1. They end up idealistic and oblivious. Without other experiences as a guide, they think “This is as good as it gets”, and they don’t see any of the problems or areas ripe for growth. This leads to stagnation and complacency; however, it is marginally better than the second outcome.
2. They end up critical and discontent. Problems get magnified, successes dimmed, and other organizations or places look so much better than where they are at right now. This attitude, while often framed as desiring progress, usually sabotages real growth because it harbors doubts about the foundation of the organization and actively demotivates work.

Having a wider range of experiences helps to curb either of these extremes. You realize that every organization and place has problems, and you learn to work around these problems. You also realize that nearly every place has advantages and good things. This brings balance and perspective.

Gaining wider experience requires an openness and willingness to move beyond what you are comfortable with. It requires risk taking, a willingness to fail, and a desire to grow.

What has enabled you to gain wider experiences?

“Inventors are always getting dirty, stubbing their toes, and cutting their fingers on projects for tomorrow. In a real sense, our world has been shaped by hours of toil and the cumulative blood, sweat, and tears of innovators. In my opinion, social media has contributed to the deception that we all can be innovators and leaders, experts and specialists. I think this false sense of ingenuity has led many to adopt a lifestyle that distracts from where God is calling them to employ their gifts and talents.

“At some point we must slow down, take a moment, and listen.”

Read “Unplug” at Collide Magazine.

I definitely resonate with this article. This past week, I’ve been reading David Brainerd’s diary, as edited by Jonathan Edwards. Brainerd frequently bemoaned the lack of “retirement” (meaning seclusion, or removal from society) when he spent time with friends, and spoke affectionately of the time he spent by himself, as being of great value for spiritual growth. The pace of life today is so much faster than the eighteenth century, and with the advent of Twitter, Facebook, and email, we are inundated constantly with noise. I’m convinced this is directly contributory to our widespread spiritual anaemia.

Scott McClellan posted a follow-up post on the Collide Blog with several practical suggestions on “unplugging.” (Read it here.)

I personally struggle with constantly checking my email, allowing myself to be interrupted constantly with Twitter and Facebook updates, and not taking the time away from technology and from people to get alone with God. I know that my spiritual life is lacking as a result—when I look at the last several years in my journal, I see tremendous growth (followed by tremendous fruit) when I regularly, intentionally got away from normal life and spent hours with God in solitude.

For me, I’m grateful for the original article and yesterday’s post for reminding me of what I need. Now excuse me while I go turn off my phone’s social networking and shut down my email client.

I started with quality ingredients. The organic, air-packed chicken tastes WAY better than frozen Tyson chicken breasts. I tried the organic vegetable broth, and thought it was a little salty. Normally I use my own homemade vegetable-based soup stock, but I was out and didn’t feel like making it. Using fresh whole garlic is a lot tastier than the pre-minced garlic out of a jar.

Chopped celery and onions for the vegetables. I’m wishing that I had a good knife at the dorm—my nice knives are at the EMS station where I normally cook.

Quality spices are a key. Many of my seasonings are from Penzeys, which has an outlet store about a mile from my parent’s home. Their products are really fresh and really cheap. For this soup, I used a number of spices and added them by intuition. The cumin, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper gave the soup a kick; mustard and paprika added a bit of sharpness; cinnamon, garlic, and nutmeg added a slightly eastern flavor to the mix. I ended up not using the sage.

Chopped chicken and garlic ready to be sautéed.

I heated up extra virgin olive oil and then tossed in my chicken and garlic to cook. Once the chicken was firm, I added the veggies and soup stock.

After adding stock, herbs & spices, and veggies, I simmered the whole arrangement for about twenty minutes. The celery was tender, the chicken flavorful, and the broth amazing.

“ O God, you are my God;earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

“If I appear great in their eyes, the Lord is most graciously helping me to see how absolutely nothing I am without him …. The axe cannot boast of the trees it has cut down. It could do nothing but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, and he used it. The moment he throws it aside, it becomes only old iron. O that I may never lose sight of this.”

Samuel Logan Brengle, Salvation Army Commissioner (early 20th century).

Quoted in Christianity Today.