so i'm reading the story of Don Quixote for a little while tonight. what made this man so mad that he put on some rusty armor, mounted a tired horse and charged at windmills?

reading. Cervantes essentially says that he became so obsessed with old books on chivalry and knights that eventually he couldn't seperate reality from fiction.

now of course i don't intend to make the same mistake here but it is one more interesting reminder of the power of stories on our lives.

what is it about the power of a story on our lives? fictional or not a solid retelling of events has a way of binding us together. consider the many people around the world, our ancestors even, who communicated tradition through the stories. Star Trek the Next Generation told the story of a race that spoke only in stories. every action had a corresponding fable.

so what's the point? i think we forget the power of stories and even of myths in our modern world. we take in music, books, television and yet are completely oblivious to the power of the narratives that shape our lives.

Chirst followers in particular forget the command to be witnesses of God's work. this is a core purpose for our faith and yet we relegate it to testimony nights and books by people in extrodianary situations. certainly this is much less than God had in mind.

so what stories are you telling?

i don't really know who reads this blog but i'll just mention that this link leads to some intense stories. it's all text and nothing that we haven't see in the movies but not something i'd want to point kids too.

i read a broad cross-section of sights most days. everything from the community-minded boards at Relvant magazine's site to a map of the latest earthquake reports for so cal. let me tell you i haven't felt one but there are a lot of minor ones in the area every week.

somewhere in the process i came across gangstories.com

i don't know why i go there. maybe it's voyerism but i'd like to think i've learned a bit more of what life in some rougher places is like. since i've been there i've read stories about all kinds of gang violence and youth crime from a person who claims to be one of the lucky ones who got out.

the most recent post anouncing the reasonf for the end of the blog was very interesting though.

"I've never told these stories before, and didn't know what to expect when I began. What I discovered is that it's surprisingly disturbing. Telling them requires mentally reliving events in vivid detail. And after writing them, I find myself slipping back into that old mindset, thinking about fights, guns, violence and crime. I like to think I've come a long way, and it's scary to find that the monster I was then is just below the surface... that reviving the old gangster mentality is as easy as telling a few old stories. "

i think i'll ponder it and related concepts in the next week here. for some reason it has been a powerful reminder of human nature for me.

anyone who knows me very well knows i'm a low-key guy for the most part. it takes something real to get me excited, or sometimes just a little less sleep.

for once in a little while now i feel like i have a reason to be happy. not just the happy i am every day for God's gift of life or the happiness of appreciating nature that i prize. i think i can freely say that God is reopening the doors for me to move. it's a small thing but i will have a nicer place that is closer to work and church, just off a major freeway. not only that, i think i'll feel more comfortable inviting friends over there. all said the opportunity looks great.

i still hold it out with open hands to God. truly He gives and takes away, and He will have my eternal praise in any case. it makes no sense to think we need any one thing in particular. that's God's domain. what i think i can allow myself to say though is that God is giving me some personal desires that i praise Him for. how cool is that?

you probably have enough thoughts today without mine. i'll be praying for you and those who have experienced loss.

ok i have to laugh. every time i post with my remote blogging software it says i "Posted with success" sounds like some foreign translation that didn't' quite cut it.

Sundays are my favourite day of the week right now. i get such a kick out of seeing all the new people coming to my church and then serving at a couple services. if this isn't joy i don't know what is. actually i'm learning a bit more about joy lately. how joyful are you? i used to think it was fine to be the quiet, sober rock for everyone else. today i'm not so sure. i think God has more for all of us.