Anyway, you might be interested to know that the Birkie (the 50K XC ski race) has come and gone. I have to say I enjoyed the race very much. Because I wasn’t trying to break any records or anything, I could casually ski on and enjoy the weather, the long, challenging trail, and the fact that - despite not really knowing whether I had trained enough - I was in solid enough shape to complete the task at hand.

I finished with a 4h 33m time, which is very acceptable to me.

What did I learn? A few things that I’ll share for anyone who might care.

First off - the hard core peeps who have been doing this for 20+ years love to share their wisdom. If you are considering a Birkie, have no fear, there is a world of Birkie alum who are more than willing to share their mystical secrets to a solid finish (I won’t post those here, as I’m just a novice - but a great deal of the advice I received was certainly helpful!) 

Waxing is an art. I went to a wax clinic and learned some good waxing technique and also that good wax ain’t cheap! (but it makes a difference in a long race, where durability is key.) My friend and I applied some mid priced stuff and it made a world of difference. We had a blast making good natured fun at how carried away people can get with this sport (just like enthusiasts in any sport). 

I also learned that I didn’t like how I initially introduced the idea of doing the Birkie to my wife and family. This created friction during most of the time leading up to the event - regardless of the fact that, deep down, my wife totally supported me.

As with any event that requires more than casual commitment, training for the Birkie, a marathon, or an Iron Man, are all time commitments that are not really great for my current family status. If I do it again, it will probably be if my wife also straps a pair of skis on and trains with me. Also likely would be that the kids do a shorter version as well. Make it a family event. 

I love the fact that I was in good shape and I felt great going into the race. Feeling healthy is a cool thing. That I want to maintain - albeit at a lesser intensity time wise.

Overall, the challenge at hand introduced me to a very cool winter sport that I loved training for and enjoyed very much. If nothing else, I have a great way to stay in shape during the cold winter season, while I enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

That’s probably the greatest thing of it all - I picked up XC skiing and I dig it.  Cool. 

Spring can now begin.

One of my long-time friends emailed me and said – “hey, I’ve got this cabin up in Hayward and I’ve got room for you. Do you want to do the Birkie?”

[The Birkie is a 50k cross country ski race]

I thought about it briefly. Looked at the dates. Nothing on the calendar (unusual). Thought, “hey, can’t be as hard as a marathon and I like the idea of staying in shape.”

Obviously I would need to get clearance from the home front. I asked my wife if she was cool with it. Well…she said yes, but a week or so later her comments made me think she didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into when she originally said yes.

Anyway, that’s not the point.

The point is this – I agreed to do it because I believed I could do it.

I wrote my friend, said “yeah, I’m in” and I committed to it. Registered online just before the rates went up.

And then as I talked about it with my friends and family, they got all negative and doubty on me – “What? Are you crazy? Shouldn’t you start with something shorter? You don’t even ski!”

Then, last night, while the kids were practicing ski jumping, one friend who has done the Birkie 6 times talked about how he didn’t finish the first 2 times and how hilly it was.

(Hmm. . .ok, starting to sound like more of a challenge).

My wife still questions me about it now as do others.

My point is still this – I believe I can do it – I committed to do it – I am going to do it. End of story.

My advice to those you may be discouraging is this – don’t get all dark on people who are going after something, believe in it, are capable of it – regardless of how crazy you think it is.

My advice to those of you who think you can do something big, outrageous, and maybe even crazy? Go for it.

There’s a reason some experts recommend that you not share your dreams with everyone - they’ll just tell you how impossible they are! (to be clear, though - it’s not like I’ve been dreaming about the Birkie!)

Anyway, I’ve got 107 (+/-) days to get ready. Just got my XC ski poles today so I can practice with the inline skates. . .I’ll keep you posted.

One thing I had hoped to finish by now was an album/CD for which I had developed a concept well over a year ago (maybe even two?). How much progress have I made on that? Well, I have all the lyrics and a general idea for the whole album, but only recently have been able to get started doing some recording of the scratch tracks.

What I’m learning is that completing the goal may not be as important as working towards the goal. That is, the value is in “the going” and not in “the arriving.” And, as I go, some of the things that capture my time and attention – sometimes seemingly unrelated to my goals – may actually be more important to the bigger picture and even to my goals.

There’s a proverb that says, In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

How we get where we’re going is often much different than we thought, isn’t it?

I used to feel I needed to “pump out a ton of stuff.” Create a lot. Be prolific. Quickly! (Because that’s what leads to “success.”)

Now I’m feeling a little differently. What if that one CD is my “life work?” What if one song is all I have? What if your one book is it? One poem? One sculpture? One photograph? (I’m guessing there’s a whole lot more to our “life work” than what we create. . .)

I’m finding we need to enjoy each step. We need to pour ourselves into each moment, never blowing it off as simply something we must endure to arrive at a distant goal. This allows you and I to take the time to make each step deliberate, worthwhile, and gives us the mindset we need to actually enjoy the “now.”

Fully present. Fully engaged. Every moment.

What’s going on around you - right now - that you can’t see because you’re looking so far ahead?

–
PS I see that this is a bit like my last post. . .I guess you know where my head is at, eh?

PPS As I wrote this, I was (literally) also working on a song for my daughter – not a part of the album I mentioned above, but probably more important. Exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about here. (More on the song later. . .)

Just as I finished loudly and boldly singing that phrase, I glanced over to the small farm house I was passing. Standing there, frozen, was a young, blonde-haired teen farm girl, staring perplexedly at the crazy American. I laughed to myself and road silently on – well, silently until I knew I was out of ear shot anyway. . .

What’s funny is that I totally enjoyed that ride. Every bit of it. I can still smell the tall field grass, feel the warm sun on my back and even hear the light breeze blowing through the trees along the roadside on that late summer’s day. I wasn’t really in a hurry. I was happy to be experiencing that moment in completely new surroundings and just soak in it all.

Fast forward to my ride yesterday.

I’m biking as hard as I can, racing to get to work, pushing my heart (and legs) as hard as they can go. . . and missing everything between point A and point B.

The thing is – I actually know that life’s real meaning is found “in the journey” (and all those other clichés). Truthfully, I hate the clichés. But, unfortunately, at least in this case, it’s true. It is “in the going” that we live life. It’s where all the real “life” truly happens.

How much do we miss – around us, right now – as we race forward, focused only on the future?

Too much.

Comments to the reluctant blogger’s political frustrations don’t surprise me. They do, however, bum me out. One commenter expressed her step away from Christianity primarily because of her negative perceptions of what Christians (or those who claim to be Christians) seem to be about.

Unfortunately, I’m sure that happens a lot.

It’s weird though. If you look at the source of this faith – that is, Jesus – you see that he had the same problem with religious people of his day. They followed all sorts of rules and tried to look righteous, but their hearts were as cold as ice.

Often times, we Christians don’t reflect what Christ was all about (myself included). Scot McKnight summarizes what Jesus was all about in his book, The Jesus Creed. He offers four memorable words as this creed: loving God, loving others. Amazingly simple, yet amazingly difficult.

And, many of us forget the second part of that little ditty. Christ was all about us loving others.

If we were to put that to work in everything we did, we’d have a much different reputation in the world. How do I know? Rewind a couple thousand years to the beginnings of the Christian church and you’ll discover that a great deal of the church growth in the first few hundred years had to do with just that – Christians loving others with reckless abandon.

If we want a better reputation in the world, if we want to impact this world, we’ve got to start showing some serious love.
–
* My apologies to those of you already rocking the world with love – I know you’ll take this in the right spirit. (For non-native English speakers, “rocking the world” is a good thing.)

One of the more challenging things for Christ followers to realize is that we are to bring a little heaven to Earth. That is, believing in Christ isn’t just a ticket to some post-game party. Rather, a relationship with Christ is a transformation in which we, the followers, become instrumental in carrying out God’s work in this world. Right now.

What kind of work? Good works.

There’s a ton more going on in Ephesians 2:8-10 – especially on grace, the gift that it is, and the fact that there is no “earning your way” to heaven – however, my purpose here is not to give a sermon as much as to offer a simple melody for anyone who may be looking for a way to memorize these or potentially for a worship leader who might want to use this in a relevant service.

It’s a rough draft, but I’m not really in a position right now to need a “polished draft.” I put it together to memorize it myself. If I were to produce it, I’d probably do it once in a simple manner and then repeat with full band, distorted guitar, etc. until the last bit where I would chill out again as I fade out on the last line.

• MP3 of Ephesians 2:8-10. (2.1 mb)
• Sheet music with chords for Ephesians 2:8-10 (kinda big .PDF - 5.6 mb)

The funny thing about the recording is that it seems to have more in common with John Michael Talbot than with The Foo Fighters. Why is that funny? Well, I kinda wish all worship music sounded more like the Foo Fighters. Oh well, I’ll do a Foo Fighters version later.

When you see something good, or see someone using their talents or gifts for the good of others, please show these people some love by letting them know.

And I don’t just mean saying, “Good job!”

Anyone can say that – whether they experienced something good or not.

No. To make encouragement meaningful (and believable), specify what was good about what you experienced. Tell the person

1. How it impacted you
2. What specifically you liked or what specifically moved you

You may not realize this, but there are a ton of creative people out there doing amazing things – maybe even touching or impacting you – and they have no idea whether they are reaching anyone with their work.

Tell them.

The truth is that most creative people don’t get meaningful feedback.

Hugh Macleod’s first rule of how to be creative is probably right: Ignore everyone. To be creative, you do need to ignore everyone – at least what they are telling you to do. Instead, we have to listen to that still, quiet voice to direct what we create.

But it means the world to those who create when someone says,

Wow, I was really touched by the video you put together. The way you drew me in and set that scene up and then reworked it with a complete twist. Man, that hit me hard!

or

Wow, you know what? The sound in [some venue] yesterday was really good. Normally I cannot hear what the electric guitar is doing, but you took the time to make sure all the instruments on the stage were heard. Good job!

or

Whoa! That presentation was excellent! I saw the violin sitting there behind you as you spoke, but had no idea why it was there. Then, at just the right point, you introduce this incredible musician who plays an amazing piece that absolutely drives your point home. That was incredibly powerful!

or

You know what? That graphic you created to represent the cleansing power of water really moved me. It fit so well with all the other visual elements.

Giving specifics shows you really paid attention. Telling them shows you cared enough to write/say something. Telling them something good encourages them to do more.

And creating more is what creative people live for.

When you see something good, tell them. And be specific.

Spread the love.

Of course, having worked in marketing, I wanted to do a little market analysis (ha! big mistake). So I sent my first song off to some friends and family members with the little review worksheet. I think only one of them actually tried to do what I asked (thanks Bill G.). Needless to say, I became a little frustrated and went on with life.

I haven’t really given up on the idea that I need to make the most of my time with the kids, though. Lots to teach while I got them.

Now, years later, I may not be trying to “market” that particular concept, but – even with the less-than-perfect sound of the recording – I still like what the song says to my kids, to my wife, to anyone I love.

Maybe it will speak to you. Originally, I called it The First Thing because it talks about the first thing I want my kids to know. A good friend suggested You Make My Heart Smile would be a better title. He’s probably right (Gregg usually is). So, here is You Make My Heart Smile.

It’s the first thing I recorded with my home studio gear years ago (ha! maybe that’s what the title really means) – so definitely not perfect. But I’ve given up on being perfect anymore.

In that spirit, I’ll even link here to some of the questions I had prepared for that song. At a minimum, it might make you ask whether you need to tell your kids how much you love them and how important they are to your life. Your time is limited. Make the best of it.

I’ve known about Hugh Macleod for years. Thomas at Vendorprisey hipped me to him long ago. However, I never took the time to read one of his most popular posts, entitled, “How to be creative.”

I’m going to work through that a bit. I like a lot of what he has to say (as if he could care). One of the things he says is “blog.” Well, I’ve blogged. I’ve blogged for work, and I’ve blogged for personal reasons, but I feel I haven’t achieved that level of simply blogging to share what I create.

If I continue here, as I feel I will, it will be to blog about what I create. I’ll probably open up some new areas that I haven’t yet shared, and just get some things out there. I’ll probably close down a couple categories on this site that were good ideas, but not necessarily areas about which I ever created much content. I may add a new category. A new section to the site.

If you’ve been here for a while, thanks for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy where I take this.

I had a chance to sit down with Peter Mathews and ask him a ton of questions about his project, Far From Haggersville.

We cover everything from the themes of the story as well as the various ways that Peter is giving you to interact with this creative project. We also discuss dreams, the challenges of being an independent musician and film maker, and his recommendations for overcoming those challenges.

You can download the complete interview with Peter Mathews here.

You can open the interview with Peter Mathews in iTunes here.

The complete conversation is just under 20 minutes, including music clips and some sound clips from the short films that are a part of the project. A full download of the MustardCast is about 18mb.

You can learn more about Peter Mathews and Far From Haggersville at www.haggersville.com.