Story of Stuff

you have to go to this site and watch this video.  below is a link to an excerpt of the video to give you a little teaser for it.  the video on the website is 20 minutes or so, so block off some time for it and be prepared to feel a little uncomfortable.  

The Story of Stuff - extraction

enjoy....or something...

what is following like?

i love reading leadership blogs, books, anything related to growing me as a leader...i am into. so much so, that some times i forget what it is like to follow. more importantly, following Christ. you know some times it is just easier to do it on my own. i mean, for crying out loud...it is hard to follow an invisible God that seemingly is always throwing curve balls at you. or is he?

i read this great story in the old testament today, out of 1 samuel 15 , it is about samuel following God, hoping saul follows him and saul almost got it right. and he does what i do, he pretends that he tried to do the right thing. but instead, he disobeys the Lord. and the Lord says something that scares the hell out of me. he says he was sorry that he appointed saul as king of israel.

sometimes i have likened following Christ to working out. saying, it seems, from an out of shape guy, that before you go to the gym and look like an idiot...you ought to get in shape a little bit and figure out what it is your doing before you go in there with all those muscle bound, lean, mean, perfect people. but i aslo think it is like this aspect of working out...i want to be in shape. i want to look good and live a healthy life style...but at the end of most days, i have eaten way more calories than i have burned...and i just settle for the lifestyle and figure that i already have.
i dont know about you, but i never want to hear that the Lord is sorry he chose me for the plan that he has for my life. NEVER!

so, i took some steps to help me in this journey.

• i wrote out a covenant with the Lord. i was honest with where i am and i made a vow to move forward.
• i enlisted the help of an accountability partner with this covenant. putting flesh on a deal with God gives you someone to make it known.
• i am praying...constantly. in my thoughts, words, actions, etc...
• i am also saying that my physical life needs to be in-line with my spiritual life. somehow the two are connected i think. i started working out, while on vacation!, that is saying something. (kim helps with this, she has been working out for a while now)

not that this is a fix all for everyone, but it is right for me. how bout you? where have you been? have you ever forgotten how to follow? what did you do to help correct it?

san antonio

kim and i are in san antonio and have been for a few days. she has a conference for her work every year down here and this year, i tagged along with her. i have seriously done nothing this week. i have not answered my phone, or emails (except from a few friends), i have slept in, i have played golf once, and ate A LOT of mexican!! mmm..hmmm, there is some good mexican food down here. you would think we would get tired of it, but like my buddy shane w. says, mexicans eat mexican every day and they dont get tired of it. so, i might have me a little mexican in me.

i am trying to post some pictures but the internet connection is not working out too well for me. maybe later today??? this has been such a great trip for kim and i. i cant tell you how important it is for us to re-connect from time to time. it really isnt a great time for me to be gone, and she has a lot going on while down here...but it is important so, we made time!

ok, later has come and now you see a picture taken by yours truly. this is from 750 feet above san antonio in the tower of the americas. the tower was built in 1968, i think, for the worlds fair that was hosted by the city. this city does have a ton of history and it is pretty cool....

i am really a lucky guy. i have a great, fun, beautiful wife...and i do not know what i would do without her. i love you honey!

patience...what a beating!!

i learned pretty early on after becoming a Christ follower...NEVER pray for patience!!  so i havent...ever that i remember.  now, i am not a patient person.  i want things now and i want them my way.  it is the way i am....i am pretty competitive, i hate to lose...i consider myself to be somewhat driven, not always by the greatest things...that is pretty much who i am.

so, i am on the way to a potential customer this morning.  this is a piece of business i have spent a lot of time and money on.  i was going out there with no appointment, only an email that was announcing my visit.(this is typically ok at this place)  but i had not gotten an answer from them.  now, we are down to "nut cutting" today, this is the day.  (there are several things leading up to this that are both unimportant and non-essential to the story...but i know this is the day!)

about half way there, i decide to call to double check....no answer.  left a message.  kept going.  about 30 miles past that point...i get an email.  3 words..."not this week"  i am like, WTH!!  i said a few choice words and looked for a place to turn around.  the guy could not answer his call, nor call me back, nor could he explain anything about any circumstances.....just "not this week".  now, at this point i am sure....no new business for daniel.  all this work down the drain!!  not a happy camper, to say the least!

then it hits me, earlier on the trip.  i said to the Lord, what ever you want is fine...if you want me to get this account, i will glorify you financially.  i am for you...BUT if not, it is your will.  i am fine with that. 

 

now, that sounds good...but i will be honest.  i had to get over being mad first...then, i just started talking.  talking to God, what is it that you want me to do?  i thought this was the deal, what is the deal?!!?  i am pouring myself into this at this point, people think i am nuts as they are driving by.   no blue tooth here baby, i am flat out crazy!  talking to this invisible God, trying to AND expecting to get answers.  no answers....just a reminder that he is more than enough.

i start talking with schawo, and he keeps saying....maybe the Lord is teaching you patience.  right after that, the potential customer calls....???  he apologizes and says things look great for me, come in next week.  come on!  seriously, coincidence????  

here is the funny part, or stupid part, depends on how you look at it.  i left still not sure what the Lord was saying to me.  still not convinced.  i will spare the details, b/c this post is already longer than i like, but it took the whole afternoon, 3 trips to the hardware store, (to get the same part) while trying to install a dishwasher.  it took all of that to realize...patience.  for every situation in your life daniel, that is what i want from you!  

you see, He did answer.  in His time!!  from reading this verse about discipline, i wonder how long He has been teaching me this?  a while i think.  i want to get where i hear Him the first time...

what is He teaching you?  what is He disciplining you for?  mine is a lack of patience.

 (get an account and post a response...i know some of you are reading and not joining in)

one more...a little funnier.

one more...this could be too funny!!!!  man i am out of shape!

  

messing around in the back yard and field next to our house.  we got the brush hog out and eric laid out his first race track...then i mowed it out and voila!  the next travis pastrana???

wrigley field

got this in the mail yesterday!

your faith...

i was reading in mark 10 this morning.  the story is about a blind man named bartimaeus.  short story of when Jesus is leaving a town, just walking down the road.  this blind guy, bart, hears Jesus is going to be passing by.  he starts yelling..."son of david, Jesus! mercy, have mercy on me!"  everyone tries to get this nut job to shut up and sit back down, then he gets louder...."SON OF DAVID! JESUS, MERCY, HAVE MERCY ON ME!"  (pause for one second) didnt he know about the polite way to handle things?  didnt he know, he ought to listen to all the people who werent blind, but the know the polite, nice, comfortable ways to handle things?  

(ok, continue) and i love this. reading from the message , Jesus stopped in his tracks.  apparently Jesus did not know the rules either.  Jesus ask him, what can i do for you?  Rabbi, I want to see, says the blind man.  "on your way" said Jesus.  "your faith has saved you and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.

for me, it is really hard not to listen to what the crowd of people are saying i should do.  but my favorite part of this story is how Jesus stops right in his tracks to see what this guy is all about!  this is the kind of faith that moves Jesus to compassion.  also, i love how bart says mercy, have mercy on me.  i dont realize how much mercy means to me sometimes.  the fact that i am NOT going to get what i really deserve!  my hope is to have enough faith that i could care less what other people think of me...  then my faith will have saved me and i can follow Jesus down the road.

how is your faith?  is it big and in dire need of Jesus?  or is small and listens to what others think?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

i am one lucky guy! seriously, i have an awesome wife who turns...well, turns one year older today!  lol  what i did to deserve someone as good as her, i do not know.  i love you and i hope you have a great birthday today honey!  

windy city

eric and i just got back from chicago for the weekend.  we went with my best friend from high school, rex, and his son, dake.  we drove up thursday night, the boys were champs! stayed with rex's mom and dad on thurs night and headed downtown to the windy city on friday morning.  we rode the ferris wheel at navy pier and hung out at the children's museum there as well.  we checked into to the hotel and ate went to eat at gino's east pizza!  AWESOME pizza!  

on saturday we got up and ate breakfast, got on the train and headed to wrigley field to watch the cubs take on the pirates.  now, i need to interject a note here...typically, i dont like baseball.  if i did like baseball, i would be a cardinals fan.  i like to go to the springfield cards game with eric from time to time.  but either way, i could really care less.  except for the fact that i am from MO and i do know the "we" hate the cubbies! all that said, i got a cubs hat, eric got a cubs hat and shirt and wrigley field is an awesome ball park.  so much history!!  i have to say, i caught myself not watching the game closely a couple of times and missing a close call or a good play and i was looking for the instant replay screen....aaarrrnnnt!  wrong!  this place is old school!  what  a great lesson to teach to eric about history and a time that is almost gone.  heck, it taught me a lesson.  it makes you want to slow down, pay more attention, think for yourself, enjoy the simple things.

we also got to spend some great time with rex's parents on sat. evening and sunday morning.  they are family to me, so it was great to let eric get to know them a little better.

oh yeah, everything is SUPER expensive!!  you gotta love the parking in chicago!