"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."

I have an inexorable passion for God, young people, coffee, writing, Photoshop, good books, precise grammar, beautiful words that I will never use in my day-to-day conversations, avocadoes, purple, pretty stationery, random trivia that is of absolutely no use to me, Post-its, bubble wrap, facial hair and origami.
prettyclever: jmak Dear Steve Jobs,  You changed the world; you were the Galileo/da Vinci of our generation, a pioneer in the competitive, exponentially expanding field of technology. Many wise words that left your lips are now floating around the interweb and I’m sure they’ll soon be up on the walls and fridge doors of thousands of people everywhere, in a wide array of languages, as mantras and mottos to live by. The magic of Apple may diminish over time - after all, will any one company stay permanently at the top in a fast-paced, rapidly changing society like ours? - but you’ve created more than just products to suit our whims and fancies; you’ve changed the face of the planet with your dreams and your determination to make them happen, even through disappointment. You made history, sir. The world of technology 50 years into the future will be built upon the foundations you’ve laid for society.  Funny how we sit in the making of history - surrounded by products you dared to envision and toiled to make happen - and don’t even quite comprehend the way you’ve revolutionised the means by which we communicate. In modern society, we as consumers are barraged with an endless stream of new products, designs, gadgets and gizmos and are forced to have an opinion on each one - awesome! Absolute garbage! Suits my busy lifestyle! Hate this operating system! We don’t think, “Wow. This is a fraction of someone’s genius sitting in the palm of my hand, lighting up when it receives certain frequencies to tell me that I’ve received a call from someone thousands and thousands of kilometres away.” We accept, we use, we throw away. We are spoiled for choice and we can barely find time to thank the people who shared their ingenuity with the world.  Your passing yesterday forced the world to stop and think about what you’ve done for us, the way you stop to take a breath when you’re puffed out from running up a hill and look up to see the world before your eyes, the breathtaking view of the city that escaped your gaze as you were concentrating hard on getting to the top of the hill. We are now confronted with the magnitude of change that took place in your lifetime and we are taking it in, all at once. And we can barely believe it. Your death made us appreciate your life and what you’ve done with it. That, to me, exemplifies a life lived to its full capacity. Your life and words will remain an inspiration to the generations to come. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I pray your family finds peace and comfort in such a difficult time too. x

prettyclever:

jmak

Dear Steve Jobs, 

You changed the world; you were the Galileo/da Vinci of our generation, a pioneer in the competitive, exponentially expanding field of technology. Many wise words that left your lips are now floating around the interweb and I’m sure they’ll soon be up on the walls and fridge doors of thousands of people everywhere, in a wide array of languages, as mantras and mottos to live by.

The magic of Apple may diminish over time - after all, will any one company stay permanently at the top in a fast-paced, rapidly changing society like ours? - but you’ve created more than just products to suit our whims and fancies; you’ve changed the face of the planet with your dreams and your determination to make them happen, even through disappointment. You made history, sir. The world of technology 50 years into the future will be built upon the foundations you’ve laid for society. 

Funny how we sit in the making of history - surrounded by products you dared to envision and toiled to make happen - and don’t even quite comprehend the way you’ve revolutionised the means by which we communicate. In modern society, we as consumers are barraged with an endless stream of new products, designs, gadgets and gizmos and are forced to have an opinion on each one - awesome! Absolute garbage! Suits my busy lifestyle! Hate this operating system! We don’t think, “Wow. This is a fraction of someone’s genius sitting in the palm of my hand, lighting up when it receives certain frequencies to tell me that I’ve received a call from someone thousands and thousands of kilometres away.” We accept, we use, we throw away. We are spoiled for choice and we can barely find time to thank the people who shared their ingenuity with the world. 

Your passing yesterday forced the world to stop and think about what you’ve done for us, the way you stop to take a breath when you’re puffed out from running up a hill and look up to see the world before your eyes, the breathtaking view of the city that escaped your gaze as you were concentrating hard on getting to the top of the hill. We are now confronted with the magnitude of change that took place in your lifetime and we are taking it in, all at once. And we can barely believe it.

Your death made us appreciate your life and what you’ve done with it. That, to me, exemplifies a life lived to its full capacity. Your life and words will remain an inspiration to the generations to come. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I pray your family finds peace and comfort in such a difficult time too. x

Gratefulness day four.

(It’s been awhile haha, there are simply too many things in life to be grateful for so I write about the highlights)

I caught up with my youth pastor today and I felt this sense of relief weave its way into my chest; simply being around your leader and taking a bit of time out of your crazy life to learn from them is nourishing to your soul. Great mentors are few and far apart; I don’t think I’ve had more than a few consistent ones apart from my parents. There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to accurately express the depth of my appreciation towards the people who have willingly taken me under their wing, drop a little wisdom into my heart every chance they get and challenge me to broaden my field of vision. I love that God has a way of bringing the right people into your life in even the loneliest, driest seasons.

I’m not the most emotional person; I surprised myself this week when we were asked to honour each other at discipleship and I turned to Nicci with words of gratitude and deep appreciation, only to find tears tumbling out after the words like pine cones down a steep hill. All the love I have for this amazing woman, friend and mentor just refused to be contained in my little frame.

Often, I think we get distracted by the methodology of worship - the crescendos in a song mean that hands begin their slow ascent towards heaven, the catchy chorus means hopping on each foot in an alternating pattern - and our brains get noisier to the rising volume of the music. I catch myself worrying about what I’m doing right or wrong or simply going through the motions, then realise how truly empty it is unless the God of the universe is at the centre of all that we do as a church and as individuals taking a step further in our lifelong journey. Worship is the unbridled, uncensored outpouring of gratitude, love and affection to God. Worship is the song of our hearts, the attitude we choose to bear, the conviction of the overwhelming goodness of God. There is release in true worship, a freedom that entails. It’s surprising how easily the words of gratitude bubble up and overflow when you cut out the crap that surrounds worship and strip it back down to its core.

The awkward moment when your thoughts are louder than the world around you.

I go through periods of deep, near-consuming introversion where my thoughts are often overwhelming in depth and volume and I think I’m going slightly insane from listening to myself search and explore and weigh and consider. I’m grateful that the Holy Spirit and people around me keep me from falling over the edge, grounding me in their patient love and occasionally delivering annoying but much-appreciated slaps to the face and overactive brain.

Something I’ve learnt and am still learning, painfully and slowly but steadily, is to be okay with asking questions and expressing doubt. Often I feel a certain way with incredible intensity and it bothers me that I feel so strongly about some things but can be unbelievably apathetic about other things. Instead of letting my heart be troubled by the way I feel, I need to pull myself back and start examining the way I think and react; why do I react a certain way? What’s the basis of the assumption I just made? Am I allowing stuff like bitterness and pride to proliferate and make my heart their home? Is there a part of my heart, regardless of the condition, that isn’t surrendered and open to correction? Questions that warrant deeper digging and bring to surface answers you don’t want to hear are difficult questions to ask, but dissecting my own behaviours and thoughts and making sure that they don’t go unchecked helps me understand myself a bit better and when I work that out with God and ask Him those questions (however much wrought with anger and frustration they are), I give Him space to minister to my spirit and let Him teach me about the way other people act and react; who would know better about the human spirit than the creator and engineer of our species? For me, balancing the tendency to overanalyse and rationalise is tough; with time and persistence, prayer and seeking the heart of God teaches you where to draw the line between mere opinion, deception and the truth. Questions draw out the answers when they’re asked, not when they’re kept in and allowed to be squashed into the pockets of your jeans. It’s okay not to know everything.

This one scares me: letting pride and fear get ahead of me and choosing to keep things in, or choosing to be teachable and vulnerable, seeking out wisdom in other people who might know more than I do (and of course, being careful and discerning with any advice thrown my way). I’m still figuring that one out, I think it unsettles me more than anything to have to be completely honest with more than a handful of people and it’s strange that I find more comfort in telling the interweb just this little bit about me than telling someone I know and giving them leeway to probe deeper into the workings of my crazy mind. I’ll let you know how I go with that one. 

 “If a man shall begin in certainties, he shall end in doubts. But if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” - Sir. Francis Bacon

* Excuse the rambling and any bad grammar.

hogwartsguidetolife: 129. Be witty and sarcastic, but also be ready to share your heart with whoever may need it.  (submitted by victorywillbeours )

hogwartsguidetolife:

129. Be witty and sarcastic, but also be ready to share your heart with whoever may need it. 

(submitted by victorywillbeours )

(via findingpapertowns)

The very tedium, the act of waiting itself, works to nourish in us qualities of patience, persistence, trust, gentleness, compassion - or it may do so, if we place ourselves in the stream of God’s movement on earth. It may take more faith to trust God when we do not get what we ask for than when we do…Faith calls us to trust in a future-oriented God.

Philip Yancey.

I keep a dream book. Not one that I keep beside my bed to write down dreams from the night before, in an attempt to dissect my subconscious. It’s this little notebook of stuff that empowers, inspires and nourishes my soul. It’s filled with quotes, sketches, rambling thoughts on paper, God’s little whispers of encouragement and nudges from the Holy Spirit that have shaped my attitude towards people and situations. Opening this book when I’m not in a good place is like stumbling upon the musical box I had as a child and opening it up for the first time in aeons, watching the tiny ballerina twirl en pointe to the tinkly, delicate melody. The tune is familiar; I know it off by heart even though it’s been a long time since the box has seen any light. It sings of better times, of the first love, of the height of the fire, of the zenith of passion. My heart finds joy, unabashed and immeasurable joy, my dreams come alive again, my feet tap along to the melody and soon I find my body swaying to the rhythm. The hard work and tears and blood and sweat and pain and weariness don’t disappear in an instant, how foolish I would be to suggest that it does. Neither does my position, my entitlement to grace and all its powerful friends as a child of God, my calling and my convictions, however. My calling is a single gold thread weaved into the centre of the rich, colourful tapestry that is my life, sometimes hidden by the activity and various colours of the different seasons I live through but outstanding, eye-catching and central to my being, nonetheless. This book doesn’t forget, and I’m passionate about keeping a written record that tracks my growth.

I found this quote in my little book today, along with a few others. The hardest seasons in my life involve waiting. And waiting. And gritting my teeth and standing firm in my place and digging my feet into the soil and waiting. And I shall wait, correctly. And I shall bring some tidbits of wisdom along, to sustain this waiting period. I shall wait facing the right direction. I shall wait, in anticipation of the main meal. I don’t look in the opposite direction when I’m waiting for the bus, why should this be any different?

Too often, we look for wisdom where it is scarce; an emotionally-charged statement slapped onto a pretty picture might not really be wisdom at all.

Take every opportunity to collect pearls of wisdom from great people. It might mean spending an extra 5 minutes at the dinner table. It might mean being a bit more vulnerable about things that have been troubling you to people you don’t want to be vulnerable to. It might mean being open to different thoughts and mindsets and accepting that you might be wrong sometimes. Forcing yourself out of the Facebook-Tumblr-Twitter bubble for awhile is probably a healthy thing for your brain anyway, people with the skills to Photoshop a whimsical quote onto a grainy photo of random household objects at interesting angles might not necessarily be any wiser that you are. The wisest people might be the figures sitting in your living room.

I find myself drawn to extroverts. I find them fascinating; how does one manage to open up like a blooming rosebud to so many people and stay sane? I wonder if extroverts find introverts fascinating.

I find myself drawn to extroverts. I find them fascinating; how does one manage to open up like a blooming rosebud to so many people and stay sane?

I wonder if extroverts find introverts fascinating.

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