The Interlude of Life

Christmas, one of my favorite times of the year, is tomorrow. I could not be more excited about the celebration of Christ this time of year. While there is such joy around the celebration of Christmas, there is also a growing amount of stress and despair that comes with this time of year.

Working at Starbucks, I interact with people everyday and get to have meaningful conversations with them. I do not know if it surprises you or not, but I see a lot of the same people everyday at work. It is really cool to me because I have a passion for investing in people. Day to day, I have conversations with my customers about their families, jobs, hobbies, etc., and get to hear amazing stories, as well as touching and sad things. I have noticed through these connections, that there is a growing amount of people that I come into contact with that are truly unhappy. Christmas has become this crazy fiasco that has to include presents, candy, and shopping.

What is happening to Christmas?! Sure, I remember growing up and being stoked to see what was underneath the Christmas tree, but those are not the things that I hold dearly to my heart. I honestly can only remember about two of the gifts that got on Christmas day...the others have just faded away. What I hold dearly to my heart, and remember most about Christmas is the time I got to spend with my family remembering what this time of year is really about. 

My family has many traditions that we like to do at Christmas time, but the best to me is the time we take to read out loud the story of the birth of Christ. This is something that we start the day off with on Christmas. While the kids are putting the nativity scene together, grandpa is reading the story. It is something that we are all apart of in the morning. I do not know when I made the switch of actually listening to the story, instead of thinking about the presents that I was about to open, but I do remember making a switch. I remember really hearing the words that my grandpa read out loud to the family. It has been since that switch that I have honestly been able to celebrate Christmas in the most joyous of ways. 

The thing is we usually do not take the time to "interlude". 

The definition of interlude, according to dictionary.com is an intervening episode, period, or space. How often do you take an interlude in your busy life?

The most common place to see an interlude is in a theater production. It is a time to use the bathroom, stretch, and most importantly, understand the story.

As you celebrate Christmas tomorrow, I challenge you to remember what this season is really about. I challenge you to take an interlude and experience the joy God offers from the story of His Son's birth! And remember, interludes are important. Maybe as we also approach the new year, we can all set the resolution to interlude more in our everyday lives.

Merry Christmas Everyone, and God Bless!

To Where YOU Are

I was reminded today of my blog, and I realized that is has been a long time since I have posted something on it. Well, today that changes.

"Do you ever feel like your walking
In a way with no direction
Trying to reach your destination, step by step

Do you ever feel like your fading
Into a world that's always changing
Where it seems your existence isn't real"

These are lyrics to one of my new songs that I am coming out with soon. It is a song that took me by surprise.

I believe that when you write a song, it is an expression of who you are or what has gone on in your life. It is one of the purest ways to describe different things...like the joys in life, pain, or trials. When I started writing this song, I was shocked at what I was putting onto the page. I was seeing words that described being lost and unsure of what is to come, and these lyrics are words of helplessness.

When I read those lyrics, I saw something that was relevant to my life. Something that I am dealing with right now.  It was one of those things where you don't really realize that you are feeling a certain way until something triggers it...and these lyrics triggered it for me. I spent days, weeks, thinking about those lyrics. I wasn't able to continue the song, because I knew that was not a message I could share without something to go with it. That something was hope.

The next part of the lyrics are:

"I will hold on
I will be strong
With You alone"

After recognizing that I felt lost and drowned out in a world that has so much going on in it, I realized that I needed to hold on to something. I needed to be strong, but I knew I cannot do it alone. I need Him!

"You will carry me on
Guide me to where I belong"

I had to grasp that God will bring me through, and that He will guide me to where I belong. And that is it, I do not know what, or to where, God is taking me right now. I know that I am to supposed to be a light where I am right now. But sometimes I like to see what the future has for me...what His will is for my life...where I will be in 10 years from now.

When I took a second to realize that I do not need to know, and that He is in control, I was able to let go and be who I am supposed to be right now, in this very moment. I was able to see that I needed to be that light to my co-workers, friends, and strangers that I come into contact with everyday. It is only when I realize all of this that I can glorify God, because that is our design for life. We are to glorify God with our life, and share by example what we have through the act of worship.

"Holy is your name
Worthy of my praise
I lift my voice to you
God almighty"

That is the place I need to be right there. I need to declare that God is holy, He is worthy of my praise, and that He is almighty. He will take care of me. He is my heavenly Father.

I really love this new song, because it is a story that meets WORSHIP.