Had an amazing spontaneous chat with a woman from Michoacan, Mexico tonight. We met in passing on the 4th floor of the School of Business, as she and a colleague were dialogging in Spanish. We chatted soccer, Mexico's battle with cartel violence, and even got some relational advice. Haha.
Most notably, though, for me was her perspective on work. I was really stunned and refreshed by her comment in response to my question, "Y este trabajo, como ves?" ["How do you like this job?", essentially]. Cualquier trabajo noble es honrable, or something similar was her response. "Whatever noble job is honorable," roughly, was the translation I made out, after asking her to repeat the statement. She elaborated, "Whatever isn't in robbery or crime...".
Wow.
Here I am splitting hairs over some, frankly, great opportunities before me, when, really, at the end of the day, what she shared is true. Whatever job that is noble is honorable. This is not the first time that I have learned a very valuable lesson from a Mexican friend, and it will no doubt not be the last. Isalia mentioned another student who vowed that he'd make it rich and one day "remember her [and her colleagues]," and even offer them a job one day. I would hope for the same, or much better...but whatever is honorable, most importantly.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
"Let's get away" - A weekend off-campus
This weekend turned out to be an amazing one.
I had really been questioning hard the idea of taking time away from campus to connect with God along with 60 other high schoolers and about a dozen adult leaders. Am I ever glad I went! Arriving later than most at 10:30 on Friday night, I was instantly enchanted with the snow-covered landscapes and fireplace-laden, lofted lodge where everyone was gathered. Frankly, I was about ready to head back to campus to focus on school work for the weekend but partly due to road conditions and partly due to how late it was, I decided to at least stay the night.
Saturday started amazingly as well. We all awoke and shared breakfast. Rolling, snow-covered, wooded hills surrounded the retreat center and was illuminated by the sun peeking through a mostly-cloudy sky. It was the perfect setting for stillness, whereas so much of life is busy, busy, busy. In sum, the silence and solitude, with times of worship, great fun together, reading of Psalm 51, small group discussion, meals, and an epic snow football game (with bruises and "charlie horses" to attest), this was an amazing time. We drove back Sunday afternoon with the sun fully out.
I'll let the aforementioned Psalm speak for itself. Suffice to say that it was very impacting for most all of us this weekend. (For those not familiar with the context, the global leader of the time (circa 1000 B.C.) had just committed a gross scandal of adultery and, effectively, murder; picture President Clinton assassinating a would-be spouse of Monica Lewinski following his interactions with her. Below we see David's response when becoming fully aware of his guilt. Note the striking contrast to most anyone's response to exposure these days. Amazing.)
I had really been questioning hard the idea of taking time away from campus to connect with God along with 60 other high schoolers and about a dozen adult leaders. Am I ever glad I went! Arriving later than most at 10:30 on Friday night, I was instantly enchanted with the snow-covered landscapes and fireplace-laden, lofted lodge where everyone was gathered. Frankly, I was about ready to head back to campus to focus on school work for the weekend but partly due to road conditions and partly due to how late it was, I decided to at least stay the night.
Saturday started amazingly as well. We all awoke and shared breakfast. Rolling, snow-covered, wooded hills surrounded the retreat center and was illuminated by the sun peeking through a mostly-cloudy sky. It was the perfect setting for stillness, whereas so much of life is busy, busy, busy. In sum, the silence and solitude, with times of worship, great fun together, reading of Psalm 51, small group discussion, meals, and an epic snow football game (with bruises and "charlie horses" to attest), this was an amazing time. We drove back Sunday afternoon with the sun fully out.
I'll let the aforementioned Psalm speak for itself. Suffice to say that it was very impacting for most all of us this weekend. (For those not familiar with the context, the global leader of the time (circa 1000 B.C.) had just committed a gross scandal of adultery and, effectively, murder; picture President Clinton assassinating a would-be spouse of Monica Lewinski following his interactions with her. Below we see David's response when becoming fully aware of his guilt. Note the striking contrast to most anyone's response to exposure these days. Amazing.)
Psalm 51
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba.
1HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!
3For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me.
4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment.(A)
5Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful].(B)
6Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.
7Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean [ceremonially]; wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness and death, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness (Your rightness and Your justice).
15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering.(C)
17My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.
18Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving Prequel
It was a great day today getting to take a breather from the rigors of school and connect with the guys in my house, marked particularly by a "shirts" vs. "skins" 2-on-2 soccer match in our living room...with nothing breaking, miraculously.
Cold settled in and a turn of events led to me getting to drive with Sam back to his parents' place in Brookfield. After first greetings, we had a great time heading out for dinner, then came back to their house for a house tour. After some quality reminiscing in Sam's room, with tales past sports and arts experience from Sam and his dad, we proceeded to the basement lastly, where an epic Crossfire showdown lasting 17+ minutes! (classic! See below) ensued. Two grown men showing down in one of the finest mano y mano games ever made, for sure in our childhoods anyway...priceless. (Thanks to Sam's parents for a warm welcome on this Thanksgiving eve; great to chat about life and professional/career pursuits as well.)
Coming home, I enjoyed some great time connecting with Nate, back in Minnesota, over the phone, then briefly with Dad and my friend Alex. About to fall asleep, I thought, around midnight, the night took an unexpected turn when I got to chat over webcam with beautiful younger sister, Michelle, and friend Ify, just up until Eric and Kyle came home from a concert in Chicago...given our freedom in schedules, we got to spend some valuable time sharing a "pillow chat", of sorts, on topics ranging from Biblical consumption patterns, global/diversity exposure, economic upbringing, and other themes...ah, including planning ahead and prioritizing in the sense of, "I better get this done, so I can do this." Which leads me to my, "Goodnight!"
Cold settled in and a turn of events led to me getting to drive with Sam back to his parents' place in Brookfield. After first greetings, we had a great time heading out for dinner, then came back to their house for a house tour. After some quality reminiscing in Sam's room, with tales past sports and arts experience from Sam and his dad, we proceeded to the basement lastly, where an epic Crossfire showdown lasting 17+ minutes! (classic! See below) ensued. Two grown men showing down in one of the finest mano y mano games ever made, for sure in our childhoods anyway...priceless. (Thanks to Sam's parents for a warm welcome on this Thanksgiving eve; great to chat about life and professional/career pursuits as well.)
Coming home, I enjoyed some great time connecting with Nate, back in Minnesota, over the phone, then briefly with Dad and my friend Alex. About to fall asleep, I thought, around midnight, the night took an unexpected turn when I got to chat over webcam with beautiful younger sister, Michelle, and friend Ify, just up until Eric and Kyle came home from a concert in Chicago...given our freedom in schedules, we got to spend some valuable time sharing a "pillow chat", of sorts, on topics ranging from Biblical consumption patterns, global/diversity exposure, economic upbringing, and other themes...ah, including planning ahead and prioritizing in the sense of, "I better get this done, so I can do this." Which leads me to my, "Goodnight!"
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Youth of the Nations
Just had an amazing chat with my friend, Marcus, who shared about the challenges facing the youth of Latin America (lack of viable economic opportunities, gang/violence involvement). A few months ago, another friend related stories of a pastor in Juarez, Mexico learned that 12-14 year old inmates only expected to live, "maybe two [more] years." "..but if I die, at least my family will get the $100,000." This is not OK.
.
.
.
.
I don't think words can be put to what I feel inside when we talked about this...
The thought, "Who will care for the youth of Latin America?" came to mind.
I'd like to. Perhaps others like these, too...
This boy had been dropped off at a children's home seven days before this photo was taken. From a small town where there are no street addresses, he had literally no way of contacting his biological mother.
On a personal note, this is possibly the hardest I've had to labor to keep focused on the task of writing a paper. So many thoughts & feelings building up in this rather incredible season of dreaming and pursuing what may be next. I'm realizing that I can't get too far ahead of myself, in various aspects of life--school, relationships, occupation.
Maybe Jesus had a good point...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough worries of its own.
Any thoughts on managing the "mundane" when passion leads to pursuits different from the tasks at hand? This has been an interesting journey for me.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday Night
Had a really cool day today: church at Blackhawk, chatting with brother Stephen on the phone, chatting with a friend in the library, cracking the books briefly, team meeting with Leadership Development classmates Yufei & Martín, a brief talk with Mom & Dad...en route to Sunday Night Live, the high school ministries Sunday night shindig, SNL, bball afterwords with Brad (fellow leader) and some pretty talented teens, giving Matt a ride home whilst learning of passions & talents for track/pole vault, driving out in the country a bit, chatting with roommate Dan about paper writing, heading to the library, meeting Jeremy, a fellow socially-active/conscientious Minnesotan (St. Paul), running into friends, Jenna & Sam, and making my way back home to finally get clothes folded, put away (while also sneaking in a good talk with Mom & Dad). Wow. That was just one day. Hmm...not sure what to think of this.
On the SNL note, though, this was an awesome time. I really enjoyed getting to listen to the seniors in "community group" time, getting to hear their hearts for God and how they interact with Him...it's a really priceless thing. It's uber late, so I think I'm going to retire for the evening. Looking forward to cranking out some serious work on a Latin American politics paper tomorrow, in between classes in Global Cultures, Developing Economies, and Real Estate.
I'll leave you with Owl City's version of "In Christ Alone," which I really enjoyed in church earlier today (lyrics here). Only days 'till Thanksgiving and seeing FAMILY! :-)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
1st Harry Potter Experience Leads to Some Timely (and Needed) Reflection
So, I did it. I finally caved and caught the Harry Potter bug.
I went to {the most recent one} tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Action, intrigue, plot twists, and some really good take away lessons (if you saw it, what were some that were inspiring to you?). If you haven't seen it, I won't elaborate on the plot in case you would like to. Frankly, it struck me in its parallels to the LoTR trilogy, although of course very different in many ways also. (I can almost hear Harry Potter purists scoffing from here. Remember, I'm an HP noob, so this is my very inexperienced, beginner, first-reaction perspective speaking here.)
I enjoyed continuing the night with a stop by my friends' place and getting to get to know an acquaintance a little better.
Great to learn about differences between Catalán, the intersection of faith and professional industries like film, media, business, education, and government... Shout out to tall ceilings in houses, permitting footballs to be thrown without concern for fixtures :-). Oh, and thanks to Brian, I've finally found some sweet shoes that fit my style and functionality desires.
Oh, I remember why I was going to blog in the first place.
I found the stillness of the movie theater to be the perfect place for some reflection, something I've been taking way too little time to do lately (amidst coursework, interviews, social events, etc.).
In fact, points in the movie (and conversations with friends, Kelsey and Adam) made for a near endless stream of thought ranging from pursuing my baseball dreams (possibly intersecting with going to graduate school) thinking how these could intersect with a career...or not, and actually pondering a rather last-minute move to study abroad this coming semester-Monterrey, Chihuahua, Sao Paulo, and Spain all came to mind as pretty attractive options!
So, needless to say, there were some exciting developments tonight...not the least of which was an offer for a project management position with a local business with whom I've been interviewing! It's one my first "real" job offers, so it's an exciting time, indeed!
I'd be interested to hear, particularly from the older crowd, moments of great decisions in your life; no holds barred-you can share the good, bad, and ugly, if applicable. This has been an interesting process of exploration for me.
G'night!
P.S. Thanks go out to Justin Schwalbe, a good friend of mine, who inspired me to write about the every day goings-on of life via his blog, (www.finishtherace.net)
I went to {the most recent one} tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Action, intrigue, plot twists, and some really good take away lessons (if you saw it, what were some that were inspiring to you?). If you haven't seen it, I won't elaborate on the plot in case you would like to. Frankly, it struck me in its parallels to the LoTR trilogy, although of course very different in many ways also. (I can almost hear Harry Potter purists scoffing from here. Remember, I'm an HP noob, so this is my very inexperienced, beginner, first-reaction perspective speaking here.)
I enjoyed continuing the night with a stop by my friends' place and getting to get to know an acquaintance a little better.
Great to learn about differences between Catalán, the intersection of faith and professional industries like film, media, business, education, and government... Shout out to tall ceilings in houses, permitting footballs to be thrown without concern for fixtures :-). Oh, and thanks to Brian, I've finally found some sweet shoes that fit my style and functionality desires.
Oh, I remember why I was going to blog in the first place.
I found the stillness of the movie theater to be the perfect place for some reflection, something I've been taking way too little time to do lately (amidst coursework, interviews, social events, etc.).
In fact, points in the movie (and conversations with friends, Kelsey and Adam) made for a near endless stream of thought ranging from pursuing my baseball dreams (possibly intersecting with going to graduate school) thinking how these could intersect with a career...or not, and actually pondering a rather last-minute move to study abroad this coming semester-Monterrey, Chihuahua, Sao Paulo, and Spain all came to mind as pretty attractive options!
So, needless to say, there were some exciting developments tonight...not the least of which was an offer for a project management position with a local business with whom I've been interviewing! It's one my first "real" job offers, so it's an exciting time, indeed!
I'd be interested to hear, particularly from the older crowd, moments of great decisions in your life; no holds barred-you can share the good, bad, and ugly, if applicable. This has been an interesting process of exploration for me.
G'night!
P.S. Thanks go out to Justin Schwalbe, a good friend of mine, who inspired me to write about the every day goings-on of life via his blog, (www.finishtherace.net)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Post-exam, Pre-Case study: Sandwiched in schoolwork
Well, this will be short, because any time spent on writing should actually be concentrated on memo due tomorrow in Entrepreneurial Management. That said, a few minute virtual breather sounds nice before my belated date with my pillow.
As I've thought to stop and catch my breath (which I'm recognizing a greater need for, amidst the frenzy), the most time efficient manner in mind was brief bullet points, just to get the recent events of life out of my head and onto the screen. (Ooo. Just got the idea of blogging in Spanish. I like that.)
Without further adieu:
- Operations & Supply Management exam - tonight - lots of studying, mostly this morning and afternoon in preparation. Felt pretty good going in, great going out and a little not-so-great when I realized I had not answered a little-advertised "short answer" question correctly. Ah, well. Sounds like just about everyone got it wrong as well. We'll see how it "curves out".
- (that was a lot longer than a phrase...hmm)
- Great time connecting w/ friends + family over webcam...sharing dreams, a great time (I guess I just said that :-)
- Planning for Mexico trip in April...heavy debate: how many days of class to miss for this priceless opportunity
- It's SPRING! Or darn near close. 40 degrees in the middle of the night and the thermometer dial presumed upon the 50s today I believe
- It's March. Wow, the semester *is* indeed flying by...all enveloped in God's goodness.
- Good Scripture reading tonight w/ a friend. Looking at John 10, especially on the heart of Jesus the Shepherd. Pretty amazing. Highly recommended reading.
In fact, here:
John 10:7 "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep...
Joh 10:17-18 ...For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."
(Lots of rich stuff in between: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2010:7-18&version=ESV
More to come about...yep, can't even think. Time for bed.
Media snippet of the day: http://www.ibethel.tv/watch/632:3:10 (awesome words on purpose of life. What is it??? You'll have to click and see!)
As I've thought to stop and catch my breath (which I'm recognizing a greater need for, amidst the frenzy), the most time efficient manner in mind was brief bullet points, just to get the recent events of life out of my head and onto the screen. (Ooo. Just got the idea of blogging in Spanish. I like that.)
Without further adieu:
- Operations & Supply Management exam - tonight - lots of studying, mostly this morning and afternoon in preparation. Felt pretty good going in, great going out and a little not-so-great when I realized I had not answered a little-advertised "short answer" question correctly. Ah, well. Sounds like just about everyone got it wrong as well. We'll see how it "curves out".
- (that was a lot longer than a phrase...hmm)
- Great time connecting w/ friends + family over webcam...sharing dreams, a great time (I guess I just said that :-)
- Planning for Mexico trip in April...heavy debate: how many days of class to miss for this priceless opportunity
- It's SPRING! Or darn near close. 40 degrees in the middle of the night and the thermometer dial presumed upon the 50s today I believe
- It's March. Wow, the semester *is* indeed flying by...all enveloped in God's goodness.
- Good Scripture reading tonight w/ a friend. Looking at John 10, especially on the heart of Jesus the Shepherd. Pretty amazing. Highly recommended reading.
In fact, here:
John 10:7 "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep...
Joh 10:17-18 ...For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."
(Lots of rich stuff in between: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2010:7-18&version=ESV
More to come about...yep, can't even think. Time for bed.
Media snippet of the day: http://www.ibethel.tv/watch/632:3:10 (awesome words on purpose of life. What is it??? You'll have to click and see!)
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
This is an outstanding video on fora.tv (check it out; like YouTube, only useful and educational with industry leaders' speeches shared for free online) on Israel's success, despite all odds, in entrepreneurship & innovation. There were very insightful points as to the experiences that prepare Israeli young businesspeople with a distinct advantage over global counterparts--namely, experience in a compressed hierarchy military.
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