Rebekah Speaks

 Lesson #3 to Self: Be creative The story goes like this. A young woman is cooking with her mother and sees her cut off the ends of the ham before placing it in the oven. She inquires why. “Well, my mother told me to do it this way because it’s better. Why don’t you ask her for the specific reason in doing so? So she does. “Grandma, why do you cut off the ends of the ham?” She gets the same response. “My mother always did it this way. I’ve done it as well but I don’t really know why. Why don’t you ask your Great Grandma?” Once again she poses the question to her Great Grandma. Anticipating a compelling rationale in cutting off the ends, Great Grandma simply stated, “My roasting pan was always too small. I had to cut off the ends to make the ham fit in the pan.” Ah, so there we have it. A simple solution to a specific problem turned into the non-negotiable standard for future endeavors. “We’ve always done it this way” is a dangerous sentiment that squelches objective analysis and cr...

1975   Lesson 2 - Be Positive. Think constructively. Last week I proposed that better people make better anythings. I acknowledged my need to work on being more disciplined. I’ve not been perfect but have managed to be intentional about growing in this category. This week, I am committing to being more positive, which will demand good and useful thinking if progress is to be made. But if I can be transparent, the struggle is real. I was a cheerleader back in the day. Ra, Ra! (Please don’t laugh.) We were expected to be wildly enthusiastic on the sidelines, even if the score was upside down. That required a healthy dose of faking it because, quite frankly, not every contest played by the Pennridge Rams ended up as a W in the stats book. Likewise, as a multi-sport athlete in both high school and college, successful team play also required an element of positivity. Not only for personal stability but being positive (or not) tipped the scale on how the team functioned as...

  Lesson 1: Discipline Better people make better anythings. Specifically, better people make better coaches. Better people make better spouses. Better people make better teachers and administrators (like Steve Whitaker, Ph.D. ). Better people make better bus drivers. Better people make better sons, better daughters. Better people make better photographers (like Collin Strachan ). Better people make better electricians. Better people make better students. Better people make better athletes. I could go on and on and on. Better people make better anythings because better people have better character—which then drives performance. Think about it. If someone is hardworking, resilient, creative, unselfish, honest, respectful, focused, trustworthy—and a myriad of other character skills—what will happen to the value they offer? What will happen to their contribution to the team? I am committed to helping teams think deeply about the practicalities of character skill develo...

We live in a house that was built about 135 years ago. Our driveway, a third of a mile in length, is an unfortunate combination of mud, rocks, and gravel. Excluding the tiny house that our son and his wife built nestled in a stand of cedars, our nearest neighbors are the cows that graze on the far side of the rickety fence. It is country living at it's finest--except for the dust and dirt. I probably vacuum the rug in front of the kitchen sink at least twice a day. Now understand, I am not a clean freak but once the dirt and debris carried in on shoe bottoms covers a substantial percentage of the surface area, I am compelled to do something about it. But that is not the worst of it. When the morning sun streams in through the need-to-be-washed windows, a fine layer of dust is revealed. Coffee table. Countertops. Stove top. Everywhere. Even the air itself seems filled with tiny particles that take great pleasure in frolicking about. How does this happen? How can it be? Honestly, I ...

You know what's hard about winter running? I do. It's leaving the comfort of the heat thrown off from the wood stove and getting out the front door. Admittedly, despite the initial big chill, it's normally not THAT bad once you get moving. But getting moving is often the problem. Inertia is so hard to overcome when we know things will be difficult, challenging, or just plain suck. But we must learn how to get moving and then keep moving. I am pretty sure we can call this Disciple. Perseverance. Commitment. All essential to success. What is the "wood stove" that keeps you - or your group - from making progress? Want some help with real-life strategies to both assess and progress? Let's talk! https:rebekahtrittipoe.com

Gary, my husband and avid hunter, and I sat watching a hunting program last week. After plotting non-stop against a monster buck for several years, that hunter's perseverance finally paid off. Moments after downing the trophy deer he exclaimed, "I'm thankful when dreams align with God's will." The hunter may have stopped the deer in its tracks, but his words had the same effect on us. Since then, we have talked through the presuppositions of that perspective. We 100% embrace God’s sovereignty in all things big and small but we had not considered the role our dreams and goals might have on our actions. Let’s say we have an athletic goal, i.e. running a personal best in a race. We are smart in our training, exhibit admirable diligence, eat right, and get enough sleep. We go to the start line ready for a break-out performance. Alas, it doesn’t happen. Was God mean to not let it happen? No. Was His will predicated on our actions prior to or during the race? After all,...