Rise Above Average

BE YOUR TRUE, UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL SELF, NOT WHAT OTHERS THINK YOU SHOULD BE

KEEP YOUR PROMISES

ALWAYS  BE HONEST

DARE TO FOLLOW THE DREAMS IN YOUR OWN HEART

DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR DREAMS

CARE MORE ABOUT OTHERS

BE GENEROUS

GET OVER YOUR FEARS

STOP WAITING TO BE PICKED

PICK YOURSELF

BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DO GREAT THINGS

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD


GO THE EXTRA MILE, TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

Live An Interesting Story

My daughter has been wanting to read a book that I'm not so sure is age appropriate.  So, I'm reading it to see what it's like rather than just saying "no" without really knowing.

I asked her why she wants to read this book, knowing the general themes of it.  She said, "Because it's interesting."  Reading between the lines of her comment, I hear her saying, "Because it captures my attention, my imagination, it draws me in and takes me to another place."  That's what a good story does, right?

Her comment made me think.  I said, "Maybe the story of our lives needs to be more interesting. Perhaps one reason why this book is so popular is because not enough of us are living out our own interesting stories."  She just looked at me as if to say, "Why can't you just let me read the book."

I do think about life as a story.  Would the story of your life, if it were written in book form,  be interesting enough for anyone to want to read? Would YOU want to read your story?  Would anyone want to read MY story?  What I'm not advocating for is living carelessly just for the sake of a great story.

Speaking of Great Stories....

A couple years ago, my daughter and I took a mother-daughter adventure to Washington D.C. for spring break.  I'm terrible with directions. While traveling in a new place I tend to rely heavily on the GPS.  Late one afternoon, after having spent the day seeing the sites around the National Mall , my daughter and I  drove back to our hotel, which was in Maryland.  I could see on the GPS that my turn off was coming up fairly soon, so when the GPS lady told me to "Turn right",  I obeyed.  Immediately I found myself driving down a long, narrow lane through the deep, dark woods.  By design, there was nowhere to turn around, and  at this point I realized that I was not on the freeway I should  be on. Clearly, I had taken a right hand turn too soon.

Eventually, in the middle of the deep, dark woods, I came to a paved clearing.  Immediately my van was surrounded by men in black uniforms brandishing what looked to me like some really big weapons.  Where the heck did they come from, I wondered.  Suddenly I realized that not only did I make a wrong turn, but I must have made a significant and serious mistake by the looks of things.  Even my daughter had a man in black with a weapon standing guard on her side of the van.  I guess we  looked pretty scary with our flaming red hair.

Eventually, after much interrogation, I learned that we had inadvertently landed right in the center of certain  government headquarters.(I'm not gonna tell you which... I don't want to get in trouble!  And, just for the record I couldn't find that place again if I tried.)  Who knew.  Apparently, I had unknowingly trespassed on highly restricted federal property.  Uh-oh.  This isn't  good, I thought.  I tried to make light of the situation and crack a few nervous jokes with the men in black brandishing big weapons, but they didn't think any of it was funny at all.

Finally, we were let go.  With knees knocking and heart  still pounding I started my van back up and drove, escorted of course, out of the property.  Never have I been so happy to be free.

Back to What I Was Saying

 Great stories keep us on our toes, keep us wanting to turn the page to see what's going to happen next.  And, great stories often have similar themes: . of being in a near death situation, of being rescued, of risk, of redemption, of unconditional love and acceptance, of hope, of overcoming forces of evil and triumph.

 G. K. Chesterton said, "Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."  There are reasons why we are drawn to great stories.  We find truth in them.   And we long for those truths to be our truths.

You Can Live an Interesting Story


I want to live an interesting story, and I bet you do too.  So how do we do that?  In part, if we are living out the dreams and passions in our hearts the best we can and bringing who we are to bear on the world around us, I believe  that our stories will ring true to the truths that we often read about in great stories. We can live out a great story.  I think that each of us need to figure out how to live a good story.  I know  for myself that as my story has intersected with God's story (God has a story going since the beginning of time replete with all of the themes we love in a great story), that's what has made my story have meaning and purpose and hopefully a story worth telling.  Without that, I'm pretty sure my story would be so boring no one would ever care to hear it.  It would be a story where the main character doesn't get rescued, never knows unconditional love, gets swallowed up by the evil in the world and dies a hopeless and helpless lonely old woman.

So go live today, and as you do may it be a page worth reading in the interesting story of your life.

10 Vital Habits for Success

Life's seemingly small acts can end up being life's greatest contributions. Especially, when  practiced over a lifetime and combined with a number of other seemingly small acts.  This is true on a personal level, as well as a collective level.

I came up with the following list several years ago to remind me of practices that, while they may seem rather small and insignificant in and of themselves, if carried out over a course of a lifetime would lead to a life of integrity and success. Vincent Van Gogh said, "Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." 


Integrity is one of those attributes we don't hear much about.  I'm not even going to try to define it, but we all know when we meet a person with integrity.  The world is desperately  in need of people with integrity not only to provide leadership, but to be role models.

So here are 10 habits that if practiced over time would lead to a life of integrity.  Obviously, the list is not exhaustive and I'm sure you could come up with your own set of vital habits.

 Set goals for yourself, even little ones, and then reach them.
       This is being honest with yourself.
If you see something wrong, be a positive part of the solution.
      This is creative problem solving
If you want something to happen, make it happen.
      This is being proactive
Cultivate a genuine interest in others.
     This is being other-centered.
Go the extra mile instead of getting by with the littlest amount of time, energy and resources.
      This is excellence
Be generous and give freely.
     This is love
Always thank others if they have given to you in any way, no matter how small.
      This is gratitude.
Affirm others as you see them stepping out in new areas and taking on new challenges.
      This is encouragement that empowers.
Plan and organize yourself to keep scheduled appointments and commitments.
      This is being reliable.
Be on time.
      This is recognizing that the small stuff matters.

"A life lived with integrity, even if it lacks the trappings of fame and fortune, is a shining star in whose light others may follow in the years to come."  (Denis Waitley, author and speaker)

  

The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions.  ~Ellen Glasgow

I recall a couple of years ago feeling as though I was in a rut.  Let me tell you, it was awful.  The realization came over me as one day I was driving on a familiar street in my town and then it hit me.  Just like that. Suddenly  it occurred to me that I must have traveled down that road literally thousands of times.  Same old houses, same old view, same old route. I could probably drive that route in my sleep.  I wondered if part of me was dying and I didn't even know it, because I've always thought that familiarity can numb our souls if we're not careful.

At times the news features someone with an ordinary job who turns it into something extraordinary, like the dancing traffic cop, for example.Most of us love those stories and maybe we even secretly wish we had the courage to mix it up.  You know, make the routines of life into something not so routine. I wonder if the traffic cop dances to keep his  soul alive as much as anything.

How many times have you been through a check out line at the store and the clerk functions like the walking dead?  Or the lady at the toll booth who takes your coins without an ounce of personal connection or soul.  Routine is part of life.  But routine doesn't need to become a rut and neither does it have to kill us.

Here are some ways to avoid ruts in life:

• Volunteer somewhere 
• Spend time with people who are different than yourself
• Plan regular trips out of your town or state or even country if you can
• Drive, walk or bike different routes to work or school just because you can.  
• Start something new and push yourself to stay with it
• Read a different kind of book than you usually prefer
• Figure out how to turn the ordinary aspects of your job into something extraordinary
• Pay attention to the people around you and do something to let them know you see them and notice them.
• Listen to a variety of music
• Check your heart often to see if you're just going through the motions in any way.
• If you discover you are going through the motions, then do something to get out of that rut.
• Take regular personal retreats

How about you? What have you intentionally done to avoid being in a rut?

My Top 10

Lists of The Top, The Best, The Greatest, The Most Popular abound at this time of the year as we look back over the past year.  It got me thinking...If I were to create a top 10 list, what would it be?  And so here it is:

Top 10 

1.  You are created for more.  No matter what was achieved this past year, or what will be achieved this next year, in God there is always more.

2. We are meant to be extraordinary.  And that's not because of who we are, but because of who God is.

3.  That which is Broken becomes Blessed.  We all have pain, brokenness, hurt and disappointments in our lives.  The deeper the Brokenness, the deeper the Blessing if we allow it.

4.  All of the pain, brokenness, and hurt in the world?  None of it was caused by God.

5.  All of the beauty, goodness, joy, peace... that's Heaven on Earth. 

6.  You are here  to help bring Heaven to Earth.

7.  You gain the most in life by letting go.

8.  The way up is down.  In a world which clamors for the most attention, fame and recognition, Jesus offers a freeing alternative.

9.  If the essence of life could be condensed to one word, it would be Love.
10. No matter what happened last year, or what will happen next year, we know Life is Good because of God.

Not only are these things relevant now as we look back on 2011 and ahead to 2012, but I'm pretty sure they were relevant 2000 years ago and will be relevant for many years to come, too.  

Day 11

I love moments that stand out beyond the ordinary events of the day.  But I find they don't just happen.  Seems like a special moment has to be created, or in some way requires inconvenience, creativity, sacrifice and/ or extra energy. The mornings I have spent sitting in the quiet of the Christmas lights have been special moments.  But I had to leave the comfort of my bed, not to mention lose some sleep, to experience it.

Tonight, after a long day filled with last minute preparations and just activity in general, Charles and I drove to the heart of our town to take a walk in the historic district.  It would have been so much easier to just stay home and be warm.  But we got all bundled up, got in the car and drove to the historic neighborhoods to walk, admire the Christmas decorations and imagine the events taking place inside of the homes that were lit up.

There's not that much that seems significant about this other than that it was a beautiful walk, together, on a very special evening,  A memorable moment, for sure.

An Idea for the Christmas Season, Day 6

Chicago's Rookery Building, designed by Burnham 

“Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”  This quote is often attributed to Daniel Burnham, the famous Chicago architect. (But may have originally been said by Goethe, a German artist.)


It was this very statement that  inspired and drove some of the greater architectural wonders of Chicago, as well as influenced the development of the modern skyscraper.  As I sat in quiet and solitude by the light of the Christmas tree this morning, I thought more about Burnham's statement.

I try to evaluate statements like Burnham's in light of a Biblical world view.  While I'm sure much could be said, here's the skinny version of 2 thoughts I had:

1)  God's hope for humanity is probably the biggest dream there ever was... its a dream to see everyone who ever lived, and will live, transformed by the reality of God's Love for all people.  That dream has powerfully moved millions to not only experience that Love firsthand, but to wrap their lives around spreading that Love to others through courageous acts of love and sacrifice.

2)    There are alot of stories in the Bible of regular people who did big things that moved others to join in what God was doing.  These folks seemed to be responding to God's initiative.  It was God who set the dream in motion in the first place by placing it in the heart of someone.


How about you?  I bet you have a dream in your heart that seems too big to ever be realized!  Don't hold back or give up on it!  If God gave you the dream, you can be sure he's even more interested than even you are to see it realized!  


So, may we be people who are not only moved by God's big dreams, but ready to respond to His initiative in our lives.

To My Daughter on Her 12th Birthday

Joelle is 12 today!

Dear Joelle,

I don't think it's a coincidence that you were born in December, the month we celebrate Jesus's birth. Just as God picked Mary out of all of the girls in that day for a very special role, we believe that God has chosen you for special things.  He has seen you and known you, even before you were born, to be His child and to do great things that demonstrate God's love for all people!

You bring so much joy to our lives and we are immensely proud of you.  Here are some of the things that I love about you and celebrate on this day:

• You are so funny and I love how we can laugh, hard, about all kinds of crazy things!!
• I love how creative you are; you know just how to put a little extra spin on something to give it that artistic touch
• You are wise and already have alot of common sense for your age.  And because of that...
• Others your age are influenced in good ways by you.  That makes you a leader!
• I love how you enjoy traveling, and seeing the world, and imagining big possibilities
• You have big dreams for your life and aren't content to settle for little dreams.
• I appreciate how you encourage me in my big dreams, too!  That's been a real joy.
• You are smart, willing to work hard at school and sports.
• People like to be around you.
• Your red hair rocks!!  And I wish I could be as tall as you.
• Most importantly, you are wrapping your life around Jesus and the things he has for you.  

On this day, your birthday, know that your mom and dad are so proud of you and so happy that you are a part of our family.  You have made the world a better place, already.

With much love,

Mom

Be the Best You that You Can Be

The day I graduated from High School I walked away from the auditorium with a huge sense of accomplishment.  Not so much because I had a diploma in hand with academic honors, but that I had survived High School being me. Probably one of the greatest struggles of my life in terms of staying true to who I am took place in Middle School and High School.  It was worth fighting the battle back then because I think it may have helped me to gain some stronger "sense of self" muscles, if you will, that have sustained me during other times when the pressure was on to become either more than I am, or less than I am, or something other than I am.

A friend introduced me to a poem by e.e. cummings (1894-1962)  that has stuck with me over time:

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, day and night, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting."

I think in our culture we focus a lot of attention on being the best basketball player, or the best pianist, or the best designer with all of the attention being on the mastery of technical skills alone.  The status of "the best" at something will be achieved by a very select few, making it nearly an unattainable goal. There can be only one "the best" at something.

But the thing we can each be the best at is being who we are.   You alone hold the power to be the best you you can be.  No one else can do that for you.  The world needs you to be richly and authentically you if you want to leave a meaningful legacy.  And you need you to be richly and authentically you if you desire joy, purpose and meaning.

Be you today.  And be the best at it you can possibly be!

Dream Wide Awake

Joelle created this collage following our trip

A couple of years ago, my daughter and I took a road trip out to Washington DC for a week of sightseeing and mother daughter time. On the way out, in the midst of our many conversations, we stumbled on this phrase: Dream Wide Awake.  While probably not original to us (even though we think it might be!), we thought it was pretty cool because not only was it kinda catchy, it also spoke to the importance of being fully alert, alive and engaged in the world around us.  Obviously, dreaming while asleep has its place, but dreaming wide awake opens the world up to all kinds of possibilities and potential that could otherwise be missed. 

I think life is best lived when we are alert to every possibility and opportunity that lies before us.  I know I often fail to see what could be in every situation and every moment of every day.  What if, in every single moment that we've been given, we develop the eyes to really see the possibilities, to see the potential and to dream of what God might be doing in that particular moment in time.  And then, get in step with that to the best of our ability allowing the Light, Life, and Love of God to land on this earth through us.

If there's someone that I can think of that embodied life in this manner, it has to be Jesus.  It seems that with every encounter, Jesus was alert and wide awake to the things that God was doing in that moment, getting in step with God's dream for creation.  Paul knew how much our tendency was to sleepwalk- to go through the motions of every day without being fully alert and alive to the world around us- that he wrote "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead!" (Ephesians 5)  Perhaps 'the dead' were those who weren't physically dead, but just going through the motions of life barely conscious to all the possibilities and potential.

I know I have my days when I feel pretty dead, if you will; numbed by a full schedule, much less dreaming of what could be. I guess I hope that day by day I will grow to more deeply Dream Wide Awake. I think its part of what it means for me to be like Jesus. And the alternative isn't very appealing anyways.

Making Something Special, part 2

"Art is the act of making something special"

I was thinking more about this quote (see yesterday's post) and considered that there are 2 ways that one could interpret that statement.

First, the act of making something special could simply be the act of actually creating- making something- with your own energy, mind and hands.  I think of things like creating a painting, a song, sculpture, a special dish, etc.  The second interpretation, which I believe to be within the reach of  all of us, is that of helping to realize the full potential or capacity of something.  We might say, "She has the makings of an entrepreneur" or "He made the team".  Both of those statements suggest a certain potential.  So to say that art is the act of making something special, its to see the potential in every situation and help actualize that however possible.

I think about the things that I will do in the course of a day, and what it might look like to turn those ordinary acts into something special:

• A conversation with a good friend becomes  art when I take the time to ask thoughtful questions of the heart, truly seeking to listen and to understand.
• The last day of school for the kids becomes more than just the last day when I thoughtfully consider and execute a way of honoring all of their efforts, hard work and achievement in successfully getting through another year
• Concluding an e-mail to a work colleague with a simple note of encouragement or appreciation
• Getting gas and paying the clerk isn't just an exchange of money and goods, but one that leaves the person knowing that he or she was recognized as a living, breathing human being

Some people seem to just live this way naturally.  I have to think about it and be intentional about it.  I can get very task oriented and simply focus on "gittin' 'er done" and miss the opportunity to turn an everyday experience into art by making it something special.

I hope today that I will grow in awareness of the opportunities to make something special.

Making Something Special

Before "Making Something Special"

"Art is the act of making something special."

This quote comes from Ron Martoia, one of the more creative people I have had the privilege of interacting with.  He's one of those kind of people who doesn't do ordinary... seems like everything he is about is somehow turned into an art. Cooking, exercising, writing, speaking, vocation... you name it. He seems to know just how to put that extra spin on something, take it beyond what you'd expect and turn it into something special.  I'm always inspired by people like that.

Making something special means taking the ordinary to the next level, beyond ordinary. For me, it makes the difference between a day being filled with a series of mundane tasks, and one that has moments of art. I believe that we all have the capacity to make things special because we have the fingerprint of our Creator all over us.

Alot of my creative energy, or "making things special" went into ministry in the past.  So now I find myself turning my attention towards our home in this season of our lives.  Our floors have ugly green carpeting that was laid when the house was built, nearly 20 years ago.  Yes, you can imagine (see picture above).  So, this week I am tearing it out in one of our underutilized rooms, repainting the walls (also the same color since we moved in) and making this space into something special.  Yes, to me this is art and I can't wait to get going on the project!

May we all find ways today to turn something ordinary into art by making it something special.

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.

You Were Made for More

Someone recently said this to me and immediately my spirit was stirred.  Few things stir me, encourage me or inspire me like that statement.

Even in my most alive, fully-engaged-in God's-story seasons, I would have to be honest and admit that even while I could say, "This is what I was made for", there remained in the back of my mind and deep in my spirit a sense of "Yes, but you were made for more than this."  Sometimes that voice speaks louder than at other times, but it has consistently been there.  Always calling me on, always stirring me to believe for more, to lay hold of more, to be willing to do whatever God would ask because ultimately it is God who leads to the "more". (John 15).

One of the questions that I try to reflect on regularly is, "What does it look like today for me to step  into the "more" that God is inviting me into?"

Jesus said, "I have come to give you life and to give it more abundantly."  Jesus also said we have an enemy who is continually trying to find ways to rob us of the "more" we're designed for.  I sense that at times... the battle to continue to believe for more and to walk into it as God leads the way.

It seems to me, then, that this longing for more is a God-given longing that is put in our hearts.  Maybe in part its to help us avoid becoming complacent and settling and simply giving up and being content with life as it comes our way.  Maybe God places that longing in our hearts because as followers of Jesus, we are daily being transformed into more.  I was made for more than what I see right now.  You were made for more than what you see right now.  Plunge yourself into God's life and allow him to lead you to the "more" that he has for you.