Yesterday I went down to my old stomping grounds of Atlanta for a meeting and to spend some time with my wife. Our first stop was to IKEA, the super super wal-mart of Sweeden. First off, I was not to convinced that it would be a good stop because of previous encounters with customer service representitives on the phone. (Their website said they had a piece of furniture, but when we called they said they did not. I ask why the website would say that and they said they didn’t know, but don’t come because we do not have it!). Talking about 2 different worlds. The inside was nice. The people were nice. And they even had a kiosk with maps of the store, pencils to take notes with, and rulers to measure the furniture if you left yours at home. I left with a totally different impression.
We next went to a lunch and got to hear from Donald Miller. He was interviewed by Gabe Lyons. Donald spoke about the idea of “story“. We all are part of a story and recognizing that will help us in our journey in life. Also, stories are what people remember. Learning to tell not only good stories, but the right stories. Some stories are not worth telling, but some are. Deciding which ones are crucial. That was a great thought for me right now will all that we’re doing with World Causes and Free Chains.
It was really cool to hear from Donald. He was very honest and real. If you have not read any of his stuff, you need to. Seriously, here’s a link. Get a copy. Read it. Discuss it.
It was also good to meet some new friends and connect with some other ones. It was great to have my wife with me for the day too.
Interesting (actually sad) article from the AP. The two parents who let their daughter die because the refused to take her to a doctor are facing 25 years in prison. They said their daughters sickness was a test of faith and that God would heal her. The article quotes them as saying, they believe in the Bible, and healing takes place in the Bible, so, their daughter will be healed.
Well, I pretty sure wisdom, logic, and seeking council are also in there. Is faith asking God to do something and believing he will? Or is faith trusting God after he tells us something to do?
Did you know that 1.2 billion people in the world do not have access to clean water? Imagine drinking the same water the neighbors brush their teeth with and the other neighbors clean their dogs, and your other neighbors across the street use the bathroom in. The reality is, we can’t imagine that. It seems utterly unimaginable. But that is reality for so many people.
Here’s a thought, instead of buying a case of bottled water this week, why not take that money and send to provide clean water somewhere. You can reuse your bottles from last week and fill them up in the sink.
Here’s a way that you can help provide clean water: Rwanda Clean Water is a way to provide sustainable clean water to hundreds of people. For about $20 you can give clean water to someone for their life!
Wow. This commercial blew me away last night. (Sorry if it’s been running a while, I just saw it…trying to cut back on the tube). This was exactly what I’ve been thinking about with this new generation. The question once again is, am I willing to do the hard work “off the court”, so that I can become legendary on the court? And not that being known is the goal. The goal is to use every once of the ability and talent God has entrusted to us. When we do that God is pleased. I’ve been thinking a lot about what that takes for me; i.e.: how I use my time. Jordan took full advantage of his time…and it paid off. Check out the clip and see if there are areas in your life where you think “it will just happen” with out working on it. I know I was convicted:
Great weekend. Had a great time at church today. We took some friends for the first time and we had a good time. Perry talked about money. Always a scary topic, especially when bringing guests for the first time, but Perry knocked it out of the park. Key take away…God wants us to be generous. He said to visitors that “we don’t need you money. God has paid the bills at New Spring and will continue to do so.” But we are to be generous. It means we take our eyes off of our selves. Tough topic. Great talk.
A new week coming up. Lots going on.
-Our new Free Chain is getting closer. New design. Its going to be sweet.
-Red Salon lunch on Tuesday. Good to catch up with the many amazing friends doing awesome stuff. Daniel, Gabe, Jeff, Greg, Todd, Jennifer and some others will be there. I’m bringing Betsey too. Should be a great time.
-Couple new ideas are getting off the ground. Really excited about those.
-Time to be more efficient with my time. Going to guard my zone this week.
I have become radically passionate over the last year about recycling and trash. We don’t have a recycling bin at our office building, so I have been rinsing out used cans and plastic trays and bringing them back to my house to recycle. It’s probably a couple of cans a week that get saved from the landfill. But over a few years, that’s a lot of cans. And what if I could get those in my office to do the same? That’s a lot more cans. I guess the problem is that we don’t see the immediate value because the impact seems so small. So, does my 3-4 cans a week matter?
So, my wife deserves an award. On her day off, she decided to not only clean the entire house, but also to organize all the junk places in the house. She organized my t-shirt drawer, my books (that was an amazing accomplishment) and my work stuff. Not to mention old paper work for taxes. The woman was on fire. And to top it all off, she had dinner ready for me and our two friends!
I was listening to an interview yesterday with Andy Stanley and he mentioned something about how he uses his time. If you’ve been any where near North Point, you know there is some serious amount of effective time usage there. Here’s the takeaway I got: Find the times during the day and week when you are most productive and maximize those times. Guard those time slots with intensity. When are the times when I can get the most done? When are my most creative times? When are the hours when I’m just not there?
I think my most productive hours are in the mornings before 11 and then from 3-6 in the afternoon and usually not at home. Having the option of working from home is great, however, it can be a large distraction. I know for me, it helps tremendously if I get out of the house.
The new goal for the week is to restructure my schedule around those key times. I’ll try and plan all meetings, sales opportunities, phone calls, etc not in my zone times. We’ll see what happens.
When is your zone and what can you do to protect it?
Wow…life is crazy sometimes. We just got back from small group, which we’ve been meeting for almost a year now, and it is amazing at the stuff that happens to people. Whether it is a sick family member, sudden job issues, or uncertainty about the future, there are those things that happen in life that you can not explain in the moment. We ask why. We question God. We feel alone. And all of this is normal and I’d add, it okay.
The question is not whether you question why things happen, the question is, during the tough and uncertain times, does it make you bitter or better? A great principle I’ve learned (but seldom apply) is that in every situation, you have the opportunity to learn something new, or reinforce something old. In times of uncertainty, or even times of perfect clarity, God will continue to teach us, if we remain open to learning.
So, it’s okay to question when uncertain things happen. If you think its “less spiritual” or “shows a lack of faith” or any other cheesy quotation stuff, then don’t read the Psalms, you’ll be upset. Psalm 143 is an amazing look into David’s heart as he is troubled at his current situation. David questions and begs God for answers. He admits he does not know which way to go, but this does not make him bitter. It forces him to place his trust [verse 8] in God, which in the end will only make him better.
Greg is a social entrepreneur and founder of the non profit, World Causes. World Causes seeks to engage people in all sectors of society to fight the issues of Poverty, Injustice and Epidemic Diseases, by providing creative ways for involvement. Greg has led all the creative initiatives of World Causes, including the Free Chains campaign to end child sex trafficking. He is married to Betsey, a beautiful first grade teacher. They live in Greenville, SC.
