speaking to me already...

i work at a church. administration and objectives seem to constantly be at odds. i'm okay with people asking, 'can we try thinking of other ways to accomplish this goal,' but, so often, there is no asking, there is only heavy oversight, discouragement and worst-case-scenario thinking.

as of last week i've become the point person to planning a retreat in the sonora mountains. it's incredibly exciting, overwhelming and inspiring. today i wrote an email to one of the head guys asking if there were any kind of funds for mailouts or promotional materials. my experience has prepared me for a gigantic, 'yeah, we'll just take it out of the budget next to our fund for feeding everyone in the entire world ... you idiot.' but the response i got back was the exact opposite! i could not believe it. i read it and read it again. the person's short reply was, 'I say we spend whatever we need to. We have no budget for this but it's too important to worry about that now. ... We have to do something!! Money is not my primary concern at this point.'

holy crap.

what i've learned from this is the power of working with people. that guy encouraged me so much by saying, 'yes! lets figure out what needs to be done,' that he could now show me all the restraints we will run into, but i'll still feel invited, encouraged, inspired and committed to our partnership as we continue. he earned my respect! it taught me how i need to work with those administrative people. i want the admins and 'deskies' to feel encouraged by me the way i was by him. there is incredible power in unity, respect and encouragement.

but, of course, learning is so much easier than applying...

tuesdays are our sundays

shawna just finished telling me a story about how she had been in a late-rush, going from one job to another.  one of her shoes had been dropped and was missing.  running frantically through clubsport, she finally found it.  on her sprint out, one of her students was taking a picture of the sunset and the mother said to shawna, "look!"  to which shawna busily said, "yeah, beautiful, bye!"  the little girls mom touched shawna's shoulder and said, "no, look.  just ten seconds."  shawna did.  she also didn't choose to run to her car, instead she walked.  i like that story.  i love my wife.  she is my sunset.  too often i'm running to my car or running to find something as important as my shoe.  she's my sunset, every day, every hour.  it's good to just walk and enjoy her on the way to get that other 'important' stuff out of the way.

peaks and valleys

today i hiked to the top of the danville hills like i've been dreaming and planning to do for the last 15 years (since we moved here).  jon fink and i followed a trail for two and a half hours to the top where this view waited for us.  there were several views along the way for us to stop and take in.  the view from the top was special primarily for the sense of accomplishment and the old bench that wait there for us.

on our way down we circled what we now know was the 'lone tree' and saw a box at the base of it.  at first, it was a bit creepy, but once we looked inside we saw toy cars and a notepad with entree's dating back to 2005 written by people stumbling across this and enjoying the privilege of nature.  it was such a cool find and experience.

also, it had been a while since i last checked on a blog that i've been following concerning a little girl named Korrine who has been battling cancer for a long while now.  to my shock, she passed away this morning.  this family has been through hell.  so many people have left comments already saying the things that people say at times like these.  our minds scramble, desperately searching for solid comfort and then we blurt out a mess of words that are band-aids over broken and shattered hearts and minds.  my God, i pray the best for their family.  they loved their daughter.  it is the kind of love that is relentless and will seek a new way to be at home in their new and shaken lives.

1st John 4:16, "God is Love.  Whoever lives in Love lives in God, and God in them."

this family lived in love.  i pray that loss will not weaken them, but will strengthen their resolve, rest and commitment to be in love as the challenges and obstacles have done for them leading up to this loss.

how they've made it this far and in so much love is cause for recognition, silence and gratitude.

happy day of birth

shawna and i just got home from celebrating two of our friend's birthdays.  it was a lot of fun and the time was spent with some truly admirable people.  the kind of courage that it takes to just commit is a courage that i find very little of in me or in most people.  so to be in a group where so many of the people exemplify it on several different levels is a moment that deserves recognition.

birthdays are special days.  it's rare that any kind of gatherings are called in order to celebrate life.  even most birthday parties are not called this way, but when they are (or when you make them that way) it is a genuine 'church-like' experience.  Life is an incredible thing that gets looked over and taken for granted, even more that sight or hearing.  the two guys whose birthdays we celebrated are both people who i like having around me.  they both have a respect and trust for and in God that makes the world a better place.  i believe that is how God designed for it to be.  it is the definition of a living relationship with what is greater than our greatest achievement.  each of these guys live this on a true level.

Thank You & Happy Birthday James and Jon!

forgiveness

today a friend of mine who was admittedly mad at me called, explained, told me he loved me, asked for forgiveness and laid a good foundation for future communication.  it was the most mature act of friendship i've experienced in a long time.  especially after i definitely had some faults of my own.  it was such a rare act of humility, kindness, commitment and friendship.  i hope it emboldens me to do more of the same.

blogs are pretentious...

i have enough opinions.  there is no need for me to post them up anywhere when i'd rather not even have them in my head.  opinions are usually formed around the things we dislike, at least, that's my opinion ... or is in my observation?  either way, who cares.  i'm going to just post things here that i observe, am grateful for and want to remember.

to start it off, today i saw someone follow their convictions to the degree that required backtracking, recommitment, embarrassment, humility, surrender and trust (though not exactly in that order).  it was the exact opposite of laziness.  it was like watching a movie or looking at really good art; the emotions conceived and conveyed burst inside me even though they weren't mine to begin with.

sincerity makes me live my life differently.