"7 days"

7 days

2020-11-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

What is this blog about?

The Mission: To write consistently 7 days a week. Providing provocative, informative, and hopefully engaging information on several topics that I hope will be both encouraging and inspirational. The goal if for this is to be of value to you!

This blog is about:

Dreams (goals)
Business, Leadership, and Management
Blogging
Religion and spirituality
Traveling with a family (both getting there and what to do when there)
My Life
Writing, Reading, and Publishing

There you have it.You can pick whichever topic you're interested in to the right ----> under pages.

"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice." Heber J. Grant

Why 7 days?

2019-10-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

My goal is to start writing consistently 7 days a week. I don't think I know enough about anything to come up with a post on the same subject seven days a week so I decided I would do a post once a week on seven different subjects that are important to me. So in effect I will be posting every day but only once per week on any given subject. Follow one or all of them. Hopefully you will get something out of whichever one you choose to follow and maybe even suggest it to others!

Each day I will be blogging about something different. Topics can be found to the right under "pages" --> Topics include writing, traveling, business and leadership, and much more.

*Please consider becoming a follower of this blog and suggesting it to others. Also if you want to link to it that would be great! Thanks!*

What I'm Tithing for Starving Children.

2012-11-15T21:47:00.003-08:00

In a previous post I mentioned my recent conviction to help those who are stuck in real poverty, especially children who are starving to death.

As a Believer I'm called to act. To not just hear what God has to say, but to also do as He does. To do, to act, on what he says.

I believe in a God that's bigger than a church building, bigger than programs, and bible studies. A real God that can move mountains and actually reach those who are suffering. It's not that Church buildings, programs, staff, and bible studies are bad, it's just that they are not the goal of my beliefs. The goal is Freedom, Mercy, Peace, Healing and Health, Kindness, Goodness, Grace. I believe in a God that sends his people to Free the captives, to cheer them up, and to feed the orphans and widows.

This means not just praying for change, but being willing to be an instrument of change. Action. Not just being a hearer of God's Word, but a doer of it.

Tithing might sound religious or old fashioned ideal, but it is simply this: Giving our First Fruits to the God we put our Faith in. It's a demonstration of our trust for Him. It's a remembrance that everything belongs to Him. It's an acknowledgment that He comes first, that He is the one who provides, and that this life is not just about us.

One of the things that often gets targeted for the tithe is money. While that is a real and relevant way to tithe, it's not the only thing we have to offer... And this is where we get into what I have been motivated to tithe to God for starving children.

I'm an idea person and an entrepreneur. I've recently felt convicted to give what I think is going to be my best idea to God. To make it a non-profit and use it to provide food for the orphans and widows of the world.

My dream is to create a non profit that generates income so that it can contribute consistently in a sustainable way. To me, a lot of non-profits are cash sinks. They rely solely on the generosity of others, which often dry up, but don't produce income outside of fund raising. My idea is to create a profitable business that is healthy and grows. A business that generates income outside of fundraising so that it can continue to help those in need. For example, what if Starbucks profits went to the needy instead of share holders? (Not that i'm against for profit businesses in any way.)

The secondary part of this would be to not just drop off food, but to help create a way for families in poverty to sustain themselves through reproducible food stuffs and job skills/careers.

So here is what I'm going to do.

I am going to start an Ice Cream Cart business. I'm going to pour my heart into growing it, making it profitable, making it a success that can grow past me, but not for me. I don't just want to feed 5 kids, because I could do that on my own. No, I want to feed 5,000 this month and 10,000 next month. I want to help parents feed their kids so they can stay together, so they can feed themselves long after the "help" is gone.

While I want to keep the best for myself, that's not the kind of man God has called me to be. I trust my God and am willing to listen to Him, to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. So that's exactly what i'm going to do!

I like to say my kids are fat, healthy, and wealthy. That's amazing! I'm so blessed! While I will always want more for me and mine, I know that there are people out there who have to watch their children die for lack of food, medicine, or clean water. I can't ignore that anymore. I won't.

I will reveal details about the Ice Cream Cart ;for starving kids as it gets closer. like March of 2013. I hope I can count on your support emotionally, and logistically as the time gets closer.

Thank you for your good wishes, prayers, luck, and support to help feed starving children!

A Religion that God Finds Pure

2012-11-14T21:50:00.001-08:00

The word "religion" elicits such an emotional response from people that many refuse to have the word be associated with them.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -James 1:27

There are a lot of things I could call myself to describe what I believe in, like Christian, Christ-Follower, Disciple of God, and so on. Or I could say I'm 'spiritual' but not 'religious'. Whatever ideal or religion we ascribe to, we can gauge our belief in it based on what it motivates us to do. Many people believe in a lot of stuff and/or are just plain moral, but not a lot of people are willing to sacrifice for the ideals they hold in high regard. Myself included.

In my last post, I wrote about starving children. I'm tired of doing nothing. I want my actions to demonstrate what I believe; That there is a God that loves us more than we can believe. He made us, loves us, saves us, and offers a place in His house and in His family. That's awesome, it's Grace and Mercy.

That same God, while loving and full of grace, requires action from his children. He calls us to love others more than ourselves. He calls us to give sacrificially to others who can't provide for themselves. He asks us to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. To love and give to people who can't return the favor. To Act.

We don't do such things to earn the free gift we've been given, but we do them out of gladness for what we have received freely. We do it to be like the God we believe in. Not that we can be perfect but that as a child tries to copy a parent they love, we would do the same thing with our Holy Father.

I want to encourage myself and my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ to remember we are called to be like our Father in heaven. Unfortunately, as Christians, we're more often known for what we're against, than what we're for. It's easy to "Speak the Truth in Love,' but more often than not I am coming to believe thats a big fat excuse to be judgmental of culture without engaging it. It also gives us a false sense of being like the Father without acting like the Father.

Truth be told, I imagine, that most Christians would reject Jesus if they met him right now. They would see Him ministering to the strippers, whores, drug dealers and users, those who have delivered abortions and received them, to those in same sex marriages, and all the other hurting and broken people. Christians would see Him and I believe they would turn their backs on him after speaking the truth in love... We want to judge and condemn, but we don't want to be in the mess getting our hands dirty. We set conditions on our love and acceptance. We project an aura that people have to get right before they can approach us. That's not the message of the Gospel.

Life is not black and white. God has not made us to be good moralist. He has not set us up to be the worlds conduct police. No! He has made us to snuggle up with the people who are broken, dirty, and hurting. To come down to their level and to love them. This does not mean that there is no truth, that everything is relative and that there is no right and wrong. All it means is we should consider talking less, judging less, sharing the truth in love less, and start being with people more, living them, helping them without condition, walking with them.

Children are starving? What have you done about that?
People are being exploited? What have you done about that?
People are hurting? What have you done about that?
People are without food and shelter? People are without love? People are broken? How have you SHOWN that you love them and are in it with them?

We have to stop reacting/responding from our default religious positions and start taking the time to get to know peoples story, their context. We need to be people known for their love and grace through action. We should be more concerned with sharing the Gospel than sharing why someone is wrong! We must seek righteousness over being right!

Lastly, we should not forget the parable of the Prodigal Son and the audience Jesus was talking to, the warning that was left lingering in the air. At the end of the story, it wasn't the younger brother who had squandered his father's fortune on prostitutes and "wild" living, sleeping with pigs in the mud, that was standing outside of the Feast of Love. No, it was the judging, angry, self-righteous older brother who had done "everything right," that was standing outside, refusing to come in...

Food for thought...

Children Are Starving to Death

2012-11-11T19:29:00.002-08:00

Death is everywhere.

"Why is it that a child's death amounts to a tragedy, but the death of millions is merely a statistic?" -Patrick McDonald

Out of nowhere, my mind has become preoccupied by the fact that children are dying in large amounts all over the world.
Death is everywhere, we're all flies on the windshield.
It's near and it.s far.
It's both personal and impersonal.
People die all the time for all kinds of reasons, but the children?
That's not right to me.
It was never right, but I was ignoring it.

I've spent so much of my life not doing anything to help the situation because it's just too big. I could give everything I have for the rest of my life and there would still be millions of people who would die in poverty.

Then I realized what I do. I make excuses of why not to act. I do this in so many other areas of my life, I come up with great reasons of why I shouldn't act, shouldn't do something. As far as this topic goes, here are some of my favorite excuses I've used in the past.

There are too many people to help. Any help I can offer would be like a drop of water in the desert.
There are already many organizations that are helping. They've got it.
I have my own kids to feed.
There is stuff I want. New car, big tv, nice clothes, ipad and so on... I deserve it. I can still help after I help myself...
Maybe I'll help when I'm in a better spot to make more of a difference.
I don't want my money to be wasted on administrative fees. I want it used wisely and there are just too many organizations to research.
I don't feel like it.

Those are just the ones that come to mind. If I'm honest with myself, I can admit that they are not logical reasons not to do something, but they are in fact excuses not to live a sacrificial life.

The real truth here is that I am a selfish, self centered person,who is more interested in my kingdom than God's. Ultimately, I love myself more than others.

That may be what I'm like now, but here is what God says I should like. What I want to be like.

Luke 3:11 "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."

James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Mathew 25:31-46

I'm tired of not helping, of not doing anything. I believe Conservative Christians should stop being worried about what other people are doing and not doing and feed the hungry children instead. I believe liberal Democrats should worry less about what conservatives are not paying and feed the children.

So, everyday I find myself thinking about starving children and about what I'm going to do about it. For once in my life I want to do something. I'm reminded of a parable about Starfish a friend once shared with me.

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.

Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, "I'm saving these starfish, Sir".

The old man chuckled aloud, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?"

The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, "It made a difference to that one!"

And that's the way I want to be. I can't fix the problem but If I can save one life, it makes a differnce to that one. So, I am going to act, going to do something.

I have an idea, a plan, on what I can do to help feed starving children. I look forward to sharing it soon in another post.

What are your reasons for not helping feed starving children? If you already do, what promted you to start? If you don't, do you want to change? Do you want to help me?

FYI: This is not a guilt trip on you. I have been inspired to rethink my past position and feel motivated to change. If you're not in the same place or feel that you already do plenty, thats great! I'm just sharing my heart.

"Let us be the ones who say we do not accept that a child dies every three seconds simply because he does not have the drugs you and I have. Let us be the ones to say we are not satisfied that your place of birth determines your right to life. Let us be outraged, let us be loud, let us be bold." - The Wise Brad Pitt

What Cross are we going to die on?

2012-08-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

As Christian's we have an important question to reflect on...

What Cross are we called to die on?

(Quick disclaimer. This is written by a Christian to other Christians. Please understand that context. I am using certain terms like sin and sinners in terms other Christians will understand...)

Recently, the Chick fil-A thing has brought the gay marriage issue back to the American discussion. Now, the whole Chick fil-A thing is a topic unto it's self because to me it illustrates how divided we are as a country and really shows just how both extremes on the issue cause people to behave ridiculously but, thats not the main thrust of what I'm getting into here.

What Cross do we die on? What issues do we take a stand on? Gay marriage, abortion, swearing, junk food, divorce, so on and so on.

You see, culture and the world hates Christians for a lot of reasons, but for the most part, they don't hate us for the right reason! Whats the right reason? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. That, while we who have been called were still arrogant enemies living filthy lives and flipping God off, He, through his power, rescued us by dying in our place, because he loves us . Jesus died because of our sin, so that we can live!

The message of the gospel is enough to trip people up. It's enough to make people hate us, lash out at us, disown us, mock us. They will be offended by the Truth of God's awesome love because of it's exclusivity.

The Gospel is the central message of what we believe, it's the only thing that determines where we are heading in life and death, the cornerstone of our faith, and yet, how often do we share that? How often do we take a stand for the gospel in our lives? How often, in a real, sincere way, where we're vulnerable and real, and where it would cost us something, do we "take a stand" on the Gospel? Not often... It's much easier to show our "faith" by going to church, by going to support Chick fil-A, or by condemning people's social views.

If you believe people are going to hell because they are gay, then why not let them get married? They're not going to hell any less than if they're not married. Gay people getting married doesn't make them any more of a sinner. We're not sinners because we sin, we sin because we're sinners at birth! We're all sinners. When you break the law, any law, you are a lawbreaker. You have missed the perfect mark of Jesus and you are a sinner.

In light of that, should we not be more focused on loving them where they're at? Would it not be better to see a person living a Christ-like life who has a posture of love as Jesus has and had for us?

As Christians, we have become known for what we're against. We have become known for our politics, and social issues, and it's all crap. We cannot legislate righteous. All this to say, we can ruin relationships over these things. We can become dead to people over these issues. I don't want to die for anything less than the truth that sets people free. The Gospel of Grace is what changes people.

Our culture hates strict absolutes. People will be angry for asserting that Christ is the only Way. People will hate us because we tell them that they are a sinner and they need a Savior because they can't save themselves, but that's the ultimate truth that holds our faith together. And yet thats the true thing that brings real change to our lives.

So, what cross do you want to die on? When people pull away from you because of your beliefs, which one would you like it to be?

As for me, I don't want to do it over secondary social issues. I want to speak more transparently about the hope I have. About why I can love people the way I do, about why I might just be different from others. I want to be willing to suffer for speaking the Truth of the Gospel. John 3:16.

This is not about condemning or encouraging sin. Please understand, I am not saying we shouldn't have a voice about certain issues, but we should really consider how often we are speaking out, about what, and the platform we're using. We should gravely consider what is to be gained for the Kingdom by sharing a particular view point. Maybe, instead of telling our gay friends about how wrong they are and how they should not get married, what if we loved them and celebrated with them? what if we instead shared the beautiful Good News of Christ Jesus.

So, again, what cross are you going to die on???

Some great reading if you don't agree with me, or I guess even if you do...

Hugh Halter: (Would Jesus bake a cake for a gay wedding?)

Genevieve West: (To my gay friends and Chick fil-A loving Christians)

Sorry, no anonymous comments please.

XHTML: A New Skill or New Thrill?

2012-08-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

I have decided to learn website design.

As some of you know, I'm a big idea person. I have about a billion ideas a day and my wife patiently listens to them. Often times these ideas are quit involved and would require lots of time, effort, and money. Usually retail food based.

Sometimes I have ideas for websites... But, still don't have much time or money. So I decided to learn XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL to...

Save money by building the sites myself.
If I did ever pay money to have a site built, I would have a better understanding of what I could expect.
Possibly have a new career path if I discover I have Talent for it. (Which does not look likely so far..)
Add another tool to the toolbox. I may not apply for a job where this is necessary knowledge but, sometimes people are impressed when someone knows things they don't. It's like saying you can speak 3 different languages even when it's not necessary to the job.

So I have done two things to teach myself. I have purchased a book called XHTML and CSS for dummies. I have also subscribed to a website called lynda.com. Both have been effective in helping me understand how little I know about the web and how hard web development is.

Learning XHTML is extremely tough for me and the learning curve does seem quit steep but, I have hope. I'm not going to school for it and am teaching myself. While I can't make a magical site, I can make one, and thats light years ahead of where I was. I'm still interested in it and I'm learning, so at this point, I'm still happily engaged.

Part of me feels like I'll never get it and should give up. I wonder, if I'm not blissfully passionate about web design, should I even bother to keep learning about it? Then again, my personality type, I'm not really passionate about anything besides eating and reading..

So it may be a passing fancy or it could be something really great, it's just too early to tell.

What do you think? Should I keep pursuing it or not waste valuable time on it?

Meat Market Vs. Fred Myers (Small Business Vs. Big Business)

2012-06-12T20:02:00.001-07:00

Do you prefer to support small local businesses or large corporations?

On the surface, ideally we all want to say we support small local business. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like the choice is not that simple. Sometimes you have to ask yourself questions like... Do I want to support small business even if it lacks competitive pricing, quality, or service?

I went to my locally owned meet market to get some chicken the other day instead of going to the corporate giant, Fred Myers. The young man who was "helping" me had his ear buds in while talking to me. Weather they are on or off does not matter to me; that's disrespectful and unprofessional. Anyhow, I then asked for my meat to be cut into cubes which, had never been an issue at Fred Myers. The young man then asked with an incredulous voice, "You want me to cut it up? No." I was confused. I guess I wrongly expected this transaction to go a lot differently. As I did a mental checklist of my experiences, I found myself hard pressed to come up with reasons to "support" my small local business. Higher prices+ poor service+ unprofessionalism,+ a quality of product just barely higher = not worth it.

It's the same when you walk into the local coffee house and before you have even ordered you're bombarded by aggressive anti customer signage like, No cellphone! Cash Only! We have the right to refuse service to anyone! No refunds! No blank! and so on and so on... Then, when you make it to the counter, the cashier looks at you with disdain because you are keeping them from making it to their Occupy Wall Street Meeting. No please or thank you for the business from them.

I'm sorry my order has offended you because you apparently hate any form of capitalism.

More and more I have to wonder at why small businesses are really going out of business. Is it because the corporate giants are squeezing the little guys out of business? Or, is it because the small business owners are not thankful enough for their customers? I really think that more and more of small business owners go into business for themselves because they probably really suck at working with other people.

I will ignore a lot of things if I'm given great customer service. I will pay more for a product thats not as great if I feel that my money is going to support a person who cares about me as a customer. But! You are not doing me a favor by being in business or accepting my money!!! I am your customer! I, I AM DOING YOU A FAVOR!!!

Don't forget, this is America, your customers have choices. Yes, I will choose the the corprate giant over the little guy when the little guy treats its customers like trash. Im not trying to impress my friends in Portlandia by accepting crapy service. Oh, and by the way Montage, I don't care how good your spicy Mac and cheese is, your customer service is crap. I don't think it's cute. You're not sticking to the man by treating people like crap.

I think my basic opinion on the matter can be summed up by this Derek Sivers video:

Now, I am not against small business. I want to own a small business someday. Yes, I have had great experiences at certain local businesses. It's just sad to me that that is not my normal experience. Both in Bozeman and Portland I have been underwhelmed by local business and thats really sad. So, before you blame Starbucks for putting you out of business, you may want to ask yourself some questions. How do you treat all your customers? How is your pricing? Is your product good? Is the product and service consistent?

So, what has your experiences been with your local small business? Please, brag about the good ones and let the bad one be put on the wall of shame!

Contentment?

2012-06-07T21:43:00.001-07:00

Are you content with your life? What about with your job? Your spouse? Your house? Your blank?

I work at Starbucks as a batista. To be honest, I barely make above minimum wage and work just part time.

I am happy and content.

In the past, I have worried that people from high school (who I did not like) or others from my past, will bump into me one day and ask, "what are you up to?" Then I will have to bow my head in shame and tell them what I do. They will feel sorry for me because I only make half or a quarter of what they make...

But I have started to realize some profound truths in my current situation:

I choose to work at Starbucks. (I turned down a job making a lot more money)
Having choices in your life gives you control over you life. I get to say No.
I am happy doing what I'm doing. I enjoy working at Starbucks just as a barista.
I am not stressed out and I know that truth directly impacts the time I spend with my family and others.
I have time to spend with my family and time to work toward my dreams.
I am happy.
My family and I have everything we need. Not want... But need. My family is happy, healthy, fed, and thankful for what God has provided.

The above facts are enough for me. I love my life, wife, children, job, faith, and position.

We do not own a flat screen TV, (Not that I would turn one down.) We have a car with part of the bumper missing. Our house is the "scary" looking one on the block, but!!! We're happy.

Because of our lack of attachment to stuff and a lack of feeling that we're entitled to a certain standard of living, we are able to enjoy life. We are able to say no to job opportunities that pay a lot more because we don't need the money. I might not stack up financially to all my friends and acquaintances from the past, but I would not trade my inward contentment for stuff.

I believe that true contentment only comes from God. Once you have that kind of contentment that fills the whole we're all walking around with; everything else is just gravy.

Joy is not based on situational circumstances. It is something greater that you possess regardless of your current situation. Happiness is directly impacted by your feelings and immediate situational position. I have both. Joy + happiness = contentedness.

And because I look for any reason to post a Derek Sivers Video; Here's one that kinda fits with what I'm talking about.

The Gross Younger Son

2012-06-06T19:29:00.005-07:00

The parable of the Two Sons

Most people are familiar with this biblical parable even if they are not christian. In case you have not heard it; Here is the Cliff Notes version from Luke 15:11-32.

A man had two sons. One did all he was told and is basically the picture of a good son.

The other son was the bad son. The bad son did not do what he was told and was lazy and pretty selfish.

One day the bad son at the height of his lazy entitlement tells his father; "Your dead to me! Give me my money now!" The father gives the bad son what he wants. The bad son squanders all his money on whores and other disgusting and selfish things. Because of his reckless life and so called independence he finds himself penniless, living outside, doing slave labor, and so hunger he wishes he can eat the pigs food he is now tending over..

Looking back he remembers how good his fathers servants had it. He knows he brought this fate on himself and does not deserve forgiveness. But he has a plan. He will go back and beg for mercy and ask to be a hired hand cause he knows he does not deserve to be called son again. So he goes back home to beg for anything he can get.

The father, looking out for his son to return, sees the younger son approaching and runs to great him with tears in his eyes. (Which would have been unacceptable for a older successful Jew)He throws a party and without any condition set on the son, restores him to his previous (good) standing.

The older (good) son is pretty pissed when he learns what has just happened. He refuses to enter the "Feast of Love" because of the injustice he feels is taking place. He feels, that because of all of his "good works" he deserves the fathers stuff more than his brother does. He says, "You never let my friends and me have a fattened calf!" He is mad and is not liking how all this is panning out.

The father says something profound though. He says, "All that I have is your, come, we are celebrating the fact that your brother was dead and is now alive!"

It is left in the air as to whether or not the self righteous older brother enters the feast...

Here are some interesting things to note about this story:

He did not do anything to earn his Forgiveness
He did not do anything to earn his standing.
There was no works, doing, plans, or anything else he did but come back. Grace is sufficient.
The younger son did not deserve to be forgiven. He didn't even demonstrate he had "changed" his wicked ways.
While the older son did "everything" right, he did not really care for the father. He lacked love.
While the older son did everything right, You get a sense that the father was disappointed with his sons hard handedness.
Humility and repentance trumps the righteousness of works any day.
We are accepted. God is pleased to receive us, waiting to throw a feast in our honor when we come back to him in humility. Period.

Long winded blog on spirituality but, worth some thought..

What's keeping you from the feast of love? Are you on older brother or younger brother? (No need for shame because both heart postures have some serious repentance to do.)

You're Your Worst Critic. (But you already know that.)

2012-06-05T23:19:00.001-07:00

The title pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

I don't really have all that much to add. There is nothing more profound I can say to make you or me believe some of the following simple truths.

Your ideas are better than you think. While they don't seem that great to you because you're the one who thought about it; know that they just actually may be really great to someone else.
Of course... Not all ideas or expressions of your art/dream are great, though many of them are way better than you give your self credit for. Remember, if you're moved to create, you're a creator, and that is really awesome, beautiful, and special.
Know that if you keep everything you have created to your self, that's kind of selfish.
Know that many successful artists, musicians, and writers are highly critical of what they produce and often times were tempted to burn that beautiful <blank> that YOU love so much!
Low self esteem, perfectionism, or other personality quirks could be holding you back from making you a career out of what you love.

So. I'm not going to tell you not to be your own worst critic because no matter what I say you will still be it. A blog is not going to change that.

But!

What if you admitted it was possible that your <blank> was better than you thought? What if you entertained the idea, that other people might just enjoy what you've created? What if you asked yourself whats the worst that can happen by sharing and striving for my dream? ( No really, ask your self. Come on, do it!)

I'm blogging... Not because I think I have some profound insight others lack or because I think people are hanging on my every word. No, I do it because I need to practice writing in general, learn how to communicate my thoughts in a clear and concise way which, I'm still working on, and get used to having a piece of my creation out there, being viewed by others, and possibly judged or criticized.

While I hope it (writing) will help someone or inspire them, it doesn't have to. While I hope I might stumble upon something that could move my goals forward, it doesn't have to. While I wish it were better... I do it because I love it and it has meaning to me. That's enough for me, even if I hope for a little more.

What do you wish you had the courage to share? What, if anything, do you plan to "put out there?"

Here is a video I have posted before by Derek Sivers. It too is worth a view and some thought! Keep in mind this man is a multimillionaire who has impacted other peoples lives because he didn't criticize himself into inaction..

Top 3 Reasons Why I Believe Captain America is a Great Leader

2012-06-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

I recently watched The Avengers and one of the many things I was stuck with was that Captain America showed great leadership skills!

(Possible Spoiler Alert.)

So, here are my top 3 reasons I say the Captain is a great leader...

The Captain cares. You can tell that he is invested in both the situation, mission, and organization he is a part of. You can tell he is genuinely invested and that he cares for not only his success but his teams as well.
The Captain practices what he preaches. He sets the example by HIS attitude and actions. He does not ask anyone to do anything he wouldn't or isn't doing himself.
Captain America recognizes the individual strengths of each member of his team and then assigns them to the task that will work well with their talent. "Hulk, Smash!" He recognizes that he can't make Hulk a lookout, or the Black Widow a high powered flying blaster. He does not try to change them or get them to do something they are not suited for because that would jeopardize the mission. No, he lets them shine, utilizing their talents.

So, there you have it. If you're a leader try approaching the situation as Captain America would. (With his leadership skills, not the spangly blue outfit and shield...)

How do you think you could be a little more like Captain America???

To Proclaim Or Not To Proclaim?

2012-05-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Do you often tell family and friends what your goals are in hopes it will help you accomplish them because you're now accountable for them?

How's that working out for you???

I recently watched a video by one of my favorite "motivational" speakers Derek Sivers. (You can watch it here...)

Basically, he asserts that by telling someone else your goal you feel like you have already accomplished something. It turns out, that in study after study, those who tell people what they are going to to in advance tend to give it up quicker than those who don't because their talking has tricked their brain into thinking the work has been done.

There is one small exception he mentions at the end though. It's a partial picture of real accountability, which I'll have to write more about later. He says something like, if your going to tell a friend your goal, give them permission to kick your a** if you don't do it.

So, we're not just going to be satisfied with talking about all the things we hope or want to do! We are going to do one of two things.

Keep our mouths shut and put our nose to the grindstone to get it done.
Or... We're going to give someone permission to pointedly keep us accountable. Not as a harsh task master but perhaps as a very strong advocate for the goal/dream WE decided to pursue.

I think either way is better than the alternative of declaring what we're going to do but not moving toward us. When it comes to the dreams or goals we want to accomplish we want to do as many things as we can that will increase the likelihood of us actually moving in the direction of execution.

So, what have you told friends you were going to do but didn't? Are you going to do things differently in the future???

Fast Food Nation; Even With Faith

2012-05-25T17:26:00.001-07:00

Perhaps like me you have heard the term used often that we are a fast food nation?

We want satisfaction now and cheaply; quality be damned. It seems within the main stream of any area everything has been made for us to consume quickly and easily. If we have to wait more than a 2 minutes for our frozen microwave dinner we get mad and look for the one that can be cooked in a minute.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the ability to get what we need/want right away, just that we have been conditioned to live in a way that gets us everything quickly. We also feel entitled to theses things, ungrateful for them, and will pitch a Mantrum when our show takes more than a minute to load.

Here's a great video!

In all of these areas we have applied our fast food mentality to our spirituality. You may not agree with me, but think about it. Lets look at it through the context of traditional western church.

We go to a building to "get" something.
Generally most people will get upset if it takes too long to "get" what they came for.
If they don't "get" what they came for? "We'll just go somewhere else."
We want what we came for to be easy to digest, make us feel good, and not require any work from us.
And if we have children we want them to throw in a "toy" for the kids though children's ministry.

Why does this happen? A few reasons. One of which we are a "fast food nation" of consumers. The other is we equate head knowledge with tangible Kingdom value. A lot of us want someone to do the hard work of going to seminary, learning Greek and Hebrew then giving us a message that makes us feel good.

We want people to tell us what to think about God and how to live for him.
We want other people to teach our kids about life, the world, and religion. Or, spirituality for those of you who are not "religious." (Even though you are....)

Here's what it all boils down to. It is our job to educate ourselves about, you name it. It's our job to teach our children. (I'm not devaluing school or children's ministry.) It's your job to be actively involved in your spirituality.

In short; we value what we have put effort, time, money, and energy into. Don't look for things to be easier but look to be better. Things worthwhile come from time and labor and yes, maybe some sweat and tears.

Sure, you can get a burger for a buck at Wendie's in 2 minutes, but don't you enjoy the burger a bit more when you make it yourself at home with just the right ingredients?

Fast-food and fast spirituality does not satisfy because it's crap. (I have partaken in both.)

Go for the good stuff. The homegrown, all organic stuff that was made with love and yes, labor. It will go well with you!

Are you tired of fast_________?

Dead Meet (Story question)

2012-05-24T15:59:00.001-07:00

Dead Meet (Yes, i mean meet and not meat.) is my first attempt to write something using actual writing tools.

One of the pieces of advice of I have gotten from Jim Butcher (not personally but from his blog.) is that every story should have a story skeleton or better put a story question. It's the question that your book will answer. Its a great tool for me because I tend to want to throw the whole kitchen sink into each story and paragraph!

Anyhow, since I made this blog with the purpose of daily writing, I thought I would share what I have written so far... The story question for Dead Meet.

*Caugh, Caugh* Here we go!

When undead Deputy Blake Evans son goes mysteriously missing in Bozeman Mt, he must find his son before its too late! But, will he succeed when the alien fey try to obscure his path and while vampires from the city and a motor bike gang of werewolves threaten to tear apart Bozeman in a bazaar turf war?

BAM!

Thats it!

If you're a writer, whats the story question of something you're working on? Heck, even if you're not, do you have a story question?

Where Did My Discipline Go???

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was on a roll till I hit a speed bump.

I don't know what happened but I can't seem to muster any discipline whatsoever. Why can't I do the things I want to do and why do I do the things I don't want to do?

One thing I've noticed is I tend to do well once I have established a routine but once it gets interrupted I have a real ruff time getting back into it. I'm not sure why but, when my momentum gets broken I can't easily get it going again.

I keep trying to restart the engine but nothing seems to be happening.

What do you think? How do you get re-motivated?

As for me I think i'm going to just try something new. Tomorrow I will share 7 goals. The idea will be to do at least one thing per day that helps make progress toward at least one goal. If I think of anything else that helps to get the motivation engine going I'll be sure to let you know!

Isolation; The great recipe for destruction

2011-12-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

The truth is we are all broken. We are flawed and we are most certainly not perfect.

In our country we value a word that may not actual be good for us. Independence. Is there some virtue in the concept of independence? Yes, of course. But like all good things in this life, things get corrupted, and twisted, and taken to unhealthy levels.

Independence begins to take on a posture of; I can do this by myself. I don't need your help. I don't need anybody. It's me against the whole world! Ultimately, this kind of mind set leads quickly to isolation.

When we are isolated, we are alone... Alone is not a strength, its weakness. When we are alone we can easily be picked off. Can I fight 5 dudes working together even if they are weaker than me? No. But, if I could get one guy alone who is weaker; could I beat him then? Yes!

Now, what is we are not called to independence but, dependance on one another?

No one protester has every brought about change without other people joining the moment. Not one person has defeated an army by themselves.Not one healthy profitable business is done by just one person.

We often forget we are not great at everything. I suck at grammar and punctuation, I need my wife to help me write. I suck at remembering to be kind and generous to the homeless, I need my friend Ron to remind me. I need my friends, family, and community to fill in all my areas of weakness. I am a better man because my dependance on my wife and other awesome people I let speak into my life because I am dependent on them and not independent from them.

Not everyone believe the bible is right about God but, most people would agree their is a lot of great advice and wisdom in it. Well here is a nugget to think on. Proverb 18:1 "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment."

I know I am impulsive and have whims where I want what I want. If I was alone, I would be in a real bad place and that's at my weakest.

Everyone knows the cliche image of one stick being broken by itself but a whole bunch of sticks being unbreakable. It's a cliche for a reason.

Think about it...

Update

2011-12-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hey, all.

I have not stopped blogging but have slowed down a little bit. I am currently still writing daily but not here. I do plan to get caught up though and start blogging again.

Once thing I am considering is writing a story chapter by chapter on my blog. This would give anyone who wants to read what I am writing acsess right away and also give me a chance to receive constructive criticism right away so as to make changes before I get too deep in the story.

Look forward to more consistent content shortly.

Thanks again!

Be Yourself

2011-12-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried to be something your not?

As some of you may know, I recently got a part time gig writing blogs for another website. In the details of the job it was stated that they were looking for cocky, funny jerks.

Well, I am not really funny, I guess I can sometimes be a jerk, and I am most certainly not cocky. As a matter of fact, I am against all those things because they are in direct opposition to what I believe.

Why did I take the job? Because I knew I could write a proposal the guy would like.

Here is the issue. What I am writing for this website is not me. I don't like it and as a matter of fact I am ashamed and embarrassed by the things I have written for this website. Not because of the content of the website but because the things I am writing in context to me are a lie.

Ultimately I tried to be someone i'm not.

I agreed to write 6 blogs and I will do what I said I would, but won't continue on after that. I compromised the things I believe for money and that feels really crappy. This situation was a mistake but it's something I have learned from.

When I am myself, content flows naturally from me and its easy to write more. When I am not myself it is really hard for me to produce and its really draining. So from this point on I won't look for the jobs I think I can get, I will look for the ones that best line up with who I am. There might be less of those and they may have a lot more competition for them or pay less, but it will be something I can be proud of. When you are yourself doing something you can be proud about it helps propel you along to even greater things. That's why from now on I will be my self.

Have you ever tried to not be yourself to get something? How did that work out for you?

Don't Cast Your Pearls Before Pigs

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Do you ever throw out a piece of yourself, a piece of your light, only to have it trampled?

I have.

I have, at times, given my best (pearls) to those who trampled them into the mud. It can hurt when you believe you're dispensing something of use and people throw it on the ground or worse, in your face.

Thankfully there is hope. Jesus addresses this through scripture.

Mathew 10:13: "If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if not, let your peace return to you."

Jesus tells us such a person whom receives our peace is a person of peace to us. Such a person does deserve our time, energy, words, support, and such. The person of peace is willing to hear from us on spiritual matters. They are someone who is willing to speak and work with us and they probably like and respect us as well.

If the person does not deserve to receive our peace we have a response to that as well. We let our peace return to us and we quietly and respectfully depart from them.

Mathew 7:6 "Don't give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

This is good news! We have freedom from people who are not peaceful for us. In short, you don't have waste time, energy, heartache, and pain on people who don't like you for whatever reason.

One thing to note about this concept though, is this; To discover if someone is or is not a person of peace to you means there is a chance for rejection. Rejection at any time and in any context sucks. The great thing though is you know where you stand.

If you're received well let your peace remain. If not, shake "the dust off" and leave. That simple. Enjoy the peace and grace of this in your own life now.

What do you think? Does this sound like freedom to you?

Simple Heart

2011-11-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Are you happy? More importantly do you have joy?

I recently got to take my daughters to Disneyland and Sea World. Genevieve and I were there for a learning community about discipleship. It was a great time full of a lot of information, training, fun and also full of God speaking to our hearts.

While a lot of things stood out to me during our time there; I was struck by two situations in particular that speak about our hearts as adults.

The first happened at Disneyland. Genevieve and I were walking past another family when they let there two kids know they could hold hands to the next ride. They then jumped up in down in joy about the simple pleasure of being able to hold hands! "We get to hold hands!"

The seconded thing that happened was at Sea World. God was incredibly generous to us. We were given free tickets to Sea World. ($225.00) Not only were we given free tickets but the person who gave them to us allowed us to go behind the scenes. My girls got to get up and personal to Sea Lions and Dolphins. They fed, trained, and touched them. The thing that struck me though was my youngest. She was right there with a dolphin in Sea World and you know what she wanted to do? Splash in the water. She derived the most joy at Sea World from splashing in the water and later playing with leaves, sticks, and the curb.

When I reflect on how much joy children get from the simplest things; it reminds me that we should seek to be more like them. We fill our lives with so much junk that is ultimately trash. We have our minds so tied up in the busyness of adulthood we forget we can have joy now.

So I have a challenge for you. Go play in the dirt or splash around in the water for a bit. Play with your children for an hour the way they do. See if you can't recapture a little bit of that childish joy you used to have.

One last side note. While I do believe it is important to become more child like, I do have to note one thing that is extremely important. I believe that real Joy can only come through being connected to Jesus the son of God. Not from church, a political party, a movement, hobby, or any thing else outside of Christ. Not to say all those things don't allow us to have fun, but the joy that transcends temporal happiness comes from the father alone. Food for thought.

Do more, be better, try harder is a lie (When it comes to God)

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

How is your spiritual health?

When Christians feel like we're not living up to what Jesus has asked us to do we often come up with a quick fix in our heads. The quick fix is the lie that if we could only do more, try harder, be better, that would some how make us closer to God.

“Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone.” -Dallas Willard

There is a huge difference between living differently in-light of what God has done for us verses trying to earn God's love and acceptance.

Without God's Grace we can't do more, be better, or try harder. When, as Christians we embrace our identity as children of God, we then have the ability to obey. When we obey we create less resistance to God working through our lives which, means more of God's power flows through us.

The answer to feeling better, doing more is not to try harder on your own. If you want to see fruit you have to abide in Him. Abide means to remain or to stay. Basically our function is to rest in Jesus. He will take care of everything else.

There is a pendulum here though. Those who are trying too hard need to relax and rest in Jesus. Those of us who are having a great time relaxing and are comfortable need to consider if it's not time to put a little effort into working out our salvation for the Kingdom.

In short two scriptures play a role here:

Galatians 2:16 "Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, Have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

James 2:18 "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds."

You see the balance? We can't earn our way into heaven or God's good graces. He loves us just as much on our worst day as on our best. In the passage from James you get the impression he is not justified by his deeds but his deeds stem from his faith. There is a connection between what we believe and what we do.

Don't try harder to work, try harder to abide and the rest will come.

Peace.

If it's not a hit, switch it up.

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Do you find that no matter how hard you try X, you just don't get anywhere with it?

Do you ever feel like you're running your head into a brick wall? Trying over and over to make your ketchup flavored lollipops sell without luck? Change the flavor then!

As a leader, creator, entrepreneur, I believe in perseverance. Something I have noticed in myself and in other leaders around me is a tenancy to try even harder to make something work when they don't get the results they want.

Watch the following video if you can:

One of the biggest mistakes we make as people is that we assume others learn and resonate with the same things we do which is not true and highly ineffective.

If you're a parent and you yell at your child every 5 minutes to pick up the toys and every time nothing happens, the answer is not to yell more often and louder, the answer is to change the method and approach.

If you're a leader who constantly gets blank looks from people during a meeting, don't just keep saying the same thing over, and over, and over again hoping for a different result. That's insane. Instead try changing not just the wording of the message but maybe also the way you deliver the message.

If no one is interested in your great idea, don't push it harder, go back to the drawing board as many times as it takes to get the right results.

In short, if it's not a hit, switch.

Do you find yourself frustrated by the lack of buy-in to what your trying to do? If so, have you ever considered going a different direction or do you just press forward harder?

Consider buying Derek Sivers' book. It's a great read. Check out the link below:

Be the person you want to __________!

2011-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Do you want to attract a certain type of person to your organization, business, church, movement, or your self?

You need to do 3 things;

Be the person you want to hire, follow, ______. If you want to attract people who are loyal, care for the organization or movement, you have to embody those qualities. If you could care less about the company you manage for, expect the same thing from your employees. If you preach about humility, you had better be humble yourself.
You must spend more time and energy drawing out what is good than pushing back against what is not. You can read more here.
Your actions must line up with your words.You can't start calling your employees "team members" but not treat them as such. If you give a pat on the back for a good job done, think about adding a green hand shake. (Giving cash) You can read more here.

These 3 tips will have the people you want banging on your door. If you find yourself in a position where you just can't find good people, ask yourself these questions:

Would I hire myself?
Would I want to work under a person like me?
Do I hand out more criticism than affirmation?

Food for thought...

5 things you can do to help your blog and mine!

2011-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

If you're blogging and want to make your blog better or increase traffic, here is what I have learned thus far as a fledgling blogger.

Write good content that is true to you and has value to others.
Be patient and consistent. (Write consistently and be patient for results.)
Share your blog with family and friends. If they won't read it who will?
Create links to blogs you like and ask people who like you to link to your page
Ask people to +1 your blogs, comment on them, and share them.

There you have have it! 5 things that will make your blog better and increase traffic to it!