Make September Count

It's September. Summer is over. School has started. Fall is just around the corner. However you want to say it, the year is 2/3 over.

Here is a fresh opportunity for you to have have an impact, to create something, to do what you've been putting off for a while.

This morning as I was thinking and praying, I began to focus on something that I had been working on for myself, that I had set aside for a few weeks. I hadn't abandoned it. I was simply allowing the inertia that had been created to keep the momentum going. Well now is the time for me to breathe new life into this project.

Fresh starts are good. Re-starts are good too. Whatever condition you find yourself in creatively, you can always start now, even if you are starting again. You may not be able to wipe the slate clean, but you can begin again, now.

Jump-start, re-kindle, re-send. Case it anyway you want. Call it what you need to. Just take the step, turn the key, push the button.

Make this September count for you. Now.

Question: What can you do to make September count for you?

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The Need To Create

The desire to create. The desire to reproduce ourselves. The desire to leave an impression. All of us carry some degree of a mark-making instinct.

And so children write on walls, taggers paint bridges, builders construct houses, and leaders invest in people. It's present in all of us: the need to create.

You may not think that you are creative, but deep down inside of you is the need to create, That's because you were made in the image of God, The Creator. We carry His DNA, therefore we are all creatives.

So write your song, post on your blog, rearrange the furniture, invest in someone's life.

Find your way of expressing your creativity. (I don't recommend tagging bridges without permission.)

Question: How do you express your creativity? Please respond below...

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Road Trip To Mom's

My wife and daughter left for Florida for my daughter's graduation trip, spending time with our son and his wife in Ft. Lauderdale. My oldest son is working all the time and is rarely home. So I found myself home alone (with Jack-Jack, may daughter's Chihuahua...although with her rarely home anymore, he has become my wife's and my dog).

Before my wife left, she suggested that I go see my Mom, so I decided to take some vacation time and visit her in Kentucky. I'm glad I did.

The 10 hour road trip was uneventful for Jack-Jack and me. I suggested singing and playing the license plate game, but Jack-Jack was uninterested in both. He simply wanted to lay in my lap for the entire journey, except for the times we stopped for gas and at rest stops, to uh... rest.

Well, Mom was glad I came to see her. I chose not to surprise her. I had done that a few years earlier with an unannounced visit, and my sisters and our families, along with my Mom's only brother, had a surprise 80th birthday party for her two years ago. Too many surprises may not be good for a 82-year-old's heart...so my sister whom she lives with made sure my Mom knew I was coming.

So why am I glad I came? Right now I'm sitting in a doctors office waiting room while my Mom is having a previously scheduled Doppler ultrasound test. No, my Mom does not have a storm brewing inside of her. The test is to see the condition of her carotid artery, which had given her some trouble and put her in the hospital last December.

Why am I glad I came? My Mom has talked to me non-stop. After all, I am her favorite son (read only son). She has been telling stories, updating me on her health, and pretty much being my Mom. She is letting me tell her about my trips to India, and commenting on how dangerous it is.

Why am I glad I came? Well, this is my only Mother, and as I get older (and so does she) I'm realizing the value of maintaining and further developing my relationship with her.

She deserves it.

Question: When have you been glad you chose to do something valuable in a relationship?

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Thinking Inside The Box

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We have all heard the statement Think Outside the Box. I would like to challenge us to take a moment and think inside the box. That's right, open the lid and take a look at what you have before you decide what you need.

Sometimes we quickly dismiss the resources that we have available to us inside the box as being insufficient, outdated, and irrelevant. If we only had the newest gadget, the updated software, more money.

Maybe we could make what we have available work for us. Even if the box is empty, it becomes space to fill with our imagination.

Most parents have experienced the phenomenon of their young children losing interest in the gift they received, and playing with the box that it came in. Children have a unique ability to use their imagination, and are very comfortable using what they have.

We creatives (which includes everybody - we were made in the image of the Creator, and therefore we are all creative) automatically look beyond what's there, and visualize what could be. There is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps we could open the box, look inside, and take inventory of what resources are available to us.

Those resources may include "stuff", finances, and people. Be creative and innovative, and leverage those available resources.

Look inside your box. What do you have to work with? If it is empty, how can you use the box?

Question: How have you thought inside the box in creativity or problem solving? Please respond below.


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Designing A Better Toilet

I had a "Facebook posting" conversation with a former student of mine (when I was a youth pastor - a lot of years ago). My former-student-turned-friend, Alex Haupt, was responding to this FB post of mine: Are you leveraging your resources? Blog re-post : http://bit.ly/9uJ6WG. (Did I just advertise my Blog in my Blog?)

After reading my a fore mentioned Blog re-post, Alex responded with: Good Reminder. I have been thinking about how to pitch a ministry idea to our staff. I plan bounce it off a couple people first. What is it with churches spending stupid money on the latest and greatest "whatevers"? I think in the end we ultimately end up only impressing ourselves.

Desiring to keep the conversation going, I returned with: Good point Alex. We do need to look at what we have available, and use existing resources. But don't completely rule out new "stuff and ideas". Where would we be without the printing press?

Alex's response: Or the toilet? God bless the family of Thomas Crapper.

Well our conversation, though starting off productive, kind of went down the um, er, uh...toilet. But the point was made: Use what you have, and if you have to, create what you need.

Alex's comment that we "ultimately end up only impressing ourselves" hung in my spirit for a long time. Sometimes I wonder why we create. Is is to impress others? To impress ourselves? Or do we create because we can't help it?

I have to ask myself this question often, because once I take my eyes off the reason I was created, then when I do create, I am missing my purpose and my destiny.

Question: Why do you create? Please respond below.

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Creative Ministry

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I went to the store for my wife last night just before 9:00. No big deal: my wife knows I will do anything for her (unless it has to do with crawling & broken glass). While I was there I had the opportunity to encourage two different customers, a cashier, and a co-worker of mine. Plus I got a good deal on some fruit.

I have found that opportunities for ministry are everywhere. All we have to do is be a little creative and look for them.

A friend of mine, L.C. Campbell, goes to his local Walmart just about every evening. He really doesn't need to buy stuff all the time. He goes because he knows that is where people are, and people need encouragement. And that's what he does: he helps and encourages people. This isn't something new for him. I have known L.C. for over 35 years, and this has always been his lifestyle.

I know of other people who regularly go to Starbucks so they can develop relationships and somehow be a help and witness to their "Starbucks friends". Another person I know rides on public transportation so he can be around people, and find ways to creatively help those who need it.

Each week at our staff meeting, I remind our team that what we do is about people, not tasks. We need to simply see the people that cross our paths, and look for ways to touch them, to encourage them, to minister to them.

Some Christians squeeze their eyes shut and passionately pray, "Lord, show me who You want me to minister to today." I say open your eyes and look around: people are everywhere. Pick one and go minister!

Question: What do you do to creatively minister? Please respond below.

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A Goose-Eye View

I run several miles most mornings, and on my usual route the road I traverse splits between some woods and a small lake. At a little after 6:00 am, a family of Canadian geese are usually in my path, moving between the woods and the lake.

I have no desire to disrupt their family outing, so I swing out in front of them, giving a wide berth. They appear unfazed by the presence of a human. I appear to be unfazed by the presence of geese (except I have to be careful where I step).

I wonder what the geese see as I ramble by. A tall animal? Knees and shoes? My guess is they see what is in front of them, and not much more. Their goal is to move from the woods to the lake. They are focused on the task at hand, and on not much else.

Now when we usually think of geese, we think of a tight formation of flying honkers several hundred feet in the air. We see the familiar "V", and draw all kinds of analogies for life. Geese teach us when they are flying, not when they are taking early morning strolls.

But allow me to try a bit of creativity...

Sometimes we are like the geese I encounter each morning. We are busy "walking" from one thing to the next, event to event, experience to experience. Our perspective is limited by what we see in front of us, by our next destination.

Maybe we need to get a different perspective and rise above the ground-level path. Maybe we weren't meant to walk on the ground, but we were meant to fly.

Question: What do you do to alter your perspective? Please respond below...

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Creativity Amid Distractions

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I'm sitting in my office and preparing to write this, my latest Blog post. I have just listened to the final mix of a song that my wife had recorded, and I am feeling a bit creative. Down the hall, I can hear the muffled sounds of the Camp Sonshine band rehearsing for this evening's service. The stage is set for great creativity to flow from my brain...

All of a sudden, I am distracted by the obnoxious "tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum..." of a folding machine in another office. The beautiful melodies and harmonies of the Camp band vocalists are swallowed in the grind of the folder. The cool guitar riffs that I was enjoying have become less than background noise. Even the tempo of the folding machine doesn't even come close to what the band was driving. Tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum...

Arrrrgh! But wait, I tell myself. Creativity isn't always about the perfect setting, the perfect idea, the perfect "canvas". Sometimes creativity is about adapting to the situation, changing the tempo, going with the flow.

Life is full of distractions. There are always going to be "things in the way". The perfect setting may never present itself to us. But we can still be creative. In fact, I believe that the best creators are the ones who can leverage the distractions into creativity.

So what did I do with the "tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum, tiggy-dum..." that was distracting me from writing my Blog? I used it as the subject of the post you just read.


Question: How do you handle distractions when trying to be creative? Please respond below...

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Simple Things, Big Ideas

Sometimes the best ideas come from simple things: reading a story to a child, a walk in the park, a conversation with a friend. We just need to look for ideas in everything.

Here are some simple things that yielded big ideas for me:

• While driving through Chennai, India and watching the "organized chaos" that existed on the crowded streets, I thought of a plan to relate to the multiple leadership styles and personality types that made up the pastoral team I am a part of.

• While enjoying a college production of Guys and Dolls a few years ago, I got the idea for a Christmas musical and ended up writing one with a good friend, Rick Libert.

• Sitting on the porch outside of Starbucks one day, enjoying a Java Chip Frappachino, I got the idea to ask the barista to add two pumps of raspberry. Now it's my favorite summer drink! (Hey, it's an idea!)

This morning as I was running, I caught the sunrise through a break in the trees. It was spectacular! It was while observing a similar sunrise not too long ago that I penned these words that became a song:

Radiant splendor dancing through the skies
Morning sun that pushes back the night
How great are you Lord
How great are you Lord
How great are you Lord to me
Creation proclaims
I join in the the praise
How great are you Lord to me

Question: Where have you found creativity or ideas in the simple things? Share your responses below.

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4 Lessons For Pressure Times

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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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Stay Hungry

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This evening I am watching "The Next Food Network Star" on The Food Network with my wife. In this episode, the contestants are paired-up, and using an assigned ingredient each, they are required to prepare an individual dish and a collaborative dish with their partner.

It makes for some creative and interesting work. What caught my attention though, was an advertisement for the Food Network's recently launched sister network, "The Cooking Chanel". The advertisement described the new network, and ended with the phrase Stay Hungry.

As I considered those words, I found myself thinking that I was hungry to create. I haven't produced any music for a while, the only writing I am doing is this Blog, and I haven't had a chance to do any impromptu "stand up". The business of life has reared its ugly head and crowded out my time for imagination. And for now, there's not much I can do about it. So I am hungry to create.

Even as I go on my daily run (one of my favorite creative times), I find myself praying, making to-do lists, and generally solving the problems that I am dealing with at work. Yes, I am hungry to create.

Missing a meal keeps me hungry. Missing a time to be creative makes me hungry (to create). I need to find ways to maintain that hunger. I need to stay hungry.

Question: What do you do to stay hungry to create? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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