pete mcgowan

One thing I will always stand by - in any relationship, if one person relies on the other for their source, eventually that person will let you down.

I hate how our culture has subtly painted this thought that in a relationship with your significant other they need to be your everything. What a crock! If my everything is someone who makes me angry and hurts me - where does that leave me? I am absoulutely wrecked and totally dependant on that person for everything. When it comes to finding someone to "complete me" I look to Christ.

First, I know that God is incapable of having a crappy day. He is not suprised by the circumstances that happen in my day. He is constant.

Second, I haven't found a time yet where I can't depend on God showing up in some way for me. Any time I have sought him - he has given me an answer.

Final Thought - For anyone to have a healthy relationship they must realize that another person cannot come close to making them feel whole. Megan makes me feel good...but she can't come close to being God.

Tom Cruise is full of crap!

Posted by Pete McGowan at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

Random things I have been thinking about today.

First, Nancy Pelosi scares me. Something tells me Hillary Clinton is really happy for Nancy Pelosi. She is just loving the fact that there is a woman in power at the capital and she WILL pounce on this and make a serious bid for 08 presidency....SCARY!!!

Second, Apple unveiled some VERY sweet things today...namely the iPhone - which will transform the way cell phones are made. They will begin shipping in June of this year - you can count me in Steve Jobs...I will buy one!

That's all.

Posted by Pete McGowan at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

If you've ever been a bachelor maybe this post will make perfect sense to you.
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Today I was sitting in my appartment with my "day-job" on hold today. My fiance joked with me about how my appartment was dirty and that she would come back when it was clean. Something must've struck a chord in my soul - because the only thing I could think about was the mess I was walking around in called my home. What kind of a home have I created? One where everytime someone comes over I throw stuff out of eye-sight only to forget where I threw it once they are gone...one where instead of using the resources God provides I simply go and upgrade because the latest is better?

As I sat contemplating the simple that I was a friggen pig and the complex that maybe this is a reflection of my soul and where I am at with God - it hit me...get up and do something about it! (Sidenote: This was not a direct effect of Megan's piercing words...I decided this was necessary!) Maybe instead of talking about the things I want to do I should actually start doing them. Maybe instead of listening to others before listening to God is not truly the best way to live my life. I was not created by anyone other than God. He knows me more than those who are willing to share (albeit wise advice).

Back to the simple - I have too many clothes. I alluded to the fact earlier that when I am an impulsive person when it comes to spending. Damn! When you gather all your whites (and I live alone...25 years old) and you have two full loads of just whites it's clear that I need to downsize. Goodwill will soon have a supply of good, but used clothing - so if you are near the Lowell branch and you take size Medium - check it out!!

Bottom Line today - I have misused what God has trusted me with. The problem I found myself in this morning was brought on by me. The devil didn't make me do it...I chose to go the way of the common path many take. Consumerism is something I struggle with and right now the best approach is to do some amputation surgery.

Posted by Pete McGowan at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

I have experienced some really awesome things in my life. Probably the thing I am most thankful for is community.

Community doesn't happen overnight - and it most certainly doesn't happen with everyone. One of the small groups I lead (when I say small...I mean small - there were only 3 of us) at Cornerstone was a branch off of the bigger one I did for our appartment that year because the 3 of us were so tired of not being able to really be genuine with a bigger group of people as we had in the larger one. So...we decided we would call our group "keepin it real" - which you might think is over-used but we actually coined it before everyone started using it.

I was so struck by this group. No one ever really ran the group - it just happened. We contributed as God showed us something. If one of us was hurting we banded together and helped in ways that mattered. This became so part of who I was that as I started ministry I talked about this kind of life constantly. This life of coming out, so to speak, and being honest was infectious. I found that as I modeled to others they began to taste and see how life could be so much easier if we just confessed and lived openly with God and others.

Ministry happened and it was great. Relationships were built. I saw God work in ways I had never seen before. Somewhere along the line though I forgot the lesson of my small group. I began to lose my soul in the shuffle of it all. I was no longer bearing my soul - but hiding it. I still brought it out into the open - but only with certain company because of times I had been burned. The balance I had once found was no forgotten or lost.

Someone I know well even confronted me about this at one point a few months ago. "The sad thing is," he said "you aren't even keepin it real anymore." That's when I knew I had gotten off track. I began to come to God at that point and just allowed him to speak to me about things he saw in me. Listening is a hard thing to do - but for me recieving is even harder.

Why would I not want correction when looking at this truth from First John...
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Even though the truth was blinding at first...I think my eyes are beginning to adjust now that I have started walking in the light again.

Posted by Pete McGowan at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments

Here's a quote from a book I'm reading called Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus...

"There are things God does for you and things that God waits for you to do. The journey begins when you choose. Stop wasting daylight. Choose a life of meaningful adventure. When you do, you will live in the epicenter of God's activity."

Freedom.

Decisions that are monumental sometimes are made way more dificult by our overanalyzing and guessing where God wants us. Does God care about where I decide to work?

Jesus came to set us free - but often we continue to live a life of bondage because of what others say.

Walking with God should mean walking in freedom.

Posted by Pete McGowan at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments