I'm Taking a Break Today

I'm taking some time to rest today. I'm intentionally pulling aside during the start of the crazy, hectic holiday season to remind myself of a few things: 1. The world will go on without me 2. I'm not as important as I like to think I am 3. Time spent resting and reflecting is critical to my soul 4. Time spent on rest and reflection isn't "wasted" time at all 5. Developing a spiritual rhythm that includes time for rest and reflection is one of the most productive things I can do In a culture where I feel as though people are always pushing me for more, more, more, intentionally pulling aside and taking time to think is one of the most important things I can do. So I'm going to grab my pen and my journal, a few really important books and I'm simply going to do NOTHING. I'm going to listen. I'm going to rest. I'm going to remind myself of what's really important and how thankful I am for those things...

Holidays, Family, Religion and Politics

I was home for Thanksgiving and everything was going quite well despite the fact that we had 24 people stuffed into a normal sized home in the burbs and most of them were under 2 feet tall. People were everywhere. Every bedroom was full. People were sleeping on air mattresses in the basement workroom. The kitchen was busy 24/7. You get the picture. But even with all that going on, things were going quite well until someone decided to bring up politics. Now the election has been decided for a few weeks already, but it seems there are still some bitter feelings bubbling under the surface out there. Well, they were under the surface that is, until someone in my family decided to bring it all up again! Anyway, long story short: It all culminated with my own mother asking me who I voted for in front of the entire family. I said, "Do you really want to know mom?" She said, "Of course, why do you think I asked?" So I told her and the next thing I knew, my mom was shaking her finger at me telling me there's no way I could possibly be a "Christian" and have voted that way...Oh boy. Here we go. The first shot heard 'round the world. Ding! The fight is on! The rest of the family joined in and away we went...Well, away they went. Fortunately for me, I've seen all of this before and decided it was time to gather up my part of the family (including the dog) and head off to the in-laws house. I've never been so happy to see my in-laws!

I hate politics. It just always seems to divide people - even family members. It leaves some people disappointed, others disillusioned and still others just wanting to escape it all and head to the in-laws!

I was planning to head home for Christmas...not any more. I think I'll just spend a night or two with the family aorund New Year's and call it a year...

Great People

I'm in Nashville, TN with my family for the National Youth Worker's Convention hosted by Youth Specialties and I just finished having dinner with some of the volunteer youth workers who are here from my church. What an amazing group of people! They love Jesus and they love teenagers. They don't have all the answers. They aren't the "coolest" group of people on the face of the earth, but they have something special...they are called by God to work with kids! They are making an incredible difference in this world and I'm grateful for them. They give up their time to spend time with kids. They are selfless. They can laugh at themselves. They can be real. And I believe lots of kids see Jesus in each of them. I'm grateful to be a part of this incredible team!

JustLife.tv Heads to Nashville!

Youth Specialties (the company I speak for part-time) is holding their annual National Youth Worker Convention in Nashville, TN this weekend and JustLife.tv got invited to participate in the Exhibit Hall. We get a chance to show 5000 youth leaders from around the nation what God's doing through this ministry and help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ! Milo Curtis is in charge of the booth and I am there to help him. We can't wait to see what God's going to do, what conversations we're going to have, what potential partners we may run into. This project has been a blast to work on! We can't wait to see where it takes us next. So many people from BridgeWay shared their stories with us on video and those stories are impacting people all around the world. This is another exciting step to get the word out there and let some more people know what's going on!

When It Rains It Pours

This is unbelievable! Have you ever had an experience like this: You're working on renovating an old home and one of the contractors you invite in to do some work ends up coming back later to steal all the tools you've been using to renovate the house? The next day, someone else who's being chased by the police ends up ramming into your car causing thousands of dollars in damage to your car as you sit at a stoplight. Then the following day, you discover that your wallet is missing! Your identity, your credit cards, drivers license, everything is gone! Believe it or not, all of this just happened to a buddy of mine within a 48 hour time period. Ouch.

When it rains, it pours!

I've experienced some similar stuff in my own life. Bad things happen to me and I start twitching...wondering what's going to happen next or where it's going to come from. I end up "looking over my shoulder" all the time in fear of what might happen next. I hate that! I don't want to live my life in fear, but this world is a tough place to be at times. There are plenty of times in my life, I just need someone to come along and speak words of hope...someone who will encourage me or even just listen to me offload some of the junk in my life. Someone who will just be a friend.

What about you? Do you have someone like that in your life? Are YOU that kind of person in anyone else's life? I hope so, because everyone needs that kind of friend. We all have rainy days. But it's important to be reminded that the sun will shine again soon...Good friends are able to do that for me.

One of the projects I've been working on lately is dedicated to sharing some of these "encouraging stories" with people. We're hoping when you experience a "rainy day" of your own, this website will be an encouragement to you. Take a few minutes to check it out and let me know what you think...www.justlife.tv

An Annual Pilgrimage

I just returned from one of my favorite places in the entire world – The Gethsemani Abbey in Trappist, Kentucky. I’ve been making my annual pilgrimage for several years now and I grow more and more in love with the place each year! Gethsemani is a completely silent monastery and has been that way since 1848. Catholic theologian and author Thomas Merton lived here as a monk. In fact, he’s buried there. The reason I go to Gethsemani each year is simply to rest and re-charge my spiritual batteries. I think it’s important to intentionally pull away for awhile and listen to God. I live in a busy, noisy world. There’s something about pulling away from all of that for a few days just to listen for God’s voice, just to be quiet. I hear things in a completely different way. I teach myself how to listen more than I talk. I remind myself that I’m really not all that important. The world goes on without me. In fact, over the past few days while I was away, our country elected a brand new President. I didn’t even find out what happened until I came home. It wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it was. The monks kept on chanting. I kept on praying. God kept on reaching out to me through the silence. There’s no pressure on me here to change peoples’ lives. There’s no pressure on me to keep a conversation going. I can sit down for dinner across the table from someone without worrying about what I should or shouldn’t say. When I first got here I decided to take a walk through the woods. As I walked, I stumbled across a small shelter where some people pray and journal their thoughts. I stopped and went inside. What I saw was exactly what I needed. On my 3 hour drive down here, I prayed that God would speak to me and show me what I needed to hear. He didn’t waste any time. I was here all of 30 minutes and God showed me something in the middle of the woods. Here it is straight from Psalm 46:10:

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

This is what I needed to hear most: God simply wants me to BE! He wants me to learn what it really means to exist as His Beloved Son…to know that I’m one of His children…that I’m loved just for who I am…and that’s enough. I don’t have to produce. I don’t have to measure up. I don’t have to change the world. I simply need to learn how to BE…and I can figure out how best to do that right here at Gethsemani. Lord, help me take this truth home with me and begin living in the “Gethsemani Way” back home.

I've Been Converted!

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I am a Cleveland Indians, Browns and Cavs fan through and through. At least I was...until last Monday night. A good friend paid for me to attend a game at historic Fenway Park in Boston and my life has not been the same since! What an unbelievable experience! From the minute I walked through the gates, it was a spiritual experience for me. People talked to me. People sang the national anthem. I caught an autographed baseball commemorating the 456th straight sell out at Fenway. There were lots of laughs, great food, homeruns and an unbeatable atmosphere. I gotta tell ya: I normally hate it when people switch their allegiance and start following the "winning" team, but this was not so much about the team for me as it was about the people of Boston, the city, the great Fenway park. I loved all of it. These people are my kindred spirits. I have never experienced anything like this before. I am forever changed. I have been converted. I'm thinking of moving there. Can you imagine me becoming part of Red Sox Nation? I know it seems unbelievable, but I think I've been converted!