Soil from Stone » Personal

Gittin’ Hitched

jay c — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:38:44 +0000

This weekend. No toasters, please. Just money. Or metal. I’ll accept a winning lottery ticket in lieu of cash.

What’s Going On

jay c — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:53:12 +0000

A couple of things…no, three things…no, wait…grrr…I don’t even know how many things! A lot. I still don’t have time to write. New job, old job, parenting, and…um…oh, yeah…I’m getting married.

Too Busy To Write

jay c — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:56:21 +0000

Sorry, but I have been too busy to write much, and this might continue for some time…

Changing My Email Address

jay c — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:28:55 +0000

I’ve had the same email address for over ten years, and the SPAM is getting out of hand. My new email addy is now jc2010 at the same domain as before.

You’re a Tough Crowd

jay c — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:11:08 +0000

Is anyone besides me getting anything out of this blog? Mostly I’ve done it for my own purposes, but I don’t need it so much anymore, and lately I’ve really been hoping that my readers are getting something out of it as well. I have a number of regular readers and quite a few people wander through, but you’re all so very quiet. The fact that some of you keep coming back should tell me something positive, but a few words now and then would tell me a whole lot more.

So tell me this: If I allowed this blog to languish, would anyone really feel like they were missing out? I’ll take your silence as a clear “No.”

A Personal Sense of Well-Being

jay c — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:11:41 +0000

I’ve noticed that my sense of self-worth and happiness seem to depend on three broad factors, which can also be thought of as spheres of life.

Vocation, the Outer Sphere – This includes ministry and work. If my life’s mission in the greater world is going well, and if I’m doing well in my business or career, then this sphere is in good shape.

Relationships, the Middle Sphere – This includes family, neighbors, friends, and romantic interests. If my family is doing well, I’m spending good quality time with my friends, and I have healthy relationships with good quality women, then all is well in the Middle Sphere.

Self, the Inner Sphere – This includes me. If who I am and what I am doing is in close alignment with who I am supposed to be, then I am at peace with myself and doing well.

None of these spheres can be healthy without God’s guidance. Only he knows for certain who I am supposed to be, what relationships I need to help me grow, and what mission I am to accomplish in life. If I have heard his call then I am able to position myself in the center and coordinate change where I can, trusting God to effect change where I cannot.

Got Questions?

jay c — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:51:04 +0000

I just posted a Statement of Faith that might answer some of your questions. Or might pose more.

The Final Return

jay c — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:24:43 +0000

I’m heading to Dallas for The Final Return conference in a few minutes. Have a great weekend, fellow Netizens!

A Rod for the Fool’s Back

jay c — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:28:06 +0000

In the introduction to A Commentary on Marriage in the Bible, I wrote,

I realize the irony of a divorced man writing a book on marriage. My only defense is that I was once much more a fool than I am today, and change did not come easily.

That statement becomes more true every day. I can’t help but look back at myself with amazement. How did I bear myself? How did God bear me? Even as I know that I am less a fool today than yesterday, the reminder is humbling. Tomorrow I will be even less the fool, which means I am still a fool today.

My stripes have been painfully earned, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I consider each one a mile marker on a one-way road. Each one brings me one step closer to the man God wants me to be.

Blue Raft

jay c — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:55:45 +0000

This song has consistently been in my top ten list for years. I think I love it more today than ever.

Common Children’s “Blue Raft”

Album, Delicate Fade, 1999

Outstanding music, great lyrics.

Darkness will fade, let your tears sink away
Just like stones
Wake up your mind when the morning light shines
Into your soul
See the birds fly in, hear the songs float out
Through my window
On a river of love the Spirit is hovering
On the wind