Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Take the walk
The following passage comes from a devotional I received from Zondervan this week. It is along the lines of the "Broken" post from last week.
"It's everything!" I exclaimed. "It's people at the kids' school, it's my job... Life is throwing me nothing but curveballs." I took a breath and tried to calm myself as I explained further.
"I don't need to hit a home run. I could use just a basic single to right. But I can't get any decent pitches. There's nothing normal coming my way ... Life's throwin' me nothing but junk in the dirt!" I was ranting, but I let her in for just a second.
"Then take the walk." Gina's voice was clear and firm. And startling. "What?" It didn't register. "Take the walk. Stop swinging wildly at the junk... Just take the walk. Get to first base and see what happens next." ...
I sat in my chair thinking for a long time. As I thought, I realized Gina was right. I needed to adjust my perspective. Life had been throwing me garbage. Curveballs. Pitches in the dirt. Instead of flailing away trying to make contact, instead of arguing with the umpire or trying to force something unnatural — something perhaps from my former life — I quite simply needed to relax a bit and let some pitches go by. I started looking at the annoyances in my life and tried to see them differently...
"It's everything!" I exclaimed. "It's people at the kids' school, it's my job... Life is throwing me nothing but curveballs." I took a breath and tried to calm myself as I explained further.
"I don't need to hit a home run. I could use just a basic single to right. But I can't get any decent pitches. There's nothing normal coming my way ... Life's throwin' me nothing but junk in the dirt!" I was ranting, but I let her in for just a second.
"Then take the walk." Gina's voice was clear and firm. And startling. "What?" It didn't register. "Take the walk. Stop swinging wildly at the junk... Just take the walk. Get to first base and see what happens next." ...
I sat in my chair thinking for a long time. As I thought, I realized Gina was right. I needed to adjust my perspective. Life had been throwing me garbage. Curveballs. Pitches in the dirt. Instead of flailing away trying to make contact, instead of arguing with the umpire or trying to force something unnatural — something perhaps from my former life — I quite simply needed to relax a bit and let some pitches go by. I started looking at the annoyances in my life and tried to see them differently...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sage Advice from an Unexpected Source
I was reading an editorial this morning in a trade journal ("Industrial Heating") I get on-line and thought this was worth noting. Just goes to show God can speak from anywhere.
The original text actually came from a Ken Blanchard column from 1995 entitled “The Spiritual Workplace” which appeared in another trade journal at that time. I have copied both the current and original text below:
Blanchard indicated that he began teaching the importance of self-esteem in his leadership and management seminars because he realized that managers could not properly coach their teams if they didn’t feel good about themselves. He said, “After all, only people who genuinely like themselves can build the self-esteem of others without feeling that it takes something away from themselves. As I have said many times, I think the most widespread addiction in the world is the human ego. Ego stands for ‘Edging God Out.’”
In his book, We are the Beloved, Blanchard offered some suggestions about how people can “get out of their own way” using the HELP model. The “H” in HELP stands for humility. In a book written by Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale, they said, “People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.” He then went on to say, “Humility helps you remember that there is someone more powerful, more loving and more caring than you.” In any time of uncertainty, it’s not a bad thing to remember that there’s someone more powerful than you (and that’s not the current resident of the White House).
The “E” in HELP stands for excellence. Blanchard discusses the different definitions of this word, but says, “The kind of excellence that helps keep you on course is available to everyone. It’s the process of rising up and becoming the very best you can be. This means balancing between achieving (accomplishing results) and connecting (maintaining important relationships).”
The “L” stands for listening. He used an analogy of ships listening for the fog horn when fog settles in over the seaport so that they know where the dangers are. “Charging hard through life leaves little time for listening to that voice that calls us to a more excellent way of living.”
And finally, the “P” stands for praising. In The One Minute Manager, Blanchard emphasizes that the key to developing people is to catch them doing something right so that you can recognize their performance. He says, “If you are to stay on course in your walk through life, you need to begin to catch yourself doing things right as well.”
The original text actually came from a Ken Blanchard column from 1995 entitled “The Spiritual Workplace” which appeared in another trade journal at that time. I have copied both the current and original text below:
Blanchard indicated that he began teaching the importance of self-esteem in his leadership and management seminars because he realized that managers could not properly coach their teams if they didn’t feel good about themselves. He said, “After all, only people who genuinely like themselves can build the self-esteem of others without feeling that it takes something away from themselves. As I have said many times, I think the most widespread addiction in the world is the human ego. Ego stands for ‘Edging God Out.’”
In his book, We are the Beloved, Blanchard offered some suggestions about how people can “get out of their own way” using the HELP model. The “H” in HELP stands for humility. In a book written by Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale, they said, “People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.” He then went on to say, “Humility helps you remember that there is someone more powerful, more loving and more caring than you.” In any time of uncertainty, it’s not a bad thing to remember that there’s someone more powerful than you (and that’s not the current resident of the White House).
The “E” in HELP stands for excellence. Blanchard discusses the different definitions of this word, but says, “The kind of excellence that helps keep you on course is available to everyone. It’s the process of rising up and becoming the very best you can be. This means balancing between achieving (accomplishing results) and connecting (maintaining important relationships).”
The “L” stands for listening. He used an analogy of ships listening for the fog horn when fog settles in over the seaport so that they know where the dangers are. “Charging hard through life leaves little time for listening to that voice that calls us to a more excellent way of living.”
And finally, the “P” stands for praising. In The One Minute Manager, Blanchard emphasizes that the key to developing people is to catch them doing something right so that you can recognize their performance. He says, “If you are to stay on course in your walk through life, you need to begin to catch yourself doing things right as well.”
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Broken
I read this on a friend's blog today and it spoke to where we seem to be as a family right now.
"Sometimes the best thing to do is be broken. It has to happen, and there is no use resisting it. Being broken means being emptied out a little more. It happens in subtle and not so subtle ways."
This made me consider that maybe we just need to accept our brokenness. I know that we are broken, the world is broken, creation is broken and only God can redeem us. It is when we try to hold things together on our own, relying on our own strength and not His, that we get ourselves into trouble. I too often forget that God is in control, not me. God Is, I Am Not.
All we can do is pray - "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You...Help, Help, Help...Forgive, Forgive, Forgive".
Thursday, August 4, 2011
A God Who Knows Us and Wants To Love Us
The idea that we serve "a God who knows us and wants to love us" keeps surfacing the last couple of days. On the way to work yesterday, I was thinking back on the scripture that Francis Chan used in a communion mediation at Catalyst that we watched during our leadership weekend a couple weeks ago. The highlighted parts of the passage, 1 Peter 5:6-11, are what came to mind during my drive.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Then at lunch yesterday I was reading a post on Angela's friend Dixie's blog. An excerpt is below
"How blessed we are by God who wants to BE with us! He wants us to know how much He loves us and He wants us to share it with others! He loves us all much more than we know. And you know what? Jesus wants His money's worth - He died and rose again for more than a feel-good moment here and there. He sent us Holy Spirit so that we can do more miraculous things than He did! Isn't it time we walked that out? Are you ready to get out of the boat?! I AM!"
Like this was not enough, the devotion I read with Kate last night was about how God created each of us uniquely and loves us for who we are, just as we are.
The thought was further reinforced this morning as I sat with Owen cuddled up in my lap. I was reflecting on how different each of our children are and how it is some of those differences that I really love about each of them. I am just starting to get to know William, but I already see things in him that are different from what I remember of Kate and Owen when they were first born and I am already falling in love with him. It made me think about the thoughts above and how God knows each person on this earth and loves them for who they are, as he created them to be that person.
I have always secretly worried as we added to our family about how I could love the next kid as much as I already love the one or ones we have (and for the record I do). This maybe gives just a little divine incite into that.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Then at lunch yesterday I was reading a post on Angela's friend Dixie's blog. An excerpt is below
"How blessed we are by God who wants to BE with us! He wants us to know how much He loves us and He wants us to share it with others! He loves us all much more than we know. And you know what? Jesus wants His money's worth - He died and rose again for more than a feel-good moment here and there. He sent us Holy Spirit so that we can do more miraculous things than He did! Isn't it time we walked that out? Are you ready to get out of the boat?! I AM!"
Like this was not enough, the devotion I read with Kate last night was about how God created each of us uniquely and loves us for who we are, just as we are.
The thought was further reinforced this morning as I sat with Owen cuddled up in my lap. I was reflecting on how different each of our children are and how it is some of those differences that I really love about each of them. I am just starting to get to know William, but I already see things in him that are different from what I remember of Kate and Owen when they were first born and I am already falling in love with him. It made me think about the thoughts above and how God knows each person on this earth and loves them for who they are, as he created them to be that person.
I have always secretly worried as we added to our family about how I could love the next kid as much as I already love the one or ones we have (and for the record I do). This maybe gives just a little divine incite into that.
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