To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

To Serve Well

The gifts of Easter

Sharing this throwback Easter post from 2020 that still feels like the message we need in 2021. Praying for you and cheering you on!

What does it mean to “have life” and “have it to the full?” This jumped out at me as if reading it for the first time this morning.

If I close my eyes and dwell on that for a moment, I see all that is bright, good, joyful. I see a day at the lake with family and friends. I see our college tribe laughing endlessly. I see my boys on soccer and lacrosse fields and, at this age, seeing their dreams come true after endless hours of studying. I see every post-holiday meal conversation in the living rooms of my grandparents, parents and sister. I see rollercoasters and oceans and the kindness of a door being opened for a young mom. I see an older couple, still nurturing and loving one another, hand in hand, despite those years that have not been filled with joy.

What do you see? What is a full life to you? It’s freeing to stop and think about what a full life is, and even going so far as to contemplate what areas of life aren’t quite full right now.

My belief is that God sent his son to live and to die – and of course, the best part: to be resurrected – so that we truly could have life. As our creator, He knew our fragilities and had a plan for that. A plan, that despite what we have gone through, would mean that we would be able to find ourselves in communion with Him. And in doing so, we would find peace, joy, and outrageous and indescribable love. His desire is for us to live fully and bring forth all of the gifts and promises to us, and by using us to bring light to every conversation and to every person across the world.

Wherever this Easter Sunday finds you, know that you are loved beyond your comprehension. Also know that in every season there is JOY- It often comes after a season of rain in the most glorious way. We can know that to be true thanks to the Easter story! My prayer is that his promises fall fresh upon you today.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: A focus on Lent

Happy Sunday, everyone!

As I mentioned before, I am going all in on this season of Lent. Those of you who follow my Instagram have probably already seen this, but I am posting daily devotionals on my page. It’s giving me space to connect with the meaning of this season and I am loving it.

Today’s Simple Thought is short… Check out my Instagram daily devotionals if you’d like to follow along. During this season, I might post a little less regularly on my blog, so I would love to see you on my other platforms for now.

Cheering you on!

3 strategies to win the day

I am oftentimes reminded that we need to try to win each day, as tomorrow is never promised.

So, let’s jump in with some ideas around this thought!

  1. Start with what winning is to you! What brings you true joy? (Yes, that can include your career, school, etc.) Who are your “must haves,” as in I can’t imagine my life without [enter your closest friends and family names here]?
  2. Audit your schedule, specifically the last 90 days. Does how you spent your time line up with your definition?
  3. Align what your version of winning is with your next 90 days. Schedule that coffee date, start reading that book, connect with what or who fills your proverbial cup.

Here’s to a week filled with owning a life that allows you to full on seek and find joy.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Love, baby, love!

No surprises here with this message –– especially today! Most of us know that LOVING well is not only important, but it is the best part of life, without a doubt. When God surrounds us with the people we need to love on, our hearts overflow.

Today, I thought it may be good to talk about what that might look like when seasons change in our lives, be it a kiddo going back to in-person learning, mom or dad move into a retirement community… you get my drift. Transitions can take us off of our path. Like when your friend, family member or coworker isn’t responding how they normally would, or when your sweet little toddler develops their own opinions about… everything. It can be hard to know how to love well. Does anyone else feel that?

What comes to mind for me is that loving well is listening well. I sometimes get this right, but oftentimes not so much. Oftentimes, these big-life transitions and “impact seasons” have to be processed. Processing takes time and patience, and everyone is different in how they go about this. Some want to talk it out, some want to distract themselves, some want to run and hope they don’t ever have to deal it. No matter what, if we can just listen, observe, take it in and pray for a deeper understanding of how we can love the best “right now,” I believe God will provide us the direction we need to love well.

It may sound easy, like a simple thought, but honestly I feel this is the most challenging and intention is required. How can you listen well and love well this week?

I hope you have a blessed and love-filled Valentine’s Day, friends!

When the student is ready, the teacher appears

One of the most remarkable movies of all time to me has been Karate Kid. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel “son” were the classic student/teacher duo. Mr. Miyagi’s creativity and patience were lessons for all of us on so many levels. But in this blog, to me, it was all about Daniel. He showed a desire to learn… He may have grown inpatient with the manner of which he was taught, but nonetheless, he showed up, was relentless in learning and his outcomes showcased the effort. The ideal example of possibility when we are ready.

One example in the “adulting” phase of life is the many important conversations that need had, or new approaches that need taken as we move toward our best self and best life. The need to dive into our own back story to learn how history and/or context may have shaped our initial thoughts and narrated our early opinion is essential, as it gives us context. This type of learning and the work that goes into it is always worth it in the end, but feels a lot like Daniel’s experience in being asked to “wax on, wax off…”confusing and grueling at times.

Most importantly, this is what I feel is the idea example of the Buddhist principle, “When the student is ready… the teacher appears.” We can only find this type of teacher when we are ready for it. The good news, the universe delivers us up some excellent teachers and they come in the forms of books, podcasts, movies, friends, family, mentors, colleagues, and of course professional help. I so love it when the world shows up for me just when I need it. (Chances are, they were there all along, I just wasn’t ready to listen.)

Is there any area of your life where you are ready for a teacher? You might not even know the answer. I know I want to elevate my financial understanding this year… investment options, etc. I have found that just when I started honing in on that, Twitter has served up some excellent resources and those have resulted in a couple of new books, podcasts etc. The world seems to shine right when you are ready.

If you have any similar examples or stories we’d all love to hear them! I hope that this idea is as useful for you as it has been for me. The old quote showed up in my world a few months ago and I knew I wanted to write about it, and it just keeps showing up. I’m hopeful that just the right person finds this to be a helpful sign at just the right on time!

The alchemy of a hustler

Alchemy = chemistry… transformation …

We all transform over time. We all learn, grow and adapt. The Kansas City Chiefs have certainly done that, and there are many lessons to be filtered out of their pursuit of another winning season. As most of you know, it’s been literally decades getting us to this place, with many twists, turns and absolute disappointments along the way. There was no magical “arrival,” but a transformative process that occurred methodically and with a commitment to overcoming and achieving. Regardless of what happens tonight, we have arrived at this point and should not only revel in it, but pay attention to the story that got us here.

Since you could literally fill a bucket with story lines and pick any one out, I decided to focus on Tyrann Mathieu’s (pronounced like “Matthew”) incredible transformation. Mathieu, aka “the Honey Badger” or the “Landlord” is a team captain and his enthusiasm is so strong it pours over into our homes. His life, initially rooted in chaos, covered by an intense article highlighted in Sports Illustrated last year takes us through all of the pain and then ultimately to the epic 2020 Super Bowl win:

“Tyrann Mathieu looked up, past the red-and-gold confetti falling from the sky, and saw only stars, like the whole galaxy had been lit. He could hardly speak. He couldn’t move. The screaming fans, the euphoric teammates, the thuds of bass coming from the speakers –– it all faded into a dreamlike silence. Mathieu asked himself a question he already knew the answer to: ‘How in the world did I end up here?‘”

Transformation stopping points:

  • A family turned upside down (his father was in prison, and his mom dropped him off for his grandparents to raise –– feels like abandonment)
  • Death of friends in the neighborhood (Mathieu has the 20 names all who died prior when he left for college all tattooed on his leg)
  • Failed drug tests (at least 10)

PIVOT…

  • Finding his voice with the help of a spiritual advisor, a naturopathic doctor and a mindfulness coach… a movement partly fueled by the notion that “happiness is an inside job.”
  • A commitment to vulnerability and “Holding a magnifying glass to his battered soul.”
  • Teammates circling him in support and encouragement.

I especially liked these two excerpts from the article: “Tyrann Mathieu can hardly recognize previous iterations of himself,” and “He became vulnerable in ways teammates never could have expected, sharing his story and his path- and how he took back control. He became a walking self-help book, it’s dust jacket covered in scars.”

The story resonates.

He has taken all of these transformative elements and has become a voice for social justice and a literal guardian over the peace and energy of the Kansas City Chiefs entire team and staff. Powerful.

We all transform. We all have stories. Please note the key themes, that align with often discussed topics on this blog:

  • Share your story to both continue learning and to heal (yourself and others)
  • Allow a “community” or a “tribe” to surround you and help you grow and achieve your purpose and best self.
  • Commit to using your story to serve and elevate others.

As we go into the game tonight, and the week ahead, I hope that we are all able to truly venture past the highlights and into the “grit” that brings us to this point in our lives. As we look at our own “alchemy” … what is our next step in “EPIC?”

Sending BIG LOVE and ENERGY to you all today. #SuperBowlSunday21 #THISISCHIEFSKINGDOM

You gotta fight…

Throwing it back to a post from this time last year that felt right as we head into the Super Bowl!

You gotta fight… for your right… to PARTY!

Who knew the Beastie Boys would come alive strong on Sunday night! A blast from the past, and a timely and on-point reminder brought to us by the Kansas City Chiefs post game celebration and Travis Kelce. Incredible! 

We all know this is true if you stop and think about it. We don’t just get to celebrate big – to toast to small or great wins – without first serving up some time, sweat and often massive effort (AKA, fight!). 

Winning during 2021 starts with a certain rigor, and the decision to not settle for anything less than excellence.

Excellence in our routine…
Excellence in our personal wellness…
Excellence on both large and small platforms…

It is indeed first a decision, and then a commitment to doing whatever it takes each day to bring us to our highest levels.

Where do you need to fight? Where do you need to go deep and build a strategy to ensure excellence? 

As you hopefully saw in Sunday’s historic and epic celebration… the ability to celebrate (or as Travis Kelce said this weekend, paaaaartty) makes all of our efforts absolutely worth every ounce of hard work.

Have the most incredible wrap to your week and let’s keep our health, energy and spirits high as we move thru winter!

What stories call you to action?

(Photo courtesy of every other media outlet in America… Thank you, Google.)

This blog title has been on my phone and ready to use for quite some time. It turns out the time is now.

So, what stories call you? I mean, what stories, keep you thinking… they aren’t fleeting, and have staying power. The stories from the past that you share with mentees, children, colleagues, friends? The stories that light a fire and capture your imagination? Both types create life and those stories are what bring us together. In telling our stories, we are able to share what we’ve learned, bring laughter, healing and meaning to others. In hearing a story that ignites a flood of hope and makes us want to jump in, we are compelled to act.

If you haven’t yet heard Amanda Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” that she read at the inauguration last week, stop what you are doing and watch. After that, spend some time researching her story. I didn’t see any other part of the events on Inauguration Day yet, but a clip on Twitter left me wanting more. I found myself sending it to my tribe and running to Amazon to order her upcoming books. It left me with such hope for this coming generation, that I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Amanda Gorman represents what is good and what is the America that I know and love. I know I’m only one of many new fans* of Ms. Gorman. I hope the message she shared sits with our country for eternity. The multiple messages speak to life in general and to a nation’s opportunity ahead. (*She went from a few thousand followers on Twitter to 1.4 million this week –– and 2M new instagram followers, according to Buzzfeed.)

No matter what stories call you to action, it is helpful to identify them. Are there themes? Your dad’s classics? A story of how someone helped you grow? A story of a prayer warrior that inspired you to know the value of praying for others? Themes perhaps of humor, purpose, inspiration? Tell those stories. Share them early and often. Take time to honor new ones in the mix. Stories are how we learn. Every worthy book, ancient and new, brings us to the table through story. Stories call us to action and, like Gorman’s beautiful reciting of meaningful words, give us hope and meaning. What could be better?

Here’s to a wonderful week ahead! So thankful for the Kansas City Chiefs and their AMAZING game Sunday and the spirit of our great city.

Spiritual formation is a slow process: Finding the “something more”

I am amazed at how much I have learned over the years. It seems that at some point –– and I have no idea when that is –– you would pretty much know what you are going to know. I can confirm that is, of course, absolutely not true. (Relax, younger readers!) Our journeys can include endless learning, if we choose to make it so.

Today’s post is on the idea that spiritual formation is a slow process. I could easily say the same for our understanding of financial or relationship matters. We evolve, learn, grow, and are able to be better for it.

I am not sure how I got on this idea of “spiritual formation.” Perhaps it started with Rachel Held Evan’s book, “Inspired,” which is a story of how in her 30’s she pretty much started to second guess everything she had learned in church. She wanted “something more” and was willing to be intentional about finding out what that was. She found out that if she really started to go deeper, that the (what she calls) “magical stories” in the Bible make more sense when understood within proper historical background, and context. It feels like, that for the most part, the vast majority of people (including me until a few years ago) thought the stories in the Bible progressed chronologically somehow, which honestly doesn’t even make sense, but they don’t teach you that in Sunday School. There is so much left on the table.

“Spiritual Formation” speaks to the ordinary maturing of our faith in the context of our personal beliefs and values, no matter what those may be. For me, it’s the Christian faith. But again, it stands true regardless. (I should point out here, that I am not using the same spiritual formation term that some religious groups feel is controversial, i.e. trying to suggest a change to the doctrine.)

For me, it is clear that God gave us these amazing human minds, and he wants us to use them so that we can grow and help others grow. The primary form of educating is storytelling in the New Testament and in that, Jesus is often found asking thoughtful questions of the people. This was clearly what he felt was the best way to get them actually “thinking” and exploring the truth and meanings and better yet, how those learnings inform and impact their lives.

Today’s insight is to simply point out that our progress is indeed a lifelong and “slow” process. We have the power to develop our thinking through solid information, reflection, collaboration and prayer. I believe we would evolve in a positive way within our societies, communities, work places and homes if we ask of ourselves to go deeper and begin the long road of learning with the intent to understand and not merely accept all that we hear, read, etc at face value. Praying for you all and our country during this historic week.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Top books for 2020

It’s mid-January and I am finally ready to share my top books.

I like to wait until the new year to do this because, well, you never know what that last book of the year will bring. It just so happens that I finished one of the best books I read all year on December 31.

We can find so much power in the books we read. The opportunity to learn and grow from others through reading is one of the best parts of life, from my experience. It’s like having a variety of mentors who offer valuable insights to propel you forward.

If you, too, are a reader of primarily non-fiction, this list may be helpful in picking your next “game changer.” If you aren’t a reader, then I have added a brief overview from a few of the books, to give you a flavor and perhaps pique your interest.

To give you some perspective, I read 49-ish books this year. So many good ones. If I had to sum it up, I’d say, in no particular order the top 13 would be:

  1. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  2. Inspired by Rachel Held Evans
  3. See No Stranger by Valerie Kaur
  4. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
  5. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
  6. Second Mountain by David Brooks
  7. How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns
  8. Breath by James Nestor
  9. Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
  10. The Socrates Express by Eric Weiner
  11. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  12. As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Eugene Peterson
  13. Manifesto for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz

Here are some of my insights into why:

Inspired (Rachel Held Evans): This is all about trying to find some solid ground when the Bible seems to create confusion at times, and the society around us often showcases faith as not bringing out the best of us… The trail this book led me on brought me to my word of the year, which is “deeper,” making it clear that I needed to work to understand context and history in order to truly understand. Honestly, I can’t wait for that education. This quote captured me immediately: “The Bible’s ancient refrains have given voice to the laments of millions of oppressed people and, too often, provided justification to their oppressors. ” Does that resonate with anyone else? That only touches the surface. Evans absolutely slays this book and calls us to be better and smarter and not accepting of everything at face value without challenging ourselves to further exploration.

See No Stranger (Valerie Kaur): I had the opportunity to hear this author speak way before the book came out at one of the “Seven Days: Make a ripple, change the world” events. Kaur is a renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker and civil rights attorney. This intro at the front of the book highlights well the crux of the story: “(she) declares revolutionary love as the call of our time, a radical, joyful practice that extends in three directions: to others, to our opponents and to ourselves. It enjoins us to see no stranger but instead look at others and say, ‘You are part of me I do no know yet.’ Starting from that place of wonder beings to change: It is a practice that can transform a relationship, community, a culture and even a nation.”

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Eugene Peterson): Talk about that “trail” Evans started, this book is flat out central to that path. Peterson is also the author of the message interpretation of the Holy Bible. If you have the Bible App, you can toggle back and forth on different versions, and I find this quite useful to see how various prophetic voices have been called to interpret the same stories. This book is now over 40 years in print, but it is as contemporary as ever. One amazing excerpt: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life and place it before God as an offering” (Romans 12:2) Peterson dives in, “The psalm’s emphasis on actual, physical service (not a spiritual intention, not a desire to be of service) is picked up in the invitation to present our everyday, ordinary life. The motivation for service (not coerced or demanded) is picked up in the phrase, “God helping you.” But most significant is the remarkable last phrase, logiken latreian, “place it before God as an offering,” which another translation renders “reasonable service.” Service that makes sense. The service we offer God is extended into specific acts that serve others. We learn a relationship –– an attitude toward life, a stance of servitude before God, and then we are able to be of use to others in acts of service.” Peterson calls us to dive into meaning and brings the text forward in a manner that is logical. I find this very helpful.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (Emmanuel Acho): Over the past several years, I have tried to pick up books that help me understand the history of injustice that our nation has allowed that continues, sadly, during our lifetime. I am thankful that so many beautiful authors have recognized the need for a national education. Acho provides a simple and profound read. He comes alongside the reader as if you were at a coffee shop with him chatting about life’s big questions. He is kind and yet clear. You won’t miss the point. One powerful excerpt: “Say you and I are in a race and the starting line official held me back for the first two hundred meters, giving you a two-hundred meter head start. If that were to happen, the only way to level out that race would be to either stop you from running or put me on a bike to catch up to you. This is white privilege in a nutshell.” Folks, it’s good. This could be a good one for the younger folks in our lives, with the help of an adult guide. (He’s also a former NFL player so that may get their attention.)

Untamed (Glennon Doyle): You may have seen this on several top books list. It was a runaway best seller in part due to Doyle’s transparent, fun and easy approach that she has within social media channels (and her excellent other books). She pretty much opens up her personal life for all to see and showcases vulnerability like none other. It’s honest and gritty. From the inside cover: “It is a story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live… discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her (their) full self to the table.”

If you are interested in others, just send me a message and I’ll be happy to share. There is just SO MUCH good in expanding your knowledge that I hope you might pick up at least one and give it a try.

For those who can’t do the reading thing, don’t even get me started on the podcast world. I will definitely have to do a top podcast review at some point. For the drive across town, or across the country as may be the case, podcasts are a genius way to achieve the same goal.

Praying many blessings over you today. I hope that you have the most incredible week ahead.