Lessons from a Little ShihTzu

Our 11-year-old Collie/Rottweiler mix, Jamba, passed away a little over 3 years ago. 

Jamba

We were very deliberate as we processed the loss of our pupper:  a family meeting to talk about it, consistently taking time to remember the fun that we had together, and a generous quantity of hugs whenever one of us started to shed a tear. 

We made the logical choice to not replace her.   Kids’ activities were ramping up and we felt like she hadn’t been getting enough attention and exercise because of it, so waiting was the wise thing to do.   

 

 

The decision was made, but each of us seemingly took turns pining for another pup until my wife finally couldn’t squelch the need anymore.   

She declared earlier this year (months in advance), that a very little puppy is the only thing she wanted for Christmas this year.  Period.  End of story. 

I was adamantly opposed, and I had all of the right excuses:

• We agreed to not replace Jamba (no take-backs)
• Too big for the budget (Dave Ramsey said so, kinda)
• Puppies poop & pee (everywhere)
• We don’t have time to take care of a puppy (we still have kids!)
• If we’re getting a dog, I want a dog.  Not a glorified rodent.  

She dug in her heels, I dug in mine.  She said a bunch of stuff about memories for the kids, missing the opportunity to care for a little one, and the kind of impact a pup could have on the fam ("bla, bla, bla").
 

 

I stuck to my guns until, in the midst of a 4-hour stand-off on the topic, I found myself breaking down and angrily stating thru a flood of tears, “I can’t ever experience what I experienced with Jamba again.” 

When I realized the real reason I was fighting, the argument stopped.  


Thru a variety of circumstances, the last year has taught me that experiencing joy is worth the risk of being hurt (and that anything short of real love, doesn’t heal or enable growth). 


Izzy

We got Izzy the next morning.  She’s tiny. 

We dropped a grand to get her and all of her stuff, she smells like a dog, she has peed and pooped in the house, and we haven’t slept thru the night all week. 

My wife is glowing, my kids have giggled in ways I haven’t heard them giggle for quite some time, and I may or may not enjoy playing with her spazzy little self. 

 

Izzy doesn’t take away the memory of being the sole witness to Jamba’s last breath, but she’s helping us write a new chapter in our story and she has reinforced the importance of loving wholeheartedly – regardless of the inherent risks and inconveniences. 

 

Every time her moppy little self gallops by, I think of my wife’s steely determination to love and pour herself into another being and I am, in turn, inspired to pour myself into others as well. 

 

If you’re stuck, struggling, and hurting because Love has seemingly kicked your butt, I encourage you to acknowledge the potential for joy and  to willingly step back into it – knowing that you’ll get hurt again but that it’s worth it anyway.   pba.

The Moaklers are Comin' to Minnesota!

Download some of Steve's music fo' free!

So, it's kind of a long story...
1. Trish and I get introduced to Storyline (May '12)
2. Pete decides to take others thru the process so we buy books in bulk  (Oct' 12)
3. Tim Schurrer, official branding dude for Storyline, sends me a Steve Moakler CD with my books
3a.  Tim and I talk and he tells me he manages Steve
4.  We learn about a non-profit that Tim & Steve are working on called Free the Birds.  (Nov '12)
5.  I buy myself a cool t-shirt for Christmas.  (Dec '12)
6.  I decided to include a video of Steve as part of a Storyline message I gave my church on 12/30/12
7.  We found out Gracie, Steve's wife, started a jewelry business (Miriam Designs) that provides second chances  (Feb '13)
8.  I got Trish a necklace.  She loved it. (Mar '13)
9.  In May, I surprised Trish with an overnight trip to Chicago to see Moakler at this teeny venue.  (May '13 - picture below)
10.  Trish and I jump out of a plane.  I wore my Free the Birds shirt...  which reminded me of Steve & Gracie...
11.  So I contacted Gracie and she collaborated with me to create Trish a custom piece of jewelry.  She loved it. (Aug '13)
12.  We heard about Steve's Fall Tour idea and absolutely fell in love with the idea of bringing them to our neighborhood and introducing them to YOU.
13.  We took a financial risk and made an offer to bring them to town (made the offer last week)
14.  We were just informed that they received over 100 offers and that ours is one of the ones that they have accepted.  

The show will be on Tuesday, October 8th, and we sincerely hope that you'd be willing to save the date and share this experience with us!  We guarantee that you will leave inspired.  

We plan on nailing down the final details for the show within the next 48 hours and selling tickets @ $10 per immediately following.  We're hoping the price point allows you to get tickets for friends and neighbors.  The show is open to anyone that wants to be there and we look forward to meeting some new friends!  

Selling 80 tickets allows us to reach our immediate term goal.  Selling out a venue of about 250 would enable us to meet our obligation AND do some really fun stuff for the audience.  :)

Feel free to email me with any questions @ pba at pbapottery dot com.  Stay tuned for more info soon!

In the meantime, download some of Steve's music fo' free!  

Two Leaps, 14 Years Apart

On August 14, 1999 my wife and I took a leap of faith and both said "I Do". 

We both brought a lot of baggage to the altar and neither of us fully knew what we were signing up for. 

The next 14 years have included fear, joy, laughs, love, tears, peace, pain, and, above all else, growth.  We have been stretched.  And we remain together. 

We decided that it would be fitting to celebrate our wedding anniversary by taking another leap - this time a physical one from over 10,000 feet in the air. 

Gulp.

Having talked about it for years, we decided this was the time to DO it.  We're in the best shape we've been in for a long time, and we're practicing saying Yes when new opportunities that push us outside our comfort zones appear. 

Honestly, the feelings leading up to these two events, separated by more than a decade, were pretty similar:  a potion of excitement & fear that left you a little buzzed all day, every day. Secrecy added an ounce or two of intrigue to the skydiving event (we were the only two that knew about our impending jump). 

We sent each other text messages each day - most of which were only two words long:  "Holy crap!"  (it pretty much summed up our thoughts and it drew a smile from the recipient every time - we couldn't believe we were actually going to do this!)

We were filled with both anticipation and fear.  "What if something goes wrong? What if we chicken out?  What will friends and family think?  Are we bad parents for doing this after having kids?  What if I faint on the way down?  What if I don't land right and I hurt my back?  What if I get the biggest wedgie of all-time when that 'chute opens?"  

I'll be writing another post that gives more details on the nuts and bolts of the skydiving experience, but, for today, just know that our fears increased right up until the moment that our 'chutes opened and we safely (relatively speaking) floated the rest of the way to the ground.   

Weeeeeee!

The fears were replaced with exhilaration and a reassuring wave of confidence after realizing we had successfully done what we seriously doubted we could do.

We spent the next couple of hours having brunch and hanging out in Minneapolis - processing both the dive, and our last 14 years together.  A few things stood out to me as we talked:

1.  We both truly believe that we can face anything - together.

2.  We have spent a lot of time and energy in the land of fear, and we don't want to live there anymore.

3.  As Believers, our parachute has been open the entire time.  We've never been in free-fall.  He's had us covered and we need to start living like it.  How can we possibly attract others to our Creator when we're living a timid faith marked by doubt, shame, guilt, and judgment?  We want to continue to grow toward bearing fruit while having a blast doing it.    

Both a little bit taller.

All that said, I'm thankful that we took the leap in 1999, and I'm thankful for the reminders, and new lessons, that the leap in 2013 has provided.  I love that the Man Upstairs can use all of our experiences to draw us closer to Him.

I don't know that either of us feel the need to jump from another perfectly good airplane anytime soon.  However, we are both looking forward to the next adventure that God has for us - as a couple, and as a family.   

Cheers, pba. 

The General

I had never heard a Russian General speak.  I now know, based on a sample size of one, that they are loud and every word they utter has a purpose. 

The one I heard was retired, but still leading.  He was speaking to the majority of the Family Camp attendees and he was exhorting them to get involved with the work at TCC – to invest their time, treasure and talent to get the facility up to its fullest capacity.  He used our team as an example – indicating that “The Americans” paid their own way and are working on a building that their families will never use while he and his Russian peers attend camp with their families and enjoy the grounds.  He boldly indicated that the congregation has been making excuses to avoid the work for years and said it was time to get their hands dirty and get involved.    

He apologized to anyone he might have offended, handed the microphone back to Pastor Vadim, and walked out of the big tent where the family camp closing celebration was being held. 

His words hung in the air as a few more folks stood up and thanked the kitchen staff and the group of families for a great week.  While I don’t know if his thoughts landed on the hearts of the campers, I know they burrowed into several of our team members.  Including me.

The General enjoying the camp area with his family. 
He was much louder than he looks. :)

I’m still trying to process his words, but there are a couple of things that struck me:

His exhortation could have easily been given to me at home.  What the General didn’t know is that traveling to Russia is easier for me than helping my real neighbor.  Going to a foreign place to do physical work has its challenges, but they are seemingly exciting ones that make for good story.

Helping your unbelieving neighbor or your local congregation is physically easier, but not as religiously sexy or, in many ways, nearly as comfortable.  We cram our lives so full of activity that it’s next to impossible to squeeze anything that matters into it.  As the General said:  we make excuses.



It felt like he understood the heart of our team and it felt good to hear someone that shared a powerful vision for TCC.  Words can’t express the heart-level connection that several of us felt as we heard him speak.  It gave us hope that someone local could step in and keep the momentum going after we’re gone.



That same night, I spoke with Pastor Vadim thru an interpreter and told him how much I appreciated the General’s words and reminded him that our team was made up of unskilled laborers – not concrete experts.  It was a feeble attempt to encourage him – intended to communicate that they have the talents they need within their congregation already.  At the time, I honestly felt like I was either offending him or that my words were falling on deaf ears.  

Over the next 24 hours, the General sought out each and every member of the team to say a personal thank you for coming and working on their church’s behalf.  A firm and deliberate hand shake combined with a thank you in broken English from this powerful personality felt like a significant gift to each of us. 

Before he left, I ran him down one more time to thank HIM for his words and to give him a beat up copy of a team photo.  He graciously accepted the gift as he departed.

While I can’t guarantee that they came based on the General’s words, we had two Russian volunteers on our doorstep Monday morning.  They helped us shovel rock and do the finishing work in the final room of the project.  It was a microcosm of the potential of partnership: Russians & Americans working side by side to pursue impact for the Kingdom. 

With about two wheel barrows of concrete to go prior to being able to call our work complete, we received the news that the General had died in his sleep the night before.  It shifted what would have been a natural celebration of the milestone, to a time marked by some of the most mixed emotions many of us will ever feel.   

At that moment, the words that were planted in my head were clear: “It’s not about you.”  We weren’t intended to celebrate the work of our hands, we were intended to celebrate the work that the Lord had done in our hearts and the ongoing work he’s doing in the lives of His Russian church. 

There isn’t a clean ending to this one.  It remains to be seen how the General’s last words will ultimately land on the ears and hearts of his congregation as well as the ongoing impact they’ll have in my life.  I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him, be challenged by his passion, and look for practical ways to make an impact at home in response. 

A Wee Bit o' Spiritual Warfare

Spiritually speaking, Russia just felt flat-out dark to me; from the time that I stepped off the plane in Moscow to the time I stepped back onto a plane headed for London at the end of the trip. There were definitely lights in that darkness at Family Camp and at church in Tambov, but the country as a whole quite simply had a wholly different feel than home. 

C.S. Lewis’ book Screwtape Letters chronicles writings from an experienced devil (Screwtape) to his young apprentice (Wormwood) as he provides advice for guiding his “patient” (a typical human like you or I) toward poor decisions and, ultimately, an appointment with hell.   It’s a powerful text that flips spiritual discussion on its ear.  Good stuff. 

It was with this book in mind that I envision my local St Michael devil emailing his Russian equivalent to inform him of my insecurities, fears, and points of shame in advance of my trip – a handing off of the torch as I temporarily relocate between their respective territories:

“Dear Lenka,

Please make sure to leverage his self-inflicted thoughts of weakness upon arrival.  No need to push the topic – let him do the work for us.  He’ll naturally isolate himself from the other men which will make it that much easier to derail him and avoid the growth we’re at risk of him experiencing while he’s on your soil.

I have itemized a few shame points below – review them and use them as you see fit…

        <details removed>

… remember that he responds best to subtle distractions.  This trip undoubtedly has the potential to awaken him from the suburban spiritual slumber that I have worked so hard, and for so long, to achieve.  (Note:  the logistical difficulties we have placed in the team’s path may have been a bit much.  I hoped they’d give up and we could avoid this transition work… I apologize if I have created any hurdles for you by waking them up in advance of the journey.)  

That said, I’d suggest using his philanthropic pride to distract him from any potential change that’s meaningful to The Enemy.  He doesn’t even recognize that the only place he gives from is his excess, and he happens to love a compliment more than most.  Pat him on the back and get him focused on himself.  Works every time. 

Sincerely, Damian”

 

She must have either misread or disregarded the instruction, because Lenka came on strong with the darkest and most horrible dreams I've ever experienced.  They centered on the itemized list of shame points and probably would've successfully side-tracked me if they hadn't been so over-the-top horrible.  So much for subtle.

Ultimately, I shared the nature of my evening battles with my team and, with their help, I was able to identify the dreams as the lies that they were.  The 3rd night they occurred I found myself declaring Victory over them and they receded for the remainder of the trip.  If I hadn't experienced it first-hand, I'd be skeptical that it could occur the way it did.    

Moral o’ the story = God doesn’t guarantee us comfort.  But He guarantees us His love.  He knew that I was asleep and He allowed the Enemy to do the work of waking me up while He remained steadfast and prepared to use the experience for His purposes.   Acknowledging it as a legitimate battle, and witnessing the ways that God loved on me thru others while it was happening, provided heart-level learning that I pray I won’t soon forget.

The Bucket

I’m a 42 year old that tends to think he has the physical strength of a gangly adolescent.  I’ve got a couple of partially herniated discs in my lower back which I normally use as legitimate excuses to avoid heavy lifting. 

The trip to Russia was a deliberate choice to stretch my physical self and work side-by-side with men doing stereotypically manly work.  It was a big deal for me and I was honestly afraid when I said yes. 

So, over a period of about 4 months, I lost 15-20 pounds of flubber, ran a few 5Ks, and carried weights up and down the stairs in preparation for the trip.  I didn’t want to be the weak one. 

A week before I left, I pushed my preparation a little too hard while the muscles were stiff and it caused my back to go into spasm.  After envisioning myself landing in a Russian hospital, I almost bowed out of the trip altogether.  

A good friend gave me some great advice: “Decisions based on fear usually aren’t the best & I’ve regretted most of them.”   I decided to trust God and go – tight muscles and all.

I was tentative the first couple of days – focusing on low impact activities that didn’t force the issue (sweeping instead of lifting, etc).  I added value, but I wasn’t accomplishing the goals I had established for the trip.   Recognizing the situation, I took what felt like a personal risk and asked the team to integrate me into the heavy lifting.  They heard me and they proactively invited me in. 

When I learned about "The Bucket", I started to think exclusion might be wiser. Three guys on the ground fill up this 8’x4’x4’ metal-dumpster-lookin’ thing  with sand or rock, and a crane suspends it 20-25 feet in the air next to a little balcony on the 3^rd floor.   A guy from the 3^rd floor hops into The Bucket and empties it one pail at a time, as quickly as possible.  Oh yeah… it’s also 90 degrees outside and, depending upon the time of day, you might get the bonus prize of the sun baking your back while you work.   

They didn’t ask me to do it.  But, for me, The Bucket became the symbol for taking a risk and being a man.  I indicated that I was getting in and didn’t turn back.  Fill, Lift, Grab an Empty, Fill, Lift, Grab an Empty, Fill, Lift, Grab an Empty… repeat.   Hard work meant for a man.  <insert Tim Allen grunting noises here>

It was the best 10-or-so minutes of the trip up to that point.  I gained my own respect in that bucket.  I became an equal in my own eyes (probably the only set of eyes that didn’t already see me as one).  

I didn’t shrink back from physical labor the rest of the trip and I’m thankful that I didn’t give into fear and walk away.   I would have missed out on an amazing experience. 

Ephesians 6:10-13Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Next!

You guys made that look easy.  

Somewhere in the neighborhood of $1300 raised in less than two weeks. 

Thank You So Much for Your Support!

  

I look forward to telling you all about the impact that you had thru our team!

How 'bout another challenge?  

As a team, we need to raise $12,000 to cover building supplies.  

Right now we're about $3500 short of that goal.  

Let's make sure we don't end up with 14 guys standing around doing nothing because they run out of concrete.  :)

Here's the info you need to help!

Links:

        Video Describing the Project

        Online Donation Form for the trip

Mailing Address for Tax Deductible Donations via Check

Please include “Account #520120, NRF” in the memo area of your check. 

SEND International

Attn: Denise Allen

RE: Account Number 520120, NRF, Team Supplies

PO Box 513

Farmington, MI  48332

Let's DO this thing!  Onward and Upward!  pba. 

Pete The Potter Goes to Russia...

This summer I have the privilege to serve with SEND International in Tambov, Russia. 

15 gents from my church, Northridge Fellowship (Rogers, MN) will spend June 10-24 working to complete construction-related activities on a 3-story multi-purpose building used primarily as a rehab facility for teenage orphans and housing for a family camp.

I signed up for it because the concept of working side-by-side with

14 other guys for the benefit of kids that haven’t had families is

the stuff of good Story and I want to live in a way that clearly

indicates that my life is a Sub Plot in God’s bigger plan.  

 

That said, the trip still scares the tar out of me.  It’s a risky deal:

• Physical concerns = heavy lifting for the guy with a gimpy back
• Skill set requirements = I don't do concrete (yet)
• The unknown = new country, people, & unknown outcomes
• Financial = 2 weeks of vacation and about $3500

 

I need your support! 

Northridge asks its short-term missions folks to fund 1/3 of their trip expenses thru fund-raising efforts like this letter.  Anything over my $1000 personal fund-raising goal will help defray the cost of construction materials for the trip.  We’re estimating that building materials will run about $12,000. 

What d’ya say?  Up for helping me write this chapter of the story?   Let’s DO it! 

 

The info you need to get involved is outlined below.   Thank you for considering it!!!

Links:

        Video Describing the Project

        Online Donation Form for the trip 

 

Mailing Address for Tax Deductible Donations via Check

Please include “Account #520120, NRF” in the memo area of your check. 

 

SEND International

Attn: Denise Allen

RE: Account Number 520120, NRF, Pete Anderson

PO Box 513

Farmington, MI  48332

 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me!   Thanks!   pba.

Cell:  952.232.7287

Email: pba@pbapottery.com

Remind Me (Again)

As I get older I find it increasingly difficult to remember pert near anything. 
My prayer is that my wife never loses her memory, because I'll be absolutely screwed if she does. 

She reminds me of family events that I fail to recall, she helps me find my keys, wallet and everything else that I'm prone to lose.  She knows me, knows how I think (and how often I don't think), and is willing to stand in the gap for me. 

Losing stuff isn't the only form of memory loss I demonstrate from day-to-day. 
I'm gifted in the forgetting of names, most everything I ever learned in grade school, and most forms of advanced math.

Truth be told, I even tend to forget who I am pretty consistently. 
Don't worry, I know I'm Pete, but I don't always remember who I am in God's eyes. 
It escapes me quickly and often.

I heard this song on the radio yesterday that hit me in the heart. 
It's highly repetitive.  Which kind of makes the guy's (Jason Gray) point. 

I'm sure I'll get sick of it soon enough, but, for now, I can't get enough of it. 
Give it a listen, even if you've heard it before, and let it soak in.

   "Tell me, once again, who I am to You
   Who I am to You

   Tell me, lest I forget, who I am to You
   That I belong to You
   To You"


I'm thankful that Trish will help me find my gloves when I lose 'em, and I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father is willing to remind me (again) of who I am in His eyes. 

Hope you find it to be an encouraging reminder as well.  Later gators.  pba.

Quite the Coinkeedink

As I get older, the world gets smaller, & God seems like He's getting more creative. 

I know that He's constant and I'm not, but I'm just sayin'...

Bear with this one... it's a little long, but it's got a fun ending.

All of this Storyline and Love Does stuff has started a trend of saying "yes" to virtually anything that means I'll meet new people from God's larger Story. 

So last week when a friend from work said, "Hey - you should talk to my friend from church about this new church he wants to start in Milwaukee", I said "Sure - why not?" (I could have easily responded "no thanks - don't see the purpose" and just left it at that.)

We had some fun Facebook Messaging banter and set up a time for the two of us to yap about this church he wants to start in 2014 or 2015.  I flippantly said something about looking at my pottery page (not even sure why I brought it up).

Being the polite guy that I am, I forgot we were supposed to talk and his call rolled to voicemail.  I was distracted when I picked up the voicemail, but I thought I heard him say something about how he looked at my pottery and that he and his wife have one of my pieces.  

(I thought... "this dude must be quite the salesman - there's no way he's got a piece of mine - I really haven't sold that much work - the odds are smaaaall - lying about owning pottery to raise money for a church?  niiiiiice...")

When he called back later I recognized the number and picked up.  We yapped about the church, set up a time to have lunch, and, just before hanging up, he indicated again that he had one of my pieces.  I pretty much called him a liar.

After several crazy turns in the conversation, we figured out that I had briefly worked with his now Mother-In-Law over 7 years ago and that she had purchased the piece from me at that time and given it to her daughter and new Son-In-Law as a wedding present.

Whoa.  Crazy small world.  

(I told him I didn't think he was a liar anymore)

If the story stopped there, it would be a cool connection.

But it became clear that the pot's current owner hadn't read the pot for quite some time. (if ever... you almost need a decoder ring to figure out what it says)

Just so happens I wrote a blog about that piece back in 2005 that shared what it says.

(you should probably read it real quick)

In short, the contents of the piece hit the couple straight in the heart as they contemplate moving a family of 5 to an urban environment away from home to start a church that intends to reach out to the socio-economic extremes.  

7 years I ago, I was transitioning from consulting to a new job.  

I didn't know what it was yet, and I was scared.

I was confident that God was there, but I was still wettin' myself.  

So I made a piece of pottery to process my feelings and state my heart's desire.

I didn't make it for someone else, I made it for me.

The fact that I got paid for it and someone gave it as a gift was just a bonus prize.

The receiver probably thought it was a "unique" (spoken in Minnesota nice) gift.

7 years later it's a gift that God is using to speak His love into 2 folks that need it.

Validating that their decision to step out in faith is the right one.

I still don't know why I'm talking to this guy about a church in Milwaukee.

But I'm glad I said yes.

Quite the coinkeedink. 

Unless you believe in an extremely creative God. 

A God that loves you and wants you to experience your Heart's desires.

Do me a favor and follow the Son-In-Law on Twitter and read his Blog.

I have a feeling he's going to write a killer story.  pba.

Some Tweets Are More Important Than Others

Storyline is all about writing great stories with our lives.  

Writing a great story almost always involves supporting the stories other folks are writing.

Meet Steve Moakler - he's a musician and the co-founder of Free the Birds - http://helpfreethebirds.com/ - an organization that funds freedom and restoration for women and children who have been exploited by human sex trafficking.  

He's selling t-shirts & bird houses that he calls "Freedom Houses" (backstory on the concept here), and accepting donations as he tours  to raise money for the cause. 

I recently had the privilege of sharing my current story (and the Storyline process) with the congregation at Northridge Fellowship, and I used Steve as an example of the practical kind of steps we can take to start writing a better story with our lives.  

I couldn't get one of Steve's birdhouses in time for the service (What!?!  you can't send me a birdhouse within 24 hours?  Sheesh ;), so I made one of my own and asked for spare change from folks at NRF.  They stepped up and donated $267 in support of the story that Steve is trying to write (we passed the money along to Love146.org - one of the partner organizations that Steve supports).  A whole bunch of people coming together to do a little bit for folks they don't know.  The stuff of good story! 

Go take action to support stories that inspire you in 2013!

You'll help write another chapter in their story while improving your own.  

(p.s. go buy a t-shirt from Steve.  they're comfy.)

Happy New Year!  pba.