This and That

Posts

Suffering is good

Since beginning to write again and share that writing with the public I have had some interesting conversations with people and some encouraging, as well as thought-provoking, words from those people. Several people have stated that I am ‘courageous’ for communicating the things that I have in my writings. I appreciate that compliment but I must admit that I was unsure of why they felt that way and chose that word to communicate how they felt about what I have been presenting. As I thought more and more about the purpose of my writing and from what place in my heart my writing is coming from I began to understand why people may identify it as ‘courageous.’ My writing is contemplative. Much of that is due to my natural tendency to be thoughtful. I am rarely jumping to conclusions or speaking before I have thought through what my response needs to be and why. I have been this way for as long as I can remember. Slow to speak, quick to observe and analyse. I am always watching and thin

The Marriage Journey

Three years ago today I got married. Most certainly the best day of my life. There is something almost unbelievable about the commitment of marriage. Making the choice to be intimately involved with someone else’s life forever is a truly amazing commitment and even today when I sit down, quiet myself, and think about what it has meant to me thus far it is difficult to comprehend or put into words. My wife has made that same commitment to me and the power and weight behind that reality is something that brings forth a deep emotional response. I am blessed beyond what I could have imagined. My wife is named Sarah. She is a tall, smokin’ hot, redhead on the outside and a fiercely stubborn, incredibly passionate and creative woman on the inside who knows how to love and care for others more deeply than anyone else that I have been close to in my life. Many people have told me that I have a deeply caring nature about me and I do believe that is one of my giftings but the depth of

The Creative Lens

(photo credit: efraserphoto.com) In recent months I have come to understand that we are all naturally creative. In fact we need to be creative on a daily basis in order to feel like we are truly living. I don’t mean that you need to be an amazing painter or pianist but you do need to find solutions to problems or doodle in a notebook because it allows you to fill an inherent need to make something out of nothing. Develop something unique and interesting that forces you to ask questions of yourself and the world around you along the way. I didn’t always have this belief or understanding. I have always been creative in some way, shape or form, but I haven’t been aware of the need for that creativity to exist in my life. I became aware of that need after a sustained period of time in my life where I was simply ‘droning on.’ I was going to work, doing the simple mechanics of the job and collecting the paycheck. Then I was coming home and watching youtube or netflix or a movie. Pe

Who is _______________?

What does it mean to be Jason Keegstra. To be free and true and honest and ME. It is a bit of a mysterious question with a more mysterious answer. I am unsure of how to answer it and perhaps that is exactly the truth of who I truly am. Perhaps that is the truth of who we all are. Our society and culture beg us to define ourselves and give ourselves an identity because once we’ve done that we become predictable. People can decide if they “like” us and want to spend time and energy on us. We all have this need for security in our lives and people having some level of identity helps for us to receive that security we so desperately need from those around us. Think about the people you spend the most time around; by choice? Who are your closest friends and allies. Now answer the question of why they are your closest friends? Is it because you “know” who they are or at least who they are when they are around you? Maybe those people you spend the most time around are really much differe

The Challenge of Choice

Think of all the things you do on a daily basis. The food you eat The words you say The clothes you wear The way you drive to work, or walk, or bike The time you get up and go to sleep The way you style your hair Obviously the list is endless. Now think of all of the things above as choices that you’ve made. In actuality that is what they are - Choices. You aren’t always making those choices consciously but you are or you have made those choices and all of those choices you make each day are contributing to a specific result. Eat the donut instead of the apple on a regular basis and what is going to happen to your body? Say words from a place of selfish frustration instead of a place of loving care and what will happen to your relationships? This blog I am writing is a result of a choice that I made earlier in the day. I am currently working on a certification to increase my education. It is a self paced, online, learning system which leaves all of the motivatio

Quit blaming God. Receive the full Gospel

I have had several conversations this week with young men who are battling through different struggles in life and at certain points within each of those conversations the same topic came up which has struck a strong conviction within me. Whatever the struggle was for each individual they all got to a place in which they said something along the lines of "I am ________, I know it is a negative quality of who I am and I wish I could change it." I too have been caught saying something similar about myself and this week, through God-centered conversation, I was provided some Biblical truth about God and His creation. When we read about God's creation story in Genesis we see that once He had finished each stage of creation He said that it was "good" and when he created man and woman it was "very good". We don't see any negatives, anything that needs changing up until Adam and Eve make a decision on their own to eat from the tree of the knowledge of