judah

Moving Creations from Deadly to Divine

24 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 13 Comments

Sometimes our greatest ideas can turn out to be lethal creations if left in their infant stages. Thus the importance of surrounded ourselves with people who can point out the dangers we often miss.

Three tips on the process of prepping for criticism:

1.) Map everything to its fullest as you see it in your head: Often we don’t get good input on a plan because we inadvertently leave out components we think are irrelevant. Sometimes the most fringe idea can make or break a project, and to the experienced eye, the most mundane things can sometimes be the most poignant, not the obvious.

2.) Give wiser, more experienced people 100% carte blanche: Nothing’s worse than having someone submit an idea that they’ve already made up their mind about. “So are you telling me or asking me?” is something we often say around our office. Make sure that people know they can have it it. Doing so will produce better ideas than you ever could have come up with on your own.

3.) Divorce yourself from your work in terms of self-adulation: No true artist, inventor, or producer can or should divorce themselves emotionally from what they’re making – doing so trumps the entire impetus of the creative process. But realizing your personal value is not bound in your ideas will go a long way in accepting critical feedback that’s essential to your project’s success. People that never finish are most often tying their self-worth to their ideas instead of who they are in Jesus. As a result thy are easily offended when hearing criticism, never realizing they’re killing their project by not receiving.

Don’t despise critique. Welcoming outside input is most often the greatest key to success (and keeps eyes from getting gouged out). ch:

Filed Under: business, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: creative, critique, deadly, design, help, judah, lethal, marshmallows, methods, toothpicks

For My Lurkers

20 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 10 Comments

My kids love a good story. They hunker down in our bed and get all sorts of excited.

They lurk in the covers.

And every day hundreds of you stop by this site and lurk. Waiting for a good story or an interesting takeaway.

You’ve made this a destination in your day. And I’m honored. I may not know you, or maybe we met once somewhere in the world, or maybe you’re from my home town. But no matter the case, I love that we get to do this each day together.

So for all those of you who read faithfully but never leave a comment, this post is just for you. My Lurkers. Thank you for reading. I may not know your names, but Google tells me when you’re here. ch:

Filed Under: culture, geek Tagged With: blogging, comments, eva, faithfulness, judah, luik, lurking, membership, readers

For Those Who’re Watching

2 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 18 Comments

Yesterday Judah and I worshipped together during third service at New Life. He’s often distracted by his older brother and sister, but since they were en route from Rochester with their mom, Judah’s singular focus was pretty neat to watch.

He would look up at me and do what I was doing.

It started with clapping.

Then some hopping.

Soon he was squinting his eyes, looking up at me to see what hand I was raising. I couldn’t figure out why he was squinting – honestly, it was super cute – until I realized I was squinting.

I couldn’t stand it any more and knelt down to hug him and tell him how good of a little worshipper he was being.

If you’ve felt convicted lately about not doing something you know you should be, please consider this: our deliberate efforts are often more about someone else’s gateway to success than our own.

While your actions may very well benefit you in some meaningful ways – financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual – they probably will benefit someone else far more profoundly.

So whether it’s the way you worship in church to that book you’ve always been getting around to writing to that exercise routine you’ve been delaying to that friend you’ve always said you’ll visit, do the people watching you a favor and start.

The best motivation is realizing some things we can’t do for ourselves. We can only do them for others. ch:

Filed Under: #heavenmeetsearth, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids, worship Tagged With: actions, commitment, deliberate, dreams, judah, motivation, new year's resolutions, worship

He’s Prepared for You

1 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 5 Comments

Giving my readers a free go at Athera’s Dawn after almost five years of waiting was not only a great excuse to take a 38-day break from blogging daily, but it also let me focus more on my family during the holidays, as well as a few other big projects that needed my attention.

All that to say ‘thanks’ to you, my faithful readers, for coming back in this new year. I so appreciate your support and encouragement in continuing this blogging venture. I write intentionally for my audience every day. You’re the best.

My older two children spent a majority of their Christmas Vacation with their grandparents, leaving Judah (2.5 yrs) basically to fend for himself. And he’s enjoyed it immensely, having the house and all the toys to himself.

Yet as parents we realized one of the things the older two children provided was a bit of stability, a but of “normal.” And without that, some of the household habits needed to be amended.

One of those was the morning routine. Typically all the kids get up together and play, or make cereal if Dad’s not up yet. It’s kinda’ cute and it’s become a part of their culture. But in the absence of Eva and Luik being in the house, and given the opportunity for Dad and Mom to sleep in a little more with school out of session, we had to make plans for Judah.

Like setting a bottle out for him. Which he’d see, take, and go back to bed without knocking on our door at 5:30am.

In the Boy Scouts, we call that being prepared.

As adults, we call that planning ahead.

And as parents, we call that buying time.

But if that’s what we as earthly, imperfect parents do to plan for a little part of just one of our children’s days, imagine how much more the Lord has prepared for you and I in 2012.

He’s got your back. He’s has a plan for when you walk out of the door. Everything’s set, and he has your best interests in mind.

So for 2012, start it off right by throwing off anxiety and putting on comfort. Jesus knows what he’s doing on your behalf. ch:

Filed Under: #heavenmeetsearth, culture, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: 2012, happy new year, judah, preparation

Nostalgia

19 Oct ’11 By Christopher Hopper 16 Comments

nos·tal·gia/nä?stalj?/
Noun:
A sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

This photo, shot earlier this year in our red room, is stunning to me for two reasons.

The first is the moment it captured. Judah’s back is turned, implying I snuck in unannounced. Which I did. As if we’re spying on a private discovery-jam session. The depth of field, the lighting through the window, and the detailed simplicity all contribute to a well composed image.

The second is that this is a near perfect recreation of me…30-years ago. A different house, a different guitar (also belonging to my mother, as is the one in the shot to his mommy), and a captivating fascination with making an instrument emanate sound through simple touch.

One of the most incredible anomalies that occurs in parenting is the wonder of seeing yourself manifest – most often unannounced and uncultivated – in the lives of your children.

Reproduction isn’t just an act, it’s a process. One that creates legacy.

I can only insist through personal experience that the heavenly Father feels the same way we do. Seeing His own nature, His own character, likes, and habits suddenly appear in His children has got to be thrilling. And rewarding.

And makes Him proud. Simply because we’ve been reproduced. After Him.

The worthwhile questions to ask? “What God-traits of my Father am I exhibiting naturally?” (Because I have His nature now – 2 Peter 1:4). “How and to whom am I helping reproduce after Christ?”

The beauty of seeing myself in Judah is that I’m not looking back. I’m enjoying the moment, and looking ahead.

The danger of nostalgic emotions is letting them dupe you into believing yesterday was better than today. Yesterday could never be better than today because the beauty of the present is hidden within free will; the past has already been decided and is dated. It has neither the power nor the potential of the present.

So choose wisely. Your future nostalgia depends on it. ch:

Filed Under: culture, leadership, music, The Hopper Kids, worship Tagged With: children, guitars, judah, looking ahead, looking back, starting early

Life Two Handed

7 Oct ’11 By Christopher Hopper 8 Comments

When you’re learning to do something new, don’t worry if you need to use two hands when everyone else is using one.

It’s part of getting better.

Proficiency is a sign of maturity.

Take it slow. Ask for help. Pride can often do more damage than inability. Resist the tendency to let repeated failure create constant frustration. And worse, make you give up.

Celebrate what you’re good at now, and use “two hands” at what you’re not. There’s no shame there. That’s probably why you have two hands anyways.

Regardless of how many times you spill, sooner or later, you’ll be a master cereal eater. (And a high-spender in your Daddy’s budget). ch:

Filed Under: culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: Celebration, cereal, growth, judah, maturity, skills

The Family Lotto

24 Sep ’11 By Christopher Hopper 26 Comments

I am the luckiest man in the world. Luckiest, if you have a weak grip on reality and trust fate. Blessed, if you understand that God honors choices made in pursuit of Him, regardless of shortcomings.

But before writing on the subject of family – a fitting theme – I want to wish my father, Peter Kirk, a very happy 64th birthday. He taught me virtue, faithfulness, stewardship, and what it means to be masculine in creativity. But more, he showed me through years, not just words, what it meant to love Jesus and family selflessly.

Happy birthday, Daddy. ch:
___________________

WARNING: If you don’t believe in God, or even Providence, then this piece will irritate you.

Even deists will be irritated. If God is distant and uninterested in human affairs, do yourself a favor and stop reading.

Bye bye.

Everyone else – believers in God and divine appointments – how does your family rate in importance?

Now, family can be a touchy subject, so rating them can be difficult.

We all have “the crazies.” You know who I mean. Aunt Mary who smells of mothballs and cheese; Grandpa Sal who swears loudly at punk kids with long hair; and Uncle Frank who flirts with the bride at every wedding he attends.

But even the crazies are important to God. Important enough for Him to trust you with their bloodline, and their legacy – great or small.

So how would you rate your family’s importance in your day-to-day life?

Low? Medium? High?

No matter what your classification, let me help take it to the next level.

If God is truly intentional and deliberate, then of all the 7 billion people on the planet – or roughly 3 billion families – the one you were assigned to is pretty exclusive. Statistically speaking.

So important that 7 billion other people didn’t get your family.

But think even broader. You won the lottery with the most enormous odds of all, because you were born in this era, not in the hundreds previous. Which means your family was handpicked for you by God over thousands of years, not just from billions people.

It would seem He knows what he’s doing, and thinks you’re pretty special to handle the circumstances you were born into. Good. Bad. Or ugly.

When your parents bewilder you, your siblings frustrate you, your kids dumbfound you, and your in-laws freak you right out, remember: you won the family one-in-a-billion lotto.

Literally.

Digesting that statistic may just be the key to letting your parents awe you, your siblings encourage you, your kids bless you, and your in-laws support you.

But there’s almost no hope for smelling like mothballs and cheese. ch:

[Photo by Joanne Nesbitt]

Filed Under: culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: aunts, eva, Family, gambling, generations, giving, inheritance, Jenny, judah, legacy, Levi, luik, parents, siblings, the lotto, uncles

Blankets

21 Sep ’11 By Christopher Hopper 10 Comments

Judah – my 2.5 year old – collects blankets.

At any given time, he’ll be toting up to 9 of his “blues,” “minis,” or “silkies” around the house. Lounging on them with a chocolate milk bottle, or arranging them for an afternoon nap.

We all think it’s endearing. And quite humorous to see his love affair that is uniquely his own, untaught by any of us.

Yes, not all of our habits are as charming as a 2.5 year old’s fetish with blankets. But we probably have at least one that’s genuinely “us.” That makes us unique.

If it’s annoying to everyone around, maybe think about changing for the better. While no one may say it, that lip biting thing you do is kinda’ awkward for everyone watching. So is the way you overreact to correction, or shake your foot incessantly at the table.

I’m not talking about areas where we need to mature socially or personally.

But that characteristically uncommon thing that’s “so you”?

Yeah.

Don’t change that. It’s part of what makes you “you.” And to the right people, you wouldn’t be right without it.

I still cross my feet when I sit on my knees. My parents thought it was cute when I was a boy – my wife thinks it’s cute today. And my kids all do it, too.

Genetic or not, its often our funkiest habits that become our trademarks. Learn to love ‘em, not despise ‘em. Doing so will only help you love who God invented you to be, and shed some of that ugly self-criticism.

And appreciate the mannerisms, traits, and oddities of those around you. Not only will you smile at the obvious God-fingerprints on them, but your life will be richer for it. ch:

Filed Under: culture, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: blankets, habits, judah, mannerisms, personality

Monkey On My Sink

29 Aug ’11 By Christopher Hopper 4 Comments

When everyone else around the watering-hole crowds you out, do you complain? Or get creative? ch:

Filed Under: culture, leadership Tagged With: Africa, creativity, judah, monkey, Problem solving, sink, Teeth, toothbrush

Marshmallow Fun

27 Aug ’11 By Christopher Hopper 6 Comments

Last night we decided to stay home despite some very fun offerings from close friends. Jenny is only 3 weeks away from her due date, and trying to conserve energy.

So she chilled on the sail-hammock while Eva, Luik, and Judah devoured nearly an entire bag of marshmallows over a campfire in the back yard.

I may have had a s’more or two myself.

Love building memories. ch:

Filed Under: pictures, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: Building memories, campfire, eva, judah, luik, marshmallow, s'mores, sail-hammock, summer

The Art of Measuring

26 Aug ’11 By Christopher Hopper 18 Comments

Except for the rapid adolescent years, which involve a lot of acne, vocal squeals, and disproportionate appendages, growth is most often a slow, quiet process that is only noticed after a examining a start and end point separated by a long period of time.

Even harder than noticing physical growth is mental or spiritual growth. And I’ve found that measuring it can be a challenge.

Still, just as important as it was to measure your height against the family door frame with a ruler and pencil when you were 7, it’s important to be able to measure and track your growth spiritually, relationally, and mentally.

Here are a few of the reoccurring self-measuring standards I use when taking stock of my own growth:

•What is my power-to-knowledge ratio of God?

Exodus 33:11 tells of Moses’ relationship with God in the days of the Tent of Meeting like this: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.”

Even if my wife had an autobiography and I read it everyday – though beneficial – it would not even come within the same paradigm as actually knowing her for 10 seconds in person. Likewise, while the Bible and countless books speak to the awesomeness of God, is my relationship with him “logos” knowledge only?

When was the last time I sensed his presence strongly within me? The breath of God breathing a “rhema” word on me? How long has it been since I’ve had a face-to-face? When did I last allow his heart for people to break me, his joy in creating life to excite me, his passion for the Kingdom to consume me? I’ve had encounters in past years where I was physically immobile from his overwhelming presence; is that now just a part of my history with him, or am I helping cultivate my availability to him today? It’s not about what I get, it’s what he gets out of the deal.

If I push myself in physical exercise, do I push myself when I’m in Sunday morning worship to be more than just an exercise?

•Who is actually benefitting from the knowledge and power I’ve amassed in God?

If a dying man’s last words carry any weight, the combination of Jesus’ parting commands in Matthew 28 and Mark 16 need to ring in me daily. And do they?

How many people can I name individually who are receiving the Christ-in-me on a consistent, regular basis?

Likewise, is the power and presence of God being coupled with genuine boldness and compassion in such a way that people are healed, convicted, and moved when they’re around me in Wal-Mart?

•How am I at loving my wife? (For those not married, I would refer you to Eph. 6:2).

If I’m commanded as a husband to love my wife like Jesus loves the Church (Eph. 5:25), and that his model of loving was serving her in the epitome of selflessness (Matt. 20:28), how selfless am I being with regard to my wife’s wellbeing? Am I helping her through life, modeling Christ-likeness in my treatment of her? Do I actively help her pursue her dreams, ease her burdens, and secure her future?

It’s interesting, because much of this I learned in first serving my parents.

Similarly, am I a walking, living, breathing model of Jesus for my kids? (Prov. 22:6). Far more important than evening Bible stories or if they learned the new Sunday school song, is how am I treating them? Am I responding or reacting to their needs, errors, and achievements? Is my discipline appropriate for the moment? Is my praise and encouragement hard to acquire or easily entreated?

•How do I respond to bad news?

Psalm 112:7 says, “[A righteous man] is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”

Do I fuel drama with more drama? Or does my unfazed response to crisis bring the stabilizing anecdote of God’s peace?

Similarly, how do I handle reactionary people? Do I exude patience? Or am I quick to judge and speak more than I am quick to listen? (James 1:19)

•Are physical environments getting better or worse after I spend prolonged amounts of time in them?

I learned long ago that how I treat things, how I treat people, and how I treat God all share the same 2 roots: my heart and my habits. Sometimes I can see my unspoken treatment of people in how I treat my car, my office, or my lawn.

•Am I an asset or liability to my local church?

Long before I had a “paid position” as a pastor, I was and still am a member of my local church. So the question begs to be asked, am I someone I’d have to pastor if I wasn’t a pastor?

Do I show up to help? Do I tithe? Do I complain about what’s wrong or do fill the need of what’s missing?

One of the greatest life lessons my parents could have ever taught me was learning the gift of serving over receiving (Acts 20:35). We never went to church to “get” anything growing up: we went to give. As a result, there was never a bad Sunday, a bad message, a bad worship set, or a bad carpet color.

Because we were there to serve people.

This list is far from exhaustive; so what are some of your personal measuring marks? ch: