Random Thoughts of a Supersmock

Spoiler alert... It's Jesus.  I have joked around this comic stripe for years... God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things.  Right now I am so far behind I will NEVER die.  ~ Calvin I continue to struggle with ... "My Purpose."  What are all those things God wants me to accomplish.  How am I doing?  Am I behind schedule?  Am I following the right path?  Doing the right things?  I tease and joke that I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up ... because I am often uncertain what is my God given purpose... Last night, I was reminded that our God given purpose is Jesus.  We are all called to follow his lead and love like him.  I often realize that when I am too busy complaining about the world around me, I am missing out the things he wants me to accomplish right now.   Which is to shine his light and live a life that those who don't know him will want to know him because they know me....

Have you ever met someone that seems to be always - HAPPY?  Those people who always see the good.  Always smiling and always full of life.     Happy people are anomaly these days.  I was running around the park yesterday and not many people smiled or appeared to be happy.  People just looking at there phones, walking their dogs, running or listening to their music.  I guess I wasn't really all that surprised at most of the individuals I past, just trying to enjoy the beautify day or get through life.  But two people stood out to me during that run.   The first was A young women.  She was my age or a even a bit younger and she was pushing a child in a handicap stroller.  The boy had to be around 4 years old. He had a hat and sunglasses on, no expression on his face, and was clearly paralyzed.  I passed her multiple times each time she had a worn out frown as she pushed the bulky stroller.  The first time I saw her I p...

So I have been given a new opportunity and a new chapter in my book of life.   I am super excited about all the things I know God is teaching me and the ways he's rewarding me... but now I have to break up with my old job.  After a decade of service ... It's been nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions over the past couple weeks.  They say that quitting your job can be as heartbreaking as ending a romance and is that ever true.   I have fallen trapped into all the DON'TS.  Don't hold a grudge... Don't annoy your co-workers... Don't act like a short-timer...  My bad attitude over the past week and a half is not who I am and how I want to leave.   I have so many great memories and I find it strange that I am only remembering the bad ones.   I kept saying I was just following the steps of grieving and I kind of got stuck in Anger.  I am typically not an angry person.  Or I always seem to be able to move on and let things go. ...

Over the few past weeks (maybe even a few months) my live has seen a variety of changes that will be soon taking place. After 13 years ... we recently left our church and last month have started settling into a new one. After 10+ years of employment ...  I just have accepted a new job with a new company. I have purged well over 2000 things in my home over the past two months in efforts to become less involved with things and more involved with life experiences. I started blogging more and being more creative.  Painting and playing and reading and learning. I have found myself cutting out the things in my life that don't really hold value and reducing my overall stress levels. I have unplugged from many social media sites and plugged into prayer and reading more.  I started writing letters to old  friends and recently rekindled writing in a journal. I feel God leading me in new ways ... teaching me new things and changing my old heart all over again. ...

I am relearning some old life lessons since putting in my resignation at work.  Sadly, I have seen this with both friends from our formal church ... and once again with soon to be ex-work colleagues.    I find it amazing how people can write "I am so happy for you" and "Oh you will be so missed" and then completely write you off as a person... almost as if you didn't even exist or your years of service and dedication meant nothing.  Your friendship meant nothing. Life can be cruel and I am reminded how broken we are as humans. I am constantly meditation on the fact that as a Christian I know that I am to be persecuted.   I imagine Christ felt abandoned from his friends and colleagues in the end... He already knew what Peter and Judas's true colors looked like. He knew and he washed their feet anyway. This week, I am struggling with this. I want to rise above my hurt feelings and show up like Christ. Because the end of Christ was th...

Growing up a little North of Pittsburgh ... Mister Rogers Neighborhood was a staple in my childhood. In a world of Make-Believe an important life lesson was ingrained in my soul. To play, to be creative, and to always explore and feed your imagination. Albert Einstein said that imagination was more important then knowledge.  These are words I live by ... So even as a grown up I always make time for play. I ride bikes with my kids.  I play minecraft with my son.  I paint, color and draw.   We play board games as a family and we take fun family vacations as often as possible.   We value and make sure our kids know that it's important to keep PLAY in their lives.   We live in a culture it tells us we don't have time to play and that only those willing to make sacrifices will be successful.  Even schools have tried to cut out more and more play.  We're teaching our children and jeopardizing they're brilliant and beautiful minds by not allowi...

I have been without Facebook for 6 months now and I can honestly say I don't really miss it all that much.  Occasionally when I am bored I go to open my web browser  on my phone,  I pause, then I close it and smile.    It takes me only a minute to get over the fact that I can't check in on friends and family but overall its been really good and I am eager to see how long I can stay disconnected.   Since then I deleted Twitter and Linked as well.  I DO have my Instagram and my blog (of course) and anyone else can send me an email.   I'll admit, It's been pretty quiet but I have had more time to read some books, paint a few pictures.  I have blogged more.  I have played more games with my kids and a few other things.   Unplugging is the way to go.  

Sometimes as working adults, it seems like every day we wake up and do the same things time after time.  Sometimes it even feels that we're almost reliving the same day over and over again until we get it right.  We get up, get breakfast, drive to work, work, eat lunch, work, drive home, eat dinner, watch tv, then go to bed.   It's not that our lives are boring, it's just they are all set and planned.  I have always liked to take a page out of Bill Murray's Groundhogs day were everyday he does something completely different and crazy and wild.  I am constantly looking for ways grow and change and make sure I am not missing living a new and imaginative life - each day.   Don't miss out because you're trying to fit in and 'just get by.'  Make each day different and more exciting than the last.  #happygroundhogsday

For many people who grew up in the small town of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania in the late 80s - 90s will recall what a vibrant and lively man, James N. Gordon truly was.  His wife Bonnie and he, ran the Famous SMPC Youth Group and opened their home and lives to so many. Not only were the both so lively, outgoing and caring.. they were fun and made life way more interesting than what small town life sometimes offers.  They had kids piling in Sunday nights, Tuesday mornings, Thursday nights and Saturdays for special events or Habitat for Humanity Workdays. Jim was a youth leader who had long hair and wore green sweater vest with ripped jeans.  He was a hippy - free-spirited kind of guy.  He loved the Beatles, him mom, and played the guitar.  Jim was different and that made him so cool to so many people (self included.) During my years as a member of their youth group, I struggled with so many things.  Normal teenage things.   But their dedication and ...