Archive by Author

Planes, Trains, Taxis, Buses (but No Boats)

December 14, 2010 in Blog with 0 Comments

Back from my Big Trip! Can’t wait to share more. The trip was a game-changer to say the least for me and LifePoint. Great experiences, great conversations and a great number of hours spent traveling to and fro to have the opportunity for the experiences and conversations. We went by plane, taxi (car & mini-van), sky train, subway, bus and almost had a boat ride. I kept a running list of traveling and waiting in mass transit. The total, a conservative total, of 70 hours spread across eight days. This does not include all of the walking around Hoihzou, Hong Kong, and Bangkok (which there was a lot of that, too). All of this alongside Pat, too (thank you for the prayers on my behalf ;)

One takeaway: The journey is to get to the prize is often great and always worth the sacrifice. Plus, while the traveling can be hard and tiring we need to embrace it as a significant part of the journey and be intentional about that time, too.

Thursday & Friday

  • 30 minutes to BNA
  • 2 hours in BNA
  • 2 hours to Newark
  • 2 hours in Newark airport
  • 15 hours to Hong Kong
  • 30 minutes to hotel

Saturday

  • 30 minutes to airport for taxi
  • 3 hours to Hoizhou
  • 45 minutes to West Lake
  • 30 minutes to University

Sunday

  • 15 minute taxi to downtown Hoizhou
  • 3 hour bus ride to Hong Kong
  • 2 hour train around downtown Hong Kong
  • 2 hours in Hong Kong airport
  • 3 hour flight to Bangkok
  • 20 minute train ride to Bret and Susie
  • 5 minute taxi ride

Monday

  • 10 minute subway
  • 10 minute sky train
  • 15 minute taxi
  • 15 minute taxi

Tuesday

  • 15 minute subway 15 minute taxi ride
  • 20 minute sky train
  • 20 taxi

Wednesday

  • 15 minute taxi ride
  • 30 minute train to airport 2 hours at airport
  • 3 hour flight
  • 30 minutes in airport
  • 40 minute taxi

Thursday

  • 40 minute taxi
  • 2 hour in airport
  • 15 hour flight
  • 1 hour in airport
  • 3 hour flight
  • 30 minute ride home

Depraved Indifference

December 3, 2010 in Blog with 0 Comments

I urge you to watch this. Then, I question if you are not moved, challenged, humbled, stirred, energized…something—then, do you have a heartbeat?

There is a lot here! I would love to help to take a next step with any of these things…a relationship with Jesus Christ, adoption, life direction, etc. I don’t know all of the answers but would love to help find them!

3 for Thursday: Christmas Tunes

December 2, 2010 in 3 for Thursday, Blog with 1 Comment

Some new and good tunes to help get you in the Christmas spirit.

  1. North Point Christmas — just got this last week and love it. Great blend of modern and traditional tunes with a worship feel. You can get a free download of one of the songs, too.
  2. Songs for Christmas by Phil Wickham — These are mostly traditional songs with the Phil Wickham sound. He does have one original, that has a great worship vibe. This could grow to be one of my favorites.
  3. Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs for Worship by Chris Tomlin. This isn’t his newest album but he does have a new one here that is great. His Christmas album is my go to when I want to hear some Christmas tunes.

These are three great options to have playing during this Christmas season. Something about Christmas songs…they can sound familiar, yet new, and can help us focus on worshiping the Savior during this hectic holiday season.

Try them out and let me know what you think!

3 for Thanksgiving

November 25, 2010 in 3 for Thursday with 0 Comments

With my attempt to write a regular “3 for Thursday” and today’s Thursday being Thanksgiving, I thought I would go ahead with 3 things for our holiday. 3 things that today I give thanks. 3 things that I am pondering on today.

  1. Truth — I am thankful for the Truth that I rest my eternity, my life and my everyday. Gives direction and hope for my future, my present and my past. It helps me be a better husband, dad, son, friend, employee and leader. I love to know the width, depth and relevance of God’s Word…His Truth for all the world, all men and women for all time.
  2. Teachers — I am thankful for the men and women along with the circumstances– both opportunities and tests–that have have been great teachers. I am who I am because of the teachers my Heavenly Father has weaved into my life over the years. It began with my mother and father, two people that I will never be able to say thank you enough to. Of course, I had some good teachers as a ‘school boy’. Along with my parents and family, there have been amazing people over the last two decades who have invested in me. Some have been people I have never met. Some I get to stay in contact with, others I get to serve along side, work with, play with and share a home with. Then, there are the many “teachers” in life—experiences good and bad that have shaped me, toughened me, humbled me and encouraged me…significantly, because of #1, the Truth that filters it all.
  3. Time — Time to live, love, dream, succeed, fail, learn… I am thankful for every moment I have had this past year to play with my kids. I am thankful that I get to dream with with Kelly and see God do great things in our family. I am grateful for the time to be on mission with my family, my church and my friends. I am blown away for the time to serve alongside passionate people in work and ministry; specifically, to serve for the cause of Christ in places like West Africa, China and Thailand. I am thankful for the small moments of time to laugh, to rest, to jump out there where I probably shouldn’t. I am thankful for the time I have each day given by our Sovereign Lord.

I am sure you have amazing things to be thankful for today, too! I would love to hear them, even if that don’t begin with a ‘T’.

3 for Thursday

November 11, 2010 in 3 for Thursday, Blog with 1 Comment

There are some things I don’t do well:

  • sending birthday gifts to family on time
  • eat vegetables
  • string more than 3 good ping-pong points together
  • dealing with consistent negative attitudes
  • manage

There are actually a few things I am discovering I have decent success at, or at least I love to do. Some of those things fall under the categories of:

  • connecting
  • sharing
  • new
  • change

So, enjoying being somewhat of an early adopter & having the love discover and share new things…I am beginning what hopes to be some routine posts called “3 for Thursday”. Three things delivered to you that I are new to me, that have caught my attention and that I am excited to connect you to. My desire is that these things will help you and your organization go further faster. I also hope to discover new things from you. The “3″ will sometimes be focused, sometimes random.

So, in my world there are some Big Things (adoption, Family Muscle, loser, trip) wrestling around. So, productivity has become a huge chase for me so I can accomplish all that is in front of me and stay focused on the important and not the urgent. Here are 3 Things that I am using to help develop great systems for productivity in my life:

  1. Getting Things Done by David Allen — Popular book and author on personal productivity, fascinating system to help leaders download all of the To Dos so they can be released to dream and think
  2. Evernote — Incredible capture and access system that allows me to capture content on the web, on my computer and on my mobile phone; and, it is all synced together. I am still discovering all of the “add-ons” that go with this great application. The free version is super powerful but I have upgraded to premium to take full advantage of features. I also love the clipping functions integrated into your browser.
  3. Producteev — I have been on the search for years take good productivity principles including those I learned from Getting Things Done and leverage technology to keep me on top of To Dos, lists, plans, etc. I have discovered many but the one I am learning and implementing currently is a web-based app called Producteev. I am also using the Android App Astrid Tasks to sync and Fluid to make Producteev desktop app. Pretty slick interface for managing To Dos with teams, iPhone app is available and Android App on the way.

What new things have you come across lately?

Big News #4: Big Trip

November 9, 2010 in Blog with 1 Comment

Last week I started a series of posts that were a lot of fun to write and share. There are a few more pieces of BIG news in my life (at least BIG for me) that I wanted to process. I actually had a couple of people request more; which is a big WOW for me. Thanks for the encouragement, friends.

In case you missed them, my first three in the “Big News” little series were: Big Family (we’re adopting), Big Muscle & Big Loser.

#4 is BIG for me and also excited to how it is going to be BIG for LifePoint. At the beginning of December, I am joining Pat, Tim and two other LifePoint’ers on a trip to Asia. Specifically, going to China and Pat I will spend a few days with out Bangkok team. This is Big because I have never even sniffed this side of the world. Big because it will be 19,000+ miles of airflight and 42+ hours in the big birds. Big because they are #28 and #36 on list of BIGgest cities in the world according to this list. Big because of the conversations that will take place to help our Bangkok campus launch for their 3rd space and Worship Gatherings. Big because of the vision grasped for our China partnership and future campus. Big because of two great friends on the trip who will be exploring not only the China campus expansion but their families going and being sent by LifePoint.

I am thrilled to experience new cultures, new works for the Kingdom and BIGger vision for my life and the work of our faith family. Pray for our teams. Pray for my family as I am gone (Kelly and Parker‘s birthday are during my trip, bummer). Visit the Sending Church Campaign Web site to learn and engage more.

What’s the biggest trip you have ever been on (length, time or life impact)?

Big News #3: Big Loser

November 5, 2010 in Blog with 4 Comments

I have been impacted greatly over the years by the statement “Systems create behavior.” First, it began to works it way into so many areas of my work and role at LifePoint. Then, I began to realize that this has powerful implications for my family, my personal life and really anything of value to me. I spend a great deal of mental energy, like you, evaluating the actions in my life, in others around me and in the organizations I get to be a part of. For the last couple of years, I have been frustrated with my “behavior” when it came to my health and fitness. Taking a “systems create behavior” approach I began to see it wasn’t simply the behaviors that caused me to be too overweight, too tired and to unhealthy; it was the systems (or lack of) in my life that was causing me to struggle.

Over the summer, some dear friends who are in my small group told me about the results they were having due to a system they followed called the 24 Day Challenge by Advocare. They saw better health and better energy. So, after there encouragement and coaching I began the same system of the 24 Day Challenge on August 1. As a result of this new system…

I am a BIG Loser!

During the 24 Day Challenge I lost 15 pounds and 3.5% Body Fat. I have continued with the system now for 3 months and as of today I have lost 36 pounds, 5 pant sizes and 7% body fat. The thing I am most excited about is the better I feel, the more energy, the increased exercise and the ability to better chase after the many opportunities God has placed in front of me. I am eating healthier, getting to participate in things like road races and basketball leagues, and have fun with my kids. I am in the best shape I have been since early college years. I am thankful for realizing a system that is producing better behavior in my physical life that is impacting my spiritual life, parenting, marriage and ministry.

A fun part of the journey has been helping others begin this same system. Kelly and I love helping people. Whether it is helping people take steps in their journey with Christ, build a strong family or be physically fit & healthy; I am jazzed to contribute to people’s growth. As we have learned more about the 24 Day Challenge and the many quality products they have, we have discovered the possibility of Advocare helping us fund our adoption as we help others discover personal health like we have. So, Kelly has a website for Advocare where you can learn about the 24 Day Challenge, Advocare products and endorsers. For my Rutherford County friends, our friend TJ is having a mixer in Murfreesboro to learn about the 24 Day Challenge. Let us know if you would like to come.

Thanks for staying tuned to this Big News this week. As you can see, a lot of it has been building for some time but it is exciting to see how it is all converging right now; plus, more that I will be sharing in the days to come. I would love to hear about your Big News, too. So, share a story, link or questions with us.

Big News #2: Big Muscles

November 4, 2010 in Blog with 6 Comments

Another BIG news announcement on the blog. Thanks again for your encouragement and excitement about the big news of our adoption.

A little over a year ago, Kelly and I were inspired to be more intentional about time with our kiddos. We know, like you do, that the big and small investments we make in our kids will last a lifetime. They will shape their soul and self-worth. So, we started to experiment with what we described as “family nights on steroids”.

These family nights were time set aside to have fun and connect our kids to conversations of faith. They began with a theme or creative idea which inspired usually some food, a game, a project/craft and a devotion. When we could, we tried to go all out. We had fun, created memories and our kids started begging for them. So, we planned more. Sometimes around a holiday or time of the year, sometimes random. In the process, Kelly began to blog about our family nights sharing the story and pictures. Over the following months we discovered people reading Kelly’s blog and doing family nights, too. Folks at our church and friends would stop us and tell us about their story of doing family nights. So, for us a BIG idea was born…FamilyMuscle.com.

Having the desire to encourage and equip other parents to discover the benefits of these “little family parties with faith focus,” we began to wonder what would happen if we did some of the heavy lifting, shared a simple plan and gave away our experiences of family nights. We thought there is an opportunity and need out there for a website that would resource parents with a simple plan for a super night with their kids and a hub where families can share their ideas and experiences to benefit other families. So, we are jumping out there and creating this place called Family Muscle. Hopefully a place where fun and faith can build strong families. A place that parents will not only find resources and ideas but a hub where they can share their experiences and ideas for other families to benefit.

We are starting small but have BIG dreams. We are writing and rewriting content and family nights to share. We have a good start but are anxious to do more. We are excited about friends who have jumped in and partnered with us. Thrilled by other families who are experimenting and sharing their story of family nights. We are blown away that HomeLife Magazine is doing a feature on Family Muscle in the spring. We are inspired to chase after this vision and see the BIG things that can come as we champion the family.

I invite you to check out the website often. We are posting new family nights and other articles that will encourage you as a parent. We would love for you to visit Family Muscle on Facebook and ‘Like’ us there. Family Muscle is also on twitter, go ahead and follow.

We have BIG ideas and dreams for Family Muscle and how it will help build strong families. Jump in with as we journey to build a strong family.

Big News #1: Bigger Family

November 3, 2010 in Africa, Blog with 8 Comments

A lot has been stirring in my world, some things brand new…others not so much. So, I am going to try to process, share and connect some of those things in a few blog posts over the next couple of days. For me and my family, these are BIG. I mean B.I.G. big! So, here is my first go at a series of “Big News”:

Big News #1: my family is getting BIGger…Kelly and I are beginning the process of adopting an orphan from an international country! This is a conversation and a direction we have been wrestling with for a long season but has spiked up over the last few months. Obviously, there is a lot to download: why, where, how, when and more. I am going to try to hit some highlights today. I am sure more conversation will happen here in the months to come. Kelly and I invite your questions, prayers, encouragement, challenging and dialogue. So here are some quick thoughts on our BIG news for today.

Why

  • Because it has become the desire of our heart as we have sought to delight in Him (Psalm 37:4)
  • Because there is an Orphan Crisis all over the world
  • Because my Heavenly Father has a lot to say on how Christ-followers should care for the orphan
  • Because when we (Kelly and I) tell ourselves we can’t the reality is we can. Be sure to read Kelly’s post and announcement.
  • Because we know the eternal impact and growth that will result in our three biological children
  • Because we have a great support network of family, friends, staff team and small group to walk with us on this journey
  • Because God has developed within in our heart for the nations for His Glory. Yes, we even have a family direction statement that includes “join God’s heart for the nations.”
  • Because for some reason God has wired me for big, chaos, new and change (and, oh boy, that is comin’)
  • Because we want to champion the cause, love orphans, influence others and make an impact in our world

Where and why there

  • Ethiopia
  • Because there is an orphan crisis due to disease, poverty and more
  • Because Kelly and I have a BIG heart for Africa that began 14 years ago…
  • Kelly and I have sponsored a young lady named Marta and her family in Ethiopia for the last 14 years through Compassion
  • Kelly and I have served in West Africa on a LifePoint mission team and I had the privilege of a second trip earlier this year (check out some photos)
  • LifePoint is launching an exciting, strategic missions partnership with this organization for Orphan Care and church planting in Ethiopia
  • About a decade ago Kelly and I were close to spending 2 years in Kenya as missionaries (long story for another time)
  • We have precious friends who have adopted from Ethiopia and we look forward to adding to the mix
  • We are huge U2 fans (kidding…not about being U2/Bono fans, that this is reason for where)

Who

  • We are hoping to adopt a boy around the age of 2 1/2 to 3

When

  • We hope to know specifically through a referral sometime in early 2011
  • Hopefully, he will be home sometime in 2011 but this process, as we have seen walking this journey with others, can have a lot of ups & downs, hurry-up & waiting…

How

  • Through the grace and sovereignty of our great Lord
  • Through excitement, sacrifice, obedience, patience, anxiety, faith, doubt, trust
  • Through a lot of conversation and prayer individually, as a family and with you
  • By intentionally staying connected to community in our family, small group, church, staff team

Not through our own planning but great coincidence this Sunday is Orphan Sunday across our nation. I am excited about all that my family will learn this month as the Orphan Crisis is brought to greater attention. I am humbled and thrilled about how my church is building an Orphan Care ministry, thankful for the many individuals who are blazing the trail for LifePoint and how we will highlight and connect others in the coming Sundays.

Wow! BIG! Thanks for reading this news. I hope you join our journey with us. I would love to hear your thoughts and questions by commenting here or on Facebook.

Quotable: Crowded Life…Inward Rest

October 27, 2010 in Blog, Habitudes with 0 Comments

In The Discipline and Culture of the Spiritual Life by A.E. Whiteham writes,

Here in this Man is adequate purpose…inward rest, that gives an air of leisure to His crowded life. Above all there is in this Man a secret and a power of dealing with the waste-products of life, the waste of pain, disappointment, enmity, death…making a short life of about thirty years, abruptly cut off, to be a ‘finished’ life. We cannot admire the poise and beauty of this human life, and then ignore the things that made it.

As a Christ-follower, I am intrigued by the many facets of Christ’s life—one being how His crowded, demanding life was so balanced, purposeful & “finished”. He spoke about such things here, here and here.

I have struggled with time management and balance for over two decades now. Not because I don’t know how to deal with—I read books, blogs, articles…I try, test, stop, start. I am evening teaching a class (called Habitudes) tonight and the principle is all about how we spend our time as leaders. Funny! (Even before prepped for the class, I again took the familiar dive & swam in more research and wrestling on how I can get on “top of things”.) I plan to unpack what I am learning with you in the coming days. Not to show how much I know; but, hopefully to create conversation on how we can do this better and “not ignore the things that made” His life so beautiful and accomplished.
Page 2 of 23«12345»1020...Last »