A Slower Pace

To the woman who completes me,
who has shared our family journey,
who is yoked with me as a team for Christ,
who bore the three blessings I call my children,
who dwells in our blessings and perseveres in our trials,
who overlooks my flaws and boasts in my talents,
who exudes beauty and grace and love,

Thank you for choosing me and saying “yes”,
for honoring our covenant and bringing joy to my life.

I love you!
…..D

This short video is a minute long clip of 1 second images of beauty. We frequently are too busy or jaded to slow down enough and take in these beautiful scenes. And lucky for most of us, some of these appear in our lives for more than 1 second.

Soak them up in your life so you can run your own video in your head.

Seconds Of Beauty – 1st round compilation from The Beauty Of A Second on Vimeo.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

The post below was on my wife’s Facebook status this morning.

Last week about this time I really thought if I closed my eyes I may not wake up. Two thoughts crossed my mind:
1) I wasn’t afraid; I was ready to meet Jesus
2) yet I wasn’t ready to die

You see I have this incredible hope and faith and I thought about the people out there suffering that didn’t have hope or faith and how that broke my heart. How they could be at a low point and have no hope? Having God in my life makes all the difference in everything I do and how I live. I, more than ever, want to bring my non-believer friends to the light. I believe this experience wasn’t about me at all. God was using me to bring people to Him. He wanted to hear from people and if it was praying for me then so be it. So for all those people who struggled to pray and find the words, you brought tears to God’s eyes and He wants to continue to hear from you. He cares immensely about your heart . There is hope and light and love and you have a Savior. God loves you so.

Pretty cool insight considering all she’s been through these last several weeks.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I have been a regular blood donor for over two decades — since 1990. It has always been something that I do that I know has a positive impact on others. I know the precious life giving power blood gives someone who needs it. And it such a simple, selfless act that really anybody can perform. You just need to be healthy and you need to be willing — that’s all.

Recently, I have even spent my donation time in prayer as I lay there, praying that God will use the blood cells to heal, nourish, and protect the recipient who receives my blood. As a believer in Christ, I believe my blood will have, not only the scientific and medical impact, that is desired, but the additional, more powerful spiritual impact that is life changing.

My wife’s ER and hospital trip yesterday was the first time I have personally benefited from our nation’s blood supply. And while I knew blood donations were a good thing, I am now an even stronger advocate because my family has benefited from the actions and sacrifice (time and the pain of a needle stick) of dedicated donors.

What I want to do is educate and encourage others out there to give blood on a very regular basis. The “bang for the buck” for the donor is huge. There aren’t too many other single acts that you can do where 30-45 minutes of your time and inconvenience can truly save someone else’s life.

If you aren’t currently giving blood, it is because you are A) – not healthy (or eligible) or B) – not willing. And while I cannot do anything to help you with A, I can definitely encourage and challenge you on B. We are all busy in our lives (one of the most common reasons for not donating). But put yourself or a loved one in the hospital and position as a recipient and it changes that perspective now, doesn’t it. I would hope you would MAKE the time to donate with that perspective in your head.

If you are afraid of needles or the pain (another common reason people don’t donate), again, put yourself or a loved one in the hospital and in the position as a recipient. The small, minor inconvenience of a needle stick sure looks pretty wimpy when you project it against a child cancer patient, an anemic pregnant mother, or a traffic accident victim. I know you might be afraid — I was when I first started giving blood. My only fear was of needles. And I forced myself to get over that (unreasonable) fear by donating blood. Again and again. While I don’t cherish the physical process of drawing blood, I do cherish the opportunity to save someone’s life.

If you are unwilling because it is your own body and your own blood and you are reluctant to share, then I have nothing for you. This world is much greater than yourself and until you begin to see that, nothing I say can help and I will not waste my time. Blood donations are the least of your worries. Continue on living in your bubble island.

So, get out there, call your local donation center, set up an appointment, and go give of yourself so that your action can have a huge, positive impact on our community and world.

For those of you that already give blood donations routinely, THANK YOU!!!!! You had a positive impact on my wife yesterday, because that could have been your blood she received.

This has been a public service announcement.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I have posted earlier about our family’s implementation of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Jr. I purchased two kits for K and D when my wife and I started Financial Peace University and the 7 Baby Steps. However, the kits sat around for a few months until I was motivated enough to action (see Goal #10 on this post). At the beginning of the year, I sat down with K and D and we had a homeschool lesson on finances. We reviewed the material in the kits. We learned about paying God first (GIVING), paying yourself second (SAVING) and paying all others after (SPENDING). We then set up our weekly whiteboard chore charts and laid out the kids’ weekly tasks and commission (payment) schedule.

It has been a great improvement process and the kids have responded wonderfully. If I had know it would go this well I would have done it years ago. I came home from work on the first day after our lesson and it was like I lived in a museum. The kitchen was spotless, animals were cared for, and the family and living rooms were swept, vacuumed and all stuff put away. The kids had marked off all of their chores for the day and were excited to point out their accomplishments. Additionally, I had contributed to past failures by not being consistent in checking that chores were done and paying on time in full. With the kids on top of things, that also required that I step up my game. So I have been dutifully checking their progress daily, marking their charts, and hoarding singles like I was a bachelor at a strip club, not for that, but to be able to pay the kids in amounts that can then be split on the spot into their GIVE, SAVE, and SPEND envelopes.

NOTE: the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace systems provide envelopes for you to implement a cash based system of tracking and spending. However, I did not utilize these because I didn’t want to get hooked and have to pay for refills. So instead, I found a PDF online that prints out envelopes that you can then cut out and fold. This is what we and the kids have been using.

Download and print your own FREE printable cash envelopes here.

For the kids’ giving, they have been dropping money into our church’s offering. Additionally, they have identified causes and charities that are close to their hearts. As a father, it is so good to see the kids gladly give away some of what they have earned through their hard work. That act loosens the grip money has on us — because after all, it is not ours; we are merely stewards of it.

So when my son said he wanted to give a donation to Wayside Christian Mission (where he frequently joins me for Friday breakfast serving) I was thrilled. He forgot his envelope last week, but this week remembered to bring it with him. He brought it in and gave it to our dear friend who leads up the kitchen and dining room. He, in turn, took D to his boss so he could present it to her. She was very receptive and thankful. And while it was only thirty something dollars, it came from a child who was giving not only his money, but also his time. A homeless guy who was standing next to her even made a comment — “You don’t see that every day from an adult, much less a kid”.

It sure was a good way to start off our Friday.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

The Boy Scouts of America organization is 102 years old today. They are a phenomenal organization that does so much for young men, families and our country promoting skills, values, preparedness, charity, citizenship and community. I wholeheartedly support them and am very proud of my son who is a third generation Scout transitioning from a Webelos II to a local Boy Scout troop in the next few months.

I mean, how can you not respect these values:

Scout Oath
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country;
To obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

Scout Law
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Scout Motto
Be Prepared

Scout Slogan
Do a good turn daily

Outdoor Code
As an American, I will do my best, to be clean in my outdoor manners, to be careful with fire, to be considerate in the outdoors, and to be conservation minded.

Happy birthday, BSA!!!!!

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I caught some kind of stomach bug last night — I will leave all the unpleasant details out. But I was up quite a bit last night and caught several naps today. I am hoping it is waning and tomorrow will be normal, which would be good because I am off work and would like to be productive.

I am aiming to finish my third book on my 2012 reading list tonight — The Servant – A simple story about the true essence of leadership. I came across a quote that paralleled Thursday’s post on action.

“What we think or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only thing on consequence is what we do.” — John Ruskin

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I just finished an article that really impresses me. I am going to link to it but also reprint it below (with the proper credits) in the hopes that more people read it and get the message. And while it definitely is about Tim Tebow, it MORE IMPORTANTLY is about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and love and serve others.

How cool would it be if we all followed those actions.

Original article link here.

I Believe In Tim Tebow
By Rick Reilly
ESPN.com

I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde.

No, I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.

Who among us is this selfless?

Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster’s), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.

Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.

Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?

Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.

“Here he’d just played the game of his life,” recalls Bailey’s mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., “and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, ‘Did you get anything to eat?’ He acted like what he’d just done wasn’t anything, like it was all about Bailey.”

More than that, Tebow kept corralling people into the room for Bailey to meet. Hey, Demaryius, come in here a minute. Hey, Mr. Elway. Hey, Coach Fox.

Even though sometimes-fatal Wegener’s granulomatosis has left Bailey with only one lung, the attention took her breath away.

“It was the best day of my life,” she emailed. “It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days. Tim Tebow gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine. He gave me the strength for the future. I know now that I can face any obstacle placed in front of me. Tim taught me to never give up because at the end of the day, today might seem bleak but it can’t rain forever and tomorrow is a new day, with new promises.”

I read that email to Tebow, and he was honestly floored.

“Why me? Why should I inspire her?” he said. “I just don’t feel, I don’t know, adequate. Really, hearing her story inspires me.”

It’s not just NFL defenses that get Tebowed. It’s high school girls who don’t know whether they’ll ever go to a prom. It’s adults who can hardly stand. It’s kids who will die soon.

For the game at Buffalo, it was Charlottesville, Va., blue-chip high school QB Jacob Rainey, who lost his leg after a freak tackle in a scrimmage. Tebow threw three interceptions in that Buffalo game and the Broncos were crushed 40-14.

“He walked in and took a big sigh and said, ‘Well, that didn’t go as planned,'” Rainey remembers. “Where I’m from, people wonder how sincere and genuine he is. But I think he’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met.”

There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow, and I’ve looked everywhere for it.

Take 9-year-old Zac Taylor, a child who lives in constant pain. Immediately after Tebow shocked the Chicago Bears with a 13-10 comeback win, Tebow spent an hour with Zac and his family. At one point, Zac, who has 10 doctors, asked Tebow whether he has a secret prayer for hospital visits. Tebow whispered it in his ear. And because Tebow still needed to be checked out by the Broncos’ team doctor, he took Zac in with him, but only after they had whispered it together.

And it’s not always kids. Tom Driscoll, a 55-year-old who is dying of brain cancer at a hospice in Denver, was Tebow’s guest for the Cincinnati game. “The doctors took some of my brain,” Driscoll says, “so my short-term memory is kind of shot. But that day I’ll never forget. Tim is such a good man.”

This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk to teammates before a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.

Isn’t that a huge distraction?

“Just the opposite,” Tebow says. “It’s by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.”

So that’s it. I’ve given up giving up on him. I’m a 100 percent believer. Not in his arm. Not in his skills. I believe in his heart, his there-will-definitely-be-a-pony-under-the-tree optimism, the way his love pours into people, right up to their eyeballs, until they believe they can master the hopeless comeback, too.

Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago, and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He’d be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation.

Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea?

“Tim told me to keep fighting, no matter what,” Rainey says. “I am.”

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

Well, 2012 is already over 3 1/2% complete. And if you have not done so, I would encourage you to be setting goals for yourself. And these goals should be in several areas of your life — because, after all, God made us multifaceted beings, not simple singularly focused creatures. The image below is most commonly associated with Zig Ziglar. It is the wheel of life and ideally should have goals in each area for us to flourish. If we neglect a “spoke” in the wheel, a flat tire results and we “thump, thump, thump” through life.

I have shared with you one of my 2012 goals – my 2012 reading list. I am almost at the end of my third book and am making good progress. Another goal I have for this year is reading completely through the Bible. I am on day #18 of an Old Testament/New Testament reading plan from YouVersion. I have not missed a day and it has been very enlightening, educational and uplifting. By the way, YouVersion is a great tool if you have a smart phone or tablet. I cannot tell you how it has opened up my Bible reading whether it is planned or just on the fly referencing.

Goals by nature are active and require action. No goal has ever been accomplished by thinking or knowing. Goals can only be accomplished by doing. While this might be restating the obvious, how many of us have been merely dreamers or thinkers? I know I have definitely been guilty of that in the past.

Well, this year is different (I’m sure you’ve heard that before). Already I am 1 month ahead on my reading list goal. I am on track with my Bible in a year reading plan. After stumbling with my cardio, I have strung together 10 workouts for the last 2 weeks. And our family’s implementation of Financial Peace Jr. for the kids is way more successful than I had imagined. (That alone is fodder for its own blog post.) What is different is that by writing down my goals, it allowed me to not only think and form them, but to visualize them, break them down, and create individual events of action. It is those individual events of action that have gotten me off my butt, reduced the distractions, and focused my time and energy to what I should be doing at that moment. It might be a chore, it might be a devotion, it might be a work project, it might be time with the family, or it might be a conversation with my wife — but all those things get my focused attention and action.

Two additional goals I am moving along are related to an iPhone app idea I had early last year and an idea with a local charity. Both ideas have just sat in my brain for too long and I was finally disgusted with myself to get them on my 2012 goal list so I could move them forward with action. Well, Wednesday I submitted my second proposal for the iPhone app. And Friday I am taking the charity President to lunch so I can pitch my idea. We’ll see how both those efforts pan out. I also have additional direction maps to act upon should the results not be optimal. What I am intent on is having forward progress on those items and focusing on “DO” rather than thinking, planning or knowing.

For me, 2012 will definitely be a year of action. Actually, it already is.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I am so very blessed to be spiritually shepherded by Kyle Idleman, minister at Southeast Christian Church. In fact, it was his Scripturally based preaching along with authentic worship that hooked my family to grow beyond our lukewarm church (that whole process is a blog post all it’s own — some day).

Anyway, Kyle created the Not A Fan series to separate the wheat from the chaff; the follower from the fan. It is a message that cuts deep and cuts sharp. It is not for the feint of heart. But it is the truth.

For a short period of time, you can watch the Not A Fan movie for free here — http://www.notafan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83 . It is an incredibly impactful hour and 10 minutes. On my Facebook page, I shared it with the comment that it was a spiritual gut punch — one that I really needed.

I highly encourage you to take the time, challenge yourself and grow your relationship with the Christ that bought your salvation with his death.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net