Reality TV...

Although the original reality TV is considered to be Survivor, I like to think otherwise.  I like to believe that the trails and tribulations of the lives of those who call Newport Beach, CA home was indeed the first reality TV show.  Although the OC is not technically reality, it was based on a reality.  And I do find it to be embracing, but after getting the first and second season on DVD and spending the past weekend watching much of it, I have begun to realize the connections that can be found between "reality TV" and "reality".  Yes I said it connections between Ryan, Seth, Marissa, and Summer of the OC to our reality.

Those of you who are/were fans of the OC know that life at Newport Beach is filled with drama from beginning to end.  With the beginning of a new problem, soon following the resolution of the fast conflict.  this cycle, although abstract, may be closer to reality than we think.

It may not necessarily be the same drama that has hindered the lives of the Cohens that occurs in our world, but it is just not.  Week seek for our lives to simply go day to day without any problems and work themselves out to the way that we sit fit.  For example, if my fiancé and I had it our way there would be no problems in our relationship, no tension in our family, no job searching (first job was a yes), and no financial worries.  But the reality is that our will is not "his" will.  Although it may seem tedious or trivial, God has led Jenny and I through ups and downs that have built us to be who we are.  Not merely to make us better "people", but to prepare us for the ministry he has set before us.

We are all given opportunities in our life to bring glory to his name and our lives are a living testimony to the glory that is found in the arms of God.

Our lives may be just as dramatic as the Cohens of Newport Beach, but what is known is that through the ups and downs and through the drama purpose is found.  A purpose of living a life worth being called Son's and Daughters of God.  We have been given an opportunity to serve God that goes much deeper than the trivial and tedious acts of day to day life.  But instead the glory that is shown today will ring in the hallways of heaven for all of eternity.

till another day,



normallyINDIE

A Baby Was Born...

22 years ago today I was born into this world by a mother named Susan Tod and a father named Jeff Tod, some of the most caring and loving people.  Over the years I have lived in St. Louis, South Florida, Central Illinois, Cincinnati, and now Indianapolis.  This time I have seen many places, met many people, and grown in many ways, but none like I have grown today.

Today I had the opportunity to spend the day with my fiancé Jennifer Schroeder at Main Street Tattoo getting my birthday gift put on my upper forearm by an amazing tattoo artist TJ Harmon.  But the tattoo was not the thing that I have really grown by.  But instead, it was the love that the tattoo symbolized.

Over the last couple of months, Jennifer and I have completed the book 5 Love Languages and I have found that Jennifer's Love Languages are Physical Touch and Quality Time.  Mine, on the other hand, are Gifts and Words of Affirmation.

This tattoo today was one of many gifts that I was given from Jennifer this weekend and it made me feel so loved.  The fact that someone would care so much about me that they would plan something, purchase something, or coordinate a get together astonishes me.  Jennifer is filled with unconditional love for me and this tattoo is just one of many instances when she has shown me this.  I could never believe that someone would love me in this way, but Jennifer's love for me is truly a symbol of Jesus' love.

Unconditional Love is the reason that we love.  Unconditional love is what saves lives.  October 9th 2011 is just another day that I was shown what this love really looks like.


till another day,



normallyINDIE

The Small Screen...

If you know me personally, you very well know that I have a mild addiction to DVDs.  Since the beginning of college and my parents telling me I had to build my own library of DVDs, I have spent countless hours sifting through sale bins, glazing my eyes over titles at discount stores, and searching the web for the next best DVD.  My total DVD collection is somewhere in the upper 200s, not to mention 50 or so DVDs in my lovely fiancé's possession.  This "addiction" is so prominent that it is a running joke amongst my family that for holidays all they need to do is send me with 50 bucks cash to Disc Replay and I will be happy carrying out 25 new DVDs.  But recently, because of the convincing from a couple friends, I have moved from buying movies on DVD to buying TV series on DVD.

I have enjoyed a few TV series since the beginning of my college years and if I don't already I seek to have them on DVD so I can share and enjoy them with family, friends, and mostly my fiancé.  Favorite TV series are as follows:
                   
                      The Office (Own Season 1 - 7)
                      How I Met Your Mother (Own Season 1 - 6)
                      Scrubs (Own Season 1 - 8)
                      LOST (Do Not Own)
                      Boy Meets World (Do Not Own)
                      Friends (Do Not Own)
                      Rob & Big (Own Season 1 - 3)
                      Saved by the Bell (Own Season 1 - 4) [Jenny's Favorite]
                      Parks & Recreation (Do Not Own)
                      the OC (Do Not Own) [Embarrassed that I like this Show]
                      Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (Do Not Own)
                      Psych (Trying to get into this show for  Tyler Cadwell )

The list goes on and on as I find a new show that seems worth buying.  I know what you are saying, "What about Netflix?  They have most of these shows and you get them all for $7.99".   I do have a subscription to Netflix, but I am just more of a old school kind of guy in the fact that there is just something about having the box in your hand that makes it seem much more real.  Not to mention I hate when TV show skips cause the internet connection is poor.

So yes it may be an addiction, but I am okay with that because one of my joys in life is buying a new DVD and sharing it with those I love hoping that they get a laugh or are convicted by the message that is given.

If you have any suggestions for TV series' that I should be buying next on DVD or any other DVDs I should be buying comment below.


till another Day,



normallyINDIE

OUR Big Day...

Those of you who know me personally know that I will be marrying the most amazing woman in the world on March 10th 2012 (just 168 short days away).  We are both so anxious to start our life together, living in who knows where, moving into our apartment, getting our first Dog, etc... All of the things that married couples will get to do we are both so excited to bring into our lives.  As a part of Turquoise Feathers , Jenny is photographing a wedding this weekend for a couple of great friends.  We could not be more happy for Clay and Anya, but I am not gonna lie, jealousy has begun to sink in.

But as I battle with the jealousy and anxiety, I begin to realize that God has brought me to the place that I am on September 24th 2011 for a reason.  I am currently a Student Ministry Intern, seeking a full time position and many times I wonder why God has placed me where I am currently.  I have become so anxious to move to the next stage of life (job, marriage, new life) that I have begun to forget why God has me where I am today.

As Christians we are called to live in urgency and hope that today will be the day that the Lord, Jesus Christ will return to save us from this wicked world.  Therefore, it is important to always live in the moment "making the most of every opportunity" (Eph. 5:15-16) today.  In that God has provided for each of us an opportunity to grow and an opportunity to bring glory to God everyday, calling us to take advantage of those opportunity now.

With that being said, although my anxiety for marriage and my new stages of life are normal, they are not what I am called to.  God is continuing to move and lead in my life today September 24th 2011.  I am seeking the follow the Lord today and if I am given to blessing of the breath of life in the morning, I will do the same.


till another Day,



normallyINDIE

Makin' it a Habit...

As many of you know, reading has become a big part of my life since I went to college just three years ago, but it was not until May that I was given the opportunity to have free time.  This free time brought about the opportunity to make myself read books.  Not just any books either, but books that I actually want to read and if you know me you know that this opportunity has caused me to become a nerd.  A nerd that if I had the opportunity would go to Half Price Books or any other bookstore for hours searching for books, old and new.

As I have become a nerd, I have read a great amount of books with countless books to go (42 new books if you want the real number).  As follows are the books:

Poems - Emily Dickinson
Jesus for President - Shane Claiborne
Communicating for a Change - Andy Stanley
Harry Potter 7 - JK Rowling
A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
The Problem of Pain - C.S. Lewis
Simply Christian - N.T. Wright
The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis
10 Commandments of Marriage - Ed Young
The Penultimate Peril - Lemony Snicket
The Sacred Marriage - Gary Thomas
George Macdonald - C.S. Lewis
Slow Fade - Reggie Joiner

As you can tell I have spent a lot of time with C.S. Lewis this summer, but what I have found lately is that marriage books are much of my focus.  I have learned a lot from these books as I prepare to marry Jenny Schroeder of turquoise feathers and through these readings God is teaching me how to be the true provider and protector of my new family.

As I continue on through the rest of the year I am hoping to continue to read 50 pages a day and soon enough finish all 75 books in my library (about 40 to go).  The writers of these different books have each taught me something different this year and I am so excited to continue to learn and grow with the ideas found on the pages.


till another day,




normallyINDIE

The Renegade ...

Chicago, the home of the Cubs, Derrick Rose, and the Renegade Craft Fair.  Every year the Renegade craft fair comes to Wicker Park Chicago with 300+ Artists, food, music, and great products.  New to the craft show scene Jennifer (Turquoise Feathers) and I decided to head up to Chicago and stay with a  couple friends of our this past weekend, Alexz (bird trouble), James.  These were two awesome people that we actually met at the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange this past June.  After meeting at the festival in June we have been keeping in touch and thought we would spend some time with them.

The weekend was filled with great times in Wicker Park which included the fair, McDonald's, the office season 7 on DVD, estate sales, & #twitterlessjames.  A friendship that begun with a simple handshake and twitter mention has blossomed into a great partnership of promotion between BirdTrouble & Turquoise Feathers.

We have already begun planning our next trip back up to Chicago to spend another great weekend in the most hipster and vintage neighborhood with Alexz and James, we are now in the process of everyday life.  But sometimes Jennifer and I find ourselves thinking about the Chicago life wondering someday if that will be us.

I encourage you check out Alexz at birdtrouble.blogspot.com, she makes some amazing handmade clothing, bags, and accessories.  And always check out the amazing Jennifer at turquoisefeathers.blogspot.com.   Stay up to date by following me on twitter @normallyindie.


Till another Day,



normallyINDIE

The Flood...

Recently I have been given the opportunity come to McDonalds here in Greenwood, IN at 6am every Tuesday and meet with a small group of guys from Emmanuel Church.  For the past three weeks we have been meeting and I have been teaching and reading through the first couple of biblical stories in Genesis.  We will continue to do so for the next 13 weeks over the next couple of months walking through the rest of Genesis, dissecting the context and culture while doing so.  This bible study (McTuesdays/Breakfast Club 2.0) was modeled after DM2 at Eastview Christian Church during my years in high school.  It gives me an opportunity to teach in an advanced way as well as give the students the opportunity to dive deeper into the scriptures in a way that is unlike Sundays.  God has called us to deeply understand his scripture and especially the events and people he used to complete his will.

Specifically this week we were reading/teaching through Genesis 7 - 10 focusing on the Flood.  What is interesting that I have found about reading about Noah is the fact that he was a man that walked with God, this being the first human being to be considered to be in relationship with God in this way.   He truly was in relationship with him and the only man to do so since the fall and not again until the arrival of Jesus.  But this was not what stuck out to me most through these four chapters.  The overarching them that seemed to be at the center of this relationship was the fact that Noah trusted God and did not ask questions.  Noah trusted God through the construction of a boat unlike anything he had ever seen.  Noah trusted God through the actual Flood without knowing when it would cease.  Noah trusted God through the ceasing of the rainfall and the reconstruction of the Earth.  Without asking questions Noah did what the Lord asked of him, always trusting that God would provide for him.

After finishing the lesson and thinking back on what I taught, I began to bring together the connection between my life and Noah.  Although I am not saying that God has chosen to act through me in the magnitude of a Flood, I do believe that he has chosen to do something in me.  I am simply in preparation for what is to come in the future.  As January looms and my graduation date gets closer and closer, the provision God has given me throughout my life just makes me continue to trust him.  The past five months of my life I have been in prayer with God specifically for the provision.

Noah brings to light an amazing story of biblical triumph, but most of all provision.  God's provision was at the center of his life and I long to walk with the Lord.


till another day,


normallyINDIE