Blogs and twitter have altered the way I read books. And with books cheaper on my Kindle, I don’t feel so guilty about skipping content when it doesn’t keep my attention. Besides, big names like Michael Hyatt and Seth Godin saying (see this video) that most books are “padded” to justify the consumer paying more and that books of the future will likely have less pages and get right to the point.

That said, I just finished Adrenaline and Stress by Dr. Archibald Hart. If you are a leader, I highly recommend it. I am someone that cares very deeply about productivity but I sure don’t want to lose my mental or physical health in the process. Here’s a few quotes:

“the stress that kills is not the stress of crises. These are short-lived and unpleasant enough that we try to avoid them. The stress that does us in is the stress of challenge, high-energy output, and over-commitment. This is as true for panic attacks as it is for heart disease. Exciting stress demands as much adrenaline as fears and threats. And because we enjoy the arousal it brings, we may actually become adrenaline addict”

“You are addicted it you cannot control when you start or stop an activity. In this respect, all addictions rob us of control over our lives.”

Hey babe, I’ve got a crazy idea. Let’s get married really young…I mean really young! I know we have no money, we’re accumulating piles of school debt, cars barely run… but we are in love. Tina Turner is wrong…love’s got everything to do with it! And Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t the only dreamer! We’ve got some of our own! A dream to launch out into this wild frontier and make our mark. We’ll start a family, be youth pastors forever and preach the gospel to millions.

Michelle, through all the twists and turns life brought our way, “every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.” (Philippians 1:3) Let’s keep imagining babe. There’s still dreams to chase, kids to love, people to reach, a great big world to explore and a magnificent God to worship.

Here’s to another 22 years of crazy risks and coffee in bed!

Happy Anniversary. I love you!

Happy Birthday Cambria! It seems like just yesterday that you darted out into traffic, your curls bouncing in innocence, and I had to grab and pull you back. Or wondering off at the fair and we lost you for what seemed like an eternity (I lost ten years of my life with that stunt!). I miss those days but I wouldn’t trade who you’ve become to return.

What I absolutely adore about you is that you are who you are… Courageous, passionate, driven, authentic, visionary, independent, compassionate… and through all those qualities that will someday help you make your mark on this world you are still the most down-to-earth girl who loves me, your mom and your sis.

I have a feeling I’ll be learning a lot from you as the years roll on! I’m your biggest fan.

Happy Birthday sweetie. I love you!

Saw this over at Will Mancini’s blog and thought you would enjoy it…

So you’ve got that thing in your heart that you really want to launch?! Maybe a business or a cause. A new project or an event. A team, group or even a movement… You’ve got something! I know you do!

I’m a bit of an entrepreneur myself. Having started a business while in college (1988), launched a youth ministry in 1989, a church in 1999 and countless projects, teams and causes in between; I understand how it feels to have an idea for something burning within your gut. I also know what it feels like to be frustrated by more questions than answers. It’s true that most things we try will fail. But 100% of anything not attempted will never serve anyone! So this post is for you; you secret dreamer.

Here’s a few suggestions to help you get started.

1. Take your first step. There will be other steps that are more difficult because there’s more to lose but you know the drill…a marathon begins by crossing the starting line.
2. Don’t worry about every little detail. It’s easier to see what should be done next when you “round that corner.”
3. Perfection is over-rated. You’re probably not sending someone to the moon so don’t worry about a few mistakes.
4. Partnership is the new currency. If you don’t care who gets the credit, you’ll help more people and have more fun in the process.
5. Schedule time to work on it every week. A little each week is better than a lot one week then shelving it for a month.
6. Share your progress with the world. Start a blog and show your progress. It will keep you accountable and people will get excited with you.
7. Learn from everyone you can and always have a way to capture a thought or insight.
8. Speaking of learning. Work on yourself. Grow yourself and your endeavor will grow.
9. Celebrate every little victory. Surround yourself with cheerleaders. You’ll need them!
10. Enjoy the journey. When your dream is fulfilled you’ll dream about something else. The dream is what it’s about so enjoy it.

Playing it safe is not an option for those of us that need to innovate to feel alive. Don’t just stand there, bust a move!

[Photo courtesy of Nathan Golden.]