“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

In less than two weeks my family and I will be boarding a plane and heading to the other side of the world for a six-week excursion through the beautiful country of Thailand!  This will be my third visit there and my family’s first.  As you can imagine, we’re all very excited and looking forward to all of the crazy and unique experiences I’ll look forward to sharing with you about!

As of right now, our plan is to spend time wandering the urban concrete jungle, Bangkok (population approx 10 million), soaking in the beauty of Koh Samui and the surrounding islands down south in the Gulf of Thailand, and experiencing the rich Thai culture of Chiang Mai up north.  We’re going to get it all – CITY, BEACH, JUNGLE.  And while we do have a plan, we’re also holding onto it lightly and with a ton of flexibility so that we can move fluidly and quickly wherever and whenever we decide.  I’m also looking forward to seeing and hanging out with a handful of friends while we’re there (and making a few new ones)!

We are so thankful for our staff, board, leaders, church community, and friends who have all been incredibly supportive and excited with us!  My sense is that the time we’re away for is going to be a significant time for The Orchard as well.  Our team is strong, engaged, excited, and will continue to lead with excellence while we’re away.  They’re also preparing to launch a great follow up series to YOU 2.0 that I believe is going to be incredibly relevant and challenging for our entire tribe!  I can’t wait to hear what God does while we’re away!

While I’m not totally sure what our Internet situation will be throughout the trip (should be pretty good), I do hope to share some of our experiences with you via Twitter (which feeds to my Facebook page), Instagram, and here on my blog.  You can also sign up to receive all of my blog updates via email by entering your email in the box at the top right of this page.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and love!  I’m looking forward to a couple more weekends together with our Orchard tribe before we leave.  Our departure date is May 22nd and we’ll be returning the first week of July.

Google map links: Thailand, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai

Ok…it’s been a while.  Here we go.

Just found what’s going to keep me occupied for my 20+ flight to Thailand next month. Genius!

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do – Fantastic.

Wow, this video of an elderly man reacting to hearing music from his era is powerful and touching to say the least.  Don’t tell me that art can’t help change the world.

Have you listened to Gotye yet?  If not, this video will give you every reason why you should.  (In the words of Ben Thomas, it is “holy crap amazing.”  I agree.)

Check out these Muppet chalk art murals on the walls of the Sesame Workshop office in NYC.  I want one.

Timeless Tag Designs.  It’s about time they get noticed.

A coffee faucet that brews the perfect cup of coffee.  Hmmm…this is kind of resonating with me.

The NYC’s Department of Records has released more than 870,000 images of NYC dating as far back as the mid-1800′s online.  These are incredible. More here. (via Kottke)

And lastly…Bookmobiles of the World.  Yes, I think this is cool.  Check out the one from Kenya.

About a year and a half ago I began getting a picture of some major shifts that needed to take place in my leadership.  They were big one’s.  And the clearer those shifts became, the more I found myself asking myself:  “Do I have what it takes?”

Fast forward 18 months – today – March 30, 2012.  

For now, I’ll skip getting into all the details of what’s transpired, but I will tell you that this past year and a half has been one of the most energizing, clarifying, and invigorating seasons of leadership I’ve ever experienced.  More on that later…

But here are a couple of things I’ve learned that might help some of you.

Don’t think that you are the only one asking this question.  

I’m convinced that the majority of (if not all) leaders who are leading anything that requires internal growth and change all have moments when they find themselves asking this question.

I also think it’s complete B.S. that most of them never get honest about it and aren’t willing to (at some point) share about their journey through it with those they’re leading.

Listen….people need to hear this.  It will be a great help to them!  They need to hear that there will be times when you will doubt whether or not you truly do have what it takes to lead.  There will be times when you will wonder if you’ve hit your lid and need to move on so that you don’t become a lid for your organization/church/whatever.

You aren’t crazy.  Just because you don’t always hear these types of things being talked about from the conference stage doesn’t mean that even the greatest leaders aren’t struggling with this question from time to time.

This is a good question, but I don’t think it’s necessarily the right question. 

I don’t think the primary question should be: Do I have what it takes?  The more important question is: Is this where God wants me to be?  Am I supposed to be here?

The question of whether or not you have what it takes is always secondary!  Think about it – Do you have what it takes in that moment when you’re asking yourself that question?  Probably not!

BUT….if you have a conviction that you are where you’re SUPPOSED to be….then it really comes down to an issue of trust.  Trust that God will honor your YES to him.  Trust that he will show you what steps need to be taken.  Trust that he will bring the right people around you to do what you are unable to do alone.

So instead of asking that question from where you’re at right now – reframe it and ask it through the lenses of faith and trust.  Ask it with your eyes pointed forward into the future.

Assuming that I am where God wants me to be….

• WILL I have what it takes….as I bring more and more of the right people around me to help?  
• WILL I have what it takes….as I continue to grow and stretch myself as a leader?  
• WILL I have what it takes….when God provides future resources that I’m unable to see right now?  

And the answer is.  (INSERT DRUM ROLL)……….  Yes, I believe so.

Now move forward and lead from there.

I’m not a big “model” guy when it comes to organizational strategy.  While I definitely recognize and admire fresh, innovative ideas that other people are accomplishing, it’s very seldom that I find myself jumping to adapt someone else’s idea or approach in the contexts where I’m leading or creating.  Don’t get me wrong, models certainly can be helpful, but if we’re not careful, they can also paralyze us.

Case in point…  A couple years ago I learned of a particular structure/model that was working very effectively for another organization that I really admire.  And it just so happened that it was proving very successful in an area that we were really struggling to make progress in.  So, I decided that we were going to adapt that approach and make it work for us.  The only problem was that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it to work in our context.  In fact,  the more I tried to make it work, the more frustrated and stuck we became!

Eventually, what I realized was that I was trying to force ourselves into a model that was birthed out of an entirely different story, culture, and DNA than ours.  Their approach was grown organically out of who they were, what they valued, and where they came from.  The most freeing moment came for me when I gave myself permission to walk away from the model and instead shifted my focus on our own context – who we have and where we’re realistically and currently at organizationally. 

And guess what?  We saw almost instant progress!

I think often times, models carry an assumption with them that says: “You have what it takes to make it work!”  But the fact is, you may not.  And that’s ok!  Chances are, it took some time for the other guys to evolve, morph, and grow into whatever “model” is currently effective for them.

Bottom line?

Allow successful models to inspire, provoke, and start conversations.  But don’t allow them to dictate or lock you in to a certain strategy or plan that you may not be ready for….or that may not even be right for you at all!

And if you are going to use someone else’s model….. ADAPT, ADAPT, ADAPT to your own unique context and DNA.

What would you add to this conversation?

An interview with Apple’s design guru, Sir Jonathan Ive.

Um. Wow.  Starbucks is rolling out some sweet concept stores – like this one in Amsterdam and this one in Fukuoka, Japan.

Seth Godin’s list of books he says are worth reading.

A great work shout out to Granger Community Church on their fantastic and creative use of infographics to cast vision and celebrate stories.

I’ve really been enjoying listening to The Soil & The Sun.  Thanks Ben Arment for the recommendation!

This is interesting…  Choosing the right cover for the New York Times Magazine.

I have no idea who this dude is, but dang….this is really cool.  Jim LePage has done some cool work creating designs for each book of the Bible.  Great work!

I love food trucks.  I’ve gone out of my way to stop and enjoy the food truck scene in Austin, LA, Venice, Portland, NYC, and elsewhere.  Here’s an article from Good.is: Why We Need Food Trucks In a Recession.  I say bring on the food trucks!  How about it Aurora??

This past weekend I shared an excerpt from one of my dad’s journals and so many of you have asked if I could post it.  So here it is.  It was written in November of 2003 and as you’ll see, this was his attempt at putting into words a very deep experience of God’s love he was having over the last 18-24 months of his life.  I’m honored to share it with you and I hope that it creates a deeper hunger in you for a greater experience of God’s love and grace in your own life.

I do not know how to describe what has happened to me. I only know that deep within me, I mean really deep, it seems that something, connected to an understanding of God’s love, has changed me. I sense that this change is a forever thing. It seems that God never goes back on what He does. I have been captured by His love. It is something that I must admit, I never knew existed like I am now experiencing. It is like I have stepped into a new dimension where the height and depth are beyond my comprehension.

I am consumed with a passion to tell people about what I have experienced for the sole purpose of helping them to know that they can have it too. This love relationship offered to me and everyone by the Father is beyond anything I could ever imagine. I am overwhelmed that I have been privileged to experience it. I know that everyone else can experience it too…but love is powerless unless it is consented to.  I must confess that I am coming to understand this, and am so grateful for the honor of being loved by the Most High God, and yet I understand that since he is love he can do nothing else but love us. 


I have a glimpse of what the institutional church has allowed to happen. It has presented a picture of God and Christ that is inconsistent with who they are. As a product of that church, I desire to liberate those who are caught up in it; to save others from it. I have a passion to take people who are turned off by religion or to religion and turn them on to Jesus Christ and turn them in to devoted followers of Christ.

Larry Hodge
November 2003, 4:31AM

If you’ve never read The Orchard’s story, you can read it here.

There are a couple of really important things that I ask every new person who joins our team to be extremely intentional about.  They’re mostly in regards to internal organizational culture.  Here are a couple of them.

MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS

Let’s start from the basis that we will not assume anything.  Which means that I will clearly communicate everything that’s important for you to know – even if I have a hunch that you already know what I’m about to tell you.  I would rather say it and you tell me that you already knew instead of not saying it because I didn’t want you to feel like I was insulting your intelligence by telling you something that I assumed you already knew.

(Congratulations if you understood that last sentence...)

Not assuming means that we will need to OVER COMMUNICATE with each other – especially in the beginning.  I’d rather have to ask you to communicate less than get frustrated by the problems that arise when we’re not communicating enough.

(This is why I think one-on-one meetings should be much more frequent with new hires in the beginning.  Part of our role as their direct supervisor is making sure that we’re making ourselves available for the very thing we’re asking them for.  In this case – clear communication.)

ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS

Take plenty of time to learn about us.  Have an inquisitive posture with everyone on the team.  Learn our story.  Learn why we do what we do.

This is important because your fresh eyes will soon see better ways of doing certain things.  This is good!  BUT….before you tell us how we can do it better, show respect by taking the time to understand why it’s being done the way it is.  That will score you a ton of points with the team.

Stephen Covey said it best: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Don’t assume that your idea hasn’t already been thought of.  There may be a very legitimate reason why it’s still being done the way it is.  BUT…..on the other hand, there may not be!  And that’s a big part of the reason why you’ve been hired to join our team!

But….no matter what – always take time to understand the stories behind things before you try changing them.  It’s as simple as asking: “Tell me about _______, what have your thoughts been about that?”  That will go a long way.

What are a couple of the biggies you communicate to new people who join your team?

Jesus may we follow you on the pilgrim way of Lent,

May we journey with you into the wilderness,

Willing to move beyond the ordinary,

So that we can discover your unexpected sacred places. 

Jesus may we wash our hands and purify our hearts,

Learning to thirst after righteousness and hunger after justice,

May we humble ourselves before you,

Expecting to see you revealed in a new light.

Jesus may we walk with you no matter how challenging the path,

Learning to be patient with darkness and growth,

Willing to live with not knowing, 

Until your mustard seeds take root and sprout into life.