YONDER BREAKS

Lately, I've been struggling with the idea of getting things done. Just calling it an "idea" instead of an action should let you know what I'm getting at. With two kids, it's just so difficult to accomplish anything! For example, I had been meaning to get my dad a Father's Day card and send it in a timely manner, so he could get the card by, oh you know, Father's Day perhaps? Well, just getting two kids to the store feels overwhelming, and that's just getting them out of the house. Snacks, water, extra clothes, shoes -- it all takes so long. And half of the time they are pretty content staying home, not even wanting to leave, making my job even harder. (As I was writing that sentence, Ellie stuck her head over the computer and asked if I was writing about "poopy diapers," dangling her hair on the keyboard so I couldn't write, and then asking if she could write something. Yes, even writing about trying to accomplish something is hard.....

I have a little series of videos titled Songs Written and Recorded in Cars . I actually write a majority of my songs in cars (or at least have done so the past five or six years), as the solace of the road has provided ample room for thought and melody to sweep through. Shooting these videos has been a bit of a slow process though. The song I'm featuring here, "Clouds," is probably the first song I ever wrote in a car. I had just taken my dad to the airport, and was feeling noticeably sad and introspective. The same day, my girlfriend at the time was going to drive home for the summer, and so I remarked at the idea of "losing" two loved ones in one day, even if just for a time. As I was driving, however, I noticed dark storm clouds that lined the sky, but also the leftover moonlight and pending sunrise, working their way through and above as morning hit. Sunrises are beautiful, but even more so when there are clouds present, which sparked the idea of what ma...

I was at my old church recently and they did a powerful rendition of "Who You Say I Am," shown in its original version below: If you don't feel like watching the video, the lyrics to the bridge are what really prompted this blog post: I am chosen Not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me Not against me I am who You say I am It was strange as they sang it, because my immediate response was an internal rejection of what I was hearing. How could I be who God says I am? I don't feel all that significant most days.  And I don't. I live in a world where success means a big career that takes up all your time, is fueled by passion, and also pays super well. I have none of those things. In case you're wondering what God does say about us, here are just a few : “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your though...

I missed two weeks actually... You see, in January of 2018, I set out to release a blog every week for a year. I had been doing it for about a month or two leading up to that, and so I thought I'd keep it going. I'm not one to make New Years Resolutions, but this (along with properly flattening any box I recycled) was my exception. I'm happy to report that I accomplished both goals (though I may have missed a few boxes along the way). When 2019 rolled around, I decided to keep it going. Our move to Los Angeles had provided plenty of inspiration for writing, and so the blogs kept coming. At times I was 8-12 weeks ahead of schedule, writing blogs well before they were released, just to give me time to write more, which I always did. Until now. The last Memorial Day marks two weeks of missed blogs ! Did you notice?! Probably not. I don't get enough readers to make much of a difference in the online world, though if you are reading this right now, I appreciate your...