I don't know about you, but perhaps this year more than any other, my summer has disappeared quickly before my very eyes. After all, we're less than three weeks away from school starting back. Yikes!
Our family truly cherishes summer, and we do our best to take advantage of the time off (well, for the kids, anyway). We let the kids to camps, Adventure Week at church, swim at the pool, and - of course - vacation! We work hard, but give every effort to play harder.
And, while we are often in a daze during the summer with all that's going on, it cranks up even more in the August rush. We are coasting along in fourth gear right now, but we'll go into overdrive in just a few weeks - both at work and with our kids' school activities.
So, with all that's going on, how in the world do you maintain balance? How do you squeeze it all in? Is there any way to prioritize things in such a way that you don't compromise your sanity or the time you invest in the lives of your family?
That's what we'll be talking about at NorthStar beginning August 10 with our sermon series entitled August Rush. We all have the petal to the metal. So, what we've got to do is look at what God has to say about our schedules, our priorities, our families, and our mental health as we navigate our way through the craziness.
I hope you'll be able to join us for August Rush, and see how God can clear up even the most muddled of pictures if you involve Him in all that you do!
One of the greatest minds in the marketing world is Seth Godin. I have read a couple of his books over the past year, and I think he truly has an amazing gift for helping individuals and organizations understand how things work in our consumer-minded 21st century culture.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned from Godin is this: If you are not remarkable, you are invisible. Think about that for a moment. You can be pretty darn good at something, but irrelevant at the same time. In baseball, you can be a .285 hitter, blast 20 homers, and knock in 80 runs, and make a great living. But, most people won't know much about you - because while those are decent numbers, they are not remarkable.
The same goes in business. You can have a successful company, and you can have your market share, and you can continue to make widgets, but unless you have done something that no other company has, you will likely never take things to the next level.
Godin says that being remarkable is what separates people, organizations, churches - anyone. And, the thing is, you can be remarkably BAD and still be remarkable. You may do something so crazy, so pathetic, so idiotic, that you (or your company) actually benefit from it from a publicity standpoint - which often leads to success in the back account department.
Almost all of us are quite at ease in our respective comfort zones. But, it's those people who continue to push forward EVEN WHEN things are going well who become remarkable.
I heard a friend relate a story this morning that goes hand-in-hand with this line of thought. He was saying that one of his friends was recently told that the average person will buy a new car every 2 1/2 years. His friend's response: "Well, my wife and I are trying really hard not to be
average."
What a great word for all of us. You can be exceptional if you'll just separate yourself from all the ordinary folks. In order to do that, you'll need to discover what Godin calls "the purple cow."
Here's Godin's explanation of this phenomenon: Cows, after you've seen one, or two, or ten, are boring. A Purple Cow, though...now that would be something. Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable. Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff-a lot of brown cows-but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow. And it's not a marketing function that you can slap on to your product or service. Purple Cow is inherent. It's built right in, or it's not there. Period.
Now, let out a big MOOOOOOOOOO...and try to discover the Purple Cow within you!
Don't you just hate it when you are sitting at a table with folks engaged in a conversation, and the parties gabbing use lingo that's foreign to you, drop names unfamiliar to you, and laugh at inside jokes that are meaningless to you? How does that make you feel? Do you feel closer to these people, or do you feel like you are being pushed to the edge? Do you feel included, or do you feel insignificant?
I tend to watch ESPN quite a bit. Probably too much. And, in some ways, that network feels like home to me as I channel surf. I know the names and the faces, and I am pretty familiar with the terminology being thrown about on a daily basis. But one thing that continues to rub me the wrong way is their overuse of nicknames when talking to one another.
The other night during the Home Run Derby, announcers kept "tossing it back" to their fellow reporters and TV personalities by constantly using nicknames for one another. It really made me angry.
Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravich was continually referred to as "Ravi." Chris Berman, the long-time stalwart of ESPN, and since 1979 has been the face of the network, is always called "Boomer." John Kruk, former MLB first baseman for the Phillies and Padres is now called "Krukie."
And, a week or so ago, I tuned in for a Sunday night baseball game and heard Erin Andrews, who is ESPN's new darling of the dugout and sideline interview, sent it "back to you, O.B." It took me a moment, but I realize she was referring to commentator Dave O'Brien.
The point is, when you use your insider nicknames and terminology, you turn people off. You make them feel like outsiders, when your goal should always be to invite them in and build relationships with them - even through the TV airwaves.
With respect to your church or organization, your network of friends, and even those you would consider acquaintances, do your best to tear down bridges to building community. Avoid using language that will alienate people, and instead do your best to genuinely try to involve them in the conversation. Be careful about using nicknames and abbreviations for things that are not obvious to everyone in the room (or on the TV or radio). And, never ever be patronizing and make false assumptions.
People want to belong, and ever more than that they want to FEEL welcomed. Analyze your personal communication style and decide if you could do a better job of putting others at ease and creating an atmosphere of INCLUSION rather than one of EXCLUSION.
No one likes to be - or FEEL - like an outsider.
If you didn't have a chance to catch the Home Run Derby last night, you missed it. I mean, yeah, you missed a bunch of baseballs flying out of Yankee Stadium, but more than that you missed perhaps the baseball story of the year - maybe the greatest story in the history of the sport. That remains to be seen.
Josh Hamilton, the 27-year old slugger for the Texas Rangers, showed the world he's much more than a great ball player: he's a beacon. For the past several years, Hamilton has been about as obscure a figure in sports as one could be. He would have been completely unknown if it hadn't been for his widely publicized addictions to drugs and alcohol.
But, Hamilton made the choice a couple years ago to recommit his life to Christ and allow God to transform him from the inside-out. Take a moment and read this story about how God never gave up on Hamilton - or on his marriage.CLICK HERE TO READ
I'm one of those people who likes to be right. It gives me satisfaction to know that I have come up with a correct answer, or that my sage advice turned out to be on the money.It's actually something I struggle with every day. I have this deep-down urge to be validated, and I want people to recognize me when I have something valuable to add.
But, as you know, constantly wanting (or needing) to be right has an incredibly high price tag associated with it. In the best circumstances, it leads to people regarding you as the "know it all." In the most severe cases, it leads to people not wanting to be around you at all. Essentially, the "know it all" is excommunicated from each and every group of which they once were a part.
Now, it hasn't nearly gotten that bad in my case, but I've seen it happen. In fact, I am sure all of us know of at least one person in our family or circle of friends who immediately can turn any joyful time into a tense situation. These kind of people suck the life out of everyone around them. They are joy-stealers. More than that, they are just plain miserable to be around.
When we make the choice to value our being "right" over the relationships we have with others, everyone suffers. When we always make things about who's right, who's wrong, who's best, who's worst, who knows the most, and who knows nothing, the consequences can be - and usually are - life-altering.
In the beginning this may not have been a big deal. But the occasional tiff - over time - can easily develop into a pattern of behavior that includes countless put-downs, ridicules, mockeries, and patronizing words that cannot be unsaid or undone. All because the "right" person or persons no longer sees others as valuable and meaningful.
Instead, they want the light shone on themselves. And, that's exactly what they get - more than they ever wanted. Because now the light shines so bright on them that they can no longer see others. And, as we all know, light exposes the things we try so desperately to hide sometimes. The next time you are in an argument, or even if it's a friendly wager, fight the urge to be egotistical. Instead, be humble - genuinely humble - and refuse to steal others' joy. Because there's something a whole lot more important than being right: being loved.
