Counting blessings.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s a good time to count blessings and remember the good things God has given me rather than focusing on the things I wish I had.

So in this post, the things I’m grateful for:

  • A great childhood and upbringing with loving parents who taught me responsibility (still learning) and how to be helpful
  • Parents who love each other and have stayed married for 27 great years through the ups and downs of life.
  • A fully-funded, high-quality college education that was a gift from my parents.
  • A great younger sister who is not afraid to tell me the truth about myself.
  • Great extended family and friends who support me even when I do stupid things.
  • The opportunity to work for my dad’s IT consulting business, even if it’s only for a season while I get my bearings back.
  • The opportunity to pour into students’ lives through Campus Crusade for Christ.
  • A (mostly) sound mind that came only from God above.

And, last but not least, my ANQ family – the family I joined voluntarily, which has given me a great network of strong Christians to grow and do life together with. We’re not without issues, and we’re not without conflicts, but as long as we stick together and stay true to the vision, we will prevail.

Although I know that the next four years will be a lot of work, I’m looking forward to them. I’m excited about our team and what we can achieve together. We may come from different walks of life and different levels of experience within the organization, but as long as we outdo one another in love, we can put aside our differences and make some real progress for this great organization!

So Team Brown, let’s knock this thing out of the park!

2012
11/16
CATEGORY
Life
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Editing my life.

Don Miller wrote about this in his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. He was approached by some folks who wanted to make a movie out of his last famous book, Blue Like Jazz, and he wrote about the experience and the different things he learned along the way.

This has been something of the journey I’ve taken over the last year – taking a step back to rethink where my life is going and looking at different options. Learning to be more intentional about what I choose to be involved in. Reading and hearing about what it means to be a leader, even if it might be a little premature.

I’ve thought about many different options during this time, but made moves mostly in two directions – back to accounting/finance and toward vocational ministry. I’m praying for guidance and letting God take over from there.

What I’d really like to try is working at a restaurant or a cafe somewhere, but that wouldn’t be a good look on my resume. And hey, if the hours aren’t too bad where I end up, I may try doing that part-time.

But maybe this is all just a part of growing up – deciding what paths to close the door on and what paths to continue on.

 

2012
09/25
CATEGORY
Life
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Being present.

It’s interesting to think about the effect that the internet and social media are having on our lives. Are they making us more connected with other people or less so?

Now more than ever, it’s possible for us to be very aware of world needs.

Now more than ever, it’s possible for us to stay in touch with friends and family miles away from us.

Now more than ever, it’s possible for us to discover “everything” about a tourist destination before even setting foot there.

Now more than ever, it’s possible for us to learn just about any skill or trade if we know where to look.

But what’s the cost of it all? Maybe for the sake of information density we’ve sacrificed other things in our lives. Maybe we’ve allowed status updates to replace the human connection. Maybe we’ve become selectively detached from one another.

Technology is neither good nor evil; it’s a tool, an advantage that can be used for either. It will continue to change as we move forward, and it should. The question is – what will we choose to do with the power it buys us?

2012
08/13
CATEGORY
Life
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Telling a good story.

Sometimes I try too hard to attach special meaning to things. I can tell a good story about anything, but the challenge comes in choosing which story to tell. Not in a dishonest way, but in a way that ministers grace to the hearers.

I enjoy watching How I Met Your Mother because it paints a picture of three different types of men – Marshall, the hopeless romantic and kind of awkward guy; Barney, the guy who sleeps around for sport; and Ted, the guy in the middle. Ted considers Marshall lucky to have met his match in college, and hates himself for acting like Barney in his quest for “the one.”

But without Ted, Marshall and Barney would never be friends. In fact, whenever Marshall hangs out with Barney, it doesn’t work out in anyone’s favor. Ted is continually pulled in opposite directions because he wants to find the one like Marshall has, yet wants to know what Barney’s secret power is.

The secret power of shows like this is that you only see the relational consequences of people’s actions. So they can be entertaining and sometimes even descriptive of real life, but not the whole story.

In real life, Barney would probably have a lot of STDs. As much as CBS tries to make Barney a real character (with a blog too!), he’s not. The guy who plays him is openly gay. I don’t say that in a condemning way (God judges men’s hearts, not me), but it’s what Neil Patrick Harris has chosen. I still think he’s an amazing actor. If I was his friend, I’d try to be his wingman, but I’m only a spectator.

In real life, Ted might have STDs too, but he’d probably be talking to therapists quite a bit as well. In fact, the whole premise of the show is that he’s telling his kids this whole story, and that’s what makes it work. I don’t know much about Josh Radnor’s life outside of How I Met Your Mother, though. Guess he’s not as popular yet.

But in real life, we don’t get a narrator in that moment. We don’t always know exactly what’s happening when it’s happening, though we sometimes think we do. What we do get, though, is a Father who’s always been there, watching and interfering only as necessary.

Katie Davis said at Catalyst that we sometimes only want to see God in the outcome, but that He’s God in the process too.

I don’t know all the details of the outcome I’m heading toward yet, but in this season, I’m choosing to trust God in the process. He knows better than me, and I don’t always have to try so hard.

2012
06/22
CATEGORY
Life
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Permission to be silly.

Last night, I checked out the middle school ministry that I’m praying about serving with at church.

I noticed that while worshiping, not only was it acceptable to act a little silly, it was encouraged. And it started at the top.

The worship leader, who’s been doing youth ministry for years, wasn’t “acting his age,” and in doing so, gave the kids permission to act theirs without having to worry about looking silly. He acted like he was their age so that they could act like they were their age in worshiping God.

Some might say that he’s making up for something, or that he hasn’t grown up. But I don’t see that. Instead, I see a man doing his part to serve his community doing what he loves – connecting with the middle school children at his church. I see a man letting his “street cred” suffer a bit so that he can bring pre-teens closer to Jesus. I see a man posing as a youth so that at the appropriate times, he can treat teenage boys like men and teenage girls like women.

It’s rare to find places where it’s okay to act a little silly. But by showing me his world, he’s given me one such place. If they’ll have me, I think I’m taking that part-time job.

2012
06/18
CATEGORY
Christianity
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Church.

One thing I haven’t talked about much here is church. I let people know that I’m a Christian, so it’s assumed that I go to church. And I do.

But to be pretty open, over the last two years, I’ve been church-hopping. Cheating on my home church (which is great, by the way – check out their beach festival!), if you will…

I hadn’t fasted for a while, and a local church was doing a Sun Stand Still-inspired fast, so I joined in. Over a thousand of us were doing a Daniel fast for about four weeks last spring.

I hadn’t been on an international missions trip, and I found out about one with another church going to Thailand to help victims of sex trafficking (at a Shane & Shane concert), so I decided to go (can’t make it this year).

I love Hillsong United and heard that they planted a church in NYC, so I made some visits (and am open to visiting again! It’s like a free concert with a nice message to go along!).

I’d heard about a lot of different pastors over the Internet but hadn’t been to their churches, so I downloaded their podcasts. Some favorites include Elevation, Mars Hill, and The Village.

Oh, and before all this, I met an amazing girl who goes to church with a friend from college. I went to some Bible studies with them and hung out with mutual friends a few times. Fell hard and fast. Screwed things up pretty royally over Memorial Weekend, though, so pray for me.

In any case, after all my gallivanting, I’m choosing the church that helped send me to Thailand. That’s where I’ve seen God show up in amazing ways, and that’s where I’m heading.

If you’re ever in the area, you can find me at Princeton Alliance Church. The music is great, the pastor is cool and together we’re on track to change the world for Jesus!

Plus, in case you haven’t been, Princeton is just a really cool town! Cute indie-ish tea place in the downtown area, sweet little garden theater in town, a pretty awesome sandwich shop and a little mini-brewery I’ve not yet been to.

For the sophisticated men reading this, there is also a cigar shop on Nassau. Not to mention the university and seminary. Professors and theologians never go out of style.

2012
06/12
CATEGORY
Christianity
Life
Updates
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Growing up.

It’s hard to figure when exactly that happens, isn’t it?

Some say it’s when you have a good job and can buy the things you want.

Some say it’s when you know what you want to do with your life.

Some say it’s when you get married and have kids.

I think it’s when you decide to stop living on other people’s terms and live in such a way to make dreams come true for you and those closest to you.

Here’s a friend of mine who’s doing one hell of a job at it. He’s also been featured on The Art of Manliness.

It’s a lesson I’m learning, even though I’m not enrolled in any traditional school. It’s a lesson that I’m learning from friends who are on the same journey. It’s a lesson inspired by teachers and reinforced by artists, one in particular.

I may not have written about this before, but while I’m not enrolled in a traditional school, I am enrolled in this one. It’s not free, but tuition is pretty low compared to higher education. It’s a great program for me because it helps me figure out, 1) how God has wired me to live out His glory in my everyday activities, and 2) how to make a living and support myself and a family doing those things.

Thanks for being on this journey with me, anonymous crowd out there. Please welcome my parents, who have finally started reading my blog ;)

I’m going to continue writing here while I start building my website for Awesome Biz Blogs, my proposed next venture.

2012
06/08
CATEGORY
Calling
Life
Motivation
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