Random Fire {Episode 1: Pilot}

I've had quite a few ideas for blog posts tumbling around in my mind over the past few weeks, but for me to sit down and compose a really well-thought-out entry literally takes several hours' worth of thinking, writing, and editing. I don't often have several hours of free time staring me in the face, and when I do, blogging is not usually at the top of my list of things to do. Therefore, I tend to put it off, and, as you can see, that leads to weeks upon weeks of not posting anything other than my [sometimes weekly] lists of thanks-giving. So I'm trying something new. Rather than letting the pressure of developing one specific thought delay me indefinitely, I'm going to try compiling a few simplified thoughts ~ most likely of a random variety ~ more frequently.

And so I present to you the initial installment of Random Fire!

Shot 1 ~ The Proposal:

I never cease to be delighted by how incredibly well Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds play off of each other in The Proposal. I have seen this movie probably a dozen times, and I never grow tired of it.

Shot 2 ~ Facebook Fasting:

I didn't look at Facebook all day yesterday, and I found it INCREDIBLY refreshing. I don't consider myself a Facebook addict by any means, but for a while now I've been toying with the idea of intentionally setting aside a "Facebook-free" day each week and yet I haven't followed through with it until yesterday. After discovering how refreshing it was, I'm definitely going to make a point to become more disciplined with this ~ probably even more than once a week!

Shot 3 ~ Nail Polish: 

I went to Target with Ashley yesterday and bought some new nail polish on a whim ~ two shades of blue and one of green. I painted my nails this afternoon for the first time in quite a while, but I also used all three new nail polishes on the same painting job. I'm pretty sure I've never used multiple colors at the same time before, and I KNOW I've never done anything creative like painting a flower on top of a solid color. But I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying the results. I decided this must be a creative alternative to some subconscious desire to decorate Easter eggs, haha!

Shot 4 ~ Reading, Part 1:

I've been hearing about the book Blue Like Jazz for YEARS, but I never had read it myself. However, a movie based on the book is coming out next week, and I recently decided I wanted to "try" to read the book before seeing the movie. Last Wednesday I had a morning meeting and lunch plans, which meant I was only going to be at work for about two hours, so I decided to just take the day off. My lunch plans ended up getting postponed, and a friend had just loaned me Blue Like Jazz as well as A Million Miles in a Thousand Years (another book by Donald Miller which was inspired by the process of putting Blue Like Jazz into movie form), so I decided to go home and start reading. For the first time in my life, I read an entire book in one sitting, and it was a BLISSFUL way to spend my afternoon off!

Shot 5 ~ Donald Miller:

Now, there were bits and pieces of Blue Like Jazz that I wasn't totally on board with, but considering I was wary of Donald Miller's work based on things I've heard over the past few years (none of which I can specifically remember), I was PLEASANTLY surprised by how Gospel-centric Blue Like Jazz actually is. I was challenged, inspired, and encouraged in my own faith in more ways than I can begin to describe here. Being that I consider Scripture to be the only absolutely reliable source of truth, I read EVERY other book with a grain of salt, regardless of who the author is, knowing there will probably be SOMETHING at some point that doesn't entirely jive with Scripture. And I would advise reading ANY book, including Blue Like Jazz, with discernment. But on the whole, I found this to be an EXCELLENT read. And while I'll continue to read his work with discernment, I no longer feel so skeptical of Miller's writing. 

Shot 6 ~ Reading, Part 2:

In the process of reading Blue Like Jazz, I rediscovered the joy of getting lost in someone else's story by way of reading. It's been YEARS since I've spent much time reading, but I was so refreshed by my afternoon of reading Blue Like Jazz, I've decided to be intentional about carving out a few hours each week to spend some alone time with a book. Saturday afternoon I set aside a couple of hours and went to a locally-owned coffee shop and enjoyed a chai tea latte while I read from A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It was lovely, energizing, and refreshing, and I am so excited to make this a regular part of my weekly schedule.



Shot 7 ~ Finding Balance:

I was talking with a friend this weekend about not knowing exactly what our futures hold and wondering if we are foolish to continue holding out hope for certain things. I ended up saying to my friend that ultimately it didn't matter whether the things we hope for are meant to be or not; all that matters is that we continue to seek the Lord wholeheartedly and walk with Him as He reveals His purpose for us day by day. I was considering this again during my time with the Lord this morning, and it struck me that I think I might be reaching a level of balance in my walk of faith that I've never experienced before. I tend to be easily distracted by both really difficult things AND really exciting things. I've definitely been learning, on a new level, to keep my eyes on the Lord in the midst of difficulty lately, but this morning I suddenly realized I was also learning to keep my eyes on Him in the midst of potentially distracting GOOD things that have happened recently. It was an odd but pleasant sensation to recognize I'd made even a small step toward living a more balanced life of faith, thanks to all that God has been teaching me lately.

Aaaaaaand I believe that's a wrap for now, folks! Thanks for tuning in... Episode 2 should hopefully be coming soon!