To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Inspiration

Importance of Community … The Best 2 Minute Sermon

Although it was a severely painful situation.  In the wake of my good friend’s tragic loss/murder of her son and father, at the high school vigil, I heard the best sermon ever- and it was only 2 minutes long.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader spoke out of Isiah. While he did share about the parting of the waters at the Red Sea, there was another instance in the scripture that was equally as important.  God asked that if He were to part the waters that He needed them to take the first step.  

In his short portrayal of the story, this young and amazing man, asked the audience to lock arms with this family and step into healing together as a community.  All I can say is, “WOW!”
We need each other on this journey and it is easier to take the first step if you have a community to join you in both pleasure and pain.  

Start the Summer with a Mindset Toward an Unabashed Adventure – a blog book review

blog_682030_2730019_1432573650The name Mark Batterson may be appearing multiple times on this blog- If you go to my favorite page, you’ll find his New York Times Best Seller, The Circle Maker right up front. That book should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

Mark is a Missouri boy who took a leap of faith over 20 years ago when he and his wife ventured to Washington DC to start a church and what I would say was pioneering a revolution.
(Check out www.theaterchurch.com to find out more.)   He is an excellent writer, and I should know because I read enough to make an appropriate criticism or praise as in this situation.

Below are some of the key concepts from his new book, A Trip around the Sun.  In this short read, Mark shares the journey with his mentor, Dick Foth.  He shares of their common mantra in how they pursue life:  “CHOOSE ADVENTURE” (I love that).

It made me think, what IS my mantra on living life? I personally had never given any thought to one year of my life equating to a “journey around the sun,” but it’s a cool way to think about it and perhaps sparks a challenge to make my next 47 years even more adventurous.  Here we go… I promise if you are a reader you will love this book!

In each chapter, whatever the focus, Dick shares his story and then Mark does – I liked the ease of this pace!

Here are my 13 Key thoughts, lessons, dog-eared pages, and in no particular order:  (italicized are my commentary)

  1. “Adventure doesn’t happen by accident.  It has to be intentional.”  It is our job to engineer those experiences.
  2. “YOU may be the only Bible some people ever read.”  So the question is,  Are you a good translation?
  3. “A trip around the sun can be 365 days of an unabashed adventure.”  Let’s start this summer with that mindset.
  4. “Ruth and I decided early on that if we had to choose between giving our kids experiences or things, we would give them experiences.”  Amen to that!
  5. “It intrigues me that Jesus spent so much time eating with people.”  (note to self:  He role modeled for us sharing experiences …often.)
  6. “When each of our children turns thirteen, I take them on an adventurous trip to celebrate their grand entrance into teen hood.  I did a version of this for my boys… it is so important!
  7. We so quickly and so easily lose sight of what’s really important in life.  In the words of Stephen Covey, “Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.”  This reminds me of a phrase someone shared with me a few years ago, “Every choice to spend a dollar somewhere is a choice to not spend it somewhere else.”  (i.e.  Do we really need to stay in this nicer hotel or could we stay in a lessor hotel and give the money to a family in need.)  I use that lesson often.
  8. “It is between our ears that we decide how easily offended we will be.  If from the outset we decide that life is not just meant to be survived, we will experience adventure at every turn- in every person we meet, every relationship we have, every book we read. “If we believe life is an adventure.  Life is an adventure.”
  9. “Engage people and life ramps up.  I can learn from anyone: a ninety-three-year-old or a three-year old, a street sweeper or a scientist.  When I make a friend, I get smarter.  When I make a friend, I get richer.”
  10. What human “books” have had the greatest influence on your life?  A short list of mine so far:  my grandparents, Gary and Shirley Mallory, my cousin but I call her “aunt JoAnn”, my friends Kathy, Nan, Denise, Kira, Mindy, Michelle, and Mario and Lynelle Zandstra. 
  11. “Part of our jobs as parents is to be students of our children.”
  12. “No reserve.  No retreat.  No regret.”   A great life mantra
  13. “In Colossians 3:23 Paul says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”  When he says, ‘work at it with all your heart,’ he is talking about sweat equity.  Blood, sweat, and tears.  Leave it all on the court, so to speak.  Do it like your life depends on it. 

A Big Hello!

If I were meeting you right now, I’d likely give you a big hug…unless you are one of those “I am not the hugging type”, then a friendly hand shake or even a smile is coming your way.  Hopefully I will have the opportunity to meet you face to face and spend time chatting it up and hearing your story.

STORIES, IDEAS, and CONVERSATION are what this blog hopes to deliver! STORIES that are simply about the fun and unexpected people we meet — things and events that make up our days — stories of lives well lived — books that intrigue us, music that moves us, and art that speak to us.  IDEAS about EXCELLENCE that ultimately starts the CONVERSATION. A conversation that CAPTURES our attention, CHALLENGES our thinking, and CHANGES our world.

I am working on my first book, “To Serve Well,” and this blog will be more or less the launch of this adventure.  My hope is to craft insights that will leave you a better person.  Isn’t that what most of us want?  To be better each day?  To use the gifts that God gave us and to shine a light in this world.

So, what can you expect from my blog? (And hopefully choose to subscribe) I want these blog entries to be brief because our attention spans are quickly deteriorating due to the advent social media.  In fact, according to statisticsbrain.com, the average attention span in 2013 was 8 seconds compared to 12 seconds in 2000. Even a goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds so there’s a chance the statistic means absolutely nothing.

If you have never read one of Seth Godin’s blogs, (sethgodin.typepad.com), I recommend you check him out.  He does a great job of being brief and impactful.  That’s my goal.  HOWEVER, that amazing man does this daily.

I do all things in 3’s so you can expect a post 3 times a week. Seth talks about cultural topics and I will be primarily talking about excellence. I will also be weaving in Christian thinking and hope that you will be one of those free thinking individuals that can apply it to whatever religion you choose.  I’m not sure I have ever met anyone that doesn’t desire EXCELLENCE. After all, it’s all about being the best “US” we can be.  So here we go… Can’t wait to hear from you!