daily basis and grow. So until next time, stay classy NWA.
The season change, along with the holidays are always exciting experiences for me as we draw closer to the new year. However, I've never been a fan of cold weather, especially since my stay at Ft Dix, New Jersey before my deployment. I was getting gas in my car one day this week, Monday I think it was, when I thought back to my time up there in that dreadful hole the Army calls a training facility. The temperature was in the teens as I stood outside my car waiting for the gas pump to shut off. With my hands in my coat pockets and my shoulders squeezed up to my neck like people do when they are standing in the cold I looked up at a flag pole that stood beside the building. Old Glory was waving fast in the bitter wind, and the rope was snapping against the metal pole sounding off like a bell ringing constantly. I thought back to the 4 am formations we had to endure in New Jersey. Every morning we stood there in the pitch dark, half awake, listening for our name to be called for role. With the snow and ice mix beneath our boots, we could hear the rope and the flag sounding off from the flag pole that was over 4 blocks away from our ears. The wind up there in Ft Dix, NJ is something of an amazing thing, it never stops blowing. Looking at that flag pole on Monday made me think about just how many hours we were forced to stand, sit, run, drive, sleep, eat and go #1 and #2 in the snow, ice and bitter cold up there. What better way to train for middle eastern conditions that to send us all up to New Jersey in the middle of winter. That picture above, by the way, is from our three month stay in the field. The picture says it all so I don't have too :) We had shower buildings 500ft from our tents that never worked. Our latrines were port ta potties or "The Bob" as we called them that were another 200 ft from our tents. Let me just say, that walk or slight jog at midnight to relieve yourself was just awesome! No not really. We had a chow tent, that took 10 minutes it seems to walk to every day. And of course, chow in the military isn't worth the effort, so most of us shammed out of having to go and just shoved down pogey bait from our tote boxes. I suppose the best aspect of being out there was our heating systems in the tents. A gas powered heating unit sat outside the tent, with a huge flexible duct that ran from it into the tent itself. The heat was surprisingly nice, and considering we were in a tent, it stayed halfway pleasant in there at night when we finished training. All except when the fuel ran out, and we woke up to 0 degree temps at 4 in the morning. Awesome.The pump shut off, I returned the nozzle, secured the gas cap and got back into my car. I had purposefully stayed outside my car to experience the cold and stare at the flag pole. The short trip down memory lane was a nice little day dream getaway from the dreads of Monday morning. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that I had made myself uncomfortable that morning by standing outside my car instead of waiting inside the car. If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have felt the bitter cold, looked up at the flag pole, resulting in thinking back to my time in New Jersey. Now that may sound weird to most of you but when you think about it, it's our comfort zones that keep us from so many great things. As horrible and crappy of an experience Ft Dix, NJ was, looking back I wouldn't have traded that for the world. As I was walking through that time in my life, I hated it. But whats funny is that as soon as we left the field, and packed our bags for Iraq, we were all proud that we had survived it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I don't know who coined that phrase, but there couldn't be any more truth to it. My self image sky rocketed after those harsh months in the field. I was "in the trenches" so to speak with my brothers in uniform enduring some of the worst conditions we all had ever gone through. We were all better men because of it, and had a sense of pride that no one could penetrate. SO.... I say all that to say this. To really grow and succeed in life, we have to kill our comfort zone on a regular basis. A daily basis if you ask me. If you have a dream, and you're pursuing that dream at whatever pace, then killing your comfort zone is a necessary habit to form. It's through struggle and overcoming fear that we become better individuals. Through that process we grow substantially and have better things to offer the ones around us. Whatever the endeavor is, stepping outside your comfort zone will bring a higher level of play to your game. So many of us are distracted by the tangibles of life and because of that we miss valuable opportunities. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to stand up on my soap box and preach to anyone. I'm just as guilty as the next guy of allowing myself to be distracted. Laser light focus is difficult to achieve, especially as all of our lives are extremely different, with different circumstances. However it is possible and very attainable. It takes practice, but once the habit is created it becomes second nature, and somewhat of a challenge that you become addicted to. If there is a dream that anyone is pursuing, then your comfort zone, and the time you spend in it is one of your worst enemies.
We can find numerous examples of this from a biblical standpoint. David, who stood up and faced Goliath when no one else would. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who told Nebuchadnezzar they wouldn't worship his golden image even after they were told they were to be thrown into a fiery furnace if they didn't. Jehoshaphat and the strength it took to seek God's counsel and lift up a prayer of thanksgiving... after the bad news that multitudes of warriors were at the door against him in battle. There are several more I could mention, but the theme here is that none of these decisions were comfortable to make. Comfortable, would have been to stay safe back in the rear instead of facing a giant in one on one combat. It would have been comfortable to just bow down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar commanded be idolized. Comfortable would have been to seek someone else out for leadership and counsel when the sound of battle horns are at your door. To pass the buck onto someone else for the hard decisions. If you read these accounts in the Word, not only did they stand apart and make the uncomfortable choices, but afterwards they were better men because of it and were blessed abundantly.
So, this was what has been ringing in my mind this week after that trip down ol' memory lane Monday morning at the gas pump. Inspiring myself, from a military memory to step outside of my comfort zone on a daily basis and grow. So until next time, stay classy NWA.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Here we go folks!
This is my first attempt at a blog. Scary I know, especially for those of you who know me well enough to know I can be overly detailed. The inspiration for the blog comes in many forms, however if I had to pick one I'd say that is is credited to the changes that the 2011 year has provided me. What can you expect from a blog like this from a guy like me? The answer is I have no earthly idea. All I know is that It's about to get real up in here.
The changes in my life this year, though significant and life altering, wont always be my focus. I have opinions and things to say about just about everything in life. I also know that every one of you will surely find comedy in the up coming literary commentary of my adulthood. From the high school days, military time, self employment and so on there is enough experience to fill a lifetime. I will say that the majority of the time I will credit Jesus Christ for all that I have, and if that happens to offend you or anyone else reading this blog then too bad. I'm not sure that there is an ounce of political correctness in my body, and I like it that way. In my opinion I think those are the ingredients for a likable guy :)
The changes in my life this year, though significant and life altering, wont always be my focus. I have opinions and things to say about just about everything in life. I also know that every one of you will surely find comedy in the up coming literary commentary of my adulthood. From the high school days, military time, self employment and so on there is enough experience to fill a lifetime. I will say that the majority of the time I will credit Jesus Christ for all that I have, and if that happens to offend you or anyone else reading this blog then too bad. I'm not sure that there is an ounce of political correctness in my body, and I like it that way. In my opinion I think those are the ingredients for a likable guy :)
So.... lets kick this thing off. I wanted to share something about Christianity that I've been studying here recently. Louie Giglio is an evangelist from Atlanta, Georgia who has multiple videos posted on YouTube on his message of science and God. He has toured several times around the globe, however this particular video I'm speaking of he calls the "How Great is Our God Tour". Chris Tomblin, a worship music artist had traveled with Louie to several places along the tour and part of which Louie derived the name of his message. This video gives great insight into the CREATOR of the universe and how we are connected to Him through our own human bodies. For the sake of knowing myself and my urge to explain the entire video to you I'll just post the link for your viewing pleasure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqziOKZ4AE
Beware, because this video literally changed my perspective on God and His connection with us. I have no doubt that the video will do the same for you. Now for all you scientists out there don't worry. He cites and references scientifically factual information to support his message from scripture as well. Skeptics are allowed to change their views of God just the same as someone as less #intheirownbrainabouteverything people are. :) However I will say that to understand a skeptic is to understand man at his fleshly nature. Man in general is apt to find a prosperous heir to the factual truth. I don't believe this was always so, as society and cultural influences have changed this idea. Man has gone to great lengths to try and validate other reasons for creation and human history. It seems we are always searching for the real answers or reasons for things, instead of exercising the faith we were given from birth. Watch and listen to Louie explain the formation of eye sight of a baby inside the mother's womb. Don't tell me that's just by chance, or that there wasn't a designer that made the process that way. With that I encourage you to follow the link I posted above, grab a cup of coffee and watch.
I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at a blog and I hope to see you back again soon
~ Shawn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)