Monday morning in a different way

Shake the week up and start off with some random thoughts on a Monday morning (instead of on my usual Friday favorite).

• Last night we got to be a part of a surprise going away party for Kim. Sam and Kim are venturing out for the next couple of years to live outside the United States. (She promised to be back by the time Caleb graduates from high school in 5 years - Wow! That is a strange statement to write.) Lisa and I were discussing that we have had the chance to serve in youth ministry for at least 14 years with Kim (and Sam for parts of that time). It has been a privilege to get to see an example of a couple who is pursuing Jesus with their entire lives that up close over that long of a period. They have left a huge impact on the students over the years in probably more ways than they even realize. They will be missed, but we know that will be used in some new ways where they will be living now. Who is willing to step up and serve for the next 10 years? We have some big shoes to fill.
• Decided on Friday to jump in and participate in the B90X experience. Wondering what that is? Well, basically it is a reading plan to read through the Bible in 90 days. Read about it on Steven Furtick's blog awhile back and promptly forgot about it, but Sheyenne (who happens to be Sam and Kim's daughter) wrote about it on her blog and her reasons for jumping in and trying it. Sounded good to me, so here we go. A year seems like a long time, but 90 days seems manageable to me. Plus I might be able to remember what I read 90 days ago, but a year ago, not so much. It is a little strange to realize that I've already read through Genesis and it has only been 4 days ago that I started. Hook up the fire hydrant and forget about drinking it in slowly!
• I wish that people came with manuals. I really could use a manual that tells me how to best communicate to a person and understand what makes them tick. The process of trying something that doesn't work and then trying another way takes a lot of time. I guess that way we actually learn it instead of memorizing it for the test and then forgetting about it though. Some people are definitely tough for me to figure out (actually to even kind of understand, forget about figuring them out).
• Jumped in the scary process of putting some of my thoughts out there for people to read. I've been toying with the idea of trying to put some of my writing in a book for a little while now. After a pep talk and some pushing, I actually have written some stuff and e-mailed it to some friends to read today. Strange process to me, but I kind of enjoy it. May not go anywhere other than a few people, but I think it may be more about me sorting through some of my thoughts and being able to communicate them to others. We will see it where it goes after I get back their thoughts.
• Get to take in a couple of Cardinals and Dodgers games over the next couple of days. Should be fun and it has been a couple of years since I've been to a game. Cardinals games always make me think of my grandpa. When I was growing up we would pretty much always go to St. Louis at least once a year to watch a game and taking in the zoo, Arch, etc. He was a huge Cardinals fan. Will be at Dodgers stadium for the first time so that will be different and fun. Not a huge baseball fan (start watching about the playoffs), but really like the experience of a live game.

Hope your Monday starts your week off in a good way! Catch you in a couple of days as I won't have access to a computer the next several days. Good to unplug every once in awhile.

Rhythm of life

Do you have a rhythm to your life? The start of the school always means an adjustment to the flow of life around our house. We now have a different routine as we adjust to school, homework, soccer practice, guitar practice, scouts, and the various other things that are going on. It usually takes us a little while to adjust to it and figure out what that rhythm looks like. The change in pace can make things a little hectic to begin with, but I welcome the change as it seems like a fresh start to things.

What about your rhythm with God? Does it ever change? To me there is an ebb and flow to my relationship with God. Sometimes it has the frantic pace of adjusting to the new, other times it is in the comfortable spot of the familiar, sometimes I have moved too far out of His presence - whatever the place I am currently in I know that the rhythm will always be adjusting. I like that. That change brings a fresh look at what is important and a chance to refocus on God. I think I am in one of those changes of rhythm right now. Having the chance to see God in some different ways than I have before. Can't wait to see where it leads!

What does your rhythm in life look like now? What about your rhythm with God?

The silence

Are you comfortable with being quiet? It has been pressed upon me today that I am suppose to listen more and talk less. I think sometimes I say too much of what is on my mind rather than listening to what God has to say. To much of me and not enough of others. Do you feel the need to fill the silence?

Creativity

Today is one of those days that I would love to get away and spend all day talking about the ideas running through my head and writing. I spent a little time this morning sorting through some of my thoughts and found it hard to put it aside and start working. I am realizing that there are some creative things that ignite my thoughts. Things like Rob Bell's new book "Drops Like Stars". Not so much that what he has to say is new to me, but the way the book is designed. The layout of it, the pictures, that so much of what is communicated is through these things. The art of the story. It is different from the other books I read. It isn't about talking so much as it is about communicating.

Makes me wonder how many ways we miss communicating to people on a Sunday morning. What if we stepped back and said let's start from scratch? Not tweaking what we do, but looking at it from a whole new perspective. How can we communicate in a new way? What we say isn't usually that new to people, but what if we did a better job of being creative in saying in? Don't know that I am very good at that a lot times, but I want to be. I don't want to settle for the way things have always been done. The reality is that what is creative and new today will be "tradition" in a few years. I get frustrated with people who are tied to tradition, but I need to hold on loosely to my new ideas for change because they may just become the tradition of tomorrow.

I have the desire to go to a museum, to look at photographs, to read, to have conversations that will challenge me and stretch my mind, to write, to go and take in the creativity that is all around me. What creativity inspires you?

Confirmation

Do you look for confirmation or the things that disturb you? I read the following on Seth Godin's blog this morning:

"Some people read business books looking for confirmation. I read them in search of disquiet. Confirmation is cheap, easy and ineffective. Restlessness and the scientific method, on the other hand, create a culture of testing and inquiry that can't help but push you forward."

That got me thinking. (It usually doesn't take much to do that.) Do I look for things to read that challenge my view and push me forward or do I look for things that confirm what I already believe? Do I seek out people who view life from a different perspective or ones who see it the same as I do? Am I seeking confirmation or wrestling with the subjects that create disquiet in my heart?

It is easier to seek the confirmation. It is quicker to surround myself with those who agree with me. (Not sure if that is even possible with the way I see things.) But is it better? I want to be challenged even when it is more difficult. I want to be pushed forward rather than settling. For me, I seek out those who challenge me to change. I want to learn more rather than spend all of my time defending the way things are. I want to be asking - How can I change the way I do things? What doesn't work? What can we do better? The status quo rarely moves you forward. What are you searching that creates disquiet for you? Who challenges you to see a better way of doing things?

What are you going to choose - confirmation or disquiet?