6 X 6 = Great Vacation

Late Friday night we returned from our trip to Sandestin, Florida. It truly was a great trip! I know this because there was lots of laughter, we got to see some incredible things, no one got sunburned and we were all together. I also know it was a great trip because I gained six pounds and I read six books (I was half way through one when we left, so technically I read 5 1/2). OK, I agree, gaining six pounds meant I may have enjoyed myself a bit too much!

I must explain something to you on the book thing. Four of the books were extremely easy and short reads. I also must share that this is the first family vacation in which I could do this. My kids are older now and much more independent (they were reading throughout the trip as well) which left more beach time spent in a book.

Anyway, here is a rundown on what I read:

The Seven Levels of Intimacy, The Art of Loving & The Joy of Being Loved, Matthew Kelly
· Excellent
· Big idea: relationship is for one purpose, to help one another to become the best version of themselves. The author does an excellent job of walking through the different levels. I found this to be an extremely beneficial book that I hope my wife and I spend quite a bit of time in.

A Life God Rewards, Bruce Wilkinson
· Very Good – quick read
· Big Idea: While what we do has nothing to do with where we will spend eternity, there are different rewards available to Christ-followers depending upon what we do on earth.

Rework, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
· Good – quick read
· Big idea: Don’t do things the way it’s always been done. It’s oftentimes very good to break the rules and go against common thinking in business.

Tribes, We Need You to Lead Us, Seth Godin
· Good – quick read
· Big idea: The key to a successful business is building a tribe and helping them to thrive.

Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom
· Pretty good – quick read
· Big idea: Faith is key to our lives and is available to us all regardless of our past.

The Power of a Whisper, Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond, Bill Hybels
· Very Good
· Big Idea: God continually speaks to us, but are we slowing down enough to listen? The author shares ways in which these whispers occur. When we hear these “whispers” we need to act upon them.

Dreaming

The Dreamgiver by Bruce Wilkinson is one of my favorite books. In it Wilkinson shares a parable about a guy named Ordinary who lives in the town of Familiar. He wakes up every day and goes to the Job and then comes home every night and watches the Box. Sound familiar?

Then one night, Ordinary is visited by the Dreamgiver and his life is forever changed. He gets a dream for his future. What separates Ordinary from most everyone else in Familiar is that he decides to chase his dream.

The book goes on to show the challenges and the joys that Ordinary experiences during his journey. It truly is a great read and very inspirational.

The reason I like this book so much is probably because I'm a dreamer. I like to look at situations as they might be. Some might say I'm naive and that it is a weakness. Perhaps that's true; however, I prefer to look on the bright side of things. It certainly is more fun than the alternative.

I believe that each of us has a dream and that we were made for greatness. I also believe that our gifts, talents and passions give us an indication of what our dream is. God has wired each of us a certain way on purpose and for a purpose. Check out this short video which talks about our dreams - click here.

So what's your dream?