I’ve been having some good conversations lately about the idea of excellence vs. perfection. When is it “good enough?” I think we can too often fall into the trap of striving for perfection to the point that we never really get anything done. We don’t want to be lazy and just do the bare minimum to check things off our lists, but we also don’t want to stifle creativity, innovation and production for fear of something not being absolutely perfect.
For example, we have a huge missions conference each year at Calvary and there has been an ongoing tension in regards to having it all just right. It seems like it has to be a certain way or it just won’t work. This has led to a lot of hard conversations and some compromises on both sides as we all feel the pressure to get it done in time without sacrificing the original vision.
I’ve been working on a website for a few months on and off, waiting for content and a green light from those in charge. They keep wanting it to be just right and they’re missing out on opportunities for a positive image because of it.
I have a friend who has been doing some production work lately for a large church and he was shocked to see how much they criticize every little detail and spend a ton of money to make things shine with that perfect sparkle. I think he’s wondering if he can adjust to, and thrive in, that sort of environment.
Then, I saw “Be Kind, Rewind” this week. It was far from perfect. There were huge inconsistencies in both the plot and the characters. But, it managed to capture a certain magic of the creative spirit.
Is there a balance we can reach? Especially as a creative person contributing to the Kingdom, I hope I can always have the discernment to know when to keep pushing towards excellence and to know when something is “good enough.”
Last night Leslie and I went and had dinner over at our friends’ Andrew and Angela’s house. Good burgers and fries and some home made desserts. Then, today Leslie and I went and had breakfast at The Original Pancake House in Yorba Linda, which is ironic because it’s actually a chain of restaraunts that all have that title. It was pretty good and they’re actually putting one in Orange just up the street from our place so we’ll have to check that out once it opens.
After breakfast we went for a walk around the pond at Carbon Canyon Park. It was so beautiful out today. The time we were at the park was all blue skies with a cool breeze. About an hour after we got home, it started to rain. It just goes to show that timing is everything and you have to take advantage of good opportunities while you can.
I love having the time to do stuff like this now that my job has really changed. It’s so nice to be able to have an entire day each week with nothing to do but hang out. I don’t have to worry about setting up the stage or doing some event. It feels good and it makes some of the new pressures and issues worth it, knowing that I can build this margin into my schedule.
I continue to be fascinated by all the trade movement in the NBA. It seems amplified this year. Jason Kidd back to the Mavericks for Harris, Kurt Thomas getting picked up by the Spurs, the Hornets got Mike James and Bonzi Wells and back East the Cavs now signed Ben Wallace and Wally Szerbiak. The great keep getting greater and a bunch of the teams who aren’t going to make the playoffs are positioning themselves to dump big contracts or rebuild for the future.
This season is shaping up to be the best one in a while with everyone looking to improve their line ups and stay competitive down the stretch. I love the bold moves teams are making and the risks that may, or may not, pay off in the end. I love that the status quo just isn’t good enough.
I want to have an attitude like that when it comes to life. Why settle with what’s familiar and comfortable, when you can make the big, bold move that could win it all?
Oh yeah, and Mitch Kupchak is one of my new heroes. He’s the one who has patiently put together an incredible team in LA despite serious opposition and harsh criticism. He knew when and what to hold onto because of untold potential. He also knew when and what to go after to improve his hand at just the right moments. I think the Lakers are now finally one of the teams to beat and could win it all (in spite of Kobe and his terrible attitude over the summer) To have that kind of wisdom and insight translated into areas like finances or relationships or even ministry would be lead to some extrordinary results.
I feel like I’m officially in my 30s now. I turned 31 on Monday. Looking back, there were a lot of things about my 20s that I regret and I have a feeling that my 30s are going to be a much better decade. It’s just a feeling. You can ask me when I turn 40 if it actually worked out that way.
As I wrote earlier my beautiful wife Leslie surprised me with a rented Dodge Charger for our get away to Vegas. It was so much fun. We stayed at Planet Hollywood, which had a lot of nice design choices. On Monday we did some shopping, checked out the Red Rock Resort in Vegas, went cruising through the Red Rock national conservation area, had dinner at Trader Vic’s on the strip and saw Stomp. The whole day was just really good and I’m so thankful that I have a wife who has an adventurous spirit and puts the thought into planning things like this.
Speaking of adventurous – today we took advantage of the amazing weather and drove out to Trabuco Canyon. It’s such a gorgeous drive. If you take a turn at Cook’s Corner and go just past O’Neil park, there is a ROUGH dirt road that leads about 4 miles to a hiking trail for Holy Jim Falls. Doing this in my Rodeo was an absolute blast. I couldn’t stop smiling as we bounced along and held on tight over all the rocks, through the creeks and around the gnarly corners. We drove most of the way in and then hiked for a bit, stopping for lunch next to one of the smaller waterfalls.
I think hiking is going to be one of the keys to getting back in good shape this year and feeling younger as I get older (I’m down 20 lbs since Jan 1 and 50 lbs in the last year). But, I may need to find a better hiking partner as Leslie is definitely a city girl. Hiking around the mall is heaven for her – hiking up the side of a mountain, not so great ; )
Filed under: Ordinary Life
Would someone please back me up and tell Trevor that there is a difference between a butter knife and a table knife. And just for the record Martha Stewart is not always right……
Thanks!!
~~Leslie (the wife)
Filed under: Extraordinary Life
So, I got home from the Green Room creative arts event yesterday and there was a shiny, new, black Dodge Charger in my parking space. My beautiful wife surprised me with a rental car for our quick get away to Vegas. It’s my birthday tomorrow and the car is one of my presents. On top of that, we just had an incredible worship service that was really well executed and had such an integrated focus of the big idea that our Life: Loves and now I get to head out on the open road in a sweet ride. I love when Leslie surprises me with over the top acts of love like that. Plus, she lined up tickets for us to go see Stomp Out Loud at the new Planet Hollywood hotel. I’ll have to remember to post some pictures of us cruising the strip in a really cool car.
I went to an event today called The Leaders Table. The tagline for the event is “Where Arts Leaders Connect and Grow.” I went because a friend/coworker persuaded me I should. However, I went not fully expecting anything significant or even applicable to come of it. I went wondering if I even fit the description of who the conference was aimed at. I guess this is because my job at Calvary has shifted from year to year to where I’m at now. So, it’s hard for me to grasp just exactly how I wound up where I am.
It reminds of how often I get asked, “So, what is it that you do all week?” It’s a simple enough question and because I work at a church, but I don’t preach or play an instrument, it’s an obvious question. I think today’s conference gave me even more insight and definition as I heard from many other people who have similar roles in their churches.
My position at Calvary plays out in so many different ways. If I had to really sum it up – I help to create, amplify, enhance, illustrate, and clarify the message and mission of Calvary. I work behind the scenes in several areas, equipping those out front to communicate the message loud and clear. I help to produce and direct the weekly worship services as well as oversee all the design work for visuals, print, video, audio, lighting and web, along with bigger pieces like branding and even campus development. There are some fantastic people who do much more than I could ever do in each of these individual areas, but I get to have a hand in it all.
My new title as of this January is Communications and Creative Arts Pastor. I’m on both of our church’s worship planning teams, as well as the church’s new Strategic Leadership Team and even the Building Committee. The secret is (and promise me you won’t tell) I’m not sure I’m fully qualified to be doing anything I’m doing. Somehow though, I think God is using me in small ways to accomplish His plan – not only for my church, but also in my own life. He is stretching me beyond what’s easy and giving me things that I never asked for. So, I continue to lean heavily on His wisdom and strength and grace in my life knowing that in the end that’s what God really wants from any of us – a willing, obedient heart.
I love all the movement in the NBA this week. Pao Gasol to the Lakers with Kwame and Crittenton to Memphis was the best news in a real long time. C-Webb returning to his roots up at Golden State will be interesting to watch. And now, Shaq to Phoenix and Marion to Miami. I find it utterly fascinating to watch how players wind up with different teams and how that changes the dynamics, the chemistry of the whole league.
Wouldn’t it be cool if other careers besides pro sports traded key employees. What if schools made big time trades just before the semester trade deadline. Or, police were drafted from a national recruiting pool. Of course, the best were if churches could trade pastors and had a lottery draft for struggling churches to get the best new talent coming out of seminaries. Just imagine if Willow Creek traded Hybels for Olsteen or what if Laurie, along with cash considerations, was picked as a free agent by Calvary Chapel. We could keep stats for overall attendance, operating budgets, book sales, positive vs. negative news stories and of course converts.
Which pastor would you make a trade for? C’mon, you know there’s someone that you think would be a good fit for your church. But, the harder question is who would you be willing to give up of fair value in the process? hmmm……
The really amazing truth is that is how God operates. He allows us to trade our sorrows for His joy. Our struggles for His victory. Our sins for His righteousness. And, God is actively recruiting each of us in the hopes that we’ll sign with His team. I’m glad I’ve got a lifetime contract with no exception clauses.
My beautiful wife and I just got home from seeing U2 3D. It was fantastically engaging and very well done. From the opening shots that build the excitement and anticipation of what’s to come all the way to the acoustic encore song that plays through the closing credits – it’s a really amazing experience. There were several points where I spontaneously reacted out loud to what was going on and a couple times that gave me goose bumps. The music was great and the visuals were even better. I’ve never seen 3D used that way. It was almost better than the real thing with the combination of impossible to ever experience in person kind of shots along with trippy layering in space of video overlays and graphic elements. If you can find the time, you should really go see this while it’s still showing on an IMAX screen. In fact, I may try to go see it again.
What really had me thinking as I walked out of the theater was how toward the middle of the concert, as they begin playing Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono puts a white headband on his forehead. The headband and the giant LED wall behind the band says “COEXIST” with the Muslim symbol representing the “C” the Jewish star as the “X” and the Christian cross as the “T.” And as the camera closes in on Bono, he points (ironically at the wrong symbols, since he’s pointing left to right and the phrase he says is right to left) to each of the religious symbols and says, “Jesus, Jew, Muhammad, it’s true…All sons of Abraham. Father Abraham, speak to your sons. Tell them, No more violence, no more fighting, no more bombs, and then leads the crowd in a chant of No More! No More!”
Yes, we should never let our beliefs turn us towards hate or violence for those who don’t share the same beliefs. But, those beliefs do matter and they can’t possibly all be true. Or, is he just saying that the reality of each faith’s common roots are what’s true? Can we recognize, accept and even embrace the truth of our commonalities without abandoning our convictions about the TRUTH? How do we express the truths that God has given us without offending or alienating or disrespecting those who need the truth so desperately? I pray that we are able to find ways to reach a lost world with the wonderful grace and love and even truth that only Jesus can offer.
Filed under: Ordinary Life
I got to go over to my brother’s house to watch the Super Bowl on a gigantic, brand new high def TV. It made the whole experience really phenomenal. Plus, the Patriots finally lost. The game was captured perfectly in the above photo. The poster boy for perfection fumbling the ball and the perfect season away. That was the best Super Bowl in a very long time. The first three quarters were fairly uneventful, but the game came alive in the fourth. To me, the whole season was rescued by that amazing fourth quarter.
It reminds me a lot of how life works. Going 18-1 is considered a total failure if that one loss comes in the last game. That whole perfect run was rendered meaningless in the final minutes of the final game. Real success in life is often measured by the final result. Yes, the journey matters, too. But, in the end winning comes down to finishing strong.
The apostle Paul put it in similar terms in I Corinthians 9, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.”
As believers, we’re in a race to the finish line. It’s about more than just going through the motions or running with the crowd. Paul challenges us to go after the eternal prize, with purpose in our steps so that we might win. The answer to the goal of our pursuit is found in the verse right before, “I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” We need to be about reaching our community and the world for Jesus. Are you in the race? Are you winning? Are you as happy as I am that the cheating Patriots finally lost?
