From the Inside Out

Stress is a dangerous thing. In light doses, it’s bearable, but long-term exposure can be debilitating. Research shows that stress can be a contributing factor to illness, depression, and even serious disease. If you’re not careful, stress will creep in and sap the very life out of you.

Never before have I truly understood just how serious stress can be. Sure, I know it’s probably the main reason I have bouts of ulcerative colitis, and it’s probably why I get sick when I’m under pressure at work, but I didn’t realize how much it had actually changed me until I became free from it.

The past eight months have been some of the hardest months in my life. It was like the “perfect storm” that threatened to break me several times. Pressures on the job, demands in my personal life, ministry, and unrealized goals weighed heavy on my mind. The single biggest contributor to my stress, though, was a brutal work schedule that never relented — constant pressure with no rest, always in the back of my mind 24/7, sometimes invading even the sanctity of my dreams.

For now, the worst is over. I’m looking forward to getting back on a normal schedule with manageable levels of stress. Relief is flooding over me like a soothing balm. I knew things would be better after this tough period at work, but I didn’t realize exactly how much I had been affected by it. I feel like there was a part of me that was trapped inside this wall of stress and misery, unable to live, unable to thrive. But now she’s emerging. She’s seeing the beauty of the world again, and it’s a wonderful thing.

At the same time, something has been stirring deep inside my soul. I don’t know where it’s leading me yet, but I feel like I’m at the start of a new spiritual awakening. Tonight at Abundant Life Church, we had a service that we call “unscripted.” It’s a time when we get rid of the agendas and simply worship God from our hearts, allowing Him to set the schedule and the pace. It provided an amazing opportunity to interact with God in a deep, meaningful way. Words can’t adequately express how much I am in awe of Him. Whatever we need — grace, love, healing, strength, joy, freedom, forgiveness, peace — we can find. He is so awesome, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me next!

I’ve allowed stress to rob me of some of the most important things in life. I’ve been forced to make work my number one priority, but that’s going to change. I can’t honestly say it won’t ever happen again, but I’m striving to live a more balanced life again. After all, you know what they say about having too much work and no play. It’s not a good thing!

To celebrate my newfound freedom, I’m taking some time off from work before the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m going to relax, play, and spend some extra time focusing on God. I can’t wait!

It’s been a cold, long year, but here comes the sun!

I never considered this until I read an article about it tonight. What if Earth had rings like Saturn? The unique bands circling Saturn make it one of the most beautiful and interesting planets to view. Even witnessed through a small, amateur telescope, it’s a cool sight.

Imagining what the rings would look like around around our planet is fairly easy. I don’t think it would appear much different than Saturn does today, but the interesting thing to consider is what the view would be when you are standing on the ground and looking up into the sky. What would you see? Well, a new video depicts what the rings might look like from different cities and latitudes across the world. It’s a mesmerizing sight. Check it out.

Want to increase your vocabulary and stay hip at the same time? Check out the newly named “word of the year” and the finalists recently announced by Oxford American Dictionary researchers. Oxford annually tracks how the English language is changing. They review newly birthed terms and ultimately select one word every year that “reflects the ethos of the year and its lasting potential as a word of cultural significance and use.” Word of the year finalists included:

• Netbook: a small portable laptop
• Hashtag: The symbol (#) used on Twitter posts to allow them to be found more easily by other users
• Sexting: The act of sending sexually explicit texts or photos on a mobile phone
• Paywall: Blocking parts of a Web site to all but paying customers
• Intexicated: Being distracted while driving because of sending a text message.
• Zombie bank: A financial institution still operating even though its liabilities are greater than its assets,
• Birther: A conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama’s U.S. birth certificate

…and the winner (for all of you Facebook and social media fans) is:

• Unfriend: To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace

According to Christine Lindberg, a language researcher at Oxford, “Unfriend has both currency and potential longevity. In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year.”

Now that you know the new word of the year, put it in use. Experts say that’s the best way to add a word to your vocabulary. Take each one of these words and use them in a sentence over the next few days, and you’ll be speaking the new lingo in no time!

We went downtown tonight to catch a concert with one of my favorite alternative Christian bands, Switchfoot. They were playing at the House of Blues in Dallas, and it was an awesome show!

We arrived early with tickets in hand, but there was already a long line of concert goers waiting to get into the venue. At first, I thought they were in line to get tickets, so we went to the box office area to evaluate the situation. When we got there, we realized it was in fact a line of people waiting to get inside. Before leaving, we confirmed it with one of the event staff, but instead of directing us to the back of the line, he started talking about their VIP Lounge, the Foundation Room. And then he did the unexpected…he walked us to the VIP entrance and gave us entrance into their special lounge to wait for the show!! It was SO cool!

The Foundation Room is a lounge with a number of small gathering areas uniquely decorated with art and artifacts from around the world. You can hang out there and grab some food before the show. I’ve been in the Foundation Room at the HoB Chicago and Las Vegas for corporate events, but usually the space is dedicated for “members” only. Needless to say, we were thrilled to be there. Gary and I arrived about 90 minutes before the show was scheduled to begin so we lounged in one of the private rooms (pic below), grabbed some food, and enjoyed our evening.

The concert began at 9 pm. Switchfoot recently released a new album (in early November), so they decided to do something different during this concert. They performed the entire album — start to finish. Afterwards, they came back for a 2nd set and performed some of the “fan favorites.” It was really funny when they left the stage for a quick break, they said whatever song the audience was singing when they came back would be the song they would play next. Soon, the audience began to sing, “Oh Gravity,” and the band kept their promise. They strolled on stage and began to play the song.

It was a fantastic show! Not only did the band play some amazing songs, but they let us have fun too. Their stage presence was entertaining — natural, not overdone, just right. They also had fun with the audience, interacting with us and drawing us into the performance. I will definitely go see them again the next time they are in town, and hopefully they’ll be playing at the House of Blues again. It’s a great venue!

Below are some grainy cell phone pics from tonight’s show:

Hanging out in the Foundation Room before the show

Gary and the Buddha

Ah, so much better than waiting outside in the cold in a long line!

Audience waiting for the show

Switchfoot!!!!

Gary’s cell phone camera is much better than mine — here’s another, less grainy, shot of the band.

This one is for you, Mom. The guy on the right was playing an accordion! Never heard that before in a rock band, but it was great. The lead singer was also playing a harmonica…pretty cool!

First, there was PeopleOfWalmart.com, a website honoring the fashion-challenged shoppers at Walmart. The site features candid pictures captured and submitted by other shoppers frequenting the store. It’s a great place to visit when you need a good laugh.

Now, there’s another site with a similar, but equally funny theme. If you have ever taken public transit, I’m sure you’ve witnessed at least one “what not to wear” moment. In fact, I find many of the people using public transit to be much more entertaining than the ride itself. It’s people-watching at its best.

PeopleOfPublicTransit.com, inspired by PeopleOfWalmart.com, features pictures of eccentric people who didn’t bother to look in the mirror before stepping outside and getting on the bus or subway. You can also find some humorous pictures of the funny things people do while riding. Anyone can submit a photo, and according to the website, a photo submitted before Nov. 30 will put you in the running for a $100 cash prize. Not a bad reward for sharing some humor with the world.

Below are a couple of examples. For more, click here to visit the site now.

Make yourself at home!

What’s on the ceiling?