What Causes Stress In Your Life?

I don’t know how the last few weeks have been for your but for me they have been STRESSFUL!!!!

A couple weeks back I embarked upon what I thought would be a fairly easy weekend project of installing new laminate floors in my house. Haha, yeah right. What I thought would be a simple DYI project turned out to be a daunting five day nightmare that only resulted in the completion of more or less half of the area I was looking to do. I do have to admit that they ended up looking really nice as you can see from the photo below (sorry about the blowout from the lamp).

In addition to the stress of a massive home improvement project, I took on some new responsibilities at work that have been quite challenging AND on top of that I started teach a class at Northwest University this week.

Now all in all, it’s great to have the new flooring in, I hope to learn some new skills as a result of my new responsibilities at work and I am incredibly excited about the class I am teaching, but it has been a stressful couple of weeks.

I think I find that I become most stressed when I am overly busy. When I don’t have some down time. While individual circumstances can be stressful it is the compounding of situations that ultimately gets to me.

What causes you to stress? What in your life leaves you feeling tired and exhausted? Stress is a regular part of life and while it’s not fun, it is a constant reminder of how much we need to rely on God for our strength.

Posted on August 31st, 2012 by David | 2 Comments »

I Am An ADD Reader

I’m pretty sure I have a book obsession. I can’t pinpoint exactly when or why it started, however over the last several years I have truly come to love books, both the content contained in books, but also the physical, tangible item itself. My love for the physical form of books is another post in and of itself which I should probably write in the near future.

However, this evening I have been reflecting on the fact that I am a self diagnosed ADD reader. I regularly find books that I want to read and check them out from the library, order them from Amazon, purchase them from my favorite used book stores or borrow them from friends. The problem is that quite often I end up not finishing books because I find new ones that I want to start.

While this may not be such a big deal, I need to find a way to read cover to cover more of the great books I start. After all if the beginnings are good, the middle and ends are probably quite enjoyable as well.

Does anyone else suffer from this ailment? I know I can’t be the only ADD reader out there.

Posted on August 6th, 2012 by David | 1 Comment »

Facebook Killed My Ten Year Reunion

I blame Mark Zuckerberg. It’s all his fault.

Well perhaps that’s not entirely fair, but the extreme connectivity of his social media brainchild is in large part at fault for the death of my 10 year reunion…or perhaps just my lack of attendance.

You see from the time I graduated high school I always expected to attend my 10 year reunion which just so happened to be this last weekend. After all I was heavily involved in events, activities, clubs, etc. I also felt like I knew a good number of people in my class of 400+. I guess you could say that I was somewhat of a floater. I had good friends in a variety of different social groups and that lead to a lot of close friendships as well as acquaintances.

However over the last year or so as I began to learn about the details of my upcoming reunion and subsequent “After Party” the idea of attending became less at less appealing.

I feel as though at this point I should say that I am incredibly grateful for all of the people that invested a great deal of time and energy into planning the official reunion. Moreover, I should say that while I am not a big fan of how the “after party” came about I am grateful that another group of people stepped up to plan another opportunity for people to reconnect.

The lack of reunion appeal began to develop as I realized that the vast majority of the people that I would want to connect with are already friends of mine on Facebook and I am able to engage in conversation and stay up to date on what’s going on in their lives and vise versa. Additionally, any classmates that I am not friends with on Facebook I could probably get in touch with via current connections.

As a result attendance at the reunion would only provide a few short hours of conversation with these people and a great deal of small talk and awkward stares at people I don’t remember, were never good friends with or never even knew. For an introvert like myself that is a draining proposition.

Secondly, as the “after party” began to come to life there was a great deal of conversation ragging on those planning the official party because it was not what some people though a reunion should be like. While in days prior to Facebook this type of conversation might have taken place anyway, the public airing of displeasure in my opinion was hard to watch considering the time and energy put into the official event. This ultimately left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth regarding attending the “after party.”

I don’t say all of this to devalue the reunion, the after party or those that spent countless hours planning both. I merely write this to point out the fact that Facebook and social mediums have a powerful impact on the way we communicate. They allow us to stay in touch with people from days gone by which is good, but if we are not careful they can also be used as a forum to air dirty laundry and degrade others.

A few days removed from the the reunion do I regret not going? No not really. Do I think I will attend the next reunion quite possibly. While Facebook does help people to stay connected, face to face interaction is valuable and it is my hope that I will be able to retain those personal relationships with may of the people I shared an incredible season of life with.

Posted on August 1st, 2012 by David | 6 Comments »

There Is No Place Like Home

“They” (whomever they are) say that “home is where the heart is” and I suppose that’s true on some level. But can your heart be in multiple places…?

While the sentiment of this statement is rooted deeply in the idea of a person’s home being with the ones he/she loves, I have also found it to be true of locations. Specially the city I called home during my high school years and the city in which I attend college.

What is somewhat fascinating to me is that I have not lived in either city for years and yet they maintain a more homelike feel than the city I own a house in and have lived in for the past five plus years. Although my city of residence contains my house and home in the familial sense there is little about the city itself that feels homey.

Puyallup, WA where I went to high school does however retain a homey quality for me. I find that odd considering that growing up it seemed quite dull and boring, yet being ten years removed from any consistent residence in the city, there is a charm and familiarity that is comforting.

Additionally, Bellingham, WA where I lived during college similarly retains an appeal that often leaves me feeling homesick and longing for an opportunity to return to the beauty and laid back lifestyle of Whatcom County.

It’s funny how certain places leave such and indelible imprint on who we are. They in many ways become part of us and us a part of them.

What places feel like home to you?

What is is about those locations that make them feel like home?

If you don’t currently live there, would you move back if you had the chance?

*Photo Courtesy of fairhaven.com

Posted on July 27th, 2012 by David | 2 Comments »

Welcome Back To 24/7 Life

It has been four or five years since I started this blog. For the first year it was called, “An Anthology of Thoughts” because it was just that, a compilation of my thoughts. There was no focus for the blog and I was okay with that. My purpose was not to implement blogging best practices or to attract a fantastic following of loyal readers. My aim was to blog. period.

After that first year, I decided to make a shift and 24/7 Life was born. It was my desire to be less random in my posts and focus more on what it means to truly live a full life. It was my desire to highlight the joy and beauty in every day life. Looking back I have to admit that the shift was less than effective. Nevertheless that was my intention.

Over the last several years I have seen my blogging frequency ebb and flow with streaks of posting religiously and barren months with out a single solitary thought shared.

However over the last several weeks I have found myself longing to re-enter the blogosphere. I have wanted to share thoughts and dialogue about topics of both a significant and pedestrian nature. However, what I have come to realize is that I am not inclined in the least to feel tied to the implementation of blogging “best practices.” More specifically, I have no desire to have a focus to my blog other than life itself.

Perhaps this is careless and haphazard of me or perhaps it is the liberation I need to get back into a more regular blogging routine. Perhaps this will limit the number of people who will read my blog or perhaps it will resonate with people because it is focusing on nothing more than the humanity that we all share.

My greatest hope for this blog however is that it can be a place for conversation. A conversation made up of people from all different walks of life, from all different parts of the world, varying in age, race, sex, and religious affiliation.

While I will present topics of conversation from my life experiences and through my own personal perspective and world view, it is my hope that a constructive, civil discourse can take place and that all who choose to engage here at 24/7 Life will take away something enriching for their life.

I have no idea how often I will post or what exactly my posts will consist of, but I look forward to a robust dialogue with friends, family and complete strangers. What I ask of you, the reader is that you will become more than just that. I want for you to engage in the conversation as if this was your very own blog. In order to do this, I encourage you to subscribe, or bookmark this site and visit regularly. If you are into Twitter you are more than welcome to follow me that way as well and get updates when something new has been posted.

My goal will be to repsond in some fashion to each and every comment that is left and to spur on good dialogue. Additionally, I plan on inviting you the reader/commenter to post here at 24/7 Life. I believe this will only increase the quality of the conversations we have.

So are you ready to talk about life and all that it encompasses? Are you ready for random? I know I am and I hope you will join me on this new adventure.

I anticipate that we’ll have some interesting and engaging conversations.

Welcome back to 24/7 Life!

Posted on July 25th, 2012 by David | No Comments »

Let’s Catch Up

To say that I have neglected this blog is somewhat of an understatement. It’s been four months since my last post so let me catch you all up to speed on what has been going on in my life…

I did travel to England and stayed with a good friend at the home of C.S. Lewis.
I graduated from Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University with an MA in Ministerial Leadership.
I have been incredibly busy at work with a good number of large events that I have either project managed or been a part of as a participant.
My daughter is now 17 months old and we are experiencing the early onset of the “terrible twos” but she is still the most wonderful little girl in the world.
I have been invited to be an adjunct professor at Northwest University and will be teaching there this fall, in their school of ministry.
I continue to do social media consulting/management for other organizations despite my lack of personal social media engagement (weird huh).
My wife and I just celebrated our 7 year anniversary.
We are expecting baby number two in February!
I have missed posting here at 24/7 Life and while I don’t promise to be regular with my posts, I will do my best.

How are you doing and what have you been up to?

Posted on July 17th, 2012 by David | 4 Comments »

Preparing To Stay At C.S. Lewis’s House

I posted this blog post earlier today on my churches blog, “Thoughts From MVPC,” but wanted to share it here as well. Enjoy!

On the old leather chair in my office is a stack of books either by or about C.S. Lewis. You see I am in the process of immersing myself in his writing before having the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Oxford, England to visit a friend who happens to be living at “The Kilns,” Lewis’s home for over thirty years.

While at this point I am somewhat overwhelmed by the thought of having such an opportunity, I look forward to being in a place where many influential Christian prose were were composed (pardon the rhyme). After all, the works of Lewis have helped many to understand the truths of the Bible and what it means to be a Christian.

My friend Ryan who is staying at The Kilns has a similar desire to express the truths of scripture in such a way that people can digest them, and allow them to transform their lives.

While most of us will never write a book, on theological topics or otherwise, I do believe that we all have the opportunity to express the truths of scripture through the way we live out or faith. That’s powerful.

The question we have to ask ourselves is are we accurately expressing the truths of scripture? Are we showing God’s love to those around us? Or are we doing just the opposite?

I believe those are questions we all need to wrestle with as we attempt to become more and more like Christ.

I can’t wait to share my adventure to “Jack’s” house with you when I return!

Posted on March 22nd, 2012 by David | 1 Comment »

A Series Of Prayers – A Desire For Faithfulness

I have been taking a class on the Old Testament for my master’s degree and one of the assignments each week includes an exercise of writing a prayer that focusese on one of the week’s topics. I admit that at first I wasn’t crazy about the assignment, however over the course of the last four weeks I have really come to enjoy this opportunity to formalize my prayers.

In fact, I have come to enjoy it so much that I hope to make it a regular practice as I read through scripture. I also thought that it would be fun to share them with you seeing as how we all face the same types of trials and tribulations, joys and celebrations and so perhaps a prayer from my heart would resonate with you where you are at in life. For that reason I am starting, “A Series Of Prayers.” This won’t be an every day post, but they will be interspersed throughout the blog in the weeks to come.

The prayer below is the first one I wrote and it deals with understanding God’s faithfulness to us as His creation and my desire to be faithful to Him.

Lord God,

Your will for my life is perfect and my plans are not. I resist and fight your leading and yet you continue to direct my steps. You remain faithful when I push away from you. My rebellion does not honor you, however you do not reject me. Lord your faithfulness is incomprehensible and it is my desire to grow in faithfulness to you. Continue to shepherd me and mold my heart into one that beats boldly and faithfully for you alone.

Posted on March 1st, 2012 by David | 1 Comment »

A Letter To My One Year Old Daughter

My Dear Ella,

On Saturday we celebrated your first birthday and it was a great party. Your mom made festive treats and decorated grandma and grandpa’s house, Aunt Elizabeth flew up from California and together with 50 of your closest friends and family you opened presents, ate cake and had a ball. It was truly a great day.

However as your dad, it’s hard to imagine that it has been a year since you entered the world. As cliche as it is to say, it seems like just yesterday that we met for the first time. In fact I can vividly recall that first night in the hospital as I stood over your crib watching you sleep, at times with my face just inches away from yours listening to the ever so soft sound of your breath.

And yet a year has passed and we have gotten to know each other quite well. I know the difference in your cries, your favorite books and the best places to tickle you in order to evoke the sweetest little laugh. And you know that saying “dada” and wrapping your arms tightly around my neck melts my heart.

The proverbial “they” always tell parents to cherish each moment and never take a day for granted and I can honestly say that I have done everything in my power over the last year to do just that. While there are grown-up obligations and responsibilities that take me away from you, you are on my mind and in my prayers constantly.

As you grow older, know that I will be your biggest advocate, supporter, coach, and protector. I will love you always, even in moments when we may not like each other.

You are a smart, funny, energetic and beautiful little girl and I love you with all of my heart and for that reason on Saturday we celebrated your birthday…and it was TRULY a great day.

Love,

Your “Dada”

Posted on February 16th, 2012 by David | 6 Comments »