Grace

What’s The Story Behind Your Souvenirs?

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Every souvenir tells a story. Every keychain or coffee mug means something, whether a memory of a mighty experience or a tangible reminder of a foolish impulse.

When the youth group I lead embarked upon our very first international mission trip to Jamaica, I knew I needed a special souvenir to bring home. When we went shopping on our final day, I spotted this bowl.

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I wanted something in my office I could look at each day as a reminder of the incredible journey God sent me on that week.

What I thought I was getting was an authentic piece of Jamaica craftsmanship. When I got home and unpacked, I realized I had something else. Continue reading →

The Office and The Quest For A Happy Ending

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

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Not every story gets a happy ending.

After 8 years and nearly 200 episodes, I’m worried “The Office” will become one of those stories.

After dismissing the show when it first premiered as yet another soulless remake of a British series, I fell in love with the Dunder Mifflin drones through DVD  marathons of the first 3 seasons.

My friends and I watched and rewatched Jim’s slow and subtle courtship of Pam, Michael’s tasteless jokes, and Dwight’s beet-loving eccentricities over beach trips and long afternoons when we should have been studying instead.

Now with the finale airing tonight on at 8 PM on NBC, “The Office” comes to the end of its story. For diehard fans, this comes with disappointment and with relief. Continue reading →

Your Scars Tell Your Story

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Every scar has a story – just not necessarily a good one.

slide.001I might have the dumbest scar you’ve ever seen. Each year my school had a ceremony honoring the top students. In the 6th grade I got called out of class early along with my friend Kevin to go to this Honors Night practice.

I was pretty excited about the privilege. Well, at least the getting out of class part. As Kevin and I headed toward the practice, I pushed open the door outside with a joyful burst of strength.

What I didn’t count on as I used all of my force was the force of the door as it swung back. Just as quickly as I had flung it open the door bounced off the wall and slammed back into me, crushing my glasses right into my face. Continue reading →

What Your Vinyl Collection Says About You

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

photo (19)Did you celebrate Record Store Day?

Saturday, April 20 was the seventh annual celebration of all things vinyl. My girlfriend and I were proud participants. We drove two hours to Criminal Records in Atlanta to dig through crates of used records and seek out limited edition new releases from some of our favorite artists like Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors.

At the end of the day we ended up with just about everything we were looking for. What amazed me though was just how many other people did as well.

When we arrived at Criminal Records on Saturday morning, we saw a line coming out of the store and stretching around the next block. We ended up waiting an hour to get in the store, and then another hour or so to get out of the store.  Continue reading →

The Gospel According To Autocorrect

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

I love everything about my iPhone. Everything except Autocorrect.

You might think I would love a feature which automatically corrects my typing. I’ll admit it really is amazing how accurate autocorrect can be in fixing my myriad mistakes. Sometimes I can’t believe how intuitive my phone can be in figuring out what I’m trying to type.

What I don’t love is how much I depend on autocorrect. I’m afraid of how desperately I need it to fix my mistakes.

Without autocorrect, an average text message from me such as this one:

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Would end up looking like this one: Continue reading →

The Most Embarrassing Situation Known To Man

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments
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There may be no more embarrassing situation than purchasing a plunger at 2 in the morning.

Because there can only ever be one reason to buy a plunger at 2 in the morning: your toilet is overflowing, and it cannot wait.

You can’t buy a plunger in privacy. You can’t just order one off Amazon and wait a couple of weeks (or even just a couple of days if you have Amazon Prime). If your house isn’t prepared with a plunger already, you would only buy one when you really need it.

I ran into a friend in Walmart the other night doing just this. We didn’t say anything about the plunger in his hand. We both knew.

There’s no way to hide buying a plunger at 2 in the morning. And you shouldn’t have to. We’ve all been there.

You shouldn’t have to hide any of the other crap you have backed up in your life either. We all have sins and secrets, the things we do at 2 in the morning we’re embarrassed and ashamed of.

If we all have secrets, then whey do we try to so hard to hid them? And why do we ever try to hide them from God? It’s not like God doesn’t know what we’re struggling with. We act like we can keep it from him.

You can’t. Your life is on record. You are on camera at all times. There is no moment in your life you can hide. Continue reading →