Sketches, Sleeplessness, Switchfoot

For some reason, I haven't been able to sleep well for the last 2 weeks. My dreams are always extremely stressful, so much so that lately they have been more stressful than real life. Which I guess is good since it makes life seem much easier to deal with. That being said, here's some trippy drawings I did on my lack of good sleep:

It's a weird thing that's been happening to me lately. I'd rather be awake just because my dreams are so full of the drama and problems I don't want to deal with in real life. Maybe I'm reading too much into it (but probably not), but it seems like since I don't want to think about this stuff when I'm awake, it just comes to life in my sleep.
On the up-side, I feel alot more fearless when I'm awake, because compared to dreaming, real life isn't as scary anymore. It's kind of like sleep and being awake switched places. Weird.

Switchfoot is coming out with their new album, Hello Hurricane, on November 10th. I didn't dig Oh! Gravity very much, but the new album is some good stuff. It reminds me of the old Switchfoot I really loved, when it didn't sound like they had anything to prove. It's earnest, un-apologetically honest and actually very encouraging to listen to. I've been singing the title track of this CD for a few days now, and it's one of the few things keeping me sane. Listen to it, it really speaks about seeing your circumstances in a different light.

Also, I've been trying to get into some community work, specifically with the homeless. I've re-discovered that I am really selfish and/or prideful;

1. I think my work is super valuable
2. Therefore,  I don't need to be part of building relationships                                                        (a side-rant about doing 'good'- building relationships is what lasts and will let you see what's really going on vs. just doing stuff often ends up being a means to merely feeling good about yourself. Not that doing stuff is bad.)

And do we really believe that we can out-good ourselves? Can we really fix the world? Knowing myself and people in general, I really don't think so. But that's a different spiel.

It's times like these when you wonder what your faith is really made of, if it's man-made or if it's genuine. I don't feel conscious 90% of the time, but I've been Hello Hurricane-ing to remind myself that my circumstances don't ultimately dictate my identity, worth or future.

BTW, here's a good article to read; if you're not a Christian, it will give you a more concrete idea of what biblical belief is, and if you are a Christian, you should probably read this because you may find that your belief may not actually be biblical. It's something to wrestle with and a good jumping off point.



So, if you know of any good places to do some social work, or are part of something already, let me know. In the meantime, order Hello Hurricane,  live and sleep fearlessly, read that article, trust Jesus.