Winter challenges are real.  Cold is a pervasive enemy.

I need all the help I can get.

Linking up at Modern Mrs. Darcy to share what’s saving my life right now.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links.  At no extra cost to you, a portion of your purchase goes to support this site.)

Couch to 5K app

I’ve fallen off the exercise bandwagon countless times and climbed back on again countless times.

It always helps me to have a plan.

This program is new for me and, also new, is the goal to run a 5K in March.

I paid $2.99 to get this app for my phone.  It’s a 3 times a week workout plan for 9 weeks.

It starts slow, alternating a minute or two of running and walking.

And just like a rocket overcoming gravity, getting started was harder than I imagined.

Now, in the messy middle, the novelty has worn off and the end is not in sight.

But I’m still hopeful about staying the course and finishing strong.

The Pillars in My Week

Knowing I can count on certain events every week gives my life a stability I need.

Posting weekly on the Five Minute Friday page.

Mom’s prayer group on Tuesdays.

Family night on Wednesdays.

Worship on Sundays.

I need the structure and predictability that these anchors in my life provide.

It’s hard for me not to know what’s happening next. I love going to conferences and seeing a printed schedule to know ahead of time what I’ll be doing for every hour of the conference.

I don’t do well with unpredictability in life. I love it in my novels, though.

So, yeah, the pillars in my week are comforting.

Daily Keyboard Therapy

Always the therapy.

Tapping out words on the computer every day is critical to my survival.

There are days when everything goes backwards and I can’t pair the laptop with 30 minutes of peace and quiet in order to get my 500 words in.

Sometimes, those days leave me restless and anxious. Itching to get to the keyboard. Feeling like a druggie needing a fix.

Other days when it happens, I’m able to let go. I’ve done some serious tweaking to my morning routine the past few years. Little changes make a huge difference for me. So, it can be hard to handle when things don’t go as planned, but I’m working on it.

Jesus Always 

Buy now from Amazon

Just like Sarah Young’s first daily devotional, Jesus Calling, Jesus Always is written as if Jesus were speaking to you directly.

This volume focuses on joy. Who couldn’t use more joy?

For me, pausing deliberately for gratitude makes a world of difference.

So often, it’s just perspective. Nothing changes in our circumstances except our attitude.

I’m glad I went with the large print edition this time because you don’t have to look up the Bible verses .  They are printed out after each daily reading.

What’s saving your life right now?

Book List for Intro to World Missions 

When Pete taught Intro to World Missions, I made a book list of recommended books for his class.  Most of these are life long favorites that I recommend repeatedly.

Missionary Biographies

Brucko by Bruce Olson

Nineteen year old Bruce Olson lives with a stone age tribe to bring them the gospel.

Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees by Thomas Hale

Medical missionaries in Nepal. Humorous, well-written stories about culture and personal growth.

On the Far Side of Liglig Mountatin by Thomas Hale

More stories of medical missions in Nepal.

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliott

Five missionaries were martyred in Ecuador while trying to reach a savage tribe.  Written by the widow of one of the martyrs.

A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliott

The story of Amy Carmichal, missionary to India who rescued girls from the atrocities of the Hinduism.

And the Word Came with Power by Joann Shetler

Wycliffe Bible Translator in the Philippines explains about culture and spiritual lessons.

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew

One man’s experiences getting God’s Word into Communist Russia.

Other Biographies

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

A Christian family in Holland hides Jews from the Germans.  Stories of imprisonment and forgiveness.

Joni by Joni Eareckson

A diving accident at age 17 leaves Joni a quadriplegic.  Her spiritual journey.

The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway

A Christian pastor in China sees God work miracles in the midst of harsh persecution.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Quereshi

Nabeel’s spiritual journey growing up in a devout Muslim home and confronting the realities of Chrisitanity.

Gifted Hands by Ben Carson

A transparent look at the culture of poverty how a single mom paved a way out for her two sons.

Other Helpful Books

5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

The five top reasons why teams don’t work and what to do about them.

Reading Personality by Anne Bogel

Short summaries of some popular personality frameworks and how understanding yourself makes life better.

On Being a Missionary by Thomas Hale

Transparent, practical explanation of what missionaries face and common obstacles to overcome.

Margin by Richard Swenson

The importance of not using all your resources and leaving yourself bankrupt.  Includes money, time, emotional and other resources.

Love and Respect by Emerson Eggeriches

What men and women need from their spouses.  Foundational understanding for building a strong marriage.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

The five main ways people express love and how to understand which way communicates best to individuals.

Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel

Common pitfalls that leaders fall into.  Helpful as a cautionary tale.

Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet

Healthy, effective leadership principles learned and practiced by a sub commander.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Timeless principles for living life well with yourself and others.

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brent Harris

Aimed at teenagers as a challenge to confront the status quo and impact the world by taking the high road.

At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenrider

Tsh and her husband took their three children and circled the globe. The book traces their journey as well as Tsh’s reflections on travel, life and personal growth.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

A challenge to live gratefully by systematically noting what you’re thankful for. Written in poetic style.

I’ve been thinking about community versus isolation.

Community is the safety net that keeps us from hitting the ground. It’s the people that we connect to, identify with and a place to belong.

It’s the place where we feel understood and known.

It’s the Cheers Bar–where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.

It’s where you share life. You walk the road together. It’s your tribe. Your home base.

At birth all the communities you belong to are chosen for you.  But, there comes a time in the journey when you accept or reject the communities you inherited and, potentially, seek out new ones.

I believe this process is more complicated for the global nomad.

Maybe because he’s been exposed to a wider variety of communities.

Maybe it’s an identity issue.

Maybe it’s the difficulty of finding a community where he feels at home.

What are the critical elements of community?  What is he looking for?

identity

belonging

purpose

connection

similarity

communication

freedom to choose

a safety net

a network

celebration

shared values

The point is, the global nomad might need to actively search for a group where he feels at home.  A place where he belongs, where he can connect and be understood.

The problem is, with a new community, it’s not going to feel familiar and comfortable.

But, you have to jump in anyway and look for common ground.

To know and be known is to be vulnerable.  The risks are real.

But the risks of isolation are even greater.

Vicktor Frankl wrote Man’s Search for Meaning after surviving a stint in a German concentration camp.

With a background in psychiatry, he studied the people in the camp looking for why some survived and why some gave up and died.

He found that those that had the will to live felt they had a mission in life to complete. In his own case, it was to finish the book he was writing and to see his wife again.

“Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a ‘secondary rationalization’ of instinctual drives. This meaning is unique and specific in that it must and can be fulfilled by him alone.”

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.”

If the runaway success of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, is any indication people are desperate to find meaning in life.

But, what Frankl proposes is not just general, but a specific, unique mission only possible to be fulfilled by an individual.

“Frankl was once asked to express in one sentence the meaning of his own life. He wrote the response on paper and asked his students to guess what he had written. After some moments of quiet reflection, a student surprised Frankl by saying, ‘The meaning of your life is to help others find the meaning of theirs.’
‘That was it, exactly,’ Frankl said. ‘Those are the very words I had written.'”

Jim Rohn says you are an average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Not only is this true in with real life friends, it’s also true of who we choose to listen to.

If we’re trying to change our lives, we need to be intentional about the people we spend time with and those who influence us.

Who are we listening to?  Who are we allowing to influence us?  Are they pulling us up or bringing us down?

I have been impacted by some online influencers.  Their words have changed my life.

Izabella Wentz has influenced me. Her advice has probably led to some of the more dramatic changes in my life, at least physically, but that helps emotionally, too.  She write’s about thyroid disease and how to deal with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Sarah Young influences with her devotionals, Jesus Calling and Jesus Always.

Michael Hyatt and Darren Rowse have really opened up my mind to what’s possible with blogging.

Anne Bogel at Modern Mrs. Darcy gave me hope that there were great books out there that I would love.  I still have trouble finding them.  But, now I have hope.

Kayla Aimee is someone I’ve recently learned about. Through her course, I’ve learned a lot more about affiliate marketing.

I appreciate Ann Voskamp.  She’s swimming against the current of many Christian writers and I respect the way she lives out her faith.

Jeff Brown always seems to be introducing me to authors I’ve never heard of.  Some of them have a lot of good things to say.  His Read to Lead podcast has had some real winners.

Amy Lynn Andrews is someone who’s writing has been helpful and someone I admire as a person.  She writes about blogging and online business.

Jeff Goins has been very influential in my life.   His book, Real Artists Don’t Starve is a game-changer. I’ve learned a lot from his blog, his podcast and Tribe Conference 2017.  He is a thought leader.

Tsh Oxenrider, Crystal Paine and Ruth Soukup have impacted me.  All of them are pioneer bloggers with very different paths to success in the blogosphere.

I also just started listening to Hans Finzel. Pete and I loved his book, Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make and he has a lot of life and leadership wisdom.

Victoria at Snail Pace Transformations has given me hope about moving forward slowly.  It’s hard when you don’t see much visible progress.  I’m inspired by her stories to keep moving forward, inch by inch.

Ray Edwards is someone I respect.  His forte is copywriting, but he ventures into some other areas as well.  

Pat Flynn is a superstar in the online space, but I appreciate his transparency and humility.

The bottom line is there’s a lot of good guys out there.  Many are generous and insightful.  There’s so much available for little or no money.

Check them out!

This has been a good week, in spite of soccer season wrapping up with a heart break game on Wednesday.

I love, love, love this week’s word.

I believe with every fiber that story is one of the most powerful teaching tools, and probably the most underutilized.

So, three cheers for story.

Linking up today with Kate Motaung and the FMF crew.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Story is the door.

The magic door that unlocks the imagination and emotion.

Through that door we embark on our personal journey. We transcend time and leave our lives behind. We walk with the hero. We follow the guide. Our hearts beat faster as we feel the fear. We feel the despair. Our cheeks are wet with sympathetic tears.

But then, we conquer the dragon. We feel the exhilaration of victory.

We come down from the mountain, we pass through the door and return to our own lives.

But we bring the courage with us.

That’s the power of story.

It creates within us a hope that we can conquer the dragons in our world.

The Master Storyteller used it to teach eternal truths.

He invites us to co-create with Him.

To touch hearts with the power of story.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You’re about to walk into a room of 270 where you don’t know a single human.

You’re feeling a little wobbly.

Nervous and excited and hopeful.

Hopeful that the people in this room are YOUR tribe.

You feel a connection with some of them because they have shared their stories online.

They were vulnerable and generous.  They showed you a piece of their heart.  You got a good look at their values.

And you wanted what they have.

A chance to share your words with a wider world.

A chance to impact at the deepest level.

A chance to make a living by sharing.

Because these people and their words have already marked you indelibly.

Take Jeff Goins’ 500 words a day challenge, for example.

**********************

***********************

So, you step into the room.  And you fasten your badge onto your lanyard. And you ask if this seat is taken.

And it all begins.

And it’s just as exhilarating as you’d hoped.

And you knew it was okay to be where you are in the journey– stumbling, stalled, hopeful.

They had been there too.

******************

Interested in finding out more about Tribe Conference?  Check it out.

What is it about adventure stories that draws you in?

It’s facing and overcoming adversity. The choices made. The sacrifices made. What the human body can endure. Giving up versus pressing on.

The thing about true stories is you know, generally, how they’re going to turn out. But, the draw is finding out how they got there.

True adventure stories are inspiring.

Reading or hearing someone’s story creates hope within us that we can also survive, endure and triumph.

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.)

  Buy now from Amazon

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The pathos of the story draws you in.  Joe Rantz is an almost Dickensonian hero.

Tracing the background of some others on the champion rowing team puts you in the boat with the rowers and has you cheering with the crowds on the shore.

I love the real life lessons of leadership and teamwork, and wonder how to transfer these lessons to other teams.

The up close and behind the scenes glimpses of history are instructive and sobering.  So much to glean from this book.

  Buy now from Amazon

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

It’s little hard to put my finger on what I like about the book so much.

It’s a good study in leadership and teamwork. It’s an amazing triumph over the elements, even though the primary mission wasn’t accomplished. The feat was bringing back everyone home alive.

The decisions that had to be made; the feats of survival; the human interaction; the challenges that they faced. These are the elements of the story that draw you in and keep you turning pages.

 Buy now from Amazon

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic runner World War II soldier.

Zamperini faces so many incredible circumstances in his life before he turns 30.  The perseverance and resilience he displayed in the face the multiple titanic challenges is an inspiration.

Knowing his background and family intensifies the story.

The final resolution is satisfying and heart warming.

Aside from the story, the writing is a work of art.

  Buy now from Amazon

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

In 1996, eight mountain climbers lost their lives while attempting to summit Everest.  Jon Krakauer is a journalist and climber who survived and wrote about it.

To me, one of the most interesting dynamics is the role of leadership and teamwork in summiting as well as personal, individual responsibility.

One of the critical factors in the deaths of those on the mountain in 1996 was the enforcement of the turn around time.

Hall, the team leader, had been so strict about that for other teams, but with this one, he wasn’t.  He didn’t communicate clearly whether the turn around time was one o clock or  two clock.  On the actual summit day, people were summiting at 4 and 5 o clock.

No one seemed to know that there was a storm blowing in.

There’s a lot of competing forces at play:  people who spent a lot of money to summit, the commercialization of summiting, magazines that would pay a lot for the story, advertisers looking for heroes.

There’s also different teams that were summiting and the different philosophies of the team leaders.

Should a leader be making decisions that are unquestioned?  Does that actually put his team at greater risk because they don’t follow their own wisdom?  Actually, the genius of Hall’s leadership was to make the decisions ahead of time, not in the heat of the moment.  And the actual breakdown came in not following through with those wise decisions.

The safety net wasn’t there when it needed to be.

The bottom line is, it impossible to erase all the risk.  That’s one factor that makes the challenge so attractive:  there is an element of risk involved.  Defying death is part of the victory.

“The true story of one man’s miraculous survival after a mountaineering mishap high in the Andes of South America.”

 Buy now from Amazon

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

I’ve been on the prowl for another great family read aloud, along the lines of Endurance and Unbroken.  Even though Touching the Void and Into Thin Air are incredible true life accounts, I didn’t think the writing was of the same caliber as those two.

There’s a lot of climbing terms and concepts that I didn’t understand and it took a while before the story became compelling.  If I hadn’t known what was coming, I’m not sure I would have stuck with it.  The account is a testimony to the human will to survive.  Although it was only given a passing reference, it’s also a testimony to the prayers of Joe’s mother.

It’s fascinating to me to analyze the decisions you make in the face of death.  What motivates you to keep going when it’s hopeless and what motivates you to give up?

 Buy now from Amazon

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

It took 100 pages for this story to really get good. But, when it did, I was hooked.

Who can resist the search for a lost city? There’s quite an appeal to explore virgin territory, untouched by human hands for centuries, but yet once a thriving civilization.

The book took a left turn for the last fourth and covered tropical diseases, almost leaving archeology in the dust. I found the information interesting, but it certainly wasn’t where I was expecting the book to go.

One of the greatest challenges for gobal nomads is finding community.

Connecting with others is difficult for the nomad because not everyone understands his life. Finding kindred spirits takes more effort and probably isn’t the person living next door.

Another factor is the taste of community that the nomad has already experienced. He’s trying to replicate that in another context and finds it doesn’t work.

There’s also the matter of personal identity. With which culture does he most identify? Where’s his tribe? If he’s a fish out of water, where can he find some water?

(note: this post contains affiliate links. At no extra charge to you, a percentage of your purchase goes to support this site.)

There are three ways to face this challenge.

1. Embrace Imperfect Communities Right Where You Are

Geography is a critical factor.

It’s natural to cling to a community that grew in another part of the world. With Sykpe, Facebook, What’s App and internet phones it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with people all over the planet.

Technology is amazing, except when it keeps you from connecting to people where you actually live.

The community that you plug into in the new place will not measure up. Push yourself to do it anyway.

2. Re-connect With Former Tribes

Reunions are important.

When you’ve logged a significant portion of your life with a tribe, it’s good to re-connect and catch up.

Last week, we went to the funeral of a mentor from a decade ago.  We shared a meal with former colleagues.  Because our lives intertwined so closely with these people in the past, years of separation melted away.

The same thing happened at a wedding in May.

Doing life with these people has marked us indelibly.

We need to touch base or we lose a part of who we are.

3. Create Your Own Culture

Establish traditions, celebrate holidays, eat the ethnic foods.

Marry someone who sees the value in preserving observances and ritual.

Create a family culture that incorporates  world cultures.

Influence churches, clubs and schools to reflect values and traditions you want to perpetuate.

Of course, these efforts are fluid. They will only last for a season if someone else doesn’t pick them up and carry them on.

But, the encouraging fact remains that the nomad isn’t doomed to a lifelong search for community: he can create it.

***************

The best book I’ve read this year about globe-trotting and the search for belonging is Tsh Oxenreider’s book At Home in the World.  Tsh and her husband took their three children and circled the globe. The book traces their journey as well as Tsh’s reflections on travel, life and personal growth.

  Buy now from Amazon