Category Archives: Inspiration

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You’re Welcome on Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving rolls around once again, I want to thank you for telling me, “You’re welcome.” I’ve been writing this blog for a number of years now (with a significant lay off over the past months). I am now back to writing two to three times a week. It feels good to have the words flowing once again. As I’ve written over these past years, many of you have said to me:

  • “You’re welcome to come into my inbox by way of email.”
  • “You’re welcome to come to my computer screen by way of Facebook.”
  • “You’re welcome to come across my Twitter feed multiple times a week.”
  • “You’re welcome to share your thoughts and ideas with me.”

thank you words written on the sand of the beach

Thank you for welcoming my thoughts and ideas into your mind and into your life. Over the next months I will be introducing some new things at tomeggebrecht.com, and I’d love you to be a part of them. I am finishing a book that will come out next year called, “Fully and Creatively Alive.” I’m also going to introduce a podcast under the same name. I’ll be interviewing people who are living out life “fully and creatively alive.”

If you enjoy or appreciate the things that you see here, I’d appreciate it if you would look to your right and fill in the blank with your email address so that you can receive posts right in your inbox. You’ll also be the first to be alerted when my book comes out and when the podcast starts.

Today I want to say you’re welcome:

  • You’re welcome to take my thoughts and ideas and translate them into your life.
  • You’re welcome to comment on my posts and let me know what you’d like me to write about.
  • You’re welcome to share posts with your friends and social media contacts.

More than that, I want to say Thank You. Thank you for reading. Thank you for responding. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for caring enough for spending a few minutes of your day with me.

What is one thing you’d like to have me write about? 

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Don’t Give Up

It seems like simple and obvious advice, but here’s my advice for today: Don’t give up. I was recently in the presence of a man who has given up. Life has dealt him a great many blows. He’s living in a nursing home. He’s been plagued with diseases that have his body and mind whittled down to a fraction of his former self. In his day he was active, and agile, and very, very smart.

Do not give up on blue chalkboard with the hand of businessman.

But now he has given up. You can see it in his eyes and sense it in his demeanor. I can’t say that I blame him. I hurt for him and hope for him. His life is a far cry from what it once was. I feel helpless when I’m in his presence. I want to tell him not to give up, and I want him to heed the advice with all his heart and have him translate it to his weak limbs.

May it never be said of me that I have given up. And here’s some encouragement that it never be said of you, either. There is to much to learn. There are too many opportunities. Technology has given us opportunity after opportunity to grow, and discover, and even draw or increase income. Information is exploding minute by minute and day by day. And we have access to much of it with just a keystroke or two.

I have recently been avidly listening to a podcast called “EOFire” (Entrepreneur on Fire). I am fascinated by each episode hosted by John Lee Dumas. Dumas interviews wildly successful entrepreneurs seven days a week. Each day he asks the same series of questions to his guest. One question he asks each day is:

What was your lowest entrepreneurial moment?

You should hear the stories. Successful entrepreneurs talk about the times when people swindled them, or they were down to their last dollars, or they had to close down a business. But in every single case the entrepreneur goes on to tell the story of how they didn’t give up. They kept pressing on. If one business failed they went ahead and started another. They knew they had it in them. They knew they could be successful.

One man was doing door-to-door multi-level marketing in Utah. He didn’t make one single sale. He finally realized that his problem was that he only cared about himself and about making money. He didn’t care at all about his customers or what their needs or desires were. So he quit his door-to-door sales and went into a business that focused on the customer. He kept plugging, and pushing, and going until he turned a profit and began to operate an extremely successful business.

There is always something you can do each and every day to work toward your goal. Start small. Keep plugging. Keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t let a day go by without doing something that will get you one step closer to where you want to be.

Don’t.

Give.

Up.

What would be your advice to someone who feels as though they want to give up?

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There Is Hope

I was going to preach about hope tomorrow, anyway. But now I guess I’ll have to change my sermon. The reality of the need for hope just hit home for the people of Paris. And when it hit home for them, it hit all too close to home for us, as well.

sky cloud hope concept word inside heart shape

Without getting into the politics of all of it, we know that our faith and our free lifestyle are now targets. We’ve seen the evidence of it in the Christian martyrs who have already given their lives for their faith just over the course of the past couple of years. These are dark times. Racial issues divide us. Politics anger us. Terrorism terrifies us.

There is really only One Thing that can bring hope into the midst of all of this.

In the aftermath of the acts of terror in Paris, the hashtag #prayforparis began to trend. One Paris artist responded with a cartoon asking us not to pray for Paris. He wrote:

Friends from the whole world, thank you for #prayforparis, but we don’t need more religion! Our faith goes to music! Kisses! Life! Champagne and joy! #parisisaboutlife

He’s right about one thing: they don’t need more “religion.” I feel very badly for that cartoonist, and so many others, who have only temporal things in which to trust. To put it bluntly, what they need is more Jesus. He’s the only One who brings comfort, peace, and, yes, hope to a situation that seems unbearably horrific. He’s the only One who delivers comfort in the face of brutal death. He’s the only One who says to those left behind: There is hope.

Whom else do you know has conquered death and the grave through His own bodily resurrection? What other faith delivers forgiveness and freedom from sin in the miracle of baptism? Who else but Christians can say to their loved ones: “Death is not the end. I will see you again.”

Jesus says:

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:13)

In light of what’s going on in the world, we don’t know when the end or our end will be. But for those with faith in Jesus we do know One Thing: When the end comes, we will be saved. We will, as N.T. Wright says, live a life after life after death. We will put all of our gifts and talents to use joyfully loving and serving one another while loving and serving our Savior in the new heaven and new earth that will be created especially for us. And there will be no more dark times, racial issues, politics, or terror of any kind.

As Henry Lyte wrote in the old hymn:

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still if Thou abide with me. (Abide With Me, Stanza 5)

Yes, there is hope. Even, and especially, in times like this.

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From Corporate to Creative

Daniel Robinson is a bookkeeping and business kind of guy. He’s not really who you’d think of when you think of a “creative.” But there was a creative spark deep down inside of him that he couldn’t ignore as he sat in his Kansas City corporate cubicle.

Colored wooden toys

“About 2 years into working at my corporate job I felt this restlessness. I wasn’t happy. I could see it when I came home from work in the way I was interacting with people. There was this emptiness that I didn’t really understand. I quickly figured out that it was because I was doing something that didn’t excite me,” Daniel said.  So the not-quite-thirty-year-old heeded the advice of some Nashville friends, quit his corporate job, and moved in with them for five weeks just to clear his head and discover adventure.

He ended up working for a business management company in Nashville. The job revolved around a different process, but it ended up being the same old corporate thing. So he went and got a part time job, and began to help his buddy do business management for a successful singer-songwriter. For a few months he did the work for free. Once the songwriter’s team realized he was pretty dog gone good at what he did, they brought him on to do paid work, and his business management company was born.

At his corporate job, Daniel remembered thinking that he would never use the skills he was learning there in the cubicle. But now he’s using all the skills that he acquired from both of those companies to help other people who are on the creative path. Daniel is passionate about interacting with people and helping them. Now he creatively cares for and loves people by taking on the moving parts of their lives and enabling them to focus on just a few things. His clients include musicians, entrepreneurs, and independent artisans.

You can almost hear the “corporate” Daniel coming out when he says, “Be ‘mindful’ of what it is you’re good at. Hear what people say you’re good at. Don’t ignore it. People don’t just tell you you’re good at things when you’re not. People have told me ‘you’re good at this.’ That’s why I have a little business today.”

But don’t think for a minute that there isn’t a creative side to him as well. Daniel’s encouragement to those who feel trapped in a corporate life is to be creative in  figuring out what it is you’re good at. When you notice that you have some special skills you can start to foster those and press into them. You can do it whether you’re coming out of college or if you’re forty years into a corporate job.

He says, “If you want to do something on your own, take notice of the skills you have that people will pay you for. In all reality I don’t know if three or four years ago I even really wanted to be a business manager. I wanted to be a design guru. But I learned that I’m skilled in this area and people can pay me right now. And out of that has come this really rewarding fun job where I get to work for myself.”

Moving out of the corporate life and into his own business has made Daniel happier than he’s ever been. He says, “I might not be making the most money, or have a home right now, but I’m more happy than I’ve ever been in all aspects of life: work, relationships, being active.”

The next time you drive by an office building, think about all the creativity that’s pent up in those corporate cubicles. Maybe it’s your own. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a “Daniel” inside of you waiting to move from corporate to creative and experience a brand new life.

“I can remember sitting at my old job and wondering what it would be like to be outside, work in a coffee shop, or go get food and not feel pressure about taking a little time to go and get it.”

What skills do you have that people might pay you for right now?

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Creatively Filling In Life’s Unexpected Blanks

What do you do when the sentences of life provide an unexpected “fill-in-the-blank”? I recently spoke with photographer Mikaela Hamilton, who found a “blank” in her life and creatively filled it in with color and light.

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Photo credit: Mikaela Hamilton Photography

Mikaela grew up focusing on athletics, and was an avid soccer player. Throughout most of her young life she was a “closet creative.” She always had an interest in creative pursuits, but never thought she’d be able to chase after them.  Mikaela always found herself boxed into the “athlete category.”

She intended to go to college to play soccer, but injured her knee. More than that, she was burned out on soccer, but didn’t want to admit it to herself. Since she was no longer going to play soccer, she found herself at school with an abundant amount of free time. Knee surgery had removed from her everything she had known. Her family wasn’t around, and she was surrounded by people who knew nothing about her.

Life had given her a “fill-in-the-blank.” She figured she could discover a whole new outlet for herself. She asked for a camera for her 20th birthday, and with it went to the Dominican Republic on a spring break with a group from her school. It was there that she discovered just how she was going to fill in the blank of her life.

In the Dominican Republic she volunteered at an elementary school. There was a little boy there named Sam, who had striking hazel eyes. She snapped a picture of him, looked at it and thought, “I really like this whole photo thing.” She went back to school and started shooting anything she could get in front of her camera: engagement photos, sorority houses, weddings…anything she could possibly put into the form of digital print.

This all led to her getting a job at the university with their Department of Technology and Design. Mikaela started to learn the technical side of photography with the incredible equipment she was able to access in that department. She stopped shooting everything on the automatic setting, and learned about light and exposure.

The sentences of life are almost certain to give a “fill-in-the-blank” every now and then. 

  • The question is what will you do with them?
  • Why not take those blanks and fill them in with the pursuit of passions and dreams?
  • What is it that has been latent in your life and wants to bubble up to the surface?
  • What is it that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time?

Fill in the blank with something that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time. Fill it in with incremental pursuits of a passion you’ve always had. Fill in the blank with photography, or art, or writing, or crafting, or making, or creating. Fill it in with color, light, and creativity.

Mikaela did it, and you can see the products of her pursuit right here. You can do it, too. Keep an eye out for those sentences in life that provide a wonderfully unexpected “fill-in-the-blank”.

What have you done when life has provided a ________________?

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My Little Girl is Getting Married

My little girl is getting married. This Friday a lifetime of love and nurture will come to fruition in an institution as old as the world itself. A day that I never imagined would come is just about here.

Wedding Father Daughter

The house is quiet except for the drone of a Monday Night Football blowout. The bride-to-be has gone to bed, as has her mother. They are both over-tired from the hustle, bustle, and stress of wedding preparations. It’s the calm before the storm. Tomorrow relatives and friends begin to arrive for an event that will take place, God-willing, only once in our daughter’s lifetime.

The Florida summer has eased a bit into what we might call “fall” in these parts. Prayers are ascending that the rain will hold off to give way to a beautiful outdoor wedding reception. The caterer has been booked, and is set to go. The wedding dress has been bought, fitted, and altered. A limousine has been reserved. The photographer and videographer have their marching orders and will provide the evidence that a great time was had by all.

The mother-of-the-bride has bought her dress. In fact, she bought two “just in case.”

The groom has been working two jobs to save up for the honeymoon, as well as the coming first months of marriage. He’s the kind of person any father would want his daughter to marry. He treats her well, understands her, gives her what she needs, and knows how to deal with her occasional “issues.” He’s a great guy. Now he’s off of work until after the honeymoon. He deserves it.

The bride’s brother will be providing part of the entertainment for the reception. That’s what you do if you have a band of Nashville musicians and you love your sister like he does. His perfectionism will no doubt add some stress to the week, but we all love him for it, because we know that the end product will be something people will remember for years to come.

His girlfriend has been showered with so much talent by her Maker, that she is doing more than anyone might ever expect. She designed the “save the dates” and invitations. She conceived of the decorations and put them together. She will be doing the flowers. She might even be heard singing in the wedding service.

Invitations went out long ago. The results are in, and we now have a pretty good idea of those who will be joining us for the wedding and reception. We’ll really miss the people who are unable to attend. We’ll think of them as we raise our glasses. At the same time, we will so much appreciate those who are there to support, encourage, and celebrate.

I bought a new suit, shirt, and tie. I am in the midst of writing a homily that I will share with my friend, and fellow pastor, who has known our daughter since she was two years old. We will stand before the couple and remind them of the most important thing in any marriage: the love and forgiveness of Jesus, given and shared. And I will try not to cry.

It seems like just yesterday that she was two. I remember the stages of crawling, walking, defiantly refusing to take her medicine, learning to read, giggling with friends, auditioning for plays and getting the parts, braces, high school football games and friends…

And the day we dropped her off at college nine hours away from home. It just so happened to be the place she would mature in her faith, live on her own, learn how to be an adult, and find her future husband.

Now she’s getting married this Friday.

Today we ran some errands together. We stopped for lunch. At the table next to us there was another father there with his daughter who must have been about five years old. I almost encouraged him to enjoy the time with his little girl, but he seemed to be doing so just fine. I’m certain, before he knows it, that little girl will be getting married.

We enjoyed our time together, as well, she and I. It was probably that last time we had alone before she is a married woman. We shared our love of food. Then we got a new windshield wiper for her car. Seemingly mundane stuff, but eternally special in the grand scheme of things.

Because she will always be my little girl.

What memories do you have of a special time or event in your life?

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Magic Moments Delivered by Yellow Envelopes

The mail has become very important for us these days. Our daughter’s wedding invitations went out in early July. Now every day we anxiously go the the mail box looking for little yellow envelopes that contain replies to the wedding.

HiRes copy

More than an avalanche, it has been a trickle. Each day we get one, or two, or maybe three replies. All the while I’m anxiously wanting to figure out what will be the bottom line. How much money will come out of my pocket to provide our guests with a nice evening and a fun party to celebrate Ashlyn and Josh bringing their two lives together?

But the trickle of tiny envelopes is a reminder to me that this is yet another special season of life. The march of the postal parcels will soon enough give way to the march of the beautiful bride down the aisle. So for now, it is well enough to take one day at a time and enjoy hearing from friends and family all across the country.

From the very beginning my wife, Tammy, and I have always made certain to appreciate each season of our children’s lives. We cherished the

  • tiny fingers and first teeth
  • frosting-faced kids eating first birthday cakes
  • the transition from tricycle to bicycle
  • preschool and kindergarten
  • school days and little league
  • talent shows and birthday parties
  • homework and report cards
  • high school friends filling the house
  • baseball games and main stage plays
  • senior awards and graduation
  • picking a college and moving away
  • far away phone calls and long evening drives

And now a wedding.

Time is a gift from God that never stops…and never stops giving. Though we often take it for granted, and sometimes wish it away, every day time gives us moments that are magic if we just open our eyes.

So I’m going to enjoy heading to the mail box for the next few weeks. And when I take out a tiny yellow envelope, I will think of the wonderful moments leading up to this one. And I will look forward to the many more that are yet to come.

What is it that reminds you of magic moments in time?

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Have a Coke and a…Smile

Someone gave me a Coke, and it made me smile. No, really. It did.

closeup of smile with white teeth

A couple of weeks ago at church, one of our younger members walked up to me after the service and handed me a Coke. It was one of those “share a Coke” bottles that had my name on it. It said: “Share a Coke with Tom.”

I smiled.

Relationship Counselor, and author, Gary Chapman says that people express and receive love in five different languages: 

  1. Words of Affirmation
  2. Acts of Service
  3. Receiving Gifts
  4. Quality Time
  5. Physical Touch

I took the quiz a while ago and found out that my “love language” is Receiving Gifts. It means I like to show my love by giving gifts, and I feel very loved when I receive gifts.

My young friend didn’t know it, but with her thoughtful little gift she made me feel loved. It was more special to me than she probably even knew. I haven’t been able to drink the Coke from the bottle. I just like looking at it on my desk. No matter how small the token, it’s a reminder that someone thought of me.

All this made me wonder how many simple opportunities we all pass up every day to do something, no matter how small, to show someone that he or she is loved and appreciated. Maybe you don’t know what someone’s “love language” is, but you could certainly use one of the five to show someone attention and appreciation today.

Notice something someone is doing and “affirm” her.

Offer to take some work or a chore off of his hands.

Give a small gift.

Spend more than a passing moment. Sit for a moment and really listen.

Give a hug or pat a back.

Or share a Coke with a friend whose name is on the bottle.

I bet they’ll smile.

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An Important Lesson from the Life, and Death, of Robin Williams

I am often in the minority when it comes to this type of thing. It seems that celebrities over whom much of society fauns are least on my list of favorites. I was never much of a Robin Williams fan. It’s tough to trust someone who, in interviews, never gives a straight answer. I was uncomfortable with the fact that I could never really tell who Robin Williams was as a person. His comedy seemed a bit too bizarre, too off-kilter for me (as I said, I realize I’m in the minority).

Robin Williams star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Having said that, Robin Williams starred in what is probably my favorite movie of all time: Dead Poets Society. Though it makes me cry every time I see it, I cry because it touches me and moves me to the core. It reminds me of the kind of teacher my father was: creative, against the grain, memorable. It ignites in me my creative spirit. It shows the importance of freedom for creativity and the value of a caring mentor. When he wanted to be, Robin Williams was a great actor.

There is no doubt that Robin Williams’ life “mattered.” Just witness the outpouring on Twitter, Facebook, Television, and all other media upon news of his death. His life and career had an impact on millions upon millions of people.

And now, maybe even more so.

I have lately been doing a great deal of contemplating over the phrase: “Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” No doubt, Robin Williams was fighting his own battles as is evidenced in the news reports regarding his recent (and not so recent) life. People have treated me in ways that show they have no idea the battles I face, and I’m certain I have treated people in ways that show I have no idea the battles they face.

If Robin Williams’ death will remind us that we all face battles, maybe, at least for a time, we will all be a bit more kind. Perhaps we will put the best construction on everything. Maybe we’ll stop talking about people in unkind ways and stabbing them in the back. Perhaps we’ll listen harder, have more compassion, and get people the help they really need when they need it.

No, Robin Williams wasn’t my favorite comedian or actor. But his troubled life and untimely death are an important lesson for us all: “Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”

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What Are You Passionate About?

It all started a few days ago when I read a tweet by Allison Vesterfelt (you really should check out her blog, you know…it’s really that good) that said: “Instead of asking people what they do, ask them what they’re passionate about. Great advice from @theminimalists (you should check them out, too).” So I posted the statement on my Facebook page, and that’s when the fun began.

Passion

As people “liked” my post, I specifically asked them what they were passionate about. People were readily willing to answer the question. What great and interesting answers there were:

  • Baking!
  • Accompanying other musicians on the piano
  • Kids. From teaching Sunday School to coaching soccer. I love working with kids.
  • My family
  • Good words. However they are expressed.
  • Helping my students be the best they can, my family, and following the Lord
  • Training, equipping, and encouraging people in the gifts God has given them

Then someone asked me what I was passionate about. The funny thing about your passions is that they are right at your fingertips. You don’t even have to think about what they are. You know immediately.

So, I said: “I’m passionate about helping and encouraging people to chase after their dreams.” I immediately thought about how I helped our kids do that. I thought of how I loved encouraging college students to do it in my thirteen years of teaching at a university.  I thought of how, even now, I have a mentoring group of four young men that I love encouraging to pursue and follow after their dreams. I provide them materials to read that will help them think and dream. I encourage them to write down goals. I enjoy one-on-one time with each of them to provide personal encouragement.

But that isn’t my only passion. The small amount of space on social media won’t allow for my other passions, things like:

  • My family
  • Music of all kinds
  • My relationship with my Savior
  • Biking
  • Date nights with my wife
  • Eating good food
  • The Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers

We are complex people who have many and various kinds of passions. But it sure is fascinating to ask someone what theirs is, and hear which is the first to come out of her mouth. It gets deep into the depths of a person with one quick question and answer.

So I’m going to ask you. I want to know you better. I want to learn from you.

What are you passionate about?