Napping at work...

Sometimes (on casual Fridays) I will close my office door and take a short nap under my desk during lunch. I have told a number of people about this (and I thought I blogged about it, but I can't seem to find it in my archives). Regardless, I have not done this in quite some time. But I just walked by the office of one of my co-workers, and the door was shut. Not a big deal at 11:15... but her light is off. Normally, I would think she was gone for the day... but I saw her close the door while staying in the office. She is full on taking a nap in her office. I, of course, have been advocating a throw back to kindergarten days of mid-day napping for most of my professional career (albeit a short 7 year career). I guess she is taking it upon herself to start the practice in hopes that other follow her lead. We'll see...

Friday things...

It is 10:00 on a Friday, and I am bored. I am caught up on my work, and all that remains for me to do is the stuff that you always put off for days when you have spare time. But the problem is that we never want to do those things... that is why we put them off. But alas, I have no choice. I will actually accomplish some of those elusive tasks because I have been too efficient in my other tasks.

In other news, if you were not there for METRO Live last night, Afshin gave a fantastic talk about God's will. Granted, I have been thinking about a number of things that God directly addressed through the talk, but I think it was just good regardless. Check it out here.

That's all for now... but seeing as how I am bored, I may pull a double entry today. But then again, I may not. Last week, my boss walked by my office and asked what I was doing. The funny thing is that he was asking the question because I was in a different office than normal... but I responded saying, "I'm working on my blog." He then said explained that he was not asking about that... but that I had just busted myself. So I need to be a little more careful, I guess. Fortunately, he is an understanding boss and didn't give me too much grief for it.

OK... that is really all. Can you tell how much I don't want to do those other tasks? Seriously.

No More Faith

I have known of this song by Andrew Peterson for a while now, but I was reintroduced to it this weekend. The lyrics just scream of a reality that many of us don't like to admit is true in our lives. If you have not heard much by Andrew Peterson, I suggest that you check him out... he is really good. On iTunes, he is compared to Rich Mullins (which is fair enough) but he does have his own style. In any event, these lyrics have been resonating with me for the past few days...

No More Faith

This is not another song about the mountains
Except about how hard they are to move
Have you ever stood before them
Like a mustard seed who's waiting for some proof?

I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief

Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
That only love remains

Have you heard it said that Jesus is the answer
And thought about the many doubts you hide
Have you wondered how he loves you
If He really knows how dark you are inside

I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief

Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains

So I will drive these roads in thunder and in rain
And I will sing your song at the top of my lungs
And I will praise you, Lord, in glory and in pain
And I will follow you till this race is won
And I will drive these roads till this motor won't run
And I will sing your song from sea to shining sea
And I will praise you Lord, till your kingdom comes
And I will follow where you lead

Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains

Thursday iPod Stories

Story One - "iPod Lost and Found"

Last week, I had quite a scare. I got in my car on Thursday morning to head out on my "commute" to work, and I opened the center console to retreive my iPod. When I saw that it was not there... I really think I may have gasped. I was horrified. I knew I had it on my drive home the night before, so I couln't imagine where it was. I caused myself to be late to work by looking all over for it (I even looked in the trash). Well, fast forward to lunch time of the same day... I decided to look in my gym bag one more time. It had fallen into a side pocket that I don't use... so it had simply been overlooked. Poor thing. It must have felt so abandoned in there.

Story Two - "iPods and Panties"

Thursday night after METRO Live, I volunteered to take the musical guest to his hotel by Hobby airport. On the way down there, he said he really wanted to stop for some Taco Cabana because he can't get it in Nashville. So we pulled into the closest one and sat in the drive thru. As we sat, he commented that he was great friends with the guy singing the song that happened to be playing. He then asked if he could look at who else I have on my iPod... and I said sure. He thought that was awefully brave of me (and when he said that, I suddenly thought it was too... and I got a little nervous). So as he scrolled down, he commented on some of the artists I have (Beyonce', G. Love, and Nickle & Dime being the most notable) - but surely he noticed that he was not in there. D'oh! Oh well... he is now. Back to the story. When he finished his investigation, I told him that was quite an intimate moment for us to share since we had just met and all... to which he retortred, "yeah, it is kinda like I just looked through your panty drawer."

So my poor iPod spent the morning dealing with abandonment issues... and the late hours of the night dealing with identity issues.

Pain Avoidance Update

Turns out that I did, in fact, pull my calf muscle. In fact, early reports say that I may have torn it. I wish I had a camera so I could take a picture of my the lower part of my leg. I first noticed the bruise on the calf Thursday night. Then, on Friday, I noticed some bruising on the shin. Then on Sunday, I noticed a bruise on my ankle. The whole inner portion of my lower right leg looks like I have been beaten with a lead pipe (well, maybe not quite that bad... but it is pretty discolored). I am sure I can draw a spiritual parallel about the visible signs of the pain in our lives... but I will just leave it at that and let your imagination run. In any event, I was wrong about being able to run on it by the end of last week. I still can't... and I don't expect to be able to for a couple weeks.

Pain Avoidance

I hurt my calf muscle yesterday while working out. I think I pulled it... but I am not sure. However, it has caused me to walk with a limp since it happened. Yesterday, I was still trying to walk normal... but today, I have figured out a way to walk without feeling the pain in my calf muscle. So at first, I thought my calf was getting better... but really, I just learned to move in such as way that avoids the pain while the muscle does what it needs to do go get fixed.

Isn't that what we do in life? We think things are getting better; but really, we just medicate life's pain in other ways.

Even as Christians... life does not really get better (contrary to what many of the preachers on TBN will tell you). Rather, we know Who to turn to when life is painful. The pain does not always go away... nor does the underlying problem causing the pain. (this is the point where the calf injury analogy breaks down... because my calf really is getting better and I will be running again before the week is out)

Unlike the pseudo strut that I naturally developed to avoid the pain in my calf, truly seeking refuge in Christ is not something we naturally do. The next time you walk into a bookstore, check out the Self-Help section and you will see my point proven. Furthermore, my new way of walking is only temporary. Eventually, my calf needs to heal for real. Christ offers ultimate healing... but it may take a lot longer than a couple days for that to take place. In fact, some of the hurts/troubles in our lives will never be fully healed this side of Heaven. But He promises us Himself in the midst of the pain... and really, that is more than enough.