Snow plows in July

I've spent the better half of the last month preparing for a large event that we just finished in Indianapolis. On race day, all of the planning comes together and ideally results in seamless execution. Inevitably, however, something always seems to happen that could have never been foreseen. Yesterday was no exception. 

The morning was going great. Our helicopter operation was running flawlessly thanks to Jake and Jim, and our ground activity was moving right along thanks to an incredible team of men. Then the clock struck 9am and the wheels started to fall off...literally.

I got a phone call letting me know that one of our buses had run over a snow plow that was parked in the back lot of our client's property. Yes, you read that right...a snow plow. Needless to say, the snow plow won. 

From that point forward, my iPhone kicked into high gear. I made approximately 40 phone calls within the next hour, trying to work through a solution with the bus vendor, the officers facilitating our escorts, and our on-site team. I was pacing, sweating, and screaming a little more than I care to admit. I started to beat myself up. I could've made decisions quicker...I could have done "this" instead of "that". 

It was right around 11:30am when it got through my thick skull that God was trying to teach me something.  Why don't I pace, sweat, or scream about other issues? Like kids that won't get to eat today. Issues that involve little girls being sold to the highest bidder. Problems like entire communities that don't have clean water to drink.

Did God want me to work diligently to find a solution for our clients? Of course He did. But there are other things that He wants me to work diligently towards as well...like actively engaging a hurting world. 

Robb and David handled pressure like champions. Tyler, Ryan, George, and Paul effectively responded to problems without blinking an eye. Edwin and Brian provided a sounding board that was essential. Our team this weekend was made up of absolute rock stars, and because of this, everything worked out fine. The clients made it to the race track an hour after their originally scheduled arrival time, and all was right in the world again.

I woke up this morning to see that God gave me another day. This day comes with a new perspective.

Love well,

James

I need to love better. So here's the plan...

I've recently started reading a book called "Love Does" by Bob Goff and it's been stirring my heart in a very cool way. This book has made me painfully aware of the fact that I do very little, most days nothing at all, to love with action.

1 John 3:18 says this: "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

I don't really have a tough time loving people with my words. Whether it's a text message, a Facebook note, or a verbal interaction, I'm pretty good at letting people know why I love them. My struggle comes in the "doing". I'm typically the last person to volunteer to do something for someone that in any way makes me uncomfortable. I can tell someone they're awesome until I'm blue in the face, but when it comes time to show them love with my actions, I'm nowhere to be found.

I was struck yesterday with the thought of how much "love" someone gets on their birthday. People do crazy things to celebrate the day a friend or family member entered this world, but there's no reason why anyone should only get to feel special, cared for, and valued on one day of the year. I am personally committing to making sure that this is NOT the case for five individuals throughout the remainder of 2012.

Involving as many people as possible, we're going to make sure that these five folks have a day that they will never forget. They will lay their head on their pillow that night having no question that they are not only loved by countless people on earth, but that they are loved with reckless abandon by their Creator.

Flowers will be delivered, letters and notes will be written, and parties will be thrown. Songs will be created, cars will be decorated, and PA announcements will happen in grocery stores. All of this will be done in an effort to put hands and feet to the verb spelled L-O-V-E.

Love is action. Let's do it.

James

What's the craziest thing you've ever done to show someone you love them? Leave comments on the Facebook post, reply to the tweet, or leave the comment under this post on the blog. I'm going to need all the suggestions I can get!