Video Beauty

Beauty and poetry come in many forms. Video is not one that usually heads that list. This short piece might begin to change that.



(bu to Curtis H. via Twitter)

Every Life Has A Story

I don't care who you are, what you do, where you work, how you pay the bills, what your passions are, or how you are looking to make a difference, leave a legacy or have an impact...this video speaks to the heart of the matter: people matter. Their stories matter. Their lives matter.

So whether you are in sales, customer service, accounting, youth ministry, education, counseling, medicine, social justice, or politics, when you look across the proverbial table do you a number, stat, data, client, bottom line, AYP, or your job OR do you see a heart, mind, body, soul, and story that was created uniquely by Love?

May this recalibrate our vision of who we are, what we do, and who we encounter, know, and serve.



(bu to Dave via Twitter)

The Difference 6 Months Can Make

I'm nearly at the end of my first unofficial official sabbatical. I wasn't given paid leave by my educational institution. I wasn't told it's time to rest and refresh my heart, mind, and soul by the Church. Nope. I simply knew it was time to take a step back from the "official", organized church experience and garner a new perspective from the heart of God.

It all started back at the end of July. I was finishing up my second masters degree at the University of Dayton and was recently hired by a high school on the west side of Cincinnati to be a school counselor. I was also the part-time interim youth pastor at a local church here in south Dayton. Lots going on. I needed some time away to gather my thoughts, seek some direction, and process what God was up to in my life.

So with the blessing of my wife, I flew to San Diego to spend some time with a couple of great friends and mentors and their families to sort through through my soul (Thanks, Ed/Linda and Marko/Jeannie!).

After some conversations and much prayer about taking a sabbatical from church, I took the unconventional step of faith into this new place. And it's been good, very good, for me.

Here are a few of quick learnings and healings:

1. God has been so good to me. Specifically for me in this season that has practically translated into this deep sense that He is being very patient with me and very gracious. Who walks away from "the bride of Christ" and feels like the Groom is saying, "Go for it. It's all good. In fact, I'll be right there with you loving my time with you."?

2. The Church is a wonderful people and place. I'm excited about re-entering the stream of community that is so vital to me (and the rest of us for that matter) as we live life on the mountain tops, valley bottoms, and every terrain in between. I'm excited about using my life, experiences, gifts, and faith to love and lead people to Jesus.

3. I find myself spiritually healthier as I experience the family of God that gathers in formal and informal settings. What does that mean? I find myself less cynical, critical, and even bitter at times as I walk with the broken people of God and the organism charged with going into all the earth to join with the active work of God in redeeming a lost and broken world. Because I feel I have been judged harshly in my work for God, I was turning around judging the work of the Church more harshly, too. I sense that God has been healing that area in subtle and profound ways...grace. And I was in turn giving that grace back to the people and place that hurt me...grace. Grace received. Grace given away.

There is so much more and I am slowly understanding it. Patiently. Graciously. Courageously.

My family (Kelly/kids, immediate family/parents/bros/sis) has been great...thanks! Some key friends here in Dayton and around the country have been good for me, too, asking questions, pushing my thinking, and praying for the whole of me. Thanks!

I know more stuff will rise to the surface of my life in the next six months and beyond - healthy and unhealthy. And because of this intentional sabbatical, I am better prepared to receive that stuff (whatever that "stuff" is), work with it alongside Jesus, and be transformed.

FIFA World Cup Commercials

I loved playing soccer growing up. Played for almost 10 years. But as I got older, I grew a little cold to the game I played for so long. Often I took the stance of my favorite radio sports personality, Jim Rome, who says "soccer is a only a reason to riot".

With that being said, my heart has been thawing as I watch the 75th NFL Draft on ESPN. They have been running these brilliant adds marketing the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They have used voice over work from Bono and the music of his band, U2, in the commercials. They are awesome.

Makes me wanna watch soccer again. Here a couple of my favorites for you viewing pleasure:

Post Easter Humpday Reminder

Just a reminder to live in light of this game changing truth and event. Just because Easter is "over", doesn't mean we forget it and stop living in light of it.

Hosanna!



(bu to Marko)

What If...

You know they say...you can take the man out of youth ministry, but you can't take the youth ministry out of the man. It's really true. I've been out of youth ministry for almost 6 months, but yet find myself thinking about nearly everyday. Not sure why. Regret? Guilt? Meditation? Future planning? Who knows.

One of the things I was thinking about the other day while I was walking the dog (real dog not yo-yo) was events/programming. Worship services vs outreach events and environments of faith vs environments of show.

If we are going to help our students live real, authentic, intentional lives in the real world, I think we need to help them live by faith. Times/places in their lives where they trust God with who they are, what He cares about, and how that intersects to impact people with the gospel.

Faith that pushes them to live in community with deeply caring and committed people who will walk with us in those scary places and during those scary times.

Faith that invites us to know ourselves better: how God has made us to point people to Jesus and what experiences God has allowed to go through in order to share the story of God in our lives (and other's lives).

Faith that causes us to lean into God and love him and others by what we do: inviting others to understand God and his gospel more clearly, share with others our story and God story and how they can experience amazing grace, caring for others by meeting their physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs even when we don't think we have the skills, experience, or knowledge how to.

How do we help our students live in faith filled ways? What environments are best suited for helping our students trust God in his kingdom theater? How do we hinder our students/kids from living lives of faith?

Let's commit to helping our kids understand their gifts, wiring, and passions. Let's help our kids use their gifts, wiring, and passions to advance the kingdom in their world. Let's help our students engage their friends, culture, and world in relational ways that tell others about life and love of Jesus. Let's create environments - small/big and/or showy/simple - that helps students join in and see God show up.

John Mayer's "Free Falling"

Tom Petty's "Free Falling" is an all-time favorite of mine. But this John Mayer version is better than the original IMHO. I know Mayer can be one of those love/hate or hot/cold kind of artists, but I think you have to admit this pretty amazing. This cover is right up there with other great covers like Alien Ant Farm and their take on "Smooth Criminal".



(bu to Graham)

Blow Us Away

Think the world could be better, greater, kinder, or more beautiful. How about more creative, more teachable, or more inspiring? Listen to this young lady and ask yourself, "Maybe being childish is part of the answer and solutions."

I love the line at the back end of the presentation that basically calls adults, mentors, teachers, youth workers, and youth pastors to "create environments where kids can grow up and blow us away." Love that idea!

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

Tron Legacy

The first Tron was great. The second Tron looks epic!

Bad Day? Watch This!

This will most assuredly put a smile on your face no matter the kind of day you had.

The song is "This Too Shall Pass".

These guys are sick! I wish I had an a fraction of the creativity they do...some of the most original videos on this planet. This one is no exception! Watch the video below first and then go here to see an alternate version of the song. I love that they do a lot of their videos in one take with one camera.



And if you have nothing better to do (and haven't seen it already), here is the video that started it all for OK Go...the best!

(bu to Curtis H. via Twitter)

The Downside of Talent

Talent. We all have one or some. We love it when we get to use them. We enjoy the praise that comes when others notice ours. We get frustrated when we don't get to use them.

We wish we had others. We admire those who have different ones than ours. We enjoy watching others use their.

At the end of the day, you and I will be held accountable for how we use them whether we believe that will be by our boss and/or our Maker in heaven. That will come at a review or a termination or a pay raise. Or at that face-to-face meeting we have have with God upon entering his eternal presence in heaven when we says, "Well done, good and faithful servant," or "You wicked and lazy servant!" (Matthew 25:14-30)

I started reflecting on this truth when I recently read an article about Michael Vick's reflection on his time playing football in Atlanta. He looks back with regret on his time in there because he was "complacent, lazy and settled for mediocrity." He relied on his legs - his talents - to get him by and it cost him, that organization and the fans.

Then this morning I read this article about Apolo Ohno and his run at being the most decorated winter Olympic athlete ever. It states how early in his career, Ohno, won on pure talent and sheer speed that at times won him victories, but at other times cost him gold medals. The article goes on to say what got him to the medal stand last night was not just his talent, but his willingness to prepare.

God is using both of these to convict, grow and guide me. I think for most of my vocational life, I have been relying on talent and living off the hype as a can't miss success with students.

Now don't get me wrong, I have worked hard and long hours. But that is very different than preparing in the little (but big) ways to get the "biggest return" on my talent especially when I was pursuing my dream of serving as a youth pastor. You see the downside of talent is I/we end up relying on it at the expense of not preparing well, listening to others, and, ultimately, not walking by faith in the area of work.

I don't know if I'll be back in full-time vocational ministry ever again, but through lots of personal reflection, I acknowledge like Vick, I have dropped the ball with my talent. But I hope live and lead out the second half of my career with the will to prepare and humility to seek God and trust him whether it be in education, ministry, or somewhere else so as to squeeze the most I can out of what He has graciously given me.

So the question I have for you: how have you been affected by the downside of talent? Where have you cut you or other short because you relied solely on talent and not the other "little" things to maximize what God has given you?

Valentine's Day Chance

For all my friends out there looking for love, wondering if Mr. or Ms. Right is out there, and not looking forward to another Valentine's Day, I give you hope...in a funny sort of way.

Worth, Value, and the Problem of Words

One of the cool things I get to do in my job is meet with students and their families to talk about life after high school. We gather together around the round table in my office for me to listen to their hopes and dreams, ask questions about who they are and what they are passionate about, and offer some insight and support to the process of figuring out this huge time of transition.

A tool we we use to help juniors figure out where they are at in relation to college readiness is a standardized test called the PSAT. It helps student and parents gauge what areas they doing well in, what areas need work, and how improve in those areas both in the classroom and on the test. In the midst of these conversations, I notice students and many times "feel" students equating worth and value to the scores on this (and other) test, as well as, grades, GPA, and class rank.

On a couple of occasions, I have had to halt the meeting for a redefining of personal worth and refocusing of why they are valuable. You see students (especially high achieving girls, I've noticed) start tearing up when they see their test score that might not meet their expectations, not high enough for college they are looking at, and be where their other friends are scoring. When I stop and ask what they are feeling, the answers of each student can be summed up in one phrase: "I'm not good enough."

Their value is so tied up in the personal, family, and institutional expectations that are project on them that they begin to define their own value and worth based on this educational data. It's so sad. Thus, the "timeout" to redefine self-worth/personal value.

I've struggled not with having these conversations (they are priceless and powerful), but with using the words worth and value to define how a person "measures up". So I've reworking the word "significance" into my vocabulary during these important meetings.

I think significance is ab better word But should I throw out the baby with the bath water and not use worth and value? The reason I ask, is because worth and value have the connotations of being linked with money, goods, services, and stuff. All the things that humanity uses to determine their place in this world (thanks, Michael W. Smith). If we are going to get people and especially students to think of themselves differently, I wonder if a change in vocabulary is in order.

Just some thoughts. What do you think?

Recognizing My Idols

I'm realizing more and more that I'm an idolizing person. I love me my idols. Now I don't say that with pride, but more with a sense of "Dang it...I don't want these..I don't want this to be me."

What's ironic is that we live in an country that glamorizes, even promotes having idols. Heck, we have a hugely popular reality show called, American Idol, don't we? It's hard for us, for me, to not have idols. And the rub is that God calls us to have no persons, things, stuff, gadgets, gizmos, money, etc. that supplants Him as the priority, that which satisfies our soul.

And so over the last few days, God's been working on me in a couple of areas. I haven't quite finished processing these issues in these areas, but here are some thoughts:

Emotional Arena: I've settled for being OK. I've worked towards health (personal retreat to SD, CA, organized church sabbatical, commitment to walk with God through times of quiet, serving my co-workers, praying for my neighbors, etc), but for some reason I still feel like it's OK to sometimes (maybe even lots of times) settle for personal frustration and disappointment with my life and with others. That's an idol I need to deal with.

Family Arena: This one hurts, but it flows from the personal arena. In light of some of my disappointment/frustration with myself (for whatever reason), I have not been very engaging with my family relationally, emotionally, and spiritually. I've made the choice to be pseudo-engaged by working on our finances claiming (defending/justifying to myself) that it is THE priority for our family in this current season. It's not good. I've got to enter the room of Grace and allow God to love and heal. I've got to acknowledge to myself, Kelly, Sarah, and Parker that I've fallen short by not giving them the best, healthiest me that they deserve.

Stuff Arena: Computer, financial managing (watch dogging), Facebook, music and others. I've got to set some boundaries that give me the space to engage God, my family, and my heart in meaningful ways. My friend, Charlie, recently talked about that with Facebook.

These are some of my idols that God is saying needs reorganizing, reprioritizing, and possibly even eliminating. I'm stoked I'm not going to be doing this solo. Jesus is there saying, "Together. You and me, son. Never alone. Me, you, and my all sufficient grace." My family will be helping me, too.

So...In light of that, I had better jump off the computer, stop blogging, quit idolizing myself and the gadgets that help me process/communicate and get my family outside for some serious play time, memory making, and laughfest on this awesome snow day!

Thanks, Jesus, for reminding me of my weak tendency to pursue and prioritize things that are not You. You grace is a healing balm that gives me hope and courage to reset and move past my idols. You and your grace are enough! Amen.

Championship Sunday - Head vs Heart

It's a good day to be a football fan, particularly a NFL football fan. Colts vs Jets. Saints vs Vikings. All sorts of great match-ups, story lines, and players/coaches are taking place today. I can't wait to watch.

The first game of the day is the one my heart is most into. Having lived in Indy for 4 years, I will be rooting for the Colts. They do have the better team overall and should win. But the J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets! are confident, hot and on a roll. That worries me a bit. However, Colts have the most cerebral quarterback of his generation (along with made physical skills to back it up): Peyton Manning. He's already seen this defense once playing at it's best...huge advantage for Peyton. So at the end of the day, I'm going with my head based on his football head...the Colts. I'll miss you Rex Ryan and your awesome press conferences.

Second game of the day is much tougher to pick. I could go into all sorts of reasons for picking the Vikes or the Saints. But I am not going to bore you. So I am picking with my heart on this one. I'm hoping for the Saints. That team wants this. That city needs this. I think it would be awesome if they got to the Super Bowl. Nothing against Favre and the men in purple, but this is the feel good story that I want to see and hear about for the next two weeks. So Saints it is. Maybe you can make another run at it next year Brett. Or maybe not. Or maybe. Or...

Colts vs Saints in the Superbowl. Head vs Heart. Here's to some great games!

Preying on the Poor

I believe in a free market society. I believe that capitalism works. But this makes me wish I hadn't voted to support "advance check" businesses in my city and community.


budget planner – Mint.com

Santa vs the Current Fiscal Policies

So close it's not even funny albeit a little scary.

I Have A Dream

I've probably watched this 50 times in my life for one reason or another. It never grows old. Never gets tired. Never ceases to inspire me. It never stops capturing my imagination about social justice and racial reconciliation.

I'm in the Game. Are you?

I made a difference in the world and so can you!

I made a donation to World Vision to help someone overcome poverty and to help the relief effort in Haiti. It was easy to find the right donation opportunity with over 100 ways to give. It only takes a few minutes to make a difference in our world, specifically Haiti. I encourage you to go experience it for yourself today!

Simply click on the link below to see what you can do to help a child or family in need.

www.worldvision.org

This hits home for our family because we sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic, the other country that shares the same island as Haiti. The ripple effects are huge there, as well. But as we have been praying for the people of Haiti, as well as, the worker helping in the relief efforts, we knew we had to get in the game.

So as I have been praying, I knew I couldn't go, but I knew we could give. Trust me when I say the budget in the Rings house is tight. Every penny matters in this season of life. But we just had to get in the game in a tangible way. I am so glad we did. It matters for what it models to my kids to be apart of the poor and hurting. It matters to the Kingdom of God as we participate in God's plan of mercy and compassion. It matters to the people of Haiti where every dollar saves a life, provides food, and helps in the recovery/rebuilding effort.

So what will you do this in this time of devastation? Stay on bench or get in the game?

What Are the Outcomes

This gave me a chuckle this morning, as well as giving me some things to ponder...