Faith – a Poem
The days become years
And I’m sure of what’s unsure.
The rain will fall.
Ref. Genesis 6 & 7
Yesterday
Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.
Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest
Criticism.
I don’t take criticism too well. Today I got word from a client that they didn’t like the direction I was going with a design. The feedback was pretty blunt and they didn’t hold any punches. I spent the rest of the day feeling horrible. I started doubting my career choice, doubting my ability, and filling my head with all sorts of negative thoughts. I
t’s hard for me to keep my chin up and recognize that just because someone didn’t like one of my designs, that my whole life isn’t over. In fact, this particular client gave some really great feedback and was did not attack me or my ability at all. They just didn’t like the design.
I wonder why I let things like this spiral me down so far. What should have been a small speed-bump in my day turned into a sink hole of doubt and negativity.
On the bright side…
When I got home the first thing I saw were two beautiful little angels screaming “DADDY!” and smothering me with kisses and hugs. My oldest daughter told me how handsome I looked with my new scarf. My beautiful wife gave me a kiss too and had a great dinner in the oven especially for me. I spent the night just having fun with my girls and not worrying about things that happened earlier.
But the best part was when I was tucking Cohen (my 4 year old girl) into bed she asked me to pray for her. I did of course. And then I told her I had a sucky day at work. She immediately asked if she could pray for me. I knew she would. That’s just the type of heart she has. Here’s what she said:
Dear God,
I pray that my Daddy has better days at work and that he has a smile on his face. And I pray he is thankful for all the people who give him money.
Amen.
What a great ending to the night. I went from the pits to the top of the world in the matter of a couple hours. Her perspective was so much better than mine was. So tonight, I’m going to bed thankful. And tomorrow I’m heading to work with a smile on my face to tackle a new design for that client. Hopefully they like what I come up with this time.
Not So Easy
I am amazed at how my expectation of how marriage would be differs from my experience. Kesha and I have been married for just over 6 years. We’ve had some really amazing times. But we’ve also had really rough times. I thought we’d always be the best of friends and never have a single “real” struggle. We’d both be super willing to bend to the other’s will. We’d both be patient, gracious, and loving.
But that’s just not reality. I see my worst come out all the time. I am prideful. I am stubborn. I am insanely selfish.
Is it me who’s changed? It it both of us? Or is this who I’ve always been — but I’ve just had a skewed vision of marriage when I signed up?
Whatever the case, this is not the man I want to be. I want to be a better husband and have a better marriage. I’m not sure how to get there, but (knock on wood) we’ve got decades to figure that out!
Island Jams
Ever since we returned from Maui a couple of months ago, Kesha and I have been listening to all sorts of Hawaiian music. They have so much great music that we don’t play here. I don’t know why, because it would totally do great. If you’re on Rdio you can listen to my Island Rhythm playlist. If not, sign in to iHeart.com and listen to Island 98.5. You’ll be hooked.
Here’s one of my favorite tunes:
Maui Trip Number 2
Growing up I never understood why people were so obsessed with Hawaii. It all seemed so overrated to me. But when I visited for my first time earlier this year I just couldn’t wait to get back.
This time when we visited we brought the kids, Kesha’s mom, my mom, and my little sister. It was an absolute BLAST! We spent a week in West Maui and enjoyed every moment of it. And this time there was no emergency tsunami evacuation! (like last time)
Kesha and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on the trip. It’s amazing to see all we’ve experienced together. And I’m incredibly thankful that she’s stuck it out with me even through some hard times. It almost feels like I’m dreaming when I think of our little family and all that I’ve been blessed with!
Here are a few pictures from our trip:
The Whole Gang in Hawaii
6 Years and Counting
My Girls on the Beach
Until Next Time, Aloha!
Fixel Retreat #2 Recap
Last week Kesha and I flew out to California to spend the week with the team I work with at Fixel. This was our second Fixel Retreat. And this time we brought the wives. Definitely a smart move!
I had such a great time with my friends. We spent 5 days discussing the past year of business, and strategizing for the future. We worked on projects, ate frozen yogurt, drove around in our mini-van, ate frozen yogurt, went shopping, ate frozen yogurt, and had a whole lot of fun!
I can’t believe how blessed I am to work with these guys. They are such amazing people. Here are a few pictures from the trip:
We arrived at the LAX Airport
The Fixel Boys - Matt, Vin, Sean, Dan
The Whole Fixel Group
You can't visit Cali without a trip to In-N-Out
How To Tell if You’re Dreaming
I had a strange dream last night. I was at a mall when I stumbled upon a bunch of high school students partying. It was kind of like a night club for teens. I went in and started to share the gospel to the group. Afterwards Justin Bieber came up to me and started asking questions. I told him about how Jesus changed my life. By the end of the night he told me he’d follow me on Twitter and would love to ask more questions about Jesus. That’s about all I remember.
Funny thing is, I knew for certain it was a dream not because I was talking to Justin Bieber at a party, but because I was sharing the gospel. Why is it so hard for me to be open about my faith?
So so fresh…
I found this guy on YouTube. He covers popular songs. Except instead of the usual butcher-job you see on YouTube, he makes them even better than the orginal. Case in point, Swim Good:
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