Review: Matt Papa- This Changes Everything
Matt Papa’s new album released August 2nd. He asked me to review it honestly and sincerely.
This Changes Everything is an incredible call to action. I am impressed with the musical strength of the album, but even more with his relentless push for Christ-followers to do something. You can’t listen to songs like “This Changes Everything” or “What Are We Waiting For?” without feeling moved to some sort of action. Artists who can accomplish this with listeners are rare. Continue Reading…
My View Of The Debt Ceiling
Embracing My New Normal
My first son, Jude, is eleven months old this week. We still count the months, but we’ve started saying “almost a year.”
Almost everyone knows that the excitement of a newborn quickly turns into insecurity central. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” “Everyone is a better parent than me.” “I didn’t mean to drop him.” Ugh.
Before he arrived, I posted this. When he arrived, I posted this. Now, I am here. Today. The new normal.
Never has there been a day where I have been unthankful. I don’t have words to describe my bond with my son. Any frustration or lack of patience I’ve ever had at all, has been with myself. The past eleven months have been spent staring down my insecurities, my view of God’s will in my life, and trying to figure out what to do with the old me.
Answer: Throw him away.
Time for new me.
This is the gift of Jude. God is using Jude to take the self-centered, self-focused “me” out of me. What a beautiful gift!
This hasn’t been better illustrated to me than during my recent vacation to the beach. I told Heather that vacations would never be the same and that they might not exist again like they used to. I felt a twinge of pain and hurt when I said it. I couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering me. It felt like a proclamation coming out of my mouth, but it was really a heartfelt question. It was a question I knew would be answered with another silent question: “Do you love your self more than you love others?”
Ah yes, the old lingering “me.”
Our neighbor on the island, approached me as we were about to leave to come home. I don’t know how he knew. Maybe he didn’t know. He looked at me, not angry, but no smile, and said, “You always remember this: Be thankful that your son isn’t in a hospital somewhere. Have you ever spent any time in a hospital? Be thankful for that.” Silence. Awkward.
At this point, I shrank to about a foot tall. God used this unassuming guy to wreck me. It’s been days and I’m still trying to figure out what this means for me.
I suppose it will take me some more time, perhaps forever, to embrace my new normal. It is certain, however, that the new normal will be better than the old one, thank God. Less “me.”
My New Project
A few months ago, I began seeing the need for a focused conversation about how to create and foster offline impact through online communities. I suppose I just kept finding that people had developed online communities that were skin deep and very low in impact.
The question I asked was “is social media the best use of my time?” If there is very little impact, then why would I be involved with any social media or online endeavors? If people’s lives weren’t ultimately changed, then why would I care what happens outside of the “physical” world?
My current project is at StartACampfire.com. My goal is to continue a conversation that I’ve been having here, there and everywhere for a few years now. I believe people can create and cultivate movements and communities online. I believe that they can have offline impact. It just has to be done correctly. I think it’s an important conversation to be had as people spend more time, and frankly too much flimsy time, in the new world of social media.
Creating a separate blog for that conversation focuses my thoughts there. It also allows this blog to continue as my journal of sparked ideas, currents events, and gazing reflections. More to come.
