Stoked to Have A 'Y' Chromosome!

Any time a conversation starts out with, "Now I don't mean to offend anyone, but..." someone's about to get dissed. I love it when people try to pull that trick because it never works. People get offended and make a big deal about it anyways. The story I'm about to share might rub you the wrong way. I'm simply telling the story because I think it's hilarious...and it's my blog. Should you feel yourself becoming agitated simply click the red X in the top corner of your screen and think about punching me repeatedly in the face...maybe that'll make you feel better...if not then think about happy things! Here goes...

Last week a couple of my friends and I grabbed some freshman to hang out so that we could get to know one another better. We get to the HOP (that's what we call my house) and decide to play games. What better way to get to know someone than through some friendly competition? The ratio of males to females was about even, so of course it's gotta be men versus vermin...I mean women (please direct your attention toward the red X at the top right hand corner of your screen). We start out playing 'Battle of the Sexes.' It's a good game, we shared lots of laughs... some of the answers we made up were absolutely ridiculous. Eventually the ladies got bored - probably because we were winning - so we agree to play Catch Phrase. Some of the best memories I have with my friends come out of this game, and this time was no exception...

I love this game because it's fast. I also love it because it forces people to think outside the box. I love to see the way people think when they are rushed. The men lose game one, quite a pedestrian performance at best. I credit the ladies this game...they controlled the timer in superb fashion. We fight back to win game two, and trust me it was a fight. The ladies brought their 'A' game, for sure. After the game, one of the girls says, "Well, should we stop now since we're tied and everyone's happy?" My friend Mitch quickly responds: "The only thing better than beating the girls once is beating the girls twice." Mitch, dudes like you make me stoked to have a Y chromosome! It's game on once again, and we go up 4-0 and we can taste sweet victory, but the ladies come back and suddenly we're in a dogfight at 5-4. They tie it up, and tie it again at 6...next point wins! Everyone is on edge now, ready to bring their team glory. We start, and the timer starts beating faster, it could buzz at any moment! The girls pull out a clutch response and pass it off to Eric freaking Smith...

The only thing going faster than the timer is my heart. Eric glances at the word and goes to work: "OK, stereotype: where the women are supposed to be..." All at once the men shout unanimously, "KITCHEN!" Eric nods and hands the electric game off to the lady sitting beside him, and the buzzer goes off. Ahh sweet, sweet victory in dramatic fashion! And what better way to end it than on a female stereotype!

Come on, you have to admit...that's a good story! Unfortunately all of the ladies probably hate us now...

Jumping for My Parachute...

I'm kinda bummed right now...I just burned my mouth and tongue sipping my tea. I was really looking forward to it, but now every sip is going to be a burden and far from soothing. Because of that I can't even eat anything, and I'll probably have sores in my mouth tomorrow, so I'm sitting around with nothing to do and I have lots on my mind but I don't want to talk about it because my mouth hurts. Thankfully I don't use my mouth to type so this is a solid choice. I'm done venting now...

What I really want to type about is this: I really appreciate music. I know lots of people who love music more than me and who understand music better than me, but I love how music meets me where I'm at. I love music's ability to articulate my thoughts and feelings. Relient K does this kind of thing to me all the time. I used to despise this band because, at first glance, they come across as really silly. Christians singing about a chick asking this dude out to the Sadie Hawkins dance isn't my idea of spiritual fulfillment. As I listened to more of their music I found that they have this brilliant quirkiness that makes a whole lot of sense. They talk about spiritual stuff in a very creative way and I can really relate to it.

In their song, "Life After Death and Taxes" (a little spoof on a common phrase...they're good at that) there is this one line that I absolutely love. In fact, it's one of my favorite quotes:

And this is how I choose to live
As if I'm jumping off a cliff
Knowing that you'll save me...

I like extreme stuff. I want to strap myself into a parachute and jump out of airplanes and off of cliffs or buildings or bridges. I love that feeling I get when I do stuff like that. I think those lyrics are a great depiction of the Christian life. Sure, life is dangerous and uncertain, but it's also exciting and beautiful! Why stand on the edge and think about the things that could happen? What are we waiting for? Jump! Wouldn't you do so much more stuff if you knew that everything would end up ok? I know I would! Not only that, but I would invite others to join me. "God works for the good of those who love him," right? We have the confidence that we will be safe when we land, so enjoy the ride! That's not to say that we won't get banged up or bruised along the way, but we'll be safe nonetheless.

This is a great thing for me to think about because like so many other people my age, I have no real idea of what my future is going to look like, and based on past experiences, my dreams sell myself short. With all of the things going on in my life - school, friends, church, relationships, ministry, carreer aspirations...the list goes on - wouldn't it be easier for me to jump, enjoy the ride and trust God to have me land right where He wants me? Afterall, where I end up will be better than what I could do for myself. I shouldn't worry about all of that. It's all in the Lord's hands and he's blown my dreams away time and time again. I think life is better this way...I think it's supposed to be this way.

Fight for Joy

So the name of my blog is 'Fight for Joy.' If you know me, I think you'd agree that the title describes me fairly well. I only just recently realized that my life story thus far has been one complex, messy and beautiful quest for joy. Growing up I searched for happiness...things that I thought would make me happy: friends, popularity, success, material stuff, girls, sports - the list goes on. Those things did make me happy, but much to my surprise, I wasn't satisfied, so I pursued more happiness. Little did I know that I was being set up for a kick in the face...

...And what a glorious roundhouse it was! The summer before my senior year in high school, the Lord did an extreme soul makeover inside me, and in a period of a couple days I went from the 'pursuit of happiness' being my life and all that I am to God becoming infinitely worth it. I had been blindsided by the outrageous love of Jesus! Only then did I realize that I desired joy the whole time, and I had no idea what I got myself into. My world was turned upside down and I didn't even know it...that comes later on in the story...

Where does joy even come from? It certainly doesn't come from me, since I couldn't produce it growing up. (God loving me - his creation - and not the personas which I created comes into play here, but I'll save that for another time) That must mean it comes from the Lord...it's a gift (makes sense since it's a fruit of the Spirit). We are instructed to 'be joyful always...' how does that work? If we can't produce it how can we reflect it? That's where 'Fight for Joy' comes in. If you've experienced the Love of the Lord of the Dance (I can't take credit for that...those are Brennan Manning's words) you know exactly what I'm talking about. You've tasted that joy. Unfortunately we mess it up and we lose sight of the prize and our joy fades with it. What are we supposed to do? We fight! Is it worth fighting for? Satan thinks so - if that wasn't the case then I think joy would be easier. Lacking joy is losing sight of God's glory...FIGHT TO SEE! He wants to show us amazing things!

So, the name of my blog is 'Fight for Joy' because I desire to see. I fight because I want to see more. I fight because I think it's worth it. Entire books have been written on this topic, but this is a blog so I can only share a couple points before you get bored! I hope it encourages you to fight to see. Look into it! Thanks for reading!

Special thanks to Brennan Manning, Nate Larkin, and John Piper for helping me articulate my thoughts...

James 1:2-4, Habakkuk 1:5

I Love it when this Happens!

Ever experienced one of those times when you come out of something and feel like a better person? A changed person? I wish that those would happen to me more often.

Today it happened in the form of a nap. Yes...a nap. (by now you're clicking the 'x' in the top right hand corner of your screen because this is ridiculous, or you're completely captivated...)

A life changing nap? Come on, Adam, that's absurd! Don't waste my time and everyone else's by blogging about a stupid nap... First of all, I had a pretty rough week. I'm not bragging about my week because I know people who had way more stressful weeks than me, but considering my major, it was a busy week. I normally rock between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night. (also goes to show the vast workload i have) Actually, I really try to manage my time so that I can do that...I love my sleep! Anyways, this week I've been rocking 5 and a half to six and a half...so it's quite a decline in sleep production. I woke up yesterday really feeling it: sore throat, stuffy nose...not good. Today was worse. I wanted to crash walking to class, sitting in class, walking home from class, and eating my lunch after class. Being done at 11 on Fridays is such a blessing.

I grab my down blanket (so nice!) and my goose feathered pillow, lay on the couch and dose off to the soothing sound of Jim Rome's voice...ok his voice isn't that soothing, but it was like having a friend read you a bed time story as you fall asleep...serene! An hour later, I hear the back door open. I figure it's just Ryan so I fall back asleep. Apparently it wasn't Ryan because Ben had written me a nice little letter. All I can say is that I hope he's jealous of me because when I woke up I was a new man...completely reenergized and excited for the afternoon! My stuffiness was gone, I was completely awake, and there was Jim Rome, still talking as if he never stopped. I was overjoyed! I could almost hear the soft angellic voice in my head: "Hello Adam, this is the weekend speaking. It's good to see you again. I heard you just paid a visit to Mr. Friday afternoon nap...I hope you enjoyed his company!"

And I did enjoy his company. In fact, I was so stoked that I had to share my experience with a friend who's had a similar experience. Then I had to blog about it, and now you have to read about it. But seriously, can anyone relate to this? (Ryan Stauffer probably can...) Some people think I'm crazy when I tell them about my life changing naps (This isn't the first time) and I feel kinda sorry for them. You are totally missing out!

Bring on the weekend!