To be or not to be...

I turned 29 last week. On my birthday I was talking to my friend Omar, who is also a campus minister, and he suggested that I make a list of 29 things to do before I turn 30. I think that is a really great idea, but in the week since I turned 29 I have not been able to come up with 29 things I'd like to do before I turn 30.

What I have come up with are things I'd like to be about. What do I mean by that? Well, I want it to be more than a to-do list. Corrie and I talk a lot about being vs. doing, that is, our lives are defined by who we are, not by what we do or accomplish. We live in a world of upward mobility, where moving up and doing more is what defines our lives. But is that what life is all about? And more importantly, as a follower of Jesus and lover of God, is that what God is calling us to be about as we live our lives?

So my list is centered around things I want to be in my thirtieth year, not just things I want to do. Here they are:

1. Run a marathon
2. Be a vegetarian for one month
3. Read one classic work of fiction every month
4. Take a 5 day monastic retreat
5. Get Corrie flowers for no reason multiple times
6. Take Isaiah to Braves opening day in April
7. Read through one book of the Bible every month
8. Be more organized and productive at work
9. Write something significant every month
10. Take a weekend away with just Corrie
11. Give Corrie more time to pursue her studies

**For more on being v. doing, read anything by Henri Nouwen.