A Princess Date

This past week I took my 4 year old daughter, Ella, on a date. We went to her fave spot, Starbucks (what have we created). These type of activities are special outings in our family. They happen on a regular basis, not too frequent to take away the specialty of them, or too far a part to forget how fun they are. This week Ella was bummed that the 'bucks had run out of banana bread, her fave. So, she settled for a cookie and hot chocolate. We sat and talked about life. I love the mind of little kids. They say the funniest things, think the craziest ideas, and far more creative than any adult. She told me about her pink Toyota Forerunner she wants to drive, how she wants to help people, and how she really isn't interested in marrying anyone right now. It was quite a fun conversation. For me it was special because I got to spend time with one of the most important people in my life, my little girl. She asked me questions and as I sat there, I realized in a few short years she'll be out of the house, all grown up, and I will have wondered where the time went. I value these times with my kids, and quality time is my love language. I had fun on this princess date, and can't wait until the next one. If you are a parent, no matter what the age of your kid, it is always good to get in their world and talk. Some parents think they do a great job, but in reality they suck at it. As a former pastor working with students, it was the number one complaint of students. You may think your kid doesn't want you around, but the truth is they want to be heard, loved, and talked too. So dads...moms... think about it, would a date with your little princess or prince, be such a bad thing? NO!

When Vision Becomes Fruition

This morning I stood in a brand new activity center/gym that had been dreamed about back in 1979. As a kid I went to Evergreen Christian School. We used an old church auditorium that had been turned into a gym, carpet floor and everything. Today, I heard Mr. Bruce Newman speak of the forest that lined the very place for the past 30 years, every team and kid who played on the old gym floor, and the historical look at the city even 30 years ago. I came back to Olympia and Evergreen last year after being gone for the past 25 years and now my kids go to the school I once did. The vision of this building was far more than athletic and community based events, but also a place for transformation to take place in the lives of the students, parents, and faculty that may set foot in that new building.

The great part of today was seeing vision come to fruition. A dream of a state of the art gym, with locker rooms, classrooms, bleachers, and it was packed with hundreds of kids and parents. (see the pic) When you are a part of a vision that becomes fruition, it is an amazing experience. The students who get to use this now, have parents that were kids when this vision was birthed. I can imagine the emotion Mr. Newman has since he has dreamed it for so long. As a matter of fact, the court is going to be named the Bruce & Lloyde Newman Court, in honor of the vision that was laid 30+ years ago. When your vision becomes reality it is time to celebrate and thank God for the process, no matter how long it may come to pass. The exciting part is that there was vision in the first place. So, here is to the excitement of learning, playing, and transformation that takes place in the new activity center at Evergreen Christian Community & Evergreen Christian School. Thanks Bruce for the vision and sticking with it for so long. My family is just one of tens of thousands that will see the building is used.

Don't Talk About Yourself So Much

There was a time in my life where I admit...I needed notes to keep a phone conversation going. Oh, I can talk and anyone who knows me, knows that. Yes, I was a junior higher and quite nervous on the phone. However, I learned early on, that it is smart to get people talking about themselves. To do this you need to be able to get people to open up. My dad gave me 4 H-words to get people talking about themselves that I have found useful. It also helped for him to lead by example. In no particular order here they are: HISTORY- get people to talk about where they were born, places they lived, growing up, and the like. HOME- what was there up bringing like, parents, memories, and traditions. HOBBIES- pretty self explanatory. What drives them to do what they like and how they got hooked on their activities. Finally...HOPES-what are the hopes and dreams they have. These 4-H words will be very helpful in getting people to focus on those they are in conversation with. It would be easy to talk about yourself, but really, talking about yourself all the time can be redundant. So, the best way to keep conversations going is getting the person you are talking too keep talking. So, there you have it. History, hopes, hobbies, and home are great ways to learn about people.