"Consider the Ravens..."

In these final months of my 20's, I find myself reflecting a lot on how much I have changed in the 10 years of 20's.  While I have very few regrets, there are more than a few things that hindsight has been a humbling 20/20 to accept as part of who I am and where I come from.  Maybe you can relate. At age 20, I was convinced I'd go to grad school and then likely onto a doctoral program to become a famous musician.  My entire identity and self-worth was wrapped up in being an accomplished musician.  God definitely gave me some talent, but what really fueled my achievements was pride and some entitled self-righteousness.  I just wanted to be good to prove to myself and others that I deserved recognition.  As that dream unraveled and then all but disappeared later in my 20's, what I'm left realizing is that it was never about the music or the achievements themselves.  All I was after was the recognition -- the acknowledgment, the confirmation that someon...

Happy New Year! This time of year tends to bring a natural reflection and rejuvenation and a sense of forward motion.  We set goals, re-evaluate habits, and jump-start new routines all with the hopes of pushing forward and creating a better life.  We create new ideas about what kind of glorious life we'd like to have if we could just (insert new year's resolution here).  But you know what's been on my heart recently? These days ARE the glory days.  As much as our culture would like us to continue pushing forward toward a better life, there's a LOT to be cherished about today.  Every today becomes a yesterday and every tomorrow becomes a today.  I've been challenged to consider how quickly I wish away my today's for the hopes of tomorrows.  It's an easy thing to do, especially if the season we're in is difficult, long, or without a lot of purpose.  I frequently hear high schooler's say they can't wait until college, or college students say the...