It's Been A Long, Long Time...

Another day, another assignment complete.

I leaned back in my chair and kicked my feet up onto my desk, feeling a sense of relief wash over me now that my checklist was empty. Taking a deep breath in, I stretched my arms to the smoke alarm (or, as close as I could get) and, realizing that I was losing balance, quickly brought my arms up to stabilize myself, as to prevent myself from falling headfirst onto the dorm room carpet. My eyes sheepishly caught the gaze of my trusty university mascot bobblehead, Sparky, who simply stared back at me, hands on his hips, as if to say, "Don't think I didn't see that."

Another day, another close call, I thought to myself.

I brought the two front legs of my chair back to the hardwood floor and adjusted my blue-light glasses, bringing my attention once again to my laptop screen. Images flashed before my eyes in rapid succession as I clicked every tiny, pixelated "x", finally beginning to close the countless open tabs on my browser...

...boxing and workout tips...

...a link to a local motorcycle safety course...

...Bible passages, translated into ancient Greek and Hebrew...

...several scholarly sources on the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls...

...a fascinating exposé on the difference between a bartender and a mixologist...

...the La La Land screenplay (one of the greatest films of our generation, change my mind)...

...even more articles regarding archaeological excavations at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem...

...and a YouTube video explaining why Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn't remember R2D2 in Star Wars: A New Hope.

(If you were wondering what goes on in my brain, the aforementioned tabs give a pretty good summary.)

All but one tab left. My index finger, still excited from the incessant clicking, suddenly froze, hovering over the trackpad before I could even exit Google Chrome entirely.

Something was different about this tab. The more I studied it, the more I realized what I had stumbled across. Words from years past came flooding back to me, and I couldn't help but laugh to myself at what had been written by a mind not yet fully matured.

This was my old blog.

It was at that moment that I remembered how much I love to write.

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I began my blog project as a wide-eyed, public-schooled, newly-saved Christian teenager of about fifteen. Consisting of little more than the unfiltered thoughts of a scrawny, five-foot-six bag of hormones, I look back and acknowledge that while I was (and still am) lacking in decades of life experience, I stand impressed by just how much my younger self had to write about. Dozens of posts line the long-forgotten page, most drafted, few still public. I can practically feel the virtual cobwebs swooping low across the titles of some of my posts as I read them to myself: "My Homecoming Situation", "How I Feel About Valentine's Day", and "30 Things About Me!", to name a few.

Hey, I can't blame the kid for trying.

Before that, I was an avid bookworm in elementary school, reading everything from The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Goosebumps, Captain Underpants (top-tier grade school comedy), Magic Tree House (my personal favorite), and Lord of the Rings, which my dad actually made me read before he let me watch the movies. I had written a few short stories for school assignments, one for a writing competition, and an umpteen-page, spiral-bound Little Einsteins spinoff when I was eight, give or take (I was so proud of that literary masterpiece that I put it up on my dresser until I was in the fourth grade).

I’ve always found writing to be a fascinating thing. Nothing is off-limits, and if you let your imagination soar high enough above the clouds, you'll find a starry sky, full of endless possibilities. It is a hobby, profession, requirement, and motivator all in one, and it has been shared by intellectuals and children alike. You could express your innermost self and conjure up worlds that only you could dream of, all while taking yourself on an exciting journey along the way.

It's a therapeutic activity, yet it yields a soul-searching experience...

It's a taste of reality, yet it carries with it a thirst for adventure...

It's a reflection of man, yet it points towards the majesty of the Almighty God.

Now, as a five-foot-seven (on a good day) Divinity student on the downhill slope of receiving his degree, I write with a wildly different perspective than the high school freshman I once was. A lot has occurred in my life since those days, both good and bad, and I am certainly not the same kid I had the pleasure of being once upon a time. I have since made lifelong friends, loved more than I had thought possible, and traveled to places my eyes could only dream of taking in. On the flip side, I have also been entrusted with dark secrets, spent many a night with unbearable heartache, and confined to a hospital bed more times than I dare to remember.

Although  I have so much life left to live, I often feel as though God has led me through a few lifetimes already.

More than ever, now, I find myself becoming more and more introspective, not sacrificing an extroverted nature I've come to enjoy, but not verbally expressing my thoughts often. You can learn more about the world around you by simply listening and observing than yapping away about nothing. However, there does come a moment when mulling thoughts cannot stay inside a mind any longer. Everyone needs an outlet, whether that be in the form of music, art, or even exercise.

This is my outlet.

- - -

If you've made it this far, congratulations!*

*Unfortunately, I don't have a prize for you, but I'm honored that you braved the long novel above.

Welcome to Man With A Mug! I am a self-proclaimed coffee/tea addict in my fourth year of college, and I oftentimes find myself doing life, whether it be reading the Bible, doing research, or just thinking, with a brewed drink in hand. What you will read here in the posts to come will be the result of those moments where it's just God, me, my thoughts, and a cup of joe.

On this blog, you'll find an assortment of writings; they may range from short stories to personal research to opinions that I hold on different topics. The purpose of this blog is threefold:

1. To glorify God in all that I do, and to grow in my personal relationship with and understanding of Him.

2. To have an outlet to express the things I think about.

3. To get back into writing, something that God has reaffirmed to be a joy in my life.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope you'll stick around for more! I'll leave you here with some of my favorite verses from the Word:

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:24-25 

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." -1 Timothy 6:12

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" -Mark 13:25-27

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of who you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'" -1 Corinthians 1:26-31

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-JDH