Time Out For Digging Out

Somebody Do Something

August 2007

"Hello again," I said to the parents on either side of us as Bill and I pulled two canvas folding chairs out of a carrying bag and sat down to watch our oldest daughter play her weekly game of coach-pitch softball.

I had modest expectations for the evening as Katie and her teammates assumed their positions on the field. Maybe it was the black eye I received during a softball game decades ago when the girl batting before me took a practice swing without realizing that I was behind her. Or perhaps it was the sprained ankle that came from sliding into, rather than across, second base. Regardless of the reason, I knew that as long as everyone had fun and no one got hurt, I would be happy whatever the outcome.

Although most of the parents appeared to have a similar objective, it became clear when the opponent's first batter stepped up to the plate that the other team—or at least one of its coaches—came to win.

"You'd think it was the college world series," I told the mom sitting next to me as the coach standing near third base challenged his young player to hit one out of the park.

The pressure the batter must have felt as she swung and missed the ball made even me anxious. To my relief, the little girl got a hit before the tee was brought out (which would have made it painfully obvious to the coach that she was not playing at a college level).

One-by-one, I watched with the other parents as each batter stood up to the pressure and ran their way around the bases until the five-run rule was applied and it was our team's turn to bat.

"Step back Katie," I warned when the girl in front of her took a practice swing in preparation for her chance at home plate.

"Run!" another parent called out a few seconds later after the player at bat hit a ground ball to left field.

As the girl sprinted to first base and then on to second, I couldn't help but notice that the other team was doing nothing to stop her.

"Look," I said to Bill as the ball rolled between second and third base. "No one is paying attention."

We watched in amusement as the girl at short-stop looked up at the sky and the player on third base scanned the crowd as if looking for someone she knew.

The team's left fielder was also of little help, choosing to examine the stitching on her glove at the expense of picking up the ball that was rolling her way.

In a desperate attempt to rally the team, the third base coach cried out, "Somebody do something!"

I laughed at the man's feeble attempt to create first-rate athletes out of first-grade graduates, not realizing that I would be feeling the same frustration a few weeks later while attending the tenth, annual Leadership Summit conference at Brookside Church in Omaha, Nebraska.

I and nine other members of our church had made the hour drive to hear well-known figures like Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, and Ken Blanchard talk live-via-satellite about what it takes to be a leader. The conference opened with Summit founder, Bill Hybels, challenging me and the thousands of others in attendance to discover and do something about what he calls our holy discontent.

“What can’t you stand?" he asked the audience. "Do you know?"

"I don’t believe that every time something affects you deeply, that it automatically becomes your God-given calling or your personal assignment," Bill continued. "I . . . believe that what we all ought to be looking for is that one cause, that one problem, that one situation that grabs us by the throat and just won’t let us go. Stuff that causes so much damage to our soul that it brings us to a Popeye moment where we go, 'Now that one, I can’t stands. I can’t stands no more. God, do you want me to do something about it?'"

What is my holy discontent? I wondered as the session concluded and everyone rose for a short break.

Although I was hoping for an immediate answer, the morning passed without an inkling of insight, and I set the question aside as I found my way to the room our church had reserved for lunch.

"What did you think of the sessions so far?" someone at the table asked after everyone was seated.

"They made me want to do something to make our church better," I replied, forgetting that I was not in a position of leadership and had no formal authority to elicit change.

"I'd like to see our church appear more inviting," someone said.

A Poem For You

A few months ago while reading a local newspaper, I came across a poem written by a high school student from a nearby suburb. The idea of having a job versus a career is in line with this month's topic of living, not with regret, but out of our holy discontent.

In appreciation of this young poet's talent—and with her mother's permission—I share this prize-winning piece with you.

Pushing The Limits

A Song That's New

In their lyrics, How You Live, musical group Point Of Grace sings about taking chances and not looking back.

If you enjoy the song, you can pre-order an autographed copy of their CD by clicking on the second link below.

Listen to the Song

A Time Management Tip Or Two

Click on the link below to view tips for:

Eliminating Irritations

An Article To Read

In place of a new archives entry, I would like to share a relevant article from a free e-newsletter I received from Christianity Today. Enjoy!

Impasse to Action

Verses To Heed

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity"

(Ephesians 5:15-16a)

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

(Ephesians 2:10)

A Book On How To Lead

Click on the image above to view a description of this book.

Several people at the table nodded in agreement.

"We could place hand prints along the hall where the children's classrooms are," another person offered to more nods of approval.

"We also need signs by each of the rooms to help people find their way around our church," a woman announced.

This is wonderful, I thought to myself as everyone around the table took turns providing input. I can't wait to see what gets done when we get back to church.

Not wanting any suggestions to be lost, I waited for a chance to speak and then asked, "Should we make a list of the things we talked about and assign someone to look into each one?"

Immediately, the nodding ceased and it became apparent that no one was going to follow up on the ideas they presented. Instead, more brainstorming ensued until it was time to return to the conference.

It can't end like this, I said to myself as several members of our group stood up to throw their empty lunch boxes away. What good are ideas if nobody acts on them? Please, somebody do something!

There were those words again. The ones I had heard just a few weeks earlier, only now the person who wanted to shout them . . . was me.

The dissatisfaction I felt as everyone filed out of the room reminded me of something Bill Hybels said earlier that morning.

"You better know what wrecks you," he had warned, "because it’s probably wrecking God.”

"And when your burning bush experience occurs, you’ll know it." Bill continued a few seconds later. "And God will say to you, here’s why I wired you up the way I did and here’s why you’ve had some of the life experiences. Here’s even why you’ve had some of the pain that you’ve had, because I have in mind for someone just like you to address this terrible problem and I could use you because we’re both wrecked on this one. Let’s do it together.”

The thought of God sharing my frustration made me see the situation from a new perspective. I was no longer coaching from the sidelines. Instead, God was in charge of the game and the ball of opportunity had rolled to a stop directly in front of me.

"Do you have a minute?" I asked our pastor after catching up with him at the next break. "I think I know what my holy discontent is and I want to run it by you."

"I hate when people decide that something needs to be done and then do nothing to act on that need," I explained after I had his attention. "Like what happened during lunch when everyone was nodding with no intention of plodding forward to carry out their suggestions."

"Let me ask you a question," Pastor replied after pausing for a few seconds to consider what I had said, "Are you interested in everyone's ideas or do you just want to see yours completed?"

His words caught me by surprise and caused me to question my motives, Was my discontent the product of a holy moment or a holier-than-thou mind-set?

It took only a few seconds to realize that I was in agreement with what the apostle Paul taught believers in Philippians 2:3-4 when he wrote: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

In the interest of others, I could no longer sit by and watch people settle for what was at the expense of what could be, live in less-than-desirable circumstances when it was in their power to improve them, and play the victim when God created all of us to be victorious in carrying out our purpose in this world. In the interest of others, I had to do something.

By the end of that afternoon, I knew that I was going to create a website called DiggingOutTogether.com; that it would offer information and inspiration for overcoming what is to realize what can be; and that I would not give up as long as there were people who needed a scoop of encouragement or a gentle reminder that inch by inch, yard by yard, what seems impossible is only hard.

Two years after my online ministry was born, I had the chance to attend the Leadership Summit live for the first time from Willow Creek's campus in South Barrington, Illinois. In the months leading up to the conference, my husband and I received updates on what to expect when we arrived. It was in one of these updates that the release of Bill Hybel's latest book was announced. Immediately upon seeing the words Holy Discontent printed across its cover, I knew that inside I would find the message delivered during the first session of the 2005 Leadership Summit.

My husband must have known there was something special about the book as well because, without knowing the history behind it, he forwarded a copy of the press release that I had already received after adding three words to the top of the e-mail to explain his reasoning for passing it along.

"One to buy," he typed.

Yes, I agreed as I replied to his e-mail, it is definitely, one to buy.

Knowing the difference his words have made in my life, it seems only fitting to close with this call to action from Bill Hybels as it appears on page 136 of his book, Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision:

Friends, in what other life are you going to go all out? We all have one shot and one shot only to leave a lasting legacy—a definitive mark on this world that reflects our decision to lean into, not away from, our areas of holy discontent . . . the present state of affairs does not determine the possibilities life holds. We can finish differently than we started, friends. We can.

Quotes to Grow On

"I hope you'll ask the tough questions of your passion pursuits. I hope you'll let God expand and stretch you so that you can participate in whatever 'new thing' he wants to do through you. I hope you'll follow your holy discontent where it takes you, whenever it takes you there, so that our world . . . can benefit from your wattage in this generation."