Like Cheryl Smith, I too took the Chris Brogan approach with 3 focus words for 2011.

Listen…..intentionally to make sure I hear what is really being said
Pause….often to make sure I'm on track with what God's will....not Tom's will
Invest….in something or someone other than myself, my family, or my church (those come easily)

Invest is a continuation from 2010, but something that both challenges and stretches me to step outside my comfort zone. As I was in the midst of my second bout with cancer treatments and surgeries, I chose to focus on and invest in what could be done for Charity Water, which became a game changer for me!
My recent post Best of 2010

The first song I think of when I think of Christmas is O Holy Night but the version, which gets the most play in my house, is Michael Crawford’s (aka Phantom fame) http://ow.ly/38ksX

A new favorite for this year will be Winter Snow Song by Audrey Assad, which was featured on Chris Tomlin’s Christmas Album, Glory In The Highest. I stumbled across it while doing a little research for one of my Worship Wednesday posts, check out this cool video that someone created: http://ow.ly/38kL5

Praying for you, the team, and the impact that being made there and around the world because of you having the courage to go and then share YOUR account of God at work in those moments and interactions. Only your eyes will see what you see and your heart will experience what it experiences, so as far as measuring up no one can write the story your visit will tell. Take good care!!
My recent post You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop

Worst: After our dealership group was aquired I became a management consultant for corporate regional office.....hard to watch culture and ethics become words used in a meeting and not in the market place.....wasn't there too long.

Best: Operating a "concept" store for Ford Motor Company in the early 90's where we had the opportunity to test and measure different approaches to retailing and servicing cars such as "one-price, no haggle, no hassle", vip service priority.....truely a guest driven experience. Breath of fresh air in a stale retail environment.

Hardest: Any job where my core beliefs and the companies core beliefs are out of line. That tension always makes everything harder, and unfortunately until your there and exposed to what goes on beyond the printed mission statement you never know.

Great list and I appreciate the thoughts & reflection that went into this post. I think we are raised to believe (especially men) “asking for help” is a sign of weakness, and we end up wallowing in what we are dealing with far too long. One difficult lesson I learned is my pride & ego usually delay asking for help, which ends up diluting the effectiveness of the help I receive because of the wait.

That does sound like the recipe for rejuvenation and a great summer.....enjoy the ride as much as you should enjoy being in neutral.

What is your favorite food?Prime Rib
What is your favorite candy bar?Twix
Would you rather have ice cream or cake?Pralines Ice Cream cake is the best
What is the craziest thing you’ve eaten?Alligator with Chipotle dipping sauce ; )
What is your favorite chain restaurant?Can't go wrong at PF Changs
What is your favorite fast food restaurant?ChickFilA
What is your favorite international cuisine?I'm a melting pot, bring it all on
What foods can you simply not eat?Pickles
What is the most random thing in your refrigerator?Big jar of minced garlic in extra virgin olive oil, beats peeling & is great to cook, but do get some weird looks
Do you have any weird food quirks?
-Always tell them to not put pickle on the side--nothing worse than your bun soaking up the pickle juice! My nieces love to wave their pickles as they eat them in front of me
-Nothing green has any place on a pizza

My recent post TomMartinATL: Mentioned this Sun-Great message you do not want to miss @BuckheadChurchhttp://tinyurl.com/y6bvakw Where is God's Love Now?