Put up or shut up. For a couple of months now I have been ranting about the importance of understanding those things in life about which you are passionate. I have had a pretty good idea about the things I am passionate about for a long time.

Of course, I love my family and would do anything for them. That is a given. Those that know me well, know that I have a few other passions.

I am passionate about basketball. I was never great at basketball. However, as a kid I was a gym rat. Our house backed up to the park which had a recreation center with a gym and I practically lived there. It was closed on Sunday’s but the folks that worked at the recreation center knew me and would leave the back door unlocked so I could get my Sunday basketball fix. My favorite time of year is right now - March Madness. Nothing could be better!

I am passionate about BBQ. Until the kids got older and their activities started to dominate my schedule, I would use my vacation time to travel to BBQ Meccas like Kansas City and Memphis. I was a card carrying member of the Kansas City BBQ Society (BBQ – It’s not just for Breakfast anymore!) and the American BBQ Association. Every summer, you could find me lounging in famous BBQ eateries such as Gates BBQ in Kansas City, Interstate BBQ in Memphis, or Sonny Bryan’s in Dallas.

I am passionate about blues music. Texas blues, Chicago blues, delta blues; all of it. Fortunately for me, many of the cities that have world famous BBQ are also hotbeds for blues music. Beale Street in Memphis is the birthplace of the blues and home to BB Kings Blues club. Kansas City has a great Blues & Jazz festival. The Grand Emporium in Kansas City is a great place to catch blues acts. I have had my picture taken in front of the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue in Austin and the W.C. Handy statue in Memphis

I am passionate about running. I know, I know, that sounds nuts. Most people, even most who consider themselves athletes, think of running as punishment at worst and an unpleasant discipline at best. But I love to get out and run. When I travel, there is nothing better than finding a new, scenic running course. I have run in Central Park in New York and along the beach in San Diego. I have run among the palms in Orlando FL and up & down the mountains in Ruidoso, NM. I have run a marathon in over the hills of San Francisco and a 5K on a table-top-flat runway at the Tulsa American Airlines facility. Running is my therapy. It clears my head and helps maintain my weight.

I am also passionate about my faith. It wasn’t always that way. For many years, I was a marginal believer. I have always believed in God but I was pretty much a Sunday Christian. A few years ago it dawned on me, that this whole issue of faith was either the most important issue there is or of absolutely of no importance at all. If you think about it, don’t you agree? Either what the bible says is true, being the Word of God, making that truth the most important thing we can know. Or it is a scam of monumental proportions. I believe the former. The number of documented Old Testament prophesies that later came to pass satisfy the actuarial nature of my personality. And frankly, through prayer, meditation, and studying the bible, the Holy Spirit has convinced me of the reliability of God’s Word. Because of this confidence, I believe that our faith is in fact the most important thing in our lives.

In my last post, I talked about the importance of understanding those things in our lives about which we are passionate. I also suggested that when we find those activities, that lie at the intersection, of those things we are good at, those things that we are passionate about, and those things that are valued by others, we will have found our “sweet spot.” That sweet spot is comprised of those activities that I believe God created us to do.

I love basketball but with a 3 inch vertical leap, and a 7 second 40, the Lakers are not looking to draft me. I love BBQ and in my opinion, I smoke a pretty good brisket. But my lifestyle isn’t currently conducive to working nights and weekends smoking suculent pieces of meat.

I love blues music. The bad news is that I can’t carry a tune in a basket. I can’t even play my stereo right, let alone a musical instrument. My singing makes Roseanne’s National Anthem sound like a Grammy nominee.

For the past few years I have been helping an organization called Impact Productions, most recently serving on the board of directors. For some reason, Impact values the things that I have been able to do for them. I believe I do have some experience and skills that have allowed me to help Impact. Impact’s mission is to reach a sight and sound generation with the Gospel message using film, video, and television programming. It is easy for me to get excited about what they are trying to do. I found my sweet spot.

On March 31st, I will be leaving the comfort of a secure job with a software company with more than $2 billion in revenues. I will be leaving a job that allowed me to work on a project that was written up by both Time Magazine and Business Week in the past year. Business Week said the project was one of the Top 50 Uses of the Web. I will be leaving a great job with a great company to do what I believe God has created me to do. I will be joining Impact Productions as the Chief Financial Officer. I have found my sweet spot. I know what I am passionate about.

What is your sweet spot? What are your passionate about? And what are you doing about it? I encourage you to take one step this week, however small it may be, to move toward your sweet spot. You will be glad you did!