Ten things I’m thinking this morning

I’ve been letting neglecting this blog. I need to ease my way back into the process of writing, so I’ll do something a bit fluffy and roll out a little “Ten Things I’m Thinking This Morning.”

 

1. I think Facebook needs to add the capacity to write in italics so that its users can evolve beyond the ALL CAPS emphasis.

 

2. Book that I want to read this month: Thy Kingdom Connected by Dwight Friesen.

 

3. Book I’m glad I read this month: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. For the foreseeable future, my mantra is going to be “Live a good story.” I think this book changed me. Maybe in a few months I’ll be able to prove it.

 

4. I think that the Facebook pages created for non-entities (e.g., Bare Feet, Texting in Awkward Situations, Sunsets) contribute to the eventual undoing of Facebook, expediting Facebook’s destiny to become the new MySpace (embarrassingly juvenile, provoking shame) while some other social media site emerges as the new Facebook.

 

5. Book for which I’m becoming impatient: Myth of the Blueprint by Greg Boyd. This article (dense but lovely) has me salivating to read the entire work: http://www.gregboyd.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/two-motivations.pdf

 

6. Two more wins and Ohio State is in the BCS. Just saying.

 

7. I spend a lot of my time working in coffee shops — putting together Paradigm’s liturgies, updating our website and social media, assembling print materials, and meeting with people in our community. So having a few different coffee shops I can rotate between helps to keep me sane. 

 

Here are the factors that I consider when choosing a place to get some work done (listed in order of importance):

- availability of electrical outlets (if I can’t use my computer after a few hours, there’s no use)

- proximity to home

- quality of drinks

- quality of music played (none is better than bad, but good is best)

- design and decor of space (will sitting there for a couple hours stifle every ounce of creative spirit?)

- store hours (most mornings I get going at 6:30-6:45, and every now and then I have a night where I’m plugging away at 10:30)

- size of tables (can I have my computer, a stack of books, and a drink on the table and not feeling scrunched?) and space between tables (when I get up from my table, am I going to need to straddle five other customers to get to the door?)

- friendliness of staff

- vibe of customer base (can I get things done around these people?)

 

That said, my favorite place in Seattle to get things done is Q Cafe. They have plenty of outlets, Stumptown Coffee, solid music (almost always), and good-sized tables spread out in an open, creative-feeling space. On top of that, it’s six blocks from my house. And they donate 10% of their sales to organizations and non-profits that are making a difference in the world.

 

8. I taught at Paradigm last night — talked about Micah 6.8, Jewish imagery for “walking with God,” and mitzvot. I don’t hate teaching, but I’ve become less and less enthused about public speaking, in general. If I ever needed to teach on a regular basis, I feel like I could get by OK. But Julie is just so much more natural at it — she thinks as a teacher, and has such an authentic understanding of the material that she doesn’t need to give as many hours to on-the-spot preparation during the week. 

 

Julie and I are very big about moving into an ethos of teaching rather than preaching. Most Christians either have no understanding or alarming misunderstandings of the central narrative and major motifs of Scripture. They’re really good at being rallied and riled up, but they lack biblical literacy. I think I would be a good preacher, but I don’t think faith communities need preachers as much as they need to get a clue theologically. Good teaching helps toward that end. I’m glad Julie’s a natural teacher so that I won’t often have to be.

 

9. The Electronic Age is the great equalizer in our world today. Experience still matters in terms of character and wisdom, but in terms of navigating through our present world — regardless of what market/sphere you work in — rapid change humbles and equalizes. Financial recession aside, it’s a good time to be young, I suppose; you’re treading water, but so is everyone else.

 

10: Meh. It turns out I only had nine things to say.