The world feels chaotic, but your news source doesn’t have to.

You can hide under a rock or spiral into the chaos… or you can subscribe to The Pour Over and get the news you need to know and the peace you crave.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, The Pour Over sends quick news summaries that are actually fun to read. Plus, each newsletter includes short biblical reminders to help you stay focused on Christ and eternity. Instead of fueling outrage or anxiety, the news becomes another prompt to rest in God and respond in faith.

Over 1.5 million Christians have ditched the doomscroll and found a better way to stay informed––Christ-first, anger-free, and (even kinda) funny.

Try it for free and check out their welcome email that’ll make you glad you did!

Sign up for free today!

The Breakdown Cometh Before The Breakthrough

One thing that really drives me is experiencing intense burnout. There’s nothing like a good personal crisis to force me to make radical changes. It is precisely under these conditions that I am able to find my greatest strength. I thrive on spontaneity and unpreditability. That doesn’t mean I can’t or don’t plan anything in advance, ever, but my instincts are primarily from moment to moment. Over the years learning how to remain disciplined has been a challenge with its own rewards. There have been times when I’ve had to master my impulses for the sake of staying “Locked in” and making sure my goals become realized, beyond just a vision in my mind.

There are often so many interesting things competing for my attention at once. Then there are the things that are more urgent which fall under the category of responsibilities. With only so much time and energy throughout the day I have to split between my desires and my non-negotiables. Often I choose the more responsible approach with small trends of sponteneity here and there, but after a time the walls of boredom begin to close in on me and I ask myself “What am I doing here?”, “Why do I get up each morning feeling like I’m dying inside?”. This pattern can only persist for so long before I find myself having to make some serious adjustments to change the trajectory of my life.

A positive type of breaking down is when you work towards something that you want in life which proves to be challenging. This type of pain is different from simply stagnating, it is intellectually, physically or spiritually demanding. Sometimes a combination of all three. Challenge is fun. Having something to overcome is what drives us to grow even if failure comes at a cost. Speaking for myself I’d rather be bothered by something that is challenging me than bothered because there is nothing forcing me to change my circumstances. Exertion is euphoric, stagnation is death.

Example Of Thriving Off Of Risk

During the spring of 2024 I was on a Leave Of Absence from work for four weeks. By the time the second week rolled around I was bored out of my mind and couldn’t figure out how else I wanted to spend my time. I wanted to make the most of what time I had left, but how? One night at approximately 1:00 in the morning I was struggling to find sleep. I knew I could pacify myself with more mindless phone useage but that by itself didn’t seem stimulating enough to me. By this time I already knew I wanted to live in The Carolinas but had no official plans yet to even take a trip.

Suddenly it occured to me “Why not take that trip right now?”. Keep in mind, I live in West Deptford, New Jersey, which is hundreds of miles away from both of the Carolinas. So what did I do? I lazily threw together two pairs of clothes to change into and put them in a backpack with some electronics, took a shower, then hopped in my car and started driving down south with no plans of exactly where I was going, no hotel reservations or anyone of my family or friends knowing where I was going. Looking back it would have been wise to at least check in with one friend or family member and have my car checked out before taking off, but I did none of these things. Fortunately everything turned out alright and my trip through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia was one of the best times of my life.

Of course I don’t recommend doing this as there was so much that could have gone wrong. Imagine if my car had had issues at any point during the trip. Imagine if I got into some trouble in some unfamiliar area where no one could get to me. But this is just one example of playing to my strengths. I am very opened to having new experiences, meeting new people, going to new places and experiencing life and the world. It is a tremendous pleasure to explore and expand my horizons.

Two Different Types Of Dying

Some people die once, others die every single day. I define living by quality of my days spent. I have such a low tolerence for misery that any sort of internal death requires a maintenance check. I’d rather die having painted myself into a corner than having never tried anything risky at all. Right now I am taking on being a full time student without a job despite the financial risks associated. I believe that sometimes a crash and burn hurts less than a guaranteed safety net. In fact, that is not just “sometimes” buy my main motto.

Of course I must accept the responsibility for any failure associated with that decision but I am confident enough in my own abilities that I can find a way to survive just about anything. The will to survive plus creative instinct is more than enough to keep me going even during the toughest of times. Using side hustles to sustain me, I will complete my education against all odds and become a counselor. Accepting that pain and suffering is inevitable motivates me even more to take risks. At least when I take a chance, I get to decide how I suffer. Not so much the case with the path of least resistance. I don’t just get paid in education, I get paid in wisdom that I feel confident will make me a better therapist in the long run, as I will have a more diverse range of experiences that will shape me into the person I’m supposed to become.

I prefer not to put a lable on this outlook and attitude towards life. It is a feeling that goes beyond logic. An internal clock and compass guiding me towards newer things. To be your own person means understanding the impermanance of all things. The recognition that waiting for life to change before you make a move isn’t always the right answer, in fact, being the initiator yourself is preferrable. Letting go of old connections without holding on too tight, though I must admit I struggle with this at times myself. This is precisely what I was taking about in my post “The Fading”, where I said “What Once Was Never Will Be Again, And What Will Be Will One Day Fade Too”. If I like whatever I left behind I try to move towards the next person or thing that embodies those qualities. When, where or if I find them again is another question and part of the mystery that makes the search itself so much of an exciting thrill! Maybe I even find something better along the way.

“The Flavor Of The Week”

One of the drug addiction counselors I had in rehab liked to use the phrase “Flavor Of The Week” which has stuck with me for years since then. I love this sentence because it recognizes that each week should feel different and have a life and flavor all its own. Maybe not every single week or day is completely different one day to the next as that would be disorienting and impossible to acclimate to, but rather that it offers some kind of new challenge to learn something different or overcome something you haven’t encountered before. If there is no new flavor, finding a way to make it yourself is the best mission you could be on. Squeeze life like a lemon instead letting life squeeze the spirit out of you. As corny as it sounds I’m dying for another sip of that lemonade.