Pots for Piggies

I am the producer of unnecessary drama.  

I make stuff more complicated than it needs to be.  

I talk a lot.  About me. 

I want to DO more.  For others.

So here's the goal for the next year: make pots and give the proceeds away. 

Heifer International supplies animals and the skills to raise 'em to folks that could use some help.  

A pig costs $120.  And can produce up to 16 more pigs within a year.

That right there is hope.  For a small business or for the health of a family. 

I'd love to integrate your story, or that of a loved one, into a piece of clay. 

Or to create a full installation of pieces that tell a story together.

Or to just sell you an ice cream bowl. 

Both of our stories will benefit. 

I wanna give away 50 pigs in 2013.  

Let me know if you're up for helping me do it.  Oink Oink.   

pba.  

  

  

Redeeming the Negative, and Filling the Hole

 

The Storyline journey continues!  

 

As a follow-up to the last post, here are a few examples of negative turns redeemed:

• Parent's Divorce: demonstrated my Mother's desire to take care of us and keep us safe
• Parent's Divorce: showed the powerful impact of infidelity and lack of maturity within the marriage context
• Parent's Divorce: reinforces that we are all broken and that we are all in need of God's grace
• Moves: stuff is temporary, friendship is work, and people genuinely care
• Summary of Several Turns: sex, booze, and material possessions don't fill the hole (and that's a good thing)
• Going Out of Business: God answers prayer (and He provides)
• Relational Stuff: my wife and I have loved each other through some tough stuff
• Relational Stuff: her stuff is her stuff, my stuff is my stuff, yet we've been thoughtfully paired and are uniquely capable of supporting each other in ways others simply can't.  We're fortunate.

The process of walking thru these learnings with multiple guys was a powerful one!  Almost without exception, the men in our group took action to clarify events with others, seek forgiveness from others, or offer up forgiveness to others. 

 

In short, we all got a little bit of healing.  And then we all started looking forward. 

 

The next step in the process focuses on the roles we play in day-to-day life as well as the ambitions we have that are associated with those roles.  My 5 are:  Husband, Father, Leader, Friend, and Artist. 

 

My ambitions within these roles are wide-ranging, but the themes include:

• Say "Yes" more often than "No" or "I'll Think About It"
• Operate out of Excitement not Fear
• Live a Life of Adventure
• Impact Many Lives
• Be willing to Fail Miserably (with joy)
• General Observation: Almost none of my Positive Turns have been centered on possessions.

Over the next week we'll start documenting some of the tactical ways we want to achieve these ambitions role-by-role. 

 

Some of the tactics will be small, and some will be very large pipe dreams.  I'm excited about some of the things that God is laying on my heart, as well as the things yet unheard that are resting in the hearts of the men I'm walking with. 

 

Inciting Incident #1 = Sign Up for a Missions Trip to Russia.
Still love the bad-ass stare.  So tough.  ;)

 

I look forward to sharing the plans, as well as the outcomes, soon!  pba. 

 

p.s.  Don't fall asleep on the couch after a weird day at work.  You'll end up wide awake typing a blog entry at 2:00 a.m.