>today, while showering, i had an epiphany. i had never really considered how similar and yet very different these two concepts are. why would they be so carefully and succinctly delineated in the Word if they were as similar as i have thought them to be my entire life? how did i come to this? while shaving my legs, of course. and it occurred to me that shaving your legs is an act of hope, while NOT shaving your legs is an act of complete blind faith. hope is still laced with some indelible human need to doubt. faith is involved in nothing of the sort. faith is so heavily fortified against doubt that it might not even know the word exists, much less care about its true meaning. hope is riddled with unquietness, however brightly displayed for the world to see, and it is often an essential thread in the problems that we weave effortlessly for our lives. faith carries, as part of who it is, an unshakeable stability that repels any self-questioning, self-hatred or even self. when we find something (or someone) in which (or whom) to put our faith, we have achieved. and we know it.

one of my favorite things in the world is to read beautiful words that render beautiful thoughts. or at least provocations of them. whether the words are surrounded by music or a bookcover, all of us should spend more time with them. how can we formulate our own thoughts if we rely solely upon ourselves and the few words we already have to inspire them? it seems a little arrogant when you read it, does it not? to consider ourselves so complete and so at the peak that we have nothing more to learn or consider or contribute?

i am going to start taking pictures again. i am not sure yet of what, but i have to do it. i am also going to start writing on a regular basis rather than just taking notes about what others are saying. virtually none of what i have been writing down has been garbage, because i have been blessed with a fair share of discernment, but i need to give something back. to whom? also not sure of that. i hope there are people who want to hear it.

no, i believe there are.