It never fails that whenever someone finds out how I’ve made a living for most of my life or with whom I’ve been fortunate enough to work with, one of the very first questions I’m asked is; what’s it like to travel the world? Being the storyteller I am, I love being asked the question and I love engaging in the conversation even more!

Just the other day I received an urgent e-mail desperately seeking my immediate availability and now here I sit currently in London about to fly into Marrakech, Morocco.

Life is crazy sometimes!

Photo Courtesy of www.tcsignature.com

The image above is the venue for this amazing awards ceremony, fashion show and concert featuring John Legend, Youssou Ndour, Akon, and Mos Def, just to name a few.

Traveling back across the “pond” has got me to thinking, once again, of the many great lessons I’ve learned from traveling the world. So in the continual effort to answer the above question, here are 5 major reasons why you need to travel the world.

1. It hits the refresh button on life. If you’ve ever surfed the internet and experienced a web site not load correctly, and then refreshed the page and suddenly that seemed to correct things, then know exactly what I’m talking about here. Sometimes in life, tunnel vision gets the best of us. We forget about others and even forget about what’s truly important in life. Last week I wrote about Awesome’s Ending, and frankly one of the beautiful rewards from traveling the world is that it hits the refresh button, reminding us of the brevity of life.

2. It awakens your soul to new senses and experiences. There are really two sides to this but both are ultimately good. Traveling the world awakens your soul and provides you with experiences that you otherwise would never have. Experiences like the lack of personal space, say on a 18 hour flight across the Atlantic. Or the sensation of rare and exquisite cuisine from a foreign country. All have a unique ability to stoke the fire of our soul, awakening, what many times are hidden desires and passions.

3. Traveling the world teaches you life is not all about you. Did I just remind you of something there? Like a parent or spouse, perhaps? It’s interesting that there was a time, in fact, when it was commonly accepted in the scientific community that the Sun rotated around the Earth, and the Earth was at the center of the universe. We’ve since disproved that theory, but isn’t it curious how many times you and I live like we are the center of the universe. Traveling the world teaches you in no uncertain terms that this life is not about you.

4. It forces you to grow and adapt to new environments. The best example of this is can be found by learning how to use a phone outside of your familiar homeland. Oh, it may sound simple enough, but trust me, just try it. Ever heard of a country code? When you’re out of the country, you can’t just pick up and start dialing, you have to think about where you’re dialing, what’s the country code, then the areas code etc. There’s a bit of learning curve to it. And then there’s the whole idea of currency exchange. And on, and on, and on… That’s just naming a couple quick examples.

5. Last but not least, traveling the world gives you the best gift possible: perspective. I’ve already hinted at how traveling reminds of the brevity of life, but beyond that, upon entering a foreign country, say Africa for example, you’re quickly given a culture shock, revealing just how lucky you are. Those aren’t actors in those commercials on tv. Things like poverty, famine, and genocide exist and are brutally horrific to experience first hand. Traveling the world and intentionally reaching outside your comfort zone is one of the most beneficial things you could ever do in your lifetime, no matter your age.

I love the quote above from St. Augustine and I love that I have been so blessed and fortunate to encounter the many awesome experiences I have over the years.

If you could pick one place, one destination that you’ve always dreamed of going, where would that be?

Share in the comments below!

Picture an orchestra. It’s a beautiful night and you’re dressed up in your fanciest of clothes. Your beautiful love is beside you and you’ve been anticipating this evening for quite some time. It was difficult getting the tickets, not to mention expensive. But now you’re finally here and the orchestra has loaded onto the stage. The lights have dimmed and out walks the conductor. He bows, receives the applause, and immediately after waves to introduce the first chair violinist. More applause. Now it’s time to begin. The conductor taps on the music stand with his baton. This is it. The majestic music is about to begin. For a brief moment you can almost feel the air get sucked out of the room. The baton starts to come down and then suddenly, it stops.

Photo Credit: ian boyd via Compfight cc

This is the world in which we live.

This is the world in which our worship happens.

This is the precipice. The tension of the already and the not yet.

And we’re absolutely powerless to change it.

It’s the tension worship leaders and pastors face all the time. Is it a performance or is it just worship? Is it a message, given from The Father, or is it a piece of marketing for the business?

One response might be to judge certain things as right or wrong. Another might be to just point out the “other,” chastise it, moving on, affirming our way is better. But I’m not convinced either one is a healthy and necessary response.

I love the conversations that Carlos Whitaker has been having recently. In his usual jovial style, he’s asking hard questions, provoking the tension.

My response is a belief that the focus shouldn’t be on resolving the tension at all. To me that strikes as man’s attempt to elevate one’s self and produce some form of finality in a temporal setting. But sadly, this just isn’t possible.

The tension is here to stay. (Until everything is made whole again, according to the provision of The Gospel.)

And as unpleasant as that is sometimes, it is precisely how we are all called to live. In the tension of the already and the not yet.

In the remake of the 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still,Keanu Reeves (arguably both the greatest and the worst actor of all time {if you don’t believe me just watch Point Break again}) makes an incredible insight in response to the notion that it’s at the precipice we change. In the movie this is where he changes his mind and decides to save the Earth instead of continuing to allow it to be destroyed. Sorry to spoil it for you, if you haven’t already seen it.

The point though, and why I think that applies to you and I, is because continuing to live in the precipice, I believe, is where the greatest beauty in life comes from.

Our worship wasn’t meant to come from a place of having everything figured out, everything resolved. If it does, it’s not authentic, and certainly not awesome.

The Message puts it this way:

This should provide comfort to you. No one, no matter their status, celebrity or claim to fame, has it all figured out when it comes to worship. For some being silhouetted and hidden, as Carlos points out, works for their local church. For others the absence of drums, or any instruments for that matter is what works. And for others still, the use rock star production works.

Whatever it is, as John 4 puts it, it’s who we are and the way we live that count. And as long as it comes from our being, our true selves, in the midst of the all the tension, then that’s extravagant worship.

What does worship look like and sound like for your local church? Would you change anything?

I want to hear from you. Communicating, to me doesn’t make much sense unless it’s applicable to you, so share your thoughts in the comments below.

I love engaging with others about awesome experiences they’ve enjoyed and listening to them recall those stories. It’s an amazing experiment that ultimately leads to the same result each and every time. Regardless of whether those are experiences from business, or life, or church, they all posses the same essence. They are powerful. So powerful in fact, they can change and alter the course of your life.

But, just so we’re clear, lets define experience.

My favorite definition comes from more of a philosophical vantage point, where experience is defined as:

I have spent the last 15 years, working and traveling the globe, creating experiences for the entertainment industry.  Sometimes those experiences were awesome and sometimes they weren’t. But let me just say one thing:

Everything is about the experience.

Each and every interaction we have throughout our day gives us an experience.  The reality is, most times we just aren’t present enough and don’t recognize or pay attention to them.

Regardless, billions and billions of dollars are spent every year to help create experiences that will either result in us buying one product instead of another or visiting one destination instead of the other.  In the case of politics, billions of dollars are even spent to convince us that one person is more trust-worthy and therefore more electable than someone else.

As you can start to see, absolutely everything is about the experience.

Do me a favor, think about the last time you went to a restaurant and had an awesome experience.  What were some of the things that set it apart?  How did the food taste?  What was your immediate thought as you took that first bite?  What was the presentation and the service like?  What about the environment and ambiance of the room?  What did all of that make you want to do?

You become an evangelist for them!

Ok, now let’s try to think about it this way.  Think about the last time you stayed in an awesome hotel?   Try to remember walking into the lobby.  What was the first thing you noticed when you walked in?  How were you greeted?  What did it feel like getting to your room, putting your key in and opening the door?  What did the room smell like?  What was your first impression of how it looked?  How did the sheets, pillows, and bed feel?  Now think about the bathroom.  What did it look like?  What kind of light fixtures, sink, faucet, tub and shower did it have?

All of these things work together, creating, what ultimately results in awesome experiences.

Awesome experiences create markers in our lives and memories, helping us tell our story. [tweet that]

One last picture and we’ll move on.  This one may not apply to everyone, but it certainly should.  Close your eyes and think about the last Apple product you bought.  Yeah I can tell this one works, because if you’re like me, you’ve already got a huge smile on your face.  Whether it was a Macbook Pro, iPad, or even an iPhone, think about pinching the corners and tearing at the plastic.  Picture opening that box for the first time. All the anticipation and excitement, pulling the plastic off and looking at that fresh, clean, brand spanking new toy!  Bloggers and creatives have united worldwide, even webcasting the unboxing of their favorite, anticipated Apple toy.  Its become such a phenomenon that people camp out and line up for blocks, to get a shot at a new iPhone or iPad.

That’s what I’m talking about and that’s the power of the Awesome Experience!

Awesome Experiences are greater than any advertising slogan and far more effective than any expensive, well thought out marketing campaign.

There is no doubt in my mind that we have been uniquely created with a very specific vacuum inside each and every one of us.  And that space, that vacuum, can only be touched and accessed thru the power of the awesome, authentic experience.

And when that space is accessed, that’s when change happens.  That’s when movements are created.  That’s where culture can be created or shifted.

That’s the power of the Awesome Experience!

I know you have a few stories yourself, of some awesome experiences and I’d love to hear them!

Share with us all below!

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At least that’s how Jackson Browne puts it. Quite beautifully, I might add.

And he’s right too. Life is short. One moment we’re here, the next moment we’re not. One moment we’re holding babies in our arms, in my case, the palms of my hands practically, the next we are sending them off to school and on and on. We say things like remember when, and collect and stare at old photos, wishing we could go back in time.

Regardless of the many differences we have, the one thing we all have in common, the one thing that unites us all is, we will, with certainty, all have to account for the brevity of life.

I feel as though I should apologize for the heaviness of this post, but unfortunately worlds seem to be colliding for me as of late. You see one of my dear friends has recently lost his wife after a very long battle with MS, and within a few days another dear friend suffered the passing of a father. As if that were not enough, the frailty of my own father has been once again brutally brought to the surface. His time of creating awesome experiences and impacting the world around him is coming to an end.

I’ve known it for a while. My whole family has actually. It’s no secret. Whether it’s the Dementia, Parkinson’s, Shingles, Arthritis, or any of the many broken and crushed bones having never fully healed through out his life, they all are contributing to the inevitable.

To say this is difficult would be the grossest of understatements.

Words just don’t do justice sometimes.

This is one of those times.

But it’s forcing me to ask yet another hard question of myself. How am I going to respond to Awesome’s Ending?

Have you ever thought of it that way?

That awesome does in fact have an ending. It’s both bitterly painful and abundantly joyful. All at the same time.

I’m reminded of Amy Grant’s words about the passing of her mother, and her father’s battle with dementia. She describes it as the last great lesson we’ll ever learn from our parents.

Wow!

Those words bring me to tears, just writing them.

And those of you like Cliff and Norm of Cheers, who are regulars to Creating the Awesome, have heard me say this often, but to those who are not, one thing you’ll find is that I never claim to know all the answers. To do so would simply be arrogant and wrong. There are roughly 164 million other blogs out there, all proudly proclaiming that they single-handedly have the answers you seek and need. That their products and their services are the best because they are the best.

Well, sorry, but this isn’t one of those.

And while there are many things I can speak to as an expert, some which, undoubtedly, would help meet a need or solve a problem, I’ve found that I’d much rather participate in the journey with you.

I believe that’s where true beauty is found, where authentic healing is received and where awesome is really created.

Did you catch the power of that word, with?

So this is where you come in.

We’ve all dealt with loss somehow, whether that’s a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, pet, or any other version of a loved one.

And with what I know to be certain of the future, I’d very much love to hear your stories of how you responded to awesome’s ending.

Were there things that you wish you would or could have done? Said?

What are the things you are grateful for that you were able to do and say?

I quote Frederick Buechner a lot, probably too much to be honest, but in this case, once again, he gives us a beautiful glimpse of glory. He writes in Telling Secrets, “My story is important not because it is mine, God knows, but because if I tell it anything like right, the chances are you will recognize that in many ways it is also yours.”

That is why I ask the questions above.

Would you bless us all by sharing below?