Random thoughts....

1. During a week of intensive effort, Starbucks is the best solution for me to keep pace! Red Bull has nothing on 8 shots on ice!
2. Wade & Ferris are remarkable inspirations of Faith!
3. Can't help but to think this EMHE is what it is like for staff every time there is a big event about to happen at Elevation Church! My hat is off to staff it probably is a fair comparison!
4. Best of all, Sandra and the girls returned from summer vacation in New Hampshire!
Talk about vision, a sight for sore eyes!
5. Did you know if you are talking to someone who may be classified as OCD, if you stare at their forehead, they will continue to adjust their hair! Sorry John, it was an experiment, it worked! Besides it was amusing for me!
6. If today works out as planned, somewhere in the middle I will be blessed to have lunch with an incredible voice in my life, who has ignited a fire in my heart that is burning out of control! Before and after shove & cram 18 hours of work into my day as quickly as I can and return to my wife's loving arms! God Rocks!
7. Airports suck, but when your family is returning from vacation, they are not half bad!
8. Built stuff for Sunday by Wednesday, proving communication can make more time in life! Being empowered rather than entangled, that's my goal!
9. Why is it some people can not even take constructive criticism? They are affected or infected for days! Is this a cancer in an organization?
10. Kiss my wife and let her know how important she is, there's never too much of that!

things I learned on summer vacation.....

A man is capable of eating an entire box of Sesame Melba Rounds in one sitting.
Salad is not bad when your wife is away.
Pasta & Filet Mignon go just fine together.
Vegetables do not have to be eaten for a week, well except for salad.
I display an addictive behavior watching the History & Nat Geo channels.
"locked up abroad" would really be a bummer!
Caffeine rocks, especially 6 iced shots on the way home at night! I can stay awake until 11!
I talk to myself more often when left alone, good or bad?
Weeding the garden at 10:00 p.m. is not as easy as daylight hours.
King size bed, 1 dog, 1 man still not enough room.
Still practicing to perfect the power nap
I got mail, not a bill, but a thank you note, whoa!
Laundry can still be done in 1 load, better for the environment too!
Do not smell your hockey stuff in a big whiff, no matter how many times it's been washed!
Just about every "how's it's made or engineering show is good for a man to watch."
the dude on "Flipping Out" should have his man card revoked, he's an id-git!
How ever I do feel more balanced after watching him!
Quiet time has been good for me spiritually, but ready for the girls to come home!
Caffeine does not make me who I am, but helps to get me through what has to be done or not!
I bought a box of CousCous, why? I guess to go with 100 corn tortillas!
Just because I miss my girls....
Lord, thanks for them!

Extreme disaster avoided...

What have I learned about communication, you ask? The overall requirement for over communicating when time is of the essence! Met Price Brothers Plumbing, handling the plumbing for the EMHE, to make sure we understand what their needs are, what needs to be done and how. Fortunately before work began we have avoided hours of rework for them, they only had partial drawings without revisions. Saved by the old "communication", nothing like a face to face to discuss work to be done. What it means to me, if I am listening. Life gets so crazy sometimes, there is no substitute for just talking, taking just a little time, communicating the old fashion way, making sure the t's are crossed. What seems to be the speed of light can be still in an instance, refocus on what's worked, thank you Lord for speaking loudly when chaos is all around!

Seems to me in hind sight, if better communication took more of a priority in all aspects of me life, I would have a whole lot less misunderstanding with fewer mistakes. In the end, I would have more time....funny how it works!

Summer vacation....

What did I do on summer vacation? Well my family is up in New Hampshire enjoying time with family, so I look forward to my time here, big plans..... Well idle time is not really me so I think I will add some in my life. Dig out that video game console, enjoy Tour de France, rest, swim, sun & really be free to be on my own schedule.
Well the video games came out 10 minutes later put back where they were, I realized I am not of this generation, I do not possess the skills to handle such pressure...saving the world! Where I fall short fortunately Jesus has already done this! On to the next, well after a nap! Somehow the lawn still needs cutting, edging and weeding. Well I guess I will go for a swim later, now for the lawn. Walk the dogs, pull some weeds, make dinner, take out the trash. I went to more meetings this last 2 weeks than I have been to in years for one project, Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I somehow over the last week have packed more than my usual into each day, worked longer and harder, but managed to get most everything done. I have yet to swim, sun or exercise beyond my normal routine!
What have I again learned as my family is out of town....I miss them and the activity they bring into my life. It seems life is simply dull without them! I can still work 16 hour days, but the other 8 hours are not the same! Thank goodness for vacations!

Extreme Work load....

If life was not crazy enough, Extreme Makeover Home Edition is now underway here in Charlotte. Our part is overwhelming in logistics, not really just a complete and total disruption to normal daily life! To add to our work load we will need to find time to process daily expectations and filter this project through the seams....do I bite off more than you can chew!??? My loving and devoted wife could best answer this question, it is all about vision. I want to make an impact in our community through what we've been blessed with and this is what it takes to do so...then Lord grant us the strength! With people in my life that love, bless, encourage and cast this vision it will be possible, beyond shadow of a doubt. Follow the link to get a little more about the family.
What is most incredible is the service arms of this project coming together, companies raising money for this family, dedicating hours on end to this organizational process and selflessly giving. That is making a difference in Charlotte as a whole, now the endless hours of meetings and discussions are over.....we're underway! What an honor to be a part of such a great team of generous committed businesses, and none of it could take place without people -the heart, soul and vision.

Pastor Steven Furtick lit a fire in my soul over 2 years ago, the fire I already possessed, just needed a catalyst. Thanks, I will never be the same....."Vision is nothing without the effort to obtain at the goal." I pray the "Sun Stand Still" in the lives of everyone involved especially the family that has made this all possible.

A.D.D. shopping....

My instructions were, "if you go to the grocery store, spend $40 so we qualify for the give away." Well I guess that's all I needed to know, heading in to the store I am thinking "what do I need?" $40 seems a stretch going in, so here goes A.D.D. shopping at it's best. Love those Sesame Melba's so let's buy them out, package of hot dogs & rolls, chipolte mustard, rosemary why not, can never have too much of this fine herb. Well that's not going to cover it, what about filet, yeah this will burn another $20. OK still under so now onto things I need at the shop toothpaste and deodorant, this ought to do it, yes! Low and behold, I need refills for my razor. Little did I know I could have just gotten 8 replacement cartridges and spent the $40! How can they even call this a disposable razor when you have to finance the purchase of cartridges?
Job done! A man's way to shop, all the necessities..breads, proteins, condiments, beauty products. What category do hot dogs fall under? Well I have got everything I need for the rest of the week without my family! Not only going to eat, I'll smell good too!
And yes, we now own the air mattress...the whole reason for the trip! It only cost us $66.00 and I think I saved $2.00, when he asked if I had coupons, I responded as a man....I laughed!

Let's pull together....

Today's quandary, how do you get production of 12 out of 8 men? With the temperature rising in the shop, work backing up and production down, how do you get an increase in productivity?
Truly a dilemma, I am stuck with this on my mind. I have spoken with 2 valued leaders in my life about this situation, it seems as I have individuals who find the need to drag fans to every work station with them, even if they are there for 5 minutes.
The suggestions are more moral and team building, very valid points. I have events scheduled in the next 2 weeks to take some time for these, yet we have to get there first. I can not seem to overcome the fact that I am bending to make concessions rather than everyone pulling together. It appears that like minded goals and discipline are the stumbling blocks. I am allowing others to place considerable responsibility on me. External forces, internal personnel, critical time lines and responsibilities have me questioning "what's it going to take?"
Refocus, revise strategies, turn the music up and put your head down...communicate the goals, vision and expectations. Reward the efforts of the team pulling together, pulling up the boot straps and digging in. What's this look like? I am not sure but communication needs to lead the way, articulating as my bride suggested "our success in directly driven by our working together, we will succeed only if every part of the body is working in unison with the others. Their understanding of allowing me to do what I need to do will in return make their jobs more efficient and efforts more rewarding."
Digging in and not giving up, this is where the progress and commitment will be measured, we have a job to do. A "can do" attitude and victory will be the only way to overcome the hurdles of productivity.

Milestones....

You reach a time in your life where you've passed certain milestone and others still approaching. Well, yesterday was a biggy! Sandra handed me some mail that came for me to open, I choose not to believe I am ready for this one. On the outside of the envelope read "AARP," she laughed!
Ouch to this one, do you know what it means? Yes, I guess the best description is I now can show up to a restaurant at 4:00 p.m. for dinner, stroll the mall with knee socks and "walking shoes," legally tell a youngster to pull up those britches among many other features!
Truth is I have a couple of years to officially qualify, perhaps it takes a little while to get my papers organized, but this one is coming up on the horizon. In return, payback for her as she is just months behind me in the years! My initial response, ignore and deny. The next, dang I look good for my age! Though me bones, joint and back ache everyday I am officially maturing. I'll take it over where I once was and where I have been! Life is good even if they gray shows more and people are officially recognizing me as a pre-senior! I think I'll take a nap, why? Because I can!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

We begin filming next week for the program, it is exciting to be a part of this project. As a business to be a part of effecting the lives of those in our community, personally to experience the community coming together to serve. This is what community is all about, to be sitting in on these planning meetings, close to 30 businesses donating time, talents and treasure. Not one person whining about the schedule or amount of work involved. This is a mass of co-ordination and planning, hard to believe it will all come together in such a short period of time. This is all coming at a time when organization is my next battle of attack, this will require all I have in organizational skills. The conditions, 106 hrs. to build this home, a 24/7 operation with hundreds of people working together at the same time rain or shine. EMHE has done over 110 projects like this one, so it can be done! Watch the progress here on the local website. Volunteer on the same website just follow the link to volunteer page. I am excited, Perry Noble's message from the "One Prayer" series keeps ringing in my ears....the crowd in anticipation meeting the crowd in mourning, this is gonna be great!

Re-organization

Dis-organization is my nemesis, my arch rival. It dawned on me yesterday, just how much I struggle with this in my work life. I get so busy it always seems to be keeping all the balls in the air. So this tags onto the last post of trusting in others. I spend so much time trying to revise my load to prioritize the efforts, which is the most pressing, this often leads me to struggle with releasing control. The sense of urgency seems to diminish when I allow others to take control of certain aspects for me, or the importance of details and timeline.
My struggle manifests itself in ineffectiveness, simply losing ground rather than moving forward, while focusing on the present, refocus is needed keeping the other ball aloft. Rather than having employees take control and push things along which allows me to focus on management that needs to be done, I am pulled away to move them along.
What do I need to do?
Let go and let God....now that I recognize my shortcomings, do something about them. Do not live paralyzed by mediocrity, be accelerated in His Power.

trusting in others...

There's a point in business you have to trust and count on others, business has grown and turning the control over has to be transitioned to the team. For me I have found this to be truly a difficult time, more than I'd like to admit. A multi-staged process, especially when you have "clock puncher's." Identifying leaders is a complex when responsibility is not a priority with your choices. I have possessed the characteristics of an entrepreneur probably all my life, whether I have worked for others or myself. I have an inherent sense of duty and honor for all that I do. The phrase "and then some" was introduced to me yesterday, describing my personality. An accurate description of my personality. Having some 50+ employees over the years, through our doors only a small percentage have possessed these characteristics, so really I can throw up my hands and say "I give up, I have no leaders." I can not accept this attitude, I realize the process must take place by building others, I have work to do.
1. Simply clearly place responsibility on them with careful articulation
2. Communicate the expectations, needs and deadlines
3. Trust in their abilities
4. Continue the process and revise strategies as needed
5. Build upon the failures, learning and encouraging
6. Believe in them, in the process and acknowledge all victories
7. Stop expecting them to step up, build them up give them the opportunity....

In life I have found other's do not always have the drive without initiative, it's is not enough to set the example, I have to build and continue to invest in them.

Creative process....

I have a lot to learn about the process of creativity. Here's the typical situation, someone comes to me to design and harness their ideas. Much of the description is ambiguous, it's a box, it needs life and energy. How do you use this piece, place or area? In other words what is the best function of this to serve the needs? Often someone will place a value on this, a net budget on the creative process or this is the direction. This is an alarm that sounds as the box is expected be upfit within those parameters. When I am excited about the vision or concept, it is easier, you become more invested in the process. It is far easier to push the walls on the details, challenging people to redirect their ideas, even if the budget is a concern. If the box and budget are less than exciting I much prefer someone else's design as it is just routine.

When people do not place conditions on the transformation it is easier to allow the process to grow and take wings, not limiting the power of the process. Change can take place despite the investment, but when the investment takes priority over the transformation the power of change is restricted, constrained.

Am I giving my best from a matter of routine or investing in the process by giving my all?

full-filled

I had a parrot (Caesar) for years who could judge my singing abilities, he used to stand at his perch and sing along with me to songs. He would bob and dart his head around while whaling out a tune. When things went bad with my sing along he would spread his wings and shriek! Truth be told most songs rapidly after the first note possessed this characteristic, where my ability to carry a tune took a distinct turn, no such thing as harmonizing for me!

One of the measures for me on a Sunday of a great worship service is the fact of my prayers for apology! The apologies are for those around me for my singing, inevitably a distraction to their worship experience! Yesterday was one of those days I found myself singing at the top of my lungs through 4 services, only to hear Caesar shrieking in my head! So to those around me... "Sorry!," but a joyful song unto the Lord! Can't argue that, perhaps this is my version of speaking in tongues!

one question....

I had someone ask the other night a question, it is simply hard for me to answer. Scripture is rich in context, simply states "He has lived and died for us." The question was "I have been forgiven, my wife has forgiven me, why can't I forgive myself?" I think it is a matter of truth, faith and acceptance. The truth is Jesus came to earth, died on a Cross and rose from the Grave. It clearly is not one component without the others, if your faith is in Him. Agape love is all about the unexplainable love Christ has for His People, to be flooded with Grace, accepted for who I am despite what I've done. That gives me chills, just to think this is for me.

There's the answer...if I know the truth, believe in that Truth, acceptance will come with building myself in Him. This is where seeking Him requires change, action and discipline to believe bigger than myself. Satan is always going to try and steal the peace Christ delivers, questioning why you can not forgive yourself is not letting the Power flow, receiving this Power is the answer.

Lobster....

You can have it, I do not like it, here's how I learned my distaste for this crustacean. I was away with my father many years ago, at friends of his. I was told we would be having lobster for dinner, with the narrow mind I then possessed, I already knew I would not like it. However, as we sat for dinner that night, it was presented to me...why would anyone want to work that hard for food? I tried it without butter, with butter, with some sauce....net result it was awful to me. I did not last too long before all I had eaten returned to the dinner table! Yes, that's right I raced from the table to witness "Larry the lobster's revenge" for those old enough to remember the sketch from SNL!




Now my take away from this was my violent reaction to lobster, the shame and embarrassment to myself and my father. Utterly humiliated, wishing I was never there and it never happened, this experience has always shaped my distaste for lobster, as it should. Well not really, what I really took away later in life was the contributing factor may have been my actions before sitting at this table, like the case of beer I consumed prior to dinner! I guess you could say I was so opposed to lobster, so focused on my predetermined distaste it became easy to forget the real problem the prevailing behavior all around me. What other prejudices are in my life that enable me to overlook the problem?