Do I really like it?

I am in the process of writing a novel. I have always felt that the two most popular goals that people set and never achieve are 1. Running a marathon and 2. Writing a book. I have said I could do both. So with more time on my hands than i have had in years, I am writing a novel. I don't promise that it will be any good, nor that it will ever be published. But I am doing it!

I was reading on a ladies website yesterday. She was talking about various aspects about being a writer. She said "if you don't write a lot, don't say you like to write. This idea really resonated with me. I am in the midst of writing a novel and i would say that according to this definition, I don't like to write yet. It is still a chore to get myself to write on an almost daily basis.

As I begin to apply this mode of thinking to other aspects of my life, I am realizing that there are important areas and things that I don't like to do. Namely, spending time n the Bible. I don't get in my Bible on a daily basis. If someone asked me if I liked to read the bible, in reflex I would blurt out yes. But the fact that I only occasionally spend time in the word argues to the contrary.

So as you go through your day. Begin to think on the hobbies and activities that define who you are. The think about how much time you spend in/on those things.

What's a Paintin' Fool

For the last two and a half years of my life, I have worked as a maintenance guy at Journey Church in Norman, Oklahoma. One of the almost weekly tasks that we performed was painting. We painted every wall in the church, numerous times. There were times when I felt like all I did was paint. "I'm a paintin' Fool" became the answer when People would ask me what I did at Journey. The label began as a different way to say that I painted a lot. It became my life's identity.

One of the best aspects of my job was the people I worked with. My boss and the two guys I worked with on a regular basis became my brothers. God brought us together to encourage and challenge one another in our pursuit of Christ. It was not long after I absent-mindedly said that I was Paintin' Fool, that us for maintenance guys became known as The Paintin' Fools.

To say that I am Paintin' fool is to say that I am a servant of Christ. That I realize that everything I have and everything I get to do is solely because of God's grace. That I am willing to do whatever the Lord asks of me. Typically, a maintenance job will be on the low rung of the career hierarchy. It requires humility to do the tasks that no one else wants to do. It is this same humble attitude that I want to posses as I pursue Christ as a Paintin' Fool outside of Journey.