Highlights and Thoughts Provoked from Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith, In Random Form of Course

I wanted to try something new. I read a lot, and I always take notes. I'd love to share some of the points that really stuck out to me, some of the things that I'm still chewing on because of this book.

I'm going to try to paraphrase some of these things. I don't think posting these few quotes from the book will diminish the overall reading experience. The book is really about a journey. I don't think you can even say that it's about a journey to faith. The conclusion is really left to the reader in that respect. It's more like a journey through certain revelations for the author.

Most of these lessons I'm about to list are actually from Mitch's rabbi, The Reb.

• Things that grow slowly are more formidable. Things that grow quickly, crumble easily.
• If you're going to lead or teach people spiritually, there is no room for cynicism.
• Life holds a lot more hope when we believe God has chosen to answer our prayers negatively instead of believing He isn't out there listening in the first place, especially when sudden death or illness is concerned. I have atheist friends, and I wonder how they feel about things like this. If life is pointless. We're here by accident for no real reason. We die, and it's done, then how much more pointless is all this suffering?
• "The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within." Mohandas Gandhi
• Olam Habah - the world to come. This sticks out to me because I recently read an argument that the Christian faith is a faith mainly concerned with the future. It's not about what we are, but what we're becoming. That's not to say that we sit back and let the future unfold, or that we're in any way responsible for creating the final outcome. By participating now, we're becoming now.
• The creation story that Judeo Christian traditions follow does not mention the word 'bad.' God did not create bad things. I study the creation story regularly, and this never occurred to me. I think he's talking about inherent goodness or badness here. We all have this choice. We weren't made bad.
• When you worry about God's judgement, you shouldn't worry about you versus the other guy. You should worry about God measuring you against you - how far you've come compared to where you were.
• Start any reconciliation with humility, "I've thought things over, and in some ways, you might be right." Even if you don't believe it. From my experience, this is great advice. I've often been labeled a diplomatic guy. I've helped facilitated a few reconciliations in my day, and I can tell you, humble keeps people listening. Anger does not.
• The take away from the book: Even if you're not actively seeking a faith, God, etc… if you know people that are obviously enamored with God, try to take some time to have a conversation with these people. You might walk away experiencing something beautiful. Ask them some tough questions.
• I'm starting a file of my own, titled simply, "God."

Other Random Thoughts, Non-book Related:

• Sorry salespeople out there, I hate the phrase, "It's a No Brainer." What it implies to me is, don't even bother thinking about all the angles. Just go for it. Living in this economy, no brainers often lead to more jobs for repo men.
• What's acceptable to wear after Labor Day? How about clothes? Don't we have enough to concern ourselves with already without worrying about whether or not white is acceptable? And Acceptable to whom?

Random Stuff on God, Faith, and My Kids

• If you were to start a file titled 'God,' what would you put in it?
• I should write a sermon on that one. Would you guys read my sermons?
• Have you ever had a week that seems to have a theme, like God is shouting something at you? For about a week now, my theme, the word that keeps being repeated over and over again in differing forms is: ritual.
• I'm reading more than one book right now. One is about the ways that we should approach Bible study. The other is about finding faith. They're actually, on the surface at least, oceans away from one another. One is more instructional. The other is more of a memior. They're both bringing me back to this idea of ritual, or habit.
• My own local pastor mentioned something very similar in his sermon last Sunday. He was talking more about habits that keep you growing spiritually, but to me, that's the same thing. Here's a link to that sermon - click here.
• Ritual. Ritual. Ritual.
• In the more memoir oriented book, the author asks a great question: If you wanted to connect yourself to anyone in the past through ritual, who would it be? Would it be a group? The idea being, you would mimic their behavior or rituals in hopes of seeing some truth that they obviously knew. In a way, ritual can be like time travel, you can connect with people that are no longer among the living.
• Ponder that for a month.
• In the same book, the author stopped running from God around the year 2000, the basic same timeline that I stopped running from God.
• Thinking this over, it's staggering to think about where I was then, at the beginning of faith, and where I am now. How many books have I read on the subject since then? How many articles? Not to mention all the things that have come and gone in my life: A house, two kids, a dream job gained and lost, a community of people I'm now connected with, friends come and gone.
• Staggering.
• The other book, the one that's just trying to lead to a more open minded reading of Scripture, it's a dense book. Full of tons of ideas and tangents, but they're all great fun and somewhat revelatory. It's hard to put down, but full of things that I could ponder for hours and hours on their own.
• One of the big ideas I think the author is trying to get at is the idea that we should take care not to make more of the Bible than we do God. Don't let the Bible itself become an idol to the point that we ignore what we know about God.
• If we know and experience God in a positive, loving way, why are we so easily convinced that God isn't loving when we encounter Scripture that appears to portray him as less so?
• He highly recommends further study, especially in regards to context, history, culture, and even possible problems with translation errors when we're talking about the English language.
• None of this is exactly new to me, but he does have some amazing illustrations that he uses to make his points.
• If curiosity has gotten the better of you, the authors I'm currently reading are Peter Gomes and Mitch Albom - again, in many ways, oceans apart. The books, The Good Book, Reading with Mind and Heart and Have a Little Fatih, A True Story. The latter is available right now at a local, going out of business, Borders store near you at a very reasonable price.
• I've gotten back in to some of my rituals this week.
• I may do another random post soon based on the Albom book. I'm only about a quarter of the way through the Gomes tomes, they're going to be a while.
• I like to face my fears. I don't want my life to be ruled by fear. Here's the thing though… I'm terrified of whales. I don't think I can face that fear. They're down there in the deep, big enough to swallow a person whole.
• My kids ask for broccoli when we're grocery shopping. I'm proud, but it's also weird. I'm sure it's our fault too.
• Has anyone else experienced this? We've bought about a hundred ink pens in the past two years. Do you think I can ever find one? My kids love to draw, so they're always snatching the pens, but what are they doing with them? Are they somehow falling into the foundation of my house? Is the upholstery of our couch packed with pens?

Ed's Story: Hope when Facing Death

Violence, Justice, Wrestling…

In the weeks that followed September 11th, 2001, many words escaped my lips that, even then, felt like they were being spoken by some anti-Brian. The words didn't feel like me. Other people told me as much back then.

I had been married for less than a year. Life was good for me. Planes crashing into buildings, that shook my world view, and I didn't like it. It opened my eyes to things I wanted to ignore. It opened up a reality I wanted to deny. I wasn't as safe as I had once thought. Fear, though certainly no stranger in life back then, seemed to grow legs in those days. I was sad too, but that wasn't as transformative.

Hitting that wall of reality made my tongue wag. I wanted justice. I wanted revenge. I wanted violence. I wanted blood. The words that escaped my tongue felt both wrong and right back then. They only feel wrong now. I feel too much shame to share them with you today.

The death of Osama Bin Laden should be something we all contemplate. This is a case where my faith butts heads with my patriotism. It's hard not to see the death of a violent person as a victory when he's caused you sadness and fear, but it's also hard to forget the lessons I've picked up on since then. Death removes the possibility of redemption as we know it.

Using violence to solve problems is easy, but I believe it costs us part of our souls. It's harder to avoid violence if it costs us our lives. So the question may be, what's more important our lives or our souls? Would we rather be a King Jr. or a Bin Laden?

My heart has changed. I feel now that my words were likely very similar to the words of those I sought to harm. I had become no different than my perceived enemy. They were killers, so I wanted them killed, making me a killer.

Justice is a tricky subject. It may sound cliche to say that only God knows the whole story, but I believe it. Even when someone is clearly committing acts of evil, we never know what every motivation might be. We think we do. Maybe there is no justification for evil, but maybe it's not right for us to judge anyway. Over and over again in scripture, God reminds us to be merciful.

I was a fairly new Christian back in 2011. I hadn't chased God much. There's been a lot of pursuit since then. Today, I can't see God being happy with further bloodshed. I can't imagine Jesus approving the outcome or methods. I don't think he wanted us to pray for enemies as we planned to shoot them in the head. It's hard to make a bullet loving.

I also became a father since 2001. My concept of love has grown in ways I can't put into words. If I love my kids so much that nothing they could ever do would take that love away, how much more does God love us? If God loves me, doesn't he love everyone, including terrorists?

If I find fault in a man because he caused so much death, how can I find comfort in even more death? To me, yesterday's death was just one more ugly event in a cycle of ugly events. I doubt the cycle has ended.

This world, this savage garden, it seems it will always leave me shaking my head in disgust, not just for the actions of others, but for the yearnings of my own heart. I thank God my heart is less stony today. I pray it's even less stony tomorrow.

Movies, Insurance, Sweat, and Bee Rocks…

• No offense Summer, but I need me a strong dose of Spring before you make your sweaty debut. I have jackets to wear, and books to read outside. I don't want to have to install air conditioners yet.
• Owen is terrified enough of bees, and he's already seeing them everywhere. Okay. They're usually rocks. He has an overactive imagination.
• Love and Other Drugs. Ladies, a few questions: So… it's okay for a movie to have gratuitous nudity and sex as long as it's still technically a chick flick? Also… it's okay for the characters to be incredibly shallow as long as there's some romance and someone matures by the end?
• Insurance work has been an adventure so far.
• Cold calling potential clients was a difficult thing to start.
• I've talked to hundreds of answering machines. I should try to come up with something funny to say. Maybe that would get me a few call backs.
• Have you ever noticed that people that are very patriotic don't like anthems that aren't the National Anthem? I would think songs of unity, even if they're not specifically American, would still hold some interest.
• I'm going to miss Michael Scott on The Office. For me, that's an almost perfect weekly dose of comedy. It's so well done now, I'm hoping they can keep the show going without him.
• I saw an article the other day referring to the present musical age as the "Post-Nirvana Era." Do you get the impression that some music writers graduated high school in the early nineties and got stuck in their own musical era? I seem to remember purchasing quite a few albums between 1993-2011 that had no resemblance to grunge or the nineties in any way.
• "New Superman movie villain revealed!" … And it's the same villain that appeared in the first two eighties movies … snore … General Zod again? He's basically evil Superman with a beard.
• DC Comics movies continue to fail with their antagonists. Okay. The Batman franchise has been pretty good lately. They had a lot to make up for though. Let's not forget the Bat-nipples and Jimmy Carrey as the Riddler. Didn't Prince do the soundtrack for one of those movies too?
• If they ever make an Aquaman movie, expect the villains to be a whale and General Zod from the Superman movies.
• Watching Taxi Driver for the first time made me feel unstable. Not because I identified with the main character in any way. More of a, I feel more unstable for having witnessed him, kind of way.
• The ongoing controversy of hell and what it might be like can shine some light on what people believe about other aspects of faith. Those who seem to be having the greatest difficulty with Rob Bell or NT Wright or even C.S. Lewis also seem to have the opinion that Heaven is somewhere else, not accessible now. They seem to neglect the now aspects and focus on whether or not we can "get in" after death.
• I mean no disrespect by pointing this out. If anything, it offers me insight and hopefully understanding into a viewpoint I previously had none.
• As much of a mess as Sucker Punch turned out to be, I loved the quote at the end… "Who Honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us... and at the same time sings that we'll never die? Who teaches us what's real... and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and what we'll die to defend? Who chains us... and who holds the key that can set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight!"
• I think they could have fixed the movie pretty easily. I think I get what the director was going for. He just seems to have left a few pieces out. Maybe those pieces will be replaced in the director's cut.
• I did really dig the sound track.

Joan Jett, Hank III, Glasses, Randomness

• The political ads are killing me. I have to change the channel. They just seem much more extreme this year, like they're not holding back the crazier ideas.
• Our church is covering a book entitled, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. We're not typically a church-wide, book-covering type of place, but right now our sermons and small groups are all centered around these ideas.
• One of the major themes involves learning to identify that part of you that usually has you concerned with what other people think. It's part of what the author calls a "false self." It's that part of you that gets anxious before interacting with certain people, wanting to have all the right answers and behaviors in order to impress. It's that part of you that doesn't really allow you to just relax and be yourself. I'm simplifying of course, but ever since getting into this idea, I've had that Joan Jett lyric playing in my head. "I don't give a damn 'bout my repu-ta-tion!" I can't seem to shake it. I really don't want to have to dig out Joan Jett CDs.
• She still puts on a great show however. Her new stuff isn't half bad.
• No. I'm not perpetually stuck in the 80's. I just went through a short phase a few years ago.
• Okay. I love my Cars greatest hits CD too and Jim Croce and The Cure…
• It is fun to attend Jett's shows and listen to the drunk, homophobic, old guys complain because they believe she's gay, suggesting she take a ride on their love train to "turn her around," and in the next breath, praise her for rockin' out. What would a concert be without drunk old guys?
• I recently went to see Hank III (Hank the third - Hank Williams Senior's grandson, Hank Williams Junior's son). My cousin, Jasen treated me to a ticket. Hank III has a diverse collection of albums. He started with an old country sound mixed with more modern, gritty themes, which I'm fond of. He has some albums that would more closely resemble modern hillbilly country - think rude and somewhat stereotypical. He also does country infused heavy metal.
• It was strange to see a mosh pit moving to the sound of fiddles. It was strange, but still appropriate.
• The crowd was just as diverse. Some people hated the older sounding stuff. They jeered at the instrumentals. I'm not really a fan of his metal sets, and some of the hillbilly stuff is just a bit too rude for me lately. It was great to see him live. He looks and sounds a lot like his grandfather.
• As an old concert veteran, I can tell you, when you see the guy wearing a confederate flag as a cape: That's the guy to avoid. Having witnessed it over and over again, the guy wearing a flag as a cape is most likely to continue his need for bold statements by punching innocent standersby in the face for little or no reason.
• The Machine Shop is a gem in this area.
• It's been a bad year for Halloween horror movies. I usually get myself into the spooky spirit by watching my old favorites. I decided instead to catch up on a few I'd missed. That's been a mistake. Apparently I missed them for good reason.
• I highly recommend the following modern gems: Splinter, Trick 'R Treat, The Mist, and The Crazies remake. Old favorites include: the original Halloween, Return of the Living Dead, Martin, Night of the Living Dead, and The Monster Squad.
• Did I mention that the political ads have been scary? One guy very openly stated that he wanted to get rid of the income tax. Sounds fine on the surface. Hey, less taxes, but isn't the income tax one of the few remaining mechanisms in place to somewhat level the field between rich and poor? If you earn more, you therefore contribute more toward running the country. Those who earn less keep more to survive on.
• He wants to replace income tax with a much higher tax on goods and services. They say this will initially cause most products to be priced so high that lower income families will struggle intensely, but "eventually the market will adjust itself" so $8 for a gallon of milk will just be common place.
• Owen's vocabulary is increasing by leaps and bounds. I think it's the glasses. He's also spelling words regularly.
• His glasses have had me down for a while. There, on his face, is a metaphorical reminder of all the bullying and torment I went through starting at his age. I'm just praying he escapes it, but more and more, he reminds me of myself.
• I chaperoned his first field trip a few weeks back. I was responsible for one other child. She just happened to be the girl he had mentioned having a little crush on. He was so shy. I had to coax him into talking to me that day. He seemed to be a bit of a loaner around the other kids too. I've got to think of a way to get him out of these habits.
• Gage has glasses too, but he doesn't need to wear his as often.
• Everyone is having babies again. I hope my wife doesn't get any ideas.

Feeling Lost but Carrying a Work Ethic, or Willing to Work While Sick

When I was four, my mom and I would often get up with my dad as he prepared for work. We were up before the sun. At that time, my dad would have been low seniority at the Pontiac plant, working for GM. In no way the comfy job many envision when they think of working for GM. What most people don't realize is, the 'comfy' only settles in toward retirement. I'm not sure GM in the 70's even had comfy.

For the first twenty years of my life or more, I can't recall one day that my dad ever took off for illness or voluntary vacation. He would get up, often before the sun and return in the afternoon. If we were lucky, he'd come inside the house before heading to the garage to tinker or do more side work to earn more money. We still had vacations because dad got laid off a lot (low seniority), and GM typically has a mandatory shut down in the summer months for something they call "change over."

There were good and bad points to having a hard working father. He wasn't perfect. But, I always felt, and still do, that he was doing what he was doing for my benefit. It was to keep us secure. He went to work sick, never took days off, so they'd never get the impression that they could do without him.

The reason I know this? In recent years, while I was employed, I'd call him in the middle of a vacation day just to chat. He's immediately ask why I wasn't at work. If I took more than one vacation day off in a row, he'd make sure to tell me, "Don't go missing from your job long enough for them to realize that they might get along just fine without you."

I inherited my dad's work ethic. I never considered it a bad thing, but it did have some negative aspects. When I started working in an office setting, they didn't appreciate me showing up for work running a fever or spreading contagious illnesses. I was very sternly told one day to stay home the next time I thought I wasn't feeling well.

Not taking vacation time didn't make supervisors too happy either. It was okay most of the year, but when it came to November or December, my vacations would have to be crammed in last minute. I'm not complaining about what my dad exemplified. It bites at me every morning because I'm currently unemployed. I also live in Michigan. I believe we have the highest level of unemployment in the country.

Not being productive, in a more traditional sense, has proven to be very hard for me. I haven't adjusted well to a more domestic, stay-at-home status. I don't mean that as a strike against those that do. It's just not proving to be me.

I feel like I'm failing as a provider. I'm not securing my children's security, if that makes sense.

The worst part though, is the feeling of being lost. My profession has morphed a bit. I always worked for newspapers, and now there are few of those to choose from.

I originally thought I'd roll my creativity into web design. I soon found that creativity comes after programming in many cases, if at all. The creative process isn't as quick and free. It has more to do with code and organization, less, if anything, to do with art. Web Design didn't "feed my soul," as my pastor likes to say. It actually seemed like more of an added offense in light of the career path I left behind.

So, every day the Michigan Talent Bank website shoots me a list of possible jobs. It's usually a pretty short list, if I get any at all. I've applied for many. I've applied for jobs I was over qualified for, jobs I was under qualified for. I applied to places that weren't hiring. I even started applying for jobs that I never really thought about doing. I'm more than willing to take something that isn't related to my previous field.

Politicians and Pundits keep telling us that things are going to get better. The jobs will come back. It's hard waiting on that, especially knowing that any job will likely not involve what I've grown so comfortable doing. I feel like I'm stuck in Career Limbo.

We get college pamphlets in the mail, and I think, wow, Medical Billing. Surely that's a secure career bath. It doesn't sound exciting or even mildly entertaining, but it would be a paycheck, maybe some benefits. Maybe there would be some security in it. But, then again, who am I to go back to college when my wife hasn't had the chance to go yet?

So, I think about what does feed my soul. I didn't really have a recognizable, active faith when I was younger. I have an intense love for God now. I love to read about Him, talk about Him, and honestly, write about Him. My faith dominates every aspect of my life. But, how do you turn that into a career… at my age… in my situation?

Giving up on my old career, coming to terms with the idea of doing something less inspiring or natural for me, hasn't made my job search easier. Instead, it's even more depressing to look for ANY job that would pay a decent wage, because they are proving just as hard to find.

I know I sound like a whiny, broken record. I just can't decide what I want to do. I don't see a clear path in front of me. I don't see any road signs pointing the way. Perhaps putting this down in written form will open some pathways of thought.

When I first found out my job was disappearing, I went through a rough time. For lack of a better way of putting it, I felt like I was screwed, that things were grim. After a few weeks of that, I had a moment when I felt/knew that I didn't need to be so worried. I felt/knew that someone had my back no matter what. Most of my anxiety over the situation was much more manageable after that. Lately, I'm feeling like I need at least a glimmer of a road sign, something to point in some direction. I don't want to flip a coin on what to do next, and I'm feeling like it has come to that.

I know I shouldn't be afraid, but fear is a tricky habit to break. I'm praying that the guy who has my back (and I don't doubt this really) will soon grab my shoulders and turn me in the right direction, maybe give me a little shove.

Letter to My Sixteen Year Old Self

So many things I'd like to tell you about, but I'll try to stick to the important stuff.

For starters, forget high school. I know it sucks. I know you dread every day there, but two years from now, you'll realize none of the things (or people) that are dogging you have anything to do with your life anymore. Keep being true to yourself. Don't let other people influence your sense of worth. You have no idea what great things are in store for you, things that none of those situations can detract from.

You swear too much. Stop it. It's not rebellious. It's stupid. I'm not saying don't swear, but be honest, you're over doing it.

I don't think I have to tell you how much your parents love you. That doesn't change. Even when you fight, and you will, it'll pass. They'd move mountains for you. I know you're not close with dad, but he changes. He figures out that his time with you is fleeting. You really wouldn't recognize him.

Mom is going to go through a rough patch. It'll last a few years. My best advice? Don't do anything! It's a touchy situation. It's called menopause, and a few years after it ends, she'll be happy that no one made any drastic decisions during that time.

When you're about 21 or 22, your youngest brother, Bill(y) will seem to idolize you. He'll hang out with you a lot. Keep in mind how impressionable he is. Be careful what you say to him. There'll be a day where you say some things about partying, drugs, alcohol. You're going to say the wrong thing! You're going to regret it for years! Just because you have regrets, things you never did, things you once thought wrong that you now think differently of, you don't have to share those things. Even when things do get rough for him, remember how much you love him. That love will get you through, and hopefully help him. You two are still so much alike.

I know you don't get along well with Bob(by) well right now. When you go away to college, that'll change. You guys equal out a bit. Someday, someone's going to tell you that you're a lot like Bob, especially your sense of humor. I know. I know. Hard to believe. The things is, you're more alike than you think. There are still days where you want to call him up and yell at him, but that's got more to do with love than anger. There really is no anger left between you. You're finally brothers who act brotherly. Oh yeah, he's bald now, but it's on purpose.

Kevin may still be your best friend from where you're sitting, but that's going to change. He's going to go through some things you can't even imagine. He's going to close you off because he doesn't want you to get hurt too. DON'T LET HIM DO THAT! Grab him by the shoulders, shake him, rage against him! Do whatever you have to do to be there for him! There will come a time when he won't have anything to do with you or even his family, and you will regret not being there for him when he likely needed you most, even though he told you he didn't need you. As much as you respect and understand his current distance, you will still love him like a brother.

Your cousin Jasen is still a great friend to you. Your adventures came to an end shortly after college. You grew apart for a lot of years, but you found your way back together. You talk to him a lot, but it seems like you're still disconnected in some ways. He's your biggest supporter in a lot of ways. When you doubt yourself, he seems to trumpet for you. He's a family man too, a hero of yours in that regard. He still makes you laugh in a way that no one else can.

Quit putting so much emphasis on women. Okay. I know that's impossible, but hear me out. There won't be many. Wait. That sounds horrible. There doesn't need to be many. You'll love a few, but then you're going to meet one that makes all your dreams come true, well, except for that comic book idea you have. That never really goes anywhere, but that's really your own fault. After all those dreams are met, you go on to live through some really great times that you never even dreamed of.

Get to know your Grand Fathers now. They'll be gone soon, and you'll be left wondering about what types of men they were.

A few other quick fire things:

Sleep is going to be way too important to you for a few years. Get over it.

Don't ever share any kind of rental living arrangements with any of your friends. It will seriously hurt your relationships.

Something big is going to hurt Faye. Be there for her as much as she'll let you. You still love her like a sister, but you've messed that up a lot too.

Don't get angry with Greg. You guys work together for a few years. You'll miss his friendship, and it will be your fault.

Even though Tony doesn't seem to like you at first, he'll become one of your best friends ever. Don't take a minute that you guys get together for granted.

There's going to be a big crack in your heart shortly after you decide to become a parent. You'll get through it, but not a day will go bye that you don't feel that crack.

Bend over backwards for your wife when your first born arrives. Don't give her a chance to feel like you weren't supporting her in everything she's decided to do as a new mother.

There will be heart ache, younger self. There will be days where you no longer believe you have a heart. There will be days where you rage against God, life, and the entire world around you. I urge you to reign in that anger. It really won't get you far. When things feel hopeless, you're wrong. When you think about throwing it all away, you've got to learn to get past it. What's going on won't last forever.

I've learned that you can rage against God all you want. Blame him. Deny him. Argue against his existence and demean those that believe. You can and will do all of that. But, I've learned that He loves all of us, and I've felt that love. You suspect this already. You're going to learn that, everything you hate about life and this world, God hates those things to. There's explanations for a lot of what you're feeling. There are answers. No one's explained it to you in the right way yet, but let's be honest, you've been kind of hostile about it anyway. You're going to get it one day, and it's going to be big for you. Your wife helps get you in the door, you could say, but you take the ball and run with it when the time is right. You can do all those hateful, harsh things toward God because you'll find out one day that He's more than okay with it. Whether you find Him or He finds you, it'll change your life forever, and you wouldn't have it any other way. Trust me.

I know you're not very happy. Things are going to get worse, but right now, twenty or more years later? Right now, where I am, life is fantastic.

Right now you have a beautiful wife that you love even when she's driving you crazy. You've learned to live a little more simply than you might expect, but you've also learned the value of that. You also have two beautiful sons that opened up whole new worlds to you. They can drive you crazy too, but you love them more than I can put into words.

Now the hard part of the letter. The part where I realize I could never really send this to you. Not just because it's impossible, but because, if I told you any of the before mentioned information and you acted on any of it, you might not end up where I am. I don't want to imagine what that would be like. Doing any one thing differently might change things entirely. You and I both wouldn't want that.

I'm sorry that you're going to go through a lot of hardship sixteen-year-old self, but I'm sure happy that we end up here, where I am. Hang in there. It's a wild ride, but the destination is worth it.

Storming the Gates

Imago Dei Community is a church community that I keep up with online. Don Miller, a favorite author of mine, calls this church home. Don often talks about his pastor, Rick McKinley, and through online sermons and one of his books, I found Rick to be inspiring too.

A few years ago Imago Dei helped jump start a movement called the Advent Conspiracy. The basic idea is this: Instead of buying aunt Gertrude a new set of kitchen towels she doesn't want or need every year. Why not take that money and give it to people in need all over the world? As an added bonus to you, you'll have less stress looking for the perfect towel set, and you can invite your aunt over for a special dinner instead, making your relationship more meaningful. That's a pretty simplified version of their mission of course, but I found the ideas they were presenting very moving.

The movement isn't saying, "Don't buy any presents for anyone, and feel bad if you do." It's saying that, at the heart of Christmas, for Christians, there's a story of love, of giving, of relief - good news. Consumption is rarely any of these things.

Living Water is one of the organizations that the Advent Conspiracy recommends for donations, but the idea is that you can help any cause that's important to you.

There are many parts of Africa that exemplify hell on Earth. They lack the most basic human needs, like clean drinking water. Some of these things can be easily fixed by introducing or supplying them with the basic technology to access what is already there. Living Water is just one organization that builds simple wells that then supply water to entire villages, villages full of men, women, and children. When life improves for these people, hell loses its footing there.

Matthew 16:18

18. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

A lot of people think this means that Christianity can deflect any attack from hell, but others think it means that hell can not defend itself from us. If we want to overcome the hell we find on Earth, we need only rush in armed with love and generosity.

I'm happy to say, our church has joined the Advent Conspiracy this year. You can listen to the most recent sermons here. Below I'll give you some more links to some of the other organizations I mentioned.

None of us should feel shame over pouring love onto our loved ones, but if you get a second, cruise over to these other sites. See the great things that they're doing. Let me know if anything lingers in your thoughts or on your heart. Perhaps you'll become a co-conspirator.

www.adventconspiracy.org

www.water.cc

www.wildwindchurch.com

www.imagodeicommunity.com