Start Experiment: Round Two

Hello friends. If there's one thing I want you to know about me, it's that I believe in you. I mean that, too. I believe in you.

That's really all that's important. If you're curious, though...

I've had a love/hate relationship with writing for a number of years. I was blogging in '99 before the term was invented. I started a novel then, too. It fizzled after about 70 pages, leaving deep wounds that drove me away from the craft. A few years later I started to blog. And teach (developing my own curriculum). And more blogs (now I have 5, none of which are maintained regularly).

Round one of the Jon Acuff's Start Experiment found me in an interesting place. Way back in January of 2012 I taught a three week series in church. A few months later, God showed me that my next step was to turn it into a book. He gave me the outline. If that sounds weird to you, join the club. It sounded weird to me too. But it's true.

For a year and a half, I said no. Send me overseas, call me to love the unlovable, that's all fine. Just don't make me write. He kept thumping me upside the head, making it more and more clear that I'm supposed to write this thing. So I have been. As far as I know, the book is supposed to be 9 chapters. I tried to finish 3 for round one. Didn't quite get there, but I got really close. I made way more progress than I ever thought possible. I established some awesome habits thanks to the Experiment and the support of my new friends.

My advice, if you're interested...write. Disrupt your scheduled as much as you need to, just write. I'm a night owl that has been getting up at 5AM for the past 24(ish) days. That time is truly sacred. I have an awesome family that I love to spend time with in the evenings. I have a day job that doesn't relate to writing much at all. It's important to carve out and guard that precious time in the morning.

More advice...find people to connect with. It's a proven fact that dreams can die of loneliness. Be as interested in someone else's dream as you are in yours. You can't fight for someone else's dream, but you can feed it and nurture it along. When you do that, you'll inexplicably discover your own dreams transforming rapidly into reality.

Brace yourself for awesome. You can do it. I believe in you.

Check yourself

Shine!

On day one of Jon Acuff's Start Experiment, he challenged us to take an action step toward our goal. For some reason I thought he meant just one for day one. Apparently he meant one that we could repeat every day! 

This was my response:

"My action step for today is to write a blog post about Day One. It will be called 'Side effects' and I'll post it to my blog before I shut down for the night. Tomorrow I'll be up at 5 to work on the book."

Before unpacking the challenge, a few observations:

1. More leads to more. Whether following God or in writing, the more action I take, the deeper it gets. The more prolific my writing gets and the more profound my God gets. 
2. Perspiration is more important than inspiration. Although I don't like to believe that, Old Ben was right (that's Franklin, not Kenobi).

At first glance, it looks like my action step was to write one blog post. Looking back on the week, the goal (if I am allowed to set goals retroactively) was to get up at 5AM and work on the book every day.

The experience of this week has taught me that it is possible to disrupt the comfort of my own life in order to make room for pursuing God and the work He has set before me. As of this morning, the word count in the book is about 5600. Three weeks ago it was 0. Sunday night it was about 1200. That seems like a good start to me. Right now I've got some incredible momentum.

Additionally, this week my life has become deeper and more rich. The relationships I've made this week with other dreamers and visionaries has been incredible. I woke up at four o'clock on Friday morning to have breakfast with four other people that are not only outrageous dreamers but also outrageous doers. Intention will get you nowhere. That magical intersection of vision and hustle is the sweet spot that we crave. Being surrounded by people like that is extremely motivating and inspirational. If I hadn't been getting up a 5 on Monday through Thursday, there's no way I would've made it to that breakfast on Friday. In a way, it was like a reward for the obedience of the week.

Which leads to the more important area of the week. For me, writing this book is an act of obedience to God. By actually doing it, I've rediscovered a nearness to Him that has been eluding me in the last few months. Sitting down with a Bible, a prayer, and a blank page has led me to incredible new insight into God. It has been delightful diving into Job and Genesis with fresh eyes this week and following where He leads. On one hand, I'd love to share it with the world, but on the other I know that if this persistence act of obedience is simply between me and God then that is sufficient.

In addition to the book, have I written more this week? After all, that was the heart of the first part of that action step. My response is yes, but not over the top or outrageously. This is the third post on this blog this week, which is definitely above average. I did transcribe another very short post for my dog Pete this week as well. Privately, I've spent quite a bit of time (and words) writing email to my new friends. I've done a little bit of analog journaling this week as well.

Was week one awesome? Check. What action goals can I set for week two? I will continue to get up at 5AM and write. It's amazing what it is like to begin writing in that open space that is found in the darkness before the sun rises. Additional goals are to write at least one blog post on each of my (5) blogs.

Side Effects

I woke up this morning at 5AM. It was raining. For some reason I was shocked to learn that it was still pitch black outside that early.

Start!

Let me step back a minute... I've been a fan of Jon Acuff for a few years now. As part of the release for his new book, Start, he has kicked off a "Start Experiment." He is assembling a community of people that are passionate about their dreams but have maybe put their dreams aside. The book is all about hustle, ignoring fears, and taking bold steps toward your dream. So today, on day one, I got up at 5. In the morning.

My "project" is something very dear to me. It's so close to my heart that I haven't talked to many people about it. It might even sound crazy. Wait a second, did that sound a little like fear creeping in?

I've seen God do incredible things in the last five years. There was an incredible patch in late 2011 when I went on my first mission trip (Brazil). Shortly after was a volunteer chaplain at the state fair, ministering and loving the carnies. During that time I was developing Sunday School curriculum. I was also leading worship and small groups in a recovery ministry. A few other things too. God was so real then. I could sense Him with every breath I took. Every time I heard God ask me to move, I would move. Then I stopped.

God gave me a book. Well, first He gave me a Sunday School series, like He always does. But once it was over, it was pretty clear that it was supposed to turn into a book. The three week series was to grow into a three part book. There was an outline. A title. A bow on top. But I resisted.

My life has still been incredible. I still see God at work in me, through me, and around me. But it isn't quite the same. I'm not breathing in grace and breathing out praise. I'm not saying "Yes, Lord" to EVERYTHING anymore. I haven't started that book. Until now.

Today was day one of the Start Experiment. I got up at 5AM. I couldn't watch the lovely birds outside my window while I was working because it was still dark. And raining. But I could write. And I did. And it was good. It was freeing.

After that, I tackled the rest of my day. When my wife stumbled out of bed, full of sleepy eyes and bed-head hair, she looked radiant to me. As the kids gave me good-bye hugs it felt like I was on "Leave it to Beaver." I'm living a blessed life. I made it to work slightly later than usual, but managed to get the best parking spot ever. Once inside, the little things that typically to bug me about my job seemed almost delightful. Entertaining, maybe. Either way, they couldn't penetrate this bubble I was in. I took a long walk with a good friend at lunch. The weather was unseasonably perfect. All day long I was simply delighting in life. It was like God was shouting to me, "Trust me! I know what's best, and I'll take care of you. Trust me."

I thought that I was just getting up at 5. Apparently this is what it feels like to step back squarely into God's will. I'd call day one a productive one.