Freaking Dance

I am scared

I have to admit it

I am looking at my dreams

My passions for my life

And honestly, I’m scared

How in the world am I supposed to pursue those?

How am I supposed to do these world changing things that I long to do so badly?

You see

I am obsessed with Changing the World

Not just a little bit

But I find myself thinking about it

All

The

Stinkin

Time

Day in

Day out

Call me crazy

But I think our generation can actually

Change the World

I believe it at

My core

With everything that I am

But I have come to a point

Where I can no longer just talk about changing the world

There has to be actions taken

Words spoken

Passions harnessed

What is that exactly?

That is a great question!

I am not sure yet,

I have a few ideas

I want to challenge you though

My fellow generationers (new word)

To first

Never lose your imagination

When our generation loses our imagination

We cease to be world changers

Keep an imagination

Its ok if they call you crazy

They are just envious of your imagination

Never settle for just your imagination

Let your imagination fuel your passions

A life lived in imagination is without mission

Without mission we lose meaning

God has wired you to be who you are

You are an imaginative individual

You are now free to be who you are supposed to be

The world will try to place prisons around you with their definition of you

No longer be offended by things in the world

But be

Provoked

If you see something that needs changing

Change it

Act on your passion guided by your talents

If you are good at dancing

And if you love it

Then freaking dance

Let no one but God stop you

Trust me

Our generation will change this world

We need you to

Become who you were supposed to be

Be A River Jumper

I have been wanting to write a blog lately

I mean I have moved to

An

Entirely

New

City

It is awesome, and I have been learning a lot

And there are a lot of things I want to write about

But this is not this blog

I saw something tonight at church

It

Moved

Me

So much, I had to put everything else on the backburner that I have been wanting to write

Let me set it up for you

I have been going to Elevation Church since I have been in Charlotte

It

Is

Unbelievable

I talked with the campus pastor about leading a High School eGroup

He told me to come back to the 6 o clock service

So I could get a feel

For the

Elevation

Students

Whoa

I was blown away at how they were worshipping

And serving

There were probably more students serving than adults

I just started thinking and began writing on the sheet they hand out everybody some thoughts on:

The next generation

World Change

Prayer

Here are some of them

Its kind of funny

If you were to tell me I would have been this fired up over the next generation two years ago I would have laughed at you

(I always thought I was gonna be a senior pastor leading 1000s… haha)

God has changed me

He has changed my perspective

The world’s hope is in this generation

My generation

I had kind of lost my perspective on this

I was so caught up in me

But

God has a way of bringing you back

I really think

I really believe

I really know

At my core

That my generation will

Change the world

We are so great at identifying the impossible

So good at it

Put a bookmark here

Don’t worry I’m coming back to this

I have always been passionate about world change

If you know me you have probably heard phrases such as

“Safe people never change the world”

“Careful people never change the world”

Always said in a context of humor but with meaning

Of Course

However, in all my thoughts on world change I have learned

It is so easy to talk about Changing the world

So easy to say it, read it, pray it

But do it…

I have been asked, “Collin, when will you think the world has changed?”

“How will I we really know the world has changed?”

Typical of us

We always want answers

Before we act

Back to the bookmark…

We identify the impossible

We see it

We live in it

In fact if the impossible in life were a river

We would all be standing

On the bank of the river

Staring

Wondering

Dreaming

Conceiving magnificent plans

Of how to swim it

Then theres the one

He is that guy

He just jumps in

To see what happens

Here is the thing

We talk about world change

Change in our school

Change in our family

Change in our friends

Neighborhood

Nation

World

The questions posed above are the wrong questions!

The question is

“What are you doing?”

“What are you doing to bring about world change?”

World change happens when people act to make a world change

World change happens when people believe impossibilities to be completely and totally

doable

World change happens when people step off the banks of the river and get wet

World change happens when people stop using prayer as an excuse for their inactivity and do something

Ouch…

Trust me, if it is not God’s will for your life it will not happen

Why do we always put “qualifiers” on our prayers?

As if God needs them?

Did it just get personal?

Let me explain something to you

Prayer was never

Ever

Ever

EVER

Intended to withhold people

But rather propel people into what God has called them to

To propel people into world change

World Change happens when we stop asking questions about world change

And actually do something

Seeing a group of students worship and serve messed me up

This was more for me

Than you

My temptation is to require answers

Do things, answers will come

I promise you this

Jump in the river

And you will not be alone

People will follow

Be a river jumper

This was told to me by a previous mentor and has always stuck with me

I hope it does the same for you

Chacos

These have to be one of my favorite companions these past 5 years

I know

They’re just Chacos

You could say that

But they have also been all over the world with me

Literally

These Chacos have seen the streets of Toccoa

The trails of the Appalachian Trail

The rivers of North Georgia

Tennessee

South Carolina

North Carolina

These have been held to my pack as I rappel down a cliff face

Hiked up the Maroon Bells in Colorado

They have walked the streets of Liberia

Trekked the thick jungles of Liberia

Seen the slums of Guatemala City

These carried me to class almost every day for all four years of college

I could go on about the adventures of me and my Chacos

Most importantly and almost tragically these Chaco’s life is almost coming to an end

Through the adventures they have worn out

The sole is almost non-existent

Just as these adventurous sandals life is coming to a close

The season they carried me through is also coming to a swift end

Quicker than I could imagine

It is a weird feeling

I just graduated college

Working for a company

Moving to Charlotte, NC

I guess this means

…

I have to grow up…?

Part of me really is looking forward

To the new city

The new people

The new apartment

The new job

The new church

etc…

But I am gonna miss

So

Much.

I seriously have the best friends a man could ask for

They have played a crucial part

Into my story

The turning points of my story would have been

Much more painful had they not been there

I am forever grateful for these friends

You know who you are

If you’re reading this thinking

“Am I that?”

Yes

You are

Thank you for who you are

I am already anticipating my first vacation to come back and visit

I have found that life is full of seasons

I mean we all know it

We know the joys

The pains

The fears

The worries

All of which play into seasons

If there is one thing that I have learned through my four years of college

It is simply

Do not fear the changing of seasons

So often our fears hold us back from so many good things

So

Many

Good

Things

Believe me

The changing of seasons is scary

I am a man that has experienced many

God has called me into this new season

Despite my fears

And believe me

They are there

I know God is going to grow me in this

He is going to change me

Into who I was created to be

A kingdom-minded person

Is a conqueror of fear

And a trekker through seasons

So

If my chacos can teach anything to anyone

Know this

Seasons change

Fears want to hinder

But we must continue

Besides

A life full of fear

Is simply boring

No one wants to have the same fear their whole life

Do something about it

Get some chacos

There for a Reason

This blog was bound to happen.

I mean how can it not…?

I just went through four of the best years of my life and completing my college career.

I have some thoughts about what happened and whats going to happen as my adventure continues

The thing everyone asks me is this

“Whats next?”

That is an excellent question

It usually is followed with something along the lines of

“Hows it going with the economy how it is? The job market isn’t that great…. Scared?”

I find myself thinking all the time

Should I be scared of the economy?

Of not really having a job cemented in yet?

Scared that I don’t know where I am living come August?

Collin

You are in the real world now
It is a brutal place.

And it is

The thing I am scared of is not that I do not find a job

Its not that I am scared of having to call mom and crashing in the basement for a month or two

Its not that I am not sure where my income is gonna come from in August (I have some strong leads)

The thing that I am scared of the most

Is that I would

lose my

imagination

Heres the thing:

My imagination fuels my dreams

dreams fuel my passions

Within my passions my “calling” is found

Its so easy to lose ones imagination

It happens all the time

All

the

stinkin

time

Trials rob us of imagination

Our pursuit of what we believe to be

our “right” to wealth and happiness

steal our imagination

and in turn our dreams suffer

All the while, our calling dies

When a persons imagination/dreams die they tend to believe they

Don’t have what it takes

What it takes to find the right job

To be the right guy for the job

What it takes to find the right girl

to be able to provide.

To be able to have good friends.

What it takes to be liked

To be successful

What it takes to make a difference in someones life.

What it takes

To change the world

Thats what I am scared of

The job market changes

The economy will pick up

Or crash more… depending

I never want to be that guy who

Ten years down the road am still seeking out what was left of my imagination

I can never lose sight of my imagination

I have to keep my dreams close

Proverbs 13:12

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” \

I was created to have an imagination

To have dreams

To have passions

And, so were you.

So to all those who have graduated either yesterday

Five years ago

40 years ago

Or to those who are graduating soon

Never lose sight of your imagination

Chase your dreams

Pursue your passions

They are there for a reason

A Toast

Here's a toast to the last four years of my college career. A written toast of course. To my fellow classmates of Toccoa Falls College 2010:

To the most expensive piece of paper we will ever buy

To the late nights

To the early mornings

To the homework completed

To the homework forgotten

To the A's

B's

C's

...D's

And yes... even to the F's

To the best friends a man could have

To the best days

To the worst days

To addictinggames.com for keeping us distracted while papers are due tomorrow

To procastination

To Facebook

To Twitter

To Myspa... nevermind. Myspace is lame.

More importantly, to hard work

To our professors

To the papers written

To living in the library

To those of us who never stepped foot in the library and probably should have

To MLA

APA

To those who stayed

To those who left

To those who left and came back

To the victims of swine flu

To those who never got swine flu

To Spring Breaks

To Road Trips

To random weird jobs

To minimum wage

To the relationships

To the hearts won

To the hearts broken

To laughing so hard you cant breathe

To those who shouldnt really laugh so loud...

To those who should laugh more in life

To bad jobs

To little Caesars, McDonalds, and Taco bell.

To Wal-Mart, where else can we buy supplies at 1 AM

To free t-shirts

To Aramark

To changing the world

To being broke

To the diseases fought

To the lives changed

To our parents

Brothers

Sisters

Families

To the unanswered prayers

To the answered prayers

To the surprises

To the regrets

To the coffee shops

To Ramen noodles

Frozen pizzas

Easy-mac

To those adventurous enough to cook for themselves

To Halo 1, 2, and 3

To Call of Duty

To saying you're going to bed at 10

Then going to bed at 2 AM

To the best four years of our lives

To the rules followed

To the rules broken

To what God has done for us in the past

And what He is going to continue to do in the future

To changing the world, again

To the best graduating class to come out of Toccoa Falls College

To 2010!

The Curse of Good

How many times has this happened to you:

It happens to me a lot

Everyday

I am walking

I see someone I know and this conversation ensues:

Me: “Hey”

Them: “Hey”

Me: “How’s it going?”

Them: “Good.”

Me: “Good.”

We both then walk our separate ways.

What does that even accomplish?

Other than acknowledging they exist…?

Maybe that

However, I am guilty of this so often everyday

I mean I am in a rush

Gotta get to class

Gotta get to work

Gotta get to the gym

The car

Home

I am a man on a mission

Places to go

People to see

In fact, I am an important person

To have a small conversation with someone would mess up my plans

Or would it?

I hope you catch the sarcasm in my writing

Because, we are all victims of the curse of “good”

This actually happened to me today

I thought about it and my thoughts were as stated above

“What did that accomplish?”

If anything its actually slightly insulting

It is as if I am saying,

“Hey, I know you are breathing,

however,

I am too busy to say how I really feel,

In fact I’m incredibly busy,

To inquire how you are doing

Would affect me.”

Now don’t get me wrong here

I am not saying that its a bad thing if you don’t have a 5 minute conversation

With everyone that you see

I would reckon that

There is a difference between acknowledging someone’s existence

And interacting with their presence

You could say I am playing with semantics

People who focus on semantics never accomplish anything

Give this a try:

Next time you are in danger of this conversation happening

Inquire of something unique about their day

If they’re holding coffee

Ask them how it is

Interact with them

It can be quick

People are affected when other people notice the small details about their life

And ask about it

It leaves an impact

Maybe its not coffee

Maybe its a book

Who knows

People will notice though

But this seems so small and trivial

I would challenge you to this though

See what happens

Jesus was a man who impacted people

Still does

When he was on this earth

I think he understood this a little bit

Matthew 8:3 reads,

“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man….”

Jesus reached out and touched the man

He was a leper, people don’t touch lepers

Jesus did

So as small and trivial as this may be

Despite the rush of our important lives

The challenge is this:

Do not be a victim of good

Interact with people’s presence

We as a generation

The Facebook generation

Are good at being in a rush

Bad at interacting with people

Take this challenge for a week

See what happens

I dare you

Not that guy on tv

I have been learning a lot lately.

Through methods I would have deemed unnecessary.

But God has a way of doing things that surprise me.

Know what I am talking about?

Of course you do.

So here is what I have been learning:

“I am me”

Weird thought right?

But let me unpack it for a second.

I a

m graduating college in May, and that is crazy.

I always am comparing my life to others that have gone before me.

Like, “Oh, this happened to this guy, so that must be whats in store for me.”

Or, “This person got my degree, and this is what they are doing… so why not me?”

Its almost as if I am waiting for all the right things to happen

That I may be like _______ or do _______.

Its weird right?

But we all do it.

This constant comparison of ourselves to what others have gone through.

It can even carry deeper than that, to the level of lets say… mistakes.

For instance, “My parents did that, I have no hope…

if they can’t stand up under the pressure, I won’t be able to…

if they can’t have a good marriage why would I be able to…

If they can’t hold down a job why should I be able to…

If they can’t break the alcoholism I won’t be able to resist alcohol…

Or even

I will never be able to live up to what they have accomplished…

He has done so much...

She has raised an amazing family…

I’ll never be able to do that…

Am I hitting home here?

Here is the thing I want you to take away.

These comparisons always result in fear.

Fear cripples.

Fear hinders.

Fear destroys.

Fear prevents good things.

Really good things.

This is a very elementary thought

But we all forget it.

You are not your parents

You are not your brother

You are not your friends parents

You are not that guy on tv

that girl on tv

You are not the character from the movie you saw last night

Last month

You are simply you.

“For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mothers womb”

-Psalm 139:13

I love the language David uses here in this Psalm.

Knitting us together

Now, God is not an old lady in a yarn shop with knitting needles…

however I think the point here I think

Is that there is an intricacy.

A purpose here.

God knit you together with a distinct purpose.

Not your mothers purpose

Your purpose

We are all called to walk the path to God,

The narrow path as Matthew 7:3 suggests

(to read a great blog on this passage by my good friend Cory click here)

Same path.

Different travelers.

I think our purpose is found when we realize th

at we are ourselves.

My purpose is found in being Collin.

God has given me specific giftings, abilities, and passions that are for me.

Not you.

And you have specific giftings, abilities, and passions that are for you.

Not me.

God has put you where you are for a distinct reason.

You are not to be held captive by your fears.

If only we understood the damage fear does to us.

Because really we make the decisions that shape our future.

If you are scared of ending up in a dead boring job that you hate

Well then don’t decide to work there.

And if you are in a place you are hating

Quit.

Don’t be held back because of fear.

Fear will prevent you from so many good things

.

That I will promise you.

Fear is the enemy of the Gospel

Fear is the enemy of us becoming who God made us to be

Fear is the enemy of our generation

Fear is the enemy

Fear

is

the

enemy

“No, in all these things

we are

more than conquerors

through him who loved us”

-Romans 8:37