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A Change Will Do Me Good…
My life is "under construction"
With all that has been going on in my life over the past few months, I have decided to make some changes. I have specifically decided to do three things and they all have the common theme of dealing with my health. It’s going to be a challenge but I’m ready for a change.
1) Beginning December 1, 2011 I will only be drinking water. On December 1, 2010 I decided to stop drinking sodas and as a result sweet tea became my vice. This decision was also based on my last visit to the dentist when I was informed that I would need a good bit of dental work done as a result of my “8-9 Diet Dr Peppers a day” habit. Since I have accomplished my goal of not drinking sodas for almost a year now, I wanted to take it to the next level and decided to just try drinking water starting this December 1. Most people ask me why I don’t wait until January 1 and make it a New Year’s Resolution. I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions because by January 15 (or in some cases sooner) they have already been broken. If I start this on a day that is not January 1 then there is no “New Year’s Resolution” pressure and I am more prone to stick to my goal.
2) Saturday, December 10 I will be participating in Jingle Jog. I have not participated in a race since The Peachtree Road Race on July 4 of this year. The Peachtree was a 10K, so I thought I would give myself a little bit of a break and do a 5K this time around. What is so cool is one of the guys in my new small group has been looking for a 5K to run, so he and I are planning to do the race together.
3) I have been wanting to find a way to improve my over all health – encompassing eating right and exercising (two things at which I am horrible at maintaining). At the encouragement of another one of the guys in my new small group, I have decided to go through a book that he recommend that changed his life. The week after Thanksgiving (for obvious reasons – don’t want to set myself up for immediate failure with all of that tasty food) I will be starting the book Body for Life by Bill Phillips and Michael D’Orso. The guy in my small group who is running the Jingle Jog has decided to do it as well so we are going to hold one another accountable in this endeavor. Don’t worry, I won’t be forcing you to look at any before or after pictures of me (the thought of that kind of creeps me out any way). I weigh more now than I have ever weighed (my waist size is also the biggest its ever been as well) and that was one of the major determining factors for me to make these changes.
Do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement that could help me through these changes?
Photo Credit: By Kevin Dooley
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Forbidden – A Great Start to The Books of Mortals
Dekker + Lee = Forbidden
To say that Ted Dekker is one of my favorite authors would be an extreme understatement. When I heard he would be co-writing another book I was a little worried. I loved the book House that he wrote with Frank Peretti, but I did not like either of the books he wrote with Erin Healey (Burn and Kiss). I had never heard of Tosca Lee, so I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Dekker’s latest book Forbidden. This is the Ted Dekker I remember and fell in love with when I first started reading his works with the book Thr3e.
Forbidden is book one in a new trilogy called The Books of Mortals. Imagine if you will, a time in the future where human beings are removed of all emotions except fear – this is the concept of Forbidden. Rom, the main character of the story, is given a vial of blood and discovers that when he consumes the blood he is able to feel all of his emotions once again. With such a precious commodity as this life-giving blood, you could imagine the number of people who want to get their hands on it. The book tells of Rom and those in his inner circle as they try to find the source of this magical blood, while trying to keep it out of the hands of those who have the desire to use for evil.
There is a lot of Biblical imagery like the mysterious blood (providing life, just as the blood of Christ) and several other items, which are very involved in the plot so I will not reveal them and ruin the book for you. Forbidden is an easy read that you won’t be able to put down, as it will keep you on the edge of your seat. The down side of reading Forbidden is that you have to wait until June 5, 2012 to continue reading the trilogy when Mortal (book #2) comes out in stores.
Photo Credit: By Christianbook.com
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Pastor, Say It Ain’t So – Dealing With Depression
Photo Credit: By Lloyd Morgan
The other day I was on Twitter and was bothered by what I saw. I follow a lot of pastors, as they typically provide words of wisdom and encouragement. One pastor really disappointed me though and I won’t reveal his name, as I don’t know him personally or why he feels the way he does. He went on a Twitter rant about depression and Christians.
This pastor commented in multiple tweets that “Christians should not take medication to help them combat depression because it was of the devil” and “depression was due to a lack of faith.” How can someone who is supposed to be a man of God tell people they are suffering from a mental disease because they don’t believe like he thinks they should? He might as well tell people who have cancer that they have it because of their lack of faith. Seriously?! It’s people like this who annoy me and make me understand why people don’t like Christians.
I am very close with two people who suffer from depression and medication has greatly helped them. Depression is caused by altered brain structure and chemical function. Neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain) become unbalanced. You can’t will yourself out of depression. Depression is not a weakness either. The first step is being diagnosed and realizing that depression can be treatable – it’s not something they have done or not done and they are not a failure if they deal with it. About 121 million people around the world suffer from depression in some form.
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Baby Movin’ On Up…
Packing - one my least favorite things!
This week is going to be extremely stressful. There is so much going on, that I’m already for it to be over and it’s only Monday. Have you ever had one of those weeks?! It wouldn’t be so bad if all of these things were happening on different weeks, but unfortunately they are all happening at the same time. I can already feel my head starting to throb.
Item #1 – I am moving this week. It’s literally only two minutes from where I live now, but I’m still moving. I absolutely detest packing. Some of my things will be going in storage, some things will be going with me to the new place, and other things will be trashed or given to Goodwill. My youngest brother and I were renting a house together and now I will be living with two guys I know from church. I’m looking forward to it, but the transition of getting there is very stressful right now. In the long run this will also help me save money.
Item #2 – The reason I am moving. My youngest brother (he is eight years younger than I am) is getting married on Friday of this week. It will be a very small family only ceremony in Tennessee. I am the oldest of three boys. My middle brother (he is three years younger than I am) is married with four kids. My youngest brother will be getting married this week. And then there is me…the oldest, not married, and not even dating anyone. I am excited for my brother, but I still kind of feel like the “odd man out.” I would like to get married one day, but there are no signs showing that it’s going to happen any time soon and that can be depressing at times.
Item #3 – I am job hunting. I lost my job toward the end of June and the current status of the economy and job market is horrible. I am collecting unemployment, but that only helps so much. Unfortunately things in life cost money – food, gas for your vehicle, insurance for your vehicle…well, you get the idea. I am ready to find the right job for me (one I enjoy doing and one where I get up every morning excited about what I do for a living) and get a more stable way of life.
If I don’t post for a few days, I’m probably buried underneath boxes of stuff from the move – so you’ll know where to find me. Just say a little prayer for my sanity during the move! (c:
Back to packing!
Photo Credit: By Ben Hoyt
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Remembering 9/11 – 10 Years Later
The front page headline from September 11, 2001.
September 11, 2001 – A day that changed our world forever. I remember vividly the happenings of that tragic day. It was my first day working at Old Navy at Parkway Pointe. We were setting things up to open the store and when our manager came in, she was almost in tears. She told us what had happened and we all went back into the break room and turned on the television to see the disastrous events that has just happened to our country. There was absolute silence through out the entire store.
We opened the store as usual, but only two customers came in and the topic of conversation immediately turned to what had happened at the Trade Center and the Pentagon. Corporate office called our manager and told us that we could shut down the store early so that everyone could go home to be with their families and to make sure any family members near the tragedy were okay. I later found out that a friend of mine from high school was in the area of the tragedy, but she and her husband were both okay. Many people weren’t so lucky and lost their lives due to this insane display of terrorism.
Today, we look back exactly ten years to the day of when it all happened. Our country is united and has more compassion for others. It is sad that something of this magnitude had to happen in order to draw our country closer together. I personally want to thank every man and woman who serves our country so that we can live a life of freedom without fear. I still think about the families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy and it makes my heart hurt. I don’t know what it’s like because I didn’t experience it first hand, but know that you and your families are still in my thoughts and prayers even now ten years after your loss.
Photo Credit: By Eric Shoemaker
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The Church of Facebook – Community or Connection?
Photo Credit: By ChurchOfFacebook.com
Community is an integral part of life. It’s hard to believe that Facebook started out in 2004 – in seven years, over 750 million individuals have become a part of this social networking phenomenon. What are these people seeking to get from their experience on Facebook? In his book The Church of Facebook, author Jesse Rice seeks to determine the motivating factor(s). One of the main issues he raises is can you really have true community online – without having face-to-face relationships?
This is a great read that I highly recommend. I enjoyed it more and more with every chapter. A few take aways I received from reading Rice’s book:
- “At the root of human existence is our great need for connection: connection with one another, with our own hearts and minds, and with a loving God who intended intimate connection with us from the beginning. Connection is the very core of what makes us human and the very means by which we express our humanity.”
- On Facebook we communicate to get a reaction. It’s not an immediate interaction.
- People tend to have a “whatever goes” mentality when it comes to Facebook – saying and doing what they want without taking into consideration how it may effect others.
- Being friends on Facebook is not a demanding relationship. You click a button and that’s it – you don’t have to do any maintenance on the friendship.
- Don’t define what a friend should be for you. Find out what others need in a friend and be that for them.
- Which is more important – being authentic or being liked?
- We have become a society that is too focused on what is new instead of what is now.
I love how the author uses the story of the woman at the well and how Jesus established a relationship with her based on her needs – correlating this with the whole Facebook experience. We tend to get on Facebook and play the comparison game by looking at how successful or active our “friends” are and either looking down on them because they don’t have what we do or we wish we had what they have. We also use Facebook and other social media venues to create a facade of who we think others want us to be and project that as our “real” self.
Rice even gives some great examples of how to enhance your Facebook experience – these alone are with the price of the book. The Church of Facebook is a must read for anyone in social media or ministry (or both).
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Maybe She Did Just Need A Friend – RIP Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (1983 - 2011)
“I don’t ever wanna drink again. I just, ooh, I just need a friend.”
– Amy Winehouse from Rehab
By now, you have probably heard that singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London home on Saturday, July 23. What is so sad about this tragedy is that Winehouse has become a part of what some call the “27 Club” (a group of musicians who all died at the age of 27) – this group includes Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. It is widely known that Winehouse had a problem with drugs and alcohol. What caused her to turn to these substances? One will never really know.
Some say she was lonely, so maybe she did truly need a friend like her song said. The songstress had a strong amount of influence on her fans and the public, whether it be through her music or her fashion (she single-handedly brought back the beehive hairdo). Her album sales have sky rocketed since her passing. Part of me wonders if she really had any friends – I’m not talking these “yes man” people who tell you what you want to hear…I’m talking about true friends who tell you what you need to hear whether you want to hear it or not. This is not an excuse for her bad choices, but if she possibly had someone in her life to encourage her to make the right decisions she might still be with us today.
Her personal problems had a tendency to overshadow her music. She was a very talented individual who has influenced artists like Adele and Duffy. Watch the video below of Winehouse’s first appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Photo Credit: By Fionn Kidney
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Leadership Elements
Last Thursday, I completed a four week workshop on leadership called “Leadership Elements.” (Thank you Mark Shull for recommending it!) Each of the four weeks focused on a different topic regarding being a leader. What is so great about this information is it can be used in various different environments – in the work place, at church, or even within your group of friends. Here are just a few of the “take-aways” that I learned.
- Influence, not position is what allows us to lead people.
- Influence is always in motion.
- Fair or unfair, we are often judged on the perception of our leadership, not the reality of our leadership.
- Influence comes from who you are, not just what you do.
- Leadership begins with character and ends with influence.
- Competence might make you a leader, but character gives you influence.
- People might not always listen, but they never fail to imitate.
- If you don’t know where you are, you can’t get from there to where you need to be.
- Self-awareness helps prevent hypocrisy.
- You can’t lead others past where you are.
- Self-awareness leads to compassion for others.
- A person who doesn’t have an awareness of their shortcomings comes across as pity.
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Why I Do What I Do
Writing is one of my passions.
Recently, several people have asked me what exactly it means to be an Online Content Manager. My job consisted of writing original content for the blogs of about 30 apartment complexes. I would write on anything including attractions in the surrounding area, upcoming concerts and events, and general apartment living posts. All of the posts had to be connected in some way to the respective apartment property.
I love writing because it allows me to be creative and to share with others information I’ve learned or that I currently know regarding any given topic. You can share your thoughts and let others know what is on your mind. It’s also a great way to help clear your mind of any stress – when you put pen to paper (or in this case fingers to keyboard) it’s like a part of you flows out of the words that come out on the screen. Reading is another thing I enjoy and it also helps me expand on my writing skills when I see how others write.
To give you a better idea of what I did at my last job, here are some examples of blog posts I wrote.
- Playing In Traffic Has Never Been So Much Fun!
- Dragon Con Comes To Atlanta
- Atlanta Food Bank Serving The Community
Photo Credit: By Kristian D.
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Scott Couey 