Tough conversations

Have you ever needed to confront someone or address a difficult topic with a friend? Did you look forward to it? Man, that is one of the toughest things for me to do. I spend quite a bit of time trying to find just the right way to approach it and still dread actually starting the conversation. I look for excuses not to have the conversation. When that fails I look for reasons that someone else would probably be better at having the conversation. When that lame excuse fails, if I decided not to run away from it, then I suck it up and hesitantly try to say what needs to be said. The closer the friend, the harder to get the conversation started. I started reading Isaiah today and thought about how tough it must have been to be one of God's prophets. To be the one chosen to have that tough conversation with your family, friends, and complete strangers. Delivering a needed message, but one that may not be received well. Knowing it is right doesn't always make it easier to deliver. Sometimes that only hurts you more because you know someone you love needs to hear it.

Are you willing to say the loving thing? Are you willing to confront? The loving thing may not always be easy to hear or say, but the loving thing is doing what is in the other persons best interest. I hope the people in my life are willing to have those tough conversations with me. I hope I can do the same for them even if it is awkward. Do you need to start one of those conversations today? At least you hopefully won't be called to have that confrontation for years like the prophets often ended up doing.

Airport thoughts

Spent a little time hanging out at the Dallas airport today. I always find this interesting. Here are few things I noticed while there and some additional random thoughts from the day.

• On the automatic door going into the airport this morning, I notice in big, bold letters that it says "This door opens". Wait a second, are there doors that don't open? Aren't those called windows or walls? Not sure what to do with this. Are people really confused that a door would open? Seems obvious to me, but maybe I am just quicker than the average airport visitor.
• I had this thought as I waited in the security line at 5:30 this morning. (Random thought... why are this many people here this early in the morning? Seriously, the line was as long as I've ever seen it. Who wants to fly this early?) So why do liquids have to be in 3 ounce or smaller containers? If you are going to make a bomb on a plane with these items, couldn't you still make one... only it would be a small one? Also, could you just take 6 small bottles of the liquid you needed? I don't think there is a limit except that they have to fit in a small plastic bag. Seems a small bomb would still be effective, but this is outside my expertise.
• Going through security in Dallas I noticed that you couldn't take tools longer than 7 inches on board. So are ones that are 6 1/2 inches okay? Does that extra 1/2 inch make that much difference? Also after this it listed that chainsaws, drills, etc. were not allowed. Really? Are there that many travelers wanting to take their chainsaws with them that you need to specifically address this?
• Also I got "randomly" selected for extra security measures. They ran the electronic wand over my hands and then the tips of my fingers. Not sure what to make of this? What exactly were they looking for? This was a first for me. Also is it just me or does anyone else start feeling guilty just because they are selected for the extra security? I start wondering if the other passengers will now avoid sitting by me on the plane as I might be a threat.
• Like that they post what color threat we are currently under. Purple? Lime green? Plaid? Really it doesn't matter because I don't know what the various colors mean. This isn't like when you are on the beach and they fly the red flag warning you not to go into the water. I can see the huge waves and understand the danger. No matter what the color security threat we are under, it all looks the same to me at the airport. Also I don't think I will suddenly change my mind to fly because we are now under an orange security code. Maybe I ought to check that out before I go to the airport. I could always get up at 4:00 a.m. and check the security color code first before I decide if I want to take a ride on the airplane.
• Where else, but on an airplane, would you be excited to get a package of 6 peanuts? People act like they have just won the lottery because they got a "free" snack and a bathroom size cup to have a drink. Maybe if you are lucky, you might also get some crackers. Wonder if we started handing out small snacks at church like goldfish crackers if people would get excited? I mean I know the 3 and 4 years old like this, but would it be as exciting as the 6 peanuts you get on the plane?
  

That doesn't even touch on the people watching that I got to do. Definitely an interesting mix of people at the airport, but that is another post all to itself. Hope your Friday was as entertaining as mine was at the airport. Actually, I hope yours more exciting than that. And remember be careful with those long tools.

Improv or scripted?

Yesterday was a day of curve balls for me. Things thrown at me that I didn't really see coming. Oh, they were things I knew were out there. Things I sort of had a plan for. But what I thought was the situation... changed... without warning.

We can prepare for things, but I recommend holding on loosely to those plans. Things rarely go as expected. And I am okay with that. It may take me a little while to process the sudden change, but then you adjust and move on. What other option do you have?

Kind of think life may be lived best as improv. You make it up as you go along. It rarely looks like a movie because it doesn't follow the script very well. A sudden change in characters, an unexpected twist in the story, a prop you didn't see coming... you adapt and improvise. Seems to be how life happens for me. May be different for you. Maybe you have it figured out, have a plan and stick to it... me, well, I'm just winging it.

The unexpected can be both good or bad. We can't control the unknown, but the great thing is we get to decide how to deal with it. We get to choose our attitude and our perspective. We learn, adapt and keep moving forward.

Don't know what life is throwing your direction right now, but I hope you choose to make the wise choice. Not the easy choice, not even the "right" choice.. but the wise one. Ready... here comes life so hang on and do your best.

Where is the line?

Do you ever think you have it all figured out? You know exactly what needs to happen. You take the matters into your own hands so that it will get done the right way.

Is there a line between confidence and arrogance? If so, what is it? When it is my plan, it is confidence... when it is someone else's plan, then it is arrogance?

Is there humility in your life? Do you allow that you might be wrong? When your expectations aren't met does it collide with your pride and sense of intelligence? Don't we do that with God? We tell him what the plan should be. This is how we should accomplish it. Oh, we don't say it that boldly most of the time. We hide it comfortably in the "right" words to make it sound spiritual. We convince ourselves that because He hasn't handled it in our time frame that we will just take care of it. Aren't we really just full of crap?

Do we see things the way Jesus does? He seems to take everything and turn it upside down. What we value may be the wrong things. We love the person who speaks their mind. The smart person. The one who is driven to succeed. We look at the principled and declare them to be trustworthy.

But the one who ignores the social norms, the one who asks the awkward question, the one who is invasive and a little too personal, the one who is bold in their worship... those types scare us and we shy away from them.

Those two people are describe in Mark 14. Guess which one Jesus praised? The woman with the questionable past who was outrageous in her worship. The other, the one we deem as a role model today, was Judas. One approached with complete humility and the other with his own plan. One was unrestrained in their worship of Jesus while the other couldn't understand God's plan because Jesus was suppose to come as a conquering hero, not serving the forgotten and awkward.

Are you worshipping or worried about your plan? Doesn't seem to me that we can hold on to both of these at the same time. Does humility describe your life? Don't mistake humility for weakness. It takes great strength to humbly chase after Jesus. Arrogance is easy.

Never the same ending twice

I was talking with Lisa last night about what to do in a friendship that appears to be coming to an end. See I don't do endings well. I don't expect relationships to end so therefore I don't know how to wind them up when they do. I've been through friendships that have ended before, but no two are ever the same, so I can't take what I've learned from those and apply it to the current one. I've had ones that changed due to the pull of time and distance. I've had ones end because of the mistakes I've made. I've had the short lived ones that were for a season or for a particular reason. Lots of different kinds of friendship, but none that I ever went into thinking there was an end coming. When I become friends with someone I just don't expect it to end. Naive? Probably. Unrealistic? Probably. But I just can't see the exit strategy. I don't see it stalling and failing to grow. I don't see the change of personalities coming. It comes as a surprise to me any time it has happened (may be that I am just a really, really slow learner.) So here I am and sense it happening again. A change coming. We are walking away and I'm not sure how to end it. Oh, they probably don't see it as ending. Just life and circumstances changing. Things happen and you move on. I just have trouble with the moving on because that says it is over. I'm not ready to give up, but that doesn't change where I am at. How do you end a friendship that you have invested yourself in? How do end something that is part of you? How do you stop caring? How does it end?

Looking forward

My youngest son is energetic to say the least. His approach to life is 100% all out from the moment he wakes up (well maybe not immediately as he doesn't tend to be a "morning person") until he collapses in bed at night. He sees most things as "awesome" and can't wait to take on life. So when he is looking forward to something, you get to hear about it frequently. This is one of the reasons we don't tell him where we are going on vacation until it is close to the time when we are leaving.

This last week was no different. He asked multiple times what day it was and when would it be Sunday. He couldn't wait for Sunday to get here. Why? Well, see last week he was baptized and this Sunday would be the first time for him to take communion. He couldn't wait. He was looking forward to the experience. He was simply excited and was ready for it to be Sunday.

I love that part of his personality (most of the time). The joy he has in what he gets to do. The 100%, full throttle experience of life. His first thought on Sunday as he climbed out of bed was that it was going to be be an awesome day because he finally got to take communion that day. My thought... I wonder why I don't approach communion like that? Why isn't my first thought about the opportunity I get to spend time with God and how awesome that will be? Wonder why I don't look forward to life with the same enthusiasm? Maybe if I recognize that today is going to be awesome simply because I get to chase after Jesus, then I will experience the joy of living life at full throttle.

What about you? Do you approach life with a wondrous joy and anticipation of what could be? Or do you wake up expecting the worst, only to find it come true? Wonder how things would look if on Monday morning we were already looking forward to communion on Sunday? Wonder if that is what it is really suppose to look like? Maybe that is part of the child like faith we are called to experience.

Things I am pondering

Some random thing have caught my attention this week. Not sure how they all tie together but these are the things that I have been thinking about.

• What does it say to someone when we say "I've been busy"? Read the following quote yesterday on one of the blogs I follow - "The truth is we are all busy and we all make time to do what we really want to do. When I say those words to someone what I'm really saying is this - I am too busy for you." Ouch! Sometimes the truth is painful. We throw out the limp excuse of busyness, when in reality we find the time to do the stuff that is really important to us. I've been dismissed by this excuse before as someone rattles off their lengthy list of things they have been doing and I've wondered why I didn't make the list. Why did they have the time for all of those things? Were they politely saying "I am too busy for you"?
• What are you talking about that isn't even relevant? I read a list yesterday that is put out each year by a small college about things that the incoming freshman class have either always lived with or have never known to exist differently. It's their perspective of the world. Things like - few in their class know how to write in cursive, that parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-Head might be the voice of a lost generation, they have never used a phone that has a cord attached to it, Nirvana is on the classic oldies station, having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine. Does the cultural reference that you are using mean absolutely nothing to the audience you are trying to reach? Is the latest thing you are worried about going to be just another one of those things that end up on this list? Made me wonder what to do as I listened to a couple of guys argue about the importance of e-mail, when in reality for the under 25 crowd e-mail is too slow and outdated anyway. They simply don't use it. Can you change to reach a new generation or are you using references they simply don't understand? Change isn't bad. Embrace it or miss some very important opportunities to reach a different generation. Are you waiting for them to adjust to yours? It isn't going to happen.
• Is a forgotten e-mail, appointment, text, promise or phone call really that big of a deal? I would argue yes. The follow-through is crucial. When we don't follow through we might miss an opportunity. If someone is ready to open up, to make a decision to move forward, shows an interest in Jesus and we don't follow through, then we have at least missed an opportunity and maybe even hindered their growth. When we miss the follow-through, we miss when they wanted to talk, we missed the chance to help them move forward when they wanted to make the effort to move forward. You never know when the opportunity will be available or when they will want to, so the follow-through is crucial. How is your follow-through? Do you do the things you say you will do? Do you show them they are important or do you tell them with your actions that you are too busy for them? We often want to skip the details and just look at the big picture, but if you don't pay attention to the small things you might not even get the opportunity for the big ones.
• Be ready to embrace the unexpected. I was writing a letter to one of the students that leaves for college today and it hit me how strangely our friendship started. It was a little over a year ago that he showed up to where I was hanging out and talking with some of the guys that I had asked to be in a small group. He was a friend of one of the guys and I had never really talked to him before that. He jumped into the conversation that night and continued to keep coming back over the next year. A year of unexpected twists and turns, challenges and incredible conversations. I hadn't planned on meeting with him when I started out last year, but God had other plans. Are you ready to have your plans changed? Sometimes the unexpected is where we get to grow the most. Having a plan isn't a bad idea, but be ready to embrace the unexpected in the plan because that might be where something incredible happens.

Just noticed that today is post 400 for me. Almost two years of writing about the things that grab my attention, the incredible ups and downs of living in community, the way God keeps challenging me, the hard lessons to learn, the things and people that I am thankful for, the books that spark more thoughts, the conversations, the random thoughts and observations, the funny moments and a small glimpse into my perspective on life. Don't know why you check in here, but glad that you do. Hopefully you take away something to think about and realize how crazy God is for you. Hope you have an incredible day and that the unexpected will invade your day.

You only get 24

How do you slow down? Maybe the better question is do you slow down? Time, like many things, is limited. The way we spend it says what our priorities are. Sometimes our time is demanded by things outside our control, but most of the time that is just an excuse we make. We choose our schedules. We choose to say yes or no to the things that require our time. Sometimes we over commit. We think we can do it all. Maybe you can, for a season, but probably not long term. Sometimes we spread ourselves so thin so that we don't have to stop and think. Hard to reflect on things if you are moving at 100 mph all of the time. Sometimes we stay busy so that no one really knows us. We offer five minutes to people. We can appear to have it all together for five minutes. If we invest hours into someone else, then those cracks might start to show. We don't want to stop and examine those weaknesses and we surely don't want to expose them to someone else. We run full speed ahead. We are "on" all of the time. We don't ever fully invest in the relationship. We don't stop to hear God. We don't make the time to invest in others. We simply keep running at full speed until we collapse. We multi-task, which really means we don't fully invest in anything. We think "I am doing this so I will just combine it with this and cover both of them". Really though you haven't given yourself to either. Having a conversation while texting and taking that third phone call really doesn't count as time invested in someone else. Oh, you spent time in the same area, but have you really invested in them? Have you told someone they are priority and then shown it by investing some of your 24 hours in them? How are you going to spend your 24 hours today? It is limited and valuable. Use it wisely on the things that matter.

Movies vs. life

I've decided that what I like in movies isn't necessarily the same as what I like in real life. Let me explain. I watched "Inception" a couple of weeks and thought it was one of the most creative movies (from a story line perspective anyway) that I had seen in a while. It stood out because honestly a lot of movies are very predictable. By the time the opening scene has unfolded on screen, I can tell you what is going to happen at the end of the movie. Not necessarily a bad thing when I'm watching for an adventure movie, buddy movie or the most predictable of all, a romantic comedy (also known as a chick flick). But I like a movie where I don't know where the story is going or when there is a twist in the story that is so totally unpredictable. Films like Sixth Sense or Memento or now Inception have those "I didn't see that coming" moments. Those moments like at the end of "Inception" when the top is spinning and you are wondering will it fall or not? (Not really a spoiler if you haven't seen the movie.) It isn't all neatly wrapped up and concluded by 15 minutes into the movie. You don't know that there will be a happy ending of the guy getting the girl, the good guys will win, or the under dog will become the hero. It leaves you hanging and wondering.

I like that in movies, but not so much in life. It seems a lot of life is that way. You are left wondering how it will turn out. There are unpredictable turns. Things that blindside you. Plot twist that make you wonder how the good guys will win or even if they will win. Life is a lot of things, but predictable isn't one of them. Oh, we treat it like tomorrow will be exactly as we have it planned. That we can control the uncontrollable. That our lives will follow a certain script. But for me, the next step is really about all I can see. I don't know where the movie is heading. I have a vague idea where I want it to go, but really I need to just concentrate on the next step because the rest is out of my control. For all of you who like predictable, I'm sorry, but life isn't one of those things. We simply can choose what is right in the next step. What is wise with the next choice that is before us. We don't really know where it is going to take us during our lives.

Maybe, as I think about it, that isn't bad. The unpredictability of life keeps us coming back to God. We can keep turning back to Him and ask "What now?" What is the next step in this incredibly wild and unpredictable story that is unfolding. How do we fit into His story? What is our small cameo role? How will it impact the story line? Will it make a huge difference in how the story unfolds?

So what movie or movie type does your life look like? What are the unexpected twists so far in your life? Just remember those twists are what make the movie good. In life, those unexpected twists are where we grow and learn.

Move forward

Pep talk - MOVE FORWARD. Sometimes that is what I need to hear. Maybe you do too. Stop looking back and simply move ahead. It is good to reflect and review, but don't camp out in the past. The past can't be changed, as much as we would like to change it at times. One step forward at a time. Don't worry about the next twenty after that. Concentrate on the next step that lies in front of you. Do it right and then move on to the next one.

I believe we are either moving forward or stepping back. Staying in place is not an option. If you stay put the things around you will change, so effectively you have taken a step backwards. Relationships - with your spouse, with friends, with God, as a group - aren't static. So simply move forward.

Talking to myself today (as is usually the case). You are welcome to take the same advice of my little pep talk if it applies to you though.

The danger of the unsaid

What are you leaving unsaid? I have thoughts that I don't always voice, but they shape how I see things. I build on those thoughts over time and they continue to grow. I wonder if this is how bitterness is formed? We choose not to say the hard things. We leave them unspoken, but not forgotten. They slowly build a wall that others don't even know exists until it is a solid wall that is hard to scale. What if we had those tough discussion earlier? What if we sacrificed our comfort to deal with the unsaid?

Not all things need to be said. Sometimes we need to choose silence so that we can reflect on our thoughts. But if we start building up a wall because of them, then maybe it is time to attack that wall and voice them. Maybe it is a simple misunderstanding. Maybe it is a lack of communication. Maybe it is huge, hairy problem that needs to be dealt with. But until it is voiced, we can't start working on it together. It is left unsaid and unresolved.

Are you avoiding the tough conversation? Are you hiding behind the wall saying it isn't that big of deal... yet? I know it may be awkward. I know it might be very uncomfortable. Maybe it deals with stuff you would rather keep shoving in the closet. That is easier in the short term, but what will it cost you in the long term? What conversation do you need to start right now to deal with those unsaid thoughts and feelings? Can't tell you it will be easy. It may be one of the toughest things you do. To admit your insecurities, your doubts, your hurts, the things you have left unsaid for a long time, but doing the right thing is always right. Don't avoid what is wise for what is most convenient. So do you have anything you need to say?

Hang on

Is hanging on enough? Seems to be a season when that is about all I can manage. I feel I have given about everything in me and that still doesn't seem to be enough. The demands far outweigh the supply right now. Grasping for a reason to serve and to love when I don't want to. When I really want to throw in the towel and join the masses in just caring about myself. But (and it is a huge but), I think we were created for way more than that. We are to live in community; to love and be loved; to serve and to be served; to encourage and be encouraged; to pray for each other; to go through life together while we pursue Jesus. But still I wonder if hanging on is enough while I search for that type of community?

As things seem to be overwhelming me, it is amazing how much a simple word of encouragement can be refreshing in that time. Last night a friend of ours expressed her thanks to me for doing some things I love to do anyway. But I can't tell you how much that meant to me. Sometimes I need to hear that. That acknowledgement that it matters. That it is worth it. When from my perspective I am having trouble seeing the point, it is good to have a reminder that serving and loving is always the right answer. A word of encouragement is such an easy thing to give, but so rarely used. That simple act made my week and helped give me the strength to keep moving forward even while I want to just quit on people. So Kim, thanks for some much needed words of encouragement at just the right time!

If you feel at the end of your rope, feel alone in your struggles, feel your friends have disappeared when you need them the most... hang in there for today. Hang in there while God is working. Even though it may be tough to see and you don't feel like it, He is there. And really that is more than enough.

No clue what I'm doing

I find it interesting when people ask me for advice (not that it happens that often) because I usually have no clue what I am doing. The best I have to offer is that I might be a little farther down that particular road (experience or old age, whatever you want to call it) and can tell you what mistakes I've made in getting to where I'm currently at (hopefully you can learn from other's mistakes). I don't have it all figured out and I probably won't ever have it all figured out. I love the process though... not the process of learning through my mistakes (that sucks), but the process of helping someone else. I love to get the opportunity to encourage someone. To help them out even though I don't feel like I have a clue what I am doing. It is a good reminder for me that if I'm available that I can be used.

Now on the other end of the spectrum are those who seem to have it all figured out. I don't know what to do with them. Doubts, insecurity, not sure what steps to take... those I understand, the amazingly self assured... not so much. They act as if they have all of the answers. Maybe it is confidence in themselves. Maybe they do have it nailed down. I don't know, but I sure have a hard time relating to them. They appear to walk through life and never question their decisions. They are right and they are happy to tell you why.

Just thinking about that yesterday as I had a conversation with someone as they tentatively step out. Not sure where they were headed, what waited down the road for them, but still knowing they were supposed to move forward. I can't tell you the answers either, but I am more than happy to go with you and try to figure it out as we go. I may not have the answers that you are looking for (actually I will probably have a lot more questions than answers), but I'm available to try to figure it out with you.

Any other clueless people out there?

Sleep deprivation

Some thoughts from the sleep deprived as I head into the weekend.

• Why sleep deprived? It is that wonderful time of the year just before the college students head back for the fall semester. Lots of students are briefly in town which means some good time to hang out with them and catch up a little with what is going on in theirs lives. The down side? They are college students and are used to the crazy late nights. I love hanging out late into the night as well, but let's just say that my wake up time comes a lot earlier than when they roll out of bed during their summer break. Some awesome conversations the last couple days. Just wrecking the amount of sleep I get though.
• I have a new appreciate for how those telephone books magically appear on your doorstep during the year. We have had the privilege of helping deliver about 1,000 of those the last couple weeks as part of a fundraiser. Let's just say mid-afternoon in July in Oklahoma is not the most pleasant time of the year to be outside delivery books. Also I wonder how much longer phone books will be around. Five years before they become obsolete? Can't say that I will miss them and I definitely won't miss delivering them.
• I love buying birthday presents for friends. I take it as a challenge to find just the right gift for them. Don't know that they appreciate them as much as I enjoy giving them, but it is the thought that counts right? Trying to match the gift with their unique personality is a fun exercise. When I have the time to be creative, the process is even more fun.
• Ready for the weekend to relax and kick back a little. Looking forward to having some friends over and just spending some time having fun together. Also hope to spend an evening hanging out with my wife. Been one of those good, but busy weeks. I am also looking forward to finding a new book to read. Any suggestions?

Have a great weekend!

Right or righteous?

"That is just the way I am. You just have to accept that"... BUT I don't want to. Don't know if you have heard someone say that before, but that is one of those phrases that absolutely drives me nuts (That and "How are you doing?" as they pass by with maybe 2 minutes to spare to listen to you if you answer with anything other than fine. Another rant for another day). What I have realized is that we can say that just as loudly with our actions (or inaction) and usually more often than we actually verbalize it. I kind of wish people came with an honest, up-front warning label attached - Please don't expect anything more than this from me. Don't listen to the words or promises that I say as I really am not going to change. I could, but that requires hard work and it is much easier for you just to accept me and not ask anything of me.

As much as that drives me insane, I have also realized it is often in my heart as well. This is the way I want it and I don't want to change. I wonder if that is what my life says at times. When people are watching me do they see someone set in their ways and demanding that the world bends to my ways? Is it easier for me to pray for God to change someone else, than look at my own heart and see if it is the one that requires change? Bottom line is my selfishness often collides with your selfishness. I want it a certain way and you want it a certain way. Who will give in?

We have a sense of entitlement. We think we are right and that is what is most important. I wonder if that is the case though? Maybe it isn't about me being right and more about me being righteous. I would bet God is more concerned with my heart chasing after righteousness and living selflessly, than me digging in to prove that I am right and insisting on my way. But that will require change. A change of perspective, a change of attitude, a change of what I value, and a change in my actions. Are you willing to make that sacrifice? Are you willing to give up the argument of who is right?

I have a choice. Do I walk away? Or do I change? See I am not in control of the other person. They have the same choice as well, but I can't change them. I can want to and try to influence or manipulate them, but it isn't really about them. It is about my heart. What am I going to pursue... being right or righteous? I can tell you which one is easier and what I think the right answer is (not the same thing), but as much as I want to, I can't make the choice for you. Which will you choose?

The potential crash

Potential - the currently unfilled capacity to improve, develop or achieve; the possibility or expectation to become. Potential is what could be. You can see the possibilities. I've known a lot of people who have potential. I can see the things they can accomplish. The incredible gifts they possess and the impact they can make. BUT, potential can also be wasted. At some point it stops being potential and becomes what could have been. You see the things that could have been accomplished. The opportunities that might have been if they had tried to live up to their potential. Potential gives hope, but potential wasted is sad. You realize that they have settled where they are and don't want to make the effort to improve or achieve more.

I can't imagine what potential God sees in us. He created us and knows what we can accomplish. But, we tell him we can't do it. It takes too much effort. It is too big for us. We want to stop where we are currently at because it is comfortable and safe or at least it is known. The unknown is where potential lies. It is where we haven't gone yet. It is what might be waiting for us to achieve. We may have stopped and wasted opportunities, but the cool thing about potential is that there is always more for us. We may get sidetracked and give up, but God still sees the potential in us. We always have the chance to become more.

So what are you doing with your potential? Dare to dream a little. My guess is that what God is seeing as your potential is so much more than your hoped for dream. Let's start working at making what could be into what is. To quote the anti-drug campaigns of the 90s, "Your potential is a terrible thing to waste." (Okay, so it said mind instead of potential, but it still works.)

Can you say random post?

Listen or talk? How do you know when to be quiet and listen versus when you need to say something? I tend to listen more than talk so it is sometimes a struggle to say what needs to be said. For others they might tend to talk more when maybe they need to remain quiet and just listen. For me, when I know I need to say something I will. I still approach it tentatively, wondering if I am doing the right thing, but still put it out there even though it isn't as eloquent as I had hoped or imagined in my mind. That's okay because once it is out there on the table, it can be discussed. Not sure what you do when you feel you need to be quiet when you usually talk.

Not at all related to the above thought, but I enjoyed a great weekend with my wife. My awesome aunt watches our boys for us a couple of weekends a year so that we can have some time for just the two of us. Much needed time away for us as a couple to recharge and spend time together. I also love that our boys get to spend time with our families whether it is at my aunt's, my parents or Lisa's parents. So thankful that they have that extended family so active in their lives. We managed to go to three movies over the weekend (Aside awesome note - you can watch a movie before 6 at the Cinemark in BA for $2.75. We were able to see all three movies for what it would have cost us to see one at the other theaters. Nice deal.) and I actually liked each of them. They were "Dinner for Smucks", "Charlie St. Cloud" and "Inception". "Inception" was our favorite even though it takes a good 30 minutes at the beginning to even understand kind of what is going on. I thought all of them were good though and a little different than anything else I've seen in a while. Good weekend spent with my wife.

Another totally unrelated topic. I love to talk to my friends about the stuff going on in their lives. To hear what is rocking their world, challenging them to grow, funny things they think and have happen in their lives, to find out how they are really doing, to ask the awkward questions that few others will, to hear what they are passionate about, to find our more about them. It doesn't happen in one conversation nor does it ever seem to reach the point where we run out of things to talk about. I look forward to those conversations and get to have several of those this week. A couple of friends that I don't get to see as often any more will be in town and I am planning on hanging out for a while with each of them. Probably means I will have less sleep this week, but a small price to pay to hang out with some awesome guys that I have the privilege to call as friends.

What are you looking forward to this week?