Hello Friends,

Here’s how I’ve spent the majority of my past two weekends: Standing behind a table.

Why you ask? Well, I’m glad you did.

I’ve spent the past two weekends at Youth Conventions in Ohio and Kentucky. The purpose for my being there was to serve as the face of Catalyst Resources International.

If you know me at all, and likely you do if you’re reading this, then you know that I have a significant history with this organization and the work they do in Guatemala. And it is great work. We build homes and churches. We provide clean water to villages. We comfort the afflicted, and clothe the unclothed. We rescue beautiful girls from tragic situations, and bring them into the comfort of Mimi’s House. We provide a safe environment for them that includes: healthcare, education, nutrition, and emotional nurturing.

What you may not know is how all of that great work gets accomplished. It requires partners. You see, there is no magical money tree that funds the work of the Greene family in Guatemala. These wonderful people who serve as missionaries there have literally sold everything (multiple times) in order that they might see this great work through and the vision of CRI fulfilled. The Greene’s have given everything, and in turn they need people like you and me to give something.

The past two weekends I’ve stood behind a table for hours, and stood on 4 different stages in front of 1,300+ people to share the vision of Catalyst Resources International. My hope in doing this was to spread the word about what we were accomplishing in Guatemala, and to ask people to join us in this effort.

I figured; what’s one more pitch. This blog is now my digital stage. I stand behind this table, full of information and brochures, faces of precious girls, and videos displaying the work in progress. I stand behind this table and ask you to join us. Partner with us.

• Sponsor a girl for $30 per month.
• Give a year end gift to the Greene family.
• Help us pay off the mortgage on Mimi’s House by purchasing a tile for $1,000.
• Take a trip to Guatemala to see thing firsthand.

Do it now. Read the website, explore the links, ask me how you can become involved. I, like Paul in Acts 20 have been compelled to action. I pray that you may be as well.

I’ll take your Facebook “Like” or Comment as your intention to partner with CRI.

Thanks for reading.
Luke

The next Dream Year Weekend is June 3-5 in Washington D.C. The event will be hosted at the ultra cool Ebenezer’s Coffee Shop (recently voted best coffee shop in D.C.). Attendees will be navigating, dissecting, clarifying, and monetizing the dream that is floating around in their hearts and minds.

My experience at Dream Year Weekend was pivotal. It gave me the clarity I needed to pull off an amazing event, and the confidence I needed to know that I can survive in the world as an entrepreneur someday.

No matter the size, scope, or context of your dream, I can’t encourage you enough to find a way to make it to Washington D.C. in early June to learn from Ben and several other incredible leaders. Act fast. The event is limited to 70 attendees, and the cheapest registration rate ends this Friday (April 29th). Visit the Dream Year website to learn more and register today.

*This was not a solicited post. I mean every word of what is written above. So don’t go getting any wild ideas.*

A few things about the film. First off, it was a wonderfully made documentary. It’s no wonder that it was an Academy Award nominee. It was everything you’d hope a documentary to be: informative, engaging, and inspiring of change.

If you’re not familiar, the movie essentially tells the story of how America has become slave to the fast/junk food industry. The movie peels back the layers of an onion showing how nearly every american family is negatively affected by a food production and marketing system that is controlled in every way imaginable by a few key multi-billion dollar corporations. It was simultaneously stunning to see the connections, and discouraging to see just how manipulated the system is.

The difficult part to manage is the reality that it is decidedly more expensive to avoid participating in “the system”. Whether that means eating organic, shopping locally, or avoiding cheap calories. It is seemingly easier and cheaper* to grab a double cheeseburger at McDonalds than to whip up a whole food alternative. *(The idea of “hidden cost” explored in the film would argue otherwise. Here is a great article discussing this issue in brief form.)

After finishing the movie and before going to bed, I convinced myself that my eating habits would change. Then I woke up, accomplished a few tasks, and enjoyed a ridiculously unhealthy nacho dish at a local burrito joint that was likely loaded with ingredients I was unaware of, and were referenced in the documentary. Ashamed of my behavior, I come to confess to my blog readers and ask for you thoughts.

So I pose a few questions:

• Why is it so difficult to change out eating habits? I suppose it’s really no different than other habits we wish to change/add/subtract, but it would seem that our eating has a special hold on us due to the natural and unnatural “drugs” involved. Namely, the big 3: sugar, salt, & fat.
• Have you seen the movie Food Inc?
• If so, has it changed your eating habits? Your grocery buying habits?
• Finally, for you parents out there: Do your kids regularly eat fast/junk food? If so, viewing this film may curb some of those dining habits. The statistics about teenage obesity and type 2 diabetes are beyond alarming.

So, what are your thoughts? Are you the type to just chalk it up to “liberal agenda” that should be ignored, or are these real issues affecting countless generations? Please share…

The world is full of amazing people.

You get up, you battle traffic, you work all day, you head to the gym, you make dinner, you check Facebook, you go to bed. And somewhere in that daily routine, you can lose sight of the remarkable power of a person.

Each individual component of your day has a way of seeming both huge and infinitesimal all at once. Read More…

So, who are some of the everyday heroes in your life? Share with us.

The beauty of thinking about past and future adventures is the realization that most often don’t unfold alone. Adventure happens in community. My adventures have and will happen with my wonderful wife, and the wonderful group of friends who surround me and serve as co-adventurers.

In this vein, I stumbled upon this photo essay (here for slide show. here for list.) that I linked to off of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s website. It’s a collection of 101 things to try in 2011 in the Greater Cincinnati area. I thought it would be a fun blog and/or Facebook exercise for everyone to share the list of the things they’ve done, and the things they’d like to do in 2011. After all, if you can’t adventure in your own backyard, how will you do so in any other context?

Here’s both of my lists and a quick nod to the friends whom accompanied me on the journey.

The things I’ve always wanted to do, and hope to make happen in 2011.

LoveStories Attendee,

We wanted to say thank you for your presence on Monday night at LoveStories. Each of you truly made the evening something to be remembered. We want to take a moment to update each of you on the financial goals, and applaud the sponsors and storytellers.

First and foremost, we are thrilled to report that together we raised $700 for Mimi’s House! $500 is the direct result of your dinner tickets, and $200 is the result of a few generous contributors who gave above and beyond. After sharing these figures with friends of the event, we have been encouraged to raise the bar and shoot for a final LoveStories total of $1,000.

A $1,000 gift from LoveStories would enable us to participate in the tile program at Mimi’s House (click here to read about the tile program). This will give LoveStories a permanent presence on a wall inside the house where these young girls will experience love and opportunity in a way previously unimaginable. Do you want to contribute towards the final $300? Have you told a friend about your LoveStories experience that might want to join the cause? Please reply to this email for further instructions on how to give.

We also want to make sure that our sponsors and storytellers are well recognized. Please take a moment to read a little more about each person and organization below who helped make LoveStories possible.

Sponsors

• Event Producer – Luke Dooley: Read Luke’s blog here. Follow him on Twitter. Attend his next event which will be announced soon!
• Photographer – Jessica Agee: Jessica has offered to give a discount to any LoveStories attendee who books a photography session with her. View Jessica’s work here. Email here at the following address to book her services: Jess [dot] Agee [at] yahoo [dot] com
• Chef – John Schwab: John is available for all types of catering and food services. Contact him about your party or special event by calling his assistant cook at: (phone number removed for blog post. contact me to connect with john.)
• Decor & Supplies – Journey Church and Monroe Church of God generously donated printing services, sound equipment, room decor, and much more. Visit their websites which are linked above.

StoryTellers

• Christopher Gilmore – Read Christopher’s insightful and witty blog here.
• Julie Bauke – Visit her website to read about her career consulting services and to buy herwonderfully helpful book.
• Larry Renner – Follow Larry on Twitter. You’ll appreciate his insight, and love his heart!
• Jennifer Scroggins – Read more about Jennifer’s paradigm shifting story of her travels to Lebanon by reading her feature report on AmericanCatholic.org
• Doc Wieland – Catch up with Doc on Facebook. If you live in the Lakota corridor look for Doc’s beautiful family on a Journey Church mailer in your mailbox next week.

Thank you again to everyone who made LoveStories such a success by helping, giving, sharing, and attending. Until next time.

“Have a Story Worthy Week”

LoveStories Organizers

P.S. If you were unable to submit your payment at the dinner due to the inability to process credit cards, please reply to this email and we’ll help you get squared away.

For 24 hours I’ve thought about how I could possibly capture for you in words what I experienced on Monday night at a Valentine’s dinner/event that I produced entitled LoveStories. In case you don’t know, LoveStories was a combination fundraising dinner and  storytelling event that was centered around the theme “Love in Strange  Places”.

For me personally, LoveStories was  special for countless reasons. You  see, this event for me represented a  bold step of faith towards a yet  unknown future. To the casual observer it may have appeared to be simply a fun evening for a good cause, but for me it was a trial balloon. A trial balloon that had years of fear, doubt, and frustration tied to it. 24 hours after launch it appears that th

e balloon is still rising, entering new atmospheres.

Please don’t hear me say that this evening was all about me. This was surely not the case. Instead, this event was all about….

• The 7 beautiful girls who live at Mimi’s House who will benefit from the $1,000 dollars raised by attendees and generous friends of the event.
• The 6 bold men and women who stepped onto a stage and laid open their hearts to share part of their story with 50 strangers. Stunning stories were told.
• The 50 people who came together to laugh, cry, eat food, drink wine, and ponder their story, and the unexpected places they’ve encountered love.
• Stories which unmistakably shared common threads of faith, hope and love.
• Fires in hearts and minds that were stoked to live a story filled life.

This was but a glimpse into the magical evening of Monday, February 14th 2011. There will be more thoughts to come in this little dusty corner of the internet. I hope you’ll come back to read more. I promise there will be more… more on LoveStories, and more updates in general. I’ve been called out, and I never back away from a challenge.

Check it out here!

I am in Chicago Wednesday – Friday of this week to participate in a really cool event simply known as STORY. I am actually leading a team of 11 volunteers that are handling the outdoor logistics (parking, greeting, etc…) of the 2010 edition of STORY.

Several have asked something like: “What is this STORY thing all about.” To answer that, I’m going to transpose some words written by my friend and STORY founder Ben Arment. These are the first words in the STORY conference book:

As a member of the creative class in ministry, you have the challenge of telling others about an invisible kingdom, an unseen God and a hidden underworld. This is no small feat – communicating the unseen. The greatest story ever told can be the hardest to tell. But when you consider the possibilities, they’re limitless. This is why STORY exists… to provide fuel for the creative class. STORY is not about fomulaic creativity. There are no blanks to fill-in, no how-to instructions, and no stock videos to download. Our goal is to inspire and equip you with the highest level of creative possibilities.

Now my words: STORY is unlike any other “church conference” in the country. It’s simultaneously incredibly creative and highly personal. Each attendee is treated like an honorable guest from arrival to exit. The communicators are not pastors from big churches. They are filmmakers and authors and brilliant minds from the “secular” marketplace. STORY pushes the limit of heart, mind, and soul through stunning technological visuals, powerful moments of worship, and challenge talks.

To find out more about STORY and to see one of the coolest websites you’ll ever run across, go here: www.storychicago.com

To follow the event on Twitter, follow the #story10 hashtag.

To watch exclusive backstage content as it unfolds, visit here: www.storyunfolding.com

I deeply appreciate the multitude of friendships and acquaintances I have, and I love how tools like Twitter and Facebook (and silly iPhone Scrabble game) bring these relationships into the forefront of my life on a daily basis. Here are some people I consider friends:

• A young executive in Cincinnati who is one of the youngest managers in his company.
• Missionaries in Guatemala and Russia who give their lives to far away people.
• A bank executive who wields his influence in the Church as masterfully as he does in the corporate world.
• A married couple who are youth pastor and executive assistant who are both on staff at a very large, very influential church in San Diego.
• A former college basketball star who played 7 professional seasons oversees.
• A dynamic motivational speaker who produces amazing school assemblies and impacts youth culture in Southern California.
• An entrepreneur who takes huge risks and creates awesome environments for church leaders and communicators of all types.
• A college student in Florida who moved 1,000 miles away from home without a car, because he’s pursuing God’s call on his life.
• A husband and wife in Kansas City who are changing the landscape of the adoption system in America.
• A pair of musician siblings in Nashville who are chasing their dreams, and fully embracing the starving artist lifestyle.

These are just a few of the cool people in my life. I haven’t told you about the amazing youth leaders, parents, and 9-5′ers in my life.

Who are some of the interesting people in your life?