Beautiful Dreamer…

March 4, 2013 By

IMG_0367“But what if I don’t have a dream?” people ask me.

I think you do. And I think it’s beautiful.

I know some of us go around telling anyone and everyone who will listen all about what we’re dreaming up. We stare off into the distance, or draw fancy images on napkins in restaurants, or pin dreamy ideas onto Pinterest. Someone mentions “dreaming” and we take out our pom-poms and start doing cartwheels. When people tell us they don’t have a dream, or they’re not so sure about the whole dream thing, we look at them as if they’re speaking Greek or Latin or both.

I apologize. I know we can seem a bit pushy. Unrealistic, even. But, may I let you in on a secret I’ve learned from the dreamers I’ve met along the way? Sometimes, we don’t believe the hype, either. No, not for ourselves. We believe it for you. Oh, yes we do! And if anyone were to challenge us about it, we would stand and defend your right to dream until our very last breath. We have SO much confidence in you and your dream that when you begin to doubt or to tremble and you think you might throw in the towel, we rush to your side. We send you balloon bouquets and funny emails and we text you haikus of encouragement. Our belief in you and your hard-fought dream is unwavering.

But our dreams?

When it comes to our own dreams, we lie awake at night and we stare at the ceiling and we throw off the covers in a cold sweat because what if this dreaming thing is foolishness after all? What if we’ve missed something? What if we’ve miscalculated, and what we thought was God inviting us to join in a dance to rival the very best of DWTS was actually the result of a late-night interlude with a slice of pepperoni pizza? So we toss and turn and then we stumble through the day in a fog, confident we’ve missed the mark and we are about to be humiliated in front of the entire world.

And then?

Well, then, we read something you write, or we catch a glimpse of the sun rising over the hill, or we hear a line from a long-forgotten song as it slips in through the window. And that’s all it takes for us to shrug off the doubts of the night before and the morning panic of throwing our legs over the side of the bed and taking that first step into a brand new day.

The only way to know for sure is to keep on dreaming. Keep asking God which way is best. Keep leaning on your friends when it feels like you’ve been chasing the most ridiculous path. In the end, it will work or it won’t. But I’m not sure it’s only about the end result. Sometimes I think the entire, crazy, twisted roller-coaster ride is the most beautiful part of the dream.

Which one are you? The cartwheeling, pom-pom wielding dreamer? The terrified dreamer? Or are you still waiting to discover your dream? Maybe you’d like to join us at JumpingTandem: The Retreat, where we’ll spend a weekend unwrapping, uncovering, and embracing our dreams. We’ve still got a few Day Passes left. Maybe one has your name on it? For more information, click here.

Note: I’ve been loading some of my photos from Germany over on Tumblr. If you’re interested in seeing Germany through our eyes, feel free to hop over and take a peek.

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8054 Pear Street

February 18, 2013 By

windows

I was born in Germany, nearly 49 years ago. My dad was in the service. He flew helicopters. Cool, huh? My dad is my own, personal superhero. He and my mom were young and almost as beautiful as they are today, and they lived a long, long way from home. I’m their first child, so having me when they lived so far from home was more than a notion.

There are some cute pictures of my mom and dad in that first apartment at 8054 Pear Street, waiting for me to arrive. I appreciate those photos more and more as I get older. When I look at my parents in those photos — trying to be grown and not knowing what they were doing, and doing it anyway because what choice did they have? — I just love them with all my heart. In those pictures, they’re young enough to be my children and I find myself wanting to give them advice and warn them about my stubborn streak and how that doesn’t mean I don’t love them.

I was less than two years old when we boarded a ship and made the trip to the US. I haven’t been back to Germany since, and I have no memories of living there. So, H is taking me. If you’re reading this, we’re there. In Germany! And it’s not just H I have to thank.

H is on sabbatical from the church. When the congregation heard I wanted to visit Germany, and H wanted to see some of the historic sites of the church, they made it possible for us to go! We couldn’t do this without them.

I’ll have plenty of stories to tell when I get back to the US. And, I had dreams before I left. You can see some of them here. So tell me. Were you born in the state where you live now? Were you born in a different country? Is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit, but have never been?

photo credit

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Separation Anxiety

February 7, 2013 By

Green-CupWhen 2013 rolled around and everyone was exhaling because the Mayans weren’t right, after all, I took a deep breath and rolled up my sleeves because THIS is the year for JumpingTandem: The Retreat! Or, #JTREAT for short. #JTREAT is my dream come true!

Wait. Let me correct that. #JTREAT is actually God’s idea.

It’s a dream he dropped in my lap a few years ago and, as with any God-sized dream, I figured he meant it for someone else. I mean, obviously it’s a great idea, right? But to make it happen requires experience and attention to detail and speakers and a venue and a platform (!), and I had — have — none of the above. So, for years I’d say to anyone who would listen, “I really think we need a conference right here in the Midwest.” I imagined myself to be a messenger of God  — a burning bush — for the person he actually intended to use to make the dream come true. I kept waiting for someone to grasp my hands, look me in the eyes and say, “Oh, thank you! I was wondering what God wanted me to do with my life and you have just delivered the answer I’ve been praying for!” But, people would simply nod in agreement, lean back, sip their coffee, and change the subject.

Then one day I realized the idea might be for me, and not for someone else. Scary.

After much hemming and hawing (and praying and asking God what he had in mind), I decided to test the theory that maybe he meant for me to plan the event. So, I took the first step and — surprise! — the earth kept spinning. So, I took another step, and then another, and another. God kept opening doors in front of me; connecting me with just the right people; leading me to just the right businesses; giving me just the right connections. And here we are, with JumpingTandem: The Retreat, just ten weeks away.

Right about now, when things are starting to come together, and people are sending me their flight information, and I’m making final arrangements with the shuttle company and with the chef at the retreat center and with the speakers and the musician and the sponsors, I find myself with a case of separation anxiety. Because now that it looks like it might actually happen, it’s so very easy for me to forget who’s idea this was in the first place.

Way back in the day, when Moses was leading an entire generation of Israelites through the desert, I wonder if he didn’t start to feel the same way? I mean, think about it. At first, he didn’t even want to do what God was asking him to do. “Send Aaron,” he said to God. But God wanted to use Moses to make this dream come true, so it was Moses who went to Pharaoh, Moses who pronounced the plagues, Moses who reached out over the Red Sea before it parted, Moses who received the Ten Commandments from God on the mountain top. After awhile, I imagine Moses started dreaming about the way things would end up. Maybe he thought he’d lead the Israelites into the Promised Land and they would throw him a big party, make him King, and rename the Promised Land something like Mosesland instead. It’s hard to say for sure.

What the bible says is that one day, when the people were thirsty, God told Moses to speak to a rock and that rock would pour out water. So, Moses went up to the rock, hit it twice with his staff, and water gushed out of the rock. Ai yi yi! God told Moses it was that act — striking the rock instead of simply speaking to it — that would keep Moses out of the Promised Land.

Striking that rock meant that Moses didn’t trust God to be able to do what God said he’d do. Moses thought God needed his help. Maybe Moses thought water from a rock was his idea and not God’s. Sometimes it’s hard to step back and let God get all the credit.

It’s so difficult to communicate this in a blog post without using so many words that you click away with a yawn. But know this: God’s got big dreams for you and me. They’re his dreams, and he entrusts them to us. They are scary and they take us way outside of our comfort zone because God is always always always building our character to be more like his, and that is no small endeavor. Sometimes, at least in my case, I forget I need to let go and let God do what he wants to do. Sometimes it’s because I don’t really believe he knows what he’s doing. Sometimes it’s because I want the accolades. Sometimes it’s simply because I’m fine with things how they are and I’m not the least bit thrilled by the prospect of change. And sometimes the one thing blocking the dream is the fact that I need to let it go so that God can do it his way, because it was all his idea in the first place.

Will you be at #JTREAT?I hope you’ll come and join us as we make space for God and his big, amazing, ridiculously beautiful dreams. To register for a Day Pass, click here.

 

 

 

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95 Comments Filed Under: JumpingTandem: The Retreat, Your Big Amazing Ridiculous Dream

When The Mountain Gets In Your Head

January 25, 2013 By

Screen shot 2013-01-24 at 10.45.02 PM
I know better, but that doesn’t mean I always do better.

Yesterday, on the mountain, at the end of a long day of skiing, I could barely feel my hips. My knees were crying out for me to just take off the skis and call it a day, already. But nooooo!!!! I had to be all big and bad and prove that I could hang with the North Face attired skiers swooshing past me on their way to the blue and black trails.

I ski the green trails, people. And, while I consider making it to the bottom of the mountain on skis, and in one piece to be skiing, there are others who might differ with me.

Somewhere along the way, on that very last run of the day, the mountain got in my head. I looked at the steep terrain ahead of me. It seemed to stretch for miles with no end in sight, and I heard the mountain call my name. It said, “What the heck are you doing? You are not a skier!” And I believed it! (I knew not to let it talk to me like that.)

The mountain got inside my head, and the next thing I knew, I was looking up at the sky from flat on my back on the side of that bossy mountain. Darn it!

So, let me just tell you what I’m thinking, here. What I’m thinking is that we’ve all got mountains, and those mountains would like to get inside our heads. They may not look like snow-covered peaks rising up out of the Colorado grandeur. Maybe your mountain looks like writing a book, or raising a family, or finishing a degree, or auditioning for a starring role, or cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or speaking in front of an audience, or…well…you get the point. And there stands your mountain, all bossy with its hands on its hips, calling your name and saying, “What the heck are you doing? You are not a writer/good enough parent/star student/box office draw/good cook/public speaker!”

Don’t you believe it! Don’t let that mountain talk to you like that!

Listen. Someone has to ski the green trails. And also? Everyone skiing the blue and black trails got started on the green trails. So, put those skis back on and get back on that chair lift! Put that mountain in its place. God knows who you really are. He’s got plans for you!

What does your mountain look like? Is it bossing you around? What would it look like for you to get back on that chair lift?

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JumpingTandem: The Story

December 3, 2012 By

Have you heard the story of JumpingTandem? In October, I shared the story at TEDx Lincoln. The fabulous crew there taped it, and I thought I’d share it with you today. (I’ve only watched a portion, because seeing myself on video makes my stomach hurt. I hope this has a different effect on you.)

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This Is You. Changing The World. [Booya!]

November 1, 2012 By

Buckle your seatbelt, because this is the real deal.

At first, you’ll think it’s too good to be true, but let me tell you right now: This is no joke.

Here’s the thing. We are all going to shop for stuff. We’re going to make airline reservations. We’re going to buy holiday presents. We’re going to get dog food or cat food or fish food. We’re going to download music from iTunes. We’re going to get batteries for the remote control or for the garage door opener or for the flashlight we keep in the glove box. And, of all the spending we do each year, we’re going to do 40% of it between now and December 25th!

So, what if we could leverage the spending we’re going to do anyway, and redirect a portion of it to fund an amazing project that will help some of the brilliant and beautiful children living in Haiti? I kid you not.

How? I’m so glad you asked (and, can you tell I’ve been waiting to tell you about this for SUCH a long time?!?!)!

OK. Start here:

 

Pure Charity has partnered with more than 1,000 (1,000!) retailers! When you shop online and buy stuff, a portion of what you spend goes directly to your Pure Charity giving account and you get to decide how that money gets spent! I know, right?

Now, if you’re like me (and by that, I mean, a bit skeptical), you’re thinking these shops aren’t the shops where you’d normally buy stuff. But wait! Not so fast. Do any of these online spots sound familiar to you?

Apple, ALDO, Petco, Best Buy, DSW, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor LOFT, Crocs, Eddie Bauer, Holiday Inn, American Eagle, Enterprise, Marriott, Kohl’s, J. Crew, Charlotte Russe, Pottery Barn, Family Christian Stores, Avenue, Southwest Airlines, 7 For All Mankind, Priceline, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Petsmart, Groupon, Target, Walmart, Walgreen’s

Exactly! And, that’s not even the tip of the iceberg. We can change the world, simply by shopping online at the places we already shop. Here’s how:

    1. Sign up for a Pure Charity account. (“Follow” me, and then scroll down to “Get Started” and set up your own account. Following each other means our giving is compounded, and that means we’ll change the world even faster!) If you’re on Facebook, you can sign in through that, or create an account the old fashioned way.
    2. Install the browser plugin. This will make it so a Pure Charity icon will pop up when you’re browsing particular stores online (like Target, Gap, even Groupon). If you purchase via the pop up, a percentage of your sales will feed into your charitable giving account. (You spend $, then make $, then give $).
    3. Register your main credit card with Pure Charity. This is the no-brainer part of the process. Every time you use your credit or debit card at one of their participating merchants, you receive a percentage of your purchase into your giving account.
    4. Now, browse the projects (there are many) that you could potentially fund. BUT (and this is important) please don’t fund a project, yet. Wait until Tuesday, when I’ll share ANOTHER amazing announcement! To start funding (on Tuesday), add your own funds to the account (via bank or debit/credit card).
    5. Support your favorite project. Be sure to come back on Tuesday to learn more about this. (You can change the amount you support…it starts with $5 increments…by clicking the dollar amount and changing it.) These are time specific projects with a set amount of $. If that project doesn’t fund by the finish date, Pure Charity refunds the money back into your giving account.
    6. Share it with friends! There’s a strong social connection to this (a good reason to sign in using Facebook), where you can share buttons and widgets with your friends and followers, to generate interest in a cause you’re passionate about.

Pure Charity

Pure Charity is pure brilliance! We shop the way we normally shop, only now, we get to give a portion of what we spend to the project of our choice. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything as exciting as this.

Will you please open your own Pure Charity account? Will you please tell your friends about Pure Charity? Will you talk about Pure Charity on Facebook and Twitter and wherever else your tribe hangs out?

This is you. This is me. This is us. Changing the world.

Booya!

 

 

 

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1,004 Comments Filed Under: Haiti, Help One Now, Pure Charity, Your Big Amazing Ridiculous Dream

Details

November 1, 2012 By

DSC05317

I’m doing a bit of work behind the scenes today; getting ready to share something with you that is BIG! Really BIG! For Haiti. I’m thinking this could be one of those things that helps change the world in some really important ways.

So, for today, I’m going to take a break from this space in order to attend to a few details. Have I ever told you that I’m not a detail person? I’m not. I’m a dreamer. A big picture person. I fly by the seat of my pants, and I like it that way.

Details unnerve me just a bit.

How about you? Detail Person, or Big Idea Person?

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17 Comments Filed Under: Haiti, Help One Now, Your Big Amazing Ridiculous Dream

Why I’m Not A Dream Chaser

September 24, 2012 By

When I worked for the insurance company, they sent me to a conference where I had to take one of those inventories that puts people in categories. Ideator. That’s me.

I wasn’t surprised.

Details are not my thing. Nope. So when a gigantic dream drops into my head, I have to run — quickly and with haste — straight to God. If the dream is from Him, then He’s the one who will have to make it come true. Because honestly? That is not my gift. I might be an Ideator, but when it comes to details, I have no clue.

And that’s why, in spite of all my dreamy talk these days, I am not an advocate of chasing after dreams.

It’s God who does the dreaming. Right from the beginning, when He said, “Light!” and light appeared, God was making His dreams come true. When God turned to the Son and the Holy Spirit and said, “Let us make human beings in our image…” He was making a dream come true. Because who had heard of light or human beings before God gave voice to His dream?

It’s really no good to be a chaser of dreams. Instead, I have to be a chaser of the Giver of Dreams. I have to run hard after God if the dream has any hope of coming true. None of the big ideas that get dropped into my lap belong to me. They are God’s dreams and, for some reason I can’t quite figure out, God invites me (us!) to steward them for Him so that He can make them come true.

It’s mind boggling, really.

As stewards of the dreams of God, you and I get to lean in close to Him and hold on tight for a crazy ride. He never takes the path we’d take. He never uses the resources we’d choose. He never gets it done in the timeframe we’d prefer. But it’s His dream, not ours.

I’ve been reading your comments and your emails. The ones that say you’ve stopped dreaming, or that dreaming makes you afraid, or that you’re skeptical God even wants us to dream. I hear you. But the more I read, the more I hear the whisper of God, “See? This is why I want this retreat. I want my people to dream. I’ve got big dreams and I’m counting on my people to make them come true.”

Maybe the word “dream” is what throws us off. Maybe we hear dream and think, “corner office” or “six figures” or “NY Times bestseller” or “more blog traffic” or “perfect family” or “size six jeans” or “maybe the Detroit Lions will win the Super Bowl this year” (oops, I digress) and we wear ourselves out before we give God a chance.

God doesn’t dream in American. God dreams in love and grace and mercy and hope. God has wired each of us in a unique way, and He invites us to help Him make His dreams come true. It’s not about chasing a dream. It’s about chasing after the Giver of Dreams, dreams that will change the world (but not necessarily our bank accounts, or our status, or our blog traffic), because His love for us — all of us — is extravagant like that.

Consider reading this, too?

Early bird registration for Jumping Tandem: The Retreat begins in one week! I would really love to spend a weekend dreaming alongside you.

 

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Because I’m Really An Introvert At Heart

September 19, 2012 By

Hitting “Publish” on Monday’s post was quite an adventure. Because now, it’s real. You know?

Two weekends ago, when I was at the beach with all the lovely ladies from (in)courage, I told Holley and Lisa-Jo, “I still have time to cancel. I could just forget the whole thing.” They both laughed at me, and neither one of them said, “Yeah, I think you should rethink this. You still have an out. You can just forget the whole thing.”

The truth is, I can’t back out. Not now. Not two weekends ago. Because this dream won’t let me go. So, I hyperventilated, I jumped up from my seat and jogged around the living room, I sat back down on the edge of my seat and bounced my knees up and down, I prayed, I held my breath, and I hit “Publish.” And then I squeaked out a tiny scream (because everyone else in the house was sleeping), and I put myself to bed.

A few hours later, I got up again and peeked at the comments you left for me, and the comments over here, and the comments over here. It was if God was saying to me, “See? This is why I want this,” and I finally exhaled.

It’s going to be good. The retreat will be good. Because God is good. He is the giver of dreams and the greatest cheerleader ever.

So today, I’m just breathing. And I’m sitting still. Because that’s how I roll the day after a bunch of excitement comes my way. I’m an introvert, you know. Seriously. I am. I need to be by myself so I can recharge. I can spend an entire day sitting on the couch, looking out the picture window, holding a cup of tea.

Which reminds me!

Lisa Chan (she’s the wife of Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love and other popular books) is releasing a new DVD and in it she speaks to women who need to catch their breath for a minute. The film is called “Be Still” and it is the first film in Lisa’s True Beauty film series.

Lisa and her husband were away on vacation when Francis was called back to the church. He insisted Lisa stay and enjoy the hotel and the vacation they had planned together.

While Lisa was there, she realized anew the importance of taking time to breathe and to be still, so that we can hear from God.

~~~

My fancy coffee mug is from DaySpring. And also? I totally forgot to tell you yesterday I was over at (in)courage, talking about forgiveness. It’s not too late to click over and join me there. Spend some time reading the comments, too.

So, tell me: Are you an extrovert, or an introvert? How do you recover from a day of excitement? 

 

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Because Dreaming Together Is More Fun (the one where I finally get to tell you what I’ve been dreaming up for you)

September 17, 2012 By

Writers-3265

I keep thinking about your dreams.

Some nights, I’m so excited about the dreams I know you dream that I can barely sleep.

I know sometimes your dreams seem so big they scare you into thinking they never will come true — never can come true. You try to hush them or you tell them they sound ridiculous. Sometimes the things you dream amaze even you, and then you get caught up again in the day-to-day of every day and the amazing-ness fades to gray.

Not so fast, my friend.

What if we spent some time together, making a bit of space for that dream of yours? And what if we didn’t just dream? What if we found some tools and learned practical steps to help us take the next step toward making that dream come true? And what if there were fabulous speakers and amazing meals and comfortable beds and wide open skies? And what if, perhaps, you spoke your dream out loud (or whispered it into the air, or wrote it on a blank sheet of paper)? And what if you got to meet in real life, some of the people you’ve met here online?

This has been my dream for quite some time. I’ve wanted to swing the door wide, open up the windows, and set a place at the table for you. I’ve wanted to give you a place to speak your dream out loud and hear what it sounds like in your very own voice. I’ve wanted to sit by the fire, or walk down the path, or skip a few stones and hear what you’ve got on your heart.

So, I’ve invited some amazing speakers to meet us at a cozy retreat center where the coffee is hot and the food is divine. It’s called Jumping Tandem: The Retreat and it’s happening here in Nebraska, April 19-21, 2013. It’s for writers, bloggers, artists, entrepreneurs, and other fabulous people who have an amazing dream.Because everyone has one.

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I could go on and on (just ask H), but my friend built a really fun website specifically for this retreat. Click over to find all the information you need.

 

 

 

 

 

First two photos by the fabulous Curt Brinkman of Life’s A Story Photography.

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