The Long Way Up

If I had it my way, I would probably end up living out in the boondocks like a hermit and avoid as much human interaction as I possibly could. That's a part of me that I know may never actually get to be lived out. Good thing, too, because I know I have been called to interact, live with and shepherd people into the Kingdom of God. My life is littered with a lot of paradoxes: a love for writing weighed down by frequent writer's block; a love for singing on stage neutralized by an aversion for crowds; a friendly demeanor opposed by this isolationist tendency. And that is one of my biggest dilemmas. In last decade of my life I have been ushered into this position of having to address multitudes, correlate with groups of leaders, and mentor several fledgling and maturing followers of Jesus. Part of me embraces this challenge. Another part wants to dismiss it altogether. Handling people is a fine art. It takes skill. It requires wisdom. It takes a lot of patience... and a t

Why is it when you're having a really bad day and in a really bad mood, a series of irritating, annoying, vexing, patience-testing circumstances just keep coming at you like a flood? The office has been overrun by children. It's become a daycare center. And any trace of workplace decorum and decibel levels have all but vanished in to the thick, palpable noise of unnecessary sounds. It's become quite hard to concentrate in my work space unless I choose to drown out the loudness with music through noise-cancelling earphones, which sometimes can't cancel the noise. I don't mind condescending to others and making room for their unique set of circumstances and personalities... but is it too much too ask for a little reciprocation? Can the consideration I've dished out somehow find it's way back to me, especially on days like this? In the first place, the office is an office, not a nursery. Not a hangout place. Not a storage facility. . . . . At the

I love words and I love writing. But one of the aspects of this passion that I really don't like is the paradox between having a lot of ideas when there's no writing instruments around, and getting writer's block when you've got pen and paper handy (or already sitting in front of your computer). It's the same for writing blog entries, lyrics or sermon outlines. And it doesn't help at all that your mind processes so many things at the same time that you really need to play catch up with your thoughts. I've had to lose many good ideas because of this. Still... what can you do? It's part of your passion. It's part of your vocation. It's part of your profession. So write, write, write!