thedailyrob

Ignore Your Plans, Make Some Memories

It's funny how random things can lead to a flood of memories. I was looking through some web articles on design this morning and stumbled across an essay and photo journal about Saskatchewan. (You can see the photos here). My family spent several years living in and around Saskatoon, and we love and miss our friends there dearly. As I scrolled through these pictures of Saskatchewan, I realized that some of our best memories were often unplanned.

One of my favorite memories came on a night that should have been unremarkable. We had been up in Edmonton for a few days and were driving back to Saskatoon late one night. It was about a five hour drive, and we didn't leave Edmonton until well after dinner that evening, so we weren't expecting to be home until around one or two in the morning.

We were about a half hour away from North Battleford and debating whether to stop and stretch there. The kids were sleeping in the back seat (just the two boys at this time), and we were thinking it might be best to just press on. But as we talked, we became aware that the road wasn't quite as dark as it had been just a few minutes before. What caught our attention was the most beautiful display of northern lights I've ever seen.

I don't know what possessed me to stop, but I realized we hadn't met another car on the road for quite a while, so I pulled off onto the shoulder. Leaving the car running, with the kids sleeping in the back seat, my wife and I stepped out to see the entire sky lit up in a brilliant display. We stood for a few minutes without a word, then laid back on the hood of the still idling car. We absorbed the beauty of God's creation for what seemed like an eternity, without a car in sight, without a care in the world, and we created a memory that would last a lifetime.

Some of the best memories happen exactly like this. When you take the time to disrupt your schedule, ignore your plans, and choose to do something unexpected. Like the time we chased a hot air balloon through the farm country to see where it landed, or the time we took off in search of a covered bridge and found an ancient tower to climb. These are the memories that stick with us forever. These are the times that last.

As I run through the hectic pace of my life, with our schedules sending us off in every direction, it helps to stop and remember what matters. Ignore your plans. Make some memories.

I Saw The Sign - More Lessons from The Social Network

I wrote yesterday about the movie, The Social Network, and a few lessons I observed about turning ideas into reality. Today, I'd like to extrapolate a finer point from the movie and talk about a principle I first observed in the world of design.

Shortly after the movie hit theaters, an article on CNN talked about how people's perceptions of the website, Facebook, have been changing. (CNN: Facebook movie may be changing opinions about site.) The article points to a study that shows an increasingly positive perception of Facebook among young people, while the perception of older people may have dropped off since the release of the movie.

I believe one of the driving factors behind this phenomenon is what designers call "a conceptual model". A conceptual model, like an allegory or parable, is really just an analogy comparing something unfamiliar with some familiar. It is a way to help people connect with something new by showing the similarities to something well established.

We see conceptual models at work all the time in computers. We call the main screen on our computers the "desktop" and we refer to electronic documents as "files". The concept of "windows" is a way to help people understand multiple self-contained views of information. We refer to a summary or collection of key information as a "dashboard", borrowing the term from our cars.

Watch the following clip from the movie, The Social Network, and you'll instantly recognize one of the "conceptual models" on which the website, Facebook, was founded.

When I saw this movie in the theater, this particular scene created a stirring among the crowd as friends turned to each other, whispering, and giving each other a knowing look. As Mark, in the movie, ran back to his dorm room to implement his new idea, the audience understood, some perhaps for the first time, a conceptual model for a Facebook feature many of them probably hadn't given much thought.

When innovation and design are built on a strong conceptual model, and when people can clearly make the connection between the two, the design itself seems obvious. People look at the simplicity and elegance of the design and say, "why didn't I think of that?"

The same principles can be applied to innovations within organizations, not just product design. The key, however, is to recognize what is common in the human experience and find a way to apply these insights in a productive way. Trying to change human behavior is an uphill battle, but finding a conceptual model with which people can identify will change the equation.

The conceptual model presented in this movie for the "Relationship Status" feature of Facebook is clearly geared toward people in the dating scene, so it is no surprise that this didn't resonate with an older generation. What is most amazing to me, however, is how a simple conceptual model, presented in a movie that (perhaps unfairly) portrays Facebook as a tool for socially dysfunctional people, can increase the positive perceptions of the product without even trying.

If there were a Facebook page for conceptual models, I would definitely "like" it.

(Disclaimer: While there are many things I enjoyed about the movie, The Social Network, I cannot offer an unqualified recommendation of the film. It is rated PG-13 for a reason. Also, I do not claim that the scenes in the movie are factually correct accounts, only that the events as portrayed in the movie illustrate certain points.)

Let's Write It - Lessons from The Social Network

For whatever the movie, The Social Network, claims about itself, or whatever discussion it has generated about the veracity of its depiction of the beginnings of the website, Facebook, I found the film to be inspiring. Despite the obvious flaws of many of the characters, there are a few lessons I took away from the movie, and I hope these ideas inspire you as well.

In one of the early scenes, Mark is working on a late night coding binge just to occupy his mind with "an idea" after his girlfriend dumped him. The idea turns out to be the uncouth concept of ranking his female classmates based solely on their school photos, but let's leave that aside for now. In the following clip, Mark's roommate comes into his dorm room to supply the missing piece of the puzzle for Mark's new website.

The thing that struck me most when I first saw this scene was how immediately Mark dove into his idea, coding well into the night to create what just hours early was merely "an idea". There was no gestational period for the idea, no time of contemplation or planning or dreaming. He just did it. At the end of this clip, did you notice what Mark said? "Let's write it." That was it. There's the idea. Now, let's do it. (In this case, a gestational period would have been good, considering his "idea" was born of personal rejection and large amounts of beer, but you get the point.)

I've got lots of ideas. Some of them are great, and some of them are mediocre. But all of them are failures if they never see the light of day. What was remarkable about the depiction of Mark in The Social Network is that he attacked ideas without abandon and made dreams a reality. 

Later in the movie, Mark defended himself against claims that he stole the idea for Facebook by telling his accusers, "If you were the inventors of Facebook, you would have invented Facebook!" As funny as this sounds, the element of truth is this: Unless you make it happen, your idea is worthless. (I'm not an Intellectual Property lawyer, and I realize ideas have value, but that really only reinforces my point. Unless an idea becomes reality, it's value is only theoretical, and any claim or lawsuit would be worthless.)

The other thing to note is this: Mark's night of coding brought an idea into reality, but if the story stopped there, it wouldn't be remarkable. What made the story great was the fact that Mark didn't stop there.

That idea that is sitting there in the back of your head, waiting to be released, is probably not your best idea. It's just the one holding up all the other traffic. Get it out, and get on with what's next, because that's where the success lies.

In many ways, this blog is my idea, limited by execution. And this post? This post is my "Let's write it" cry. I could rewrite it later, but I probably won't. I'll simply crank it out and move on because my best ideas are yet to come. I've just got to get this one out of the way first.

(Disclaimer: While there are many things I enjoyed about the movie, The Social Network, I cannot offer an unqualified recommendation of the film. It is rated PG-13 for a reason. Also, I do not claim that the scenes in the movie are factually correct accounts, only that the events as portrayed in the movie illustrate certain points.)

I Want To Be Like Clint Eastwood

The world, it seems, belongs to the young. When I was young, dreaming about winning a Nobel prize, someone told me that every great scientific discovery is made by people at the beginning of their careers. By the time a scientist reaches 30, they are finished.

It's the same in sports, where people retire at 35, and in music or the arts, where youth is celebrated and elevated and venerated in pop culture.  And what about Jesus?  Scholars say that he was only 33 years old when he died for the sins of the entire world!

So I guess you could say I'm feeling a little past my prime. Over the hill. Ready to retire. And I won't even hit 40 for a few more years! I'm done. Finito. The not-so-thin lady has sung and they're folding up the chairs.

Okay, so maybe it's not that bad, but in the words of a good friend of mine, "Half my usable life is down the drain!"  I feel the biological tick-tick-ticking calling out the words of the Psalm: "Teach us to number our days..." (Psalm 90:12).

So what does Clint Eastwood have to do with this? I don't know if you've noticed, but he's getting OLD, and he's making some of the best movies to come out of Hollywood in recent years. Unforgiven. Mystic River. Million Dollar Baby. Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters From Iwo-Jima. Gran Torino. Changeling. Invictus. Plus (I didn't know this until I looked it up tonight), he's composed the film score for several of his movies, including Mystic River. Not bad for a guy that turns 80 this year.

If you find yourself, like me, starting to feel your life slip away as you think about everything you haven't done, remember... the best is behind you. Or, maybe not. Maybe, just maybe, the best is still ahead of you.

As you face a new day and contemplate what lies ahead, here's a truth you can hold on to: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10).

No matter how questionable your past, know that God is waiting to lead you into a future filled with hope. And that's a promise without an expiration date.

Monday Morning Quarterbacks in Business School

One of the things I enjoy about my grad school classes are the lively discussions with other students. With quite a diverse set of experiences represented in each class, the dialog usually provides several great insights and ideas.

One of the things I've become frustrated with recently, however, is how some discussions trend toward overly simplistic solutions for complex problems. The recommendations offered are almost trite. When I challenge the thinking to go beyond the surface, I'm often met with incredulous stares.

For example, my group in class tonight was discussing a case outlining the depth of the corruption at WorldCom throughout most of the 90's. I suggested how difficult it would have been for someone to come forward and challenge the fraudulent practices, particularly if your job might be on the line. Since I am always (perhaps naively) looking for the best in people, I wondered if I might have delayed "blowing the whistle", hoping that things would turn around and get better.

What amazed me was how matter-of-factly some of the students responded to my comments. To them, it seemed clear that the right and moral thing to do would be to immediately report the fraud, regardless of the potential consequences. Yes, I agree that is probably the "correct" response, but wouldn't it be hard to actually follow through with it?

It is so easy to sit in a coffee shop and critique the actions of others, but facing these same choices in real life is an entirely different matter. I see this propensity for criticism in churches, businesses, kids sports, volunteer activities, you name it. It's the ultimate Monday Morning Quarterback mentality, now appearing in an organization near you.

I really don't mean to sound cynical. My hope is simply that we could challenge ourselves to consider other viewpoints and not be so quick to judge. It's easy to wax eloquent when you are sipping a latte, but the choices are much bigger and more difficult when you find yourself in the middle of it all.

Here is what Jesus had to say on the matter: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-2). What does this mean to you? Should these words change how we evaluate the decisions of others? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

On Having Written

I enjoy writing. I tell myself that in order to motivate me to write more, but it doesn't always work. The problem is, I don't really enjoy writing all that much. It is so much easier to pontificate on a subject over lunch with a friend than it is to sit down and force myself to clearly explain what I mean to say. I want to write more, and yet I consistently avoid the actual process of writing.

This blog has been hanging over my head for the last several weeks, calling out to me like an unused piece of exercise equipment sitting in the corner collecting dust. I keep thinking I need to sit down and just bang out some new and inspiring thoughts, but I never carve out the time to do anything about it.

Despite my perpetual act of avoidance, there are two basic ideas that have finally driven me back to my keyboard to write. First, I've found it helpful to realize that others, professional writers whom I trust and admire, also struggle with the process of writing. Michael Hyatt reposted a great quote on his website this morning from P.J. O'Rourke, about how "writers will do anything to avoid writing."

Donald Miller, author of the classic book, "Blue Like Jazz", has a great quote about writing in his most recent (and my new favorite) book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years". His honesty about the process of writing, and his conclusion about "having written" really resonate with me: "I've never had fun writing a book. I've had fun promoting books, doing readings - that sort of thing - but the truth is I drag myself to the computer... I've wondered for a long time why it is that writers hate to write. William Zinsser says that writers 'love to have written,' and I agree with that."

The second idea driving me to write is the thought that if I never begin my journey, I'll never reach my destination. In Daniel Coyle's book, "The Talent Code", he discusses research suggesting it takes 10 years and 10,000 hours of practice to become world-class at anything. If I ever hope to write something truly meaningful and lasting, then I'd better start cranking out a few thousand hours of swill in order to get the bad stuff out of the way, right?  I also recently picked up, "The Creative Habit", by Twila Tharp, and was encouraged by her views of the rigorous process of creativity.

These two ideas, that struggling with the process of writing is not unique to me, and that a disciplined approach to the process of writing is what it takes to succeed - these ideas have finally brought this frazzled guy back to the keyboard to simply write. We'll see how long this lasts, but for now, here I am.

Have you struggled with the process of writing? What secrets have you found to keep yourself motivated on this journey? I'd love to hear your story.

Lessons For Later

Today's Bible Reading:
Matthew 7:1-14 , Acts 10:1-23 , Psalms 17 , Genesis 37-38

When I was a freshman in college, my cell biology professor had our class gather at the library for our first lab session of the term. He ushered us into a little used room of the library where we spent our first 2 hour lab session watching The Karate Kid. I'd heard rumors about this tradition ahead of time, but I wasn't sure what it was all about. When the movie was done, this is what my professor said:

"During your time in my class, I'm going to ask you to learn things and do things that you don't think are important. They are. I'm going to ask you to "wax on, wax off" just like in the movie, because there will come a time when you will look back and realize just how important all this stuff really is. I'm not asking you to understand the why, but I am asking you to give me your best. I promise you, it will be worth it."

Reading the story of Peter's vision just before he met the messengers from Cornelius, I remembered my prof's little speech. What Peter didn't realize when he laid down for a little afternoon nap was that God had already spoken to Cornelius, and that Cornelius had already sent his messengers to retrieve Peter, and that Peter was about to be confronted with some difficult decisions. In spite of Peter's lack of foreknowledge, God presented him with a vision to prepare him for what was to come.

Isn't this how God often works in our lives? It's amazing to me how many times I open the Bible in the morning, only to see confirmation of what I'd read at some point throughout the day. This goes beyond merely seeing dozens of cars on the road identical to the one you just purchased. This is about a God that knows the future, preparing me for it before I get there.

It makes me think I need to spend more time in the Word. If God knows where I'm going before I get there, why wouldn't I want a little heads-up along the way?

What about your journey? Have you seen evidence of God's hand in your life, times where He clearly prepared you for what was to come? Have there been times when you've ignored God's promptings and regretted it? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Even In The Night

Today's Bible Reading:
Matthew 6:25-34 , Acts 9:20-43 , Psalms 16 , Genesis 36

Do you ever feel like you'd love to be closer to God, but you are simply too busy to spend hours a day reading and praying? That's a luxury some may enjoy, but most of us live in the real world where we have limited hours in our day. We're lucky to carve out half an hour in the morning or at lunch to stay on a Bible reading schedule. Anything more than that just doesn't seem feasible.

What if I told you there was a way to get more hours in your day? What if you could spend more time learning from the Lord and still accomplish everything else on your to-do list? You may think I'm going to talk about big rocks and little rocks and priorities, but I'm not. (You can read about Stephen Covey's Big Rocks story in his book, First Things First).

Here is the promise I was reminded of in my Bible reading today:

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; 
      even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me. 
      Because he is at my right hand, 
      I will not be shaken.
- Psalms 16:7-8

Look at the second line of that passage. "Even at night my heart instructs me." Can you imagine being able to grow closer to God while you are sleeping? Not only does the Lord counsel me through His word, but if I store up His word in my heart, even at night I am learning from the author of life.

The key to this, of course, is memorizing and being able to meditate on God's word. Psalm 1 says that we should meditate on God's word "day and night". If we spend the same time we allocate each day for reading to actually memorizing God's word, the returns will be so much greater than anything you can imagine. This word of God is living (see Hebrews 4:12-13), and is able to burrow down into our inmost being to instruct us, even in the night.

Reading this promise has challenged me to get serious again about memorizing large portions of scripture. I used to spend my morning and evening commute memorizing and quoting scripture, but somehow that habit fell by the wayside. I think it's time to renew this discipline and make myself a 24-hour disciple of the Lord.

What about your journey? Have you seen the benefits of Bible memorization in your own life? What advice or encouragement would you give to others who doubt their ability to memorize. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

One For The Money, Two For The Show

Today's Bible Reading:
Matthew 6:16-24 , Acts 9:1-19 , Psalms 15 , Genesis 34-35

And now we come to the part of the show where it's time to check our motives. I love leading worship each Sunday at Discovery Church. People often ask me how I can juggle a full time job in marketing, a family with four kids at home, and a part time job with the church. I usually reply that my work at church energizes rather than drains me. Reading Jesus' comments in Matthew 6 yesterday and today, however, have challenged me to evaluate my ministry in a different light.

First with giving, then prayer, then fasting, Jesus reminds us that these things are matters of the heart. It can be tempting to evaluate any ministry by the affirmation we receive from others. There's no denying that It is encouraging to hear that people like what we do. The temptation really comes when we begin to perform for these same people, hoping to somehow win their approval.

Maybe I'll do this song, not that song, because I know the people really like it. Let's do the Lord's prayer today because that always goes over well. I've got to make sure my prayer is powerful; don't stop until I hear enough "Yes, Lord"s and "Amen"s. I know this sounds blatantly shallow, but most leaders will admit how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking this way. If we're not careful, however, we'll start with "the show must go on" and end up with "thank you, you've been a great audience".

And that right there is the problem. We've got the wrong audience in mind. Jesus said that if we give, pray, or fast for the approval of others, then that's all the approval we'll ever receive. "I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." (Matthew 6:5) Instead of a show, what Jesus challenges us with is a closet mentality. "Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)

What I love about leading worship is helping the church lift up the name of God, forgetting all our problems and glorifying the only one who can solve them. My prayer each Sunday morning is that people would experience the presence of God and be changed by Him through worship. It's great to hear that people have been blessed to worship the Lord together, but that's not what makes worship great. The greatest times of worship come for me when the building is empty and it's just me and God.

What about your journey? Have you been driven by the show or by the closet? What have you learned that can help others stay close to the heart of what matters? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

A Conversational Commute

Today's Bible Reading:
Matthew 6:1-15 , Acts 8:26-40 , Psalms 14 , Genesis 32-33

Here's a little confession. When I travel for work, there are few things I dread more than settling into my seat on a plane and realizing I'm sitting next to a "talker". Some people are energized by meeting new people. Not me. I'm almost always glad to have gotten to know someone, but it drains me completely. I need time alone to recharge, so I usually bring a book and my iPod and do my best to enter my own little world.

Because of my somewhat introverted nature, I always read the story of Philip on the road to Gaza with a kind of detached fascination. In Acts 8, Philip is told by God to go down to the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza, then to stay close to an Ethiopian official as he rode in his chariot. The story describes how Philip explained the good new of Jesus to the official, and ends with Philip baptizing him in some water beside the road.

This passage has always been convicting to me, since meeting a complete stranger and leading them to faith in Christ is not something I've done. I've certainly had occasion to share my faith with many people, including new acquaintances, but it's never easy for me. If you find yourself echoing my thoughts, let me share with you two encouraging insights I found as I read through this story again today.

First, God never puts people in our path randomly. He always has a purpose. It wasn't a coincidence that God told Philip to go down to the desert road to Gaza. God wanted this Ethiopian official to meet Philip so the official could hear the good news about Jesus. What this means for me is that the "talker" sitting next to me in the plane could be someone God placed in my path because of their desire to know Him. I need to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and respond.

Second, God always prepares the way. When Philip approached the chariot of the Ethiopian official, he heard him reading from Isaiah. When Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, the official said, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" What better setup could you possibly have than that? The application for me is that when God puts someone in my path, he's also prepared them to be ready to receive the message.

Just how well had God prepared everything for this interaction? I love this part. As they were going down the "desert road" from Jerusalem to Gaza, they came upon some water at just the time the Ethiopian official was ready to commit himself to the Lord. He said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" I wonder if Philip looked up and thought, "Water? Where did that come from? This is the DESERT road!"

Maybe God is teaching me a lesson. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the very next time I find myself on a plane, I'm sitting next to a "talker". It will probably take some serious faith and a quick prayer to go outside my comfort zone, but if God is leading the way, what have I to fear?

What about your journey? Are you energized by meeting new people? What advice do you have for your introverted brothers and sisters? Or do you find yourself closer to the timid side of the spectrum? What have you done to trust God's leading into territories unknown? I'd love to hear your thoughts.