I think one of the most amazing milestones in my life's journey was when I began noticing the work of God in the details of everything. When I was younger and I thought about the idea of miracles, I always thought of them as huge things, like someone being miraculously healed of a disease. But as I grew older, I started to realize how this entire world is build on miracles.

The title of this post is from the song, "The Sun and the Moon" by mewithoutYou. I think it beautifully says exactly what I'm talking about. Everywhere I look, I see signs of God. I absolutely love spending time outdoors. I love hiking, backpacking, camping, you name it. Spending time out in the Creation just really makes me appreciate how awesome God is. How could something so beautiful as this Earth just manifest out of chance?

Both times that I backpacked in New Mexico, I camped on top of Mt. Phillips. While it wasn't the highest point of the trail, at 11,711 feet above sea level, it's pretty high. The top of the mountain is a plateau, which is why we camped on it. Both times that I've stayed there, there was a thunderstorm, but since we were so high up, the thunderstorm was actually below us. I would stand on the edge of the plateau and just watch the storms below. Seeing lighting strike below you is pretty phenomenal. It just made me appreciate thunderstorms all the more.

I recently read an article written by Reese Roper (former lead singer of Five Iron Frenzy). The article is called "Stop Killing Spiders" and he talks about why he does not kill spiders. He says that even thought God has granted man dominion over all living creatures, he cannot bring himself to even kill a spider because of how remarkable they are and how God designed them with a purpose in this world.

I've definitely killed my share of spiders, especially the large ones I've found in my apartment. But for the most part, I try to leave them alone as long as they leave me alone (although now I think even their annoyance doesn't constitute killing them). This article reminded me that God's design is found even in things we may not recognize.

When I think about how beautiful the earth is and how gracious it is that we are able to live here, I'm always shocked when I hear about Christians that just don't care about what happens to the earth. In recent years, being "environmentally friendly" has been a growing trend. But this isn't something that should be a fad or a fashion statement, this is something that should just be. And I think that Christians should be the most concerned in preserving the earth that God created for us. Even so, I've heard some prominent Christians talk about how we don't need to worry about our natural resources or the environment because God gave them to us to use as we want. Some even say they don't need to worry about the state of the earth because the end of the world is coming soon anyway. I just think that is so irresponsible.

I really like how Mike Huckabee said it during the Republican primaries:

I believe that even our responsibility to God means that we have to be good stewards of this Earth, be good caretakers of the natural resources that don’t belong to us, we just get to use them. We have no right to abuse them.

This post ended up being a lot more about finding God in the natural world around us than I planned on it being, but I guess that's just what has been on my mind lately. I guess the main point of this talk is that God is not just found at church. God has painted us into a beautifully designed world with signs of His existence everywhere. Whether it's in a stranger we meet, the rain that falls, or a spider in the corner, everything is with design. God has left his fingerprint everywhere and if you stop searching for it, you'll finally see it.

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. -Martin Luther

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I spent this weekend in Chicago. I didn't get to do a ton of stuff because of the bitter cold, but I did get to go out and enjoy a bit of city life. I love being in big cities, but I'm not entirely sure whether or not I would like to live in one.

Being that this is the weekend before the Presidential Inauguration, and being that the President-Elect is from the Chicago area, there was definitely a lot of buzz around the city. The majority of it was positive, people looking for the promised change, but there was a good share of negative talk.

Even though I didn't vote for Obama, I do recognize that the majority of the country did, and so I recognize him as my president. There are a lot of anti-Obama people out there that just want to see Obama fall flat on his face and fail. They want to make a fool out of him. And even though I understand their frustration, I don't support what they're saying.

The election is over and Obama will be our president. While I have my doubts about all the change he claims he'll make, I can't help but hope he will succeed. Our country is going through a really rough time and Obama's got a big job on his hands. I don't want him to fail. If he fails, our country fails. I hope he gets in that office and turns things around. I hope he proves my doubts wrong and ends up being a great president.

Inauguration day also means the end of President Bush's term. I know that Bush has a really low approval rating right now and that a lot of people are mad at him, but I can't help but feel proud of him. This guy had such a hard job to handle. I can't even fathom the pressure he's been under for the past eight years. There are people, especially in the media, that just love to focus on all the things he's done "wrong," but always leave out the things he's done right.

Even though it was only a little over seven years ago, people seem to forget that our country was attacked. They also forget that the terrorists that made this attack promised to do several others. But there has not been another attack on this country since. Bush made sure to take extreme action against an extreme threat. People may think his actions crossed the line, but we have to remember that we didn't know where the line was. This was a new and scary situation for the US, and Bush made sure it didn't happen again. I think that years from now, when information that is currently classified is released, we're going to see just how lucky we were to have Bush in office for these past eight years.

And there are things about Bush that you never hear on the news. Like how he has done more for the AID epidemic in the world than any other leader or person ever has. In 2003, he implemented the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which has saved about 10 million lives. I've never heard anything about this awesome program on the news, it took a blog posting by Cameron Strang, the editor of Relevant Magazine, to inform me about it. President Bush discussed this program with Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church, and Strang pointed out some of the highlights of the interview.

I'm not saying that everybody should instantly be in love with Bush, but I think people should look at him more fairly. Did he make some mistakes? I'm sure of it. But I'm also sure that he did what he thought was best for the US and the world. And now, he's being called a murderer and being portrayed as an awful human being. If you want to know how compassionate and just President Bush is, go talk to an Iraqi citizen who is tasting freedom for the first time or someone in Rawanda who is alive despite all odds.

The United States is blessed with great leadership. It's far from perfect, but it still is great. And regardless of who sits in the oval office, I'm glad that I live in a country that allows free elections and, more importantly, the peaceful passing of power.

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David Bazan is one of my favorite musicians. When I first listened to the "Whole EP" years ago, I was consumed. Here was this amazingly talented and creative musician singing about God so passionately. I loved the imagery and storytelling he used to convey these messages. He has such a soothing voice that you can just get lost in.

The thing I have always loved about Bazan is the honesty in his songwriting. His music has always confronted the doubts and struggles he had with his faith. It was always so refreshing to listen to his music and be able to feel the conflict he felt. He didn't just sing about the blessings and wonderful things about Christianity, but also about the tough things.

What's tough about Bazan's honesty is that his struggle progressively became a degeneration of his faith. While some of his earlier songs confronted hypocrisy among Christians and misinterpretations of God's character, his most recent lyrics are those of a man who is searching for the truth.

To better illustrate this, here is a progression of some of my favorite lyrics. This will help me make my endpoint.

"Whole EP" (1997)

But it does not matter to me although it seems like it should
It's because I know I'm understood when I hear Him say,
"Rest in me, little David and dry all your tears, you can lay down your armor and have no fear cause I'm always here when your tired of running, and I'm all the strength that you need"
-"Lullaby"

"It's Hard to Find a Friend" (1998)

Could someone please tell me the story
Of sinners ransomed from the fall
I still have never seen You
And some days I don't love You at all
-"Secret of the Easy Yoke"

"Winners Never Quit" (2000)

When I get to heaven I'll be greeted warmly
Surrounded by angels as Jesus takes my hand
I'll receive a mansion on the river Jordan
And a crown of diamonds for a race well run

I won't ever lock my doors
I will trust my neighbors
Confident that they deserve
To be there in Heaven too
-"Slow and Steady Wins the Race"

"Achilles Heel" (2004)

I don't want to believe that all of the above is true
But I could be persuaded if you were to give me proof
Why don't you come over Thursday, maybe we can talk it through
As if some new information were possible to comprehend or introduce
After all you and I are nothing more than foregone conclusions
-"Foregone Conclusions"

"Fewer Moving Parts EP" (2006)

Am I a Christian?
Are you a Jew?
Did you kill my Lord?
Must I forgive you?

I know it's hard to be original
In fact nothing scares me more
Because Jesus only lets me do
What has been done before
-"Selling Advertising"

Our car's on fire in the parking lot
And nobody wants it to rain
But God isn't listening
So all of the windshields glisten
The water and oil mix
Causing the fire to spread
To five or six innocent automobiles
Waiting in their nearby spots
What a cruel God we've got
-"Cold Beer and Cigarettes"

Now, I do not know David Bazan. I only know what he tells me through his songs a few scarce interviews. I know that he no longer considers himself a Christian, but an agnostic. And that is what saddens me.

You might be thinking, "You're sad because a person you have never met or spoken to mentioned in an interview that he's not sure if there's a God?" Yes, I am, for a number of reasons.

First of all, as a Christian, I care about people. I want people to experience the love and salvation of Christ. It's upsetting to see someone that once loved Christ so much start to turn away. Most Christians experience periods of doubt, it's almost unavoidable. But it's sad to see someone struggling so much. I read one article where the author spoke of Bazan's exit from Christianity as sad because "we lost one." While that is, in a sense, what has happened, I don't think Bazan's journey is over. He is in a time of doubt and is searching for the truth. All we can do is pray that he finds it.

But the reason this really saddens me is because of the connection I have to his music. The lyrics he writes, even today, still resonate with me. While I may have never had the amount of doubt that he's experiencing, I have had doubt before. When I listen to what he's saying, you can feel that struggle and the pain and sadness that goes with it. I know that feeling and every time I listen to it, I'm reminded of it. His songs are outcries and my heart cries along with him.

If you've never listened to Pedro the Lion or any of Bazan's other projects, then you should. Whether you are a Christian or not, you will get something out of his music. He doesn't write songs to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, but he writes songs that are honest and trying. His music confronts things most artists don't go near, and he does so in a poetic way.

I still have hope for Bazan, as I feel most of his fans do. I'm not going to toss his music aside during his time of struggle because during my time of struggle, his music was there for me.

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I'm not a new year resolution maker. I think it's rather ridiculous to put off "bettering yourself" until a specific day. If it's something you really feel you need to do, why put it off?

But I do think that a new year offers a time of reflection.

2008 was one of the best years I've had in a while. It was a year where I found things that made me truly happy. It was a year where I faced some of my demons and overcame them.

And since the end of the year is filled with lists, I decided I would make my own list. Here's a list of defining things that happened in 2008! (They're roughly in chronological order!)

1. I fell more in love with Jesus than I ever had. I've been a believer in Christ for a large majority of my life. At the end of 2007, I experienced some doubts and thoughts I had never experienced before. I got over them after some meditation and prayer and my relationship and love for Jesus intensified far beyond any level they had before.
2. I stopped eating meat. After a long time of consideration and research, I decided to stop eating meat on the basis of morality and duty to God. It's been about 9 months, and I still feel no desire to eat meat.
3. I found out just how much I hate sales. Being a marketing major, this was a pretty heavy realization. While I knew that sales would never be my top pick for a career, I thought I could at least tolerate it. I thought wrong. The type of sales I did at Comcast are completely incompatible with my personality.
4. I went to Ireland. It was, by far, the best trip I've ever taken.
   
5. I made a really great friend. This guy is someone I can really talk to and who really understands where I'm coming from and my reasoning. I know some people would be thinking, "big deal," but for me, it really is. My whole life, I've really struggled to find a guy friend that is on the same page (or even in the same book) as I am spiritually and morally. It's nice to have someone to confide those ideas and feelings in. Not to mention, he's a lot of fun and we share a lot of interests.
6. I started my last year of college! Enough said!
7. My dad came home from Iraq in one piece. He is still telling me all about it.
8. I finally entered into a relationship with the girl I know I should be with. After over-thinking it more times than I should have and weighing out every possible scenario, I realized that how I feel and the love I have for her was enough to overshadow everything else. We have been friends for so long and I look forward to our relationship growing for much longer.

Obviously, there were tons of other things that happened to me throughout the year, but those are some of the things that most defined the year for me. It was a pretty good year. I found myself feeling true happiness for the first time in a long time. It wasn't stages of happiness, times of joy, but a true happiness. It was pretty great.

2009 is going to bring a lot of changes for me. I'll be graduating and starting a new step in my life. I'm hoping that it will bring me the same kind of happiness and growth that 2008 did.

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