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Never Got That Far In Our Dreams

“I never got this far in my dreams.”

Those were the words Bubba Watson said to Jim Nantz during an interview after Bubba Watson won his first ever Master’s this past Sunday.

I was watching the interview at the time and heard Watson say those words and immediately thought…

what happens when we live beyond our dreams?

The truth is, we talk so much about dreaming big, having big goals for our lives, casting big vision to the people we lead, and doing something big for God. But, what happens when we live beyond what we ever dreamed?

We’ve all been woken up by the annoying sound of our alarm clock just as we were about to understand the ending to the dream we had the night before, but what happens when our life stays ‘asleep’ long enough for us to reach BEYOND our dreams?

I have to think that’s where God often wants to take us…

  • to take us beyond our dreams of intimacy with Him
  • to take us beyond our dreams in the relationships we maintain.
  • to take us beyond our dreams of the joy He has for us to experience.

But we often come up short don’t we?

We sell the whole thing short by bowing down to our immediate desires and the expectations of others.

We sell the whole thing short by taking what’s easy and good rather than what may be tougher but is God’s.

I want to live beyond what I can imagine.
I want to go to new places and do imaginable things.
I want to live beyond my dreams.

What about you? How do we do that? What does it mean? What does it require of us?

10
Apr 2012
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
POSTED IN

Blog, Leadership, Life

DISCUSSION 6 Comments
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3 Things to Improve Communication

ways to improve communication

1. Communicate in bullet points.

Sure, we can complain about the attention spans of people in today’s culture, but we also must take it into account when communicating. We need to make it easy for people to break down what we’re trying to say. To help them process the information we want them to know. Don’t intimidate people with long paragraphs and sentences…. Some won’t even begin to read if they large chunks of words without any ‘short cut’ to break it down. Remember, communication is the key, not grammar.

2. Choose clarity over creativity.

I believe in being creative. It’s essential that no matter what we’re doing, that we make room for creativity to improve the idea. creativity is essential in just about any context, but it can break down clarity if taken too far. Remember, if it’s worth communicating, it’s worth doing do clearly. Your message is what’s most important. Don’t sacrifice your message on the alter of being creative or making it look good.

3. When in doubt, say it again.

if you’re not sure that the person or people you are communicating with got the email or understood what you were trying to say to them, send it or say it again. Sure, you will end up repeating yourself at times, but I’d rather repeat myself than miss the message. A good way to tell in a face to face conversation if someone understood what you said is if they repeat it back to you.

Those are my 3 tips for communicating just about anything in just about any context. Have any to add?

[Read about the 4 consequences of failed communication here.]

03
Apr 2012
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
POSTED IN

Blog, Life, Tech/Social Media

DISCUSSION 6 Comments
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What I’m For, Not What I’m Against: A lesson from Jeremy Lin

I read this article several days ago on Newsday. It tells the story of how Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks reached out to a former ESPN employee that was fired for making a racial headline during all of the ‘Linsanity’ stuff several weeks ago.

I love what the article says about Lin in a quote from the former ESPN employee…

The fact that he reached out to me,” Federico said. “The fact that he took the time to meet with me in his insanely busy schedule . . . He’s just a wonderful, humble person. He didn’t have to do that, especially after everything had kind of died down for the most part.

It’s true. Lin didn’t have to reach out to him. Afterall, he was the one that made the headline that got him fired.

But Jeremy Lin DID reach out to him… even after all of the dust had settled.

The thing that I really like about this?

Lin proved what he was about, rather than what he was against.

Lin said in an interview not long after the ESPN employee was fired that he forgave him and thought nothing of it.

Lin proved that in the meeting.

I want to be known for someone who dissplays grace, not someone who’s against revenge.
I want to be known as someone who’s kind, not someone who hates violence.
I want to be someone known for loving others, not for hating people that do harm to others.

That’s why I love stories like this.

What are your thoughts? 

[For more about Jeremy Lin, read my post here.]

02
Apr 2012
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
POSTED IN

Blog, Life

DISCUSSION 4 Comments
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Pay the Price to Get the Goods

A few days ago, my dog and I were out on our deck. We had been out there for a little while, so I called him back in and shut the door. After he sat and looked at the door for 15 minutes, I opened the door to let him back out.

After just a few minutes, he obviously got tired and decided to lay down… All he had was the wooden deck.

I snapped the above photo as I sat with him (for the 2nd time) that day.

I had this thought….

Some things are worth getting uncomfortable to enjoy.

They’re worth paying the price.
Just like my dog wanted to enjoy some sunshine and cool breeze that day, but had to lay on hard wood to do it, you and I usually have to pay a price to get what we want.

  • Want a better body? Pay the price and work out.
  • Want a better car? Save money and get one.
  • Want to do something significant? Stop sitting and start acting.
  • Want to create a culture of excellence? Go the extra mile to be excellent.
  • Want to spend some time soaking up the sun? Be willing to lay on the wood.

Some things are worth paying the price.

Copper gets this….
Jesus got it.
It was worth the price for him.

If we’re determined,
If we really value the outcome,
we’ll be willing to pay the price too.

What things are worth you paying the price for?

[For more about being willing to pay the price, see this post about the Rocky Path.]

26
Mar 2012
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
POSTED IN

Blog, Life

DISCUSSION 4 Comments
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10 Things We Should Do Everyday

1. Eat
2. Pray
3. Dream
4. Laugh
5. Make someone else laugh
6. Brush our teeth
7. Take time to notice our surroundings
8. Sing out loud
9. Compliment someone else
10. Treat yourself

What else would you add?

[Click here to get some free music to sing out loud to from Elevation Church.]

20
Mar 2012
POSTED BY Jonathan Pearson
POSTED IN

Blog, Life

DISCUSSION 25 Comments
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