Extreme Comfort Zones

Jackie, center, and Aaron Frisch, and family and friends watch

the building of their home on TV at Whitmer High School.

I am so proud of two people this morning.

First, my daughter Molly. For whatever reason, she has been apprehensive about getting a job. Yesterday, she had an interview which apparently went well. As she was walking to her car in the parking lot afterwards, she received a call saying that she was hired. Way to go Mol!

Also yesterday, my wife, Connie and I attended a party for the Extreme Home Makeover project which was done in Toledo in September and aired nationally on ABC last night. It was a very cool night.

As I sat there watching it, I reflected back to a lunch I had with Tim Schlachter, a good friend of mine and Truth At Work member. Tim is co-owner of Buckeye Real Estate Group. He was telling me about a phone call he received from ABC, I believe the day before our lunch, asking him if he would consider heading up the project. Without hesitating, Tim said yes which surprised ABC.

This wasn’t just some token position which would allow Tim to be on national TV, this required a monumental effort to pull this off. He had to raise all the funds for the building of this 5,000 square feet house, put a volunteer crew of 4,000 people in place, schedule that crew, level an old house and build a new one in less than seven days. I am sure this made Tim a little uncomfortable. But, they pulled it off…and they did it very well!

Because Molly broke through her comfort zone, she can now be used by God in her new workplace and I am convinced she will be blessed.

Because Tim chose to do the uncomfortable and risky thing, he was used by God in an amazing way and his leadership has helped to change our city.

That is why I am so proud of Molly and Tim. It takes courage to break out of your comfort zone, but they both chose to do that and that is when growth happens.

So the question is…what are you going to do this week to break out of your comfort zone?

Integrity

If you live in my community you have heard a lot about Extreme Makeover Home Edition finishing a home in Toledo. This was an incredible project to help a family in need. Tim Schlachter, the owner of Buckeye Real Estate Group headed up this project. Tim is a friend of mine and when he told me that they would need to tear down the existing house, clear away the debris, dig the new basement, pour the foundation, then build a new 4,500+ square foot house, that job seemed overwhelming. tThe fact that they needed to do it in 106 hours seemed downright impossible. That is pressure. But Tim is a man of integrity and I know he had confidence in his crew and in the process.

Well, they did it! Everything went according to plan and the Frisch family got to see their new home yesterday.

The other day, I drove by the old Savage Hall on the University of Toledo's campus. This is where I once played basketball while at UT. Savage Hall is undergoing a major renovation which began as soon as last season ended (the construction inside is pictured above). The new Savage Arena is to be completed by the start of the 2008 basketball season.

Think about that pressure. If the contractor doesn't get this done, what happens to the games that are scheduled? Would UT forfeit? Would they need to find an alternate site and would they be able to?

The contractor who won that bid had to be very sure of their plans. They also need to have integrity and do exactly as they say they are going to do.

It's kind of sad that those two words, "integrity" and "contractor" don't seem to go well together. I have had many contractors at our house who did not do as they said they would or did not start when they said they would. I have often joked that that is the first class taken in contractor school--how to break commitments.

This doesn't describe you, does it?

Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. James 5:12