Dave Ramsey's 20 Things Rich People Do...

Not that I care so much about being rich, but I thought this was a good list...

http://www.daveramsey.com/blog/20-things-the-rich-do-every-day

Actually, I'm going to start doing them right now.  See you poor suckers later.

"Ira Glass Rehearses The Christian Pitch"

I thought I had posted this before...
 

A longer (and more serious) than usual post about a trip to help with the tornado damage in Washington, IL

I’m at home after church on Sunday talking to my wife about how we handled the tornado warning that went off during the cup portion of the Lord’s Supper at our Milwaukee church.  The phone rings, and my buddy from Illinois says, “Are your in-laws okay?  I was watching the Bears game and they said that Washington, IL, was wiped out by a tornado.  Isn’t that your wife’s hometown?”.  Not that I have a lot of experience in this category, but these types of questions typically put a new spin on your day.

We make phone calls to my in-laws.  After a few no-answers, my wife gets through, and finds out everyone is okay.  The tornado barely missed the community center where her family meets for church.  It missed the community center, but, it had managed to create a path through the middle of town, through apartments, housing developments, ending in farmland.  Everything in this path was dismantled and then deposited in mangled forms all over the city.

We started looking at pictures on the internet.  The pictures could have been taken anywhere, all the landmarks were gone, everything was leveled and looked like your average pile of debris.  We eventually found out that among approximately 1,000 damaged homes, only one person had died.  For some reason this made the damage seem more bearable. 

We decided to head down to Washington to help with the clean-up over the weekend.  Friday night we arrived in Washington before the 6:00 PM curfew.  Saturday morning, myself, my wife, her Dad and brother, all went over to the Bethany Community Church to get our volunteer assignment.   However, the line for assignments was out the door, parking was backed up on the street.  Instead of waiting potentially hours in the cold to get an assignment, our crew decided to risk getting through the policed barricades and going into the affected area on our own. 

We waited in line outside of the affected area for about 30 minutes as cars were checked by the police, and, we finally entered to what looked like the aftermath of a bombed out village in a World War 2 movie.  Piles of debris were everywhere, homes gone, vehicles flipped over, walls missing, glass and splintered wood everywhere, insulation blowing around like snow flurries. 

We jumped in helping people with their homes.  And, there was a spectrum of damage.  Over the course of the weekend, we helped homes that had damage, but were still livable.  They must have felt blessed to have come so close to the tornado, but with minimal damage.  We helped people whose homes will likely need to be destroyed, but they weren’t hit hard enough that they lost all their belongings.  They must have felt blessed to have been in the path of the tornado, but still been able to have pictures, clothes, stuffed animals, memories.  And, for others the tornado made everything disappear.  I imagine they are thankful for their lives.

We attended a worship service on Sunday with a church family who had been spread out during the week.  Spread out all over Washington, but grateful to be serving, grateful for their lives, grateful that their community center is several 100 yards to the west, grateful for a higher hope, grateful for a church calendar that had been wiped clean with one thing now written on it “Help people – physically and spiritually”. We sang as a body of Christ.  We prayed as a body.  We opened God’s Word together. 

The world is a mix of happy and sad and in-between.  The world is complicated.  Some people lose their house.  Some people lose all the letters their deceased father wrote to his children for their eighteenth birthdays. Some people have their spouse die only to have their name infamously changed to “at least only one person died” and repeated 10,000 times every day all over the community.

We hear things like this and they sound unbearable.  And, in some ways they are, but over the course of my weekend in Washington, I kept noticing that the mixed feelings I was observing in myself seemed familiar.  

We, as Christians, know of a story of happiness and sadness.  In our church services, we sing about death.  We thank God for sending Jesus to die to pay the penalty for our sins.  We are told to rejoice in trials.  We’re an odd breed.  But, maybe it’s actually not odd at all, maybe it’s the only thing complicated enough to make sense of a complicated world.  A complicated world, where I hurt and rejoice at the same time.  A complicated world, where a savage tornado does something horrible and yet brings a community together in a nearly impossible way.  A world where a church can go from fearing for their lives in a hallway of a community center to having two packed services the following week and blessing the community with the spoken message of the gospel.

“We”.  That can be a beautiful word.  Knowing that it’s not all about you.  In an ultimate sense, the ultimate “we” occurs between a Heavenly Father and his children.  But, there’s a “we” in the body of Christ, the church.  And, part of the beauty of a body is that it is together.  It’s together all the time.  Sometime your hands are working fine, but you have a head ache.  Sometimes your hands feel arthritic, but there’s no headache.  Our bodies are a mix of pleasure and pain.  As a church body, we function this way. 

We know Jesus who has suffered more than anyone.  We know that God is sovereign in the ups and downs of life.   And, as we understand these things, I think we reach out to others.  We know about suffering, because our body suffers and our Head suffered.  Our faith family is full of people who are suffering while simultaneously experiencing joy and sustenance.  There’s something core to our faith that relates to your ups and downs.  It makes sense of them.  It gives them purpose. 

We can’t explain all the reasons for suffering.  But, observing life in Washington, IL, over the weekend, I feel convinced that suffering provides the home field advantage for faith of a believer.  

A couple poems - Adelia Prado & Maurice Manning

Here is a poem and an excerpt from a poem that I came across yesterday.  I think I like both of them...

Before Names 
by Adelia Prado
I don’t care about the word, that commonplace.
What I want is the grand chaos that spins out syntax,
the obscure birthplace of "of," "otherwise,"
"nevertheless," and "how," all those inscrutable
crutches I walk on.
Who understands language understands God,
Whose Son is the Word. It kills you to understand.
Words only hide something deeper, deaf and dumb,
something invented to be silenced.
In moments of grace, rare as they are,
you'll be able to snatch it out: a live fish
in your bare hand.
Pure terror.

----------
The Nature of Things
by Maurice Manning
...Do Lord, O, do you remember?
I've asked and asked again, and Yes
has always been the answer, Yes
unsaid, but even the unsaid says;
the answer needs the question...

The Coach Who Never Punts | Grantland Features

Across the Border - Springsteen quote

This is more Twitter-esque, but I was reminded today of this Springsteen lyric:

"For what are we without hope in our hearts that someday we’ll drink from God’s blessed waters...?"

From "Across the Border"...




Across the Border

Tonight my bag is packed
Tomorrow I'll walk these tracks
That will lead me across the border

Tomorrow my love and I
Will sleep 'neath auburn skies
Somewhere across the border

We'll leave behind my dear
The pain and sadness we found here
And we'll drink from the Bravo's muddy waters

Where the sky grows grey and white
We'll meet on the other side
There across the border

For you I'll build a house
High up on a grassy hill
Somewhere across the border

Where pain and memory
Pain and memory have been stilled
There across the border

And sweet blossoms fills the air
Pastures of gold and green
Roll down into cool clear waters

And in your arms 'neath the open skies
I'll kiss the sorrow from your eyes
There across the border

Tonight we'll sing the songs
I'll dream of you my corazon
And tomorrow my heart will be strong

And may the saints' blessing and grace
Carry me safely into your arms
There across the border

For what are we
Without hope in our hearts
That someday we'll drink from God's blessed waters

And eat the fruit from the vine
I know love and fortune will be mine
Somewhere across the border

Elephants

Living on a Prayer

Breast Cancer - Angelo & Jennifer Merendino

Makes me want to give my wife a hug when she gets home....

http://www.upworthy.com/a-husband-took-these-photos-of-his-wife-and-captured-love-and-loss-beautifully

Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Adaptation

There's something in me that is quite glad that this exists...



More on the topic, if you are interested...
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Raiders-Lost-Ark-Shot-Shot-Fanmade-Remake-Getting-Its-Own-Feature-39840.html

The Permanent Endurance of Art - Joseph Conrad

"The artist appeals to that part of our being which...is a gift and not an acquisition...and, therefore, more permanently enduring."

...good stuff.  I especially like thinking about the difference between gift and acquisition, and, how to touch the 'gift' side of the spectrum with art.

"The changing wisdom of successive generations discards ideas, questions facts, demolishes theories. But the artist appeals to that part of our being which is not dependent on wisdom; to that in us which is a gift and not an acquisition--and, therefore, more permanently enduring. He speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives; to our sense of pity, and beauty, and pain; to the latent feeling of fellowship with all creation--and to the subtle but invincible conviction of solidarity that knits together the loneliness of innumerable hearts, to the solidarity in dreams, in joy, in sorrow, in aspirations, in illusions, in hope, in fear, which binds men to each other, which binds together all humanity--the dead to the living and the living to the unborn." - Joseph Conrad

Disney movie pitch...

"Let's make a children's movie where we get the kids emotionally attached to some puppies.  Then, we steal the puppies from the parents...put them in a situation where a crazy lady wants to kill them and skin them...and, make a coat out of them."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!  It will become a classic."

- Possible sales pitch for 101 Dalmatians

Primer - Good Time Travel Movie

Primer is a movie in which I couldn't understand pretty much anything the characters were talking about, they could have been speaking in another language.  I couldn't really understand the chronology of the plot.  Basically, in general, I couldn't understand much of anything that was going on in the movie.  But, I loved it.  And, I keep thinking about it.  If you like short, brain-teaser movies, this is one for you.

And, after you're done, here are info-graphics for you:

Best one:  http://qubitrot.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/primer.png

Also good: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Time_Travel_Method-2.svg

Here's the movie's webpage:  Primer

Here's a blog all about Primer: The Primer Universe

From This Valley - The Civil Wars

From This Valley

Oh the desert dreams of a river
That will run down to the sea
Like my heart longs for an ocean
To wash down over me

Oh won't you take me from this valley
To that mountain high above
Oh I will pray, pray, pray till I see your smiling face
I will pray, pray, pray to the one that I love


Oh the outcast dreams of acceptance
Just to find pure love's embrace
Like an orphan longs for its mother
May you hold me in your grace


Oh won't you take me from this valley
To that mountain high above
Oh I will pray, pray, pray till I see your smiling face
I will pray, pray, pray to the one that I love


Oh the caged bird dreams of a strong wind
That will flow beneath her wings
Like a voice longs for a melody
Oh Jesus, carry me


Oh won't you take me from this valley
To that mountain high above
Oh I will pray, pray, pray till I see your smiling face
I will pray, pray, pray to the one that I love

Want to Go To Mars?

If you want to go to Mars, I have two options for you:

1. Short(er) trip - www.inspirationmars.org

2. Long trip - applicants.mars-one.com

Let me know if you end up going.

On the Overratedness of Being Rational

Here's a paragraph from Stanley Hauerwas defending the irrationality of faith in God.  He's not claiming that Christianity will make sense to everyone.  He's also not claiming that it will always make the world run more smoothly.  He is claiming Christianity is true...and, that there's a bit of arrogance to believing that we can discover on our own power what is right or wrong or true about the world. 

"An ethic claiming to be 'rational' and universally valid for all thinking people everywhere is incipiently demonic because it has no means of explaining why there are still people who disagree with its prescriptions of behavior, except that these people must be 'irrational' and, therefore (since 'rationality' is said to be our most important human characteristic), subhuman."  - Resident Aliens, 101

Favorite Scene from The Cosby Show

To all the 'regular people' reading this blog post,

My favorite episode of The Cosby Show is the very first episode.

The clip below is my favorite scene.

Enjoy...

Bill Hybels - "This is Church"

There is a simple concept (axiom) that I heard from Bill Hybels called "This is church".  I think of often, almost every week.  "This is church" means that you and I don't define what it means to 'do church'...there's an element of trusting that the situations we come into every day are God determining what the "job" actually looks like.  Church life as a pastor (or, a church member) is not simply important projects, lesson planning, etc.  It's the interruptions as well. I think this principle is true for anyone in any career.

I think this link may take you to that chapter in Google books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=hSn4DcOav-MC&pg=PT60&dq=bill+hybels+%22This+is+Church%22+axiom&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FqcGUbm5AorgyQGpx4HYDw&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAA

Here's an older blog post that covers the same principle.  It's short and worth your time...

http://lp.willowcreek.com/WCA-Blog/December-2012/Our-most-valuable-asset-sits-63-feet-ahead

Going to Disney...See you soon...

Alterra > Colectivo? This seems an April Fool's joke

For the Milwaukee reader(s)...

Long Week? ...Use your "rest"

The Pulley
By George Herbert

   When God at first made man,

Having a glass of blessings standing by,

“Let us,” said he, “pour on him all we can.

Let the world’s riches, which dispersèd lie,

   Contract into a span.”

   So strength first made a way;

Then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honour, pleasure.

When almost all was out, God made a stay,

Perceiving that, alone of all his treasure,

   Rest in the bottom lay.

   “For if I should,” said he,

“Bestow this jewel also on my creature,

He would adore my gifts instead of me,

And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature;

   So both should losers be.

   “Yet let him keep the rest,

But keep them with repining restlessness;

Let him be rich and weary, that at least,

If goodness lead him not, yet weariness

   May toss him to my breast.”

When God Becomes the Monster...

"If one is oneself one's god, then God himself, the will of God, the power that would destroy one's egocentric system, becomes a monster.

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
     I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
     Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter."

- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces

Who has 5 fixed years ahead of them?

"If a man had a fixed five years to live, he could not possibly think at all without intending to make the best use of them all...  Who but a madman can reckon that he has five certain years to come?  ...again if we were to add twenty years to the five...what a small thing this is." - William Law

Seafaring Imagery Part 3 - Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys

Not for the faint of heart, two minutes of ridiculous rock-and-roll-ness...

Someone from a YouTube video comment says it well: "This song makes me want to grow a beard, rip off my shirt and bare knuckle box a timberwolf."




Lyrics:

I'm a sailor peg
And I've lost my leg
I've climbed up the top sails
I've lost my leg

I'm shipping up to Boston...repeat alot...to find my wooden leg

Notes: 
In my five minutes of internet research to prepare for this blog post, I discovered:

1. I've been belting out this song at the top of my lungs in the car (aka - minivan) incorrectly for years.  I thought that the initial lyric was "I'm a sailor in pain...".  ...Which I have to say, I sort-of prefer.  Although, I respect Woodie Guthrie (see next point).
2. I had no idea that Woodie Guthrie wrote this fine bit of poetry (per Wikipedia).  That's what the golden age of internet-music / non-liner-notes music gets you...

Seafaring Imagery Part 2 - "The Seafarer"

One of my favorite poems...

The Seafarer
Anonymous
Translated by Margaret Williams
from A Sacrifice of Praise

Full little he thinks     who has life's joy
and dwells in cities     and has few disasters,
proud and wine-flushed,     how I, weary often,
must bide my time     on the brimming stream.
Night-shades darken,     it snows from the north,
frost binds the ground,     hail falls on the earth,
the coldest corn.     For this my heart-thoughts
are knocking now,     for I must set out
on the high streams,     the rolling salt-waves.
Hour by hour     my heart's lust urges
my spirit to go forth,     that far from here
I may seek a land     of strange people.
There is no one so proud     among earth's men,
nor so gifted with goods     nor so bold in youth,
nor so brave in deeds,     with a lord dear to him
that he has not sorrow     in his sea-faring--
too little the Lord     will do for him.
He thinks not of the harp     nor of ring-giving
nor of the joy of a woman,     nor of the world's hope,
nor of ought else save the     roll of the waves;
But ever he feels longing,      who goes on the waters.
The woods have bright blossoms,     the burghs are fair,
plains gleam with loveliness,     the world full of life;
all these urge on     the eager heart
to go journeying,     for the man who thinks
to go afar     on the flood-ways.
And the cuckoo warns     with wailing voice;
summer's guardian sings,     telling the sorrow
bitter in its breast-hoard.     The man who is well off
knows but little     of what they endure
who go in exile     the farthest away.
So my thought wanders     over my heart treasures,
my inner spirit goes     over the sea-flood,
over the whale's home,     wanders away
on the earth's face.     It comes back to me
hungry and greedy;     the lone flier cries,
urges unceasing     the heart to roam
on the whale-way     of the wide waters,
the broad streams.     Thus the joys of the Lord
are hotter within me     than this dead life
passing over the land.     I do not believe
that the wealth of the earth      will stand forever.

Seafaring Imagery Part 1 - When the Ship Comes In (Bob Dylan)

I love imagery of the sea...ships, masts, wooden legs, etc.  Here's one from Bob Dylan, with an accompanying NT Wright video (thanks Rabbit Room).

N.T. Wright Sings Bob Dylan from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin’
Like the stillness in the wind
’Fore the hurricane begins
The hour when the ship comes in

Oh the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking

Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they’ll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in

And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they’re spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean

A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in

Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin’
And the ship’s wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin’

Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they’ll jerk from their beds and think they’re dreamin’
But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it’s for real
The hour when the ship comes in

Then they’ll raise their hands
Sayin’ we’ll meet all your demands
But we’ll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharoah’s tribe
They’ll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered

3 Short Quotes on Planning

"Plans are nothing, planning is everything." - Dwight Eisenhower

"Plan your work and work your plan." - Anonymous

"I am busy because I am lazy." - Eugene Peterson

(From Going the Distance by Peter Brain)

Quote on Laws & Principles & Temptation from Jane Eyre

"I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now.  Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation...They have a worth--so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane--quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs." - Charlotte Bronte

(I came across this in the book Unseduced and Unshaken)

What will ruin the church...

"The church's greatest troublemakers are not those outside who oppose, ridicule, and persecute it, but those inside who try to change the gospel." - John Stott

On Improvement...

"If the devil cannot ruin people by wronging and persecuting them, he will do it by improving them." - Martin Luther

If I pull myself up by my bootstraps, it feels pretty good.  I'm proud of myself.  If Someone else pulls me up by my bootstraps, it also feels pretty good.  Yet, I'm not so proud, but more grateful.

I haven't had boots since kindergarten, so all of this has a hypothetical nature that comes with it.

Afraid of failure?

"Those afraid to risk failure seldom have to face success." - John Wooden

Jumping the Shark - 2012 Seth Godin post

This makes more sense (this only makes sense?) in the context of Seth Godin's full post, so you might want to click here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/08/there-isnt-one-shark.html

"...have the empathy not to confuse your shark with the shark of the kind of person you're hoping to delight."

I think there's a healthy "mind your own business" to what he's saying.  ...a helpful, "you're not an expert, so stop giving your expert opinion on everything".  There's a chance I'm fully missing his point.  There's a chance that Seth Godin has jumped the shark.  This blog has jumped the shark.  Happy Days is awesome.

Amazing Ball Skills video

This sucked me in for all 10 minutes...

Presence of something bigger than yourself

"It feels right and good when you are in the presence of something bigger than yourself." Edward Welch (What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?, 119)

On Doing Too Much...

“Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ.  The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him.  It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him.  The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him.  We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles.  Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?” - Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest, Jan 18)

The great artists steal?

"Good artists copy.  Great artists steal." - Picasso

"If you steal from one person it's plagiarism.  If you steal from five it's research.  If you steal from ten or more, it's sheer creativity.  And, I am a very creative person." - Rick Warren

Musicals and Songs - Sermons and Illustrations

On a documentary-ish video on the Disney Beauty and the Beast DVD (technically BluRay...sorry to be one-of-those-people)...the makers talk about how in a musical when you can't clearly express yourself through the dialog, then, it's time to express yourself through a song. 

And, applied to my job...in a sermon, when you can't clearly express yourself through explanation, then, it's time to express yourself through an illustration.  I'm sure there is overlap to this principle in many different fields. 

Empathy

A while back I read a blog post by someone that described exactly how I felt.  But, they didn't give any good advice on how to fix anything.  But, strangely, just knowing that someone else in the world had felt the same way made me feel better.  I think empathy is key.  And, I think articulating clearly is key as well.

"Abba! Father!" = Daddy???

Here's a quote that sharpens up something that I've heard more than once...

"...we oversentimentalize this word [Abba] when we refer to it as mere baby talk and translate it into English as 'daddy.'  The word Abba appears in certain legal texts of the Mishna as a designation used by grown children in claiming the inheritance of their deceased father.  As a word of address Abba is not so much associated with infancy as it is with intimacy." - Timothy George (Galations, 307)

 And, here's alot more information on the same topic: "FactChecker: Does 'Abba' Mean 'Daddy'?"
-------

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
(Romans 8:15 ESV)

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
(Galatians 4:6 ESV)

Laughing

I think that the same nerve endings that offend people can also make them laugh. 

...For good or bad...but, many times for good.

This implies that many times you're walking a tight rope when humor is involved. 

Shackleton Ad Apocryphal???

Shackleton Ad never existed?

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."

 http://www.antarctic-circle.org/advert.htm

The only time in the history of the universe

I think it's important to make moments that feel like they are the only time in the universe that they will ever occur. 

My thoughts on Thom Zimny thoughts

Here are some Thom Zimny thoughts I came across that I think I wrote down after watching a interview (YouTube video? or the Backstreets magazine interview that I mentioned yesterday).  I think these are paraphrases, I put them in quotes, though:

1.  "Know all the ways your crowd is going to be effected by what you are doing.  Then, do your best to make these things quality.  If they are quality, then the one thing you want people to focus on will be clear."

In a situation with an audience, I like the freedom of not worrying about the unknowns.  Just worry about the "knowns".  And, I like that there is always (should always?) only be one main thing you are trying to get people to focus on at once, everything else is contributing to that one thing.

2.On Springsteen's London Calling concert, he comments that "the stairs become a character in the video".  ...which is correct if you've seen the concert.

And, again, I like what he's saying...it's good to always be looking for the uniqueness of the moment to make the situation unique/special.  For example, find the most dumb or unfortunate thing about your situation and make that your signpost for what will become most memorable moment in the situation.

3. "The live experience is not perfect...embrace that." 

Good documentaries - narrators & cuts

I think that a good documentary doesn't need a narrator. 

I also think that they have should straight cuts...not fading (a thought influenced by Mr. Thom Zimny in a Backstreets interview).

I probably have other thoughts on this topics.  Also, they may be inconsistent when actually compared to the documentaries that I like the most.

"Who Am I?" by Deitrich Bonhoeffer

Am I who others think I am?  Am I who I think I am?  Or, is my identity somewhere else?

Who Am I?
Deitrich Bonhoeffer

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a Squire from his country house.

Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As thought it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectations of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the Other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!

http://www.dbonhoeffer.org/who-was-db2.htm

The Grace of Seeking Happiness - ...More Os Guinness

“All human beings are alike in seeking happiness.  Where they differ is in the objects from which they seek it and the strength they have to reach the objects they desire.” (Os Guinness, The Call, 13)

Objects – From what “objects” are we seeking happiness?  Can they handle the weight that we are putting on them? Is there a never-ending desire here that can only be filled by a never-ending God?

Strength – If words such as “never-ending” and “infinite” are in the equation, then, are we able in our own power to reach any sort-of long-lasting happiness?  Or, does this require an infinite reach?

 
“We cannot find God without God…If the chasm is to be bridged, God must bridge it.  If we are to desire the highest good, the highest good must come down and draw us so that it may become a reality we desire.  From this perspective there is no merit in either seeking or finding.  All is grace.  The secret of seeking is not in our human ascent to God, but in God’s descent to us.”  (Os Guinness, The Call, 13)

"All is grace"...those are nice words to read.