I am as close as I ever got to attending Yale… I got a phone call this morning from a Young Life friend of mine, Dan. He got into Yale today! I guess nowadays you can check online to see if you got in, a little different than when most of us had to wait and check the mailbox each day.
2 amazing examples of subtle love:
- I was the first person he called. It touches my heart like I can't explain that a HS kid would think to call me first about such huge news! Even before he posted it on his MySpace.com bulletin!
- He also hasn't heard back from Williams… His brother goes there. Hist brother didn't get into Yale with perfect SAT scores and a 4.0+ GPA. He told me he hopes he doesn't get into Williams so that his brother can say to him, "I got in to Williams and you didn't" Simply amazing that he is thinking of his brother in that way. It strikes me as a perfect way of loving his brother that he would lay his own humility on the table before him.
SIDE NOTE: he got into Wheaton where I wrote him my first letter of reccommendation… 1 for 1 baby!!!
Ethan
Daily, Feeling
Watched the TV show last night.. Quite interesting.
Also found out that Facebook.com owners are playing a little game of deal or no deal.. In which they said no deal…
THey were offered $750-million US for the company, no deal. They want $2-billion? Seeing that MySpace recently sold for about $560-million, Facebook with fewer membership should've said DEAL and taken it… Another site will be coming down the pipeline which will flood the market again and they wont see an offer that big again.
Ethan
testing
I launched a new website for my good friend Andrew tonight…
I recommend using him for all your photographic needs…
Ethan
Daily
My mind races with ideas, thoughts, wonders…Â It is an avenue for me to put thoughts out there, get them out of my head to make room to process things that are going on.
Sometimes I have a lot in my head and therefore have a lot to write. Sometimes not much is going on inside so the posts are few and far between…  The purpose for me writing is strictly for me. I like those comedians who say they love what they do so much that the show would be the same if the club was empty or if they were in their shower by themselves. Similar to that, I would write the same if my visitors were in the thousands or if nobody reads it at all…
I love the encouragement I see through comments, discussions, challenges to some of my thoughts, but I struggle with those who are confused as to why I write and why LivingRarefied.com exists. These are thoughts and for issues/dilemmas/life problems I go to my family and my core when I need advice or guidance, those are the ones who really know me and I trust.
I don't want this to be thought as being aimed at any one person, I just would like to explain the page I am on with this thing…
Ethan
Community, Feeling, Surprise Me
I went to the Gopher hockey game last night with the son of a close friend of mine.. He's 6, but don't tell him that cause his 7th birthday is next monday the 20th. I'm too old to go to his birthday party, but I wasnt too old to watch hockey with him.
Again with my young friend, a lesson of simplicity and living in the current moment was preached from his actions and words last night.
Its way more fun to imagine how cool it would be if the Gophers scored a million-kazillion goals and the other team only scored 2, than worry about anything my mind may be occupied with.
Ethan
Daily
When there's no drama… Why is it that we look for drama? I catch myself so many times when I am on a good run, feeling like i miss some drama or that there must be some coming and God is just prepping me for it. My problem is that I go on a lot of good runs. Its not a problem to have, but it is when your focus becomes "something must be coming" It takes me out of the moment. This is what I call my "calm before the storm dilemma".
But coming home from a great weekend with some close friends and now even closer friends, its kind of that high of great feeling and emotions and that relationships got firmed up a little. I have often heard at summer camps, where the camp speaker talks about this roller coaster ride of spirituallity. They normally give a talk about how to keep it going. My thought from this weekend, is that yes I want to continue this pursuit of fewer friendships but at a higher level of intimacy. I need to stop looking for somebody to show or tell me how and just do it.
To live like Jesus… He did encounter plenty of people, but he only had a few he went to on a consistant basis. For that case, I come in contact with many people on a regular basis, but find there are only a few I really want to pour my time into. I believe that these are the people who want to pour into me. When the road gets rocky, I want to know who I am going to every time. I don't want to think about going to person A with financial issues, or person B for relationship questions or even C for my faith questions. I want to know that my team is trusted and can cover all of those.
It sounds selfish, but is it selfish to love a few extravagantly rather than love many poorly?
Ethan
Community, Feeling
I am out of town this weekend to spend some time with some close friends and friends who I want to get closer with. We were asked what our expectations from the weekend are. My response was
"Become better equiped to be myself…"
This has been the theme of my last year and a half and I think I still have quite a bit to go. I truly believe that through conversations, hearing sermons, listening to God, I am just being called out to be me. Back in December I was called out by God that I am His joy. And as that sinks in more and more, I am finding myself to be more content with life where I am and where its heading.
This summer I spent about 3 hours a week on Tuesday nights with some guys and we didn't BS around, we talked about us, and things going on with us. Ironically it showed me that becoming yourself isnt necessarily a "yourself" task. When fall hit, and our group stopped gathering each week because of scheduling, I found it harder and harder to make progress, as I was alone. I didn't have a constant group lifting me up each week because they cared and knew what was going on inside…
My next few weeks are going to revolve around this theme.. Am I equiping myself? or Am I not? I want to get in the habit of consciously being aware of this.
Ethan
testing
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