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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