Called to Live Radically

Christmas . It's one of my favorite times of the year. It's the time when the cities get festive and strangers exchange greeting of good cheer. It's when we light up the fire or snuggle on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. There's beautifully decorated trees and Christmas goodies, family fun and warm wishes.  But what is it about this holiday that makes it so beautiful to so many people?

While waiting to meet up with some friends yesterday evening, I decided to peruse through the nearby bookstore. Hoping to (maybe) find a couple of solid Christian nonfiction books I didn't have, I quickly made my way to the "religious books" section. There wasn't much new or different that was solid doctrinally. Just as I suspected.

“The heart is deceitful above all things,  And desperately wicked;  Who can know it?"  - Jeremiah 17:9 To anyone who has heard this verse a plethora of times, it's easy to skim over the verse without much thought - to say, "Yeah, I know, 'Don't follow your heart' ," and move on.  But how often do we really stop and think through what "following your heart" actually looks like in our every day life?

Dear Heart, Many days, I make the mistake of listening to you.

The neighborhood I live in is locally known for housing many people with significant mental disabilities. Having worked at the coffee shop nearby, I've quickly gotten to know a number of these people and form relationships on a regular basis. As I was walking to school earlier this week, I came across one of these gentlemen - whose conversation with me would include one of the most profound statements I've heard in a long time.

Poetry is one of those genres I've never written much of, but I love it. It has a way of connecting with your emotions that no other form seems to possess. Maybe it's the rhythm, or perhaps it's all the literary uses of alliteration, similes, and rhyme patterns - I don't know. Regardless, a well-written poem is a beautiful piece of literary art.