We knocked on the door. Dogs barked. We stood waiting. The dogs stopped. Jen texted Henry to let him know we were at his door. A minute later his girlfriend opened the door. It was our first time to meet. We walked in. Henry was in an explosion last week. He experienced burns that will take a while to heal. He was in the hospital for a couple of days. He got home today. A friend of ours called to let us know what happened. We picked some things up for Henry. We forgot to pick … [Read more...]
The problem with the perfect plan
July 2, 2011 by
I was listening to Car Talk on NPR. Click and Clack were following up with a caller from an earlier show. The caller wanted to transport a chicken coop via the highway on a snowmobile trailer. Click and Clack told him it wouldn't work. They were right. Chicken Coop guy's perfect plan was changed in real time as they tried to implement it. They managed to move the coop with the snowmobile trailer. But not where they needed to move it. The snowmobile trailer died in town after a valiant … [Read more...]
Finish or fail … how to cross the finish line
July 1, 2011 by
I started looking for photos and links for my content more lately. The goal was a more polished product. It was also better Google ranking and more readers. The work doubled the time to write and publish. It became hard to to finish. My main goal here is to write and finish. It's to cultivate a habit of consistent execution. And to live by example. I let something that was outside of my main goal get in the way. I started falling behind. I started finishing less. Know what your … [Read more...]
Would you rather be needed or wanted?
July 1, 2011 by
The exercise started. I was getting up to work the room. A thought struck me. "They don't need me." I was hit with a sense of deflation. It was a "What's the point?" moment. I was at Boot Camp. The irony, or hypocrisy, I'm working at a program built to help people find purpose and meaning. And I'm struggling with my purpose and meaning. We're human. It happens. I spent a few moments looking at the situation. The conversation with myself went like this: "You're right. They … [Read more...]
Find meaning and significance in life
June 30, 2011 by
The breeze blew firmly off the lake. We sat. The breeze brushing briskly in our faces. The hot sun bathing us from behind. Our church met at the Lake this weekend. We celebrated the lake's 100th anniversary. Andrew, our Pastor, started speaking. He suggested that we all want to have a life that was meaningful and significant. He was right ... at least to me. I want to have a life filled with meaning and significance. Sometimes I have it. I just finished another Boot Camp. I saw lives … [Read more...]
Wish in one hand and Sh***d in the other?
June 28, 2011 by
There's an expression that conveys the powerlessness of wishing. "You've got 'wish' in one hand and 'sh*t' in the other." You can wish all you want. Until you do something you won't produce anything. 'Should' is worth less than wish. 'Should' is like 'wish' dressed up in intention. It doesn't lead to much either. I hear people use should all the time. They use it more often than wish. It's usually in the form of "I should start that project to change the world" or "I should … [Read more...]
How to Keep Cool in the Texas heat
June 15, 2011 by
It's getting hot in Texas. The temps are in the high 90s by June. It happens every year. At the same time of year people start complaining about the weather. Here's a question I heard last week: "Can you believe it's so hot!?" Yes. I believe it. It happens every year. It's Texas. It's supposed to be hot. I learned to get used to the Texas heat. I had a theory: Exercise in the peak heat and I'll feel more comfortable when at rest in the heat. I tested it. I started jogging in … [Read more...]
Stand still or step forward
June 8, 2011 by
Do you want to succeed? Of course you do. Who doesn't? Even if you have a fear of success, somewhere inside whispers a voice that yearns for success. I've tried to suffocate mine with a pillow. But it keeps talking. I've come to accept it. Your definition of success might be different than mine. You still have a definition of success. You might as well pursue it. You will screw many things up on your way to succeeding. If you don't, you probably won't be succeeding. You might as … [Read more...]
Life is Long. Today is Short.
June 7, 2011 by
A journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step. - Lao Tsu A thousand mile walk is about 1,800,000 steps. Sounds like that would take forever. I bet it goes by a lot quicker than we'd think. It goes by one step at a time. The time will go by whether you take the journey or not. It all starts with a step. Life is the longest thing you will ever experience in this world. It goes by quicker than we'd think. It goes by one day at a time. I want to live the life of a lifetime. I … [Read more...]
Want something to blow your mind?
June 3, 2011 by
I had just finished a conversation with Jim Denison, a brilliant theologian and wonderful man. He told me what was happening at the Brooklyn Tabernacle church in Brooklyn, NY. Ridiculous stuff that comes close to miraculous is going on at BTC. I asked Jim what was behind all of it. He said it's a spiritual renewal led by prayer. So I prayed for spiritual renewal. I left lunch and I prayed for God to create spiritual renewal in me that would blow my mind. I prayed that prayer for a few … [Read more...]
