The video is from my friend Nancy Brown … I love it and who better to tango with on my birthday! You rock!
I have been kidding around for about six months now about how if I have to have a mid-life crisis I should just take the bull by the horns and determine what the theme of it will be. I have shared my worries about how my “thug” appeal just hasn’t ever really worked out. Maybe that is a good thing to get all weird about for the next five years.
Then, reality set in and turning 40 is a little freakier than expected…
I am still having fun with it. There have been some amazing miracles and life has definitely be quite a journey. When I was younger I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to accomplish before my 40th birthday. Back then 2008 seemed soooooo very far away.
So, lately I have been taking a life “inventory.” I have to admit that while there is a lot of praise, happiness and joy. There are also some difficult questions about impact, legacy and relationships. Some things have cause out loud laughter while others aren’t so easy to meditate on.
Other parts of my “inventory” are awesome. I have zero credit card debt. I am in a job I love. I have my own home and drive the car I have always wanted since I was 25 or so. It’s a good thing I haven’t ever wanted to be filthy rich 
because while I am grateful, I am contentedly and definitely not rich. I am “rich” with GREAT friends all over the country and some from around the world. I have been blessed to meet many amazing people, see many amazing places and do many amazing things.
So, I guess with every life inventory there will be joy and sorrow, bitter and sweet, happiness and sadness. While I am probably going to be on this “inventory” for a while I can already share that all in all … in Christ I am content. Christ dances in the joy, Christ is the calm amidst sorrow. Christ has tasted the bitter and manifested the sweet. Christ makes me happy and comforts me in the sadness. Because of His faithfulness I can lay all my goals (met and unmet) at His feet and trust that He will ordain each and every step into His will for His purposes.
While I don’t believe my thug appeal will ever resolve itself in a satisfactory manner … I am content and couldn’t ask for more.
Happy Birthday Me!
24 responses so far ↓
1
Steve
// May 14, 2008 at 12:39 am
Yeah, yeah. Some of us turned 40 in January.
You young’un.
2
Ellie
// May 14, 2008 at 12:51 am
I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse about #40, but I just had a little ‘quarter-life’ crisis leading up to my twentieth birthday. I feel like I’ve gotten all the way to twenty without having accomplished anything particularly important. You on the other hand do tons of cool stuff all the time, so what have you got to worry about? Besides, anyone who can tango as good as you doesn’t need ‘thug appeal’
3
Eva
// May 14, 2008 at 2:12 am
Happy Birthday! You’re 40s are going to be awesome!
I LOVE that little video from Nan! HILARIOUS!
4
Joe Brummer
// May 14, 2008 at 8:51 am
Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your day. It has been my experience that people should celebrate a birthday week. So, feel free to continue the celebration for the next seven days!
5
ChaplainChas
// May 14, 2008 at 9:31 am
I love the Christ throughout your inventory. Keep Him with you as you ‘blog’ with him in your every day, and know you’ll be found faithful (and just maybe He’ll use a prayer or two of yours in protecting His Laborers on the Mission Field somewhere… Randy: Thuggin it out for Christ).
Congrats on 40 exciting years.
ChaplainChas.
6
Randy
// May 14, 2008 at 4:22 pm
7
Randy
// May 14, 2008 at 4:24 pm
But… you have accomplished a lot. Surviving high school is *major* in my book.
8
Randy
// May 14, 2008 at 4:24 pm
9
Randy
// May 14, 2008 at 4:25 pm
10
Randy
// May 14, 2008 at 4:26 pm
11
Cindy
// May 14, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Hey, watch it! Steve’s not the only one with a (superior) January birthday!
12
Cindy
// May 14, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Happiest of birthdays to the best of evil twins. May your next 40 be full of even more fun, love, joy, wonder, wisdom, growth, miracles and laughter. You are a much appreciated, amazing person, Randy. The day you were born was our Abba’s birth day gift to all of us who know or will know you.
Much love,
Scott and Cindy both.
13
Randy
// May 15, 2008 at 1:04 am
14
Randy
// May 15, 2008 at 1:06 am
and for the record …
bwoohahahahaaha … ha!
15
Cindy
// May 15, 2008 at 12:25 pm
:::dangerously raised eyebrow:::
Whippersnapper.
16
Nick
// May 15, 2008 at 2:21 pm
When I turned 40, I had a mini-midlife crisis. I solved it by visiting a 90 year old friend who said, “Ah, Nick, it’s just the shank of the evening for you.” She was right. The years after my 40th birthday have been the best years of my life. May they be yours too, Randy.
17
Brady
// May 15, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Happy birthday, Randy!!
18
Randy
// May 15, 2008 at 3:58 pm
19
Randy
// May 15, 2008 at 3:58 pm
20
Randy
// May 15, 2008 at 4:00 pm
21
Ellie
// May 15, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I know…I got over it after I actually turned twenty…now I want to turn 21, just so that I can get in to places (of course I don’t drink anyway…so maybe that’s a pointless wish).
Have you ever read Tacky the Penguin? it’s a good book. Sorry, that was random, but I just read it and it made me happy.
22
Ellie
// May 25, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Hey Randy, I found it for you. I was reading (ok, skimming) one of Laura Jensen Walker’s books and she mentioned that her brother-in-law pierced his ear for his midlife crisis. He said it was the cheapest one he could think of. Her husband decided to take up oil painting for his. If you’ve already done the ear-piercing thing maybe you should take art lessons, or ballroom dance lessons, or something?
23
Randy
// May 26, 2008 at 12:36 pm
24
Ellie
// May 26, 2008 at 1:00 pm
“I think mine will be to write a book.”
That sounds wonderfully Hobbitish (and I mean that in a very good way). Have fun writing.
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