**Mustard Seed Distributed**

Each year, it seems we all take time for resolutions.  What am I going to stop doing.  What am I going to start.  We typically start off great, and then the tires fall off.  This year, I am not making a resolution to take action that stops.  This year, I am going to take a positive spin on it.  What is the one thing I am going to do consistently to build a habit?  (Thanks @ jamesclear ) Well, actually there are a bunch of things I want to consistently do, and keep doing without failure.  One is write more.  It helps me process life, what God has for me, learning, and redemption.  It helps me to 'take captive my thoughts', and as a base thinker for those of you that understand Adaptive Communication, this fills my bucket and charges my battery SO THAT I can pay attention to exactly what I need to be doing.  I have spent the last year purposefully focusing myself on learning about communication - and how people get their psychologica...

Over a year since I have posted.  And today I am compelled.  I often think to blog life, what God is teaching me, and processing my thinking around life, but don't.  Today I do.  It is so appropriate that my teenage daughter is the driving force that prompted my own seventeen minutes of silence to express whatever it is that I'm trying to express.  As an educator for over 20 years, I spent time today reflecting on the beauty that each child brings into this world, even the children that drove me nuts or pushed my buttons over the years.  I watch snap-chats of students at my daughter's high school as they stand silent in honor of the 17 that were senseless victims in Florida.  I know that no words that display on this page could express my heart for the families that lost their beautiful, intelligent, funny, incredible human beings in yet another event that should never have taken place.  My heart for the families that lost the adults - that ...

Many of you know that I have been a part of starting a music venue with some great people over the last year.  This process and project has certainly taught me a lot about a lot.  There are many things I have learned about myself, about others, and about opening a new business - with or without knowledge about the business world.  I enjoyed the people, the process, and the learnings.  But there was a part of me - in my subconscious that was not feeling peace at a point where I was really questioning myself.  Was I afraid?  Was there really a lack of peace?  Did it not make sense, or was I just trying to grab the reigns of life?  So many questions about the project.  The hard part is, I have made some incredible friendships with some incredible people through this, and that made it even harder to push into the space of having a lack of peace.  But I did it - I pushed into my question in my head and my heart - is this what I should be doi...

Is it a good thing?  This is a question that I have had a few people pose to me recently.  Next week, Friday, April 1st will be my last day in my current role as a school principal.  I have been working in the world of education for over 20 years, and in some role as a school leader for the last 15+.  It certainly has taught me a s%$# ton about myself, the world, humanity, learning, coaching, mentoring, friendships, marriage, children, villages, cultures, content, and people.  The last couple of weeks as the reality of leaving not only this job, but this career field - have really been peace bringing, joyful, affirming, and bittersweet.  I have known that God has been moving me - physically across the country; spiritually - teaching me about who He is and how to follow Him; emotionally - how to deal with the reality of this broken world in conjunction with how I experience it; socially - the incredible (and not so incredible) people that I not only have me...

As of late, I feel like a pile of red kelp.  Ever see it on the water before?  It just kind of floats along in a pile.  No purpose other than being kelp and being red.  Not much action coming from it.  Not much results coming from it.  Just up and down.  Up and down.  Back and forth.  Up a wave of life.  Down a wave, and I mean down.  Each day, it feels like the only thing that is sustaining me is the Word.  His Presence.  That's it.  I told my friend president this morning I almost feel like I am living in Ecclesiastes.  Feel like it doesn't matter.  Just motions.  People are broken.  Life is hard.  Ugly.  Being involved in people's lives on a deep level exposes you to the hurt, the ugly, the damage that life can do to people, their spirit, their trust.  I am ever thankful for the light - for how it points me to the fact that the only thing that can keep you from falling into the p...

I find it quite interesting - the topic of leadership - in case you haven't noticed, have not paid attention, or if you just don't get it.  Funny thing is, I've been in a leadership position for over 20 years in one capacity or another, and certainly took on leadership roles beyond anything official or unofficial.  I strongly believe that God created me to lead.  I don't know why that was/is His plan, but clearly He has put that into my DNA, created me to care for others that have been/are in my stead, and given me some kind of passion to encourage, coach, and do what I can to lead others to becoming more successful.  All of this leads me to struggle with leaders that don't seem to "get it".  I am certain this is true no matter who you are, where you live, what language you speak, or what it is that you do each day.  But here's the skinny - how can people obtain and remain in leadership positions if it is quite evident by their words and actions that ...

It is really unbelievable to me that I started this blog over eight (yes, 8) years ago in December of '07.  God has certainly taught me so much about who He is, who He wants me to be, and how to live my life according to His will.  At times, I don't feel like I have made much progress in this area, but clearly there is evidence to support my claims.  I am a runner.  That alone is proof that God can do miracles.  I now submit my career and my work completely to Him as much as I can understand today how to do that.  Miracle.  I have moved across this country with my family - twice - knowing that He has called me to do something specific for His will, not mine.  Miracle.  I long for time to simply be in His PRESENCE.  Miracle.  That is my word for 2016 - Presence.  I have been challenged by an incredible woman -Lee Bee- to focus on a word that God gives me to pay attention to for the last couple of years.  I felt like God ga...