Category / Personal

by Greg

The Story My Bookshelf Tells

Stack of BooksAs I sat in my reading chair, enjoying a quiet moment to read one of the dozen or so books in which I currently have a bookmark (reminding me again that I really wish I would find more occasion to enjoy sitting down to read…) I noticed the interesting tale that my book choices tell.

Looking at me from the front covers of their two books are the faces of Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly, and the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Thomas Jefferson. Now, you might not think those two well-known men should be on the same shelf—let alone right next to each other!—but this is what I’m trying to say… they tell my story.

I am of course a big fan of the Buffalo Bills. From 1988 to the present I have cheered heartily and without wavering for the team from western New York state. Sometimes are more fun than others to do so “heartily”, nonetheless it is no surprise to find a book by a Buffalo Bill sitting on my Current Reads shelf.

(Of note regarding Mr. Kelly’s book: 1 – he signed it, 2 – it came as a gift from Jim’s wife (via a contest at her website) along with a signed copy of her book, 3 – and that book—Jill’s—is waiting to be read because it was already read and recommended by my wife. Did you follow all that? I think I did…)

The Jefferson book is just great because it follows on the heels of another book I recently finished by David Barton called The Jefferson Lies, which I just loved. (Well, while I loved it, I also found it infuriating. The book covers seven popular beliefs regarding Jefferson, and then logically and with a great deal of original source documentation eliminates nearly all plausibility in “what we’ve always known” about TJ. Very good read!)

We also got to visit Monticello just over a month ago. It is so interesting to experience history as close to the source as possible!

Also on my shelf are a few more autobiographies: Mark Twain (volume 1), Tim Tebow, and a work by Martin Luther King, Jr, which serves a bit as an autobiography. I really enjoy reading history in the first person.

Add to those a book on current government/political issues by Ron Paul, recommended to me by a friend who is also interested in such things, another book about American government that Jen and Ian and I are all reading copies of simultaneously. (The 5,000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen, which I really feel should be “required reading” for every American citizen.)

I also just finished (this week!) the Eye Of Darkness by my friend Michael (Mike) J. Scott. Written in the fantasy genre, not usually something I’d read, but I definitely enjoy Mike’s books, and this one was no exception.

Funny that I say I don’t enjoy the fantasy genre, because also on my shelf is a lovely copy of The Two Towers by Tolkien. The oldest two boys and I are making our way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Just about halfway through!)

Rounding out the collection I call my “current reads” are an assortment of styles and genres: a Brad Thor thriller (The Athena Project), a book on “spiritual warfare” (The Adversary), a book about current events (The Singularity is Near), and a couple biographies, both inspired by the two historical homes we just visited: Sacred Fire (George Washington) and The Fool of God (Alexander Campbell).

(Note: The interesting thing is, the last book there is one from my Bible college days, that I would be interested to read again. My interest was piqued again as it seems the Restoration Movement (in which Campbell played a major role) also apparently had a major impact on Thomas Jefferson… there’s the tie-in to our recent historical homes visits!)

So, it’s quite an assortment, I think. One thing that means more to me than to anyone of you who might be reading this is that many of the books were recommended by a friend here and there, so as I see and/or read the book, I am reminded of my friendship with that person. Bonus!

I hope your reading shelf is well-stocked currently. Take a moment and notice the story that it tells of you and the life you’ve lived so far. It really is quite interesting!

(PS, you can see many of the covers of these titles rotating in the right sidebar… for the full list of books I’m reading, planning to read, and have recently finished, stop by my library page.)

by Greg

How To Write Good

There is no shortage of sharing these days thanks to the wonderful world wide web. I receive many forwarded emails from my dads, and I see many friends posting via Facebook and other such media various content created by others.

Below is one share that I decided must be shared again!

I’m not sure these rules are actually worth following (I’d say some are definitely not) but most of them got a good laugh out of me, and I think they will you, too.

The original list is longer than this. Google tells me that it was published by Frank Visco in the Writer’s digest in June 1986. I found a version that was posted March 20, 1995. (That’s near the infancy of the Web. Neat!)

Without further ado …

How To Write Good

  1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
  2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
  3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
  4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
  5. One should never generalize.
  6. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
  7. Be more or less specific.
  8. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
  9. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
  10. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
  11. Who needs rhetorical questions?
by Greg

To Write

I need to write.

And yet, I let my days go by without intentionally making that happen.

I have myriad reasons for it. Some practical, some less so. Quite often, I might just actually not have a moment long enough to flesh out these thoughts within me between all of the other things and people I am responsible for. Other times my heart is too burdened by the events of the day—and/or the current season of life—to allow the gates to be opened and the contents to spill forth upon paper; or, keyboard and data storage device, as it were.

But somehow when I take the time to pour forth my inner being through words chosen, crafted, formed in my mind and heart… somehow by that action my spirit is buoyed. My heart feels lighter, freer. It is because I am somehow made to be this way. Not just made to do this, but deeper. More true to me, as God fashioned me.

That’s not to say that I am somehow a great wordsmith or have honed any of this “way of being” into a craft or trade (or anything like it). My writing has at times inspired, encouraged, uplifted, even challenged other souls who may come across it, but in their essence, the times I take to write are meant for me. As I work out the thoughts that are nearly constantly “on” in my head, God speaks to my inner being and teaches me as the words form on the screen in front of my eyes.

It’s really quite humbling. Astonishing. Invigorating.

Again, this is more for me—likely—than for you, the reader.

I am also glad you are here, though. Because, even if your eyes should never come across this page… I write to you. I speak to you who listen intently. Who ponder these thoughts with me. Who allow all prejudices and biases and other cages we make for thoughts and realities and possibilities to be absent from this place; you allow your mind to wander with me down ways perhaps less (or even never) trodden.

It’s good to have company. It’s good to not be alone.

I must say, that I find God is recently stripping away façades that I myself have placed on others around me. Not anything of their own doing. Really and truly these are of my own making. It springs from my eternal optimism. (A friend once referred to it as PermaJube. I think he may have referred to me as PermaJube…) I always think the best of everyone, to the point of forgetting that we are all fallen, all broken. And so I hold people to higher standards than they can possibly achieve—unwittingly—until some event, direct or indirect, shows me that they are just as broken, weak, fragile, and needy as me.

And that leaves me feeling alone. Because, even in my brokenness, I know that I am redeemed. I am restored, healed, I have hope. And for the most part, I live that hope. What I’m seeing around me (I believe by God’s great grace given to me) is that so many of us don’t live in that. I’m sure that even though I feel that I am living that way, Jesus will reveal to me more and more deeply the ways that I can live in the fullness of life that is him. But somehow, in this season, I am seeing the frailty of even the people I most cherish and respect.

And again I am alone.

Just Jesus remains. Just he and I, navigating this path of brokenness. He, and I, and words. Words which meagerly attempt to capture the essence of these spiritual realities that my consciousness (and my unconsciousness?) merely grazes the outer edge of a much deeper, greater sea of truth that I can never really know.

But he does. He is that Truth. That Life. That Reality.

I’m so glad I have him. And that he has me. That’s even better.

And so I write. And by writing, by giving “voice” to these thoughts in my head, he reminds me of truth. Of him. I breathe hope. I exhale grief, weight, burden. I breathe him.

I am not alone.

I’m glad you’re here, too. I know you are frail and weak like me. I know we do have days when we feel more sure-footed, but I also know we look in the heart mirror at times and see the full blackness of us. But we have hope. We are loved. Even then. At our worst (or at what we think is our best)… we are loved.

You are. And I am. And we are not alone. We have hope.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. —John 14:16

And, since we have hope, we ought to live in the light. We can be free to be whom God made us to be. So I will write. I will. I must. And whatever it is that God has made you to be, be that.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. —Ephesians 2:10

Be you. As I am able to live in hope and light and freedom, I will endeavor to also be “me”. Thankfully, it’s not just me, but Christ in me.

It’s much better that way. As it was meant to be.

by Greg

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Chia SeedsWe all know the tune to those words (I’m sure you were just singing it as you read them) and we also probably all chuckle at the thought of those funny little (gag?) gifts from the 90s. (Yes, I know, they’re still around!)

This week, though, a friend recommended them to me in a non-gag way. (Some might think I should not add the “non”…)

You can drink them.

Yes. Drink.

Apparently, chia seeds are a great source of fiber, omega-3 fats, and other pretty nifty stuff our bodies need. I am one who needs a tad more fiber (your welcome for my restraint of further elaboration) so I was definitely game to give them a try.

I purchased seeds from Amazon, but today I found a site that offers them a tad cheaper, and this article mentions Whole Foods as a place they can be procured.

The way I was instructed to consume them was to first soak them in water. This releases a gel as they absorb the water around them (up to 9x their weight, I believe I read somewhere). The seeds (and gel) are tasteless, but the gel has a consistency something like tapioca pudding. We added it to a fruit juice, so it’s a bit like a juice with extra pulpy-pulp.

Nice!

There seem to be numerous resources available to study up on the health benefits of chia seeds (and there appear to be many of those). I’m glad for a different source of fiber (eating high fiber “sticks” has been my main source for many years) and look forward to seeing how it helps over the next couple weeks.

Plus, who doesn’t love singing that little ditty? 🙂

by Greg

The Way Things Are

When I think of the ugliness of the way most of us selfishly fight to get what is “ours”, often based on an unnecessary fear of rejection and/or insecurity… my heart is saddened almost to the point of despair.

Why, God? Is this the beautiful world you created?

Quickly my mind is ushered to the images of a young man choosing to bravely face his quite-likely death on the beaches of Normandy, or the story of Desmond Doss who stood firm in his beliefs, and personally saved dozens of fellow soldiers… without a weapon of any kind. Those stories and thankfully many more (including non-wartime stories) remind me that God did place beauty and strength and courage and honor within the human heart.

But so often we misplace it. We so often get trapped by trying to “get ours”.

Then I think of the hurt in the world that is not (directly) caused by the ugliness of man, of the flesh. I think of our friends whose daughter is daily faced with the very real threat of her own death… for over two years now. (And still no real end in sight.) I think of another friend who lost her dad far too soon, and of a precious little boy who only spent four very difficult months in his present-earth body, leaving behind a hole in his family that will never be replaced.

But again, I am quickly reminded that in those four months that little boy brightened the lives of so many dozens—even hundreds?—of people without speaking a word. And that even in the very midst of pain, joy can be found in little things. I’m even reminded of the incredible intricacy of design that keeps any of us living and doing mundane daily tasks at all (have you seen what happens in a cell??)

There does seem to be two sides to the story.

I think of the hopelessness of our battle with sin. But then I think of Jesus.

I think of our society’s continuing to push God away, deny him at every turn. Then I think of the many people who are living lives of Grace that draw people back to their true Father (not some dusty religious version of him).

I think of my own struggles (internal and external) and then I am reminded the Jesus is walking through them with me. I am not alone.

Though I won’t even pretend to understand it… there is some incredible beauty in the midst of the seemingly hopeless brokenness of our world. I really don’t get it. (Shaking my head ‘no’ even as I think and type these words.) But the Spirit is so quick to remind me any time I ask “Why?” … there’s no answer to my direct question; only a reminder that there are just as many evidences of good as there are of evil.

That doesn’t fix anything, but it does help me breathe.

Jesus, please fix my eyes and heart and mind on all that is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable…excellent and worthy of praise.

I think that’s just you, Jesus.

See: Philippians 4:8, Hebrews 12:2.

by Greg

[FromTheArchive] I’ll Never Make a Million

Highlighting Articles from the GregsHead.net Archives!Recently, money has been a big issue again here in the Campbell household. I wonder if it just is for every household. I know it’s not for some. But I think it might be for many, if not most.

And it is here.

Sadly it seems there are times where the topic of money (money in, and money out) begins to just take over. Every decision is greatly affected by how it will affect money flow. How we spend our time, how we spend our money… that’s when it really frustrates me: when it “takes over”.

Somehow I was reminded of a post I wrote a long while back where I mused about the reason that we often find ourselves here. It’s me. It’s definitely me. I not only don’t love money, I think I don’t like money. I don’t want money. I’m grateful that God gives me many chances to get money. He gives us what we need to live, to be sure. (And there’s so much more that he does there, that I can’t elaborate here, now.)

But I still don’t like money.

Jen read a book recently called, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. She’d like me to read it, and so I will. But I just feel like I won’t connect with it because of my disdain for money. We’ll see. Maybe it will change my attitude towards currency and the pursuit of same.

Maybe that would be a good thing?

For now, I only feel like it takes over. When you have too little, it causes you to seemingly alter your priorities so that you can have more. When you have too much then you have other problems (taxes, where to best invest, etc). Most people laugh at the notion of “too much money”, but I think the biggest problem we Americans face is our affluence. We have too much stuff, and it chokes the life out of us.

So, lemme know what you think … perhaps you’ll help me have a better view towards money? (Or perhaps you’ll join me in the non-pursuit of money?) Either way, please add your voice below, or on the linked article page.

Article: I’ll Never Make a Million

by Greg

Birthday Season (And Sabbatical)

Birthday season is upon us here in the Campbell home. Today is the first of three birthdays in two weeks. We’ll be celebrating it up in our typical style—the birthday girl will be well-celebrated!

(If you’d like to read the story of her very first birthday, please do…)

So, with that information in hand, I have another announcement, of sorts. This post will be the end of one (minor) experience—experiment?—and the beginning of another.

If you’ll recall, I began posting a column a day back on December 31st. (I first realized I was doing that somewhere in mid January, and kinda went with it.) It’s been a very interesting experience for me in that it ensures that I am writing—writers love deadlines!—and when I am writing, I am thinking. And when I’m thinking, well, that seems to be when I process life the best. (And for me, that’s a good thing.)

So I’m not really stopping … and don’t hold me to that, ’cause I probably won’t…

But I need a break.

Not really from the writing. That’s always a nice respite, a good outlet, and just enjoyable. Really I need a break in order to do other things. Writing, as great as it may be, is taking time. Which means it’s coming out of time I could give to other things.

Like reading. (You’ll recall that my reading list is rather lengthy!) And from my kids. And from my work. And from other good things to do in life. (There are many!)

So for now, I’m going to take a sabbatical. Not sure for how long, but I’m thinking the two weeks of Birthday Season.

For you daily readers, you’ll get a nice break to read some other stuff, too. For the more casual visitor to GregsHead.net, may I suggest a stroll through the previous sixty days, and then keep going. There are nearly eight and a half years of blog posts on this website… over 675,000 words… bound to be something that’ll catch your fancy in there. 🙂

I look forward to this break to refresh and increase the intake.

See you on the other side.

(If not before.)

by Greg

Disappointment

Everywhere I turn these days it seems I am dealing with disappointment. Failure. Unachieved goals, unmet expectations. Nothing is going the way it is supposed to, or like it used to…

One disappointment after another.

And I’m not just talking about being let down by other people. In fact, I think the disappointments that affect me the most are those that are perpetrated by me.

It’s most disappointing of all when you let yourself down.

And I think our Enemy knows that. I think he uses that. The forces of failure, and guilt, and inability to accomplish something you feel is within your power to do… all keep you down and out. And even can lead to deeper self doubt that leads to hopelessness, apathy, and even just throwing in the towel.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12

I’m not throwing in the towel. I’m not even feeling hopeless. But I’m tired of being beat down.

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
Matthew 5:3 MSG

I know. I know.

But right now, I’m just tired.

The beat down slowly erodes at my internal understanding of my friendship with God, of my worth (which he places on me) and then it depletes all of the reservoir of grace and other Spirit fruits whose abundance I can usually share with the people around me; starting with my family.

But when the cycle of disappointment takes too strong a foothold (and when I forget Who can break it) then there is a tipping point that is reached, and disappointment turns into despair.

I don’t want to go there.

I won’t go there.

These thoughts, and putting on my armor, and tapping into God’s living water and bread of life are definitely needed; they are foundational. But unfortunately, there are also consequences to action and inaction, no matter what the cause. (My fault, or some scheme of the devil against me and my household.)

So tonight, after posting my thoughts for the day (at 11:59!) 🙂 … sleep will come later as I must tend to some tasks that will put food on our table. There’s still that.

Thankfully I have not neglected things that are more important than food. I think that will have a more lasting impact than keeping bellies full. But, there’s still that.

And so… we press on.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
2 Corinthians 4:8

by Greg

Working

Basic Web Design & GraphicsTime to write has been lessened a bit these days as work demands have increased for a variety of reasons. Definitely something to be thankful for when stories of unemployment rates frequent the pages of news sources.

And I am grateful.

I’m grateful that I have this job that allows me to work from home. This is definitely a blessing and a curse, as they say, but I can’t imagine any better option for our family. We’ve had a rough go of it for at least a year, maybe more like a year and a half. One thing after another it seems, piling on. That does seem to be the way things go… So in the midst of that, it’s really a blessing that I am able to both get work done—which helps keep food on our table—and can also be available for my wife and my children when I am needed even more there.

I’m grateful that God has connected me with a few other guys who do what I do (but also do things I don’t do) that make work even more enjoyable. First, we can get more done together than separately, which is mutually beneficial. Second, I thoroughly enjoy working together with these guys and the friendship we have beyond the work we do together. That, too has been a blessing in my work world.

I’m also grateful for the people I get to work for. Yes, I own my own business, so I don’t work for anyone. And truthfully, even though in a sense I do work for my clients, I really feel as though I am working with each of them to accomplish the goals they have for their business, or school, or ministry, or other organization. It’s a piece of what I do that I also really enjoy: getting to know the people involved, and seeing where they are adding their talents and daily effort to the public good. I enjoy that I get to be part of that.

That said, there are definitely down sides lately.

More working means less time for writing, which I love, and even feel that it’s something I’m made to do. Also means less time for reading, less time for fun in the kitchen (cooking and baking projects) and even less time with my family (though I do think that suffers least of any other way I can spend my time).

Also, I’ve noticed that I get to create less.

I was planning to make this a complete post of its own, but one thing I’ve been thinking is that with an extra workload (and because of many circumstances, less time to accomplish it!) I’ve found that I have drifted away from the creative side of my work. Somehow I spend most days administrating the various projects for various clients, communicating between clients and other developers working with me, and then supporting existing work.

It’s not that I don’t work in a creative environment. That’s still true, and I’d guess always will be. But I really do feel I am creating much less than I used to. Which, is probably not a good thing, except that it’s probably a “season” that I am in for now.

But again, as I said above, I will say again here: I am grateful.

I am also tired. 🙂

So, the reason for this shorter post being sufficiently explained… I’m heading to bed.

But if you need a website—big or small, short or tall, we really can do it all—or any graphic design work, or video/audio conversion, and even Mac hardware upgrades (and limited other tech support), I’d love to work with you. (You will have to wait in line right now, but … I would still love to chat with you.) Please visit my sadly neglected business website (the cobbler’s family’s shoes…) and contact me to see how we might be able to help.

OK, now, back to work!

Want to see some of the latest projects? Try this, and this, and this, and this. This one is coming soon, very soon! Oh, and here’s another that I was just working on this weekend. Unfortunately, we can’t really show you the one we spend MOST of our time working on (it’s an internal dealers site, not open to the public… and now there are two! But trust me… it’s enormous and amazing! Largely thanks to the coding prowess of this guy.)

by Greg

And Life Moves On

Yesterday was full. I had a ton of work to do, I had bills to manage (and even more I needed to figure out how to manage), I had plans to attend to, people to meet up with, and even books I was trying to read.

My list of things to do was long, and the crossing off of some items seemed unequally balanced with the adding of others.

There wasn’t really a frantic pace to the day, just classic multi-tasking. A little of this, a little of that. Spinning several plates at once.

Around noon I decided to take a brisk walk to the bank—just around the corner from our house—to make a deposit to our account. I quickly put on my shoes and coat and headed out the door.

The flashing lights were the first thing I saw.

At the end of the road, at the main intersection in town, I saw the familiar red and blue cycling lights of a police car. As I studied the scene I noted that the car was “parked” at a 45º angle in the center of the intersection, but there did not appear to be any other vehicles out of place; just a line east and west, and a line to the south. Odd… I thought, and continued to assess the situation as my steady stride brought me closer.

Then I saw that a line of cars from the north were all turning to the east. Included in this stream of vehicles were a few more police cars with their lights also flashing. (But no sirens to be heard.)

A funeral… I realized, And apparently for someone in some sort of service due to the number of police cars involved.

Around the corner, heading the same direction as the train of vehicles before me, I spotted an enormous flag flying directly over the center of Main St. It was suspended over the road by four ladder trucks. Four trucks… from four different towns… Who was this guy?

I proceeded to my destination, and completed my transaction using the automated teller machine. Knowing that we live in a small town, I guessed that the tellers inside would know what was going on this day, so I entered the bank to find out.

“The funeral for Mike Murphy,” I was told. “Mike Murphy?” I asked, not sure why they said his name as though I should have known him.

“Murphy’s funeral home?” one teller clarified, “He was only 41 years old…”

We all took a moment then to reflect on the obvious sadness of this day for those that knew him. I’m not sure if any of the three ladies in the bank knew him personally, or his family, but regardless, we all knew it was indeed a sad day.

It struck me as I walked back past the fire trucks, now lowering their ladders and removing the flag that had honored the premature passing of this man only a few years older than I am, that this day was going so differently for them than it was for me. I thought of his family. I thought of my family. I thought of me.

I thought of what I’d been doing this day, and how important it seemed—maybe you can even still say that it is important, on some level—and how irrelevant such things are to his family and close friends today.

It fascinated me how life just moves on.

While they hurt, and grieve, and wonder, and ache, and just process the events of the past week… others—like me—are nearly oblivious, dutifully carrying on with the mundane tasks of daily life.

Life just moves on.

It’s surprising to me the flippancy and depth that those words carry simultaneously. On one hand, it seems as though there is little thought given to the untimely death of a fellow human being; a neighbor. On the other hand, the reality of the relentless procession of time is incredibly obvious as the world continues its endless motion around these people who are mourning.

Oblivious. Ignorant. Uncaring. Unaware.

The questions of the hurting, unheard by the rest who are likely dealing with their own individual hurts, or at best, enjoying a momentary respite from the cruelty of this broken world.

If that were the end—a brief, insignificant, mostly unnoticed moment to recognize a life created in God’s image… that would be pretty sad. Meaningless.

The amazing truth is, we are not unnoticed. (At least, not by the circles of people God has placed us within.) We have great impact upon the people we walk next to—not necessarily measuring by the standards of this world. Our family, our close friends, even mere acquaintances. Even if we only have one passing interaction with someone. We can have an impact.

Mike even touched my life today—though I never knew him. A moment I only noticed by coincidental timing caused me to reflect on the daily doings of my life; our lives.

We are not insignificant. Quite the opposite. Our lives have purpose, meaning.

And we are not without hope. Though each of us has a terminal disease from birth, we can live each day we get to its fullest when we recognize and find our life in Life’s Creator. I don’t know if Mr. Murphy lived that way or not, since I never met him. But you and I can.

And I hope you do.

That… is not insignificant.