Ever since the Fall, humanity has desired to be fully known and fully loved — but has been afraid to be fully vulnerable. This reality is perhaps most obvious in hookup culture, where individuals have ten-minute conversations before going to bed with each other, withholding any genuine intellectual or emotional vulnerability so that total physical vulnerability will have “no strings attached.”
Category Archives: words of wisdom
Admitting the truth, practicing humility
Humility is less painful than pride. Despite its initial discomfort. Why? Because humility makes room for others, as well as yourself, to grow. Pride claims you’ve grown the tallest and no one will ever reach your greatness. Being a giant in a world of dwarves is lonely — especially when you think you’re a giant, but you’re actually just as small as everyone else.
Thought-provoking quotes from unexpected places
It makes sense to expect great quotes from classic literature, but I get more excited when I find them elsewhere: in movies that may never make the honor roll, books that have been sorely overlooked, and friends’ and strangers’ blogs. Here are some favorites for you to ponder: So, Charlie, are we going back orContinue reading “Thought-provoking quotes from unexpected places”
Motivational quotes, because writing is hard
My sophomore year of college, I started keeping a journal dedicated entirely to writing and all the pain and frustration that comes with it. Today, I share with you motivational quotes from its pages. Read, contemplate, and then get to work! Just as aliens abduct only people who believe in alien abductions, writers block strikes onlyContinue reading “Motivational quotes, because writing is hard”
A message to college graduates on the meaning of life
As a junior and senior in high school, I contemplated the meaning of life from the McDonald’s drive-thru. Customers squawked in my headset ordering varieties of nuggets and dipping sauces, barged into the restaurant calling me an idiot when they got the wrong number of cheeseburgers, and acted like they didn’t know me when theyContinue reading “A message to college graduates on the meaning of life”
Winter again
It’s snowing already. This morning I cleaned a layer three inches deep off of my car, dusting it onto the ground and my coat. I wore gloves and a scarf and boots and my fingers were numb by the time I sat in the driver’s seat and headed to work. Yesterday, walking home in theContinue reading “Winter again”
Listen to this: An hour with George Saunders on the Longform Podcast
Being single and living by myself gives me a lot of time to read — or, in this case, listen — and learn from people who’ve lived more life than I have. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a steady diet of This American Life and the Longform Podcast, while cooking myself dinner andContinue reading “Listen to this: An hour with George Saunders on the Longform Podcast”
Jesus > Religion, or I no longer need to write a book about the church
A friend has been on my case to write a book about the church, since I apparently have a lot to say on the topic. Makes sense, considering my upbringing as a pastor’s kid, my view of church as the people not the building, and my overall frustration at the people for being immobile andContinue reading “Jesus > Religion, or I no longer need to write a book about the church”
God is love, but we don’t really know what love is
Our pedestaled definition of love is entirely backwards. God is love, but not the type of love that squeezes the life and vibrancy out of someone because He wants them all His own.
NYC Week Twelve: A conglomeration of thoughts
Read last week’s post here or view all other New York City posts. Time is currency. And this week, mine was spent — in research and at work. With it went my energy, so rather than sitting at my desk for three-plus hours, badgering myself to write something worth reading, I present the following: a conglomeration of thoughts,Continue reading “NYC Week Twelve: A conglomeration of thoughts”
Meredith Sell 