I’m a bona fide Who Dat nation card carrying member. If you cut me, I bleed black & gold. Tonight’s game with my Saints battling the dirty birds of Atlanta I learned a couple of lessons in leadership from our star QB Drew Brees.

A great leader knows when to drop back in the pocket so he can read the field

A great leader knows exactly when to time the pass

A great leader knows who to throw the ball to

A great leader celebrates the victories with the team

Brees has a superstar, or great leader, ability to drop back and make the big play. He reads the field of opposition. He looks for the opportunity. Most importantly he places the utmost confidence on the receivers to catch the ball in the small windows he threads it through. Ultimately he rallies the team to rise to the occasion, sets the bar, and delivers the opportunity for success. In the the end the team celebrates the victory.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

This is a picture of my digital life lately…. “loading!”. As I sit and watch time wheel turn or the rainbow color wheel spin and spin and spin, I stare and read the word loading. Is it a productive use of time…ummm no.

If you’ve grown up with computers or any other digital devices since the 90’s you have experienced two things. First, the signal you’re going to be waiting. From the infamous dial-up screech to the iconic hour glass that just keeps turning…we’ve all wasted countless hours with them. Second the inevitable “reboot,” which is a whole other blog topic.

I wonder how many minutes I’ve depleted off my life clock waiting for something to load. While life is happening around me, I’m chained to an expectation for something to happen. What else am I sitting around waiting for? What else could I be doing
instead of waiting? Life happens now, not after a load time. Today I resist…today I will do life in real-time, even if I have to set the stupid iPhone down while it figures it out

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

Yes I’m a LOST fanatic…addicted…or junkie some would say. I’ll be glued to the set come January. Funny thing, I don’t fly the same since becoming a fan of LOST. I’m always sizing up the passengers around me…are they the ones that I want to be on the “island” with?

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

Love the heart and passion these kids show….especially at the the end in the free-flow section. Make a difference, be the ONE

Breathe In & Smile Out
Chris

So many of you know the beach is my spot. It’s one of the main (or only reasons) to live in an area of the country where the humidity and temperature can both hit triple digits…and often do.

This morning I woke up early as usual to catch God’s handy work in the skies. As you can see the view from the front porch was amazing. Just as I’m breathing it all in and sighing away the stress from the week…BAM!! Or I should say BATS!

They were dong their last fly arounds of the night before working their way into the roofline hole a few feet away. Now if you know me, you know I don’t dig on anything flying around me…near me…or on me!

So I wandered down the walkway to the front of the condo building where I could take in the beach and the intercoastal river. Also where I would meet one of these blood sucking creatures face to face! Just as I got there…again breathing in God’s beauty…BAT! He buzzed my head…flew back and landed at my feet. Miraculously I didn’t scream like a girl…but I did spill half my coffee. Fear and anger swelled within as I scurried back to the condo…hearing little bat squeks all the way.

So my point to all this is we have an enemy who wants to steal beauty. At every turn in life he is there to destroy it…especially God’s beauty that is connectng with our spirit. The enemy knows our fears and will use them to steal the beauty.

I wish I could say I rebuked the bats…they all fell dead immediately and my beautiful view was restored. I did find refuge on the back porch…with a great view…and realization that God’s beauty doesn’t end where the enemy tries to steal it.

His beauty goes with us. It surrounds us. It dwells within us. It provides a place of shelter and refuge if we seek it.

Find your beauty this week, don’t let the enemy steal it…and don’t think bats are cute…they are ugly God forsaken creatures up close

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

Just because you have one of these

And you are on a floor with one of these

Doesn’t mean you will be like this guy

It takes hard work. It takes discipline to get up and keep trying. It takes following your passions. It doesn’t happen just because you dressed the part….or have arrived at the basketball court.

The truth is most people will end up looking like this guy

The difference is the work you put into to becoming the best. Don’t settle for mediocre. Set your target above…and each day move closer.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

It’s the original sin. It is the fall of man. It is ugly and subtle. Passivity is where Adam stood as he watched Eve take that bite. And just as we still do thousands of years later, when questioned why we were passive we point the finger away from us. I found this sketch from SZOeptic online when googling passivity images:

Passivity will precede missed opportunities. Passivity will precede corruption. Passivity will precede failure. I believe it is the main reason the church in the west is going through an awakening. We held to our passivity that created cages around our faith. In the words of Mark Batterson we practiced “cageianity” not christianity. Pick up “Wild Goose Chase” if you want to be inspired to adventure.

My point is passivity creeps up in our lives subtly. It slowly chips away at our spirit. If you are a father or mother, take an active role in parenting. If you are a spouse, take an active role in serving your significant other. If you are a team leader take an active role in developing your team. If you are a project manager, take an active role. The list goes on and on.

If you think you are taking that active role…pause a second, and really examine yourself. WE ALL battle passivity. It hides in the shadows. Be intentional this week to sniff it out, and REJECT PASSIVITY.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

I’m was hopscotching across the US these last couple weeks (so I’m knocking the dust off my blog). This morning I was moved by the whole concept of air travel. It was solidified by this pic I took at 20 something thousand feet. Actually the pic will insert at the bottom of the blog…thank you WordPress iPhone App.

I could make this into a blog series with the life analogies that fit air travel. The simple components of air travel I want to draw from are the connection, departure, take-off, flight, and arrival.

When I examine how the best brands…the best strategies…the best marketing plans function, I see them all like an adventure in air travel.

It all starts with a connection to the audience…the community…the person who was formerly seen as just another customer. Once you have this established, which takes work, the
you are ready to go somewhere.

You really need everyone on board before you can go anywhere. Departures will eventually cease if there isn’t anyone on the plane to support it.

Take off is the fun part right. When a company gets all the elements right, it’s a beautiful thing. Like an airplane, the complex variables working together on a proper runway…will give you everything needed to take off.

The flight is the map. It’s the place where you also get the best views. Where a layer of dark clouds fall below and an awesome vista awaits. Much like a roadmap for a product, brand, or company… The flight takes you there, through all the milestones..all the successes.

It all leads to a destination right? You can’t fly for ever. We all want the brand / product to take us to that place. Eventually, through natural development…we want to go to that next place. Thus the business cycle. Where you are taken to that next “big thing.”

It all takes careful planning, precise execution, and flexibility to adapt. The flight path you start on, may not be the one that takes you to that destination. The aircraft may change, the methods may evolve, but the people and end goal remain. Real connection with a real destination in mind.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

On a flight today next to a 14 month old girl and her Mother. On a quick side note, still can’t figure out why all passengers have to buckle up for the least little bit if turbulence…but if you are a baby, well just sitting in an adult lap is fine :-0.

I digress, the picture u saw in my quick 35 min flight was a shot of our relationship with God. As we were taxing to take off the lil girl was looking, touching, and exploring everything within arms reach. Then, as it usually turns out, on the approach in she was crying as the cabin pressure was dropping.

The thought came to me that is a picture of our relationship with God. He holds us in His lap and let’s us explore the world around us. Never stopping us, but there to make sure we are okay. Just as the Mother, God looks at us and smiles as we are there exploring. He is laughing with us and holding us close in delight.

As our world changes…as we get scared…as we panic…He is right there to comfort. He is there to hold us tight. Forever we are like that baby, in the arms of out Mother. Safe, loved, secure.

Breathe In &Smile Out
Chris

Check out the social justice hub that is in conjunction with Hillsong United’s I Heart Revolution. www.iheartrevolution.org

Breathe in & smile out
Chris