Growth and Community

Why am I writing a blog post when I have a six page psychology paper due tomorrow that I still need to start? I'm sure part of it has to do with the bane of all college students, procrastination. Another part, however, has to do with the fact that I need to get this off of my chest.

I've been keeping to myself a lot lately. In some ways I've become a swamp of thoughts and emotions. I use the analogy of a swamp because it's murky and stagnant - nothing is flowing out of it. I've confided in some, and those talks have been good. But I miss writing. I miss the feedback I get from people.

In a lot of ways, I just miss community.

So I think it's time to make some changes. Over the next several weeks I'm going to attempt to turn this blog into a place of community. I'll commit to writing more, and I'll need your help to get feedback on my thoughts. I want to hear your opinion as well - if something I say rubs you the wrong way, please comment and tell me.

Also, expect to see some aesthetic changes to my blog. Layouts and widgets immediately come to my mind.

Let's see where this goes!

Colin

The One Year Anniversary of Ground Shaking

This year has been
changing
incredible
devastating
life changing
life halting
unbelievable
frustrating
real.

This blog has been one of the best outlets for me to process, share, grieve, be real, and have some fun.

And today marks the one year anniversary of Ground Shaking. One year! As I reflect on the many, many posts I've written, I can't help but reminisce. Reading posts from a different stage in my life really gives insight into how far I've come in this last year.

Thank you so much for reading. Thank you for participating in discussion, and for processing ideas and thoughts along side me. Some of you have been around from the very beginning, and some of you are reading this post as your very first. Either way, thank you for being a part of Ground Shaking.

And what of that name? Ground Shaking. A long time ago, I wrote:

'Ground Shaking' is a direct result of what I believe my purpose in life to be. Haha, I know right? That's a pretty intense statement. In all seriousness though, I've put a ton of thought and prayer into this aspect of my life. I've been challenged to think and re-think. Eventually, I was able to land on a one sentence phrase which I believe sums up my purpose. My purpose is to be an earthquake for Christ. I know that as time goes on, how I define my purpose will probably be sanded down and polished. It may even be broken in two and completely re-made. As I stand now, however, this is what I believe my purpose to be.

This year has proven to be both sand paper and polishing rag.

So, how has my definition of 'Ground Shaking' changed in the last year? In a few ways.

• I no longer see it as an act necessarily. Being a Ground Shaker doesn't require an action on my part- it's who I am.
• My effectiveness as being a Ground Shaker largely depends not on how I appear, or my surroundings. Rather, it depends on my being secure in who I am, and being 100% real in that environment.
• Love is an integral part of being a Ground Shaker, and Papa is Love.
• Ground Shaking doesn't necessarily mean speaking up because I feel I have to. Many times, it means listening and sincerely asking questions.

On this blog, I've shared my best times, and my worst times. Thank you for your discussion and thoughts as I've continued to develop what being a Ground Shaker means.

It's a process. Life, I mean. I'm in it, your in it, the President is in it, that guy on the corner holding a sign is in it. We're all in process. Just as this first year of my blog has held the best and worst of experiences, I anticipate this next year will hold amazing times, and frustrating periods. My life will, inevitably, change in the next year, and I will have things cross my path that are completely unexpected. What I'm beginning to realize is that all of that is simply a part of the process.

This I do know: Papa is especially fond of me. He loves me how I am, and is excited for who I am becoming. As much as He loves what I am interested in and what I do, He cares so much more for who I am. His love outweighs all the hate in the world, and his peace calms the most fearsome of storms.
He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is Love. He is.

The only reason I can have any impact on this world- ANY IMPACT- is because of Him. I am, because He is.

Fascinating how that works.

Am I a Ground Shaker? Yes.
And, I am only this because He has created me this way, and loves me how I am.

May this next year of blogging be even more terrific, profound, fun, ridiculous, and full of love.

Thanks for tagging along with me! Here's to a great start of year two!

Colin

And so I don this costume and cape...

Writer's block and I have been good friends over the past few weeks. Or, more accurately, the kind of writer's block that shows itself as "not enough time."
School's been a beast keeping up with. I only have four classes, but for those four classes I attend three different schools. It really is a lot to keep up with, both homework-wise (two of my classes are AP- Calculus and Physics) and schedule-wise (when to turn in said homework.)
Moments I can steal away are spent mostly with my three F's: Family, Friends, and Facebook.

That being said, this last week I've found more time on my hands, or maybe I've just learned how to schedule what time I do have. Regardless, I've started a new blog.


Now you may be thinking "Colin, you're crazy. What's wrong with this blog? You're honest, real, and (for the most part) up-to-date on this blog. What could you possibly start ANOTHER blog on?"
Well, my trusty reader, only one thing could so inspire me to begin writing on a tangent so often it requires a blog. And that one thing, believe it or not, is coffee. You see, I work at a coffee shop. Because of this, I've found myself becoming what many might refer to as "a coffee snob." Straight up, I only drink it if it tastes good. Due to this, I find myself judging each drink I indulge in with a critic-like professionalism (haha, right.) Seriously though, I work with coffee for hours at a time. I smell like coffee when I go to school. I drink it multiple times a day. I'm in love with it. Was that pushing it?

All those reasons, along with the desire to help the shop I work for, inform people about deals and coffee specials in the Boise area, and in general promote local coffee as a whole have driven me to start a blog, and a twitter. It's called BoiseCoffee, and I'm writing under the alias "The Coffee Guy".

If you live in Boise, like coffee, or just enjoy reading humorous blogs, feel free to check it out. If not, well you're lame.


And I hope to be posting here with more regularity!
Colin

Digressions of a Thoughtful Mind

After some prodding from me, my co-philosopher and great friend Justin Gaupp recently started a blog.
I think he describes it best:

So, I posted on facebook that I was in a thoughtful mood today. My good friend Colin Mansfield left a comment suggesting that I take advantage of my current disposition and start a blog. Therefore, I wrapped my opinions in a sheet, tied them to a walking stick, and hopped on the bandwagon that is blogging.

A few opening discaimers: These are my opinions, not some sort of thesis paper. I use big words. I do not think in neat little categorical boxes, so my posts may not be as organized as you'd like. I can be very cynical. I'm far too lazy to post blogs on any semblance of a regular basis. I tend to ramble. And most importantly, I believe the Christian Bible to be true and have a relationship with the God thereof. If any of that bothers you, reserve the right to close this browser window at any time. But if you have an open mind, please read on.

He goes on to tackle a rather deep topic, and one which has been thought on and disputed over probably since the idea's been around. "What's the point of avoiding sin in a sinful world?"
And then something awesome happened. Right as I expected to get some kind of logical thinking, formulaic reasoning, or linear processing, something appeared which I really didn't expect. Justin opened his heart, and poured out the insides for all to see.

Trying to avoid sin in a sinful world is like walking on the beach and trying not to get sand on your shoes. If you're quite careful, you'll have less sand than if you were running like mad down the beach, but there's no way you'll have spotless shoes.

But if we're going to get dirty anyways, why bother trying to stay clean? As one song goes "If we're all going to hell, we may as well go out in style." Makes sense to me. Unless one considers a different approach. Instead of making the goal to avoid sin, what if our goal was to love God? I propose that instead of running from darkness, we should be running towards the light! God created us for the purpose of having relationship with him. So if we fulfill our original purpose then we wouldn't need to try to find meaning in life through sex, drugs, money, et cetera.

Isn't that a beautiful way to put it- a great metaphor to roll it together?
And I couldn't agree more. Loving Jesus is really what it all comes down to. Good works and religion can never stand up to pure relationship- how much more the relationship with our Creator?

Head over to Justin's blog and check it out. Word is, he's even got a new post up.

Colin

Change of Shades

A couple months ago, Kona Estes and I started up a blog. Why? We're going to Europe this summer, that's why. When we started it we weren't sure how, when, or why, we just knew we were going. As the date of departure now draws near, it's become clear that Papa's hand has been on us, every step of the way. First planning, then brainstorming, now fundraising, and soon going. Please give the site a visit, and feel free to follow our journey.

Colin


"Change of Shades is a way of tracking the journey of Colin Mansfield and Kona Estes as they venture to Europe this summer as Student Ambassadors for the United States through People to People. Through pictures, video, information, and good humor, this blog communicates the heart of who Kona and Colin are."

"Colin and Kona enjoy traveling, building relationships with others, listening to music, playing the guitar, riding bikes, going for rides in beautiful sports cars, and being loved on by Papa. Kona attends Capital Senior High School, and Colin attends the Vineyard Christian Homeschool Co-op."

Killin' time with my top 5

While I wait for one of my friends to send me the Chemistry Test I'm supposed to do today, I thought I'd do a brief posting. Nothing deep this time around, simply some links I enjoy.

These are the top 5 blogs and other pages around the web I frequent. Check them out if you'd like, and feel free to comment with your own top 5.
(Note: numbers are in reverse order b/c I watch too much Letterman)

5. Facebook - Great networking tool, old-friend finder, and place to make fun of your friends dumb pictures.

4. Twitter - Microblogging at its finest. All about the question "What are you doing?"

3. Jesus or Squirrel? - A humorously intriguing blog about...well, you'll just have to go see!

2. Captain's Blog - A journey from fear to love, from rules to relationship, and from religion to freedom, from the heart of Chad Estes.

1. DennisMansfield.com - A witty conservatively liberal blog with humor mixed in. (My dad!)

What are your top 5?

Colin
Bonus:
ChangeofShades

P.S. Turns out my teacher gave us a hard copy of the test! Hurrah!