I’ve been writing on here since 2016 so, at this point, it’s also fun to search for topics like love, sex, evolve, addiction, hitler help, jesus, create or… you get the idea.
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welcome to love's!
I was just in Ritzville to fill up on gas. Ritzville's population is about 1,500.
Ritzville was settled in 1880 but, today, Ritzville is primarily known for having a Starbucks, some gas stations, and a McDonald's on I-90 between Seattle and Spokane.
It's pretty much the middle of nowhere.
But, today, after filling up I went into the truck stop "Love's" to get some water and the woman working the cash register said "Welcome to Love's" with a massive smile. She said it to every single person that walked in while I stopped in line. She asked everyone how they were doing and she left every interaction with a genuine "Have a wonderful day!"
Most people ignored her. Some seemed surprised. One out of the 25 I saw smiled and said something back.
Most people didn't care.
But she did.
And I did. And I thanked her for it.
Because, sometimes you're just that genuine, that nice, that welcoming, that joyful and no one seems to care. But you keep doing it anyway, because you care. Because it matters. Because it makes your world better.
And, even if they don't smile back, it makes their world better too.
we might agree.
The other day my wife was shaking her head yes and I was giving her a disgusted no face. Obviously, we disagreed.
Then we said to each other - wait are you thinking we should buy or we should sell? Maybe we agree?
It ended up that we did.
So before you move on, and start prepping all the ways to convince the other person how wrong they are, make sure you are both asking the same question. You might actually agree.
want to be a beta reader this summer?
I'm on the fifth draft of a new fiction book that I've written and I'm almost ready for some people to read it and give me feedback. For what it's worth, I've been working on this baby for over four years and it's one of my favorite pieces of art that I've ever created.
Yeah, I'm really excited about it!
Here's what you get:
1. To read a book before anyone else.
2. To provide feedback and help craft the book.
3. To be a part of something special.
Here's what you give:
1. Read it. I need people committed to reading the book within 30 days (from the time they receive it - probably mid-June). It is 140,000 words (the size of The Return of the King by Tolkien). It's not copyedited, so there will be some mistakes and issues but you'll ignore those.
2. Provide feedback. I need people committed to telling me if they like it, and why, or if they don't, and why. Even offer suggestions.
3. Care. I can find random people who would do this. But you read this blog and care at some level or another about me and my work. That means I trust you. If you'll care about making this better, I'd be honored for you to read it!
Here's the back of the book summary to help you decide. If you want to apply, send me an email and explain why you want to do this. I'm choosing 7 from those that apply and we'll go from there! (Again, hoping to choose and hand the book out mid-June.)
Not that I had ever met a demon before, but Ehs was the most normal demon I had ever met. Nice, authentic, funny, a joy to be around. Most of the time.
Ehs asked me to trust him. He said he needed me to help him change the world that you and I live in, the world that he created, the world that he regretted creating. He also needed me to help him find love.
Ehs promised me many things if I helped him, not the least of which was a story to tell.
This is that story. And it affects everything you believe.
Listen. Part Seven.
This has been really cool and so god to get some insights to who reads this blog. Thank you!
My final - and seventh - question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Maybe we'll do something fun with all of it after we're done.
Listen. Part Six.
Almost there!
My sixth question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Listen. Part Five.
Just keeps getting better!
My fifth question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Maybe we'll do something fun with all of it after we're done.
Listen. Part Four.
My fourth question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Maybe we'll do something fun with all of it after we're done.
Listen. Part Three.
Please keep sharing. Good, good stuff!
My third question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Maybe we'll do something fun with all of it after we're done.
Listen. Part Two.
Thanks for the answers! This is awesome!
My second question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Maybe we'll do something fun with all of it after we're done.
Listen. Part One.
I've been doing lots of talking. Thanks for listening!
But now, I'd like to listen. To you. To what you have to say.
My first question for you is here.
It's anonymous so you can be honest. And I would, honestly, love to hear your wisdom and perspective and thoughts!
Maybe we'll do something fun with all of it after we're done.
health care.
In your opinion, what does someone need to do to deserve health care? It's been interesting to watch Jimmy Kimmel and then the negative reaction to Jimmy Kimmel which can basically be summed up like this:
Jimmy: every child deserves health care.
Negative reaction: not if I have to pay for it. Some don't deserve it.
Ignoring that we all pay for everything that happens to people in this country, in one way or another, it brings up an interesting question.
Would you pay for health care for someone? What makes someone deserving of health care?
A family member?
A friend?
A sad story?
Never?
Always?
The innocent?
The smart?
The wise?
The answer to that question says a lot about how we see ourselves, especially compared to those around us.
on the dole.
There are two fundamentally different ways to view our fellow humans.
One is expressed this way by Senator Orin Hatch:
"The public wants every dime they can be given," he said. "Let's face it, once you get them on the dole, they'll take every dime they can."
Another is to believe that people want to belong, to be loved and to trust that will continue.
How do you want to be seen? Why are you different from every other human?
hidden permanence.
Tattoos. They can have lots of meaning but they are permanent and that's always a little scary.
What's funny though - and the great thing about tattoos - is that many things are permanent - they just aren't as obviously permanent. They are more subtle and hidden. Maybe the best thing about tattoos is that they remind us of all kinds of things that are permanent and we pretend aren't.
Marriage is permanent. Of course, we can get a divorce, but we can't erase the experience.
Kids are permanent. I hope we know that.
Surgeries are permanent.
Affairs are permanent.
Selling or throwing away something with meaning is permanent.
Words are permanent. They can't be brought back. They can be covered but not returned.
Actions are permanent. They initiate consequences that can be altered, but not retrieved.
If words and actions are permanent, well, what else is there?
It's all permanent in a sense.
I'm not sure we're afraid of permanence. I think we're afraid of the permanence everyone knows. We are afraid of the vulnerability of our permanence on display. So, we tend to hide the permanence, keep it secret, and I think we hurt ourselves when we do.
(And ironically, if it were as easy as $1000 to get rid of some of what we've done we'd pay it almost instantly.)
But, it's not. There is no removal. So, we hide it. Pretend it's not there for people to see.
But, maybe acknowledge the permanence. Live it. Hold it. Own it.
Trend it toward the good, permanently.
what would you say?
What if you had 30 seconds to tell the entire world something? 30 seconds of every human being listening to you?
What would you say?
Would it matter?
Would it affect change?
It may not be the entire world, but there are humans all around us, every day, listening.
inflict great love.
It's said that we only learn from great suffering or great love.
If true...
We don’t want to inflict pain on anyone but we can inflict great love, with the trust it will eventually do something… maybe if it’s only helping someone believe that it exists.
minimalism.
Just when you think you're getting close to being a minimalist, you stage your house for pictures.
You then realize the clutter was everywhere even after multiple attempts to get rid of it.
And the clutter still is.
In the house, in your brain, in your relationships, in your passions.
It's hard work, it's slow work, it's patient work but it's worth it.
who cares?
Think about the people in your life who you know are going to love you no matter what you do. They are going to support you, be on your side, walk through it with you. They care.
Now think of everyone else. They may be an enemy, they maybe a parent, they may be an enemy-parent, they may be a co-worker, a critic, the list is probably long. They care, in all the wrong ways, because they probably don't care. They always have a comment, a look, an email, or something else.
What if your decision making was limited to thinking about the first group of people and not the second? How would it change what you do?
And, who in your life would count you as a member of that first group?
the old way.
Seth Godin has a new marketing course. In the introduction video he says this: "People don't like marketers. They don't like us because a lot of people do marketing the old way, the wrong way, the selfish way."
He recounts telling someone he's an author and watching them get excited. He then tells them he's a marketer and they run.
Not much different than telling someone you're a pastor. And for the exact same reasons. Pastors have acted like marketers, been seen as marketers. Bad marketers, marketing the old, wrong, and selfish way through fear and dehumanization of others.
Godin also says this:
"Twenty years later, marketing is still taught backwards. It’s assumed that marketing is something we do TO our audience, for the sole purpose of meeting our own goals. But marketing is now something we do WITH our tribe, helping them reach their goals first."
We're all marketers. We're all pastors. The question is are we doing something TO people for ourselves or are we doing something WITH people for them?
Preach Godin. Preach.
kendrick.
You may have never heard of Kendrick Lamar.
You have may have never listened to him.
You may not care for his music.
You may think he's just another rapper.
Read this article.
You might learn some things, including why, in my opinion, the traditional church is dying and the spots people are finding a better, more creative, intelligent spirituality - with F-bombs and driving bass.
Preach Kendrick. Preach.