March of the Penguins is a must see movie (especially if you can arrange for a three and a six year old to sit behind you).
I can’t wait for the DVD to see how they were able to film in temperatures below -50F (not taking the 100 mph wind into effect).
Here is the trailer for the most anticipated film of the year (at least for me).
Grizzly Man (right click to download; click to load in a new window)
We often say the glory of God is in our midst. What if we looked at the world as if we understood we are in the midst of the glory of God?
This weekend an experience brought to mind the last stanza of a poem. The poen is about a homeless man who stumbles in to a celebration of the mass. I know this isn’t exactly right, but it is close.
“What a cunning God we have
who tests our real belief
in the true presence
by hiding in green toothed tabernacles.”
Finally got a chance to listen to last weeks This American Life. The last line of the first act really struck me, and I don’t know why. It went something like this…”We image our lives as slightly boring books in a used bookstore to only find out it is a best selling self-help book.”
The “Save the World and Retire eNewsletter” has now published eight times in the last nine weeks. If you have been missing out on the information (and the fun) you can subscribe below:
Working from home can cause some problems, especially for someone who is ADHD. There is always something to distract you (like the bed for a nap) from the work that needs to get done. One of the ways I combat this is by working in coffee shops and restaurants.
To give the day a little structure, my alarm goes off at 545a. I stumble out of bead and head to the closest Penera Bread.
I guess I am in a bit of a rut when it comes to my order. Today, I was the first customer into the store. My food and tea was ready before I got to the counter.
I was praying on a long flight to Los Angels over the weekend and out of no where was given a very direct inspiration. I am going to need some help from people like you. Please take a moment to consider the following though.
CALL FOR ESSAYS
I decided to create a book of lessons learned from living vocation in daily life. The book is going to be an e-book offered to anyone for free. The 25 lessons are going to be written by people just like you. Please consider offering a piece of wisdom you have learned in your journey.
NUTS & BOLTS
== Feel free to write about your personal relationship with God, your work, or your family. All these are equal, import parts of our vocation. Share what you have learned about being a Child of God in the world.
== The essay should be between 1000-2000 words. The goal of the book is to be easily digestible little nuggets. We are not looking for your whole life story. Each essay should make only one point.
BUT I AM NOT A WRITER
You might be thinking, “I am not a professional writer. I can’t do this.” Be not afraid! The primary gift you have to offer is your experience. Do the best you can with the first draft. We will work with you to clean it up.
WHAT YOU GET
== The knowledge that you have been part of something really cool. Because this is going to be a pdf file that can be passed effortlessly from person to person, it is going to have life we can’t even begin to dream. You are going to get to share something you have learned in life with people you will never know and never meet.
== The opportunity to share a little about yourself and the ministry you currently do. Each essay will have bio about the author in which you can highlight your web site, your cds, your books, or your personal web site with your family’s vacation photos.
THE SUBMITION & SELECTION PROCESS
== Entries must be submitted by July 31st. No, that is not a lot of time, but at this point we are looking for first drafts, not finished products.
== Send all entries via e-mail to gene@monterastelli.com in either the body of the e-mail, a .txt file or a MS Word document
== Please include full name and the best e-mail address to contact you.
== The first week of August the selection panel will choose the 25 for publication.
== Selected authors will be notified by August 15th.
PASS IT ALONG
Please feel free to pass the note along to anyone you might be interested.
QUESTIONS
Any and all questions can be answered by sending an e-mail to gene@monterastelli.com
Here is an e-mail I received on Monday in response to my post last week:
Dear Gene,
I have been thinking a lot about the blog you wrote on June 29. And what you wrote has been bugging me. I think that everyday we perform miracles and we don’t realize it. I was reading an email story from a friend and at the end it had this little paragraph about all of the small “ordinary” miracles we experience everyday.It said:
Today…We wish you a day of ordinary miracles…A fresh pot of coffee you didn’t make yourself…An unexpected phone call from an old friend…Green stoplights on your way to work The fastest line at the grocery store…A good sing-along song on the radio…Your keys right where you left them.
I think that we perform them all the time, and just because we don’t see the effects of them, doesn’t mean that it didn’t change anyone or anything. Besides I think you perform miracles every time you are on stage and every time you post a blog or send an email. You never know how deeply you will affect someone by those small miracles. You change people’s lives, teenager’s lives, which is extremely hard to do, not everyone has the talent you do. So try to believe that you do perform miracles. I believe that you can.
My response…
Thanks for the note. I know you are right. There are miracles everywhere, which we perform and don’t see. I have always wanted to write the book “The Gospel According to Us” about all the amazing things that happen in the simple small moments of our lives. These small miracles happen daily. Sometimes we are blessed to see the grace in them and other times we miss the miracles in our midst. BUT I also think we miss the chance to do more.
I have spent a lot of time in my own meditation over the last week looking at all the ways I stop myself from doing more. I often think I am “not smart enough”, “not brave enough”, or “not worthy enough”. It is amazing how in one moment I will be filled with joy at possibility and in a split second I am already dismissing my chances of actually having that come true in my life. There are even more miracles waiting to happen that I am stopping before they have a chance to begin. Our soul is calling out to us to perform metrical is every moment, but I have gotten very good at stopping some of those miracles from happening.
Part of the ways I am working on this is with the first thought I have when I wake up in the morning. Right when I open my eyes I say, “God, thanks for another wonderful day. I am powerful beyond my wildest dreams because I am part of the Body of Christ.” Second, when I start having these limiting beliefs, I loving ask myself, “Why do I believe this.” I many cases I am able to see I really don’t and the limiting thought pass and do what my soul is prompting me to do.
My intent was not to dismiss the miracles that happen in my life. I try to be thankful for those by saying to myself “Thank you, God, for the blessings I have received and the blessings I am receiving” every hour through-out the day. I have set my day planer to buzz every hour on the hour, to remind me to pause, look at my life once again, and give thanks for the miracles that are happening all the time. I think this does two things. First, it helps me to recognize the medicals that are happening all the time. Second, it also helps me to realize that I am capable of more. It helps to me be brave and not be small in the next moment that comes my way.
I am on the way home from spending three days in LA, CA at meeting of public school teachers, trying to sell books. It is only the fourth conference we have displayed at. Each time we learn a little more. The lesson that we keep learning over and over again is: We have the right book. We have the right market. We have no idea how to sell it.
This weekend confirmed all of that. It feels as if we are spinning are wheels a bit, which can be frustrating. There was one small moment, which melted much of that frustration away. It lasted no more than 30 seconds. A woman whom I had sold the book to the day before came up to the booth almost panting. She was desperately looking for me and she was glowing. She said, “I read the first chapter of your book last night and then called my husband back home. I started explaining what I had just learned and he said, ‘You learned all of that from just one book.’ I told him no. I learned all of that from just one chapter.”
Little glimpses of hope like that help to keep fighting on.