gdp's Comments

Lindsey Nobles : On Being Parentless

Wed, 5 Jan 2011 23:04:36 +0000

Hi Lindsey! Long time, bloggy friend! I'm with you on the fear thing. Also, orphans are on my heart on almost a daily basis, so I can relate. Looking forward to going back to Kenya this summer and serving orphans and women on this particular journey. Your willingness to make yourself available to God for however He'd have you serve in this capacity is fantastic, and it holds the rest of us accountable. I'm always impressed (and sometimes intimidated by thought leaders). But I know it's just a matter of joining that dialogue and becoming one.

Lindsey Nobles : Confessions of a Basket Case

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:45:26 +0000

Lindsey, I was just catching up on some of your recent posts, was scrolling through your blog comments on this one, and saw my friend Amber-who-moved-to-Florida commenting! :-) The world, even the bloggy one, is very small. Hi Amber!

Spence Smith : Racing For A Reason

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:16:23 +0000

Tory! Sure it is! You could race sprints :). And before you know it you'll want to tackle an Olympic distance. :)

Spence Smith : Racing For A Reason

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:13:34 +0000

Spence. You're blogging regularly again! Hooray. That's fantastic that you're racing for two very cool purposes. And you'll inspire others to do the same. I started triathlon with absolutely no background in swimming or cycling, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program and its coaches and my teammates were my impetus for change. Besides the satisfaction of bringing awareness to two types of cancers I hate and how to help find a cure, racing for my honored heroes (both with us still and passed), and raising more than $10K while serving in capacities as participant and mentor, my new tri habit (especially the cycling part) set in motion a course of events that has introduced me to some of my now-closest friends. Blogging for accountability is fun (http://stephwilltri.blogspot.com/ ... ancient history, but it was a great encouragement). My next fitness-with-a-purpose dream is to ride across the country for Blood:Water mission. My heart swells up every time I think about it.

Spence Smith : Redemption Through Divorce

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:01:23 +0000

Wow, Spence. Thank you for your transparency here. You just had ME in tears--the catharsis of realizing the redemption you were seeking and experiencing at mile 13 when I met you just hit me, kind of bringing your IM accomplishment story full circle. It just shows the battles each of us are waging of which we aren't even aware. As for the question, yes, I'm 'a redeemin'. The story goes deeper than this, but after years of self doubt and believing I was either too much or not enough (why else would I be single at 32, I thought, without the family I've always desired?), I'm redeeming those years and accepting the grace and love of my God right here and right now, and realizing the adventures he's taken me on in the past 11 years or so have had a great purpose. He has me in a place now where I MUST rely on him deeply each day and I am finally living in the now--not regretting yesterday, and trying not to live in the middle of next week. And I'm learning both the sweetness and the pain of that now-living.

Michael Hyatt Blog : Life Is Like a Tapestry

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:19:38 +0000

p.s.--Thank you for your post. Your (proverbial) pen is definitely God's instrument today.

Michael Hyatt Blog : Life Is Like a Tapestry

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:18:45 +0000

This posts touches me right where I am currently. The glimpse began Friday afternoon and over the hours since has become a careful examination of that which currently looks like knots, frays, and tangles. But ... He's allowing me to flip the handiwork over every so often during this time, to see the glorious pattern He's creating, even if it's confusing and a little overwhelming when I'm in the midst of epic change.

Lindsey Nobles : It Tastes Like Chicken BUT IT'S NOT CHICKEN

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:40:52 +0000

Ha! :-) Thanks.

Lindsey Nobles : It Tastes Like Chicken BUT IT'S NOT CHICKEN

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:13:55 +0000

I had a similar experience with a goat. Seriously, I was eating appetizers at a Christmas Eve party, and I exclaimed that the meat was tasty--what was it? The hostess said, "It's Dinner." I replied, "I *know* it's dinner, but what is it?" She persisted, "It's Dinner." ... and then I recalled the little brown goat named dinner that had lived out in the back yard. Yeah. Traumatic. One of my favorite childhood memories stems from when my Mom's diamond became dislodged from her ring and went missing. Dad and I sorted through the junk in the canister for the house's central vacuum system for what seemed like FOREVER (probably 5 minutes if I was only 4 or so). Mom was teaching a smocking class upstairs when I ran triumphantly into the room with her diamond in my hand. Despite my interrupting her class, I can still remember all the smiles, including the feel of my own smile that moment. :)

Michael Hyatt Blog : Shift: The Essence of Leadership

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:05:32 +0000

I'm happy to hear there will be a book summarizing your visionary leadership concepts. I was just chatting about with friends on Monday night over dinner about your recent posts on leadership. The title "Shift" is concise, both culturally relevant and descriptive of the concept, and hard-hitting/memorable.

Michael Hyatt Blog : Book Notes: Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 19:20:16 +0000

I've got a bit of a crush on social media. Seriously, I'm smitten. From the sidelines, I've been watching leaders and creative thinkers of all types flourish in their pursuits of reaching a target audience with an authentic voice. While I am living the dream God called me to 11 years ago, I sense Him pushing me toward using my creativity, publishing experience, and storytelling abilities to pursue this 'crush' further. I'm hoping Gary (coarse language and all) might inspire and help me fine-tune my direction with social media, even if it simply becomes venture I pursue in my spare time.

Lindsey Nobles : Drafting Blueprints, Part 6

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:48:46 +0000

Doing some blog catch-up reading, saw Ali's comment, and feel like I'm in a similar place right now (just without 2 advanced degrees!) :-) Lindsey, is this Buckingham title the book or the video? Sounds like a great tool. (And, bonus, I like lists.) Anyhow, what a great quote! Will write it on a post-it or on the fridge dry erase board.

Jesus In Disguise : Looking Ahead

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:43:31 +0000

YES. Authenticity. Such a great, great goal. I like how Lindsey put it, too--not just playing to an audience. I'm at once convicted and encouraged. Happy New Year.

Lindsey Nobles : On Love

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:38:48 +0000

I share your sentiment about airport hellos and goodbyes. Well, I saw it in the way my friend's husband looked at his 4-month-old daughter yesterday morning. He's a super-masculine, fairly stoic guy ... but you can see his tenderness for his little girl just emanate from his every gesture or glance her direction. SO sweet. p.s. You know, I think I'm going to try to watch that movie again. My mom walked in during a rather awkward/mortifying scene near the beginning, I believe, and I'm not sure I quite recovered from her flailing of arms and exclamations of, "WHAT are you watching!?"

Lindsey Nobles : Fear of Flying

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:31:50 +0000

Let me clarify, lest anyone think I survived a crash (not the case). I was flying out on the same airline at the same time of morning 3 weeks later when the medical incident I described happened.

Lindsey Nobles : Fear of Flying

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:29:37 +0000

(This reminds me of the first 15 minutes of the movie French Kiss. You seen it? Meg Ryan? It's a riot.) Fear. Yep, I know that one. After a tragic crash a few years ago here locally, and after a scary experience just three weeks later on the same airline when someone behind me had a seizure during taxi to takeoff and everyone started screaming ... I have a little bit of anxiety until we're in the air and on a straight, confident-feeling trajectory. Here's what I do: Deep breaths, a prayer, then either will myself to sleep before we're on the runway, or distract myself with the flight magazine crossword puzzle. General fear? I'm still working on that. Trying to deliberately choose love over fear this year when given the choice, and remember the promises of jeremiah 29:11.

Spence Smith : Welcome To Life In 2010!

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:20:08 +0000

In a nutshell, my 2010 looks bright and shiny. :) I like #6 the best. That's a great goal. (Inspire away! You and several other bloggers I follow write entries that get my creative juices flowing and have stirred my confidence.) I'm still working on my list, but have been mulling it over these past few days. One of them is always choosing love over fear when at a proverbial fork in the road (big or small). So convicted of that here recently. That and giving myself the same grace Jesus gives me. Those are kind of broad, I know. But I have some specifics that are emerging. One is definitely getting my blog up and rolling again. I'm thinking of folding it into WordPress for a number of reasons, one of them being that I simply need a fresh start. I hardly ever write anymore, except comments on blogs and missives to my friends, and I need to get back to my writing roots. I edit all day every day, and I adore words, but my own have become unfamiliar. Others: Well, I would like to get through the swim of a tri this year without panicking. I might try my first half marathon this year. I need a cooking goal. Suggestions welcome, but it needs to get me eating out less. Finally, I'm thinking something along the lines of your #6: do something I've never dreamed possible. But I'm going to just ruminate on that one until I can make it into a measurable goal. Happy New Year, Spence!

Spence Smith : A Stronger More Confident Heart

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:57:13 +0000

I step away from the din and the trappings/distractions of everyday (if at all possible). Read, journal, sing, pray, repent (generally I can count on the fact that something's gone awry with my heart and where I've placed my trust), and talk about it when ready with close, authentic, trustworthy friends. I also rest.

Lindsey Nobles : Fa La La La La

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:40:19 +0000

I'm most excited about unscheduled time with family and friends in my motherland (Virginia). I love decorating cookies with my best friend from childhood and her 2 girls, and we will be celebrating the 6-year-old's birthday tomorrow (I guess that's scheduled ... but you know what I mean, I won't have that whole 'tyranny of the urgent' thing going on). I'm also pretty excited about not having to set my alarm and sleeping past 6:30. Oh oh! And I get to hang out with/brush/feed many, many carrots to my old horse, Icy, who's getting up there in years (29). Merry Christmas, twitterfriend!

Lindsey Nobles : Drafting Blueprints, Part 2

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:53:20 +0000

Way to go with the running! I wish I could run and absolutely love it. I admire people who do. For me running is the surefire way to get the final stubborn 7 pounds off my body even when I am at the level I'd consider "fit," a.k.a. my "summer weight." I've been battling some joint troubles, so I've been limited to swimming and cycling these past few years. While I am probably what the world would consider sporty and have completed 7 or 8 triathlons or aquabikes, I am far from being hardbody sporty or one of the girls that can wear tiny cute workout clothes because she's rail-thin. Two of my closest friends are tiny-tiny (height and size), and here I'm more like the 6-foot amazon. I used to beat myself up for this, always feeling so inferior to their level of fit, their prowess in running races, and then they invented a phrase to describe me: They say I'm the "click-and-drag" photoshop version of them. I still think they're being a little optimistic, since they have no concept of what love handles might look like. However, one day I embraced the curves and realized it was possible to be an acceptable level of fit to meet my own goals (for myself this means 25-40-mile bike rides on a regular basis in the warmer months without killing myself, and at least a century ride a year), and enough swimming to have tone arms and be able to fit in my pants. :) And when I don't have time and cannot make time to get to the pool or hop on my bike on the trainer, I've learned to give myself a break and just be happy with me and my curvy self, and realize that there will be redeeming workouts in my future. That's true "fit-ness" for me. Good luck with your training!