I woke up this morning to the sound of a majestic thunderstorm.

I just laid in my bed listening to the sound of the rain hitting the rooftop. The impact of each raindrop against the surface was a triumphant declaration of its victorious journey to earth. Beautiful.

Periodically the rumbles of thunder could be heard. It was as if the gates of Heaven opened and the trumpets could be heard emanating from within the heavenly halls. Glorious.

I thought to myself how truly blessed I am to be able to enjoy all this. We have been entrusted with such a wondrous gift to take care over. Words cannot truly capture the beauty found within Creation. And if I’m at lost for words with trying to convey my thoughts about Creation, how can I even begin to express how beautiful and marvelous the Creator is? For Creation is but a reflection of the Creator.

More and more I can see His fingerprints in everything. More and more am I lost in His splendor.

Lord, thank you for the many wonders You have created. For the rain that comes and gives life to the earth. For the lightning and thunder that showcase the raw power of Creation. And most of all for the realization that, although marvelous and mighty in themselves, they only point to One who is Greater: You. Amen.

Consistency

First and foremost I need to obtain consistency in habit and schedule. What kills me the most is my irregular and erratic doings. I don’t maintain a schedule at all and it shows as I let things slip through the cracks. So the first step in my transformation is to determine what the few things that are important and establish a consistent adherence to them.

Sleep Schedule - This is perhaps the biggest part of my whole transformation. I seriously do not get enough sleep. I’m constantly operating in a sleep-deprived state and I seem to be forever accumulating a sleep deficit. A deficit that seems to rival that of the national one… Which is not good. It leads to a lack of energy, concentration, willpower, memory failures, and a loss of the ability to articulate thoughts and ideas. It actually leads to a lot of things…

This problem is moreso do to my inability to faithfully hold to a regular sleep cycle. I ignore my body’s cries for sleep and I go to bed far past the point in which I really should. The main reason why I stay up late is that I enjoy talking with people. I long to continue talking and talking… I’m afraid that I’ll have to become more disciplined and continue such conversations later. They’ll still be around the next day. I hope.

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Yesterday, my extended gang of hoodlum friends and I climbed up Mt. Si.

Only 45 minutes from Seattle and open even during parts of winter, it’s a great hiking location making it a local favorite for Puget Sound habitants. I’ve been going up every year since 2005 and I truly enjoy this mountain hike. You can see Bellevue from the top and, on really clear days, Seattle.

 

I had a rare Friday off of work and there was no way that I was going to waste it at home! Thus! A trip outdoors was in order! The weather was a lot warmer and more pleasant than I had hoped it to be and we were able to gather together a lot more of my dear companions that I had thought possible.

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I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll say it again: who I am most certainly hates who I’ve been. I’m constantly at work to become the man that God has intended me to be. He has called me to something much more than what I currently am. I long to live a life worthy of the calling that He’s placed upon me. To bring glory to Him in all that I do.

As Christ Himself modeled, I’m pushing to increase in "wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." To grow in all aspects of life: mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.

However, most of the time it seems as if my efforts are all in vain. This is probably because I see so many different areas that need improvement and change in. In trying to address them, I’m stretching myself in every direction at once.

There is great wisdom to be found in focusing on one thing at a time. In dividing my attention in so many areas, I get lost in the insanity of it all. I just get overwhelmed.

In order to help facilitate my push for growth of self, I’ve developed a general guideline that should help focus my attentions in a more structured manner instead of my current mad dash in every direction.

My battle plan against my old self is a four stage one:

1) Consistency - Adherence to a solid set of habits

2) Reduction - Applying lean practices to life

3) Improvement - Attaining a stronger mastery of current skills

4) Expansion - Acquisition of new skills/habits

The plan itself is still being thought over and needs tweaking but the overall idea is sound. I believe. Feel free to poke holes in my thoughts and reasoning as I go through this. I fully appreciate any comments in regards to this.

I’ll go into detail of each phase of this plan and spell out what this will mean practically to me.

At one of our last parties we were playing a game in which you were supposed to imagine a person in a certain scenario and then select an option from a short list that best suited them. One particular round we were selecting for me under the imagining that what I would do if I worked in construction. The majority selected "take charge" or "make some analytical suggestion" but there was one loner. A friend aptly chose "grumble about the work."

Her choice cut deep for it was very apt indeed. Furthermore, today as I trying to mention that I was content with life, I was stopped in my lie. My excessive complaining had bore the truth of my character. I know that this was a problem for me and I am working on correcting it but I had created an image of myself that will not quickly disperse.

A man does not complain about his situation. He does not moan about his misfortunes or about how the future isn’t exactly how he thought it’d be. He does not grumble, he does not mutter, he does not "rawr rawr rawr…" He does not make excuses.

Such a man is weak. His very character is in question. He implies and gives testimony to his inability to cope or deal. Additionally, it suggests his unwillingness to change things and make them better.

How can the vow that I’ll eventually make to my Beloved of her protection and provision be taken sincerely in that case? Or even more practically and to the present, how can I be trusted that I can take care of something if all I’m known for is complaining and grumbling?

If there’s something to complain about, don’t dwell upon the complaint. Instead…either shut up or do something about it! That is how a real man addresses the issue.

The call to do something about my complaints has struck me hard. It is past time to move from a passive state of discontentment to an active pursuit of betterment. There’s much work to be done ahead of me. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.

He gazed deeply into her perfect eyes. Drowning in the love that radiated from the gateway of her soul, he lost himself.

Finally he knew he had found her. He found his Beloved whom he had intently searched for. A search that had lasted since the beginning of time itself.

His quest for her had met with countless frustrations and failures. The quest had not been an easy one. Filled with sorrow and pain, it left its marks. Only the thought of the Beloved kept him going. For Her, he was willing to wait for eternity.

And now He had found his Eve. Such sweet rapture! At long last Adam will be united with his Beloved. Mere words could not express the ecstasy they shared.

As he gazed into her eyes, he foresaw their future together. Though beset with trials and tribulations, they were but shadows compared to the fullness of joy found in their fellowship.

He couldn’t fathom ever parting. Such a separation would be death! How can that which was destined to be together ever be separated?

And then he woke up.