Colors by will.i.am

Stand for life
Stand for true
Stand for somethin’
Don’t fall for nothin’

Stand for love
Stand for power
Stand for somethin’
Don’t fall for nothin’

Stand for me
Stand for you

Stand for somethin’
Don’t fall for nothin’

Don’t fall for nothin’
Don’t fall for nothin’

Stand for life
Stand for true
Stand for somethin’
Don’t fall for nothin’

A New Day by will.i.am

I went asleep last night
Tired from the fight
I’ve been fighting for tomorrow
All my life
Yea I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
‘Cause the dreams that I’ve been dreaming
Have finally came true

It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day

It’s been a long time coming
Up the mountain kept runnin’
Souls of freedom kept hummin’
Channeling Harriet Tubman

Kennedy, Lincoln, and King
We gotta invest in that dream
It feels like we’re swimming upstream
It feels like we’re stuck inbetween
A rock and a hard place,
We’ve been through the heartaches
And lived through the darkest days

If you and I made it this far,
Well then hey, we can make it all the way
And they said no we can’t
And we said yes we can
Remember it’s you and me together

I woke up this morning
Feeling alright
I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow
All my life
Yea, I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
Cause the dreams that I’ve been dreaming
Have finally came true

It’s been a long time waitin’
Waiting for this moment
It’s been a long time praying
Praying for this moment

We hope for this moment
And now that we own it
For life I will hold it
And I ain’t gonna let it go

It’s for fathers, our brothers,
Our friends who fought for freedom
Our sisters, our mothers,
Who died for us to be in this moment

Stop and cherish this moment
Stop and cherish this time

It’s time for unity
For us and we
That’s you and me together

I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
Cause the dreams that I’ve been dreaming
Have finally came true
Yea, I woke up this morning
Feeling alright

‘Cause we weren’t fighting for nothing
And the soldiers weren’t fighting
For nothing
No, Martin wasn’t dreaming for nothing
And Lincoln didn’t change it for nothing
And children weren’t crying for nothing

All three songs are about hope, dreaming and change (and they have some tight beats). Three, ideals you might say, that I cling to as I trust God and serve in this place that has far more dogs than Christians. I’ve stumbled upon each of these songs, in some way, through the inspiring film, Freedom Writers, and I’ve had them playing on repeat over the last days, as I’ve prayed for change here. I hope the lyrics/songs/video are encouraging to you as well! Here’s to ‘change!’ As always, be the revolution….

We all have a basic need to connect with other human beings. Making friends, connecting with others, sharing experiences, keeping up with popular culture, and keeping up with current trends and developments in your community all are ways and reasons for connecting with other people. When you connect with others in a fashion that allows you to develop a relationship that is especially useful, these long-term connections can be very helpful in guiding you through your life, as well as aid you in feeling happy.
The following are some of the types of more specific motivations for joining tribes:

Purely Social: To feel less alone and to connect with people (near or far) to pursue shared interests.

Values + Social: To connect with others who share the same values in a social setting.

Cultural + Social: To share experiences with natives of the same country, to speak the shared language and observe cultural traditions together.

Business + Social: To develop relationships with others in the same industry or expand network into other industries/markets.

Really, his thoughts are very intriguing to me. Why? Because I think this stuff applies to marketing, ministry, life and more. It’s interesting and has me thinking about things a lot. I really want to get my hands on his book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, for many reasons, but this quote from From Publishers Weekly, had me at hello!

The book’s helpful nuggets are buried beneath esoteric case studies and multiple reiterations: we can be leaders if we want, tribes are the way of the future and change is good. On that last note, the advice found in this book should be used with caution. Change isn’t made by asking permission, Godin says. Change is made by asking forgiveness, later. That may be true, but in this economy and in certain corporations, it may also be a good way to lose a job.

Okay, I need to get rolling and get some stuff taken care of, since “I find peace in productivity.”

* It has become clear that the legacy of the past decades we have to cope with is even worse than we anticipated or could anticipate in the joyful atmosphere of those first weeks of freedom. New problems are emerging day by day, and we can see how interconnected they are, how long it takes to solve them, and how difficult it is to establish priorities.

* A year ago, we all were united in the joy over having broken free of totalitarianism. Today we all are made somewhat nervous by the burden of freedom. Our society is still in a state of shock. This shock could have been expected, but none of us expected it to be so profound. The old system collapsed, and a new one so far has not been built. Our social life is marked by a subliminal uncertainty over what kind of system we are going to build, how to build it, and whether we are able to build it at all. {emphasis added}

Interesting indeed. I know that Havel is far from perfect, but his quotes from that cold night so long ago, to me, still linger in the cold of air of tonight. Has the state of shock faded or has it just been drowned by the West and Capitalism, the whole time still being there, but never really being addressed? I’m not sure. I do know that I’m committed to Czechs experiencing a deeper freedom than they have ever imagined, and I guess I deeper freedom that I could have every imagined as well. So here’s a big, “Na Zdravi” to the 19th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and Freedom!

1. Plant GOSPEL identities, not programs or services.
2. Plant TOGETHER, not alone.
3. Be faithful, not cool.
4. Be humbled, not overconfident.
5. Live it as a family FIRST, don’t use your church as a crutch.
6. Don’t go after people, pursue the God who will raise them up.

1. Early mornings and hot coffee
2. The writings of John Owen (at the time it was The Mortification of Sin)
3. Listening to Lauren sing
4. Walks through graveyards (I know this is weird but it reminded me of mortality)
5. The book of Hebrews
6. Robust dialogue on ecclesiology or missiology
7. Sermons by John Piper
8. Angst-filled music

Robbers

1. Watching too much TV and spending too much time online
2. Staying up late for no reason
3. Following sports too closely
4. Being physically lazy
5. Empty conversations (talking for hours about nothing)
6. Idleness

Here are mine, after thinking and praying about this for quite some time (you’ll see some parallels):

Inspirations

1. A strong cup(s) of coffee
2. Preaching and teaching from John Piper and Mark Driscoll
3. The Psalms – especially Psalms like 13
4. Walking through Prague with good music cranking into my ears, while praying and laying down life, mission, work, relationships and more at my Savior’s feet.
5. Big, sweeping epics, that is films
6. A dude and his guitar type music
7. Good, deep theological convo, that makes me want to read, study and pray more
8. Good convos with people that challenge and inspire me, but also who like to listen to me. (is that possible? ;-))

Robbers

1. Too much time on chicagobears.com, nfl.com and the endless list of blogs I want to follow
2. Relationships lacking depth
3. Facebook
4. Late nights, that are late for no reason, as opposed to late nights that have great reason!
5. Not being productive and getting things off the lists (I find peace in productivity)
6. Not finishing things I’ve started (i.e. blog posts, I have so many half written posts)
7. “Trying” to relax, instead of just being

I’m sure there are more that I could add to either of those lists, but that is what I’ve been thinking about. What are yours?
(HT - Reid)

Imagine that instead of you, Brad Pitt had asked this same woman out. Would she use the same excuse with him? If Brad Pitt asked her on a date, would she still say she had to study or was going to the movies with friends that night? Nope. She would have dropped pretty much anything and everything to be able to accept a date with Brad.

How to Give and Take Criticism like a Man
How to Give Effective Criticism

Go in cool, calm, and collected.
Be specific.
Criticize the action, not the person.
Be a diplomat.
Make specific suggestions for improvement.
Personalize your approach.
Point out positives.
Follow up.

How to Take Criticism

Consider the source.
Shut your trap and listen.
Don’t take it personally.
Stay calm (even if the other person is being a complete d-bag).
Ask clarifying questions.
Take ownership of your mistake.
Change your perspective on criticism.
Thank your critic (even when they handed your butt to you).
Take action and follow up.

Good stuff, check out the site! I’m off to bed…

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Hebrews 1:3

“He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away.” Job 12:19, 23

“He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Matthew 5:18, 19

No political commentary, but some Biblical commentary that should affect the way all of us think, what we believe and how we live. May the Church live in such a counter-cultural way in this intersting season that we make those who are outside go, “hmmm.” I’m thankful that Jesus is on his throne yesterday, today and even tomorrow!