Philly

Stayin' magma hot in the "City of Brotherly Love" where we celebrated Whit's graduation from Villanova University. This time I remembered to leave out the "Philly" part before ordering a cheesesteak sandwich.

Quote: Never argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.

Tunes: Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited

Superwhatever

"I meet so many people who have superwhatever rattling around in their head. They have this person they are convinced they are supposed to be, and their superwhatever is killing them. They have this image they picked up over the years of how they are supposed to look and act and work and play and talk, and it's like a voice that never stops shouting in their ear. And the only way to not be killed by it is to shoot first. Yes, that is what I meant to write. You have to kill your superwhatever. And you have to do it right now." -Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis
This is one of those times when you feel like the author or the pastor is speaking directly to you. Like they were thinking of you when they were writing their message. I can definitely relate with feeling overwhelmed by all the oughts and shoulds that I live by...by feeling driven by something that I'm not fully in touch with...feeling like I can't really slow down...that if I stop or don't follow my routines or do things right the world is going to stop. I'm not fully aware of why I am compelled to live this way, but I know it's robbing me in many ways. I know that I need to do some soul searching and allow God to heal some of the innermost places of my being. Rob Bell makes a sobering discovery on his journey to kill the superpastor inside him: "Your job is the relentless pursuit of who Gad has made you to be. And everything else you do is sin and you need to repent of it." God did not make me to be perfect, to please everyone, to be responsible and polished. He made me to passionately pursue Him, to love others, and to find the sacred in every day life. This involves a slowing down and letting go that I am not accustomed to. This involves facing the difficult things in my soul and bringing them to the surface. This involves being honest, authentic, and sharing the freedom that comes from accepting my own weaknesses and limitations.

Younger Men Grow Older Every Day...

Richie Havens has a song titled, "Younger Men Grow Older Every Day," and it has always had a profound effect on me. Those words are simple and obvious but very powerful. The reality that time is passing, and seemingly faster every year, takes on more importance as you age. Sometimes it's strange to think about my parents or other "older" people and think that not so long ago they were my age and probably thought of what life/they would be like in 30 years. It really makes me want to take advantage of today and make the most of life. Only, I don't seem to be very good at that. Maybe I'm too hard on myself and maybe I have unrealistic expectations, but putting signs up that say, "Carpe Diem," and reminding myself to live passionately every day never really seems to translate to actual results. Usually, it seems like it's the first of the month and I'm writing more checks to pay the bills and wondering where the last month went. I haven't figured out the secret to being pumped on life every day, but lately I guess I have been more aware of how blessed I am, how incredible this life is, how important attitude and positive thinking are, and how awesome it is that we don't go through this life alone. I'm learning to appreciate the changes that occur as a younger man grows older - things like back hair.