Archive for the ‘Creativity’ category
November 6, 2008
Had to take a moment and post about one of the best shows on ABC this season. I’m loving Life on Mars. At first I thought that the concept of a police drama set in the 70’s would be far too lame to endure. Yes it is another remake of a UK hit, but it is more. The first thing is that, to be personal for a moment, my first memories on this planet come from 1973. The amazing thing for me is that when I try to remember events back then they take on the same Polaroid orange hue that is the signature of the photography of this series.
Each episode finds me in a flash back moment. It is certainly surreal, but there is so much to comment on. Harvey Keitel was a perfect choice to play the police Captain. He embodies with furvor the ethos of the early seventies. The episodes also remind me how far we, as a country, have come in both our ability to relate to each other and our corporate world view.
The show also makes me think of my own kids. What will they remember of the early years of the 21st century? What shows will be on the media networks when they are my age? Will I be around to enjoy the juxtaposition of a time I will then remember quite well?
These questions are good ones, but for me, I want my kids to remember the positive events and occurrences that have happened and are happening around the world. Sure we have reason to be concerned about the future, but never before have we been empowered with the tools to make things happen.
The future is ours to write. We choose the font and whether it’s bold in CAPS or in italics. If you remember the seventies like me, check out Life on Mars, and enjoy a trip in the Wayback Machine!
Categories: Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Life
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October 27, 2008
OK, I was a late adopter as far as Facebook is concerned, but I’m a full fledged fan now. At first the question that goes through your mind is, “how much of my life should I put out there?”; the second is, “who in the world would want to know what I’m doing?” The most interesting thing that has happened to me is that I have reconnected with people I haven’t seen in 20 years. From time to time I would catch myself saying that I should have kept up better with this person or that person, but there really wasn’t anything I could do. I didn’t know where they lived or who they married, but in a matter of days on Facebook we’ve found each other.
This phenomenon comes on the heals of my post about Seth Godin’s new book Tribes. Great book you should read, but more importantly, it gave purpose to the myriad of social networking sites on the web. For a long time I just didn’t see the point in keeping track of other people. It kind of seemed like stalking with permission. Now I see the value of having one of your tribes easily accessible.
We were made to be interactive people. We were given the craving to talk about what we are doing and listen to what others are doing. Of course there can be problems, but when a social networking site such as Facebook works smoothly, the effects can seem almost magical.
You can check out my Facebook page or send friend request here.
Categories: Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life
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October 26, 2008
I’m sitting in my office after leading worship in the last of the three services for today and I am incredibly excited about the future of Lifepoint and the plans that lay ahead. The main song for this series is “God of the City”. I love the fact that the song describes that “greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city”.
As each one of us listens to our own hearts and then follows the plans and ideas that we hear, greater things will be done. God doesn’t lead people to a life of mediocrity. Instead, He leads people to live a life full of greatness. Few decide to follow His lead, but those who do enjoy more than just the immediate benefits of being a part of something new, fresh and good.
The greatest benefit is in knowing yourself and following yourself – win or lose, gain or fail. The willingness to take a step of faith into an unknown arena is the willingness it takes to really live a life worth living. In fact, I wouldn’t want to have it any other way!
Categories: Belief, Context, Creativity, Life, Message Series
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October 23, 2008
One of the blogs I look at frequently is the Happiness Project, in one post the discussion of the paradoxes that keep coming up in life was particularly insightful. The opposite of a great truth is also true. I try to embrace these contradictions:
1.Accept yourself, but expect more of yourself.
2.Keep an empty shelf, and keep a junk drawer.
3.Take yourself less seriously—and take yourself more seriously.
4.Use your time efficiently, yet make time to play, to wander, to read at whim, to fail.
5.Think about yourself so you can forget yourself.
6.The days are long, but the years are short.
Often, the search for happiness means understanding both sides of the contradiction.
Take, for example, Item #1 above. W. H. Auden articulates beautifully this tension: “Between the ages of twenty and forty we are engaged in the process of discovering who we are, which involves learning the difference between accidental limitations which it is our duty to outgrow and the necessary limitations of our nature beyond which we cannot trespass with impunity.”
Categories: Awareness, Creativity, Life, Rhythm
Tags: Life, paradox, tension
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October 20, 2008
Sunday night is a time that a group of people from Lifepoint go out to a place in Macon on Cherry Street and 3rd called the Fountain. There is obviously a Fountain there – although it doesn’t work – and it is a time and place for a meal to be given to those who otherwise would likely go to bed hungry. The most incredible thing is that the relationships that have developed are little miracles happening throughout the week.
Previously I posted about Kamara, who is a part of the gathering at the Fountain. This Sunday I was unable to make it to the Fountain and, because he’s my friend, sent word to let Kamara know why I wasn’t there and that I was thinking about him. This kind of consideration is something that I take for granted, but it had a great impact on Kamara. He was blown away that I would be concerned about what he thought and me not showing up on Sunday night. Poverty is living without friendship. When Scripture says for us to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is giving us the opportunity to enrich those around us with the gift of friendship.
This need for friendship is why sites such as Facebook and MySpace are so popular. The currency of friendship never loses value and will withstand any economic crisis. Watch this video and understand that the gift of friendship is the most valuable commodity on the planet.
[this is a repost – the video had problems]
Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Creativity, giving, Influence, Kingdom of God, Life, Lifepoint, People, Uncategorized, Vision
Tags: friendship, poverty, strength
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October 14, 2008
Got to see the premier of the show, Eli Stone, tonight. I was floored. The preface of the story is that a lawyer has had an aneurysm that has given him hallucinations -but they have been truthful premonitions. He had the aneurysm removed and the erratic behavior stopped.
The great point for me was that the head of the firm, in remembering the “old” Eli, said that he had done all he could to make the firm a machine that worked like clockwork. Along came Eli and brought chaos to his previously ordered life. The strange thing was that the head of the firm, along with other co-workers, missed the “old” Eli and his behavior. Somehow, the chaos had given them all a sense of purpose. With the “new” Eli free of aneurysm and hallucination, life suddenly was dull and pointless.
So often in church we try to constrain the spiritual to the explainable and the expected. Too often in fact we find that our souls long for the unexpected and uncontrollable direction of the spirit. Our lives desire to live on the cusp of chaos. We all know it and yet we all try to find a feigned shelter in a predictable life. Throw off the desire to know what the ext moment holds and embrace the chaos of a life lives with no knowledge of the next moment. That is what faith is all about!
Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Life
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October 11, 2008
Well, tomorrow the staff will have an opportunity to share some of the ideas that they have for Lifepoint in 2009. For me, the idea of personal development is crucial. I can’t imagine being the point guy for personal development, but it is a concept that has connected with my very core. When I have talked with people over the past year, the one common thread has been a desire to understand their lives better and to make better decisions for it’s future.
In the past twelve months I have read more books than I have been able to post about. Most of those books have had to do with the idea of personal development. Now I’m not talking about Anthony Robbins – although he has made a good living doing his thing – I’m talking about the mechanics and psychological underpinnings of why we do the things we do. From Marcus Buckingham and his putting your strengths first approach, to Robert Torbert and his vision of action logics to Dee Hock and his view of chaordic organizations, I have read and digested and wanted to do something with the information. Now is the time.
In 2009, there will be many opportunities for people n the Middle Georgia area to come to events hosted by Lifepoint Church (that’s right, a church!) to help people in their personal development. From personal mission statements to strengths that will help you find the right job for you, Lifepoint will embark in a new era of facilitating personal growth for Middle Georgia and it’s citizens.
Needless to say, I can’t wait!
Categories: Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life, Lifepoint, Me, People, Starting, Strengths, Vision
Comments: 1 Comment
October 5, 2008
It has been one year since I began blogging. Last year we were in the middle of a series called “Whatever It Takes”, and this year finds me in much more of the same place, only more extreme goals and ideas for next year. The concept of “Whatever It Takes” was about catalizing people to volunteer in areas inside the church – BTW the people of Lifepoint have done great.
More is still to come and I’ll be getting down to brass tacks in the coming weeks, but once you make the decision to do “Whatever It Takes” there really isn’t any place for stepping back.
As with anything we do in life, I have learned a number of lessons concerning blogging:
1. You may think nobody’s reading, but they are
2. When you feel a need to rant…don’t
3. Use the platform to encourage people in the development of their lives.
4. Be prepared for the parodox of your opinion.
5. When you feel the need to open yourself up a little more…do
6. You’re not going to make a living at this
7. Check your spelling twice
8. Check your hyperlinks three times
9. You don’t have to be an expert to comment on something
and finally…
10. People that you never thought you would become connected with will turn out to be the greatest teachers
Here we go again!
Categories: Creativity, Life, Me, People
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October 1, 2008
When I was younger, I managed to find myself in trouble quite a bit because of daydreaming. People said that I needed to focus on what was going on and “pay attention”. Now that I’ve added a few more years, I have found great value in daydreaming. I like to think that prior to God’s work of creation, however that happened, He indulged in a little daydreaming. Once satisfied then He did whatever it was that He did.
Dreaming is an incredible gift for us, but even more so if we realize that we all dream differently. We can have the same facts, environment and desire, but our dreams will be completely different.
T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia makes a distinction between day dreamers and night dreamers:
“All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.”
Today dream a little dream – in the open day – for your dream can, and should, become a great dream that influences many for the good.
Categories: Awareness, Belief, Creativity, Influence, Life
Tags: daydream, dream, Lawrence of Arabia
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September 27, 2008
Something amazing has happened today. Nickelodeon, Noggin, The N and NickToons have all gone dark. From noon until 3:00pm nothing will be shown on these channels. For the fifth consecutive year Nickelodeon is brokering its influence for a Worldwide Day of Play. This is the first year that all Nickelodeon networks and their comparable websites will effectively shut down in order for kids around the world to get out and play.
There have also been over 1,000 play event scheduled around the United States. This was designed as a way for Nick to encourage kids to fight obesity. Before and after the blackout, each network will show programming that is health-related. Nick has partnered with several organizations this year including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers and Big Sisters along with the National Football League.
What a great opportunity to for our kids to see that there is more that they can do, and that influence can be used in positive ways to motivate us toward better goals and a better life.
Categories: Awareness, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life, People, Sports, Vision
Tags: world wide day of play
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christopherhildreth 