INVENTING GOD & FAITH IS EVERYTHING.

for all of you jaundiced sad faces and touchdown dancers out there who want more than what seems to be in your life at the given moment. that's a weird way to start it. though i bet a good handful of you were jaundiced babies. not that that matters...i like the color yellow...either way...

i wanted to write something original and fresh tonight like mint scope, something that sparked a tingle in your guts, but i checked and my brainwaves have gone back out to sea for the day. the tide indeed is low. anyhow, here is a saucy essay i wrote when i met an awesome old friend. we don't talk much anymore, but when we met, i felt compelled to write this faith-based piece that i think a lot of people can relate to. i am not perfect (ask my ex...ha) and i never will be, but when i get my chest together, i can feel pretty clearly. this was one of those crystal ball moments that i think any good gypsy (a veteran pro) could digest. some of it comes off a tad bitter i discovered, but that's the bone breaks. dig in. i doubt anyone will comment because of the delicate contents, but hey...it's worth sharing i think. Jesus is actually pretty rad. I bet He was nasty on rollerblades too.

he can make turn water to wine and break bricks.
JC's Kung-Fu Dojo.

 "Inventing God; Faith is Everything."

being a Christian is like taking the world's deepest breath every single day and knowing that no matter what happens, everything will be okay. life will be better. life is so short...life has two forms? life has two forms. your life here on earth & your eternal life. you have to live for both. that is not easy.

i have a new friend. she is incredibly special. those closest to me know who she is. she will read this and smile so pretty (i hope...anyway).

when i met her i saw a glimmer in her. a twinkle of sorts. there was something inside of her that glued me to her heart...and so i wanted more of her. i wanted her in a way that most people forget to want. it was innocent & honest. i was so intrigued by her.

there was a free side to her...full to the brim with laughing, way too many odd questions & a thousand genuine facial expressions that just made you want to steal her away to nicaragua. unique & different. there was a real connection. romantic, maybe not? maybe? ...but a connection nonetheless. i missed her the night that i met her. that felt nice.

i later on found out that she rarely finds herself to be that happy. she is generally sad and struggling to find creative, fun outlets besides getting wasted every thursday/friday/saturday night like every other person who has nothing better to do. like every other person who follows. like every other person masking their true originality with beer stats and drunken stories. lame. i am always so sad for these people. soft, soft people.

so i told her, it is going to be hard, but "you are a leader...you're different". she said she'd never thought of herself that way. funny...

conversation developed and all of a sudden...like we've all heard before, something seems to be missing. she wants joy. so do i...so does everyone. she wants optimism and good news. so do i...so does everyone. the problem is, you have to be brave enough, strong enough to take a chance and look for something bigger than you. much like love, you have to dive head first. you have to know that you won't die...there might be pain, but it will pay off. you will grow from it. challenge is how we grow. if you are comfortable, you're not growing. if you're not growing, you're not alive.

if you truly believe that all life is about are these 70-some odd years here on earth, then that's heartbreaking. if you think that the best life gets is this world packed with negativity, greed, selfishness and every other thing that tears away at our happiness...then that is heartbreaking too. watch the news. the news is always negative. negativity sells. sex sells. sin sells...that's a tough lineup to crack. flex those muscles, it's going to be a long ride. life on earth is a tough journey...but in the landscape of eternity, it's a drop in the pond.

the point is is this. there is more. there is more than going to the bars on the weekends and getting tipsy because it's the funnest thing you can think of doing. there's a lot more than getting fat, having sex with everyone (ambitious), being lazy, doing drugs...etc. there is more. i just can't imagine how sad i would become if i honestly thought that a night drinking at the bars (regardless of its content past that) would be the highlight of my week...or what i look forward to.

to lighten the mood...are you that guy/girl with the cold brewski in one hand...the cigarette in the other (social smoking reigns supreme)...and the f-bombs flying out of your mouth? if so, congrats on that because in my opinion you can never get enough of a good old-fashioned cliche'. someone's gotta keep the stereotype alive...keep it real. keep it street.

back to biz. God is everything. God has everything you're missing that you're afraid to go get...or feel too weak to, or aren't brave enough to admit that you need. in my opinion, most people are weak. conversely, in my opinion also, most people are strong. that's complex. the thing is, beneath it all, when invested in something more grand than ourselves (like the Lord), we add to our character and find strength in faith...this makes us a force. on the other hand, unfortunately the majority of people would rather not read this, go to church or lift a Bible. it's easy to be lazy. it's hard to achieve true success. that is the weak side. this is what you see most at our age. drat.

give an hour of your week to JC. He's a good guy and will change your life. He has changed mine. i am ten times stronger a man than i was without the Lord. i was tentative about all the "God stuff" when i was introduced to it. luckily i met some amazing people along the way who i admired for their joy. i said, wow...these people are always so happy and behave so differently than the typical college nati-light, beer-bonging geeks. i wanted what they had. now i have it. now, i feel like superman 99% of the time. no one is perfect. we all have our moments...so 99 is pretty incredible. i generally find myself feeling unbreakable. i let no person steal my joy and barely anything rattles me. if i died today, that would be okay with me.

i am grateful and forgiving. i have tons of flaws, but if you're not thankful for what you have...you'll never be happy. if you can't forgive all negative things that pass, you'll never be happy. Christianity taught me these two gems. i'm still a work in progress, but i know i am blessed.

i am happier than every non-Christian i've ever met.

though i have my days, i am extremely lucky.

about the friend. voltaire said, "if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him". i don't think she and i invented God together, but more like discovered His eager presence waiting to burn into her life. even if you don't believe...He is always there, waiting, hoping, praying you'll want Him half as bad as He wants you. that's beautiful i think. you can act like a selfish moron (myself included) nearly your entire life and He still wants you, no strings attached. i wish i had that strength...although i'm working on it. it's exciting to know that you can always become a better person. there is no ceiling in Christianity. only the weak would want to plateau just to rest. in faith and love and Christ, you just keep growing up. you have to have that. you just have to.

i have always loved the quote, "only the strong survive". i used to think of it physically. i lift weights and repeat it in my head like a nerd sometimes. i sort of want a tattoo of that on my ribs, but i'll get old and wrinkly and it'll read something like, “on thong river”. either way, i love it. the real reason why though, is because it's about forever to me. if you are strong in this life in the Lord, you will survive...in eternity. you'll have everything that is so good you never even knew it existed. something even tastier than a sweaty Big Mac or ten pounds of fried mozzarella sticks (ouch).  

so to top it all off. back to her. she asked me what she needed to give me for this. it made me smile and i said nothing because she is already giving me what i want, without even asking. i want her to be happy. i want her to feel God's warmth, and then i want to share it with her until we die and walk upstairs. friends, family or whatever. she is becoming essential to me a thousand miles a minute. that's exciting right? i think so. i feel the electricity.

i wanted more of her the moment i met her...and now i will get it. i look up to God in thanks for this blessing. He is looking down at me setting up one gnarley hi-five.

Faith is everything. Step to your Maker.