Barefoot

Anyone who knows me at all will know that i am normally found without shoes. I realize that this is unusual behavior for the culture of Columbia South Carolina. While this is completely normal feeling for me, others feel differently. Some are indifferent to the idea and accept it as me being strange and no more. Some people are for it and encourage the idea, still some find me this lifestyle disgusting as being barefoot normally leads to dirty feet. When asked about why I choose to boycott shoes on a normal basis, i normally respond with an interesting, yet semi shallow half-truth answer "I was raised in Hawaii." Fact, i did live in Hawaii, but only for a year, it is also true that people there really don't wear shoes that often. I didn't even have to wear them to school! But living there for one year doesn't really classify me as "being raised there" but something about that culture has been engraved into my very being. So this being my shallow answer, I will now go forth and reveal the deeper truer side of barefootedness. 

In essence the whole idea is actually extremely metaphorical to the way i see life. I have been blessed and cursed with the need to explore. Now when i say need, I really mean need. I cannot sit still. I cannot accept humdrum existence. I must adventure, I must see the world, and new experiences are like air to me. While on a backpacking trip with two very close friends i was given the name Walkabout, and the definition of the name Scott is actually "wanderer." I have found that my number one passion in this world is adventure. Not just adventure like epic quests, yes i love those. But there is potentially adventure in everything. New opportunities for experience everywhere. I am so desperate for the feeling of experience, and sucking the juice out of life that even unpleasant experiences are welcome. I say this because while yes, unpleasant experiences are at the moment well unpleasant, later those times can be used in contrast with something good, and it makes that something good so much better. It is also that you would otherwise never have known. Comparatively gravel and grass hold very different textures. But if you've only walked on grass your whole life, you would never appreciate that feeling compared to the hard gravel. This is where bare feet come into play. 

For all practical purposes I will compare life to a hiking trail. (typical Scott, yes i know w/e). Regardless of what you do, you will experience during your hike. There are exausting uphill climbs, relaxing slopes, and all sorts of other things that you will classify as good or bad experience. Now consider this, by taking your shoes off while hiking this path, you open up a door to all new levels of intimacy with life. I was on this one hike that i decided to do barefoot. the beginning of the trial was all gravel. It hurt. I won't lie about that. but then after about a half mile of tedious hiking, the gravel ended, and instead of rocks the path was covered with patches of this amazing moss. It felt better than the softest carpet you've ever walked on. The moss was great, and while the gravel hurt to walk on i left that hike with a perspective and experience that i believe few people have. So take this idea and apply it to everyday life. There is so much information to take in, so much to experience. The next time you walk by a bush, lift your arm up and run your hand along its leaves. The next time you see a big puddle go for it, and don't be afraid to take off your shoes. 

The Bride.

Its been a decent amount of time since my last post, but i recently had a revelation and felt obligated to share. Its not a new revelation like when you learn something new and it blows your mind, but more of a "felt" realization, one that you already know but all of a sudden becomes reverent and real and meaningful to you. By now you've probably come to the conclusion that I am either talking about my future wife, or the church, and I don't plan on getting married anytime soon, so. Before I begin I need to confess of my terrible attitude towards the church, but God willing he'll give me a change of heart. So here we go...

I'm not sure what it is, but the easiest way to say it right now, is that myself and the church have conflicting personalities. Before I go on and share my surface-perspective of the church let me say that I know not all of this is true and some churches are awesome and totally get it, and even the church as a whole may not be this way, but thus far this has been the general perception. I see churches as very tame, bound to societies expectations. When I think of church or even the word "Christian" I think of sweaters, smiling faces with perfectly white teeth, kids sitting quietly in uncomfortable pews waiting to go home. I think of polite bible stories and felt boards, but mostly conservative, "good people". Now, like I said not of this is true, and for the most part it is a skewed exaggerated idea of the church today, but subconsciously I've noticed emotions linked to these stereotypes of church and they do not sit well with me. I don't like thinking about God as a felt character against a green background, it's too safe, or fluffy or fake for me. Growing up in the church somehow I've acquired these perceptions of God. But getting older and re-evaluating God for all the Bible says about him and all that the earth proclaims him as is nothing safe, predictable, or tame at all. God is crazy! There is no way of putting him into one of our boxes of understanding. He is simply beyond that. Beyond time, beyond mass, and space, he beyond colors and smell, he is beyond sin, or right and wrong. He is more secure than the largest mountain, and more agile than the fastest cheetah in the plains. He created creation, and even the idea of creation that we now hold as reality and scientific fact. He created all these things for us. For us to hold, to see, to imagine, he created our reality, but he is not bound by it like we are. I'm trying to say God is awesome beyond comprehension. But the most amazing thing is that the God of all that wants a relationship with us, and I feel like church misses that. For the most part it seems that the church is mostly invested in creating "good people," oblivious of the power surrounding it. Ok, Im done being down on the church, now for the ridiculously redemptive part!

Unlike myself, God has an amazing attitude on the present situation. Where I see an organization who is totally missing the point, God sees an opportunity for love. Which is a good thing, because if I compare the characteristics of the church to myself, we are actually pretty similar. We both are in ridiculous need of grace, and patients. Alot of times we both miss to see God and look to our own tools for salvation. But unlike me, God says, "yes I will associate myself with you, but not only that I am going to Marry You! You are the love of my life, I will never divorce you, and always peruse you! You are beautiful and despite your unfaithfulness I will never let you go!" That is Amazing! And Uber good news for me and the church. Realizing the contrast between God's attitude and my attitude reminded me of how big God love really is and made it real for me. Thank you God and please give me your heart.

just as a side note i woulden't recomend talking bad about God's woman. The person who talks bad about my woman better watch himself, and I'm pretty sure God's a LOT stronger than me.
scott