Tag Archives: words

Hope is January White

A perfectly suited song for a New Year’s Day. If you haven’t heard of Sleeping at Last, listen to this song & fall in music love!! :)

so let’s press undo.
rearrange the old and call it new-
january white.

every calendar is playing the same old trick:
a year will disappear, replaced with counterfeit
but we’ll never really mind.

‘cause if nothing else, we’re given a little time
to change the game, a chance to redefine
everything we are,
in our january white.

this year is a sealed envelope,
a culmination of hopes,
the lottery result that we’ve been crossing fingers for.

we could paint our walls a lighter shade of blue,
or we could pack our bags and change the entire view
to january white.

if nothing else, we’re given a little time
to change the heart in which we change our minds;
our hourglasses turn.

this year is a sealed envelope;
with apprehensive hope
we brace for anything.
i swear, i understand that nothing changes that,
the past will be the past,
but the future is brighter than any flashback.

well, we could let our guards down a little easier this time,
we could trust that when there’s joy, there’s nothing dark behind.
in spite of history,
hope is january white.

this year, we’re starting over again
letter openers in hand,
a chance to take a chance.
i swear, i understand that the past will be the past,
and nothing changes that,
but the future is brighter than any flashback.

– “January White” by Sleeping at Last

Comment Just Life

For Fun…a Year in 150 Words

Just for fun, I tried to cram the last 361 days into 150 words…

Cold midwest winter
New friends at VWRT St. Louis
Meet again at VWRT Nashville
March 4th
Amos 5:21 from a stranger
Meant wrestling with God

2nd visit to Nashville
April 22nd
God says go
Risk
Peace
Could Nashville be home?
Letting go

Goodbye to The CORE
Memphis in July – hello humidity!
Hope – go to give but end up receiving it
Echo Conference reunion
Take the online offline
Selling, giving, throwing
Risk…again
Pack life into my car
Move to Nashville
August 28th
3rd trip in 6 months
This time to stay

Beginning a new volume
Not just a new chapter
Dropped into community
A home at Journey
Living
Being
Healing
Doubt
STORY Chicago
Hope

Transition
New friends
Relationships
God brings it full circle
Theory to practice
Talking to doing

Doubt…again
Fighting
Persevering
Risk…yet again
Trusting
He’s faithful
He’s got this
Embracing the unexpected
I’m home
…for now

If you haven’t figured it out, I love words…I love describing things in few words. So, it’s natural that I would love an idea I came across from Alece on her blog Grit & Glory…one word for 2011. Looking back I think it’s safe to say that my word for 2010 turned out to be “risk” although that’s certainly not one I would have chosen or predicted at the beginning of the year. I’ve been thinking about my word for 2011 since reading Alece’s post and I’ll write about it when I discover it :)

What kind of words would you use to sum up your year?

Comment Just Life

Enhancing the Gospel

“We are just looking for the best way to enhance the Gospel,” or “Our goal is to enhance the Gospel.” I hear phrases like that thrown around a lot, especially in creative avenues of the church. Be it anything from a song, to a media piece, to a well designed print piece, it seems we like the justify our creative effort with the noble mission of “enhancing the Gospel.”

I’ll be honest, I’ve used the phrase. But, the more I hear it the more something about it just doesn’t sit right with me. Using the word “enhance” makes it seem as though we think the Gospel is insufficient or ineffective on it’s own, or that it’s just not quite good enough. Personally, I think the Gospel works in spite of us and the way we communicate its message.

Now I’m not convinced that the above is really what we mean when we use phrases like “to enhance the Gospel.” But, I think if we’re not careful, very quickly the words we use to describe what we’re doing will become the focus of what we’re doing. Meaning, even if we don’t believe we can enhance the Gospel but we continue to use that wording we will eventually get to the point where at least part of us believes that is indeed what we are doing through our creative efforts.

What are your thoughts? Do you use similar wording? WHY or WHY not? If anyone who uses that phrase regularly and has a reason as to WHY I would love to hear it! I’m not condemning its use, but rather seeking to understand.

I’ve been looking for alternatives to use instead, and…well…I haven’t come up with anything that I really like. At the end of the day, my goal is to intentionally communicate the Gospel – pure and simple. Sometimes it’s in a new or different way. Sometimes it’s an “age old method.” Sometimes it’s very literal, sometimes more mysterious. But no matter the WHAT, I always strive to be intentional with the WHY.

I don’t know, maybe we don’t need a hip phrase to describe what we’re doing? Maybe we can just call it what it is? Clearly, this is something I’m still wrestling with in my head and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

3 Comments Deep Thinking