Silver Lining Playbook

I just watched the oscar winning performance of Jennifer Lawrence, and I was moved. That's normal the point of movies, to move you. Right?

Well, if you haven't seen the movie, please do. It's great. But this isn't an ad for the movie. What I want to write about is ideas it sparked. Please, if you haven't seen the movie, stop reading this and GO WATCH THE MOVIE!

I was thinking about how in this movie, and like so many others, the main character has something great in front of him, abut he is so caught up in his own goals and agenda that he can't see it.

First, I wonder, what is something great that is in front of me that I just can't see. Is this what it's like for God when he gives us so many great and wonderful gifts, but we just can't see it? Please God, open my eyes so I can see Your Goodness.

Second, it takes the entire movie for him to figure out that Tiffany (his dance partner) is good for him and the "one" for him. Now here is where some of my thoughts get confusing, and I know they do, but remember, I am the one thinking them. So I feel even more confused than you readers. But, back to my point, what if the journey to the discovery that Tiffany is good for him, is what makes the movie so wonderful. What if, in the beginning of the film, when he first saw her, they got together and that was the end. I know it would make for a terrible movie, but I think it also would not be good for their relationship. They wouldn't build into each other's lives. They wouldn't spend those 2 days a week, practicing their dance, or running into each other on their runs, or even getting raisin bran at the diner. Is it the journey of discovering the good that is in front of us so wonderful? Maybe.

Or is it just journeys that we love. Think of Lord of the Rings, it's one big, epic, 9 hour's of cinema, 4 bags of popcorn journey. And yet, it did so well, that the final movie in the series won 11 oscars. It tied for the most oscars a movie won along with Ben-Hur and Titanic...ever. Back to my point, we love journeys. Maybe, what this movie and so many other movies are telling me, is that I need to start appreciating the "journey" I am on.

Maybe that's how my brain will understand my first two points. Maybe its that I need to see the good that's in front of me, which is the wonderful journey I am on with God. This may sound so cliche and cheesy, but maybe that's why so many of us ignore it. We here something like that, and we call it cliche, so we don't have to admit that we were wrong, or maybe admit our mistake, or maybe we are just to lazy to open our eyes to the good in front of us because we enjoy feeling miserable. Whatever it may be, I pray that I will continual try to keep my eyes open to the constant good in my life, be thankful for the journey I am on, and watch more Jennifer Lawrence movies, cause she's great.

Failure

What do you do when you fail? Most people either crash, cope, or change.

Most of you know what I'm talking when I say "crash". You've seen it before. It's not pretty. When you crash, it's destructive. You think there is nowhere to go. (insert story about crashing)

When you cope, you becoming stationary. You become used to a problem, and you survive. (insert story about someone coping)

When you change, you become progressive and proactive. This is how I always want to respond to failure. Right? (Insert lessons i learned from Craig Groeschel podcast at willow July 28)

Navigation is Key to Leadership

When you want to lead, you must be a navigator. Even before problems arise, and they will arise, you must chart your course.

Robert Falcon Scott vs. Roald Amundsen story.

Stories are Powerful

One of the most powerful things in this world is a story. The most influential leader that has every walked the other told stories that changed the world. There was a man name Jesus who walked around and told parables, stories, that caused the most powerful politicians and religious leaders of the day to try to do anything to silence him forever. Still, leaders are trying to kill followers of Jesus. But you can't stop a story(also, mainly, you just can't stop Jesus). People to this day are willing to lay down there lives for a leader that hasn't walked the earth in 2000 years. That's how good his leadership is. And one of the ways he lead was through stories.

One day, as I finished reading a book by John Ortberg, one of my favorite communicators, I thought of how great the book was. It was so inspiring. I was so excited about the book. I wanted to tell one of my best friends (Jon Jorgenson-this guy is awesome people). I'm walking towards my dorm room and pulling out my cell phone, getting ready to tell him about my favorite parts of the book. Then I realized that my favorite parts were all stories. In fact, as I was thinking back, the book was just a bunch of stories. I went home and listened to Ortberg's speeches that I love so much, and they were full of stories, a lot of my favorite authors, speakers, and leaders.

Here's what I'm saying, tell stories. Whether it's yours, your friends, or those you love. Stories have a profound impact on the world.

Tell stories.

Maximizing my connection with others is one of the ways I get so much joy and energy out of life. So many times, I get told by people that I am a happy person, full of energy, or very positive. Part of that is just the way God created me to be, but part of that comes through my connection with others. I think we all feed of the energy of each other. Whether that's positive or negative energy, it makes little difference. It happens.

The Law of Shared Energy

I must point out that the people with greater leadership and influence, can have a bigger affect on the energy that's shared. When I was in college, a couple of my friends told me I needed to be aware of my attitude. They said, often, when I would come in with a bad attitude, I would pass that attitude around. I thought that was strange, why are you telling me this? Just because I am having an off day, I need to act like I'm having a good day? I didn't realize how powerful my influence was. Maybe it is a cross leaders have to carry(or at least be aware of). And I'm not saying that you can't have bad days, but when you have a powerful influence over others, you must bring great energy into what you are leading. If not, you cast a dark cloud over the work that is done(Insert story of a leader who brought negative energy to the job).

It doesn't matter whether you are a extravert or an introvert, the rule still applies. John Ortberg is one of my favorite communicators, and he openly claims his introvercy. Yet, with his energy, presences, and words, he can move you to tears of laughter and tears of sadness. He can impart his joy, sadness, angers, and peace(Insert Story).

Hey Y'all,

It's been a while. I'm going to start using this blog space as some pre-emptive writing for books that I want to write. I don't know what I want to write about, but we will see. That's why I'm so thankful to have this open space and community where I can write and just put my work out there. So, if you see enjoy some of these posts, just wait until the book comes out.