I’ve just moved my blog over to WordPress. You can find me @ davesohnchen.wordpress.com. Stop by for a visit.
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I'm a thinker, a reader, a husband and a father. I'm fan of music, art and photography, although I'm not talented at any of them. I love hearing great stories that prove humanity is worth fighting for.
This is me.
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“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the willingness to act in spite of your fear.” Michael Hyatt gets it right. A lot of leaders need to pull up their big boy pants and learn to speak up when they need. I’m one of them.
I find it pretty tough to find calling. Maybe it’s because true calling can get muddied by the waters of our North American culture; that is to say that we try to live to the expectations of those around us and not follow our true passions.
I just watched “Swift. Silent. Deep.” These pioneers of extreme skiing knew what their calling was and ultimately shaped the face of the sport. For them, the ski patrol was the gate keeper to their destiny which they side stepped whenever possible in search of their passion: skiing deep, untracked powder.
Who defines what’s acceptable or praise worthy and who gave them the authority to decide for us?
Here’s to finding our calling.
This has been on my mind in the last 6 months or so as well. Not directly about Haiti obviously, but what does my life say to others? Is it one of selfishness or giving? Is a story that cares for others or my own well being? It’s a tough a thing to reflect on, especially if you’re honest with yourself. It’s painful and frustrating because how do you go about editing your life to a tell story that matters? My prayer is that as I ask these questions there will be movement, for without movement there is no change.
“For you, a thousand times over.”
I just finished watching The Kite Runner for the first time and was reminded of what a powerful story Khaled Hosseini told. This is a story of real life. Love, pain, heartache, abandonment, betrayal and best of all redemption. Seeing the story and remembering the vivid pictures Hosseini painted with words in his book is enough to brings tears to my eyes.
As I stop and reflect on my brief 27 years of existence I can’t help but wonder how many times I’ve passed up an opportunity for redemption, even if just a simple apology. How long have I been living in a world of self focus not paying attention to how my own story may have been hurting others.
“For you, a thousand times over.”
How many chances at redemption will I get?
I’ve been thinking a lot about story in the last number of months and, especially after reading Sam McLoughlin’s draft of his final chapter on story, this drives the point home that we have lost the art of story telling. So much so that all it takes to make a movie that grosses over $1B is to change the names of characters in an existing movie and add a bunch of cool effects.
Who is telling the most original stories these days?
"…It was the ragged vastness of our different spiritual lives that pointed, for me, to a larger force. It made me even more of a believer to accept that none of us, fundamentalist or radical or orthodox, Muslim or Jew or Christian, could adequately sum God up. If you believed that God had created all life - protozoa and bears, coral and eels, mold and kingfishers and roses - wasn’t it reasonable to assume that there wasn’t one single template for human belief, one single way to get it right?
My way was through the struggles of the world. It meant wrestling with the unavoidably political Gospel of incarnation and murder, and a Jesus who died poor at the hands of an empire. Yet it proclaimed a risen Christ, alive in what I new was the repeating, beating heart of the story - that the face of the stranger is God’s face, and all people are one body: God’s."
My way was through the struggles of the world. It meant wrestling with the unavoidably political Gospel of incarnation and murder, and a Jesus who died poor at the hands of an empire. Yet it proclaimed a risen Christ, alive in what I new was the repeating, beating heart of the story - that the face of the stranger is God’s face, and all people are one body: God’s."
— Take This Bread by Sara Miles page 265
The Lost Art of Storytelling
Have we forgotten how to tell stories? I don’t mean fictional tales meant to entertain but stories from our own histories that give perspective, encouragement and guidance? Think for a moment of the Jewish passover feast which is celebrated to this day. This is a story that has been passed down for centuries from generation to generation telling of how the Jewish people were spared from the angel of death which lead to their exodus from slavery in Egypt. Yes, this is a historical event that happened thousands of years ago but this wasn’t always the case was it? For the Jewish people at that time they weren’t celebrating a historic religious event with people all over the the world. Rather, they were celebrating a life changing event, one that happened the previous year, with their friends and family.
I don’t remember the last time I sat down with my family to rehearse our history. What trials we’ve overcome or the losses we’ve endured. When I need encouragement or guidance in making a decision, I almost always look to the stories of others. Somehow it seems as though my family history has less impact and meaning than others if only because the time has not been taken to rehearse it. The reality is that, regardless of whether we acknowledge it or not, the stories of our past and the people in them have helped shape the way we think and the decisions we make. Maybe it’s time we sit down and reflect on where we’ve come from because those stories will not just impact our future but the future of those around us with whom we share the stories with.
When was the last time you shared or talked about a piece of your history?
I just watched this video by Ryan Lobo @ TED and I started to think how growing up in the western culture I’m quick to judge yet reluctant to forgive. I’m more likely to come up with excuses for my actions than I am to admit I’m wrong. I can’t imagine having my legs shot off and forgiving the man who fired the gun. Can you?
Interesting brainstorm session on ideas to make cities better. It’s worth checking out.
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