No Resolutions!

I’ve been in a little writing funk lately, so forgive me if this turns out to be putrid dribble, but I still feel the need and desire to write.  My fear is it will just be garbage ink on electronic paper.  I don’t want my journal to become boring, tireless crap, but feel it’s important to spew forth the feelings and thoughts within my feeble little mind, in an attempt to keep it from exploding.

The thoughts that have been in my head for over a week now are about resolutions, goals, and my big plans for 2009.  I’m not much on making resolutions, because I always fail.  Last year I set goals in hopes that I might actually achieve them, but since they were only goals it didn’t really matter if I met all of them, I was working towards a mark and only hopped to hit it.  And like I said last week, I can still use these same goals for this year, because they still apply.

Now I’m faced with a stubbornness that will not allow me to make resolutions, I’m using the same goals from last year, and I’m thinking “where does that leave me?”  Bored, tired of thinking about it, and still pressured to have some sort of “plan.”  It’s a new year for heaven’s sake and I need to get on board with it.

Idea!  Maybe I’ll just share with you my manifesto.  It’s something I wrote two years ago and has been in my drafts folder for over a year now.  Maybe it’s finally time to share it.  I just read it and it certainly still applies to my life and works for me.  It will continue to be my public declaration, a goal, and plan I attempt to live my life by.  Most of this came to me after reading the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.  Here it is!

1.  I am a “Lion Chaser” in training! — A lion chaser is someone who stops running away and starts grabbing life by the tail.

• How do I grab life by the tail?  Take some risks.  Stop worrying that I might fail.  Recreate what isn’t working.  Be creative.

2.  I will be an agent of change!

• How do you become an agent of change?  Unlearn your fears.  Become vulnerable.  Be honest with yourself, with God, and each other.  Understand that you can’t do anything, but God can do EVERYTHING through you.

3.  I will go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention!

• Becoming uncomfortable to the point that I relinquish control to God and say “I’ll go where you want me to go, I’ll do what you want me to do” scares the crap out of me and is something I really struggle with.

…Why?  Fear of failure, the unknown, vulnerability, time, family, things I may have to give up.  Caring more about what my peers think, instead of what God thinks.

4.  I will stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution!

• I am a recovering cynic.  My natural direction is downward.  I get depressed easily, it’s become natural for me to complain, and I have no problem finding faults with other people.
• When I only point out problems, who do I hurt?  Everyone!

…I must stop repeating the past and start creating the future.  I want to criticize by creating and I want to take action and stop sitting around and waiting for someone else.

5.  I will stop letting what’s wrong with me keep me from worshipping what’s right with God.  (2 Samuel.)

• When I don’t have the guts to step out in faith and chase lions, God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him.

…What is this chase I’m referring to?  Going outside my comfort zone to serve and love the oppressed, marginalized, and outcast in society.  The people we would have found Jesus hanging out with.

I’m happy to say since writing this manifesto two years ago, my life has changed dramatically.  I’m not struggling with number four nearly as bad as I was last year or years prior to getting the help I needed.  I’m positive and optimistic about what God has planned for my life and especially in 2009.  Like I keep telling friends and co-workers, “Sky’s the limit” for what could happen in my life this year and I’m looking forward to it.

Special thanks to Mark Batterson for writing In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day and for this book being just as relevant today as it was when I read it two years ago.

Music Soothes My Soul

I was thinking last night, as I laid my head down to rest, how music soothes my soul.  I need music in my life, because it’s another way for me to connect.  When I listen to music something happens within me that helps me to relax, to dream, and to think about the past and the future.

Have you ever been listening to a song and a flood of feelings and emotions flowed through you because that song was playing at the time of a specific experience you had?  Sometimes it can invoke sad or negative feelings and other times they are happy and positive, but they are still feelings and whether you’ve ever realized it or not, you are connecting.

Music is a gift and I love people who are musically gifted.  They have such a wonderful way of expressing who they are, their thoughts, and their lives with the world.

As I drifted off to sleep last night I had some music playing softly on my night stand, but I was specifically thinking about the music experiences I had this year and wanted to share a few of them with you.

My most moving experience would definitely be from the private concert we had at the Q conference in New York, with The Fray’s, Isaac Slade at the piano and Joe King playing the acoustic guitar.  They shared several new songs that hadn’t even been recorded on their new album yet.  It was definitely a special memory for me and my wife.

I also had an opportunity to see Jon Forman perform a few songs, with Keith Tut on the Cello, at the Catalyst conference.  Always a good show with the two of them together and very reminiscent of the private concert they did last year at the Tabernacle in Atlanta for the very first Q conference.

Purchasing several new albums this year has been a ton of fun and I’ve absolutely loved listening to them during all my trips.  Some were newly released this year and others are older but new to me.  Here they are in no particular order.

• Secondhand Serenade “A Twist in my Story.”
• Fall Out Boy “Infinity on High”
• Falling Up – “Captiva.”
• Coldplay – “Viva la Vida.”
• David Cook – “David Cook.”
• We the Kings -  “We the Kings.”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Chinese Democracy.”

There may be more, but these are the ones I’ve worn out.

If you enjoy music as much as I do and feel a special connection with the songs you listen to, then you already know about music soothing the soul and can understand why I was surprised and excited to find a $15 iTunes gift card in my Christmas stocking.  Now I’m on the hunt for even more new music and I’m hoping once again to find music to soothe my soul.

I’m certainly open for recommendations, so feel free to send them my way!

Unknown Words of Inspiration

This is posted on the wall in the office I’m using at our fabricators.  The author is unknown, but I thought it was very inspiring and I’ve read it each day I’ve been here.

The most destructive habit………………………………….Worry

The greatest joy……………………………………………….Giving

The greatest loss………………………………………………Loss of self-respect

 

The most satisfying work…………………………………….Helping others

The ugliest personality trait………………………………..Selfishness

The most endangered species………………………………..Dedicated leaders

 

Our greatest natural resource……………………………….Our youth

The greatest “shot in the arm”……………………………….Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome…………………………..Fear

 

The most effective sleeping pill………………………………Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease…………………………..Excuses

The most powerful force in life……………………………….Love

 

The most dangerous pariah……………………………………A gossiper

The world’s most incredible computer………………………The brain

The worst thing to be without………………………………..Hope

 

The deadliest weapon…………………………………………..The tongue

The two most power-filled words…………………………….”I Can”

The greatest asset………………………………………………..Faith

 

The most worthless emotion……………………………………Self-pity

The most beautiful attire……………………………………….A Smile

The most prized possession…………………………………….Integrity

 

The most powerful channel of communication………………Prayer

The most contagious spirit……………………………………..Enthusiasm

 

Authentic Living

What does it take to live an authentic life?  If we pause and look at Jesus and some of the things he did, can we say he lived an authentic life?

Turning water into wine and not just “wine” but the guests thought the “best” had been saved for last.  Did Jesus make the wine taste this good because he was trying to impress the people at the party?  Was it ego?

I think it was a statement or representation of the pure, authentic life that he lived. 

What about talking to the woman at the well.  It wasn’t exactly the most culturally acceptable decision to be seen talking to a woman and especially one with her reputation.  Do you think Jesus looked to his right or left to see if anyone was around and then made his decision to talk to the woman?  No, he talked to her because he knew the condition of her heart and he knew the condition of his.

I get so sick of the whole “not being seen with the opposite sex in public” if you’re married and a Christian, because of the perception the public might have.  “What if,” is a common reason for not letting this happen.  Others say, “you shouldn’t put yourself in that kind of a situation.”  The truth is, we are all subject to temptation and we all have the chance of falling or making a mistake that could ruin our lives, but so did Jesus.  He was tempted in all of these ways and didn’t sin.  I’m not saying that’s a good enough reason for us to go ahead and put ourselves in a situation where we might be tempted, but didn’t Jesus leave us his power before he left to go back to heaven?  Didn’t he call for us to live authentic, Christ like lives?  Weren’t we called to follow him, as his disciples?

I think the biggest hurdle we have to living an authentic life is not fully living into the lives God has called us to live.  He’s called us to be more than just people who have taken a walk to an alter and asked his son to come into our lives.  He’s called us to walk with him daily.  It’s more than a one time encounter it’s a journey.

Here are a few things I think will help us live more authentic lives.

• Confess your mistakes regularly and quickly.  Don’t let a mistake fester like a splinter in your finger.  Get it out quickly.
• Stop worrying about what others think about you and start believing that God is guiding you through your days.
• Pray!  A lot!  Simple conversation with God seems to be one thing that has helped me in my journey.
• Find good friends who love you just the way you are.  Faults included.  They are the ones you can argue and fight with and still be loved in the end.
• Put yourself in situations that humble you.

Now it’s your turn.  Pause and think for a few minutes about your life and whether you are living it authentically.  I’d love to hear some of the things you do that help you live an authentic life.