Archive for the 'From Out of Nowhere' Category

About Jen

I am delirious as I write this right now, so we’ll see how this ends up.

Jen is my wife. She is also my best friend. And even on top of that she is an excellent mother to our little girl Maisie. I could literally talk about Jen for hours. I have lots of favorite things about her. I love her laugh. I love her honesty. I love watching her become who God has made her to be. I love that she is emotional and vibrant.  

And speaking of emotional…the last few years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds…have been emotional for us. Just 4 years ago, we were well on our way to being happily ever after. We both had good jobs. We had a brand new house. Our house was decorated by an interior designer…a friend who did it for free, but it was still one of those houses that was too put together. We had a nice car. We were talking about starting to have kids. But then things changed. We sold the house. Quit the jobs. Moved to Europe and life took a different path. And life will never be the same again!

But back to the stuff about Jen…Since going to Europe Jen has really grown. It’s weird because being in Paris was not easy for us. Yet, we grew in some significant ways…especially her. Right before my eyes she’s learning more and more who she is. For one, there isn’t even a shadow of a co-dependent person who only does what everybody else says is right. To be honest, it was a lot easier when Jen would just ‘go with the flow’, but in the end I think that she was betraying herself by acting like that.

We’ve been married for six and a half years now. We’ve been a couple for almost 9 years. That’s almost a decade. The girl I married is now a strong woman who is ‘heaven-bent’ on being true to herself and who God has made her to be. And dog-on-it…it’s inspiring.  A lot of times people don’t know what to do with Jen. Her freedom and willingness to not be status-quo is offsetting to some. Her unwillingness to toe the line frustrates people who want her to be in a box…that includes me sometimes. 

Here is another one of my favorites…yes plural. She is incredibly wise and discerning. She has an ability to read people that I am amazed by. One of my greatest desires is to see Jen be more utilized ‘in ministry’. Whatever that means. The truth behind my own growth and maturing (pause to bask in my own light) is that Jen has been the single most influential person who has helped me grow up, make right choices, be less selfish, and love other people. She taught me about self-awareness before I had even heard of the word.  

 I guess the main reason that I am writing all of this is because Jen has been a funk the last few days. I so often talk about myself and what I am going through in an attempt to be therapeutic, but I also lead a family that I need to encourage and love. Writing all of this stuff about my wife on the world wide web is a simple way to shout to the world that I am madly in love with her and think the world of her. She is one the best people I know and I want to be like her when I grow up. I feel like anyone who misses the chance to hear from, be told what’s up by, and laugh with Jen has missed out. That’s all I want to say about Jen right now…You can check out her much-more-entertaining blog here

What I’ve Done - Linkin Park Video

“So let mercy come, and wash away, what I’ve done…”

From the voice of the singer of Linkin Park we hear a cry for forgiveness…a cry that all of us have probably said (or at least should have said) before about personal things…treating our friends badly, hurting people we love, not living rightly, etc…

But this video captures some things that we as humanity need to ask for forgiveness over…things in the history of humanity that we need to deal with…to bring them into the light.

What images stick out to you? What juxtapositions made you think?

A few thoughts…

I love it that a concern for God’s creation is now an agenda for pop-culture.
I love that our culture is starting to ask questions about the legacy that we are leaving.
I love that a pop-band has a video that may inspire people to think about a global perspective of food, health, war, innocence, and life.
I love that we are living in a time where the choices we make can have global impact
I love that we are at a turning point in history…and my hope is that after I die the world as I know it will be a better place. We have opportunity at our doorstep to leave the planet better off for our daughters and sons than we found it. amen?

***My new category “From out of nowhere” springs up from a passion of mine…to see where God’s messages come from out nowhere…movies, music, art, etc…I hope that this idea may somehow encourage you to try and find God where you may least expect Him. (Thanks to John Fischer who forever gave me eyes to see this through his book ‘Finding God Where You Least Expect Him’)