The Secret Behind 'Happy Holidays'

You don't need me to tell you that Christmas time is a special time of year. There's so much going on, so many parties and so much joy, it's no wonder that it's every other person's favorite holiday. Why is it so special though? There are other holidays out there like St. Patrick's Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving, so what is it about Christmas that makes it so special?

Today was my company's 'Holiday Party.' Yes, like most of the culture around us, we have to be 'careful' and 'politically correct' when it comes to Christmas terminology. We have to be careful to say 'Happy Holidays' in our signage, our media and most of our content, but still, there's something about 'Happy Holidays' that has a lot more joy behind it than 'Happy Columbus Day,' and I think it's because we all know that 'Happy Holidays' really means 'Merry Christmas.'

At work, we may have had a holiday party, but, secretly, I really think it was a Christmas party. There was too much joy for it to just be a holiday party. Everyone was stoked. It didn't really matter what dirty Santa gift they got (minus the girl who got the $10 pizza I wrapped from Pizza Hut), if they won a raffle prize or not or how much vacation time they would be getting over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, everyone was just really happy, and that made me happy. It was a kind of special, unnatural happy that you only see around this time of year. It was a Christmas happy.  

Christmas is funny, what it does to people. It shows us something: for one day we can all come together, and somehow, someway, we show the whole world that we all know how to love one another. Every year on Christmas, that special day, the world shows that it knows how to love. People smile at one another, wave at one another and care for one another. There's this other-wordly joy, and I think it's because at the center of all this other-wordly, Christmas joy is Christ.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Christmas has it's miracles, but the biggest one may be the joy and love the whole world seems to experience.  

When Your Hometown Doesn't Feel Like Home Anymore

It's funny how your hometown can cease to feel like your hometown after you've been gone from it for a few years. The question, "Where are you from?" becomes a confusing answer because you may be from such and such town, but that town doesn't feel like where you're from anymore. Your hometown just turns into the town you were born in, the town you were raised in or the town where your parents still live.  

The people have changed and aged, your old friends you grew up with and made memories with have moved away and the restraunts have changed, with your old favorites going out of business and new popular chain restraunts taking their place. The street names can seem to be the only similarity. 

Something funny happens when your hometown doesn't feel like home anymore. It turns from being a town you make memories in into a town that's just full of memories made. Driving down the streets turns into a tour of nostalgia accompanied by a sense of not quite belonging anymore. It's strange. 

Your hometown can become a place of the past and an easy place to look back at where mistakes were made and what could have been done differently; however, when your hometown does become this and becomes a place that doesn't feel like home anymore, it can become a place full of measurement of personal growth. It can become a place of looking at who you once were and who you are now. 

Measuring personal growth is important, as it can reveal both positive and negative changes. Going back to where you were born and raised is a great place to do this because it's a place stacked with who you were. It's a place full of old stomping grounds, and around every corner is a memory and thought of who you used to be and how you used to think. It reveals how you've grown and how you once grew and need to grow again, and there's nothing like a reminder from where you came from. 

Although your hometown may change, so will you. Although your hometown may not feel like home anymore, it always will be, and there's always something to learn from home. When you go home, don't just notice the changes in it, notice the changes in you. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: When you go home, don't just notice the changes within it, but notice the changes within you.  

Where God Wants Me

It's 2:22 am, and I just got home from a 16 hour work day. I have to be back at 6 a.m. (4 hours from now), but that doesn't matter. I couldn't be happier; today was a day I realized I've landed right where God wants me.

Despite the heavy work load, the abnormally long hours for my current season of work and not having a legitimate place to live until two days ago, I'm beyond content. If you had told me two months ago the number of hours I would be working and the uncertainty of a living situation, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at, but that's not the case. I'm exactly where God wants me for the time being. 

Today was one of those, "Aha!" moments for me when I was able to look back on everything that I've been through and been learning over the past couple of years and say, "Oh, yeah. Now I know why I learned that. Now I know why I experienced that." I'm coming to understand why I was plunged into urban ministry in Seattle, why I've made the friends I've made along the way and why I've been out of the state of Oklahoma for quite some time. Sure, there's still lots to be revealed and lots to learn, but the blind fold is slowly coming off my eyes, and I couldn't be more thankful.

God is faithful, and no matter where He has you, in whatever situation that may look like, it's definitely for a reason. God is intentional, and He definitely doesn't waste time. Ever day and every experience as its purpose; don't miss that. He is faithful, and trust me, the patience pays off in the end when His plan is revealed and begins to take shape. There's nothing like it in the world. 

-Clif

-Cliff's Note: God's plan is living, active and noticeable in the life of a believer. It just takes patience to see it through.

Why the Grass Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side

Do you ever feel like you would have the entire world if you just had that one thing? It's always something super enticing, like a new job, a new outfit or maybe the latest Apple product. Whatever it is, you just have that feeling inside that if you can get that one thing, you won't want anything else. You'll be satisfied. 

I hate that feeling because that feeling is a lie, and not only is a lie, but it's a lie we tell ourselves. It's like our own mind is trying to trick is. It's a feeling that's rooted deep down in the gut, and it's hard to ignore because really, it's a lie we all want to believe. We all want to be satisfied. We all want that one, last thing that will truly make us happy.

This 'grass is always greener on the other side' feelings hits home about every year around this time for me because it's Christmas. It's the time of year where I think to myself, "If I only get that one gift..." Or "This New Year is going to be the last time I want..." It's such a tricky time and such a tricky feeling. It's such an easy lie to believe that after we get all we want, we'll be truly happy.  

But what do you get someone who already has everything, or better yet, what do you do if someone offers you everything? If someone offers you the world at only a small cost?  

I'd probably take everything, wouldn't you? I mean, if someone had everything, why would anyone ever want anything again? Problem solved.  

Except it's not. This one time, 2,000 years ago, Jesus was offered everything. He was offered everything in the world, every Kingdom, all authority and all glory, but He turned it down. Isn't that crazy? Literally everything in the world He could have had, but He said no. He didn't want greener grass. 

Thinking about this, I realized how often when I'm tempted with wanting anything at all, it always seems like if I had that one thing I would literally have everything in the world. The power of want is that strong. The power of desire is that real. It can take over and create a sense of authority and glory that aren't really there. It's a lie, just like the one about your neighbor having greener grass.  

Jesus was offered the entire world if He would only bow down to Satan, much like we feel we would receive the entire world if we would only bow down to our desires; however, what are our desires and will they really give us the world, or will they really just give us a thirst for more of the world? Think about it.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: The grass may be greener on the other side, but what kind of crap are they using to fertilize it with? 

The 8-Hour Curse

via: www.healthline.com

For as long as I can remember, I've been told that I need eight hours of sleep each night in order to get fully rested.

This little fact has brainwashed me.

I'm haunted by what I like to call the 'eight hour curse,' and it keeps me from doing so many productive things that I want to do. It never fails; every night when it's getting close to my 'bed time,' I'll map out in my mind the exact time I need to go to sleep and wake up to get at least eight hours of sleep. If I know I'm going to get any less than that, I consider it a huge inconvenience to myself, which is quite selfish, so I plan out to the exact minute the amount of time I'll need to sleep, get ready for the day and be out the door. I stick to my guns when it comes to my eight-hour/night minimum sleep schedule, and I don't like anything getting in the way of that.

I don't know how accurate the eight hour sleep pattern fact is. It may be totally accurate, or it may be a stretch of the truth, but I do know this. There are a lot of other things I could be doing within that eight hours that I don't do because I'm so paranoid that I have to get that amount of sleep.The real issue with this arises in the mornings.

I find myself sleeping till the last possible minute before I need to get ready and hit the road for wherever I need to be that day. I neglect taking my time to fully wake up and get organized for what's on schedule for the upcoming day. I think to myself, "Breakfast is for the birds" (I still think it is), and I walk out the door knowing that lunch is just a few hours away, and that I can make it until then.

It also affects my spiritual life. When I'm feeling good and disciplined like I like to be, I enjoy waking up early enough to read and journal before the day begins. It gets me off on the right foot, and it allows me to "see the face of God before I see the face of man." It's a great habit that I like to get into, yet sometimes when I'm feeling really plagued by work, life and of course, the eight-hour curse, I neglect the most important aspect of my life.

I make sleep an idol.

It's true, getting good sleep and good rest are much needed  in order to have a productive day; however, when the soul focus becomes just getting the perfect amount of sleep and rest, and the focus is turned from what really gives one rest, things can get tired.

What are you idolizing in your life that's causing you to neglect what's important? For me, it's sleep. Let's help each other. Feel free to share any waking up, discipline tips with me if you have some!

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: "You can sleep when you're dead."

This Week's Challenge: Meet up with an Old Friend

"Hey man! Lookin' good. I almost wore that same pullover. It sure has been a long time."

"It sure has, man. It sure has."

There's nothing like seeing one of your best friends for the first time in a long time. Sure, in a world full of technology, it's easy to keep in touch through texting, social media and phone calls, but there's nothing like reuniting after a long time apart.

Life goes on. The sun goes up, and then it goes down, and days turn into weeks, while weeks turn into months. The older you get, the faster time seems to go, and before you know it, it's been a year since you've seen someone you used to see every day. It's funny how life cycles through like that.

Meeting up with old friends is priceless. There's so much to catch up on, and it always seems like there's so little time to do it in, whether it's over a meal, a beer or a day-long visit. Life happens. There are new achievements, new relationships and new stories to share, but there are always loads of old memories to reflect on- memories that only you and that other person or people know and can reminisce on. 

This week, I've had the chance to meet up with a few friends I haven't spent much time with in more than a year (and two friends I haven't seen in five years). I've landed in a situation where I'm finally in the same city as some of my best friends again, and I couldn't be happier about it. It's a blessing, to say the least. 

With as much as I've enjoyed meeting up with new friends recently, I want to encourage you to do the same thing. Sometime this week, I challenge you to meet up with an old friend, an old roommate or an old family member you haven't seen in a long time. If you have the time, make the effort and drive a couple hours to do it; it will be worth every minute, and if you have the money, buy the person's dinner or coffee; it'll be worth every cent. Reminisce on the old times and talk about the new. It'll be the highlights of your week.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: There's no friend like an old friend.

5 Unexpected Challenges of Adulthood

Entering adulthood has its challenges. It has its obvious ones, like having to pay for everything yourself and having to shave every other day, but it also has some unexpected ones you might not think about until it's too late.  

Here are some of those challenges: 

1) You don't get week(s) of vacation 

Remember when you were a student, and you got two weeks off for Christmas, three months off for summer and a week off for spring break? Well, you can kiss those days goodbye (unless you're a teacher). Adulthood welcomes (maybe) two weeks of paid vacation and a few public holidays a year to match up against those precious days of childhood vacation. 

2) Half of your friends still get week(s) of vacation

It's inevitable; After you graduate college, you'll no doubt have friends who are still in college, or who have become teachers, and guess what? They still get all those wonderful, student holidays. "Oh, you have to go back to work tomorrow? That's stinks. I don't go back until Jan. 2." Get used to that line. It's a back breaker.  

3) Saying 'See ya!' to casual 

Wasn't it nice rolling out of bed in the morning, throwing on a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie and trotting to class just in time for the professor to start the lecture? You could wear whatever you wanted, and it didn't matter to anyone. No rules. No judgement. Sadly, those days eventually disappear. If you're a guy, get ready to say hello to khakis and collars, and if you're a girl, well, I'm not sure what you'll say hi too, but you'll probably say bye to the 'messy bun.'

4) Mom and dad? 

Remember those wonderful people you've lived most of your life with and who you said a tearful goodbye to when they dropped you off for college? You know, your mother and father? Well, it turns out now you're almost on their level, and it's just kind of weird. For the longest time, they've been the "old" adults, and now it's your turn. You're the adult, as well. I still get chills thinking about it... 

5) Cooking your own dinner 

After a long, hard day at the office, what's the best thing to come home to? A nice home-cooked meal. But wait. Who's going to cook it? Oh yeah, you are. No more of mamma having the food on the table when you come home from a long day- it's up to you to find the energy to stay on your feet another few hours to cook, eat and clean up the dishes. THEN you can relax (after you go to the gym, answer emails, etc. etc.). 

The truth is, growing up has its pains. It has its expectations and its surprises, but despite these few, little things, it's pretty nice. The freedom, income and experiences are all worth it, and so is growing into the person God has made you to be. It's just important to remember this, that growing up is more than mortgages; it's memories. 

-Cliff

-Cliff's Note: "There's always life after death, and taxes."  

Job Jealousy

There are a lot of really cool things in this world, and there are a lot of really cool people who get to do really cool things.

There are professional athletes getting to play sports for a living, nature photographers traveling the world taking pictures of some of the most beautiful places on earth, and there are even people flying in rockets above earth, orbiting beyond us all. There's a lot of really cool jobs out there, and because there are so many 'really cool' jobs out there, it makes it hard to be satisfied with your own job sometimes. 

It's easy to look at someone who snowboards down mountains in Alaska for Red Bull promotions and be jealous of their job. It's harder to look at the person who just took my order at McDonald's and be jealous of their's. Some jobs are just sexier, and sadly, the jobs that seem sexiest, aren't always the most important.

Important jobs are unattractive to most people. Being a garbage man, a construction worker or a fast food employee aren't always the most glamorous to those on the outside, but they are certainly important and necessary. These aren't sexy jobs, but they are jobs that, without them, would prevent society from being as great as it is. These jobs don't always sound great, but they're jobs that I'm greatful exist. 

I've struggled with job jealousy. It's always easy to think someone has it better off than you do in some other position, in some other company, in some other place. I've learned though that job jealousy is often a lie. No matter what role you're in or where you're at, your job is important, and more so, you're important. Wherever you are and in whatever you're doing, be all there, and think of all the reasons why people are better off because of the job you're doing. Don't be jealous of another's job; be joyful in your own, and do it like a champion today.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Work with joy in whatever and wherever you work, and that joy will spread to those you work with. 

Bedlam on the Brain

Via: siasat.com

Tonight was an important night in the state of Oklahoma. It was the night when the state's two favorite schools, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University battled it out in the state's favorite sport, football. Most folks across Oklahoma call this game 'Bedlam,' which is a word that means 'a noisy and confused state or scene.' It is just that. It's a game where both sets of fans are at their loudest, and a game in which anything can happen, especially confusing things. Unlike this game though that happens once a year in one state, bedlam also happens every day in everyone's life in some form or fashion. This is the bedlam that's in the mind. 

We all have those moments in our minds when things seem frantic and loud. There are thoughts that create stress and thoughts that create so much noise that it's impossible to think of anything else. They're usually the thoughts that question our capabilities, our lives and our beliefs. They create confusion and make noise until they're put to rest by being answered. It's bedlam. 

Bedlam in the mind isn't good. It's distracting, and it steals away our focus from what's important and what's in front of us because often times the thoughts creating bedlam are thoughts that aren't always the most important; They're the worries, doubt and fears. Just like Bedlam in the state of Oklahoma has a winner each year, so does the bedlam in your mind, and it's important for you to be the victor in that matchup.

Conquer bedlam. Turn the noisy thoughts of confusion into quiet thoughts that are silenced by looking at what's in front of you and what's important. Don't worry about the 'what if's' because that's what they are, if's. Pray, and turn the noisy, chaotic scene that is bedlam in your mind into a peace of mind. Leave bedlam to sports games and free it from mind games.

 -Cliff

Cliff's Note: Bedlam is a better football game than a mind game. Keep it that way. 

Don't Be a Thief of Hope

Today, I learned about a really interesting ministry in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but at the same time I learned about this ministry bringing a sense of hope to people, I also learned of the people trying to steal that hope. 

This ministry in Tulsa is a ministry that takes care of homeless people throughout the city.​ every Thursday night, Christians from all over  Tulsa, regardless of denomination, go under a bridge downtown and serve the people who are experiencing homelessness. They serve them a meal, forge relationships, hand out clothes, give haircuts, and do many other things that people experiencing poverty have trouble finding access to. It's a great ministry that unites not only Christians, but also unites the city and the people living in different financial demographics. It's a pretty picture; however, to my surprise, I learned that for a while, the city was trying to erase this pretty picture. 

I don't get why anyone would want to try to erase someone's hope who hardly has any hope left. I understand that providing help for those in need attracts more people who are in need, but I don't understand why that makes it a bad thing to help people. Why is it wrong to offer food and the essentials of life to someone who is down on their luck and truly needs just the basics of food and warmth. I don't understand what that has to do with politics, political sides,​ or being bad for a city, and it hurts my heart when I hear of people trying to discourage helping those who need help. After all, everyone needs help at some point in life. 

​As much as the city tried to steal a source of hope for people, it didn't. As much as this story of help trying to be stopped hurt me to hear, it didn't erase the hope I find in knowing this ministry is still doing its thing by the Grace of God. Don't let someone's hopelessness steal your hope, and don't let someone's burdening steal your helping. 

-Cliff​

​Cliff's Note: Hope and help both start with H.

The 'Giving' in Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an interesting word. At the root of it is the word, "thanks," and at the end of it is the word, "giving." Looking at it this way is funny because rarely does anyone, myself included, say thanks after they give. 

I realize the actual word is meant to represent the "thanks we give" for all that we're thankful, but still. It's a funny thought to give to someone and say thank you, rather than to say thank you just upon receiving something from someone; however, giving is a blessing, and I think it's good to be thankful for opportunities to give, just as it is to be thankful for opportunities we've received. As the Proverb says​, "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor." Not only is the blessing of receiving something to be thankful for, but so is the blessing of giving. 

​Even though the heart behind Thanksgiving is being thankful for all we have, maybe it's important to be thankful for all we have gotten to give, as well. After all, it's better to give than receive, and where things are better, things call for more thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!​

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Be thankful not only for all you have, but also for all the opportunities you've given others to "have."​

Why Are We Thankful?

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful, but I'm not sure why.

I feel thankful. I feel thankful that I have a warm car to drive in. I feel thankful that I have a home to drive to, and I feel thankful that I have family and friends surrounding me to see every time I open a door. No matter where I turn, or what I do, I'll always be able to find someone to support me, and I wouldn't trade that for the world. It's definitely something to be thankful for, but in reality, why I am thankful? Am I thankful for what I have been blessed with or am I thankful that I'm not in someone else's shoes- someone else's shoes who might not have shoes, someone who is in need.

I’m not the young man sitting on the corner holding a sign that says, “I take smiles.” I’m not the girl that’s been abused so many times that she can’t even look a stranger in the eye. I’m not the man trying to take care of his young daughter day by day always trying to find somewhere safe to sleep. By comparison, I’m thankful because I’m not in any of these positions.

I have friends. I have family. I have food, clothes and shelter. I'm blessed beyond measure. “Look how much God has blessed me,” I think to myself.

I have become thankful from comparison rather than from compassion. The moment I start to compare myself to others, I begin to feel boastful or “better than."

Jesus was totally the opposite. Jesus “felt compassion on the crowds” when he saw them. He didn’t say, “I sure am thankful I have these five loaves of bread and two fish . . . sorry bout ya’ll.” He empathized with people and served them.

“When we are in the presence of others who are better, we become discontent, yet when we are in the presence of God, even our minds will find gratitude.”

When we dwell on God, we switch from feeling inadequate to feeling gratitude and thanksgiving. We don’t begin to compare ourselves to God, but we, in our smallness, begin to wonder that God would even care for us in our smallness, and we can certainly take joy in that.

Why are you thankful this Thanksgiving?

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Be thankful that in our smallness, God has taken care of us in His bigness. 

Two Suitcases, Two Years

For the past 420 days, I've lived out of nothing more than two suitcases. Talk about minimalistic. 

The past two circumstances I've been in, living in Seattle and living in Australia, required me to live without taking much with me. Having just got back, I realized just how much I'd left behind, and honestly, it made me want to light all my stuff and my entire room on fire. 

I didn't want to deal with all I had accumulated- All the stuff I don't need, while so many others are in need. I didn't want to face my little collection of stored up treasure.

At some point in life, I accumulated SO MUCH STUFF (I think it was in college when everyone tries to transition from high school style to adult style). I had clothes and shoes I didn't even remember having and so many other odds and ends, I was completely overwhelmed. How does someone who lived perfectly out of two suitcases worth of stuff for nearly two years have so much stuff, and why? 

Over my time away, I learned to live simply without even realizing it. I learned that only having a handful of shirts and pants was okay, and that a pair of white Chuck Taylor's and a pair of boots were enough to get by. Now, I have all this stuff and I don't know what to do with it- everything from shoes to jackets (Although, most of them are orange and black). 

I'm not sure how or why I accumulated so much stuff, but I know this- I don't really need it and there are lots of people out there who do. If you're reading this and are in need of some clothing, or know of someone who is, please message or email me to let me know. As long as I have my two suitcases, I'll be okay.  

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Live simply. 

Identifying the Real Need

This afternoon, my dad, my uncle, my cousin and I were repairing some barbed wire fence on our land. It's a pretty routine procedure that gets easier the more helping hands you have. One person can keep the wire out of the way, one person can check the tenseness of the wire down the line, while the other people can work the 'come-along' that pulls the barbed wire tight. In this situation, it was two older men and two younger men working the task. At one point, my uncle, one of the older men, was kneeling on the ground to fix the bottom wire, while I was standing above him keeping the rest of the barbed wires out of the way. As he was finishing up, he reached out his hand to me. I had no idea why; I just thought he was waiting for me to hand him some pliers or some tool that I knew I didn't have, so I just sat there staring at his hand wondering what he was doing. After a minute of waiting and him still awkwardly holding his hand out, I asked what he needed, and he simply said, "I just need a hand getting up."

Oh.

Now, I felt terrible. Here I was just staring at a man struggling to get up, and I didn't have the slightest idea. He's someone I know well and have worked with numbers of times, and he's family, yet I still didn't know he wanted/needed help even though he didn't specifically say it. I wasn't aware of the situation. I couldn't recognize the real need.

Looking back on this simple incident, it reminds me a lot of what it's like going through life. It's easy to look past a person and not realize maybe they just need a hand. Sometimes thing become so routine, it's easy to look past what a person is really needing and feeling. My uncle needed help up. I thought he needed pliers. The man on the street may need someone to talk to. I think he needs money. 

It's so easy to look past the real needs of a situation and try to fix them with something basic or material, like pliers. Sometimes, people don't always need exactly what it looks like they need. Sometimes it looks like someone could use a spare $5, when in reality, they could just use a spare five minutes of your time. Take a few moments within the next few days to slow down and just think: what is the real need in this situation. It's often not what you first think. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: You can't fix everything with pliers; Sometimes you just need a helping hand. 

Feeling Uninspired?

​"What should I write about?" - Me

"You could write about . . . *silence*" - Nick

"I haven't read my Bible in three days, and I feel so uninspired." - Me

"I think that's worth noting." - Nick

*Ding*

The less inspired I am, the more uninspired I feel.

It's interesting though, what inspires people. I suppose it's different for everyone.

As me for, I've spent the last three days in beautiful, New Zealand. Honestly, I thought that would be inspiration enough. Spending each day surrounded by some of the world's most spectacular beauty in the form of mountains, lakes, waterfalls and oceans seems like it would do the inspirational trick; however, here I sit uninspired to write something for only the second or third time on this journey of 100 blogs in 100 days.

I always thought nature inspired me, and I guess it does to an extreme extent. I thought sitting by lakes, hiking up mountains chasing waterfalls were all that i needed for real inspiration. These things are lifegiving, but, as of now, seem to have run out of steam on the inspirational train. The truth is, I'm missing out on the inspiration that drives my whole thought process.

I want to piggy back on the post that my friend, Bryce, wrote a couple of days ago about creativity. He wrote about how the Creator ultimately left one of His special marks on us, and that mark is creativity. Yes, just as creation (mountain, valleys and bodies of water) was inspired and created by Him, so were we, and in turn, we are inspired to create by those things, but ultimately we are inspired by Him and His Word. To create and be inspired, we must be in touch with our Creator and be inspired by Him.

For me, that's by spending time reading from His literal Words to us. What's more inspirational than the Word of a Supernatural, Triperson Diety and the Creator of the Universe? Not a lot, i can tell you that.

Dig Deep and find what inspires and sparks your creativity this week.

Create something.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Inspiration won't be found when you're not doing what inspires you.

The 'Present' is a Gift; Enjoy it

It's easy to remember the past, easy to stress about the future and hard to focus on the present. It's easy to reflect on past memories, both good and bad, and realize things could always be better or worse. It's stressful to think about the future and how things may or may not play out; However, why is it so difficult to just focus on the present?

Nostalgia seems like it can take over at every blink of the eye. It takes over the mind with thoughts of past friendships, memories, successes and failures, and it almost always leaves with the "What if?" question. The past is easy to go back to because it's already happened. It's an easy place the mind often goes to when it wants to escape from stress.

On the other hand, however, the mind spends a lot of time dwelling on the future, which in turn, creates stress. It's like a never ending cycle. I'll often find myself day-dreaming away about what could be, would be and should be, and I become consumed with future thoughts that do nothing but stress me out because I believe the only way things can unfold correctly is the way in which I think think them up (stress about) in my head. Focusing on the future leads to stress, and stress leads to nostalgia. The future and the past are not where we should be; we should be in the present.

Staying in the present is easier than said than done. Sure, it's easy to physically be somewhere, but how much harder is it to mentally be there? It's much easier to check out than it is to check in and focus. When's the last time you were fully invested into a conversation without wondering what was for lunch, how many missed texts you had or whether or not the person you're talking to is almost finished talking?

Dwelling on the past and stressing about the future rob the present. It's not wrong to reminisce on old memories, but don't do it so much that you miss the opportunities to make new ones. With that in mind, don't get so worked up about the future that you forget to take care of the present so the future can happen.

"Wherever you are, be all there."

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Don't be so nostolgic that it robs you of future opportunites to be nostolgic.

What's in your Backpack?

Imagine a backpack on your shoulders. Now, imagine filling it with your 'essentials,' whatever those are. Maybe it's books, a laptop, deodorant, clothes, photos... the list goes on and on. Keep filling it up. Now, imagine the weight of it. How heavy is it, and how much would that weight hold you down? Imagine it.

Today, I walked through the airport with 60 pounds of baggage, and walking through the airport with with 60 pounds of baggage is heavy. With bags on bags on bags strapped across my shoulders, it literally feels like the weight of the world is holding me back. I want to walk fast, but I can't. I want to get where I'm going, but I'm not. I want to feel free, but I don't, all because of stuff.

Packing for a six month stent in another country is difficult. "You may need this, you may need that, and oh, you can't forget this," roll constantly through the mind, creating a sense to need to stuff one's entire life into as few suitcases and bags as possible. Here's a hint from someone who's learned the hard way: you don't need to pack up your entire life and bring it with you because if you do, you're just going to end up with a lot of 'stuff' weighing on your shoulders.

From what I've learned, this is a lot like life. The more stuff I have, the more weighed down I feel. The more stuff I collect and try to put in my bag of 'essentials,' the more tied down, attached and stuck I feel. 'Stuff' does this to us. It makes us feel attached, and it makes it steals our hearts. I literally probably wore 40 percent of the clothes and shoes I brought, and I even packed decorations for my wall. Why? Because I was attached.

The idea here isn't packing, friends. The idea is attachment and storing up treasure. By the looks of what I put into my 'essentials' bag, I'd have to say I've stored up a lot of treasure in this world that is doing nothing but really holding me down and attaching my heart to things it doesn't need to be attached to. My treasure has been in the wrong place, and I can literally feel it weighing on my shoulders.

Where is your treasure, and again I ask, how heavy is your essentials bag? Don't store treasure up here. It will only hold you down and steal your heart, and you can't take it with you when you're gone anyway.

Travel light.

We're only here a short while, and we're heading toward eternity.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: "Where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be also."

Prayers for Paris

It feels weird to be normal on a day like today, the day after which hundreds of people were injured or killed for no reason. It just feels strange to be living a normal, safe life. 

A huge majority of the world is in pain, sorrow and disbelief after yet another terrorist attack on one of the world's most renowned cities, Paris, France, and I'm just going about my day-to-day life on the other side of the world. It's almost like nothing happened; it's so far off. It just feels strange. I, much like the rest of the world, am simply in shock.

What does someone do when they're halfway around the world and hears about more than a hundred people being murdered and more than a hundred more injured? How can someone in a current state of shock, confusion and displacement help? 

I'm not sure, but I know these things:

1) We can be sad, but we can't be scared

2) We can take a moment to really feel what it felt like on Sept. 11, 2001 and really empathize with our friends in France

3) We can pray for Paris

In moments of terror, shock and pain, we can stand strong, we can surround those that need to be surrounded in support and we can pray for a peace that transcends all understanding. We can take heart in knowing that there is hope in the future, and that hope leads us as we move forward. 

It's easy to dwell on how ugly this world can be, but in the future, I pray that Paris can take heart in how beautiful the world can be when humanity comes together to love on people in need.

-Cliff

-Cliff's Note: Pray for Paris.

Chase to be a Waterfall

TLC once said, "Don't go chasing waterfalls," but lately I haven't been listening to them.

Over the past couple of days, I've been waterfall hunting- not intentionally, but it's just kind of worked out that way. Remember that blog about adventuring more locally? Well, I found out I've lived within a 10 minute drive of two waterfalls for the past six months, so I decided to pay a visit to the great, local bartenders of nature.

Of all the peaceful, relaxing, majestic and picturesque things about waterfalls, there's something I find quite peculiar: waterfalls seem almost immortal. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I'm watching a waterfall, I can't help but wonder where all the water keeps coming from. They just seem to pour and pour and pour and never stop. They never seem to run out of water, ever. It's like the body of water they come from never runs dry or changes. Gallons and gallons of water all from them each day, yet the body of water above never seems to change. It's astounding to me. They just keep pouring out. It makes me wish I was more like a waterfall, myself.

I'm truly astounded by the way waterfalls can continue pouring out all the day long, seven days a week. They never need a break. They never get tired. They just keep going and going, no batteries included. Sure, it rains and they collect run off, but it still seems like that wouldn't be enough for the amount of water that seems to come out of them. Waterfalls are like the little fountains that used to be in your grandmother's house that had a pump in them, pumping water all the day long, except they aren't fountains, and they aren't at your grandmother's house. They're in nature and they just keep doing what they do all day long. 

I wish I was more like this. I wish I could keep pouring out day in and day out. I wish I could give 100 percent at everything I do. I wish I could be completely, emotionally invested in every conversation I partook in. Even more so, I wish I could pour out more to others more than I pour into myself.

I wish I were more like a waterfall. I wish we all were. The more waterfalls, the more pouring out, and the more pouring out, the more filled up we would all be.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Chase to be a waterfall.

Silence: The Ultimate Third Wheel

For some people, listening to leaves fall isn't peaceful. It's scary and stressful because it's quiet. The silence is violent, especially within a crowd. As soon as silence hits, it's awkward, and it leaves one alone with thoughts, insecurities and curiosities of what others are thinking. Sometimes though, that's not the case. Sometimes, silence between people is pure gold.

It's 1 a.m., and I'm still awake. I'm sitting with a good friend and former college roommate in the basement of the house we're staying in. The lights are still on, but the television is off. There's conversation, but there's also silence. The conversation varies. Sometimes, faith comes up or memories of the past, and other times it's discussion about who has the ugliest looking feet. The silence though, is special. It's one of those silences that you don't feel any pressure to break because the silence is all that needs to be said; it's completely comfortable.

It takes a special kind of friendship/relationship to get those special kinds of silences. You may have noticed this, but any time you're in a circumstance in which you find yourself meeting someone new and having to make small-talk for a long period of time, silence is the enemy. If there's silence, it's awkward. However, that's not the case tonight. The silence is chill, calm and comfortable. 

Sometimes nothing needs to be said. You can just sit there in the company of someone you care about, and that in itself is enough, which is a strange concept. It's like each one of you knows what the other person is thinking, so the thoughts just take over, like telepathy. 

I'm not saying that I have the gift of telepathy or anything, but I think I definitely have the gift of a good friendship.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: The best friendships are the one's in which silence is the third wheel.