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.

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.

Work Schedule - Immediately following obtaining a solid sleep schedule is my quest for a consistent work schedule. This and the sleep schedule kind of go hand in hand actually. Retail shifts are feasible for me… on a short term basis. But in all reality it is not a sustainable proposition for me. This has been my strongest source of discontent and it’s past time to do something about it. More on that later.

Exercise Routine - Something that I’ve longed considered and thought about before but haven’t been faithful in actually doing. Right now I’m rather frail… It’s somewhat pathetic. I’ll gain a lot in better sleep quality, energy level, and overall health condition. I’ve been sickly for a while and I think one of the reasons for that is ’cause I’m not taking proper care of my body in this manner. Recently I’ve been encouraged to work on this and so there has been some improvement in this area.

Daily Devotions - And this area is the most crucial area of all. The one with the highest of priorities. The pursuit of God is something that should take preeminence over -all-. If everything else falls by the wayside, this one thing -needs- to remain. What else is more important than my Creator? And I find that though I ask myself that question, I’ve been making excuses not to daily pursue Him through prayer and meditation. Apparently I’ve found false substitutions that replace the Almighty. Which… cannot be… So this is the reiteration of my purpose to pursue after God.

It’s kind of interesting… I didn’t really know how much my pursuit of God was lacking until I saw how my pursuit of the Beloved was. If my pursuit of the Beloved was -that- strong, how much moreso should that of God be? If a fellow member of creation can consume my thoughts that much, how much moreso should the Creator - who should have preeminence even over the Beloved - be the passion of my life? If nothing else - and I most certainly hope and pray for more - this experience has shown me how much closer I can be to God.

An interesting tangent: God and everything of Him is perfection and fullness while everything on earth is merely an incomplete shadow or reflection of His glory and majesty. Marriage is a shadow of the Trinity. Thus… the relationship with the Beloved is a reflection of how our relationship should be with Christ. Mm…

I say daily devotions which includes faithfully reading my Bible and praying. However this really isn’t a set, scheduled thing. It’s not something that I can do (i.e. read my assigned Bible reading or pray for 15 minutes or whatever) and then check it off my list as something that I’ve ‘accomplished’ for today. No… it’s a constant thing. I desire to constantly be mindful of the things of God, to constantly be in prayer with Him.

End Thoughts

In establishing consistency in these four areas, I hope to kick off this life-long process of getting things into order. They aren’t really things that I can check off on my list, congratulate myself on my mile marker, and then forget about them. No, they are things that I’ll constantly be working on. And these four are just a start. Just a select few that I think will have the strongest impact upon me and my relationships.

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.

After a nice lunch at the bottom of the mountain, we made our leisurely climb up the steep mountain. Boy, am I out of shape. Even The Penguin fared better than I did! I made it up to the top but there is an apparent need to expand my exercise regiment. Now that it’s summer I’m thinking that cycling is in order. But I digress…

 

It’s kinda amazing how shared misery can bring people together and encourage others to greet complete strangers. Knowing that the other had gone through the same suffering creates this invisible bond that can never be broken. I joke about it being a painful hike - and yes, to some extent it is - but it truly is good and fun. And nowhere near as difficult as Mount Doom!

The grueling hike to the top was most definitely worth it. The view still amazes me each and every time I go. The beauty of Creation truly does testify of the Creator.  Rabenstrange, Honeybee, and myself broke away from our weary companions and took the opportunity to take tons of photos.

   

The camaraderie on the way up and down was superb. I love the opportunity to be able to spend time with my dear friends. Days like yesterday makes the whole week worth it.

Next time I go, I want to go to the absolute top! To the top of ‘the haystack.’ Also, I’d like to take a detour to the creek. Each time I’ve been we manage to skip those two. And! I want to eat lunch at the top too! Well the summer is young and there’s plenty of time for all that.

Thankfully this time around we didn’t nearly get ourselves killed. Rabenstrange did however try to get me all excited whenever we passed a semi which I’ll admit worked to some extent.

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.

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.

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.