“And over here is the English building; we are going through a renovation program that should be done in 2008. Now let’s move on to the Humanities building where…”This is fascinating Lord. I am with my daughter on a walking tour of the campus for Ohio State University. She’s considering the school, “Ohio State is currently the largest institution for higher learning in the United States…” and we are now listening to an informative, if rather highly-enthusiastic underclassperson present her rendition of campus life-‘plurumum circumiecti’ (look it up-sometimes to learn something fun, ya just gotta work at it).
“The faculty to student ratio is 1 to 14 and there are over 50 major focuses for study that can be combined in many ways.” My ears perk up. I remember back Father, when I was going through this process. So many options, so many paths from which to choose – hence the question: Where does the RUT start and where will it end?
“The biggest difference between High School and College is the responsibility the student takes on. No one is going to make your decisions for you. No one will check up on you if you don’t show up for class. The person who is most going to affect whether your college experience is positive or negative is you.”
Wow Adonai; that sounds so much like real life that it hurts. I look at my daughter through fresh eyes and understand the true meaning of this graduation… for her, for her parents, for all of us. This is not a venture into the unknown, many others have Trekked here before. This is not a rebellious breakout for individual freedom, there are way too many other individuals interconnected that will be impacted by (and who will have some reverse impact on) these choices. This is a discovery of crossRUTs. A mingling point to establish stronger direction: This is where the real RUT begins… no, BECOMES DEFINED.
After all Master, if I am ‘whose’ I say I am. If my daughter is Yours as well; this path has been constructed, protected and set out for the discovery before the word and the world were invented (ouch, that burned up multiple brain cells just to contemplate!). And if that’s the case, this is only a point at which our eyes have the opportunity to open, and then comes the next questions; will we let them open?
I think of the possibilities unseen out there. I hear how others process and choose. I consider how those choices will impact the Trek and I pray that for such a moment as this, such a time as You have planned, that it is met with eyes open.
“Thanks for joining me on this tour today. I hope I’ve given you the information you came for and I’ll be glad to answer any questions that I can. We look forward to helping you in your choices for this next great step in your life’s pursuits.”
Amen.
Mark A. Cornelius
1/1/2007 Parallels and New Years
Behold, a Trailblazer went out to blaze. And as he blazed, some of the RUTs he left behind him were occupied by selfish people with selfish purposes and they changed the direction of those RUTs.
Some RUTs went through rocky places, where there was not much of a trail to follow. When Trekkers began to follow this daily trek they were quickly burned out by the routine, becoming confused and useless because the path was shallow and unclear.
Other RUTs ran through thorny-tangled areas which kept some Trekkers from reaching their dreams.
Still other RUTs were well marked and well traveled. The Trekkers who stayed on these paths prospered beyond their highest expectations.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
OK Lord, I’m trying to come up with a New Years Resolution and the one that comes to mind is to stay committed to my own RUT and to not be tempted to veer off because of the risk of offending someone. And I don’t want that “someone” to be You.
I know You may recognize some of the language of the above parable, please forgive me as I mean no offense in the similarity between this and Your parable shared in Matt. 13. On the contrary, I see the parallels (sic) all to well. The question is, will others?
And then there’s that other question. This isn’t a book about You, but it is a book inspired by You. I want RUT Management to speak to those who don’t know You as much as to those who do. My fear is that if I sound too… what’s a good word here… religious?... in my journaling, I think I’ll scare away the people who really would enjoy the “read”. Why? Why would they be scared away? Why shouldn’t they be scared reading a journal of someone addressing God in the first person as if God were actually listening and capable of responding? I understand why they’d be scared… it scares me!
But what if they were able to look beyond that fear Lord… what if they were able to read without bias or bad history or theo-bigotry intervening? Might something new happen? Could they see how their RUT and their lives and every part of their Trek relates to everyone else’s… and to… You? Could they discover that religion is no place to be found in Your vocabulary, but that relationship is everywhere within Your universe? Could they find themselves actually wanting to Trek into that relationship with You, as I have? That would be spooky wouldn’t it?
And by the way Master of my RUT, why should it make me sad if I scare these people away by this kind of speculation and funky dialogue? Wouldn’t that just mean I’d then be conversing only with people like-minded to myself? Isn’t that what the world thinks Christians are all about? And that’s the greatest lie of all, based on the greatest fear of all… that to be a believer in God, everyone has to be like everyone else, plain and unremarkable and… monotonous…
…Like the way we’ve been told that we’re to look at RUTs, fearing them because they make us all “the same”, invisible, because there is no difference between us as we march blindly together day by day. No greater lie has been fed to us and willingly swallowed.
That’s the lie I want to expose and destroy with this book Lord. And I need Your help to do it. And because I need You, I’ll have to depend on Your creative influence, so that those who would otherwise be repulsed by this two way spiritual conversation might read on, without fear, that they might discover something totally outside the boundaries of their current RUT. And if they see it, they might recognize the path of a new RUT that will take them places they never dreamed possible. Just as I have.
Just like the Farmer sowing seeds or the Trailblazer blazing, I ask that You make the ground fertile, the RUT path clear and then maybe, just maybe, a few more will pick up the chorus… RUT ON!
Mark A. Cornelius
Behold, a Trailblazer went out to blaze. And as he blazed, some of the RUTs he left behind him were occupied by selfish people with selfish purposes and they changed the direction of those RUTs.Some RUTs went through rocky places, where there was not much of a trail to follow. When Trekkers began to follow this daily trek they were quickly burned out by the routine, becoming confused and useless because the path was shallow and unclear.
Other RUTs ran through thorny-tangled areas which kept some Trekkers from reaching their dreams.
Still other RUTs were well marked and well traveled. The Trekkers who stayed on these paths prospered beyond their highest expectations.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
OK Lord, I’m trying to come up with a New Years Resolution and the one that comes to mind is to stay committed to my own RUT and to not be tempted to veer off because of the risk of offending someone. And I don’t want that “someone” to be You.
I know You may recognize some of the language of the above parable, please forgive me as I mean no offense in the similarity between this and Your parable shared in Matt. 13. On the contrary, I see the parallels (sic) all to well. The question is, will others?
And then there’s that other question. This isn’t a book about You, but it is a book inspired by You. I want RUT Management to speak to those who don’t know You as much as to those who do. My fear is that if I sound too… what’s a good word here… religious?... in my journaling, I think I’ll scare away the people who really would enjoy the “read”. Why? Why would they be scared away? Why shouldn’t they be scared reading a journal of someone addressing God in the first person as if God were actually listening and capable of responding? I understand why they’d be scared… it scares me!
But what if they were able to look beyond that fear Lord… what if they were able to read without bias or bad history or theo-bigotry intervening? Might something new happen? Could they see how their RUT and their lives and every part of their Trek relates to everyone else’s… and to… You? Could they discover that religion is no place to be found in Your vocabulary, but that relationship is everywhere within Your universe? Could they find themselves actually wanting to Trek into that relationship with You, as I have? That would be spooky wouldn’t it?
And by the way Master of my RUT, why should it make me sad if I scare these people away by this kind of speculation and funky dialogue? Wouldn’t that just mean I’d then be conversing only with people like-minded to myself? Isn’t that what the world thinks Christians are all about? And that’s the greatest lie of all, based on the greatest fear of all… that to be a believer in God, everyone has to be like everyone else, plain and unremarkable and… monotonous…
…Like the way we’ve been told that we’re to look at RUTs, fearing them because they make us all “the same”, invisible, because there is no difference between us as we march blindly together day by day. No greater lie has been fed to us and willingly swallowed.
That’s the lie I want to expose and destroy with this book Lord. And I need Your help to do it. And because I need You, I’ll have to depend on Your creative influence, so that those who would otherwise be repulsed by this two way spiritual conversation might read on, without fear, that they might discover something totally outside the boundaries of their current RUT. And if they see it, they might recognize the path of a new RUT that will take them places they never dreamed possible. Just as I have.
Just like the Farmer sowing seeds or the Trailblazer blazing, I ask that You make the ground fertile, the RUT path clear and then maybe, just maybe, a few more will pick up the chorus… RUT ON!
Mark A. Cornelius
12/17/2006: RUT Origins
Dear God in heaven. People are going to think I'm NUTs talking RUTs when this book is finally in print, but RUT's so different about that? I've always been a little stranger than the world will accept as normal, why should the promotion of RUT Management describe me any differently.But there is a surprise... no, a TWIST, in this path isn't there Lord? It's You. The fact that You've yet again shown me the "hidden" that is plainly lit right before my eyes (if I will only open them!) How blind I've been to such a simple truth - I'm different, strange to the world, "odd man out", because I'm... NOT. I'm set apart, NOT because I've been some kind of new world explorer, but because I've chosen the "beaten path", a disciple of it's direction.
The funny part is that, this whole time, I've had myself convinced that I WAS INDEED the entrepreneur of entrepreneurs, trailblazer of my own universe. Hah! Look at me now, as I discover that someone else has blazed this trail long before I was even part of the "molecule mix (gene pool - whatever)!"
And as it's revealed to me how un-unique I am in my trek, I find it refreshingly singular... because most of the rest of the world has yet to grasp how great a thing a RUT can be... how... unique... and amazing a routine can become by the adventuresome management of the day-to-day journey.
I hope I get manage this right Lord of the RUT; I can't depend on my own resources to do so... that's been proven. So... I look to You... out there in front blazing ahead to show me the way... and yet, somehow incredibly trekking with me at my side on RUTted Road.
RUT ON!
Mark A. Cornelius
7/1/2006 RUT From The Start...
Actually, the start was in September of 2005 when I stumbled on an idea. A "book-worthy" idea according to people who seem to understand such things. Me? I write. Honestly, I wouldn't know a good idea if it whacked me in the face, head on. But that's another story.
This story is about RUTs. Not the "mating" kind of RUT - I'm talking about the day-in-day-out mundane, repetitive, "get me out of here" sensation we all feel when we think we've been doing things the same way for too long.
Actually, the start was in September of 2005 when I stumbled on an idea. A "book-worthy" idea according to people who seem to understand such things. Me? I write. Honestly, I wouldn't know a good idea if it whacked me in the face, head on. But that's another story. This story is about RUTs. Not the "mating" kind of RUT - I'm talking about the day-in-day-out mundane, repetitive, "get me out of here" sensation we all feel when we think we've been doing things the same way for too long. I've written a book about RUTs and in the writing, discovered a hidden nugget of gold. I'll even share the "just" with you. Ready? Being In A RUT Is A Good Thing You'll have to read the book to find out how a RUT is good and how we've all "missed the boat" when it comes to "RUT Strategy". Meanwhile, I'm putting this Blog out for two simple reasons. 1. I want people talking about, thinking about and acting on their RUTs 2. I need help in getting to the next step. You see, there's a simple fact. I can write, oh baby can I. But publishing and the process of best getting my idea sold to the grateful public? That's not my universe. So now I'm reaching out. Each Blog entry will share a little bit about what I've been doing to get to the "published" stage - call it a kind of "Reality Blog" show. It works on TV. Maybe.... we'll see. Also, from time to time, I'll share little snippets from the book itself to entice the general public to storm Barnes & Noble, to demand that this book be "ten-deep" in the Self Improvement / Business Building sections. Meanwhile I'm busy seeking out a publisher who will fall in love with my love. Of course there's the self-publishing option, and I'm pursuing that, but let's face it, if I can get a big house to pay attention... why not reach for the big brass ring? You can ride on the carrousel with me if you'd like. Who knows, maybe we can learn something together. And in that light... I'll leave you with a quote from the book titled, "RUT Management." RUT Rule Number Thirteen: RUTs by definition are designed for more than one person to Trek So, I invite you to Trek with me on this path. Let's see what really happens when people "RUT ON" together.
Mark A. Cornelius
Actually, the start was in September of 2005 when I stumbled on an idea. A "book-worthy" idea according to people who seem to understand such things. Me? I write. Honestly, I wouldn't know a good idea if it whacked me in the face, head on. But that's another story.This story is about RUTs. Not the "mating" kind of RUT - I'm talking about the day-in-day-out mundane, repetitive, "get me out of here" sensation we all feel when we think we've been doing things the same way for too long.
Actually, the start was in September of 2005 when I stumbled on an idea. A "book-worthy" idea according to people who seem to understand such things. Me? I write. Honestly, I wouldn't know a good idea if it whacked me in the face, head on. But that's another story. This story is about RUTs. Not the "mating" kind of RUT - I'm talking about the day-in-day-out mundane, repetitive, "get me out of here" sensation we all feel when we think we've been doing things the same way for too long. I've written a book about RUTs and in the writing, discovered a hidden nugget of gold. I'll even share the "just" with you. Ready? Being In A RUT Is A Good Thing You'll have to read the book to find out how a RUT is good and how we've all "missed the boat" when it comes to "RUT Strategy". Meanwhile, I'm putting this Blog out for two simple reasons. 1. I want people talking about, thinking about and acting on their RUTs 2. I need help in getting to the next step. You see, there's a simple fact. I can write, oh baby can I. But publishing and the process of best getting my idea sold to the grateful public? That's not my universe. So now I'm reaching out. Each Blog entry will share a little bit about what I've been doing to get to the "published" stage - call it a kind of "Reality Blog" show. It works on TV. Maybe.... we'll see. Also, from time to time, I'll share little snippets from the book itself to entice the general public to storm Barnes & Noble, to demand that this book be "ten-deep" in the Self Improvement / Business Building sections. Meanwhile I'm busy seeking out a publisher who will fall in love with my love. Of course there's the self-publishing option, and I'm pursuing that, but let's face it, if I can get a big house to pay attention... why not reach for the big brass ring? You can ride on the carrousel with me if you'd like. Who knows, maybe we can learn something together. And in that light... I'll leave you with a quote from the book titled, "RUT Management." RUT Rule Number Thirteen: RUTs by definition are designed for more than one person to Trek So, I invite you to Trek with me on this path. Let's see what really happens when people "RUT ON" together.
Mark A. Cornelius
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