How Do You Feel About Interruptions?

 Interruptions come in many forms.  A lightning strike causes your power to go out when your to do list is overloaded.  Your boss calls with a new assignment and you already know you are past deadline on his previous requests.  Your mom calls and you're in a meeting.  Interruptions stink.  If you're like me, you do everything in your power to minimize them.

How do you respond when the big boss interrupts you?  You know who I'm talking about, right?  The one who has messenger angels at his disposal when you don't follow those little nudges in your head asking you to change direction.  You think those nudges might mess with your plans so you ignore them.  The Interruptions get stronger until you realize there a force bigger than you who wants your attention.

In my opinion, there is a creative solution to those pesky interruptions you're trying to deal with.  Stop trying to make plans that deviate from God's plans for your life.  Embrace God's messenger angels when they call on you.  Listen to those gentle voices in your head that are trying to inspire you to change course.  Have a great day.

Dear Mom

 It wasn't easy to find him.  I did it.  It was like using Google to locate him but the privacy settings were set to stealth mode.  I thought maybe I blew it when I was searching for the location of his Sunday night service and couldn't find anything.  He was like the Klingon Bird of Prey that had a cloaking device to keep the tourists out who might disturb the prime directive, helping his college students find Jesus.  Frank and Marilyn, seated in front of me, said the same thing about finding him.  There are so many cathedrals around Duluth and they went to the wrong one before arriving at the packed service.

The world may believe that Jesus is losing popularity these days because attendance is dropping among our youth.  COVID-19 really shook things up.  When I think about what's going on, I can see why they think like that.  I just wanted to write you and let you know I stood in line to shake Fr. Mike's hand and tell him how much you appreciate his virtual services.  I really liked it when Fr. Mike acknowledged something that's been troubling me since my high school days.  That is division in the world.  What bothers me most is the division amongst the believers.  Well, Fr. Mike has a group on campus and even the atheists are welcome.  He's doing his best to share Jesus in ways we rarely see.

If anyone else is reading this letter, I'm going to keep Fr. Mike's location top secret out of respect for his mission and instead pass on his message on my blog.  Fr. Mike was happy to hear how much you enjoy his messages.

Fr. Mike asked me how long I'm staying in Duluth.  I responded I would be here one more Sunday and maybe longer.  Thank you for encouraging me to find him.  This is a treasure hunt experience I will never forget.  Have a great day.

Love, 

Michael 

Lessons on the Road

 There is an advantage to working in areas away from my home.  Sure, I miss my wife and the opportunity for family time.  She allows me the opportunity to travel because I come home with new wisdom acquired from lessons on the road.  I already know in my heart today is going to be one of those days.  It's a sunny, brisk morning and temps will go above 70° today.  I also have a second day off in a row.  The laundry is almost done and I'm going to get my haircut so I can appear a bit more civilized when I get back to work tomorrow in Duluth.

There is something on today's calendar that intrigues me.  It's an evening worship service with a pastor who is lighting up YouTube with virtual masses.  My wife and I did this the last couple of Sunday mornings together.  Tonight will be live.  What comes to mind is a quote from the east, When the student is ready, the teacher appears.  This teacher happens to be an ordained priest who specializes in serving the youth at the University of Minnesota.  I'm hoping he might be able to teach an old dog new tricks.  I'm counting my blessings I get to go to the cathedral tonight for some worship.  The true test will be when I return home to my wife.  I'm hoping she notices a new sparkle in my eye.  Have a great day.

Today is an Exploration Day

 It's rare when I get comments on this blog.  Sadly, I have filters to keep the spammers out.  Comments are encouraged but not required.  I'm thankful a reader took the time to interact.  I will use today's blog to answer the question, what are you doing in Northern Minnesota?"  I'm in Duluth as support staff for a new location my company is opening.  Since I'm not authorized to speak on tbeir behalf, I do my best to share personal stories only.  Although I'm a trainer for my day job, I have no management authority.  I like to call myself a servant leader beacause my role here in Duluth is to teach our culture to the new hires.

As for today and tomorrow, I'm in explorer mode.  I'm hoping to use my two days off to see the surrounding area.  Stay tuned for nature pictures.  Thanks to the reader who reached out.  Have a great day.

The Best Adventures are in the Unknown

 Odds are you woke up this morning on automatic pilot.  If your subconscious programming is running at your optimum performance levels, good for you.  You will have a repeat of that glorious day you had yesterday provided you don't modify your routine.  If your life falls short of what you believe to be higher expectations, read on.  I'm with you.  Warning!  Your roller coaster ride may get bumpy.

The longer I live, the more I pursue the unknown.  Today is a great example.  I'm in a new city surrounded by strangers who proudly call themselves Duluthians.  They are interesting people.  What's most interesting is my subconscious software doesn't know what to do.  The other night I went out to dinner and discovered many of the roads were closed.  My navigation software guided me to the restaurant where I met some day job teammates.  My cell phone battery died and I found myself completely lost.  Even though I could feel my heart skipping a couple of beats, I decided to embrace my situation.  By the way, the storm clouds rolled in adding intensity to my predicament.  I knew I couldn't drift too far from my destination because I was near Lake Superior.

Seek the unknown.  Try new things.  Get lost.  Let your brain enjoy new experiences.  Keep the routines in your life that serve you well and let go of the habits that force you into mediocrity.  Have a great day.

Happy Birthday to my Cousin

 If you caught a glimpse of my back cover from "The Caveman in the Mirror," Dr. John Mulligan wrote it. He's read every one of my 4,401 blog stories.  He sends gentle nudges in his text messages if a story is overdue. He even committed to play doubles with me should we both be fortunate enough to still be playing tennis when we become age eligible for the men's 90+ age group.  Today is his birthday.  I taught him how to play tennis in high school.  He taught me how to understand why my blood pressure acted up due to eating certain foods that cause inflammation.  

If life is a game, my cousin is in a rare breed of people who are game changers.  His specialty?  Inspiring others to discover their potential.  He's the leader of the pack of a plethora of new doctors in the Mulligan family who will be dedicated to saving lives.  Thanks,  cousin, for inspiring me to live a long and healthy life.  You intervened when I had two strikes against me.  Happy birthday!  Your favorite lab rat is enjoying the game of life thanks to your brilliant ideas.  Have a great day.

Jesus is Pulling the Strings

 I woke up in Duluth this morning.  The sun is about to light up a layer  of stratus clouds hovering along the horizon.  A dense forest is just outside my hotel room.  The winds are strong and the temps are ten degrees below my comfort zone.  I get this idea that Jesus thrives when his followers give him the opportunity to create new opportunities for growth.

I'm a bit surprised to be here.  I'm in an area that belongs to a different leadership team and all the indications were for me to be in Indiana today.  That's okay.  Jesus worked some of his biggest miracles when he was furthest from his roots.  There is something inside me that tells me to go with the flow and allow Jesus to pull the strings.  There is a blank slate in front of me today.  I'm going to start by admiring the pastels in the morning sunrise.  Stay tuned.  It's going to be an exciting ride.  Have a great day.