To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Simple Thoughts Sunday

Don’t be silent: Let’s honor Dr. King today and always

Please don’t dismiss this week’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Join me in re-familiarizing ourselves with the story of his life by reading his biography and listening to the ever-powerful “I have a dream” speech.

My friend Gretchen who substitute teaches once told me that she asked her class who today’s heroes are. The group couldn’t really come up with any. Maybe some athletes, but overall the exercise left everyone asking who deserves this title today? Who is doing work that addresses the big issues?

Thankfully there are a LOT of heroes in our world who are spending their days working on those big issues. On the other hand, there is always room for more stand-outs that can galvanize our country and world, such as people like Dr. King who sacrifice their lives for the good of man and society.

The quote above is my favorite of King’s. It resonates with me and I hope it does with you. What issues have we been silent about? If you haven’t shared your concern and taken action to help improve a situation, that is silence. This could be as easy as walking past litter in your own neighborhood, or as complex as taking on the hate that impacts our world.

(A shout out to my friend Mindy Corporon and family who are working toward improvement in this area via their foundation and their annual week long event bringing awareness to these issues.) 

No matter what issue you have a passion for, please don’t be silent. It’s a new year – and decade! – and I’m glad we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this month as we kick off and renew our commitment to what is important in our country.

While you are at it, if you have children in your life, encourage them to identify those issues and begin to step forward as a leader to truly impact our world for the positive. I’m confident that today’s youth have what it takes to ensure that America continues to be the greatest country in the world.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Staying in the spiritual gym

Just like our bodies need us to focus on building muscles, exercising our cardiovascular systems and eating healthy, our spiritual growth needs a game plan to ensure we are operating optimally. I loved this concept and thought it was worth sharing.

The three key ideas I captured were…

  1. Staying disciplined.
  2. Lifting up the word of God.
  3. Understanding that “resistance” is what makes us stronger (exercising faith).

A simple thought, but powerful nonetheless.

If we are able to stay disciplined in our spiritual life we will be stronger. We will be able to better handle what comes our way and perhaps be more grateful along the path.

If we focus on the truth we find in the word of God, we can be sure our minds don’t get off track and run down a rabbit hole that isn’t speaking life into us. If we can understand that challenges and resistance can help us stretch and grow we will be less frustrated and make meaningful strides. I believe that takes faith, and exercising this is a daily grind. It is a constant commitment to change our thoughts and recognize that God’s plan has us right where we are supposed to be… if we listen, we will know how that plan is supposed to unfold.

Cheering you on this week!

(This is a throwback post to an ever-relevant message. I hope it resonates with you like it does with me.)

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Welcome 2020

This idea of God establishing the work of our hands is just what I need and possibly you as well, as we launch into the first full week of the new year and the new decade. I don’t want anything or anyone else establishing the work that I do, and I also am keenly aware that I need God’s favor at every turn. No matter where life finds you right no – in school, in retirement, at the onset or at “prime time” in your career – this message should resonate.

The word of God has a lot to say about work. I fully believe that no matter our age or stage, that we are all to be working toward using our energy and minds to fulfill our purpose. One of my all time favorite verses:

“Whatever you do, work at it will all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-34)

God calls for us to be faithful with what He has given us to make the world, at this very time in our own generation, the best it can be. If we all do this, our work and service will elevate us all.

For many, the last several days have given us an opportunity to rest and otherwise be away from the normal daily grind. This time provides us an opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for our work in the year ahead. Hopefully you have spent some time asking yourself some clarifying questions to get you focused on what you hope to bring into the year. I am a full-out nerd about this time of year … the thought of a blank canvas to dream and imagine … is incredibly energizing to me. The exercise of drawing a child-like diagram that features the key parts of my life – family, spiritual, career, health/wellness, financial, etc. – and then drilling into “must have” actions to ensure I achieve these goals has been a necessary step for me for many years.

So, what about you? It would be great to hear any ideas as it relates to good old fashioned life planning and goal setting. How do you approach this new chapter that brings you renewed energy and enthusiasm?

I’m so thankful the word of God has given us both examples and guidance on the topic if we will take time to read and apply. The very idea of this blog is that we are to serve well, and serving is the way we honor those around us and God. We do this best when we are actively working toward using our gifts, time, talents and resources.

Happy, happy new year! I’m so excited to start afresh and am ever grateful for your support and encouragement.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Use your energy to believe

‘Tis the season to believe.
Believe in love.
Believe in yourself.
Believe in joy.
Believe in grace.
Believe that the world is cheering for you.
Believe that a Savior was born to provide all that we need.
Believe in peace on earth, and goodwill to all.

As you enter these last few days before Christmas, consider using your energy to center yourself around truly believing. The world is indeed conspiring for your heart to be full, happy and loved.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Magnify all that is love

It’s Christmas season and of course this is a perfect time to remind ourselves of the power of our thoughts and actions.

I was listening to a podcast this week and the guy was sharing a story about an average night in his family. It was a long day, he was tired with work left to do and his children were frustrated. His wife stepped in and essentially said, “Listen up. I hope you see how hard your dad works to provide for our family and how he always does so with a strong work ethic and passion, and I hope that you will also grow up to do this for your family.” This magnification on the positive made this guy feel like a million bucks, and in his words, “gave him renewed energy.” What we magnify shines a light and gets our attention. We should all remember that our ability to shift the conversation and the energy in the room to the positive is very real and makes a profound impact on those around us.

Changing up the focus to our inner voices, we are reminded that as we step into the next few weeks, we can either magnify the hectic schedules, that family member that always shows up with a critical comment, the cold weather, the fact that we “aren’t ready yet” – OR we can magnify the quiet and reflective mornings we can curate for ourselves, the opportunity to walk out into the brisk morning with a confident and joyful stride or the excitement of the next few weeks offering us a home full of the love of family and loved ones. What will you magnify?

I am mindful this Advent season that I need to magnify the absolute good. (In fact, today’s Advent meaning is joy.) There is truly so much of it and anything that doesn’t meet that category doesn’t deserve my mental energy.

Praying today that you will find yourself focusing your lives on all that is good; calling out those around you, offering love, gratitude and light. I hope that you will fill your personal conversations, both those with yourself and others with all that provides hope and joy during this beautiful season.

“Un-hurry” for the holidays: Don’t sabotage your intentions for this holiday season with hurry

“Don’t miss the joy.” It’s as if that’s a blinking billboard I drive by routinely. The world all around reminds us to make an all-out effort to really feel the joy… the fun… and to embrace the moments this month provides.

For many, this would look like 10 unexpected snow days… Giving the time to really immerse yourself in all things Christmas. My favorite: Reflecting on the year past, meditating, praying, dreaming of God’s plan and, of course, spending quiet time with those I love. Can you imagine what a 10-day runway would enable you to do? Time to actually bake and maybe even deliver treats to your neighbors?  (Okay for those that know me… probably no baking…haha)

Although I do take a few (scheduled) days to enjoy, I must be honest that sometimes that feels contrived and, ironically, hurried – offering just enough time to get caught up on life.

I was reminded in a message this week that we don’t have to “miss the joy.” The author, John Mark Comer, offered 7 ideas for getting there:

  1. Time off social media 
  2. Phone-free blocks
  3. Get your shopping done early
  4. Take a sabbath – truly 
  5. Embrace the use of an advent calendar in order to center our hearts around the message and meaning of Jesus in our lives 
  6. Embrace tradition, or create tradition 
  7. Spiritual celebration 

I would add a few more, like connecting with those that bring you energy and light! What would yours be?

Praying this morning that you find joy all around.

Heading into the season with a spirit of prayer and expectation

The saying above is beyond powerful. Let it saturate your soul.

Prayer is a first response. Prayer is a gift that can help us open up so many gifts it’s truly incredible. Prayer offers us a companion to…

  • Show our adoration & gratitude 
  • Intercede for others
  • Seek guidance 
  • Deliver us from self focus
  • Confess our misgivings and concerns 
  • Simply share our heart … (and so much more)

I have unintentionally strayed from a rich prayer life. Upon reflection, it is simply due to allowing life’s everyday distractions to consume me, edging me off center. I found the book “ The Battle Plan for Prayer” in my bedside table last week. It’s been waiting there for me. The book is part of the War Room project, which included a fantastic movie reminding us of the power of prayer. When I was in Columbus for Thanksgiving, my son had a prayer board in his room with various prayers and scriptures pinned up that he wanted to lean into. This was the point of the movie. (The “war” room is essentially the prayer closet.)

I am always fascinated by the ways God speaks, but never surprised. Right in my direct path, two reminders to nudge me toward perhaps the most powerful tool I have ever found in order to center me and give me direction and hope: PRAYER–

As we launch into December, it is the ideal time to lock into what we know is absolutely true for us… Seeking the roots of our life and spending our physical and emotional energy to ensure we finish the year strong and move steadfastly into God’s plan for us in the new year. I want my prayer life to go deep again; to truly start each day with the power of that connection, and never to consider it an add on to my days if time allows. How about you?

On this CHIEFS Sunday, and the first day of December, my prayer is that you will have one of those holiday seasons that you find yourself taking in wonder at every turn. What a gift this season is!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Finding joy with childlike abandon

So… what will it be?

The freeing sensation of swinging as high as you can, creating enough energy for the wind to push through your hair, that exhilarating feeling in your tummy when you drop – fully alive.

The sense of discovery in a sandbox – digging, building, imagining your next move, making your vision come to life.

Oh, the monkey bars. Revealing your strength as you leap from one bar to the next… maybe even skipping over one or two to exercise your true superpowers.

I love the idea of finding joy with childlike abandon. The very thought of the playground experience makes me smile.

The holidays provide an opportunity for true joy and also very real stress… From clearing our to-do lists and calendars, to the hustle required in preparation to make it perfect for our loved ones.

I felt like this was a really great time to remind everyone to find time to play, whatever that looks like for you. Perhaps we should all make a commitment to enter this season with this very notion of childlike abandon. Incorporating play and exploring the moments as a child would, finding joy and accomplishment wherever the world might take us in any given day.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Errors increase with distance

I am inspired by this idea, and perhaps you will be as well.

Where are you when you are at your best? I heard this concept of “errors (as in a lack of peace, quick to express my viewpoint versus listening, etc) increasing with distance” in the context of spiritual connection. I have to say that I am fully at my best when I am closest to God in some way. When I am actively surrounding myself with not only the word of God, but also the energy that is found by spending time in community with other purpose-focused believers, praying regularly, serving those around me, helping those in need, or reading the stories shared by teachers and authors. Heck, even listening to praise music brings me to a sense of awe and gratitude for both the amazing and the challenging in my world. In short, I find myself most fulfilled when my daily life is spiritually connected.

So, logic would say that when I am further away that “errors” may happen. How true is that? When I am not doing much of what I listed above, I find myself feeling disconnected and far from an optimal state. It’s pretty straight forward, yet I have to be honest: I don’t know how or why, but I sometimes find myself distracted and a lot further from the target. Anyone else?

So, for today’s post, it truly is a “simple thought,” which is to say that we are indeed our best when our actions bring us closer to our creator. When we are intentionally near, we can know deep inside that we can hit the targets we were designed to hit, and do so with a sense of deep joy. That’s powerful.

Praying for you all today to have the BEST week!

Simple thoughts Sunday: Have you ever been undercover with your faith?

First of all, my answer is sadly YES. I was challenged several years ago when someone asked me if the people I worked with would readily know about my faith. I really didn’t know what my closest colleagues at work may say, which is exactly the problem. It occurred to me I had largely kept that (huge) part of my life private outside of personal relationships.  

It could be that I came up out of college in the early 90s, and outside of the need to wear awful navy suits, pantyhose (ugh) and ridiculous pumps, I was mentored to not discuss anything such as faith in the workplace. (I also was told that I really should always vote republican if I cared about the country’s fiscal position. I wish I had known earlier that the best leaders & cultures wouldn’t set you up in this way.) All of this becomes more laughable over time, but it also leaves me, admittedly, a bit disgusted. I don’t dwell as a practice on these types of realities but I certainly hope today’s grads don’t have that experience. But I digress…

Back to the point of today’s message. 

Folks, other people are relying on us to be open about our faith. People need the light that can be brought – and many times flat out hope that we might bring – through this discussion. I am not a fan of flaunting my faith, but I do believe that in the right place (and or conversation) revealing where you find your peace, focus or perspective can be quite helpful. 

You know fairly quickly if someone is open to the idea. As a practical example, I often speak at a mentoring event each year leading a small group discussion about work life balance. In this encounter, I can’t tell you the number of young professionals that come up to me after and want to thank me for talking about my faith. My take-home thought on that experience is that people want to share their faith and blend it in but are afraid. I hope our cultures evolve over time to make this more acceptable. An important part of this to me is that all faiths are important. To me this is where we are best: When we are willing to learn and grow and ultimately open our minds and hearts to many points of view.

So, what would those that know you say about your faith no matter what that may be? Would they know they could come to you if they needed a bit of encouragement or inspiration today? I’m so thankful someone challenged me. I hope it inspires at least one of you! Have an incredible week. 

One more thought: My friends at Faith Always Wins have a terrific interfaith message that is inspiring and encouraging as we all move toward greater awareness. - check them out if you’d like! Their work is changing the world.