A few thoughts from this week . . .

Here they are:

• working with students is energizing, tiring, rewarding and challenging
• the office premiers tonight - very exciting
• I will be attending my first Swiss Festival ever this weekend - hooray cheese
• coaches who go on tirades after a game - that's good tv.
• I work at a great church - with great people who are fun to be around
• I am not good at hoops anymore. Maybe I wasn't ever good.
• I miss playing video games
• I can't wait to watch 24, season 2.

That is a quick download from my tired brain. signing off, stay classy sugarcreek.

A Question of Passion

Yesterday, while on the phone for 45 minutes, someone asked me a question, and it hit me strange because it was almost divine that this question came at this moment.

Here was the question - what are you passionate about?

Amazingly simple question, but profound for sure. See, this past Monday, Dwight delivered a talk to our staff to develop us and challenge us, and I have been thinking about my passion all week.

And then that phone conversation. It rattled my brain a bit.

And the answer came out, without me really having to force it or struggle - I am passionate about redemption stories. I blogged about this before, but what is most driving and exciting to me are stories of people changing their lives for Christ.

And it goes beyond people and lives, I love stories of redemption that are societal, that are institutional, that are relational. I love seeing things restored as they should be.

The song - Blessed be your Name - has a lyric that says - When all is as it should be.

That is what I long for - a restoration of things to how they should be. And deep down, we all long for that too, whether we know it or not.

So the question is this - are you waiting for heaven to see things restored, or are you working to see things as they should be now? I can't wait.

And by the looks of things, there is plenty of work to be done. Join me?

One week since I blogged

Where are my words? I am sensing that for a bit, I am stuck in a rut, with nothing to say. And if you know me, I can always find something to say . . .

That's when stepping back for some fresh perspective is important.

And while in church, the set up song for the message was huge. There was a lyric that talked about when I am out of words, Word of God Speak.

How profound, and how often ignored? Here is where I am taking this. I follow JAT's blog, and he has been talking about balance. And the discussion has focused on the push to live a balanced life.

But what I am learning, balance is not for every area of our life. I can't keep a nice and neat balanced approach to my faith. I need to chase the lion, and pursue it with passion. No formulas, no balanced spreadsheet living - but passion.

And here is what I find, when I am resting in God's word - I have something significant to say.

Is this the same in your life?

More than Expected

Ever ask for something and later, after you get it, you wish you'd never asked for it in the first place?

Is that a confusing sentence? How about putting it this way - ever get what you want and then not want it any more?

I think this goes true with our working career. We want more responsibility and when we get it, we wish things were like the old times.

We want to spend more time with our family, and when we do, we want to be busy again with work.

We want to have freedom to create and then miss structured days or lists to check off.

On and on it goes in our lives - and we often go unsatisfied - don't we? Am I there in my life - yep. I am there all the time.

I am so fickle at times, that you may laugh pretty hard at me. But truth be told, I am no different than you, and I may laugh at you too.

Where is this rambling taking me - to a thought I hope.

I don't think we want a specific thing, but we want to be able to choose. Face it, we want to preserve the right to choose - to not be boxed in by structure or too much margin. To not have responsibility or to have more responsibility - we want choice - as if life were a big Golden Coral of a buffet - waiting for us to put some on our plate - if we want.

I pretty sure that despite getting what we want - like the Rolling Stones - we get what we need. And like it or not - the hard part of wanting something different is the lesson we must learn. So value the choice when you get it, and when it is gone, be thankful, becuase a lesson is learned and character is developed - live there.

No words needed.

Good Conversations

I met with my small group like I do every Thursday. And we always have great conversations (Last Samurai).

This week was no different. Here is the quote that I will remember - "I've realized that I am not good enough to be my own life coach. I need others in my life to help me get where I want to be."

Is that ridiculously wise? I believe that it is. What a realization, and it hit me square in the eyes. So here is what I propose. Make your goals known to others that can help you get there, and ask them to hold you accountable.

It is painful, but it works. I really enjoy my group. Good conversations.

Thoughts from the Weekend

This was a big week for me and I have to admit I had lots of fun, but I learned lots too. I blogged about what was going on, but this pace may be the new normal now, so I am glad I learned. Here are the highlights:

1. Invest now for then - in anything, and especially spiritually, the investment that I make now will give to me in the future. Reading and studying and learning now, will help me when I least know it.
2. Getting away regularly is good - my vacation, good and bad weather, was good for my mind, body and soul. IT was great to get away and turn everything off for a bit.
3. I love NewPointe -I get to attend and work at a church that is primarily interested in seeing people grow as Christians - what else could my life be about?
4. Students rock - working with high school students is full of fun. Everyone can say this or that about students, but I love their energy, potential, and humor - they rock.
5. You can't live your life based on compliments - I spoke this weekend at NewPointe, and lots of people had kind words to say to me after each service. But I know that just because people say great things, it can't make my day. Cuz someday I may say something that people don't love so much, that maybe they need to hear, and that maybe they may not make them say nice things (at first) to me. So bottom line - feedback is great, and I love it, but I am learning to not seek it, and to be confident in what I do.

That's all. Sometimes I feel so unobservant in life, and then I realize or think I realize that my jewels are seasonal. Random thought?