I have been in New York the past couple of days. Becky has decided to tag along for this trip which has certainly made it much more fun than going alone. We came to the city a couple of years ago but only had a day to see everything. Don’t try this, you will hurt yourself. We are here for three days this time so hopefully we can cross things off the list.
The trip is not just for sightseeing, I am actually here to work. Wednesday was largely a free day but yesterday I had a rehab appointment in New Jersey and a meeting with a client in the Hudson Valley area of New York. We left Madison Square Park at noon (after an awesome lunch at the Shake Shack) and our train didn’t pull back into Penn Station until 10:00 that night. I had to remind Becky that yes, there is work to be done when I come here.
Today will again be a mixture of work and fun. I have a meeting out on Long Island and am going to take Becky to the Hamptons so she can experience that craziness. Tonight we’re heading to Citi Field to see the Mets and Cubs play. Should be a fun night. Saturday morning, I’m taking her to my favorite diner in New York before we fly home in the afternoon.
I will need a holiday after this trip.
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1 Thessalonians 5:18-19
18 In every thing give thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
KJV
I spent the day yesterday in Atlanta meeting with a new case. Long day- it’s quite humid in Atlanta which was not fun, and a late night flight home. I do a fair amount of travel in my job but that’s okay. As I was flying home last night, the above verse was in my head. Maybe God is trying to make a point with me. Let me explain.
Too often, we define happiness by what we don’t have. This gets phrased as “if only I had…”. This is unfortunately and wrong sighted. Are there other things I’d like to have and/or achieve? Sure. But last night, I began thinking about what I am thankful for. Such as- I love my job. It allows me to see a fair amount of the country (and stay in nice places and eat great food). The work I do is both intellectually and financially rewarding. We literally are “doing well by doing good”. I work with some of the greatest people in the world, both inside and outside of my organization. I really do have a lot to be thankful for and that’s just the work list. I have a great wife and great kids. A terrific church family. As you can see, the list goes on and on.
So, in my effort to be content in all things, I will heretofore define happiness based on what I have, not what I don’t have.
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My father is desperately in need of a flow chart just like this. True story.
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I ran across this little gem this morning. No, I am not finding a cure for cancer or working on cold fusion. I did however, find perhaps the coolest map ever made. Ohio- my lovely home all these years- has 88 counties. Side note- I live in Knox County (named for Henry Knox who was George Washington‘s Secretary of War) and county number 42 if you score these things on license plate stickers.
Anyhow, check this out. Cartographer Andy Woodruff noted that Ohio’s 88 counties were the same number as the keys of a piano. Hence, this totally awesome map. Enjoy.
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Yesterday, I received a referral from one of the investment banks we do a lot of work with. My contact asked me to contact the attorney who was referring the case to them just to make sure she had our legal information for a filing she was doing (how’s that for being HIPAA compliant). I emailed the contact back at the investment bank, confirmed we would good to go, and concluded my email with “thanks for the referral”. She sent me a reply saying I was welcome and we’d talk soon.
I was thinking about this exchange while standing in line at the post office. Initially, it was a throw away tag line (thanks for the referral) but as I thought about it, I became determined to let every referral source know that I was thankful that they sent business our way. I work very closely with the investment bank referring this case. They send us dozens of cases a year and we’ve worked together for years to the point that we talk about more than just work but kids and such. Regardless, I wanted them to know I appreciate their business.
The Bible says that we are to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Paul is referring to giving thanks to God (which we should) but I think it would be good if we remembered to gives thanks when something is done for us. A referral of business, someone mows our lawn (hint, hint), or any other random act of kindness. Perhaps what was a throw away line can have more meaning.
Interesting enough, I was consulting on a case last month and referred this case to a bank to custody the special needs trust. Again, this is a bank we do a lot of work with and we’ve referred back and forth through the years. My contact at the bank who I referred the trust to called me and wanted to thank me for the referral and for thinking of them. Maybe it was a throw away line for them but I appreciated the sentiment and will continue to think of this bank when I have a case to refer.
By the way- thanks for stopping by to read my musings today.
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Forgive the typos as I’m doing this post on my Blackberry.
I am watching my son do conditioning for colt league football. Unlike me, he has speed side. It is amazing to me how a simply environment triggers memories. Watching them practice, I am transported to 30 years ago to the days of my own football glory (not so much). Michael loves playing the game, much as I did, and I can almost replicate the feelings of being a football player all of those years ago.
I really believe in being forward looking. I love new technology, new developments in our practice, and other such things. But sometimes, it’s fun to look back.
Mid-post, they broke into a game of shirts and skins. I remember that as well. Not good times!
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Seth Godin has a wonderful post up this morning with the same title as mine (I freely admit I stole it). I thought of my friend Theresa when I read this. Theresa is a bit of a customer-service freak (in the good way). Anyhow, here’s the money quote:
The reason your brand is falling apart is because so many of your colleagues are saying the same thing, denying the same responsibility. Consumers don’t believe (or care) that there are warrens and fiefdoms and monarchies within your company. All they know is that you leverage that brand name every day, as you have for decades, but now, instead of using that brand to polish your reputation as an individual, you’re being forced to accept responsibility for the actions of others.
This morning, I had the distinct pleasure of falling on my sword for an attorney for a problem that I did not create and likely can not resolve (it involves the Federal government, need I say more). I did this because to her, NCA is me and I am NCA. The brands are inseparable. Doesn’t matter that I didn’t cause the problem. What matters is that I took responsibility and that satisfied her.
Go read the full post. It’s worth your time.
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This weekend was super busy and actually warrants a blog post. Who knew? Let’s go to the tape:
Saturday we took the blossoms to Cleveland to see Mary Poppins. This is the third of Disney‘s Broadway productions I’ve seen (the others being Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King) and I was not disappointed. Very large crowd at Playhouse Square and very large kid component (natch). The music and scenery were awesome and my kids stayed locked in for the entire 2+ hours of the play. This is no small feat. Definitely worth the trip. Afterward, we went to the Promenade of Crocker Park in Westlake for some shopping and dinner at Brio. Needless to say, I killed it at Brio.
Sunday we were at our home church for the first time in a month. It was good to be home and hear my pastor preach. Sunday afternoon and evening were spent at the Knox County Fair parking cars. The pick-up truck to car ratio was somewhere in the neighborhood of 17:1. Love me some Knox County. This is a major fund raiser for Sheaves for Christ which, among other things, helps provide UPCI missionaries with vehicles while they are on the missions field. Since my daughter is on the missions field and riding around in an SFC car, I thought I should help.
Back to work today. Traveling to Pennsylvania later in the week. Looking forward to a great week.
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I am a fan of Thom Ranier and have enjoyed his books Simple Church and Breakout Churches. Thom is the president of LifeWay Christian Resources; a place where I spend way too much money when I visit. Thom has an excellent post on his blog this morning. The whole post is here. The title is five things I would change if I were a pastor again. I nodded in agreement to his thoughts and decided to post them for your consideration.
I would spend more time in prayer. It’s cliché, but a pastor’s work is never done. Sometimes I was just too busy to pray. Not that really sounds dumb. I was too busy to spend time with God, my Creator, and the One who sent His Son to die for me. I so desperately needed His power, but I shamefully neglected time with Him.
I would spend more time in the Word. Too many times my sermons were void of power because of my busyness in matters of lesser importance. I needed to be more like the Twelve, who refused to let the demands of the church take them away from the prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4).
I would spend more time loving my critics than worrying about their criticisms. I am too thin-skinned. I often let critics bother me too much. Certainly there are times when criticisms against me are valid; there were many of those times when I served as pastor. But most of the time someone was dealing with an issue, and I was the most convenient target. They needed more love; I often gave them greater neglect. I just wanted to avoid them.
I would spend more time with the people of my church. I love to watch those pastors who have mastered the art of “hanging out.” They love the people they serve. They want to spend time with them. They are truly like shepherds in their concern and love. Being with the members of the church is not a burden to them; it is a joy. I needed to be more like those pastors.
I would spend more time with the unchurched. My most effective evangelistic times as a pastor were not the result of a new program, as helpful as that program may have been. I was most evangelistic when I had friends and acquaintances who were unchurched. I needed to get outside the walls of my Christian cocoon and get more into the culture of those who don’t know Jesus.
There are a few things of my own I could add to this list but I will save that self flagellation for another time. Instead, I think I”ll mediate on Thom’s words.
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Tonight I sojourned to the new Yankee Stadium to see the Evil Empire take on the Baltimore Orioles. Let me offer full disclosure and say that I hate the Yankees. I am a Cleveland Indians fan. Have been for the longest time. Now that we’ve cleared the air, I’ll say this. I had a great time tonight. Good game. A nice display of baseball smarts by the Yankees on several plays. Again, very enjoyable. I will offer this about Yankee fans as well. They are (at least in the cheap seats where I was) both crude and very knowledgeable about the game. It is the Bronx after all. The game ended with a walk-off home run in the ninth by Hideki Matsui. Classic.
With regard to the New Yankee Stadium, if I was a Yankees purist, I would hate it. By building a new stadium, you’ve essentially given up the House that Ruth Built. In its place, you’ve got the House that $1.5 Billion in Liberty Bonds Built. It just doesn’t have a ring to it. However, since I’m not Yankee purist, I will tell you that I love it. Modern comfortable seats (sit in a seat at Fenway and see if your rear doesn’t cry out for relief), every kind of food you can imagine, every amenity you can imagine. It’s just a first rate ballpark.
The real sweetness of a visit to Yankee Stadium is mass transit. It works like a dream here. The 4 train will drop you off at the stadium. In advance of a game, the number of 4 trains increases exponentially thus really moving fans to the game (and encouraging the use of mass transit). After the game, there are a number of 4 trains leaving the stadium. We were back to the hotel in less than an hour from leaving our seats. Good times.
Anyhow, I have enjoyed Baseball-Palooza immensely. Feel free to check out the pics on Flickr or Facebook. Flying home tomorrow. That’s always a good time.
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