A Writing Prompt
As the few of you that follow my blog have probly noticed, I’ve been very lax in making updates lately. So I decided to try and get back on track by digging up a writing prompt to see if it’ll help get some of those writing juices flowing. I found this one posted on Live Journal this afternoon.
If you had one night left to live, what would you do? Would you prefer to spend your final night with a loved one or alone? What would you choose for your last meal?
That’s a very easy question for me. I would absolutely spend it with my wife. I would want to do something I’ve never done before. Maybe play at an open mic night or something like that. My last meal would definitely be pizza. Probly from either Pizza Hut or Rocky Roccocco’s in downtown Spokane. Pepperoni pizza with a Dr. Pepper drink. Mmmm… that sounds really good.
This question does remind me of a man who had the ability to answer that question. Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Melon and he had been given six months left to live from an inoperable tumor. He was given the opportunity to answer the question “If you could give one last lecture, what would you say?” While I don’t agree with some of the things he says, he’s got some really good things to say. It’s a long lecture but worth watching.
Posted on November 3rd, 2009 by howie | No Comments »A New Day
I have been waking up a lot for the past few nights. Not certain why, but I keep waking up early in the morning and I’m unable to go back to sleep. Today I was up two or three times between the time I fell asleep (midnightish) to now (approx. 5:20am). I am not certain why that is but I’m not terribly concerned. I’m going to try to take advantage of the opportunity and spend some more time in God’s Word getting to know who He is.
That has become one of my biggest struggles, getting into God’s Word consistently. I’ve always struggled with things that I know are supposed to happen consistently. It’s very tough to be stuck in the place of wanting to but never doing. I constantly feel like I’m not a good Christian because I don’t want to spend time growing my faith. God knows I need to figure this out, now more than ever. With the likelihood of Theresa and I moving to Portland soon so I can go to school, I’d like to have already established some good habits about prayer and scripture studying. I know I can’t do it on my own though. I need to find a group or someone to keep me accountable. If I don’t find that here, I pray I find that at school.
Here’s to a new day, a day full of amazing potential. I hope I don’t waste it.
Posted on September 24th, 2009 by howie | No Comments »Something That Came To Me Today
I was working on worship for this Sunday and I had a bit of inspiration so I wrote what came to me. Not sure if I’ll ever do anything w/ it but it’s the first time I’ve written creatively like that in a long time. Enjoy!
I can’t think of words to describe the joy we’ll see
At the place we’ll be, with Jesus Thee
What a joy, what a thrill, with Jesus still
Carrying out The Creator’s Will
Not mine but thine be done
We will dance and sing
Around Jesus we will swing
Arms held high, and praises rise
To the Almighty King of everything
One with the Son in Glory
The bridegroom to the Man
The word, made flesh, alive again
Living breathing moving doing
Almighty King of Creation
Sin is gone, death is done
There is nothing but life in Christ
What a joy it will be, to see
My Jesus, face to face with Thee
Post about worship planning for this weekend is incoming.
Posted on September 22nd, 2009 by howie | No Comments »How many families do you know like this?
Wow… This is incredibly powerful for me to see. It’s very convicting.
Casting Crowns – Slow Fade
Casting Crowns – Slow Fade teaching video
Photography
Not my work but a neat picture
I always thought it would be neat to be a photographer. Or at least have a camera and go out and take the artistic photos. It’s a weird desire but I long to be artistic and expressive. I’ve been way too afraid to though. I’m hoping this new life will put me in a place where I have the courage to express and let myself be artistic. Part of me thinks that I have too much of the views of the world still in me and caring what other people think. I know I say I shouldn’t care what other people think but a bit part of me still does. It’s a sad reality that I am trying to break. Because really in the end, the only opinion that matters is God’s. And I know where I stand with Him. So anyways, in honor of my desire to become an artist and be artistic, I have created a flickr account. I don’t know if I’ll ever use it or do anything with it but I have made one and I am going to try and use it. Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/howie23/
Flickr Profile: http://www.flickr.com/people/howie23/ Posted on August 12th, 2009 by howie | No Comments »
I want more
I’m in a place where I’m realizing I want more out of life. Right now my life is very simple and plain. Not a lot going on. The last big event that I had in my life, Spocon, has passed. Now the only things to occupy my time besides work, is planning worship services for church. And that’s on a very inconsistent schedule.
Seeing other people move on with their lives makes me realize how stagnant I’ve been. I’ve got friends that are getting married in the next week, I’ve got other friends releasing CD’s, and I have other friends truly living their dreams. I envy them. I wish I had their courage to pursue my dreams. That lack of courage has kept me from being the musician I want to be. I never have the courage to share my own thoughts. Like right now, I’m paranoid people are going to find this blog and think I’m weird. It’s rough. But I need to learn to be vulnerable and share my words/music if God is going to use it. He will give me the courage. Posted on August 4th, 2009 by howie | No Comments »I couldn’t have put it better myself
Amazing how right on he is:
The Starbuck’s Mentality
What is it about the coffee shop that everyone likes? Are we, as a people, wannabe beatnik’s in disguise? Why is Starbuck’s one of the largest food chains in the world? Why is it that one little drink has become such a huge driving force our country?
As someone who is trying to turn over a new leaf, I often think of coffee shops as a safe place to let my creative juices flow. I have a strong urge to write or draw (which I’m terrible at) anytime I walk into a coffee shop. As a matter of fact, I started writing this post in a Starbuck’s in Seattle on 6th Ave. & Stewart St. As someone who wants to find out what it means to be a starving artist, coffee shops are a haven for me to practice my craft. While I’ve never been one for writing a lot, I do enjoy it and I want to learn to be more consistent in it. I can think of no better place to begin than a coffee shop.
Maybe intimacy is the answer. As I write this, there is a couple sitting less than 5 feet from me and I have no idea what they’re saying. Not from lacking listening, that’s for sure. :p. Having the decor Starbuck’s does portrays a sense that things are calm and there is no need to rush through life. Ironic that they serve a caffeine drink and want to provide a place for someone to relax/destress before their day starts.
While I may not have an answer, what I do know is that Starbuck’s and coffee shops in general have become an integral part of American culture. I’ve always wondered how they changed from the eccentric artist hang out to the central meeting place for most college students and quite a few business people. Maybe coffee shops have always been popular and my perception of them has changed. While I’m not a coffee drinker, more and more of my friends are and they enjoy meeting over a cup of coffee.
In the end my thoughts on coffee and their shops doesn’t matter. They’re here, they’re a great place to hang out, and they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Posted on July 31st, 2009 by howie | No Comments »
RT @branthansen: No one expects the 44 Fake Sit play.