ContemplativeJourney

Yesterday I received an email from a former business associate. She was forwarding an article entitled, "10 Decisions that Leaders Make Everyday." I found it to be encouraging, and in some ways inspiring... I've been journaling about the list, and include it here in an abbreviated form...I hope it's an encouragement to you as well! 1. Decide to Focus. 2. Decide to Trust. 3. Decide to Set Higher Expectations. 4. Decide to Lead by Good Example. 5. Decide to Look for the Good. 6. Decide to Create a Positive Environment. 7. Decide to Engage! 8. Decide to Start What Needs to Be Done Right Now. 9. Decide to Stop Doing Whatever isn't Helpful. 10. Decide to Learn. It seems to me that the simplest principles can easily elude us, and yet, when reminded of the things on this list each day, I am encouraged that achieving these ideals is not impossible. Small, momentary decisions can lead to enormous and positive change, if we can simply slow down long enough to be aware of th

I read a quote recently on someone's Twitter, so I guess it was a "tweet"...it said something about finding the pocket, and when you find it, stay in it... If you didn't know much about football, the quote would have no meaning to you, but has stuck with me for several days now, and I think there's an important meaning behind the message. In football, the quarterback is protected (hopefully) by the offensive linemen...they block the defensive players in order to create a "pocket" from which the quarterback can throw the ball, or make a hand-off, or whatever the play calls for... Jittery quarterbacks, or perhaps just quarterbacks who have a poor group of offensive linemen, are often skittish, and leave the pocket too soon...they don't trust the protection of the pocket, and start scrambling sooner than they should...minimizing their team's chances for success on the play. In life, we are constantly engaged in a process of dealing with incoming pla

When I was about 10 years old, I wanted to plant a garden. My family lived in southern California at the time, and our backyard was 98% covered by swimming pool and concrete. Down the backside of the house, there was a strip of dirt about 8 inches wide, and 15 feet long...this strip of dirt was to become my vegetable garden. Actually, to call it a vegetable garden wouldn't be exactly accurate, because I think the only thing I planted was carrots. I planted my carrot seeds and carefully watered them...dutifully checking their progress each afternoon...when I finally discovered tiny greet sprouts peeking up from the dirt, I was ecstatic! Each day I continued to check my carrots...and each day, they showed only the tiniest evidence of progress. After just a few weeks, I couldn't wait any longer...I just HAD to see how they were doing...and the darned things grow underground, so I couldn't see anything at all. So...with the wisdom and impatience of a 10 year old, I decided that

I went to lunch today, thinking that I was going to meet a friend who I haven't seen in many years. This friend is looking for a job, and was hoping for a networking opportunity...something came up, and he didn't make our meeting...so I had a chance to enjoy a nice lunch, run an errand, and get back to the office early. Along the way, I realized what a good day it is today...a beautiful day...dangling on the cusp of fall, the heat has abated and cool air is lurking just over the northern horizon....but it isn't cool yet ...still, even a simple errand to Wal-Mart felt a bit more enjoyable today, because the season is changing, and I love the change of seasons. Wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart, I noticed that everyone seemed very friendly today, and I thought, "It's a good day..." A good day for enjoying the weather...a good day for eating your lunch outside...a good day for running errands...a good day to enjoy your family...and then, a song came to my mind,

When I was a child, I saw as a child...and understood as a child...but now it's time to put away childish things... So says the apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians...but is he right? I mean, perhaps there is a sense in which we must put away childish things, but in an interesting counterpoint to this perspective, Jesus is quoted as saying that we must become "like children" in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why the contradiction? What characterizes the way that a child sees life? Physiologically, it's important to realize that children do not have the capacity for abstract thought until they are well into adolescence...so truly, they see things in black and white...absent the presence of much nuance or abstraction. Children also see life, as most adults do, from an ego-centric perspective. In other words, "Of course it's all about me...who else do you think it's about???" And finally, children who have grown up in a fairly stable e

The title for today's entry is from Proverbs 14, verse 10. It is a verse that I think about quite a lot, but until I came across in last night's daily reading, I couldn't have told you where to find it. I believe the message of this proverb is truly wise. I know some folks in a ministry where I'm involved who say something similar, but with a slightly different twist: Spiritual formation is solitary work that cannot be done alone. The lesson then, is that we need each other, but in the most ultimate sense, each of us must travel our own journey. As much as I may wish to be "in" another person's mind and heart, sharing every one of their joys and sorrows, I will always be outside of their person, and they mine. It reminds me of my Mom's recent passing, one of the moments in life when we are forced to face our "separateness" from one another...when we pass from this life to the next, we cannot take anyone or anything along for the ride...we mus

Yesterday was a good day...busy...full of anticipation for friends coming to dinner, and for the first Cowboy game of the season. Dinner with friends was spectacular, the Cowboys game...not so much. At the end, it could have been spectacular...a miraculous win...but as it turned out, it disappointed with a thud, the result of the evening's last penalty...won of many such penalties throughout the game... Well, that was yesterday, and this is today, and the show must go on! I know that if you take the time to read this blog, you're not coming here for an update on the state of Cowboys football. I had a bad night where food was concerned, which is often the case when I host a party or dinner in my home. I can't exactly tell you why I ate badly, and too much, but I have some ideas about it...and will have to sort through that during the day today....in the future, I'll need a better strategy for this type of situation, because I truly enjoy hosting these events in my home,

Today's title is directed at me...not you...so not to worry! Sometimes when I read books, or scripture, or whatever the material, I have the very distinct feeling that the author is speaking directly to me...it can be just a tad uncomfortable, because it typically means that something in my character or behavior is in need of reform. Such has been the case last night and today...and while I am experiencing some discomfort, it feels good in the end, because I know the message is for my good, and I embrace the "correction" pointed my way! Last night I read Proverbs 12, in anticipation of today's date being the 12th...to be honest, I didn't get much from it...but it's possible that I was distracted by my dog sitting on top of my Bible in an effort to solicit my undivided attention. Nevertheless, I didn't have too much in the way of notes, and so I moved along to my New Testament reading, which was in Matthew 7. The Matthew passage is a famous one, as scriptur

Last night I sat down for my evening reading and journaling...I had missed Thursday night, and realized how much I missed the rhythm of the daily ritual. It felt good to collect my thoughts, read my daily Proverb(s), and plan my weekend. So when I awoke this morning, I was the proud owner of a 15-item "TO DO" list. A track, if you will, to keep the train of my life on course this weekend. Not just any "TO DO" list, mind you, my list contains exotic items like: do laundry, water the plants, pay the bills, load the dishwasher, take out the trash, and clean the bathrooms. Clearly, I am living the life of the rich and famous! In all seriousness, the presence of a list is both helpful and comforting...helpful because it gives me a tool to know where I need to focus my energy, and comforting because it removes the random nature of what a weekend can sometimes become when we have dozens of things to do, and no plan to do them. I have a direction in my efforts - I am lookin

Wow...the past 2 weeks has felt like an out-of-body experience...seriously, I keep wondering if it's gonna stick, or I'll wake up and everything will be back to the way it was before....it has been surreal and terrific, all at the same time! I was depressed, despondent, despairing...couldn't sleep...couldn't focus...it was really an ugly sight! What comes next is NOT a commercial for anti-depressants, though I've got nothing against them, and from June until last week, was taking Zoloft...I think everything started to change when I read the Dan Brown novel (The Lost Symbol). I think I even blogged about it at the time...not because I had any idea what an enormous change was coming, but because I was intrigued, in a clinical sort of way, by the concept of noetic science, and the power of our thoughts to change our lives. From this seemingly random event has followed an absolutely amazing transformation of my mind and heart...ideas are pouring out of my head like the

Yesterday I took a picture of a house under construction, and the backdrop to the photo was a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds...today...thunderstorms. It speaks to how quickly things can change...seasons can change, circumstances change...and when change comes, we must also change...if nothing else, we must change the set of our sail so that our boat continues to go in the direction we desire. I can't help but ponder the subject of perspective, and how our perspective changes everything about how we "do life" each day. To be honest, rain tends to bum me out...even though I'm grateful for it, and especially for the fact that I don't have to water the yard! So today, when I got up and it was pouring rain, it put a bit of a damper on my mood. I have a lot of work to get done today, quiet work...somewhere between contemplative and tedious in nature...so, I brought my little sand garden with candles to my office, turned on the CD player with very relaxing piano

I was on my way to pick up a friend this morning, and drove by the house pictured here. Under construction, it intriqued me enough to want a picture of it. I've always had a fascination with homes that are under construction...a fascination that seems to be limited to homes, because I have no similar interest in commercial construction. The process of building a home is endlessly interesting to me. I built a home in 2005, and remember how fascinated I became with every step in the process...the framing, installation of windows and roof...drywalling...and in this part of the country, the brickwork. Have you ever stopped and watched a bricklayer work? There is something about the precision and angles, and cutting of the bricks to fit the space that I love to watch...it is a craft! Just thinking about it makes me want to build another house! As I've thought about the idea of fashioning the life I want to live, I'm reminded that I am myself a 'construction zone.' I am

I have an admission to make...I have had a fantastic 2 weeks! If you've read any of this blog, you already know that I've been mostly wallowing in misery for the past 3 months...first because of the end of a relationship, and second (maybe I shouldn't rank these two items, because one really is not more significant than the other)...because I knew that my Mom was dying. The risk of saying I've had a fantastic 2 weeks is that people will read this and think that I've minimized either of these very significant events in my life...which is absolutely not the case. I had made some good progress on the adjustment process required of the end of a dating relationship, but had a pretty severe setback during the first week of August...if the old saying is true, "it's always darkest before the dawn...", then I would say the first week of August was one of the darkest times I've journeyed through in quite a long time. Somewhere during that week, I made a dec

It's funny to me that when I started reading a few chapters of the Bible every evening before bed, I suddenly began to have all kinds of new ideas about blogging subjects. Last night, as is my new daily routine, I read one Proverb (chapter 2). I read the Proverb for the next calendar day , because in Judaism, 6pm in the evening is the beginning of the new day...thus, on the evening of the 1st day of the month, I read chapter 2, and so on... I have always liked Proverbs 2, and have summarized, in my abbreviated words, the key encouragement from this chapter: The Lord gives wisdom He is a shield to the blameless He holds victory in store for the upright He guards the course of the just, and protects the way of those who are faithful. If you seek him, wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to you soul. My favorite phrase in these verses is "pleasant to your soul...", which has such a comforting sound to it. Oftentimes, I find the most meaningful lesson i

Today has been a busy day, and given my recent struggles to stay focused in my work, it's been a productive day. During a brief 'after lunch' break, I wanted to take a moment to write down some thoughts I have about the subject of journaling. When I was 16 years old, I read The Shadow of the Almighty , a biography of the life of Jim Elliott, written by his wife Elizabeth Elliott. Jim and Elizabeth were both missionaries to the Aucan Indians during the 1950s, living in the Amazon for several years until Jim was killed by the Indians. His story, and hers, made a big impression on me at the age of 16, and most notably, introduced me to the idea of keeping a spiritual journal. For many years I faithfully kept a journal, almost to the point of becoming legalistic about it, because I began to see it as an external way to demonstrate my spirituality. For many and various reasons, I stopped journaling in recent years, and have only just now started to journal again on a regular bas