The Perfect Song

The perfect song is elusive like fog or a wet bar of soap. When you catch it or it catches you, you seize the moment or the moment is lost. I had the opportunity of catching one of those moments and writing a song for a good friend. I also had the opportunity of sharing it in front of our cafeteria at school to her. I think she enjoyed it.
In the past five or six months I have not played the guitar or even had the desire to do so. This has ignited that passion again. It had gotten to the point that I didn't know if I was going to pick up the guitar again or not. I guess it just takes those rare moments when God gives you a glimpse into true creativity. Not saying this was a work of God, but rather God allowing me to feel creative again. Passion is the hardest fire to re-ignite, and sometimes it has to happen by chance.
I have also recently been taken chances on things that I would typically shy away from. Things like taking pictures in crazy Christmas sweaters downtown, attempting to crash fancy Christmas parties, and hanging out in Starbucks and remaining confident in the presence of pretty girls who give you funny looks.
Sometimes life doesn't throw any pitches and you just have to charge the pitcher's mound and shake things up a bit.

Anxiety in Monotony

Recently I have been anxious for what is to come in my life. I long for a change but I am happy with where I'm at. My life at the moment lacks creation. I am given formulas to follow, guidelines to adhere to, and limits to my time. I desperately want to see the life of my creation. The feeling that I get when something I create or design stands on it's own is unsurpassed by anything I have ever encountered. This is probably attributed to the fact that I am created to create. God has given me somewhat of a prolific direction that I enjoy following. In following this direction, I see the gifts that God has given me being used.
i often see people around me, who have potential, like everyone, but end up not stretching themselves in order to remain comfortable. My family has been stretched in order to give me an advantage in my life, and I would be stupid not to take the opportunity to live out my dreams. I see lines and endless possibilities where there everyone else sees blank stares and shapes. I see patterns where most people happenstance.

Broken Computer

My computer crashed last Wednesday. I had no idea how much I depend on it until I lost it. I had a Theology Mid-Term the next day and my study guide and review sheet were on the computer. I had not printed them off yet. Needless to say, my week finished in a down-spiral. It was resurrected at the end of the week, but it was after the bulk of my week had taken place. Life never seems to be dull.

Besieged by Beauty

This past weekend Me and some of my brothers went to Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina and camped in the wilderness. Removing every buffer put in place by our contemporary society to experience the fullness of God's creation.
The first night we stayed on top of Black Balsam. I like to think of it as the night where the boys became men, not physically but relationally. We encountered rain, wind (around 30 mph), fog so dense you could only see 10 to 20 feet away from you, and cold that chilled to the core of your being. The second day we went to a lower elevation at Pickleheimer Fields, where we meet Jake the three-legged dog, had 20 pounds of meat for dinner, and a much needed rest. The third day most of the group left, leaving four of us. The remaining four hiked to a mountain near Ivestor Gap, more than likely we were on Tennet Mountain, and set up camp in a patch of trees near the top. And the rest of the day we roamed the other side of the mountain spending most of it in silence, humbled by God's presence and His creation. We made a fire that night that we were very proud of, considering the 20 to 30 mph winds. It rained that night, however we were well prepared. We awoke to a blanket of fog so thick that it felt as if you could take some home to show your friends. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't see the surrounding mountains, but just as we were packing up and getting ready to hike back, the fog started to clear like a wave retreating from the shore and the sun pierced the country side. We hiked back to the car with the sun on our backs and the valley to our right and a towering mountain looming over our left shoulder. Our trip out of the mountains was completed by a Nickel Creek mix by a good friend.

The first photo is some of us on Black Balsam the morning after a sleepless night, the second picture was taken on the path from Black Balsam, and the third Photo is our view from our last campsite.

God is good, love, just, humble, eternal, and sustaining.

Tunnel Vision

Sometimes it's so hard to see past the bend in the road that you are in fear of taking. It seems that life is packed with blind turns that scare us to death. In my life, the turns aren't the problem, it's looking at them. They scare me so bad that I sometimes don't even take them that well, or at all. But our past usually proves that the turns are the most enjoyable parts. No one enjoys the straight-aways that take forever and nothing exciting ever happens. I think it's high time I accelerate and enjoy the speed of each turn, no matter how much it hurts to take them, or how much it will cost me. 

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what." Harper Lee, 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

Boys and Girls

I think its funny how few things on earth seldom change and one of those things is the fact that men and women struggle to understand each other. Dates come and go, and the sun rises on new affections all the time. But why? Why do people put so much effort in it? Is it worth it? It is if it is the right person. And how do you know that? Well, one thing I do know is that men and women communicate differently. So why has no one picked up on this? Better yet, why hasn't anyone fixed this or learned from other people's mistakes? Because we are lazy. A lot of times people do not know how to interact with each other because they don't spend enough time getting to know each other. I don't mean dating, I mean setting aside time and interacting with each other in different settings and paying attention (mostly something that guys struggle with). And once you start dating (if she gives you a chance) extending grace to one another (this is primarily something that girls have a hard time with, not all the time, but there is a tendency). Think about it, you mix a guy who doesn't pay attention with a girl who isn't very forgiving and you have got a disaster that is plaguing the United States right now. Men don't know the person they're dating, cause if they did they would know what not to do, and girls don't like the circumstances that come up in their relationship, so they manipulate them. I would like to state that I am not arguing one side's case, I am playing the 'Devil's Advocate' for both sides to give the harsh reality that most people who are dating are living with. Each day you wake up, and you're tired. Because you stayed up the night before talking to, who knows when to your girlfriend, because you have to talk to each other before you go to bed. This appears sweet, but it's not. You're keeping each other from sleeping, which in turn prevents you fro having a sound mind. Therefore you are not able to accurately focus and invest yourself into the proper things. This can be paralleled to your inability to set parameters on your relationship to keep it healthy. Rather than going into a long dissertation about this topic I will break it into a few parts. This first part is just an introduction into this topic of guys and girls.

Stay tuned for part two...

Dancing in the 80's

I wish I was old enough during the 80's to learn the dance moves that characterized the funkiest decade in American history. Not just Michael Jackson, but Midnight Star, Prince, George Clinton, Shalamar, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. These bands caught the groove and shared it with the American public at large, and everyone danced. It was like a fever, and the only prescription was to dance. I tried posting a video I found on youtube, of a a young boy on The Romper Room breakdancing. The video is inspiring to say the least. It makes me want to dance well. Also, check out Midnight Star "No Parking On The Dance Floor".

Note to Reader: Notice the boy in the background at the beginning that gets denied by all the girls a front row seat.

Ce la vei...

Communication Breakdown

Things are never understood as well as they could be. I think Led Zeppelin had it right, at least with the title of the song. The rest of the song only focused on a girl. Well, I guess it could work. Girls are harder to understand than guys, from a male perspective. This concept goes both ways. Anyways, I digress...

First Things

I decided to start a blog because I love to write my thoughts about things down and I might as well publish it to be more vulnerable. I don't have a lot of time to write as extensively as I would like, but perhaps in the near future I will write down what excites me or irritates me at the moment. One thing I can address is the loss of writing skills in America. We settle for mediocre grammar, but speak more words that don't fit as well as they could. 

That's all for now. Maybe something will come up soon that I can share.

-Wendell