Live and Learn – Ears and Eyes Wide Open and Mouth Closed Tight

But if you are going to wear blinders then you do not know the world.
Miriam Makeba

Yesterday, I learned something new about someone.  I never would have known this fact if I wasn’t listening and observing.

So often, I go through my days with blinders over my eyes.  I have tunnel vision as I pursue my own targets and objectives.  Sure I hear what you are saying, but I’m not always listening.

It’s time to take off the blinders.  It’s time to be present when we’re with other people.

We need to be in the room, but this is not all.  We need to be in the relationship.

This happens by closing our mouths and by opening our ears and eyes.

Take time today to get to know someone a little better.

Take time today to really listen to those around you.

Be part of the conversation, and you will be surprised by what you learn.

What have you learned recently by closing your mouth and opening your ears and eyes?

7 Essentials For Overcoming Weariness

A recent entry in my journal reads:

We must find time (margin) in our lives for reflection, refreshment, and recovery.

Life can be challenging.

I listen to so many podcasts and I read so many blog posts that tell listeners and readers to hustle – to work harder and longer than anyone else, so you can rise to the top.

I’m all about hard work, but I’m starting to see that it could be good to quiet ourselves – to be still – to take time for rest.

The battle rages on!

We are in a busy season of the year and a busy season of life with two very active teenagers.  I feel the pressure to keep going – to push harder – to be as active as possible – and to be at every activity and event.

You are supposed to finish the weekend feeling refreshed, but I’m exhausted as I type this on Monday night.

Working hard is an important discipline.  I will continue to press on.  But taking time to rest is also an important discipline.

I can’t get away from a busy week and a busy weekend ahead.  It’s on the calendar, and we are committed.  But I can look forward to next week.  I’ll be off for an entire week celebrating Thanksgiving and taking time to be around home with family.  It’s so important to have these breaks.  I pray this will be time to rediscover some margin in my busy life.

In order to truly conquer the tendency we all have to be weary, we must put into practice a few essential steps.

7 Essentials For Overcoming Weariness

1. Get more sleep.  This seems a bit too obvious, but four to five hours of sleep is not healthy over the long hall.  I must get to bed earlier – especially if I want to get up at 4:10 AM everyday.  Sleep is key to overcoming weariness.
2. Exercise.  When I miss my morning workout, I feel sluggish the rest of the day.  Get out and do something that raises your heart rate for at least twenty minutes a day.
3. Eat healthy.  Garbage in, garbage out.  When we eat terribly, we will feel terrible.  If you want to overcome weariness and have more energy, eat foods that fuel you.
4. Get outside in nature. Robert Louis Stevenson writes:
   “It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”

   I think he points to something quite obvious that we often miss especially during this time of year.  I arrive at my office as the sun is just coming up, and I leave my office when it is dark.  All work without seeing the light of day will leave us depleted.  Find time on the weekends and even at lunch time to get out of the office and into the “forest”.

5. Practice the art of saying no.  We live in a yes culture.  Yes, I’ll join this club.  Yes, I’ll help out with this activity.  Yes, I can dedicate this amount of time every week to this cause.  Before we know it, our schedules are packed.  We must learn to say no if we have a chance at conquering our weariness.
6. Spend time with God.  Charles Stanley writes:
   “We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.”
   Isn’t it interesting that the first thing to go when things get busy is our time with God?  The Bible promises us in Isaiah 40:29 and Matthew 11:28-30 that God will provide rest to the weary.  If you want to be refreshed, go to the source of true refreshment.
7. Practice regular hourly, daily, weekly, and yearly Sabbaths.  My Dad has told me repeatedly to take a minute of Sabbath every hour, an hour of Sabbath every day, a day of Sabbath every week, and an extended period of Sabbath every year.  I fail at this more times that I care to admit.  And yet, I know it works when it comes to dealing with weariness.  God designed the Sabbath for us – to enjoy, to recharge, and to rest.

I’m feeling better already!

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 totally rested, 10 absolutely worn out), where are you on the weariness scale?  How do you overcome weariness?

Permanent

There is nothing permanent except change.

What is permanent in your life?

I remember when I was a kid.  It was a big deal to lose my baby teeth in exchange for my permanent teeth.  I was told these new teeth would last forever.  I had my first root canal last year.  This tooth isn’t completely gone, but most of it has been replaced by other material.  One of the managers in my office is getting to new front teeth which will replace his “permanent” front teeth.  What happened to permanent?

When I was a kid, I was threatened by adults by the addition of something to my permanent record.  Nobody wants something on their permanent record.  When I was twenty, I was caught speeding.  I hired a lawyer, and the charges were reduced.  My permanent record was safe.

The other day, I used a permanent marker to write something down.  This should last forever, right?  Did you know, you can undo a permanent marker by writing over it again with another marker?  Look it up.  So much for the marker being permanent.

People get permanent tattoos.  They last forever.  Unless, you want to go through the painful process of removing them.  Then I guess tattoos aren’t so permanent after all.

Women get permanent to straighten or curl their hair.  You would think it would last forever, but it doesn’t.  They have to go back again to keep their hair straight or curly.  A permanent isn’t all that permanent.

Today, we make decisions.  We think they are permanent, but I’m not so sure.  When I was in college, I worked for a medical billing company.  One of our clients was in Schwenksville.  I used to tell people, “Who in the world would ever live in a town called Schwenksville?”  With this, I was making a permanent decision not to ever, ever live in Schwenksville.  Now, I live in Schwenksville.  I guess my decision wasn’t so permanent.

People say the only thing really permanent (or certain) is death and taxes.  This may seem true to most of us.  What if we could find permanence somewhere else?

There is part of us that longs for the permanent.  Sure, we make embrace change as necessary, but I think there is something in all of us that longs for some type of permanence in our lives.

The Bible tells us that God’s love never changes – it endures forever.  Psalm 136 repeatedly reminds readers “His love endures forever.”

God’s love for us is permanent!

In a world where change seems inevitable – where permanence seems to be a thing of the past, I know where to look to find something that will last forever.

What is something in your life that didn’t last as long as you expected it to last?

Burden

Sometimes feeling overwhelmed is part of what it means to be a Christian. You can’t bear somebody else’s burden unless you are taking something of their load and it’s weighing you down a little bit.
Kevin DeYoung

My heart is heavy.  I carry a load.  I feel the weight on my shoulders.

I so desire the hope, the health, the success, and the well-being of those around me.  But it is not mine to provide.

I am but a vessel and perhaps a reflection of the hope, the love, and the healing of our God.

I want to fix things.  I want to throw a bandage on the wounds that others carry.  And yet I know it’s not up to me to ultimately bring restoration.

My hope comes from God alone.  He carries my burden.  He lightens my load.  I can face the future knowing He wants what is best for me.

Meanwhile, I cry out to God, “Use me and my brokenness to point others to You.”

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.  Psalm 55:22

What is weighing you down these days?

Home

We have a chain in our backyard.  We use it to keep our dog from running away when he is outside.  One end of the chain is attached to a stake in the ground, and the other end is attached to a metal loop on his collar.

The other night, I put Iso (our forever dog) on the chain.  He likes to go out in the backyard to take care of his business and to sniff around for a while.  I came back in the house for a few minutes while Iso was doing his thing.

When I went outside to bring Iso back in the house, he was gone.  The chain broke, and Iso was wandering in the dark of the night.

My heart sunk as I feared I would struggle finding him in the dark.  I quickly ran inside the house view the back patio door, and I quickly ran to the garage to get my shoes, a flashlight, and the box of Milk-bones.  These are the tools necessary to go on a hunt for your runaway dog.  Before I opened the garage door, I quickly looked out the mud room door.  As I turned on the light, I was relieved to see our black dog standing at the side door steps with the other half of the chain following behind him.

I can remember panicking as a child whenever our family dog, Snickers ran away.  She was a beagle, and her instinct to chase rabbits made it challenging for my parents to contain her even when she was tied to a stake in the middle of a fenced in backyard.

It’s amazing how dogs can capture our hearts.

I’m thankful Iso knew to come to the side door.  He knew where is home was.  He could have run around the neighborhood or even run away, but he desired the safety and comfort of home.

We all have a yearning for home.

Sometimes we don’t realize it.  We run away.  We chase after things that lead us temporarily away from home.  But after our running and chasing, our instincts call us home.  And when we get there, our loving Father is standing at the door waiting to welcome us home.

Are you wandering?  Are you running away?  Are you chasing after things that lead us away from home?

Turn back now.  Your Father can’t wait to welcome you home!

Where is your home?

The Platform Problem – More of You and Less of Me

I was talking to a friend the other day, and he asked me how my book was doing.

I get this question a lot.

I filled him in on the general statistics, and we proceeded to talk about the challenge of releasing a book project in today’s social media driven world.  As I work on my next book project, I wrestle with the idea of pursuing a more traditional book publishing route for this project.  I went the self-publishing route with my first book project.  A more traditional book publisher could bring a wider audience and distribution which is attractive, but there are also pluses to the self-publishing method.

Either way, a larger platform is critical to success in today’s world – in terms of quantity of book sales.  And this is where I struggle.

I heard it said by one of my author friends that 90% of books sell less than 200 copies.

This is the reality in today’s world.  I’ve learned that it takes a lot of hard work and self-promotion just to approach this number.

Publishers are looking for a large e-mail list, lots of Twitter and Facebook connections, and a lot of blog traffic.

This doesn’t happen by accident.

How does a person remain humble with a correct focus while promoting themselves and their platform?

This is the problem with platform.

We are instructed to be humble.  We are taught to put aside our own interests for the sake of others.

Is it possible to build a platform while staying humble and pointing people to Christ?

I think so, but I think it’s a challenge.

This is the challenge I now face.  As I pursue my next book project, I’ll be taking steps to grow my e-mail list and blog traffic.  Meanwhile, I plan to use this platform to point people in the right direction.  I’d appreciate it if the Stretched Community would keep me accountable to staying on the right track.

Thanks!

What are your thoughts on building a platform?  What have you learned in the process of building your own platform?

This song by Colton Dixon speaks to me as I pursue this next project:

(For the record, I’ve sold or given away 116 copies of On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field.  This includes paperback and Kindle eBook versions.  This does not include the electronic copies given away to subscribers of my blog.  As you can see selling more than 200 copies is no small task.)

Get In The Game

On the night we arrived in Santo Domingo Xenacoj in Guatemala this summer, our family took a walk to the Central Park in the middle of the village.  There was a basketball game going on when we arrived.  We watched for a few minutes before our daughter was swept up by some young girls into a game of duck, duck, goose (in Spanish – of course).

Isaac started talking to a few of the boys who were hanging out in the park.  Within minutes, he was invited to jump into a game of soccer with boys who were about his age and two-thirds his size.  As I looked on, I was amazed at our kids ability to adapt and to join right in with whatever was happening.  Isaac’s Spanish isn’t all that advanced, but that didn’t stop him from communicating with the other boys.  He didn’t seem to be afraid.  In fact, he seemed to relish the opportunity to get into the game.

He could have sat on the side of the park (with me) and spectated as the boys kicked the ball back and forth.

Spectating is nothing like being right on the field in the game.  It’s so much better to be a part of the game.

Unfortunately, many of us are content to spectate.  We are invited onto the field, but we sit in the stands clapping our hands, cheering loudly, and waving our terrible towels.

Life isn’t meant to be a spectator sport.

Life is meant to be played on the field.

Maybe you’ve been sitting on the sidelines for too long.

It’s time for you to get in the game!

What’s holding you back?  In what area of your life do you need to move from spectator to active participant?

(Note:  My church kicked off a 4-week series this past Sunday called Not A Fan based on the book by Kyle Idleman.  I don’t know where the series is going, but I’m guessing the series will be used to get people to move from spectators to being part of the “game.”  If you live in the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia, come check out my church the next three weeks.  Click here for more information.  And if you live too far away, consider watching the weekly videos which will be featured on the website to see where this series goes.  The first week was pretty challenging (in a good way).)

Love With Urgency

There is a lyric from a Mumford & Sons song which always hits me when I hear it…

“I will love with urgency but not with haste.”

(From “Not With Haste” on the Babel album by Mumford & Sons)

When I hear the lyric, I’m reminded of my own need to love more urgently, and I’m also intrigued by the thought of that permeating our culture.  Can you imagine if we all learned to love with urgency?  What would be different?

In today’s world, we are dealing with all kinds of conflict and strife.

I think of the situation in Ferguson, Missouri.  How differently would it look if everyone involved responded with urgent love?  How would the police respond differently?  How would protestors respond differently?  How would the news media respond differently?  How would the citizens outside of Ferguson respond differently?  With a different response – a response marked by urgent love – I have to imagine the situation would be much different.

I think of the situation in West Africa where thousand are sick and dying of Ebola.  How differently would it look if everyone involved responded with urgent love?  How would medical practitioners respond differently?  How would pharmaceutical companies respond differently?  How would those outside of West Africa respond differently?  With a different response – a response marked by urgent love – I wonder if more lives would be saved.

I think of the situation in Israel and Gaza.  How differently would it look if everyone involved responded with urgent love?  I know this is hard to imagine as there has been fighting in this area since the beginning of time.  How would Israel respond differently?  How would Palestine respond differently?  How would the United States government respond differently?  How would families who have lost loved ones respond differently?  With a different response – a response marked by urgent love – I think peace might actually be possible.

I think of the situation in Ukraine.  How differently would it look if everyone involved responded with urgent love?  How would Ukrainians respond differently?  How would rebels respond differently?  How would Russia respond differently?  How would NATO respond differently?  With a different response – a response marked by urgent love – I see productive conversation and peaceful resolutions.

I think of the situation in Syria and Northern Iraq.  I have to believe that loving with urgency could possibly bring about miraculous results.  The ISIS crusade and situation seems quite bleak to me, but maybe it takes someone loving with urgency to break through the barriers which are currently ending countless lives in this region.  How would the United States respond differently?  How would the people the Iraqi government respond differently?  How would the ISIS respond differently?  I know these are crazy questions.  With a different response – a response marked by urgent love – is it possible for harmony in this region?

As the song implies, loving with urgency doesn’t mean acting out of haste.  It is appropriate to be well thought out when responding to challenging situations.  However, I think we too often fail to respond because we either don’t care or we are too concerned that our response will be questioned or unproductive.  It’s time we all start looking around and learning to love with urgency.  If we all started living in this way, the world would be a different – better – place.

What situation in your life would have a different outcome if people involved responded with an urgent love?  What is one thing you can do today to love with urgency?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  I John 4:10

Outlandish Measures – In Response To The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

What cause is close to your heart?

What extreme, outlandish measures would you take if it helped draw attention to your cause?

Better yet, to what extremes would you go to find a cure for your cause?

If you’ve been anywhere near social media the past couple of weeks, you’ve seen or heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  If you haven’t heard of it, stay with me.  Basically, people are challenging people to dump a bucket of cold ice water on their head or to donate $100 to the ALS Association to help raise awareness and work towards a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

As I have watched this unfold, it seemed a little crazy and maybe a little outlandish.  How could dumping a bucket of cold ice water on your head really help.  Besides it seems like a waste.  Think of all that ice and water just being dumped on the ground.  After all, there are so many in other countries who don’t have clean water, and they certainly don’t have ice, and we Americans are dumping on our heads by the gallons.

And then I was nominated to take the challenge.  I’ll admit I wasn’t all that thrilled at first.  But I’m not one to be a spoil sport.  If I was going to participate in this “silly” ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, I was determined to learn a little bit more about ALS.  Bo Stern wrote an excellent article on her blog about what her husband experiences every day as a result of his ALS.  I think it’s worth checking out – click here.

If you had a family member who suffered from ALS, I’m guessing you would go to any extreme to help raise awareness and to help find a cure.

I feel the same way about a few causes.  For example, I would dump an ocean on my head if it led to a cure and a more healthy awareness for mental health and mental health issues.  I would also do some crazy things to help the widows and orphans in Guatemala.

I’m guessing you would go to pretty crazy measures to get positive attention for the causes that are closest to your heart.

This is great!  Go for it!  Use social media.  Take extremely outlandish steps.  Put your God-given creative mind to use to raise the flag for your cause.

When it comes to extreme measures, we have no greater example than Christ.  He exited the comfort confines of heaven, and came to Earth for you and for me.  He willingly died on a cross, so we could have the opportunity for eternal life with Him in heaven.  This doesn’t make sense.  In fact, it may make less sense than dumping a bucket of cold ice water on your head for ALS.  But this is what Christ did for you.

I am thankful for a God would take this extreme, outlandish measure just for me.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

What cause is close to your heart?

What extreme, outlandish measures would you take if it helped draw attention to your cause?

Better yet, to what extremes would you go to find a cure for your cause?

By the way, here’s the video of me participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:

What Will Your Verse Be? (In Remembrance of Robin Williams)

Yesterday, the world said goodbye to Robin Williams.  I wasn’t going to add to the chaotic rumble that is sweeping through social media, the news media, and various blogs following the news of his suicide.  The mental health aspect of Mr. Williams’ departure hits far too close to home for me to comment further.  I know he will be missed.  He was a favorite in our house.  In fact, my wife posted on Facebook yesterday that Robin Williams was by far her favorite actor.  It’s so sad to see him gone.

Last night, we took some time to watch some clips from one of our favorite Robin Williams’ movies, Dead Poets Society.  In this movie, Williams plays the part of prep school English teacher John Keating.  He teaches his students to be true to themselves and to avoid the tendencies of conformity.  There is much to ponder in re-watching these clips.  And there is much to appreciate about the legacy left by Williams throughout his entire acting career.  Movies like Dead Poets Society, Patch Adams, Awakenings, Mrs. Doubtfire, and so many others represent a career well spent.  I’m sure Williams had a few duds, but we will remember the solid performances far more than the not-so-great performances.

There is one scene in Dead Poets Society that really hit me last night as we were watching the clips.  Here it is:

The scene is a great challenge for all of us.  Don’t waste your life.  Don’t sit back and let it happen.  Stand up and contribute.  You have something worth adding to the play of life – a verse that needs to be heard.  What is your verse?  How will you contribute to this world?

This is something worth thinking about today.

What is your favorite Robin Williams movie?