The Global Positioning System

 

     

A few days ago, a friend and I had lunch together. Catching up as friends do, he asked what I've been up to. For the sake of the post, I will call him "Jake."

Jake: So, what have you been up to lately?

Me: Oh, going to school, going to work.

Jake: Oh, what are you studying?

Me: Sociology.

Jake: Nice. So what are you gonna do after that? Be a counselor?

Me: Actually, I want to start a school. I've been wanting to reform education ever since I was in third grade. I asked the school counselor if I need to get my BA in Education. He said I didn't, and recommended I take sociology. 

Jake: Wow man, that's pretty inspiring! You'll be like Tony Robbins speaking in front of thousands of people with a little "Janet Jackson mic!" 

Me: LOL! Yeah, that's what I imagined. This all started last February when I was asked, "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" After meditating on it for about a month, I realized that I wanted to head toward the direction of education reform; the end goal is to reform education, however lofty and idealistic it may be. John F, Kennedy said, referring to his presidential ideals, "All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin." 

I see the goal-setting aspect of life like a GPS; before I start my car, I enter in my destination. Do I want to go San Francisco? Oakland? LA? Vegas? New York? I decide. In Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, Alice asked the Cheshire Cat which road she should take. The cat responded, "where do you want to go?" In which Alice replied, "I don't know. It really doesn't matter." Says the cat, "If you don't know where you want to go, then any road will get you there." 

The GPS is a wonderful invention. I honestly don't know how I'd get around without it, and how I ever did get around before I had it. It's amazing;  I can go wherever I want in the country as long as I have a specific address and satellite reception. Not only will I know where to go, but the GPS also tells me how long it will take for me to get there, and the distance it is from where I am to where my destination is. What's even more fascinating is that even when I make a wrong turn, even when I go left when it says, "go right," the GPS doesn't make me feel stupid or condemn me; it simply says, "recaluclating." Given, it  will take me longer to get to my destination, but it doesn't mean that I will never get there. 

I think a lot of us beat ourselves up because we made some mistakes in life, or we made a few wrong turns (or for some, several wrong turns.). Rest assured there is a purpose and plan for you life, and the GPS is already set; for some the reception just needs to reach the satellite. If you are reading this and feel like you are Alice conversing with the Cheshire Cat, send me a message and we can chat. I don't know the specifics of exactly what your destiny entails, but I may be able encourage you in some way.

Jake: Check out what my fortune cookie says...

Me: (reading) "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

With one year down and nine to go, I'm excited for what the future has in store. The future is coming whether you live your dreams or not, so I invite you to live it with me!

An Evening with Adam

Today, I heard Adam Leipzig speak on “Hollywood Creativity and Entrepreneurship.” Mr. Leipzig stood about 5’7”, 5’8” and delivered a timely and refreshing message, not with fervor and intensity, but with poise and a gentleness that invited and challenged the listeners to transform society “ten percent over the next ten years.” The challenge was presented, and I accepted the challenge.

Adam Leipzig is the Senior Vice President of Walt Disney Studios and President of National Geographic Films, with successes including "Dead Poets Society" and "March of the Penguins." He spoke about “niches” and “micro-niches,” and revealed to us the value of vulnerability: “The thing that the world wants most is the most vulnerable thing you have... What if you made a small difference over a medium length of time?”

The highlight of the evening was when Mr. Leipzig opened the floor for questions, and I was offered the mic. I used the 30 second window to introduce myself, sharing that I am a student whose desire is to reform education and who was inspired by a man teaching calculus on YouTube who has a world-wide classroom. Mr. Leipzig, being an advocate of “strengths-management” asked me what I was “superbly good at,” in which I could go home this evening and upload an instruction video that would immediately gain 5 students. I answered “networking,” after a few moments of hesitation.

After the talk, I lingered for a bit. I did this purposefully, because I knew that I would find at least one person who would come up to me with some valuable information after I declared my intention to the room, on air, and online. This person did, in fact, appear. “Are you the education guy?” she asked. “That’s me!” “Have you heard of Udacity?” (I, in fact, did. I just read about them a few weeks ago in a magazine article.) “Ben Nelson just got granted $25 million in seed funding for Minerva, his Ivy-League start-up. Contact him and ask for a job.”

That’s in fact what I will do.    

I,Too,Have A Dream

Forty-nine years ago, a great man with an audacious dream boldly declared his sentiments: He spoke for unity and not division; peace, not war; love, not hate; content of character, not color of skin. He spoke of brotherhood of men, not destruction of fools.

Forty-nine years later, I speak of my own dream. It, too, is a dream deeply rooted in the American Dream. I have a dream that one day, students will be tested not on the information they memorized, but on the relationships they built, the projects they made. I have a dream that students will be educated holistically, not segmentally. I have a dream that teachers will be paid what they are worth, and not with the leftovers of the state. I have a dream that education will be a “discovery process,” not an “employment process.” I have a dream that students will no longer graduate with a question over their heads, but with an exclamation over their hearts; that every student will clearly know Who they are, How they are, Why they are, and What they are to do, upon graduation.

Every human being was created with a purpose, and every human being is significant. I have a dream that one day, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestant and Catholics will know that purpose, and discover the great joy of education - of drawing out – that purpose instilled in childbirth.

NTLP 2012: "The Best Day Ever"

In my last post, I mentioned about the importance of leadership camps. I just returned from staffing at National Teen Leadership Program in Sacramento, California, and my life was made more rich! I met more people, learned more skills, challenged myself, stepped out of my comfort zone, expanded my mind, and re-opened my eyes. I met old friends and made new ones. I re-explored a once familiar environment and familiarized myself with it once again. 150 young adults were awakened, educated, and completely transformed over the course of three days, and I was greatly honored and privileged to be a part of that transformation. This post is a brief synopsis of what I personally got from the weekend.

What constitutes having a great experience? This past weekend, I heard a young man tell his father, “This has been the greatest experience of my life.” I heard another young man say, “This was this best day ever.” A young lady in my group wrote me a note saying, “You… have taught me skills I will use everyday of my life. Thank you so much for giving your time to be here.” 

One definition of the word “experience” is “a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something; knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone.” What these young adults had over these past three days was a true experience. For me, when I think of an experience, it implies a wide gamut of emotions: happy, sad, thrilled, exhilarated, nervous, joyful, amazed, inspired, etc. It is possible to have an experience with just one or two emotions, but when a full spectrum of emotions are turned on from one extreme to another in short amount of time, that definitely creates a memorable experience. In three days, 150 lives were impacted through the efforts of a group of devoted leaders. This is just a taste:

Day 1 – True Leadership. There is a quotation in the I-Ching that states, “The leader is not the one with the most followers; the leaders is the one who duplicates the most leaders.” Right off the bat this was made true for me when I took pride in the fact that two young ladies from the first group I led in 2007 have now become staff leaders four consecutive years in a row. Wow.  This day was about meeting new people with similar interests and reconnecting with seasoned friends. I met people who shared my same faith (Jesus), my same calling (education reform), and my same passion (motivational speaking, societal revolution). Of course, many others did not share all my interests, but I am still able to walk with them hand in hand despite not seeing eye to eye. This day I was introduced to the 11 young men and women that my co-leader and I would teach (there were originally 12, but one did not make it). My fear was that I would have a group of rowdy kids I could not control, but that was far from the case. I was so grateful to have been given the opportunity to invest in the lives of these teens, alongside my co-leader. I told them from the beginning, “You guys are not just teenagers, you’re the future; You are the future businesspeople, doctors, lawyers, accountants, athletes, movie stars, etc. Someone told me that if you want to know the future, spend time with a 15-year old. I’m here because I want to make sure our future is bright.” 

Day 2 – Diversity. When I asked these young men and women about the best part of their weekend, most of them mentioned Day 2. This was “Diversity” day. This was a day in which they were able, just for a moment, to be vulnerable and share what they usually don’t share with anyone. Sharing secrets creates trust, and trust forms bonds. How valuable is it to create a safe environment for people to release their inner fears, struggles, and stories? How much is such a cathartic experience worth? To these young men and women, it was the world. Needless to say, I myself walked away with a renewed sense of gratitude, privilege, and respect for life, and for my parents who nurtured me in it. 

Day 3 – The Beginnings. Al Pacino, in the movie “Scent of a Woman” said, “A minute? Some people live a whole lifetime in a minute.” How about three days? By this time, 150 youth have bonded, laughed, cried, and learned together, as one. This was the final day of camp, but the beginning of something great. This was the beginning of a great future that is ahead of 150 young people, with the world in the palm of their hands. It seemed that most, if not every person had their lives changed this weekend. Mark Twain and I share a same sentiment: “I could live a whole month off a compliment.” Before the camp ended, a young lady from my group handed me a note, her face filled with gratitude. The note summed up all the reasons why I did what I did last week:

Robin,

I’m so glad you were my leader for NTLP my first year. I am so inspired by your job and how you have a big dream that you are working hard to accomplish. You [and our co-leader] taught me skills I will use everyday of my life. Thank you so much for giving your time to be here. I hope to see you next year!

Gary Chapman wrote a book entitled, The 5 Love Languages. One of the 5 languages is Words of Affirmation. These words solidified my role and purpose at NTLP. It was the only note I received, but this note has made all the difference for me. I am writing this entry to inspire and encourage you, my reader, to go and spend time with a 15-year old this weekend. If you are already making the future bright living your own life, imagine how much brighter it will be if you invest in the lives of the future.

The Next 10 Years

Last month my pastor Benjamin Robinson gave a message in which he was praying to the Lord to show him where to find a lot with parking space big enough to accommodate our growing congregation. He cried out, “Lord show it to me, show it to me, show me where it is.” My desire was to apply what was taught that day, and so I cried out to God myself saying, “Lord, show me what You want me to ask You for! Show me what You want me to ask You for! Show me what it is! Show me what it is that you want me to ask!” Three days later his wife, Pastor Sunhee Robinson began asking my fellow staff members and me some questions that opened up the next ten years of my life with such clarity, precision, and promise:

“Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How does being on staff here at Living Hope get you to where you’re destined to go?” At first my answer was, “The Ikea building. In ten years, we’ll be in the Ikea building.”

                                      In ten years, WE’LL be in the Ikea building.

The question was, “Where will YOU be in ten years,” and I answered with a response stating where the church will be in ten years. That was my answer.

This goes to show how much I love my church, identify with my church, and embody my church. I equated my future with my church’s future, because I am my church! I came to faith in Jesus Christ in September of 2005, found Living Hope in December 2005, began serving in ministry in January 2006, and never looked back since. The first revelation I got when I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior was the fact that my life was not about me. In fact, it never has been, and never will be. My life was bought back by the One who created me. Something happened over 2,000 years ago that split time in two, and changed history forever. Jesus hung on a cross with a crown of thorns upon His head and nails on His hands and feet, with blood dripping from His body for the sole purpose of redeeming me to my original created state; a human being in relationship with my Creator, in relationship with my Father. Since then, I surrendered myself to God, gave myself completely to the church, and immersed myself faithfully in ministry (even turning down a job paying $50,000/yr) because of my love and my trust in my newly discovered Savior, Jesus Christ. Accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior was the single-most crucial decision I ever made and ever will make in my life. Accepting the position to serve my church full-time was the second-best decision. I don’t regret it one bit. =)

With that being said, I then returned back to the question: “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” I watched and listened as my fellow co-workers shared their dreams while our pastors affirmed them. To one: “Yeah, in ten years I see you having your own 501(c)3 and doing conferences worldwide.”

To another: “Yeah, in ten years I see you continuing your battle against human trafficking, but with a codename and high security around you.” Still another: “Yeah, I could see you being successful in creative arts and commanding the industry like Beyonce.”    

“This is all I ever wanted,” was what came out from one of my aforementioned friends. “Really?” I thought. “Wow. What have I always wanted?” As I began seeing my peers’ futures unfold in my mind’s eye, I began to re-think the question, and re-contemplate my answer.  

To be quite honest, when I surrendered my life to Christ, I stopped allowing myself to dream. I thought it was bad, actually. I thought that if I was to serve God wholeheartedly, I had to die to my own passions and desires. I thought that once I got saved, I had to completely empty myself of anything other than God’s will and doing His work on earth as it is in heaven. In a way, that’s true. Actually, it is true. What I didn’t understand until now is that doing God’s will and God’s work doesn’t necessarily mean working full-time in the church and eventually becoming a pastor.  God needs and uses people in different places and in different sectors of the world, not just in the church.

I’ve been working at the church full-time for the past two years, and have served the church for the past six years, and I’ve loved every second of it. In fact, when I was a medical assistant in 2008, all I ever wanted to go to was the house of God, and all I wanted to do was to make calls to follow up with guests that have visited for the first time. At the time, that’s all I wanted to do, and eventually I got the opportunity to do so. A two-year opportunity to do so. The past two years have been a joy, but the next two years are beckoning me toward a different environment.  

In ten years, I don’t see myself being a pastor of a big church, nor do I have a desire to go to bible college or seminary. Granted, I will go out of obedience if I knew for sure that God called me to, but it has never been a burning desire in my heart to do so. My passion was in something else; my dream has revolved around two words: education reform. My lifelong desire has always been to reform the education system. Ever since I learned about Abraham Lincoln and how he taught himself after only three months of formal schooling, and became not only president of the United States but one of the greatest presidents, I’ve always been intrigued by what intrinsically motivates a student to learn, and how best to accommodate that student with their particular learning style. I love learning, but I hate school (yes, hate) because I don’t think that it accurately measures one’s intelligence, nor does it thoroughly prepare a student to succeed in the 21^st century. I’ve always had a passion to reform it, but until now I didn’t think I had permission to. Now, however, I know I do.

So back to the question. Where do I see myself in ten years? I’m thirty now, and in ten years I’ll be forty. In ten years, I would love to be the Head of the Department of Education for California or if I were to dream even bigger, the nation. I’m not really into titles, but if I were, that would be the title I would want. Regardless, title or not, I just care that the work gets done.

This leaves me face to face with my future. The second question was, “How does being on staff get you to where you’re destined to go?” The answer is, it doesn’t. Two years ago, Pastor Benjamin invited me to be on staff full-time. His exact words were: “You have an inheritance here in this house.” I remembered hearing him and smiling, but having no clue what he was talking about. My thoughts were: “Inheritance? He’s got a lump sum of money he’s gonna give me? I don’t understand..” After two years of faithful service, now thankfully, I do: I know my purpose, my identity, my nature, and my mission. I know that I am a son of the King, as well as a son of this house. I am submitted, I am covered, and I have the hearts of my spiritual parents, my spiritual covering.   Being on staff for two years and serving the house for six has completely changed my life, sanctified my mind, developed my skills, and shaped my character. It gave me a well to draw from, a resource to tap into, and a family to grow with. It served as a cocoon for me to incubate in, until it was time for me to be released. I’m so excited to say that that time has come. That time is now.

After speaking with my pastors, I have been fully released to pursue my dream of education reform. Not only are they fully releasing me, but they are sending me with a mutual acknowledgement of the dream in my heart and the call on my life. “You are definitely called,” Pastor Sunhee decreed, “but we just don’t think you’re called to be a senior pastor of a church one day. We think you’re called for something else.” I was and am in full agreement. My home is Living Hope, but my calling is in the marketplace. I’m a son of this house, but by destiny isn’t to stay in this house; my destiny is to give this house away to the world.

If my next ten years is to pursue education reform, then the next few steps for me would be to go back to school and get my BA in either Education or Public Administration, get a full-time job, move out to a place closer to work/school, graduate in 2014, start a charter school and/or connect with other schools, collaborate on reforming the system and/or somehow enter public policy to get the job done. I’ve never had such clarity, and I’ve never been so excited since I was saved in 2005. My dream has been returned to me, restored in a purified form. I feel like I just graduated high school again. I just got saved again. I’m like an immigrant who just stepped foot on American soil, ready to explore what this country is about. 2012 is the year of destiny, the year of stewardship of souls and finances. This year we will all be stepping into our destinies. It is only March, and several people have already embraced theirs. The ball is now in your court. Where will you be in ten years? Are you ready to answer the call? Are you ready to begin? I am. The question is, are you? =)

www.livehope.us