Mentally -- I am already enjoying Spring Break

I am in college.

"What does this mean?" You ask.

It means I eat out a lot, play Halo 3, talk on the telephone, am hardly ever alone, have interesting discussions, tell my roommates to wash the dishes, procrastinate, laugh all the time, get on iTunes every Tuesday to see what music has come out, go to the movies, and simply, enjoy life.

"That's it." You say.

Well, there is gradual incline towards a mental breakdown, times where you feel like you can't learn another detail about anything, the mystery of why teachers have all their papers and tests to be done all in the same week, the wonder if your teachers understand that you have a life outside school, the intimidation of that one teacher who you don't know how to approach because it is understatement to say that man/woman is brilliant.

Enough said.
I'm ready for Spring Break.

Until tomorrow...I am anticipating a week of rest.

The Autobiography of a Bumper Sticker

I passed a bumper sticker today, it read the words, "Obama 08." A bumper sticker tells a lot about the person who is sitting in front of you at the red light. Its amazing how quick you can judge a person by what is sticking to the back window of their car. For some, it is the one bumper sticker that tells it all -- "Support the troops" -- "Breast Cancer Awareness" -- One political statement -- OR -- the simple Christian fish. For others, there is the excessive amount of bumper stickers. This person is the activist or maybe the obsessed.

For most of my high school career I had a little dude that pointed to the sky with a Bible in his hand. I recently took this little dude off. I have a yellow truck -- without this little dude tattooed to the right corner of my back windshield people didn't know if it was my car or not.

Others associated me with a bumper sticker.

I took the bumper sticker off of my yellow automobile for a couple of reasons. (1) I replaced it with a cooler one that says, "Love Wins" (2) I didn't want people to associate me with Christianity -- I wanted them to associate me with love. (3) I didn't want that little dude pointing to the Heavens and holding the Word of God to be the extent of my witness and example of Christ.

In conclusion, I like people without bumper stickers. They are a mystery. I can't judge them by what is on the back of their car. In the car, they have nothing to live by. I better be an example to them because I do have a bumper sticker. So whether it be for animal rights, civil rights, rebel flag and the cause of rednecks, the support of a future president, or something else -- May your bumper sticker tell much about who you are and who you are becoming -- May you not judge the person in the car in front of you who is obsessed with being a vegetarian -- And may you get to know the person who has no bumper sticker at all.

This has been "The Autobiography of a Bumper Sticker" --

"Love Wins"

In Conclusion, Hope. [4 of 4]

Darkness always gives way to the Light.

May Light surround our hearts.

May Light reveal the hidden struggles.

May Light change us from the inside out.

In Christ, we have hope.
Hope for myself.
Hope for others.

There is hope that I will do something.
There is hope for Africa.
There is hope for the Church.
There is hope for the weak.
There is hope for oppressed.
There is hope for the unloved.
There is hope in the injustice.
There is hope for you.
There is hope for the optimist.
There is hope for the pacifist.
There is hope for the strong-willed.
There is hope for the activist.
There is hope for the victim.
There is hope for the sinner.
There is hope for the saint.
There is hope in the laughter.
There is hope in the smiles.
There is hope in the heart.
There is hope without searching.
There is hope in the searching.
There is hope in the mourning.
There is hope in the song.
There is hope in the hand.
There is hope in our actions.
There is hope for change.
There is hope in our prayers.
There is hope in the grace.
There is hope in the Cross.
There is hope in the Resurrection.
There is hope in Christ.
There is hope.

At the End of the Day All I Have Is Left or Right{?} [3 of 4]

{Decisions} - They mark our very existence. We make bad ones. We make right ones. We go one way. We regret. We rejoice.

It's amazing to think that in one second everything can change.

It may be a phone call. The Breaking New Headline. A kiss. A smile. Seeing something for the first time. Realizing you're small. Noticing that God is big. Taking a moment to breathe life in. We make the choice to answer the phone, turn on the television, go somewhere new, stop and look around, and respect the memories that make who I am today.

I find God in all the decisions I end up making. Good or bad.
In every decision -- there is His grace.

These days I am doing my best each night to pause. I think about the day. I capture the moments. I smile. I wonder. I realize that at the end of the day -- everything is still in God's hands. I let go. I give thanks. I give the credit back to my Creator.

Have you ever wondered about the narrow way?

Today -- I hope the little decisions I make influence the right and left. I pray they help others. I hope I don't even realize what is being done through the decisions I a make. I heard a question from a blog I read yesterday, "If what you do in the dark was to be on the front pages of the newspaper tomorrow -- would you still do it?" (www.fermiproject.com/blog)

May God be in every decision I make --
-- The decisions that are easy to make
-- The decisions He leads me to
-- The decisions He lets me choose
-- The decision that I have made to follow His Son

I Pass You By. You Shake My Hand. [2 of 4]

The Greatest Commandment: Loving God is Loving Others...Or (like I was taught in high school)...Loving Others is Loving God...

People: We come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. We are different. We look the same. Cultures are different. People aren't so different (www.theiheartrevolution). We all want to be loved and valued. We are in unique. We grow up differently. We grow old. We make mistakes. We eat. We breathe. Certain things inspire us. Certain things we hate. What inspires me is something you may hate and what you love may be something I despise. I am human. We are people.

Jesus died for the person who gets on my nerves, who I don't necessarily like, who is different, who is outcast, who loves, who hopes, who doubts, who hates, who runs, who hides, who falls, who rises, who is cool, who is not so cool...He died for the person I drive by, look at, never say say hello too, smile at, shake hands with, intentionally avoid, etc. etc. etc.




We are human.

Jesus came for us.
He rescued us {all}.
He redeems.
He invites.
He loves.

Loving Others is Loving God
Loving God is Loving Others

Until tomorrow...I love tonight.

The Air You and I Share [1 of 4]

[Intro] A Brief message from the Author (I always wanted to say that)

I am opening myself up. I am putting myself in a vulnerable position. I am healing wounds. I find peace again...

I want to be intentional about my blog writing -- not really for you -- but mostly for me. This is my escape. This is my song. This next week I'm exploring my own beliefs. It is so easy to be influenced and swayed from one belief to another. I love to read. I am constantly being stretched. I continue to evolve. I will never stop learning. However, over the summer (2007) I was asked, "Eric, what do you believe?" I have had a little while to think about this...So what you are reading and what I am typing is the essence of belief I personally hold onto. At the end of each of the next 4 blogs there is a captured moment(s) that I will end the blog with. This visual picture is a chance for you to see my heart, as well as, maybe find a glimmer of light yourself. For me, the visual pictures make me smile.

So...Here we go...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{the Supremacy of Christ in my Life}

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have [life], and that they may have it more abundantly."

- Jesus (John 10:10, NKJV)

Every time I read this verse it brings purpose back to the table. I am learning that God is everywhere. He is in the moment I am typing this. He is in the very breath I breathe. It has become a cliche' is our Christian society that God is in control -- He holds all things -- He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. Even growing up in a Christian home I do not understand the power of such things just typed.

God is in every moment.
He wants to be there.
He is there.

It is amazing thinking of a God who wants to be where His creation is. Even in the darkness and the responsibilities that have been bestowed upon humankind -- God is there/here --

He is there when {I} laugh, cry, shout, leap, walk, think, don't think, drive fast, hug mom, eat dinner, help others, pass others by, get angry, mess up, mess up again, and again, hope, feel inspired, love, kiss my girl, hold her hand, get impatient, cross the line, lead worship, fall down, get up, go to class, fall asleep in class, get hungry, worship Him, study, read the latest book, get passionate about something, and...

He is there.

Now, this is no revolutionary thought -- but this is the first time it is coming alive in my soul.

He is here.

Let's take it even deeper...

He is there when {they} laugh, cry, shout, leap, walk, think, don't think, drive fast, hug mom, eat dinner, help others, pass others by, get angry, mess up, mess up again, and again, hope, feel inspired, love, kiss their girl, hold their hand, get impatient, cross the line, lead worship, fall down, get up, go to class, fall asleep in class, get hungry, worship, study, read the latest book, get passionate about something, and...

It's a humbling thought when you're on the interstate and you realize all the different stories and life-journey's that are passing you by from all sorts of directions.

Jesus came for us to have life -- and have it more abundantly.
God created life. He made it for us to enjoy.
May we see the wonder and awe. (Rob Bell, Everything is Spiritual Tour DVD)
May we see the glory of God. (Louie Giglio, How Great is Our God Tour DVD)
May we learn from others.
May we see the different directions.
May we love every aspect...
that Life continues to hold.

Centrally, my prayer is that the "God is there/here" belief would become the very steps I continue to take.

Essentially, the air you and I share --
God is there/here.

Until tomorrow...I rest tonight.


The Air You and I Share -- This was taken in Piedras Negras, Mexico a few years back. Life led {me to them} for a period of time -- Life led {them to me} for a period of time. May I never take moments like these for granted. This is abundant living.


There is nothing more that needs to be said. Who knows where this journey is going to lead? I'm glad I'm not alone. God is there/here.

2 Poisons and a Cure

I go to a Christian school. You would think it would be a utopia of like minded people who all have found some sort of hope in a man that revolutionized everything to believe in. However, you are mistaken. Now, majority of the people here have some how found and/or grew up surrounded by people who talked about and believed in this man. I for one, believe in this man.

However, for such a "utopia" this place has trenches.
It has ruts.
It has contagious feelings that intoxicate the soul.

I have become a cynic and I have become a judge.

I long for the best in things -- but my mentality is so shallow.
I long to ask questions -- but am I really looking for an answer?
I long for more knowledge -- only to deny the things I know in my actions.
I long to do something now -- this is the only one I can truthfully say that I long to do.

Cynics always judge and judges are always cynics.
These are 2 poisons.

I am learning that discernment is an absolute in my daily walk with Christ.
Being cynical is not always bad based on the heart that truly strives for the heart of Something real. Being a judge is not always bad when it is based on the judgment of who Christ is and what Christ wants for us.

May discernment saturate my prayer life.
May discernment walk amongst my thoughts.
May discernment shed the light from the dark.
May discernment reveal the truth from the lies.
May discernment be the cure.

May Your voice be loud in my heart tonight.

You are God.

Waving Goodbye is the Same Thing as Waving Hello --

I've had the chance in my lifetime to write a couple songs. These songs will more than likely never reach the sound of your ear. However, these songs are a memorials to a certain part of my life. These songs came out a heart filled with joy, pain, hurt, and hope. They kept me focused. They were psalms. I know Someone heard them...

Have you ever been so busy that you lost connection with the most vital part of your existence...yourself?

Silence is scary thing when you begin to listen...really listen...like really really listen. Silence is kind of like light. It always brings out what is in the dark. In the silence you can't hide behind the music -- silence brings out the rawness of what is going on in the inside. I have learned that every time I don't want to confront myself -- the very first thing I do is run for the noise. This noise may be the latest radio hit, the most recent iTunes download, or an amped up melody that I feel really connected to...yet, I have made up my mind that...

I don't want the noise to define my life --
I want the silence to define it.

I don't ever want to be something I am not.

I want to write songs.
Songs that tell the story of what is going on from the inside.
This blog is my song.

It is a place where light is.
It is a place where I connect, not necessarily to you, but to my own self.

Thanks for being apart of my story.

Waving Goodbye is the Same Thing as Waving Hello.