The Fog

Have you ever driven through thick fog before? I'm talking the really big fat heavy fog. The kind that makes you worry maybe you're the last person alive. This is where I feel I've been mentally the past few months. Just kind of wandering around without knowing where I am. But it wasn't until today that my eyes were opened to just how beautiful this foggy season of life really is.

Now, take that same big, fat fog and get out of your car. Suddenly you start to realize that everything is almost dreamlike. The ordinary has become beautiful. There is a certain mystery in the air that causes you to feel overwhelmed. It's all so breathtaking. Your heart is excited.

This is a much better place to be in the midst of the unknown. A place of holy expectation and gratitude. Just because we can't see doesn't mean He doesn't know. God does not hide the world in fog to confuse or scare us, but he covers the ground in fog for us to be in awe and be witness to His all-encompassing beauty.

So if you, like me, don't feel like you know what's right in front of you, take heart. There is comfort in knowing that God has not forsaken us, and more than that He is calling us to himself through the thickness of the fog.

The Journey

If there's anything I've learned it's this; The greatest part of life is found along the journey. The sweat, the blood and the tears are where we find our truest strength. The mountain top experiences are short lived. Yes, reaching the top of the summit is truly rewarding (as it should be) but you can't expect to stay there for long. Soon you will find more mountains to climb, and thus, the journey begins all over again. But you pack up your experiences, and failures, and head out on the next phase of the journey. You grow. You get stronger. You learn to pace yourself. Be careful though to think you must journey alone. Nothing great is ever achieved alone.

Heart Space

Why does it so often feel that our life in Christ is stumbling over rocks more than walking on water? Have you ever wondered why we still experience doubt as born again believers? And why would God, the great I AM, allow us to suffer through all these emotions? I'm convinced we're a people who live entirely too much out of our head space rather than our heart space. Knowledge isn't a bad thing, but it isn't the only thing worth seeking. Do you think it took all of Peter's gut wrenching courage or book smarts to step out of that boat and walk on the water? Yeah, me too. But trusting your heart isn't any easy task. Especially when we have verses like this thrown at us from the pulpit:

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9

I don't question this verse, I believe it holds truth in its proper context. But I also believe that after we accept Christ he begins to change our hearts through the power of His Holy Spirit. Not to say that in an instant all our past heartaches and troubles are over. But I can say from my own life experiences I have begun the journey to take back ground in my own heart. From sex to work to love God has moved mountains in my heart. The following verse has been a consistent prayer of mine for many years now:

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

When it comes to living more from our hearts I don't think there's anything to do but find/create space to be still. Embrace the moments of quiet space you have every day, and work to create some new quiet spaces in your life. Fight through the urge to "do" something when all you need is only to rest and trust. Don't be scared of doubt and fear, as those are totally natural to us humans. Arm yourself with Hope and fill your cup with living water. This, I believe, is how we become more in tune with our hearts. And over time our hearts will learn the drown out the distractions around us and focus solely on the One who created it.

Friday Food for Thought P3

Welcome back to my irregularly scheduled blog post series. By the time you read this I will hopefully be up to my eyeballs in freshwater trout. I am writing this prior to my fly-fishing camping trip this weekend. But I've had a lot on my mind lately and don't like going for long periods without sorting out my thoughts. So here goes nothing.

Things Are Changing

For those who haven't heard, I am stepping back from full-time work with Over. It was a mutual decision, but one that I ultimately believe is the best step forward. I will continue contracting with them for the next 3 months, but I will no longer be in charge of creative direction for the app itself. I wish the team all the best.

Our house has now been on the market for a whole week. The anticipation and faith required in this season of life is truly great. But, I for one, am always excited by the challenges of the unforeseen. I've really felt more empowered lately to just trust God, I mean like really trust Him. There's a certain point you reach where you know you've done all that God has required of you and then it's totally up to Him. Now we just get to watch and see what happens next.

My wife has felt our baby move a few times, me not so much. I tried keeping my hand on her belly the other night to see if I couldn't feel anything... nothing. Patience is a virtue though. So we continue on in the planning of parenthood. I really enjoy getting to watch my wife grow into a new mother. There is a certain beauty to it all that's hard to explain. Sometimes I look at her and it's like I'm seeing her for the first time again. This is definitely a season I don't take for granted.

Things I'm Challenged By

If you truly love something let it go. Don't be afraid to fail. Just sit down and do the work.

All of these things swirl around my head. They are good sayings, inspiring even. But what does it mean to me in the next season of life? Sure, it's easy enough to go in to default mode of what I know I can do, but I would much rather feel what I should do. Really it comes down to being quite and learning to listen to my heart. The last thing I want to do is make the "safe" decision.

Words. Words are never enough. The word "love" is never going to change anything without legs to walk and arms to hold and mouths to kiss. I feel like the same is true with work. The word itself is good and noble, but never does any good without breaking a sweat. I'm finding it really difficult in this season to draw upon a newness in my work. It just feels like I've been labeled as one thing, and so I should just stick to that. When really I feel like I have so much more to offer.

Things That Inspired Me

The pursuit of anything worth pushing past your own (dis)abilities. A smile. Belly aching laughter. Delicious dark chocolate. The smell of a campfire. The great outdoors. A day of rest.

My Year with WELD

In the midst of preparing for our big move to Colorado this summer I wanted to take time to reflect on the past year of being part of what I'm claiming as the best thing to happen to Dallas in the last 25 years, WELD. From stumbling upon the space one day with a friend, to working alongside some of the most talented/caring people in the world, it has truly changed my perspective on what it means to work alongside others.

From the Beginning

Austin had sent me an email a week or two before I first stepped foot in the door and I didn't even have time to respond to him. But cut me some slack, I had just started working for myself and was super focused on my work. So on the day that I met Austin at WELD it may have been awkward had he been any other kind of person but awesome. Instantly I felt at home and knew that the space I was standing in was something really special. That was also the same day I was reunited with Trey Hill.

Within a week of meeting Austin and seeing WELD for the first time, we were already dreaming up a plan to paint this huge mural in the entryway. Austin has this certain fervor about him that's infectious. He's definitely a doer more than he is a talker. Personally, I'm more of a dreamer so it was awesome to meet somebody like Austin and begin to move forward with the mural right away. And then, just like that, in the matter of a single day I sketched, scanned and painted the mural while Austin filmed it. There was something magical in the air.

Fit like a glove

There really wasn't any sort of awkward "fitting in" period like you might find in some other co-working spaces. It all just felt really natural. Everyone that was there before me, and even the new people that started to show up, were all super awesome. Being at WELD just fit like a glove. The spirit of collaboration was definitely in the air. When you step foot inside WELD, even to this day, there isn't that competitiveness that's so prevalent in our society (especially Dallas). Instead, you're greeted with warm smiles and hot delicious coffee.

Now I could go on and on about all the wonderful perks of being a member, but I'm not a salesman. Instead, I just want to share the most important part about being at WELD, the relationships. It's not even really so much that everyone is a talented creative person, which they are, but more that everyone is down to earth and warm hearted. Before finding WELD, Dallas has left a bad taste in my mouth with how segregated it all seemed. But that taste was soon replaced by delicious friendships with people like Austin, Tiffany, Trey, Paul, Esther and Tyler. It's simple, learn to invest in people and the rest will work itself out.

Onward and Upward

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, my family and I will be moving to Colorado this summer. Without going in to too much detail, we feel this is the next step for us and believe whole-heartedly God calling us there. Hence, onward and upward. But I know in my heart this isn't the end for my relationship with WELD. I have great peace about things in the future with WELD and me and Colorado.

I am excited to be a part of bringing WELD to probably one of the more unassuming parts of Colorado. But that's the thing I love about it. For example, if you didn't live in Texas you would probably assume WELD should have been started in Austin, right? Well the proof is in the pudding over this past year that WELD doesn't exist because of what city it's in, but more because of the people it draws and the community it builds.

Call to Action

WELD has just launched a new campaign to GROW outside of Dallas. Check out the website, grow.weld.co, and help create WELD in your community. You can also check the hashtag #WeCreateWELD by following @WELD on twitter.

Friday - Food for Thought p2

It's another beautiful Friday. The past couple weeks have been both rewarding and challenging in new and different ways. I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Austin with my wife for my birthday. And we, at Over, continue the challenge of working across continents with each other. But in everything we experience in life there is wisdom to be gained and mistakes to learn from. These are a few of my own.

Things I'm learning

Don't believe the hype. The new car. The new gadget. The new (fill in the blank) all become outdated the moment we take them home. I remember as a child watching commercials and believing the emotions the advertising agencies were selling me. If I had "this product" then I would feel "that way" about myself. The "hype" of anything new, other than life in Christ, is overrated. So don't put your hope in the hype because it will only leave you empty when dust and scratches cover it.

Be the first to smile. When you're walking down the street or walk in to a restaurant always be the first one with a smile on your face. I'm convinced there's not a person on earth who won't respond to a warm, friendly smile. In my own experience I feel like I've always been the one responding to people's emotions with equal or lesser value. You never know what someone else is struggling with in that moment when you meet them (whether they're serving you drinks or passing you on the street)... so show them some teeth and smile.

Things I'm struggling with

Biting my tongue. It's hard to keep your thoughts to yourself in a day in age when we've all been given a platform to do just the opposite. Everywhere I turn it seems everyone has a comment. Negative or positive, we've all been given a voice. I have had a difficult time in the past keeping my tongue from slipping and saying something stupid, and it's something I'm still working on, but the more I see Jesus the more I see value in putting thought before my words.

Things I'm inspired by

Reading The Hobbit. I don't know why anyone never told me to read this book earlier. I literally wake up thinking about it and go to bed reading it. My wife can attest to the fact that I'm not a very avid reader, but this book is so captivating. To me it feels more like a piece of poetry, at times, rather than a narrative. I would highly encourage you to pick up a tangible copy, feel the pages between your fingers, and read it this summer.

The truth. We live in a world where so much of what we hear and see on a daily basis is founded in deception and self-gratification. But when the truth comes and shines its light, you can't help but smile. That's why I love when my friend Doug Roberts writes about the Church. It is not self-seeking or deceiving, but it is the simple truth that Jesus himself proclaimed and spoke about. Or in simple terms, it's like a cool spring on a hot summer day. Read it for yourself in three parts: Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3

Friday - Food for Thought

I know Fridays are notorious for being the worst time to post anything online. But whatever, I want to try my hand at a new series of short, to-the-point posts about things that I've learned, struggled with and was inspired by over the previous 5 days. It might be silly, serious or just down right vulnerable. Whatever the outcome, I hope it inspires you.

Things I'm learning

- Communication is key. All the time. Learning that my communicating is not so much about me saying something as it is about making the other person feel heard.

- How to tie a fly. I just bought a book from Ovris called the "Fly-Tying Guide" that I'm really excited to spend time with in my garage in the evenings and weekends practicing different knots for fly fishing.

Things I'm struggling with

- Procrastination. This week, leading up to my Skillshare class, I feel like I'm back in grade school when I waited until the night before to do my entire science class project. I know a week seems like enough time, but I've really felt overwhelmed and honestly a little inadequate to even be teaching this class. But I am finding it helps if I can make myself a small, bite-size, list of things to accomplish in a single day. That way I don't feel the full weight of the project looming over my head.

- Comparing myself. It doesn't matter how many times I say it loud, I know that comparison is the thief of all joy. But just saying it doesn't do any good. It's really feels like an uphill battle to protect my heart from being completely overtaken by thoughts and feelings of inadequacy. It helps to remind myself that there will always be those ahead of me and behind me.

Things I'm inspired by

- Teamwork. Being a part of a great team makes all the difference in your attitude towards working. I've worked for some real A-Holes in my time, and then I've worked for some real gems. Our team at Potluck is one that I am thankful to be a part of and that truly inspires me to achieve greatness.

- iPhone photography. This may sound silly, but when VSCO released their updated app this week it was an instant game changer. Not just because it has flat design or whatever, but because they've taken a risk on building an entirely new platform to showcase your photos without adding all the fluff of social networking. And yes, the design is absolutely stunning and the filters are beautiful.