mind the gap

Would you take a picture? Cause I won't remember

2011-11-06T20:51:00.002-05:00

Well friends, November is here. And life just keeps on rolling along.

I've been thinking about something over the past few months. And it has some relevance to today. Today was the NYC Marathon. One of my co-workers was to run the race until she broke her foot two weeks ago. She is seriously bummed.

But I have an internet friend who was running today. She may have fears that I am a little odd. I've never met this person, but I tell encourage them and I tell them that I'm praying for them. And I kinda expect her to think I'm a bit odd.

I am odd. I am different. I am peculiar. Tell your friends. I pray for friends I haven't seen in years. I hold doors for women. And men. I look for opportunities to encourage strangers. And I take pictures of my food.

And people often look at me like I'm strange. I have no doubt that they think it. I just want to be different. To be counter-cultural if you will. There's a lot of crap in this world and a lot of people wading through said crap.

I seek to make people's lives better. I may not have any lasting impact, but if I can give somebody hope, even for just a fleeting moment, it's worth it. And if that means sending email to strangers, or engaging my wal-mart cashier in some friendly banter, I'm going to do it. Because I know the best is yet to come.

Something to think about

2011-10-21T16:05:00.001-05:00

I was reading today about how some artifacts from a survivor of the Titanic were sold at auction recently. One of the artifacts was a letter from one of the survivors, John Snyder, to his father. In discussing his evaucation he stated:

"Only a very few people were on deck at that time and they thought it was much safer to stay on the big boat than to try the life boat."

What's been resounding with me is that last half of the sentence: they thought it was much safer to stay on the big boat than to try the life boat. How many times in life are we strong enough to head for the life boats? The big boat is so comfortable. If we jump in that little boat, we'll have to row and we don't know if/when anyone will find us!

John and his wife took the opportunity to jump and were one of 705 passengers to survive. Out of 2238 total passengers.

Something to think about..

two days, two posts, and an apple

2011-10-17T20:46:00.003-05:00

I was reading this morning about Steve Jobs. If you saw my tweet today, you have an idea where this is going.

According to what I read in Businessweek, Steve was not a very nice man. Brilliant, but not nice. He did not treat people well. He was laser-focused on whatever product was on the drawing board, and seemingly did little to nurture those people around him.

Now, what I've read may all be patently false, but I think there's a lesson in it. You can be the most brilliant man on the planet, but if don't have love? Clang, clang.

Perhaps it's the perspective that I'm coming from. Love changes people lives. Love has the power to make an impact more powerful than any piece of technology. You may disagree, but perhaps you just don't know love like I do.

On a side note, I'm not real pleased with the thought flow of this particular post, but I think it gets my point across. And I want to go to bed.

Where a young man's thoughts turn to blog cancellation..

2011-10-15T20:13:00.009-05:00

Hey Kids!

Made a visit to the big city today. It was a spur of the moment sort of thing. Good times were had. I took some pictures, of which I've included a handful below.

Still thinking about what to do with this blog. I wish I could figure out how to do a podcast. While I figure that out, take a gander at the sights of NYC...

in this life

2011-08-18T17:38:00.002-05:00

So hello there!

I'm sitting in the local Chick-fil-A typing this post listening to the harsh sounds of a conversation between an adult woman and her elderly mother. It's rough. I'm considering moving to a new table.

Life's been busy. Since I posted last, I've visited a few different cities including New Orleans. And I've dreamed of visiting a few cities (Paris, Rome, Provo).

Over the weekend I was given tickets to see a preseason NFL game in a suite. It was suite! Had a good time.

I am moving to a new table. This is painful.

I've started training to run another half-marathon. This time it's the Octoberun in Redwood City, CA. And to triple the fun, I'm running with two of my co-workers!! This week I started my training in earnest and the early morning runs are killing me. Waking up at 5:00am is not my idea of fun. But on the flip-side, I feel like a million bucks when I've finished!

It's interesting how these entries have transitioned into life updates. Gone are the days of my deep expositions into life. I keep thinking I should do a podcast. Or a webcast. I recently purchased a flip video camera, so the latter is definitely an option.

The Forgotten Voices 5k is September 17th. You should run it. I'm hoping to be there. It will be a good time. For sure.

I miss Juice and Java. I can't get a good smoothie down here to save my life.

Somebody asked me today if I could ever see myself living in Wisconsin two or three years down the road. Wisconsin! I said yes. Don't tell my parents.

I had a great visit with one of my old roommates from the college years. I took him and his wife out to the country for some good ol' fashioned bbq. And tea so sweet it made your teeth hurt. Good times.

Be a blessing. Stay in school. Drugs don't pay. Love somebody.

Here and There

2011-06-13T19:09:00.002-05:00

I watched the Tony Awards last night. With about 300 other people. It was fun. Made me want to fly up to Broadway and watch a bunch of shows. I wish those shows weren't so expensive though...

On Friday I went to see a baseball game. It was "Faith Night" at the ballpark which included a pre-game show by a church band and a testimony by a pastor. But this wasn't just your run-of-the-mill pastor. This was a pastor who rapped! He would take songs by Kanye and Snoop and change the lyrics to make them sound Christianese. It was...disappointing. But the kids seemed to like to dance to the music.

In other baseball news: I'm singing the national anthem!!! It's true. There's a local AA team called the Kannapolis Intimidators and I had auditioned in the winter for the opportunity to sing the anthem. I got a call last week, and I'm singing this weekend! Wooo!

And if that weren't all enough, I'm going to see LOTF - Fellowship of the Ring tomorrow night. In the theatre!!

I don't know who I am anymore!!

I Love Utah

2011-05-14T23:19:00.003-05:00

I'm there right now. I'm currently within spitting distance of BYU and in the shadow of the mountain they call Timp (which I was hoping to climb today, but couldn't because of snow on the trail.

I've been thinking through what is that I like about Utah. Perhaps it's because of how kind and earnest the people here seem to be. It is wicked easy to strike up a conversation with just about anybody here.

Or maybe it's the mountains. They are really spectacular. The feelings I have are reminiscent of my first visit to Boulder, Colorado. It was surreal to be shopping at a Target in the shadow of the Rockies. It's the same thing here. Change the store to Kohl's and the mountains to Wasatch.

Are you sitting down? This will come as a shock to a lot of people. I could see myself living here someday. Even with the snow. It is that beautiful and the people are that friendly.

While I don't belong to the LDS church, I can't deny that their members are part of the reason that this state is so freakin' nice. So thanks for that Mormon friends! And I'm praying for you!!

My life since my last post

2011-04-17T19:42:00.002-05:00

Well, I finished my run. I ran the 10K in 1:15:03. That's three seconds slower than my goal. But I don't blame myself. And I'm happy that I was able to finish, despite the fact that my training for this race was terrible. My God is a gracious God!!

This past weekend, my good pal and I headed up to NYC for a quick weekend trip. We saw lots of stuff and made our first respective trips to Little Italy. There are some good eats to be had there!

We also hit up the Upper East Side, where art lives. And people with money. Also, this dog. He's an UES Dog. I think his name is Richard.

We saw a lot of stuff in the short time we were in the city, but it didn't feel like we were running all over the place. That's one of the biggest mistakes you can make when traveling to a new place - trying to see everything before you live is a recipe for disaster. You've got to learn to soak in your surroundings. Sit for a spell. Watch the people around you. Drink the super-rich and delicious hot chocolate from the tiny place on Madison Avenue.

Also, get off the beaten path. Explore side streets. Did you know there are actually parts of Manhattan when you can hear birds (who aren't pigeons) sing? It's true. You just have to look for them.

This will be painful

2011-03-29T19:53:00.003-05:00

This weekend I'm running the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, South Carolina.

I am so not ready for this. Have you seen a picture of the bridge? Take a look here (I tried to get the picture in the post, but it didn't work out). Anywho, I've only gotten as high as four miles in my training, and that's about two miles short of the total race distance.

But I feel like I can do it under 75 minutes. That might be pushing it, especially seeing how steep the first mile of the bridge is.

Stay tuned! And pray!

Life is hard

2011-02-20T13:59:00.003-05:00

And by life, I mean work. Work is hard. Not necessarily the work that I'm doing, but rather the people that I'm working for and with.

Never in my employment life have I had as much tension in my work than I do right now. It has been a fantastic opportunity to practice grace. But it has also been tremendously trying. I don't much care for having people breathing down my neck. I like my personal space. Please do not breathe down my back.

This "trial" will not last forever. But while I forge through it, I am conscious of the opportunity that I have to least a lasting impression upon the people I work with. The impression of grace under pressure, and of love. I am confident that my God will give me the strength to see this through. And I rejoice in the fact that I WILL continue to see the goodness of the Lord.

WooHoo!*

*Is it weird to give a "woohoo" at the end of a confession like this?

87,273

2011-01-15T20:23:00.003-05:00

Any thoughts on what that number represents?

According to this article, that number represents the total number of babies that were aborted in 2009 in New York City. One in four pregnancies was aborted in the city.

This year, Sanctity of Human Life Sunday will be remembered on January 23, 2011. Here in the states, there will surely be conversation about abortion, as there always is around this time. It was January 22, 1973 in which the Roe vs. Wade decision was delivered.

I wish we valued life more. I hope and pray that we will be able to continue to reduce the number of abortions in the states as we seek to end the practice. Please pray with me.

On the blog again!

2011-01-11T20:26:00.002-05:00

So it's January. It's cold. The mailman hasn't come in two days. That last one is buggin' me. Mostly perhaps because I'm waiting for a check. But I'm also waiting for some mail that a friend was sending me. And I really enjoy getting mail that's not a Bi-lo ad (it comes on Wednesdays). Moving on..

I've been thinking about how blessed I am. That's not altogether suprising, because I find myself doing that frequently. But today, I was thinking about how blessed I was to be working for my boss. My boss cares about me. She's interested in my welfare. She wants to know how things are with my family. She doesn't ask me questions when I'm on vacation. She's really awesome.

It's nice to have someone who believes in you and is concerned about you. Do you have this sort of person in your life? If you've never told them, make sure you let them know.

For those keeping track, this marks post #1,415. Hooray!

2011 Goals

2010-12-31T18:48:00.003-05:00

So I've made some goals for the new year. In no particular order, they are:

1. Run at least one 10K race. Wanna run with me? I can run anywhere!

2. Travel overseas. This is pretty much on my list every year. I did make it to Canada this year, but I'd like to go over to Europe.

3. Figure out how to make pizza dough. That should be easy enough, right?

4. Love people more.

What do you have planned for the new year?

Goodbye 2010 and hello 2011

2010-12-30T07:55:00.002-05:00

Christmas was great. I really had a fantastic time hanging out with my friends and family at home. It was a great time of refreshing.

I was reading a blog that I follow earlier this week and the writer talked about how anxious she was to return back to her home, after visiting with her family for Christmas. Anxious to the point of tears. Reading that saddened me. And I got to thinking about how blessed I am to have a home that I want to go home to. That I have parents who don't mind me crashing in the guest room for a weekend. Parents who have consistently sent food home with me whenever I leave their house.

I'm so thankful. I wish that everyone had the relationship that we have. But they don't. And that is one of the reasons why it's so important for us to show love to the people that we come in contact with. That woman you passed on the street? You have no idea what kind of baggage that she is carrying. And you have no idea what kind of difference a smile or a kind word can make in their life.

Consider making it a goal in 2011 to go out of your way to impact someone's day every day. Hold the door for someone, smile, offer a simple greeting, or offer someone a cookie (everyone loves cookies!!). It may require effort in the beginning to do it, but in no time, it will be routine and it will become a part of who you are.

Tis the Season

2010-12-12T18:32:00.003-05:00

So as always, about a million different things have been running through my head over the past couple of months. None of which I bothered to type so that all the internet could see.

This is the first year that I've come up against Christmas resistance in my office. I've discovered several people in my office who just do not like Christmas. To the extent that they're not interested in playing any reindeer games.

I've been kind of puzzled about what my cause a person to get all Scrooge-like at this time of year. I wonder perhaps if it was something traumatic, like the death of a family member. Or maybe it was something else. Regardless, it requires a different tact when approaching someone. I obviously won't be giving them a Christmas card, but can I do something else? If so, what?

Any of you have any dealings with "Office Scrooges?" Any thoughts?

The one where I walk around and talk to Mormons

2010-10-23T21:43:00.002-05:00

Tonight I find myself in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also known in some corners as the world headquarters for the Mormon (LDS) Church. In all, I figure I spent almost three hours in and around Temple Square. How could I spend three hours in Mormon Mecca? I talked to missionaries.

I arrived at the South visitors center and looked around at some exhibits regarding the building of the temple. They have some neat technological stuff to play around with as well as five foot high model of the temple. I wandered around towards the opposite entrance where I met Sister Hardy. I asked about tours. She said "sure we can give you a tour." I was expecting a tour group. What I got was a personalized tour with Sisters Johnson and Bateman showing me around the square. It was raining and so we took umbrellas out and started the tour. We visited a few different buildings having some good conversations about various topics of faith. We got to the end of the tour and they asked me if I wanted to fill out a card to have a missionary come and visit me. I'm pretty sure they would have "saved me" on the spot if I hadn't shared with them my skepticism.

I made it a point to love on these women. I sang them songs. Literally. I sang a song we used to do in worship adventure at West Shore about the fruits of the spirit, as well as an old southern gospel tune ("He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today...."). We parted ways, but not before we got our picture taken and I gave them some candy. They allowed me to keep the umbrella with the assurance that I would drop it off at the visitors center on my way out. So we part ways and I wander out in the square with my "Temple Square" umbrella, taking photos. I get looks from other missionaries as I wander about with a tour guide umbrella, but no tour guide. I honestly believe that holding that umbrella allowed me to love on four other missionaries while I was there. It was fantastic!

I do have to admit that it's rather jolting to sing "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where?" and have blank stares looking back at me. That really brought it home for me. These missionaries had never heard the songs that I was singing to them. And that made me a little sad. But also glad that I was able to share with them and give them something to hopefully think about. And I'm praying for them as well, and I told them as such.

My trip out here has been great. I hardly saw anything, but I got to love on people. And that was worth it.

two things to bounce around in your head

2010-10-22T19:47:00.003-05:00

1. I've been thinking about those miners in Chile and how it seemed like the whole world was glued to their televisions and radios as the rescue reached it's conclusion. I'll let you draw your own spiritual analogies there. What first came to my mind was children in poverty and how there are organizations like Forgotten Voices and Compassion who lift these children out of poverty and set them on more stable ground. I am thankful for the rescue services they provide.

2. Applause during a church service's worship set. I've recently started attending a church where they give applause after each song. I'm having a hard time with that. I honestly don't feel the need to clap after every song. I understand giving God praise, but isn't that what we're doing in worship? I don't clap. And I don't know if God appreciates our applause when there's an insincere heart behind the claps.

I think that part of my concern lies in the fact that having been a worship leader, it can be easy to feel like the congregation is giving it's applause to you for that awesome guitar solo or those killer vocal chops. And more often than not, that applause comes across as polite golf applause. If you're gonna praise with your applause, you need to bring the thunder with your applause. And shouting may also be appropriate. I'm just sayin'...

More on Catalyst

2010-10-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

As my friend Annie has succinctly stated, it has been a while since I've posted. And I have to admit, I'm still somewhat undecided as to whether I want to continue this thing, or start a new thing. I've been musing about the possibility of doing a podcast, because I can talk on a podcast while doing other things. Not that that is going to make for a great podcast, but it seems like it's easier to talk than it is to write. So we'll see about that.

But I wanted to talk about this conference and what I got out of it. There was lots of great insight shared by various speakers and I found a suprisingly large amount applicable to me as a business leader. Here are a few of the notes I made:

Three things about appetites (courtesy of Andy Stanley):
1. God created appetite and sin distorted it.
2. Appetites are never fully or finally satisfied.
3. Appetites always whisper now, never later.

Christine Caine talked about the danger the Church faces when they stop being the Church and start doing Church.

Beth Moore talked about how our culture preys on insecurity. We live in a world that instantly scrutinizes everything.

I can't quite articulate what Francis Chan said, but it was along the lines of paying more attention to Scripture as it relates to how we should be living our lives. Trends come and go, but His Word remains true.

Perry Noble asked the question: "Why do we run from situations that God reigns over?"

This is just a fraction of what was shared at the conference. And I don't know that I've articulated well what was actually said. Suffice to say, there was so much meat being served up, it was like a Brazilian steakhouse. Good stuff.

Catalyst

2010-10-07T21:11:00.002-05:00

I have been blessed to be able to attend the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. Today I sat under the teaching of leaders like Andy Stanley, Beth Moore, and Francis Chan. It has been truly awesome. And the worship has been great.

Pray for Francis. He and his family are packing up and heading overseas. Where, he's not 100% certain, but it's somewhere in Asia. He's sold his house and doesn't know when/if he'll be back. He's steppin' out in faith, because he feels that that's where God is sending him. So please pray for him.

And while you're at it, pray for your church leaders. I witnessed a large number of pastors tonight who were hurting and it just renewed my interest in praying for church leaders. We need to have their backs!

Finally, I'm on Twitter. Here. I don't recall if I mentioned that in the past. It's been so long since I last blogged...

Something to pray for

2010-08-26T15:26:00.002-05:00

Friends,

It has been a long time since I've posted anything here. But I'd like a second of your time right now to pray for a little boy by the name of Sterling Davis. I came across his story on Tuesday and I was captivated by his smile. Please pray for him and his family.

So Very Thankful I

2010-07-31T05:41:00.003-05:00

I am writing this blog post from the airport in Honolulu, HI. I tried to get back to the mainland (for reasons unknown) three times yesterday. I have four attempts lined up for today. It's not that I want to leave, I just really want to get home now.

So here I am spending the night at an airport with maybe 50-60 other weary travelers. And I can't help but be thankful. Yes, it's a bummer that I'm stuck here with no soft surface for my head. And that my checked bag is probably already at home and I have the clothes on my back, no deoderant and no toothbrush (I did think to pack an extra pair of underwear in my backpack).

But I'm trapped in paradise. I have the means to get here, the time to take off, the money to spend, and I love that I'm here. It's just that it's a little humid tonight in Honolulu and the part of the airport we're in is open-air. Crazy, eh? But Starbucks is open!! Eh. Five more hours until the city bus starts running and I can at least get out of the airport for a few hours and see if I can find a shower and a clean shirt somewhere. Maybe I'll go to IHOP, the only place to find oatmeal in Waikiki.

I've got some brilliant pictures which I'll post at some point. Perhaps tonight.

Since I'm not doing anything else...

The Wisdom of the Wonder Years

2010-07-09T20:40:00.002-05:00

America

2010-07-08T20:40:00.002-05:00

Over the past month or so, I've been slowly working through The Light and the Glory, by Peter Marshall and David Manuel. It talks about the role that Christianity played in the formation of our country.

There's a quote from John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail, where he talks about the day that the Declaration of Independence passed Congress:

"will be the most memorable....in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn actos of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.
You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means."

Interesting, no?

Whoa!

2010-06-21T21:15:00.000-05:00

Check out this video I found online. Truly spectacular!!

Pacific Star II from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

So long since we talked

2010-06-01T17:22:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends!

I haven't forgotten about you. On the contrary, I've been thinking a lot about you. Not just showing it by being a good blogger.

I finished the Proverbs Project. Love Proverbs. Some really great thoughts and ideas represented there. Some of the passages I read proved very timely to my circumstances.

I also signed up for Twitter.

And I met an Israeli named Jacob who runs a French crepe stand.

I'm leaving you with a picture from my weekend. It's a good 'un.

Cheers!