Jumping on a plane with four kids for a month is a sight to see. People must be able to feel the intensity of the parents as Carie and I think through all the details it takes for such an adventure, then wield our way across the terminals to arrive at our final destinations. The clothing, travel equipment, and items to keep the kids attention while on a plane are only a few of the things that need to be thought through. But here’s the rest of the story...

This got me thinking that everyone’s “Amazing” is someone else’s hard work. That movie that you loved and saw on IMAX last weekend? Someone’s Hard work. That painting in the museum that brought you to tears for its raw beauty? Someone’s hard work.

I love Mondays!I guess I’m thinking through perspective today. Their Mondays seem dreadfully easy, yet they still dread them. In the U.S., they are much longer and we still wake up wondering why it has to be Monday!

The music started playing, the worship leader beckoned everyone to get to their feet (in Spanish of course), and the female singer started belting out a Hillsong tune called “Not Today”. A familiar environment. I smiled some more. I tried not to pick it apart. Gone are the days where I have to force myself into perfection, when worship, because it’s human, is full of screwups.

In order to be most effective with any great idea, we must learn how to organize ourselves around ideas and not brands. Brands, in their organization always point back to the organization and keeping it alive. Ideas, if they are good ones, always point back to spreading those ideas without having to manufacture them. If they are good, they are good. No one has to tell others they are good. Good news is good news.

I’m sure there are a ton of differences between the American culture and the Spanish (and in particular Valencia) culture, but I wanted to share a few of the glaring ones I noticed this week.

Wonder leads to knowledge and then knowledge leads to wisdom. Unfortunately stale wisdom leads to the lack of wonder. It leads to control. Nothing keeps us from understanding how small we are like having control of everything in our world.

Sitting in a huge city like Valencia Spain and soaking in days at the beach with my family, I realized that what I was doing on an administrative level was so insignificant, I basically lied to myself over and over.

I hated the idea of a game ending in a tie, yet many soccer matches end that way in the world’s most popular sport. However, this was a game I will never forget.

Two walks to remember! Sometimes not planning is just as good as planning.