I love the rain, especially thunderstorms. I can't remember a time when I didn't love the rain. Even when I'm stuck in traffic going 10 mph on the freeway because of rain-induced slowdowns, I love the rain. I think some of it has to do with mostly living in deserts my whole life. But really what I feel when it rains is a sense of awe. Thunder and lightning are incredible and powerful and dangerous, making God seem BIG like He should seem; like He is. And rain is indiscriminate, life-giving, and makes the world seem smaller, softer. I love the smell of rain and the sound of rain. I love watching the clouds roll in and the sky get dark. I love the rain.
I have so many memories tied to rain. Living in Brownsville when I was little and being scared and excited by the thunderstorms. Being on campus in Arizona when a "monsoon" hit - it was unreal. Camp in New Mexico listening to the rain ping on the tin roof. Afternoons in Canyon when it would get so hot and then the thunderheads would roll in, the cows would line up single file and start walking home, and then big fat rain. Doing the show in the rain. Avoca, NY where if it wasn't snowing, it was probably raining. Riding the Judge Roy Scream at Six Flags with the rain like needles. I love the rain.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Coming Out
Some of you will find this very strange, so I hope you'll just bear with me. The fact is, I've been hooking up lately with a lot of old friends who I haven't seen in AGES, and I've started to realize that I may have been somewhat guarded with them, even dishonest.
I grew up in the church and always stayed pretty involved all the way through high school, but I was never very verbal about my faith. In college I experienced my rebellious period, so those friends wouldn't know a thing about my walk with the Lord. So now that I've started reconnecting with some of these old friends, I think I need to come out of the closet and let them know that I am a Jesus freak. There, I said it. You were probably already pretty suspicious.
Not to get completely of track, but I've had several friends come out of the closet and tell me they were gay. This makes me very uncomfortable, and they know it does. The truth is, it even sometimes makes me angry. However, it doesn't stop me from being their friend. In fact, I'm somewhat honored that they trust our friendship enough to tell me. Here's where I'm going with this - I know my being a Jesus freak makes some of my old friends uncomfortable. Some of the things I talk about even make them angry. But I sincerely hope it won't stop us from being friends. I love you guys, and I love hearing about your lives.
I find it interesting that when a life-changing diet or book or recipe or cleaning product comes into my life, it's easy to tell my friends - in fact, I can hardly wait to tell everyone. But when Jesus turned my life upside down, there were actually people I was afraid to tell. Why is that?
I grew up in the church and always stayed pretty involved all the way through high school, but I was never very verbal about my faith. In college I experienced my rebellious period, so those friends wouldn't know a thing about my walk with the Lord. So now that I've started reconnecting with some of these old friends, I think I need to come out of the closet and let them know that I am a Jesus freak. There, I said it. You were probably already pretty suspicious.
Not to get completely of track, but I've had several friends come out of the closet and tell me they were gay. This makes me very uncomfortable, and they know it does. The truth is, it even sometimes makes me angry. However, it doesn't stop me from being their friend. In fact, I'm somewhat honored that they trust our friendship enough to tell me. Here's where I'm going with this - I know my being a Jesus freak makes some of my old friends uncomfortable. Some of the things I talk about even make them angry. But I sincerely hope it won't stop us from being friends. I love you guys, and I love hearing about your lives.
I find it interesting that when a life-changing diet or book or recipe or cleaning product comes into my life, it's easy to tell my friends - in fact, I can hardly wait to tell everyone. But when Jesus turned my life upside down, there were actually people I was afraid to tell. Why is that?
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