100daysofbeing on A Geek's Life

#100 - How Do You Make Jeans in Jesus Name?

Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:48:47 +0000

From this Louie Giglio message which I find myself returning to over and over again.

… You make the best jeans that can possibly be made. You don’t do any half hearted jeans. You don’t do any we’re-Christians-and-we-do-a-lot-of-stuff-half-hearted-jeans. You go make the most excellent jeans that you personally can muster, asking God to inspire this passion, inspire this vision, to awaken in you by the life of Jesus Christ amazing creativity. You work hard, you are diligent. If you are in fashion school you are in class; you’re paying attention, you’re absorbing. In your internship you’re humble not proud, you’re learning, not teaching, you’re absorbing everything you can. You’re serving in every way you can, taking every opportunity to get trained; to hone your skill, to develop your passion to get more experience so that you can do the very, very very best thing possible when you make your jeans.

#99 - On Repeat - Jordan Feliz - Never Too Far Gone

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 11:14:17 +0000

&nohtml5=False

--- There’s no distance too far, that I can’t reach you There’s no place that’s so dark, that I can’t find you

#Reassured

#98 - Party Time

Sat, 09 Apr 2016 16:39:02 +0000

Gate crashed. The perfect response to the wet, windy zero degree April weather. Bonus was getting to hang with the cousin and his family.

#Should.Do.More

#97 - In Conversation

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 18:49:51 +0000

On my return to my favourite eating-out place for the first time in just over a month, I find I am served by a face I don’t recognise. The accent is also one I can’t place which is why after I place my order, my curiosity gets the better of me. It turns out he’s from New Zealand - he describes his accent as having the Australian twang and the South African heft.

#96 - Forward Motion

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 18:53:14 +0000

From the movie Brooklyn, based on the book by Irish writer Colm Tóibín which I finally saw:

You’ll feel so homesick that you’ll want to die, and there’s nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won’t kill you. And one day, the sun will come out you might not even notice straight away-it’ll be that faint. And then you’ll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who’s only yours. And you’ll realize that this is where your life is.

#95 - On Faith, Certitude and Doubt

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 22:32:10 +0000

John Cornwell on the Importance of doubt:

Faith, like love, is seldom entirely constant; nor is it irrevocable.

More in a similar vein from Mike McHargue

#94 - Thuli Zuma - Things

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 19:24:37 +0000

–

Trust yourself if you can…

HT - Kovie Parker

#93 - Fred Hammond - I Will Trust

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 22:43:54 +0000

#Pondering

#92 - Passion, Purpose and Designer Jeans

Sun, 03 Apr 2016 19:45:24 +0000

Louie Giglio on Col 3:17 amongst other things:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

#Mission

#91 - Grand Central

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 21:15:47 +0000

In which I make a quick dash to Birmingham and Grand Central…

#NewCity #Travel

#90 - Persevering..

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 21:33:28 +0000

We saw Eddie the Eagle today - after much planning, to-ing and fro-ing as has become the norm with us - as did a couple of people I know from work and church.. Cue a few awkward silences and dodgy moments where I wondered how much information to share as part of the customary introductions, given one of the work guys is the head honcho and this fluid undefined phase we are in…

#89 - Questions for the Universe, 3

Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:25:03 +0000

If someone pops into your mind and then a few days later they email you out of the blue… Is the universe speaking, or are you - like all confused people - calling a coincidence an omen?

#Pondering

#88 - Happy Place

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:17:34 +0000

Over-priced perhaps but this is very quickly becoming my Happy Place where I pause briefly before heading into the bedlam of work…

#SteadyHabits

#87 - Redemption

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 23:02:30 +0000

What’s done is done. There is no need to speak with Edmond about his past.

From The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - which I just watched again :)

#BeginAgain

#86 - Of Hearts..

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 21:10:08 +0000

Listening a lot to this song, drawn in by all the hope it breathes…

#OnRepeat

#85 - Easter Sunday

Sun, 27 Mar 2016 19:10:58 +0000

From the Hillsong social media campaign to get people thinking about the wider import of Easter, allied to the clocks moving forward an hour overnight…

#CrossEqualsLove #HelloSpring

#84 - Airports..

Sat, 26 Mar 2016 23:32:33 +0000

Surely I am not alone in thinking that sometimes waiting in an airport with far too much time on one’s hand can often be the most stark reminder of aloneness…

#83 - Untitled

Fri, 25 Mar 2016 18:10:07 +0000

Harrow bound…. The view whilst I wait

#ConversationsWithMyself

#82- Killing Time...

Thu, 24 Mar 2016 21:07:35 +0000

Waiting for O to appear, twenty minutes after I arrive even though she had a seven minute heads up… I guess I’ll chalk that up as a learning experience…

#Learning

#81 - Winning

Wed, 23 Mar 2016 19:23:58 +0000

For Mag 309:

In the set of her shoulders and the glint in her eye- is the quiet reassurance of certitude; and of knowing.

That as certain as after day comes night, And with the wind comes chill, She wins…

In the end.

#80 - Suprised, Not

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 21:24:37 +0000

My attempt to surprise M , ruined by my reflection in the lift mirror.. Sigh…

#79 - Complicated...

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 18:02:08 +0000

By the paradox of choice…And the apparent surfeit of options, on the surface at least.. Looking closer though, what is not immediately obvious is that a lot of the things which seem like better options, greener grass, are a mere distraction. :(

#CrossRoads

#78 - Questions for the Universe 2 - Why Do We Love?

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 21:34:21 +0000

Short answer we don’t know… It sure does make us feel good about ourselves though…

#77 - On Repeat - Even Unto Death

Sat, 19 Mar 2016 22:54:50 +0000

Stumbled upon…

#EarWorm

#76 - Story of (Benin) City

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 22:12:05 +0000

From the Guardian series The Story Of Cities:

With its mathematical layout and earthworks longer than the Great Wall of China, Benin City was one of the best planned cities in the world when London was a place of ‘thievery and murder’. So why is nothing left?

Fascinating

#75- Waiting

Thu, 17 Mar 2016 15:03:58 +0000

#74 - The Middle of Nowhere

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 15:05:42 +0000

The view…

#73 - Worn

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 23:45:12 +0000

Worn.. Is how I feel following an 8 hour grilling by the regulator… I could use winning the lottery after all…

#72 - Quotable, On love and 'Rightness'...

Mon, 14 Mar 2016 08:38:00 +0000

Image Source: Challies.com

To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to loved and cared for by God the Father is greater- J.I. Packer

#Perspective

#71 - The Struggle

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 23:54:22 +0000

To not get ahead of oneself, to not be so swept up by the exhilaration of the moment that one loses sight of the bigger picture; that there is still a whole lot of knowing to yet do…

#HeartsOnSleeves

#70 - The Gospel of Doubt

Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:26:25 +0000

https://www.ted.com/talks/casey_gerald_the_gospel_of_doubt

Fascinating talk, key element of which for me is Casey’s search for meaning and purpose… In the end we all seek a wider, over arching meeting to life I guess, some of us still think we find it within the framework of a Judeo-Christian worldview..

#69 - Notes to Self

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 23:08:27 +0000

[tweet https://twitter.com/EugeneCho/status/708128160949243904 ]

#NoteToSelf

#68 - On Waiting

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 23:18:52 +0000

A year ago if you asked me how good I was with waiting, I suspect without giving it much thought I would have gone for somewhere between 9 and 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. What I am finding out to my chagrin, prompted by a few events and a conversation with my friend M (in which I get the blame for the unravelling of a certain situation) is that I suck at this waiting business.

#67 - What A Heart Is Beating For

Wed, 09 Mar 2016 22:43:35 +0000

---

Why be afraid, no reason to hide Take the chance, put it all on the line Draw in a deep breath and throw open the door ‘Cause that’s what a heart is beating for

#66 - Borrowed

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 20:59:19 +0000

Borrowed @ MindBodyGreen

#NoteToSelf

Dear Future Me

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 13:08:02 +0000

For Mag 308:

Dear Future Me, I wanted to tell you that whatever happens tonight- on the corner of L and Ninth; you will survive.

That this too, this sense Of worry wrapping itself like a wreath around your windpipe will pass, whether lost in the exhilaration of assent; or obliterated in the loud clang of a cataclysmic bang.

That this sense of free fall, of uncertainty gnawing at your insides will give way to the clarity of certitude; that the restful stillness of truth will triumph over the ambivalence of baseless hope.

#64 - Certainly Uncertain

Sun, 06 Mar 2016 22:03:03 +0000

Spent the entire weekend building up to a conversation with L. The arguments and counter arguments were all laid out in my head, in my very worst Ted Mosby imitation. Here on the cusp of the actual meeting, it doesn’t feel so cut and dried in my head anymore, which may or may not be a good thing… I guess I’ll know soon enough how it goes..

#Pensive

#63 - Even Now - Philippa Hanna

Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:45:50 +0000

Stumbled on a Philippa Hanna interview on TBN UK earlier today, which led me to YouTube and a few hours burned.. The linked song is her late 2015 single, Even Now

#StumbledUpon

#62 - Bonding...

Fri, 04 Mar 2016 23:26:30 +0000

In-between solving a convoluted case in the last episode of NCIS: New Orleans, “Radio Silence” (Season 2, Episode 17), Dwayne Pride has to deal with his daughter’s angst at the pressure she feels he’s put on her to explore her musical talents. In the final scene they reach a resolution of sorts agreeing to finish the semester before revisiting her decision to drop out of music school, and then play out to “Under Pressure”. I hope I can be there for my (future) daughter in the same way, being able to relate and resolve any issues she has…

#61 - The February Wrap - Of Life, and Steady Habits

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 22:16:36 +0000

What has quickly become apparent – as this year of living earnestly evolves - is that far from being the wild, giddy, excited life I half expected when my thoughts began to initially crystallise, it is one that is lived in increments; steady habits being the under-girding behaviours which hold everything together. That sense – of slow, steady if ponderous, progress – is one that has been consistently underlined and reinforced all year; by the book I am currently reading (Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life), the ongoing series at Passion City on Habits and various conversations, the last of which occurred over the weekend with the older guy friend/ mentor O. The general gist of the book and the series is that change is only possible if there is an overarching vision of the future that frames the daily actions that we take, providing an incentive that keeps us plugging away at them.

#60 - Questions for the Universe

Wed, 02 Mar 2016 23:28:37 +0000

#Sleepless

#59 - Mosbytis

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 23:09:18 +0000

Spent the bulk of the weekend re-watching Season 9 of How I Met Your Mother, complete with its unsatisfactory ending in which Ted shoots off to Robin’s after all she put him through. Tsk!!! Tsk!!! Before that though, Ted’s summation of his 9 year journey to finding Tracy did resonate with my inner suppressed romantic:

It was at times a long, difficult road. But I’m glad it was long and difficult, because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear. You see, kids, right from the moment I met your mom, I knew… I have to love this woman as much as I can for as long as I can, and I can never stop loving her, not even for a second. I carried that lesson with me through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5:00 a.m. Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon, through every speed bump. Every pang of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way, I carried that lesson with me. And I carried it with me when she got sick. Even then, in what can only be called the worst of times, all I could do was look at her and thank God, thank every god there is, or ever was, or will be, and the whole universe, and anyone else I can possibly thank that I saw that beautiful girl on that train platform, and that I had the guts to stand up, walk over to her, tap her on the shoulder, open my mouth, and speak.

#58 - Worn

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 23:11:42 +0000

Finding myself listening to a lot of songs which are tied to a certain time/ phase in my life… Worn from that darned winter of 2012.. Sigh..

---

Let me see redemption win Let me know the struggle ends That you can mend a heart That’s frail and torn I wanna know a song can rise From the ashes of a broken life And all that’s dead inside can be reborn Cause I’m worn

#57 - When The Rain Comes

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 23:15:08 +0000

–

I can’t stop the rain, but I will hold you ’til it goes away..

#Comforting

#56- The View

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 23:18:54 +0000

Blue vans mean business, apparently…

#55 - Wandering, Pondering

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 23:21:00 +0000

#Hope

#54 - Sated

Thu, 25 Feb 2016 22:37:11 +0000

We meet up - at the third time of trying - at the only place there is of note, Union Square. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we settle for TGIF, the steak, rib and shrimp meal the perfect counterpoint to the 46 days of minimal feeding we have gotten through. There is a lot to catch up on - work, women and all the other things single, semi-bored Aberdonian chaps whine about. When we agree to head our separate ways at 9.30pm, it is having been fully sated, all caught up on nine month worth of life, and with an agreement in principle to make this a monthly affair..

#53 - Melt Down

Wed, 24 Feb 2016 21:03:16 +0000

Between my low carb diet, pressure at work and precious little sleep (I’ve averaged between 4 and 5 hours over the last two weeks), it felt like i’d hit rock bottom today; so much so I went to the African shop, ordered up a big loaf of bread and Nido milk, which those who know me well know is my absolute special brand of poison. That, and ending up in front of my TV watching re-runs of How I Met Your Mother, appeared to make the world sane and simple again…

#52 - Not Yet Uhuru

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 21:36:20 +0000

When you run into the someone you swore you’d gotten out of your system, but you find that months after the fact there is still that twinge of jealousy…

#NotYetUhuru

#51 - Beautiful Things - Gungor

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:17:53 +0000

Reminded of how much I heart Gungor by a conversation…

#EarWorm

#50 - Debut

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 23:30:06 +0000

On the day this challenge hit the halfway mark, I ended up spending the bulk of my Sunday evening prepping for, and interviewing, the truly delightful Sam Hibbard; an Aberdeen based Christian singer/song writer whose new single In The Waiting, dropped a couple of weeks ago. I definitely got the sense the wee lad - he’s still not 18 - is going places. It was great to get to chat God, Music, Youth and just catch up in general. First time behind the mics for me too, looking forward to more of these this year. I might have to come up with a funky DJ name if this continues.. :)

#49 - Turn Up

Sat, 20 Feb 2016 23:15:15 +0000

Dinner table…

#48 - Notes to Revellers

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 23:30:40 +0000

A sign which used to be posted in the window of the pub on the corner of Exchequer Row and Union. All that has been stripped and is being turned into luxury apartments.

#FridayNightThrowBacks

#47 - Ambling

Thu, 18 Feb 2016 22:20:03 +0000

When I first began to take time out during my lunch breaks to walk about, there was nothing intentional about it - as far as I can remember. It was one of those things which - having happened a few times - felt so good it became self-catalysing, etching itself into my daily routine; becoming as integral a habit as could be. In looking back at my step logs – I am one of those people who wears a wrist band for tracking steps, the Fitbit Charge HR in black being my very own brand of poison in that regard - it appeared to coincide broadly with an office move at work, one which brought with it its own issues. I claim no causal linkages here, I must quickly add.

#46 - Certainly Uncertain...

Wed, 17 Feb 2016 21:02:39 +0000

What to do when uncertainty gnaws at your insides…

#BillionDollarQuestion

#45 - On Fasting

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 23:11:18 +0000

Fasting does not change God’s hearing so much as it changes our praying

From The Donald Whitney book I’m currently reading - image by Time Challies

#Apt

#44 - Finally Snow

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 21:26:57 +0000

I suspect it was more a question of when - rather than if, given the extended run of near zero weather we had had for pretty much all of last week – we would have the snow come down. When we did, we woke up to a blanket of snow everywhere on Sunday morning, and then again on Monday. That managed to add 15 minutes to my Sunday morning commute – for all the scrapping and cleaning that my car required – and made me break out a proper winter coat for the first time this year.

#43 - Wait For Me

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 21:02:20 +0000

From the Rebecca St James album Transform, which along with Joshua Harris’ book I Kissed Dating Goodbye ’threatened’ to define how Christian boys and girls related for my generation.. Great ideals though..

#ThrowBack #LifeInASong

#42 - Analysis Paralysis

Sat, 13 Feb 2016 21:35:25 +0000

This xkcd comic just about sums it up for us miserable, over analytical types. For an explanation of the game theory/ prisoner’s dilemma behind the comic, visit explain xkcd.

#41 - About Town - Icy Underfoot

Fri, 12 Feb 2016 23:22:01 +0000

A prolonged stretch of sub -five degree weather has finally left its mark on the pavements, the light sprinkling of rain overnight freezing into a thin layer of ice which makes for treacherous walking conditions. Walking to work at a little past 7.00am this morning, it is slightly reassuring to see I am not the only one bothered by the icy conditions; on the corner of Justice Street and East North Street, I share a smile with a woman in a big red coat who appears to be in at least as much difficulty as I am, only she has several bags to balance in addition with managing to not slip. The bond of shared difficulty I suppose?

#40 - Hoarding

Thu, 11 Feb 2016 21:07:37 +0000

A pit stop at my local grocery shop at which I find coconut water is on sale - cheaper by £1.47…. Forgive me if I went overboard

#Hoarding

#39 - Mayfair

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 21:22:48 +0000

Mayfair, 28th November 2015.

I feel like the travel bug is rearing its head again..

#38 - The Returning

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 21:05:39 +0000

For Mag 305

Like a sentinel She casts her eye over the Sea. Those who have left-

A lost, fading blob. In her heart hides defiant Hope For their returning.

#37 - The View

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 19:07:59 +0000

4.30pm, after what has been one of those hectic days from which I am only too happy to be saved by the end of my work day. Today though, the sense - for the first time in a long while - that I have been productive.

#Content

#36 - Chasing Me Down - Israel Houghton

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 11:13:37 +0000

Have had this on repeat for most of the week… #EarWorm

#35 - A Simple Way To Break A Bad Habit

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 18:15:06 +0000

https://www.ted.com/talks/judson_brewer_a_simple_way_to_break_a_bad_habit?language=en

A fascinating talk by Judson Brewer on habits and how we form them. Apt, given I am looking to embed 12 key ones this year. The key to tweaking our trigger-behaviour-reward cycle is being mindful and curious, focusing on what is really happening to us in the moment of behaving, apparently.

#Timely

#34 - Games Night

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 23:43:11 +0000

Hanging with the young adults at church

#Banter

#33 - Thursday Evening Shenanigans

Thu, 04 Feb 2016 22:10:41 +0000

An Indian, a Weegie and a Nigerian walk into a Spanish tapas place *insert whatever joke you deem fit*.. More seriously though it is a fitting end to what has been a hectic week, hanging out with G and D from work @La Tasca; gin and tonics and red wine lubricating our throats all evening long.

#Work #Bants

#32- Hanging with Bruce

Wed, 03 Feb 2016 20:52:24 +0000

A commemorative statue for Robert the Bruce

#31 - Of Movies and Etiquette

Tue, 02 Feb 2016 21:37:15 +0000

At the movies with L to see The Revenant - as much an endurance test for viewers who have to sit through all 2 hours 36 minutes of it as it is for Leonardo Di Caprio’s character, stumbling through the frozen lands he must to reach home and find a closure of sorts - I find myself wondering what the etiquette for movie watching is these days. Given how the action drags, I am tempted to try to make small talk, keen to not miss the opportunity finally getting a chance to catch up at the 8th or 9th time of trying affords.

#30 - North Esplanade West, Again

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 22:08:45 +0000

North Esplanade West, Again

#29 - On Repeat - Your Presence Is Heaven

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 22:31:10 +0000

Heard after a long time during worship today

#Ace

#28 - Of Discipline and Direction

Sat, 30 Jan 2016 22:33:47 +0000

The only road to Christian maturity and godliness passes through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. I will emphasize that godliness is the goal of the disciplines, and when we remember this, the Spiritual Disciplines become a delight instead of drudgery

Donald S. Whitney: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

#CurrentlyReading

#27 - Body Pump

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 21:15:34 +0000

Against my better judgement, I decided to book a Les Mills body pump class at my gym (which I haven’t been to since last October). Suffice it to say that my soreness and general tiredness in the aftermath of the 45 minute class suggest my fitness is nothing to write home about (or more accurately is non existent). A wake up call if ever there was one.. Sigh

#WakingUp

#26 - Quotable

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 22:11:04 +0000

Stolen off Instagram… Have a peek at the kid’s back story. Impressive

#25 - Out and About

Wed, 27 Jan 2016 21:21:59 +0000

Park Street, 6.20am.. A damp squib of a day!

#24 - Dancing With (In) The Rain

Tue, 26 Jan 2016 18:21:46 +0000

---

She whirls to the rhythm of the rain. Her dance, light-footed - A pirouette - in step with the beat The light, gentle splatter of rain - Drops stopped in full flight By the chipped stones makes. As the night light catches The fringe of her costume She is no longer there. What we have is the after glow Of stolen re-memory - Of Peace and of repose And the calming lightness Of the patter of the Rain.

#23 - Going Analogue

Mon, 25 Jan 2016 20:32:23 +0000

My quick wander around Union Square leads me to WHSmith where I trawl the shelves, ultimately failing to find a notebook that calls to me. I do find this A5 sized one with gridded out sheets at Paperchase, one that reminds me of studying Maths in my (Nigerian) primary school days. Truth is my current task management set up (Wunderlist on my phone and Mac) leaves a little niggle - an inability to order tasks n running order. As a work around, I have pulling through the day’s tasks into Notes on my phone, a sort of live action tracker, which is where this new setup shines, replacing the notes app on my phone with a proper notebook. I hope, once the shine of a new notebook and erasable pen wears off that I can continue to do this… Fingers crossed.

#22 - Be Still My Soul

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 21:34:45 +0000

From time to time, my rather loud, Pentecostal church goes back to basics and sings a communal hymn in place of a choral presentation. Days such as these - I feel - lend themselves more to the more contemplative (or less engaged some would argue) worshipers such as me. The hymn today was particularly apt, particularly the 3rd stanza given the disturbing news my friend B shared overnight about her loss.

#21 - Hard Times

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 21:00:54 +0000

Not the Charles Dickens book but the state of Aberdeen, the (self-proclaimed?) oil capital of Europe.. The biggest news, from a personal perspective this week, was probably the additional job cuts announced by the likes of BP and ConocoPhillips. All that puts into context a chance conversation with the guy behind the till at the corner shop where I grab the odd packet of biscuit or pint of milk when required. It turns out that he is a Reservoir Engineer, out of work for the last 10 months.

#20 - TGIF

Fri, 22 Jan 2016 20:50:18 +0000

A Guinness for the pain…. and to kick off the weekend

#TGIF

#19 - Sister, Remembered...

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 22:29:18 +0000

In which I pretend to be young and free…. Chicago, 2011

#Throwback #Missed

#18 - About Town

Wed, 20 Jan 2016 21:42:57 +0000

Lunchtime, out for a long amble down Market street and up North Esplanade West beside the River Dee…

#Tranquill

#17 - Three Ideas For Life

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 22:48:46 +0000

From Simon Guillebaud’s January 3rd message at Holy Trinity Brompton on the subject Be A Living Sacrifice:

Live Urgently
Give Unreservedly
Be Transformed Radically

#Pondering

#16 - Work (Talk) Shop

Mon, 18 Jan 2016 21:03:28 +0000

Yet another day spent in a workshop, hammering out the finer details of the support we’ll need to provide for an upcoming project. This time away from the office; sequestered in a building on the corner of Market Street and North Esplanade West. I could get used to this; talking about work as opposed to doing work…

#15 - On Trusting

Sun, 17 Jan 2016 20:58:16 +0000

–

In keeping with the sense of calmness from this morning, the homily at church today was a reflection on peace, with a key theme being how it is under-girded by a sense of implicit trust. This triggered a recollection of a message Bruce Ware gave many years ago at a New Attitude Conference where he likened trusting God to sitting on a three-legged stool, the three-legs in this case being a recognition that God is all powerful, all wise and all-loving, having our best interests at heart (summarized here).

#14- Calm

Sun, 17 Jan 2016 09:19:16 +0000

The difference the (absence of the) wind makes. Still freezing though

#Paused

#13 - 25 kids, 25 years

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 23:45:58 +0000

Sometime in the late 80’s/ early 90’s.. The place: a University in Ekpoma, Nigeria.. The people: kids and teachers from the Chapel’s Children’s Sunday School, a few of whom I still remember by name - all grown up now. A few dead people (RIP Gracie, GB, ‘Lena and Harold), one fairly famous (Nigerian) fashion designer (M) and seven kids who made it into engineering with a further six involved in other STEM subjects.

#12 - What A Bloke Lives For

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 20:30:16 +0000

Detailed, intense, technical conversations debating the finer points of a certain choice of material of construction. Worn, drained and tired at the end of it all but with all that comes a sense of satisfaction at making progress. Better to be busy than out of work I suppose, particularly given the state of the commodity market at the moment.

#Thankful

#11 - Pub Wisdom

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 22:31:51 +0000

Good things come to those who wait… For a cold, sweaty Guinness, amongst other things.

#Malones #Aberdeen

#10 - Reliving Christmas

Tue, 12 Jan 2016 21:23:25 +0000

Food, fluids and friendships.. The highlights of days of Christmas past..

#9 -Back to Black

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 20:00:39 +0000

Overheard on the airport lounge’s public address system, Amy Winehouse belting out the lines to Back to Black.

A bit out of left field but enough to unleash a flood of memories from that summer of 2009.

#LifeInASong

#8 - On Marrying

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 20:09:37 +0000

Stumbled upon via the Wordpress discovery feature, The True Story of a Seven Year Marriage:

Before you can make high towers, it’s best to build a good strong base. It comes from laughter, empathy, forgiveness, accepting the other person’s struggle, and knowing yourself. But sometimes without knowing it, you build too high and too fast. Things get shaky and start to wobble. There is always a way to rebuild if you’re willing. Always new and different blocks to try, always time to take a few steps back and build the bottom stronger.

#7 - Of Mentors

Sat, 09 Jan 2016 23:37:32 +0000

Watching Whiplash again reminded me of the power mentors (or more correctly in this case, people who we look up to and whose opinions we cherish) can have over us, driving us to become singularly focused on achieving, thereby impressing them. The merits and demerits of the influence of Fletcher on Andrew may be open to interpretation - the methods certainly are - but the intensity with which that final scene was delivered might make up for every thing.

#6 - Of Faith and Metaphors

Fri, 08 Jan 2016 22:58:46 +0000

--- Yesterday was a seventh consecutive day of having managed to start my day with a time of quiet contemplation using the devotional I’ve chosen to use for the year. The reading, from 1 Corinthians 9:27 with its imagery of war with the body got me thinking of all the other metaphors faith (at least in the Christian sense) is described by. A few readily came to mind; an athlete, a soldier, a farmer and a steward of resources. I suspect there are more, if one chose to delve deeper, but all these seemed to support the narrative of focus and discipline on one hand, and reward on the other.

#5 - Spontaneity

Thu, 07 Jan 2016 21:25:06 +0000

Sent on a whim, and very well received by all accounts. I should do this more often.

#Embrace spontaneity

#4 -Of names...

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 21:11:20 +0000

At the coffee machine, catching up with the new, younger engineer who shares my first name, he asks me what my surname is. I give him the anglicized, easy to pronounce version which doesn’t satisfy him. He asks me how I would pronounce it - cue five attempts, after each of which he fails colossally to reproduce the sounds I make somehow ending up adding, subtracting and transposing syllables through his various attempts.

#3 - Joy In The Simple Things

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 22:55:28 +0000

In the picture are two of my favourite things: coffee, particularly that festive specialty ginger bread latte and wasabi peas which have been out of stock at the shop next to work for a while. Which is why I went a little over the top once they were back in, ordered four little packs.

#Bliss

#2 - Savouring the Silence

Mon, 04 Jan 2016 21:46:35 +0000

Each year, on the last day before work officially resumes, I pop into the office to clear my desk. Something about the emptiness and the quietness allows me to, as I put away the detritus of the past year’s work, progressively bring myself to a place where I feel prepared to face the new work year. A large part of that is about trying to ease myself into the routine of work, acclimatising to my work space again after what usually has been two to three weeks of absence, and a food fuelled haze of sorts.

1 - First Run

Sun, 03 Jan 2016 21:54:15 +0000

My first run since I cracked a couple of bones in my foot last October went without incident, all fifteen minutes of it. I took my usual route, up the Beach Boulevard and then towards the Beach Esplanade; the long, straight stretch of which I have come to love for the sense of exhilaration I get as my feet pound the ground in time with whatever song I am listening to.

100 Days Of Being

Sat, 02 Jan 2016 22:57:35 +0000

This year, instead of a bucket list of things I am hoping to achieve, I chose to identify 12 things, key changes which in my opinion if implemented in my life would deliver the biggest value. The intent is to focus on one for each month, the idea (referenced in this Matt Cutts TEDx talk) being that focusing on one change for a thirty day period gives one a fighting chance of making lasting change.