Trick or Treat

As a parent you have to love Halloween—at least the Trick or Treat part of it. First of all, my eight year old daughter looked adorable dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Her ensemble was complete with ruby slippers and little basket that had some furry thing in it that was supposed to be Toto. And secondly, she seriously hauled in the goods when it comes to candy. Her little “Toto basket” was too small, so after filling it, she filled another plastic pumpkin to overflowing.

After three rounds of church friends and neighbors pouring goodies into her treat bags, I happily went through the loot with her. My favorites:

1) PayDay candy bars (The best part is that she doesn’t like them!).

2) Sour Skittles (She likes these so I had to resort to theft).

3) Reese Peanut Butter Cups (Not just the old fashioned kind, but the ones that have added caramel to the mixture).

4) Laffy Taffy (I know this is lame, but I really love the banana flavored ones).

5) Starburst Fruit Chews (No fruit in these things, but lots and lots of sugar!).

It will take us days, if not weeks, to put a dent in all of this stuff. We carefully went through it all because I grew up in the days of the rumors of razor blades in apples and straight pins being inserted into soft candies. We even had Trick or Treat canceled once when I was a boy because of these psycho threats (at least that’s what my mom told me).

Everything was going well until it was time for dinner. Our family joined hands as we always do and began to thank God for the food we were about to eat. We came to the part where we pray for the three children we sponsor through Compassion International . . . “Dear God, please bless Inti (who lives in Ecuador), Darwin (who lives in Peru) and Bakari (who lives in Tanzania). Please give them a warm place to sleep tonight and enough food to eat . . .” I thought I was going to choke.

It doesn’t help that I just returned from visiting Inti in Ecuador. That I visited numerous homes of children living in poverty. That I shared meals with people who subsist for a week on what I intake in one day.

I wonder if God is up in Heaven saying, “I have given Inti, Darwin and Bakari plenty to eat. The problem is that you overindulge on Halloween junk so much that there’s simply not enough to go around. YOU give them something to eat!”

Well, I need to go now. I need to eat all of the candy that my daughter graciously passed my way. Like my mom always said, “Finish all your food, there are starving children in Africa that would love to have it.”

Deadly Vipers

Two friends of mine, Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite, just released a new book titled, Deadly Viper Character Assassins. Mike and Jud both are high-powered leaders who lead high-impact organizations. What I love about the book is the transparency and candor with which they write.

The premise of the book arises from a simple question: “How’s it going? No, I mean how is it really going?” Far too often we breeze through life acting as if everything is fine. Everything is “peachy.” When in reality there are serious cracks in the foundation of our character.

Jud and Mike encourage us to ask of ourselves (and to preferably discuss our answers with someone we trust) some penetrating questions:

*How come we never talk about the really important stuff?
*What are those big and nasty issues lurking out there ready to take us down?
*What are those stupid choices we are on the verge of making that would deliver a knockout blow and wreck our lives?
*How could we help each other be healthier leaders and find true meaning for our lives?

Not easy questions to answer. But perhaps worth our effort. What’s at stake? Our families are at stake. Our careers are at stake. Our impact in the world is at stake. Maybe we should spend some time answering the hard questions?

There are some fairly easy to identify “character assassins” that most of us will do battle with at some point in our life. Here are a few of them. Dishonesty—it all begins in the little things. Amped up emotions—too much anger, even about insignificant things. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off—schedules with no margin. A continual lust for more—especially when it comes to material possessions. Sexuality—need I say more?

How many people have you watched succumb to one or more of the assassins? Perhaps you’ve fallen prey to one of them? They’re lurking and they’re lethal.

William George Jordan wrote, “Real success in life means the individual’s conquest of himself; it means how he has bettered himself, not how he has bettered his fortune. The great question in life is not ‘What have I?’ but ‘What am I?’”

Dan Cooper, in writing about the integrity of CEOs states, “We are saying there is an inefficiency in the market place because the market place doesn’t properly value this characteristic of character. And all we’re doing is taking advantage of that mispricing in the market and trying to make money off of it. We don’t approach our investment from a moralistic standpoint, but we believe that the world and the market place doesn’t fully understand the value of character. Really at the heart of it is that being good wins.”

For Jesus, it was simply stating that what we are on the inside matters far more than what we are on the outside.

To pick up a copy of Deadly Viper Character Assassins, go to www.deadlyviper.org. It just might save your life . . . At least the life that is really worth living.

Inti

Julie and I had the opportunity to spend a day with Inti Elizabeth Chincinguango Cordova this week in Ecuador. Inti is the little girl we have sponsored through Compassion International for the past four years. For me, it was my third time to spend time with Inti. For Julie, her first. For both of us, equally life impacting.

When you meet a Compassion child you are sponsoring, you are encouraged to bring a backpack filled with gifts for the child and her family. As a result of your sponsored child living in poverty, this simple backpack carries extraordinary significance.

Amidst clothes, a stuffed bear that Tabs made, a necklace and various other sundries, Julie and I included a bag of Werther’s coffee flavored caramel candies in Inti’s backpack.

While we were riding to a local park to spend the afternoon together (all of the sponsors and children were on the same bus—about 70 of us in all), Inti decided to open her bag of candy. Without taking a single piece for herself, Inti began distributing the candy to everyone on the bus. By the time she returned to her seat the bag was empty. Dismayed, I reached into my own backpack and pulled out a small pack of peanut M & Ms. I gave them to Inti. Our translator explained to Inti that they were a reward for her generosity. Inti then proceeded to open the M & Ms and pass them out to anyone on the bus who had not received candy from her first bag. And much like the first time, her candy was nearly gone when she returned to her seat. She had a single, green, peanut M & M remaining for her own enjoyment.

Out of my wealth I traveled nearly three thousand miles to be a blessing to an eleven year old girl who lives in poverty. Out of her poverty Inti showed me a life blessed with the wealth of being a generous person.

Anniversary in Quito

Julie and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary in Quito, Ecuador yesterday. And no, we didn´t fly down here to relax at an all-inclusive resort on the coast (though that would have been nice). We´re here to work with children in poverty.

Our day began with a trip to a Compassion International Child Survival Program. The Program offers prenatal care and newborn care to mothers in desperate need. We visited a home that is all too common. Two cinderblock rooms . . . each about 10´X 10´. Plywood covering a dirt floor. Sheets of plastic as a ceiling. Extreme poverty . . . and yet there is hope. There is hope because of faith in Jesus and the practical assistance our partnership with Compassion brings.

In the evening we had dinner with three Leadership Development Students. The LDP students have grown up through Compassion´s programs and are now enrolled in university. They are the ¨cream of the crop.¨ Highly committed Jesus followers. They continue to be sponsored for $300 a month which pays for their college education. I can´t begin to say enough good about this program.

After dinner we headed out to the bus that would bring us back to our hotel. Right beside the bus was a florist that was still open! Did I mention that Ecuador is one of the leading producers of roses in the world? While Julie was saying her farewells, I was able to step inside and pick up an arrangement of 4 dozen white roses for her!

Two tickets to Quito . . . $1200.
Compassion child sponsorship . . . $32 per month.
4 dozen white roses . . . $20 (Unbelievable but true).
Being at the center of God´s will with your spouse . . . Priceless!

Why I love Northern Ohio

Perhaps you’ve been in a similar situation? I’m traveling somewhere in the sun-belt. Palm trees. Convertibles with tops down. Lots of very tanned people. And someone will invariably ask, “Where are you from?” “Northern Ohio.” And then the same question virtually every time: “Why would you want to live there?”

Right at that moment, being very articulate, I reply, “Ummm . . .”

So, I’ve decided to compile a list of my top ten reasons I love living in Northern Ohio. These are just mine. But next time someone asks, I’ll be able to give, even if not necessarily reasonable, at a least a heartfelt answer.

Top 10 reasons why I love living in Northern Ohio

1. Autumn leaves, bonfires and s’mores.

2. It’s the football capital of the world.

3. Ohio sweet corn. (None better anywhere.)

4. Snow days. (I mean the ones when we get twelve inches dumped in 24 hours.)

5. Great lakes to fish in (pun intended).

6. Cleveland rocks!

7. Golf courses everywhere.

8. Heggy’s nuts, Troyer’s trail bologna, Gold N Crisp potato chips and Taggart’s sundaes.

9. The Cleveland Indians, Northwest Indians (My high school alma mater) and The Ohio State Buckeyes. (I know there are a zillion more teams but this is my list.)

10. To quote the country song: “These are my people.”

Every once in awhile we forget the incredible blessings of living right where we are. It’s easy to start thinking that life would be better if I moved somewhere else. The truth of the matter is that there are wonderful things, people and places to enjoy no matter where we find ourselves located.

For a while I found myself living in Marengo, Indiana. Marengo is a small town located outside of Louisville, Kentucky. Hicksville and Green Acres rolled into one. The people were amazing. Some of the best home cooking I’ve ever eaten. I even came to enjoy the occasional weekend mushroom hunting excursions in the woods.

For a couple of years I lived in Dublin, Ireland. And yes, it is as green as the pictures (but that’s because it rains all the time). The people who live there have extraordinary family values. Soccer reigns. The arts are revered. I could have lived there the rest of my life.

And now I’m in Northern Ohio. And I love living here!

A friend of mine used to say, “Greg, if you’re not happy poor then you won’t be happy rich. And if you’re not happy single then you won’t be happy married.” I would simply add that if you’re not happy where you are then you won’t be happy somewhere else.

The Apostle Paul put it very succinctly, “I have learned to be content no matter what circumstances I find myself in.” (Philippians 4:11-12)

I would enjoy hearing why you love living where you do . . .

Lakeside learnings

I spent the past couple of days up in Lakeside, Ohio with a group of guys who are doing their best to expand God's Kingdom. (Lakeside is this amazing little town on the coast of Lake Erie.)

Here are some notes I took away from our time together . . .

*The percentage of the population in the United States that attend a Christian church on any given weekend is 17.5%. Incidentally, the percentage in Ohio is a whopping 19%.

*No state in the U.S. saw an increase in church attendance from 2000-2005. Incidentally, church attendance in Ohio declined by 6.1% during that period.

*Churches of more than 1,000 in weekend attendance have been growing by an average of 1.5% a year. Cumulatively, no other church size group is growing. Incidentally, RiverTree has grown by more than 10% per year for each of the past 3 years.

*Who doesn't come to your church will tell you more about your church than who does come.

*The younger generations are searching for three things in a church: Involvement in social justice, teaching with depth and authentic relationships.

*Read the book: Pilgrims Of Christ On The Muslim Road by Gordon Chandler.

*When those of us who are church leaders hit the age of 50, one of our primary objectives should be to celebrate new young leaders.

No Viagra ads

China has banned all "sexually suggestive" commercials from radio and television. No station may broadcast an ad for sexual-performance drugs such as Viagra or for drugs that treat herpes or other sexually transmitted diseases. Ads for women's lingerie deemed to be "vulgar" are also now prohibited. "Sexually suggestive ads and bad ads not only mislead consumers and harm public health," said the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, "but are socially corrupting and morally depraving, and directly discredit the radio and TV industry." Since August, nearly 1,500 ads have been yanked from the airwaves.

Now, I'm not a prude. But watching a television program with my eight year old daughter has become a bit of an adventure with our own U.S. proliferation of sexually suggestive advertisements. Trying to teach my daughter to be a die hard Cleveland Browns fan is challenging enough without every other commercial being for Cialis.

Perhaps we can learn something from the other side of the world?