Mundane To Magnificent!

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Not because I am lazy or I'm experiencing writer's block, but for today's post I thought I'd re-visit a post from a few years ago that I wrote just before Christmas:

As we immerse ourselves in the Christmas season I thought I'd call our attention to a common practice at this time of year: Taking simple things and through a little ingenuity and creativity producing something that is much more than their humble beginnings.

Allow me to illustrate: Some people take the cuttings of Christmas trees and create wreaths. Others begin with a roll of yarn and make a sweater to give as a gift. Still others show their brilliance in the kitchen and using simple ingredients and creating tasty feasts and treats (my wife being one of those).

You too possess the ability and creativity to turn the mundane into the magnificent. I believe that we are all made in the image of our Creator, and if we are in His image, then we are creators also.

Don't allow the slow economy stifle your holiday spirit. You can still give, produce, fashion and form. All it takes is some time, thought and creativity.

Mundane to the magnificent. It reminds me of a story where a baby born into the humble beginnings of a cattle stall became the Savior of all and ultimately the King of kings and Lord of lords. Now that's pretty magnificent!

Question: What are some of things you've done or seen where the Mundane became the Magnificent? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Gimmie Christmas

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I remember one Christmas when I was just a young boy just after my father had died. My Uncle Al and Aunt Becky came to our house to spend Christmas with us. (Relevant fact for this story: I had not yet learned to read cursive writing.)

With wide-eyed anticipation I followed my Uncle to his car to help him bring in the Christmas gifts they had brought. He allowed me to make several trips with him, carrying as much as my small hands could hold.

With each armful, I spotted tags that I assumed said Bradley but in actuality said Becky. "My Uncle brought me a bunch of presents", my simple mind concluded.

On Christmas morning we gathered around the tree to open presents. Imagine my disappointment when so many of the gifts that I had assumed were for me were handed to my Aunt. As a six-year-old boy I was experiencing a Gimmie Christmas.

Imagine for a minute a Christmas without gifts...


How disappointed would you be? How disappointed would your family be? Your children?

We hear these words all the time in the weeks leading up to Christmas: What do you want Santa to bring you? What would you like for Christmas? Put together a Christmas wish-list... The Gimmie Christmas tradition continues.

Here's a thought: Instead of giving gifts to people, invest in them. Consider...

• Instead of another piece of jewelry, a promise for a "back-rub a week for a year" for your wife.
• Instead of socks or a tie for your brother-in-law, a copy of a book that has impacted your life.
• Instead of a new game console for the family, take them on a short historical-based getaway.
• Instead of the latest Toys-R-Us "hot toy",  teach your child to bake cookies (and give away the cookies to neighbors).
• Instead of clothes, send your teenager on a short-term missions trip in the summer.

Maybe Gimmie Christmas can become simply Christmas again.

Question: What are some of your ideas to invest in others this Christmas? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Purpose-Driven Christmas

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Here are some purposeful thoughts as we move towards Christmas:

• Don't let Christmas just happen, make it happen.
• Don't just do what you've always done, do what you're supposed to do.
• Don't just buy stuff, invest in people.
• Instead of asking "What do you want?", ask yourself what would enrich them.
• Don't just find things to do, make memories.

Question: What are some other things you could do to make this Christmas purposeful, meaningful, and memorable?  Share your thoughts below in comments.

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A Fresh Look At Thanksgiving

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Here's a different way to look at your Thanksgiving Day, especially when things don't go as planned: 

Turkey not cooked perfectly? Tens of millions of people around the world will not even have a meal on Thanksgiving Day. It's only one of your multiple meals.

Stuck in traffic? Only 8.5% of the world's population have an automobile. It's only a delay.

House too small for your Thanksgiving festivities? Over 100 million people in the world don't even have a house. It's only for one day.

Flight delayed? Almost 95% of the world's population has never flown. It's only an inconvenience.

Lines too long on Black Friday? The median income worldwide is $2,000 ($5.50/day. For most people it's under $2/day). It's only an iPad.

Turkey too small to feed everyone? An estimated 75% of Americans are overweight. It's only another slice.

Question: What are some ways you can look at Thanksgiving a bit differently, to help you focus on giving thanks? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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...In A Jiffy!

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Have you ever heard this phrase: I'll be finished in a jiffy?

(Jeepers Brad, I haven't heard that since the 1950's.)

OK, bear with me here... (Hmmmm... Another antiquated phrase: Bear with me.)

Do you know what a jiffy is? A jiffy is the unit of time it takes light to travel a centimeter in a vacuum: 0.0000000000033357 seconds, or (3.3357x10^-11) seconds, or (3.3357 times 10 to the power of minus 11) seconds. (I might be old, but I know how to look things up on the Internet!)

In other words, I'll be finished in a jiffy basically means I'll be done really, really fast.

I remember a conversation I had with two of my friends when I was in the 7th grade. My older sister had recently won a scholarly award, and seeking to brag to my friends about her I said, "Guess who won the Dean's Award?" "Who?" they inquired. My response: "Yours truly!" One of my friends remarked with skepticism, "Who, you?" "No, my sister," I replied.

They just looked at me real funny...

Apparently I had no idea what the term yours truly meant. But I used it anyway.

What's my point in this post? Simply this: When we use words and phrases, we ought to know what they mean. When we do we give validity to what we are saying. When we don't, we erode our credibility.

Nuff said! (Look that one up by clicking on it...)

Question: When have you used words or phrases that you really didn't know what they meant? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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The Post-Election Blues

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(To get the correct "feel" for this song, it must be done as a Blues ditty...)


The election is over, I'm sad to say-
The election is over, I'm sad to say.
The polls are gonna' close soon- - They'll be takin' them away.

Musical riff...

The campaigning is finished, I'm so tired of the ads-
I said the campaigning is finished, and I'm so tired of the ads.
The signs on the side of the road have got to come down- - and that ain't too bad!

Musical riff...

There's no more debatin', they've said all they know-
Oh, there's no more debatin', they've said all they know.
I'm glad there ain't no debatin' no mo'- - I wanna watch the X Factor show.

Musical riff...

We had us a winner, and a loser in tears-
Yeah, we had us a winner, and a loser in tears.
But we shouldn't worry 'cause we'll do it all once again- - in four more years...

Musical outro...

Question: What will you do now that the election is over? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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Dreaming Of Doing Good

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I wouldn't dream of it...

Most people wouldn't dream of staying around and riding out a major storm for the sole purpose of helping others. Even less would actually travel most of the way across the country to help. I stumbled across this:

Vern Gillmore, 80, isn't just sending money or supplies to help those affected by the Hurricane Sandy megastorm -- he's delivering himself.

The Utah man has been volunteering with his American Red Cross chapter for three years and was deployed Monday to help a small portion of some 50 million people who could be affected by the storm, according to ABC 4.

"My hobby is volunteering," Gillmore told the news outlet. "I love to volunteer and help people."

Most of the time in our me-centered society, where lines of consumers extend into the parking lot of smart phone retailers, and fights breakout amid the stampede of shoppers on Black Friday, people like the above referenced man are rarely heard of.

And yet there are some who still dream of doing good.

Dreaming is good. Dreaming of doing good is even better. Acting on your dreams is the best.

I think I just found something new to dream about.

Question: When have you dreamed of doing good? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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Dreaming...

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Though not an exhaustive list, here are some things I have learned about dreaming:

• Dreaming has no age limit.
• Dreaming of the future is more productive than dreaming of the past.
• Sharing your dreams with others inspires them and inspires you.
• Dreams need to be put into action.
• Dreams inspire creativity.
• Encourage your children to dream.
• Dreamers are valuable part of any team.
• Encourage your team to dream.
• It may be a while until dreams become realities, but keep dreaming.
• Turn off the TV, close the laptop, shut off the video game console, put down your smart phone, and dream...

Question: What are some things you have learned about dreaming? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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Relationships & Hummingbirds In Disguise

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Yesterday evening, as we were finishing dinner and I was looking into our backyard, I remarked to my wife, "There's that dark hummingbird again." We had seen it on Saturday afternoon flitting around the flowers my wife has grown to make our yard beautiful.

My wife's response was this: "I don't think it is a hummingbird."

As I watched it on Saturday, it didn't act like the other hummingbirds we normally observe in our backyard: It's movements weren't as precise as I had seen before (I assumed it was the strong wind blowing that day), it didn't seem to be flapping its wings as quickly as other hummingbirds (I thought it might be injured), and it ignored our popular hummingbird feeder. Plus the color was all wrong.

But the size was right, the long beak was there, and it was sipping nectar from the flowers. My conclusion: A new hummingbird was visiting us.

In my opinion, the hummingbird in question was back, and once again acting almost like a hummingbird... but not quite.

But my wife had already weighed in: She didn't think it was a hummingbird.

I have learned three things when challenged about observations I make:

• I am not always right.
• Someone else may carry more knowledge than me.
• Some things are not worth disputing.

The older I get, the more I realize that I have a tendency to be incorrect. This has caused me to contain my opinions more. As a younger man, my inflated ego motivated me to speak more often than I should have. I am learning to take the role of humility.

The wiser I get, the more I understand. Part of that understanding is realizing that my scope of expertise is greatly limited, and other's expertise is to be highly valued. My wife is a birder, and I am not. I am learning to appreciate that other's strengths may complement my weakness.

The more mature I become, the more I value what is right over who is right. My relationships are worth more to me than one-upping those who disagree with me. I would much rather build on my relationships with love than to erode them with pride.

At this point I will not seek to preserve my dignity or my manhood by declaring that deep down I know I am right, or seek to keep my standing among my male peers by stating don't argue with the wife if you know what's good for you.

Rather, allow me to profess that I don't have all the answers, my wife is the love of my life, and that is enough for this simple man.

Question: As you grow older, what have you realized about life and relationships? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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How To Eat An Elephant, Revisited (Part II)

(Please click and read this personal word from me about my upcoming India Mission Trip.)

So you have a task in front of you. It may be small, or it may be elephant-size. Your job is to solve the problem, to divide and conquer, to eat the elephant, one bite at a time.

In my last post I raised some questions about the idea of how to eat an elephant. Allow me now to offer some alternatives to eating the elephant when solving problems.

Something that has helped me in problem solving has been to apply some creative energy to the challenge by moving through this process:

Assess - This step is imperative in problem solving and elephant eating. A critical eye, looking at various angles through multiple "lenses" will reveal the true nature of the problem. A bigger pump is needed to keep the water barrel full? Perhaps something as simple as a cork to plug the hole in the barrel is all that's needed. We need to look at the elephant closely, and make sure it really is an elephant. If wolves can come in sheep's clothing, than surely a flock of birds can come dressed as an elephant.

Appropriate - Once you decide the best solution to the problem, determine what resources will be needed to fulfill your goals. Again, creativity is a valuable asset. You may not have the financial resources available to "get what you need". If you are really trying to remove an elephant from the room, instead of hiring a bunch of hungry people to eat it, try tempting the elephant with a handful of hay and lead it out.

Appeal - Here is where creativity is the most valuable tool you can carry on your belt. Once you assess the problem and determine what the real need is, develop a creative option to bring about the desired result without having to put on a bib and start dipping elephant meat in barbecue sauce. Appeal to those you need to convince that your alternative is valid (your boss, your team, those you lead, etc.). Can you bring about the same (desired) result with a different strategy?

Attack - At some point you must act. Critical assessment, creative appropriation, and legitimate appeal are worthless unless you execute. Many leaders and creatives never become great leaders and great creatives because they didn't move forward with their plans and ideas. And it needs to be more than a casual attempt at getting something done. You must be committed to the process, and willing to do whatever is necessary remove the elephant. Even if it means eating it, one bite at a time.

Question: What have been your alternatives to eating the elephant? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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How To Eat An Elephant, Revisited

(Please click and read this personal word from me about my upcoming India Mission Trip.)

The popular saying goes: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Good wisdom I will agree. However at face value, this strategy presents some problems and complications: Although a metaphor, the entire concept of eating an elephant as a solution to tackling larger problems brings its own challenges.

I am a vegetarian. Therefore eating an elephant would not resolve anything for me. I just couldn't do it.

Supposing the elephant would be eaten one bite at a time, one would first need to kill the elephant. That in and of itself presents a great challenge: What instrument would you choose to kill it? Would you choose a gun? Do you have one powerful enough? Posion? Would that contaminate the elephant meat? What about the mess that a dead elephant would leave in the middle of your floor?

OK, so you've killed the elephant. Now you must prepare it for consumption. Being a vegetarian, I am no expert on eating elephant meat, but I do believe that you would need to skin it first. I'm pretty sure elephant hide is pretty tough, so the knife would need would have to be very sharp and big.

Once you have the thick skin removed and the meat is exposed, the challenge of preparation arises. Unless you decide to eat raw elephant meat, you would need to cook it. (Boil, roast, grill, fry, blackened... your choice.)

And then following the metaphor of eating an elephant one bite at a time, one would need to store/preserve the uneaten elephant meat. This would require hiring a butcher (or a team of butchers) to clean and dress the elephant meat, and one very large freezer to store it in until your next bite/meal.

But we're not done yet: I do know that when butchering an animal, there are some leftover parts that must be disposed of. It's messy, but mandatory. Many trash cans? Dumpster? Local business' dumpster in the middle of the night?

I am guessing that you get my point here: Eating an elephant one bite at a time is not just a cute, catchy phrase. Although it is a way of tackling a problem, this solution carries with it some problems of its own.

In my next post I will offer some alternatives to eating the elephant when solving problems. (Click here for How To Eat An Elephant, Revisited - Part II)

Question: Have you ever tried to eat an elephant one bite at a time as a solution to a problem? What were your results? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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