I’m sitting in Starbucks this morning. I have my computer out (obviously) and my ear buds in, but I’m not listening to music… intentionally. Since 7am, people have been constantly flowing into this place and little by little, bit-by-bit, it has almost filled up. Everyone has their own agenda; each individual has a list of important things they need to begin tending to just as soon as they get that much needed shot of taste bud hell… I mean, espresso.

I wonder why everyone seems so closed off. I wonder why no one talks to each other. Scanning the room, I see a big group of separated people. Separated by status. Separated by age. Separated by life. The one thing everyone seems to have in common is the reality that we are all in the same room, yet completely isolated from each other.

There are 2 people sitting next to each other at the table in the middle of the room- judging from the intense glare on their faces, they are both obviously doing something really important on their Macbooks. There is no one else at the table except the two of them. Maybe they don’t know each other. Or maybe they are married… Maybe they decided to come to Starbucks so they could get coffee, look mad at the world, and get on their computers to do important things while not talking to each other.

There is a old guy sitting in the corner by himself. He has been playing with his phone for about 30 minutes. No coffee, no delicious, unhealthy, pastry treat. Just an old dude and his phone. He could be trying to figure out how to text message. Or maybe he is trying to figure out why his phone keeps making the word ‘cool’ when he is clearly typing ‘book.’ I don’t know. But no one has said a word to him since he sat down.

There are two guys sitting at the window in front of me. They are engaged in a conversation about the Dallas Mavericks. It’s becoming more obvious to me that that Mark Cuban needs their brainpower, because if they owned the team, they would have figured out a way to bring Carmello Anthony to the nation of Dallas. And then the Mavs would win more. And then…

3 more people just sat down with the big table with the mad couple doing important things on their computers. That makes two separated groups at one table. They are separated because neither acknowledges the other.

There is a guy on talking on his cell phone while he waits for his coffee. This is pretty interesting- whoever he’s talking to must be able to see him somehow (maybe it’s the CIA) because he is talking as much with his hands as he is with his mouth. The person on the other end of the line must also have a hearing problem because this dude is talking very loud… maybe that explains why he’s also using his hands.

Here’s my point:

Everyone is so isolated. No matter where you go, you’ll find a bunch of individuals doing their own thing. When true community is hard to come by, it’s no wonder why so many people are at war- with themselves, with their families, with their jobs, with the world.

I don’t want to be isolated; I don’t want to be closed off. The best I have to offer anyone is my acceptance. My purpose on this world is not to just get through this day unaffected. My purpose is to connect with the people around me. People today are seeking authenticity- they are less concerned with your show, your façade.. people want you to be open about your reality. Be authentic, be real, and connect with people wherever you are.

Now I’m going to go help that old man with his phone.

Amazing.

Amazing Grace.

Those words have become cliché in current Christian American culture. For many, the mention of them brings a sweet melody and a few catchy phrases to the forefront of mind’s eye. Hopefully we can look past a song written in the 1700’s and see the value and weight this phrase holds. Amazing. Grace. I am simply amazed that The Creator would find mercy enough to extend a pardon for me, even when my sin deliberately continues to breathe. I don’t understand it, nor do I need to. The beauty of God’s love and the mystique of His character lie in the unknown of His reasons. Reasons to save. Reasons to love. Reasons to discipline. Reasons to desire us.

Some of my uncles tell me I should write more blogs. Ok. Ready, set, go…

I am a questioner. Those of you who know me can testify to the fact that I have always questioned the colors of life surrounding me. The phrase, “Because I said so…” has permanently ingrained itself in my brain due to my constant questioning as a kid. As I get older, however, I realize the importance of asking, probing, and searching for the things that lie deeper. I refuse to allow tired clichés, facebook profiles, and unlimited text messages to cloud my sense of reality… And reality tells me that people are starving for TRUTH. This world is aching for something authentic, something stable, and something they cannot understand the answers to- which leads to, that’s right, questions! I don’t think Jesus wants us to accept things as they are; He wants us to dig for answers, pry through the top layers. This world was contains the glory (Hebrew translation= heaviness) of God; therefore, there is depth in everything. Find it. Questions lead to a passion to seek answers. Question everything… it is only then that you we will be able to KNOW TRUTH. “Because I said so” is never an acceptable answer to anything.

I hope this all makes sense… I’m kinda just throwing out random thoughts and sound check is in like 5 min… Live LOUUUUDDD!!

-BW

I love to write.  For me, writing is a remedy- a release from the sprint.  On a normal day, my mind races at a consistent pace that would easily outrun a purebred racehorse.  Jesus has given me gifts of creativity, thought, and vision, but sometimes I get so caught up in the intertwining web of each of them that I drive myself crazy.  In my mind, there is always something I need to be learning, refining, perfecting, and/or discovering.  Like a little kid, I am constantly daydreaming, however, Lady Sleep visits me sparingly and is usually short-lived when she decides to show up.  I am different than most- I try to operate with purpose in everything I do... nothing is face-value, nothing is surface.  There is a point to everything, a purpose for the breath I breathe.  I don't know how much time I have here on this planet and because of that, I want to illuminate Jesus to as many people as I can.  Don't get me wrong, I have NOTHING figured out, nor do I have much to offer within myself... I do, however, know what the love of Jesus tastes like.  I know what brokenness is, and I have experienced true life through it, during it, in the midst of it.  God is Love and Love is Real. 

A sense of urgency has begun its path through my veins.
Like a cancer, it is spreading rapidly and without warning to the most vulnerable areas of who

I AM…

Nothing apart from this. I have nothing to claim, nothing to own, nothing to reach for except for what I taste in this

LOVE…

Has been so hard to hold on to, so difficult to retain, seemingly impossible to discover. Reaching for everything this soul is screaming for, straining to catch something authentic. Deep down, I know that I need the

TRUTH…

Is the only constant, it is the island. Truth is not subjective, relative, or shakable. No matter what my eyes may see or what my emotions are shouting, it does not change. The calm rock that I am running to… don’t stop, not even to catch your

BREATH…

On my neck. In my lungs. Felt as you whisper in my ear. Keeping me alive. Giving me strength. Reminding me of a purpose. Waking me up. Hitting me with the windows down on a crisp fall morning. Happens naturally. Is the same word as

SPIRIT…

Guide me... or better yet, invade me. I cannot do this alone, nor was I ever intended to. Marry me and become my bride- I will dance with you, I will sing to you at night, I will cherish you and always be faithful, loyal, and confident in you. I will walk with you as we run together. I am finding completion in you alone, and I have realized that cannot live without you. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. The only desire I have left is to be with you forever. Transform all of

WHO I AM.