I try not to generalize. Its quite often not very fair to people. Generalizing not only usually involves making a lot of assumptions but also judging people based on a few key elements.  Generalizing can often paint a more extreme version of a person, good or bad. Whether you start seeing someone through rose-colored glasses, or a negative outlook, it’s not good. This is because it’s not the whole truth. Seeing a real (because an actor’s characters don’t count, but the actor does) person as something else is a bit of a lie. Also if you lump someone with a whole group you leave out what makes a person unique…

Everyone who’s been to a white elephant party knows that although the gifts aren’t always intrinsically valuable, the funniness/goofiness/oddness of the gifts makes the experience of the exchange valuable, and often times people find value in things other people don’t. Mind you some gifts at these kinds of exchanges are still quite dumb, or useless.  It really goes back to the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, and “value is in the eye of the beholder”. Preferences are different between different people, and I believe this game challenges what value can be to a certain extent. People are unique obviously and so are their senses of humor, and their…

I don’t like making them, but I’m trying to get better at it.  7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 When I am facing tough decisions, I get flustered quickly, because I wonder a lot about the consequences of my actions and if its really God’s will or not. I’m still learning this lesson but I take comfort in this verse.  Decisions are tough but its what our lives here are built on. Keep on making decisions as promptly as you can, while making sure you’re as informed as you can be about your decisions. 

I went to my tenth GracePoint student ministries Christmas party last night, between being a student and a volunteer, and being a part of senior and junior high groups, I’ve had my fair share of these parties, and I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s fun to dig out my “ugly” Christmas sweater, and find old, funny things from around the house for the white elephant gift exchange, and see who will “pick” my gift. After the party, I got talking with the pastor. I’ll be leaving soon for my apprenticeship soon and I wanted to touch base with him about the direction I’m headed. We got to talk about what…

We’ve all heard of direct sales companies, whether its that gal from college who sells $25 lipsticks, or your friend’s mom who sells sells “fancy” makeup, or your neighbor who always has a “31” box on her doorstep or even your coworker who always invites you to online parties for her cooking tools business the list goes on. Unfortunately, these are mostly women’s brands so maybe I hear about them more than my male counterparts. These brands are so distinct that they’re almost doing their marketing perfectly, but at the same time their connotation must hurt them, They’re known for being a bit of a bother because you can’t shop the…

Yesterday I wrote about how as a Christian this world is only my home for a little while. Oddly enough the idea of this world not being my home makes me think of one of my favorite shows: Doctor Who. The main character, the doctor, is an alien who really only travels to Earth to help and make friends knowing she doesn’t plan to stay. I think this might be one of the reasons why I like the show so much, and why I am so inspired by the doctor. It isn’t a Christian show by any means, and its far from a perfect example of the point, but I think…

Despite the first-glance meaning of the title this is all true. I get questions about my height regularly. Did you play volleyball or basketball in high school? Were you always tall? How tall are you? I’ve learned that you can’t always change your circumstances but you can and should make the best of any situation…and that my parents and others were right about me growing.  I was quite short growing up. I thought I’d never grow. I wasn’t particularly fantastic at owning my height then either. I have tall parents and all my friends were taller than me. I felt childish, especially since I was stuck shopping in the kid’s…

Birthday/”goals for the year” post. In no particular order:     Move out of my parent’s house Start an apprenticeship Finish an apprenticeship Go to New York Get my own apartment Pay off over half of my student loans Daily time with God Try a new hobby/sport/adventure and stick with it for a month Eat veggies at every lunch and dinner Save for a condo Visit 5 (or more) new states Visit a new country Learn how to cook a new dish at least once a month Read daily Skip TV/videos/movies at least once a week Take a photo every day Go to the gym at least once a week…