Skip to main content

“I used to think I needed an office to be a lawyer, but now I know all I need is an island.”

A thought by Bob Goff, (2012-05-01) from his book, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World (Kindle Locations 134-135). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

And that beginning thought by Bob caught my attention.  The island is Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland.  I have had an Annual Pass to Disney World and I now have an Annual Pass to Disneyland and I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island.  And that speaks to too many of us and our trek through life.

Oh I’ve looked across and seen it many times but I didn’t think it looked very interesting or exciting so I stayed on my side of the water and never adventured to the other side to see what was there.  But Bob did and he says, “I do all of my best thinking on Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland. There’s a picnic table at the end of a little pier right across from the pirate ship. I suppose most people think this place is just a prop because there are a couple of wooden kegs marked “gunpowder” and some pirate paraphernalia hung over the railings. But it’s not just a prop to me; it’s my office.”

So many of us step into the norm of life and never escape.  If I’m a lawyer then I need to have an office.  Did you see the movie or read the book by Michael Connelly called, The Lincoln Lawyer?  Mike Haller’s office is his Lincoln car.  It fits who he is.  It fits him.

But what about us?  I mean there is no way that we can make a difference without an office or church building or wearing a tie or whatever it is that our world says we have to do.  But maybe that is the problem, we strive to do what other people do than what God created us to be and to do.

So I’ve been in a rut for a few days.  I am tired of doing what I have been doing and I need to break out so I am going to go to the Fillmore Station here in Pasadena and get on a train and go to Long Beach with my computer and Kindle Fire for a day of thinking, reading and writing.

By the way, Margaret and I are going to Tom Sawyer Island the next time we are at Disneyland.  I wonder if I will see Bob.

So what do you need to do to break out of your rut?  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...