HUMAN DOING

What do I have to do today? What tasks must I accomplish? What's my plan of action? My objectives. My obligations. My responsibility.

No I am not advocating negligence. After all, what is adulthood without its commensurate responsibilities. Does that define us though?

Do you have a resume?

Recently, I gave a quick biography to a student, whose assignment was to give a speech about someone's life.

Aside from the pertinent details of birthplace, schooling, employment, most of the other aspects involved my accomplishments. All my doings. Like ingredients on a bottle. But I've talked about that before; humans as products.

Who am I really. All my doings surely reflect my being. My values, convictions, priorities.

Did my being match up to my doings?

If I reviewed how I had relayed the story of my life, clear areas emerged: faith, family, community, creativity, music and business. I didn't mind that to be honest. The definitions of my human BEING.

So in the midst of your human DOINGS today, why not take a moment and consider the human being you are. And how you are outworking that in your time/space continuum.

Until next time.

Belonging & Significance

BELONGING
Defined variously as happiness, security, intimacy and being at ease, in the context of relationships, BELONGING is at the core of humanity. We crave this from the day we are born. Our identity and our purpose are often driven from this key state of belonging. "Who am I" is often related to "where do I belong".

SIGNIFICANCE
Importance, meaning. We all want to matter. Down deep. Maybe some of us have given up, stuck in a routine of mediocrity and the mundane, where this side of us; the side that wants to make a difference, for our lives to mean something, to find meaning; has been snuffed out by the worries of this world.

Remember the movie "Signs". In it, the little girl has the curious habit of setting glasses of water all over the house. She belongs to her family, but her significance is not clear. It is not until the climax of the story, where they discover that the aliens, who threaten their entire existence, can be killed by water, does her TRUE significance come into play. Sometimes we don't really know our significance, but do as we are "guided". Have you had this moment yet?

Together, these two words: belonging & significance, are at the heart of every person, every group, every community. Are you part of something bigger than yourself? If so, are you important in that sphere? Do you know your purpose? Humanity, and indeed your own being, begs this question to be answered.

In this age of fragmentation, loneliness and despondency, we need to be agents of reconnection, and revealers of purpose.

Procrastination

OK. Some of you do not struggle with this.

But reality is, procrastination is well and truly wasting time. Aside from physically existing, the other area we occupy is time. It's a gift. No doubt about it. A gift.

So what we do we do with a gift. We cherish it, take care of it, make the most of it. Or we throw it away or never even open the box. Or we return it.

What will you do with your day today? Is there something you know you ought to do, get started on? Complete?

Nothing more present than today!

Antidote

An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning.

Borrowed from wikipedia "Sometimes, the antidote for a particular toxin is manufactured by injecting the toxin into an animal in small doses and the resulting antibodies are extracted from the animals' blood."

I'm a Christian, and I heard this word today, and it really burst out in life to me.

As people we commit sin. So if we treat sin as a poison, which leads to death, and Jesus took all the sins of mankind upon himself, he then created the antidote, he became the antidote.

By having originally having sin in us, we create the antibodies to resist by accepting Christ, we ourselves become the antidote to sin.

Makes sense to me, I hope it does you.

Can I Pray For You

It's the cliche of Christians. I'll pray for you. My friend from a Jewish background, Mark, told me recently that "I'll pray for you" means "I'll think about your situation when it occurs in my consciousness next time". I think Christians may be on the same tangent.

It sort of cheapens the whole expression.

On the other hand, my friend recently wrote me an email.....it was a prayer. I was deeply moved and at the same time completely inspired to do the same. Now instead of praying for the person in private to God, I get to do that, and send the prayer to the recipient through cyberspace.

They can now keep that. Documented.

I think I'm on a roll on this email prayer thing.

So the next time I say, "I'll pray for you". Wait for the email. I'm going to do what I say.

Looking back, for just a moment.

Well. This won't be the most edifying posts, as I'm really just logging my feelings about a huge life change that we, as a family are embarking on.

We arrived in Sydney Australia, in Feb 1998, Susan 4 months pregnant. Sophia, Gabriel and Ella were all born here. On July 4th, 2007, we depart from here, after a whirlwind journey of diverse experiences, having made some deep lifelong friendships, to Los Angeles, for the next season of the Sohn family story.

Bittersweet, would be an apropos sentiment right around now. But mostly, there is a tenuous polar balance between a core sadness, and the giddiness of the promise of the future.

So, though it's brief and fleeting, I glimpse back on the road that we've travelled, and marvel at the goodness and faithfulness of God to bless us with incredible children, wonderful friends, profound experiences, purpose & fulfillment. I could say it's been a hard path that we've trodden, machete'd our way through to find direction, but if I'm objective for even a millisecond, that's really been the joy of our life together, for Susan and I, as we go forth, into the thickest jungle of all, La-La-Land.

Operating out of your Strengths

Seems like absolute common sense right? Find out what you are good at, what you've got natural talents in, and try and do as much of that as possible. When I got out of the car that took me to the university in the US decades ago, I always remember the driver saying, "whatever you do son, make sure you're good at it". How true.

I was a great swimmer & runner, mostly because I discovered I had some natural aptitude. Encouraged by that, I trained as much as I could to get better. On the flipside, I was terrible at volleyball. The ball would constantly bounce off the edges of my hands, wrists, making me a liability to my team. Needless to say, I did not feel motivated to get better at that.

True it takes time to learn something, riding a bike, studying chemistry, being a husband. But what are you a 'natural' at? Chances are, you or your parents have nurtured that, become skilled and knowledgeable about your God-given gifts and talents.

What about now? In the 16 hours that you are awake, do you operate out of your strengths? In your workplace, in your home?

As someone who feels like they have spent 9 years trying to overcome weaknesses, some of them skillbased, some of them character based, it was an eye and spirit opening experience to identify my 5 top strengths and realise how little of it I was able to use in the last 9 years, because I was busily trying to become more 'well-rounded' and 'balanced.'

I took the Clifton Strengthsfinder as well as other tests, for Mosaic's Origins conference. I found that out of 34 identified strengths, that mine were: Strategic, Futuristic, Activator, Connectness, Relator. I found that I engaged in these strengths in various degrees in many spheres of my life, but really never thought to develop them, ie. develop skills and knowledge around them. Furthermore, in my work life, even my present one, I found that I spent most of my time, outside of these strengths. Basically I'm a big picture, connector guy for new things. Once they get going however, I should really step aside. But more often that not, because I feel responsible for what I started, and carry the implementation and management burden, which I'm really not naturally gifted at. I've trained myself to be adequate at those things, but they take up 85% of my time.

So I've been immensely challenged to 'specialise' in the strengths which I, my family, my friends know I have and apply them vigorously in all areas. For example, I find myself writing strategic plans about various things, but I've never developed one for myself, or my wife, or my family. Surely if I have Strategic as my top strength, I should apply it in the most important areas of my life. I have found that I am perfectly OK to be 'imbalanced' by emphasizing my strengths holistically, so long as I keep on working with God in my character issues, so I don't allow my strengths to overtake my character.

So I encourage you to think about how you are purposefully living out your life right now. Imagine what would happen if you decided to live out of your strengths, and that each member of your family, work team, church & community, did so as well.

Revolutionary, I believe.

Simplicity on Easter

I was on the beach yesterday with my son Gabriel, on an idyllic Easter Monday spent with great friends. We were on waters edge, and I decided we would write in the sand with sticks. I would write something, like G-A-B-R-I-E-L and he would write under it. Then I wrote out the alphabet to be more instructional, and we read it out together. Then I wrote a really big J-E-S-U-S. Then he wrote under it. Passersby, were reading our little lane of letters, and finally arrived at our double Jesus, and we heard them say "Jesus".

Father & son, writing the name of Jesus, on the beach for people to see, in the purpose of practicing writing, on an Easter holiday. As strangers uttered his name, I found a profound simplicity of the Gospel, and how we had been a heartwarming testimony on that day.

So celebrate the risen Saviour. My son and I have been learning how.

The Power of the Blog

Here I am showing a friend how easy it is to blog. I believe it is the way of the future church to connect and share ideas, and lives. how to keep accountability and keep out the fruit flakes & nuts? Not sure. But it's worth the try.

Transactional vs. Relational

Which one are you? Do you have relationships with people for what you do with them, or for who they are? A hard distinction sometimes, but here's an example: say you have a friend that you play golf with. But that's all you do with them, play golf. One day you break your arm, and don't play for months. No phone call, no contact. Transactional.

Or say you go to the corner store everyday, and chat to the storekeeper, who you see more often than your friends and family. Then one day you see them on the street. He doesn't greet you, and awkardly you don't acknowledge him either. Transactional.

On the flip side, your childhood best friend who you talk to on birthdays and Christmas, if that, turns up at your doorstep. He's like your brother, and regardless of the fact that you hardly see him anymore, the bonds are as strong as ever. Relational.

So the question is, are you transactional or relational in your interactions with people, your friendships. I believe we are created for relational connections, but the world has conditioned us to be transactional people. Food for thought.

Haven't quite decided the next topic, but I'm sure it will come to me. Thanks for reading.

Think of the exit, before the entry

Well this is all common sense, but I thought it would be interesting for some. I had a previous career as an equity derivatives trader. Without delving into the minutae of what that is, basically in 10 years I had to buy and sell 1 million things. Sounds impossible but it's true. One of the basic tenets of investing is to determine your upside target, and your downside limit. In life, "it's not how you start, it's how you end". Though this is just another way to say, "set goals", it actually helps you determine what you are going to do, by thinking of the results or consequences of your desired course of action. I recently invested into the company where I now work, and the "exit" was what convinced me to "enter". In marriage, if the exit is regarded as divorce, then what's the point of getting married? It really should be until death do us part. Getting to heaven, the ultimate exit, is determined by a decision to commit your life to Christ for example, which is your entry......and so on. I think you get the point.

Next time " transactional vs. relational".

Nth Degree & 6 Degrees of Separation

Well. Happy New Year. 2007.

I've recently started a new job, and have had some startling examples of the above 2 concepts.

The first one is the Nth Degree. Pretty simple really. Since a pretty young age, being an imaginative boy, I would think of crazy concepts like: I am a cyborg. I would extrapolate all the things that are relevant to a cyborg, and basically take it to the nth degree, such as a global society of cyborgs. In many ways it borrows from " from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria to the ends of the world." It's really just taking ideas to its most expansive and deep ends. This "no limits" nth degree approach to things, helps me see in the possibilities of the future, for myself, and the world at large. It frequently excites me. The next time you have an idea, how ever small, don't stop at the first thought. Take it to the nth degree. Then when you gring it back, you'll have more clarity.

Now the 6 Degrees of Separation. Ever heard of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon? In the mid-90s, it was a game to link Kevin Bacon to some other actor through no more than 6 other actors. It examines the 'small world' concept, and it has been empirically proven, even in the age fo the internet. Personally, in the last 4 months, while I was pursuing people involved in apparel, licensing, manufacturing and retail, I have been utterly amazed at the linkages that exist within people networks, and the old adage, it's not what you know, it's who you know, has become so evident.

Until next time, The topic will be, "think of the exit strategy before you start."

Borders & Boundaries

I was talking to an old friend who I had not met in a long time. I found myself sharing this revelation that I had from a while back. It is the concept of borders and boundaries applied to daily life.

I'm defining boundaries as natural or universal. If you are standing on the edge of a cliff, that boundary is pretty obvious. Take one wrong step and you will end up in the abyss. If you are on an island, step into the water, and you'd better know how to swim. Boundaries are healthy, and if you don't want to cross some of them; if you do the consequences can be dire. Some boundaries are meant to be conquered, analogous to being at the foot of a mountain, and having a desire to climb it. You'll need the proper training, equipment and most importantly the will to perservere. I think you get the picture. I believe God defines boundaries for us. Cross some, and it's sin. Cross others, and you've exercised great actions of faith.

Borders on the other hand are man-made. Some are heavily fortified with missiles and guns pointed at either side. Some have caused some of the most tragic conflicts in human history. Some match natural boundaries, so seem OK, but they are sometimes excuses to hide a man-made agenda. In our lives borders can be self-created phobias, hang-ups, which prevent us from engaging with others. Some borders that we've built up in our lives can appear as serious as the Berlin Wall, or the Great Wall of China (to keep the rabbits out), but once they crumble, we see their power was only in how we perceived them. Borders prevent us from closer relationships.

I often think my journey with Christ, is one of keeping healthy boundaries, but breaking down the self-made borders that prevent me from a truly intimate relationship with Jesus. This has had a profound effect on how I live daily life, and being aware of what is a border and what is boundary and to be able to discern the difference.

The Power of Perspective

During my university days, I used to 'break in' to the roof of the science library which was the tallest building in the area. Perched atop, I peered down to the hustle and bustle below: students rushing to and fro, cars cruising purposefully along the tree lined avenues. From that vantage point, I often wondered where everyone was going; engrossed in their lives, the details. It was a place where I took 'time out'; pondering about the big picture.

At street level, we rush about our lives in the busyness of it all, all the doing. Sometimes I find it helpful to 'go up on the roof' and get the broader perspective of things, as the details aren't often as important, when you see things from afar, removed from it all. It is the power of perspective.

I'm reminded of Rwanda

We've all been there. You experience something transcedant. You think it will change your life. But the glow fades, and the impact diminishes. Not Rwanda. I went there in July for Hope Rwanda's final week. That experience has shifted permanently the place from which I view the world. I'm quicker to consider others, am more eager to examine opportunities to build the lives of people that I may not even know. Because I've gained a deeper sense of humanity, and conviction of the global village.

Moral Conservatives, Socio-Political Radicals

Since that Ted Haggard story broke out, I've been checking out the response in the secular and christian world. It's been interesting to say the least. The world sees yet another high powered hypocrite. The church loses yet another soldier. Many have questioned why the church wants to set itself up as morally superior, considering the sins of biblical figures such as Adam, David, etc. But if we don't ATTEMPT to live morally superior by the grace of God, then what's the point. Sure we'll all fall now and again, and some of the consequences of sin will be devastating, but that doesn't mean we stop trying. Which leads me to this. I believe we are called to be moral conservatives BUT socio-political radicals. Jesus was a socio-political radicals. He railed against the Pharisees, but didn't want to bring down the Romans. Yet, some of his messages were interpreted as such. But he remained a moral conservative. But his ideas were revolutionary. So beyond the failures of Christians, prominent or not, we continue to fight, we continue to journey, we continue to live under grace, and speak the truth of Jesus, which is love.

wikipedia.org

As most or all of you may know, I have spent the better part of this year, NOT working. Not in the conventional sense of the world. I've done a lot of 'exploring'. While becoming expert at cooking, driving the school bus, assisting in extracurricular activities, I've also developed a fascination with wikipedia. http://wikipedia.org This is a free and comprehensive online encyclopedia created and updated by users, like you or me. Apparently it is much more accurate than Britannica. So when I am, say curious about string theory, I go to google and type in "string theory wiki", or I go to wikipedia directly. The definition of the topic is all there and there are links and launchpoints to all related and more in depth detail on the subject. You can wiki anything. Another wiki I discovered the other day is wikiquote.org. You guessed it. All quotes. Created and updated by users. So I truly have been learning something new everyday.

It's November! Time passes fast.

Well it's been a fast year hasn't it? In fact it's been the fastest year of my life. So they say, that time accelerates as you get older. Remember when you were 5. A year was a long time. In fact 20% of your life.
So that's my theory.

A year represents a smaller and smaller portion of your life as you get older, so it seems time passes faster. What's another year, when you're 85? It's the same as 3 weeks when you are 5! You get the picture.

So cherish the moments.

Recently I found out that someone I know is very sick with cancer. She is around our age. It was a shock to say the least. So as I continue to pray for a miracle for her, it dawns on me, the corny but real truth, that we should live everyday like it's our last (or our first), filled with eagerness and wonder, because time is a precious gift indeed.

Incremental Exponentialism

OK. It's a bit random, but I've had a lot of time to think lately! You know how if you leave your credit card debt unpaid it seems to grow like wildfire? Well that's incremental exponentialism, also known in financial circles as compound interest. I've started to apply the 'tortoise' rule rather than the 'hare'. Everyday, I'm hoping to add positive inputs in 'increments'. There's always time to pray for 5 hours, but everyday, I make sure I read the word and pray to God. I have a shower every morning, and put clothes on before I leave the house, so why wouldn't I commune with my Lord before I set off for the day that he has made? So everyday, I take incremental actions, sometimes towards a goal, but mostly just because I enjoy it. Actions of faith, of compassion. Sowing everyday. Just like compound interest, a lifetime of positive godly increments starts to accelerate, steepen, and in the long run, at the end of our journey, we will be shocked at where we find ourselves. Incremental exponentialism. Works for me.

Pot-luck Dinner

Well, it was good night. A good feed at least. It was a Chicken fiesta: parmigiana, caramel a la bill granger, roast, caesar, kebabs and much much more. We have such a great diversity of careers and interests, and such great families. It's so encouraging to me that we all endeavour to live lives that are beyond the four walls in which we exist.