Olympic Heroes

Have you been following the Olympics? They are hard to miss because NBC is offering 2,900 hours of live TV coverage. Those live hours, spread across NBC and its cable TV outlets, top the total U.S. TV hours — 2,562 — for all previous Summer Games combined.

I think my fascination with the Olympics began in 1972 when as a high school student I watched the United States freestyle wrestling team win three gold, two silver and one bronze medal. Being a wrestler myself, these athletes became my heroes, and as I watched their exploits in the television each evening, I found myself inspired to work harder, train longer and dream bigger.

This year's crop of athletes in all of the sports are maybe even more impressive, inspirational and heroic. Swimmer Michael Phelps has already won five gold medals and is looking for three more. The US team has already won 29 medals to China's 27, and it's only day five of the competition.

But what about the hero factor that I mentioned earlier. Are these athletes really our heroes? Do we find some kind of inspiration in their feats? Are you inspired to greatness like I was as a 15 year old?

As I ask myself these questions, I think about some other heroes that I know, heroes who will never compete in the Olympic games. I think about a couple who have dedicated their lives to orphaned children in Guatemala. I remember a man in India who was beaten to the point of death because he renounced Hinduism for Christianity. I consider the sacrifice of relatives of a friend of mine who sold and gave away everything and are now ministering in remote Tanzania, where the closest "civilization" is 12 hours away.

They may not be on TV, but to me these are the real heroes.

The Long Road

I read a book in the early 1980's called "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" authored by Eugene Petersen, who also authored "The Message" translation of the Bible. Since my first reading of the book (I have since read it multiple times), I have become a fan of Petersen's work.

In A Long Obedience, Petersen looks at the Songs of the Ascents, Psalms 120 - 134. His basic premise (as identified by the title) is that life is about small, daily practices that order our steps and define our lives.

Lately I have been meditating on these Psalms and the concept of daily disciplines, and how they affect me. I realize that it's not the big events that cause my growth as a person, but the regular disciplines that I incorporate into my lifestyle that shape my character and transform my nature.

Too often we look for the route that's quick and easy, when the slow and tedious is the path that will take us to our desired destination. As my wife reminds me in her subtle way when we are traveling in the car: It's not the destination, but rather the journey to get there that makes the trip interesting.

Are you ready to stay on the path of a long obedience in the same direction?

Efficient, Effective, Excellent!

I have been thinking lately about how my organization can function better, and even how other organizations can function better. As I was considering this last night (early this morning), these three words kept surfacing in the ocean of my thoughts: efficient, effective, excellent.

Taken separately, each one has its place and purpose in an organization. As each person becomes more efficient in their tasks and responsibilities, the organization functions with streamlined effort and maximum productivity.

But limiting functionality to simply doing things right does not leave room for influence, whether it be in personal relationships, within the community in which an organization is placed, or within the culture that we live.

Instead of doing things right (being efficient), we can consider doing the right thing (being effective). This elevates what we do to a much more purposeful endeavor, moving us beyond simply doing what's expected to doing what's important.

If we want to add another dimension to both being efficient and effective, we can consider excellence: using the tools, energies, creativity and wisdom that we've been given to make what we do the very best. I am not advocating perfectionism, but rather doing things that exceed expectations, including our own.

So whether we are seeking to be efficient: to make things run smooth and get the job done, or we are seeking to be effective: doing the things that will influence those around us, we can always move to the next level by seeking to be excellent!

Batman: The $158 Million Superhero

I guess you have heard by now that the new Batman movie "The Dark Night" took in a record $158.4 million in its opening weekend, making it the highest grossing movie opening in history. This "historical event" has raised some questions in my mind.

Allow me to share a few of these questions without comment (although the questions themselves are motivated by my comments). I invite you to respond or comment yourself at the end of this post.

What would motivate the American public to spend $158 million on a comic-book character's movie?

With gas sitting at about $4 a gallon and the public outcry about it getting louder, why was so much spent on this celluloid creation? (Maybe there were an extraordinary number of car-poolers at the multiplex.)

Were people exercising their voyeuristic tendencies by watching the now deceased Heath Ledger act in his final role?

Are the members of our society looking for a hero, a villain, or a police commissioner to identify with?

Is our collective culture seeking to find some kind of heroic rescue from their own personal Gotham Cities?

Thoughts?

Fight For Affection!

This morning as I was running I heard quite a commotion coming from overhead. I noticed a couple of male Goldfinches chasing each other in the air. I also noticed a female Goldfinch flying in the general area of the "fight". (My wife, an avid "birder", has taught me how to tell the males from the females - without turning them over...)

What I figured out was this: the two males were fighting for the affection of the female. It was quite a spectacle. I realized that this was a characteristic in the animal kingdom that used to exist among humans (maybe it's still active in some cultures).

How much do we "fight" for the affection of our spouses, children and significant people in our lives? Once we have "tied the knot", do we live by the "I've got her, now I can relax" mindset?

We need to continue to show that we would fight for our spouses affection, our children's attention and our friend's consideration. We can't take for granted that they will follow us, support us and be led by us.

We need to create a commotion and fight!

Living In A Fishbowl

This post may not be what the title implies to you. It's not about living in a place where everyone sees your every move. But rather it is an entirely different thought.

My wife and I recently had the privilege of traveling to South Florida and to Mexico. While we were there, we decided to try our hand at snorkeling. I must say, it was an entirely exhilarating experience!

When I was a teenager I snorkeled some in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida's east coast. But that was when I was young, in a hurry, and wasn't into appreciating the natural beauty created by the Creator.

This time it was very different. While in Cozumel, Mexico, we donned our snorkeling gear and jumped in! We immediately realized that we were in way over our heads (literally, and in the sensory-overloaded world under the surface of the Gulf of Mexico).

The beauty of the tropical fish, coral, plant life and other types of "life" were almost overwhelming. Like two kids experiencing an amusement park with the lights, sounds and "dazzle", we constantly tapped each other and pointed at the different sights.

A few days later we spent two days around rock formations in the ocean off South Florida. Again, the experience was almost breathtaking (one must be careful when under the water breathing through a tube)! Here we found ourselves literally swimming with the fishes, as schools of fish surrounded us, almost oblivious to our presence. (I need to do some research to identify them.) We even swam with a school of jack, some of them almost two feet long, and ended our final day with an encounter with a small shark (is there any such thing as a small shark?).

It was fantastic, and we are hooked! But what about living in a fishbowl. The world we saw through our masks was a world that is not seen unless one takes the time to wear the proper equipment to make seeing that world possible. In other words, the fishbowl that we peered into (even swam in) required something to make it possible to experience it (in this case, snorkeling equipment).

Sometimes, to experience an unusual, extraordinary or remarkable thing, it requires either a different perspective, a different experience or an different view. Do what it takes to see life from a new perspective. Climb into the fishbowl and have a look. You may love it!

Maybe I Can Help

I recently saw a commercial for Traveler’s Insurance. The commercial showed a man walking with a huge red umbrella over him. He comes across various groups of people with different problems, and at each group he helps them solve their problem.

From a need to cross a river (the umbrella became a boat), to a need to be out of the rain (a children’s baseball team walked home under the covering of the umbrella), the man with the umbrella helped by offering creative ways to solve the presented problems.

At one point, when presented with the appeal from two children whose bicycle had broken, he says, “Maybe I can help.”

I believe that this is the second essential purpose of creativity (the first being to glorify our Creator). We are given creativity so we can help people. We are to take our creative energies and translate them into purposeful expressions of ourselves that benefit others.

So the next time you come across someone who is experiencing a problem, perhaps you should state, “Maybe I can help.”

Mom: 80 Years!

We celebrated my Mom's 80th birthday with a surprise party this past weekend. My sisters and I, along with our families and my Uncle (my Mom's only living relative of her generation) traveled from various places across the US and gathered at her home in Elizabethtown, KY (just like the movie).

It was a HUGE moment as she answered her door and saw all of us there. The surprise caught her totally off-guard, and we delighted as she savored the moment. Even hours later, after our unexpected appearance, she still kept repeating, "I can't believe you are all here!"

We ate and laughed, told funny stories and remembered ways that Mom had impacted our lives. Of course we watched the "video slide show" of old pictures of her life and growing up, and her family as it began to grow with the addition of her children, then grandchildren. (By the way, my Mom was a stunning model in the New York fashion scene in the late 1940's.) Finally, we honored her with gifts and cards, a fitting tribute to one who had invested so much into us.

I love surprises, especially when they bring joy and delight to those whom I love. And my Mom, whom I love dearly, deserves the biggest surprise I have ever been involved in. You see, without her, I would not be here writing this. Now that may sound pretty trite, but beyond the fact that 51+ years ago she gave birth to me, she invested pretty much her whole life into me and my three sisters.

So honor is only fitting for a godly woman who has distinguished herself as a mother, grandmother, counselor and friend. Who in your life is deserving of honor, praise and perhaps a surprise party? Make some plans to give honor where honor is due!

What if...?

Have you ever had a "What if...?" moment? Maybe you were working on a problem, or driving in your car, or were awakened in the middle of the night and thought "What if I did this?". I believe that vision begins with "What if...?" moments.

My wife and I were invited to the home of an Indian family we know last evening. After a wonderful Indian meal (I was able to identify most of the dishes by their Indian names), the conversation turned to our host's story.

He shared about his life and background in India, how his desired career path was thwarted, how he was invited to America and sponsored by the president of Pepsi-Cola, and how he ended up here in the DC area. With gratitude in his eyes he expressed how grateful he was for his family, his life, and the events of it. He knew that the Lord had shown favor on him.

He shared that he'd recently thought about the poor and needy back in his home city of Lucknow, and what he could do to provide for them. It was a "What if...?" moment for him, and he turned that moment of contemplation into the beginnings of a vision.

As our conversation progressed, he and his wife, along with my wife and myself began to share ideas and suggestions that complemented his vision and "gave legs" to it. My friend's smile widened and his countenance brightened as I summarized the many ideas offered and we formed them into a plan.

What we shared that evening was a "What if...?" moment that grew into a vision, and then into a strategy. It was an encouraging evening. It was an evening of purpose and fruitfulness. It was an evening that mattered.

What about you? Have you had any "What if...?" moments lately? Are you sitting on some "Hmmmmms." that are ready to become visions?

Let me hear from you! Comment on this post (click on 'comments' below) and share one of your "What if...?" moments. Keep the conversation going!

Images Of India

The Gospel was shared with these Hindu mothers and their children!

A Muslim family receives medical care.

Pastor Daniel preaches to the mostly Hindu crowd.

Dr. Srinivas examines a Muslim man.

The local children eventually warmed up to a pic with me.

Pastor Emmanuel and the local Jammu-Kashmir worship team.

The constant police and military presence, my protectors!

The team takes a break to sight-see. See if you can pick me out...

India - May '08: Day 15

Another day of ministry among the Muslims. This is our last medical camp and our last day of ministry. We traveled for almost 1 ½ hours to a farming village where the people were waiting for us at a school. The team had much experience setting up so things were in place quickly and the medical staff was hard at work in no time.

The local people, all very poor, continued to come from all over the area and we lost count at 177 the number of patients we ministered to. Even as we were loading up, one doctor was seeing patients from the back of the van and another doctor was re-opening the boxes of medicine and filling prescriptions.

Again out of respect for the local pastor, Pastor Paul, Pastor Daniel and I stayed among the people and “quietly” blessed them and prayed for their salvation and healing.

One of the organizers of this particular medical camp is a former Muslim who is now an evangelist, spreading the Gospel among his people. He was disgraced by his father (who burned his Bible), and severely beaten by his brother, but he persevered and his brother has since come to the Lord and many others are finding Christ through his witness.

Kashmir is a very tough area to penetrate with the Gospel because of its strong Muslim influence, but there are small pockets of light that are growing stronger. No church could be built because any construction would be immediately burned to the ground. The hard work of the local pastors and the support of Pastor Daniel and Ecclesia Ministries (which Immanuel’s Church in turn supports through our support of the Immanuel’s School of the Bible in India) is making a difference.

Again, amid all of the hard work and seemingly slow progress these last two days, I was blessed to be a part of it!

Tomorrow after a worship service with Pastor Paul’s church, I will be dropped off at the airport to begin my 40 hour journey from Srinagar to Delhi, to Hyderabad, to Dubai, to JFK in New York and finally to BWI. Pastor Daniel and the team have a day’s drive to Jammu where they will catch the train on Monday night and then travel almost 48 hours to Kazipet.

It has been a privilege to serve alongside of Pastor Daniel, and to see his vision and heartbeat for all of the people of India. His compassion, sensitivity and humility have been a great inspiration to me. What an incredible 18 days of ministry!