the in between

These are the lyrics for a song I've been crafting over break.

Come running in
The door is wide
An ear waits to listen
A safe place to confide
Pour out your problems
And all your fears
As this heart overflows
Until the burden clears

Dash back out
Shut the door behind
Leave this place empty
And me alone to find
I cared much more than
You ever knew
And now when I’m in need
You’ve escaped my view

It’s the in between, oh
This state of in between must go
It’s the in between, ohhhhh
This state of in between must go

I cannot waste my energy any longer
Not when there are dreams that need to be lived

It’s the in between, oh
This state of in between must go
It’s the in between, ohhhhh
This state of in between must go

Come running in
And you will find
That I have let go
And you’re too late this time

today

"there is nothing normal about today"
- francis chan

I faced today as if everything was so common, so ordinary. I face most days that way. I go through the rhythm --- and I get trapped in that rhythm. In the midst of it all, I lose sight of the miracle of each day - that incredible fact that I get to wake up and live this life. There are no guarantees that tomorrow will come. So each morning when it does, I must constantly remind myself to live in a way that breaks through the false illusion of normality and enters into the realm of the extraordinary.

merry christmas!

the loyal

An obsession with the new, the change.
It shines. It glitters.
It causes one to forget the old,
To overlook the faithful.

But when the new fades away,
When the new is only the momentary
Will the resulting neglect burn bridges
Forcing the true to turn away?

Move forward, press onward
But leave not behind the loyal.
For when all falls and fades
It is the loyal that remains.

plans

I consume a lot of time carving my own vision of the future into my mind. Time and time again, life strays from the path I've dictated. At first, it makes me highly uncomfortable. When things don't go according to plan though, I'm starting to recognize that something far more amazing is around the bend. It's clear that the plans I make aren't nearly as brilliant as the life I was created to live. That life exceeds my wildest dreams. So I aim to dream bigger, extending the limits of my imagination. You with me?

clarity

Though my body was still
A pool of thoughts continued to fill
My mind

Fear, doubt, uncertainty
These things fluttered within me
Constant motion

Hope, I could barely see
My soul could not break free
From this weight

Unable to drift into a state of peace
I lay longing for some sense of release
Let me be

Shattered by a moment of clarity
Fear, doubt, uncertainty
No longer consumed me

Suddenly, I knew what must be
A voice of truth swelling within me

life = adventure

"This is how life is supposed to work - it's an adventure, a journey, a trek filled with uncertainty, excitement and risk."
- Erwin McManus

Somehow I forget that. I expect stability 24/7, and thus change throws me for a loop. At times, my desire for a constant sense of structure and order borders on becoming extreme. Despite this, I think I'm learning to embrace the thrill is not always knowing what's ahead. I mean, if I'm honest, life would be quite boring if I actually understood it all...

PS - Mom, you rock for commenting!

new song

Lyrics for a new song I'm working on... [still in progress]

i've fallen short again today
and the price, you chose to pay
and i make that grace so cheap at times, i know
get caught up in myself, so

i'm coming to meet you
i'll find my way, whatever it takes
i'm coming to meet you
i'll find my way, whatever it takes
i'll find my way

these burdens are weighing heavy now
but your strength, i will endow
if only i will trust in you and know
i can't handle this on my own, so

i'm coming to meet you
i'll find my way, whatever it takes
i'm coming to meet you
i'll find my way, whatever it takes
i'll find my way

"Care more than others think wise.
Risk more than others think safe.
Dream more than others think practical.
Expect more than others think possible."
- Howard Schultz

faith

I came across one of my favorite quotes of all time this summer. I was just reflecting upon it once again and thought I'd share...

"Faith does not grow in the house of certainty."
- The Shack, William P. Young

visions

I cannot waste my energy there any longer
Not when there are dreams that need to be lived.
Oh, the brilliant potential of investing
that concern that has consumed me for so long
elsewhere.

Now, I must clarify:
It's not that I don't care about it any longer,
It's just that I need to move on.

You see, there are visions that must become reality
things that, unless I let go, may not be.

I do not know what the future will hold.
Will I come full circle?
Will this eventually become
where my energy once again needs to be?
It's something I do not know
something I cannot know.
Not now.

But what I do know, you see,
Is that there are visions that must become reality
things that, unless I let go, may not be.

poetry

Although I've never written a ton of poetry, I'm trying to start writing some... mostly prose poetry with no real structure. Basically I just want to put my thoughts down on paper, whenever they spring up throughout the day. So far, it's started to take on some slight resemblance to some of the spoken word I've seen recently, except I'm not actually presenting it (or 'speaking it'). For those of you unfamiliar with spoken word, it's basically the presentation of a poem in a spoken fashion instead of song. It's pretty awesome because it captures a lot more emotion than reading it on paper would. I'm pretty sure I had no idea what it was prior to coming to Los Angeles and attending Mosaic where they use spoken word quite frequently. Anyways, expect to be seeing some of my thoughts emerging in this blog in a unique form. They will likely be rather rough and unedited. I'm hoping as a byproduct, my lyric-writing skills will improve as well. In any event, here's a start...

the present

the here and now
this is where i am
look not behind
look not ahead

live in this moment
breathe
the chains of the past
fade
the pressures of the future
gone

incredible potential embedded within
this very second

fall not behind
leap not ahead
or risk losing sight of
the here and now
and the incredible potential embedded within

joy

"Joy is not something you get out of life.
Joy is something you bring into life."
- Erwin McManus

uncertainty

These are the lyrics for a song I wrote with Amy and Maggie last summer about the release of the desire to know and control the future. If I ever figure out how to post a song on here you might just get to hear a rough recording...

Maybe I’ve held on too long
Maybe I failed to see
The truth behind it all
The way you really saw me

Maybe it’s for the best
Maybe I should let go
I wish I could see the future
Just so I could know

Maybe I dreamed too big
Maybe I failed to be
More like the status quo
And less like me

Maybe it’s for the best
Maybe I should let go
I wish I could see the future
Just so I could know

But perhaps that’s what the future is
The weight of uncertainty
Is, in fact, an element of beauty
Oh, an element of beauty

the clean slate

Welcome all to my humble online abode. Yes, I have decided to start a blog. I'm not entirely sure what you should expect to encounter here... likely some graphic design work, photos, poetry, random musings, captivating quotes, videos, music, etc. In any event, I hope you enjoy whatever this morphs into. Thanks for stopping by!