One of Life's 'Aha!' Moments

You know those moments when you feel like you don't totally understand something to its complete extent, but then you all of a sudden just 'get it?' It would be like in school when you were trying to learn the steps to solve a certain type of math equation- you could follow it when the teacher was going over it, but not on your own, until suddenly, the teacher says something or does something, and it all just clicks. It's an "Aha!" moment- a moment when reason and understanding meet and knowledge lights up the imaginary light bulb above our head that's been flickering on and off.

'Aha!' moments are great. They can do anything from turning a semester's worth of study frustration around to turning around a hard season of faith. Today, I had one of these 'Aha!' moments, and it was easily a day maker. Frankly, it was over a faith topic that I'd never even realized I struggled with understanding, but now that I do understand it a bit more, my imaginary light bulb lit up, and I can't stop thinking about it.

The Old Testament has always had its mysteries to me, as it was a part of the Bible that I've never studied or read much, aside from the classic stories like Creation, Jonah or Daniel and the lions den. One of the biggest mysteries to me was the mystery and the symbolism of the tabernacle and the temple and their role in the Jewish/Christian faith, and it wasn't until today that one of my mentors explained to me over a cup of coffee what their role really symbolized.

The tabernacle and temple of the Old Testament directly symbolize the original Garden of Eden (mind blown). 

I still don't know all of the details and all of the correlations, but essentially, I learned that God had the people of Israel construct the Tabernacle as a place for Him to dwell that was Holy and Perfect- a mini Heaven on Earth, if you will, just like the Garden of Eden was. Just like in the Garden, the entrance to the temple was at the East and guarded by  a flame. The temple also had a similar layout symbolically to the Garden of Eden, as the inner most part of the temple was the Holy of Holies, and the inner most part of the Garden was the Tree of Life and Tree of Good and Evil. God dwelt in the tabernacle and temple, just as God dwelt and walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve. It was like God's celestial palace was on earth temporarily, and two humans got to dwell there with Him. Pretty sweet.

Again, I don't  know all the details or all the theology, and I may have messed up some of what was said above, but still. Think about how cool that is that God modeled His temple after His Heaven on Earth. It blows my mind, and I hope it does yours.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Don't miss the 'Aha!' moments.

When Expectations Don't Go Your Way

Have you ever gone on a a trip to Wal-Mart that you expected to only take 10 minutes, but instead it took you 45 minutes? (because Wal-Mart) Or have you ever gone into a store thinking, "I'm only going to spend $x amount of money," but instead you end up spending $xxx amount of money? Or what about hobbies- Have you ever tried to learn some new skill that ended up taking longer to learn than you initially expected? In each of these situations, or any situation like them, reality doesn't coincide with our expectations, and as a result, our emotions run in all sorts of ways, but at the core of it all sits the emotion of frustration. 

Yesterday, I went on what turned out to be a 6-mile hike. It wasn't initially supposed to be a 10-mile hike (it started out in my mind as a simple 'nature walk'), but, like the situations stated above, my expectations didn't coincide with reality. After not reading the trail map correctly, my thought of a short, 30-minute hike with my camera wearing in jeans, Chuck Taylor's turned into a full afternoon of trekking across Greenleaf State Park looking for the infamous 'Swinging Bridge,' which, I did eventually get to-3 miles further than I thought. 

I was hot, frustrated and at times, lost. I even caught myself saying out loud to myself, "I wish there were just some place closer to park so I could've driven here," which, if you know me, is very unlike me to say; however, my expectations weren't being met, and I was worried as to whether or not I was going to make it back to my car before nightfall. 

In the end, I made the hike, saw the bridge I was looking for (which was totally worth it), and I made it back to my truck before dark safely. I was satisfied with how things turned out, but I was also really confused by the comment I'd made to myself earlier and just how unlike myself I'd become when my expectations weren't met and frustration took over-especially on an adventure like a hike. It's evidence though to just how unlike ourselves we can become when selfish gets its grip and takes over our personality for a moment. Comments come out we don't mean, and we miss out on the adventure at hand. 

When life throws you a curve ball, don't duck out of the way or get made that it wasn't the pitch you were expecting. Adjust to it, stay in the box and take a swing ( pun intended on the bridge) because some of life's greatest memories are made when life doesn't go how you expect it to. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: If you want to hike the Greenleaf Lake Hiking Trail, plan for a full-day's worth of activity. Looks are deceiving on their map. 

Why Can't I See God?

Biology was always a difficult subject for me in school- specifically, microbiology. I was always pretty good at other sciences, but when it came down to the study of microscopic organisms like bacteria, protozoa or fungi, my mind seemed to meet its match. There's just something about my my mind trying to comprehend something small and formless that doesn't work for me. I'm a visual learner, and when I have to try to visualize something that I can't even see, it doesn't usually work out in my favor. When I can't picture something in my mind, like something microscopic or something without form, I have a hard time grasping its reality, and when I have a hard time grasping its reality, I have a hard time focusing on it and learning more about it. 

Cue: God.

Today, I was reading in the book of Deuteronomy (that's a sentence you don't see every day), and there's this passage where Moses is reminding the Israelite people that God has no form, so they should never try to give Him a form. Moses reminds them that they saw no form when God spoke to them out of a fire, and that, because of that, they need to guard themselves from turning 'corrupt' and making an image or carving that could look like anything in natural world around them that they might try to assign God to. 

God has no specific 'form.'

Cue: My struggle and the struggle of many of trying to grasp the reality of God.

I believe there is a God, and I believe that there's a spiritual realm to life that's far above any of our thoughts or ideas; however, just because I believe it, doesn't always mean I understand it or can grasp it. I can't see God- just like, in a roundabout way, I couldn't see micro-organisms in microbiology. I can't see Him, so I have a hard time comprehending His existence at times, but then again, that's also the point. 

We shouldn't be able to comprehend all the things of God. What would the point be of worshipping something you completely understood? You'd get bored. I mean have you ever been in awe of something you completely understood? I haven't. If God had a distinct form or was Someone/Something completely understandable, like a statue or a bull or something, we would get bored. There wouldn't be any depth to that kind of relationship. 

God is not confined to a building, a book or a cloud. God is not white man, and He is not a cross- God has no distinct form. He is God. He is in Heaven above, He is on earth below, and He's the only God there is. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: "Seeing isn't believing, but believing is seeing." 

The Art of Creating

This morning, I woke up, and I made some eggs. Then, at work, I created some ad designs for an upcoming event, and then later on in the evening, I made a fire. It was a day of making things and creativity, and it isn't until I go a while without one of these days that I realize how important the creative process is to me and my day to day life.

There's something to be said for creating something. It becomes your own- your masterpiece (even if it doesn't look like one, kinda like my eggs this morning). You can create anything from food to art; whatever it may be, it's still part of the creative realm, and that in itself is just cool. You don't have to be Bobby Flay or Vincent Van Gogh to be a creator or an artist. You can be anyone. 

Being creative is about making something that's yours that everyone else may or may not understand. No one else may like it, and no one else may find any point behind it, but with creation, that isn't always the point. The point of creating is about making something that was once an idea or a thought and making it a reality. It's bits and pieces of yourself and your mind coming out in various forms to create your simplest or your wildest dreams. It can be a process as short and sweet as mixing up random ingredients to create a new food dish, or something as complex as writing a symphony. 

Creativity has no bounds, and it has no simplicity; it's something as easy and unique that a 3-year-old can do it, and it's something so complex that the world's greatest scholars can do it (and sometimes, the 3-year-olds' creativity prevail). Therefore, create. Make a salad, write in a journal or go take a photo on your phone. The possibilities are endless, and you'll have something of your own to be proud of in the end. As we are God's creation, He gave us the ability to create. It just makes sense. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: We create because He created.  

Thoughts on Computer Screens

Ever since I've entered the 'professional' work world, I've noticed a lot of things I never thought I would notice about the work place, but one thing in particular that I've noticed about the work place is that no one likes to have their computer screen. A computer screen is almost as sacred as someone's credit card information; we all do everything we can to try to not let anyone else see it. We situate our desks so our screens don't face the door, we minimize all our active windows the minute someone walks through the door and we get protective any time someone asks to see something we're working on. Honestly, I just think it's just a really weird work culture attribute. I mean, it's not like anyone is looking at anything inappropriate; we just all have our own projects up, our own news articles pulled up and our own emails and information pulled up. It makes sense that we're all a little paranoid with people trying to read over our shoulder; it's still just funny to me. 

I think the idea of being over-protective of our computer screens makes me feel like we have all have something to hide- not like a conspiracy kind of hide, but like a "I've been sitting at my desk for 5 hours, so I'm not doing 'work' right now" kind of something to hide. At least, that's the way I am, anyway. I know that after I've been sitting around doing work for a few hours, I take an online break to surf some of my favorite blogs or catch up on local news; however, any time I do, even though I know I've been working, I still get a really paranoid feeling. I get a feeling that my supervisor or someone in upper management will come in, look at my computer and scold me for taking a break, which I know they won't because we're all human and we all take breaks. But still, that doesn't stop the feeling of me wanting to be doing something productive, something work related, when and if they come in and look at what I'm doing.

This feeling kind of reminds me of the feeling I get when I think about Christ coming back. It's not a haunting or a 'big brother's always watching' feeling; it's just more of a feeling of wondering what I'll be doing if Christ comes back while I'm still on this earth. Will I be doing something that I know would please Him, or will I be doing something that's more along the lines of "I need to minimize this if my boss comes in because it's not work"?

I think it's safe to say this is a thought that all Christians have thought about at some point- the thought of Christ coming back and what we'll all be doing. I mean, who doesn't want to please the Savior and Creator of the world? I think if we all had a choice, we would all opt to be on some epic mission trip leading a Bible study when Christ came back, not sitting on our butts watching re-runs of Friends; however, that isn't always real life. 

Real life isn't always a mission trip, just like work isn't always 'work.' We all take breaks, we all rest, and we all have our "I feel like I should minimize this" moments. It's just part of life and part of being human. As much as we'd all like to please our boss, or even more so, our Creator, all the time with work and action, that wouldn't be possible; however, just because we aren't always working doesn't mean we are displeasing those above us. Bosses understand, and the Creator of the world understands. They rest, and He rested too. 

Don't feel paranoid and don't always feel like you have to minimize your life. Work hard and work efficiently, but also rest and take breaks- that's the only way we can work to our full potential. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: God isn't 'big brother.'

Looking Up

​We live in an extremely connected world now a days. So extremely connected, in fact, that we can almost live vicariously/virtually through others in every aspect of life. With Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, we can practically share any and every little thing we do throughout the day if we want to. We can post photos of our food to share meals with others, we can post Snapchat stories on the hour, every hour, of our current situations and we can post an Instagram photo of our daily highlight. Essentially, if we wanted to, we could post so much that we could make the question, "What did you do today?" irrelevant.

With so much posting, sharing and texting these days, it's easy to become so 'connected' that we become disconnected with everything/everyone else. It's easy to get so caught up in trying to capture a moment through the lense of a device that we miss the moment itself in its reality. We can become so focused on sharing our experience virtually with the World Wide Web that we miss the experience ourselves. After all, experiences are about experiencing something, not just sharing it on the Internet.

Last night, I went to a concert, and for the first time at a concert, I didn't take a photo, I didn't take a video and I didn't take anything to post to social media. I just 'sat back and enjoyed the show,' as they say. It was nice, and then, today, something amazing happened. I realized, for some strange reason, when people asked me in person how the concert was, I had much more to say about it than usual. It was like I had no photos or videos to show for it, so I had to recreate the shows sites, sounds and moments in my head and replay them for the person asking about it. Surprisingly, it seemed to come to life in my mind, and I was able to describe it better than normal. Now, I don't know if this was because it was an amazing concert or if it really was because I enjoyed the moment more than before, I'm just saying there was definitely a difference.

I'm not sure if there's something to be said for being too connected to our technology that we miss reality, but I do believe that there's something ​to be said for missing moments when were preoccupied with reliving other people's moments in the palms of our hands. Don't miss reality. Be present and enjoy it.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Look up.

Pick Axes & Six Year Olds

Today, I watched a 6-year-old use a pick axe while wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas.

It was a site to see, and quite frankly, it terrified me. He wasn't super successful at using it, obviously (because he's six); however, there was still something about just watching him pick it up and try to use it that made it seem successful. In his eyes, he was successful, simply because he picked it up and used it. He lifted it up off the ground, gave it an awkward *this is too heavy for me* swing and struck the rocky ground that was in front of him. Honestly, he looked exactly like one of the dwarfs from Snow White, tool in hand and all. His eyes beamed with success as he looked at me for approval, proving to me that he could do what I do. I couldn't help but smile and give him a word of encouragement (which, I'm not sure was the best idea because he proceeded to use the pick axe, and I'm not sure if his parents would have like that. This is why I don't babysit kids). 

Later on, his dad found out what he had been doing, and he responded with, "That's no problem. He's a go getter." How about that? I might've freaked out if it were my kid. After all, it freaked me out enough watching it, and he wasn't even my kid to freak out over. This dad wasn't worried. He was just proud of his son for going after something new and giving it his best effort, even if that something new weighed just as much as his son and was taller than him. He was just proud that his son went after something new with zeal and confidence.

Sometimes, I wonder how much our Heavenly Father sees us in the same light. He demonstrates something for us, whether it's His love, His mercy or His Grace, something obviously beyond our ability to carry, and He watches us try to display it. He sees us pick it up, give it a swing, fail miserably and look to Him for assurance. He sees us try display His grace toward others, but being humans, we fall short but look to Him for assurance and direction, and He smiles back at us because we are pursuing Him and the attributes of Him. We won't always get it right or be successful, but He's still a proud Father because His sons and daughters have pursued Him with zeal and confidence, imitating Him.  

Whether it's swinging a pick axe at age six or learning to forgive those who let us down, some things are harder to do than others and heavier to lift than others. Regardless, when we try and fail, look up. You'll find assurance, encouragement and the grace to keep trying. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Be careful when you let kids who aren't your kids swing pick axes. 

When Rest turns into laziness

Rest is a great thing. It's laying down, it's sleeping and it's an afternoon nap. It's also a beach vacation, a chill weekend or a Sunday afternoon drive down a back road. Rest comes in all forms and fashions, and it's something we all need if we want to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. Whether it's 6-8 hours of beauty sleep every night or 4-6 hours of restless sleep every night, rest is something we all try to get at some point throughout each of our days; however, sometimes, rest can turn into laziness, and lately, that's been the case for me. 

Over the past couple of weeks, rest has become an idol in my life. It's been the thing I've looked forward to most of all out of each and every day. Whether it's been hitting the 'snooze' button an extra three times each morning or day dreaming about crawling into bed at night every afternoon at work, I've been taking the whole 'rest well' concept a little bit too far. At one point this week, I literally went into my room at 6 p.m. to take a nap and didn't wake up until 7 a.m. the next morning. Sure, I 'woke up,' but I sure as heck didn't 'get up.' I fell back asleep because the comfort was too real, and I felt like I needed to rest (even though I'd rested 13+ hours).

Lately, rest has turned into laziness for me, and a big reason for that is because I believe that sometimes we feel like we're entitled to rest. That's why this is the first blog that I've written in 15 days (NEARLY HALF A MONTH). For me, that's crazy; however, if you were to ask me why I haven't written in 15 days, I'd tell you it was because I needed rest. After all, I just wrote 100 days in a row. Don't I deserve rest? Aren't I entitled to a few days off? The same thing can be said for why I hit the snooze button and skip out on some of the morning disciplines I'd gotten into the habit of. I worked ALL day, and then I went to the gym and had to make dinner after that. I deserve rest because life is tiring, right?

Right. But also, wrong.

Rest is a great thing, and it's something we all need, but when we get to the point where we feel like we're entitled to prolonged rest, it can become a bad thing. When rest begins to steal away from more important things and becomes the driving factor in your decision making process when it comes to what to do with your time, there may be a problem. When rest turns into an excuse for laziness, it may be time to re-evaluate what healthy rest really is. 

Healthy rest is not:

• Having the same sleep schedule as a hibernating bear
• Hitting the snooze button like a game of whack-a-mole
• Or being 'entitled' to laziness

Healthy rest is:

• Being still
• Being restored (physically, mentally and spiritually)
• And being aware of where your rest really comes from

At the heart of rest is the discipline of resting well and recognizing that not all the things we choose to relax with give us rest. Separate relaxation and laziness from rest and find the app to your nap.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Fifteen days without blogging can't happen again. 

Lessons Learned From Dogs

It never fails, my friend Murray is always happy to see me.

Every morning, Murray is the first one greet me, and every night, he's the last person to say good night. He's usually so excited to see me, he jumps up and down, which usually I might find a bit excessive, but in his case, I'm okay with it. 

Murray never seems to be in a bad mood about his day, no matter how unproductive or productive it may have been, and he's never hurt when I tell him he can't have any of my food. He lives a pretty simple life, only eating one kind of food and drinking only water, and he doesn't seem to mind sleeping on the same old blanket every single night. His favorite possession is a stuffed animal, and as long as he has that and is sitting in the presence of another human being, he's completely content. It doesn't hurt his feelings when I shut the door in his face, and it doesn't even seem to bother him when I tell him he needs to chill out. He just keeps doing his thing and being his happy self.

I think there's a lot I can learn from my friend Murray, and the funny thing is, Murray is a dog (disclosure: photo above is not Murray).

I'm not sure if you've every noticed, but it seems like 99% of the time, dogs are happy. Their tails are wagging, their tongues are out and all they wanna do is be around you. I don't know how they do it. Minus the times when they're in trouble, scared or sick, there doesn't seem to be a sad bone in their body. Sure, they may possibly lack the emotional range of human beings, but I still think there's something to learn from the happiness that dogs carry.

Dogs' happiness toward others isn't dependent on what you said or did to them earlier in the day or if you shut the door in their face because you got tired of throwing the ball for them. They forgive and forget easily and move on to the next thing. It's outstanding. For instance, I can tell Murray to chill out, go to my room and shut the door in his face after he's been sitting in the house all day by himself just waiting for my roommate or I to get home, and the moment I open the door again he's sitting there, tail wagging, completely ecstatic to see me again. If I walked into my house and had a friend or family member sitting there who had been there all day by themselves, and they jumped up with a smile, eager to see me and be around another person for a little while, and the only thing I said to them before walking to my room and closing the door was 'chill out,' they would think I was the biggest jerk ever and probably have their feelings hurt. Dogs aren't like that. They're forgiving and all-around happy. 

I think we could all stand to be a little bit more like dogs- not in a way that we smell like them or have breath like them, but in a way that's always eager, always forgiving and always greeting others with joy. Too often, it's too easy to approach the day with apathy, too easy to hold grudges and too easy to greet one another with a grumbled, "Hi. . ." and move on to the next thing in the day, rather than being excited to see and interact with one another. We should all take notes from our furry friends and learn to look at life and others with happiness. Dogs may have fleas, but they're doing something right when it comes to putting a smile on people's faces. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: "Be eager. Forgive. Be happy." - My friend Murray 

When Faced With Temptation

Sometimes, there's a sign that says 'closed', but I pretend that I can't read and go inside anyway.

Sometimes, I do things that I know I shouldn't do.

That's a weird statement, isn't it? It's almost an oxymoron. Like I literally KNOW I shouldn't do something, but I do it anyway. It's this really weird wiring inside my brain that I don't understand, and honestly, like anyone would, I hate it. It's like I come across a temptation, and my mind says "NO DON"T DO IT!" but then my body says, "DO IT. PLAY WITH FIRE. THE PLEASURE IS GREATER THAN THE PAIN." Then, my body does said thing, and I hate myself afterward when I face the consequences because I focused on the initial 'perks' of said sin rather than the longterm consequences. It's like I know in my mind what the right thing is, but my body and actions want to/do the wrong thing. It's just like having a steering wheel in a car that causes you to go left when you turn it to go right, or like knowing in your mind how to shoot a basketball into a hoop but then your body completely ignoring that knowledge and making it look like the only basketball experience you've ever had was that one time in 3rd grade when you tried to shoot a wadded up piece of paper into the trashcan but missed, so you got sent to the hall for throwing paper on the floor.

That's a lot of analogies to say this: "I mess up a lot because, a lot of times, I don't know how to handle temptation well, so my actions do what my heart and soul don't want to."

Temptation is a funny thing. It's something we all face and that we all succumb to at some point or another. No matter how 'good' or 'bad' of a person you may be, we all deal with temptation, and we all fall victim to it (yes, some temptations look like sin, but other temptations may look more like bowls of chocolate ice cream). It's a tough battle to fight and an even tougher battle to win, and I can only think of one person who's ever won it every time, and that was Jesus.  

Jesus knew how to battle temptation and win it, and He faced the biggest temptations of them all. Forget me trying to say 'no' to one more pint of beer; Jesus said 'no' to bread during a 40-day fast when all He would've done was break the fast, and He said 'no' to being ruler of all the kingdoms in the world and their glory, and all He would've had to do was bend down on His knees. I can't imagine being in the face of that kind of temptation, but He faced it and He defeated it. It's hard enough for me to say 'no' to temptation when friends say, "Just do it" like they're some sort of Nike advertising agents. He said 'no' in the face of much more than that.

Jesus handled the lies of temptation by confronting it with the Truth He knew. He didn't focus on the instant 'perks', but instead He focused on the ultimate and real desires of His heart. He prayed not to be lead into temptation, but to be delivered from evil. Jesus focused on arming Himself with the prevention for sin, not just the cure for it. Maybe we should do the same. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Temptation is sure to come, so prepare to prevent it. 

Flames > Florescents

There's something about the smell of smoke that does nothing but trigger good memories for me. It makes me think of home, fire pits and barbecues. The instant I get a whiff of it, memories start rolling through my mind, and I'm immediately put at ease with everything around me. It's just a peaceful smell.

Today, as I was hiking through a campground in the Osage Hills, I caught a whiff of smoke (the good kind; not the house/grass fire kind), and like I said above, my mind immediately flooded with memories, and I was put in a super great mood. It seemed to make the hike 10x better, and as the memories flooded my mind, so did lots of other thoughts about smoke and fire.

I just think there's something about fires that are super unique compared to other sorts of light. Think about it, if you and a group of friends lit a fire, whether it be a campfire, fireplace or fire pit, it automatically makes your hangout sessions about 100x better than it would be with no fire. Can you imagine just sitting around with a group of friends in front of a florescent light? I can't. It wouldn't be any fun; however, as soon as you add a fire into the mix, things get good. Fires are just better than lights. Fires provide heat, they can be used to cook on (S'MORES!), they provide a nice crackle for background noise and the flames provide mind-numbing entertainment as they dance around better than any exotic dancer ever could. There's just something about fires that take things up a notch. 

When I think about fires and why they might be so special, I just think about how many thousands of years fires have been burning. They've been going since like the beginning of time, and when we, as members of the 21st century, get to participate in an activity such as campfire that's been going on since the beginning of the world as we know it, it's a special feeling for us, whether it's in our subconscious or not. It's something that all of the human race has participated in, and getting to see the light and feel the warmth of the flames may be somewhat of a reminder and nostalgic feeling all humans can relate to in some form or fashion.  

Where there's smoke, there's fire, and where there's fire, there's warmth, memories and light (again, talking about the good kind of fires; not the bad kind). Don't take for granted one of this world's greatest, simplest gifts. Take some time in the next couple of weeks to step back to the caveman days and build a fire to enjoy with some people you love. Start up the fireplace and sit around it, fire up the grill and cook over an open flame or grab some firewood and head out to a local camp ground and enjoy a campfire. You won't be disappointed and neither will your ancestors. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Flames > Florescents  

Changing People Serving an Unchanging God

Have you ever noticed how much human beings change over time? It's ridiculous, and more often than the seasons. It's no wonder 'mood rings' are an actual thing. But, besides changing moods every hour or so, we change lifestyles, we change the songs on our favorite playlists, and, some of us, even change our clothes. We change from high school to college and from college to adulthood, and life rarely looks the same that it did 'four years ago' at any point. We're a species and people that love change, so we're constantly changing. 

But we were created by a God who never changes.

How does that work, and why does it often feel like God has and does change sometimes?

Lately, I've been doing a lot of reading in the Old Testament section of the Bible. I've read through Genesis, Exodus and Job, and frankly, it seems like God changes a lot through those three books as I read them, like more so than it seems like He might change from the Old Testament to the New Testament. In just three short books, He goes from walking, talking and conversing with man and creation fairly regularly and communicating to many of His servants to only communicating with one or two men on top of a mountain or inside of a tent behind a vail in order to communicate to His people. Then, He sets up the Law, and it all goes downhill from there. It doesn't seem to take long when reading the Bible to question or notice that God, who is never-changing, seems to change and seem different at different stages and points in Scripture.

God doesn't change. It says that in the Bible several times, namely in the book of Micah when it says, "I am the Lord; I change not." It's pretty point blank; however, sometimes it seems like God has changed over time, and it's easy to think and feel that. Heck, sometimes it seems like He's changed more than me; however, that can't be true because that would go against the very thing that He tells us about Himself: that He's eternal. 

It's easy to read into scripture and question that God has changed. Just like I did above^. However, it's even easier to step back and see that He hasn't. He's always been just, He's always been in control and He's always been full of grace- grace that comes every. single. day. That's unchanging. 

I change my socks, I change my tunes and I change my mood. I'm rarely the same person one morning that I was the morning before, and I rarely treat anyone with the amounts of grace I should, especially daily. I'm changing, but God isn't. Hopefully, I'm changing a little bit each and every day to look a little bit more like my unchanging Creator. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Just because God doesn't change, doesn't mean you shouldn't (socks included). 

HELP: I'm An Adult & Forget How To Read For Fun

A lot of changes happen throughout the years of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. You go through puberty, you start driving cars instead of playing with them and your capes turn into ordinary blankets again. Another thing that happens in the transition from childhood to adulthood is that you begin to read for different reasons, and, sadly, the only thing your parents read to you is your great aunt's Facebook status. The nights of bedtime stories spent with the latest adventure story disappear and are replaced with nights of all night study sessions with the latest $200 text book or 'self-help' literature. Sadly, at least for me, reading seems to have changed.  

The other day I walked into Barnes & Noble with the goal of coming out with a book to read that was "fun," and frankly, I had no idea where to even start looking. For as long as I can remember (or at least for the last six years of my life), all that I've seemed to have read have been theology books, books on faith or text books. I honestly couldn't remember reading anything for fun since my high school days, and the only author I could remember was J.K. Rowling (if she started writing again, all my book problems would be solved, but alas she has not). It was a seriously weird realization for me. All the fun books and authors I used to know were in the teenager section, and I knew I didn't want find myself pouring over another angsty-teen novel at age 24, so I headed for the adult fiction section and hoped for the best.

Hope was lost.

I felt like I was looking for Waldo in the Candy Cane Forest. I couldn't find anything, and I had no idea where to even start. I mean, Barnes & Noble has like a bazillion books, and not all of which, I'm assuming, are good. Therefore, I got overwhelmed, shuffled my feet out the door and left, book-less. 

It was as I was walking out the door that I came to the sad realization that I have forgotten how to read for fun. It's kind of like that feeling a competitive swimming has when all of his or her friends want to go hang out by the pool in the summer and 'swim.' The only thing that 'swim' means to you is swimming laps, and your friends definitely aren't going to be doing that, so you're left wondering, "How does one just 'go swimming' without swimming 1,200 meters?"

Realizing I'd forgotten how to read for fun really irritated me and left me feeling even less like a kid. Sure, I could've gone into the bookstore's fiction section and grabbed anything written by Charles Dickens or Mark Twain and been fine, but there was just something empty feeling about walking into a bookstore with literally zero idea of any authors or creative stories to pick up. I miss the days of having a list of books to get through throughout the school year and reading stories because they're stories, not just because they contain loads of knowledge. There are lots of creative minds and creative works out there ready to by read; I was just at a loss for how to find them.

Like most instances when I'm at a loss, I told a couple of friends about the problem I was having, and two short days later, I had a list of five 'fun' books to check out, the location of the nearest public library and a copy of a book called, "This is a Book," (fun title, right?) in my hand. So, if you're like me and at a loss for what to read or how to read for fun as you've gotten older, here's a simple solution: Ask a friend for help. Odds are, not everyone you know has forgotten the secret art of reading for reading's sake. As Reading Rainbow once said, "Take a look; It's in a book."

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Reading doesn't have to be all about theology, knowledge and textbooks. It can be fun, no matter how old you get.  

Embracing My Inner Hipster

Do you ever fear that your true self is someone that culture constantly mocks or considers a cliche? For example, let's just say you're a Dallas Cowboys fan because that's who your parents liked when you were growing up. Even though it's the most cliche NFL team in the country, you still like them, and any time someone asks you who your favorite team is, and you respond with, "The Dallas Cowboys," they give you that look. You know, the look that only Dallas Cowboy fans and hipsters know. The look of "Oh, of course you are. How original." The person couldn't care less that you genuinely grew up liking the team as a part of a family tradition, and they just automatically put you into the category of being a cliche Dallas Cowboy fan. 

The more I look at myself now-a-days, the more I feel like I fall into this category of a cliche. Why? Because I fit perfectly into both of said categories above - one more than the other. Yes, I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan, but more so than that, I feel like if I looked at myself in the mirror, I would call me that word we all know and love: a hipster (I guess the first step is admitting it). 

I'm going to tell you a few of my favorite things, and I'll let you decide for yourself whether or not I fit the mold:

• Blogging
• Converse shoes
• Coffee shops
• Music
• Apple Products
• 'Slim' pants
• Photography
• Graphic design
• Vinyl
• Hiking
• Traveling

I could keep going, but I think you get the picture. If you were to draw up a person that looked like what I just described, you'd probably add on some thick rimmed glasses and a beanie, but for the most part, you'd come out with a hipster-ish looking individual. Now, for the longest time, this bothered me. I didn't want to be put into a category, especially a category as cliche as 'hipster,' but really, that list above describes me pretty well, despite how cliche it may be. Those are the things and hobbies in life that I find most enjoyable; they aren't part of a mold that I'm trying to fit into. It's just life.

I'm not writing this to admit to being a hipster, and I'm not writing it to encourage you to 'just be yourself no matter what that looks like!' I'm writing this because I want to encourage you not to be afraid of what culture may or may not call you. If you like country music, wearing cowboy boots and farming, don't be afraid of the word 'redneck.' If you like school, reading and have to wear glasses, don't be afraid of the word 'nerd.'

Whatever category you fear you may fit in, you're more than a category. You're more than a label, and you're more than a word that someone may call you. We all have our own interests, and we all have things in our lives that genuinely make us happy. It's not about living up to or not living up to what culture says about you. Don't be afraid of 'fitting a cliche' or not. Enjoy what you enjoy and embrace your inner 'hipster' (or whatever the world calls you that you may or may not like to hear).

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: If you look like a _____, sound like a ______ and smell like a ______, you might be a blank, but that's not always a bad thing. (results vary) 
 

Why God's People Multiply Under Persecution

Have you ever sat by a stagnant body of water? You know, like an old pond where the water is murky and covered with algae or a just a stagnant creek that hasn't seen the light of day all summer. Maybe I'm alone on this, but I just feel like they're one of the grossest things out there. They're full of mosquitos, moss and weird kinds of bacteria that are bound to cause diseases unknown to man if the water is consumed, and they're in no need of a 'no swimming' sign because that's the last thing anyone would want to do in them. Stagnant bodies of water are just kind of repulsive. 

I sat by a stagnant body of water this weekend. Sure, it's the middle of winter, and there's no mosquitos or moss out yet, but it was still a very unappealing piece of nature. It smelt funny, and I could only imagine what kind of larva were laid in its depth just waiting to hatch come spring time. It was a reminder that there isn't a lot of good that comes out of a stagnant lifestyle.

The other day, I was reading in the book of Exodus, and in the first chapter, there's this verse that says, "The more they (the Israelites) were oppressed, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad." In this verse, it's basically talking about talking about how the worse the Egyptians (the people enslaving the Israelites, God's people) treated the Israelites, the more they multiplied. In other words, the more the oppressed and the more persecuted God's chosen people were by the Egyptians, the more they grew as a people and multiplied throughout the land. Essentially, it sounds kind of like for every one Israelite that might have been treated poorly, 10 more Israelites were born. God's people just kept having babies, and there was nothing the Egyptians could do about it because the harder they tried, the worse the situation got. The Israelites were not a stagnant people; they were multiplying and spreading all over the place. But how and why? They were spreading and multiplying because they were oppressed and God was blessing them in that oppression. They weren't stagnant because they were in the face of persecution. 

 I think this same situation applies to God's people and the Church today. I think God multiplies and spreads His people the same way He has always, and sometimes, we forget that. Just as the Israelites multiplied and spread under great persecution and oppression from the Egyptians, the early Church multiplied and spread under great persecution and oppression from the Romans, and now, in modern times, just as the early Church multiplied and spread under great persecution and oppression from the Romans, the modern Church is multiplying and spreading under great persecution and oppression all around the world in countries like China where Christianity is illegal.

America is different. For the past couple hundred years, the Church here hasn't seen much persecution or oppression. On the contrary, it has seen the opposite. It has been supported by the majority of the population, and is, for the most part, known as a Christian nation. It's for this reason, that it seems like the Church in America has become stagnant at times. It has been a place that doesn't seem to move or multiply as much because it has lacked persecution; however, I think this could be changing, and I think for the first time in a long time, the Church in America may begin to start experiencing some of the persecution and oppression that God has always used to multiply and spread His people. 

As things seem to get crazier and crazier in the 'nation under God,' I believe the Church will begin to lose some of its stagnation. I believe it's going to start to moving again, not that it hasn't in the past couple hundred years, but in a new way that it hasn't before. I believe the American Church is about to shake off some of the moss from its stagnant comfort and ease and move into a new period of multiplication and growth in a time when it's becoming harder and harder to be a Christian in this nation under God. It's going to be hard, and it's going to be different, but I'm excited. I'm excited to see what God has in store for this nation, and I'm excited not to be a stagnant pond any more. Let the waves roll in. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: God's people multiply when God's people experience persecution. 

Hot Tub Time Machines

This past week, I joined a local gym for the first time since I've moved to Tulsa. It's a great little gym connected to a hospital with all of your basic gym needs such as weights, cardio equipment, etc., but the best thing about this gym is that it has a hot tub!

Hot tubs are like the perfect combination of a bathtub and a swimming pool; it's hot like a bath tub (minus soap), but big (and public) like a swimming pool. Hot tubs are also great because you get to experience awkwardness at its finest. I mean, what's better than sharing a bubbling pool of luke warm water with half naked strangers who may or may not be the same gender as you and may or may not be twice your age. It's great not only because it's awkward, but also because you never know what kind of good conversations you're going to over hear. 

Today, during my hot tub session, I walked in on two older gentlemen, each over the age of 70, having a discussion about their loss of vision over the years. One was a doctor from Philly and the other was a Tulsa kid, born and raised and a big fan of the Temple University basketball team. Now, you may be thinking, "Why is he peppering in all of this information for backstory? What's the point?"

Here's the answer, I don't really have a point other than the fact that there is just something so cool to me about listening to older generations discuss life with one another. Have you ever just sat around and listened to older people talk? It's so enlightening. These two guys never got around to asking me how my vision was, if I'd been to Philly or how I thought Temple would fair in the NCAA tournament this year, but that didn't matter. I was more than happy just listening and they were more than happy just sharing. It was like my own hot tub time machine. I don't want to call this eavesdropping; I want to call it learning. It's not like I really learned any super valuable life lesson from their talk, but I did learn some of their story, and that in itself is cool and worth it. 

Hearing and knowing a piece of someone's story is a special thing. After all, a person's story is something we all have, yet something none of us have in common. Stories from older generations are even better because they're old stories to new ears with new applications. If you haven't before, sit down and listen to some old stories, even if it takes eavesdropping in a hot tub. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: You don't need a time machine or a hot tub to travel through time.  

When Prayer Feels Overwhelming

I met with a good buddy of mine every Wednesday morning at the same coffee shop at 6:30 a.m. It sits about 4 blocks from both of our houses, so it's a great location, and it has just about the best dirty Chai latte either of us have ever had (shoutout to you, Shades of Brown). We meet up to read, exchange successes/struggles and discuss random facts of life. It's a great time.

Anyway, today we were talking, and the topic of prayer came up. I asked him a question about whether or not he thought that prayer seemed overwhelming at times, and just as I feel, he too said it felt overwhelming at times. It was a great piece of honesty that I've never gotten off my chest before, and I'm glad I wasn't alone in feeling that way.

I mean, think about it. The Bible tells us to 'pray without ceasing,' there's always prayer requests coming in from friends and family and then to wrap it all up, there's always local, national and global issues and leaders to pray for. It's A LOT, and frankly, much of the time, I'm not sure what to do with it all and how to feel about it.

Usually, I spend my 'high points' of prayer in the morning and at night each day. Those are the times when I shut my door, turn everything off and am able to sit in the presence of my Maker to pray. These are also the times when I find myself most overwhelmed by prayer. As I'm praying, the task of trying to remember all the request I've been asked to pray for over the last few days, the needs of my country and the praises of answered prayers past seems daunting, and I often find myself trying to remember things rather than praying for them. After all, I don't want to be the guy that says, "Yes, I'll be praying for you," and then never actually do it.

So, the more my friend and I talked about this situation and this feeling, the more we realized that praying doesn't have to be a set schedule, and it doesn't always have to be everything all at once. Prayer can be whenever, wherever, and the last thing it should be is 'overwhelming.' It should be the opposite of that, really. Don't worry about piecing all the prayer requests you have stored up in a two minute prayer before you walk out the door. We have 24-hours in a day for a reason, and we're to pray without ceasing for a reason. It's inevitable that the Holy Spirit is acting in the hearts of believers, and He will guide your mind and your heart to prayer. If you randomly think of someone/someone's request in the middle of the day, take a moment to say that prayer for them you said you would say. Odds are, you didn't just think of them randomly for no reason.

God knows our hearts, our minds and our souls, and He hears all of our prayers- the out-loud ones, the silent ones and the ones we stop and say during the middle of the day when it might seem most inconvenient; it's just up to us to acknowledge that wonderful promise and act on it. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Prayer shouldn't be overwhelming; it should be encouraging. 

What Blogging for 100 Straight Days Taught Me

Today is a day that I thought would never, ever get here. Today is day 100. This is blog number 100 out of 100, finally completing the goal that I set for myself on Oct. 18 last year to complete 100 blogs in 100 days, and now, as I look back on it and where it started, I feel like I'm over looking the Grand Canyon. What. A. Workout. 

It's funny how Cliff Notes has evolved over these past few months. It has guest posts, posts about faith, posts about life and helpful hint posts, but most of all, it has posts about relatable life lessons. Therefor, I find it ironic, yet somewhat fitting, that like most things in life and most things written on Cliff Notes, blogging over these past few months has taught me a life lesson. It's not a life lesson that's super profound or mind-blowing, and it's not a life lesson that I can't say that I haven't thought of before. It's a simple, practical life lesson that I think we can all relate to.

The life lesson is this: If you set a goal and want to do something, sometimes you just have to do it, even when you have no idea what you're doing, and it's the last thing you want to do. Just do it. It may look like a never-ending journey with no end in site, but it isn't. All goals have an end, and all goals better you in the end.

Over these last 100 days, a lot has happened. There have been nights I've stayed up longer than I've wanted to just to get a blog out, nights that I've been out with friends and not gotten back till 1 a.m. and had to stay up to write and, mostly, nights that I literally have had ZERO idea of what I wanted to write about; I think that's the funniest part and where I've learned this life lesson the most: Blogging for 100 days doesn't mean that I've had 100 ideas of something to write about. On the contrary, I've probably had about 20 ideas I've wanted to write about, and the other 80 ideas have come from just sitting at my lap top the night of and reflecting on the day. Most of the time, blogging has been a means to look back at a day lived, reflect on it, realize a lesson learned and share that lesson with others who I know have probably encountered the same thing before. It has become an exercise to practice honesty and vulnerability, and it has become something that has made me realize that you don't always have to know what you're doing or how you're going to do it in order to do something. Sometimes you just have to step up to the plate, take a swing and hope to hit the ball.

When I started this 100 days of blogging, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but now, I don't think I'm going to stop. I may not write EVERY SINGLE DAY, but It'll be close to that. So, thank you to everyone who has kept up with Cliff Notes over these past few months, who has not gotten annoyed with it clogging up your newsfeed and especially those who have sent any sort of encouragement my way to keep writing, no matter what. It's come on the days I've needed it most and on the days I've felt like quitting. Here's to the next 100 days.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Whatever goals you set, do what you need to to accomplish them. Do it when you want to, when you don't want to and when the world doesn't want you to. You set the goal for a reason.  

A Life-Lesson From: "Will You Open This For Me?"

It's funny how just noticing and analyzing human behavior during the mundane things of every day life can really open your eyes to how your own behavior in certain situations. I'm by no means a psychologist or a sociologist, but I do like people watching, and I do like learning from other people and myself. Because of this, I had one of those learning moments this afternoon. 

Today at work during our lunch break, my friend was trying to get the lid of her soup unscrewed. After trying for a few seconds, she gave up with a sigh and looked to the guy on her left to ask if he could open it for her. Naturally, he obliged, and after some effort and time spent trying himself, he was able to pop the top off, and she was able to enjoy her soup.

This got me to thinking about how these scenarios usually go for me, personally. If I'm in her shoes, and I can't get something open, I usually give up pretty quickly just like she did because I feel awkward and weak when I can't open something, especially with people staring, and so I pass it a long to another person to see they have any better luck with it. If they do, I immediately chime in with the, "Well, I loosened it," line. On the other hand, if I'm on the receiving end of a container that I can't be opened, I'm much more likely to put forth more effort to open said container than I would if it was my own container, especially if it was a female who handed it to me. There's this sense of 'saving the day' if you're able to open someone else's jar, and you definitely don't want to be the person looking weak after the other person "loosened it." Simply put, I spend a little more time and work a little harder when it's not my container to open.

This may just be the case for me, but honestly, I think it's the case for a lot of people. I believe we would all say we'd try a little harder to open someone else's container. Why? It could be simply because we want to help people, or it could be something deeper, like the idea of wanting to impress our peers. I know that's the case for me. If I'm honest, I don't always want to open your jar of pickles because I want to help you get your sour cucumber of goodness; I usually want to open your jar of pickles because I want to prove my strength because I'm a guy and that's what guys are supposed to do. 

It's a weird moment when you realize a motive behind something so common as opening a jar for someone. It's a reality check, and it's a check to my ego. I don't want to do 'nice things' out of selfish motives; I want to do 'nice things' out of selfless motives. True, the nice thing gets done either way, but much of the time when we serve or do anything for anyone, it's the heart behind it that counts, not just the service.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Actual strength isn't found in opening the pickle jar; it's found in the heart behind the hand opening the pickle jar. 

When Bison Make You Feel Like a Baby

Have you ever been to the ocean just to stand in front of it and let it breathe on you? If you haven't, I highly suggest it sometime. Sure, if you're going to the ocean, definitely go swimming, play, tan and do more than just stand in front of it, but at least take a moment to stand in front of it, look out upon it's vastness and let its breeze breathe the fresh salt air on your face for a few minutes. It will make you feel smaller than the grains of sand you're standing on. 

There is something to be said for sitting in the presence of something greater than yourself. It's a small feeling, a humbling feeling and honestly, a feeling of reverent fear. This looks different for a lot of people. Some people feel small next to mountains, others oceans and for some, even trees do the trick; however, for me, lately it's been beasts. I'm not sure if you've ever thought about it before or not, but there are a lot of things out there that can kill or seriously maim a defenseless human being. There aren't just lions, tigers and bears out there, there's more- Like hippos, snakes and even insects can do some damage. However, today, I spent some time in the presence of something just as dangerous as any other animal roaming the earth that might make your knees shake: the American Bison.

This afternoon, I took a trip over to Osage County in the Northern part of Oklahoma to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. It's there that over 2,000 American Bison call home. There were herds and herds of them around every curve of the gravel road throughout the state park, and it provided me with just the right dosage of 'feeling small' that I needed.

There's just something so cool to me about sitting and watching pieces of creation that could tear me limb from limb just do their thing. I literally did nothing but watch and photograph buffalo for three hours, and not once was I bored. I was in awe, entertained and humbled all afternoon. At one point, my truck was completely surrounded by at least 20 buffalo for about five minutes, leaving me unable to go anywhere; the last thing I wanted to do was honk my horn and make one mad. I don't think my car insurance covers buffalo damage, so I just had to sit and wait in the middle of what I felt like was a circle of beasts that could easily have their way with my F-150 and myself if they wanted to. It was awesome.

If you never have, I would encourage you to intentionally go sit in the presence of something greater than yourself. Go to the zoo and watch the lions eat, go to the mountains and stand at the base of them or go to the ocean and let it's breeze blow you away. Whatever it might be that would make you feel small, humble and defenseless, take a trip to see it; it will remind you Who your Creator is.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Creation is a great reminder that you are not greater than the Creator.