Problems are for Solving

A while back I started writing some “poetry” down in my blackberry notes and saving it and from time to time I’ll post one here.

It’s not very good. Some of it is “haiku-like,” short, pithy stuff. Others are self-reflective or otherwise. Feel free to criticize any of it–I won’t be posting anything I just wrote, so if you think it sounds depressing it’s likely something I wrote weeks earlier on a bad day.

Here’s the first installment for today:

Deadness
In a cold branch
Waiting for new life

I added a page you’ll find a link to in the sidebar called Showcase Articles. This is a list of ten articles that I’ve written in the last year or so that are the best (yes, I know that’s a relative term) of my writings. I think the list is too long, so I need your help.

I’ve always referred to myself as a theological parasite, with very little in the way of original thought. As I considered what to put in the list, I had a hard time whittling down examples of typical writing for new readers. As I picked these, a common theme occurred in many of them: most of the posts that I’m most pleased with were inspired by songs (and sometimes writings) of someone else. In this list you’ll find a post inspired by a thought from my wife, a posts inspired by songs from Andrew Peterson, Anthony Hopp, Michael W. Smith, Charlie Peacock, and David. The other major source for blog posts is things that happen in my life that are hard. When things are going extremely well, I need someone to inspire me. When things are hard, words seem to flow more easily. Except when they don’t.

Anyway, to the few readers I still have: which of these posts deserve to be in this list? Which don’t? Is there another post that’s missing that you remember finding helpful or particularly good? I’d prefer the list be shorter, but I’ll whittle it down over time.

You can find the link in the sidebar, or by clicking here.

Yesterday’s post was long and kind of heavy, so today I’ll lighten it up: I’ll post random news from my life that hasn’t made it to the blog yet. In no particular order:

** I’m still exercising. It’s been up and down for a good part of the year, but the last two months have been greatly improved. I’m feeling better than I have in a while.

** We survived a trip to the south, another to Michigan (the U.P.) and we’re going east again next week. We’ll see (hopefully) on this trip (at least briefly) my sister Sandy, TC’s sister Donna, Theresa’s grandparents and my Aunt Janet. We also hope to see the Liberty Bell, Gettysburg, and some sights in DC. We’ll be back in two weeks, and this should be the last major trek for the year.

** We’ve been getting more disciplined as a family and have been enjoying it. We’re doing more singing together and we’ve actually been all getting up for breakfast and having it together before I leave for work every day and that’s been really nice.

** It’s hot here and we don’t have air conditioning so the trips in the summer have been welcome.

** We’re getting some work done around the house as soon as I can get somebody over here to pick up the slack from my travelling. My wife is looking forward to the list getting shorter, as am I. If he can fit us in a friend will be doing the work.

** I’m writing on my blog again, and enjoying it. This month has more posts already than the previous four months combined. If you’re reading this, you know that already though. And I’m discovering features my blog has that I didn’t know existed. Yay.

That’s it for now–expect another post tomorrow that is less newsy but hopefully worth reading.