MIND
It’s Been A While
Jan 29th
I read a lot. At least, compared to 5 years ago, I read a lot. But lately, the kind of reading I’m doing is something that I haven’t done in quite some time. You see, I recently enrolled in college courses for the first time in a dozen years. That means that I now have to read in a completely different way than I typically read.
Most of the time, I read in one of two ways: 1.) I read a book to get the overall idea or concepts presented in the book. Most of the books I read really have one central theme that is then expounded on over the course of a few hundred pages. If I get the big picture and grasp some of the logic along the way, that’s good enough. 2.) My other form of reading is bible study, which is much more interpretive in nature. Some of the most profound moments when studying biblical passages come not from the words themselves, but from reading the reference materials that help put that passage into context historically and linguistically. (Mind you, it’s not that the passages themselves aren’t profound, but that my own ignorance of the culture and language keep me from fully grasping the profundity without some professional help.)
The point is this: I read for big picture ideas or I go a treasure hunt. Rarely, however, am I called upon to read in the way that most educational curriculum requires. You see, along with formal education comes exams and along with exams, typically, comes at least some memorization. You have to memorize terminology, dates, names of important figures, etc.
The trouble is, I’m not very good at memorizing things. It’s just not in my gift mix. I don’t remember details very well. And so, I find myself flipping back and forth in the book as I read, just trying to keep everything straight in my brain by reminding myself what it was that I read just moments ago. It slows me down, makes reading much more tedious and, in all likelihood, is why I took a hiatus from serious reading for several years after college.
Indeed, it has been a while since I had to read like this. The difference, I guess, is that now I can appreciate the benefits of this kind of reading and I have developed at least some capacity to “suck it up” and do what needs to be done. And honestly, even though it’s tiring, I’m actually enjoying it!
Runaway Brain
Jan 26th
Ever have one of those nights when your brain refuses to shut down? (Now that I’ve got that old Soul Asylum song, “Runaway Train” stuck in my head, my night may have just gotten even longer.) I have them often. My runaway brain nights are typically A.) when I am thinking about the past, B.) when I am dreaming about the future, or C.) when a creative writing or songwriting bug hits and I can’t shake it. Tonight, it’s kind of all three.
As I sit here about to embark on some new adventures in my life, I can’t help but think through all of the details and all of the possibilities that come with each new thing. What will come of this initial trip to Kenya? How is the first course of my new college career going to go? How in the world are we ever going to pay for this new adoption? What about Lucy’s adoption? (I must admit, there is still a lot of anxiety in that one and there will be until the day it’s finalized.)
And yet, even as I look forward, I’m also looking back. At the encouragement of a friend, I am writing out the complete story of how Melody and I got to where we are now. I will be posting it in a series of blog posts on our new adoption blog. And, what reflection I’ve done up to this point (I’m up to 2001) has brought back a flood of incredible memories and set my mind to wondering about some of the people we encountered along the way.
All of this, the looking forward and looking back (and now I have a Paul Abdul song in my head…great) has spawned a little creative monster in me. He creeps up now and again and REALLY doesn’t want me to sleep! But sleep I must, because I have a 14 month old who will wake up early tomorrow whether I want to sleep or not. So, I’m hoping that a little bit of writing here will calm that little monster down. Here goes:
Journeys longed for; adventures sought
Joy experienced, but pain brought forth
Forged by skilled hands, I stand alone
Unique among creation, just like everyone else
My story, not so unusual as to be remembered
Not so drab as to be left untold
Seemingly enjoyed by my Father
As he reminds me of its arc
Yet, once again, my particulars,
Not singularly spectacular,
Amass in strange ways
Which seem, somehow, to matter
Matter, at the very least
At most, perhaps, to shape
The course of another’s destiny
A story not my own
Would that one day a great he or she
Would put pen to paper and write
Not of my life or deed
But of that which by some divine plan
I have imparted
The Greatest Motivational Talk Ever? Almost.
Mar 24th
This talk from the Web 2.0 Expo in 2008 may be the greatest motivational talk ever. Mom (and others) I apologize for his salty language, but Gary Vaynerchuck is a passionate guy. The funny thing is, I think he’s almost right. Almost. Here’s a guy who has (almost) figured it out. You take the thing you’re passionate about, add absolute determination and hard work, and you find yourself doing something significant.
But here’s why I say he’s almost right. Because the thing that he’s passionate about is boring compared to what I’m passionate about. His hard work is wholly unrewarding compared to my hard work. The significance of his legacy is not nearly as great as he thinks it is. Why? Because Gary Vaynerchuck still thinks it’s about him and about us.
But here’s the thing, I think every church planter and pastor needs to see this video. Everyone who has ever felt like God was asking them to do something and giving them a passion for it needs to watch this. Every missionary, human rights activist and college student determined to change the world needs to listen to the words Gary is speaking.
Why? Because he has tapped into something fundamental in the human soul. What he has stumbled upon is the thing that God has placed inside of us that allows us to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” He has found an echo of the voice of God inside of us.
Take his words and apply them not just to the thing your passionate about, but the thing that God has made you passionate about. “Hustle” at the things that God puts in front of you. You want significance in your legacy? Work for the only One who was here long before you and will be here long after you. The passion that Gary exhibits in this talk should be reserved not for Web 2.0, but for a king – for The King.
If we can become as passionate about Jesus as Gary is about wine, web and whatever else, we can absolutely change the world. Jesus isn’t about Web 2.0. That’s WAY too boring for him. What he’s up to is World 2.0. And we’ve been invited to be on his team of initial investors. Let’s sign up and take the plunge!
Lessons from Lucy – Ep. 4
Mar 19th
Have you ever stared at a blank wall for what seems like forever, engulfed at its incredible complexity and beauty? Yeah, me either. My little girl, however, does it all the time. Evidently, there’s something I need to learn from Lucy about…
THE WONDER IN THE WORLD
Tiny fingers gripping and releasing a pink blanket. The single thread running through the ribbon that attaches her pacifier to her shirt. And yes, a solid orange wall in her nursery. For Lucy, all of these things represent a world of wonder and amazement. In her 4 month old mind, everything is new, fresh and exciting. Even the most mundane things, like a light bulb or a couple of toes, provide endless entertainment and fascination for this little one. Every reflection, movement or noise is a new amusement and every object a new world to explore.
For me, these are the things I walk past every day – the things I kick aside on my way to more important things. These are the things I take for granted. And while it may not be a big deal if I walk past a wooden block without a notice, I suspect that there is an endless list of things I should notice and that I should be in wonder of, but that I’m too busy to pay attention to.
On that list is a conversation with someone who is giving me every indication that they are hurting, but I am looking past them and just waiting for the conversation to come to an end. On that list are the countless numbers of ways God has blessed my life (I tend to ignore the ones that don’t involve money). On that list is the incredible complexity and beauty of nature – something I have long failed to spend enough time admiring. In short, that list is long.
But Lucy has taught me something about the mundane. She has taught me that we can find beauty, amusement, information and wonder in those things that we typically walk past or gloss over. She has taught me that I need to slow down, examine things and appreciate their intricacies. I need to stare at things on occasion. I need to question, to gaze and to be amazed. Thanks for the lesson, Lucy!
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:5
Are Schools Killing Creativity?
Mar 17th
Ken Robinson says that our educational system discourages – or at least fails to encourage – creativity. I hadn’t really considered it before, but after watching his talk from TED 2006, I think I have to agree. Even more than that, though, I agree with his assertion that creativity is just as important as Math or Reading. Mind you, I’m not interested in devaluing those things, but rather, increasing opportunities for creative expression in our schools.
I was always a creative kid. I liked to draw, to tell stories, to sing and act. I was also a good student. And as I look back on my life thus far, the places where I have succeeded were where academics and creativity intersected. Then, looking around me at people far more successful than I (and far more creative and brilliant) I notice the same pattern.
Entrepreneurs are successful because they come up with a creative, innovative product, or a brilliantly creative marketing plan – not just because they can do the books. Great physicists explore the micro- and macro-cosmos and develop theories that are sometimes so far-fetched that they sound like science fiction. Do those theories come from calculated formulas or do they come from a creative mind that can see what could be and then do the research to find out if it is. Brilliant playwrights and civil engineers, research oncologists and social workers, pastors and rock stars – those who succeed must be both educated and inspired.
The question, then, is “How do we do it?” I have a feeling there are some brilliant, creative people out there who can figure out a way.
