Do you ever just hear a song and it makes you feel what the writer felt when they wrote the song? Do you ever empathize with a story? I mean jump into it so your a character in it taking it all in? You become a part of the plot, a part of the action, a part of the scenery. I was moved in my truck just minutes ago with my daughter, Ali. Her and I wear our emotions on our sleeves and we listened to the song "I'll be missing you" by Puff Daddy Sean Combs (or whatever he's going by nowadays). This is not my typical genre, it just happened to be on the radio and we began discussing the song until we began to feel the song. I explained how the artist had lost his friend to a gunshot and he was remembering their good days together. Ali seems to always be up for a "sad" song so she listened quietly. I think both of us just allowed ourselves to be moved. Do you ever take the time to be moved? I mean, let something affect you on the inside. Don't fight it off as childish, just let your heart feel something. For me, I do this to feel alive. To know that I have the capability to feel and reflect. I love to reflect with good artists/song writers/storytellers (not that Puff Daddy fits that description). I desire a life that isn't only linear. Wake up, put the appropriate clothes on, go to job, come home, do the right things, stay in control, minimize risk etc. etc. etc. I want to live and know that I'm alive. I mean, after having taken care of responsibilities, I like to check out of the linear world and have overwhelming experiences. Wasn't it Descartes that said, "I think, therefore I am". My mantra may be, "I feel, therefore I am". I want to hold onto a passion for life, people and the reality of Kingdom come. I want to experience all that it means to be alive, the good and the bad. I don't want to check in and check out of life, I want to upgrade to the deluxe model of life. Drama has its place in the real world, its just not a reality to be in all the time. Passion is one of the core values of OCC and one of the things that I admire most about Jesus. He took time to weep, even though he could fix things. He laughed, even though nothing surprised him. He got angry, he got annoyed, he got fed up and he got fired up on his favorite topics. He was alive and pursued his purposes accordingly. Passion is about living the life that you were purposed to live, and it might not be the one your waking up to in the morning. Don't just get by, live! Live fully, drink deeply from the wells of the Kingdom and take the time to pay attention to the artists around you. They might paint a picture that invites you to get in and be a part of. Now that's living.

peace,