Thoughts on Father Fiction: Part 2

“These aren’t guys who complain about their bosses or disrespect their wives. And so, naturally, when I encounter men who do that sort of thing, it strikes me as weak, and I pull away. That’s just not who I am. Or rather, that’s just not who I want to become.”

In my last post, I pondered the lack of a close “board of directors” and celebrated friends that walk in life with me, though distant (read here). Today I want to talk about the above quote from Chapter 9 of Donald Miller’s Father Fiction.

As Miller concludes his chapter on friendship, he talks about not hanging out with those that display traits he doesn’t want to take on. This got me thinking about the image I project.

  • Am I someone that others would want to be friends with?
  • Am I someone that someone else would want to be like?
  • Am I dragging someone down due to my attitude or actions?
How about you? Do you:
  • Complain about your boss all the time and do nothing about it?
  • Do you talk about your wife behind her back, effectively undermining her in front of others?
I want to live my life in a way where others can see Christ living and working in me. Don’t you?

Lunch Time Detective

I witnessed a hit and run accident over lunch today. A red Lincoln convertible smashed into a guy who had stumbled out of a local bar. There was blood all over the ground. The victim even looked as if he had been impaled by the car’s hood ornament. As I took in the scene with disbelief, I couldn’t help but ask myself:

Was this just a simple accident or were matters far more sinister being played out?

My lunch with Rockstar’s L.A. Noire was just another typical day in the LAPD’s Traffic Division. Another day of seeing people at their worst all the while putting the bad guys in jail. You did know that there were still bad guys out there right?

As the case progressed, the victim (the one laying in the street in the above picture) seemed like someone who had been bumped off as a matter of convenience. The convenience being a wife who wanted to hook up with another man. My lunch hour ended before I could solve the case. However, I did engage in a high speed pursuit with the driver of the Lincoln. I can only imagine the damage bill I racked up as I took out street lamps, side-swiped cars, and almost hit pedestrians. My partner, whats-his-name, was screaming at me over my driving. He apparently hasn’t lived in California too long.

Thoughts on Father Fiction: Part 1

For my 30th birthday, I was given a gift card to Barnes & Noble from my in-laws. They know that I like reading with my Nook and knew that I would be quite happy with some new reading material. One of the first purchases I made with my birthday loot was Donald Miller’s Father Fiction. In the past, I had read Miller’s Blue Like Jazz and was greatly influenced by his real thoughts about living the Christian life. So, I saw Father Fiction and decided to jump in.

In the course of my reading, today I came upon the chapter on friendship. Spanning no more than a couple of pages in length, the chapter on friendship contained a simple line that stirred something up within me. Miller writes:

We become like the people we hang out with.

Immediately, my brain went into overdrive. I found myself questioning:

  • How are my current friendships influencing me?
  • Do I surround myself with friends who lift me up or tear me down?
  • Are there any friends that are dragging me down/ keeping me from realizing my God-given potential?

I mean, there is nothing wrong with any of the friends I have. None of them are drug dealers or are engaged in questionable moral dealings that would one day lead me to prison. No, the guys I have allowed to speak into my life are solid. Many of them I have known all throughout my formative years. In a way, I am lucky to have guys like this in my life; guys who have seen me at my best and most certainly at my worst. In fact, I have always prided myself on having a “Personal Board of Directors”.

Miller continued the chapter by talking about his intentional recruitment of a group of guys to help him do life with.

A few years ago, I handpicked some guys I wanted to be friends with. I already had some good friends, but knowing you become like the people you hang around, I decided I wanted to take more responsibility for who I was becoming. I looked around and identified about four guys who didn’t know each other very well, but each of whom I wanted to be like in some way. They owned their own businesses, they were faithful to their wives, they were intelligent. I asked each of them if they would get together for breakfast on Tuesday mornings in Portland. To my surprise, each of them said yes. And so we met.

As time and life have marched forward, I have found myself separated by literally over a thousand miles from my some of my board of directors. The guys I grew up with are far away from the small part of Texas I call home. Even though we have the Internet, this has made the “doing life” part of our friendships tough.

In college, I picked up another set of friends to do life with. Guys who enjoyed deep conversations about life and were honest in giving their opinion. Upon graduation, we each went our separate ways. We do, however, still talk on the phone every few months and pick up quite easily. I love friendships like this. My friend Jon (I have many!) told me that this particular group of friends are like lone wolves. Every once in awhile we check back in with the pack but are otherwise trailblazing forward into the greater wilds. I love that rugged mental picture.

I guess where I am going with all of this is that Miller’s chapter on friendship has made me realize that I don’t have a group of guys, locally, to meet up with. If I have learned anything in life it is that finding people that you can be yourself around is hard. Good friends are hard to come by. This is why I treasure my friendships with those that have traveled along the heat-soaked roads of life with me.

Happy Place

Not sure what to write about today. Not exactly in a “happy place” in my life right now. Don’t get me wrong, everything at home is okay. Work lately though has been challenging. Not challenging on a work level, mind you, but more so in having to deal with fellow office dwellers. Each day I have to prepare myself to brace for whatever insults are about to be hurtled; for whatever gripe is made that is said to remind me of being the low man on the totem pole.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that would take you so long.” – Spoken to me in front of a client. Embarrassing.

Being at the bottom, the support structure of the office, is not always easy. This is especially true when you work for a smaller firm. While company size can often dictate a wider assortment of tasks, size can also mean working in closer quarters with others. Familiarity breeds contempt, right?

During this season of my life, I think that God is trying to teach me perseverance and patience. I just have to keep in mind that this is not forever. I won’t forever have to deal with a phone-slamming boss and a co-worker that seems hell-bent on proving something.

Amplify

I went to bed last night not feeling well. My stomach was in an absolute state of ruin. I had eaten nothing that should have upset it and yet there I was, sick. I awoke this morning still not feeling well. This has only served to amplify the happy thoughts I have towards my current occupation. Sometimes though it does get old being stepped on all the time; sometimes you just want to step back.

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