'Cause I'm not usually this vulnerable, especially not to a vague online audience... definitely not vulnerable enough to have this information searchable on Google...
But here we go.
It's 10:30 PM and tomorrow is a big day for me. You see, I've been working on something for 5 and a half months.
5 and 1/2 MONTHS.
I've set a goal and hopefully, tomorrow I'll cross the goal line.
There's a possibility that when I reveal what I'm talking about (yes, don't worry... this isn't some cliffhanger blog to boost my page loads... the big reveal is coming)... well there's a possibility that it might not seem like a big deal to you. I don't know if you'll be able to understand the full weight of the issue... the work... the sweat... the tears... maybe even a little blood...
Every week I get a little closer to the goal... sometimes I've even gotten further away. Those were tough weeks. Still, I've kept an eye on where I am and how far away from the goal I stand.
On occasion, when the goal seemed to be getting further away instead of closer... and I knew it... I had to make a decision. I had to decide if I was going to measure my progress and own the results of my efforts. There was a temptation to look at the goal and think, "I could avoid measuring my progress this week and just work harder on the project next week to make up for it. That way, it's like I never lost ground."
Sounds more motivating huh? You'd think it would be more motivating to set a goal and always progress to it... even if that progress was uneven or sporadically measured.
Call me crazy, but I thought I might try something different. What if I faced the issues that stood in way every week when I took an honest account of my hard work and efforts?
What if those things that ultimately brought me to a dead stop before... those things that had been absolutely un-motivating and down-right discouraging... what if I looked them in the eye?
What if I saw the small steps backwards, in the midst of many leaps forward, and said, "So what?" ... and then kept going.
For the past 5 and a half months, there have been a few weeks when I've had to ask, "So what? Okay, is it still worth it?"
Ha.
When I read that last question, I even think it sounds like there's a simple answer. It sounds like I'm giving a speech in a locker-room to a team about to take on the undefeated state-champs. Disney ought to be calling to get rights for the movie any moment. (I think I'd like Sandra Bullock to play me... just for the record.)
It's one thing to watch it unfold in a tear-jerker, stand up off the couch and pump your fist in the air, kind of movie. It's another kind of difficult when you've got to climb up on the scale, or look in the mirror, or try on that pair of jeans you've only ever hoped you could fit into.
You see, I've been trying to shed some pounds these past 5 and a half months. Late last summer I had someone lovingly tell me that things needed to change. The things I wanted in life and the places I wanted to go weren't things that were guaranteed to someone who didn't take control and responsibility for their own health. As hard as that was to hear, there are tons of prayers of thanksgiving going out for that courageous and loving person.
Every week I go to a Weight Watchers meeting and check my progress. I have several mini-goals set up along my road to achieving a healthy weight and lifestyle. The first big goal is to lose 10% of the weight I started with on the program.
Just 10%.
Think about it with me... 10% in 5 and 1/2 months. Progress has been slow. It's at least slow to somebody who watches those crazy people on the Biggest Loser drop 50 or 60 pounds in a month. (I know... it's different.... but still, you can't help but want that to be your life!)
Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of myself. I think the slower progress has been good for me. It's proof that my mindsets and attitudes and habits are changing forever. I feel assured it's not me just preforming and striving to meet some standard... it's really about fixing what's broken. (That's my official shout-out to Bob Harper.)
Tomorrow is weigh-in day, and I have 1.3 pounds to lose to reach 10%. I really thought I was going to make my goal last week, but didn't. There were several moments in this journey when I not only missed the goal, but got further away. On those days I had to answer that question I mentioned earlier...
So what?
I had some bad weeks were I lost sight of the goal... I got caught up in the process or learning how to manage travel schedules, eating at a training camp, surviving the endless buffet's on a cruise ship, making wise choices at big holiday meals, and by-passing the convenience of a drive-through. Fail forward. The scale takes no prisoners and won't hesitate to say, "that was one stop at the Biscuit Shoppe to many Ashley!"
On those days I learned a very valuable lesson. It doesn't take courage to set a goal, or even embark on a journey to reach a goal... Courage comes when you recognize you're failure to attain a goal, and you say, "So what?" and keep going.
It would have been easier to give-in. The weight-loss bar-graph has a few peaks on it's downward slope. Tomorrow is hopefully the day I reach the first goal of many... But if something screwy happens and I don't quite make it... so what? I'll keep going. One step at a time, even if they are small.
Have you hit any roadblocks in your attempts to reach a goal? We are two months into the new year and nailing down all those lofty new year's resolutions. Will you be courageous enough to measure your progress even if you don't think you've taken much ground? Will you be bold enough to stare it in the eye and say, "So what?"... and then keep going?
I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed this morning and found a link to a BBC article and video about an untouched, uncontacted, and thus unreached tribe of people deep in the Amazon. (You can watch the video above)
As I watched the video I thought, "Here's a tribe of people living in huts, living in the jungle... spears... loincloths... hiding behind the trees as the airplane passes over... and I'm sitting at my desk in Georgia, tapped into a worldwide wireless network of information, randomly finding a video about them, pulling it up from some BBC hard drive thousands of miles away, watching it stream across a portable screen, and now passing on the privilege of watching their primitive life to the world with a few clicks and button-pushes. It's not only impossible for them to know that I'm doing this, it's impossible for them to conceive of a world where that would even be possible. They don't know I'm doing it and they could never imagine it in a million years."
If this tribe of people is 100% out of touch with the rest of humanity like this video states, it's crazy to think what they don't know about. This isn't a blog about what they should or shouldn't know, or who needs to go tell them about Jesus or anything like that. I was just simply struck by the vast distance that separates my worldview from theirs.
My life has allowed me to travel the world and I've seen some incredible things and experienced some impoverished cultures and people who lead primitive-lifestyles, but it's nothing to this degree. I can go into huts in Africa and see people lying on straw mats, but they're probably going to walk out the door on a cell phone. Teens in Asian villages don't have computers or internet in their homes, but a walk down the street will get them to an internet cafe that instantly connects them back to me here in Georgia.
There's a progression of knowledge that has allowed me to be here using this kind of technology. It's impossible for a man or woman in a lost Amazon tribe to dream of a portable device that allows you to talk to and watch live video of loved ones who live hundreds of miles away because they don't even know about radio waves, electricity, video, wires, batteries, plastic... That's when I had this thought:
The revelation and understanding of the first thing had to come before the dream of the other could come into existence. The more revelation that you come into, the bigger the dreams you can dream.
That part applies to all of us. The more God reveals to me about who I am and who He is, the bigger the dreams I can imagine are possible. When humanity discovered and developed electricity, growth and technology exploded at a rapid rate. My dreams are growing and expanding at a rapid rate because God's securing things in me about what I'm capable of, what I have access to as a daughter, how I'm loved and chosen by Him, and what's not impossible when He's involved.
That tribe in the Amazon can't comprehend how I'm sitting here watching them stand in the jungle. They'll need an encounter from the outside to experience any part of it, and to the tribe, that encounter will be miraculous, earth-shattering, and possibly utterly frightening.
I think that's something I want to pray and ask God... "I'm ready to dream the things I can't possibly even imagine or fathom. Bring the revelation I need to dream the bigger things. Come and let me encounter you in such a way that I've actually experienced the miraculous. Shake the very foundations of my current worldview with all you are, all you're capable of, and all you desire for this earth and it's people. Lord, I'm okay if you scare me with the possibilities that await me as I join with you in your endeavor to release the fullness of who you are to the world."
What is God revealing to you that will expand your dreams? Are you willing to open up yourself to a divine encounter that could change everything? That's what I'm thinking about today as I watch a video of a tribe of people deep in the jungle, uncontacted by the outside world. Who says there's nothing good on Facebook? Ha!
I remember what I was doing on this day last year. I had been at work and went to the gym. After returning home I was working on my computer when I got a text message from one of my H Squad friends, Teri Gunnink. She simply told me that a major earthquake had hit Haiti.
That's when I turned on the TV and didn't pull my eyes away from the tragedy that played on the screen in front of me. For days I watched, prayed, and cried. There was a deep broken place in my heart for the people of Haiti that I had fallen in love with just 11 months earlier when I was on the race with H Squad. The faces of the kids I loved, the memories of the streets I drove down, and the fear that what was already a bad situation had just become much worse kept rolling through my mind.
After a few days a decision was made to organize and send a team of WR Alumni through the Dominican Republic and into Haiti to evaluate the needs, meet the people we could partner with, and develop a plan to send more AIM teams to help out. I was going to be planning and leading this team.
If I'm honest, the stress of planning that trip was the most stressful experience I've had working with AIM and in missions. It wasn't just the situation of figuring out logistics, safety, and purpose with the trip, but the brokenness I felt coupled with a strategic attack from the enemy on my identity that really brought me to my knees. So much of what God did in my life in 2010 started with prepping for that trip to Haiti.
At the same time, the actual trip may have been in my top three missions experiences I've ever had. The team was fabulous, unified, engaged, and walking in the boldness and power of the Spirit. I finally understood why people say "prayer covering." The prayers, encouragement, and words from family and friends actually felt like a peaceful down comforter, blanketing us in His presence the entire time we were on the ground. It's a feeling I'll never forget, nor take for granted.
I remember not knowing what to expect. The night before leaving I tried to mentally prepare myself for the things I would see. We left just 10 days after the disaster, and the news reports told of bodies in the streets, the smell of decay, and desperate people turning to desperate measures. Several people took the time to look in my eyes and remind me of what might be in store for me and my team. I felt the responsibility of leading others through these experiences; through the emotions that would hit us all as we finally took the glass out of the TV screen and reached out to touch the hurting.
During that trip I felt a spiritual change in Haiti. You may think, "what in the world does that mean?" There's no denying it even if it's hard to describe in words, masses of people had aligned their focus with God and there was a shift not only in the earth, but in the spiritual atmosphere as well. There was a void just waiting to be filled by a loving God with an eternal hope.
Soon the people and their stories became real and tangible. There was the family who had escaped a collapsing building, only to walk for days, the wife deliver a baby, and then get to the border without any food, shelter, or supplies. The team bought formula for the baby, cried with the grateful parents, and prayed blessings over them as they moved on... at least together. Jacob and I walked to the border hospital to deliver soup to the hundreds of wounded people lying underneath sheets in the hot Caribbean sun. Every "tent" or bed we passed seemed to have a person who was missing limbs, lying, covering in flies, dazed and confused. My eyes were drawn to a little girl, no more than 8 or 9 years old, laying alone on a pallet. She was missing a leg. The team crossed the border into Haiti, went to a hospital and church, and helped organize mounds of donations to be sent to pastors in the capitol who would pass it out to those in the most need.
I left Haiti with new hope. AIM has sent teams down all year long and has worked diligently to provide aid, love, and Hope in Christ to the people of Haiti. I think back now with fond memories of a wonderful people, though still desperately in need. Today, will you do more than remember? Will you pray for these people, many of whom are still living in tent cities a year later or are fighting disease? Is there a way for you to give and fund continued restoration? Perhaps your circumstances you have changed and now it's finally time for you to go and give yourself to the people. You wouldn't regret it.
Please watch this video for some insight on the current situation in Haiti, a year after the disaster.
5 years ago a rag-tag group of crazy Christians met in Matamoros, Mexico to leave on this new thing called the World Race. We were quite literally racing around the world to tell people about Jesus. The life I live now is a direct result of showing up in Mexico that cold Saturday, five years ago.
There were 14 crazy Americans and 9 crazier South Africans on the pioneering squad. 23 people in total.
January 2006 Pioneer Squad
In the beginning, the World Race looked a lot different that it is now. Seth Barnes, the Founder of Adventures in Missions had partnered with Anna Marie Franken from South Africa to develop the program and send us out on our journey together. Anna Marie actually traveled the entire journey with us. I'll never forget the first night I met Anna Marie. We were spending the night sleeping outside of a bus station. Without hesitation, she unrolled her sleeping mat, laid it on the ground in a parking spot, and went sound to sleep beside something that smelled absolutely foul. She was one tough, mission-ready lady.
Seth Barnes, Filming the Start of the Race, Matamoros Mexico
Anna Marie Franken
Back in the day, most of our ministry was Spirit-led. There were only a handful of places that we had ministry set-up in advance and worked with contacts we knew. Everywhere else we pioneered new ministries, contacts, and even planted some churches. There were no logistics teams planning out hostels, buses, or flights.
One of the most aggravating travel days occurred when we arrived from Macau to Bangkok in the middle of the night and tried to find a place to stay within budget. Some people wanted to save, some were ready to spend after the month in China, some wanted to be together in one location, and others didn't care... and it was like 2 or 3 AM in the OLD Bangkok airport. If I remember correctly, I just sat on the luggage car and waiting for someone to tell me what to do.
Our squad debriefed just about every month of the race. Debriefing an experience that has never been done before was difficult and it is a lot different than the process we have in place today. Nobody knew the best questions to ask. I remember Kimmie's Island Show, our debrief entertainment at our hotel in Phuket. It included the Newly-Wed game, some beach relay races, rainy day games, and lots of snacks from the Seven Eleven.
Kim Lynch, Sarah Rinn, and Myself in Thailand
The World Race was actually a race around the world for our squad. It started in Mexico at Launch. We kept the times for all our races throughout the year, 9 total, and then declared a cumulative time winner at the finish in South Africa. Some highlights included buying our own vehicle with the intent of selling it later. (That's a story). We traveled across borders and climbed a volcano in Guatemala. We got ripped off by a "private" shuttle service that actually took all the teams to Mexico together. We completed a Chinese scavenger hunt in Mandarin. There was the one in Thailand that included eating bugs, throwing water on other teams, climbing temples, snorkeling in the Tasman Sea, writing a paper on the difference between Jesus and Buddha. Some people watched a snake charmer at the Taj Mahal in India... I did not participate. We booked the same flight to Malaysia and the winners were the ones whose bags came into luggage claim first. We raced through several of the churches of Revelation and performed an original drama in the ancient theater of Ephesus. At the end we rented cars and drove across South Africa, ran out on a pier, and took our picture to stop the clock.
The Final Race Check-In, Port Elizabeth South Africa
The teams were smaller, the staff at home was much smaller, and the budget was smaller. Getting by on the amount we had was difficult, only the Blue team managed to do it. (Casey would be quick to correct me if I left that one out.) There were times we slept on the street, slept at train stations, cooked in pots we found in the trash, and lived off bread and chocolate spread.
Cooking on our home made fire pit. Everything was found in the trash.
We went to a lot more than 11 countries. We saw so many ancient and awesome sights on our journey.
The Parthenon in Athens Greece
We planted a church in Mexico in one week. 60 people were attending from the village under a tarp in a man's backyard.
We worked with a brand new church, only one month old, in Guatemala. A young gang member and drug addict named Zacheo came to the Lord there. Teams rebuilt homes after mudslides had destroyed the area.
We left tracts in temples in forbidden, faraway places under the cover of darkness. We were introduced to reality of sex trafficking in Asia.
There was an orphanage full of children in India who didn't have anything to eat, and an amazing Man of God who had been captured, persecuted, and released that shared the reality of total surrender to the Lord.
Summer brought camps in the war-torn and hardened areas of Eastern Europe. Egypt revealed a long line of people, Coptic Christians, who have committed their lives to Christ and suffered persecution in the Arab world.
Eastern Africa showed us the hunger people have to know and experience the love and power of Christ, and the hunger that extreme poverty has left them to deal with day in and day out.
We taught high school students about AIDS, abstinence, and Jesus. One 10th grade girl asked me to pray with her because she was HIV positive.
The world became smaller that year. Stories became realities. There were faces and names and memories to things we had only ever heard about. It was the beginning of something bigger.
It's been five years today. There are approximately 500 WR Alumni now, and 420 WR'ers on the field. There are now 62 people on World Race staff, including those in our Apprentice Program. The growth of the program is astronomical, and it's only just beginning. It's been an honor to continue to serve the vision, Seth Barnes, and Michael Hindes.
WR Staff at Stirred Conference
Getting on the plane to Mexico was a fork in the road. I have no idea where I'd be, what I'd be doing now, or even who I would have become if I hadn't gotten on that plane. That first trip wasn't perfect. It was quite messy in fact. Even though I've seen 22 other squads trained and launched, I wouldn't trade my journey for any other. That first World Race was reserved for a special few, and I count it a blessing to have been a part of the start. I come alive thinking about what is still ahead for me and for the World Race.
NBC's the Biggest Loser is the kind of show that can not only suck you in for a hour, they can keep you watching for two. We love the drama of seeing people on the brink of death-by-burgers brought back to life before our very eyes over a season of grueling workouts that people in size 4's won't attempt.
We love the emotional breakthroughs. If you've watched this season, you've seen one of the contestants deal with deeply rooted emotional trauma from her past and her family life. She's shed the weight she's been carrying on her shoulders and the weight around her waist at the same time.... and she's put up big numbers.
Bob and Jillian are the poster-children for personal training. You watch and wonder which style you'd prefer... the hard-nosed, get-in-your-face, break-you-without-thinking-twice style of Jillian, or the Hallmark-like encouragement, hugs, blood, sweat, and tears style of Bob.
I watch the personal, emotional, and physical health of these participants change over their experience and it makes me think of the World Race.
True story, some racers lose weight. Also true story, some racers absolutely don't lose weight.
But weight-loss isn't the connecting point for these two entities. It's the fact that true transformation comes from brokenness and an understanding of the deeper issues and bigger picture that ultimately got you into habits you didn't want, and living a lifestyle opposite of what you (or God for that matter) desire for your life.
There's a whisper of something more... a better life.... something different.
There's no Bob or Jillian on the World Race. We don't have somebody yelling at participants to break and cry for the orphans. Our personal trainer is called Africa. Some find their breakthrough through the style of brokenness brought through life and ministry in Africa, and some prefer the style of Asia, Europe, or Central America.
Around the World Race we always talk about how you can't change the world until you're changed yourself. I see that in the show because they know these people aren't going to fully embrace a healthy lifestyle until they deal with the issues that made them eat... and eat... and eat in the first place. But in both cases, you know the end result won't stick if the deeper
things aren't uncovered and dealt with, and if you don't keep going even
when you get to the end of yourself.
Tonight is the finale of this season's show, and they'll name the Biggest Loser. They're about to finish their race. The true test is going back to normal and continuing to live a lifestyle that reflects all they've been experiencing on the weight-loss ranch. It's just like the transition WR'ers have to make when they return home as alumni.
This is where my part of the big picture kicks in. As the alumni coordinator, it's my job to keep all of our "big losers" eating healthy, working out, and paying it forward to others who need the same transformational experience in their lives. I love it, and it's tough.
Since I'm talking about it, and you're reading about it... why don't you just say a prayer for all the WR Alumni right now? If you know one, maybe send them a note of encouragement. If you are one, maybe reflect on your personal journey and evaluate if you're gaining back any of that excess weight you worked hard to lose on the race?
So yeah, I'm excited to watch tonight. If you're a fan of the World Race, perhaps you should start tuning into the Biggest Loser. If you're a fan of the Biggest Loser, maybe take a peak at the World Race. If you're already a fan of both... leave a comment and tell me how you see any similarities, differences, or just put a note about whatever...
Ready for a more serious blog? Probably. Here's just a little bit of what I'm pondering and hearing from the Lord.
I have a new goal. No Blank Pages.
I suppose you could look at blank pages in two different ways. Some people might say, "Wow, it's so exciting to look at your life and see that it's blank. The rest is still unwritten. You have the freedom to choose what tomorrow is all about."
*insert mental soundtrack: "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield*
That's good. I like that thought. I want to live my life with arms wide open, knowing today is where my book begins, and the rest is still unwritten.
God is talking to me about blank pages, but this isn't perspective He's taking on "my blank pages." Have you ever hit a stride and found life, for this point in time, is easy to manage. Maybe you've just broken through a tough spot, powered through a busy season, disciplined yourself to make some big changes, and now you're cruising.
It's not like you're looking to coast through life. You definitely have lived long enough to know the ebbs and flows and that some kind of transition is probably around the corner. But right now, after the place you've just come from, the ease and oh-so-natural day-to-day life is really good. Sometimes it's like a little reprieve, and you can just bask in the enjoyment of how smoothly things seem to be going.
Sounds really nice huh? It was nice until I stopped to pray one night before bed. I paused for a minute to let God speak at the close of another great day, and I heard His familiar voice. I even pictured what the face-to-face conversation would have been like.
He smiled first of all. It wasn't this "smirky" kind of smile that secretly said, "You don't have a clue what I'm about to unload on you." God's not like that. It was more of a smile that said, "Oh sweet Ashley, let me just help you out a little bit with this because I love you soooo much."
I respond with an open heart and arms when He comes to me like that. I heard Him say, "What was today all about? What's the thing that we could write down in this awesome story of My Kingdom from all that you've experienced and done today?"
Blank. It was a blank page. My college football games, my fun night out with friends, my yummy and healthy supper I created, and my clean laundry and room didn't add much to the exciting and awesome story of the Kingdom. There wasn't any condemnation like, "Hey... why isn't poverty over because of what you've done today? Why aren't the sex slaves held captive around the world freed by all that you've done today?" It wasn't condemning. But it was challenging. Nothing I did during the day would have had any effect on any of those things. A short thought or prayer or something would have been better than the blank page I had left unwritten. And now the page was turning, and a new day was starting. That page is left blank forever. I can't get back that day and make it count for something bigger than myself... to make it count for the Kingdom. I left a big, fat, empty, bland, blank page.
I'm don't feel like God was saying, "Hey... quit enjoying this season of life! Stop with the mundane, don't do anything for anybody else, kind of life." At least, God wasn't yelling that out and pointing a big finger in my face and trying to make me feel bad enough to change. He asked me some questions, and the answers... well... I could be more conscious, more active, more intentional. My ease of life shouldn't mean that I exclude those prayers, actions, and intentionality that grows the Kingdom... it should mean that I have a bit more margin for all of it. Without the hard times, the stress, the busyness, it should be that I am filling the pages rather than leaving them blank.
It was a definite moment of "Oh man. Shoot. Look what just happened?!?" You know, the eyes wide open in recognition kind of moment. But God just said, "It's okay, I'm still King of the day that has passed by and I'm King of all tomorrows. Just know that you have a chance to write in the bigger story of all that is happening, and blank pages aren't that great of a read. Try not to leave so many blank pages."
Not condemning, just challenging. No more blank pages. Like Jack from Titanic, "To making each day count." (yeah I went there.)
Hopefully this blog doesn't make you feel guilty or bad about whatever you're doing with life. Hopefully it makes you stop and think about what more you could be doing. Hopefully it spurs you to be a bit more conscious of the part you play in the story, so you can make sure you add a great page to the Kingdom story today. Hopefully there aren't any blank pages.
As I was writing
about some of my past obsessions yesterday, I came up with the idea for today's
blog. It's fun, simple, and I'd love to hear from you…
What are some of
your favorite Christmas gifts ever?
I went looking through the internet and
found some pictures of mine.
These are the exact sets of Fischer Price Little People play sets that I owned as a little girl. Can you say YEARS of fun.
Do you remember Rainbow Bright? What about star sprinkles? I had both of these dolls. I tried to make my Rainbow Bright unique by cutting her bangs and drawing star sprinkles on her face. Oops.
My family had a tradition of giving away a mystery gift every year. Santa would leave a note for my mom, usually in poetic style, and reveal the receipient of that Christmas' mystery gift. The bigger the box, the more anticipation. The first time I got the honor, I opened the box to find the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Sewer Play Set. Imagine a 7-year-old girl with a raspy cough, and thick hillbilly accent saying, "It's A Sewwwwwer!!!!" Good day.
One of our favorite Christmas Video memories involves the Magic Copier. This was the only present I wanted for Christmas that year and apparently it was a hot item. My sister finally tracked one down, and when I opened it on Christmas morning... whoa. Overload. I couldn't even breathe I was so excited.
And obviously, one of the greatest Christmas gifts ever... the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Then, after the upgrade to the Super NES... I opened Mario Paint. Hours and Hours and Hours of fun with a mouse, Mario, and 16 bit graphics. Awesome.
So yeah, favorite Christmas gifts... what were your favs?
I'm not revealing
any secrets today. It's pretty evident that I love all things Harry Potter. And
for Harry Potter fans, today is a big day.
Today I will let my
inner potter-freak out and I will
celebrate with much anticipation, the visual wonder of the newest Harry Potter
movie.
At 12:02 AM I have
a ticket to go and see the debut of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. I'm just a little excited.
I grew up with
quite the imagination. My family moved around often and rarely to neighborhoods
with kids my age. Without frequent playmates I developed a wild and crazy world
of my own. Many times these worlds grew to be slight obsessions. There were
Fischer Price Little People play sets, Legos, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
I loved them all.
Later in life I
discovered roller coasters. They have probably been my greatest (non-super
Christian) obsession. Tie in this obsessive personality with my “learner”
tendencies and you have the greatest coaster freak in the world. My sweet 16
birthday party… at Busch Garden's Williamsburg for the opening of Apollo's
Chariot. My 17th birthday was at Cedar Point for the opening of the
first gigacoaster (a coaster over 300 ft.), Millennium Force. My 18th, 19th, 20th,
and 21st birthdays… all amusement parks… all coasters.
So it's no surprise
that after starting my higher education and pursuing my college degree I
discovered and became enthralled with the world of Harry Potter. I've seen the
movies countless times. I won't even tell you how many times I've read the
books.
I could go into a
long discussion about J.K. Rowling's talented writing, character development,
and creative world. Perhaps that would make it seem a little less geeky. But today I don't care if I'm a bit geeky.
I'm letting the excitement out.
Yesterday I told
you something you may not know about me. So, continuing with the pattern, I
have a new thing to reveal about myself today. I'm sure some of you know this,
but perhaps some of you don't.
I'm a learner.
This designation of
“learner” comes from the book and test, Strengths Finder 2.0. The premise of
the book and test is to help you find and develop your 5 most dominant themes
of talent, or strengths. Being a “learner” is on my list.
Someone who has the
strength of being a “learner” loves to discover new things. Not only gaining
knowledge, but also going through the process of learning that knowledge is
important and exciting to this kind of person. My report that detailed my
strengths said, “You are energized by the
steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence.”
What does this look like in my life
now, especially since I'm not undergoing any formal education at the present
time?
Shopping is a long
and tedious process because I'm a learner. Going to Best Buy and picking up a
new digital camera is not an option for me. I have to go online, research,
study, and find deals. There are questions that need to be asked and
comparisons that need to be made. Kindle? Nook? iPad? Which one is really the
best device? I can't make a big purchase without going through the process of
learning about the products.
Traveling means
culture and history and big old rocks for me because I'm a learner. When I
traveled to Washington D.C. recently, I had to see the sites. I looked up the
list of museums and carefully picked out the ones that I had time to visit. A
trip to Athens Greece means reading through Acts, doing some Wikipedia
searches, and visiting big old rocks. I've seen a ton of big old rocks all
around the world and I absolutely loved every minute of it.
Netflix doesn't
just offer an abundance of movies and TV shows. For me, I see new areas of
knowledge on demand, at my fingertips, because I'm a learner. If you look at my
Netflix queue you'll find tons of National Geographic documentaries. World's
Most Dangerous Gang?.. yeah I know about that. The realities of life in North
Korea through the eyes of journalist Lisa Ling… yeah I've seen it.
The same is true on my Amazon wish list. Mingled in with books
on leadership and discipleship you'll find biographies on Ernest Shackleton,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mark Twain, and Abe Lincoln. Do you know who Percy Fawcett
is? I do. I randomly read a book about how he became obsessed with finding a
lost city in the Amazon and went missing in the 1920's.
I'm not tooting my horn. By no means am
I an expert on any of the above matters. I just know a little. Aside from being
handy at Trivia Nights at the local Wing's restaurant and being able to help
friends pick out a new camera, these things don't come up often.
My friends think the fact that I'm a
learner is very funny. Some of them don't get the big deal about the old rocks.
Some of them wonder why I research so much… obviously the most expensive camera
is the best one… that's why it's expensive. But, in the end, this trait is
absolutely a part of me, rooted deep. I think it comes from my dad. He's the
one who told me bedtime stories about the Battle of Midway, the threat of the
Cold War, and the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
Ultimately, my secret life goal is to
be on Jeopardy. That's really how I
see all of this learning paying off. Can't you hear Alec saying, “And returning
5-day champ, Ashley Musick with cash prizes totaling $137,000.” Sounds nice.
Until the day I show up on America's
favorite quiz show, maybe I'll be able to share a few of the things I'm
learning about with you through my blog. Maybe I'll write about roller
coasters, or a new book, or a news story.
Do you want to know
something you probably don't know about me?
I read a lot of
blogs online. Now, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who read and
know of more blogs than I can even imagine, but I do spend a good portion of my
time checking up and reading blogs. You're probably thinking they're all World
Race and Real Life blogs, but that isn't necessarily the case. I read a lot of
leadership blogs, business blogs, and many written by contemporary authors. One of my favorite blog subscriptions
covers everything from interesting news stories, funny Youtube videos,
technology updates, and everyday random thoughts.
The sad part of
this story is that while I read tons of blogs and get the benefit of
information, insight, and knowledge from others… I rarely share through my own
blog.
Bad Blogging Habit #1: Not blogging.
I could write about
anything. I'm not sure many people would read it, but I could tell you a funny
story, share an insight on a book, or talk about some awesome revelation from
God. People read this stuff. I'm proof. The best way to be bad at blogging is
to not blog.
In order to
overcome the 1st bad habit of blogging, I'm going to try and start
sharing a bit more with you. At this point, I'm not sure that this is moving in
a particular direction. Most of the blogs I read often have a flow, a purpose,
a direction. Some are about marketing and some are about leadership principles.
I'm hoping that by just starting the process of blogging more often will help
me find a direction and purpose for sharing my thoughts with the world wide
web.
Today's last tidbit
of information is all about helping you read more blogs and sharing the blogs I
read on a regular basis with you.
In order to keep
things organized, I use Google Reader.
Basically it works like an email inbox for blog subscriptions and RSS feeds. I
just enter a web address for a blog I read, and then all the latest updates
show up in my “inbox.” Everyday I open my Reader inbox and scroll through the
new posts. Once I scroll past an update, it's automatically marked as “read.”
Easy. Simple. Awesome. I've tried other services in the past, but the
simplicity makes this one the best for me.
Jamie the Very Worst Missionary:
She's a missionary living in Costa Rica with her family. She's awesome and free
and trying to figure it all out. Love it.
Michael
Hyatt: He's the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and it's probably the best
blog I read. He posts on leadership, technology he uses as a leader, interviews
with authors, and daily insights.
Seth Godin: Author and big
business guy. He talks a lot about marketing and leadership. Best thing about
this blog is that all his wisdom comes in small, tiny blog packages. Its'
perfect for a quick, insightful read.
Mark
Batterson: He's a pastor and author. I loved his books and I love his
insights on leadership, church planting, and discipleship.
Tim
Elmore: His blog focuses on mentoring and raising up this generation of
leaders. I got to meet Tim in college and I've worked with some of his close
ministry partners.
Great Leadership by Dan McCarthy:
This blog is just a collection of blogs and insights on leaderships. I've just
recently discovered it, but found it to have several good nuggets already.
Anderson
Cooper: I like to watch Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN. I first started reading
his blog after the earthquake in Haiti happened. His updates on news come
straight to my inbox and it's easy to stay on top of things.
MacWorld:
I have a Mac. I really like it. These updates on technology and news from the
world of Apple help me make the most of computer and help me find good
applications for everyday use.
Gizmodo:
This is the blog of everything. I get at least 30-50 updates from this blog a
day. I don't read all of them obviously, but there's a ton of random goodness
in here. I have seen a few questionable topics, news, or tid-bits pop up, but
like I said… you don't have to read all of them.
And
obviously I read blogs by Seth Barnes,
Founder of AIM, Michael Hindes, the Director of the World
Race, and Mike Paschall, WR
coach. All of these men share
their hearts, leadership lessons, and stories through their blogs.
Hopefully
you'll find something interesting to read in this list. While you're adding all
of these to your blog subscriptions, be sure to add mine. Like I said, I'm
going to write more often. Starting now.
Probably. Here's just a little bit of what I'm pondering and hearing from the Lord.
told
you something you may not know about me. So, continuing with the pattern, I
have a new thing to reveal about myself today. I'm sure some of you know this,
but perhaps some of you don't.
ns Greece means reading through Acts, doing some Wikipedia
searches, and visiting big old rocks. I've seen a ton of big old rocks all
around the world and I absolutely loved every minute of it. 
