Escape Adulthood

Faith

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Two Truths and a Lie in Monterey (Revealed!)

In regards to my previous post where I listed to truths and a lie about our recent trip to California, I'd like to shed some light for those of you wondering which one was the fabrication. 1) We DID have our program briefly interrupted by an earthquake, the first one I've ever experienced. Although we were about an hour away from the epicenter, we all felt the effects of the earthquake that registered 5.6 on the Richter scale, the largest one in California since 1989. It was weird, but kind of cool. I secretly wished I was in one of the stores in San Jose where items were falling off the …

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On Curve Balls

One of the most challenging things to do in baseball is hit a curve ball. Especially the nasty ones. When I played ball in high school, we used to practice with whiffle balls to try and get used to the spin and trajectory of the pitch. But nothing compared to the real thing. In the heat of the battle, the eyes of the spectators are on you. If a strong, tall lefty unleashes a big bender, your mind suddenly goes into decision-by-committee mode. Your upper body lunges forward, eager to pounce on the offering that is slower than a fastball. Your knees buckle, as if to say, "Mayday! Mayday! It's …

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Exploring Your Fear

If you had lived in the 1800's, would you have been an explorer? Jason and I watched a very cool IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon during our visit there last week. (Here are some pictures from our trip, by the way.) The movie gave a history of some of the canyon's explorers, including a certain Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell. In 1869 he heroically lead a famous boat expedition through the gorge. He and his crew of nine men tackled the Colorado River in four small wooden boats. Yikes, Powell! What were you thinking? Powell, a one-armed Army Major, and his men were the first to …

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An Experience So Grand

I'm not sure it's possible to explain the Grand Canyon experience in words. Or pictures. Or anything else, for that matter. Talk about an escape from adulthood and all its worries and stresses! The ride north from Phoenix was a treat in and of itself. We took the "scenic" route through Prescott, Jerome, and Sedona. In the desert, the cacti looked like prickly green fingers pointing to the bright blue sky. As our elevation increased, the rock formations reminded me of old men with wrinkled faces and sunburned cheeks, looking over the pine trees standing at full attention like a million green …

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Tackling Fear with Faith

This is the time of year when all of the Fantasy Football widows start to roll their eyes. Already? Football talk already? (Yes, Jason's draft is next week.) As much as I tease Jason about his love for football, there are lessons to be learned by the sport that creates the perfect background noise for the best Sunday afternoon naps in the world. You know those tackling drills the players do in practice? This is my new strategy for fear. It's going down! I'm so sick of it. It's such a time and energy stealer. As I mentioned last week, fear (F.E.A.R.) is False Evidence Appearing …

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Finding Your Passion and Purpose

"I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up." This is a common reaction from people, especially after hearing our speaking programs and realizing that to truly live with a childlike heart (aka Adultitis-free) one must be pursuing his/her passion. The next statement is usually, "I'm not even sure what my passion is." To quote Dwight Schrute from The Office... "False." You know what it is. You may need to uncover it, but it's there somewhere inside of you. It's often buried under layers of hurt and disappointment, or it's safely hidden so deeply protected from fear and self-doubt. …

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Mr. Scaredypants on Change, Failure and Flowers

Change is freaking scary, no doubt about it. But you know what else is? Realizing that your time is almost up and thinking back on all the things you wish you would've done but didn't. (Because it would've required a big, freaking, scary change.) I recently reconnected with an old college friend. After exchanging pleasantries about how life has gone since we graduated, she asked me an interesting question. It went something like this: You mentioned that your career (and probably life in general) was scary at times. I would like to know what it is that scared you and how you dealt with …

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Meet Lindsey and Elliot

Jason and I had the privilege of interviewing Lindsey Cox this week for our 19th podcast. The topic was "Enjoying the Journey as a Busy Mom." Lindsey had some wonderful insights to share which wasn't a surprise to us, after reading her blog for the last few weeks. Today marks the official start of Lindsey's year long sabbatical, which we discussed on the show. In our often overscheduled, busy, stressful day-to-day, the concept of pruning our commitments and consciously resting and slowing down is very inviting. Her actions are inspiring. You can read more about her sabbatical here. She is one …

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Listen

It's Good Friday. Jason and I continued our recent tradition of watching The Passion of the Christ this evening. It helps me put all of this in perspective. It's so hard to wrap my bird brain around the reality of this sacrifice most days. I know The Passion is criticized for being too graphic. For me, I need it to be graphic. It's like when a parent has given his child a warning against a certain behavior a couple of times and the child persists. Inevitably the parent needs to take the child, square her shoulders up to his, look her straight in the eyes and say, "Listen, that's …

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Are We Having Fun Yet?

Kim and I just got home from San Diego late last night. We've had a crazy busy past few months on the speaking circuit, and are happy to be home and looking forward to a week off. On Wednesday, we had a chance to visit the world-famous San Diego Zoo. We got to see pandas for the first time and collected some great footage for an upcoming episode of Escape Plan TV. I love zoos. Every time I go to one, I always find myself thinking, "Man, God is awesome." I have always been a big fan of God's boundless creativity (big surprise coming from an artist, huh?). One of the latest entries in the "He …

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