Everyone, all of my blogging has moved:

http://brokenandglowing.wordpress.com

New blog, new direction, new meaning. Write it down, bookmark it, then take it in and share with your friends!

That makes no sense. I’m thinking about maybe starting a new blog, but I’m not sure what I want to do yet.

I think what I have been writing about is great, but I can’t seem to find my niche. I suppose I’ll find it eventually. Any input is appreciated!!!

Serious. Last night I felt it hard. I realized how much I’ve been rude to people. How many people I’ve offended. I realized that the man of character I’m striving to be… is a disgrace.

I’m trying to remember to repeat this quote in my head, “What would the boy you were say about the man you are?”

How many of us have said we’re going to do something and now follow through with it? I’ll be the first to admit guilt. I might follow through 50% of the time. I always have an excuse. Always! What happened to getting things done no matter if your head hurts or your legs are tired or if you broke your finger.

It’s funny to think that people who have serious physical or mental issues are usually the ones who go much further than those of us born without those issues! Okay, I digress.

The point I’m making is that God is very blatantly telling me I’m royally screwing up. I had to humble myself and admit that I’m wrong, which is very difficult for me to do. I have to take responsibility for what I’ve done.

I have to repent and try again. This time without being a jerk.

What do I mean? I started this blog to, for lack of a better term, “jumpstart” my relationship with the living God. I’ve been a Christian since sophomore year in High School. I’ve been on this bumpy journey since then, over mountaint, hills, deserts, etc. I’m still not satisfied. And I never will be, but that’s not that point.

The point of this is to grow closer to God. The point of me writing and sharing my experiences is to know Him more intimately. I hope you will share this journey with me.

Can you imagine how many weddings are going on today?

Can you imagine how many people thought today was the apocalypse?

Did you know today was the day when the US dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan?

Did you know a baby was born today weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces?

And some awesome fireworks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmKGAIKSASc

Just some of my thoughts and observations.

I have the most beautiful wife in the world. Her name is Gennavieve Christian. If you have read my “About Me” page, I shared what her favorite feature of mine was. Se was once asked by her Mom what her favorite feature about me was, personality, trait, physical, etc. and she said my passion. I hope I don’t sound conceited if I said I agree. It is truly my greatest weakness and greatest strength. You might ask, what do I mean by that?

My passion is my greatest weakness because it gets me into trouble and always digs a deeper hole. Sometimes I go to great lengths to do obtain something, do something, or share something, and sometimes I go too far. Sometimes, okay, a lot of the time, it turns into obsession or idolatry. I’ll be honest, I always thought it was okay to obsess over my music because it’s “Christian” music. So “it’s okay because they’re Christian” was my excuse.

The truth is that’s called idolatry. Through my friend Dylan, God slapped me in the face one day to tell me so. Since then, it’s been a path of recovery. There’s limits, and I didn’t know they were there until then.

My passion is also my strength because of many, many reasons. My passion helps maintain my positive attitude, it provides a continual desire for more from live, the love of people, and person-ability. There’s so many reasons why, but the most important is I believe people are able to receive a glimpse of God from it. Because I am so passionate, people can see, feel, and hear the tiniest, smallest, touch of how God feels about us, about you.

I pray that what I write will deeply affect you. I pray you will be able to receive some of that passion through what I write. I sincerely appreciate my readers. If you’re out there, please make yourself known and make yourself at home. This blog is yours too. I love you all! Godspeed.

To collaboratively discover all the creative, odd, and obscure ways we can observe God. Through my readers (if you exist), through other bloggers, and through myself, I hope we can delve into the mysterious depths we know as God, through Jesus Christ, to know Him more intimately.

That is a direct quote from the side bar. My intentions are literally to share, not only how I discover God, but how you do too. I want this to be a database of our stories, our journeys, and our discoveries in our walk with the living God of the Holy Bible. I call no denomination into play. I don’t want any doctrinal discourses. I want pure, unhindered, narratives about our experiences with the living God.

There is only one thing that I believe matters. I’m going to make some people mad by saying this, but all doctrines and denominations can be flushed down the toilet. The point of this life is following the way of the barbarian (The Barbarian Way, by McManus), Jesus Christ. The rest of the beliefs our not the point and I believe make no difference in our salvation. All that matters is following the life of Jesus and hearing those words at the “pearly gates,” “well done good and faithful servant” and cultivating a relationship with the One Who Loves. (For a more accurate depiction of what I’m talking about, I suggest the books The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge and the Journey of Desire by John Eldredge).

Send me your stories of love and life. How have you discovered God? Where have you discovered him? Where is the weirdest place? Let’s find all of those “creative, odd, and obscure ways we can observe God.” Together. I encourage you to leave your story behind, email it to me, or simply leave a comment! I encourage you to share it with me and the rest of the world to create a database of those fun, adventurous, or heartfelt stories.

Only posting my own experiences would be selfish and will not subdue the avid reader. I hate to repeat myself, but without you, this blog will be pointless. The more we share, the more we open up the minds of others to experience God in a similar way. Live. Love. Grow. Share.

I admit, I’m weak when it comes to vocalists of this caliber. I am blown away by his vocals. The melody, the the voice, the screaming, and especially his lyrics, are all top-notch. It is hard to find bands with good vocalists in the metal/hardcore world.

Anyway, it’s not the vocals that Captive-ate me (bad joke, my favorite song by them is called “Captive”). The music is just as awesome. It’s really hard for me to actually describe the sound of bands sometimes, but this band melds the perfect combination of singing and screaming. They combine catchy guitar work with synthesizers and they definitely pump the jams.

I’m sorry, I’m not here to do an album review, because the truth is I haven’t bought the album yet. My reason for posting about them is what they have provided me. Their lyrics are breathtaking pieces of art. I’m not kidding. Their message, the wording, even the way they are portrayed in the music has deeply affected me in a good way. Being able to read lyrics of this quality and listen to it in music also, is beautiful synergy to my ears.

Truly, they have touched me deeply.

My thoughts! Desire. Want. Destiny.

I’ve talked before about the heart. What is drastically different about Eldredge is that he believes the heart is GOOD. I’ve probably stated this before. The heart is central to life. The closer we bring our heart and mind to Jesus, the easier it is to find our truest desires. What is in your heart that you know you were meant to do.

Destiny is not something we can create. It is something we discover! It may take some time, but you must search your heart, mind, and soul to find what it is that you desire more than any other thing in life. Obviously, our primary desires should be for Jesus, but within that is where I believe we find our calling.

Yes, to a certain extent, we do control our destiny. If your destiny is to become a rock star, you can easily choose not to chase that dream. That still doesn’t mean you weren’t destined to be one. You choose to follow Jesus. You choose to make the steps toward your destiny. Another key point to bring up here, is John states that we should always desire and chase that destiny until our dying days, whether achieved or not. Because life actually is a dress rehearsal for utopia.

Back to the heart. Our heart is good when we’re following the path Jesus set before us. I believe your heart is where you find your calling. I believe our desires were pre-programmed by our maker. I believe that we truly come alive when we are following that destiny or calling. I believe what St. Irenaeus said long, long ago…

“The glory of God is man full alive.”

And I believe we come alive to the max, when we take all the steps required, conquer all the stumbling blocks, and make all the leaps of faith toward that dream, whether accomplished or not.

According historical patterns, people who do not follow the principles we find in the Holy Bible (much of those are even older than the Bible), hardly ever accomplish anything great.

Go chase your dream, and do it to the Glory of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son.

dot COM!

Phew! Now that I got that out of my system, I’m pleased to announce you can easily access my blog now by simply typing lorenwade.com in your address bar! Woohoo!

Isn’t that nice and simple?