A Magical Night

On Friday, our family of 5 went to Detroit to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers take on the Colorado Rockies. The entire evening could not have been better.

First, we arrived in Detroit just after a huge rain storm and we remained dry the remainder of the night.

Second, though we were the second row from the top of the stadium, we had great seats close to home plate.

Third, the Tigers played great and won 7-1.

Fourth, the fireworks after the game were incredible.

Fifth, and probably most important, we had a blast together as a family. I kept thanking God for this night. With my two oldest girls now 20 and almost 18, I was wondering how many more moments like this we would get to share as a family.

I did not hear one complaint or any bickering between our kids the whole evening (Connie and I were a different matter – ha ha). They got along so well and we all laughed often.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was our ride home late in the evening. We were all tired and a little punchy so we started telling “no arms and no legs” jokes. Yes, this sounds somewhat heartless. I can assure you we meant no disrespect to those with disabilities. We were simply having fun…and a lot of it. So if you are disgusted that we would say such things, please don’t read any further.

Here is a sampling of some of the jokes we told and made up on our ride home:

What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs…

…in the ocean? Bob

…hanging on the wall? Art

…in the mailbox? Bill
…on the front door step? Matt
…in a bun? Frank
…riding a bicycle? Rex (think about it)
…in a pile of leaves? Russel
…in a pot of boiling water? Stu

This is just a small sampling. But the greatest part of it all was the laughter that was shared among us. What a gift! Thank you Lord!

Patience

On Wednesday of this week I was leading a weekly discussion on leadership at one of my consulting clients. We are going through John Maxwell's latest book, Leadership Gold.

During our study, we were asked in which of three different areas that were discussed do we need the most work. That was an easy answer for me so I said, "patience."

Little did I know that I would be tested so quickly on this.

I have been operating on an old laptop which had been showing signs of dying. I took the plunge and recently purchased a new model.

Well, yesterday was my day to load up the software and get it functional. Easier said than done.

I spent the majority of the day doing on-line chats with customer support for a couple different software programs that I could not get to work properly. I was exasperated and not worth a darn to anyone. It really took its toll on me and I am still feeling that way this morning, kind of in a funk.

That'll teach me to say I need to work on patience. I've heard Joyce Meyer say that whenever you pray for patience, you will be put in some places where you will need it. I guess that's true.

But, the computer is working! And I know that I still need lots of work!

Garbage In, Garbage Out

It seems like all I hear on TV anymore is gloom and doom. "The economy stinks, our president is the cause of all our problems, Yada Yada Yada..."

I'm getting tired of it.

A steady diet of that stuff can make you depressed. There is an old computer saying that goes Garbage In, Garbage Out. The same can be said of our minds.

How about you? Are you tired of the negative media? Are you letting it affect you? If so, turn it off! There is a lot of good out there, focus on that!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

You Look Marvelous!

Last week we purchased a new (used) car for my daughter Molly. My wife was working in Monroe that day and she stopped at an auction on the way home. She called me and said there were a couple cars that looked promising. While the auction went on, I was on the phone with her and we were bidding. Well, we got a car and we got it for what we thought was an incredible price.

The next day when we went to pick it up, I was amazed. Even though the car had 105,000 miles on it, it looked fantastic. And we paid very little for it. I thought we got a steal.

On the way home, Molly and my wife noticed some funny noises coming from under the hood. We have since found out that the car needed 2 new tires, a power steering pump, a new tie rod, a switch in the rear window and a new EGR (whatever that is).

Believe it or not, I am not upset about this. After we spend the money to get the car back in shape, I still feel like we got a good deal.

But how similar is this to our own lives. We oftentimes look really good on the outside, but inside we have all sorts of issues. Our exterior is clean, but many times our heart is dirty.

Billy Crystal released a fun song a while back called "You Look Marvelous." In the song he tells us that our insides really don't matter, how you look is all that really matters. While this song is funny, there is not truth to it whatsoever even though many live their lives as if it were.

We may be able to keep our “issues” hidden for a while, but they will eventually come out in our actions or our words. So, rather than hiding behind that mask, why not get real and begin to allow God to clean up your heart?

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45

Choices

In my men's group meeting Friday morning, a guy in our group told of a funeral he attended earlier in the week. It was for a friend of his who was in his mid 40s.

He said that as he looked into the casket at his friend's face, he reflected on the life his friend had led. It was a difficult life full of turmoil and pain. He said his friend had made some poor choices. It struck him that his friend could no longer make any changes in his life to get back on course.

Walking out of the funeral home, he said he realized that though his friend no longer had the chance, he had the opportunity to make course corrections in his life. He has been going through some very difficult times and he had been proceeding down this path of improving his situation prior to this, but this whole event helped to drive the point home. He said he knows that God has a plan in all his pain and he is going to lean into Him and get through this.

We all have that choice. We can choose to let life's circumstances control us, or we can choose to lean into God and know that He has our best interests at heart.

Friendly Advice

Yesterday, Derek, a friend of mine from Brighton who is a business owner and an Independent Business Advisor for Dan Kennedy came to my home for a couple hours to offer me some free coaching on my different business endeavors.

It was a wonderful time and Derek shared some great insights and ideas that should really help me. Some of his advice was not easy as he shared some things he believes I can drastically improve. I am not sure why he did this other than he is a good friend who believes in some of the stuff I am doing and he truly wants to help. He normally would charge around $500 for a session like this if it were held at his office.

He not only did this at no charge, but he offered to drive the 60+ miles to my place. He told me it was an excuse for him to enjoy a ride on his Harley but I know better. He was just doing it to serve me. He took over 4 hours including travel time out of his hectic schedule to help me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this.

I feel so blessed and so undeserving of this sort of help. It truly is humbling. Thank you Lord!

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Proverbs 27:6

Quietly Fighting Through Adversity

I heard this morning that Tiger Woods is to have reconstructive surgery on his ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the year from a golf standpoint. This is sad news for the golfing community.

I have always respected Tiger and his work ethic. However, this news makes me respect him even more. He played 91 holes of golf in the US Open this past weekend (4 18-hole rounds and 19 holes in a playoff) over the longest US Open course ever (just on the course he walked over 21 miles on a very painful knee). In addition, it was revealed that he has two stress fractures in the same leg.

Yet, I never once heard him complain about it. Yes, he answered questions about it but he did not make it a big deal. He did not use his injuries as an excuse of any kind. He just battled through them and did the best he could...which was good enough to win his 14th major championship.

I know some people who have exhibited this same character trait. A good friend of mine named Rick recently ran a full marathon with a stress fracture in his leg. Though it was extremely painful, no one has heard him complain.

Buck, another great friend, was diagnosed with Parkinson's. His prayer request is never for healing but he always asks God for the strength to respond appropriately so that Christ may be glorified.

Cool stuff!

This doesn't just apply to physical ailments but to all situations. So how do you respond when things are not going the way you would like at work? Do you act like I do many times and get stressed and treat people poorly or do you do like Tiger, Rick and Buck and rejoice and fight through the tough circumstance?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 (emphasis mine)

We Are The Body

Yesterday I returned from Indianapolis where I spent Monday and Tuesday in meetings. I was invited to participate in a Commission On Leadership Development for The Free Methodist Church.

When one of our bishops contacted me to ask me to join this group I have to admit, I was very leery. You see, I am not much of a denominational type of guy. This is probably because I don't know enough about particular denominations. However, I have seen different denominations bicker over the littlest things and that irritates me. I think that hurts the Christian faith in many ways.

So, when I agreed to be a part of this group it was with great trepidation. Then on Sunday (Father's Day), as I was leaving my family on a beautiful day to make the four hour trek south, I was really second-guessing my decision.

However, on Monday morning, I was sitting at a table with the three bishops of the church and 5 other very bright and talented people. I was feeling like I would not be able to contribute much as everyone else seemed much more qualified than I. It was a neat group of people that I felt very blessed to be a part of.

I was pleasantly surprised at the overall tone of the conversations. They were primarily focused on how we can help the Church (not just the Free Methodist Church) which was very cool.

We had some tremendous discussions about leadership and how to develop leaders in the pastorate and in our congregations. Some great progress was made and over the next several years some tremendous things can come from this. I am very excited about the possibilities.

As I was driving home yesterday I was thinking about this group of people. We were an extremely diverse group. Not only did we live in different areas of the country, we all had different passions, interests, ideas and talents. Of the six lay people we had a Grandma who takes care of a couple of her grand kids and volunteers at her church and a college president and many walks of life in between. One of the guys is a specialist in data collection (surveys) and analysis which will come in very handy. Each has different gifts and abilities which will help us. God sure knows how to put a team together!

It occured to me that this is a microcosm of what the Apostle Paul talked about when he referred to us as the Body of Christ (Romans 12:4-8). We each have a part to play.

Words To Lead By (And To Live By)

Some of you have probably heard me say that we are all leaders because we influence others daily. I totally believe this.

At my church, we are on a campaign to encourage people to sign up for the Willow Creek Leadership Summit which is what I consider to be the best of the best when it comes to leadership development programs. We know that anyone who attends this will come away deeply impacted and it will help them in their daily lives, no matter what they do for a living. I like to tell others that it is really a summit on how to lead your life.

I recently received this 3 minute video in an email. I wanted to share it because it reveals some incredible leadership principles and, much like the Leadership Summit, it does it in such a way that anyone who views it could benefit. I hope you enjoy! Click here for the video.

Preparation

Did you see the end of the final round of the US Open Golf Tournament? It was incredible.

I was traveling so I didn't gt to watch any of it until the final group was on hole 17. When I tuned in, Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood were one shot behind the leader, Rocco Mediate. Both parred 17 and went to 18 needing a birdie four on the par five hole to tie and force an 18 hole playoff on Monday.

Both players hit their tee shots in a fairway bunker. Then they both advanced their 2nd shots toward the green with Westwood's lying in the fairway and Woods' in the deep rough. Tiger hit an amazing shot to within 20 feet or so and Westwood also was about that distance after his third. Westwood missed his putt and Tiger made his.

I, along with the rest of the golfing spectators, was not surprised. Tiger had battled his sore knee (he is recovering from recent knee surgery) all week, yet he was right there, in the hunt. On the final hole he faced all sorts of adversity (bunker, rough) yet, he managed to do what he needed to do.

During the round they showed a clip of Tiger with his dad. It showed his dad doing all sorts of things to try to get into Tiger's head...things like dropping his bag in the middle of Tiger's swing. His dad went on to say that there would not be another golfer who was more mentally ready to play than Tiger. Preparation.

On Sunday, Mark Cryderman delivered an incredible message at CrossRoads. He taught on the importance of character. He told us that tough times will come (Jesus promises that in John 16:33). So, like Tiger Woods, we must prepare and build our character so that we are ready to face these challenges when they come.

By the way, though I have a great deal of respect for Tiger and his work ethic, I'll be rooting for Rocco Mediate as I have a soft spot in my heart for underdogs.

Pruned

If you live in my area of the country, you are aware that we have been racked with some pretty good storms over the past week that have caused lots of damage and left many without power for extended stretches.

Two nights ago I went out to cut my grass. As I surveyed the scene, I was struck with how awful it looked. The grass was not only long, but was covered by sticks and limbs that had been dislodged from the trees in our yard. I realized that I had to clean that up before I could mow so I did what any father would do...I got my son to help me.

We picked what we thought were all of them up and I began cutting the lawn. I kid you not, over the next hour to hour and a half of mowing, I stopped at least 7 times to pick up more sticks along the way (usually handfuls of them). It seemed like it was never ending.

As I completed the lawn, I looked over our back yard and was amazed at the transformation. What once was ugly, now looked great.

Lately I have been reading John 15 and in that chapter, Jesus shares these words, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:1-2)

So, in my yard the branches that were dead got removed and even some live branches were pruned away. Jesus is telling us that our lives are just like this. The interesting thing is that He says we are going to get cut either way...so we might as well bear fruit and be pruned!

No matter what, if the landscape of our life looks bleak or hopeless or less than beautiful, know that the Master Gardener can make it look great again!

Friendship

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Tuesday evening I left for Indianapolis to check out a career option that God has been steering me toward. It is something that complements a lot of the other stuff I have been doing so I was excited about the trip.

I thought it would be helpful to have a friend with me who could offer me wise counsel and could serve as another set of eyes and ears. I asked Bob, who was a teammate of mine at UT. He and I have been friends for a while but our friendship has been rekindled over the past four years or so since he has moved back into town.

Bob is a business owner in Toledo and he is a tremendous leader - in his business, in the community and at home. He is also an incredible husband and father. Though he is shorter than me, I really look up to him.

I know that Bob is extremely busy, not only running a business but also trying to keep up with his four boys and their athletic events. Despite that, Bob said he would accompany me on the trip.

Our trip was very worthwhile and was very helpful to me as we had a great meeting on Wednesday. However, the best part of the trip may have been the three and a half hour drive each way with Bob.

Though he is a year younger than me, I am amazed at his wisdom. I learned much just in our conversation. I consider him a mentor of mine and I count him as a true friend. Thanks Bob, I am very grateful for your sacrificial love and going with me!

As I think about Bob and my other great friends I feel so incredibly blessed. I hope and pray I can be a friend like that to others.

Time

I am oftentimes busy, even when I'm at home. I need reminders to take time out for the most important people in my life, my wife and kids. I admit, I sometimes take them for granted.

That is why I am so grateful for reminders like this short video which hit me right where I live - click here to watch.

The Best Laid Plans...

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3

Saturday we celebrated Molly’s graduation from high school with friends and family at our house for an open house throughout the afternoon. We had been planning for this for about the past month.

The planning was ratcheted up a notch this past week as my wife, Connie and I frantically worked on getting things ready…food, decorations, tents, coolers, ice, desserts, yard work, etc…

Friday night before the event we felt we were in decent shape for the party. We knew that Saturday morning would be busy getting everything finalized but we were feeling pretty confident all would be fine.

Later that evening, around 9:40 a wicked storm came through which knocked out our power and that of all our neighbors (and later we would find out, thousands of others). Power was still out Saturday morning and did not resume until 7 PM Saturday (right after Molly’s party ended).

The very ironic thing about all this is that my men’s group on Friday just studied about planning and how to plan from a Biblical perspective. The study showed us that planning is crucial but that leaders need to be flexible and adapt to changes. These are a couple of the last lines in the lesson: “As you lead, be sure to plan. But in the process of your planning recognize that there will be changing circumstances beyond your control.”

Pretty appropriate for what was coming the next day for me, huh?

I have to give big-time props to my family. Everyone stepped up and helped to make it a fun day. In spite of the lack of power on a steamy afternoon, everything went great.

Looking back on it, the loss of power wasn’t really that big of a deal, it just added to the degree of difficulty in our preparations. Another thing it did is help us to more fully appreciate all of the friends who chipped in to help: Rick with much needed ice and coolers, Barb and the Bob and Beth with tents, Bob with a generator (which kept our fridge cold) and some great pasta salad, Keith and Julie with tables and chairs and many others who brought food and other helpful items.

At the end of the day, Connie and I looked at each other and both said we felt extremely blessed. We actually both agreed that we were thankful for the power outage as it added a degree of "fun" to the day and certainly made it memorable. Thanks to all of you who helped make this day a special one for Molly!

The Shack

I just finished a great book called The Shack.

It is a work of fiction that really got me. It not only was a very good read, but it showed me God in a new, refreshing light. Over the past 4-5 years I have come to know God as a very close friend. However, after reading this book, I now see God and the Trinity as being even more of a friend, more personal than I did before which is very cool.

I am off tomorrow morning on a spiritual retreat...to spend some time with Him, this great Friend of mine for 3-4 hours or so. I am looking forward to what He has in store for me!

Perseverance

Perseverance - per·se·ver·ance [pur-suh-veer-uhns] - noun

steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

On ESPN this morning they showed this picture of this amazing kid--the epitome of perseverance.

Catcher Adam Bender, 8, lost his left leg to cancer when he was a year old. He tried a prosthesis but didn't like it and refuses to use a wheelchair. If he reaches base, he uses crutches. He also played YMCA flag football this past fall.

Incredible!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Optimism

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

Many of you who know me know that I am a "glass is half-full" kind of guy. That may be why I am sick and tired of all the reports of how bad things are from the media. Granted, there are some areas that are hurting. But I don't think we need to focus only on the bad news.

I recently received this email from a friend and I wanted to share it here. This is often credited to Jay Leno. But it wasn't said or written by Jay, it was written by Craig R. Smith. Only the closing paragraph is by Leno. Warning: this isn't very politically correct, but here it goes:

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed, and 69% of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence, two-thirds of the citizenry just ain't happy and wants a change.

So being the knuckle dragger that I am, I started thinking, "What're we so unhappy about?"Is it that we have electricity and running water 24/7? Is our unhappiness the result of having A/C in the summer and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4% of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it's the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?Maybe it's the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we'd find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.Or could it be that when we wreck our cars, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.Perhaps you are one of the 70% of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?Maybe that's what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we're the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the USA, yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are: the most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31% approval rating? Is this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President who cut taxes to bring an economy out of a recession? Could this be the same guy who's been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The Commander-in-Chief of an all-volunteer army that's out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or on a talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy, that you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it. Are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the media told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There's currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They're able to refuse to go and end up with either a "general" discharge, an "other than honorable" discharge or, worst case scenario, a "dishonorable" discharge after a few days in the brig.So why then the flat-out discontent in the minds of 69% of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news.

Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this, and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by justifying them in one way or another.

Stop buying the negativism you're fed every day by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your birdcage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We're among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?

~Craig R. Smith and Jay Leno~

Eat That Frog!

I am someone who loves to check things off his to-do list. I love this so much that I typically search for the easiest, fastest thing I can get done so I can eliminate it from the list. Sometimes this works well, but most of the time it encourages me to avoid doing the really tough thing, even if it is the most important thing I need to do.

I have heard it said, "If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!" This is probably true.

Brian Tracy, in his book Eat That Frog! says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one where you're most likely to procrastinate; because, if you eat that first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don't...and let him sit there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won't even know it.

So, here's your assignment (and especially mine!): for the next 30 days take a look at your list, circle the frog, and eat that first.

Carpe Diem - Part II

Last night my very talented daughter Molly graduated from high school. This not only makes me feel old...but extremely proud. She didn't just graduate. She graduated Magna Cum Laude! This is the highest any Lange that I know of has ever graduated. Mol, you are the best--I love you!

If that wasn't enough. My other daughter Kristin (pictured above with Molly) is celebrating her 20th birthday today. Happy birthday Kristin, I love you! You also are awesome!

Ughhhhh! I can't be that old am I? One more reminder that our lives are but a mist--here today and gone tomorrow.

Carpe Diem!