A Man Without A Home... Part 2

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In case you didn't get it from my previous post A Man Without A Home, I am a man without a home. But do not be confused: I am not homeless. I am A Man Without A Home (see previous post).

I have found out that being without a home inspires creativity. For instance, I am at my favorite Starbucks, sipping green tea, and using the internet connection here as I write this Blog post.

When I visited my sister and her family for Christmas, the first question I asked after the "welcome-how-are-you's" was, "May I use your washing machine?"

And then food... no problem! Being somewhat of a minimilast-vegitarian, a stop at my local grocery store for some fresh fruit, and a box of raisin bran stashed in my car and I'm set for the day.

I'm no expert, but I am learning to make the most of wherever I am, and whatever I have. While in India, I can take a bucket shower, negotiate roads shared by animals, and I have learned to use roti and naan (bread) as a spoon to move the other food on my plate to my mouth.

I think that is the beauty of the way we were made: to be creative, innovative, and adaptable. Some will say that they need this and need that. I say tap your creativity. Become innovative. Adapt to the situation you are in.

Who knows, 2011 may be the year that we'll need to.

Question: How can you be more creative and innovative in your life? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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A Man Without A Home

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Right now, I am a man without a home. Call it transition. Call it between places. Call it what you want.

Our family is in the process of moving to Florida from Maryland. I will be joining the staff of a church as the co-pastor. My wife and daughter have already moved down there with our "stuff".

I am staying in Maryland because my current church is keeping me on for a few months to aid in the transition of my responsibilities here. I'm glad they are, because my new church in Florida is not in the position to pay me, so I have to find a job to support my family.

This week I am sleeping at friend's house. Next week I will be sleeping at a different friend's house. The next, week, a different friend. All of my stuff that I didn't load onto our moving truck is crammed into the back of my Mini Cooper. Because I am a man without a home. 

I will commute via air, working three-and-a-half days in Maryland, and three-and-a-half days in Florida. This will begin after the first of the year. It should be fun.

That's my story. It reminds me of the story of another man without a home. He began his life being born in a borrowed feed trough in a borrowed cattle stall. He once said of himself that he had no place to lay his head.

He also traveled a lot. Not so much commuting, but rather purposeful journeys on foot to be involved in people's lives.

All of his clothes weren't crammed into the back of his Mini Cooper, but rather were worn on his back.

This same man without a home gave up his life so I could have a home in heaven. Now that ought to be fun!

Question: Have you ever felt that you didn't have a home? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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Re-gifting Blog Posts

Creatives are continually looking for ways to do things differently. But sometimes experiencing the same thing again, the same way is not a bad plan.

So I offer you my 12 Days if Christmas Video Blog from last year. I think you'll enjoy all of them!

Question: What can you do again, for the first time? Share your ideas below in responses.

Put The Christ Back In Christmas...

Several years ago I had the privilege of working with Roy Mills, an Australian musician and worship leader. He had written a collection of Christmas songs, and in the process of recording them, I was brought in to be involved in the project.

The recording was to be called "Put The Christ Back In Christmas", and as we worked with the singers and musicians in arranging and recording, I began to get an idea for a Christmas story based on the theme that was emerging through the songs.

Roy gave me permission to move forward, and together with the collaborative services of my writing partner, Rick Libert, we produced the musical "Put The Christ Back In Christmas". Four performances in a dessert-theatre setting to packed audiences complete with a trailer park, and an Elvis impersonator produced great music and script, many changes lives, and some great memories.

Why an I referencing this story in my Blog? Well, the idea of Put The Christ Back In Christmas is not a new thought among Christians. And the regular readers of this Blog know that I always seek to encourage creativity in others. Therefore, I am asking...

Question: What can you do to Put The Christ Back In Christmas? Share your ideas below in responses.

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Create-Your-Own-Party!

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Are you a party person? What I mean, is when people are around you, do you make them feel better? Do you cause them to have fun?

I believe that every encounter and every relationship needs to be full of life. I want to find ways to enrich a person, rather than deplete them.

I want to go away from an encounter energized rather than drained. And therefore, I want to leave people with a smile and a hope, a laugh and a warm heart.

I tend to overdo it and forget my boundaries. My wife is periodically asking me to dial down the humor because I get, well... out of control. Too much fun at a funeral: Hey, the person is in heaven and feeling a lot better than we are. Too much hilarity at the hospital: Isn't laughter good medicine?

So there you have it. A smile, a good word, some laughter, and even an all-out assault on negativity. That's what I want to leave you with!

Question: How can you create-your-own-party when you are with others? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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Minimalist Thanksgiving

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I was speaking over the weekend with a friend who is from Nigeria. The subject of Thanksgiving came up. He indicated that Nigerians have been celebrating a Thanksgiving-style event for hundreds of years, even before the "first" Thanksgiving here in America.

For them, it is based on the same premise of thankfulness for the abundant harvest that ours finds its roots. Further conversation revealed that many African nations have this focused time of "after harvest celebration". Simply put, we weren't first.

For many Americans, Thanksgiving has become a four-day weekend, a football-game-filled gathering, a time to be with family and over-eat, and the day before "Black Friday" (the day after Thanksgiving that boasts great deals on stuff).

I heard an ad for a national retailer that indicated that they would open for business at 3:00 am on Friday. Black Friday has become Black Friday Week for a few companies, where the same deals are available starting on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Why wait until Friday to shamelessly seek to take consumer's money?

And then there's the eating. (This is the self-inditing paragraph: Yes, I will over-eat, albeit only vegetables, and maybe have only one piece of pumpkin pie, sans whipped cream.) The amount of food consumed by Americans on Thanksgiving surpasses what some people eat in a month. (OK, I'm done.)

May I suggest that we hold off a little on the consumable edibles, and not be so focused on the consumable stuff, the shopping and spending. How about being more focused on our relationships, and gratitude for what we have (that others don't), rather than what we want?

Question: What can you do in your life that will make this Thanksgiving a little more minimalist? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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Dreaming In Black & White

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I usually don't remember my dreams in the morning. However this morning, I vividly remember what I had just dreamed about.

It was a very short dream. It was a very disturbing dream. It was about Nazis taking the Jews out of their homes and "rounding them up".  It was in black & white.

I saw the people in their overcoats, hats and scarves, clutching their suitcases and a few meager possessions. I saw the soldiers in their greatcoats and jackboots, clutching their MG-42 machine guns and driving the people like cattle.

What I remember the most in my dream was a large suitcase that seemingly moved up the street by itself. As it got closer, I saw a small boy crawling on his hands and knees, pushing the heavy suitcase. He was crying. He was in black & white.

And then I woke up. It was still dark in my bedroom. It was still dark outside. Everything was still in dramatic black & white.

So as I write this I wonder why my dream was in vivid black & white. Did my mind feel it necessary to create a Schindler's List atmosphere because of the nature of the dream? Was I simply being historic, and using the pictorial "tools" of the era?

(I will not try to spiritualize this dream, just to share it for what its worth.)

In whatever color you dream, I encourage you to keep dreaming. I encourage you to dream big. I encourage you to let your imagination find new ideas, and new ways of expressing old ideas.

Even if you dream in black & white.

Question: How do you dream (while sleeping and while awake)? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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Creativity Inspires Creativity

I love being around creatives. I enjoy hearing ideas, listening to dreams, seeing the passion that accompanies creativity.

But for selfish reasons too, I love being around creatives, because creativity inspires creativity. I always leave a creative conversation with renewed vision and a dozen new ideas churning in my mind.

I remember attending my first youth ministry conference as a wide-eyed 20-year old. There I was, listening to my heroes (Barry St. Clair, Bill Jones, Ralph Neighbor) taking notes as fast as I could, cherishing every nugget of "wisdom" that was being thrown my way as I sat on the front row (yes, I actually sat on the front row for every session).

Now when I attend conferences, although I diligently listen and take notes, I also allow my mind to run with thoughts and ideas, allowing creative impressions to take shape. Two pages of notes are opened in front of me: one for what the speaker is saying, and one for the creative ideas that come to me as I listen and think. (I actually have written songs while listening to others teach.)

If you are a creative (and I believe that everyone is, because we are all made in the image of the great Creator), hang out with other creatives. Share ideas, listen to impressions and thoughts, receive inspiration.

A good friend and fellow creative is also an aspiring author. (He's not ready to go public yet, but when he does I will post it on this Blog.) He recently asked me to read the first few chapters of his first novel, to give my opinion. I read, and it is great!

Why did he ask me to read? Because according to him, I have "served as a creative inspiration to me on many levels."

So I guess creativity does inspire creativity.

Question: How are you inspired to be creative when talking to, reading, or listening to others? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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ABCs For Sharing Your Dreams

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Are you keeping your dreams to yourself? Are you holding back from "going public" with your innermost hopes because of fear? Are you even dreaming at all?

Although our dreams may be personal, I believe they are meant to be shared. Even if it is only with our closest friend, we should divulge our deepest aspirations. Why? Here are three good reasons:

• Accountability - Sharing your dreams with someone will help you stay on track to accomplish your goals. They can give you periodic "check-ups" to motivate you to keep moving forward.

• Bump - Sometimes we need a little push, a nudge, or a bump to get us going. Fear can paralyze us. Lack of motivation can keep us from taking the first step. When we share our dreams, a needed push is readily available.

• Contribution - Sharing your dreams with someone will allow them to offer another perspective on what you are seeing. This can be valuable as you see your dreams through their eyes and their vantage point.

I am grateful for my wife, who is my best friend and trusted dream sharer. She gives me a fresh perspective on my hopes, she keeps me motivated to press on, and when needed, she gives me the needed bump to propel me forward.

Find someone to share your dreams with. Allow them to be a part of that secret place deep within your soul where your dreams live.

Question: Who do you share your dreams with? How is that beneficial to you? Share your thoughts below in responses.

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How To Make Fruit Salad

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My wife Elaine makes an amazing fruit salad. Her special "brand" sets it apart from other fruit salads I have eaten. Maybe the fact that she makes it not too often is what makes it amazing. For whatever reason, I love it!

We recently had dinner at the home of our son's in-laws, and my wife brought her fruit salad. When we left their house, she was handed her empty serving bowl. But we had only eaten half of it. The in-laws kept the rest...they too thought it was amazing!

The different ingredients are good in and of themselves, but when they are combined, the result is...amazing! (Am I using that word too much? Taste my wife's fruit salad...)

Fruit salad is a lot like what and who we are. If we identify one attribute that we posses (skill, character quality), we can say that we are good at that, or that we excel at that. But when we consider the cumulative total of all that we are (not only what we do, but also who we are), we realize that we are pretty amazing!

Now my goal here isn't to have us pat ourselves on the back and think highly of ourselves, just for the sake of thinking highly of ourselves. Rather, I want us to see ourselves as complete, multi-deminisional people, rather than one-deminisional "I'm-only-good-at-one-thing-types" who miss a lot of who we are because we don't value all of who we are.

Want me to tell you how to make fruit salad like my wife does? Nope.

Question: Do you see yourself as a cumulative total, or as one-deminisional? Answer below in responses.


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3 PRs Of Dreaming

Dreaming is good! Dreaming keeps us thinking beyond our present. Dreaming gives us hope.

But sometimes dreaming needs a little PR. Just laying back and dreaming won't get it done for us. We need to leverage our dreams. Here are three PRs of dreaming:

• Prepare: Dreaming gives us a vision of the future. As we visualize the future, we begin to see what needs to be accomplished, what needs to be put into place to fulfill our dreams. 

• Propel: Our dreams push us. They give us purpose. They motivate us. Our dreams light a fire within our hearts that cause us to pursue those very dreams.

• Preserve: Our dreams constantly compel us to keep going, to not be satisfied with the present. Dreaming reminds us that we were designed to fulfill a greater purpose than we might perceive our current circumstances dictate. 

So dream, dream, dream BIG!

Join the conversation: What other PRs are a part of your dreaming? Share your thoughts below in "responses".

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Of Dogs & Dreams

The other night I had a dream about our dog Jack-Jack. He’s the Chihuahua that I got for my daughter almost a year ago, who has emerged to become our dog now. I joke with my wife that Jack-Jack is her dog. She reminds me that he’s not her dog: she doesn’t have a dog. (I guess he’s my daughter’s and mine. My wife still loves him though.).

Jack-Jack wasn’t the only character in my dream. There was also a mastiff (HUGE dog). Here’s the scenario: Jack-Jack wanted to come into the house. The unnamed mastiff wanted to come into the house also, but he wasn’t my dog, therefore he didn’t belong in the house. (Maybe he’s my wife’s dog…oh yes: she doesn’t have a dog.)

Well I let Jack-Jack in the house while successfully blocking the mastiff, quickly shutting the door. Thinking I only let in my dog, I turn around and there is Jack-Jack and the mastiff. Now how did that happen?

But it gets better: not only is the mastiff there with Jack-Jack in my den, but there are also two kittens! (Allow me to assure you that we do not have any kittens – not even my wife does.)

I will not try to attach any spiritual meaning to my dream at this point. What I will do is make a comparison of my dream and creative leadership. You see, even though our best intentions in leadership are to let only "one dog in the house" (the one we are familiar with), often times another "dog" finds its way into our “house”, even after our best efforts to prevent it from happening.

And then, when we think our plans have only been altered by one “unexpected complication”, we look closer and see two “kittens” that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Bottom line: No matter how hard we try, we will have unexpected setbacks, and sometimes hidden behind the setbacks are one or two other additional complications. Good leadership is about dealing effectively with the unexpected complications, as well as the task at hand.

Question: When have you experienced unexpected complications in leadership? How did you deal with them? Share below in responses…

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3 Creative Leadership Questions

Picture this: You're meeting with your team. No one is participating. Blank expressions. No contributions. The enthusiasm level: below zero. The prevailing attitude: What are you going to tell us to do now?

Have you been in those type of meetings? Have you led those type of meetings? Here are three easy questions that I have found will raise the level creativity on your team, and energize them to action.

What if? Asking your team What if? inspires dreaming. It opens the door to look beyond what is, and launches them to see a compelling future. It's about inspiring them.

How about? Asking How about? gives your team a chance to buy-in to your proposals. Instead of dictating mandates, you are including your team in participating in decisions. It's about including them.

Why not? Asking your team Why not? lets them know that you value their ideas. Instead of rejecting their thoughts, you are supporting and encouraging contribution. It's about investing in them.

The bottom line: Creativity looks outside what is. Leadership releases your followers to look there.

Question: When have you asked these (or other) questions that have inspired your team? Share below...

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Shake It Up!

I've always been one to shake things up. Literally.

In grade school I would shake my milk carton up so much that the foam would spill out over the top when I opened it. Show me a shelf full of snow globes and prepare for a blizzard. If it's liquid (except sodas), expect a vigorous jiggle from me that rivals commercial paint shakers.

I'm not sure why I do that. Maybe my Mom traveled on bumpy roads a lot while I was still in her womb. Or perhaps the baby sitter set my bassinet on the washing machine to help me go to sleep. For whatever reason, I am a shaker. Shake it up!


Sometimes in meetings I ask, "What if?" Often I challenge the status quo, just to shake things up a bit and get our team looking from a different perspective.

As a worship pastor I would periodically move singers around, placing them near unfamiliar voices, seeking to help them break out of their norm, to try something new. As a leader, I often ask those whom I lead to swap responsibilities, giving each one a new perspective on what others do, and how it relates to what they do. Shake it up!


Sometimes this is a great strategy for releasing creativity, for liberating ideas. Simple actions like sitting in a different chair, or writing a Blog post in longhand (do we remember how to do that?) can go a long way to stimulating innovation.

Call me crazy, but there have been times when I literally will lay down on the floor or stand on a chair and scan the room to change my perspective from my usual 5'9" vantage point. Shake it up!


Turn off the light and think in the dark. walk or ride your bike instead of driving. Pause your iPod and listen to the silence.

Shake it up!


Question: What can you do to shake it up and give yourself a different perspective on what you are dealing with? Share below in responses.


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5 Tips For Roller-Coaster Riding

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Having spent 20+ years as a youth pastor, I have ridden more than my share of roller coasters. In fact, there was a time where I went 103 straight rides in the back seat.

(Some people say the front seat is the best, but my theory is that as the front passes over the first hill, it is going slow. The train accelerates as each car crosses the top because of gravity and weight, therefore the last seat in the last car is passing over the hill the fastest.)

Most of us have heard that life is a roller-coaster, and we have to do our best to navigate it, or simply hang on for dear life. If that is true, here are 5 tips for riding the roller-coaster of life:

Get off the roller-coaster - Often, we have a choice. Many of our choices produce results or consequences that can be avoided. Sometimes our choices could have been different. We can avoid some roller-coasters altogether.

Choose where you sit - I already told you of my string of back-seat rides and why I chose to sit there. In the same way, we can choose where we "sit" in life. Where will you get the best perspective? The best control? The best influence?

Choose who you sit with - Sometimes I would bribe a scared 7th grade boy from our group to ride with me. My goal: to help him overcome his fear and experience a thrill. Having someone with us as we navigate life gives us an incredible opportunity to mentor and influence, as they see how we respond to life's dips and climbs.

Watch what you eat - Riding a roller-coaster after eating two corn-dogs, cotton candy, and a coke is not wise. We need to maintain our life's disciplines (diet & exercise, spiritual health, emotional well-being) to effectively navigate the ups & downs and turns of life. Consistency is key.

Enjoy the ride - Some people ride roller-coasters by tightly gripping the safety bar and screwing their eyes shut. Others raise their arms and with wide-open eyes shout whoo-hoo! Life may be a difficult ride, but you can still find some joy in it.

Have a good "roller-coaster" story? Share it below in responses.

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Leveraging Change

This morning as I began my run it was dark outside, with just a hint of dawn in the eastern sky. As I plodded along the miles, the light pushed back the darkness, and by the end of my run it was light. Just like dawn is an ever-changing situation, we deal with ever-changing situations everyday.


As I ran, this definition of creativity came to me: Leveraging our ever-changing situations and resources to achieve a desired result.


Artists do it all the time. A painter does not begin with an infinite number of colors, but rather blends, thins, and adjusts brush strokes to get the desired look on the canvas.


The same goes for musicians. Music is an constantly changing landscape. For instance, there have been a few occasions where I found myself at the last minute without a bass player for a worship set. We adapted by adjusting the EQ on the keyboard and let the left hand cover the bass line.


Another time during a sound check for our Sunday morning worship, the power went out in the entire grid. No problem. I had three acoustic guitars in my office, another staff member had two and we had several guitar players on the team. I put our drummer and percussionist both on percussion, and we led an acoustic set with six guitars and two percussionists. It was one of the most intimate and powerful worship services we have ever had.


Race car drivers face hundreds of changing situations in a race. And the ones who creatively leverage them to their advantage win races.


Great leaders and business people do the same thing: they leverage situations and resources and make things happen.


Creativity: Leveraging our ever-changing situations and resources to achieve a desired result.


Question: When have you adapted your situations and resources, and what were the results? Share your story below.


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The End Of Rubber-Necking

My wife and I were on our way to lunch the other day when we came upon an auto accident. The vehicles involved, as well as the emergency response vehicles blocked one of the two lanes we were traveling on, and we were forced to merge into one lane. I commented, "Everybody's got to slow down to look." My wife responded, "people are naturally curious."

I think the term is rubber-necking. My wife calls is it curiosity. I call it gawking. Whatever one wants to call it, people slow down on both sides of the road to look. (Can you tell that I am frustrated?)

As I silently berated the gawkers, my mind began to become creative (some may say my mind wanderd), and I envisioned a device that public safety personnel could "pop" open that would become a visual barrier 15 feet high, and that surrounds the accident and emergency response vehicles. Move along folks, nothing to see here.

As I thought it through, it began to seem impractical: What if there were high winds? Would it get into the way of other motorists or of EMS personnel? Who would be assigned to collapse the device for future use? You get the picture. But, it would be a useful invention if someone could get it to work right.

I guess what I am saying is that many ideas come from frustration or inconvenience. My advice: use your frustrations or inconveniences as opportunities for creativity. Don't get mad, get ideas!

By the way, I did pray for the occupants of the auto accident as we drove on. That's it! A device that pops down a prayer card from the visor when it hears a siren or sees flashing lights...

Question: How do you respond to inconveniences? Please respond below.

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Make September Count

It's September. Summer is over. School has started. Fall is just around the corner. However you want to say it, the year is 2/3 over.

Here is a fresh opportunity for you to have have an impact, to create something, to do what you've been putting off for a while.

This morning as I was thinking and praying, I began to focus on something that I had been working on for myself, that I had set aside for a few weeks. I hadn't abandoned it. I was simply allowing the inertia that had been created to keep the momentum going. Well now is the time for me to breathe new life into this project.

Fresh starts are good. Re-starts are good too. Whatever condition you find yourself in creatively, you can always start now, even if you are starting again. You may not be able to wipe the slate clean, but you can begin again, now.

Jump-start, re-kindle, re-send. Case it anyway you want. Call it what you need to. Just take the step, turn the key, push the button.

Make this September count for you. Now.

Question: What can you do to make September count for you?

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The Need To Create

The desire to create. The desire to reproduce ourselves. The desire to leave an impression. All of us carry some degree of a mark-making instinct.

And so children write on walls, taggers paint bridges, builders construct houses, and leaders invest in people. It's present in all of us: the need to create.

You may not think that you are creative, but deep down inside of you is the need to create, That's because you were made in the image of God, The Creator. We carry His DNA, therefore we are all creatives.

So write your song, post on your blog, rearrange the furniture, invest in someone's life.

Find your way of expressing your creativity. (I don't recommend tagging bridges without permission.)

Question: How do you express your creativity? Please respond below...

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Road Trip To Mom's

My wife and daughter left for Florida for my daughter's graduation trip, spending time with our son and his wife in Ft. Lauderdale. My oldest son is working all the time and is rarely home. So I found myself home alone (with Jack-Jack, may daughter's Chihuahua...although with her rarely home anymore, he has become my wife's and my dog).

Before my wife left, she suggested that I go see my Mom, so I decided to take some vacation time and visit her in Kentucky. I'm glad I did.

The 10 hour road trip was uneventful for Jack-Jack and me. I suggested singing and playing the license plate game, but Jack-Jack was uninterested in both. He simply wanted to lay in my lap for the entire journey, except for the times we stopped for gas and at rest stops, to uh... rest.

Well, Mom was glad I came to see her. I chose not to surprise her. I had done that a few years earlier with an unannounced visit, and my sisters and our families, along with my Mom's only brother, had a surprise 80th birthday party for her two years ago. Too many surprises may not be good for a 82-year-old's heart...so my sister whom she lives with made sure my Mom knew I was coming.

So why am I glad I came? Right now I'm sitting in a doctors office waiting room while my Mom is having a previously scheduled Doppler ultrasound test. No, my Mom does not have a storm brewing inside of her. The test is to see the condition of her carotid artery, which had given her some trouble and put her in the hospital last December.

Why am I glad I came? My Mom has talked to me non-stop. After all, I am her favorite son (read only son). She has been telling stories, updating me on her health, and pretty much being my Mom. She is letting me tell her about my trips to India, and commenting on how dangerous it is.

Why am I glad I came? Well, this is my only Mother, and as I get older (and so does she) I'm realizing the value of maintaining and further developing my relationship with her.

She deserves it.

Question: When have you been glad you chose to do something valuable in a relationship?

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Thinking Inside The Box

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We have all heard the statement Think Outside the Box. I would like to challenge us to take a moment and think inside the box. That's right, open the lid and take a look at what you have before you decide what you need.

Sometimes we quickly dismiss the resources that we have available to us inside the box as being insufficient, outdated, and irrelevant. If we only had the newest gadget, the updated software, more money.

Maybe we could make what we have available work for us. Even if the box is empty, it becomes space to fill with our imagination.

Most parents have experienced the phenomenon of their young children losing interest in the gift they received, and playing with the box that it came in. Children have a unique ability to use their imagination, and are very comfortable using what they have.

We creatives (which includes everybody - we were made in the image of the Creator, and therefore we are all creative) automatically look beyond what's there, and visualize what could be. There is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps we could open the box, look inside, and take inventory of what resources are available to us.

Those resources may include "stuff", finances, and people. Be creative and innovative, and leverage those available resources.

Look inside your box. What do you have to work with? If it is empty, how can you use the box?

Question: How have you thought inside the box in creativity or problem solving? Please respond below.


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Designing A Better Toilet

I had a "Facebook posting" conversation with a former student of mine (when I was a youth pastor - a lot of years ago). My former-student-turned-friend, Alex Haupt, was responding to this FB post of mine: Are you leveraging your resources? Blog re-post : http://bit.ly/9uJ6WG. (Did I just advertise my Blog in my Blog?)

After reading my a fore mentioned Blog re-post, Alex responded with: Good Reminder. I have been thinking about how to pitch a ministry idea to our staff. I plan bounce it off a couple people first. What is it with churches spending stupid money on the latest and greatest "whatevers"? I think in the end we ultimately end up only impressing ourselves.

Desiring to keep the conversation going, I returned with: Good point Alex. We do need to look at what we have available, and use existing resources. But don't completely rule out new "stuff and ideas". Where would we be without the printing press?

Alex's response: Or the toilet? God bless the family of Thomas Crapper.

Well our conversation, though starting off productive, kind of went down the um, er, uh...toilet. But the point was made: Use what you have, and if you have to, create what you need.

Alex's comment that we "ultimately end up only impressing ourselves" hung in my spirit for a long time. Sometimes I wonder why we create. Is is to impress others? To impress ourselves? Or do we create because we can't help it?

I have to ask myself this question often, because once I take my eyes off the reason I was created, then when I do create, I am missing my purpose and my destiny.

Question: Why do you create? Please respond below.

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Creative Ministry

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I went to the store for my wife last night just before 9:00. No big deal: my wife knows I will do anything for her (unless it has to do with crawling & broken glass). While I was there I had the opportunity to encourage two different customers, a cashier, and a co-worker of mine. Plus I got a good deal on some fruit.

I have found that opportunities for ministry are everywhere. All we have to do is be a little creative and look for them.

A friend of mine, L.C. Campbell, goes to his local Walmart just about every evening. He really doesn't need to buy stuff all the time. He goes because he knows that is where people are, and people need encouragement. And that's what he does: he helps and encourages people. This isn't something new for him. I have known L.C. for over 35 years, and this has always been his lifestyle.

I know of other people who regularly go to Starbucks so they can develop relationships and somehow be a help and witness to their "Starbucks friends". Another person I know rides on public transportation so he can be around people, and find ways to creatively help those who need it.

Each week at our staff meeting, I remind our team that what we do is about people, not tasks. We need to simply see the people that cross our paths, and look for ways to touch them, to encourage them, to minister to them.

Some Christians squeeze their eyes shut and passionately pray, "Lord, show me who You want me to minister to today." I say open your eyes and look around: people are everywhere. Pick one and go minister!

Question: What do you do to creatively minister? Please respond below.

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A Goose-Eye View

I run several miles most mornings, and on my usual route the road I traverse splits between some woods and a small lake. At a little after 6:00 am, a family of Canadian geese are usually in my path, moving between the woods and the lake.

I have no desire to disrupt their family outing, so I swing out in front of them, giving a wide berth. They appear unfazed by the presence of a human. I appear to be unfazed by the presence of geese (except I have to be careful where I step).

I wonder what the geese see as I ramble by. A tall animal? Knees and shoes? My guess is they see what is in front of them, and not much more. Their goal is to move from the woods to the lake. They are focused on the task at hand, and on not much else.

Now when we usually think of geese, we think of a tight formation of flying honkers several hundred feet in the air. We see the familiar "V", and draw all kinds of analogies for life. Geese teach us when they are flying, not when they are taking early morning strolls.

But allow me to try a bit of creativity...

Sometimes we are like the geese I encounter each morning. We are busy "walking" from one thing to the next, event to event, experience to experience. Our perspective is limited by what we see in front of us, by our next destination.

Maybe we need to get a different perspective and rise above the ground-level path. Maybe we weren't meant to walk on the ground, but we were meant to fly.

Question: What do you do to alter your perspective? Please respond below...

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Creativity Amid Distractions

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I'm sitting in my office and preparing to write this, my latest Blog post. I have just listened to the final mix of a song that my wife had recorded, and I am feeling a bit creative. Down the hall, I can hear the muffled sounds of the Camp Sonshine band rehearsing for this evening's service. The stage is set for great creativity to flow from my brain...

All of a sudden, I am distracted by the obnoxious "tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum..." of a folding machine in another office. The beautiful melodies and harmonies of the Camp band vocalists are swallowed in the grind of the folder. The cool guitar riffs that I was enjoying have become less than background noise. Even the tempo of the folding machine doesn't even come close to what the band was driving. Tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum...

Arrrrgh! But wait, I tell myself. Creativity isn't always about the perfect setting, the perfect idea, the perfect "canvas". Sometimes creativity is about adapting to the situation, changing the tempo, going with the flow.

Life is full of distractions. There are always going to be "things in the way". The perfect setting may never present itself to us. But we can still be creative. In fact, I believe that the best creators are the ones who can leverage the distractions into creativity.

So what did I do with the "tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum..." that was distracting me from writing my Blog? I used it as the subject of the post you just read.


Question: How do you handle distractions when trying to be creative? Please respond below...

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Simple Things, Big Ideas

Sometimes the best ideas come from simple things: reading a story to a child, a walk in the park, a conversation with a friend. We just need to look for ideas in everything.

Here are some simple things that yielded big ideas for me:

• While driving through Chennai, India and watching the "organized chaos" that existed on the crowded streets, I thought of a plan to relate to the multiple leadership styles and personality types that made up the pastoral team I am a part of.

• While enjoying a college production of Guys and Dolls a few years ago, I got the idea for a Christmas musical and ended up writing one with a good friend, Rick Libert.

• Sitting on the porch outside of Starbucks one day, enjoying a Java Chip Frappachino, I got the idea to ask the barista to add two pumps of raspberry. Now it's my favorite summer drink! (Hey, it's an idea!)

This morning as I was running, I caught the sunrise through a break in the trees. It was spectacular! It was while observing a similar sunrise not too long ago that I penned these words that became a song:

Radiant splendor dancing through the skies
Morning sun that pushes back the night
How great are you Lord
How great are you Lord
How great are you Lord to me
Creation proclaims
I join in the the praise
How great are you Lord to me

Question: Where have you found creativity or ideas in the simple things? Share your responses below.

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4 Lessons For Pressure Times

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These last few weeks have been...interesting for me at work: My three main areas of pastoral oversight (building & maintenance, IT and tech arts) were director-less (vacation, surgery, other ministry responsibilities), many of our pastoral team were involved in testifying in a court case, thus increasing my pastoral load, and our worship pastor is on vacation and asked me to oversee worship for two weekends and during the week (never a burden though). Plus, one of our pastors is in long-term recuperation from surgery, and we have divided up his responsibilities among us.

I am not complaining, but rather grateful for the way the Lord "built" me: type-A, task-oriented, driven, etc. This has helped me "get 'er done" during this time (it's not over yet, although our building supervisor is back and our tech arts manager is able to focus more on tech arts). But, now some of our team are on vacation or ministering elsewhere, so here we go again... Stressed and tired, but not complaining.

Here are four lessons that I have learned during the last few weeks:

• Maintain my disciplines: Every morning I have my devotion time, run several miles, read, and have coffee with my wife. I maintain my eating habits. I pray. These are my anchors. Neglecting them would only destabilize the rest of my day. Lesson: maintain my disciplines!

• Plan for disruptions: Being a "list-checker" guy, I get easily frustrated when a project I am working on takes longer than I anticipated, especially when a higher priority problem needs an immediate solution. If I anticipate taking more time than I expect a project to take, I am surprised and encouraged when it goes quicker than planned. Lesson: plan for disruptions!

• Use my tools: My iPhone and MacBook Pro have been invaluable to me, helping me keep up with the multiple responsibilities I have needed to cover. Lesson: Use my tools!

• Remember people: No matter how mundane or "task-oriented" a project is, I still interact with people. I needed to keep my stress-level in check and my people-response skills strong. I am an encourager, seeking to serve, rather than a fixer who is being bothered by people. I have made sure that I have taken time to invest into the lives of those I usually invest in. Lesson: remember people!

I have survived to face another day (or rather face another evening: I have a board of trustees meeting next). I am still going strong (although the late evenings are "vegetable times" - and I'm not referring to what I eat). My family still likes being around me (although my daughter thinks my humor is sub-par). Lessons learned!

Question: What are some lessons that you have learned in your times of high stress or heavy work?

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