I wish I had the time and energy to create something like this.
Ronen V is pretty creative, check out this video:

Ronen’s Adventure: Trapped in an iPhone from Ronen V on Vimeo.

You ever feel like that?
Ever have that “I feel like I am completely trapped” kind of feeling?
You feel boxed in. Isolated. No means of escape.
For all intent and purposes, the end is all that’s left inside your head.

Well, the other day our family was at the Outlets in Williamsburg.
I hate the outlets. Seriously. I would rather lay on I-264 than be there.
But, what mamma wants, mamma gets. And mamma wanted a day at the outlets.
So we went.

On the 1.5 hour drive back, I hear from the back seat, “Daddy, I HAVE TO POTTY!”
Super.
We were about 30 minutes away from the house.
I cannot pull over and let a toddler do #2 on the side of the road.
“She doesn’t wear diapers anymore, so it could end badly,” I thought.
Maybe we could drive really fast?
Nope, I’d surely get a ticket.
We could get off on an exit and use a bathroom at a business?
Nope. HOV lane.
Now, I normally don’t pick the HOV. But, remember… what mamma wants, mamma gets.
Carrie is always asking me to get in the HOV for times sake.
This time I took the initiative and got in the HOV with out her asking.
Yep. I knew what was coming…
“Well, we could get off on an exit if you didn’t get us trapped in the HOV lane,” she said.

We were trapped. No where to go but straight down the HOV lane with a toddler crying about her imminent “movement,” a baby screaming for her afternoon bottle, a wife letting me know I could have made a different choice, and me (breaking down on the inside like a kid who got beat up and had his lunch money stolen). Although many different options were running through my head, I could only drive and pray things didn’t end badly.

But, I made the choice.
I’m the one who had picked the HOV lane.
I didn’t ask my daughter if she wanted to use the potty before we left.
I placed the diaper bag in the far back of the car, where the baby’s bottle was.
I did it to myself.
It affected the people around me. Badly.

We all experience things in life. Sometimes it is completely out of our control (it’s usually pretty clear when these times are). But many times, it didn’t just “happen to us.” Our decisions and actions led to the tale of being trapped and now we’re reaching out from the hurricane we created screaming, “I have no idea how I got here?!”
Well, you made choices. Good, bad, indifferent- choices.

When we feel trapped in our daily grind (job, soccer practice, choral rehearsal, kids behaving poorly, domestic issues, lack of communication, etc), it’s because more often than not, we neglect to make the choices that can remove us from the cell we’ve become trapped in. The point of difficulty is when we find comfort in the cell, the walls are all we know, and we fear getting loose because the unknown is scary and awkward. But, it’s in those storms that we encounter (created by us or not), that we move ourselves towards God.

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:6-8

I struggle heavily with anxiety.
It ravages me internally.
This passage from Paul gives me peace when I’m feeling trapped and confined.
When you’re feeling trapped, focus on this truth.
Allow God to free you from the trappings of this amazing life American dream you keep chasing.

Great new movie coming in Summer 2011.

Yes, my littlest girl rules.
Thank goodness Roxy is finally crawling.
She has taken terrorizing her sister Chloe to a whole new level.

Waking up in a foreign place is odd.
The sounds. smells. climate. humidity. sheets… it’s all so different.
Not to mention the time change.
The comfort level we’re used to is, well, off kilter.
But, in a very beautiful sense, it feels just like home.
Family isn’t close by, home cooking isn’t permeating the air, but… it’s home.

The sense of home comes not from the physical proximity to your zip code, but in proximity to the Creator.
When venturing into moments like this in life, the physical abandon allows for only one thing to grasp on to… God. It’s interesting we somehow “need” moments like this to show us how close to God we really are. Serving Him and allowing yourself to fall under His perfect plan, opens the door to a new sense of home and self (or better yet, selflessness). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we feel the most “home” or “alive” when we are following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Serving others.
Giving up self.
Submitting to God.
Displaying generosity.
Helping the “least of these.”

How do we transcend the moments of “a missions trip” or “spiritual retreat” and experience those feelings of home, at… well… home?
Two words:
Heart surgery.

When our hearts begin to break with the same things that break the heart of God, “home” and “alive” don’t just happen on the doorstep of a foreign land or when we rush off to a remote place of spiritual renewal. They happen at the desk of a coworker battling a divorce, a neighbor in need of a friend, a homeless person looking for a bite to eat, a child longing for an adult to mentor them. It happens everywhere. Home is now all around us. Taking down our walls and allowing God the time to perform “heart surgery” is what transcends these experiences. His heart surgery opens our spirit to seeing things in a new way (no matter how near or far our address might be).

With a new view of “home” and being “alive,” the words of Dorothy bring on a whole new meaning,
“There’s no place like home.”

Amen to that.

In an attempt to be as discrete as I can, I was… in the restroom- and the girls were in the kitchen about 15 feet away. I heard a commotion, shouted to help as much as I could, but had to “finish business” before exiting to see what had happened. Chloe yelled, “Nothing happened daddy!” In the same moment Roxy is screaming in her highchair, and then I come around the corner to this…

It wasn’t just on the chair.
All over the floor, on the wall, covering her clothes, on the baby.
It was like she had a dance raver party while I was in the restroom.
To catch you up to speed, this was the third mess Chloe had made that morning. Every time I would leave the room for more than a minute, chaos happened. I tried to keep control as best I could from the restroom, but…

“While the Dad’s not in sight, the children behave poorly and push the limits- then a mess ensues.”

Ever think God is up there scratching his head going, “Don’t they know I’m here? I mean, I know they cannot physically SEE me standing there, but I’m here. And they keep pulling the same junk over, over and over again…”

More often than not, we behave like God’s simply out of the room.
What he doesn’t see won’t hurt Him, right?
He’s EVERYWHERE!
That thing you’re thinking about right now, um… yep! He knows.

I had a choice coming into that chaos:
I could have screamed. Maybe put her in time out and taken away something. But, I chose a different approach. Although she messed up, I don’t believe it was malicious. It was simply a mistake. I showed her a little love, asked her to be more careful, and cleaned up the mess. She was so sad because her pants, shirt, and shoes were all soiled with milk. I cleaned her up too. As I was cleaning her and the room up, I was warmly reminded of some amazing truths:

“…says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;”
Isaiah 1:8

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29

“…wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Psalm 51:7

“…for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:34

So, although we may behave like He’s parenting from the other room up in heaven, somehow blind to what we do. He is very aware of our behavior, words, and actions- and He loves us through it. That doesn’t mean there are no consequences for the way we live, the Bible is clear, “the wages of sin is death” But… the “gift of God and His grace is eternal life.” I am so glad in my relationship with God, He picks me up, cleans me off, and loves me even though I keep making messes.

Thank you God for cleaning me up.

*jdel

This baby was born deaf.
8 months later, through surgeries and modern technology, he hears the sound of mom’s voice.
It’s the first time he’s been able to hear anything…

Incredible.
When was the first time you could hear? I mean, really hear?
When did you begin to notice the sound & things around you?
Was it beautiful? Frightening? Distracting?

In life we have a variety of chaotic noise pollution pulling & vying for our attention.
What are you hearing?
Is there anything at all… or just static?

The first time I really heard was age 19.
Life was great, I had it all planned out, but things began to not fit. Kinda like a Tetris game gone awry. I tried with all my will and strength to produce results on my own accord. But, to no avail the static and noise continued. When I finally thought it was the end and relented to the fact I couldn’t do it on my own- I finally heard. I felt the presence of God stepping in. I peace and calm came over me. My anger, frowning, negative nature turned to joy. He led me to be better, think clearer and provided direction.

I love being able to hear.
Can you hear… Him?

*jdel

(ht: to my sis for the video)

“3:30 a.m. is just too early” is what I thought to myself as I began day 2 of riding & giving up my vehicle. Day 1 was cake. Ride to work, ride home- done. The second day, well… let’s just say it wasn’t “ideal.” 20-25 mph winds, rain, gusts, it was a mess. I’m not quite sure my body was ready for the conditions. The riding, yes. But not the weather.

The thing is, that’s the point of this journey.
To learn how the other side lives.
Begin to get a glimpse into the lives of others.
God did that for me in day two.

To read more, head over to http://www.rideforwater.org where I’m sharing my daily journey in raising awareness for Ta Phin, Vietnam and the 600+ people living with unclean water.
You can join me to change all that.
Click over to the site and learn how.

*jdel

I am not a CEO.
I don’t do business on the golf course.
I refrain from dropping names if at all possible.
I dream, but not about buildings, campuses, or spread sheets.
I don’t have a ten year plan.
I love God’s church, but struggle with living it sometimes.
I have heard people say when it comes to the church, “It’s not personal…”
I have been doing this for long enough to know, “It’s almost always personal.”
I own “Good To Great” only because it’s what cool pastors say to read.
I have never cracked opened the book.
I hear voices & leaders all over telling me to what I should be.
I wonder if I listen to all those things, I’ll never be what I need to be.
I act like it doesn’t phase me when people don’t like me.
I actually don’t handle it well on the inside.
I want to run from God weekly like Jonah.
I am reminded that He calls me to stay.
I want to yell at Him like Job.
I do sometimes.
I want to feel the feeling of walking on water.
I have spent many times looking away at the waves instead.
I know I need to be a great dad & husband.
I am told daily they love me for me.

I pass by other jobs and wonder what life would be like if…
I know above all else, God’s laid it on my heart to preach.

Preach without apology.
Teach with passion & love.
Lead in His truth above all else.
As a leader, teacher, pastor… my job is to preach.

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15

I am so grateful that God laid it on my heart to preach & teach. At the same time, it scares the living crap out of me, because the weight is so heavy. Hundreds of lives. Eternity at stake. He’s asked me to lead the charge.

My prayer: Who will join?
Will you be the person who selflessly gives all to impact others?
Will you put the brokenness of others before your busy schedule?
Will you commit to a life of loving God and loving people?

Today is the day where you don’t look back.
It’s time to engage God like never before.

*jdel

(photo progress here)

*jdel



“Late night motivation. Thank you Mr. Wallpaper for your Vince Lombardi ‘esk pep talk.”

(photo progress here)

*jdel

After seeing many friends take on the daily photo challenge for an entire year, I decided to give it a shot. What I didn’t understand or know at the time, is how it would change the way I look at life day to day. I don’t know about you, but if you’re like me- you get in a rut every once and awhile. The routine begins to chisel away at you, things become automatic with out even thinking, and the interaction you have becomes more robotic than it is quality/engaging.

This project has started to flip a switch in me. Each day I’m looking at the moments to capture and seeing my surroundings differently. The mundane is slowly being replaced with the vibrance and freshness that has always been there – I just wasn’t paying much attention.

I love what the writer pens in Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

When I walk closely with God and faithfully obey His teachings, there is a newness to life above all else. I see things more clearly, my day is fresh again, my interaction with people is more rewarding. It’s living in His joy and grace that makes me smile.

Learning a lot. All through a little lens…

*jdel