Domestication of Imagination

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

photo courtesy of e-adormit-copi ii

I did not grow up in a Disney home. We lived in the land before cable TV, and only had the stations the old antenna could draw in. This meant most of our entertainment was outside, through the woods, fields and creeks surrounding our home. Hours were spent letting our imagination take us to places and situations far from where we were. A great number of war battles were waged, great explorations of unknown lands, even the occasional African safari. For the most part when we are young our imaginations run wild. A tragedy happens as many of us age, we put away imagination exchanging it for “the real life”. The end result is one of our greatest assets becomes domesticated.

The domestication of our imagination causes us to have dreams and play out scenarios about getting rich, or getting the big job, you know real life boring kinds of things. As the domestication continues we start seeing the world of myth and fantasy as a waste of time. Still within each of us there is a hunger for that myth and fantasy. We hunger to transport ourselves to other places and times where we live an adventure. In our technology driven world we call this going to the movies. We enjoy movies so much because they allow us to give expression to the imagination we domesticated. When a movie is done well we have a hard time remembering it is not real, why? It taps into our imagination.

In the concrete world of either/or thinking imagination is tamed or made to be civilized. This great tragedy is plaguing our lives. I wonderwhat would happen if we recaptured our imagination. Is it possible for our domesticated imaginations to be made barbarian once again? How would we go about funding our imagination once again? Read books that transport us beyond the known and defined. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, Charles Williams and Flannery O’Connor are just a few. There are thousands of writers who with excellence transport us to other dimensions. Go to the movies, rent movies. Simply invest time in allowing you mind to go to place not even on the maps.

What will happen when we allow imagination a place in our lives? We experience joy again. We experience wonder and awe. A part of us that we thought died with third grade is awaken and given a place to thrive. Our creativity is unleashed and live takes on new meaning. I want to end with a challenge. Go out and see or rent a movie today that funds your imagination. Allow yourself to be swept up into a place of awe and wonder. Let your imagination run wild.

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Sheep & Goats

Post written by Steve Otto. Follow me on Twitter.

photo courtesy of Clevergrrl

In Matthew 25, Jesus shares with us an amazing story about falling into one of two categories. Either we will be recognized as one of his sheep and placed on his right, or we will be seen as a goat and placed on his left.

The Sheep and the Goats
31″When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41″Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44″They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45″He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46″Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

To be honest, I struggled with this passage for a while after reading through it because it went against one principle I understand as a Christian – that we cannot earn our salvation. There is nothing we can do that will earn us a spot in heaven. We can do no amount of good deeds. We could do no amount of sacrifice, or offer gifts of love, or courageous acts that would result in us earning our name in the book of life. Only by confessing your sins and accepting Christ Jesus into your heart and becoming a follower of Him, will you find yourself living eternally in Heaven.

Well this passage, seems to point out that if you fail to feed the hunger, invite in a stranger, clothe the naked, or visit the sick in prison, you are doing this for Christ and will be considered righteous in His eyes and one of his sheep. And those who don’t, well, you end up as a barbecued goat. Certainly this is not anyone’s goal, and I don’t think it’s uncommon for Christians to second guess their eternity.

There are a few things that I’d like to point out about this passage.

Flip it around. These actions are not what you need to do to become a sheep. These actions are actually a byproduct of being a sheep. Jesus isn’t saying that in order to get into heaven, you need to do these things. He is recognizing his sheep because they did these things. Let me explain that a little better. If you give your life to Christ and truly experience a life change as a result of following Jesus, these sort of actions will be the natural outward expression of your love and obedience to Christ. You will have a desire to do these things out of your love for Christ and what the Bible teaches us. So these are indications of a Christ Follower, not rules to become one.

It’s healthy to wonder. I believe it’s healthy to wonder a little which stable you would fall into. It’s a good thing to wonder if you are following God’s plan for your life. Every now and then you should stop and do a spiritual assessment of your life. Are there clear examples in my life of acting like a sheep, or would I consider myself a goat right now?

Get your focus right. If you find that you more closely resemble a goat in your spiritual assessment than a sheep, what should you focus on? As I explained above, the actions are not the goal, but rather the indicator of whether you are a sheep or goat. In the same way, you need to focus on the source, rather than trying to do the actions. Do you have little to no desire to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or visit those in prison? Then maybe that is an indicator that you are not reading your word enough. Jesus is the source of that love manifesting itself into obedience and action. My guess is that when you spend more time reading God’s Word and spending intimate time in prayer, your heart will become closer to God and you’ll desire the things that God does. So don’t focus on getting out there and doing things. Focus on getting tapped back into the Spring. Tap back into God’s heart. And then watch these things naturally begin to flow out of you.

Start small. Both with your time with God and carrying out his will, by doing the deeds he mentions in Matthew 25, understand that it is okay to start small. Anytime you try to make an extreme change, you oftentimes end up in failure. If you have not worked out in 3 years and decide to go out and run a marathon tomorrow you will surely find yourself frustrated, in pain, and ready to go back to sitting on the couch. So start by reading just chapter a day – maybe even just a paragraph or two from God’s Word – if you haven’t been doing so. Turn to God for a few minutes each morning, rather than trying to get up an hour early. And when it comes to doing the things of a sheep, start by doing something locally, rather than planning a huge overseas mission’s trip. Don’t paralyze yourself by setting your goals too high. Those who are faithful in the small things, God will entrust with bigger.

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Adventures in Awful: Autotune, Eggnog, and Masterminds?

Post written by Pete Strub.

photo courtesy of psd

For the past few weeks I’ve had a running list of items to include in an Adventures in Awful post, but none of them seems to justify an entire column, so here is a nice little collection of Adventures in Awful to mull over. Next week I’ll be back with a focused post that stays on a single topic – promise.

1. Auto-Tune – if you have never heard of auto-tune, it is a voice-recording program that helps achieve perfect pitch. In other words, it helps a singer hit the right notes in a recording when they can’t do it themselves. If you listen to any modern pop music, you have probably heard auto-tune. When you hear a song in which the voice sounds a little computerish (real word, right?), especially when the singer is hitting a difficult combination of high notes, that computerish sound is auto-tune. Between plastic surgery, imperfection touch-ups in magazine pictures, tanning beds, and auto-tune, people in our world are receiving so many false fronts of perfection it’s a wonder we have any confidence left in ourselves. By the way, if you want a hilarious example of auto-tune, check out this YouTube video with T-Pain and President Obama.

2. Eggnog – I actually don’t have a problem with eggnog itself. I have a problem with the fact that I saw eggnog in the store this past weekend – before Halloween. Bridget looked at the carton and found that the expiration date was November 4th or something like that. Seriously? People are buying a Christmas drink that will go bad almost two full months before Christmas? It wasn’t just eggnog either; Wegmans had their Christmas display set up in the center of the store last week (October 23rd). There was still more than a week until Halloween, but the Halloween stuff was gone and Christmas was in. AAAARRRRGGHHH! It’s terrible! Why do we have to hype Christmas months in advance? Isn’t the birth of the savior of the world enough to stand on its own without the American mass-marketing machine? One of my favorite sports columnists, Gregg Easterbrook, keeps a running tab of what he calls Christmas Creep (the idea that pre-Christmas hype happens earlier every year) and this year he found evidence of Christmas preparation in August. That’s sick. Truly. In all seriousness, we need to learn how to be satisfied with the moment, day, week, month, year that we are currently living in. If we get caught up in the American way, we will always have our heads stuck days, weeks, months, and years in the future and we will be drinking eggnog in June and wearing Santa hats to the beach.

3. Masterminds? – At my school yesterday, I was walking down our main stairwell and noticed a series of signs on the walls. Each sign said masterminds and had an arrow. This is not that weird because our stairwell frequently has signs pointing the way to different meetings and events in our school. The part that was interesting is that there was a sign on every single wall all the way up the stair well (3 floors worth). I would estimate that there was a sign every 15 feet. For most events, there is one sign at the bottom of the stairwell that has an arrow and a room number and another sign at the top of the stairwell with another arrow. Yup, two signs are typically sufficient to get most people where they need to go. Apparently, however, the masterminds need signs every 15 feet or else they might get lost. I laughed out loud to myself as I was walking down the stairs. The truth is, judging by the masterminds I know, they probably would have gotten lost without the signs. I think this is God’s way of keeping balance in the world and helping people to stay humble. Those with brilliant minds frequently lack common sense. Those with common sense frequently lack brilliant minds. Those who are great leaders might lack compassion. It’s a nifty little way to make sure we all stay connected and interdependent.

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Guard Your Taste

photo courtesy of -GoGap

I always loved the tale of the Trojan Horse from the Iliad.  The Iliad follows the epic battle of the Greeks verses the Trojans. After ten years of fighting at the wall of their enemies Odysseus figures out a plan to get his men over an  Trojan wall.  He devises the idea to build a large horse to place men inside and leave it for his enemies to take behind enemy lines.

I tell you this not just because I’m an English Geek but it reminded me yesterday how sinister gifts can be.  At work I noticed a coupon book to a local fast food restaurant.  I will refrain from mentioning the name of the establishment or it’s location.  I am not a fast food guy per say and pride myself with eating healthy most of the time, but I had a time crunch and a buy one get one free meal in my hand so I figured what’s the worst that can happen.  I didn’t know it but that innocent piece of paper was my own Trojan Horse.

I arrived with paper work in toe and figured I could dine in and get some work done, two birds, right… well things didn’t got as well as I hoped.  I ordered a burger with out a certain sauce on it and was starving by this point.  I sat down right in front of the counter and waited and waited.  I seven minutes into it I approached the counter and asked about the progress of my food… now if you know me you’d believe me when I exactly said, “I’d like to know about the progress of my food”  No anger use no, tone expressed.  I did direct my message to a manager, lets call him Jerry, who sprung into action.  I believe Jerry was embarrassed because I had been the only customer to have ordered in the dining room in the past ten minutes.  During this time Jerry tried to pacify me with a free dessert.   Honestly I was about to wolf down two burgers in a high speed car ride to my next appointment, I didn’t need more empty calories clogging my veins.  True to Jerry’s word, 30 seconds later two burgers were brought to me… and low and behold there was special sauce on each.  I’ll simply say that I got my refund and left politely after the Jerry got a refresher on how to open a register.

Here’s the thing, I was furious at this point, I was late to my next meeting, my belly was empty and I felt completely annoyed.  And I was reminded of two things, first it is best to be still and don’t overreact.  Many times in my life when people have treated me poorly in a spontaneous moment I have always cautioned on the side of calm.  This has won me over with students, family, stranger and my wife.  Flipping out at Jerry or the poor teenage girl that never checked on my order or the fry-guy who perhaps put my meal in a to-go bag won’t have done anything to make my full or satisfied at that moment.  There is a good scene from a great movie titled “You’ve Got Mail where the male lead who is sarcastic explains unknowingly to the woman of his dreams about speaking sarcastically, “I must warn you that when you finally have the pleasure of saying the thing you mean to say at the moment you mean to say it, remorse inevitably follows.”  Later in the movie she does exactly just that… which changes everything for her.

The second thing I remembered is that it served me right to go into a fast food joint and being disappointed.  When did it change, when did it happen, when did we give up on eating great quality food, I mean no offense to fast food chain… no I do mean to offend them all.  How dare they serve us cheap food and get away with it!  Well here is the thing, we let them.   We have allowed ourselves to just pick up quick meals here and there, on the go.  ”America runs on Dunkin”…”Make a run for the border”…”Your Way, Right Away”.  Fast food have been trying for decades to get you to take advantage of quick service in an absence of quality, nutrition and taste.  I could go on and on about how much healthier it is when you don’t eat a super-sized load of processed oil enriched potato.   Or I can compare the cost of buying a chicken breast and cooking it and getting the equivalent in nuggets at chain restaurant.  But we’ve heard it all before, if I can’t sell you on these points I need to at least remind you that you deserve quality food and service.  Don’t sell yourself short.

Some options to consider:

Plan ahead…keep a snack of your choice in your car.  If you have something that will keep without refrigeration, there is no shame in putting it in a ziplock bag.  (trail mix, granola or protein bars and some dried fruit). 

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The Big City

Post written by Bridget Strub.

photo courtesy of Ellie

Saturday morning I woke up at 3:45 am…on purpose. I don’t like to wake up early, especially if I don’t have to, but Saturday was different. I was given the opportunity to be flown, for free, to New York City and attend a free day-long conference hosted by Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. For those of you who are even remotely familiar with me and my many neuroses, you know that I have a pretty intense passion for free stuff. I also have a mild obsession with professional development opportunities. So, when I was presented with the chance to combine my two loves, I was blinded to the possible effects that that much travel could have on my already tired system.

It’s amazing what an hour of turbulence can do to six ounces of orange juice sloshing around in your tummy. More than once I eyed the white bags tucked neatly into the pocket of the seat in front of me. Thankfully I didn’t have to use them, but as I arrived in NYC and peeled my white-gripped fingers from the arm rests, I was feeling a little less than myself. Being shoved into a stale taxi with no circulation for a half hour trip didn’t help either. It’s amazing that those big vehicles fit through the small spaces they drive through. I had to laugh as I noticed the guards people place on their bumpers to avoid the inevitable scratches that occur with the regular bumping shared between cars. Needless to say, with all the starting and stopping, neither my stomach, nor my head were all that excited to sit through a day’s worth of workshops.

I was shuffled around to different speakers from 9am-3pm. I heard a total of six people speak without a break, or lunch, and my already fuzzy head was as cloudy as the Los Angeles skyline by the end of the day. Not knowing the difference between 112th and 120th Streets, I decided not to stray from the group I came with. We wandered the blocks of New York City waiting for our five o’clock dinner reservation. Through the dreary rain I noticed one thing about the sidewalks of the city; they were saturated with restaurants, cafés, bistros, delicatessens, and bakeries. There weren’t any chain restaurants in site. Each eatery had its own special flair and distinct flavor. Even in the rain, awnings protected their patrons so they could dine in style. My mouth watered at all the potential experiences, and subsequent blog entries, I could have at all of those places. I even saw Tom’s Restaurant. At first glance, the baseline of the Seinfeld theme song jumped off the sign and danced through my head. I felt stupid as I freaked out about it to the people around me. They didn’t seem to appreciate the moment of nostalgia as much as I did, so I kept quiet about my excitement. Spoiler alert: the inside of Tom’s is not, in fact, the diner of Seinfeld’s. Call me naive, but I was a little shocked.

After battling the rain for awhile, we finally ducked into Campo Restaurant an hour before our dinner reservation for drinks and a dry place to sit. I enjoyed a glass of wine and great conversation with some of my colleagues, but realized that my fuzzy brain was feeling even fuzzier. As I contemplated taking a nap right at the bar, we were finally seated for dinner. They offered the usual grilled pizzas, pastas, salads and such, but they had gourmet ingredients and portions with gourmet prices. I decided on the margarita pizza, which happened to be the cheapest entrée on the menu (and also happened to cost as much as my glass of wine).

The service was exceptional. The pizza had the thinnest, crispiest crust with the perfect balance of cheese and sauce. The company and conversation was refreshing. After my last slice was swallowed I eased back into my chair and took in my environment. The restaurant had exposed brick, classy décor, and a great vibe. I began to feel jealous. I wished Campo and the other eateries we passed earlier in the day could get transplanted into Rochester. Park Avenue is our city’s one pocket of unique cafes and cluttered sidewalks. Each New York City block is a Park Ave. Their architecture is beautiful, and the buildings are incredibly unique. Everyone walked everywhere, and looked ridiculously stylish doing so. I was starting to feel pretty down about Rochester, but on my cab ride back to the airport I realized something.

If I want to get from the East side of Rochester to the West side, I can expect it taking fifteen, maybe twenty minutes tops. I don’t have to protect my bumper with another bumper to avoid the scrapes of overly rushed vehicles. If I want fresh produce, I can drive twenty minutes to pick corn, apples or blueberries for myself rather than having it imported into our city. I can wear my slippers, grungy sweatpants and tousled hair to walk my dog without worrying that a double-decker tourist bus will drive by with overly eager photographers snapping my picture as an example of “what not to wear.” And most importantly, my friends and family are not in NYC. While I enjoyed the company around me at dinner, I recognized that I didn’t, and hadn’t felt like myself all day. I wanted to share the moments of excitement, awe, and exhaustion with the people I love most; my friends and family. And they can’t be found anywhere else but in Rochester (and some other surrounding areas that don’t require a turbulent plane ride to get to). Yay for Rochester…I’m a fan!

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Innovation

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

photo courtesy of kevindooley

I continue to be amazed at how much the world has changed since my earliest memories. The days before email and the internet are a part of my memory as well as the days before cell phones and texting. Innovation is a significant part of our day to day life even if we do not see it. There are people who are dedicated to finding new and different ways of going about the same things. A great challenge which exists with innovation is the journey is never done. Innovation must always be innovating to remain innovative.

There is a simple solution, stop innovating. As simple as that may seem, for some of us it is simply not possible. Our God given wiring is to constantly be seeking out new and different ways of doing things. To simply stop, would mean ignoring the voice with in us which prompts us to look anew at something that has always been. So, simply stopping is an option it does not leave much room to live out the God wiring given to those who are innovators.

Can we imagine if innovation would have stopped 200 years ago? A much more simple life would be ours. At the same time advances in medical science, ways of thinking about life and God, would all be the same as they were. Innovation has brought us much. But is there a limit? Are we able to reach a point when we no longer need to be innovators? The answer to that question depends on if you are an innovator or not. Those who are non-innovators always think it is time to stop. Innovators do not know there is even a brake pedal.

As you might guess I come from the innovator side. It seems to be things can always be different than they are. This however, is more than simply changing things, or looking for new and improved. When it comes to life, our journey with God, innovation is not merely so we can have a new and improved version of our relationship. Innovation is driven by the longing to pursue God. Everyone lives in pursuit of something, my bias says we are all searching for God just might not know it. The pursuit is more than religious activity it is the essence of our lives. As we grow our relationship with God grows. Before long the ways we relate to God no longer seem to work the same. Enter innovation. It does not always need to be rewritten, or the old completely done away with, yet there must be an evolution of our relationship.

There is no stopping point. We must constantly be looking at our relationship with God seeking to ensure we are finding the relationship we are seeking. This is what innovation really is. Consistently finding the ways which connect us to the ultimate relationship. God does not change, but we do and the ways we understand and connect with God change. Innovation allows us to see where the next step might be. We must remember there will always be a next step. Innovation needs to keep innovating, to remain innovative.

May you continue to meet God in new ways. May you continue to be innovative. May you never simply stop and settle, locking this moment as eternity. May we all keep searching for that which calls to us.

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petestrub

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Adventures in Awful: My Opinions

Post written by Pete Strub.

photo courtesy of dalbera

Do you ever get sick of hearing yourself talk? Of hearing your own opinions? I’m there today. It’s not that I am talking too much; in fact, I’m a pretty quiet guy, so talking too much isn’t exactly a risk for me. It’s more that I feel like everything I would say is entirely fluff. We live in a crazy world where there are voices all over the radio and the TV spewing their opinions and thoughts about every conceivable topic. There are people vomiting opinions on their blogs and web pages (sheesh, who would do that?), and sometimes I get caught up in the sea of opinions and unsubstantiated claims, truths, and new angles. Then, usually, I get to a point where I just crave silence. I don’t want to hear anybody’s opinions, and, even more importantly, I don’t want to hear my own opinions.

This might sound depressing, but it is actually kind of exciting when this happens. I guess I kind of feel like God is telling me to just shut up and listen for a while so that I can remember that he’s God and I’m man; sometimes I get the two mixed up. It’s kind of like King Nebuchadnezzar from the book of Daniel in the Bible. He was a very proud king who was quite taken with himself (“I have build this great Babylon as my royal home. I build it by my power to show my glory and my majesty” – Daniel 4:30). God’s response? He took away the King’s power and sent him to live with the wild animals. King Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and became a disheveled mess with shaggy, unkempt hair and long, claw-like nails. He lived this way for seven years and then God gave back his sanity and Nebuchadnezzar immediately praised God (“God’s rule is forever, and his kingdom continues for all time… God does what he wants with the powers of heaven and the people of earth” – Daniel 4:35b-36a). If you’re looking for a good read, read all of Daniel chapter 4. It speaks to my heart every time I read about King Nebuchadnezzar going into the wilderness and living like a wild animal and finally coming to a point where he acknowledges that God is really God. And when I read it, I am so thankful that God just asks me to shut up for a couple of days instead of sending me off into the wild and taking my sanity. I’m going to stop writing now so that I don’t write something stupid and I’ll leave us both with some beautiful silence.

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Caffeine Dependency

Post written by Veronica Kipfer.

photo courtesy of emdot

Three months ago…. “beep, beep, beep, beep, bee…….”.

“Give me five more minutes…. five.. more…”

… 40 minutes later …

I have now sacrificed any sensible time to make breakfast, including brewing my own coffee. I rush to put myself together while hoping to match a pair of socks on my way out the door. Since five minutes turned into forty, I now have just enough time to frequent the local Tim Hortons for my large, double-cream-double-splenda with a hint of either mint or hazelnut. I know this small dose of caffeine will jump start my productivity once I get to work.

Thankfully once I get to work and the double-double is history, there are free coffee stations every 50 yards in our office. I buy half and half for the remaining 4 cups of coffee I will consume before the day is over. I will not drink Coffee mate creamers or use that powdered creamer at all. I learned that these creamers are made with hydrogenated oils, and are not even dairy products. It’s my personal opinion that the body can digest either half and half or milk better than hydrogenated oil. After researching hydrogenated oils I have decided It’s not something I want in my body.

Hydrogenated oil is:
Hydrogenated oil is oil in which the essential fatty acids have been converted to a different form chemically, which has several effects on the oil. Hydrogenated oil is far more shelf stable, and will not go rancid as quickly as untreated oil. It also has a higher melting point, and is often used in frying and pastries for this reason. Finally, the chemical structure of the oil is changed, which scientists in the 1990s began to realize could result in health effects.

I am learning the importance of independently being dependant in God. I cannot depend of God through someone else’s belief. Hearing great sermons or reading inspiration books is definitely profitable to my spirit, but until I make it personal, until I make it real to me, it will just be information. Once it’s been made personal I can begin to believe that information.

Let’s take a look at Abraham for example. He believed God. He didn’t believe in God. He just believed. His example of faith is what we need to mirror. Do we believe God and ever promise he has give us or are we acknowledging that God is real, and His word is real, and maybe it applies in some areas? We need to cash in on all the promises of God every time we gain more understanding in a certain area.

Learning to be dependant and trust in God in the plans he has for us needs to happen for breakthrough in finances, relationships, ministry, health, workplace, etc. We begin to realize that no matter what curve balls come our way we are still on the straight path because our trust is in the ONE who has it all under control…. we can live life at peace at all times. Settled. Knowing that everything will be ok, especially right now the way things are going in our world…. recession, foreclosures, H1N1, etc.

For a month and half now I have not had coffee, or caffinated teas. I chose to take a “fast” from caffeine because I was depending way too much in it’s ability to keep me alert and awake. I love coffee. Anyone who knows me will testify to that. There’s not a room in my house without a vintage mug, or something that resembles my love for coffee. So I hope you can imagine how hard this decision was. Instead I have transitioned into drinking herbal non-caffinated teas, or I will warm some apple cider mixed with water to cut back on the sugar in the cider. I’ve realized most of the time I was just craving a warm cup or something in the morning. I also increased the amount of water I drink in a day. Eating spinach on a regular basis has also given me lasting energy.

I have since believed that my help comes from the Lord, he is my sustainer, I sleep and awake again because HE sustains me. There is a time and place for everything, a time for every action under the sun. Psalm 121:2, Psalm 3:5 and Ecclesiastes 3:1.

I don’t miss the caffeine, but I do miss the coffee I will start drinking coffee again soon. I will not however have 5-cup days anymore. Maybe a cup in the morning, some around lunch and decaf at dinner. Most importantly I will not be depending on the caffeine to keep me alert and awake.

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Close Encounters of the 4th Kind

Post written by Patrick D’Ambrosio.

photo courtesy of Politicamente Incorrecto

For those of you who have seen the cherish Steven Spielberg movie you already know what the first second and third kind are.  I’m here to refer to you about the fourth kind… and sadly enough these beings are not currently not on another planet.  They are here, right now.  They’ve infiltrated our neighborhoods, they hold power in high offices of the land, they are hidden among those who teach our children and they serve you food on a nightly basis.  Be aware people… idiots walk among us.

Albert Einstein aptly states, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”  He was a pretty smart guy so I’m gonna trust him on that point.  I think about this because just recently I had an encounter of my own.  I don’t want to go into too much detail but recently I was asked by a third party to go help a person do a job that this person had no experience or talent in.  With the limited about of time I had to prepare I asked for advice, devised a plan, ran it over with people who have experience and then began to put it into action.

Then I heard the music… da DA da der dum…my encounter begun.  This individual began to make choices that interfered with my plan and was extremely illogical.  I was torn with the decision to either go along with what I saw was happening or assert authority over the situation.  Since it was not a tremendous trouble to go along with this, I did.  Which leads me to some tips you want to consider when you are dealing with idots.

You need to know that unless you have access to probe these individuals and twist some brain synapses you will not be able to change these people.  You can try to help them learn your ways but do not expect results, this will only cause more frustration on your part.  If you can ignore the problem, I’m saying you should do this if this person is not hurting you or others around you.  On that point I want to bring up proximity… try to avoid any chance you can to not be near idiots, or under them.  When you must be near them, take this opportunity to observe their behavior for amusement, this is a great way to relieve any stress that can accumulate by watching such alien behavior.

Never, never be rude to an idiot, there is no such reason for it.  Many idiots will not take it in a positive tone that will help the situation.  Some idiots will not understand you, its just the way it is.  You must keep this in mind, at times you must remember that you too will be an idiot in a foreign land.   Don’t think it will ever happen to you, that’s idiotic.

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The Coffee Buzz

Post written by Bridget Strub.

photo courtesy of srslyguys

Coffee shops have been a love affair of mine for awhile. Something inside of me craves the tranquil utopia that is a really good coffee shop. I can’t get enough of the intoxicating aromas, intriguing sights, and assortments of sounds. They draw me in and captivate me for hours. The funny thing is I don’t even really like coffee. I fall in love with a place because its artwork speaks to me, or the colors in the room blend together in such a way that creates a visual sigh of relief. Often, I am wooed by dessert cases that display decadent cakes or gooey cookies. Extensive drink menus genuinely excite me to the tips of my soul. Comfy couches, cleverly named panini’s, I could go on forever. There’s just something about the busyness of a coffee shop that stirs me up to the point where I feel like anything is possible.

With the cool air creeping in, my need for a coffee shop fix has been nagging at me. Pete and I decided to explore the Towpath Café in the Village of Fairport to expand our coffee shop horizons. We had stumbled upon it a few weeks ago in our search for wood-fired pizza and our first impression was pretty positive, so we added it to our places to eventually try.

The Towpath Café hits all the standard qualifications of a good coffee shop. It sits along the Erie Canal, overlooking the village lift bridge. Its décor is cozy and charming. They offer plenty of cushy couches that allow for good date night conversation. Their menu is fairly diverse and some of the drinks they offer are unique. I saw some seasonal options like a pumpkin latte and chaider (mixture of chai and cider I was too scared to try). They even serve wine (specifically Red Cat which happens to be a favorite of mine!) and beer, always menu items that increase a coffee shop’s coolness factor.

The food was very flavorful, and the service was extremely friendly and prompt. I had the Lockmaster; a chicken, artichoke heart, spinach panini with pesto mayo and a side tomato/cucumber salad. Pete had the Barge; a Cajun marinated grilled chicken breast smothered with sweet barbeque sauce and provolone cheese with a side of the owners own special recipe chili beefed up with hotdogs. Strange sounding, but actually very tasty! Overall, our dinner only cost us $15.10.

Pete and I sat, sunken into the couch for awhile after our meal, contemplating getting one of the homemade pies or frosted brownies that teased us from the dessert case. We thought about playing one of the games offered on a nearby bookshelf. But the longer we sat, the more the underlying feeling of awkward unearthed itself. We both seemed to realize it at the same time. The Towpath, though it had all of the stock elements of a good coffee shop, seemed to lack the key ingredient that pulls them all together: the buzz.

There’s nothing better than the symphony of noise found in a coffee shop. The low roar of conversation and laughter play the melody, while the muted background music, clinking of dishes, and loud spurts of steam from the espresso machine offer dynamic harmonies. It’s beautiful, and it’s exactly what the Towpath was lacking. It wasn’t very busy, so the ability to blend in to the couches and be a faceless patron was not an option. The owner, who also served as our barista and chef chatted with us about our food and the struggles of owning a new business. I felt sorry for him. You could tell he just wanted his business to succeed, and he was genuinely frustrated that he was facing so many obstacles with promoting his business. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Maybe he needed someone to talk with. Bad day or not, the rather awkward conversation left us with an overall uninspired vibe, and that was a real downer.

It may sound a bit hokey, but I feel like there’s something in the buzz of coffee shops that has an intangible power to be a catalyst in changing people’s lives. In the eight years I’ve lived in Rochester, I’ve grown a lot. I started off as a naive eighteen year old trying to find her place in the world, and am now moving towards adulthood (Man, that’s weird to say, but I guess as a soon to be twenty-seven year old I should start embracing that word right?) as a passionate and fairly confident woman. Yes, I know I sound like I’m going Oprah on you. Hang tight, I’ll bring it back around. In those eight years, many of my defining moments of growth were inspired by a visit to a coffee shop. I’ve sat alone, people watching, reflecting on where I’m at in life. I’ve sipped lattes with friends having both humorous and difficult conversations that deepened our relationships or closed chapters in our lives. I’ve munched thoughtfully on desserts, trying to weigh out important decisions that determined who I would become. So, when I find a coffee shop that is conducive to fostering great, inspiring moments I am a devoted patron. When I get the awkward vibe, I don’t tend to go back.

While Pete and I didn’t share any awe inspiring moments while at the Towpath Café, we did end our night a pretty good note. I got a hot Carmel Apple Cider on our way out the door, and the autumn drink felt like warm cheer in a cup. It definitely set a positive tone for the rest of date night. I think we’ll have to give the Towpath a second chance. I can certainly see it being a worthwhile staple of summertime canal strolls.

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Got Discouragement?

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

photo courtesy of araswami

You know the feeling of constant effort without progress? That feeling of giving everything you have and appearing to be in the same place as when you started? If you couple those feelings with a world around us that seems to be spiraling downward, and you could find yourself discouraged.

Discouragement is a very real struggle to which no one is immune. It starts out small, so small it might not even be noticeable. Early on the feeling is like discomfort, or discontent. From there it grows and we begin to get increasingly negative about every aspect of life. Once discouragement sets in, all aspects of life fail to measure up to our hope and expectation. The real danger sets in when discouragement runs rampant and depression rears its ugly head.

So how do you stop the spiral? As with anything it starts with recognition. The earlier in the decline we can recognize where we are, the easier it will be to step out of it. Once full on discouragement sets in, recognition alone will not cut it. So how do we step out of discouragement? Simply, an attitude adjustment. We must find a way to refocus our thinking on the positive, what is possible. This is more than seeing the level of liquid in the class at a certain level. In fact this is not about a glass at all, it is about a fountain.

In the Christian Scriptures there is an account where Jesus is meeting with a woman at Jacob’s well (John 4). This woman is discouraged to the point of depression. Jesus offers her a new attitude about life. She is concerned with water from the well, Jesus says forget the well, drink from the fountain of life. This world and life often sell us a bill of goods which are counterfeit, and leave us wanting more. This creates an attitude which lacks hope or discouragement. Jesus offers us a new outlook filled with hope.

Is it really that simple? Yes and no. The offer of Jesus is very simple. Getting ourselves to accept it as a viable option can be very difficult. If you are living in discouragement, how is what you trying now working to help you step out of it? So what do we have to lose by taking up the offer of Jesus to drink from the fountain of life?

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Disney Trip

Just standing in line here fir the Magic Kingdom bus and thought as a Tech Jock that I could be doing something techy. So I thought I would see if I could keep an ongoing article on our trip. So here goes…

I’m using the wordpress app for the iPhone which doesn’t give me ad much control over the format but I’ll do my best.

Right now we just fastpassed thunder mountain railroad to avoid the 10 minute wait and are going on splash mountain. Jake is deathly afraid of getting wet so we are doing our best to encourage him. Basically we are flat out lying…

Okay so we nearly finished our first ride – splash mountain – and it broke. We are sitting here I’m brear rabbits tunnel waiting for staff to come around and assist us to get out of the boat.

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