#next thing

There is nothing better than the new and the shiny.

At least that’s what our actions say about us. But no matter how new or shiny something or someone is, at some point things will go from being new and shiny to familiar.

Once something becomes familiar, one of two things happens. Either we go deep. We take the time to really understand it. And we end up getting more out of it than we ever imagined.

Or we take it for granted. It becomes something that we have. Maybe even use. But we’re not that attached to it. Because we’re not getting that much out of it.

And we’re already looking for the next thing that’s new and shiny.

Whether we’re talking about technology, or relationships, or anything else. It’s a dynamic that plays out in every area of our lives. Over and over.

One of the all-too-common victims of this dynamic? The Lord’s Prayer. The Our Father.

Oh, we trot it out when we’re supposed to say it. And we know every word by rote. But we’re not that attached to it. Because we’re not getting that much out of it.

It’s become familiar. Too familiar. Almost like we’ve said it and heard it so many times that it’s been worn smooth. Its words no longer catch. They just slide past us.

The thing is, whether it’s a relationship or a prayer, it doesn’t have to be that way.

We have a choice. We get to choose whether we take that person or that prayer for granted. Or we go deep.

Today, take a moment to give yourself a gift. Pray the Lord’s Prayer. Really pray it.

Slowly. So slowly, that you stumble trying to do it from memory.

Hang on the words. Think about what it really says, and why Jesus would want us to pray that way.

Go deep. Take the time to really understand it.

When you do, you’ll end up getting more out of it than you ever imagined.

My friends and I came together to make this little project for our friend. For my little sister. Montana - You’ve been gone for three months yet I hear your voice in my ears as clear as a bell. Someday you must tell me how, even in death, you manage to fill the quiet spaces in my life. I love you and I miss you. Business: Bellows' “Next of Kin,” the album this song is from, is about loss: “loss of family, beloved dogs, friendships, romantic love, and most of all loss of selfhood.” To have the opportunity to grab on to her loved ones and build something new out of the loss of Montana has been a gift. Thank you to everyone who participated in fact and in spirit. An enormous thank you to Oliver for letting my call my own number with this video and trusting me to finish it.

Link to full album here: