no room for the headliner

earlier today, a friend and i swung by and picked up some fast food. i'm not a big fan of eating out, but the combination of time + tiredness + cost = taco bell. that was convienent for us both, so we stopped by.

as we were standing in line, i noticed the fairly buff fella in front of us with a pretty interesting tattoo. he was rocking a big university of georgia "G" on his shoulder. (now i live in athens, ga. paradise city and home of the dawgs. i'm as big of a dawg fan as they come and this definitely wasn't the first tatted "G" i'd encountered.) but what set this particular tattoo apart was what followed my beloved school's logo.

a small "od" was intricately etched into this man's arm beside the "G".

i pointed it out to my friend and tucked it away to think about later. it all happened so quick, i didn't have time to process it. i couldn't decide if i liked it or not.

but i didn't think i would.

no.

actually.

i don't. at all.

its not that i have anything against tattoos. i've designed 3 that are sported on people right now. i once heard someone say, "my body is a temple, i'm just painting the walls." now i don't know about all that, but whatever floats your boat. now understand, i'm not against supporting what you're passionate about and i'm definitely not against professing your faith, even through body art.

but i have a problem when you only profess your faith when its convenient. God wants to be the focus. he wants to be the center. he is the headliner. the main event. he doesn't want to be tagged on whenever we have extra space or time. he doesn't want to fit into our agenda.

i love when asked his name, God replies, "tell them I AM." --- now i can imagine thinking... "yeah, because that clears everything up.. i totally understand now..."

but that's the thing. he is. its tuff to grasp, but its true. he was yesterday, is today, and will be tomorrow. he is everything. plain and simple. and he deserves it all. he deserves all of our focus, our passion and desire.

not just a small "od" off to the side of a massive "G" logo.

that's convenient, sure. but when we mix our priorities and allow God to fade off to the side to fit our agenda, it's not only disrespectful, but disturbing.

and i don't like it.
pc

defying the casual

there's a song that the covington christian youth group models their lives by called "casual christian." i found this picture and it reminded me of the central theme of that tune. the song's chorus goes something like this:

i don't wanna be, i don't wanna be a casual christian
i don't wanna live, don't wanna live a lukewarm life
but i wanna light up the night
with an everlasting light
i don't wanna live a casual christian life

brilliant.

jonathan mast once challenged, "you're either all in or you're all out. but you have to decide."

its amazing and encouraging to see students who get the picture. who understand the commission and who don't want to settle for the world, but strive to grasp a divine invitation.

its awesome to see students who don't want to be casual.

students who are all in.

try to defy,
pc

so fresh and so clean, clean

"You are only as far behind as you want to be." - U.S. Army General ...... or just, Dad

that quote is hand-written and hangs above my desk in my room. i try to remind myself that procrastination is a choice, so when i feel overwhelmed with all my work, it helps me discern how i chose to get to that point and how i can change it in the future.

it sometimes works.

but as finals approach, i've found that once again i've let myself get behind in many areas.

i think that's why i enjoy the beginning of a new semester so much. its a fresh start, a new slate. a sense of optimism always seems to ride in and lift my attitude when i get ready to take on the new challenge. i guess that's why as i get older, i've realized that i enjoy the morning time more and more. it marks the beginning to a new day. a new start and a fresh slate.

and so goes my walk.

God has given me a clean slate. i'm encouraged and reminded that he wants me. he wants my best and he wants it constantly. so when i get off track or fall behind, he's there to wake me up for a new day.

fresh,
pc

department of redundancy department

"today never happened before." -jonathon foreman [switchfoot]

when i walked into his office, from wall to wall to wall to wall was books. and my professor and mentor was sitting at his desk writing another. i had 2 months before winter break when i would transfer to the University of Georgia and begin the next chapter of my life. i walked in as usual and sat. as he saved his latest ideas, he turned and asked, "how is your day, today?" that is how he would begin most conversations. from the department of redundancy department. and until recently, i don't think i ever really grasped his reasoning in articulating his question structure that way.

--- rob bell, in his "everything is spiritual" tour, spoke about how God called for moses to come up on top of the mountain and be there. that seems silly to us, with the idea that of course, if moses went there, then he would certainly be there. but rob bell points out the reasoning in articulating a command like that. because often times we're so concerned with what else is going on and what else we have to do, that we miss the here and now. the story tells of the pretty intense hike moses had to endure to get to the top of the mountain, and that he, being human, would probably go ahead and begin to think, plan and fret of his journey down the mountain as soon as he arrived. and in doing so, "moses would never really be on top of the mountain." and in effect, miss the point. miss the mark. and miss God.

brilliant.

so as i sat there, i simply asked my mentor, "how?" how could you manage to read that many books? how could you find time to write more of them? how could you balance that with your family time? with your free time? and on top of that, squeeze in time to teach college classes? oh yeah, and make time to meet with students like myself for hours on end weekly?

and the man who speaks seven languages laughed and shook his head and said these words (in english),

"We all have the same 24 hours. How do you use yours?"

wow.

( and that's when i knew that it would be very wise to visit this man as much as i could while i had the chance)

so, how is your day, today? - that's not a mistake. and today's not a mistake. this day was made, for today. there has never been one like it. there will never be another like it. what are you going to do with it? we can't be so focused on what happened yesterday or what's going to happen tomorrow that we never really live today.

i want to wake up and be awake.

i want to live and be alive.

today has never happened before. how will you spend it?

here and now,
-pc

on that path

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle


so i was talking to one of my good buddies tonight about life. not so much about the living of life, but more about the developing along the way. this actual conversation began with a pretty bold disclaimer, as i said to him, "hey man, i'm not gonna ask permission to ask you a pretty personal question because you're one of my closest buddies, so i'm just gonna give you a heads up." and when most people would begin to fret, my friend simply replied, "alright, shoot." well we talked for a while and the question came up about how things are going and my buddy gave the most theologically astounding, truthfully honest, best answer possible.

he said, "i'm just trying to do better."

it doesn't get more real than that. at first, i took it with a grain of salt, but after tossing it around in my head a little bit, wow. that's where its at!

i want to break this sentence down and try to bring justice to its beauty. i understand that this may seem a bit intense or crazy, but it really is pretty awesome. this guy can throw a simple phrase out there like this that holds so much underlying meaning. this guy lives with underlying meaning.

--- he begins by saying that "i am" -- that is active ownership. he is taking responsibility for what needs to be done. that is in motion. in progress. that is action. right off, he's telling me that he is being proactive.
then he goes on to tell what he is doing. he's trying. that is the most anyone could ever ask for. to try. to put forth effort. he is doing that. he's trying.

and finally, trying what?

to - do - better

that's where i get excited. that's what its all about. taking it to the next level. not always being satisfied with where you're at, knowing there's more. knowing there are things you could do to improve. things you can do to improve. to make a difference. my friend is in progress. he is on a journey. he is being proactive about a cause and working to get there. he has a goal and is striving to reach it.

i kept thinking about this simple sentence. this idea. these simple words that can hold much more meaning than what meets a first glance.

i told him, "do the next right thing."

that's what i've really been trying to focus on. its much easier to tackle one obstacle at a time. we often get caught up in making these life-changing decisions and then become discouraged as soon as we miss the mark or screw up big time. change comes as the result of continuously choosing to do right instead of wrong.

but when we can honestly say to our closest friends, "i'm just trying to do better," then we're certainly on the right path.

that's where i want to be.
-pc

[blurred] perspective

*cornholio - (korn-hole-ey-o) noun. - the act of one player throwing 4 consecutive ringers in a game of cornhole while in the duration of a single round.


i'm a huge fan of cornhole. every time my family gets together for a barbecue or a birthday or a holiday, it doesn't matter the reason, we always seem to break out the cornhole boards and go at it....

well today was easter. and my family gets together to celebrate.

so needless to say, we did work..

or rather, me and my teammate. after a few pretty good games, our team caught fire and was throwing lights-out. i'm talking, we couldn't miss the board if we tried (well... in our eyes anyway). so we're playing this pretty intense game on this beautiful afternoon when i notice those great massive georgia pines began to cast shade on the board that i had been tossing to. meanwhile, the beginning of a gorgeous sunset had just started to glisten between the trees and the mixture of mother nature's elements made it tough to see my target. at this point, i had outright landed three straight ringers and was ready to launch my final bag for a stellar cornholio* and seal victory for our team. everything felt right; i threw the bag, watched it fly, waited for that faithful "thud", and squinted to see where it slid...

i paused.

then i grinned.

continued to wait.

then i squinted my focus on the shadowy, gleaming board.

cautiously smiled.

and was just about to give a tiger woods victory-fist-pump when i heard my teammate gasp with an "agghh, dude! so close!"

"what!? so close? what do you mean close? that went in! that had to go in," i thought. but as i walked a few feet to my right and bent down to get a different view, sure enough, way off! i wasn't even in the ballpark! i mean everything looked so right, it even felt right! but wow did i miss the mark! and i didn't even realize it until i changed my perspective. from where i was, with all the distractions, it felt golden!

isn't that how life is sometimes? i mean things can seem like they're going smoothly, everything seems so right and it can even feel right, but those closest to you can see how far off you really are? and as soon as you can take a step back and honestly look at the situation, when you change your perspective, you can see clearly what's going on.

sometimes, when we get so caught up in life, when we're so focused on our schedules and relationships and school and work and whatever else rocks our world, we need to take a moment to step back and change our perspective to see what's really going on. to see where we are in relation to the goal. to see if we've missed the mark completely and need to get things right. maybe we even need to consult those who are closest to us, those who care, and get their take on the situation. when so much is going on, when life is throwing out all these obstacles to blur the vision of our ultimate goal, Jesus Christ, its time to change our perspective and get things right.

missed the mark,
pc

my remedy chose me

what - is - going - to - be - your - remedy?
i live in this world. i know all about misdirections, misconceptions, misunderstandings, miscommunications, misapprehensions, misconstructions, misinterpretations, mistakes, misbeliefs, miscalculations, misjudgements, mismanagements, misses, and myths.

-- i ran across this poem in high school. and for some reason, it has stuck with me.

Remedy
The world, the world would rather have me a bit tipsy than completely sober
Shoulder my concern with pain and arrange my face to disguise my disgust
The world, the world would rather i have little flaws than too fine a specimen
No children with gratitude rather attitudes of dont be too nice guys you'll finish last
The world, the world rather my mind be slightly deformed than in the right one performed mircales in His name but the shame of imperfection
Became misdirection and supported their lack of faith
But not you,
No No
Not you
You know what its like to hit the pipe and be delivered
You know what its like to be a hellion and be forgiven
You know what its like
So tell them
Where you got the prescription
Whos your connection?
The Remedy.
-Herb Bailey

--- just under 3 years ago i began a new chapter of my life. i started college. as i loaded up all of the possessions an 18 year old holds so dear and headed off to begin my new life, i'll never forget hugging my dad and him looking into my eyes as he said, "Son, you've led your life in a way that has truly made me proud, now its time for you to lead your life in a way that will make you proud."

wow.

i'm a work-in-progress. but i have chosen my remedy. or rather, He has chosen me.

--- its been almost a year now. but i had a great opportunity to share jesus with the coolest japanese exchange student to ever grace UGA's campus. the night before he was baptized, i walked out by the lake with my buddy who was gleaming with excitement, and i simply told him. "Yasu, the main difference between Christianity and other religions is that those religions were created by people in attempt to try and reach up to God, while Christianity is all about a loving God reaching down to us." Yasu, with a huge smile, looked at me and said, "I was chosen."

absolutely.

and that's what today is all about. it is Good Friday. an ironic name, but a day of remembrance. the day that christ took up our cross and died in our place.

i pray that what makes my father proud aligns with what will one day make me proud, but most of all, i pray that i make jesus proud. he is my remedy. i was chosen.

-pc

i've been listening

a few nights ago, i was reading rob bell's "velvet elvis" and was captivated by two simple truths. -- jesus was a jew. and jesus sought out guys like me.

now the first is really no news to me, of course he was. i remember that from the felt boards in children's church. but why it mattered so much, i was about to find out. and the second truth, well its important because it directly impacts the way i approach this whole idea of christianity.... read on.

so the other night, as i read, something happened, i saw jesus in a different way. i believe i saw him in the way he desires for me to see him all the time. and here's why...

see, jesus was a jew. right. and in order for jesus to have been a jewish man, he would have been a jewish boy. annnd this is why that rocks -----

a jewish boy's entire childhood revolved around one thing: learning scripture. by the time a young jew was around 10 years old, he would have memorized the entire torah. (wow, i could hardly memorize a poem at 10 years old!!) but these youngguns would study and learn and memorize and study more. it was a different world obviously. they had a different mindset, a different focus. young jews basically had one goal: to be close to God. they did that by learning the scriptures to a T in hopes of one day becoming a disciple of a rabbi - a teacher of God's word. so if they were really good, if they new scripture by the back of their hand, if they were the best of the rest, then they would in a way be assessed around that age and be invited to learn more.

--- now the most significant aspect of this system in relation to jesus' story is what happens to the "rest," to the guys who weren't good enough. these kids would begin learning their family's trade; whether it be farming or shepherding or carpentry or fishing. they would learn the ins and outs of the job they would likely work for the rest of their lives. but we'll get back to that in a bit, back to the "quest kids."

--- now these young jews, the brightest of their class so to speak, would begin studying the rest of the scriptures. they would spend countless hours in the presence of the local preists and rabbis. they would spend their days learning and studying and learning more. because for a young jew, realizing the dream of becoming a disciple was all that mattered. so eventually, when the youngster was around 14 or 15, the studied jew would approach a rabbi in hopes of possibly hearing the 3 most important words of their lives. but before a rabbi would even think about accepting a boy as his disciple, he would offer a rigorous Q & A session. he wanted to know everything about the boy. - how much he knew about scriptures, how much he knew about those who knew the scriptures, how much he knew about what those who knew the scriptures knew.... intense is an understatement! and here's why: a disciple was indeed a student, but ultimately, he would try to in essence, become the rabbi. here's what i mean - a disciple tried to do everything the rabbi did, like the rabbi did it. the disciple would follow a rabbi no matter where he went, literally. across the room, across town, across the nation, everywhere. all because the disciple didn't want to miss a thing! if it came out of the rabbi's mouth, the disciple heard it. and remembered it.

so if this young, gifted jew was cut out for the job, if he knew the scriptures and everything about them, if he impressed the rabbi and the rabbi actually thought that this kid could essentially become him, then he released those special words mentioned earlier: "Come, follow me." --- and if the rabbi felt that the jew wasn't ready, if he couldn't do the work, if he wasn't cut out for the tast, he would send him home to learn his trade. it was do or die. like i said, intense.

now where the whole "jesus being a jew" really becomes significant is this next part. now we know that jesus was amongst the "best." he knew the scriptures and everything about them, he knew the ins and outs and commentary. but where it gets interesting is when you focus on the types of guys jesus sought to be his disciples. he didn't seek the "best of the best," jesus sought out real, working young guys who didn't make the cut or who weren't good enough. when jesus called peter and andrew to follow him, these dudes were fishing! not in the way we view fishing, they weren't out chillaxing one sunny afternoon, catching some rays and wettin'-a-hook. no, fishing was their job. that was their trade. they were fishing because they didn't make the cut, neither was "good enough" to become a disciple. so when jesus calls out to them, "Come, follow me," you can see the significance of a real-life rabbi seeking those types of jewish boys. what a feeling! to be chosen by a rabbi! you've been told you weren't good enough, for whatever reason it was, you didn't make it into that circle. but jesus was bringing a new message. a new idea. a new revolution. he wasn't excluding anyone. he wanted the rejected, the incapable. he knows that where we fall short, he makes up the difference.

this is exciting. i mean this is great news for me. i'm not good enough. but i don't have to be. jesus can use me if i am willing. i'm not the best. i'm nothing. i don't know the ins and outs. but i don't have to know everything. its a developing story. i am a work-in-progress. jesus can use me right now. where i fall short, he makes up the difference. he chose those just like me, regular dudes who were willing to be used to accomplish his mission. what a beautiful opportunity.


i've been listening.

and he spoke up.


love is a verb.
-pc

as if some type of wonderwall will save me

why do i long to please others who will only continue to search for fault in my attempt?

why is my self-worth and identity found on the tip of the tongue of another?

why am i continuously searching for myself in someone else's eye and speaking words that please their ears?

why do i look straight ahead when i ought to be looking up?

why do i worry about tomorrow when my protector is already there?

why am i afraid to finish last when i know that's where i'll find the servant?

why do i cling to man's creations while the creator of man clings to my heart, calling, waiting a reply?

why do i grasp hold of temporary prominence as if some type of wonderwall will save me; hanging on with my life, afraid to loosen a grip that has a much tighter hold on me than i'd like to imagine, while all along i'm being called to something greater. something bigger. something amazing and beautiful and infinite.
i go on with my life as my savior and biggest fan calls out to me, begging, waiting an answer, longing for me to fall into his arms, surrender to his majest, and come back to the heart of adoration, the trueness of worship, and the pureness of devotion.

he's there. and i know this.

so i must ask, why?

why seek a glimpse of myself through someone else's eye while the divine rock who loves me most has tears streaming down his face longing for me to reach just a little further and grasp his incredible gift that none will ever match.

i'm ready.
-pc

20-21 vision

welcome.

i guess..

i mean, what do you say in your first blog?

i'm not going to lie, i'm a little nervous. nervous because this thing is public. nervous because i, like most, actually do expect to gain a little something from reading others' writing. that means maybe you, or maybe not, or maybe someone else might expect to gain something from this.... or maybe not. but either way, it makes me a little nervous.

doesn't look like i'm off to a great start either... or maybe so? who knows?

but if you are reading this, i welcome you.

--- i'm a big fan of titles. a good title can captivate its audience leaving them begging for more. it is usually the sole reason i will even begin to read a piece of work in the first place. but the catchy thing about a good title is that it is usually one of the very last things constructed. i've written countless term papers, research papers, essays, and responses; thousands of words penned before ever knowing what to call it. and at the very end, i'd ask, what title would bring justice to its work? what is it all about? what shall i call it?

well that reminds me of the importance of names in the bible. a name absolutely represented that person. individually. your name told who you were and what you did, it brought justice to your work. it told what you were all about. names could change, too. you could change. you could change what you did and what you were about. that's a cool idea. what if we lived like that today? by your name, everyone knew exactly who you were and what you were like. they knew what you were all about. a pretty awesome idea, but maybe a pretty scary idea. a pretty awesomely scary idea. just a thought?

so this title is called "20-21 vision." its all about the beginning of a 20 year old's thoughts of a 21st century's time. but that will change. i will change. always am.
-pc