In recent weeks I have felt a tremendous amount of energy. It has manifested itself in my writing. Finding opportunities to write what is in my head and my heart as become very important and fulfilling.
Words have always been an important way for me to express myself. Much like a painter or sculptor who articulate their feelings in their art for me it is through writing and speaking words. The writing is a newer form of applying my gifts. In the past it has been in teaching and lecturing.
I am now looking forward to using this new found gift to make me a more affective communicator when I am on the platform. Lately the words seem to flow out of me faster than I can get them on paper.
Sharing what I am writing is important to me. I have this sense of what I have to say as being important and necessary yet I am concerned it is very much self-serving. My hope is those who read my words will be provoked, motivated, touched or encouraged to make positive change in their lives.
I have recently outlined my second book. Maybe this is a little ambitious since I haven’t finished writing the first. But this one has a very different feel. It will be a group of short stories about the lives of my grandparents and my childhood and remembrances of them. Whether it will ever get published is yet to be seen. Right now my goal is to tell these stories for me and as a legacy for my children, nieces and nephews.
God has called and continues to call me in amazing and unexpected ways. As my life continues to evolve away from the comfort of a long-term marriage I am now discovering the new doors which are open to me.
This summer I begin a speaking tour which will have me on the road for seventeen weeks between June first and the end of November. I could have never made this kind of commitment until recently.
This opportunity came to be because I was willing to take a chance and break out of my comfort zone and pay attention to what He was saying to me.
It is with great excitement and hope I look to the future and what God has in store for me. He continues to demonstrate His tremendous love for me. My goal is to be a reflection of this love to those I encounter.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Content or happy
Contentment may serve you well today but will make you stagnant tomorrow. Being content means you have come to a resting place of comfort. In order to be really happy you need to look for the next level of success and work a plan to achieve your new goals.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
1st chapter of my RTPOYP book-draft (comments welcome)
Why Are You Where You Are?
To understand where we want to go we first have to understand where we are and how we got here. In my years of work in outside sales I have spent more than one hundred nights per year in hotels. I have my favorite hotel chains and usually stay in the same brand of hotel. The downside to this is waking up and not knowing where I am. Usually this occurs on the fourth or fifth consecutive night on the road. I wake up look around and can't remember which city I am in. The interior of the room is the same as the interior of the rooms I have stayed in the previous several nights. But where am I? I'm never really sure until I am fully awake and look at the room key or my day planner to determine exactly which city I am in. Knowing where I am is compounded when I leave the hotel for dinner and return and can't remember my room number. Five nights, five different room numbers. "Let's see was it 325 or 315, no wait that was last night."
Just how did we get here? How did we get to this place where we are so unhappy, so unfulfilled? For most of us it has happened over time. We are consumed by the demands of daily life. In the book First Things First by Stephen Covey, the author talks about living by the compass and not the clock. Taking care of what is important instead of focusing on what is urgent.
There are so many demands on our time we often feel we are constantly running to the next 'urgent' task in our life. We forget to take the time to look at the important things and prioritize the important over the urgent. We are so busy with these daily demands we forget to stop and look around and ask ourselves, "Why am I where I am?" Most often it is because we have not paid attention to how we got here let alone why we are in this place.
The rut we find ourselves in has gotten very deep and very steep. And it may not seem worth the effort to get ourselves out. We are content to stay where we are no matter how unhappy we may be. It's just easier to park ourselves and have our own personal pity party rather than actually do something about our situation. We sit feeling sorry for ourselves, feeling there is no sense in trying to change. It won't make any difference if we try. So we choose the status quo rather than work towards fulfilling our dreams.
So many times I have spoken to individuals who are absolutely miserable with their current station in life. They are working in a dead end job they hate. With no prospects of advancement or fulfillment in their lives, they are simply going through the motions of living. Dragging themselves out of bed each morning, rushing off to a day of unhappiness at work. Feeling their only purpose is to bring home a paycheck. Then coming home and sitting through hours of mindless television before retiring for a night of unrest as they toss and turn over the day's futility.
It absolutely amazes me how these people complain and carry on about how truly miserable and discontented they are with their current situation. Yet they are not willing to do anything about changing. Too tired, too complacent or just too lazy, I'm not sure which. I am sure of one thing--As long as they don't do anything different--nothing will change.
What about you? Are you in the rut, unhappy with your lot in life? Are you miserable? Let’s begin to figure out why. When did you begin to feel unfulfilled? Think about the last time you were really happy with your life and the direction it was taking. For you, it may be easy to identify life-changing events, which forced you to make decisions taking you in a direction you had not planned. Or you may have to go all the way back to your childhood to find a time when you were really happy. It’s possible you have never felt truly fulfilled in your life. It is important to identify the beginning of your feeling of being unfulfilled. So you can begin to understand what it is which would make you feel fulfilled with your life.
What caused you to continue on this path of unhappiness? Life can get in the way of living our dreams and fulfilling our passion. It may be circumstances, which were out of our control. Financial need, family obligations or the demands of others may have caused you to fall away from the path, which you really wanted to follow.
Whatever the case--change begins today. Right here, right now. Procrastination and hesitation are now over and the time for change is now! As you begin this journey to a more fulfilled and passionate life there will be many detractors. Those things may include: current job security, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, outsiders telling you it can't be done, among many others.
Understand, the course you have chosen will not be easy. If it were you would have done it long ago. In the chapters, which follow, we will help you understand your passion, qualify it as a true direction for your life and help you to get started in realizing your dreams.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Excerpt from my yet unpublished book
Living a life of passion is living to the full measure of your God given gifts, utilizing your talents for the benefit of all, and realizing your full potential.
Finding Purpose
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thought
There is no original thought, just the utilization of the knowledge we have gained through life experiences. Think about it.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Celebrate an empty tomb
It is seems appropriate to wake up this morning to darkness and rain. After all it is Good Friday. This is the day they hung Christ on the cross and he died for our sins. The concept of Christ dying for our sins has always caused me to pause to think.
If he had simply died there would be no story. Like the two who were crucified with him, he would have been the subject of just another public execution. There would have been nothing else to know. The scribes and Pharisees would have been right. He was just another scripture quoting do-gooder who was trying to make a name for himself.
In my mind the cross, while a symbol of Christianity, a reminder of Christ’s suffering, there is a much more important and significant symbol of us as Christians—The empty tomb. It is here where we learn the importance of Christ and the significance of his earthly ministry. It is in the rolled away stone and the pile of burial linens we discover the great message of Jesus.
Today, we reflect on the humiliating public death of Jesus. We see the crowd of followers who turned away from him. We think of the one of his own who denied him and of Judas who turned him over to the authorities. And we may be sad or angry.
We now realize it is on this day which Jesus fought for our salvation. He went toe to toe with evil and set us right. So, while his death is important it is the work he did and the fact he came back to us which make this weekend important.
In the empty tomb we find hope and recognize Jesus as Christ. In dying he died for each of us. But it is in the empty tomb we realize he lived so we may live.
So my friends, acknowledge his death, but celebrate his life and live with the understanding that there is an empty tomb where we all received eternal life. Happy Easter!
If he had simply died there would be no story. Like the two who were crucified with him, he would have been the subject of just another public execution. There would have been nothing else to know. The scribes and Pharisees would have been right. He was just another scripture quoting do-gooder who was trying to make a name for himself.
In my mind the cross, while a symbol of Christianity, a reminder of Christ’s suffering, there is a much more important and significant symbol of us as Christians—The empty tomb. It is here where we learn the importance of Christ and the significance of his earthly ministry. It is in the rolled away stone and the pile of burial linens we discover the great message of Jesus.
Today, we reflect on the humiliating public death of Jesus. We see the crowd of followers who turned away from him. We think of the one of his own who denied him and of Judas who turned him over to the authorities. And we may be sad or angry.
We now realize it is on this day which Jesus fought for our salvation. He went toe to toe with evil and set us right. So, while his death is important it is the work he did and the fact he came back to us which make this weekend important.
In the empty tomb we find hope and recognize Jesus as Christ. In dying he died for each of us. But it is in the empty tomb we realize he lived so we may live.
So my friends, acknowledge his death, but celebrate his life and live with the understanding that there is an empty tomb where we all received eternal life. Happy Easter!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
To My Son Kyle
Reposted from Friday, November 09, 2007
August 29, 1993
Dear Kyle,
I was sitting with you in my arms today and watched you sleeping. I couldn't help but notice those tiny little hands.
As I sat there and examined your tiny little hands, I couldn't help but wonder what would become of those hands in your lifetime. Would they toil in hard labor, becoming callused and hard? Maybe they would pen words that would inspire generations to come. Possibly they would point the way as you lead men into battle. Maybe they would mold great works of art from a clump of clay.
Could they play inspired music to soothe the soul? Would they produce the cure for dreaded disease? Maybe develop the plan for a leveraged buyout. Is it possible that they could hold the bat that wins the deciding game of the World Series, throws the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl or sinks the twelve-foot putt to win the Masters?
And as I sat there I also thought of the things I hoped for those hands and the little man who owned them.I hope that they will serve you well in all you try. I hope you will learn from their exploration of this big old world. May they allow you to hold on to all that's important in your life.
As they wipe the sweat from your brow, may you find satisfaction in a job well done. May they defend you well when faced with adversity? May they also hold you back to reason before fighting. It's O.K. to back down but never back away from those things that you truly believe.
I hope these hands will know the gentle touch of a good woman and loving children. May they never be too busy to hold those things that are truly important in your life? And even though they may grow tough and hard may they also be gentle enough to reassure and comfort those in need.
In closing, I want to remind you to get down on your knees and fold those little hands to give thanks to a loving and caring God that makes all we have in this life possible.
Love, Daddy
August 29, 1993
Dear Kyle,
I was sitting with you in my arms today and watched you sleeping. I couldn't help but notice those tiny little hands.
As I sat there and examined your tiny little hands, I couldn't help but wonder what would become of those hands in your lifetime. Would they toil in hard labor, becoming callused and hard? Maybe they would pen words that would inspire generations to come. Possibly they would point the way as you lead men into battle. Maybe they would mold great works of art from a clump of clay.
Could they play inspired music to soothe the soul? Would they produce the cure for dreaded disease? Maybe develop the plan for a leveraged buyout. Is it possible that they could hold the bat that wins the deciding game of the World Series, throws the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl or sinks the twelve-foot putt to win the Masters?
And as I sat there I also thought of the things I hoped for those hands and the little man who owned them.I hope that they will serve you well in all you try. I hope you will learn from their exploration of this big old world. May they allow you to hold on to all that's important in your life.
As they wipe the sweat from your brow, may you find satisfaction in a job well done. May they defend you well when faced with adversity? May they also hold you back to reason before fighting. It's O.K. to back down but never back away from those things that you truly believe.
I hope these hands will know the gentle touch of a good woman and loving children. May they never be too busy to hold those things that are truly important in your life? And even though they may grow tough and hard may they also be gentle enough to reassure and comfort those in need.
In closing, I want to remind you to get down on your knees and fold those little hands to give thanks to a loving and caring God that makes all we have in this life possible.
Love, Daddy
Clarity
It is 4am. I have been awake for about an hour. This is my best time of day. It is a time of clarity. A time I give myself to think about where I am and where I am going, To review yesterday and plan for today.
What lessons did I learn and how will I utilize them today? What opportunities did I seize and what did I leave sitting? Where did I find God? And where did he find me? How will today be used to serve his purpose? Where will I be God's hands and feet today?
Am I using the gifts He has given me for the greatest good? Have I measured up and have I been and done all he has called me to do?
Giving myself permission to fail and knowing the redeeming love of my God is my salvation for the times I come up short in being all God has called me to do. I can only do my best and let God do the rest.
What lessons did I learn and how will I utilize them today? What opportunities did I seize and what did I leave sitting? Where did I find God? And where did he find me? How will today be used to serve his purpose? Where will I be God's hands and feet today?
Am I using the gifts He has given me for the greatest good? Have I measured up and have I been and done all he has called me to do?
Giving myself permission to fail and knowing the redeeming love of my God is my salvation for the times I come up short in being all God has called me to do. I can only do my best and let God do the rest.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Remembering Grandma Tuecke
Today my grandmother passed away. I feel extremely blessed to have had her in my life for so long. She is the last of my grandparents. Each of them were very different people and each gave me very diverse gifts.
Grandma Tuecke was the one who gave me the need to keep family important in my life. She was all about keeping tangible remembrances of loved ones. I have many items from each grandparent which will be physical reminders of their importance in my life.
From Grandma Tuecke I have a cookbook she wrote. It is as much a history of her life as it is a list of recipes and ingredients. In fact there are many errors in the recipes. One in which she lists 34 cups of flour. I think she meant 3/4 cup.
The truly amazing thing is she compiled this cookbook after her eightieth birthday. She bought a computer, learned to use it, edited, published, and printed the book by herself. An amazing feat for anyone but particularly amazing for a woman of her age.
Grandma was truly an amazing woman. She was a doer, always having a project she was working on. Whether it was making ceramics, looming a blanket, painting or publishing a cookbook. She was a woman of many talents.
Today I feel sorrow. My last conversation with her was a couple of months ago. She encouraged me to keep my chin up as I was going through some difficult times. Yes, she taught me to treasure the physical remembrances but most of all I will treasure her life and the many blessings she brought to my life. I love you grandma!
Grandma Tuecke was the one who gave me the need to keep family important in my life. She was all about keeping tangible remembrances of loved ones. I have many items from each grandparent which will be physical reminders of their importance in my life.
From Grandma Tuecke I have a cookbook she wrote. It is as much a history of her life as it is a list of recipes and ingredients. In fact there are many errors in the recipes. One in which she lists 34 cups of flour. I think she meant 3/4 cup.
The truly amazing thing is she compiled this cookbook after her eightieth birthday. She bought a computer, learned to use it, edited, published, and printed the book by herself. An amazing feat for anyone but particularly amazing for a woman of her age.
Grandma was truly an amazing woman. She was a doer, always having a project she was working on. Whether it was making ceramics, looming a blanket, painting or publishing a cookbook. She was a woman of many talents.
Today I feel sorrow. My last conversation with her was a couple of months ago. She encouraged me to keep my chin up as I was going through some difficult times. Yes, she taught me to treasure the physical remembrances but most of all I will treasure her life and the many blessings she brought to my life. I love you grandma!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
In times of trial
Over the past several months there have been a couple of extremely disturbing situations arise in the community I live. First, a young man raped and killed his wife’s sister and her unborn baby. Second, a young divorced father abducted his children. This past week the children and father were found, miles away, dead in an apparent murder/suicide. And today the young man pled guilty and was sentenced to fifty years in prison.
These two tragedies have had a profound impact on our community. There has been an outpouring of emotion on both ends of the spectrum from compassion and concern to sadness and anger. The papers are filled with coverage of these stories and everyone has an opinion about the reasons why.
The truth is there is no good answer for why these tragedies occurred. Angry young men who felt they could no longer deal with the pressures of society? A failed judicial system? Inadequate protections afforded those who lost their lives?
In the midst of the finger pointing and blame game there is a certain sense of uneasiness. After all this is your typical small Midwestern community. By and large we are a community of good, moral and faithful people. A community where we look out for our neighbors and have always felt safe and somewhat insulated from the hardness of the outside world.
The truth as evidenced by these recent acts is we are not immune from the pressures of those things which the country and world-at-large face every day. It is in how we deal which these kinds of events which marks us as community.
Over the past several weeks we have seen friends and strangers come to the aid and support of these families. Local churches have opened their doors for prayer services and time of healing and people with no connection to the families have provided support. Ribbons have been tied, fliers distributed, posters made and tokens of affection left on children’s desks.
Both of these tragedies beg for us to grasp something we cannot comprehend. We look to our faith and our God to bring comfort to us and to those left behind. We pray for healing for a family and a community and we ask God to continue to show his unconditional love to all of us. It is in Him we are able to move forward, find solace, and are comforted. It is in him those responsible for these acts will meet their final judgment and it is in him we can live in the knowledge that there is a hopeful future. May God bless us all.
These two tragedies have had a profound impact on our community. There has been an outpouring of emotion on both ends of the spectrum from compassion and concern to sadness and anger. The papers are filled with coverage of these stories and everyone has an opinion about the reasons why.
The truth is there is no good answer for why these tragedies occurred. Angry young men who felt they could no longer deal with the pressures of society? A failed judicial system? Inadequate protections afforded those who lost their lives?
In the midst of the finger pointing and blame game there is a certain sense of uneasiness. After all this is your typical small Midwestern community. By and large we are a community of good, moral and faithful people. A community where we look out for our neighbors and have always felt safe and somewhat insulated from the hardness of the outside world.
The truth as evidenced by these recent acts is we are not immune from the pressures of those things which the country and world-at-large face every day. It is in how we deal which these kinds of events which marks us as community.
Over the past several weeks we have seen friends and strangers come to the aid and support of these families. Local churches have opened their doors for prayer services and time of healing and people with no connection to the families have provided support. Ribbons have been tied, fliers distributed, posters made and tokens of affection left on children’s desks.
Both of these tragedies beg for us to grasp something we cannot comprehend. We look to our faith and our God to bring comfort to us and to those left behind. We pray for healing for a family and a community and we ask God to continue to show his unconditional love to all of us. It is in Him we are able to move forward, find solace, and are comforted. It is in him those responsible for these acts will meet their final judgment and it is in him we can live in the knowledge that there is a hopeful future. May God bless us all.
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