From Where I Stand

I am not new to starting projects. In fact, I am really good at it.

For example: I had this idea to start a website where people could go to find easy opportunities to volunteer. In a particularly righteous and zealous state of mind, I thought of a message board where people could post questions or request small tasks they needed help with. This was intended to give others the opportunity the volunteer and assist those people.

I came up with a blueprint on how things would work, thought of the name, ran through various scenarios where the people were getting help. In a fit of excitement and blindness to the restraints of time and requirement of finances on my end to pull off, I told my loving and very patient wife.

She wasn’t as excited. I can only imagine the scene as a wild-eyed man with another “good idea” thrust onto her at 7AM was in fact her husband, whom she was bound to.

Turns out, starting a whole revolution of community volunteerism is quite a project and after obtaining the website, a legal question came up, I got nervous, and started writing a new book instead.

I had this other idea that I was going to write a book about being a Christian. Not only was the book going to be written from my very limited pool of knowledge, and youthful vigor of a know-it-all, but I turned it into three books! Imagine an early 30-something up at 3AM with all sorts of “good ideas” telling you how to live sacrificing the ways of the world from the comfort of a recliner, on a MacBook, and a gym obsession, fueled by three hours of sleep. I still love the title, “Volition.” In retrospect, I knew nothing and the multi-thousands of words written (even getting to book three) were in fact hurtful for anyone new to the faith who would have read it.

One line from the book said: “As a believer in the most-high God, what else really matters? I mean, really, what else could possibly be worth spending time on and what else is worth concerning yourself with.”

After a few years, a little more experience, and achieving a degree in seminary, I discovered that God does care about what we do here and there are things that matter. I guess it’s why God made us embodied beings and allowed us to develop materials, because He cares, so we should to.

I had an idea for a child’s spoon with a deeper basin to hold more milk. The idea was to convince parents that this would lead to more protein in each bite and less wasted milk. Just imagine how the extra milk per bite could add up. I was thinking of naming it “Protein Spoon” or “Pro-Spoon.” However, getting a patent would cost around $10K, and considering I went as far as trying to poke a hole to deepen the spoon only to throw it away after ten minutes, I most-likely would have lost interest during manufacturing.

Now, I recognize that my viewpoint is limited, which is why I named this blog “From Where I Stand.” I’m a therapist with a background in theology, and people say I explain things well. I wanted to create a space where I could share my thoughts and perspectives for others to easily read.

Also, I should mention here that my grammar use, occasional spelling issues, and otherwise odd sentences are just who I am. I write as awkward as I speak. But, (can you start a sentence with but?) if you hang on I think you could get something out of taking the time to read my perspective.

So, I will turn my Grammarly app on, and give my thoughts the permission to run (mostly)free. If you have negative comments or criticisms, then I appreciate you taking those and putting them in the suggestions box right inside my kitchen trash can.

Otherwise, I wanted to share something before I kick this off.

Remember that when you feel like you are going crazy, instead of going with the narrative that it’s you, sometimes its good to look around and realize, “oh, of course I am feeling crazy, it’s craziness out here.” Remember that the more off-kilter you are, the more commercials and media can slip something by you, take advantage of you, and you’ll lose yourself on the next “solution.”

And with that, I welcome you to join along and hopefully get something out of this.

(P.S. I only paid for a year so if this thing becomes boring, I guess it’l be on to the next thing.)