8 Reasons Why I Blog

The Month of March  marks a year since I launched this blog!    I thought it would be fun to reflect on why I started writing here to begin with:

A favorite spot in the world.... the place where I write.

1)  I love to write.

2)  Writing here is one way of testing a growing sense of call to write.  That's how we get clarity on any call, right?  We launch into it and see if there is fruit, or what happens as we step into the new thing, as a way of testing the sense of call.

3)  I was at the point in life where I felt I needed something new to put energy into that taps into my desire to create and develop something.  My blog scratches that creative itch!

4)  Over time, the blog will become a sort of memoir.  The things I write about always come from my own life experiences and personal learnings.  Someday I'll have a collection of writings about stuff that's been important to me along the journey. Otherwise, knowing me, I'll forget. I guess you could also say then that this blog helps me to remember what's important, which is what memoirs do.

5)  To push myself to learn something new and to keep on learning.

6)  I saw the potential to connect with people all around the world, thus not being limited to the sphere of my particular geographic location.

7)  To encourage and inspire myself.  I know, sounds narcissistic but I'm learning to find encouragement and inspiration from within and learning to need it less from others or outside sources. And from someone who has historically needed quite a bit of encouragement from others, let me just say that learning to find encouragement from within is a step in the right direction.  But, feel free to send some encouragement my way anyways :)

8)  To experience God.  It's interesting, but I find that in the process of writing that I experience God in some pretty cool ways.  Writing helps me to stay connected and surrendered to the Source.

There you have it.  The reasons why I started this blog in the first place.  Later I'll write about the some of the things I've learned in the process that I didn't see coming when I first started this.  And maybe even later than that I'll write reasons why I think YOU should start a blog if you haven't already!

How about you?  What do you like to do?  What are some of the reasons why you do what you do?

Lily's Closet: Dreams Do Come True

This is Madison (see picture on right).  She lives down the street from us and our kids have gone to the same school.  Like many teenage girls, Madison loves to shop.  She enjoys hanging out with friends and having a good time.  Madison also is passionate about using her gifts to serve the world and to make a difference in the lives of others.

You Can Only Be What You Can See

You will never become someone, or do something,  that you first can't see or imagine being or doing.  Sometimes I hear people say, about their success or achievement, "I never could have imagined that I would be here!".  Perhaps, but somewhere along the way the path that led to "here" became clear one step at a time in that person's imagination, or their mind's eye. That person began to imagine and see the next step and believed that it could be achieved. If you can't see anything different or more  for your life in the future then it's likely you'll be exactly where you are right now in the future. That's why I think that one of the most important things we can go after in life is seeing the possibilities...  imagining what could be, what should be.

Resistance, Part 2

For quite a long time I have believed that women can use their gifts of leadership and teaching in whatever capacity God calls them to in the church.  I realize we don't all see eye to eye on that and I respect the position of others who feel differently as long as it comes from an honest examination of Scriptures. However, when I was invited to step into the lead pastor role at the church we belonged to, I recall how immediate the  resistance was that came rushing to the surface of my mind from way down deep inside of me somewhere.  It sounded like this: "Can God do that? Call me, a woman, to lead a church?  Is that really allowed?  I can't possibly say 'yes'...what will people think of me?"

That's called a crisis of belief!  What I had said I believed was suddenly being challenged by the resistance from within that came, in part, to ways that I had been conditioned by my upbringing, previous experiences and the messages that I had internalized more than I realized that said, "Women can't do that."

Sometimes the resistance we feel is a clue that there is more work to be done in terms of owning our beliefs, convictions, and sense of call. More work to be done recognizing the subtle and not so subtle ways we've been conditioned to think that then influence our decisions in life more than we realize.  I believe this matters if we are to live out, the best we can, who God has made us to be and what God has for us to do.

The resistance I have had to work through won't look like the resistance you face.  But my hope is that we can be a people who recognize the resistance, name it for what it is, face it and overcome it that we may live lives that are true to who God made us to be.

Resistance

     “Imagine wanting to be a gardener or a carpenter in a family that is disdainful of making a living by manual labor…Imagine you’re a woman who feels called to be a minster in a religious community that doesn’t believe God calls women to be ministers.  Naturally, people are going to treat you like you’re blowing your nose on their prayer flags, and spitting in their holy water. Naturally, you’re going to think twice about following that call.”  (Gregg Levoy,  "Callings").  

I     I appreciate this quote because not only does it ring true in some ways to my own experience of saying 'yes' to the call to be the lead pastor of a church for a season, but because it reminds me of how there will always be resistence to stepping outside of the norm, the expected, what others think we should do, what we ourselves have been conditioned to think about ourselves and our calls.

    The resistance, which can either come from within or without, sounds like this:

      I'm not smart enough, rich enough or good enough

      I'm too tall, too fat, too skinny, not pretty enough or handsome enough

      I'm too old or too young

      It (whatever the call might be) is too hard

      I'm not "allowed" to do that  (that might be true, but often its not)

      If only I had more money, more resources, better connections

      My friends and family won't understand

      The risks are too great

    And on the list goes of all of the ways we believe we're inadequate, not enough or the cost too high.

    Yet, the resistance can be the clue that we're on to something important, something that we are meant to do, a call that is uniquely ours to follow.

     I can't think of too many examples of people who stepped out to do significant things in the world that didn't experience a great deal of resistance.  We just don't tend to think about that part of it.  And of course, we want the big calling without the big price tag. But it doesn't work that way in real life.

     I write this to remind myself to not take the easy route, to settle for the lesser calls, but to pay attention to the resistance and remain open to whatever it might be that God would ask me to do.

    

Goals

I've been thinking lately that it's time to establish more goals for my life.  I could perhaps have another 40-50 years  to live life (by the year 2050, it's projected that there will be at least a million people over the age of 100).  Right now, I have about 10 very specific goals (or, dreams)  that I have identified that have not yet been fulfilled.  So if you do the math, that means I'm accomplishing 1 goal every 4 or 5 years.  Hmmm... I think I can do better than that.  In fact, I think I need to do better than that.  Having a sense of purpose and a vision for our lives is part of what leads to a fulfilling, alive, and God-honoring life.  So, I've been prayerfully thinking about all of this, writing down thoughts and refining some of the goals I have had to be very specific and measurable.  I'm also working on identifying goals that I haven't ever really clearly articulated before.

 With God, all things are possible (Jesus)

On top of that, I'm challenged to identify goals/ dreams that go beyond what I am capable of accomplishing in my own strength and know-how.  Many of the goals I am working on are  big enough that if they happen it will only be because of God.

Bill Gates has said, "People overestimate what they can accomplish in one year and underestimate what they can accomplish in 10 years."  It seems that most of us have busy schedules and its easy to get caught in the trap of not taking the time to think beyond what happens this day.  Writing  goals down and keeping them visible can serve as a daily reminder to us of what is important.  So, when 10 years goes we can look back and celebrate the accomplishments of that decade.

Currently, these are the goal categories:

• Family
• Influence
• Service
• Gifts, talents and skills

I'm also aware that what we do comes out of who we are.  So I'm doing the background work of asking myself what kind of person I want and need to be in order to achieve the things that I want to do in life.

And, finally and most importantly, anything worthwhile ultimately comes out of that place of knowing and walking with God.  Jesus said, 'Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15)

Lessons from Monkeys

Here's how you trap a monkey:  secure a dried, hollowed out gourd to a tree and place a piece of fruit on the inside of the gourd.  What happens is that a monkey will reach his hand into the gourd, grab tightly to the fruit, only to find that the hole is too small to get his clutched fist out through it.  Of course, the monkey doesn't realize that if he'd simply let go, he could be free.  This practice is used in some Asian cultures to capture monkeys to eat.

I'm reminded of the importance of surrendering, letting go, being willing to give up the transitory for the sake of the transcendent. Jesus said,  "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it" (Mt. 10:39).  Many cultures and religious traditions have wisely associated surrender and sacrifice with redemption and renewal.

Its so easy to fiercely clutch those things that are important to us.  I know I'm capable of holding onto something so tightly that I can miss the bigger thing that could occur by letting go.

I visited the National Cathedral in Washington DC and took this picture. Interesting how a piece of carpeting could speak so clearly to me...God uses the most unsuspecting things at times!  Anyways, the imagery reminds me that only if a grain of wheat dies, will it eventually produce bread just as grapes can't produce wine without losing their identity as grapes (Jesus's words, from John 12). Being willing to let go can be what allows for the "more" that God may want to bring.

“What are you willing to give up to ensure your own unfolding, and the unfolding of what is holy in your life?” (Gregg Levoy, Callings)

Resisting Entropy, part 2

Yesterday's post was about the importance of intentionality in parenting.  The  principle that I referred to- that most things, if left to their own, will move towards disorder and chaos and away from beauty and order-  applies to just about anything in life that truly matters. You name it:  marriage, friendship, business, creativity, physical fitness, spiritual life, etc.  I can't think of a single thing that has any significance at all that can grow towards its full potential without a whole lot of nurturing, care, and intentionality.

I've been re-evaluating all of the parts of my life that are important to me.  What am I doing to care for, nurture and help grow those areas so that the full potential is realized? Part of the evaluation process for me is to also look at areas that I SAY are important, and yet I am not really doing much if at all to truly nurture those areas.  I'm only being dishonest with myself if I say that my marriage matters and yet I don't put forth the effort it takes to grow it, nurture and care for it. What I say and do need to be in alignment with one another, otherwise there is dissonance and incongruity.

Here are some of the things that matters most to me (not necessarily in order):
Relationship with God through Jesus Christ
My marriage to Charles
My kids and family
Fulfilling my call,  living out my destiny, and bringing my gifts to bear on the world around me.
Community, although that has been in a season of morphing and changing and I'm still figuring some things out
Creative pursuits like writing and design
More lately, pushing out new business ventures
Being exposed to the world through travel and reading
Physical fitness

Because I do have a high value on intentionality, it is an empowering process to evaluate what I say is important and take an honest look at whether my words and actions line up.

An Extraordinary Life

"Why be regular when you can be extraordinary?"   I saw this quote in a magazine last week and it got me thinking.  I always like quotes that challenge me to dream bigger, live life large and to go beyond the ordinary.  But what got me thinking is, "What does that really mean, to live extraordinary?  What does that look like for my life?"

Whenever I'm trying to wrestle big ideas to the ground, I have to start with right now.  So, I began to think, "What does it look like for me today to live an extraordinary life?"  After alot of processing, this is what I came up with (spoiler:  its pretty basic):

An extraordinary life is most likely lived out fully immersed in God's story.  There is no greater epic narrative than  that of God bringing about the restoration of all of creation.  I have a part in that, a missional impulse within me, that is key to this epic Biblical narrative.  Today I will have opportunities to engage that.

Secondly, an extraordinary life is found in living out my unique, God given identity and purpose.  Everyone's part in the Bibilical narrative will look different depending on who God has made that person to be.  Tapping into the essence of who I am every day and living that out wholeheartedly is an important (and not easy) part of living an extraordinary life.

Society would tell us that living an extraordinary life means being the best and brightest, making the most money, achieving the most fame and recognition.  I would say that chasing those goals is living a pretty regular life.  But to be extraordinary is to wholeheartedly and authentically live out my unique design and purpose on this earth within the context of God's story.   Today that is my goal.

Movement

We just got back from a week at the beach.  One of the things I love most about the beach is that there's so much movement... waves rolling onto the shore, the clouds overhead drifting by, the sand shifting in the wind, seagulls diving into the water for food... if you've been to the beach you know what I'm talking about.

I believe human beings are drawn to things that move.  Movement speaks to something deep in my soul that I think we all long for.  Movement reminds me that we're on a journey, that our lives are not meant to be stagnant and inanimate.  Movement is meant to be part of life.

When God was leading the Isrealites out of captivity, he led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  When the pillar moved, they moved.  When God called Abraham, he told him to move out of the place he was and move towards somewhere that God would show him.  Jesus himself moved from place to place.  These examples all speak of physical movement, but the physical is often an incarnation of spiritual realities.  God is always on the move bringing about the restoration of his creation.  One of the biggest moves of all times was the move that Jesus made from being with the Father in heaven to being a human on the earth.  Ultimately this move was about the restoration of a broken, sinful humanity to God.  Movement is the catalyst for change, and growth and new beginnings; God's purposes coming alive in and through us.

Without movement, there would literally be stagnation and death.  This is true in the physical sense and this is true in the spiritual sense.  Movement is necessary to life at every level.

God is on the move today. Knowing this fills me with hope because God doesn't move alone.  He invites me, he invites you, to move with him as He fulfills his purposes on the Earth.