I had many difficult times when I lived in Los Angeles, but none of them were unbearable–my friends saw to that. I have always been amazed at how rich in relationships I have been over the years. Now there have been some duds over the years as well, but, overall, I have been extremely fortunate. Just being able to blog my thoughts here (with the hope that someone will find something helpful in them) is a result of the relationships I’ve been cultivating with some amazing people out here in Phoenix. Anyway, back to Los Angeles.

My friend Eric is the guy out of focus to the left of the picture. Several years back, I got dumped by someone who my friends had counseled me to dump months earlier (listen to your friends!). I called Eric to tell him the bad good news or good bad news and this is what he said: “That sucks, man…but you know what?! We’re gonna go out to the clubs and we’re gonna meet some girls and get drunk, and it’s gonna be awesome!”

Knowing that Eric and I both loved Jesus and that none of what he said was actually going to happen, I burst into laughter. Then Eric laughed with me. And suddenly, in the midst of such dark emotions, laughter brought a wave of truth–the truth that God loved me and demonstrated that love through people who had chosen to love me as well. Dr. Eric administered the medicine of laughter at the right time, unaware of its powerful truth-bearing side effects.

So I’ve learned that when I feel like I’m alone and that God’s forsaken me, all I need to do is call for backup. And backup is always there to remind me that I’m not alone and that God will never forsake me.

-Matt Sherman

1. Continually seek to learn and grow in your field. I picked up two books this weekend that are really challenging me about how I speak and communicate in large and small venues.  I am coming on the 5th year anniversary of my first talk, but I have so much room to learn and grow that I refuse to let up.

2. Pursue impossible, crazy ideas. Three weeks ago, I announced that I was going to start working towards a crazy end.  I mean the idea is nearly impossible.  It is going to require an incredible amount of teamwork, unity, growth, and creativity.  However, it is creating momentum and energy in a place where it had been waning.

3. Take responsibility for your attitude. I continue to see the difference between people who project the blame for their bad attitude onto other people and refuse to take responsibility for themselves.  In this instance, it means the difference between surviving and thriving in a difficult environment.

4. Pursue the personal touch. Yes, technology continues to afford us resources for contact, communication, and updates that we never had before…however, a face-to-face conversation, a hug, a hand-written thank you note, or visit continue to gain value in a world dominated by SMS, Twitter, blogs, and Facebook.

5. Make people laugh. Again, content overwhelms us everyday.  Projects and tasks at work.  Concerns and crises at home.  24 hour news feeds via CNN or Digg.  People need release points.   Find ways to help people laugh – either at life or you.  Being humorous will increase your connection to others and their openness to hear what you are trying to communicate.

6. Put your family first. Yes, I know you have projects waiting to be finished and books unread.  You could spend another 5 hours at the office and still not be done.  But, your family is the most important concern in your life next to your relationship with God.  Your extra 5 hours will always mean more to your family than they will be to that pile of dirt you are trying to move at work.

7. Empower others. You cannot be a leader and do everything by yourself.  Great leaders are always passing things off to others who have a greater strength or have a larger vision.  Develop and empower others to live out their unique calling and dream.  This is where I need the most growth.  I hoard when I should be generous.

Just some random thoughts for a Sunday.

The Ash Wednesday Service that Crash led in partnership with three other partner churches was recently coverage in a national newsletter.  One of the partner churches, St. George’s Anglican Community, is a part of The Anglican Mission in the Americas.  The following is an article that was written by Shelly Miller in the Communications office of the AiMA.  Ken Pettis, one of our favorite “Crashsters”, got to share some cool stories during the second half of the piece.  See the article below.

-Scott

So there was a Turkey that was born the day after Thanksgiving 2010 on a small rural farm. On the first day of his life, he was well cared for and fed the best turkey food around. On day two of his life, he was well cared for and fed the best turkey food around. The pattern continued day in and day out, and the Turkey grew and was very pleased with his life. On the day before Thanksgiving 2011 he ran into his friend, the Horse, who advised the Turkey of the fate he would face the next day and encouraged him to head for the hills. As the Turkey listen to the Horse, he quickly deployed his superior turkey intellect. He thought “The Horse is incorrect! There is no way that I will be in danger tomorrow.  I have been alive for 364 days (the denominator) and for 364 days I have been well cared for and fed (the numerator). The probability that I will be well cared for and fed tomorrow is 364/364 = 1, a 100%! The Horse is paranoid and I am going no where.” Well I’m sure you can imagine the fate of the Turkey. Let’s just say that while the Lions played the Cowboys the family was very very sleepy.

I wonder, how many times we forecast the future based on the data of the past? How often do we fail to recognize the new context we face in a scenario?  Why do we rely solely on our “superior turkey intellect” rather then listen for the voice of God or consider those he sends to help us discern? I know for me, most often my decisions about finances, career, and my well being are largely left to my “turkey intellect”….it’s not even superior! Not to the surprise of anyone, I have found myself on the dinner plate a few times when I could have avoided it by considering the suggestions of those people whom God has placed before me.

By the way, who said high school Math would not come in handy! That my friend, is a cool lesson in probability and its power or lack there of.  Thanks Dr. Lobo!

Hasta Pronto,

Danny Estavillo

Have you heard this phrase yet?  If not, you will at some point.  In the world that I know well – the modern church, this idea is gaining traction and growing in its use, as some people who disdain larger churches pursue smaller communities of faith and expressions of Christ-centered community.

But this article is not about the best size of great church.  I want to talk about how I struggle with confusing important and unimportant moments because of their size.  And I think I am not alone in this struggle.

I had a tough conversation this week with someone I really care about.  This person is someone I care about a ton and I have incredible vision for what God is going to do through their giftedness and talent.  Yet, the problem really related to that person’s character and we needed to talk about some potential roadblocks that were beginning to get in the way.

In my life, I tend to focus all of my time and energy on big moments.  When I am in front of a big crowd or when I have the mic and the podcast recording is rolling.  I confuse that moment as much more important than a conversation in my apartment during a March Madness game.  I get confused that “mentoring” happens over coffee at and a book about spiritual formation, rather than in a car on the way to a Spring Training game.

When I look at the life of Jesus, he did all of his mentoring in the midst of life happening.  When I look at His life, I see him taking a small conversation with a promiscuous woman (John 4) or a tax collector (Luke 19) or a bunch of partiers (Matthew 10), just as seriously as he did a sermon on a mountainside (Matthew 5-7) or a message in a synagogue (Luke 4).  To Jesus, every moment, conversation and opportunity was important.

If small is the new big, then i think our lives should begin to value the “as-we-go” moments and the unexpected conversations, just as much as the moments when the spotlight is on us.  I am trying to live “small is the new big” as I seek to connect people to Jesus and empower them to serve the world.

-Scott

My wife and I were at a Christmas party a year ago and I just couldn’t help myself. Maybe it’s the actor in me, but when I saw my friend’s nephew had left his toy ninja mask and toy sword in the corner of the living room…I had to play with them. Then our friends served coffee to everyone, and, somehow I ended up standing on a chair…I don’t know if I’ll ever grow up. Maturity isn’t really my point though–playfulness is. When’s the last time you just played? Playfulness is not regressing to some form of childish behavior (though it may appear to be so at times). Rather playfulness is taking pleasure in the life that’s been given to you. Opportunities to be playful, or shall we call them…ninja gear (symbolism!)…Anyway, when the ninja gear is right there in front of you, are you gonna play or what? Most of us want to, so why don’t we? Usually, we don’t play because we’re afraid of what people will think of us. Often times, those same people are looking for opportunities to be playful themselves, but feel like they need some form of permission to act out. Well, if you’re courageous enough to put on your ninja gear, maybe they will do the same. Then we’ll have a world full of stealthy assassins that start to form clans and kill each other off…wait, that’s not my point…I think I forgot the symbolism…Playfulness reflects God’s joy in your heart! (there we go).

So everyone at my friend’s Christmas party laughed at the goofy guy in the ninja gear, took pictures, and there was much rejoicing. Later my friend came up to me smiling and revealed that the toy ninja gear wasn’t his nephew’s…it was his. He grew up, but he didn’t forget how to play.

Matt Sherman

C.S. Lewis once said, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

I am so distracted, fixated on the lesser things.  I used to lead a team of college students who volunteered every week to lead a worship service for several hundred college students.  I was “the guy”.  Regularly, I was so consumed with the details of what was going on that I missed how important the people were.  One week, I turned around during a “meet and greet” moment and introduced myself to a couple behind me.  I asked their names – and the girl replied, “you should know – you have been sitting in front of us every week for three years.”  They soon got up, walked out and left.  I am not sure whether they came back in or came back ever.  Talk about a slap in the face.

Now, you might say, “Scott, you are being too hard on yourself.  Maybe they had other things going on.” Well, you may be right, but that does not change this reality – I had become so focused on my work and responsibilities that I missed a moment and my actions communicated that these people did not matter.

The set list, the production of the service, smoothness of transitions, cues, technology, the way the speaker followed a theme (or not)…all of these things were my mud pies.   The room was full of people who mattered to God – who should have mattered to me.

So, recently, I had a moment where I could have done it again.  I saw myself going there.  And I fought it.  I introduced myself…and I remember all their names.  I looked them in the eye, shook their hands, and got to know them – and they got to know me.  We laughed and had a good time.  I did my thing, my responsibility was taken care of, but not at the cost of letting those four or five people knew that they mattered to me.

People matter to God, and they should matter to us much more than lighting cues, the smoothness of a talk, or the spelling on a program.  When someone leaves an experience I am involved with, I want them to be certain in their mind, “Those people cared about me and made me feel like I was a part of their family.”  People need that more than they need to be entertained.

-Scott

I woke up in the middle of the night to my hands shouting obscenities at my feet. My feet responded in kind to the hands’ verbal abuse and, if I hadn’t intervened, it could’ve been a real street brawl. Like the movie Gangs of New York or even West Side Story. Anyway, I got them both to calm down and tell me what the whole altercation was about. I was shocked by their response. Apparently, the argument was over who I loved more. I told them that I loved them both equally, but that didn’t solve the problem right away. They wanted to know which of them served me better–that this would prove who I loved more. The feet argued that my passion for Latin dancing proved that they were more loved. However, the hands quickly reminded the feet about my obsession with table tennis (not ping-pong…table tennis, which is for adults)–and insisted that this proved that they were the more loved. I just kept telling them both how they were each a part of me, both with significantly unique roles to play–just like all the other parts of me. One part of me was no more important than any other…just different. But both were loved and needed by me. After a while, both the hands and the feet seemed satisfied with my response and went back to sleep. I smiled to myself, wondering if Jesus had this much trouble with His Body. I was almost asleep…then my ears and eyes started fighting.

Matt Sherman