WordFlyer Ramblings

Been marathoning through the series of late. David Tenant is a genius. Watching Ten die was very hard.

Just watched the movie version. Read the book a few years back as an undergrad at a rather conservative (some would say hyper conservative, except the hyper-conservatives who would call it liberal) Christian school. 

I remember how much I wanted to escape the bubble I was in and to make a difference on the real world when I read it initially. 

And I still want to do that. But what I want to do mostly is to change the bubble entirely… to pop it. 

This insular culture we’ve got going on isn’t healthy. 

We need to love our neighbors.

I want to answer.

In no particular order: 

• Plant churches
• Help people learn that Jesus loves them
• Disciple people
• Take pictures
• Write poetry
• Write books
• Fight with swords
• Ride bicycles
• Be an awesome husband
• Be an awesome father
• Geek out about technology
• Own a coffee shop
• Build youth centers
• Sing and play music
• Travel
• Fly airplanes
• Live in community

Now, to figure out how to do all those. 

I could try to get a healthcare IT job in a city I’ve never considered and where I know one. It’s not even my field of study, but I have the skill set. I’d make good money.

I trained to be a professional counselor. And I could be pretty darn good at that. 

But I’ve never been one to lack confidence. I could do well in any job to which I applied myself. The question is what I want to do; what will leave me fulfilled. 

I could keep trying to get a job in my field, eventually finding one, paying dues and making little. 

I would love to get a Ph.D., but I don’t know what in. I would love to teach, but I don’t know what. 

But really, my heart is ministry. Not professional ministry, but vocational nonetheless. I want to plant churches where it is sorely, sorely needed. I want to help the hurting.  I want to be the hands and feet. I want a “secular” job for now, (a) to make ends meet and (b) to plug into the community. Eventually, if the ministry can support me, great. If not, no worries. 

And I want to write. God knows I want to write.

The truth is, I was never “called” to be a counselor, or anything other than a servant of God; I pursued my Master’s because I love being a student and because I love working with people and helping them. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I went to college fully intending to become a missionary pilot. But what that entailed didn’t feel congruent with my heart’s desire for discipleship ministry. 
 

There’s a part of me that wants to find a way to stay in Lynchburg until next summer, and then go with a friend of mine to plant a church in St. Louis, but that door hasn’t opened yet. Or maybe I haven’t felt around for the door knob enough. 

I’m not looking for an easy way out, just the right direction to find where I should be.

Might be time to get a new laptop. I’d like some recommendations from my fellow creatives and computer geeks. If I get one, I want it to be lightweight and thin, no larger than 15 inches (13-14 is great), good battery life, and powerful enough to easily handle CS5 (will not be used for gaming, but will be used for photo/video/audio editing—thus discrete graphics a plus). Optical bay more or less optional—need to at least have an external one, but outside of installing new programs (Lightroom, Office), I rarely use it. SSD a big plus. 

No fanboyism. I know a lot of creatives use Macbook Pros, and I’d be willing to consider, but I would have to be blown away to do so.  

My current (but possibly dead) laptop was top-of-the line four years ago (2.4 GHz dual core, discrete graphics, tablet functionality, 4 GB ram, but only 2.5 hours battery life used conservatively). I had hoped it would last until this October/November so I could get a look at the Microsoft Surface Pro and its potential competitors, but that may not be an option.

1 Tardis

1 Sonic Screwdriver

1 Sheet of Mind Paper