Anyone else a Ted super freak like me?
I just love Ted. Another great video that I think we actually fall prey to but won’t admit it.
I just love Ted. Another great video that I think we actually fall prey to but won’t admit it.
This is direct quote from a protestant minister at the end of an infant dedication I attended. This is important because prior to the minister making that statement I had watched her and a couple of, I assume, lay folks rather loudly speaking in tonges. When I say loudly I mean dang near yelling what sounds like complete gibrish but is of course the Holy Spirit (or Ghost depending on your brand) coming out. As one of three token Catholics in the room, one being my wife the other my son, I was asked if I was more or less wigged out. As everyone knows, ya don’t speak in tongues in the RC Church. Well, we Catholics do believe in speaking in tongues but that is another blog.
So was I wigged out about the speaking in tongues business? Naw, surprised yes. I had no idea it would be so loud. And the occasional spitting while the Holy Spirit was in charge was disconcerting. Really it takes just a bit more to make me uncomfortable like, placing me with a group of guys then requiring the conversation to center around sports. I would be wigged out as someone would ask “did you see so and so make that tackle on first base with a nine iron”, ooohhh sorry I missed that game. Or, I would give it the college try and offer some anecdote that would fall so flat it would level the Rocky Mountains. Other than that nightmare I’m generally cool. However, today I felt it. That uneasy sensation like when you walk out of the bathroom thinking you put on all your cloths after a shower but really, you’re in your underwear. Don’t tell me something like that hasn’t happened to you. I can only image some woman reading this was out of rhythem one morning and put their bra on over their shirt.
Today I was invited to pray over a person about to have a significant surgery. For Catholics, it can be a short or long version. Today it was a long version complete with Holy oil, a first time for me. It was all great until the person was anointed with the oil. For some reason that I cannot yet explain I felt completely vulnerable. It was strange. I am not uncomfortable praying with someone else. I can comfortably skip wrote prayer and speak from the heart. Laying of hands is OK with me. But, today made me question, am I really comfortable trusting God, truly able to allow Him to heal someone or even me?
I believe I may not bother trying to figure this out. I spend a lot of time thinking about these things. For some reason I feel called to be a bit wigged out and to enjoy it. To take it for whatever it is. I think there is peace in that.
Interesting isn’t it?
Please share your wigging out experience and how you handled it. I appreciate it.
Yeah I admit I have some fear about putting my ideas out for the world or friends to test. But, that fear is eroding. Think about it, what am I out of if no one reads my blog? What risk is there is none one “Likes” a Facebook post? There is none. I am out of time. Then I have an opportunity to try again tomorrow or whenever else the notion strikes me. Therefore I proclaim it is no longer reasonable to complain about lack of opportunity. With a free blog and internet service virtually everywhere, we can take our ideas and share them with the world. How awesome. Never has it been easier.
I like this ted video. At the end Kevin Allocca describes exactly what I have written and it is worth watching.
Please share your thoughts in the comment box. I would love to visit with you.
I wonder, when do kids quit playing an instrument or quit singing? This occurred to me at my son’s concert as I watched over 700 fifth through twelfth grade students play individual and groups pieces. It was a great site with wonderful conductors and teachers leading kids opening up the world to creativity and art. To look over the vast amount of students, I would guess that the 5th through 8th grade out numbered the high school students three to one. This made me wonder, when did the 5th through 8th grade students lose the love of playing music?
Sure some kids lose interest in music or want to do something else that, I think, is normal. But what percentage of kids lose that interest, that love, that pull to the arts because of the environment they play in? I wonder how kids have the heart of an artist and the idea of practicing the National Anthem over and over brings them down? Or maybe the teacher has a bad day and says something that crushes the kid that struggles with a composition and the potentially remarkable but presently mediocre kid later gives up. What a loss…
This sober conversation exists in church as well. For many many kids, their formation, their relationship to church stops at confirmation. If you are Catholic, the parking lot or coffee shop meeting has many answers and questions but honestly, those meetings are nothing but unproductive gripe sessions full of negativity with the wrong question being asked. Rather than ask “why don’t young people stay in church”, ask “why would they want to stay in church”? This is the same question I asked myself while looking out across the Civic Center during Matthew’s concert. Why would all those kids want to stay in band through high school? Will the teachers take time for the mediocre student that struggles? Will students have an opportunity to be creative with music? When mistakes are made will criticism be delivered with love or contempt? If yes is the answer to any of the last three questions it should be no surprise the attrition rate of musicians from grade school and junior high appears to be +60%. I would not stay in that environment either!
So lay that exact scenario over church. Why would kids want to stay in church once the last carrot is attained? Will the teachers take time for the mediocre student that struggles? Will students have an opportunity to be creative with Jesus? When mistakes are made will criticism be delivered with love or contempt? If yes is the answer to any of the last three questions it should be no surprise the attrition rate of kids in confirmation appears to be +60%. I would not stay in that environment either!
So when did you lose your music? Did you….
Do people really want help? I don’t think so. I read on Facebook various people whining about money, relationships, a job or lack of one, and a myriad of trials. But at the end of the day, I don’t think most people want help. Why? Why do people suffer it alone? Whether it is driving directions or a tough child I, know far too many people that dig in and work it out by themselves. All this without wisdom from experts or at minimum, the council from someone who loves us enough to give genuine advice or hurt us.
The answer is quite simple. Pride, arrogance, fear keep us from taking sound advice or asking for help at all. Think about it, it is much easier to log on Facebook and whine about how bad our lives suck versus taking action to change them. This is the fear factor speaking. Again whining to a friend or online anywhere is easy. Plus, a bunch of wishers well will reaffirm us and give many condolences and clichés basically telling us “You’re a good person, keep slogging it out because I am too, someday a better deal will come along”. Can anyone read the mediocrity in that last sentence? I mean, are we called to this type of life? I don’t think so, at least I’m not.
To take the leap from what we do not like to something we generally give a rip about requires we have fear. Fear can be good if it does not cause paralysis. The naucious feeling in our stomachs can act as a barometer and help keep us motivated. That is a good thing. The hard part is not allowing that fear to keep us locked into perpetual mediocrity. Seth Godin calls this the Lizard Brain syndrome where fear and self talk keep us right where we are.
Admitting we ain’t got it all together is tough. We, especially in America, have bought hook line and sinker into the lie that we are self made men and women. To admit anything less would be un-American. This is absolute foolishness. I have written before THERE ARE NO SELF MADE MEN and it is worth repeating over and over. I could cliche you to death but I will repeat a story. The parenting style my wife and I used on our oldest daughter was not working. One thing after another that worked with one and three had little/no effect on two. Our parenting tool box was empty. Pride could have allowed us to keep mucking about making a terrible environment for us and our daughter. Luckily, we thought more of her than what people would think of us for getting professional help for all three of us. It was not easy to admit we were out of answers, but in our best interest and our daughter’s we are filling up our tool box with new tools.
Do we really want different? Asking this question of our person and giving a very honest answer is the linchpin of the matter. If we are in a situation we don’t like do we honestly want something different. I think we get so locked into what have and do. We cannot see what different looks like. Whether it be a job, relationship, being 20-30-100 pounds over weight , to see something different can be near impossible. There is great comfort and predictability in the routine of what we do, have and are. A job we do not like allows us to indulge hobbies we really like…a trade off. If we answer yes I really want different, not slightly modified but different, we must reread the third and fourth paragraph. We must become vulnerable. We must want help. Not the kind that promises false hope and false sympathy. No the kind of help that we actually put into action, the kind of help that stings a little because it reveals the part of us we need to change because it is true. That is when we post on Facebook that we love our lives and are so blessed.
Please share your thoughts in the comment box, I appreciate it. Eric
Do people really want help? I don’t think so. I read on Facebook various people whining about money, relationships, a job or lack of one, and a myriad of trials. But at the end of the day, I don’t think most people want help. Why? Why do people suffer it alone? Whether it is driving directions or a tough child I, know far too many people that dig in and work it by themselves. All this without wisdom from experts or at minimum, the council from someone who loves us enough to give genuine advice or hurt us.
The answer is quite simple. Pride, arrogance, fear keep us from taking sound advice or asking for help at all. Think about it, it is much easier to log on Facebook and whine about how bad our lives suck versus taking action to change them. This is the fear factor speaking. Again whining to a friend or online
anywhere is easy. Plus, a bunch of wishers well will reaffirm us and give many condolences and clichés
basically telling us “You’re a good person, keep slogging it out because I am too, someday a better deal
will come along”. Can anyone read the mediocrity in that last sentence? I mean, are we called to this
type of life? I don’t think so, at least I’m not.
To take the leap from what we do not like to something we generally give a rip about requires we have
fear. Fear can be good if it does not cause paralysis. The naucious feeling in our stomachs can act as a
barometer and help keep us motivated. That is a good thing. The hard part is not allowing that fear to
keep us locked into perpetual mediocrity. Seth Godin calls this the Lizard Brain syndrome where fear
and self talk keep us right where we are.
Admitting we ain’t got it all together is tough. We, especially in America, have bought hook line and
sinker into the lie that we are self made men and women. To admit anything less would be un-American.
This is absolute foolishness. I have written before THERE ARE NO SELF MADE MEN and it is worth
repeating over and over. I could cleche you to death but I will repeat a story. The parenting style my
wife and I used on our middle daughter was not working. One thing after another that worked with one
and three had little/no effect on two. Our parenting tool box was empty. Pride could have allowed us to
keep mucking about making a terrible environment for us and our daughter. Luckily, we thought more
of her than what people would think of for getting professional help for all three of us. It was not easy to
admit we were out of answers, but in our best interest and our daughter’s we are filling up our tool box
with new tools.
Do we really want different? Asking this question of our person and giving a very honest answer is the
linchpin of the matter. If we are in a situation we don’t like do we honestly want something different.
I think we get so locked into what have and do we cannot see what different looks like. Whether it
be a job, relationship, being 20-30-100 pounds over weight , to see something different can be near
impossible. There is great comfort and predictability in the routine of what we do, have and are. A job
we do not like allows us to indulge hobbies we really like…a trade off. If we answer yes I really want
different, not slightly modified but different, re must reread the third and fourth paragraph. We must
become vulnerable. We must want help. Not the kind that promises false hope and false sympathy. No
the kind of help that we actually put into action, the kind of help that stings a little because it reveals the
part of us we need to change because it is true. That is when we post on Facebook that we love our lives
and are so blessed.
Setting: Kara bouncing on Aunt Amy’s and Uncle Greg’s trampoline.
Kara: (rather excited) tradetradetradeawholebunchoftradesandIamhavingfunandilovethisohhsomuchfuntradetradetradefunfun………..
Me: Kara did you take in breath?
Setting: Another meal with the girls.
All: No offense dad, you’re better with the grill.
Me: What are you saying?
Setting: BFE– north of Ashland KS on the dirt road just because.
Al: We’re in the country now! I can start talking with my accent!
Setting: Girls n I gobbling up groceries
Me: (stealing food off Kara’s plate) I’m sampling to make sure it is wholesome and delicious.
All: Dad! Give her the food! You stole that food!
Me: I did not! I was awesome!
All: Dad! You are NOT telling the truth!
Kara: He’s a liar.
