I was inspired this morning to go in a new direction for the blog post today.
You see, I've not given adequate props and shout-outs to Jon Acuff and #STARTexp for the tremendous influence they are having on my life right now. Let me give you a little backstory.
I've always had a little man-crush on Jon Acuff. His style of writing and sense of humor just grab me. It's not a stalking kind of thing, mind you. I just aspire to be as successful and "free" as I imagine him to be! I'm sure that at some point we will become the best of friends, author a book together and hang out in the Green Room together eating fruit pastries and drinking chai tea lattes together. Ok, so maybe that sounds a little bit stalk-ish...
I picked up his most recent book called Start earlier this year and was captivated by its content. It described me to a T. I have always struggled with my life dreams. I love writing. I do. I love telling stories, I love creating pictures on page that entertain, move and make people better. It doesn't matter if it's a screenplay, a dramatic sketch or simply a blog post, it thrills me to capture people's attention for a moment and move them toward a better life.
My problem is FEAR. I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of doing something, then allowed that dream to be consumed by the tyranny of the urgent. I use the urgent as an excuse, though. It's not really the urgent that gets me; it's the FEAR of failure and letting people down that consumes me.
Jon's inspiration is moving me away from that FEAR and toward action.
I have to say, though, that the book is not really the thing that's moving me. Books are books. Words written to the masses can only inspire. The thing that's moving me to action is the "experiment" that Jon has created on the heels of the book.
I was invited to join about 2,000+ people from all walks of life to tackle a 24-day experiment where each day I receive in my inbox a very simple assignment from Jon to move me toward a goal that I set up. Not only do we as a group get this task in our inboxes each morning, but we've been allowed to connect with others on the journey. Even though each one of us has different goals, it's been tremendous to see a community of like-minded people, each chasing a different goal, but finding community in the chase.
Unfortunately, I was an epic failure the first 24 days. Jon sent out his daily assignments. I read them. I laughed at them. They were too easy! All he wanted us to do was read something? All we have to do is write down a couple lines of stuff? Really?
Really.
I couldn't do it.
Really.
I froze up. I couldn't do the tasks. You know why? Because I only saw the big goal and didn't see the little steps that it takes to get there. I didn't see that the simple, little things moving me toward a dream mean more to the dream than the dream itself.
So, I've been given another chance at another 24 days of the Experiment, and I'm tackling it with a renewed sense of purpose. I've recognized that little steps each day are the method of Starting that I need. But, I didn't discover this in a book; I discovered it in community. As I read and interacted with others on the journey, I'm motivated to move, albeit baby steps, toward the dream.
This brings be full circle toward the purpose of this Blog and today's post. You see, there are two things to remember when it comes to pursuing our dreams AND being great men of God:
1. We need a community of guys that are on the journey with us to be godly dads and husbands
2. We have to Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I need to surround myself with guys that want to be the best husbands and dads they can be. I need conversations with guys about the pursuit of our wives and the training of our children. I need to hear the funny, I need to hear the failures, and I need to hear the lessons learned from these guys to move me toward action.
I also need to see that each day I'm called to simple tasks that move me toward the dream of being a husband and father that glorifies God and blesses his family. It's an extra kiss on the head of my youngest as I say goodbye for the day. It's cleaning my hairs out of the sink after I shave. It's grabbing my kids for lunch even though it's inconvenient to drive back home from work to get them.
So, Jon Acuff, when we do wind up in the Green Room together sipping lattes, would you mind if we have hot chocolate in there as well? I'd like to bring my family along to share the moment. Now, that I think about it, bring your family as well. It'll be more fun!
