Summahtime.

It seems to be a little harder to keep up with the blogosphere since summer has arrived. Why would I want to shut myself inside to write a blog when I could be enjoying the sunshine and warm weather outside? We've had a lot of time off recently, and have most of August off as well. I've been able to visit friends & family, which has been very nice. I've also started making jewelry & painting more in my spare time, as I plan on trying to make some extra cash by selling these creations! It's great to be able to put my hands to something a little different than music, but each day that we're not playing shows I feel like I'm forgetting to do something or missing out on this pattern I've become accustomed to doing. I know though, that as soon as I start getting used to being home, we'll be starting up full-time again and I'll have to readjust back to living in a van & getting yelled at for letting the ice in the cooler melt and get gross. :) Life is good, especially when you get to spend everyday with your best friends and create music together. 

-Shannon

Death

I have constantly been thinking about death lately. I think it's something we all think about often. How will it happen? When will it happen? What is the reason for it? These are all questions I ask.

Instead of being overwhelmed with questions that will never entirely come full circle until after the grave, I choose to celebrate today. We are not young forever. We all want more time. The reality of my mortality is sobering. So much so that it really puts a fresh perspective on what I believe. Who I follow as my Lord and what the main desires of my heart. Elijah heard Him in a still small voice. Perhaps removing things off of our minds and out if our heads will enable us to hear what is knocking on the door a little more clearly.


- Mike

Walden

We recently had some time off. While it was a bummer not playing shows, it was wonderful to get to spend some time with my family. Additionally I got to spend some time alone in the woods.

I think there is a lot to be learned through such experiences. Living our lives in the busy worlds that we do, surrounded by modern amenities and crowded cities, it is easy to forget our place. Spending time in an untouched forest, I gained a fresh perspective on my role in this life. I am not the center of any universe. I am part of a bigger picture. Overwhelmed by foliage and bombarded by ticks, I realized my relative insignificance. While that seems like it would be depressing, on the contrary, I was oddly uplifted and encouraged. There is something relieving about recognizing how little of an impact any of us can actually make in the grand scheme of things.

Sure, there are celebrities and political figures that will be known by large numbers of people. But ultimately, there are very few people who will ever move the hearts of the masses in any deep or meaningful way. This realization does not give us license to ignore the call to help others, to make our world a better place. It simply narrows our focus. We are not failures just because our reach does not extend beyond a small circle of people. Perhaps success is determined not by how wide your impact is, but how deep it is. We do not have to stress or worry about not changing the world; we need only to impact the lives of those around us.

-David

Tentative Summer Plans

Due to the line of work we are in, it's hard to really "plan" for anything. You can hope that you might have the day off you wanted, but chances are an opportunity will come up to play, therefore forcing you to shut down all previous plans. This isn't a bad thing- I love getting the chance, even if it's last minute, to play for anyone! However, because everyone is talking about "summer plans", I thought I'd share my tentative list for a few things I "plan" on doing:

1. Visit my best friend and family in upper Michigan
2. See U2 on June 26th
3. Spend a few days camping at Interlochen/Traverse City and see the Decemberists & read a few good books while I'm there
4. Witness dear friends of mine get married in Pennsylvania
5. Have a bonfire, complete with s'mores

6. Not necessarily for the summer, but a life-goal that I always include in any "plans" is to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter :)


-Shannon

Owe no man anything.

This last week has been very eye-opening. I will keep this short and sweet. We are to owe no man anything but to love him. I have learned how foolish it is to make assumptions without facts. 

Someone may call you friend. A friend loves at all times. True friendship is tested in distant and refined through trial. Even when people mean us harm, we are to owe them love and love alone. 

- Mike

Decisions

The decisions that we make now determine the course of the rest of our lives. This is a concept that is becoming increasingly clear in my own mind. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with that knowledge. I have a lot of friends who have made the choice to pursue marriage, college, a career, or a dream. I am at a place where life is forcing me to acknowledge the choices that I have made so far, as well as the consequences of them.

I am faced with a severe sense of confusion lately. I feel as if I walked into a forest with a compass, but without a map. I was told that if I go straight through the forest, I would come out on the other side, exactly where I am supposed to be. Throughout the journey, I have lost either the support of, or simply communication with friends and loved ones. I have traded the future that my upbringing has told me to pursue, the friends I was once close to, the stability of having a real job, and now my relationship with the girl I love because of a whisper, because a still small voice led me into a forest, without warning me of the trials I would experience as a result of obedience.

It is difficult to face this reality. It sounds absurd to stay committed to an uncharted path. I see a multitude of well-paved roads that I could take, all of which would lead me out of this forest. But there is no assurance that any of them will take me to my intended destination. So I must continue on the path I am on. I must continue to follow a compass, rather than a map. I must continue to follow the whisper of one rather than the shouts of many. And at the end of my journey, when all is said and done, I recognize the chance that I may have little to show for my efforts. I may have no money, no education, no wife, no career, and no house to call my own. But the only way to achieve anything of supreme value is through a willingness to sacrifice everything of lesser value.

I don’t know who is reading this, or where you are in your own journey. But I want to encourage you to recognize that the true purpose for your life may not seem logical. Regardless of who you are, you were made for something extraordinary. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing what you were created to do just because it’s dark in the forest. You may be closer than you think to reaching the other side.

-David

The Dentist

So, I got wisdom tooth #2 removed today. Mike was a real trooper and drove me back home, tucked me under my covers, and even thought my tooth looked awesome (I must say, the thing does look pretty brutal). It went a lot better than the last time I got a wisdom tooth out, which was a huge relief. However, my cheek is a little bruised, swollen, and my face has a heartbeat! After sleeping all day, I managed to swallow some applesauce and, my favorite, homemade oatmeal. I'm on a roll. After sleeping so much though, I'm feeling pretty restless now. Let the 30 Rock marathon commence!