Pardon me while I get this off my chest.

Don't we have enough Walgreens, Rite Aids, CVS... etc. already? Does every free corner left in peopledom need to be filled with a chain drugstore?

These stores - which I do admittedly visit on occasion - to have prescriptions filled - drive me bonkers. They are generally messy, poorly staffed, and filled with either way overpriced crap of extremely poor quality or way overpriced goods you could (and should) be purchasing at your local grocery store. Either way, it's a total ripoff for the consumer. And furthermore, how is it they can get away with calling themselves "drugstores" anyway when 75% of the stuff on their shelves bears no resemblance whatsoever to a drug?

So yeah, if you're out there, whoever you are - will you stop building more of your stores on every available street corner already? I think the general population has sufficient access to getting their prescriptions filled.

And while you're at it, how about asking Trader Joe's if they'd like to put a store in Grand Rapids, Michigan instead?

Yesterday I had some friends over for a viewing of Rob Bell's "Everything is Spiritual" tour message on DVD. He packs so much into 75 minutes that there's always something that catches my attention in a new way, even though I've seen it several times before, including live. We talked about the things that stuck out to each of us afterwards, including one of the main and final points of the message - that you will find what you're looking for. If you're looking for God, you will find God. Everywhere. All around you.

I was reminded of a Henri Nouwen quote I'd read that day:


This really is significant in so many ways. It is a reminder to me that what we see is indeed a choice. I can be dissatisfied with the people around me and focus on their shortcomings, or I can choose to see the beauty inherent in all my relationships - even the difficult ones. We can spend our time grumbling about the weak points and frustrating issues in our churches, jobs, and even leisure activities, or we can celebrate the joy and blessings found in each area of our lives.

I've struggled many times to keep this focus. But I know that losing it usually winds me into a downward cycle of seeing something wrong with everything. Likewise, the more I see the good and the God in every aspect of my life and relationships, the more good and God there is to find.

My big hobby right now is photography. I think it's a way I like to find and reflect God in the world of nature. And as much as I love to look at the photos of grand mountain vistas and spectacular sunsets in exotic places, Nouwen's words are equally true in that if I can't find beauty in my little 30-mile radius of West Michigan, I really won't find it no matter where I go. So I seek to capture the beauty where I live: from the cats in my house to the corn fields down the road to the lighthouses on the shore (though I will admit to being a little partial to the cats and lighthouses). And that is good.