Harmony & Dissonance

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Harmony & Dissonance. These are not just musical terms. They can apply to relationships and teams. It even can happen inside a mind.

(I see that in my own life: I am an obsessive-compulsive artist. I create music, but it has to be perfect. It is difficult for me to get off the page and improvise. Sometimes I do, and somehow, it works. But enough about me.)

Often when we see harmony, there is a positive outcome. Singers. Colors. Husband and wife. When there is harmony, it just seems right. There is something connecting about singers and musicians who harmonize. There is something special when a team works together and accomplishes its purpose.

But when there is dissonance, we cover our ears. We look away from paintings. We avoid those people.

Usually in music, dissonance resolves itself to a more pleasant sounding harmony. Usually.

I have said for years that harmony creates intimacy. I believe that there is an emotional connection that grows when there is harmony. (As a Worship Pastor I am careful when pairing men and women to sing duets together.)

Turn dissonance into harmony. Complement rather than deter. Harmonize.

Question: When have you created harmony? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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5 Lessons From A Day Trip

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A few years ago my wife and I were attending a conference in Denver. The conference organizers wisely gave the attendees the bulk of a day off after a morning session and before the final evening main event. Desiring to capitalize on the available time, we decided to take a road trip.

I'm not sure why, but going to Wyoming was on my bucket list. My wife found a restaurant in Cheyenne that looked promising, so we entered the address in our GPS, put the top down on our rented convertible (yay for free upgrades!), and set off for the Cowboy State!

Because of the liberal speed limit on the interstate highway, we made it to Cheyenne in a short time and enjoyed a great Tex-Mex meal. We still had several hours before we needed to be back for the evening conference session, so we looked at a map, saw that Estes Park in Colorado was "kind of on the way back", and headed south.

Instead of going back the same way we came on I-25, we decided to take state and county roads to get us to our next destination. It was fun: winding roads that followed streams, switchbacks, and souvenir shops made for an interesting journey. We spent about an hour-and-a-half in Estes Park, and then began our final leg back to our hotel and then to the convention center. We didn't have time to eat dinner before the session, but a late-night snack capped off an incredible day.

Here are five things that I took away from the Day Trip:

• Capitalize on opportunities - We could have sat in the hotel room all day. We could have found a local Tex-Mex restaurant. But we were less than two hours from Cheyenne, and I have not been that close since.
• Don't let Been There, Done That keep you from being and doing again - I have been to the following mountain ranges: Rockies, Sangre de Cristos, Appalachian, Allegheny, Poconos, Catskill, Blue Ridge, Cumberland, Great Smokies, Kenai Chugach, and the Alaskans. I have even been to the Himalayas. We chose to experience another section of mountains we had seen before. And it was great!
• Look for a different perspective - A return trip on the interstate highway would have only given us the same scenery from the other window. Taking a different route on an undiscovered (by us) road made for an interesting return drive.
• Choose relationship over experience - My wife and I would have had a wonderful time sitting by a lake feeding ducks at a public park near our hotel. The most important thing wasn't the experience or the journey. It was being with each other.
• Remember the memories - While driving next to a lake in Estes Park, I thought my wife said, "Look at the railroad!" as she pointed with her index finger in front of my face. "Where?" I kept asking as I looked in the direction of her pointing finger. "Right there" was her repeated response, shaking her finger. I still couldn't see the railroad, especially in the middle of the lake. Finally, I realized she was saying, " Look where my nail broke!" We laughed for 20 minutes at that, and we still remember the story and laugh together.

So there you have it. A day trip full of fun, adventure, and some great take-a-ways.

Question: Have you done any spontaneous things that proved to be great lessons for you? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Sometimes I Call It Dreaming

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While watching a Military History Channel program (yes, I'm a bit of a junkie) on the British Secret Intelligence Service, a description of the type of personnel recruited was given. One trait that was focused upon was that young men (and women) were preferred because of their daring and willingness to take risks.

This caught my attention as a creative. It seems to me that most dreamers are young. Most dreamers are full of hope, optimism, and idealism. They are daring. They take risks.

As people age, they tend to cease dreaming. Some become complacent. Some become discouraged. Some become cold and bitter.

I am finding that at my age, I could easily fall into a pattern of accepting the status quo, and shuffling along with the rest of humanity.

But I work hard not to fall into that trap. I don't want to become a non-dreamer and a non-visionary. I still expect every seed to grow into a flower. I still anticipate the end of a rainstorm and the shining of the sun.

I still believe that every melody line that comes from my heart will capture the hearts of others. I still believe that every person I pray for will be touched by God.

I like to believe that God will take my dreams and fuel them with His power so that they become a reality: A melody conceived that touches the soul, a page written that stimulates the mind, a word spoken that encourages the heart.

I have called it hope. I have called it faith. I have called it vision. Sometimes I call it dreaming.

Question: What do you call it? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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4 Lessons For Pressure Times

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(Knowing that we all face pressure times, I am re-posting this entry from three years ago. I hope it encourages you.)

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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Never Lose The Wonder

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Today I was speaking with a customer at my insurance job, and they were telling me what kind of car they drove: Mercury Cougar. For some reason my mind was transported back to 1967, when as an 11 year old boy I spent the summer with my great aunt and uncle.

My great aunt drove drove a Mercury Cougar, and the strongest memory of her car was the tail-lights. When the turn signal was engaged, the lights moved from the inside to the outside in the direction of the signal.

I was fascinated by this feature. Every chance I got I would go to the driveway and activate the turn signal, and then run to the back of the car to watch the tail lights. A simple form of entertainment, but for this 11 year old it was spellbinding.

Later as I reflected on my memory, I thought about the wonder I experienced when I was younger. I found myself retrieving images of other wonderful things from my childhood: a set of walkie-talkies, my first tape recorder, how it could rain across the street but not in my yard (an incredible phenomenon in South Florida).

As adults we go through stages of wonderment: standing at the altar with our spouse-to-be, the amount of taxes taken from a paycheck, our baby's first movement in the womb.

As we get older, things that were already there catch our wonder: a sunset, our grown children with their own families, a flower in our garden.

I hope we never lose the wonder. I hope we never take for granted our Creator. I hope He always causes us to stop and wonder.

Question: What makes you stop and wonder? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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