Lindsay and I say often that we’re in a season – a season of crazy schedules, less-than-adequate sleep and a general state of chaos and disorder. At times the promise of this season ending is what keeps me sane. Don’t get me wrong, I will definitely miss this stage when we’re out of it. But the part of me that LOVES starting my days on my own schedule looks forward to the next season. This is the part of me that had its way for the first 30 years of my life.

There’s the hope that once this season ends, I can return to the “way things used to be” … morning exercise, quiet time, relaxing, reflecting, pre-flecting, etc. My counselor challenged me that maybe that’s not the case. Maybe that won’t happen. Maybe I need to grieve the loss of that order in my life, of the time when life could be the way I wanted it.

That thought struck me as soon as he shared it and has resonated in me ever since. I’ve never really known much grief. In fact, I’ve often thought of grief as a dirty word … along with sadness, melancholy, pain, etc. … I haven’t spent much time with them. And now I think I need to get to know them. I want to get to know them. I know that God can do things in me there that can’t be done in other places.

So I’m trying to grieve the loss. A loss that doesn’t compare to most loss that people experience, but a loss to me nonetheless. I’m trying to learn what it means to grieve. To be sad. To let go. And I believe that if I can do that and let God meet me there, that He’ll help me make something new, something better.

But lately I’ve been feeling very ordinary. Normal.

In most (certainly not all) church circles, there’s an unspoken tendency to place higher value and praise on the extraordinary-est people … the greatest worship leaders, the craziest youth pastors, the liveliest communicators. I think this trend among Christians is even greater outside churches … the farther you go from home, the poorer the people you serve, the more it costs you, the greater the “approval” that comes from within our culture.

Please don’t misunderstand me, people that follow Jesus wherever he leads – serving the under-served and giving up much personal comfort and gain –  are to be greatly praised, and we’ll likely see many of them greatly praised by God himself when things here wrap up.

I think as a culture, we’ve come to place such high value on those callings, that we tend to overlook too many “ordinary” people pursuing Christ in much less glamorous, but equally as sacred callings. In such a culture, the realization that you may never be the “-est” of anything can lead to discouragement. I know it has for me. And that’s mostly pride talking.

The realization also did something else in me. Something unexpected. It inspired me to do every “regular” thing I do the best I can. To be the best husband, father, friend, employee, coworker I can. And not in an achieve-the-American-dream sort of way. More in a I’m-here-because-this-is-my-calling-and-I-want-to-fulfill-it way.

I want to be the most extraordinarily ordinary person I can.

And I think the world could use more ordinary people.

I was emailing a friend today who visits Atlanta a lot on business. I told him to let me know if he needs any activity or dining recommendations. That got me thinking, “What are my favorites?” So, if you’re headed to or through the A-T-L, here are some places you may want to check out.

Restaurants

1. The Varsity – “What’ll ya have?” is the motto for the world’s largest drive through. Regular trips here were a Harris tradition growing up, and now no visit is complete without visiting the big V. Conveniently located right on 75/85 in the heart of downtown across the street from Grant Field, the giant red V beckons travelers to stop and grab some grease to go. Recommended meal: Two chili-cheese burgers with a side of fries, an apple pie and a to-die-for Frosted Orange.

2. Chick-Fil-A - Okay, I know these are everywhere now (including Chicago, and in another month about five minutes from our house!), but it started in Atlanta so I have to mention it. This iconic chain with the Eat Mor Chikin’ mascots not only serves great food, but adheres to great values. Most locations have family-friendly events, dress-like-a-cow-and-eat-free days and always find it “a pleasure” to serve you. Recommended meal: Chicken strips meal with waffle fries (lots of CFA sauce for dipping) and a cup of IceDream, unless their banana pudding milkshake is in seaason. Lemonade to drink.

3. Cafe Intermezzo – My high school music teacher introduced me to this place. I’ve never had dinner there, but they have numerous display cases of nothing but pies and cakes. ‘Nuff said.

4. Any barbecue joint – In some places they’re a dime a dozen, but they’re all good. Chicago has your random Famous Dave’s or Smokey Bones, but neither stand up against the ma and pop places with their own smoking pits out back. My favorite of such places: Byron’s Smokhouse in Auburn. Recommended meal: pork plate chopped on the block, brunswick stew, chips and some sweet tea.

Activities

1. Stone Mountain – The largest piece of exposed granite in the world and home to the Laser Show. Hike to the top of the rock or ride the cable car for some incredible views, paddle boat on the lake, picnic on the lawn, visit the car museum or catch a concert. Stone Mountain was a popular youth trip destination and for several years was home to AtlantaFest, a big Christian music event. They’re also got an RV park where my family spent several Thanksgivings.

2. Six Flags Over Georgia - I grew up about ten minutes from this place and probably spent more time there some summers than I did at home. We’d get season passes and our parents would drop us off on their way to work with ten bucks, then pick us up on the way home. It was the cheapest babysitting around. I loved the Monster Plantation, the Mind Bender, the Scream Machine and of course the Chevy Show.

3. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield State Park - If you like history you’ll love this place. I didn’t like history growing up, but I still loved the place. The hike to the top was fantastic and the museums were great, including The Southern Museum, which houses the General, one of the trains of the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. As a boy, it didn’t take much more than big trains to get my attention. My dad’s father (Peepaw) is buried not too far from Kennesaw.

4. Sweetwater Creek State Park - Three miles from where I grew up and home to miles of trails, great fishing and some significant ruins from Sherman’s march, Sweetwater was a popular picnic and date destination in Lithia Springs. In fact, I took Lindsay there the first time she came home with me, and on Mr. T’s birthday declared my love for her near Sweetwater Falls.

5. Underground Atlanta - An underground shopping mall with regular live music and street performers. There used to be (and may still be) a restaurant called Mick’s, where you could get the fantastically delicious Oreo cheesecake. Yum.

6. The World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Park - They’re right next to each other so I’ll mention them together, even though I haven’t been to the new Coke place. The original was located at Underground and featured everything you ever wanted to know about Coke. My favorite exhibits: the one where you could watch every Coke commercial ever made (my top two: Mean Joe Green and “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”) and the stop where you could taste every variety of softdrink Coke makes, like 50-something of them at that time. Some were yummy, others not so much. Centennial Park is a great place to walk and get great vistas of the city, and don’t forget to play in the Olympic ring fountains. The incredible Georgia Aquarium is at Centennial Park too but I haven’t had a chance to visit there yet.

Honorable mention: The CNN building, the Peachtree Plaza (tallest hotel in the world with an observation deck on top), and Atlanta Braves baseball.

It looks complicated, but bear with me. We all experience physical birth (B1) and from that time are on a journey toward fullness in Christ (indicated by the cross in the upper-right). In theory, as time passes (movement to the right) we move closer to Christ and become more like him (movement up). At some point along the path, we experience new birth (B2). Some would call this conversion, getting saved, accepting Jesus into our heart, etc. I like to think of it as a simple commitment to submit my life to Christ as best I can with his help.

Obviously some people are farther to the right and higher than others, not in an arrogant or I’m-better-then-you-way, but we would all admit that there are some people who’s thoughts, words and lives are in greater submission to Christ than others. Sometimes you meet individuals who seem very far along. These are the people that, when you’re in their company, exude joy, peace, love and life.  When you leave them a part of you has been improved because it’s as if the Spirit living in them has spilled into you. I’ve personally known maybe three people like this my whole life.

I experienced another one this week. At the Leadership Summit, attendees had the blessing of hearing from Mama Maggie Gobran, a woman who, according to the previous link, “led a comfortable life in Cairo. A Coptic Christian from a prominent Egyptian family, she taught computer science and lectured at Cairo University. But following a conviction from God, she started a ministry to serve the poor in her city.” Mama Maggie came out wearing all white with a shawl over her head. A video of her work was shown prior to her introduction and she promptly received a standing ovation upon taking the stage. Overwhelmed to the point of tears and unable to speak, she prostrated herself on the stage for what felt like minutes as the applause continued.

Mama Maggie went on to speak of her work and challenge leaders to commune with God, to listen to his Spirit. For me, her words were forgettable (in fact, I just had to review my notes to remember her challenge), but being in her presence was incredible. I don’t know how to describe it without sounding sensation, but to feel her spirit in the room was tremendously moving. This sentiment was echoed by a friend I had lunch with a couple hours later, and by my wife who was there with me.

As I’ve reflected on the experience and the relationships I’ve had with the few folks I mentioned above, I’ve tried to put my finger on what it is about them that impacts us so much. Each of the people I have in mind are vastly different in temperament, history and calling, yet something makes them all the same. It’s that thing that I can’t quite name. Submission to Christ? Holiness? Surrender?

Whatever it is, I want it.

Do you know people like this? What do you think it is about them?

Charles Howard & Tom Smith with Seabiscuit

I recently read the book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. A movie was made a few years ago based on the book. The movie was good (I think it may have gotten an Oscar nomination), the book was great. It’s about much more than a horse. In fact, at times it doesn’t feel about the horse at all, but about how the horse brought three broken men together and helped them heal. Two of the men – the horse’s owner Charles Howard and trainer Tom Smith – were in their late 50s before finding the horse that would make them famous and define their careers in thoroughbred racing.

There are times when I feel like I should be farther along than I am, like I should have done more with my life. I see guys my age that are pastoring churches or running organizations. When my heart’s not on straight, it gets me down. In my good moments, however, I tell myself the truth: that God has designed a journey that’s all mine. In my times of clarity I can also apply this more generally – that even though the same demons plague me after many years and it sometimes feels like there’s little progress, it’s never too late to begin again, to start over, to recommit myself to letting God have his way in my heart and with my life.

If you know the Seabiscuit story, you know that both Howard and Smith had more than their share of failures before their paths crossed, before they discovered a horse, before they rode the Biscuit into history. These failures didn’t keep Howard from making another investment. They didn’t keep Smith from agreeing to train a beaten horse. As their ages climbed, so did their ambition and their willingness to risk. I want to be like that.

Yesterday at The Global Leadership Summit, Bill Hybels said that the co-founders of Willow Creek get away together as families every five years to celebrate the work of God in their lives. During their recent outing, the guys were sitting around one night, and one of them asked, “Why can’t the next five years be our best years of leadership?” What a great question! Why can’t my next five years be my best yet – as a leader, as a husband, as a dad, as a friend.

Instead of thinking my best years are behind me, instead of comparing myself to others, instead of thinking I have nothing to give, I want to believe that everything up until now has simply been preparation for what’s ahead.

I’d like a place where I can put thoughts about, well,

anything,

everything.

Welcome.

A lot has been said about the iPhone 4. I’ll skip the technical stuff about how great it is because a) you’ve read it and b) it’s all true. I will say that I use the heck out of my iPhone. From listening to music and filming videos to taking notes and tracking tasks, I’m a big user of the greatest smart phone ever. Here’s how I use it and some of my favorite apps …

Music player: I use it throughout the day – in the car, at my desk, in the bathroom – to listen to music. I’ve got the 16GB model and it holds more than enough music to keep my mix fresh. I mostly use the iPod app, but I’ve recently gotten connected to Spotify and Rdio and want to explore those more (I’m listening to the new Bon Iver on Rdio as I type this.).

Camera: I take lots of pictures with the 5 megapixel camera – and as someone has said, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” I’m always pulling out my phone to take pictures of our boys. I currently use Camera+ and love it – it’s got great editing features and rapid shooting. I also mingle with Instagram and enjoy that it plays nice with other social networks. I can also access my Flickr photostream.

Video Camera: I’ve had a few camcorders in my life that were many times the size of the iPhone. None shot the awesome 720p HD video the iPhone does. A quick sync with our iMac gets the videos into iMovie, where I edit and send them to our YouTube.

Workout Companion: I won’t make it sound like I exercise more than I do. However, when I do exercise it’s usually running or biking. I have two apps of preference. The first is RunKeeper, which – despite it’s name – let’s you track many types of activities like cycling, skiing, anything where you’re moving I guess. RunKeeper uses the iPhone’s GPS to chart your route, speed and distance. Enter your bio profile and it will also track your calories. It then auto-syncs to RunKeeper.com where you can view your workout history and connect with others in your area or on social networks. As a bonus, you can also workout to your iPod playlists directly through the RunKeeper app. The second app I use is Interval Timer, which is exactly what the title implies. I run with the Galloway Method and this timer works perfectly.

Calendar: There are lots of alternatives, but I’m totally satisfied with the built-in Calendar app. I can view my work Exchange calendar, as well as numerous Google calendars. My wife and I have a family calendar in GCal that we use, along with person calendars that are shared with each other. So, if I want to know what Lindsay’s schedule is, it’s right there in my pocket.

Note taking: If you have any iPhone (or just about any other type of smartphone) then you know about Evernote so I’ll spare you the details. I love it.

To-dos: I track tasks with David Allen’s GTD methodology. Some folks use Evernote for everything, but Evernote doesn’t create checklists that are editable and “complete-able” on the iPhone, so I’ve found another solution. I use a $3 task-management app called Toodledo that syncs my phone to their website. Then I use a 3rd party PC app to sync Toodledo’s website to Microsoft Outlook on my work laptop (running Windows 7). Add a task in any location – phone, computer, web – and it automatically syncs to all those places.

Alarm Clock: I use the appropriately-named Alarm Clock app for waking up most days. I wake to an iPod playlist that fades in over a few minutes. You can set the snooze duration, change the display color and have multiple alarms. It even triggers a system-standard beep if you forget to open the app before going to bed.

Texting: I do this mostly with my wife, and we use the Google Voice app to text, which is free and doesn’t count against our AT&T texting plan.

Reading: I don’t do long books on the iPhone, but I will catch up on blog feeds, for which I use the $5 Feeddler Pro app. The app is easy to navigate and is very similar to using Google Reader in a web browser, which is how I normally read. Wherever I’m reading, I zoom through my reader daily and save articles I want to read more thoroughly to Instapaper. I have the Instapaper Pro app as well and can read my saved articles there. The iPhone is obviously not the type of device to do lots of reading on, but when waiting in line or you have a few minutes to kill here and there, it works.

Social Media: I’ve pretty much ditched Facebook and have Twitter set to auto-post there. I use the official Twitter app, but have seen a few recommendations for TweetBot. I’m also giving the Google+ app a try, along with the Pinterest app, although the latter is mostly for the ladies.

Other apps I use at least weekly: The Weather Channel, SugarSync (a Dropbox alternative), Flashlight and Amazon Mobile.

I charge my battery every night as I end up with around 30% of battery life left at the end of most days. Rumor has it a new iPhone with a larger screen, thinner body and better camera is due out this fall. Hopefully I can resist the upgrade.