Musings at Altitude

I’m blessed to be north of the Arctic Circle today, basking in the serenity of God’s beautiful creation.  It’s almost 10:00 at night now, but night is a deceiving term when the sun is still fairly high up on the horizon!  My body says I should be very tired right now, but my mind is saying, “It’s late afternoon and you should be alert and about!”

Tomorrow we’ll be fishing on the river, seeking our dinner and listening to the words of those who are kind enough to share their lives and their stories with us for a couple of days.  With all the beauty up here, the costs are still very staggering to me.  Our host and guide filled up two 50 gallon drums today, much needed fuel to get us up and down the river.  The bill was $860 for the fuel, more than 3 times what we would pay in the “lower 48”.  A gallon of milk here costs more than $9 per gallon.  Other readily available food items that we take for granted elsewhere in this country are 2 or 3 times the cost I would pay at my home as well.  And yet, what is staggering to those of us unaccustomed to paying such incredible prices is frustrating but accepted by those who live with this incredible cost of living as an unfortunately normal part of their lives.

The folks here are completely giving, offering their time and their things to anyone else in need.  I can only imagine how important that is to sustain and even survive in the harsh environment in the winter that is somewhat unbelievable when we see and feel the beauty and warmth of this summer evening.  But this Arctic village defines community and the love for each other that is always on display defines family.

And maybe that’s why complete serenity is the only way I know to adequately describe this environment.

So for now, I’m going to get back to staring into this magnificent and majestic wilderness, desperately looking for that change on the horizon that might indicate a not so normal animal for us from down there that are all to normal to those up here!

Good night everyone!

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On any given day, we are inundated with signs.  Those signs may tell us to stop, or to slow down, or to be careful, or to turn right, or even to evacuate.  Those signs take many forms, the most noticeable being the ones that line every single path we may be traveling on:

But others signs exist too.  Like the gnawing at your gut when you’re making a business decision and something tells you the path you are leaning towards (or going down) is wrong.  Or that slimy feeling you get when you shake someone’s hand and listen for a few minutes and know that something is wrong with that particular individual or that particular relationship.  Or that tingling you get when you sense something bad is fixing to happen and sure enough it does.

During my almost 50 years on this earth, I’ve had my share of signs.  And I certainly have had all of those that I mentioned above.  But I’ve also had clear signs that weren’t man made, and those signs are the ones that give me pause.  For example, I’ve had interviews with business leaders from very small towns (3500 miles from where I lived) that I had never heard of before; and then, 4 days after that interview, I run into another individual from that same small town that knew the very people that were interviewing me for a particular job.  And as another example, I once traveled 2500 miles for an introductory discussion with an individual that I would be working for just a few weeks later and something seemed terribly wrong.  As I was flying back, I got a gut wrenching pain in the stomach that had me nearly bent over, which caused me to request a release from that assignment.  Three months later, that individual I had met with ended up being arrested and convicted of fraud and spent several years in a US penitentiary.  And then there was the time I was driving down the road going 70 mph in a sullen gray drizzle, and for no reason that I could ever understand, I slammed on the brakes on a rain slicked road, and slid sideways down the road without spinning till I came to a stop only 15 or 20 feet from a jack-knifed tractor trailer.

Each one of these was a sign.  One was an obvious green light, showing me that I was taking the right road.  The other was a clear stop sign, telling me to go no further.  And the third was a brilliantly clear indicator that whatever purpose I had in this life was not yet accomplished.

Over the years, I’ve become much more aware of those not so subtle signs.  And even though I now clearly understand who provided those signs, I still resist the directions that are given.  When the green light is bright and the path clear, I want to stop.  When the stop sign is given and there is traffic all around, I want to keep going.  And when I’m given a second and probably undeserved chance, I want to waste it by questioning and doubting those very clear signs that are given.

It’s time for me to pay attention to those signs and be obedient to the authority from which they came.  It’s also time for me to quit questioning and resisting and to start believing and following.

For those of you that know me, yielding to authority is not what I do best, and it’s a great challenge for me to ultimately submit to any higher authority.  But when those signs are so clear and the consequences of disobedience are so great, it absolutely staggers me to think that I would resist and rebel.

And yet I do.  I am indeed a work in progress, and I do indeed need to follow the signs.  As Michael W. Smith says:

Follow the signs

Open your eyes

Look at the signs

Open your mind

Follow the signs.

Very good advice! 

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Our long drive was to Mississippi for a family reunion on Denise’s side, which was a big surprise for her Dad!  It was lots of fun to have everyone driving into Mississippi for our 4th of July celebration, and family members came from Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Alabama, and other parts of Mississippi.  And as quickly as we all came in, everyone (but us) has now left.  Just the right amount of time for all of us to be together!

Audrey gave me the perfect pictures to reflect our attitudes and actions during these 3 days.

This one depicts the perfect southern 4th of July:

And this one depicts exactly what happens after 3 days of excitement and glutony:

I had a great time, and it was wonderful to visit with so many in our family.  I also had time to once again remind myself of where I came from and how important the values that I learned here and the foundation in faith that was provided has been an anchor for me in every decision that I make and all that I do. 

And as I now prepare to head back out on the road and get back to work, I’m thankful for this brief respite to relax, reflect, and revive.

I needed every minute of this!

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We began our drive just after 6:00 am this morning, and Denise drove for the first 5 hours.  I felt bad about that as we pulled into one of the many towns along the path.  So I offered to take over and she quickly accepted.  After about 30 minutes of driving and about 10 blackberry messages that came in, I looked over at her and she said with somewhat of an annoying sigh, “I’ll drive!”

Within 15 minutes, we were pulling into our second Starbucks of the day, and she took over and drove the rest of the day till 7:00 pm that evening. 

I was able to work much of the day and stare out the window the rest…while mixing in constant calls from my 15 year old daughter…today was, after all, the beginning of the signing and trading season for hockey. 

And I think I’m personally one day closer to clarity and candor in my own self-assessment.

That’s a very good thing!

PS.  So Denise drove just over 11 hours and I drove just under 1.  For the life of me, I can’t figure out any way to make that split proportional between the two of us!  I stand in awe of her endurance though, and greatly appreciate the time she gave me to work and to ponder!

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And just at the time I decide to work on me, I get some long distance driving (some much needed time off) to ponder what I’ve heard, what I’ve learned, and what I will do with it all.  There’s nothing quite like the nothingness of desolate highways to get you to think!  You have to keep your mind busy, because there’s not a lot to distract you on the landscape.  Thankfully, Denise will be with me and probably do most of the driving, allowing me to spend significant time staring out the window and pondering life.

Since I have lots to ponder, it’s a good thing that it’s a long drive.  And since it’s a long drive, it’s a very good thing that I can bounce the things I’m learning and thinking off Denise.  And since she is one of the most candid people I know, I’ll get that brutal feedback that I need and come out of the conversation and the drive as a better person.

The postings may be sparse for a couple days as I transit the countryside! 

I’m anxious to focus on my thinking!

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I spent yesterday focused on being more respectful, more responsible, more reinforcing, more reasonable, and more responsive.  In effect, I’m working on being a better follower now, and then maybe I can become a better leader after I learn more about following. 

Denise has told me many times, “You’ll never be happy working for someone else.”  And she’s right.  My actions and my attitudes have always been very critical of those I work for, and when that criticism becomes an all consuming passion, any opportunity to push back respectfully is deeply buried behind that overwhelming stream of non-support.

So I’m a work in progress.  And I have lots of work to do.  I need to work on humility.  I need to work on attitude.  I need to work on behavior.  I need to work on listening.  I need to work on appreciation.  I need to work on respect.

I need to work on me.

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I was smacked today at church; not literally, but figuratively!

In this morning’s service, we officially welcomed our new Senior Pastor, and part of the service was a charge to him as our new church leader and to us as his congregation. 

Our guest speaker started with the congregation and asked us to turn to Romans 12:10-13:

Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.  Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. 

Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.  Help the needy; be inventive in hospitality.  [The Message]

He used these four verses to challenge us with our obligations as the congregation under the leadership of our new Pastor:

• Be respectful
• Be responsible
• Be reinforcing
• Be reasonable
• Be responsive

For those of us being led, it’s our responsibility to be a family, to work together, to open ourselves up to teaching and then learning, and to do the things needed of us as part of the family.  It’s also our responsibility to be supportive and encouraging, and most certainly not critical and condescending.

As he turned his focus to our Pastor, he reminded him (and us) that the leader isn’t the one doing all the work; but the leader is responsible for equipping those being led so they have the passion and the tools needed for the work.

He used 2 Timothy 2:1-6 to reinforce his points:

So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ.

Pass on what you heard from me – the whole congregation saying Amen – to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others

When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did.

A solider on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace.  He concentrates on carry out orders.

An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere.

It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. [The Message]

He challenged our Pastor as the shepherd of this flock to:

• Be grace filled
• Be a discipler
• Be absorbed by the ministry
• Be self-disciplined
• Be diligent

He counseled our Pastor to carve out time for prayer and study, not because of his leadership role at the church, but in his personal quest to become like Christ.  And he ended by saying that he would be checking up on our Pastor monthly, and he’d be specifically asking him if he was indeed spending time in the Word and in prayer.

As I listened to the challenge put to us, I couldn’t help but sense that this message was not just for our new Pastor and the congregation, but also for anyone as leaders and anyone being led.

Without going into great detail, I winced as I heard each point today, because I clearly felt they were aimed at me.  As a follower, I need to be more respectful, more responsible, more reinforcing, more reasonable, and more responsive.  I also need to encourage and support more, and criticize and rebel less.  As a leader, I need to be more committed to my time in prayer and in the Word, and I need to be more disciplined in my actions and attitudes.  I also need to re-ignite the passion for the work I do, and use that passion to nurture and equip others; and I need to be absorbed and diligent in my job, and quit yearning for those “greener pastures” elsewhere.

As I think back to the words spoken today, it was a tremendous charge to our Pastor and his congregation.  But equally as important, it was a reminder to me that I need to get my own “house” in order as both a follower and a leader.  In both areas, I’ve come up short lately, and I have a strong sense that God used the message today to give me His plan to get me back on track with His will.

He knew I needed to be smacked!

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I was down in the basement for a couple of hours and took a break, walked upstairs, walked out front, and was awed at what I saw.

I saw this wonderful view off the front porch looking to the southwest:

And then, I walked over to the opposite corner of the house and took this picture to the northwest:

I sense a severe thunderstorm warning in our near future!

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Last summer, I bought Denise an address marker.  It was a Mother’s Day gift in 2008.  It’s been in our garage ever since.

I’d toyed with getting it in several times between then and now, but one thing or another happened, so there it sat.

Fortunately, a good friend said, “Let’s get that address marker installed this weekend.”

So we did:

And Denise put her handprint right under the butterfly:

And it’s beautiful!  Even after waiting a year!

For those interested, here are the tools and ingredients needed for an address marker installation:

Tools

• Good friend in construction business
• Buckets
• Shovels
• Level
• Gloves
• Line Marker
• Spade

Ingredients

• 5 Bags of Quikrete (80 pounds each)
• Water

Installation

• Let good friend in construction business tell you what to do
• Listen carefully
• Remove rocks
• Dig hole 50 inches long, 24 inches wide, and 12 inches deep
• Mix concrete (Quikrete mixed with water)
• Fill bottom of hole with concrete
• Place address marker in concrete
• Level address marker
• Fill hole with concrete
• Eat lunch while waiting for concrete to dry
• Take picture of wife with her address marker
• Put handprints in concrete
• Put rocks back around address marker
• Stand back and smile knowing that this task can now be checked off your list
• Buy good friend a special gift for giving up his Saturday to check something off your list

What a wonderful change to the front of our house.

Life is good!

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I was pouring through data yesterday, to the point of making my head hurt.  The challenges we face as a company are only intensified by outsiders that are targeting our ability to do business.  Because of these attacks, we need a great defense, and more importantly, we need a powerful offense to counter the one sided bias in the media and the gross exaggerations in the attacks.

As I reviewed the data (a better description may be “stared at the data”), it occurred to me that every punch had an effective counter punch, and every exaggeration of the data had a more powerful and very meaningful explanation that tied right back to our core values and the very purpose of our existence.

When adversaries turn to bias and use exaggeration to emphasize their points, it’s imperative to bring the debate back to values and purpose; and though many of those monitoring the debate will be inflamed by the exaggeration, at some point during the confrontation, values and purpose win out.

I’m looking forward to this day because I won’t be staring at the data anymore.  Instead, I’ll be taking all the reviewing and pondering of the previous days and crafting both those defensive and offensive strategies to counter each and every attack that could be made against us.  In many ways, it’s no different than a game plan in sports or a battle plan in war.  In this case, it’s a business plan that mirrors both!

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