Author Archives: Andy Whisenant
Fear is a Jerk
Fear is a jerk.
A big, in-your-face, no good, rotten, terrible jerk.
And I lose to him far too often because I give up too easily.
He keeps me from trying new things.
He keeps me from taking chances.
He keeps me from pursing old passions and new ideas.
Take writing as an example. I love the written word and really believe that it has incredible power and effectiveness when used properly. When I’m writing, I feel alive. Life makes a little more sense when I’m able to put words to a situation.
But if I really believe this, then why haven’t I written anything in over a month? I could go with the holidays/had to work/other things came up line. And while this is partially true, it’s an easy excuse to hide behind because it keeps me from facing the real bully in front of me…fear.
If I’m honest, sometimes a lot of the time, fear keeps me from pursuing a craft that means so much to me. I fear what you’ll say about something I’ve written. The fear of publishing something that is just poorly constructed or confusing keeps me from even trying sometimes. I’m worried about what you’ll think about what I write, and consequently, what you’ll think about me based on what and how I write.
Lame, I know, but it’s a real fear.
When I let fear be the jerk that he really is, I automatically lose. But he’s had far too much power for far too long. It’s time to stand up to this monstrous bully and stare him down. He’s won enough battles lately and I’m tired of getting beat up by him.
My friend Chris K. Davidson blogged about fear lately and threw down this challenge…
Let’s develop a fiery, inextinguishable passion for living and thriving. Let’s put ourselves out on a limb. Let us march forward on the path set by the One who knows that everything will be alright in the end. Let us complete what we dream and let us not be disappointed when some of the results are not exactly what we wanted. Let us not be afraid of failure; let us be afraid of not trying.
When 2012 comes to a close, I hope to look back on it and realize that this was the year that I stood up to the bully called fear and won the battle. I want to be able to say that I really understood what it meant to trust Christ enough to walk into the dark, uncharted areas of life knowing that I really have nothing to fear.
Because, really, in the end, fear is just a big jerk.
Scared to Death
If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends),
“Am I really a writer?
Am I really an artist?”
Chances are, you are.
The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident.
The real one is scared to death.
–Steven Pressfield in The War of Art
Your Art Matters
I’ve always been a word nerd. I still believe that words matter and have the ability to change the world for the better.
Writing is my creative outlet. I can’t draw anything to save my life. I don’t have a musical bone in my body (although there was that one attempt in middle school band with a trumpet, but that’s a memory better left in the past).
For a long time, I didn’t think that my love of words had any value and that I couldn’t really do anything with it. I was always hesitant to even call myself a writer, because if I did, that meant that I was actually committing myself to the practice of stringing words together in a coherent way.
I’ve found that writing, at least for me, can be one of the most incredibly frustrating yet overwhelmingly freeing experiences. It’s how I make sense of life and connect with my Creator. It’s been said that writing is like praying with a keyboard. I couldn’t agree more.
For me, writing is my art. It matters. It’s how I grow. It’s how I communicate the goodness and grace of God to my world.
What about you? What’s your art? What’s the thing that you do that, when you’re doing it, you feel fully alive and are able to point people to an incredible God?
Maybe you’re a painter, a photographer, a builder, a composer, a biologist, a teacher, a businessperson, a filmmaker, or a [fill in the blank].
The next time you start to think that you’re not really qualified to pursue your art or that it doesn’t matter, don’t be afraid to push back against that resistance.
Your art matters. It matters because it’s how you grow. It matters because it helps you better understand the love of God. It matters because the world is hungry for art that has significance and that points to something bigger.
Gary Molander suggests that “you don’t need to create art for God. He doesn’t need it. You need to create art in response to God. The world needs it.”
Your art matters. Now go create it.
Monday Musings
- As evidenced by my utter lack of posting lately, I’ve been in a can’t-write-anything-to-save-my-life-funk. I hate it when that happens. I know part of that is Resistance pushing back against me…that little voice in the back of my head saying that pursing writing isn’t worth it. Time to kick Resistance to the curb.
- So there’s this girl. Her name’s Kate. And, well, I’m kinda crazy about her. For reals.
- Thankful I’m getting the chance to learn from and serve with the Cross Point staff team this semester as an intern in the community groups department. I’m getting to work on and learn about a lot of different aspects of ministry and the team has been great about investing in all of us interns as young leaders.
- Bank holidays are a great idea. I’ve never fully appreciated Columbus Day before this year when it got me a day off from work last week. So hooray Columbus!
- There’s something about a fall sunset in Nashville that’s all kinds of wonderful.
- I’ve come to realize that, a lot more than I’d like to admit, I operate out of fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, yada, yada, yada. Lame, I know. Since fear isn’t something that God has given me, I don’t want to hang on to it or walk in it anymore. Hold me to that, ok?
- Grateful for life-giving friendships that have withstood the test of time. I’m blessed to be surrounded by a pretty stellar group of people.
- My friend Chris Davidson has a new album out. You should really go take a listen and download your copy today…you’ll be glad you did!
- Big news in case you missed it! On Friday, President Obama authorized the deployment of 100 troops into Uganda to help find and bring to justice LRA leader Joseph Kony. Check out the update video below…
What’s this all about, you may be saying? Check out the history behind the longest running war in Africa. Regardless of how you feel about the President or international relations, this is a human issue, not a political one.
What about you? What’s the latest and greatest in your world?
Suffering from Sign-me-up-itis
I’ve got a condition.
It’s called Sign-me-up-itis. Maybe you’ve suffered from the same problem.
It begins when you see a lot of cool looking opportunities…things you know you’re talented in or that you enjoy doing.
Good things. Fun things. Important things. Worthwhile things. Life-giving things. God-honoring things, even.
You think about it for a second, and then utter those three calendar-killing words, “Sign me up!”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating not serving others or being involved in something that makes you feel fully alive. Far from it.
But one of the things I’m constantly having to work on is being still…avoiding the urge to sign up for every cool new opportunity and adventure. Because I’d love to do it all. But I know it will kill me in the process if I try to.
I often find it hard to just be still…to stop trying to let my identity be found in how many slots in my calendar I can fill up.
The idea of a Sabbath is a weird one for me. I love the idea, but I often don’t take it seriously. Rob Bell (ohh…is he going to quote that crazy guy? Yes. Yes, I am. Deal with it.) recently tweeted the fact that ”on the Sabbath, we hear again that our worth and value do not come from what we make, produce, or accomplish.”
Or what we sign up for. There’s a balance to be had.
Sure, there’s a lot to be found in investing in something that you truly to believe in. But there’s also a lot to be found in living with a Sabbath-honoring mentality. Let’s learn how to do that together, ok?
What I Am
Sometimes I find myself trying so hard to be something I’m not that I begin to not be something I am. What I am is God’s beloved.
What if, every day, I just accepted the fact that I’m not going to be perfect in anything I’m trying to accomplish in God’s purpose and plan? Some might use this as an excuse to be sloppy with their faith, but that’s not how I see it.
From where I’m sitting, God’s love deserves my best effort. I don’t have to earn his love today–I just have to live in it and through it.
–Eric Sandras in Plastic Jesus: Exposing the Hollowness of Comfortable Christianity
What’s Your One Thing?
What makes the difference between wishing and realizing our wishes? Lots of things, and it may take months or years for wishes to come true, but it’s far more likely to happen when you care so much about a wish that you’ll do all you can to make it happen.
–Fred Rogers
What’s your one thing?
What’s that one thing, deep down inside of you, that makes you tick?
The thing that when you’re doing it or around it, you light up?
The thing that makes you feel fully alive. What is it for you?
That special thing inside of you that you care so much about that you’ll do anything you can to make it happen.
Now the hard part…how do you actually make it happen?
What does that look like for you?
I don’t really have an answer for this one…I wish I did. So that’s why I’m asking you.
How do you/did you make your thing happen? How do you fight the resistance as you run after your thing?
What’s your story of pursing your unique, life-giving, incredibly important thing?
4 Things to Stop Saying to 20-Somethings
Living life as a 20-something is always interesting. It’s a season of life that’s I’m finding is filled with a lot more questions than answers.
I believe in 20-somethings though. We know we still have a lot to learn, but we’re not lazy, stupid, or refusing to grow up as some might and have suggested.
Having said that, and with all due respect to our elders and those who have gone before, may I suggest a couple of things, that may or may not have been said to me, that you should stop saying to the 20-somethings around you?
“Here’s what you should do…”
Also known as the “here’s-my-advice-for-you-even-though-you-really-didn’t-ask-for-it-awkward-conversation.” Don’t get me wrong…I appreciate and seek the counsel of those who have been there and done that, but there is a difference when I’ve just met you or when we have a surface-level relationship and you offer some seemingly wise words about what I should do with the rest of my life.
Try this instead: Give advice when it’s asked for.
“What do you do for a living?”
Can we please all agree to retire this question once and for all? You and I are more than our job titles. I get why people ask this…it’s an easy conversation starter. It just gets old, especially if, as a 20-something you’re still in an entry- or low-level job that’s not really your passion but pays the bills.
Try this instead: Ask questions like “What are you passionate about?” or “What’s your story?” to initiate a conversation. That makes it less about what you do and more about who you are.
“When do you graduate?”
Also known as “You’ve graduated, right? It’s been long enough” or “How much longer until you graduate?” or “What do you want to do when you graduate?” or “Are you going to grad school/seminary when you graduate?”
Again, I get it why this question is asked…when at a loss for better conversation material, some resort to asking their resident 20-something college student about his or her academic progress. And it’s nice that someone would take an interest in how school is going. As a 5-year college student myself, I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count. Could I respectfully submit to you that I’m more than just a student and life is more than getting that piece of paper on graduation day?
Try this instead: Simply ask “What’s new?” If someone wants to talk about school, they will. Don’t force it.
“You’re not qualified to lead.”
Also known as “You’re too young to lead” or “You have to wait your turn to lead.” I don’t buy that. Not for a second. Believe me, as 20-somethings, we know we have a lot to learn and we are not opposed to “paying dues,” but just because we’re young doesn’t mean that we are automatically disqualified from leading…whether it be in business, the church, or whatever.
Try this instead: Empower and push the 20-somethings around you to be leaders in real ways. Believe in them and give them a chance to show you what they’re capable of.
What do you think? Am I overthinking this? What would you add to the list?
Monday Musings
Monday Musings…a random set of facts and thoughts bouncing through my brain this week.
- Thankful for the girl. Kate is an encourager like you wouldn’t believe and she’s constantly teaching me what it looks like to love people well. If you don’t know her yet, you need to. (And be sure to ask her about going herping.)
- Can we all agree to retire questions like “what do you do for a living?” You are more than your job title/life situation. Why not use something like, “What’s your story?” or “What are you passionate about?”
- Transitions can be good sometimes. Transitions can also really suck sometimes. The next few weeks include a lot of transitions for some of my best friends and I that will cause us to go in different directions. I know the transitions will be good…I’m just not looking forward to it. No one said I had to enjoy it.
- Community is messy and hard and beautiful and freeing all at the same time. I’m thankful for the new friends I’m finding in my community group at Cross Point.
- Recently got a new job with Regions and started the intense training process. I’ve never done this much training for a job before, but it’s going pretty well so far. If you ever need to know anything about anti-money laundering practices or the Banking Secrecy Act, just let me know. No robberies yet and I’ve managed to not lose track of my cash box. (And by the way, could I interest you in opening a checking or savings account with us? No? Ok, I see you need some time to think about it. I’ll check back with you.)
- Words are powerful. They can be life-giving or life-draining. Choose yours carefully.
- A “you’re doing a great job” goes so far to boost somebody’s day. Go be a cheerleader for somebody that needs it today.
- I’ve noticed I use the ellipsis (…) way too much when I write…I just throw it in…everywhere…sometimes for no good reason…I need to work on that…soon.
What’s the latest and greatest in your world this week?
