These are a few of my favorite things.

Someone recently asked me…”What do you enjoy the most?”  That got me thinking of a few of my favorite things.  In no particular order…here you go.

1. Grace – Really really really a big fan.

2. Jesus – What can I say…He’s the coolest.

3. My family – sure were crazy, but who isnt?

4. Anything maple – MMMmmmmm maple.

5. Entertainment Weekly – It makes Friday mail exciting.

6. Movies – I have a top 150 if that gives you idea of how serious I am.

7. Snowballs – New Orleans frozen treat.

8. Disneyland – Happiest place on earth…seriously.

9. Young MC – You know you love him too.

10. Top Chef – One of the greatest reality shows ever!

11. Cooking – I secretly want to be a chef/pastor/philanthropist.  I can do all three right?

12. Books – Like movies only better.  I have a top 200…and none of this Kindle crap but the sanctity of the written word.

13. Traveling – I pretty much want to go everywhere but Nebraska and Kuwait…oh who am I kidding…I would totally go to Kuwait.

14. Explosions in the Sky – I’m not talking about fireworks.

15. Ensemble sitcoms – From Friends and Seinfeld to How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory it makes my laugh heartily.

16. Bread – I love it.  If there was a bread diet I would be the thinnest person in the world.

17. Scarring the crap out of people – Nothing is more entertaining to me…I’m kind of sick like that.

18. Helping people – Theres something about doing the things that God wants you to do that just enlivens the spirit.

19. Tea – It has nuances and it is one of the few things in this world that relax me.

20. Preaching/Teaching – I learn most in preparation to teach others.

21. Air Conditioning – The most amazing thing EVER!

22. Killer Whales – I’m not really sure why.

23. The San Fransisco 49rs – That’s right baby!

24. St. Louis Blues – They made me fall in love with hockey.

25. Dreaming – The bigger the dreams the better.

26. Wind – Specifically when it rustles the leaves in fall.  It is by far the best sound in the world next to your kids laughing.

27. My kid laughing – For obvious reasons.

28. Frosted Flakes – They’re GREAT!

29. Journey and U2 – Both great…ALWAYS.  Come on, Don’t Stop Believing is perhaps the best song in the entire world.

30. Fall – The best time of the year.

31. Samantha Brown – She’s my tv girlfriend…Leanne’s ok with it since the teacher on GLEE is her tv boyfriend.

32. Burmese Mountain Dog – The most beautiful dog.  I want one.

33. Factcheck.org – A great website.

34. Farmville – The most addictive thing since Super Mario Bros. 3

35. Seeing people come to know Christ – Ain’t nothing like it in the world.

So there you have it, a few of my favorite things.  What are some of your favorite things?  For an added bonus scroll down.  I added my top 5 guilty pleasures. (Don’t judge me.)

My Top 5 Guilty Pleasures

1. Pop Music – Beyonce, Justin, Britney, Black Eyed Peas….I can’t help it.

2. Wizards of Waverly Place – Sure I’m 30 and a guy, and sure this show is on the Disney channel targeting tweens, and sure it may seem creepy that I like the show, and sure my wife makes fun of me…but I still like it.

3. WWE – It’s true.

4. Vegas – Not for the gambling but the sure audacity of the architecture.

5. My iPhone – Sometimes when no one is looking…I hug it.

Thoughts on taking responsibility

For as long as I can remember I have had several hot buttons.  You know, those things that cause you to go from calm to incredibly ticked or disappointed in no time flat.  These include; when someone betrays my trust, when people act like their God’s gift to the earth, and when leaders don’t take responsibility for their actions or attitudes.  The last one really is a struggle for me, one that – if truth be told – is a huge foothold for the devil.

Why am I sharing this, you might ask?  One, because it’s therapeutic – two, because it’s a form of accountability – three, to make sure I’m not crazy.

Throughout my life I can pinpoint the times when I have been so enraged over the lack of ownership of a leaders decision.  I am sure it is a part of the human condition – I mean, who really wants to take ownership and responsibility for mistakes, bad judgement, and character flaws?  We are all quick to take credit when things go right and just as quick to blame someone else when things go wrong – I think this is especially true in leadership – and let me say upfront I am no different.

Just recently I had someone unload on me, quite unexpectedly, a whole bunch of issues they had with me.  My first instinct was to fight…I’m a fighter and I have no issue with taking someone on regardless of who they are.  However, I have learned that fighting in those situations isn’t always beneficial…so I listened.  Although confused by the basis of some of the accusations, there were some things that have been told to me before by others.  Even though I wrestle with how much of it is someonelse’s lack of communication and expectations, ultimately I have to take ownership if this is what is being perceived of me and I need to take the nuggets of truth amidst the large garbage heap that came with it.

Let me be very clear in saying that I am not talking about living your life by what others think of you – I’m more worried about what God thinks of me then a bunch of people that have unsubstantiated opinions based out of there own insecurities (Although truth can still come from them). What I am saying is that if you have made a mistake, if you are habitually doing something that causes detriment to the people around you and your overall effectiveness as a leader – than by golly, you need to be able to take a good hard look at yourself and the situations around you.

It kills me when someone who has done something painful blames other people for it. “It’s their fault, not mine.”  “If people didn’t expect so much of me, it wouldn’t have happened.” “My parents put to much pressure on me.” “I’m a product of the daily grind.” “If you would have put the accountability there, it never would have happened.”  Seriously?!

Instead of taking ownership and responsibility it becomes a blame game, or a fight, or even a game of hide and seek. I have older people tell me, “well your just young and idealistic, that’s just the way it is.” Well, first off, why is being idealistic a bad thing?  And secondly, why is it OK for it to be that way? Look, I will never be OK with someone not taking responsibility for their own actions regardless of how long they have been doing it..and I’m including myself in that.  As a pastor and a leader why wouldn’t I want to be the best pastor and leader that I could be…and yeah sometimes that means conflict and facing ugly truths but isn’t the kingdom of God worth it?  Aren’t the dreams and visions that God has placed in my heart, that he has been affirming for the past 7 years, worth it?  I say yes!

I know this guy who did some pretty awful stuff.  Recently he has begun the difficult and arduous task of talking responsibility…is it easy…HECK NO!  Does it erase everything that was done, absolutely not – but it does say something about humility.

Which is where I end today.  Humility, in my opinion, the single greatest thing lacking in leaders today.  Just because you clean a toilet doesn’t mean your humble, especially if you feel the need to tell people about it.  Just because you say your humble…certainly does not mean that you are humble.  We lead with pride instead of humble confidence and yet wonder why people lose trust and faith in us or worse in God.  And none of us are immune – which brings in the idea of grace.

Going back to the beginning of this post – in truth, for me, it is a foothold for the devil – because I don’t want to show grace – so instead of humble confidence, grace, and speaking truth in love, I find it easier to act out and place myself above them – as if I myself have never done such a thing.  Which makes me stuck, because I don’t know that kind of balance – and although I have older people tell me you learn it with age – I have yet to see someone demonstrate that balance.  It’s either passive, aggressive, or even worse passive aggressive – but not balance.

So, where does that leave me?  I have no idea.  What I do know, is that leaders need to take responsibility for their actions. However, that does not mean that they are responsible for they way in which I respond…that’s my responsibility.

What do you think?

Speechless

How do we describe it?
Something that is so universal, yet so incredibly personal.
A concept, an action, an emotion…
But it is so much more.

Impossible to fully grasp,
Yet when one accepts it, their life is forever altered.
When one tries to explain it,
They become lost in their own words.

An incredible gift that is so overwhelming that one can’t help but be stunned.
A love that is so personal that when separated, the self aches for its return.
An unparalleled consistency that none has ever seen before.
A faithful assurance, that we are loved in spite of ourselves.

How do we describe it?
A joy so eternal it flows forth in all that we do.
A peace so comforting that life becomes still even in the storms.
An ever present, steadfast knowledge of who we really are.

The strength in the weaknesses.
The guidance in the confusion.
The answer to the question.
The light in the darkness.

How do we describe grace?

Who knows…
Sometimes the best way to explain something is just to be…

Speechless

And let your life do the explaining.