Inside, Outside, Upside Down

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A favorite book that I read to my children when they were young was Stan & Jan Berenstain's Inside, Outside, Upside Down. The goal of the book was to teach spatial concepts to young minds.

I can remember my children and I laughing as we read together, seeing the different 
situations that Brother Bear found himself in while inside of a box.

From going in and coming out to right side up and upside down, Brother Bear navigates the new experiences, and in the process learns new things.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself on the inside, not able to see what's going on out there.

Other times I feel like an outsider, trying to get in on what's going on around me.

And then there are the times where my life feels like it's totally upside down.

Isn't that what God does to us and for us? We find ourselves in situations, relationships, and environments where we have to learn how to grow, relate, accept, comply, respond, and forgive.

And in the process we discover that the most important thing we have to do is trust Him.

Let's not shake our fist at our difficulties, but rather embrace them as vehicles to shape us into better people and better leaders.

Question: What do you do when you find yourself Inside, Outside, and Upside Down? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Friend, Follower, or Foe

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We all have friends. Some of us have foes. A few of us have followers. I am not referring here to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogs, or any of the other social media vehicles. Please read on...

Social media has redefined many words. (I wrote on how the words Final, Extreme, and Epic have been redefined in a previous post here.) What about the words Friend and Follower?

In Facebook language, a Friend is someone who has some level of access to your profile, posts, photos, and comments. In the Twitter world, a Follower is someone whose "stream" gets updated with your thoughts, updates, and sometimes pictures.

A common Facebook "poster" keeps his friends informed with a selection of pictures, quotes, complaints, and general musings.

The savvy Twitter person seeks to gather as many followers as possible, tweet (speak) a select number of times a day, and follow a select few who in their opinion have something beneficial to say to them.

But what really is a friend? Who really is a follower?

It wasn't too long ago that a friend was someone whom one could rely on, who would give needed advice, and who had our back. Hmmmm... Does that sound like many of the Facebook friends in your profile?

Equally, a follower was someone who was committed to a leader, and not only allowed themselves to be spoken into by that leader, but allowed that leader to literally influence and shape their life. Again, does that sound like many of the followers in your Twitter profile?

All I am suggesting is that we evaluate who we call friends, who we call followers, who we follow and friend. Just some thoughts...

Question: What are your thoughts on Friends and Followers? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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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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Lessons From A Jump Start

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Because it has been sitting unused for several days while I used another vehicle for commuting, and because we rented a car for our trip to Kentucky, my Mini Cooper wouldn't start on Monday.

It has a 10 year old battery. There may be a short somewhere. Whatever the reason, the challenge was there: My car wouldn't start.

I hunted for my jumper cables. I remember a few years ago that I had three sets. After about 30 minutes of searching I came to a conclusion: I didn't own jumper cables anymore. I later remembered that I gave each of my children one of the sets for their cars.

After I reached this conclusion I still had a challenge: My car wouldn't start.

I mentioned to my wife that I needed to run to Walmart and buy a set this evening. (What I didn't mention was that my Mini Cooper was sitting half in my sloped driveway and half in my street because I attempted to push-start it in reverse.) Her suggestion: Ask my neighbor Darin if I could borrow his.

I have a great neighbor in Darin: He has been a friend for 25 years, we've played in bands together, and he has a garage full of stuff that he constantly offers for my use. So I went into the backyard and sure enough, Darin was working on his yard. I asked to borrow his jumper cables, connected them to my wife's car, jump-started my Mini, and moved it out of the street.

Why do I share this little story? I believe there are a few lessons about jump-starting ideas in there:

• When our minds sit idle and unused, our ideas become stale.
• Sometimes our creativity needs a little boost to get running.
• We may give away a great idea (or three) for someone else to use. That's OK, there's always more.
• Someone near us may have exactly what we need. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
• A little physical and mental maintenance goes a long way toward keeping us sharp and creative.

Need a creative jump-start? Do whatever it takes to get your ideas flowing!

Question: What do you do to jump-start your ideas? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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A Legacy Of Character

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This coming weekend my wife, oldest son, and I will be traveling to Kentucky to celebrate the 85th birthday of my Mother. It will be extra special not only for her, but for myself as well.

My Mom has created a Legacy of Character. Her amazing contribution into my life and the lives of my three sisters can never be measured. Not only are we, her children, the beneficiaries of her incredible investment, but her eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild are reaping those rewards as we model and build those same qualities into the next generations.

These are some of the qualities that my Mom instilled into us that she demonstrates to this day:

• Persistence - Except for the most recent weeks because of a fall, Mom swims daily and does water aerobics. She works hard, and refuses to sit idle.
• Creativity - Mom paints, sews, knits, crochets, and cooks new recipes. Her goal: To beautify things.
• Encouragement - A handwritten note, usually accompanied by a hand-painted card are regular entries in her children's, their spouses, and her grand-children's mailboxes.
• Humor - Her wit is quick, and her laughter contagious.
• Learning - She's an avid reader, and recently took a couple of college courses. Plus, Mom loves to communicate with her children and grandchildren via texting (a new technology she had to master).
• Giving - She lives in a one-room garage apartment, and although she only receives a small fixed-income, she supports missionaries around the world.

By building these and many other qualities into our lives, her legacy lives on through the second and third generations, and beyond. I am blessed!

Question: What are you doing to build a Legacy of Character? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Where Do You Find Your Creativity?

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Where do you find your creativity? Where do you find your inspiration?

Some people find creativity in reading. Others while listening to music. I know of some who love to engage in conversations and come away with fresh, new ideas as a result.

What about you? Do you find...

• Inspiration in nature? Sunrises, clouds, birds, mountains. Seeing creation the hand of the Great Creator and using it as a springboard.
• Inspiration in people? Watching, listening, engaging. (My sister recently updated the status as: People watching... Best thing ever!)
• Inspiration in art? Literature, music, paintings. Created works that stimulate our mind and move our soul.
• Inspiration inside? Thoughts, imaginations, dreams. Listening to the still, small voice that lives within us, and responding to His promptings.

Question: Where do you find your inspiration? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Lessons From Kayak Jack

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The other day my wife and I went on one of our kayak trips across the sound (the mile-long body of water near our house that separates the mainland from the barrier island and the Gulf of Mexico). In a rare move, we took our chihuahua Jack.

Although He prefers spending time with my wife over me, Kayak Jack (as we affectionately call him) began the journey with me in my kayak, acting like a confident sea-dog with his nose in the wind and the sun at his back. (Technically the sun was at his side, but that doesn't sound as adventurous.)

Halfway across the sound, Kayak Jack began to look around for my wife. He moved from his position at the front of my kayak to the back, and watched my wife who was about 80 feet behind us in her kayak. He spent a few moments of indecision, then jumped into the salt water and began to swim to her.

After negotiating the current and the chop, my wife pulled alongside of him and lifted him out of the water and into her kayak. We were both surprised that Jack would take the plunge and actually do that. I think he even surprised himself with that move.

Kayak Jack survived the swim, shook himself dry, and spent the remainder of the trip across (and the trip back) with my wife.

There are some lessons about passion in this fun-but-true story:

• Being passionate about something will cause you to take risks. 80 feet is a long way for a 5 lb. chihuahua to swim. But his desire to be in the kayak with my wife caused Jack to risk the distance.
• Being passionate about something will cause you to be uncomfortable. Jack is not a lover of water. He does not like to swim. He hates baths. And yet he was willing to get wet to achieve his goal.
• Being passionate about something will cause you to leave security. Jack felt safe in the middle of a body of water, a half-mile from shore because he was high and dry in a kayak. Still, he left his security to pursue his desire.
• Being passionate about something will cause you to be "all in". Jack wasn't able to reason that we'd soon be on dry land and he could ride in my wife's kayak if he'd only waited. But he did give up everything and made his sole focus getting aboard her kayak and being with my wife.

Kayak Jack reminded me of the need to be passionate about something, and some of the steps one takes to pursue that passion.

Question: What are some other lessons we can learn about passion from this story? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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