The advent of you.

Advent. It represents the "coming" of the birth of Jesus (the first advent) and the anticipation of His return (the second advent). These times in history are worthy of distinction, because of the individual's life that they highlighted. Jesus' life was one that created immense impact.

But I want to talk about our advent.

We each have a story. It begins with our birth and ends with the closing chapter. Through the pages of this story are words that reflect our life. Each page chronicles the choices we make and the legacy that we will leave. All to often this story is full of white noise. Countless pages of fuzz that make no distinction and define no character. We are hamsters turning the same wheel in endless rotation.

How many remember the mobile bookstore that always came to school with the "fun" books that all of us really wanted to read? No more boring library books that told stories we didn't particularly care about. My personal favorite was the Choose Your Own Adventure books. The appeal to these books is that we got to choose the direction the story went. I mean how cool is that?! Who wants to read a book that always has the same ending?

You may have heard the Choose Your Own Adventure analogy before. But what's interesting to me is that we continue to choose the safe route, "The hamster jumps into the wheel: Go to page 34". We may make slightly interesting choices to mix things up, but how many times do we take the "The hamster jumps from the moving train: Go to page 52" choice? Probably not often enough. Sure it's easy to take risks when it doesn't involve us. But when it's our own lives that are in question, the choices become much more calculated.

Without risk, there is no distinction.

 

As we begin the Advent season, our thoughts are usually restricted to Christmas. Mr. Claus, his little pointy eared minions and all the gifts that we share. But for some of us, our thoughts steer towards those of a small baby, born in a barn. And although this birth was in less than ideal circumstances, this was typical to the time period. However, despite this simple and humble beginning, a child born of a virgin and a reluctant father, would end up changing the course of history and saving us all. The turns His life took were risky. And yet those risks created incredible distinction.

Am I the only one that draws a parallel here? Sure, we were not born to save the world, but were we not created in God's image? I don't find it a coincidence that our lives start with a humble beginning just like Jesus. We get up and go to work, just like He did. But as His story unfolds, He begins to realize that He was created with a purpose. He makes choices that reflect risk and ultimately defines a person that is set apart. He began to realize that the pages of His book were epic. And in the end, what an incredible adventure that unfolded.

Do we have that same belief? Do we believe that our only choices are limited to what clothes we'll wear today? What route we'll take to work or what we'll eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

During this Advent season when we see the Advent calendar and remember the birth and second coming of the King, take a moment to think of your advent. Your life is like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Filled with choices that create a story that could be worthy of distinction. Take risks. Live boldly.

• Be with your loved ones instead of watching the game.
• Donate $100 instead of $10 to your favorite charity.
• Go serve at a soup kitchen instead of giving canned goods.
• Be a missionary instead of reading their newsletters.
• Adopt or foster a child instead of wishing their circumstances were different.

Are you living a life that is full of anticipation...expectant of the incredible pages your life has yet to write?

Let your advent begin.

Parachute pants of hope.

I remember one Christmas as a teenager when I had really hoped for a pair of parachute pants. Y'all need to understand something. This was the 1980's. My life would not be complete without a pair of these pants. These were the ticket I needed for my passage to acceptance.



I dropped more hints on my parents than I had ever dropped for anything, ever. Even more than the Izod shirts I would ask for in the years to follow. And trust me people, I wanted those little alligators. Or crocodiles...whatever. There was nothing as thrilling as the anticipation for Christmas morning as I would await the nylon awesomeness that would soon adorn my legs.

Christmas morning came and went. No parachute pants. That morning I received a one-way ticket to Uncool-ville.

Until my Mom told me that Christmas wasn't technically over. We still had the trip to my grandparents later in the week. Now don't get me wrong, I loved my Grandparents. Awesome sugar cereal? Check. Candy handouts in the middle of church? Check. They were great. But reality check here people, I'd be shocked if they knew anything about these pants. I mean come on.

Cue the emminent crushing of my hopes.

I waited patiently for my turn. The box was shaped like your typical "clothing" present. Could it be? No. No way. Narrow, flat, and rectangle, the box headed my way. A few rips...and there they were.

I heard angels sing. Seriously.

I tried them on. One size too small. I didn't care. They were mine...and I wore them all year long. I may have even slept in them.

Here's the thing. Hope is an anchor. But we often treat it like a feather on a breeze...or a pair of parachute pants.

Hope comes alive when it finds a place where it can sink deep and permeate our lives everyday. Cast it overboard and hang on tight.

http://bible.us/Rom8.23.CEV-EN

 

Dr. Leo Marvin

My wife and I were talking a couple of weeks ago about how easy it is to get overwhelmed by gigantic tasks. Ones that require a lot of time and energy. Or even lots of little tasks that add up to significant amounts of work.

Here's the thing, thinking with a big picture point of view can definitely provide you with a more holistic view of life, a challenge, etc. However, it can also prove to be extremely nerve wracking if you start seeing all the little things begin stacking up on each other, becoming one immoveable mountain.

Therein lies the challenge between big and small picture thinking. How do we reconcile this tension? How do we strike the right balance between thinking holistically, and doing the small tasks in front of us?

We start with...baby steps.

I'm reminded of Bob Wiley, Bill Murray's character in "What About Bob?". In the film, Bob is encouraged by his therapist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfus' character) to begin dealing with his fears by taking baby steps. "Baby steps to the front door...baby steps down the hallway...baby steps into the elevator."

We all have certain ways we approach life. Some of us see things from an altitude that is more conducive to big picture thinking. And yet others are perfectly fine tackling what's right in front of them.

The key to accomplishing any task, is understanding what perspective works best for what you're trying to do. Baby steps work great for chipping away at large projects, and thinking in the big picture thinking works well for when your stuck in the mud.

Regardless of how we approach life, it's important to remember that our altitude can greatly impact our attitude.

 

Getting it.

Throughout the course of history, there have been many big picture thinkers. Men and women who saw things in the broader context. Paul was one of those individuals.

I think we can all agree that Saul (pre-Paul) was a thug...you know, trying to stop the movement of Christianity and all...

But I want us to look at his life, post conversion.

After "seeing the light", Paul began to view things through a different set of lenses. One of the things I find interesting is the world Paul came from. The Sanhedrin were all about the law...and following the letter of it. Are laws important? Yes. But if we constantly looked at the letters instead of words, they would start to fall a..p...a....r.....t.

When Paul begins to look at life in the context of his salvation, he "gets" it.

I'm not naive enough to suggest that seeing everything in the big picture eliminates the struggles we go through, or that they will be easy. On the contrary, as we look at Paul's life after his conversion, it doesn't get easier. As a matter of fact, it gets tougher. There was the whole prison and death threats thing...

• Prison: You'd best believe that chains, shackles and that whole bit would give anyone cause to reflect on their actions and whether they should continue. Paul? Pshaw.
• Death: Have a group of people hell bent on killing you? I'd be considering a career change. Paul? Whatev.

Why then, in the face of all this adversity, did Paul keep traveling, sharing, caring? Because he understood his life in the broader narrative of humanity and the gospel.

Let the challenges you face define you. Better yet, use them to tell your story.

 

The catalyst called change.

Change is a funny thing. Okay. It can be a funny thing. It can also be an unwieldy thing. But there's one thing I think we can all agree on. And that is that change is a catalyst. It causes movement.

We've all experienced significant change at one point or another in our lives. Having your first child. Perhaps college graduation. Maybe falling in love...

These are all moments that require thought, reflection and a choice.

Well, change has come my way, and will radically change the course of my life. I'll be leaving the company I've been working with, for over 15 years and begin efforts to help those who need it the most. It is bitter-sweet. It will be difficult. Root is a remarkable place to work and it is an organization that is truly dedicated to engaging people within the context of their work. It has formed how I think about learning, communication, and life. Although it is unfortunate not to continue working alongside colleagues that I have come to admire, it is an exciting time that is full of hope and opportunity.

This change began building momentum a few years ago with a small 2-word phrase that I heard while meeting with some friends...

"Reject Passivity"...small words with deep meaning.




















Generally speaking, we avoid change. Change often creeps up on us, and if it causes us the slightest bit of discomfort, or requires significant change, we will do our best to steer clear.

"Rejecting passivity" requires change. A choice. These words held a lot of weight in our decision to adopt. No longer could I sit by and allow passivity to dictate the narrative of my life. I had to reject it...like the Heisman trophy, forcefully pushing opponents aside.

What's interesting to me is that rejecting passivity, passively, is easy. Did you follow that? We write blog posts, update our status, send tweets. Worthwhile efforts. However, what is more difficult is the activity of rejecting passivity. Look at adoption. Is it easy? Um, no. But wow, let's look at it in the context of the bigger picture...redemption. Seeing it in this light, it becomes part of a much bigger and beautiful narrative.

So as we encounter change, let's not be so quick to run the opposite way. Let's see change in the context of our "big picture".

Change can be a powerful catalyst that reveals something remarkably beautiful. Embrace it.

Think big. Act small.

I love tackling Mt. Everest challenges. Thinking them through. Surveying the field. Plotting the course.

In contrast, I'm not particularly fond of the part that comes afterward. The acting part. No. Not movie acting, although I've read a few lines in front of a camera before [#wink]. I'm speaking about the act of doing.

Now why would someone who loves tackling big issues, hate seeing them through? Well, fortunately for you, this is not a post on the analysis of brain chemistry, so we'll leave those topics for future posts.

My propensity for tackling gargantuan tasks hit me as I recently stumbled upon an article/presentation about low-tech innovation. In it, Jonathon Ford of Pearlfisher (a design company), talks about his work with the Haller Foundation in Kenya. He discussed Dr. Haller's mantra of "Think big, act small." while talking about the sustaining effort he made with communities in the country. Coming from the corporate consulting world, this simple little phrase really resonated with me.

Organizations are typically always in a state of action. Like gears in a giant machine, providing service or producing products, employees are always at various stages of "do" and "act". Even as thinkers, how often do we get caught up in the "act" of thinking? Not only thinking, but thinking in the context of the bigger picture? "Is what I'm doing adding value?" "Am I contributing to something greater than myself?"

Let's apply this concept to our daily lives outside of work. While we go about our day, interacting, planning, doing, do we neglect "thinking big"? More often than not, our vision is likely cast on the trees rather than the forest.

It is important to realize that despite our small (or large) acts during the course of a day, week or month, these actions add up to a big picture that represents a life that we lead. This big picture perspective can often set things in context and simplify the tasks we have in front of us, providing a sense of purpose and resolve.

Don't let the small brush strokes of you lifes' tapestry distract you from the story it wants to tell.