Pure Light

If I asked you to draw something black on a piece of paper with crayons, you would have to do one of two things: either use a black crayon or use all the other crayons at once. In order to make black, we have to use all the colors together. Likewise, the best way to make white is to draw, well, nothing because white is the absence of color. Yes, there's a white crayon, but the blank sheet of paper is best. Pure blank white paper.

But the universe is different. The deep black of space is not a combination of all colors. It is in fact, a complete void and white is just the opposite, it is the combination of all colors.

This is our struggle with purity, holiness and righteousness.

Just like our earthly perspective of crayons and paper, we believe the way to achieve holiness is to take stuff away. If we can just get down to the pure, white paper - void of all the bad stuff - we will be set. And so we set about to remove stuff from our life. Less eating, less cursing, less sinning, less, less, less... This works until we run out of stuff.

I'm not suggesting that any of us EVER get rid of the sin and crap in our lives, but in our day-to-day struggle to walk "upright" we all get to the realization that we don't know what else to do. So, we double up our efforts at rooting out the problems and begin eating ourselves from the inside. We question our motivations, desires, hopes, dreams, etc., until we're so twisted in knots that we're rendered useless to the world and no longer living.

But purity, holiness and righteousness are not blanks. They don't exist because of an absence of sin, strife and death, they exist in spite of these things. In fact, they exist in obliterating power, might, impact and blinding perfection.

Purity, holiness and righteousness are not lack. They are...everything. They are life.

If we are to ever grab hold of "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10), we have got to grab hold of this reality. We have to stop seeing His will as one of seeking to dismantle our lives bit by bit until we are a blank sheet of paper. We must instead see Him as offering us abundant power and might that obliterates the junk and impacts the world.

Rules create loopholes — values do not

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear John Eldredge speak in person several months back. My life has been deeply impacted by his writing and his words that night continued that work. There was one statement he made that I knew at the time set a trajectory for my life: "the sorrow of the earth is bad kings."

Those words brought focus to my many thoughts about men and women and their (my) struggle to fulfill their purpose. In particular, it brought out the desperate need of humanity for leaders. True, purposeful, solid and, as this post from Fast Company perfectly explains, value centered leaders.

"Rules create loopholes — values do not. If those in leadership roles want to shape behavior, they must pay more attention to instilling values. They are the underpinning of belief, and that's what inspires people and gives them a sense of mission and purpose. Only beliefs and the values that underpin them can be shared. Values perform a kind of double duty by acting as both a source and a mechanism for regulation." - Dov Seidman

I encourage you to read the whole post, but first let me define leader and king as I see it: you.

Despite the headlines, the world does not need a better Obama, European Union or solution in Afghanistan, what the world needs is you and I fulfilling our true callings as kings and queens (little k and q). Kings and queens who humbly lead, manage and steward their individual sphere of responsibility with skill, compassion, vision and integrity.

This will never happen as long as we believe the inherently evil and life-robbing notion that the destiny of the earth lies in the hands of wealthy, successful, important, recognized, powerful, highly esteemed, recognized or elected as big L and K, Leaders and Kings.  And it won't happen if we believe the destiny is in the hands of Priests and Pastors.

Don't misunderstand me to say we don't need Leaders, Kings, Priests and Pastors. We do. Nothing works without a hierarchy. And don't misunderstand me to let all of them off the hook for the sorrows of the earth. There are many who's hands are guilty of much blood and sorrow. I'm not addressing those issues.

I'm addressing what I see as the biggest challenge in the world today: epidemic levels of worthlessness driven complacency. The world is FULL of people who have no idea what to do because they have no idea they matter.

See, there are two types of bad kings: evil ones and passive ones. The sorrow of the earth is passive kings (and queens - little k and q).

It's time to fully assume your throne.

Blog Action Day: Climate Change

Today I am writing in tandem with thousands of bloggers around the world taking part in blogactionday, an annual event powered by Change.org. Despite the fact that I don't agree with everything they do, I can support their idea of unifying folks to speak about the great issues of our day. And besides, I like this years topic: Climate Change.

I like it because I of three strongly held beliefs on the subject:

1.) Gravity and causes: Yes we're seeing Climate Change around the world, however, I do not believe it to be a grave threat to the existence of our planet or its inhabitants. The scant historical comparison data we have shows that the earth has had seasons like this before. Which would suggest that it's unlikely that today's issues are caused by my two cars.

2.) God: The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it - Psalm 24:1. He built the place and will care for it until its usefulness is through. It's egotistical of us - of me - to think that I can change that.

However:

3.) Christ Followers: If we believe what Psalm 24 says, why aren't we the environmental leaders? Why aren't we proactively leading the movement to properly and care-FULLY steward His world?

Why aren't I?

Oh The Humanity

I have a friend in Atlanta that I was blessed to meet for lunch during a recent business trip. During our conversation, John Eldredge's name came up and he mentioned a friend of his that’s working with John on a project. He went on to say she disagrees with his ministry because it is focused too much on man and not enough on God.

But isn't God's ministry focused on man?

Now, before you shout me down, let me assure you I am not lessoning the holiness of God, His desire for our worship or His hatred of our sin. Nor am I suggesting that God exists to serve us. As His creation, we are less. Because of our sin, He alone is holy. And because of all that and more, He is rightfully jealous to have us serve Him.

But what about our humanity? It’s a crucial question that I believe we’ve answered wrong. And it’s killing us.

Oh the Humanity

In an attempt to ensure that we never forget the holiness, might and sovereignty of God, we’ve accepted a lie. A lie that says if it wasn’t for us, God would be happy. The lie that we – collectively and personally – are a burden to God. We believe God made a huge mistake when He created humans and suspect He wishes we weren’t around. At the very least, we’re reasonable certain He wishes we were less…well, human.

And so we imagine a regretful and disappointed God sitting with His head in His hands thinking: “Oh the humanity! If only they didn’t need friendship, companionship and worth all would be well. If they could stop needing meaning, purpose, food, shelter, money and sex things would be perfect. And what’s with their different personalities, tastes, interests and desires? Sheesh.”

The Living Dead

And so we live lives bent on destroying or denying our humanity and the result is lives that are all too often, half lived - or perhaps lived in two halves.

The first half, based on a misinterpretation of the scripture about contentment, is a self-centered deprivation. We accept jobs, friendships, marriages, organizations, ideas and…lives that we really don’t like because we believe it wrong to long for more. So despite dreams, visions, imaginings and Scriptures that overflow with hope, joy, peace and…LIFE…we sit. Content.

The second half, based on fear of who knows what, is outward focused criticism. We see this when the reaction to someone else’s dream, vision, imagining or revelatory Scripture is “be careful…!”. Like when a musician says they feel led to play secular music and everyone screams “but what about the drugs and sex!” Thing is, we all do this. You need only read comments on Facebook, blogs, twitter or hear people in hallways – our natural bent is to criticize and put down those that want to live. And we seem to always do it with a tone of “its sad you still struggle with that part of your humanity.”

Oh, the humanity!

But why? Where is it written that we should hate the things that make us human? The drives, ambitions, desires, needs and wants? Resist the urge to criticize and correct me – I know we need His redemptive work in us – but think about my question. Where in the bible does God hate us for our humanity? Isn’t it the opposite? Isn’t it our humanity that he wants saved? Redeemed? Healed?

He doesn’t hate hunger, he hates gluttony. He doesn’t hate wealth, he hates desception, robbery, hoarding and lording it over others. He doesn’t hate sex, he hates its misuse and abuse. He doesn’t hate big dreams, he hates selfish gain. And on and on.

So imagine God saying “Oh, the humanity. I love them, they are created in my image. Created to live with Me in relationship so we can make something of the world I have given them. Created to work the ground, solve the problems, invent great things and love each other. Created to succeed at being the very things I made them to be – individual creations displaying My glory in infinitely unique ways!”

What would happen? What would you tell others? What would you tell yourself? And what would you be free to do?

Checking Homework

Had to pass this along as a reminder to always check your kid's homework before they hand it in to the teacher:

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day) 

Dear Mrs. Jones, 

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.    

I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit.  I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it.    Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole.  It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely, 

Mrs.  Smith

Switchfoot "Mess Of Me"

Watch this video of Switchfoot once again proving they are the most significant and important band of our time. I URGE you to follow these guys - they have the most life focused, encouraging music made today.

Here's the chorus of their soon to be released song, Mess Of Me:

"I made a mess of me I wanna get back the rest of me
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna reverse this tragedy
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my live alive
The rest of my life alive!"

'Mess Of Me' - Switchfoot (new single from new album "Hello Hurricane" - out November 10, 2009)

More About Covenant College

if you'd like more insight into our choice for our son's college education, read this post from Covenant's President, Dr. Neil Neilson. Be blessed:

Dr. Niel Nielson » Blog Archive » Welcoming New Students into the Covenant Community

Covenant College Orientation

This past Friday night and Saturday morning, my wife and I took our son to Covenant College, in Lookout Mountain, GA. He is beginning his Freshman year this next Thursday.

We are blessed and I am awestruck.

Awestruck because of a group of 10 or 15 eager upperclassman that unloaded our van and delivered Kayce's stuff to his room while he signed into the residence hall.

Awestruck by the beauty of what can only be called a magnificent campus on a beautiful late summer day - and we've been there several times. It's breathtaking every time.

Awestruck by a first orientation meeting that had 40 minutes of information and 20 minutes of open prayer led by the parents. Prayers for the protection of our kids, the peace of the parents, the clarity and focus of the teachers, and in everything, the lifting up of Christ.

Awestruck by the Friday night lecture of our son's first course given by the President of the College, Dr. Neil Neilson and his wife, Kathleen. They spoke of Big C and little c callings. Of the Big C calling to believe, trust and obey. And the little c callings of life - jobs, friends, relationships, hobbies, etc., etc. It's the little c callings that trip us, challenge us and reveal us. They are the things - thousands of them per day - that add up to a glorifying and powerful life. And Dr. Neilson called the the students to a such a life. One that while they are at Covenant, should be first and foremost about being a student.

And then there was the perfect weather of Saturday on the mountain and another orientation meeting. First up after worship? The Mayor of Lookout Mountain. Praying. Yup. Turns out his daughter attended the school and he is deeply interested in the new students and the success of the school. Following his talk, we heard much about the rules and regulations. Then, a panel of professors answered questions about how to succeed at the school. Two points stood out to me:
- It's not about grades. Yes, the professors said that. They stressed that focusing on grades will cause a person to miss the opportunity to LEARN.
- The enemy would like nothing more than to have every student fail and the surefire way to fail is to get straight As.

Everything they said was about life. Wow.

And lastly, awestruck by still more prayer and a son that was as confident as us that he is exactly where he's supposed to be.

Awestruck and blessed.
Definitely blessed.

Our Proposed Health Care Plan

I purposely avoid political topics on this blog because I find that people are often blinded by the terms Liberal and Conservative or Republican and Democrat and therefore unable to simply discuss issues. I've also found that I'm a strange mix of all of the above because my Lord is too and the Bible seems to be somewhere in the middle too. I don't see our problems as right or left but a result of the fact that we have no moral compass. The government wouldn't have to solve problems if people - especially those that can - would take care of those who can't.

I am concerned about the Health Care Plan currently proposed for our country though. Concerned that it is a knee jerk - a LONG overdue knee jerk - reaction to a non-critical problem. Don't get me wrong, we have health care problems and a disproportionate percentage of people do not get the care they deserve. But we also have an incorrect view that health insurance is a right just like home ownership. Neither is a right, nor are they the only solution. People can get health care without insurance - it happens ALL THE TIME! Yes some do, but most hospitals do not turn away sick/broken people. Likewise, people can have many forms of shelter that does not involve home ownership.

I could go on and on but won't right now. Instead, I encourage you to read this post and see if you believe this is a good proposal. Here are two or 50 points from the article.

• Pg 30, Sec 123 states that there will be a government committee that decides what treatments you are allowed and what your overall benefits are.
• PG 429, lines 10-12 give an Advance Care Planning Consultant the power to order end of life plans for a patient.

I thought this bill was supposed to prevent the disproportionate use and availability of health care. These two items clearly contradict this idea. The government will decide who gets what and when and they will decide when a person is no longer worth the expense of life. And btw, don't tell me that's not what this means.

One last thought: I hate the title of this post because I am not against Obama. I didn't vote for him, but I do believe him to be an intelligent man that wants what's best for our country. I also don't believe this is his plan, it is the result of many, many people's thoughts, concepts and ideas. On that note though, it unquestionably represents a society that believes government to be the solution to any and all problems (and the Rebulicans are guilty of this too). And that with limited resources available to government, the solutions must also rate the value of people.

Like I said, it's a moral issue. 

Faith and the Art of Motorcycle Riding

My son and I took a beginners' motorcycle riding class last weekend. My wife - yes, really - suggested he sell his car during the first few years of college and get a bike to ride when he's home. I, in turn, suggested the riding class and volunteered to attend with him to make sure he was taught correctly.

Okay, I admit it, I've always wanted a bike and will get my own as soon as I can (I'll also get to use his while he's gone too). I know, life's tough.

Anyway, among the many things I learned in the course (and let me know if you'd like info, I highly recommend it) were three key takeaways:

1. The bike will go wherever your head turns.
2. The bike performs best under power.
3. Everyone's out to kill you, or something along those lines.

Just like life.

During the training we were given opportunities to manuever the bikes through different degrees of turns - both sharp and more rolling. I struggled with these seemingly simple tasks until the instructor told me to stop looking at the cones on the ground and turn my head towards where I wanted to go. I thought he was crazy when he said to simply look at the end of the turn and give it the gas. Then I did it and the affect was exhilerating. Not only did it go where I wanted it, but the bike was remarkably stable despite increasing speed.

My life goes wherever my head turns too. I can talk about not having enough time, wanting to do this or that, my heart's desire to finally wrestle crippling sins to the ground or follow my life's passions, but the fundamental truth is that where my head goes, so goes my life. And this explains why my life is often wobbly too.

Then there was the lesson about power. I had thought that power applied to the wheels would upset the balance of the bike and that lessoning the power or applying the brakes would bring it back under control. In fact, the complete opposite was true. As the instructor said, the bike is designed to move. Upright.

So am I.

I'm not designed to fear, hesitate, over think and plan. I'm designed to move under power. And just like I controlled the bike, I move best when I'm controlled too. And the only control that works is my God. Daily.

Which brings me to the last point. The instructor never told us to be aware that people would be out to kill us on a motorcycle. He didn't feel he had too. In fact, it wasn't about what he said at all. Rather, it was about the tone of what he said - a matter of fact, "you know it's true, don't you?" I sensed he believed it to be such a truth that it didn't warrant discussion.

I share his perspective. I mean, you do know that your joy, peace, wonder and life is opposed, don't you?
Don't you?

A Wife's Concerns

I found this list on my phone today as I cleaned it out for a swap. Thought I'd share someone's perspective on the items of concern for a wife:

1. Affection
2. Conversation
3. Honesty and openness
4. Financial security
5. Family commitment

Beyond saying "yes and amen", I have two thoughts: financial security does not mean riches, it means bringing #'s 1, 2, 3, and 5 into your finances and I'd add a sixth: Be a man who leads from strength.

He Longs for Justice

Read this quick post by Jason Curlee please. The second to last line?

"I want justice—oceans of it."

As John Eldredge said in a talk I heard recently: "the sorrow of the earth is bad kings."
We need justice.

Unspeakably Sad

I LOVE this quote:

“The danger is that you will lead a respectable, decent, nonscandalous
life. But it will be busy, tired, human-powered life. That is
unspeakably sad.”
- John Ortberg

I found it on Travis Robertson's blog. Follow him on twitter at twitter.com/TRONash

Marriage Necessities 3

After discussing Faith in God and Commitment to Marriage in my post Marriage Necessities 1 & 2, I bring you number 3:

3    Commitment to each other

Faith in God and/or commitment to marriage can sustain a marriage. Either of them will do if your goal is to simply stay married.

But neither of these encourage engagement. They don't require anything of the individuals involved except adherence to rules. And a marriage between to disengaged rule followers can never be healthy, happy, passionate and fruitful.

A healthy marriage requires commitment to each other. It's not enough to commit to marriage, you have to commit to the PERSON you're married too. And this is where most marriages fail because it's hard.

It's hard to set aside our ambitions, desires and needs for another person. Never mind the fact that we rarely ever end up truly giving them up, but it does require that level of selflessness. You have to be committed to the other person and their ambitions, desires and needs.

And that is the magic of marriage. When you get beyond the "I'm married because I believe it's important to God" and the "I'll stay married because it's the right thing to do" you run headlong into the "I have to live with this person. Everyday. Forever."

And the only way to make that work is to grow inside. Open up. Let it out. Risk rejection. Ask questions. Listen. Answer questions truthfully. Do it all again. And again. This time more, deeper and more real.

Keep going. 

And in the process you change. You become relational. Engaged. More whole. And you are better for it. And so is your spouse.

And so is our world.

--to be continued --

Unforced Rhythms

Sent from a friend:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
- Mathew 11:28-30 (Message Bible)

Broken

I am broken.

I hope.

I hope I have finally come to the end of my rope. My hope. My way. My thinking. My strength. My trying.

I hope I have ‘cause it’s not working. The “I’ll figure it out, I’ll get better, I can stop if I have to, I can’t live without this, I don’t need any help, I’m okay this way, I’m generally good, maybe tomorrow” life isn’t working.

Thank God.

Thank God I’ve seen there’s more. And thank God I’ve realized I can’t get there on my own. I can’t figure it out, get better, stop, live without, be okay, good or last another day on my own.

I need three things in order of importance:

3 - I need the reality of what God sees in me and in the world. I need His perspective.
2 – I need people around me who see both of those too and point them out to me all the time.

I have both of those, but neither of them works without this:

1 – Scriptural humility.

I need a self-image consistent with the truth that I am a redeemed, mercy and grace empowered man in relationship with my Father in Heaven. Without that His perspective is nothing more than knowledge and the encouragement of friends is nothing more than empty words.

I don’t need knowledge and words, not by themselves. I need a faith-filled heart for them to root in. A heart that is first broken.

Thank God

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Marriage Necessities 1 & 2

I recently found a blog I recommend called Simple Marriage. A few weeks ago they conducted a simple poll on the “necessities of marriage." Participants were asked to list the five or six most important things for a successful marriage. It got me thinking. And when I think, I write.

So here we go:

1 - Faith in God

I don’t know how people who don’t believe in God stay married.

No really, I don’t.

Which brings me immediately to my next necessity:

2 - Commitment to marriage

You have to be committed to something larger than yourself and larger than each other. Marriage is such a thing.

Marriage is the bedrock foundation of not only all of society, but most of the Word of God. From the early verses of Genesis to the end of the book, God’s heart for marriage is certain: it matters. Greatly. The fact that The Church (capitalized) is referred to as His bride clearly illustrates the importance of the covenant of marriage.

And covenant is key. Marriage is first and foremost a covenant. It’s a promise. And it can’t survive without it.

I don’t care how beautiful, handsome, talented, wonderful and/or PERFECT your spouse is, there will come a day when, well, you won’t like them. On top of that, there will always – and I mean always – be someone MORE beautiful, handsome, talented and/or PERFECT. And I promise you will meet them.

Often.

Everywhere.

Of course they won’t really be all those things, but it’ll feel like it when you meet them. And did I mention you will meet them? I promise you will.

My marriage could have ended multiple times were it not for our commitment to the covenant itself. But understand this, I am NOT saying that we have toughed it out because we don’t believe in divorce. I’m saying that we’ve always found the tools, assistance and support we’ve needed to make it work because we don’t believe in divorce. Out belief in marriage has always provided the motivation to figure out how to make it work. We’ve always figured it out and we always will.

One last thing on commitment to marriage: the absence of the word “your”. I’m not saying commitment to YOUR marriage, I’m saying commitment to marriage. Period.

This isn’t to say that the other person doesn’t matter, of course, but I'll cover that in Marriage Necessities 3.

Faith and Government

In my last two posts, I explored ideas about fear and faith. I used a quote about government as a starting point and it brought an interesting response from a friend. You can read his thoughts in the comments of the fear post.

I need to clarify that I didn't write the quote about government. It was made by Charles Murray in a speech delivered to the American Enterprise Institutes Annual Dinner this past March. It can be found here. I do agree with it however, and for exactly the reasons my friend stated. Christians should not be fearing the things they want government to solve OR government itself. They should be asking "Lord, what is it you want ME to do to be a part of your solution to these messes?" To your point, we should be the "we the people."

Second, I didn't blame the government. I wasn't writing about government. I happened to chose a quote about government but only as a starting point to discuss fear. In my opinion, what pushes us from a healthy, effective government to an overblown, overextended and obtrusive government is fear. Fearing a thief gets us the police. Fearing businessmen gets us laws that run businesses into the ground because of unsustainable demands on their money. I'm NOT saying business is a savior. Greed destroys. BUT, greedy businesses usually self destruct. Our fear of greed, and a lack of faith in positive outcomes causes legal intervention that has unintended consequences. Again, just an example of fear run amok.

Now, having said that, here ARE my thoughts on government: I can only speak for myself and say I am upset with big government. I don't want the government solving my problems anymore than I want them solving other peoples. There was a time when the town drunk was taken in, comforted and assisted by townspeople. In a great number of cases, that person got well because in some part, they felt the shame of behaving badly within their community. You might say peer pressure kept them in line.

Somewhere along the line, government stepped in to "help" these drunks. The townspeople stopped reaching out because the government asked them to stop or, more tragically, they didn't have to anymore. Either way though, the result was a disconnect in the community and many more lifelong drunks. Take away personal responsibility and interaction and success rates plummet.

Government cannot effectively solve housing, saving, retirement, healthcare or poverty for exactly these reasons. It's my responsibility to see that the folks I know make their way through life without being homeless and broke. And though that may mean giving them a bedroom or money, it more often means living in relationship and community - encouragement, suggestions, introductions to others. All with a faith that God will work it out and we'll all be okay.

Fear gets us a "somebody needs to fix this" mentality, government and life. And that is no life. Faith gets us a "I don't know how it'll work, but I feel called to do this" life. Adventurous and scary and not always successful (at least in our eyes), but alive.

Faith based living

From the end of my last post:

"The problem is this: Every time the government takes some of the trouble out of performing the functions of family, community, vocation, and faith, it also strips those institutions of some of their vitality--it drains some of the life from them."

I don't know that I've read a better description of what we've done to life. Or more sad.

It's a perfect description of what I see in far too many people. More precisely, what I don't see: life. It all makes sense of course. I mean, how can you know if you're living a "life well lived" if there's no challange to living? And how can we live if all we do is fear?

We can't."

We were not created to live in fear. We do not have the mental and physical capacities to fear for any length of time. Want to know what the true #1 killer of people is? Stress. Estimates place stress as the key or contributing cause of most illness at well over 60%. We're just not made for fear.

But we're not made for safety either. God didn't tell Adam and Eve to be careful. Quite the opposite, he told them to subdue the earth. Have you SEEN the earth? It's anything but safe. Not to mention the fact that the battle in Heaven, the one that led to the deception of Adam and Eve and everything that's followed, happened before they were created. God created mankind in the midst of war.

And made us warriors.

Do warriors fear? Absolutely. Fear is what keeps them alive. It's what keeps them alert to their surroundings and vigilant in physical and mental preparation. It's what motivates them to plan and strategize and in the end, act.

Take away fear and bad things happen to warriors. They become apathetic, satiated, sedentary and lazy. They also become unimaginative and bored. The only good thing that happens is they don't die. At least not physically.

Notice I said "take away fear." This is our most common reaction to fear. We want it removed, compartmentalized, managed and taken care of by someone else. The flaw in this thinking is that it's focused on the fear itself. And this focus on fear only compounds the problem and we become fear-FULL.

But we're called to be faithful warriors.

We serve the God of the Universe. The Creator, Lord and Victor. We have nothing to fear that he can't overcome.

With our help.

Yes, we - you and I - are involved in this thing called life. We have a place in the story - as faith-FULL warriors. We must have not only faith in God, but faith in our selves as the warrior partners. We have a part to play, not in the removal, compartmentalization, management or delegation of fear, but in the fighting and defeating of the roots of those fears.

This is our calling and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Fear based living

A friend of my recently posted a note entitled "Fear" on Facebook. In it, he rightly pointed out our improper obsession with fear. It's a topic I consider often as I see myself alternate between moments of great faith and moments of great fear.

Of course I want to live by faith and I'll continue to grow in that direction. I know what faith looks like and I know how to live it too, but that doesn't make it easy.

But then again, is it supposed to be?

And then I came across the text of a speech by Charles Murray that can rightly be called brilliant. Delivered to the American Enterprise Institutes Annual Dinner on March 2009, the speech builds a case for "American exceptionalism, in which individuals freely unite to construct a civic culture."

Read it here, it's well worth the time. But my purpose here is not pro-Americanism, it's pro-faith-FULL living.

Mr. Murray's assertion is built upon the dual premise of "a life well-lived" and "deep satisfaction."

"To become a source of deep satisfaction, a human activity has to meet some stringent requirements. It has to have been important (we don't get deep satisfaction from trivial things). You have to have put a lot of effort into it (hence the cliché "nothing worth having comes easily"). And you have to have been responsible for the consequences.

There aren't many activities in life that can satisfy those three requirements. Having been a good parent. That qualifies. A good marriage. That qualifies. Having been a good neighbor and good friend to those whose lives intersected with yours. That qualifies. And having been really good at something--good at something that drew the most from your abilities. That qualifies. Let me put it formally: If we ask what are the institutions through which human beings achieve deep satisfactions in life, the answer is that there are just four: family, community, vocation, and faith. Two clarifications: "Community" can embrace people who are scattered geographically. "Vocation" can include avocations or causes."

I don't know that I've read a better description of life. Or more exciting.

Continuing:

"Put aside all the sophisticated ways of conceptualizing governmental functions and think of it in this simplistic way: Almost anything that government does in social policy can be characterized as taking some of the trouble out of things. Sometimes, taking the trouble out of things is a good idea. Having an effective police force takes some of the trouble out of walking home safely at night, and I'm glad it does.

The problem is this: Every time the government takes some of the trouble out of performing the functions of family, community, vocation, and faith, it also strips those institutions of some of their vitality--it drains some of the life from them."

I don't know that I've read a better description of what we've done to life. Or more sad.

It's a perfect description of what I see in far too many people. More precisely, what I don't see: life.

It all makes sense of course. I mean, how can you know if you're living a "life well lived" if there's no challange to living? And how can we live if all we do is fear?

We can't.

...to be continued...

My three blogs

Two months ago I made a change in my online strategy. I decided to re-split one of my blogs into two and start a third. I made an announcement at the time but want to be sure to point it out again. There's no reason to write if I don't have readers, and no way to gain readers without an invitation. So, consider this my invitation and a bit of shameless self-promotion too.

Here's a link to the original announcement where I give insights into the content of each blog. You can also read about them at my online hub on netvibes at http://netvibes.com/stevegrossman. In addition to quick
descriptions and links, you'll also find an extensive bio and my friendfeed page which tracks everything I do online.

What I didn't mention was that I have a fourth blog at work too. If you're an employee of Manheim, take a sec to check out All Things Inspections through Mainstreet.

So I invite you to check out my blogs and be encouraged. And drop me a line if you'd like me to discuss anything specific.
Thanks for reading.

Worm Theology

My friend Randy is a giant of a man. A compassionate and passionate wordsmith of a Pastor in the next town over, Randy and I had a conversation about worms long ago. Specifically what he called "worm theology."

Worm Theology says that we're so inferior and unworthy to the mighty, creator God of the universe that we are nothing more than dust. Sadly, I've found this to be a theology embraced by many Godly people who never move beyond paralyzing shame, fear, doubt and insecurities because they don't believe they should. They actually believe they are honoring God by viewing themselves as wholly inadequate and unworthy.

And it's a lie.

The Bible does not support Worm Theology. The message is consistent that we were created in the image of a God not a worm. A God that created us for fellowship, love and life. Created us to be his children and heirs to the kingdom. Children that he gave his Son for. We are princes and princesses, not worms.

Unless we want to be.

Just because we are princes and princesses does not prevent us from crawling about like worms. It does not prevent us from spending our days, weeks, months and years struggling to breathe, eat and live while crawling through dirt, dust and grime. Dirt, dust and grime that we were created to walk over not crawl through.

All too frequently I find myself living as a worm. I want to believe, but do not. I want to triumph, yet hesitate. I want to write, encourage, create, taste, experience, build, kiss, laugh. I want to live.

And yet I crawl.

But not all the time.

More Link Thoughts

A local weatherman has a blog. An excellent blog btw which is why I've included it in my Suggested Reading.

Be sure to check out Charlie Neese's blog when you can. He and his wife (she has a blog I'll link to as well) are truly a blessing in the Nashville area. They're passionate encouragers as evidenced by this post from Charlie:

What You Think (to Yourself) Matters « The Life Barometer Blog

"I point this out because too many of us are thinking of creative ways to make our lives better yet we’re not acting on those thoughts. Maybe it’s fear, apathy or even fatigue. But, perhaps, there’s never been a more appropriate time to begin acting on those thoughts"

Be sure to read the whole thing. It's a powerful, and much needed word.

I'm a Coward

It's not my intention to cut myself down with this post. I'm a big believer in the power of words so I'm cognizant of the dangers of writing like this. But I also have to be honest. Honest with myself and honest with you. This has been on my mind recently and I believe it to be worth exploring here.

And honestly, I'm a coward. Whether at work, at home or with the Lord Himself, I am likely to cut and run, or at the very least avoid. I talk a big talk, say all the right things and say them in the right way, but in far too many instances, I am a coward.

I'm a coward at work in the fact that I'm far more comfortable in a world of e-mail and websites. Don't get me wrong, those are important and they are the wave of the future, but I sometimes use them instead of interacting with people. When the phone rings, my first thought is "shoot, what if I don't have the answer?" It's frightening to think I might not be in control and if they'd e-mail me instead I'd be better prepared.

Then there's my friends. Well, acquaintances is more appropriate 'cause I don't really have any close friends. I'm not 100% sure why, but I know some of it is me. Yeah I'm busy, and so are all of them (I hate to bother people), but still, something's just not right. Why don't I engage more?

Cowardice.

Which brings me to my family and where it gets tricky. See, with them I'm a coward twice. First, I just don't dive into everything like I should. Oh we all get along fine and all; beautifully actually. But, there's not enough time together, not enough connecting, not enough simply hanging, loving and laughing.

And here's the second part: I've tried to change these things and have all but given up. Experience has taught me - not just at home - that I don't matter. The failed attempts to change the status quo confirm that it's no longer worth the risk. It's just easier and more comfortable to "be okay with it."

Cowardice.

What I know though, is that this is important. It's a pattern. A pattern of found in general in men, but also specifically in me. The pattern in men is most tragically illustrated at the tree in the garden. You know, when the man kept silent while his wife changed the entire course of human history? Yeah, that's me.

But there's also been an attack. An attack since childhood to convince me that I don't matter. Through a long period where my mom dealt with illness, I learned to "be okay." The family was dealing with far too much for there to be room for much else, so I lived my life dutifully and happily.

And disconnected.

I learned that there wasn't room for what I wanted, needed or desired. I never starved or anything, that's not what I'm saying, I'm talking about the heart. And so I drifted into adulthood with a crippling ability to exist and exist well.

Thankfully God messed that up and taught me that we're meant for far more than existence. But true life doesn't come without a fight and cowards don't fight well. Take if from me.

But then again, I am fighting. Sometimes on the outside, but definitely on the inside. I'm fighting with perceptions, filters and misconceptions that if left unchecked will continue to allow me to hide. And I don't want to hide.

"The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force." (Matt: 11:12)

I will fight. Passionately from strength and faith. I will fight to move from survival to life. Conversation to engagement. Love to passion. Cowardice to courage.

I will live full alive.

Thankful

We are all born with abilities. Some can sing, some can talk, some can build and some can think. We have the ability to improve these abilities too and/or discover those that we did not even know we have. Amazing.

These abilities are magnified however, when combined with one more: the ability to respond. Songs, words, buildings and business strategies are meaningless unless they are sung, spoken and created in response to needs. A broken heart is encouraged by a song. Ignorance is replaced through a knowledgeable word. A family gets a home through hard labor and a successful business provides jobs and supports a community.

This is responsibility and we all have it.

We all have the ability to respond to the world around us. To be moved to take action because of a need, opportunity, challenge, idea or plan. To do anything less is tragic.

It is tragic when no one responds to needs. People stay lonely, go hungry and remain homeless and jobless. Just exactly who is supposed to change these things if not the very people with the abilities to change them? The world does not need geniuses. It does not need “them”. It needs you - a unique combination of interests, ideas, abilities and spheres of influence. No one else has the solutions you have because no else has your exact combination.

And not responding is tragic for you too. Teddy Roosevelt can tell you why:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

Taking responsibility is HARD, it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to take everything you’ve got because it will change everything you are. Will you be good at it? No, but you’ll get better. Will all your ideas be great and accepted? No, but you’ll think of better ones. Will everyone be thankful for your help? Probably not. So? Keep singing, speaking, building, thinking or whatever it is you were meant to do.

Be thankful for all your abilities. And be thankful for the things to which you can respond. If you have responded and have seen the fruits - to others and yourself - give thanks. If you have not yet responded, commit to change.

Commit to live.

2 Links

I have a suggested reading list. Not just a list of blogs that I read regularly, but the ones that regularly reveal me. The ones that take me apart and challenge me to put myself back together in a new way.

The ones that God uses to grow me up.

Jonalyn Grace Fincher is one such writer, and here's an example:
Jonalyn Grace Fincher: Lynching Today

On a completely different tangent, is The Art of Manliness Blog which never ceases to remind me how far I am from being the man I am called to me. How? By publishing posts like this.

Production and consumption are the real economy

A must see brilliant explanation of economics, economic solutions and how a pinch of Old Testament might just do the trick:

YouTube - Six Minutes with the Renegade Economist - Michael Hudson Special...

Lifestyle

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny HIM by their lifestyle... that is what our unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable" - DC Talk

Whatchya think? True?

We must get back to our founding document

I do not put my faith in the United States or her government. However, I am immensely proud of the nation designed and built by our founding fathers and completely sold out on the genius of our Constitution and the principles and ideals that it protects.

So I am deeply concerned about the current wave of attacks against these foundations and I hope that you are too. Please understand, however, that I am not blaming our new President for these attacks - this is not an anti-Obama post. He is simply the man of the hour in a nation that has allowed itself to drift too far. A nation that has not invested enough energy into teaching the importance of our history and foundations.

So instead of a people familiar with our documents of law, the people who wrote them and the reasons they did, we are a people of ignorance. A people unable to discern facts from fiction and law from ideas. This is most often illustrated by quoting of the Constitutional separation of church and state - a term that does not appear anywhere in the document. To be fair, it does appear in a Constitution, just not ours.

Which is perhaps the biggest tragedy of our ignorance: that we do not understand - or cherish - the difference between our nation and others.  And by that I do not mean that we're better, but we are...well, us. The United States of America. A nation that has a constitution, rules of law and a government. Why are we trying so hard to be another country? I thought this was a time of unprecedented celebration and acceptance of diversity. What's up?

Luckily, there are folks that are offering suggestions as to what we can do. One such person is Nancy Salvato, the wife of an old college buddy (a screaming lead trumpet player. Check out her comprehensive and thought filled article on educating our public here:

"The New Media Journal | An Alternative to Impending Doom by Nancy Salvato

Here's a quote to wet your appetite:

"There are a number of actions that must occur if we are to influence those who voted representatives into public office with whose actions we disagree. We must begin with the basics. The American people need further education in the rationale behind each word of our Constitution. Our citizens need to learn about the failures of socialism and other forms of government. To appreciate the freedoms protected by the US Constitution, one needs to understand what sovereignty means to the longevity, power and wealth of our nation. Finally, those who do not engage politically need to become convinced that by disengaging they are empowering people whose actions are not necessarily in this country’s best interests."

Why has the market plunged?

The WSJ offers the following statement about the current market and economic indicators. These are powerful words.

Our Troubled Economy Is a Response to Barack Obama's Policies - WSJ.com

"The market has notably plunged since Mr. Obama introduced his budget last week, and that should be no surprise. The document was a declaration of hostility toward capitalists across the economy. Health-care stocks have dived on fears of new government mandates and price controls. Private lenders to students have been told they're no longer wanted. Anyone who uses carbon energy has been warned to expect a huge tax increase from cap and trade. And every risk-taker and investor now knows that another tax increase will slam the economy in 2011, unless Mr. Obama lets Speaker Nancy Pelosi impose one even earlier."

Understanding Purpose at 12

My thanks to Mark for passing along The Cyberservant: Since I have my life before me...

Here's a portion of what Brooke Bronkowski wrote at the age of 12:

"I'll live my life to the fullest. I'll be happy. I'll brighten up. I will be more joyful than I have ever been. I will be kind to others. I will loosen up. I will tell others about Christ. I will go on adventures and change the world. I will be bold and not change who I really am. I will have no troubles but instead help others with their troubles."

Read the post for the rest of the story. It's worth it.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy
out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another
person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to
anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody
else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to
work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the
other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody
else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about
the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."


~~ The late Dr. Adrian Rogers

Once upon a time

In a beautifully written post, Mark Batterson makes you stop and ponder the realities of a life lived with God.

"It's hard to put into words, but I live my life with a profound sense of destiny. God orders my footsteps. If I believe anything, I believe that. And that fills me with holy anticipation. At any given moment, God can invade the reality of our lives and change everything."

Read it all here:

Evotional.com - Originality, Authenticity, Creativity

Even AP said it

What does it mean when the Associated Press has the following quote in it's story about the Obama budget proposal?

"Denouncing what he called the "dishonest accounting" of recent federal budgets, Obama unveiled his own $3.6 trillion blueprint for next year, a bold proposal that would transfer wealth from rich taxpayers to the middle class and the poor."

Even AP says he's transferring wealth. Wow.

And I'm interested to see the proof of "dishonest accounting."

Make an inventory and clean up your home

Timely suggestion for me and it just might be for you too!

Apartment Therapy Chicago | How To: Make an Inventory of Your Home ... And Use It to Declutter

Pre-World War III, or IV or V?

In this chilling comparison between today's world and that of the run up to World War II, Bret Stephens Says We Can't Allow Barack Obama's Optimism to Lull Us into a Weakened Foreign Policy - WSJ.com.

"As in the 1920s, we have emerged (if only partially), from several years of war -- scarcely anticipated, earnestly begun, bravely fought, often badly waged and, at least in the case of Iraq, ambiguously won. It was an emotionally exhausting war justified first on grounds of national survival, then for spreading democracy. The moral clarity and political unity that went with the war's beginning collapsed into political division and disillusion.

"From this there has emerged under the Obama administration a new kind of moral clarity. It is founded on conciliatory tendencies, a preference for multilateral solutions, a powerful desire to be on the right side of global public opinion, and an instinct for looking away from that which we'd rather not to see. This has put some political stress on our residual post-9/11 commitments, particularly in the case of Afghanistan, while creating an overwhelming aversion to possible confrontations, particularly against revanchist Russia and millenarian Iran."

I hope he's wrong.

My heart on the matter

My thanks to Dr. Neil Nielson, President of Covenant College for this brilliant post on Business for God's Glory.

I am sharing it here because he has captured my heart's deepest passion far better than I can express. It's a long piece, but well worth every word.

Here are my highlights:

"My burden this morning is simply (1) to remind you that business is also a holy and godly calling, fraught with dangers and temptations and slippery slopes like every other calling; and then (2) to encourage those of you who sense God’s call into business to relish that call and pursue it wholeheartedly."

"...I have been convinced beyond any doubt that it’s a worthy and noble calling, and that Christians belong in business. And I’d like you to think so too."

And my absolute FAVORITE:
"This gain in wealth, and the resulting improvement in quality of life, is one important reason why I get so excited about an increasingly globalized marketplace, with information and access getting into places and corners of the globe where they’ve never gotten before."

Exactly. We are living in the most exciting economic, business and technological time in over 400 year!

Read the whole post.
And be excited.

Moving Beyond the Fake Stimulus

Great stuff teaching what's going on:

Understand This Or Perish ... | Brazen Careerist

Government Service?

This isn't the right time in my life, but this post sparked something in that's been brewing for a while: the thought of getting involved in government.

This Is Smyrna, TN: March 3rd deadline

Hmmmm...

Mashable gives us 60+ How To sites

Check out this comprehensive list of the best help sites on the web.

Nice!

Links Feb. 13 (and comments)

• Yahoo News tells us Why This Recession Seems Worse Than '70s and '80s 

It's not of course, as this opening sentence suggests: "If you think this recession is the worst since World War II, chances are you weren't born or working during the downturns of the 1970s and '80s, you're listening to President Obama too much or you're a white-collar worker in financial services." And then there's "The economy is very psychological. There's a herd instinct."

My take? We're feeling the economical affects of the transition from the industrial to information ages. For those that get on board, things will be fine. Ignore this at your peril.

• In Exactly How Does Stimulus Work? from the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger tells us that "The theory beneath the $800 billion of spending is called the Keynesian multiplier, first posited around 1931." Um. Yeah. 

There's also this quote from CBO director Douglas Elmendorf: ""Even without any stimulus, market forces would eventually bring about a recovery from the recession," albeit with more unemployment and loss of output."

• Finally, as an example of my point about the information age comes Digital Firms for the Net from Bank of America's "Future Banking Blog" - yes, they have a blog.
  

"With the support of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, The Law Lab at the Berkman Center at Harvard University is undertaking a project to provide a hosting service for the registration and governance of a digital LLC within Vermont, and to form experimental LLCs to explore new types of operating agreements and models of management and governance. We are actively seeking partners in the form of entrepreneurs, banks, legal scholars and researchers."

In other words, completely net based businesses.
Sweet.

Being a man is a calling

Will Briggs has written a thought provoking post over at The Art of Manliness blog asking if manliness is obsolete. Using "three classes of manly virtues" to explore the subject, he rightfully concludes that manliness is still needed.

Here's his conclusion:
"But the ultimate reason to embrace manly virtues is that they are virtues. Being the best man you can be is a calling. The world may not thank us if we follow it, but thanks isn’t what we’re after. Excellence is, and charity."

Virtues. Calling. Thanks. Excellence.

Being a man is a challenge. It's a much maligned, misunderstood, misused and generally thankless job. And those aren't the reasons it's challenging either.

The primary reason it's a challenge it that it's meant to be. The challenges of manhood are the very things that make us men if we'll allow them to mold, grow and inspire us.

I'm reminded of the story of the man who was told by God to push a large boulder in his yard. Everyday the man pushed and pushed, but to no avail. After a year of efforts he was utterly defeated because he had failed to move the rock at all.

But God told him he was not a failure. He told him to look at how his body had become strong, chiseled and powerful. Then He reminded him that he had not told the man to move the rock, simply to push against it. Because of that effort, and the results it produced, the man was now ready for a task.

And so it is with much of what we encounter in life. What we see as the great challenges are there to push us forward, not defeat us. Don't allow them to defeat you. Understand that manly virtues are worth the work and that being a man is indeed a calling.

Now heed the call.

My Facebook "25 Things"

After multiple requests over on Facebook, I wrote a list of 25 things about me.

Here it is:

1. I shutter to think where I’d be were it not for my captivatingly beautiful and righteous babe of a wife Jill. Likely dead. I’m not kidding.

2. I’m on career number 2 and will likely have at least one more if things go as I hope. Don’t even ask how many jobs I’ve held.

3. I LOVE skiing. I’ve gone once in the last 20+ years. Hope I can change that someday. Soon if possible.

4. My kids amaze me though I wish I could engage with them more. It’s one of several goals for this year.

5. Other goals? Get around friends more - individually and as a family. Date my wife regularly. Write consistently, finish my book and start at least one more.

6. Yes, I’m writing a book that’s taken me way too long to finish. Entitled “Why I Failed in the Music Business (and how to NOT follow in my footsteps), it’s about the business things I’ve learned since
leaving the music industry. Specifically, the critical skills and concepts that are NEVER taught to artists, musicians, dancers and actors. Which explains why most of them will starve.

7. I became a Christian at the age of 22 through playing in a bar band and basically living with a girl - as you can guess, it’s a rather long story.

8. The short version is I ended up in church on Easter Sunday and my life changed - inside. I’m still working on the outside, just like everyone else.

9. Anyone that tells you Christianity is about perfection and not sinning is lying.

10. Same thing if they tell you it’s boring and only for weak, stupid people.

11. I’ve found following Christ to be an unending adventure full of battles, defeats, joys and victories. It’s about war. Literally.

12. You may now think I’m nuts. Read the book Wild At Heart.

13. Wild At Heart, by John Eldredge, changed my life as a man. Better said, it revealed my deepest, groaning desires to live as a man by validating those desires. Up until that point, I had said they were wrong and/or I was unable to live them. They are not wrong. I work everyday to live them.

14. I find the more I live these desires - specifically to live as a man full of strength, passion and faith (not just “lofty” spiritual faith, but tangible “life is about changing things for the better” faith) - the more I move mountains. Imagine that.

15. I also find that living this way frees my wife and kids to live fully alive too.

16. My favorite quote is: “The glory of God is man fully alive” written by St. Irenaeus nearly 2000 years ago.

17. There isn’t a finer explanation of the reason I’m here. Or you. God requires something of us and it’s the biggest most exciting challenge ever made. See #11 for more.

18. My second favorite quote is from Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” That’s why I
believe I’ll have yet another career.

19. Career number three? It took me about 40 years to realize that I am an encourager and teacher. I thought I was a drummer. I thought I was provider for my family. A number of other things. Leaving the music business and entering the workforce put me on the fast track of personal and professional development and in the process uncovered a passion for seeing people succeed. Over time I’ve realized that this is what I want to do. All I have to do now is believe I can, and believe I can while providing for my family.

20. I realized two weeks ago that even as a drummer, my passion was always to encourage. Anyone who’s played with me knows how I inevitably throw something in to say “you’re not having enough fun yet!”

21. My wife and I almost divorced around the 7 year mark. For a couple that refused to even speak that word it was a devastating blow. We celebrated 23 years together on Feb. 10th. I never criticize those that are divorced. Never. However, to those considering it I say in no uncertain terms, fight your guts out to fix your marriage.

Marriage is the most difficult work on earth and we shouldn’t be surprised that it is. All life and stability comes out of marriages. Is it right of us to think their supposed to just “be” happy and secure? And that doesn’t even take into account the fact that it involves two people actually living together everyday.

In the same place.

Sharing stuff!

My advice? Get married. Work your guts out to make it a passionate, deeply engaged, “we’ll work through everything and anything in this adventure called life together” relationship. Amaze your friends and family. Give God the glory.

22. If you haven’t guessed by now, I think men should be men and we don’t have nearly enough.

23. Conversely, I think women should be women. Which brings up the fact that I am borderline hopelessly captivated by women. Fortunately the leading person in this category is the aforementioned live saving,
captivatingly beautiful and righteous babe of a wife Jill. That doesn’t, however, mean that I am immune to all the other babes. I wish it did. Thus the borderline.

I’m committed to living on the correct side of the border.

24. I have a Grammy, an Academy of Country Music award and the Highest Achievement Award from the Dale Carnegie course. Of the three, the Carnegie award means the most ’cause I use what I learned every day. I
became a Carnegie Facilitator last year.

25. It deeply hurts me to see people living despondent, “it’s okay”, “I guess this is all there is”, miserable lives.

There’s more!

Easily attained? No. Requiring work? Yes. Hard, personal, sometimes frustratingly discouraging work? Yes again. Guaranteed success work? No, though my experiences would suggest that you’ll gain more than you thought anyway.

So, as an encourager (see #19), I leave you with this. Live fully alive, we need you.

Links Feb 12

• If you're looking for an owner's manual, it just might be here.
• Here's the simplest yet effective todo list I've ever seen suggested.
  

A REAL Stimulus Package

Just in case you've forgotten that people using their creativity is the only solution to problems, I've got two great posts to send you to today.

First, Mark Cuban is offering The Mark Cuban Stimulus Plan - Open Source Funding. He's putting his substantial money where his mouth is by offering to fund any and all start-up ideas. If you've been ruminating over a concept and wondering how you'd start, now's your chance.

And if you don't have an idea, then read this post at sixmonthmba.com. Entitled Hamster Burial Kits & 998 Other Business Ideas it is, as you might guess, a list of 999 business ideas. Yes, 999. And they were all imagined by nine people in a week.

Posts like this do nothing to encourage my belief in our country and world because I already have 100% belief. We were made in the image of a creative God and these posts prove it.

Your turn.

A WhyIFailed Announcement

I'm moving me again! Well, part of me.

For the past several months I've been experimenting with using this blog for any and all thoughts I had on any number of subjects. And while there have been advantages to this approach, I've come to realize that I'm serving neither myself nor my readers well. So, I'm moving part of me back to my other blog: The
Advantaged.

WhyIFailed.com
My writing and linking on Why I Failed.com will focus exclusively on the artistic community - or as a friend likes to call them: "creatives."

And I know you know who you are.

It continues to be my passion to see you succeed as you are meant to succeed. And it continues to be my belief that most of you have no clue what it takes to succeed in business - and the entertainment industry is indeed a business. And this blog is all about business and success principles you can apply in your quest to reach your goals. You do have goals, don't you?

Um, that's lesson number one.

The Advantaged
My passion extends beyond the arts community and that's what I'll write about at The Advantaged. More specifically, I'll write about business in general, manhood, marriage, Christ, technology, social networking and the society in which we live.

Why The Advantaged? Because we are, at least those of us who follow Christ. It's my belief that we live in a fallen world, but we follow the One who created it. The One who knows its design, its workings and methods. And this One wants a personal relationship with us. Daily. In everything.

Seems like an advantage to me.

Visit me at The Advantaged for more.

Online Me
None of this changes my ongoing facination with all things online and I'll continue to experiment and build on the offerings scattered around our 2.0/3.0 Web. In fact, expect that this new year will bring a move of The Advantaged from blogspot to its own domain and possibly moving both blogs to another host (any suggestions?). Perhaps even a server of my own - but I know close to NOTHING about that (again, suggestions?).

I hope you'll subscribe to one or both of my blogs 'cause I'd like to encourage you in any way I can.

Thanks for reading.

Developing Manly Courage

It's my view that the cause for much of the world's ills is the lack of men. Not males mind you, but men.

This terrific post from The Art of Manliness blog supports my view and offers solutions as well.

Links Feb. 5

Seth Godin on Solving a different problem.

Reminds me of a Henry Ford quote I keep on my monitor at work:
"If I'd listened to customers, I'd have given them a faster horse."

It's your turn.

Pay Attention Please to the "Stimulus" Package

Brad Hilderbrand nails it in this cutting post about business as usual on Capital Hill.

We are on the verge of bankrupting our nation and moving to socialism all in the matter of months. Please get involved and write your Representatives and Senator. IF there's a package needed at all - I'm not convinced - we certainly do not need one full of hundreds of BILLIONS of spending on unrelated pet projects.

Links for Feb 2

http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2009/02/right-wrong-and-who-will-go-first.html

- An indepth exploration of the things that keep us from being happy. Namely, or attachment to being right.

http://www.bestuniversities.com/blog/2009/top-100-leadership-blogs/

- As the title suggests, check out this list of 100 Leadership blogs. They're segmented into useful categories too: Development, Youth and Student, Community, Managing Others, Female, Religious, Workplace and Team.

I can vouch for #'s 3, 7, 39, 78, 79, 82 (if you read just one regularly...) and 90.

Thoughts on Business

Read this today in a book summary of How We Lead Matters by Marilyn Carlson Nelson:

"Business in one of the most powerful forces on the planet - for good or for ill. Its domain is far-reaching and pervasive. Those of us who are "called to business" as our life pursuit must learn how best to leverage our influence and work across sectors on complex problems for the common good. We must be what is called "integrative leaders."

"In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, business leaders must pause and contemplate the way businesses can best interact with the non-profit and public sectors. It's not unlike the way the ancients looked at the skies: some just saw stars, but others saw the patterns of dogs, bears, goddesses, and hunters. They connected the dots, and we'll never again see the sky in the same way."

If you - like me and most people - are called to the world of business, whether ditch-digger or CEO, you are a man or woman of influence. Be sure you are using it for good and not ill. Be sure you treasure and nurture not only your calling, but the skills, abilities and knowledge that will impact your company. Your family.

Our world.