It echoes in my head.
From somewhere.
Someone.
Maybe multiple someones.

My dad?
A teacher?
A boss?

Figure it out.

But not in a fun way.
Not a puzzle.
More like pressure—to perform something I don’t yet know how to do.

I can almost feel the frustration in it.
Maybe even disappointment.

And right now, it feels like there’s a lot to figure out.

Maybe that frustrated voice isn’t coming from outside at all.
Maybe it’s your own.

The Proverb says, lean not on your own understanding…but trust in Him.

It’s an invitation to stop figuring it out—
or at least, to stop figuring it out alone.

It says, stop putting so much weight on yourself and let Me have a look.

It invites us to the text as if to say,
I’ve already written something for this exact moment.

Not a voice frustrated by our shortcomings,
but one that’s patient—warmly expectant.

Lean not on yourself.
The weight is too much.

Lean on Me.
We’ll figure it out together.

After receiving a horrific phone call threatening both himself and his family, Martin Luther King Jr. sat alone at his kitchen table, bowed over a cup of coffee, and prayed. Out loud.

“Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right. I think I am right. I think the cause that we represent is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now. I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. And I can’t let people see me like this, because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will begin to get weak.”

He later described sensing an inner voice saying,

“Martin Luther King, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And I will be with you, even until the end of the world.”

Reflecting on that moment, King wrote,

“Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared.”

While the gravity of that moment is one few will ever know, we have each felt a fraction of it—despair, exhaustion, the repetitive inner voice saying, I can’t. I just can’t anymore.

The hope is in the moment available to us that we often forget. Or maybe more honestly, replace—with a drink, a senseless scroll, an angry post, gossip, or simply burying it down deep.

Strength is renewed not by hiding our weakness, masking it, or ignoring it, but by naming it before God.

And lingering long enough at the kitchen table to hear God respond.

Isaiah writes, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’

And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (6:8)

What’s striking is that God doesn’t address Isaiah directly.
No name. No assignment. No personal summons.

Isaiah simply overhears the question.

It’s not “Isaiah, will you go?”
It’s “Whom shall I send?”

A question released into the room.

And Isaiah steps forward.

It makes me wonder how often we listen for God only in ways that feel explicitly personal—waiting for our name to be called, our situation to be named, our plans to be confirmed.

But what if God is still asking the same question today?
Not whispered to individuals, but spoken broadly—into the world, into the needs around us, into moments that quietly ask for someone to step in.

What if obedience begins not with my prayers being answered, but me answering God’s.

Isaiah didn’t wait to be chosen.
He volunteered.

Maybe the invitation hasn’t changed.
Maybe the question is already being asked.

And the faithful response still sounds like:
Here am I. Send me.

We’re half way through the year. Back-to-school supplies will soon be picked over at Target, fall decor as well. Creepy grim reapers will stand tall in gas station doorways and talk of the holidays will surface once again.

“I can’t believe how fast this year is going.”

I can hardly remember what I purposed to accomplish this year but I hope I’m on track. Though I can’t remember what I’ve done.

I glance at my photos in a monthly view to check.

It actually looks pretty good. There was a wedding and an engagement. A beach party. A hard trip to NJ. A graduation. Italy. Hume Lake. Plus too many pictures of beer and pets.

And I can see laughs and a few tears. New friends and old.

The past just doesn’t excite like the future. We don’t look forward to it. The brain moves memory around to short and long term storage in places we forget to check. Some it just sort of fades away. We have to choose to remember in order to reflect. And we have to reflect in order to feel.

As I look back on this year I feel grateful. There has been a lot of life.

And we’re only half way through.

This piece is inspired (and borrowed) from Michelle Woo because I thought it was worth a share. And I’ve regrettably been there.

As another sports season begins, it is time for the annual reminder: You are not the coach, unless you are.

Your little goalies and strikers (whatever that is) don’t need another coach. They have those. They’re called coaches. What they need are moms and dads who enjoy the sidelines with words of encouragement and organic snacks. And the occasional non-organic sugary drink.

Here’s what two-time Olympic gold-medal soccer star Abby Wambach, says to her daughter after every soccer game. Spoiler: It’s not a dissection of that one play, nor a rant about the ref, or some backhanded encouragement about how with more practice and a few more clinics (ugh), she’ll get it. No, her words are much simpler.

1. It was so fun to watch you play!

2. How do you feel about the game?

Her daughter has a coach, what she needs is a mom.

You know who’s a good model of this? Grandparents.

In her book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, Jessica Lahey points to a survey of adult athletes, who were asked about their favorite and least favorite part of playing youth sports. Their least favorite? The tense ride home with their parents. And their favorite? When their grandparents watched them play.

Grandparents tend to be less critical. They’re not thinking about your daughter’s future scholarship. Or concerned that your son is running the wrong way. They’re not embarrassed. They don’t feel pressure. Grandparents stay focused on what matters: The fun of the game. And when can we go to lunch because I can’t sit like this any longer.

So next time you’re out there, try and let the joy seeing your kid play be enough.

For Grams and Gramps, it is.

The great adventurers have always captured my imagination. From the pages of Krakauer to the memoirs of Muir, evolved a stir to walk out of the ordinary and into the wild. The problem is I don't want to die alone in the wilderness. Or at least have concluded that would be inconsiderate to my wife and three kids.

And such is the tension of our domesticated lives. Where does the call to pioneer fit into a life of braces and mortgages?

In We Stood Upon Stars, Thompson guides us into the reconciliation of this tension and invites us into the adventure of a lifetime. From deserts and streams, to saloons and Applebee's we're welcomed into a story of process and breakdowns and kids and vans.

Honest as it is funny, this is a travel journal like you've never read before. Practical insights frame ethereal reflections and then back again. Stories read like something that could actually happen, set in places that are larger than life but also driveable.

This is a book for anyone who has believed there's more or who has even dared to ask that question.

And there's a twist, it's not just Roger's story.

One of my favorite quotes;

A father's best teaching comes from his deepest wounds. ~ Roger W. Thompson

Available on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold.

A few years ago my grandfather became ill. His name was Sal. He was a legend. The perfect blend of mafia and music, lover and fighter, sinner, saint. Father of 12. Genuine human.

His illness covered months of uncertainty but it was mid December when we began to see his life closing.

I tracked his digression from across country, torn on the timing of Christmas, work, and an impending flight to the Garden State.

I deliberated. Procrastinated. Was this really it or would we be back here in a few months. This is it, my dad informed me. The family is coming in. One by one he blesses the arriving famiglia. His room becoming sanctuary, bed is altar

Ok. I get it. I buy my ticket. My bags are packed. I'll fly out in the morning.

But I didn't. He passed away, my dad said. I missed it, echoes through my head. By a day. There would be no second chance at this.

You only live once and not everything happens twice.

I found some solace from the haunting vowing I'd be there for my grandma. Wife of a legend, matriarch. 

How's grandma doing? Fine. Not great, but doing alright.

Ok. Because I'm going to be there when the time comes. By the bedside.

Did your grandma pass away my wife asks. What? Your aunt just posted that she passed.

WTF?!

She went in for a broken hip. And then it was over.

There's was no chance to be there.

Life is not an endless dispenser of moments. It's limited. We miss much of it. Guilt doesn't amend. We move forward. We live presently.

And we learn to appreciate the value of life the more we lose.

Beauty is due more to harmonious relationships among the elements of a composition than to the elements themselves.

Architects live by the rules of relationship. An understanding that an individual form alone is not what creates success but rather the dialog of one form to the next. Finding and creating harmony even among different movements.

I wonder if Jesus had a similar truth in mind when he spoke of building his church. A movement where no one stands alone but side by side with many. Diverse and imperfect but when harmonized by love, beautiful.

The composition of our own lives speaks to this movement. And not simply our relationships but how we relate. To our husbands, wives, co-workers, church-goers, neighbors, strangers.

We are each part of a larger narrative, a greater building. Representing the story of by the way we share space with one another. With those beside us. My prayer is that when looked upon we would represent the architect well.

Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful - Christian community is the final apologetic. ~ Francis Schraeffer

The other night while praying for my kids at bedtime I found myself uttering a new prayer, "that they would love tomorrow."

It struck me the moment it left my mouth. May they love tomorrow.

May I love tomorrow?

I proceeded to reflect on these words but was temporarily interrupted by a book I'm reading, also known as watching Daredevil on Netfix.

Love tomorrow. Love as an act. May you love someone tomorrow. The subject is tomorrow. It is a gift. It is an opportunity.

It is grace by sunrise.

May you love tomorrow.

For what it's worth this is now a prayer of mine.

God may you give my kids a heart to love tomorrow.

And may you grant me the same.

Craig "sun's out guns out" Groeschel took to the white board with an equation for innovation and a passion for those outside the church.

"Limited resources + willingness to fail + increasing passion = exponential innovation."

"The fear of failure causes us to lead without faith."

"One of the greatest lies we can tell ourselves is, I can't because I don't."

"Sometimes God guides, not by what he provides, but by what he withholds."

"It's not a matter of if we want to reach people for Christ, we have to reach people for Christ!"

"I'd rather please God by thinking too big than insult him by thinking too small."

My life is littered with moments of inspiration. Musings on what ifs. Thoughts on how tos.

Often answered by, I can't because I don't.

I don't have the time. The money. The skill. The following. The gifts.

What if I try and it doesn't work.

But what if it does.

May your faith be greater than your fear.

Session One Notes

Andy Stanley delivered a flurry of church challenging axioms before making it personal.

"There's an inexorable correlation between leadership and change."   

"God uses broken-hearted leaders."                              

"Blame is an effective change-avoidance strategy."

This all led to the question, Who are you? He wasn't being rhetorical. Who are you? Who are you designed to be? And if you're not being that...

"You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision to embrace the burden God has put in your heart."

To help with the question Andy posed this scenario, At the end of your life, who lines up to thank you and why?

What extraordinary story hangs in the balance of what you do or don't do?

And what do you blame for your life not being all that it's meant to be?

Definitely got me thinking.

Our stories should matter to others, if they don't it's because we're living them wrong.

A 2 min. video of the Banksy in Gaza Strip experience.

It begins with the last sunset of 2013 and proceeds to fill in with other moments captured at days end. And one random sailboat I can hardly remember. I think maybe my dad was on it.

It's a fun enough exercise looking back into 2014 through our image libraries. And it's telling. Moments that matter stand out. Even one sunset to the next.

Days with the family, smoky campfires, vacant beaches, new places. Smiles. A special part of our family.

These are that which I find and feel relieved that my year meant something.

Noticeably absent are images of stuff. Even stuff that seemed really important to have.

Stuff should never be our best moments.

Stuff can actually steal moments. Restrict us from experience.

This year may you live purposely, take moments seriously and create space for the best moments of your life.

The app is called 1-Hour Photo and it does just that. You take a photo within the app and then you wait to see the results. For one hour.

Here's part of the pitch:

"By the time you see your photos, the moments they've captured have already become memories, which changes how you feel about them forever.

Nobody gets distracted in the moment by reviewing photos as they're being taken."

While this app has some limitations the idea of waiting isn't one of them. As we're increasingly driven not only by instant gratification but future gratification, 1-Hour Photo creates a welcome pause. Your photo will have to wait. And so will your posts. And so will your likes.

But you'll be present and maybe someday that will present enough gratification in itself.

This great pacific coastline held me captive. Every turn, each daring angle, an urgency to hold what I was seeing. To somehow be a part of the fringe. Even at risk.

The edges all frayed, as if undone or unfinished. The sea aggressively surrendering to stone, stone wading curiously into the sea. Earth in a state of construction, or is it deconstruction?

Either way it is a state of majestic creation.

A beautiful, uneasy mess of creation.

In this Old Testament book Habakkuk asks a very philosophical question of God, "What the ____?!

But it was a question in the form of a prayer so it's ok. In fact the entire book is one big dialog with God.

Habakkuk's freaked out by all the injustice in the world happening amidst a supposed just God.

God says I'm handling it. Babylon's going to crush you. 

Habakkuk says I'm not sure I'd handle it that way. But I guess you're smarter than me so ok.

God says yep I am.

Habakkuk says you're awesome.

Here was our prayer takeaway; Be Human, Be Humble, Be Honoring

And some of the catch phrases;

Prayer is for everyone. If you can speak you can pray.

Anything that takes the simplicity out of prayer should be taken away.

Sometimes there's a divide between what we see and what we believe.

Is it God who’s not working or us not seeing the work properly?

It’s Ok to not be Ok with certain circumstances but you don’t want to stay that way.

Prayer is sometimes not about changing reality but how we see reality.

Some prayers aren’t answered because God himself is a greater answer than the thing we asked for.

If you want to see a situation differently: Stand not in awe of your circumstances, but in awe of your God.

When we meditate on God stories, we'll see God stories. #reticularactivator 

I believe in the sun even when it isn’t shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when he is silent.

Here's a link to the slides.

The 44-year-old finished 92nd and 94th in the 15km events at the 2006 Turin Games and 2010 Vancouver Olympics and isn't expecting anything better tomorrow in Sochi.

"I have taken four months off work and skied every single day since December to train for this event, but I'm not perfect," said the bricklayer.

"I think there is a very big chance I will finish last. But the placing is not important if I can teach young people in Nepal about the Olympic spirit. This spirit is in my heart."

Sherpa was born in the village of Chulemo at the foot of Mount Everest -- a four-day walk from the nearest road -- and raised in a local monastery.   

 He only took up skiing when he was 33 at the urging of some tourists from the Netherlands who then paid for Sherpa to do a course to become a mountain guide.

"I compete for the pleasure of discovery on all levels, to meet new people, new places and different cultures. Winning is of little importance."

In his spare time, Sherpa supports orphans, builds clean water reservoirs and constructs clinics.

"It's just the way I see things. If you have the possibility to help people who have less than you, you just do it," he explained.

"When we go, we just go with a piece of clothing, you take nothing to your grave. When I see my life flash in front of my eyes, I just want to see a smile."

A little over a week ago I found myself cramming. For just one more.

One more laugh with my kids, one more book to the end, one more project completed, one more date with my wife, one more moment in the sunset...

But the year, as they do, ended without regard for my last minute and ill-prepared to-do list.

Today there are 355 days left in the year. That's plenty of time but time is tricky, so to capture it well will take a plan. A good, reasonably ridiculous plan.

I'm working on it now. It'll have lots of numbers and not so many "mores". More isn't a great tool for measuring.

Life is full of what we fill it with. Yet sometimes we hardly pay attention to what that is.

We should measure more carefully.

I wish my plan (and this post) had been ready to go by New Year's but with the holidays and all who has time for such things.

Maybe next year.

A while back my wife mentioned to me that someone from our church thought I didn't like them. Or maybe that I was mad. Or irritated.

I wasn't. 

This person is one of the good guys and I have nothing but admiration for the way they pursue life. But the message I was sending didn't say that. It said something else. 

Disposition is not an excuse. If your relaxed posture is cold, bitchy, pissed or angry then change it. The way you make others feel is the way you're acting.

Good intentions on the inside are of little good unless they're recognized on the outside.

If you believe people are valuable in God's eyes they should feel that way in yours.  

When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three  months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear  answer as to how best spend the rest of his life.  On the first  morning there he met Mother Teresa.  She asked, “And what can I do for  you?” Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.

“What do you want me to pray for?” she asked.  He voiced the  request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States:  “Pray that I have clarity.”

She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.”   When he asked her  why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must  let go of.”  When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the  clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity;  what I have always had is trust.  So I will pray that you trust God.”

_

Clarity's great when it's afforded to you, but don't let it hold you up when it's not. Move forward, open doors, look around. Submit your plans to God and trust he'll guide you whether you can see or not.

To believe in what God believes of me, not what I of myself. To belong to.

“Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself. ” ~ Brennan Manning

Sometimes the riskiest play in life is to stay where you are. To remain safe. Waiting for a better time. To let life roll by and see what happens. Sometimes nothing happens. That can be comfortable. A comfortable story.

The great human narratives are filled with risk. Searchers of possibility. Dreamers with plans. And action. Faith.

But what if I step out and it doesn't work?

What if it does.

As you sift through the seasonal landscape of office parties, giftings, family obligations and enormous meaning may you find time to give gifts that breathe.

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To your love, presence.

To the other, charity.

To yourself, a second chance.

To men, goodwill.

And to earth, peace.

Merry Christmas.

Life is fast. In constant motion. Everybody everywhere and yet so easy to be left out. To be alone.

Where do you even you jump in? When is it safe to cross the street into something new?

Today's most successful influencers seems to have the ability to not only lead movements but guide others in.

If you lead, invite in. If you're on the outside, seek hospitality.​

"If anyone knows what it's like to be on the outside, I do. Sometimes I feel like I'm out there fighting all alone. Sometimes I feel like giving up. But, then I remember that what I stand for is more important than anything else." ~ Superman

"Tarnished reputations are unfortunate, Robin. But we can live with those. However, a threat to all of Gotham City is something else." ~ Batman

"When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world - No. You move." ~ Captain America

"Fate rarely calls upon us at the moment of our choosing." ~ Optimus Prime

"No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for...for ten minutes!" ~ Mr. Incredible

"They say that heroes are born not made! That's bull! I'm livin' proof! Bein' a hero's more than havin' some sort o' power. What keeps 'em goin' is guts! Without guts all the power an' trainin' in the world don't mean spit!" ~ Wolverine

"Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option." ~ Spiderman

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." ~ Dumbledore

"My brothers, I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come, when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends, and break all the bonds of fellowship. An hour of wolves, and shattered shields, when the Age of men comes crashing down. But it is not this day, this day, we fight!" ~ Aragorn

"Courage is not simply one the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." ~ C.S. Lewis

There’s work and there’s your life’s work.

The kind of work that has your fingerprints all over it. The kind of work that you’d never compromise on. That you’d sacrifice a weekend for. You can do that kind of work at Apple. People don’t come here to play it safe. They come here to swim in the deep end. Something big. Something that couldn’t happen anywhere else.

Welcome to Apple.

*This same note has been circulating the intererwebs via instragram with some question over its source; however basic investigation points to its validity.

(I read this in a casting studio in Los Angeles)

Love is not abusive. Love is not mocking. Love is not forceful. Love is not haughty. Love is not self-seeking. Love is not a tyrant. Love is not controlling.

Love is not a victory march.

It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.

Foster Care isn't, and may never be, as sexy as many of the global causes we're engaging today but it's equally as worthy of your attention. Consider where you may find a place to help whether sponsoring, mentoring or giving up a week or a weekend to volunteer at a camp. You won't regret it and just may find out it's the very thing your meant to be doing...

Today we share in more ways than ever before.

Information about our friends, locations, activities, likes...

And we're doing better at sharing in real life too;

• Car Sharing
• Ride Sharing
• Bike Sharing
• Space Sharing
• Garden Sharing
• Clothing Swaps
• Co-Working Offices
• Trade Networks

In many ways sharing is the new economy.

And a solution to the lack of ___ in the world.

For the want in the world is not for lack of resource but for lack of sharing.

Sharing is central to a thriving neighborhood, village or community and by consequence planet.

In a Wired Magazine senior maverick Kevin Kelly remark;

"Part of the adventure now is to imagine things that are not being shared now and how they can be shared."

How then can we share? How better? How closer? How creatively?

I've admired the work of Brains on Fire for sometime now and thought I'd pass on some of their genius. Whether you're an author, non-profit, faith-based, social-capitalist or wanna-be-entrepreneur, this stuff is the real deal.

Approach

We create fans rather than customers. Why? Because fans embody loyalty. A fan has a vested interest. They defend passionately. A true fan loves a team, a brand or a band whether they win or lose. Fans don't just join a movement. They help grow it. Fans have a sense of ownership and shared identity, because your success is their success. And it's a two-way street. The question isn't "what can we sell this person?" It's "what can we do to keep this person and make them even happier?"

Participation

Our process isn't about creating a presentation. Or creative for the sake of being creative. It's about building a movement. And that starts with the first conversation. We get to know the people who will build your movement, inside and out, through face-to-face, heart-to-heart dialogues. And as much as we'd like to believe it, there is no secret sauce. Just roll-up-your-sleeves, get-your-hands-dirty, hard work.

We are committed to getting to know what people care about. That is our simple, clear objective. Out of that conversation comes authentic co-created ideas for Evangelism and Ownership.

Evangelism

Before people can evangelize for you, they have to identify with your cause. So we help create and articulate that identity. A place of belonging that’s bigger than themselves. A shared sense of purpose that lifts people up and celebrates and validates their beliefs.

And believe us, it’s not about influence, because influencers can be made. But passion can’t. And it’s not about evangelizing your brand. It’s about your brand being the jumping off point that allows people to evangelize what’s important in their lives. Then we give them the tools that elevate and amplify - all of which leads to ownership.

Ownership

Ownership is about empowerment. We’ve heard what’s important, we’ve lifted it up and shaped it. And instead of throwing it out there to the world, now it’s time to give it back. Because no one can grow the love for something like those who love it most. Yes, there are online tools. But it’s been proven that 93% of word of mouth happens offline. Online and offline have to work hand-in-hand to guarantee success.

Giving back also creates buy-in. And with that buy-in comes a genuine desire to help your organization define and refine the brand experiences you provide. The people’s voices are heard – good and bad. And the Fan Cycle starts… but never ends. The movement has begun. And you are a part of it.

In this age of hyperspace we are apt to comment on that blur of life flying by our window; though I wonder if a better commentary would read that it's us who are flying by life.

When I consider fond memories of all sizes I find a commonness in the pace of their structure. They are built around a pause. The stillness of the mountains, an honest conversation, a wave on my skin, a laugh, kiss or even something excruciating... Moments where obligations, routines, anxieties are suspended. Where you're well aware of a whispering leaf or a baby's breath.

Life is beautiful, don't miss it.

We all speak for something or someone, even when we don't. We are voices of life, faith, others, values...just by the way we live our lives. Our messages aren't always neatly quotable but if they were I wonder what they'd say. Would they be inspiring or passive? Do you speak for something bigger than yourself? Do you care? Or care a whole awful lot?

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Art by Chris CookAfter the processor of my mind slowed down enough for me to be able to hear, I was greeted with a symphony of chirps from some nearby place of height. There were no trees around, just their bones in the form of crosses strewn with wire. From there I could hear the song of their colony.

Environments are not often within the realm of our control though the practice of the purposes of our lives is.

Are you singing from a wire or silently dreaming of trees?

Because sometimes you've got to stop analyzing and just make a move.

If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.~Alfred Hitchcock

What was going on.

That said there's much to learn from how a little company like Facebook lives theirs.

In a letter to potential investors Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlines five core values for Facebook; in doing so he reinforces its purpose as well as stimulates continued progress towards its aspirations.

Here's a portion of the letter:

Focus on Impact

If we want to have the biggest impact, the best way to do this is to make sure we always focus on solving the most important problems. It sounds simple, but we think most companies do this poorly and waste a lot of time. We expect everyone at Facebook to be good at finding the biggest problems to work on.

Move Fast

Moving fast enables us to build more things and learn faster. However, as most companies grow, they slow down too much because they're more afraid of making mistakes than they are of losing opportunities by moving too slowly. We have a saying: `Move fast and break things.' The idea is that if you never break anything, you're probably not moving fast enough.

Be Bold

Building great things means taking risks. This can be scary and prevents most companies from doing the bold things they should. However, in a world that's changing so quickly, you're guaranteed to fail if you don't take any risks. We have another saying: `The riskiest thing is to take no risks.' We encourage everyone to make bold decisions, even if that means being wrong some of the time.

Be Open

We believe that a more open world is a better world because people with more information can make better decisions and have a greater impact. That goes for running our company as well. We work hard to make sure everyone at Facebook has access to as much information as possible about every part of the company so they can make the best decisions and have the greatest impact.

Build Social Value

Once again, Facebook exists to make the world more open and connected, and not just to build a company. We expect everyone at Facebook to focus every day on how to build real value for the world in everything they do.

I was recently called upon to lead a team in scripting the values statement for our church and found this gem of an example on the kitchen walls of the restaurant known as Buca di Beppo. Enjoy and note that;

1) The Vision is Clear

2) The Mission is Measurable

3) The Values are Fuel

The Buca VISION

To be the first choice for celebratory dining.

--------

The Buca MISSION

To provide every Guest with an Over The Top celebratory experience by delivering Vibrant Italian Food in an Eclectic, Vintage Setting.  Our Family Members will host the party through their passionate and genuine hospitality!

OVER THE TOP HOSPITALITY is a remarkable experience that leaves the guest enamored with our food, our family members and our brand. This is illustrated by our:

• ·        “Whatever It Takes” Service
• ·        Ability To “Host The Party”
• ·        “Yes Is Best” Attitude

VIBRANT ITALIAN FOOD is our commitment to prepare every plate with pride and passion. This is illustrated by our:

• ·        Fresh, powerfully-flavored ingredients
• ·        Intense focus on perfectly executing each dish
• ·        Prepared to order, generous, over-sized portions

ECLECTIC, VINTAGE SETTING is our commitment to provide a unique, comfortable and immaculate atmosphere that allows Guests to be immersed in our distinctive Buca ambiance. This is illustrated by our:

• ·        Quirky, kitschy décor, reminiscent of 1950’s Little Italy
• ·        Reverence for the Italian culture
• ·        Expertise in entertaining parties of all sizes

Our success is measured by our Guests’ desire to return

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The Buca VALUES

We will consider the GUEST first in every decision we make.

We will support the development of our FAMILY MEMBERS through an environment based on Fun, Respect, Trust and Teamwork.

 We will foster a PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN culture based on Integrity, Accountability, Balance and Continuous Improvement

"In spite of the noble affirmations of Christianity, the church has often lagged in its concern for social justice and too often has been content to mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. It has often been so absorbed in a future good 'over yonder' that it forgets the present evils 'down here.' Yet the church is challenged to make the gospel of Jesus Christ relevant within the social situation. We must come to see that the Christian gospel is a two-way road. On the one side, it seeks to change the souls of men and thereby unite them with God; on the other, it seeks to change the environmental conditions of men so that the soul will have a chance after it is changed. Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and yet is not concerned with the economic and social conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is the kind the Marxist describes as 'an opiate of the people." - MLK Jr., August 9th 1953

From the tenth chapter of "Strength to Love", a book of Dr. King's sermons.

Wherever you may be found as the clock strikes twelve, may your hello be hopeful and your good-bye be swell...

To the life that you may find,

to the tears of trials left behind;

To a voice filled of air bright,

to dreams awake and by night;

To a story well told by the character you play;

and to our maker whose grace paints the way.

Happy New Year.

From now until January 1, your $22 purchase helps to protect women from sexual abuse in Kenya. With your support, Freely in Hope can uplift women out of poverty and decrease the vulnerabilities of sexual abuse. Your support will give protection & education to young women, helping them attain jobs and a better living.

Cheers.

That said, it is Christmas so I started pinning a few products from around the good globe that do things like clear bombs or provide shelter. I'd also love to hear from you if there are any cause based products you love so I can add them and maybe with a little luck we can all make shopping for the social do-gooders in our lives a little easier : )

Christmas Gifts For Good Causes Collection

Kids were led in crafts by a local non-profit art project.Line out the door as people were waiting for their host to seat them.The dining room filling up.Plates being served.Conversation being had, life being shared.

Vader POTSC. 

Sometimes the hardest enemies to love are the ones you love the most. 

You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling.

I love this line.  We've all heard it.  Preached it.  Dreamt it.  Tried to live it.  But...

For those of us in start-up, do-up, change-up...perhaps a better mantra would be; You mustn't be afraid to Dream small, execute. Repeat.

To define action steps that you'll actually accomplish and then build upon. 

That is unless you can literally manipulated reality by the power of thought, then by all means, proceed with bigger.

People Of The Second Chance is giving voice to relentless grace, speaking a language so honest it's almost dirty.  I thank God for dirt.

Do we strive to overcome?  Absolutely.  To grow forward?  Of cource.  But we realize that failure is not only an option, it's designated by design.  I'm going to fail.  So are you.  It's ok.  It's what makes grace so amazing.  Give it a thumbs up and move on.

WE ARE PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE from PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE

1.  Know when you're a victim of an evil Jedi mind trick.  Hint: It's often.  Hang around some real Jedis to learn when to say when.  Often the great tests of life are passed simply by allowing the moment to pass.

2.  If you constantly want newer, better, faster, hipper...try and channel that passion into a non-profit org like Love146.  You'll probably end up doing a lot of good in the world.  We are for a reason, the reason is for good.

Sometimes a lack sharing information doesn't matter, sometimes it does. But the risk lies heavier on if we don't and it would've helped then if we do and it didn't...

So may we never stop sharing that which we find interesting, valuable or helpful.  May our ideas never feel insecure about being voiced.  And may we never live off the internet alone. 

In the spirit of sharing some stuff that I know isn't breaking news, nor particularly important; here are a couple tips and tricks I use with a few of my most frequented applications.  Who knows, maybe in some small way one of them will be useful to you.

Instagram iPhone App Tips :

Double tap image to "like."

In any comment thread, tap and hold on a username to automatically start a comment with that username already @ mentioned.

Twitter iPhone App Tips :

Swipe over a Tweet in a list to bring up a shortcut menu.

Double tap on the messages icon to mark all of your DMs as "read."

Double tap speech bubble to bring you up to the most current tweet.

Gmail Tips :

Get through your mail faster with keyboard shortcuts.

Enable keyboard shortcuts in Settings and use "j" and "k" to navigate up and down within your inbox, "o" to open messages, "r" to reply, "c" to compose, "s" to add or remove a star, "e" to archive, and more. Hit "?" at any time to see the reference guide with a full list of keyboard shortcuts.

Here's the key;

Recently I was given the opportunity to speak into the lives of some adolescent boys whose stories of neglect and abandonment would cause your eyes to water before your heart knew it was being broken.

I was scared, humbled, expectant, insecure as I approached the teaching times (more so than I can ever remember after years of telling stories).  I'd been encouraged, prayed-up and studied but still somehow this was different.  This wasn't the churched or dechurched or unchurched...this wasn't a game of entertainment or clichés or presentation.  Not a time for fake stories, whispering inflections or ancient words. 

It was raw and open. Like a field fresh from war.

I finished one of the sessions feeling weightier than I had felt before I began.  That I was there but wasn't, spoke but didn't.  That I failed.  And so there in the dark of night I walked off, looked to the stars, opened my mouth and said, "I'm sorry".  Feeling a crushing sense of insecurity that I hadn't done, said, offered, been enough. 

That I failed.  "I'm sorry", I said quietly. 

The answer back from the heavens to that unsolicited apology was clear, succinct and complete.

"Why?"

And that was the end of it.  One word that told me all I needed to hear.  That answered all my questions, filled in all my doubts and ended the conversation before it began.

So many of us who are striving to live the way of Jesus feel God's primary reaction to our lives is that of disappointment.  That we're failing.

But that's not true.

God's primary reaction to us is love.  All the rest is details. 

It's a novelty of sorts to focus on anything like that anymore.  One task, one story, one person...

Maybe it would serve us well to take a lamp into the dark more often.

My 4 year old Cash going hands on with the Macbook Air display while on a field trip to the Apple Store.

But the human creative needs to wonder, because wonder explores possibility.  Without wonder we silence new ideas and final frontiers.  We miss the beauty of amazement.

As my son wondered through the genius called Apple I thought that maybe we all need to find spaces to wonder.  Places and times to allow the mind out to run, to consider, to explore.  To sit at the base of a skyscraper and look upward into the vast cascade of falling glass and marvel or find a quiet rooftop in the dark of night and stare out across the infinite starscape and lose yourself.

To ask questions about love and particles and God and not answer but rather enjoy   their limitless depth. 

To be infinite and finite, mortal and eternal...

1. Write like mad, madly write.  You need to let the idea out of your head and into the wild for observation.  Grab your moleskine, dot grid, tablet or keyboard, use images, sketches, colors and unleash your idea into physical space.

2. Walk away.  Allow the sea of creativity to settle.

3. Excavate.  Return to your chaos and search, sift and dig for gold.  Phrases and thoughts that rise to the top and will serve as keystones.

4. Interrogate.  Sit your idea down in a dim room with a swinging light and grill it!  What problem are you solving?  Would you participate in this idea if it weren't your own?  What's your mission?  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  Do you even really care if this happens or not?

5.  Clarify.  What you have now may be good but it must be clear.  Ideas attract ideas and though that can be a positive it can also lead to clutter.  Eliminate as much as you can from your idea until you're left with its simplest form.  "If you can't explain it simply then you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein

6.  Share.  Take that clarity and pitch it.  10 seconds, 60 seconds, 2 minutes...GO! 

7.  Build.  There is nothing quick about this step but keep in mind that form should follow function and that design is how it works.  This goes for your team and your product.

The death and resurrection story of the man called Jesus may be something we never fully comprehend but it will be forever recognized as an act of uncontrollable love. An event where Life gave himself over to the twisted hands of death. To go to a place where the pain of the cross was only the beginning. Where an ocean of tears rages in the blackest night. A place where Life opened himself up and allowed wrath itself to be poured in...but not to be consumed by wrath but to do the consuming. To drown wrath in love. To win a fight for all who would belong to this story. To His story.

Happy Easter.

I spent some time Tuesday night over at the Toms Shoes headquarters listening and learning, here are two TOMS axioms;

1. Keep the mission clear. TOMS exists to put shoes on childrens' feet. The design of the company forms around this clarity.

2. Allow the story to pull you forward. We have a tendency to get ahead of the story (or too far behind it) rather than listening and allowing it to lead. Scale your idea with the steps of success along the way.

So build exclusively around serving your the story of your mission and avoid making something cool that doesn't do much of anything at all...

Crystal Gayton, 7, embraces Jose Ponce before "lights out" during the last open night of Ventura County's largest seasonal drop-in-center for the homeless. Gayton's family, Ponce and a few other honorary family members met at the shelter and hope to find a place to live together. [photo Karen Quincy Loberg/The Star]

Over 600 people found themselves desperate enough for housing this past winter that they'd call this armory home for at least a night.  This is about a third of the estimated 1800 homeless people who live in Ventura County. 

But now the shelter is closed, and if you're homeless you're on your own.

Some were able to find housing before the street including two women with small children but Sarah Gaytan and her 7-year-old Crystal could not. 

"My daughter cried when I told her this was the last night," Gaytan said. "She has gotten to know everyone so well.

"When she gets stressed out, I tell her, 'Don't worry. Momma has got this. You need to be a 7-year-old. We're going to make it.' " (VenturaCountyStar)

They are looking for a place near Ramona School in Oxnard, where Crystal attends second grade. If you have any means to help contact carrieescobar28@yahoo.com.

The way to remedy homelessness comes through housing.  We must get people in homes and then we can talk jobs, recovery, lifestyle... Services are great but when was the last time you heard of a homeless person starving to death?  You will however here of them freezing to death outdoors on full stomaches.

It's time to bring people in and share our ceilings...less praying for and more being the answers to.

Thanks to local papers like the Ventura County Star and reporters like Kevin Clerici for continuing to tell these type of stories.

With a shutdown averted, President Obama and his Secret Service detail took a quick trip to visit tourists at the Lincoln Memorial.

It spoke to me of the value of levity in the human spirit.  That sometimes we just need to surprise one another with...surprises.  Because as important as it is to spend time in meetings solving problems, we need even more so to find time to simply connect as humans and be.  To smile and to give smiles...because when people are really smiling, if but for a moment, problems aren't really happening.  And that's good for the soul.

2. Redesign outside of your execution space.  Look to stay within your ability to execute and optimize opportunities creatively rather than jumping streams to an area you have zero experience.

3. Try to please everybody.  Your call is personal and divine.  So is your design.  If you're redesigning your life in a way that receives the approval of everyone you're likely not doing a very good job at it.

4. Insist on living like someone else.  There's much to learn from others ahead of us and they can provide a target but don't be so narrow minded that you miss your personalized path. 

5. Compartmentalize your redesign into isolated tasks.  It's tempting to look at your life as a menu of isolated actions and start systematically working through redesign like a page of math problems...but you're not a page, you're a person.  Look at yourself globally and allow your intentions to permeate all areas of your life.

Thanks to @HarvardBiz for leading this thought.

In this grab from Lifehacker writer Adam Dachis we're told to pay attention to what we envy to discover the work we'll love. 

"Jealousy and envy are not necessarily the most attractive traits of humanity, but at least they're honest.  If you're having trouble figuring out what kind of work you love, try paying closer attention to the things you envy.

When you pay attention to what you envy, it gives you a pretty clear end goal to focus on. While that may be a lofty goal, we can't start figuring out the little steps to get there until we have that end point. If you're having trouble discovering what kind of work you'd really truly enjoy, let yourself be jealous and envy others. You might figure out what you're looking for."

Thoughts?  Is this just wrong or uncomfortably honest?

      Dreaming

                                          without Acting

                                                  is Sleeping.

I live in and am part of a giant cultural conversation toward innovative good.  I enjoy the conversation.  But more and more I find dream start-ups are dyeing in conversation before they even get a chance at fresh air.  They never wake up.

If you've dreamt up something beneficial to mankind, be responsible with that dream and give it a chance.  The world may be desperately waiting.  And by world I mean another human being. 

My favorite dreamer had a dream once, a dream that he shared with many and took action with until his final breath. 

A dream he lived while wide awake.

We fall in love with ideas, unfortunately we're not monogamous.

Creatives gravitate toward the new. This is a double-edged sword that can lead to a lot of unfinished stories.

The inspiration to action over a period time is difficult. Surround yourself with progress.

Seek work at the intersection of interests, skills and opportunities.

Be about mission, not medium. Mission centric, medium agnostic.

Sharing idea ownership is buying engagement. You want engagement.

Pacing ourselves with leaders is often the impetus for action.

Dont become burdened by consensus.

Nothing extraordinary ever happens through ordinary means.

When you're passionate about something you see more problems with it. This passion can breed great creativity.

We must overcome our lack of honest, actionable feedback exchange.

Creativity x Organization=Impact

Organize with a bias towards action.

Measure the value of meetings with the action steps born out of it.

Design is a competitive advantage in the non-profit world, we should invest in it.

Have a culture of capturing action steps. This breeds accountability and productivity.

If you don't work to optimize what's already working you'll never enter the league of the extraordinary.

Competition impels action. Pace progress against others.

Overcome the stigma of self-marketing by curating what you're really interested in.

Listen first.

Develop others through appreciations.

Think about your organization by its mission not its medium.

The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates & a monthly salary. - Fred Wilson

Creativity needs to move from opportunity to responsibility.

Take incremental steps to what's genuinely more interesting to you.

You must get good at cutting off healthy branches.

Your priorities are where you spend your time. Your calendar doesn't lie.

Ideas are born and killed in isolation. We're born to work with others.

The value of fighting needs to be reiterated many times before it becomes a value.

Passion is not business, it's who you are.  It can't be turned off, just managed.

2.  Our default mode is observation.  We must assert ourselves to induce justice.

3.  Causes are about the one you’re fighting for, not the cause itself.

4.  Sustainability requires focus.

5.  If you're afraid to fail then you already have.

6.  You can speak up for change before you know how to.

7.  Storytelling precedes everything else.

8.  Change is not for the timid.

9.  You don't have to be finished to be ready.

10.  Look for standing good. Participate before you create.

11.  Notice your context.  Situational awareness is vital to change.

12.  Be a solution to the problem, not a service of it.

13.  Business is the remedy to poverty.

14.  Speaking of the plight of the world is not the same as doing something about it.

15.  Idea big, share everything.

Our default mode is observation.  We must assert ourselves to induce justice.

Causes are about the one you’re fighting for, not the cause itself.

Sustainability requires focus.

If you're afraid to fail then you already are.

You can speak up for change before you
know how to.

Storytelling precedes fundraising.

Change is not for the timid.

You don't have to be finished to be ready.

Look for standing good. Participate
before you create.

Notice your context.  Situational awareness is
vital to change.

Be a solution to the problem, not a service of it.

Business is the remedy to poverty.

Speaking of the plight of the world is not the same as doing something about it.

Idea big.  Share ideas.

It's simple but not easy.  Seek help.

~ Ideation Conference Long Beach 2011 ~

1. Creativity needs space.

2. The Underground Railroad wasn't started by secret ninjas but everyday activists.-Hannah Song (LINK)

3. You don't have to be an expert to have a good idea.
 
4. Good ideas need even better advocates.

5. Test of value is what you're willing to pay.

6. Movements cannot be manufactured through marketing.-Ben Keesey (Invisible Children)

7. Humans should never have to adapt to living without love.

8. Dreams take shape between 10p-2p. Awake.

9. Food aid creates famine & destroys local markets.

10. It takes vision to see in the dark.

11. We are about people not causes.

12. Our story is opportunity, possibility & hope. And we want people to be cheering at the end of  it.-Scott Harrison (Charity:Water)

13. A narrow focus will hold you accountable to success.-Ben Keesey
  
14. Greg Russinger is living life interrupted.  And has been for a while.

15. We must develop projects that yield ownership & sustainability. -Keith Kall (World Vision)

16. If you don't like the guy who's flying the plane, get your own plane.-Scott Harrison (Charity:Water)

17. Sustainability is a cool word but it means creating a work that will be able to endure after you  walk away.  That's hard.

18. It starts with an idea & a conversation but is realized through risk, sacrifice & endurance.

19. Graphics and web sites don't love anyone.

20. Charles Lee.

Are you a leader?

Evaluate attainability and personal value. 

Review list.  Revise if necessary.

Identify people succeeding in these areas.

Research how they got there.

Review list.  Revise if necessary.

Share list.

Invest time and resources in being around succeeding people.

Set small frequent goals.

Do work.

Be open and alert to opportunities.

Share.

Do work.

Persist. 

artist: alvaro sanchez

Everyday there are people caged in injustice.  Hungry, thirsty, soldiered, enslaved...

And so I struggle when we jump at opportunities to flex under the cloak of humanity for one cause while we simply build committees and awareness and T-shirts for others...

War can be defined as an active conflict between competing entities...that I'm for.  But what if that war was waged by an army of reckless lovers?

What if "we the people" really got active?  Maybe we wouldn't have to use missiles.

And I can understand that clean water isn't that complicated.  

There are some amazing organizations...people taking down that number of without, and stacking up those with.  People who are relentless and obsessed and called to remedy.  I like to support these kind of people.

I started a campaign, to build a well.  It's about half-way there and I'd love your help to get it finished.

It'll take you about 2-minutes and for as little $12 you can give water to someone who desperately needs it.

Simple.

GIVE HERE TO CHARITY WATER 

 Thank you.

- don miller

#lovewins

One of the challenging realities we all face of time is that you'll never be able to aquire any more than you have, you can't make it, just of it.  The upside is that the amount you have is enough.

THE TIME YOU HAVE IS ENOUGH.

Seth Godin recently noted that, "You don't need more time, you need to decide."

On top of my faith, family, practice...I'm a tad creative obsessive.  My ideas wait in block-wrapping queues, clutching numbers, hoping there'll be enough for them when they're called. Possibilities fill my pockets in loosely wadded basketballs, moleskines wear, folders collect eclectic...

That said, if you're anything like me, hopefully you're not, it's terribly exhausting, here are a few practical actions (practions?) that have granted me a bit more productivity.

Cut Social Media Notifications. - For me this is mainly the Facebook.  Sure I enjoy interacting with friends and people I don't know over hip pictures and open ended statements begging a comment but not at the expense of my focus.  For instance, is your saucy, diaper clad two-year-old riding a dog donning sunglasses covered in noodles described as "Spaghetti Western" worth a "Like"?  Yes.  Do I need "LOL! So Cute!"s filling my inbox?  No.  Social Media's wonderful, use it, enjoy it, visit it, just don't let it direct your life.

Break away from reactionary flow. - Do what you set out to do and don't stop until you're done or intentionally decide to.  Constantly reacting to the persistent inflow of emails, phone, tags, mentions or texts deprive your efficiency and focus.

Zap the app. - If you find yourself playing Words With Friends under the table at dinner or Angry Birds in the bathroom during an evening with friends, they probably need to go.  

Unsubscribe. - Do you wake up to 33 hot new emails every morning?  Not a good way to start the day.  Take some time and unsubscribe to all those solicitations that have crept in.  UrbanOutfitters, ONE, Orbitz...all things I like but don't need to hear from everyday.   If you need something, find it when you do.  Clear the daily clutter.

Wait to create. - If you're a wanna-be blogger type like me, actual writer or other amateur creative person it can be helpful to define your creation workspace.  For instance, pinpoint the half-hour that you're going to write a post and think about it all day leading up.  This allows you to hit it hard and efficiently without having to flounder through time consuming brainstorms.  

Cheers and Good Luck.

There is no insignificant role here, we're all a part, we can all pray. 

We can all reflect hope and hope is beautiful, especially in tragedy.

May God grant us his peace in times of brokenness that we may dispense it to those who need it most.

#prayforjapan

Thanks to Alan Taylor.

Depicted in this photo, an image from an anonymous source on the ground in Egypt, is a team of Egyptian Christians forming a massive human shield to protect their Muslim countrymen as they prayed during the violent protests yesterday. Beauty amid the chaos.

Thanks Imgur!

Anyway, as I helped design some presentations for her I came across a few beautiful photos set in Afghanistan that communicated the idea of color from dust...something we all need eyes to see.  And maybe a life to be...

The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes.
- Marcel Proust 

To 2011...

May you never pretend unless you feel like it.

May you pursue like Ahab of his whale even unto madness.

May you discover the times when it's no better to be safe than sorry.

And may you find hope in each and every morning.

Cheers.

I love how these spaces summon the sleepy practice of observance.  Asking us to look and behold before we speak, add or even think.  Finding ourselves enamored, confused or critical in the face of a soundless (though not speechless) presentation, any of which feelings are perfectly appropriate. 

This Christmas may we take a moment to consider the art of the incarnation in an observance rather than the overactive participation.  To sit and behold the wonder rather than obsess over enhancing it.  To silent night.

And to softly kiss the cheek of grace in gratitude and if but for a moment, observe and nothing more.

Americans are wonderful wasters, particularly around the holidays.  In fact we throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of year.  This extra waste amounts to about 25 million tons of garbage...including 3.5 million tons of edible food waste. 

That's just not very Christmas like.

Here are a few considerations in letting up on your footprint this holiday season...

1.  Bring Your Own Bag (Shopping).  You know, one of the 10 hip reusable bags you keep in your trunk, garage or hall closet...If it's a single item, like a roll of tape or bottle of pinot, you may even consider forgoing the bag all together and just using your hands.

2.  Save the Wrap.  Wrapping paper is paper that is produced, purchased, used to cover something already packaged, torn up and thrown away...it's a sad existence.  My guess is you could find some paper that's already lived one life and now would be thrilled with a short stint in repurposing.  Magazine pages can make for very attractive and even artful wrapping or try one of those bags you took when you didn't bring your own (think Urban Outfitters).  I've got a few cool ones I've hung onto just for this reason.

3.  Recharge.  The EPA reports that 40% of all battery sales happen over the holidays.  Batteries, though necessary, are bad.  With remotes, Wiis and noisy things expected to be in full swing now's the perfect time to go rechargeable.  You can buy a charger and 8 AA's for about $20. 

4.  Treecycle.  Have your tree* chipped into mulch.  Fargo anyone? 

5.  Don't Forget Your Glasses.  Holiday gatherings are the perfect time for plastic glassware.  You can pour a drink, have a sip, lose your glass, grab another one off the stack, repeat.  Keep a sharpie on hand and let your guests mark their glasses...it washes off.

6.  Remember Africa.  Food waste is sad.  Be thoughtful when preparing servings and don't make/bring things no one will eat but you.

Merry Christmas!

*Works with real trees only.

Family and Starbucks?  Sure.  God in a manger?  Obviously.  But here are 5 more things that help me ring in the season that 'tis.

1.  Love Actually.  I watch this often and without preparations.  I just like it on.  I have it DVR'd so I can jump in whenever the opportunity presents.  Also, the television version is safer for varying audiences.  When Juliet sees the film Mark shot...love.

2.  Holidays On Ice.  Sedaris is as irreverent as my adult bachelor brother and just as funny.  Holidays tend to revolve around people and people are not serious.

3.  Main Street USA.  Epic fireworks, resounding classics and Christmas colors culminate in snow flakes over White Christmas.  I hoist one of my kids on the shoulders, push through the Mercedes strollers and designer peacoats and carve out my own little moment of Holiday Magic.  All while standing in a crowd of ten thousand of my closest fiends.

4.  Scarves.  Even with a T-shirt.  And especially with a T-shirt.

5.  Shopping.  I'm all for curbing your consumerism but I do love buying a good gift for someone.  And also myself.  Because I moved and Santa might not know. 

Thanks for visiting and Merry Christmas!

Everyone can do something to better the life of someone else.  AdventConspiracy.org.

Once upon a time in the land of freedom...before revolutions and colored wars, smoke stacks and depression, even before giant Snoopys, black Fridays, Cowboys or Lions...there was this day...Just one day.  About one thing.  Sharing.  A  land, a table, a meal and most important, a humanity.

This year in downtown Ventura we’ll acknowledge this day not simply by remembering but by doing. On Thursday, November 25th a city in common will share a few hours and a few hundred pounds of potatoes to simply be together.  An act perhaps best expressed in the thoughtful words of John F. Kennedy, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Through a partnership of faith, charity, city and citizen the "One City" meal takes place.  A Thanksgiving for the people of Ventura.  Whether you need a meal or not, are looking for some company or just need an excuse to recuse yourself from some...this is your event.  A moment of convergence and pause around the table, over a meal.  Remembering in our own way where we are and where we’ve come from.  A time to meet someone new and just maybe be surprised.  To set aside creed, color and net worth for the cause of humanity.

In a time of pixelated relationships and evaporating time we’re pushing back.  Fighting for this cause of solidarity in diversity.  Believing that there is value in people and that people value that.  That our cities are not finished but works in progress enhanced by the citizen.  That our city scape should be sculpted from the inspiration of good.

I love the reaction our Mayor Bill Fulton shared on his blog after sharing this event with a friend two years ago;

“Neither of us did what we expected to do when we showed up. Yet by sharing the “One Meal” with the “One City,” we both were able to give and share far more than we anticipated.”

I wonder if the founders of this day ended up with a tradition that exceeded their expectations as well...

Looking forward to sharing this story with many from near and maybe even helping bring this story to places afar...

His best friend, and soon-to-be-youngest Prime Minister ever, William “Billy” Pitt, outraged at such a consideration sternly asks, “Do you plan to use your voice to worship God, or to change the world?" Mutually exclusive practices...

So Pitt calls together a group of abolitionists to convince William to stay in politics and use his persuasive place in the House to do the impossible by ending the slave trade. Their call to action is gentler than Pitt’s, “We understand that you are having trouble choosing between doing the work of God and the work of the Activist. We humbly suggest you do both.”

The story of William Wilberforce ended in triumph but unfortunately today we find the need for abolitionists as relevant as ever.  Here's a snap shot from FreeTheSlaves.net...

Admittedly this issue feels overwhelming and impossible.  And so we find ourselves paralyzed by enormity and excusing ourselves from action while sadly the injustice continues and beautiful human beings continue to live without a life of their own.

I believe everyone can help, some can help more.  Find a way.  Use the Google.  The underground railroad wasn't started by special ops units but by people driven to care.  To change.  Compassionaries.

Work of God or work of an activist?  Both.  The upside in working with God is that he knows a little something about the impossible...

Where's your community on this subject?  In the fight?  Unaware?  Intimidated?

For more join us at TheIdeaCamp in Vegas at ICSEX as we take on slavery, sex and other scary subjects... Also, you can check out the online community here. 

While prepping for wedding ceremonies I always find myself fond and amused by the institution of marriage.  Here are few thoughts/wedding quotes from my latest...

I love being married.  It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.  ~Rita Rudner

What a happy and holy fashion it is that those who love one another should rest on the same pillow.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Love is about expression.  For even the greatest of love without expression would die.

One advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again.  ~Judith Viorst

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.  ~Mignon McLaughlin

Ephesians 4:26 says, "Do not let the sun go down while you are angry."  In other words, don't go to bed pissed off, stay up and fight.

Love is a resilient, renewable source.  Use it.  Often.

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.  ~George Levinger

You can never be happily married to another until you get a divorce from yourself.  Successful marriage demands a certain death to self.  ~Jerry McCant

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.  ~Ruth Bell Graham

Love is not something that you just wind up once and let it go, it’s a process of becoming.

See you in Vegas,

JG



Last weekend I spent some time at a camp for teen boys whose stories of neglect and abandonment are the type for which you pass by on the news or in print and hope to never meet in real life. 

Young men to be who hurt and fear and hate but still respond to the magic of love and the alchemy of hope.  Kids who've seen and felt well beyond the parameters of our usual remedies and special moment clichés.  Personalities that will only respond to the full fledged authenticity of those who would give away their hearts.

At this camp beautiful relationships were forged over rock climbs and through scars and onto fields of grace.  Fields where the moments were real, history didn't matter and the Love was big.

I realized how much emphasis we place on the protection of our own hearts as if they're not meant to be shared or given away or even broken.  That the depth of our vulnerability directly correlates to the depth of our love for others... And that sometimes generating this love takes work and seeing the potential of something that's hardly there...

I walked away from the Origins Event thinking, "It's good to see my friends."  But since that doesn't help you much, here are a few sounds I heard that I'm pretty sure were projected : )

Erwin McManus [@erwinmcmanus] - Intrinsically people are in a search for meaning in the human narrative.  A search that welcomes conversation.

Dave Gibbons [@davegibbons] - The church needs nameless assassins for good, not bringing church numbers up but the number of the hurting down.  Zero is the new metric.  Zero orphans, zero unfamilied foster kids, zero uncared for single moms...

Dan Kimball [@dankimball] - If we don't make disciples we won't be able to sustain social good.  We can start by loving people to the point they invite us into their lives.

Rick McKinley [@mckinleyrick] - Our safe acts of charity are petty.  Jesus didn't die on the cross to make us safe people, but dangerous people who bring change to the world.

Margaret Feinberg [@mafeinberg] - Going big for God may result in giving somebody else the best day of their life.  You have no idea what you're capable of.

Debra Hirsch [@debrahirsch] - Discipleship must go beyond an individuals morality.  Recognize the image of God in others and bring it out.

It was a pleasue taking part and I look forward to the procession of this tribe.  Thanks to all who made it possible.  Cheers.

Read this on Seth Godin's blog this morning;

"Every brand, every organization and every individual is either running away from something or running toward something (or working hard to stand still).

Are you chasing or being chased? Are you leading or following? Are you fleeing or climbing?"

Today I'm going to an event (Origins) to listen/learn/dialog with a spectrum of catalytic creatives.  People who have run towards.  Who have offered to lead through the challenges of uncertainty and onto the grounds of change.

If you're a person who's going somewhere, chasing something, find the people who've done so before you and learn to listen. 

The other night I grabbed a film I knew nothing about called "Remember Me."  The movie bills itself as, "...an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life."  What's not to like?  Plus it leads with Rob Pattinson...which I don't get but apparently the girls dig him.  Plus I actually dig him too.          Team Edward.

Interesting note about this film is the disparity in approval rating from within the Rotten Tomatoes community.  The "Critics" awarded Remember Me a dismal 25% on the tomatometer, while in the contrast the "Community" posted a healthy 72%.  Makes you wonder about the purpose of the "critic" all together, which in the case of Remember Me is to let the community know they're wrong for liking it.

With user generated review platforms popping up everywhere and about everything (i.e. yelp!) our culture is increasingly relying on itself to be its own critic rather than take the word of an elite few. 

Anyway...made me think of a great speech on criticism given by reformed food critic Anton Ego in Pixar's Ratatouille,

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy.  We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment.  We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.  But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.  But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.  The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations.  The new needs friends...In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook."  But I realize - only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere..."

Moral of the story?  I don't know, how about; Enjoy the thoughts of others but not at the expense of your own.

I recently threw down $89 for my wife to accompany me to the Origins Event at Club Nokia in LA this weekend and it got me thinking...what else could I have done with that hard earned 89...so naturally, I Googled it.

1. Bought a Pilot's Delight Heli Tour around Maui...but first I'd have to get to Maui.

2. Acquired a piece of NASA's multimillion-dollar balloon crash failure...nah.

3. Picked up a month's membership to Chet Rowland's PCO Millionaire System...who's Chet Rowland?

4. Buy a taco for everyone living in Shageluk, Alaska (pop. 113)...do they eat tacos in Alaska?

5. Spend a night at Casa Carmen in San Miguel, Mexico...tempting.

6. I could've bought this guy's guitar...but he got it first and I don't really play guitar anyway.

7. Bought an upscale evening gown from Ali Express...I don't do evening gowns.

8. Buy a 7-Eleven hot dog for everyone living in Zinc, Arkansas (pop. 82)...those things will kill you and Zinc can't afford to lose anybody.

9. Have these guys paint my room...I'll paint the room myself, strangers in the house annoy my cat.

10. Register my wife for the Origins Event and spend the day at a chic venue with a great girl in conversation with new friends and leading faith creatives...which is what I did, it was the best choice.

Love to see you there.  You can also follow me along on Twitter for notes, interviews, insights and secrets : )

Couldn't resist some of these LeBron quotes from "The Decision."  Enjoy.

"One thing I didn't want to do was make an emotional decision. I wanted to do what was best for LeBron James and make him happy..."

"At the end of the day all our minds are winning an NBA championship."

"It's a very small number and I could probably count it on my fingers."

"The last time I changed my mind was probably in my dreams, and when I woke up this morning I knew it was the right decision."

"One thing you can't control is you never know."

"It was a tough decision because I know how loyal I am."

"Put the shoe on the other foot. If the Cavs would have got rid of me at one point, would my family burn down the organization? Of course not."

Why Origins?
I love Origins.  Being part of a network of creative, missional, innovators who hold a high view of Scripture, passion for evangelism, etc., is a real blessing.  I have a lot of respect for those who have put this network together, which helps too.
 
What are you reading?
Just finished Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God (amazing), and I’m reading Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales and a book called Good Intentions that helps the church navigate some of the negative unintended consequences we sometimes stumble into in our compassion and justice work.  Good stuff.
 
What's on your iPod?
Future of Forestry, Sigur Ros, This Will Destroy You
 
iPhone4?
Loving my Palm Pre
 
You have a new book out, "Embodying Our Faith."   What inspired you to this work?
One of our assumptions when we planted Life was that our best apologetic among postmodern people wouldn’t be our crisp, rational answers to all their questions, but our “embodied apologetic” – the way we lived out our lives in Jesus with one another and with our friends.  So we were asking a lot of questions about what this might look like.  What would it look like to actually structure a church around this idea of an embodied apologetic?  What would happen if we elevated spiritual formation and mission together?  If we presented the gospel as becoming apprentices of Jesus and letting him use us in his world?  Embodying Our Faith is about what we’ve discovered and how we’re attempting to live it out.
 
You've talked about building communities that are "revealed by their faithful."  What does that mean?
Jesus said the world would know that we are his disciples by the way we love one another.  In essence, Jesus gave the world permission to judge whether there is anything to this whole Christianity by looking at us – scary!  So for us at Life, that means that we lean heavy into spiritual formation, cultivate an environment that encourages authentic community, and live out our faith in ways that tangibly impact our city.  We need to be with Jesus, leaning into his work of transformation and letting him shape us into people who love like he does.
 
Thoughts on reconciling the chasm between what we'll call "traditional" and "post-modern"?
In my experience, one of the best bridges across that chasm is what missionaries call contextualization – being faithful to the message of Jesus, but allowing our communication of the message and its resulting fruit to take forms that make sense in the host culture.  When I am talking to groups of traditionalists I like to talk about this idea out of passages like Acts 17 and 1 Corinthians 9, and I find that once they see how biblical this notion is the conversation changes.  It moves us away from questions of what’s wrong with culture and toward questions of how we can best be missionaries to the different cultures around us, be they premodern, modern, or postmodern.
 
Christian Book Distributors is quoted as saying that your book "Very well may be the most challenging book you read this year.”  What is it about Embodying Our Faith that it would garner such a response?
That was a huge compliment!  I’d like to think Embodying Our Faith is pretty meaty theologically but it is not difficult to understand, so I think the challenge they had in mind is the change it would involve for many churches.  I think we are all pretty invested in approaching church in a way that serves ourselves, and shifting to a mission footing is very challenging.  But it’s amazing!  I couldn’t imagine going back to another way of living.  Our church has been blessed with an impact that is disproportionate to our size and age, including two more churches planted, significant overseas ministry, etc.  It’s an adventure.
 
Biggest challenge facing your church over the next few years?
As lame as it sounds to say, I think our biggest challenge right now is the economy.  Our church is young, and as people get married and start families we have a lot of people moving to areas of the country where they can better afford to live.  When I was in seminary I never thought I’d find myself praying about the housing market . . .
 
Thing you're most excited about?
I’m super excited right now about a new approach we’re taking to equip our church for evangelism called HOW.  Rather than guilting people into the proverbial once-a-year-Saturday-training-class, we take those who are really ready to go for it and put them in a small group together.  They receive training over fourteen weeks, but more importantly they become a learning community, pray with one another for their friends, and learn to make outreach a part of their ordinary lives rather than a separate (and rare) activity.  It’s been pretty exciting!

Tim and a host of other creatives will be at The ORIGINS Event in LA July 23-24.  Hope to see you there!

On July 24th in downtown LA there will be a convergence conference of faith based creatives, innovators and entrepreneurs.  The gathering will be at the Nokia Theatre and is called Origins.  We'd love to have you, no experience necessary.

Anyway, I've asked a few of the speakers to drop me their six words of the day;

Margaret Feinberg:  Vibrant. Wonderment. Authentic. Practical. Gentle. Beheld.

Alan Hirsch:  Living in LA, loving God's acts!

Tara Russell:  Equipping, empowering refugees. Growing a lot.

Cue-Jean:  Cue a Hip Hop Creative Activist!

Tim Morey:  Disciple, husband, father, church planter, writer.

Dawn Carter:  Former church lady turns freedom fighter.

Mark Russell:  On a missional and entrepreneurial journey.

David Arcos:  Original movement led through chaos, questions.

April Diaz:  Curious. Expressive. Adoptive mommy to be.

Amena Brown:  Creativity. Music. Words. Laughter. Hope. Truth.

What's Yours? 

Hope to see you at Origins!