These Days

Carissa and I went to see Cloud Cult last night. I think we missed the entire first set. But that seems like an appropriate trade-off when seeing Cloud Cult–that trade off being spending more time with our kids, and holding them when they cry because we are leaving the house without them.

What we did catch was incredible. My high expectations were absolutely met by the band, how they perform with that much energy every night is beyond me. The crowd, as is usual with Dallas, left a lot to be desired. I always want to apologize for our city to bands who play here.

Regardless, it was a refreshing dose of what I think church should be, as well as what I referred to as “relentless optimism”. Carissa embodies that so well. I, needless to say, do not.


As I shared last week, it has become hard to process everything that is happening in our world today, particularly in this country, as the tyrannical promises of the individual our electoral college voted into the presidency come to pass. It is hard to know what to do.

Times like these awaken an oft-dormant spirituality within me, and I’ve been listening to and even playing more music lately. A friend wrote me today, “praying for a miracle in DC too,” and that feels both appropriate and underwhelming. In 2002 I attended the anti-war protests and it felt…powerful. Today I’m just trying to keep my head above water with work and paperwork and kids’ activities and commitments I’ve made to others…

I read something most mornings as part of the start of my day, sort of as a meditation:

Acceptance is the answer to all of my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation–some fact of my life–unacceptable to me and I can not find serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.

It has certainly been a challenge to find acceptance and serenity in these latter days.

Previous: A Crisis of Faith (in Myself)

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