Share the Love!

It's truly humbling when your thoughts are graciously received and I want to say, "Thank you."  Over the past three months we've journeyed to War-Torn England, been challenged by thirteen year old girls to Rise Strong, and listened as a Master brought his craft to life.  My hope is that you have been encouraged and challenged each week to live more fully into your created purpose.  I am also reminded that goodness is always meant to be shared.  

So, this week, I would like to ask you to help me broaden the conversation.  If you have enjoyed these post, will you please identify 3-5 people you believe would benefit and send them a personal word of invitation to subscribe.  The link is below.  

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Also, if anyone would like to go further into this conversation by learning more about LifePlanning or StratOp, I would love to hear from you. 

Thank you so much for reading!  I look forward to the weeks and months ahead!

Brian

Westminster

Our days are filled with bloodstained pages.

     We glimpse the Massa Damnata,

          but are numb to the evil slowly constricting our souls.

We confess frittering away our days,

      worried about our small gardens,

          while our brothers’ fields burn and smolder.

Our eyes fixed downward,

     we have forgotten the pathway up Your mountain.

But in your grace,

     anticipating our gaze, You whisper,

          “Look to the lilies.”

Give us courage to see, to believe, to hope and know

     that what we do in this place,

          in this space matters.

Grant us courage to journey as Pilgrims who anticipate Your guidance.

     Guard us from becoming wanderers who consume,

          iPhones at the ready.

Lift our eyes. Fill them with tears,

     that the parched fields below will know

          the Green,

               the Love,

                    the Life.   

                                                   -Amen

We Long Our Way Through Life

On a cool November morning in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania  Abraham Lincoln stepped up on a makeshift wooden platform, pulled a speech from his hat and spoke these words, "...It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom --- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."  At that moment he was surrounded by war, death and dissension.  

One hundred years later, in the shadow of Lincoln's memorial, Martin Luther King Jr., thundered, "I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."  Many considered his dream a fantasy.

As Lincoln rode on the train towards Gettysburg, he gathered words from decades of struggle and thousands of faces, scribbled them down and deposited them into his tall, black, felt-lined hat.  MLK chiseled his words from granite, a lifetime of racism and oppression of a soul that longed for more.

James K.A. Smith wrote, "We long our way through life."   We live in a present that is not as it should be.  But, when we dare to quiet our minds and still our hearts, we know in subterranean ways there is more goodness to be found.  So, we keep looking.  We keep working to clear the barnacles and encrustations of life that threaten to cover the gleam of a hoped for future. 

Each time we teach our children, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" we step onto the wooden platform with Lincoln.  When we pray, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" we join hands with Reverend King and acknowledge the world is not as it should be. 

What is a longing in your life?  

Take the next four minutes and still yourself.  Turn off your phone.  Forget the news cycle.  Be still and listen for the longing in your life.  

If a bit of guidance would be helpful, think of your life in concentric circles.  You/Your Family/Your Community/The World. Pick one of these areas and focus on it over the next moments. 

Once you've finished, write down one step you can take today to make your longing a reality.  

The Master Class

We sat down fifteen feet away from twin Steinways.  A young, petite woman in a black lace dress sat at one, an older gentleman with wild hair, a blue vest and impressive cufflinks at the other.  She began to play Schumann's Piano Sonata in F#minor Op. 11.  As the final movement ended the room filled with applause. Her performance was fantastic.  

Then he began to quietly speak.  

He asked her to play the beginning of the first movement again.  As she did he began to gently coach her, to draw out music that was not there before.  He didn't use musical terms to guide her; they were both beyond the music on the page.  "You must have a third ear listening in the balcony.  Play to that ear."  "The piano is an imperfect instrument, so we must fool ourselves and play what isn't there." My favorite was, "We all have our missed notes, but this piece invites danger."  

When she played it was beautiful.  When he played it felt transcendent.  

He was a master.  The music was in his DNA.  Over the decades it had seeped down to the mitochondrial level.  At this depth of knowledge he was able to rearrange the soul of the piece and bring new life to already beautiful art. 

Not everyone makes beautiful music, but we are all called to make our world a better and more beautiful place.

Take a moment and think through your response to these prompts.  Write down your thoughts.

1. One way I can improve my craft is __________________. 
2. One step I can take to do so is ____________________.
3. A Master I can seek out for guidance is ___________________.  
4. Who can I gently coach and help bring out what they did not know was there?

Roger's Letter

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David Williamson

Magical Moments are rare, it's one of the reasons we find them magical.  

This past week, quite unexpectedly, I found myself in middle of an inspiring, beautiful, and magical moment.   I'm currently teaching a class in London and, as part of the class, invited our neighbor, Roger Williamson, to help lead the discussion.  During his time with us he read a letter his father, David Williamson, wrote to his godson, Neil Scott Piercy, in 1942.  The letter was to be opened on Neil's 16th birthday, May 15th, 1958.   As he read, the class was silent and transfixed.  For me, everything paused as I listened to Roger's deep voice and flowing English accent bring his father's words to life.

I invite you to pause your day for 20 minutes and listen.  I invite you listen to this voice speak wisdom into your life from across time. 

I should point out that in 1942 the future of our world was still very much  in question.  Also, no Williamson male had lived past 45, so David was doubtful he would live to see his godson's 16th birthday.  He passed away seven years later in 1949.  

I'm am grateful to Roger for allowing me to share this letter with you.  I hope you find it as magical as I did. 

A Bee's Life

It takes twelve bees an entire lifetime to make one teaspoon of honey.  This means each time you put honey on a biscuit or in your cup of tea, that’s the life work of twelve bees.  I’ll be honest, I really thought a single bee would be able to more more than 1/12 teaspoon of honey.  Seriously Mr. Bee?  All the “busy as a bee” work running from flower to flower, flying back to the hive, back to the flowers, back to the hive and the only thing that you have to show for your entire lifetime is a couple of drops of honey?    Bummer.

My guess is that you sometimes feel like a bee.  Running from one meeting or appointment to the next, wondering why you are doing all that you, hoping that it all adds up to something significant.

But the Christian Hope is that all of the work we have to do in this world will ultimately be completed.  All of the visions and hopes for Good work are not just our imaginations gone wild.  Instead, they are reverberations from the world to come; echoes of a world in which the work is completed, good and right; a place flowing with milk and…

Gas Your Emotions

To me there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think — spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think and cry, that’s a heck of a day.  -Coach Jim Valvano

To be fully alive you must relate well to your emotions.  Emotions are often a conduit for deep, meaningful connections with ourselves and others.  They bring color and vibrancy to the world.  But, unchecked or unknown emotions often do more damage than good.  So, to live well means to engage our emotions as old friends, welcomed at our table with a shared history and story.

But, how will you know that you are relating to your emotions well?  What are the signs?

You have to GAS your emotions.  First, treat your emotions as though they are Guest.  This means that you neither ignore them or let them absolutely take over.  Treating emotions as a guest means you are attentive to their needs, but you also carry on with the life you were living before they arrived!  Second, you have to become aware of their Arising.  In other words, you gain the ability to understand when emotions are beginning to impact you.  You understand their historical roots and the effect they have other people. Finally, once you have gained perspective on identifying and interacting with your emotions, you leverage them to Serve rather than hinder your relationships.

To GAS your emotions means that you treat your emotions as Guest, gain the ability to tell when and why they are arising, then use those emotions to serve others.

So, what is your practice or routine?  What are your resources to GAS your emotions?  Have you done the work of truly knowing your own story?  Do you journal?  How often do you practice vulnerable conversation?

If it seems daunting, lean in.  Any difficulty or fear are mere echoes of the good that is waiting.

Fear Points the Way

Fear is the great nemesis of the call, but actually fear points the way.  -Pete Richardson

Over the last two months my boys have spent hours  jumping, twisting and turning on the trampoline in our backyard.  They’ve now graduated from mere flips to complex acrobatics; linking tricks together and, to my injury-anticipating eyes,  barely averting disaster at every turn.

The fears I have for my kids on a trampoline are like waves on a shore; they disappear as quickly as they arose.  But, I have other fears that are like a slowly rising tide, covering everything in their path with a power and force that seems unstoppable.

No one wants to live with fear.   But when it doesn’t seem to recede our tendency is to distract or numb ourselves, try to ignore it or just hope it goes away.

But, the reality is that Tidal Fear is not going away.  It’s deep seated and is connected to what it means to being human.  We are a fearful people.   But, rather than allowing it rise uncontrolled around you, imagine looking directly at your fear, asking it to point the way forward.  What if your fear is highlighting what needs to be addressed and is at the same time offering you the fuel to move forward?

What are the tidal fears in your life?  When you are quiet and stillness comes into your mind and soul, what is it that you fear?   Is it provision for your family?  Your health?  That you won’t meet your potential?  That your deep secret will suddenly be brought into the open?

Love is the opposite of fear.

When these fears arise, imagine that love invaded your fear and took it’s place.   Your inverted fear then transforms from a cocooned, defensive reality into a life-giving vision that can both inspire and fuel your work.

How is fear playing a role in your life?  What steps could you take to reimagine your fears through the lens of love and then move towards it?

Surrender

The Path of God...only with a leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth - Indiana Jones, The Last Crusade

It's one of the iconic movie scenes from my teenage years.  Indiana Jones, in an attempt to save his dying father, must journey through three trials.  The first two test his knowledge and humility.  But the last and most difficult challenges his faith.  He must cross a deep gorge to save his dying father, but there is no bridge.  He is out of options and out of time.   Fear fills his face. His eyes dart side to side and then an epiphany happens.   His countenance transforms and with a sense of calmness he puts his hand over his heart, lifts his left leg straight out and falls forward into the void.  

Ultimately, Indy came to a point of surrender.  It took him a lifetime of work to get to the edge of the cliff.  But, his talent and knowledge could take him no further.  He had to surrender. 

An antinomy is a statement that contains two different and opposite laws or truths.  Freedom is an antinomy.  If you want to be free you must first surrender.

If you believe that your life was created with a purpose and for a reason, then it makes sense to give that life back to the one who created it.  But, we instinctively hold on and want to keep our lives within controlled parameters, to protect what we perceive to be ours.  But, it's not until we fully surrender, until we fall forward into the void, that we are able to live fully into the purpose for which we were created.  

Everyone comes to the cliff's edge, when their talents and resources can take them no further.  In that moment, with your eyes darting back and forth there is an invitation, an invitation to Surrender.  

Put Me In Coach!

When Alabama wins a championship people across the state go nuts.  The city of Tuscaloosa shuts down.   People in the stands are jubilant.  The football team runs across the field screaming hugging anyone in sight.  Nick Saban, the head coach, claps his hands a few times, jogs across the field, congratulates the other coach and then begins to prepare for the next year.  When interviewed he will typically respond, "I'm just so proud of the team.  They persevered and came through with a great win against a great team."  Ironically, the person who has the most responsibility for the championship title is, at least outwardly, taking the least credit.  That's because he's the coach and he understands his role.  

Here are three lessons from coaching to help move you down the field.

1. A coach has a clear vision of where the team needs to go and how they will get there.  Do you have a clear understanding of where the people around you are heading?  Where does your family need to be this time next year?  Do you have a plan to help guide them down that pathway?
2. A coach has mastered the game.  Have you done the work of knowing yourself, of facing your own issues?  Do you have something to offer others?  You cannot give water to thirsty people if you don't have a well from which to draw.
3. Your greatest success is when others succeed.  This seems counterintuitive, but the most fulfilling and life-giving experience you can have is to help those around you become who they were created to be.   Imagine a world in which everyone helped each other reach their greatest potential!

It was a Human Drama

Their t-shirts read, “Our Sport is Your Sport’s Punishment” and if you’ve never stood at the finish line of a 7th & 8th grade girls Cross Country Meet, you don’t know what you’re missing.  It was a run for the County Championship, the last meet of the year and the course was fast.  Hundreds of young women put their toes on the start line.  The gun fired and for the next 2.1 miles they fought each other and themselves to finish in record time.

Standing under the inflatable arch, the crowd erupted into cheers.  I watched as the winner came up the hill, ran through the timing station and collapsed.  Then, one after the other, they came weeping and holding their stomachs.  Large men were waiting, catching faint girls, helping them stay upright and showing the way to the water table.  I watched as several girls were dragged or carried out of the finishing area.  It struck me that their small frames and wisps of blonde hair belied a rock-like strength and determination.   I have never seen anything like it before and was inspired to the point of tears.

These girls were all in.  They showed up, put their toes on the line and ran themselves to utter and complete exhaustion.

They probably don’t know it, but as they ran these small and unassuming girls were asking each of us a simple question.  “Are you all in?”  Are you putting everything you have into your life, your marriage, your relationships, your job?  Are you pressing forward, even in the face of fear and resistance?  Are you willing to do the hard thing even if you don’t know the outcome?

What’s keeping you from being all in?