I am going to be sore! I spent the afternoon digging my mom's house out. My dad is in Zambia, so I figured she could use some help. She and my sister got the driveway started yesterday.

The front steps, sidewalk, and most of the driveway are now free from Snowtorious B.I.G.

I am ready for a beer and Superbowl snacks!

Georgetown AMC Theaters decided to stay closed today due to the SnowtoriousBIG storm, so we couldn't meet for our Sunday gathering this morning. Jessica and I are watching Mark Batterson on the webcast with coffee and breakfast.

http://www.theaterchurch.com

I put my new Keurig single cup brewer through its paces. Can you tell I enjoy coffee from the pic? My desk is now fully-equipped with a Keurig single-cup brewer, a Mr Coffee four-cup machine, and a single-cup french press. 

The cold air refreshed me as I waited for this morning's bus to Foggy Bottom. I wouldn't have complained even if it had been bitterly cold. I couldn't complain after seeing more horrific images this morning of Tuesday's massive earthquake in Haiti.

As I head to a routine day at work, it is chilling to think what it would be like if every element of my routine was gone. What if my condo building was demolished, my family was missing, my office was flattened, and there wasn't any clean water to drink? This will be a common reality for thousands of the Haitian people.

I wish I could hold on to this moment of fresh perspective, but that is a challenge for me. American individuals and businesses will give millions of dollars over the next few weeks toward the Haitian relief effort, but how quickly will our minds shift right back to the daily grind?

While major catastrophes force me to stop my routine and come face-to- face with the world's pain and suffering, I choose to look past hurting people on a daily basis. Every once and a while I will pray, "God, make me aware of the suffering that breaks your heart." God's answer is simple and hard for me to practice. "Jared, lift up your eyes and you will see the pain that breaks my heart." Frankly, it's a lot easier for me to walk with my eyes fixed to my next step on the sidewalk.

My challenge is to continually look for a fresh perspective or risk living an inward-focused life.