My Prayers for Ted Williams

Here are my prayers for Ted Williams:

• He stays clean.
• He has someone around him who really cares about him, his well-being, and is willing to help him say, "No," to more things than he's turning down right now.
• He remains grounded in his humbleness and thankful attitude toward God.
• He gets things squared with his family.
• He's able to help those who are still out there on the street.
• He spends less than he'll make.
• He'll still get emotional when he talks about his mother.

Challenging Times? Look for the Blessings

A frequent question (so frequent in fact a book was written with the question as its title) is, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Fr. John Corapi answers it by saying God allows apparently bad things to happen to good people so that greater good may come from them.

This perspective is tremendously helpful in dealing with the adversities you face. It allows you to get past your "why" question to ask an important "what" question: "What is the good and the blessing God intends (and perhaps has already presented you with) in this situation?"

Starting with looking for blessings in all situations presented to you allows you to better start growing as God intends from both the wonderful and the challenging things you face. Even amid the bad, seek the lesson, the caution, the redirection, the admonition, or the reprimand God is placing before you. Doing so allows you to be an active participant in the good God is trying to bring about in your life and the lives of those around you.

If you feel like you're pushing a boulder up a hill, take time in quiet and prayer. Ask God for the gift of being open to the blessings he intends for you. Realize those blessings will not be without sacrifice and struggle. Even so, surrender your will to allow him to guide you to the greater good he intends.

Blessings,

Mike

Okay God, Even I Get It

We've talked before about the challenge of understanding when and how God is actively working in our lives.  I often pray to surrender my will so I can be open to God's will for me. There's a long way for me to go, but something happened last week where God made His work so clear, even I was able to see it.

Leaving a job in a big corporation last fall was a major test of faith. I firmly believe God created a situation where he essentially asked, "Are you willing to make the right decision and depend on me to lead you?" Through prayer, discussion, and understanding the beneficial impact my departure might have for other people, there was no choice but to leave if I wanted to be true to my life's core purpose.

Since then, it's been challenging in many ways, yet I'm at such peace with the decision. In both subtle and overt ways, God has placed signs along the way which signal, "I'm watching out for you. Believe."

With as much progress as we'd made on the business, it was clear a number of weeks ago that we needed to secure a significant project. At the same time, Lent was approaching. During this period annually, we are re-called to a life of greater prayer, sacrifice, and giving to others. So for part of our Lenten giving, I committed to give a certain portion of whatever a new project's fee would be to EWTN, the Catholic television network. It has been a tremendous blessing in my spiritual growth for many years.

Sure enough a potential project in the works since before I'd left my job came to fruition as Lent started. True to our commitment, Cyndi and I made an online donation to EWTN of $500 several weeks ago. Sure it would have been comforting to keep the money, but it was a vital commitment to fulfill. Last Thursday, we received an envelope from EWTN with a receipt and a note saying we'd be remembered in masses and devotions there the first week in April.

In the mail, however, was another envelope, this one was from our insurance company. It referenced a car accident we had in August 2004. On the way to an outdoor theatre, our car was t-boned (and totaled) by a big, old pickup driven by a driver with no insurance, no license, no tags, and apparently no inclination to yield the right of way. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Yet we were stuck in a bad part of town with an inoperable car, a dying cell phone, and a need to find someone to get us home. Cyndi's sister was traveling through town, however, and was able to come get us. As we waited, the Kansas City police officer stayed at the scene much longer than he would have had to, watching out for us. So beyond missing the show, having to find a new car, and covering the deductible because of the other driver's lack of insurance, we were really none the worse for wear.

The insurance company's letter let us know the pickup's driver was now making payments to them. Because of his commitment to repay his debt, the letter contained a check for $500, refunding our deductible! Okay, I may be tremendously dense, but even I could put all this together.

Think about it. We pray and expect God to answer immediately, not appreciating that God doesn't (and doesn't have to) act on our timing to provide for us according to His plan and His will.

In this case, an apparently random (and potentially tragic) event five and a half years ago (which was no more than a nuisance) had to occur to allow God to care for us at a time when $500 has taken on much more importance.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened since I left my job. Several times, just what we needed, whether financial or simply a word of encouragement, has arrived at exactly the right time.

The message?

Pray you have the foresight to get out of God's way and allow Him to direct you as necessary for His will to be done. Then be prepared and patient to allow His plan to unfold, even when it's not clear what it all means. Because you know what? It doesn't matter if you understand it; God understands it. And that's what matters.

Blessings,

Mike

Suffering or the Lack of It

The idea of embracing suffering vexes me.

I've had a blessed life. Couple it with a problem-solving personality that tries to fix challenges (as opposed to passively embracing the MINOR sufferings I've experienced), and I often worry I'm running away from suffering.

Driving to an appointment the other day, there was an old broadcast of a Mother Angelica show where someone asked her to address the fact that saints so often wrote of taking on suffering for its redemptive value while we live in a society that constantly markets to us about eliminating suffering in our lives.

Her response was wonderful, "Very few of us are saints."

She went on to say that when she has a headache, she reaches for the aspirin bottle. And if those aspirin don't work, she takes some more. Only then, if the headache hasn't subsided, does she tell herself God must have some other plan at work.

What a helpful point of view.

We're meant to be acting in our lives, and there's redemptive value in the struggle of dealing with challenges while also being open to God's will in our lives.

That makes me feel a whole lot better.

Blessings,
Mike

Father's Day

Many of you know my dad entered the hospital in early April. Three surgeries, four ICU stays, a life flight to Kansas City (followed by an ambulance ride back to Hays), and several weeks in rehab later, he was released Friday after 70 days.

Through the incredible prayers of many people, the indefatigable support of my mom, and his indomitable positive spirit, he's alive today, with something still to prove.

There were many ups and downs during his hospitalization. One 24 hour period stands out.

On Mother's Day, I headed to Hays when he returned to ICU with a blood clot in his lung. The ICU doctor pulled me aside and asked if I understood how serious Dad's condition was. I assured him I did. And even though it was ostensibly her day, I don't think I wished my mom Happy Mother's Day until 9 o'clock Sunday night.

Back at home, I laid in bed, making myself cry for the emotional release needed for the days ahead. I thought about what I'd learned from my dad and all the things he'd been and done in his life. And I got the idea for the piece below.

As I've told a number of people, when I went back to the hospital the next morning at 8 a.m., Dad was unconscious and on a ventilator; I feared the worst. At the 10 a.m. visit, he was alert and nearly squeezed my hand off; suddenly my tears from the night before turned to tears of joy. By the 8 p.m. visit, he was off the ventilator and watching "Dancing with the Stars."

That's my dad, and I'm so glad he's out of the hospital for Father's Day to be able to read this post.

I love you Mom and Dad!

My Dad

My dad is my dad.
He's a son, a husband, and a big brother to many - whether or not he's older or even a sibling.
He's a Kansan.
He's a friend.
He's a partner with Jesus.
He is loved by so many people.

My dad is a barber. He's a salesman, broadcaster, TV celebrity, and announcer. He's a chef and restaurateur. He's a board member and advisor.

My dad is an electrician, plumber, mechanic, gardener, carpenter, house painter, collector, comedian, impressionist, and artist.

I've seen him fix all kinds of things for people.
For those in genuine need, he's a bank, a financier, and investor.
Hard working and strategic; a solver and critic.
He has a distinctive personality. He's a learner and advice giver.
My dad is tech savvy, following me into blogging and tweeting.
He's incredibly proud of his son.

My dad's a positive thinker and struggling. He's sweet and rebellious.
A coach and cheerleader, with a cantankerous, opposing voice.
He loves sports; hates athletic ineptitude. That's why he's a frustrated golfer and Kansas City sports fan.

He's demanding and a loving, supportive man; big hearted and skeptical.
He's a confidant who is inquisitive (at times nosy), and doesn't take any bullshit from anyone.
He is infirmed, and he looms large.

My dad is a rock, a fighter, and seemingly to me, invincible.
My dad is my dad.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent. This is a time for, among other things, more intense prayer. In light of that, here's a creativity prayer I wrote last year. Invest a few moments today to ask for a potentially new source of help for your creativity to enliven and inspire others.

Lord,

Thank you for creation itself and the incredible gifts and talents you so generously entrust to me. May I appreciate and develop these talents, always recognizing that they come from you and remain yours.

Guide me in using them for the benefit of everyone that I touch, so that they may be more aware of your creative presence and develop the creativity entrusted to them for the good of others.

Help me also to use your talents to bring a creative spark and new possibilities to your world, living out my call to be an integral part of your creative force. Amen.

Copyright 2008, Mike Brown

A Pre-Lenten Reflection

It's been most of the month with no posts. That wasn't intentional; just reflects a lot of things going on right now.

Lent starts on Wednesday, so it's a time to think about what's keeping me from getting closer to God. It's challenging that a lot of the factors standing in the way of writing here during February are the same ones I wrestle with as we enter Lent.

Specifically, spending more time on Twitter to reach a wider audience is one of the things to work through and resolve in the next few days.

As I do that, here are a few ideas I first shared on Twitter that are relevant for Aligning Your Life's Work:

• I watched Fr. Mitch Pacwa recently. One of his messages was that you can't separate your spiritual life from how you conduct yourself in all other aspects of your life.
• Do you perform at a stronger level when you boss is around? Don't. You should be performing at that level all the time.
• Are you deliberately looking for and sharing good news with the people you work with? Maybe you should!
• Being kind and spreading hopefulness are both talents. Use these talents today!

Let's pray for each other to have a truly profound Lenten season.

Hopefulness

Today is a day of hope for so many in our country.

We’ve been through difficult times in the past few years and so any significant change, someone with a new perspective and new words, can create this sense of hopefulness. And for many reasons, there is validity to that hope, since groups in genuine need that have been ignored by the outgoing administration will likely get more attention and concern.

Just as God would want us to take care of our brothers and sisters.

The challenge is that under the new administration, other groups will now move out of favor; groups that can’t stand up for themselves and be represented. These groups, often those at the beginning and end of life, will now be under even greater attack.

Just as God would not want us to do to our brothers and sisters.

It’s simply unfortunate that under our political system, we’ve cultivated an environment where it’s nearly impossible to find a candidate in either major party that clearly represents positions that stand up for protecting and bettering all people. As such, we’re left picking and choosing among greater and lesser degrees of evil when we vote.

I’m excited by today’s hopefulness and would love to see the sentiment and prospects of our country turn around. Maybe the best way to accomplish that now is to turn to prayer for the protection and betterment of all our brothers and sisters in the face of campaign rhetoric and political belief systems that don’t support such a view.

I’m hoping that’s what God wants us to do.

A Glorious Day and All It Entails

Each year in mid-October, there’s a completely clear day where the setting sun outside my ninth floor window lights up the trees just to the north of our building, making all the glory of their fall colors come alive. While I’ve tried to take pictures of it, the photos never do it justice.

This year, for whatever reason, the clear, glorious day didn’t arrive. Two things got in the way.

First, many trees in our immediate area were bulldozed to make way for a retail development. Watching this large stand of trees, which had been home to deer and other wildlife, destroyed over the course of a few days was incredibly disheartening. Driving to work the morning after the first day of bulldozing, I saw a deer standing amid a pile of torn down trees eating leaves in what used to be its habitat. It was enough to nearly push me over the edge.

Secondly, for whatever reason, the remaining trees didn’t achieve the same incredible color scheme this year as in the past. The leaves looked more brown than they did yellow, orange, or red.

So what happened instead?

On a mid-October day this year, there was intermittent rain. Far from being clear, the sky was grey, with ominous clouds rolling through the area all day long.

Then in late afternoon, a rainbow appeared, and the clouds, now very low in the sky, started to give way in various parts of town. As they did, different parts of the city began to light up, revealing beautiful colors in groups of trees throughout the Kansas City area.

In a unique way, the day of glorious color this year became much more intriguing, not knowing which trees would next receive their flash of illumination, only to randomly surrender it to other trees miles away. What has been a beautiful scene became an interactive display of color and light this year. It was the most glorious October day yet.

Think about it.

We are finishing a calendar year many view as having stripped away tremendously important things to them (i.e., money, wealth, status), leaving a dismal landscape, with dim and daunting uncertainty about the year ahead. Sounds a lot like the view from outside my window, doesn’t it?

What’s the lesson? The glorious day I was anticipating and looking forward to didn’t happen. Instead, challenges and hindrances spoiled what was expected, yet worked to create something even more glorious.

I’m as big an advocate of living a challenge-free life as anyone. But what I take away is the reminder that challenges, trials, and difficulties are all part of the impetus for creating great things we perhaps couldn’t imagine without them. For all of us, let’s pray that we can take the challenges 2008 presented and those that 2009 holds and make it a truly wondrous year unlike any we’ve experienced before.

Merry Christmas, and blessings for the New Year!

Mike

Things to Do During the Holidays

• Turn off economic news through the end of the year, and maybe into 2009. Things won’t change based on whether you’re completely informed on interest rates and bailouts.


• Search for a long lost friend via the internet and contact them. Let them know you’ve missed them.


• Find 5 minutes in your hectic day. Stop and pray in thanksgiving and for help.


• If you can’t find 5 minutes to pray, do it while you’re doing something else.


• Ask people, “What’s a good thing that’s happened to you today?” Genuinely listen to what they have to say.


• Have dinner by candlelight with someone you love. It doesn’t have to be fancy; even fast food is better by candlelight.


• Let yourself off the hook and simply don’t do something you’re agonizing about doing. You’ll survive.


• Take some of the time you saved and do something nice and unexpected for someone else. They’ll love it.


• Work to be more understanding than you typically would be.


• Tell someone you’re sorry for what you’ve done.


• Inspire someone with your words or actions. Or at least tell them everything will be okay.


• Get home for the holidays.

You've Got Advice in the Mail

The email below arrived in my work inbox over the night.

A quick search shows it out on the Internet in various places. Yet, sometimes it's not enough that it's "out there." Something may have to stare you in the face when you most need it. I asked for some help for today, and this arrived in my inbox from someone I don't know.

It was exactly what I needed.

Thank you Lord!

Blessings,
Mike


From: ----- --- [mailto:------------@gmail.com]
Sent: Tue 12/4/2007 12:15 AM
To: Brown, Mike
Subject: RE: Be yourself..............Have a great day ahead


Be understanding to your perceived enemies.
Be loyal to your friends.
Be strong enough to face the world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Be generous to those who need your help.

Be frugal with that you need yourself.
Be wise enough to know that you do not know everything.
Be foolish enough to believe in miracles.
Be willing to share your joys.
Be willing to share the sorrows of others.

Be a leader when you see a path others have missed.
Be a follower when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty.
Be first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds.
Be last to criticize a colleague who fails.
Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble.

Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.
Be loving to those who love you.
Be loving to those who do not love you; they may change.
Above all, Be yourself.
Just Be Yourself.

Regards
------------
Photographer
City Magazine
Roanoke VA
USA

The Invisible Hand of God

Talking with a friend the other day about the economy, we discussed God's hand in it, and the greater good that may come from today's challenges. Consider that in a society where . . .

• So many people are overweight, restaurants and food manufacturers have cut back portions to help manage costs.
• So many people suffer from physical maladies through lack of physical fitness, gas prices have caused more people to walk or bicycle.
• So many people are focused on increasing their material possessions, the credit, housing, and employment situations are creating a sense of sacrificing things and reassessing what's most important.

My friend's advice was to keep praying. That's great advice!

A Hope for Today (and Tomorrow and the Next Day . . . )

Here's a snippet of a prayer from mass that is such a comfort every day:

"Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety . . ."

Today, may you have peace, protection from anxiety, and be free of sin!

Blessings!

Mike

September 11th (and an update on September 10th)

My parents gave me a book in early 2001 called “Positive Thinking for Every Day of the Year” that features daily Bible verses and commentary by Norman Vincent Peale. The passage for September 11 (remember this had to be published near the end of 2000), is about how it may appear that the evil flourish while the good suffer. It relates an anecdote from a farmer that, “God doesn’t pay all His debts on the first of January,” i.e. over time those that are good benefit from their devotion and attention to others.

Today’s gospel at mass is Lk 6:27-38 which talks about loving your enemies and doing good things for those that hate you.

It’s no coincidence that these readings both fall on today.

Quick update to yesterday’s post: Immediately after writing and posting it, I intended to copy it to the file that I keep with all the posts I’ve written since starting blogging last November – nearly 60,000 words. Word asked if I wanted to over-write the file name, and through inattention and habit, I said yes. The entire file of posts was gone – replaced by yesterday’s post about focusing on good outcomes instead of planning against negatives. With no backup to the file, it appears that God is taking me up on my commitment to change and throwing me right into situations to test me!

Blessings,

Mike

Embracing Optimism vs. Mitigating Negatives

Talking with a friend recently about future plans, she noted that she's usually too optimistic about everything turning out well. I asked her how often her optimistic outlooks become reality. She replied that they do most of the time.

I told her that in contrast, I generally envision the worst possible outcome in most situations and then use that to help plan for how to mitigate all the bad things happening. The interesting part is that I can't really recall one instance where my worst case scenario even remotely happened.

My challenge coming away from the conversation is how I can adopt an outlook closer to hers since there's great opportunity in working toward a positive versus working against a negative. Comes back to trust and faith in God's plan. A familiar theme. One I'll be praying about for help.

Blessings,

Mike

Not Knowing the Score

When you read scripture, it feels as if many of its demands for our life are completely out of touch with the reality of modern living. When it says that the first will be last, and there’s nothing better than giving up your life for others, we may wonder how all that is supposed to get us ahead.

Here’s what we all need to remember: Despite how challenging biblical messages are and all the counter messages we see in the media, the eternal rules weren’t created to make sense in this world, and our “score” isn’t kept here either.

That’s been one of the challenges of praying the humility prayer that I wrote about recently.

At times I’ve been praying it and stopped myself with the internal realization that I’m asking God to help me in ways that are completely detrimental to my professional well-being. That’s when the message comes through that we’re not playing with man-made rules and that we won’t ever know how we’re doing in this life. The rules make sense and the score is maintained outside our view.

Not sure that I have any great revelation to pass along, other than to think about our focus and to ensure that when making decisions, we’re looking beyond what matters today, next year, or 50 years from now. Focus on the eternal instead.

Blessings,

Mike

Sharing a Perspective

I met Yolanda this past spring through a mutual friend. We’ve stayed in touch as she completed her degree and has been looking for a new job. She’s been through a tremendous amount recently, and this email from her last week struck me profoundly given the recent conversation here about what it means to be poor in spirit. Here’s someone with some real insight on the topic:

“I guess that I just need to vent to someone and who better to do so with. Well, knee deep in this life of mine I've come to a great discovery. We don't really need much of anything to survive. You see I have lost everything I love in a matter of one day, recently. The only things that I haven't lost are the people I love; they are the ones keeping me afloat.

“In this world of a bad economy and lost wages, I have nothing, and yet I am surprised by my endurance. With no real money or things to hold me down I can look with a clear and unfoggy window into what is really going on. The major players of this country and the world are making us think we are in trouble but really we could just take their bluff and make them weep. Meaning they are playing a hard game of cards with all our lives and we just all need to wake up. You can make money wherever you are with nothing at all, with talents, with a little hard work.

“What has history taught us? It will repeat itself. Thanks for the listen. Yolanda”

Based on a phone conversation with Yolanda this week, her faith has been a tremendous help in getting her through her recent challenges. Her outlook is phenomenal and so moving spiritually. She’s an incredible person. Say a prayer for her as she goes through the final stages in securing a new job.

Blessings,

Mike

I Know It’s What I Asked For, But Not Like This…

One challenge with prayer is that God will “answer” it, but “answer” isn’t defined as “exactly what I want!” When you pray, “answer” means God won’t allow your prayer to pass without one of the apparently infinite number of responses at His disposal.

I bring all this up because it became clearer to me Sunday morning that I think God is in the midst of “responding” to a prayer that I’ve included in my intentions off and on for some time.

The thing is that the response feels like it’s going to be an answer similar to one from several years ago – an answer I tried to rebel against. Interestingly, the start of this response even appears to tie to the exact same weekend that the one a few years ago did. And going back even more years, God has used this particular weekend repeatedly to initiate changes in my life.

So while I don’t think at first pass I’ll like the answer any more this time than last (and my first inclination is still to fight it), I CAN look back and see the incredible positives that resulted last time.

With that, my prayer will have to be one for acceptance, patience, and to stay out of God’s path a little better this time.

Don't Speak

It's important (but very difficult) during prayer to be silent and listen more of the time. How else do we expect to hear an answer?

In the spirit of that, I'll shut up now so you CAN listen.

Good Words

I heard the following comment on an old radio broadcast of Bishop Fulton Sheen the other day. I had nothing to write with in the car and couldn’t find the quote online, so here’s the best approximation of it:

“Good is still good even if no one is good. And bad is still bad even if everyone is bad.”

Those are valuable words for living all aspects of life – personally and professionally – with a foundation. And just in case people don’t read comments, here’s a meaningful prayer that Scott offered last week in a comment on the June 26 message. Thank you for sharing this Scott:

“My grandmother (who raised me from 3 to 12) gave me this little newspaper clipping to me when I was around 16. I am not sure who wrote this prayer or where it came from. However, going through some difficult times in college, I was drawn to it. I actually lost the piece of paper but committed the prayer to memory. This prayer helped me through some trying times in my life and I still try to pray it daily (though I often forget). It goes as follows:

“Thank you God for the kindness you have given me along the way. I am grateful for the patience you have shown me day by day. Thank you for the countless favors that help me to struggle on. New found faith when my faith falters. Hope when hope is all but gone. Thank you for the many blessings. Like my loving family; feet to walk with; arms to work with; eyes that let this mortal see. For the many blessing you give me I owe you a priceless debt. My heart cries when I offend you. Trespasses I cannot forget. Thank you Jesus. Guide me onward. Make me follow your advice. So that I may gain your favor, and meet you in paradise. - Amen.”

Blessings,


Mike