Life...to the max!

Mentoring Mondays...#38:

        Sunday evening (27 Nov '11) we happened to get hooked into watching 60 Minutes and being deeply moved by the segment that began the program.  One of the regulars on the program, Scott Pelley, did a tremendous job of interviewing homeless families in Florida.

        When you've the time, click on the underlined 60 Minutes above and view what we saw.  Every family member was worth listening to, but one 15yo really caught my attention, Arielle Metzger.  When you watch the program, watch her eyes (frankly, pay attention to everyone's eyes in this clip...even their whole faces).  Be alert to two sentences she speaks:

        Concerning being homeless and making the most of it she said,  "It's only life.  You do what you need to do.  Right?"

        When Scott commends her for her sinceretiy and maturity (her younger brother, Austin, has a cute brotherly quip here...) she, with fire in her eyes that are connected to her young soul states:  "I plan to be a child defense lawyer."  Amazing how commited she is to her schoolwork and getting an education...with circumstances of her, her father and brother.

So when you look at these families...

...who and what do you see?

...to digest in more than one way!

        The first people we met when moving to Denver 38 years ago was a vibrant young couple by the names of Roger and Joanne Thompson.  Roger was one year ahead of me in grad school (Denver Seminary).  That way-back-there Sunday, Labor Day weekend, in 1973, it took the generous and warm hospitality of some simple bowls of ice cream in the midst of moving into student housing to plant a seed of friendship that has grown deep and good over all these years.

        Now, thankfully, Joanne has written a book that we all need to read on hospitality...male or female...younger or older...married or single...daily domestic chef or weekend cook.  This is an important book to devour.

        This special friend both daringly and graciously asked me to write an endorsement...which I did, gladly, with our family having been the beneficiary of countless hours over the years of what she has written.

        This is one fun, vibrant, deep-hearted woman who does walk her talk.  This book will deeply inform your soul...as well as encourage creative and welcome moments for your next gathering of your friends around your own table:

"This exceptional book has a richness and honesty that we need to digest; it's not just for good women like my wife, but we men need to pay attention to these pages.  We all need to be reminded of Jesus's hospitality on our way to being life-giving, Christ-following people.  And do try the Margarita Ice Cream Dessert you'll find in Chapter 7--life this book, it's good with any meal."

Table Life:

Savoring the Hospitality of Jesus In Your Home

        This is a sincere, creative and meaningful gift any time of year for those you care about.  But...it's Christmas...so, hey, purchase some for those you love.  What a lasting gift for the seasons and the years of friendship...and more meaningful and tasty moments within your own family and home.

Roger and Joanne...

...thank you for all the past years of friendship...what crazy and deep stories we share!...and we live with hope for all the years of friendship yet to come...we do thank our God for you!!!

...click here to order...

 

Take the sacred risk...

...of experiencing some solid, mindful, soul-forming moments this whole 2011 holiday season.

...this will be good for your life in all 8 dimenions.

...be blessed...be free...be alive!

...click here...

Advent begins this Sunday.

It is my personal conviction that our Triune God longs to whisper some deep words of love, care, encouragement and wisdom to all who will dare to to take the time to ponder Advent this year.  I will welcome hearing what some of that may be, as you are comfortable sharing.  We join Christ-followers from around the globe in this annual practice of receiving and giving and becoming...being further formed into God's exquisite design for our individual lives.

Mentoring Mondays...#37--Chapter Two...on a Tuesday:

To keep us all mindful of where we've journeyed from, let us not forget what we've covered in these posts in 2011...

The best of mentoring is intentional.

It is putting the time together, casual and fun, to serious and life altering through the grid of deep-change.

Both mentor and mentoree need to be committed to exploring, discovering, learning and living into and through all 8 dimensions of life...one's whole life.

The good news is that wisely and creatively crafted...this mentoring will witness continuing transformational growth in both mentor and mentoree.

Life...happening...as our Triune God intended...for all of any age.

Therefore.......

 

Mentoring Mondays...#37--Chapter One:

As with any word, we can get carried away in stretching a word, a term, up to and way beyond its defined boundaries and actual life-giving intent for understanding...and encouraging communication.  Such it is with the word...

UNIQUE

Do you realize that word also defines you?

You who read this...yes...you!

As a mentor that word also defines each soul you mentor...uniquely.

Unique...an adjective:

1. being the only one;

2. a--being with a like or equal, unequaled; b--distinctively characteristic;

3. unusual.

Thus begins a “short story” this week on Mentoring Mondays #37.  Chapter One today.  Chapter Two tomorrow.  Chapter three.......

Wow...weird...where's my phone?

        Because we would be going two different directions after an early morning appointment today, we drove away in our two cars.  About three miles from home, following Judy out to I-25, I realized that my iPhone was not in my pocket...and I was not going to be back home until late afternoon. 

Oops!

        Thinking at warp speed, even at that early hour, I thought, "I'll call Judy and let her know I need to buzz back home and will catch up with her."  Obvioiusly I couldn't yell loud enough for her to hear me about 50 yards ahead of me.  :-)

        So...we went all the way across town to where I made my confession to her.  This miscue made me realize just how dependent we are on these little chunks of communication.

        What would you do...IF...you did not have your cell/smart phone for a day...or even a week...or how about trying a month?  Briefly, it was "almost nice" not to have it.  But at least a half dozen times in the next couple of hours I wish I did.  Crazy little beasts we carry around in our pockets...eh?!!??

        This remarkable woman I'm married to, after our appointment, went all the way back home and brought my iPhone to where she knew I was...knowing it was important to keep up with today...and each other.  For a few hours it was "kind of" nice to be disconnected.

Try it yourself this weekend.  On Purpose.  Enjoy!!!

No connection...for awhile...may be an unexpected blessing.......!

 

...grace is way more than you can imagine!

May I encourage you to keep up with John Lynch?

...like here...

Well...that may be a bit of a task on the journey...BUT...it will be to your growth-filled benefit between now and eternity.  John, Bruce and Bill...the Three Amigos of TrueFaced are some of God's good gifts to our world.  They live and teach and breathe and encourage grace in ways that brings souls to freedom and life.

I thank God for these friends!

This blog on their website I do not want to miss!

Read.  Ponder.  Absorb.  Live.  Dare.

Allow grace to flow through your life like you can barely imagine.

 

..................................................................................................?

 

What are you doing

to make sense in our world today

...right where you are?

 

.................................................OK!

Today

for play

improvise

like this

And take pics, because we will all want to see them!

For kicks...I double dare you!!!

This is only to be read and enjoyed

by people who are not afraid to be creative.

 

Mentoring Mondays...#36: ...tune in!

Tomorrow, November 15, 2011 @ 11am, Mountain Standard Time here in the Rockies of Colorado, you are invited to tune in when I participate on a web based radio show.

Mentoring Across Differences,

hosted by Dr. Liz Selzer and Amanda Dreher

You may access the program live, via your computer here

Or you may download the MP3 any time 48 hours after the program at either the web station site or here

The topic these good women have asked to interview on is

Who are you really?  Whole-life mentoring.

Developing all of who you are throughout your life

Embracing the complete you.

I hope you are able to listen in...and even participate on the program.  Any response or questions will be most welcome from what you will hear and experience.

I am grateful for this privilege of sharing my thoughts and experience on mentoring...as daily/weekly/monthly I have the deep and sacred privilege of mentoring leaders on four continents embrace their futures and their impact on others.

Intentional.

Deep-change.

Whole-life.

Transformational mentoring.

Embracing the future...fully...........!