Wayward Son

Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo. I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.

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God the (Ultimate) Father

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Categories: food for thought

First things first–Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. 🙂

Actually, this morning is a good opportunity to me to ruminate on something that’s been going on in my head for awhile now. I’ve been thinking about the different ways God tries to describe Himself to us, and the word pictures He uses. Sometimes He describes Himself as a provider, other times a judge, sometimes an intercessor, sometimes a warrior, sometimes a lover/bridegroom, sometimes an advocate, sometimes a mother (one of the names for God, “El Shaddai,” literally means “the breasty one”).

This is a preview of God the (Ultimate) Father. Read the full post (1600 words, estimated 6:24 mins reading time)

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Between What Has Been and What Will Be

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

I’ve noticed that like so many other people, I have trouble living in the present. I spend a lot of time just thinking, even when I’m doing something else, and in my mind I’m usually either reliving something in the past, or I’m planning (and/or worrying) about the future–thinking about what I have to get done, or whatever. I have to discipline myself to live in the moment, and often my self-discipline is lacking.

This is a preview of Between What Has Been and What Will Be. Read the full post (987 words, estimated 3:57 mins reading time)

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Faith, Trust, and Doing the Math

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Categories: changing mindsets

I had an interesting conversation this week with a band I was interviewing–a friendly young husband/wife duo. The guy had mentioned church roots a couple of times in prior conversations, and it came up again during our interview. My curiosity was piqued, so at the end of the interview I turned off the recorder (so he wouldn’t feel he was on the record) and asked him about his faith.

“I’m actually an atheist,” he replied.

This is a preview of Faith, Trust, and Doing the Math. Read the full post (1471 words, estimated 5:53 mins reading time)

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What’s Going On With the Music and Stuff

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Categories: music

In light of the last few posts, I figure I should fill you in a little on what’s going on with the music and stuff.

When we first arrived in Denver, I was little more than an empty shell, creatively speaking. Mainly, my focus was on establishing some sort of financial base for us to survive on, which is what drew me into freelance writing. Meanwhile, The Wild One began to blossom almost immediately; her creativity in photography began opening doors for her, eventually leading her into oil painting. It’s taken a little more time for The Director, but he’s now connected with some filmmakers and is actively pursuing his dream.

This is a preview of What’s Going On With the Music and Stuff. Read the full post (521 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

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What Do I Really Want to Do?

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Categories: My Story

In times past on this here blog (you can find it in the archives, I’m too lazy this morning to find specific examples for you), I’ve processed thoughts about Christians and “calling.” Just one of the many things I’ve been re-thinking over the years. I’m sort of re-visiting this subject this morning.

A huge switch in my thinking regarding my own calling began a few years ago when I was hosting a men’s study group for some young guys as part of our outreach in our house church. We were working through a popular men’s book at that time, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. In the book, John presented a quote by Howard Thurman:

This is a preview of What Do I Really Want to Do?. Read the full post (1514 words, estimated 6:03 mins reading time)

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Processing Thoughts, Grappling with Issues

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

Fair warning: I’m about to start rambling, and I have no idea where I’m going to end up when I’m through. I’m processing a lot of different thoughts right now, mulling over a lot of things, some more personal than others, and sometimes I write just to get the thoughts out where I can look at them a little bit. Just be aware that this post may end up being about nothing in particular.

This is a preview of Processing Thoughts, Grappling with Issues. Read the full post (942 words, estimated 3:46 mins reading time)

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A Different Sort of Venture (for Me)

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Categories: Things that Are Amazingly Awesome, things that don't fit in any category in particular

So this Sunday morning, guess what I’m gonna be doing?

…

Give up?

…

I’m going to be playing my keyboard. But not in “church.”

There are a couple of folks who do a little jam session (for lack of a better term) every other Sunday morning at the coffee shop where I hang out and write/blog. Sort of a brunch thing, without the brunch. When they discovered I played, they invited me to sit in.

So I’m gonna.

This is a preview of A Different Sort of Venture (for Me). Read the full post (142 words, estimated 34 secs reading time)

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Thanks Again to the Mexicans

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Categories: Things the Mexicans were doing when I was born, What the heck was THAT?

As some of you may already realize, every year on my birthday, for some unknown, cosmic reason, Mexican people take to the streets for parades and dancing.

They did this on the day I was born, and apparently every year since. It has become something of a tradition.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out the cause for this phenomenon. To my knowledge, I am not Hispanic, and no oracle has ever declared me to be “El Uno.” But as I’ve said before, when life gives you a gift, you don’t ask why; you just embrace it.

This is a preview of Thanks Again to the Mexicans. Read the full post (116 words, 1 image, estimated 28 secs reading time)

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The Messiness

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up), moments of truth

I certainly wish I could say that I’ve got my life all figured out now that I’ve removed myself from institutional Christianity. I wish I could tell you it all makes a lot more sense “out here,” or that I have a grasp on what church, ministry, or my own life ought to look like.

It simply isn’t true, however. Less structure means more mess. And for a recovering control freak like me, it throws me for a loop more often than I’d like to admit.

This is a preview of The Messiness. Read the full post (770 words, estimated 3:05 mins reading time)

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On Goodbyes

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

So I wrote this song a couple of months ago, one that has become my own personal favorite–not because it’s the best.song.ever. or anything, but because of the broad sense of personal meaning it has for me.

Essentially, the song is about saying goodbye. It’s about making difficult choices to pursue one’s dreams, and about sometimes having to say goodbye to different people in our lives in the process.

This is a preview of On Goodbyes. Read the full post (905 words, estimated 3:37 mins reading time)
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