Mike's Thoughts

You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

2008-11-15T20:33:00.002-06:00

I remember growing up, I always had a dream to be something bigger than myself. I can think of a time when I was about 12 years old and my family was on a vacation trip to the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri. I remember seeing an old, empty hotel, just up from the dam. I told my brother, Charlie, that we should buy it and reopen it. Charlie was great, he supported my dream. We would talk extensively about what it would take to renovate the old place and what we could do to make it the 'go to' place in the area. So now we fast forward 23 years and I have a confession to make... I am still a dreamer. I have big plans. I think that God gives us the ability to dream. I would love to complete each of my dreams, but I don't. I guess I'm not a completer. I am sure you can relate, Jim. It always seems there is something that keeps me from achieving my dreams. Whether that be opening a hotel, starting a restaurant, creating a movie or starting a small business of some kind. Does that mean I should give up? I guess that depends on who you ask.

But I really think there are some things that change a dreamer to a doer.

I will use the vowels to make it easier to remember...

1. Attitude - You must maintain a positive attitude. There is the famous quote, "Whether you think you can or can't, you are right!" I truly believe that attitude is the biggie.

2. Examine - You have to do the leg work. Get in there and learn all you can about whatever it is that is your dream. Know what you are getting into before you get too far into it!

3. Invest - This seems to be the point that always brings me down. If I just had a wealthy friend that had faith in what it is I want to do. If you don't have the money to invest in your dream, don't give up, figure out what it will take to get the money. Create a business plan, tell everyone about your dream, and don't ever assume someone isn't interested. Make them tell you they aren't interested.

4. Own your dream - Not everyone is like Charlie. You can't depend on others to support your dream. You, and you alone, are responsible for your dreams.

5. Use all your resources - Finances are only a small part of achieving your goal. Look at everything it will take to make your dream a reality

Are these five things going to make every dream come true? No, they won't. But will you have a better chance of success by sticking to these five things? I have to tell you that I believe you will .

"Care more than others think is wise; risk more than others think is safe; dream more than others think is practical; expect more than others think is possible."

Her Greatest Day

2008-09-22T19:43:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't posted anything in a long time. It isn't because I haven't had anything to talk about, only that my mind has been a fog. I can still picture the event so clearly that has really turned my life upside down.

Chelle and I had just stepped out of the room. I couldn't breathe, my heart was pounding in a way that made me aware that it was there, I needed to walk. We walked down to the cafeteria and back. It couldn't have been more than 10 minutes. I remember so clearly walking into the room and seeing two nurses standing over mom. I remember them telling my step dad and sister, "I'm so sorry!"
Sorry? So sorry for what? My sister came toward me, tears streaming down her cheeks. I grabbed her and hugged her, still not 100% sure of what was going on. I looked across and saw my step dad, I could tell that it was starting to hit him. I asked Chelle to hug Sis and I moved to Bill. As I hugged Bill close, I heard the other phrase that will stick with me from that night, "11:34." Mom was gone.
Let me backtrack to how the night began. Just 8 hours early I was sitting in class in Arkansas, learning how to be a better leader. My phone rang, it was Chelle, I sent it to voice mail. It rang again, I knew if Chelle was calling twice to reach me during class, I needed to answer the phone. I stood up and walked out into the hall, Chelle told me mom was in the hospital and I need to come home, she wasn't expected to make it more than a couple of days. What I heard was, "Your mom has passed." I held my breath to avoid crying, stuck my head in the room and asked our instructor if I could see him in the hall. Saying the words; mom and dying together was all it took to break me. My co-worker, Josh and I immediately left to head back home.
Chelle had been packing and was ready to go when I got there. When we made it to the hospital, mom was sleeping. Most of my family had been there for a while. I went over and sat down by mom. She looked so weak, she struggled for each breath. I gave her a kiss and held her hand. I leaned in and whispered to her, "May I hold the hand of the prettiest girl in the room?" She didn't say anything, but I noticed that two tears rolled out of her eye and down her cheek. I knew then that we didn't have a couple of days. The last time that I had talked to mom was a couple of days earlier. She was so weak, but felt she needed to talk to me. When her Hospice nurse handed her the phone, she got out three words, "I love you." Mom knew that it was getting close.
Mom did wake up for a few minutes and looked at everyone in the room. But it was only 3 hours after we got there that mom went "home." I don't know how you are supposed to act when one of the most important people in your life die. However, I think I did it wrong. I couldn't believe that it really happened. I hurt more than I can even describe, however, at the same time, I was numb.
My mom was my hero. She fought when she was told the battle was fruitless. She was so positive and pleasant during a time when no one would have judged her for being just the opposite. She was graceful, even when facing death.
I know that now she is celebrating in Heaven. She has no more pain. Why is it then that the greatest day in her life (going to be with Jesus), was the worst day in mine?

What would your Cardboard Testimony say?

2008-06-28T20:35:00.002-05:00

Take a minute to watch this amazing video (look at the bottom of the page for video) and then let me know what your cardboard testimony would say.

One Thousand

2008-06-14T09:43:00.003-05:00

Why is it that one thousand is such a big deal? There isn't anything special about 999 or 1001! Why is it then that I am agonizing over 1000? I have never been very good with 1000. When I was getting out of high school in 1991, a friend and I decided to make a list of the top 1000 songs of the 80's. (100 from each year) That turned out to be a mess. I think we ended up doing a top ten from each year. What a disappointment!
I am so anxious to post my 1000th Tweet on Twitter. I think I need something witty or fun to say. I have hit a dry spot. Usually I am pretty quick on my feet. I think I hit a brick wall! I am worried that whatever I say it will be a disappointment. Of course @jimwalton just told me that when I hit 1000 that music will play and balloons will drop from the ceiling. I can't wait!
I know that most of you are thinking, "This is ridiculous! Most people could care less." But I have to be honest, when Jim first introduced me to Twitter, I thought, "Wow, this sucks!" But now I have becomes addicted. So, I think it is great that my Twitter friends are so concerned about me and 1000. But no matter what I say, it will be a let down. So I think I am just going to wrap this up with a picture. They are worth a thousand words, you know.

See you at 2000!

Server Rooms, Jungle Churches, Tornadoes and Complimentary Sopapillas

2008-04-02T22:04:00.004-05:00

What a day it has been! I am here in OKC for the MinistryTech conference. Let me back track a little bit; all the way back to 4:30 am!
I was sleeping sound, minding my own business when suddenly I am ripped from my peaceful slumber by the screeching beep of the alarm clock. Time to get up and get over to Jim's house so we can leave for OKC. First of all I don't ever want to wake up that early again and secondly, my cat was not too impressed with me turning on lights during "sleep time".
We rolled into OKC at about 8:45 a.m., which is great considering the tour of the "Mega Churches" started at 9. The tour started at Lifechurch.tv . For those that don't know, Lifechurch is a multisite church that reached approximately 25000 each week. The campus of Lifechurch had us walking all over the place. It was a very beautiful campus. Some of the things I liked best there was the graphic design area, the video production, the internet team and the way they had the children's area.
The next stop on the Magical Mystery Tour was Henderson Hills. It is a ginormous church too. It was a really nice church. Jim and I missed most of the tour due to asking a bazillion lighting questions. We did catch up with the group near the end. The things I liked about Henderson Hills was The big open lobby, the setup of the auditorium and the really nice people. (side note: this is where we will be all week.)
After this we went to lunch and then on to Church of the Servant. We were really really late getting to this church. We got caught in a nasty rainstorm. We did get there in time to see the jungle in the sanctuary. Amazing, I have NEVER seen anything like it. There was actually live plants, trees and a waterfall in the sanctuary area. I am not kidding! What I liked about this church was, specifically, their out of the box thinking
Finally the tour wrapped up at Crossings Church. This was another big ol church. They said the weekly attendance was approximately 4500! Wow, can you imagine the traffic jam leaving that church each week. The things I liked most about this church was the focus on checking the children in and out and the children's, middle school and high school areas.
One thing that was a "mandatory" stop at each of the churches was their "server room". To this I say, "Who Cares?" I was not at all interested in this part of the tour. To those that were, (and there were some, I saw the flash of photos), I am glad that you were able to see another server.
When we made it back to the hotel, we stopped at the office to check in. We asked the clerk, "What do we do in case of a tornado?" We had heard there was potential of severe weather. She replied, "Don't worry, it didn't do any damage." We asked again, "We understand that, but what do we do if there is a tornado?" She again said, "Don't worry, it already came through.' By this point, if it wasn't so funny, I might have gotten a wee bit upset. We asked again and then again a fourth time before it clicked for her. By the way, if you want to know, we have to drive a couple of blocks up the street to the hospital. Great! That makes me feel comfortable.
We finally made it up to the room and waited for a friend of Jim's to call with the dinner plans, and waited and waited. Finally 3 hours later at 7 p.m. our stomachs won the fight and we left to get something to eat. We went to Ted's Cafe Escondido. It was pretty good food. They brought us chips and salsa and queso and then brought an extra dip. There should have been a warning label on the bowl. A warning label that simply said, "Liquid Fire: You are not man enough for this". Of course there was no label so I gave it a try. I think it was so hot that my heart stop beating for 5 seconds! I ate 2 flour tortillas to extinguish the flames. They did the trick. After the excitement of a near death experience they brought out our food. I ate half of mine and was so full, I couldn't eat another bite. That is until the waitress asked, "Would you like a complimentary sopapilla?" Well this hit me on two fronts. One, complimentary, after what i just paid for a taco salad, yes I do want something free. The second front was the fact it was a yummy sopapilla. So Jim and I choked down our honey filled sopapillas and headed back here, to the hotel.
Now that I have shared with you how day one went. I need to get to sleep to prepare for another exciting day of MinistryTech. I hope to see you there.

Metathesiophobia (Fear Of Change)

2008-03-16T22:16:00.006-05:00

What is it that scares you? The dark? Public speaking? How about change? I have heard it said before, "The only person who likes change, is a baby with a dirty diaper." What is it about change that scares people so much? I am going to guess it is a fear of the unknown, maybe. Maybe it is just having to step outside your comfort zone. I can only speak for myself (and Sheryl Crow) when I say, "a change will do you good!" I'm not talking about quitting your job and hitch hiking cross country change. I am more talking small, make me a little bit uncomfortable changes.
For example, if you always sleep on the left side of the bed, tonight move to the right side. If you always come home from work, plop down in the recliner, turn on the t.v. and don't move until bed time; it is time to change it up a little.
I am starving for change right now. My life is same day in and day out. Do I want a new job? No, I really like my job. Is there anything I would like to change at work? Oh yeah! Are there things I want to change at home? Sure! I talk a big game when it comes to getting up and exercising, but I don't do it. There are so many things in my life that need a change. I love working with 5th and 6th grade boys at church. However they are 5th and 6th grade boys. I would love to maybe try working with kindergarten kids. Because I don't like the boys? Because I don't feel like I can work with them? Not at all. Just a case of "a change will do you good."
I don't really look at myself as a 'change for the sake of change' guy. I like every change in my life to have purpose and to be deliberate. But, the last couple of days, I would take 'no purpose, get me out of a rut change'. I don't even really know what that looks like. I do know that I like 99.9% of my life, so I don't want any big changes. Maybe that is why I need the 'sleep on the other side of the bed, wake up earlier and have some quiet time, get out of the recliner and walk, spend more time touching the lives of people who need a friend' change.
Maybe I am that baby. I don't fear change, I need it!

Hometown History Lesson

2008-03-10T20:28:00.003-05:00

Ok, I know you are looking at these pictures and saying, "So what? It's just a garage!"

Ok, your right, it is a garage. It is a garage in Joplin, MO.

So why would I blog about a garage?

Well on April 13, 1933 this garage apartment was the scene of a bloody shootout that left two police officers dead.

Bonnie and Clyde along with 3 other people were staying in this apartment for about 12 days before people got suspicious and alerted the cops. The cops came and tried to apprehend the thieves. Bonnie and Clyde had other plans. After a shoot out and the gang busting their car through the garage door. Bonnie and Clyde's gang went east to Main and then headed south down Main and out of town.

One of the things the police found after the crooks made their getaway was a camera loaded with film. The top picture happened to be a picture on the camera. The second picture was a picture I took with my phone yesterday.

So there is a piece of hometown history.

If you want to see the apartment, it is one block west of Main on 34th street. 3347 1/2 34th street to be exact.

Just wondering...

2008-03-08T20:31:00.003-06:00

With gas prices near or over $3 a gallon, can Nascar style sponsorship deals be too far behind? I would be willing to work out a sponsorship program of my car. I might be able to get enough to pay gas, insurance and payment. I just hope it doesn't come to this...