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Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

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Worth repeating: What this moment demands

(Photo Creds: Pine Cove Camps)

(This is an insight worth repeating from around this time in 2016.)

Every moment and season of our lives seems to require something different.

This blog is a shout out to not only my son Sam (pictured above), but the thousands of camp counselors at Pine Cove Camps, Kanakuk Camps, Camp Barnabas and the many other great camps that have literally given themselves fully this summer to serve others. In their endless days, with little sleep and millions of calories burned, they encounter moment after moment where they have to ask this question: “What does this moment demand?”

A child that is just flat-out tired today and not into the camp games, one that isn’t feeling well and another that has more energy than Kelly Ledecky. In every situation, these students have learned to adapt, rise and ultimately, to serve well.

I haven’t gotten to talk at a deep level with Sam yet, but my mom intuition tells me that Sam learned more than he could have imagined and he has a new​ ​idea what personal sacrifice and dedication looks like.

As we think through this idea of “What does this moment demand?” I believe we also often are required to​
adapt and rise up.

What are you encountering in your life right now?​ ​This time last year, we talked about hard conversations, and that is certainly an area that requires something different from us.

Some others might include…

A friend that just received a cancer diagnosis. What is required of us as their friend​? ​How do we need to​ ​rise​ to the occasion. How do we need to adapt our life to be there for them and their family?

A child that is struggling in middle school. Do we need to educate ourselves and read everything we can on these struggles? Do we need to take the time to have meaningful conversations with the school leaders​ ​and​ ​teachers involved? How can we best serve that child in​ ​this moment​​?

A local small business that could use some publicity.​ ​Do we even have a role here?​ ​You bet! Social media is a tremendous tool today! Tell your friends​ ​and give them a shout out. What else?

A community struggling with conflict. Where to even start?

We start by​ ​adapting, learning and by rising up to the moment!

Rewind: What is your pain?

(Rewind: This is a relevant post from 2016. Enjoy!)

I was on a flight back last week from Seattle and had a great conversation with my seat mate. Those of you who know me well may think I would normally “chat it up” with a passenger, but truthfully I am the one to throw on the headphones (even if I don’t have anything on) and try to relax and think and maybe even take a nap! Not really a big fan of plane conversation.

Anyway, I’d been flying all week and this was one of the last legs, and she was really great. We got to talking about how we are currently in the process of selling our home, and I was sharing with her the inspection report and subsequent negotiations. In short, the new owners want to take a bit more out off of the price to deal with some minor issues and that I didn’t really think was fair, but also didn’t want to upset the apple cart so to speak and ruin the deal. Her response was great and WORTH SHARING.

“SO, WHAT IS YOUR PAIN….?”

I didn’t get it right away, but ultimately it was PURE BRILLIANCE. We all have our own pain points. How much pain are we willing to endure…to experience?  It can be emotional or physical dollars as in this case. It can be both of course. I had to think through this with her. In this case, if the deal fell through because I didn’t concede, I would be out perhaps a couple or more months of a mortgage payment, on top of my new payments relating to the move etc. Once I thought of it that way, their ask didn’t seem too much and would quickly add up to the amount they were asking for.  Decision made. Once I realized the amount of what my pain could be, it wasn’t hard.  (Side note: Why in the world had I never thought of this process?)

Some after thoughts I had or other possible scenarios…

What if you have someone at work that is a challenge… What is your pain? What happens if you address it or not?

What if you need to make a big purchase, a new refrigerator, or something expensive… What is your pain if you do or don’t do it now? It may help you to understand if you just can’t tolerate the pain level, you may need to consider other options, perhaps a Craigslist fridge for now….?

What if you have a friend or relative that is about to make a bad decision… What is their pain? Can you help them out by using this as a problem solving mechanism to frame up the real issues they may have based on their choices?

I hope this resonates with some of you all!  I thought it was a tremendous insight and worth the time to think on for a bit… I will be using this now when confronted with a decision.

(Photo Creds:  I’m not sure…It’s been on my “reel” for awhile..)

Onward: We must take what we need and move on to serve others

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I’ve seen a similar image before. I love it. What do you need right now? For every friend I know well, I could tell you that they need one of these. I personally could use some healing and some patience. Heck, I think I may need a bit of strength, inspiration and peace as well.

The final day of the annual Seven Days events sponsored by Faith Always Wins, concluded last night with a unity walk. The final day is also claimed as “ONWARD.” My friend, the founder, and a great inspiration to many, Mindy Corporon, explained why they chose ONWARD for the final day in her Facebook post yesterday:

“Because, as we live our journey on earth together we need to find a way to move onward… past and THROUGH our CHALLENGES. WE ALL HAVE THEM.”  

She is spot on – of course.

I want to take a moment to remind you that there is quite literally an army of people ready to help you with whatever it is you need to help you not only survive, but TAKE A VICTORY LAP AROUND THIS JOURNEY! We need each other. If you question that, I’d be happy to prove that to you! You see, I have seen incredible acts of humanity in my short time on earth and I know personally that with a simple phone call I could engage some of these beautiful people to help, cheer, pull or even push someone across their finish line!

Have an amazing week. ONWARD.

Simple Thoughts Sunday – God Ideas!

(Photo creds: Pinterest)

This week we are going to talk about IDEAS!

We did the same at the end of last March. I don’t know about you, but I have an “itch” for spring (just not spring allergies!), and am ready to rev up the engines for a terrific second quarter of the year.

I feel like we are all always holding GREAT HOPE that we will have IDEAS that create something special, something fun, meaningful and perhaps even INCREDIBLE. An idea that brings our family closer, elevates our career, fills our financial needs, or brings meaning to those things we care about passionately.

I fully BELIEVE that “GOD IDEAS” (A God idea is one that you can’t stop thinking about; one that has grabbed your heart; one that surely must have come from God) are quite possible for us to attract if we simply give our lives to God in prayer and faith. As the picture captures so perfectly: Make Him your first priority and He promises a fulfilled life.

My prayers for you this week are for you to be inspired by GOD IDEAS and that HOPE continues to RISE in your heart as Easter draws near!

Cultivate… something that brings joy

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I love the idea of community gardens. If you aren’t familiar, community gardens are managed by a collective group of people, generally to meet a need in a community. That might be an area that doesn’t have access (financially or otherwise) to fresh produce, but also teaching. No matter the reason, it is a positive initiative that brings great value to our communities… and improves health and happiness.

Our church is doing a sermon series right now on the idea of “cultivate.” This has me thinking about areas in my life where cultivation is needed.

Cultivate has a double meaning, one being to prepare and use land for crops or gardening. We do this by tilling, plowing, fertilizing, mulching, watering, weeding, etc. It is HARD work as anyone who has run a garden knows. The second meaning, according to Google, is to “acquire or develop” a quality, sentiment or skill.

The two definitions are connected, as it is my thought that anything that is developed requires a level of passion and good ole’ fashion work.

I wrote down the word “joy” in my program on Sunday. I’m not sure if that was an example given, or if I felt that was the immediate area I could use some FOCUS on. JOY is so important. I am usually an evangelist for SPREADING JOY in our world, and feel like we all need to consciously keep that top of mind.  The momentum that comes from a “joy campaign” can be incredible.

While you may have an area of your life that you want to “cultivate,” I am hopeful some of you will join me in generating some JOY in our homes, neighborhoods and workplaces! What can you do today to ELEVATE AND CULTIVATE JOY?

Love and technology help the world go ’round

(Photo Creds: My Own)

South by Southwest (SXSW), the “convergence of the interactive, film and music industries” is an annual event (since 1987) held in the ultra-fun city of Austin Texas.

Over the 30 years, it has grown in scope and size and the “coolness” factor is off of the charts. Technology has become a key player and big names such as Twitter were launched into the public conscious at SXSW. (A bit of research shared that Twitter only paid $11,000 in 2007 to host some signage at the event… and from there, they were able to blow up their brand. Influence grew from there.)

All of that said, SXSW seems to be a great place for those “game changer” hopefuls to see and be seen. I personally haven’t been – though hopefully next year! – but have been a “follower” for a few years.

Here’s what stands out to me: technology is the single greatest influencer in our lives right now. Well, that and love… One helps the other is what I’ve found. When you bring it together with music and the arts, it’s a marriage made in the heavens.

Just why is that? The tools of technology have helped us simple humans express love in more active ways. It’s pretty cool that on your birthday, your friends and family from all generations of life can send you a greeting and spread the love and good energy. That’s an easy example. I also love that my mom can text now and that alone has given us an opportunity to cheer one another on, which didn’t exist at that level prior that technology. Instagram and Snapchat allow us to share visuals that bring us joy.

(But, of course, technology can also be blamed for mass sharing of negative. To be honest, my feeds are 95+% positive so in my opinion, we have the ability to scroll or swipe past the “stuff” that makes us crazy… our choice.)

Two key messages today:

  • Embrace technology and the “movements” such as the annual SXSW event that help leverage those into our world… (By the way, I have listed below the various tracks at this year’s event so you can see the diversity and potential impact to our society.)
  • As crazy as technology can sometimes make us, FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE and that it is a  TREMENDOUS VEHICLE FOR LOVE… sharing and growing. We can use this to our advantage and create a world that we all would love to be a part of.

Finally, for all of those that wished me a happy birthday, I want to thank you! Sometimes I get busy and don’t take the time to utilize that awesome feature on Facebook, so I greatly appreciate all of those that took the time to reach out! It  means the world to me that you did. KEEP ON SPREADING THE LOVE.

SWSW17 TRACKS:

  • Brands and Marketing
  • Design
  • Development & Code
  • Government
  • Health
  • Intelligent Future
  • Style
  • Tech Industry
  • Workplace
  • Entertainment influencers
  • Film & TV Industry
  • Making Films & Episodics
  • Making Music
  • Music Industry
  • Music Influencers
  • Touring & Live Experience
  • CLE  (Continuing Legal Education)
  • Experiential Storytelling
  • Food
  • Journalism
  • Social Impact
  • Sports
  • Startup Village
  • VR/AR (Virtual/Augmented reality technologies)

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Be A WAR HORSE

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I had a meeting with my financial planner on Thursday.

We were talking about his small group and the “best advice/counsel” he had been given. He has an older and wiser gentleman in his group (Joe is younger than me… so that older and wiser could have easily been someone my age) that shared the true meaning of the word “meek.”

In the Bible, there is a call to be “meek.” “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5 KJV) “To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” (Titus 3:2)

This can be confusing to many of us, especially our men, who are called to be brave warriors, while they’re also called to be “meek.”

In today’s society we consider meek to mean “weak.” The truth is that being “meek” is the opposite. It is strength under pressure. Joe shared with me that his mentor/friend thought of meekness as the Greek synonym, PRAUS, (a much stronger sounding word) and also gave a vision of a WAR HORSE…The ultimate picture of strength under pressure.

I love this. I want a shirt or tattoo, or something to imprint this idea for my boys especially, but also for me. As we go out into the world this week, I know that we all need to be more “WAR HORSE.” Strong, resilient, brave…

Thank you Joe for sharing this… I know it will resonate with this group of awesome blog followers! Have an amazing week my friends.

Rewind: Take a step up and laugh in the process

(This is a post from March 2016. Enjoy!)

I wanted to take today to offer a bit of humor with a life lesson! I also wanted to use the adorable picture of a donkey that I took in Nazareth while on my trip.

I know most of you have heard this story, but it’s worth repeating. Actually, it spoke to me, because there are a few stones coming in my path that I need to step up and over. I hope you not only find it funny, but that you  grab a little life lesson in there. (By the way, the story doesn’t seem to have an official owner, but whoever came up with it, thanks! We give you credit.)

The famous ‘donkey and the well’ story:

“One day, a farmer’s donkey fell deep into a well. The animal cried for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over & help him. They all grabbed a dirt & began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey didn’t realized what was happening & cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel ­of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.

He would shake it off & take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off & take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well & happily trotted off!

Always remember in life that:

  • Life is going to throw dirt on you.
  • The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
  • Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.
  • We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up, and by taking a step up.
  • In this world people will always throw stones in the path of your success, It depends on you..what you make from them a wall or a bridge!”

Now for the rest of this story…

“The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

The moral of the latter part of this story: When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you!”

Too funny! And a rich story about life – never quit, never surrender.

Grounded and grateful: 3 reasons to reconnect with friends

What fun it was to spend a day with my college sorority sisters on Saturday. I have to say, after not spending any quality time with them over the past 25+ years, our time felt like we were still 19 hanging out talking about God knows what.

Today, my hope is that you will find value in connecting with some of your friends from the past. Here are a few reasons why it’s a good idea:

  1. They GROUND YOU! Sure, we have all moved on and experienced life, but these gals know me. They know me before the career, the family, the kids, the deaths, the divorce… Yes, life may change you, but your CORE is the same, and surrounding yourself with the folks who knew you “back then” is refreshing. I’m certain that if we would have had access, we would have permed our hair, put on some thick blue eyeliner, and sported some killer 1980s outfits!
  2. They INSPIRE YOU! This one I hadn’t really thought of and it was the most surprisingly cool part of the weekend. These ladies have gone through so much and despite it all, they have persevered and came out a quarter of a century or more later better and more beautiful. I felt like I could get through anything by hearing their stories.
  3. They PROPEL YOU! I know we were friends and we probably cheered each other on during college to some degree, but let’s be honest, at that point in our life we are all trying to get through, to achieve, to aspire, to move up the ladder of life. In other words, I’m not sure we propelled each other forward on purpose. What I know now, is that the encouragement these ladies gave me over the weekend is enough to keep me pedaling and pushing ahead.

We all need to be in “community,” and connected, and although I have an absolutely wonderful group of friends and colleagues, coming back to “home base” for me was notable. My encouragement is for you to reach out, schedule some meaningful time, tell the stories that “made you” and where you’ve been, what your hopes are…

It may be some of the best time you have spent in years… It was for me!

Simple thoughts Sunday: Reclaim your peace

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

Folks, I listened to this message this week, and it was a strong one. Joyce Meyer, who is one of the most amazing Christian preachers, seems to always speak to me quite loudly. I have her app on my phone, and on long walks I listen through her daily 25 minute podcasts. Joyce is 73, a motherly type figure for someone my age, but more like a wise sage in that she is so well-versed in the word of God and its application to real life that you hang on to every word.

So, this particular segment was about reducing stress. I can use that pretty much every day of the year. I would characterize myself as spirit-led, and the “type of gal” who is able to handle the daily stresses of life.

Even given that, stress seems to echo in the background noise coming from TV, social media, work life and the stress that enters the homes of each of us. It’s a topic that always leaves us wondering how to persevere better.

Joyce asked us to “make a list” of who steals our peace. Whoa! Immediately, I had three come to mind. None of you though, I promise. 😉

Next, she said to really ask God to take those people (that your human existence cannot seem to handle alone) on for you. It’s that simple. Right? Well, I talk to God about those things, but not sure I have “claimed” them as stealing my peace, so I’m going to give it a try.

She wrapped up her message with what we already know well, that in areas of your life you don’t have peace over, you lose your power. I need my power. As I age, I value every last minute/vial/whatever measurement of it.

As you get ready for another week and your goal toward having the “BEST YEAR YET,” I hope you see some value in this exercise. I’ll be praying for all of you, in fact, I am right now as I write this.

“Peacemakers who SOW IN PEACE REAP a HARVEST of righteousness.”  James 3:18

“Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”  Col 3:15

“Cast all your anxiety on him…”  1 Peter 5:7