Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category
by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
02
Sep
2008
i am a people watcher. not the outside, but the insides, which reveal themselves. i am an observer and a listener.
i have gleaned little cues from behaviors, im sure you have too…
observed amongst a bunch of us who are growing and good people
..ways we are….things we do and say…. behaviors i see that made me ponder…..why?…what’s happening? to my generation. we exhibit:
low expectation of self
high expectation of others
low self esteem
high desire of control and position
burdened leaders
un-powered members
indifferent to the grossest of global need
desiring to be taught more than to learn
most people too busy to help
rich but no expendable income
loving with an agenda
more critical than grateful
sense of entitlement
independent mindset greater than whole group mindset
need of external joy
boredom within excess
being hungry and obese
addicts who who have graduated from the best help programs
lack of self discipline
giving sex then love -rather that love then sex
apathetic christians
and i guess the list could go
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Tags: change, growth, mindset
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
23
Aug
2008
my son is studying chemistry in college, he wrote me yesterday to tell me that he has 3 labs.
yes, the lab. hands on independent discovery. theory tested. reality defined. problems solved.
most of us like the lab part of class.
cool equipment. dangerous work, bunson burners, safety goggles, chemicals that explode and burn and do cool stuff.
important work
discovering life
and death
and how it all works in between
in my own lab of life i have noticed :
that leaders have a freezing point.
anyone of of us, when leading
just like water, alcohol or oxygen
there are freezing points in our lives:
places
where one moment we were one way
and the next…
……………we are are very different
our old alive, moving, working as made to be
becomes frozen………….
oh, we swear we will never freeze
and then in frozen state
its too late
only the unfrozen
can rescue us
it looks like this in my living leaders lab:
a passionate person
they go into life with hope to use their talents to make a good mark on this
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Tags: hope, mindset, purpose
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
22
Jul
2008
the shema house, where the LWA guys live and i work at, is quiet this week.
perfect opportunity for me to throw away some garbage that weve collected, mostly old sofas and random stuff people give us as hand me downs, which is thoughtful, and the reason that it is hard to get rid of old crap. inevitably someone will give reason as to why we should hold onto this or that just a little more.
i understand. but i also see the need for occasional executive decision. i did the same when my kids were little. we together decided to give away some of our one hundred stuffed animals to other kids who may have none. as we went thru the animals in order to share our over abundance of bunnies, cute puppies, beanie babies and pokemon, the children loved each one and found reason to keep each one, and “gave” what amounts to “not giving” a couple of animals from their cedar chest home. the animals were not played with, or even remembered until it was time to give them away. my lesson in learning to give was failing. and i gave up. i let the kids give what their little
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Tags: change, growth, honesty, hope
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
16
Jul
2008
i loathe cliques.very seriously.
as a young girl, starting in kindergarten, i was the kinda kid who had all kinds of friends from all kinds of cliques and groups. i was nice. my long time best friend was a girl most people found odd at least until high school when she found belonging amongst “burnouts” which led her into trouble, but ive always loved her all the same, for the person she is at her core. i was able to hang with her friends and never try smoking, booze or anything. i also had lots of guy friends. played mostly ‘keep away’ and ’500′ at lunch time and climbed trees and rode bikes after school with the boys. none of them were boyfriends and it didnt even enter my mind until much later. guys are still my favorite friends by far, so long as you keep them friends. i think it was easier when i was young. i was free to be a non sexual girl for in jr high, it was a wonderful childhood. i wasnt bombarded with sex everywhere until later highschool.
the lunch room is a class, in behavioral science.
i recall walking into the elementary
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Tags: change, faith, hope
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
14
Jul
2008
i recently hunted for and purchased a rug through craigs list. which is where i always “shop” by the way.
i was looking for a hand knotted wool rug. not a machine made nylon copy rug. wanted the real deal.
why-? -ive tried the nylon-poly rug deal. thought id save money. olefin claims to be indestructible and stain proof. i had a real wool rug as well.
under a test of 3 boys and a zillion other boys ages 2-10 running through our home daily, sometimes with squirt guns, some playdough, spagettios, glitter, pop, ketchup, syrup, and mostly: mud; mud mixed with leaves; because the boys would go outside and bring in bugs to freeze in ice cube trays (for science homework) everyday, which added some fun to my adult parties! were my olefin rug and an old fancy Persian wool rug.
((note to kids: that last sentence is called and extreme run on.))
so-my fancy Persian wool rug lived on. the stains always cleaned. it looks amazing.
the olefin one looked like a rug that raised a family who ate ketchup on it everyday.
the wool is soft- the olefin always was a little
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Tags: justice, purpose
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
11
Jul
2008
-community
dies in competition
-love
has no agenda
-action
will reveal your loyalties
-information
will not alone make transformation
-walk
more than talk
-temptation
is an opportunity
-grace
is rich soil
-leaders
serve
-sacrifice
saves
-emptiness
fills
-joy
marries suffering
-pain
can be a purpose
-consumption
creating apathy
-giving
is a mindset
-programs
can prop
-loneliness
can prepare
-everyone
must overcome
-forgiveness and respect
are not options
-trials and tribulations
are part of the plan
-hope
will carry it
undefeated
hand to hand
Tags: action, belief, hope
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
26
Jun
2008
i dont like PEOPLE magazine, never did. even worse, i hate talking with people about the people stories in PEOPLE magazine. i DO think PEOPLE magazine is smart and respect everything about the business. it’s just not of interest to me to talk about hollywood stars as if i really knew them. i also bet that if i had a hollywood star friend, she would feel the same way.
yet it seems like i am often stuck working my way out of such conversations, long ones about people we will never can really know. and PEOPLE magazine sells better than anything ive done. i write this blog and everyone knows what PEOPLE magazine is. because we people love to talk about lives that we dont live. ive pondered this since i was a child. why do we tend to lean towards spending time and energy on things that do not really produce anything? anything for now or anything for later. anything for us or another. seems illogical.and it then feeds a machine that leaves us hungry.
hungry for real relationships some say.
hm. true.
but. we often talk and write about relationships and community the same way,
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Tags: change, love, relationships
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
14
May
2008
it must be hard for mankind an me to learn that like it not, we are all in this together
i am daily thankful of a decision i made as a young mom:
when my 3 boys were little toddler boys
as they made lego towers and playdough people
played on monkey bars, rode bikes, shared clothing, received athletic and academic awards, spent money collectively, received gifts of varied awesomeness, competed for their place in the family.
i let them know what was good and life giving or life killing, deadly
1.thinking of the other brother was what we did. it gives life.
2. speaking negatively to one another causes much pain to the brother, to yourself. deadly
3. and above all, even when wronged, solve your problems in such a way that you do not damage the other.
* my kids know our family golden rule. there is nothing so bad that you take out your anger on your brother.
today they remain independent yet interconnected, despite their still- existing self centered nature.
i taught them to live this way because it is right and true, even to the self centered one who is wise enough to see
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Tags: global, minset, poverty
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
13
May
2008
grace
a place
the only
true key
unlocking jails
setting self made prisoners
free
addiction the prison
walls slowly built
a need that we feed
a deadly way
knowing full well
slowly lead astray
good hearts
it is well
we say
its just for today
i cant do it another way?
first a lie
then you try
not to cry
so you hide
your face from your deed
those who love you plead
but in your greed
for ecstasy
you cant see
love and life
grace
and the place
in the honesty of community
where together we can be free
trust now bust
a lot of pain
will remain
to all in reach of the breach
of the promise
somehow they must
find a way
to still be grace
in the space
where now pain has taken hold
if not bold, we grow old
angry and bitter
finding the way
we can stay
fitter
for life
filled with strife
we become free
of tangible reality
we become able to see
a place
where joy is not contingent
on what is happening to me
how
can we be grace
for the pain
seems to gain
a place in our wounded hearts
it numbs our emotion
trashes hope
instills
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Tags: growth, hope, pain
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by:
Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel
12
May
2008
i open my eyes another day for good
in one hand i grab the sword
given to me to fight the enemy
my other hand i open
to relinquish
the trinkets i cling to
a leader often feels alone
while i lay still
i fight my to give parts of myself to others
the deployment that i have chosen
is so real, so good, so scary to me
it is clear
but i fear
the enemies that i face every day
i want to run, hope takes my hand
and stays with me as i decide to walk the good way
the first enemy is inside of me
i hear it
it tells me i cannot
i am a loser
ez pickins
i see it
i am so average
not a beauty to man
so nothing
except for hope
standing now
i fight round two
the peopwho say they are family
the ones who love me
they are so accustomed to me
they cant even see
the great thing happening
they trip me
negatively speak
dont carry their share
dont worry
a man cant get in the way
of loves plans
walking now
battle three in front of me
the enemy working his way in
others, friends
we fight
over petty things
disraction
no
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Tags: action, evil, good, hope
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