Posts made in September, 2013
Obedience // David Bouchard
David Bouchard Adventure. Risk. What did I get myself into? I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for the Start Experiment. The pendulum of my life was already starting to swing from ordinary to awesome when I spotted the fateful blog post. I had been focusing my life on listening to God and seeking His guidance. It had become clear that He wanted me to write. He had given me an idea for a book. He had even delivered it in an incredible package. Gift wrapped, with a huge bow on top. Yet I had been refusing to act. I had actually just made the decision to finally start when I found out about the Start Experiment. Is writing an adventure? Is obedience awesome? Although the goal that I shared with others was a specific writing goal, in my head my goal was really an act of obedience. It doesn’t matter if what I write gets published. It doesn’t even matter if anyone else ever reads it. The important thing is to write. Not because of some clever idea I have, but simply because God asked me to. Once the experiment started, I connected with some incredible people. I rediscovered how passionate I can be about the dreams of others. I truly delighted in reading about what the others were up to…whether it was trying to meet the president or attending a yoga class. I rejoiced with every success and encouraged others through every challenge. See, I rediscovered that I’m addicted to life change in whatever form it takes. I discovered that the relationships are much more meaningful than the risks. In addition to all that, though, my simple act of nearly insignificant obedience has resulted in substantial change in my own life. An outsider would notice the change in my sleep schedule. This night owl has been getting up at 5AM for about seven weeks in order to write. If you could look much deeper than that, there is also a rekindled connection with God. I see Him working again. Not just in my life, but in the world around me. I have definitely missed these glimpses. God has done some pretty crazy things in my life. Awesome things. It’s been quiet for too long, though. Now I feel like I’m hitting a spiritual peak at exactly the right time. My wife and I just returned from our third mission trip to Brazil. And at the end of the month, I’ll be a chaplain at our county fair. These times are always full of ministry and God’s presence. More significantly than that, though, my family and I have taken in a 17 year old girl that needs a home. She’ll be living with us as she finishes up her senior year. Like writing, this isn’t a “short term” event. This is a commitment made through love. This is daily obedience, even when it’s hard. God used the Start Experiment to teach me that it’s not only possible, but it’s also important, to disrupt life for the sake of obedience to Him. He often uses the little things that we do every day in order to prepare us for the big things He has planned. God-sized “awesome” is way better than anything I could ever do on my own. So… adventure? Risk? Awesome? Sign me...
Read MoreBigger Dream // Ashley Revely
Ashley Revely In Round 1 of the START Experiment, I was a wallflower. I didn’t buy into the thought of successful community maintenance with strangers via Facebook. I wasn’t even sold on the dream that I was dreaming. Then, in the second round, I decided that it was a “get what you give” scenario. I let myself dream and ended up finding my real dream. I have lost 55lbs in 5 months, and have chosen this START round to ditch the scales and numeric means of tracking progress to be as body-positive as I can. My ultimate goal is to lose 60 more pounds, get my fitness certification, and become a body positive fitness coach. I was encouraged by others to dream bigger. I shared my heart and now it swells with the sense of belonging I now have. I jump around in subgroups and am really active on #STARTsingles, but I love the main group too. While I love the thrill of likeminded individuals, I also glean from dreamers dreaming different dreams. I even found someone doing what I am longing to do, and would have never found her otherwise because her goal isn’t in the same subgroup as mine. I am thankful for the START Experiment. ...
Read MoreHello, Monsters
Hello, Monsters by Nicole Romero There was a time when my daughter was very scared of monsters. These were nights of 3 am room visits and long conversations in the dark; nights when the blinking light on the smoke detector threatened to eat her in her sleep. “Face your monsters,” I’d say. “Monsters chase us when we run. But, when you turn to face them, they either run away or they play with you.” I wrote this poem as a way to finally take my own advice and face down my fears. No more lost years. No more hiding. I needed to turn and face my own monsters. “Fear is a lion, that only backs down when we stop acting like prey and stand our ground.” Nicole Romero is a poet, speaker and joy ninja… a girl learning to punch fear in the face one word at a time. Writing at www.1000strands.com....
Read MoreMeet the Generosity Project Winners!
Great ideas are typically sparked by two unrelated events. For The Generosity Project, it was a combination of an anonymously donated ticket and a Chick Fil A drive thru. Who would have ever guessed that those two events would spark the birth of #STARTJoy? Casey Lewis, who is passionate about being generous, witnessed these two random acts of kindness, and an instant question came to mind. “What if we could be generous, and as a START Experiment community, join together to send one person to the conference with all travel expenses paid?” Quickly, the idea moved from “what if” to “how can we make this happen?” The goal was simple: raise $1,000 to send a START Experiment member to the START Conference with airfare, hotel, and a conference ticket. Casey and his team planned to raise the money in one week. However, in the first 90 minutes of the crowd-sourcing campaign, the project was fully funded! It was incredible. Jon Acuff encouraged STARTers to keep moving forward. The new goal became #Drivefor5. Sending just one person to the conference seemed inadequate – the new goal would be five. From the leanest of pocket books and from those overflowing, the donations poured in. Donations came from people who were already planning to attend the conference, and also from those who knew it would be impossible to attend. Donations even poured in from people outside of the START Experiment, as well as from Jon Acuff himself! EVERYONE invested in each other. The Generosity Project revealed the true heart of the START community – full of open, accepting, and GENEROUS people who want to make an impact on the world. Today, you get to meet the #STARTjoy Generosity Project scholarship recipients. It’s a chance to see what the judges saw in them. You may also see your own dreams in theirs as you celebrate their opportunity to jump start their dream next week. May Bohon – Fort Worth, Texas They do things big in Texas, right? May’s dream definitely fits that description. May’s dream is to work for Dave Ramsey and help more people get out of debt. “I told Jon in front of 50 people that my big risk is to become his coworker.” May is currently hustling hard on her dream. She has been a faithful #5club member, consistently waking up at 5am. She wrote and posted more to her blog in the first six weeks than she did in the entire previous year. She is also working through physical therapy, and signed up for a graphic design course this fall. “I will learn new ways to hustle, especially from Dana Tanamachi, Jeremy Cowart and Jeff Goins. The Start Conference will help me pursue the creative side of our beautiful world. Meeting more Lampo people will teach me how to be a valuable candidate for their creative team. And, meeting fellow STARTers will keep our unstoppable community moving!” May desperately wanted to attend the conference, but she was forced to make a tough decision. She had to choose between her own debt snowball, which she and her husband have been diligently working on, and the conference. She made the wise decision to put her debt snowball before the trip. But now, thanks to the Generosity Project and #STARTJoy, she will get the best of both options! Malori Fuchs – Frisco, Texas Malori is punching fear in the face while her husband is deployed in Afghanistan. She has an audacious goal of officially becoming a Quitter in the next nine months. She writes about living the Warrior life. Her dream is to help other military wives/fiancées/girlfriends know they are not alone. She also hopes to help non-military families understand what is like to have a family member serving in the Armed Forces. She wants to help people realize that they can be a warrior, too. She wants to help people learn to be passionate and fearless when they are fighting for what is important in their lives. “As tough as dealing with...
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