we had a great time!

today we drove to modesto to see our two grandpas, our two grandmas and one uncle john on thanksgiving.
jane was very friendly to everyone!
at grandma karen's and grandpa rod's, we played a piano!



and an organ-



and we painted a picture!



at grandma glenis' and grandpa joe's
we found a big hat-



a doll house,



and a bike!



we had a special day with our families; eating some very tasty food.
we drove all the way home listening to lullabies from baby einstein,
as we drove home janie said over and over,
"we had a great time!"
she took a power nap and then woke up saying,
"we had a great time!"
and when we got home, we read a special story just for thanksgiving!



this was the best thanksgiving yet!

balloons

balloons have been following me around for awhile.
I used to have custom-made balloons with the wxw star on them-
and every sunday morning, I’d fill them up before church.
this led me to learn more about balloons,
and to learn from people that are experts at filling them just right.
it takes skills to fully inflate them, but not over-inflate them-
I’ve learned that there is a goo that balloon places squirt into balloons
that can make them last up to a whole day longer.
but the goo is smelly and sticky-
and if the balloon pops while you’re filling it,
then the smelly sticky goo can turn you into a smelly, sticky person.

but that’s not my only experience with balloons-
jane went through a serious pooh bear phase-
and pooh and his friends
in the hundred acre wood have a thing for balloons.
probably the most famous pooh-bear story
is the one where he uses a balloon
to try to steal honey from some bees.



and then there is the story
of how piglet wanted to re-gift his balloon to eeyore,
but it popped on the way to his gloomy spot.


not only that, my little girl is very into balloons right now.
one time I called the house, and I was chatting with Deanna,
and I heard my normally quiet,
whiper-ey little girl shouting at the top of her lungs
“HOW WE GONNA REACH IT?! HOW WE GONNA REACH IT?!”
“I CAN REACH IT! I CAN REACH IT!”
I asked, “what is she doing?”
Deanna sounded exhausted,
“she got a balloon and she’s chasing it around the house.”
“she’s been at it for an hour!” she replied.

balloons can bring joy to a little girl,
but also sadness.
we have those old-school popcorn ceilings- balloon-killers.
when those beautiful bouncy balloons pop on them,
the sound is scary, and the sight of the shredded balloon is heartbreaking.
sometimes jane goes to bed after playing with a full balloon-
when she wakes up, it’s the first thing on her mind-
but sadly, by the time its morning, the balloon has lost its float-ey-ness.
balloons just don’t last very long.
just one day- maybe two- so you have to enjoy them while you can.

people are like balloons-
they come in all shapes, colors and sizes-
some are shiny, some are plain-
some go out in a blaze of glory, some just run out of gas slowly;
some last longer, some don’t last very long at all,
but they all have a very short life.

the writers of the bible didn’t have balloons-
if they did, they might have talked about them-
instead, they talked about the brevity of life in other terms.
james says that people are like a mist.
peter says that we are like grass.
we just don’t last long.

so if I may borrow a phrase from one of my heroes, bill hybels,
“in what other life are you going to go all out?”
we only get one life; and its really short
what are you putting off?
we only get one shot-
go for it now. live your life now-
tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
finish life with no regrets.

thanks ann

jane has this friend named ann.
ann helps jane with her words.
we were pretty scared about a year ago, because jane didn’t talk!
she clearly heard what we were saying, recognized music, and could respond to the things that we said- but she didn’t say a word.
we were afraid and worried that she was autistic, deaf, or something-
I think we were afraid to find out.

one morning, jane and I were at barnes and noble playing with a train.
there was another girl about jane’s age who was chatting and chatting-
I couldn’t help it, I said to her mom
“wow! she can really speak well!”
her mom said “yeah- she talks like crazy. is your daughter having speech issues?”
“I don’t know…” I said.
her face changed. “write this down” she said
she told me all about her son who went through this program and learned to speak to the point where the program became unnecessary.

we called the number.
Janie was tested, and she qualified for the help- and for the last year, we have had weekly visits from ann. ann is amazing.
jane did not like strange adults- we were a little skeptical, but jane fell in love with ann.
ann taught Janie to communicate with sign language,
how to blow air out of her lungs, how to take turns, and how to ask questions.
and she does it all with games, and toys and whistles and bubbles.
jane lights up when we tell her that ann is coming over.

today, Deanna and jane went to get tested again to see how Janie is doing and to see if they still need to have visits from ann.
turns out, she no longer qualifies for help!
she communicates too well to get help from ann!
wow!

this isn’t that big of a surprise for me-
but I guess I didn’t stop to see just how far she has come and how fast.
we were watching an old movie of jane and she was playing with toys and not making a sound. at the time, this was perfectly normal, but watching it now its weird; because she doesn't do ANYTHING without talking!
now, when we sit down to read stories, Janie often reads the ENTIRE story to ME!
whether she is reading it or has it memorized, she can say ALL of the words in some pretty long books. she also has so much more conflidence. she feels the freedom to be friendly and to initiate conversation. she is less frustrated, because she can say what she is thinking. just the other day, we were at the park and she went up to a little boy about her size and said, "what's going on? what's going on? go down the slide! what's going on?"

and best of all, we get to talk to each other.
conversations with jane are so cool.
thanks ann!
thanks God-
I almost forgot how silent she was.

“say to those with fearful hearts,
“be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
he is coming to save you.”
and when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.
the lame will leap like a deer,
and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!”
-isaiah 35
(the message)

laptop

yesterday I ended my message with this meditation- I thought I’d share it with you-

one time I was working in my office and these guys were doing construction outside.
there was tractors running through the hallways and men banging on stuff with hammers they were doing this all day- every day for like weeks and weeks!
I was getting headaches and getting all stressed out and I couldn’t work in my office-
I was like the Grinch! I was like “noise! noise! noise!”

so one day I went home and said to Deanna- “what if we got a laptop?”
“I could go and do my work at the bookstore or the coffee shop where its quiet.”
“I could write all of my sermons at the house or even in the park- somewhere peaceful!”
she thought that was a good idea so we went down to the computer store.
keep in mind, that at this time, I knew absolutely NOTHING about computers.
so we start looking at the laptops and I pretend like I know what I’m doing.
I look around and say stuff like, “this one has a big screen- I like that...”
“this one is silver- I like the silver… this one has more buttons than the others… that makes it better…”
this salesman comes up to us and says
“can I help you?”
I said “I want to buy a laptop.”
He said “what are you going to do with your laptop?”
I said “I want to use it write my sermons- so I need a laptop that has Microsoft Word on it
“do you have computers that have Microsoft Word?”
He was like- “uhh- yeah”
so then he was like “do you want to make webpages?”
“no”
“videos?”
“no”
“do you want to do cool graphics stuff?”
“no”
“go on the internet?” “umm- no.”
“I just want one that has Microsoft word on it- do you have one that has Microsoft Word? because I’m going to use this laptop to writ sermons.”
the guy said yes; and we bought it that night
when I got home, I checked; and it had Microsoft word on it.
but it had all sorts of other programs too!
it could edit videos and make webpages!
it could edit pictures! and download music! and make playlists out of songs!
it could go on the internet and had all sorts of games-
I said to Deanna- “wow! this thing does lots more than I thought it could!”

and in that moment it was like God whispered to my heart
“I’m like that too Rob”
“there is a lot more to ME than you thought-
I can do lots more than you thought”
“you ask me to bless the food and bless the trip, and give you a good day,
but I can do so much MORE.”
“explore ME like you explore that computer-
see all the amazing things I can do if you would only ASK!”

“now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in christ jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! amen.”
-ephesians 3

one-hundred!

wow- one-hundred blogs! I was originally going to write 100 interesting things about myself, but I didn’t get past 10. and then it dawned on me that I’m always spouting off some advice to young leaders- whether they asked for it or not. so here are 100 lessons for leaders from yours truly. I could elaborate on all of them, but for the sake of time, I’ll keep them brief. some of these sort of overlap, but hopefully they make sense.

1. take care of your wife.
2. take care of your kids; church-people like having you around, your wife and kids NEED you around.
3. take care of your volunteers. bless and thank them profusely.
4. take care of your soul; minister to the minister
5. take care of your flock; don’t be a snob- be available and care deeply
6. talk less; listen more. even a fool is thought wise when he keeps silent.
7. stop waiting for it to get easy; its not going to- and no one ever said it would. it can be fun, but probably not easy.
8. leave them with a blessing; when people talk with you, they are hoping that you’ll notice, that you’ll ask that important question, that you’ll pray for them, encourage them. notice. ask. pray. encourage.
9. get creative about money; the budgets will never be as big as your dreams, but that shouldn’t keep you from dreaming. if you need it, find a way to afford it. impossible is not in God’s vocabulary.
10. no excuses; you are responsible for your ministry. stop blaming others that things are not the way you want them. you are responsible, figure it out.
11. get some rest; you’ll be better and more to be around if you do. you’ll last longer too.
12. being funny is overrated; almost every time I’ve gotten in trouble I have thought to myself “I was just trying to be funny.”
13. have a life; there has got to be more to you than what you do and where you work.
14. don’t forget your story; with all of the compliments that we receive, its easy to forget who and where we were before we met God. remember that guy or girl; remember the thrill it was to pray and learn about God and to be forgiven.
15. wear a watch.
16. don’t believe everything you hear about yourself; not from the critics, and certainly not from your fans.
17. carry breath mints.
18. have a notepad and pen- writing down your thought frees you to think new ones.
19. don’t travel alone; hotels can be dangerous if you don’t have a friend to hold you accountable.
20. don’t eat lunch by yourself.
21. clean your office.
22. show up on time; if you’re going to be late, call ahead. aim to arrive a little early, to give to the margin for a few extra red lights.
23. remember names; and use them as you speak to others. I know its hard for you, find a way to do it, its important.
24. don’t run from conflict; its coming, not everyone will agree with you or understand. its not an excuse to be a jerk, but it will happen, and in a lot of ways it has to happen. its hard, but you can make it.
25. network; initiate relationships with people like you. you need them and they need you.
26. have a hook; conversations slow down, how will you keep them going? have a hook, a go-to question that will help people to feel valued, questions like, “what are you looking forward to?” “are you happy?” “what’s on your iPod these days?”
27. be fully-present; when you’re talking to someone, don’t check your e-mail, don’t answer your phone, don’t be somewhere else. be here, now. listen intently; ask questions that show that you are listening.
28. be honest; no one expects you to be perfect, don’t pretend to be. don’t spill out your gory details, but its ok to admit that you have issues, doubts, and conflicts of your own.
29. don’t be a butt; I know that you feel important, but you’re not all that. get over yourself.
30. be a butt; for the sake of your flock, every now and then you need to say no to something or someone that wants to use them, advertise to them, manipulate them, disregard their feelings, steal their resources. don’t sin, but, be a butt.
31. be you; the big question is what is you? what isn’t? are your clothes you? your piercings? is messiness you? no! if you’re asked to change the way you dress, don’t mean that you are being asked to stop being you.
32. serve more than one category; youth guys often feel that they only need to appeal to kids- not true. they need to create security for parents, pastors, volunteers and elders. learn to minister and speak into people who are outside of your target ministry.
33. remember who you work for; we work for God, not a church. since we work for Him, He has the right to move us around. these decisions are His, not a church’s or a leader’s.
34. create confidence; give your boss, the people that you lead and your co-workers the feeling that you are going to do what you said you would do. don’t waver, look them in the eye and create confidence.
35. your product isn’t you; someone can give you constructive criticism, but you don’t have to take it as a personal attack- your product isn’t you.
36. build a team- ministry is so much more fun together.
37. delegate- give roles to others, help them learn what to do, and then let them have that job. don’t take it back. work yourself out of a job.
38. be a reader; have a book that you’re working on. you don’t need to finish 12 a year, but you should be working on one all the time. books on CD work well too.
39. don’t kill yourself; do your best, but make sure you’re taking care of your family and yourself. if you burn out, the church we replace you quickly and painlessly. but you are irreplaceable to your family.
40. smile when you talk.
41. find a mentor; find someone that you look up to, learn from them, listen to them; get their advice and ask them why they do what they do. you are in charge of setting up the meeting, and paying for the coffee. if they ask you to do something to help you grow, DO IT.
42. light your sparkle- have joy when you enter the room, be ready to laugh and smile and be excited to see someone, even if you’ve seen them a million times. rest builds sparkle, so does solitude, prayer, and caffeine!
43. evolve; its ok.
44. get organized.
45. keep it in the lockerroom; if you have a conflict with someone in your church, be careful who you tell. learn to resolve your conflicts quickly.
46. better safe than sued; when in doubt, DON’T.
47. get advice; it’s a sign of wisdom, not weakness,, and it’s a reminder that you don’t know it all.
48. understand change; there is a bad way to introduce change and a good way. several great books have been written on this subject, and you need to learn this.
49. step back; build for the future, plant seeds that will become mighty oaks, make decisions today that your successor will thank you for.
50. watch out; don’t be dumb. avoid that lady, those guys, and that activity that has disaster written all over it.
51. find a friend; a true friend, an accountability partner, someone you trust, respect, and enjoy.
52. grow; go to conferences, read books, listen to tapes. never stop growing.
53. dream; go see the ministries that you want to be like, bring others with you. go see the speakers that you want to speak like, the bands that you want to play like, and let your heart wander and wonder what you could become.
54. take care of your boss; don’t monopolize his time, support him in public, disagree in private. if he or she asks you to do something that is a high priority for you. get it done well and fast. let your boss know they although they may have much to worry about, they don’t need to worry about you.
55. over-communicate; let people know in advance what to expect as far as scheduled events. be clear.
56. know your volunteers; know their stories.
57. send mail; specifically thank you cards. be a thanking machine.
58. be curious; be interested in others. everyone is fascinating in their own way.
59. don’t be afraid to touch; have your hands ready to shake hands, to pat a back, and if appropriate, to hug. some people don’t get touched ever.
60. collect alliances; when you interact with local businesses, vendors, restaurants, go in with the impression that this could be a lifelong friendship.
61. create margin- I’ve blogged about this a bunch lately. being hurried is overrated.
62. go the extra mile; on everything. we’re doing this for God, He deserves our very best, no matter how small the task.
63. hang on to encouragements; keep a file of those encouraging e-mails, letter,cards, etc. sometimes it helps to remind us what we’re all about.
64. get inspired; what inspires you? music, a concert, art? nature? fire yourself up- every part of your world will benefit.
65. no obstacles; I keep hearing, “I would have a great ministry if only …” money won’t solve your problems. neither will a new boss or 10 more volunteers. the change needs to take place in you and the way you’re looking at this thing.
66. interruptions are from God. view them as such.
67. numbers aren’t everything. you aren’t a bad leader if you have few, and great if you have many. I’ve had them both; both are fun- and neither made me a happier person.
68. love the ones you’re with; there is this temptation to be mean to those who showed up if only a few showed up! whether there are hundreds or few, your crowd deserves your best energy and creativity.
69. remember your call- it will keep you going when times get rough.
70. recruit all the time
71. respect the offering plate; our budgets get paid by the tithes of believers- so do our budgets. that money was not offered to us, it was offered to God; therefore its holy. so work hard, and make great decisions regarding what you spend your budget on.

on the subject of speaking in public and giving a messege from the bible:

72. have something to say; don’t give that message until you can’t hold it in. search that topic, that text until you find the aspect in it that is too painful to hold insode. then you’re ready.
73. study ahead. don’t prep this sunday’s message this week. prep next month’s message this week.
74. let the message marinade; don’t rush it. give yourself time to ponder the message, to let it soak into you. you can’t fake the marinade.
75. know your stuff; study! it’s the Word of God- give it your best!
76. don’t drive off without your passengers; I had a preaching prof say to me once, “your train took off before I had the chance to get on board!” capture the attention of your hearers before you get rolling on those points.
77. make one point. if you want people to remember what you said, just say one thing. the more you work at this, the easier it gets.
78. don’t tame God; God os allowed to be mysterious. if you’re talking about a miracle that He did in scripture, remember that it was miraculous! don’t alliterate the wonder out of it.
79. be relevant; use recent illustrations, speak on what your crowd needs to hear.
80. consider your surroundings; jesus did. be aware of how they will support or hurt your message and plan ahead.
81. bbe a seeker; keep your eyes open at all times for soemthing to add to a message. when you find it, write it down.
82. use imagery; God always did. download an image into the hearts of the ones hearing you.
83. inspire; fire people up, motivate, challenge, pursuade; call them out; give them something to do, not just something to know.
84. know your crowd; are they young or old? tired or fired up? seekers or students? custom make this presentation for them.
85. imagine a face; when you’re preparing, think of who will be there: how will you communicate this truth to them?
86. emulate; if you’re not confident as a speaker, listen to someone that is. emulate them. say what they would say. say it how they would say it, and eventually your own voice will be uncovered.
87. be heard; its your job to make sure that the sound is right, not just the sound guy’s. do a sound check.
88. there are no little messages; it doesn’t matter if you’re speaking for junior highers or pastors; if you’re teaching a class or leading communion, every message is important, and each one deserve adequate preparation.
89. every sunday is someone’s last; so step up to the plate and hit that ball out of the park every time. someone’s eternity is at stake.
90. know yourself; are you sick? tired? distracted? know yourself and get yourself through that message.
91. have notes; you never know what distractions will arise at church. you will get distracted in the middle of your message. if you can’t find a way back to what you were saying, it will get choppy.
92. bible pages; don’t thumb through your bible on stage. have it printed out on your notes. and if you must, at least have the page marked and the passage highlighted. not finding your passage can send you into a panic.
93. say something fresh; in most churches, there are people there that have been hearing sermons all of their life. give them something new- not just the same old points.
94. practice! a run through or two never hurts, it always helps.

and the last five ministry lessons:

95. be a shepherd;
96. decompress; reflect, go on a walk, pray it through, ask God to help you sort it all out.
97. have your integrity. get help. this is important.
98. love the church; God does, and He’s asking you to feed His sheep.
99. pray your heart out;
100. don’t give up. hang in there.

"its just beautiful"

today, janie and i went to children's discovery museum to see their new exibit about clifford the big red dog!



clifford had a bone shaped zylophone! whoa!



and his tail was a slide!



after that, we went to the bubble room!



and we made some big bubbles!



then we went upstairs to the toddler room and made a big tower, but just as we were taking the picture to celebrate our huge purple tower, some boy smashed it. which resulted in a very sad girl.



but we made another one that was even better:



we found some awesome letters:



some floating balls:



but our favorite was a quiet little dark room that had rotating colored lights. I couldn't get my girl out of there. janie said over and over in her little whisper voice, "its just beautiful. its just beautiful!"

ruminations::illuminations

have you ever been listening to words and words and words, and then all of the sudden some of those words stand out? almost as if some of those words should wander around in your heart a little bit longer than they were intended to? this has been happening to me a bunch lately- here are 3 big ones that I can think of:

I was watching a basketball game on TNT this week, and the star player of some team tried to make the game winning shot at the last second, but failed. several of his teammates were open, but he didn’t pass it to them, even though we was heavily guarded. after the game, one of my favorite basketball analysts, Kenny-the-jet, made this observation:

“you don’t always need to make the shot, but you always need to make the play.”

those words just hovered in my mind for a moment- I’m not a basketball player, but I can still take that advice. I don’t need to get all the glory, but I am responsible for the success of my team. sometimes success means that I don’t get the glory. I’m probably not done considering this one; or the next one:

my friends chris works at Disneyland. he recently got a big award and promotion. he was at a party with all sorts of long-term and influential Disneyland writers, producers and imagineers. he asked one of the most seasoned and wise employees for a word of advice and she said,

“be nice to everyone. because you never know if someone will become your boss, or if you will become theirs.”

there are no little people. there is no one that you can get away with being rude to. and on the other side, being kind and respectful and interested and helpful always helps everyone win in the long run.

and from the ancient writings:
I have been reading Leviticus lately (and if you read my blogs often, you can see how slowly I’m making my way though the bible!) and there are all sorts of specific laws about mildew, diseases, and other bodily functions that cause people to be unclean. and then at the beginning on Leviticus 18, God says:

“I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.”

its like, “you came out of a culture, but don’t be like them- and you’re going into a culture, but don’t be like them either. be in-between cultures. be you. be who I have made you.”
we talk all the time about being relevant to culture, and there is this sense that we need to emulate the culture to reach the people in it; but in this passage, God says no.
there is this sense that who we are is lame, and who we reach is cool, but God commands, "be you. be like Me."

frank + 12 middle school girls

a few weeks ago my friend frank was hospitalized at a rehabilitation hospital. i heard that he was at vasona creek hospital, a place that i have taken students on countless occasions. last week i decided to go and visit him and all of my other friends who are there.


i took danny, one of my former college students with me.
as i entered the rooms of my friends they all greeted my warmly and then asked, "where are the kids?" I had no middle schoolers with me- just me and danny.
i went to frank's room, but he was talking to a doctor- but he pleaded with me saying, "would you please come back soon?"
i knew that i had to, but this time i needed kids!
how would i get them there?
who could go during the day?
I talked to home schoolers, but the idea of visiting old folks wasn't so appealing to them. I figured that it wasn't going to happen.


tonight was "free night" at youth group. all of the small groups had free time to have fun any way they wanted to. so the 7th grade girls asked me to get my church bus and take them to starbucks. we were driving along down the street, when we passed vasona creek rehabilitation hospital.
and it was like the stars had aligned in this brief moment:
i was in the area-
i had the time-
and most of all, i had KIDS!
I squealed, "AHHHH! YES!"
the girls were like, "uhhh, rob? are you alright?"
I said "YES!
GIRLS!
we need to go visit FRANK!"
"who is frank?!" they asked.
I pulled the bus over and we rushed into the hospital.
we zoomed into frank's room.
he was laying in bed, on the phone with his wife-
he was so surprised to see us, he was in tears.
he has missed church for several weeks now,
so we brought church to him.
we sang together and prayed for him.
he couldn't even speak he was so moved and encouraged.


we left his room and I said
"girls, we can go to starbucks or we can go visit more friends..."
"more friends!" they said.
so we went to sing and pray with my friend barb.


the girls walked on air for the rest of the night.
I did too.
they were curious about barb's story
and how they could go again,
and had ideas of how we could go again and again as a youth ministry.


and as i drove that church bus home,
i thought about the whole thing-
it wasn't a huge event with a hundred kids,
but after seeing frank's tears and hearing the girls' enthusiasm,
i was reminded that this is why i got into this thing-
and to me, this is what its all about.
and i needed to be reminded that again,
because i almost forgot.


thanks girls, thanks frank, and thanks God-
I needed that.

is sharing overrated?

I had an interesting conversation with my daughter jane
this morning-
well, she’s 2, so pretty much all of our conversations are interesting, but this one had to do with sharing.
Janie is a part of a play group that meets each week and learns about numbers. there are 5 kids in the group, and each week the group meets in the home of one of the families.
today the meeting was at our house.

I was leaving for work, and Janie was playing in her room,
and I asked her,
“are you going to have play group today?”
“yes!”
“is it going to be at our house?”
“yes!”
“are you going to share your toys?”
“yes!”
“oh- that’s very nice!
so you’re going to let Scottie play with your trains?”
“no!”
“but I thought you were going to share!
can Scottie play with your dollhouse?”
“no!”

and all of this brought up something
that I’ve been thinking about for a long time-
“what is it important to teach your kid to share?”
is sharing overrated?

I’ve also been thinking about Janie being an only child-
but whenever I bring that up, people freak out-
“WHAT?! she’ll turn out weird!”
(like attention from your parents makes you weird…)
“well- as long as she learns to share!”

what’s so big about parents teaching their kids to share?
I see parents struggling with their kids all the time,
trying to get them to share.
we will be somewhere,
and some kid is hogging all of the toys at some store
and the dad says
“Johnny! you have to share with that little girl!”
but he doesn’t, and we find another toy-
and everyone is happy, but no one shared.
in families with multiple children,
do they learn to share,
or do they all just eventually get their own stuff
that doesn’t need to be shared?

it seems that is the goal of all of us-
to be in a position where I no longer need to share-
to be in a position where I have my own:
my own car,
my own house,
my own yard,
my own toys!

if generations of parents had multiple children
for the purpose of teaching the first one to share,
then the world must be filled with people that share!
but its not.

if parents for generations have been drilling
the value of sharing into their children’s minds,
then no one would be left without;
but its not like that-

in fact, its just the opposite!
the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer,
and those with much do not share with those who have little.
their parents failed.

20% of the planet uses 80% of its resources.
we’re in the 20%, and we don’t share.
our parents failed!

the really crazy thing is,
that the 20% is largely America and Europe;
places that have been built by Christians-
and the core of the scriptures is sharing!
the Old Testament farmers
had to leave the corners of their field un-harvested-
just so that they could share!
and the most striking feature of the early church
wasn’t necessarily what they believed, but how they acted-
they shared!
acts 2 tells us that,
“all the believers were together
and had everything in common.
selling their possessions and goods,
they gave to anyone as he had need.”
it was their sharing that made them radical-
and it was their Savior that taught them to share.

so- if anyone ought to be bothered
that 80% of the globe lives on 20% of its resources,
it ought to be the believers.

so what do we believe about sharing?
really?

is it important to teach this value to children?
are they seeing this value lived out in our lives?
do our words say that sharing is important?
do our actions say that its overrated?
maybe we are just like the children in the toy store
hogging all the toys
and we need to heed the voice of our Father
reminding us to share.

I hope that jane does learn to share-
but not just toys-
I hope she leads the world in sharing-
now I’ve got to model it for her!
hopefully I don’t throw a fit
like the little boys at the toy store!

by the way, Deanna called
and said that Janie kindly
shared her toys with her friends from playgroup!
she’s already a worldchanger!

“isaiah 58:10:
"if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail."

underrated

there are a ton of things in our world that are overrated right now-
and a bunch of things that are underrated-
here is my current top 10 list of things that don’t get the attention they deserve:

1. naps- I’m pretty busy- and I have a two-year-old; scoring a nap takes a lot of thought, preparation, and cooperation from my family. but when I do, its GLORIOUS.

2. books- lately it seems that no one wants to read. books are too slow, to heavy- we’d rather skim them or read the synopsis of them in an article. books are worth the time and effort. they build character and stand as little trophies of wisdom on our shelves.

3. A&W- there is a new A&W on bascom that serves their rootbeer in chilled mugs and has a rootbeer tap. the rootbeer just rolls out of the tap slowly. it is the most flavorful soda out there. now if they would just pack it with caffeine it would be perfect.

4. dancing- janie and i dance all the time- its awesome- and fun! but mention that to a guy friend and he looks at you weird. get over yourself! dancing brings up something else that’s underrated:

5. fun music! like stuff from the 80’s, the grease soundtrack, gwen stefani, boy bands, girl bands, disco, huey lewis- its all a blast. it doesn’t make a statement, its not deep or profound or emotional, its just fun and makes me happy. again, dudes think that’s weird. they think its all about metal or rap or country- ew!

6. staying-in- every weekend, janie and I go out on the town and have fun. but this weekend she just wanted to stay home and play in her room with dad. so we dressed up, danced to music, chased each other, made messes, cleaned our messes and stayed in our pajamas. it was a blast for both of us. last night I walked to the mall and saw all the party people dressed to impress, and it all seemed overrated.

7. sparkle- my new thing is to take the long way to my office. I stop by the receptionists desk and get some candy from Margie or Karen and spread some cheer, some smiles, some stories, some sparkle. I stop in the hallway a lot more these days. I don't waste time, but I don't ignore poeple either. there was a time when I was too busy getting stuff done to make the receptionist laugh- now that stressed out, hyper productive vibe just feels overrated. that reminds me of something else that’s underrated:

8. margin- free-time, extra-time. its starting your day ready for an interruption. and when it comes, you’re not angry at it, you welcome it, because you created space for it. but margin is underrated, so we schedule ourselves to the limit- and get mad at red-lights, phone calls, e-mails and drop-ins. we make people feel that we’re too busy for them or that their problems are not as important as our to-do lists. margin gives us the freedom to say yes. yes to that coffee-meeting, that hospital visit, that conversation that went longer than you thought. the work still needs to get done- but if you can work ahead, you can make your product better, and the people around you feel more valued.

9. voice-mail- I can be in a deep, meaningful intense conversation with someone over coffee and they will completely shut off to answer their phone. I’ve been in meetings where people were listening to me share my heart and woundedness and weakness and then just click off when the phone rings. I sit through meetings where people passionately plead their case for something and then just freak out and stop when their crazy-loud cell goes off. voicemail is underrated. most of the time the person calling you would rather talk to your voicemail than talk to you- its faster and to the point. set that thing on silent or vibrate and let that perky outgoing message that you made do its magic. it can wait.

10. morning- there is this sense among some that they have a right to complain, whine, and be a jerk- all because its morning. some people get all offended if you call between 8am and 9am. morning is a great time to be awake, out, and getting stuff done. morning can create tons of margin in the afternoon and evening if you work it right. as I said earlier, naps are underrated, but sleeping in is overrated. get up sleepy heads!