The Noticer Project is a worldwide movement to “notice” the five most influential people in your life!

Noticing those five people can be as private (just a letter or email) or as public (posting to your Facebook page or blog) as you choose, but this grassroots movement is meant to encourage us to step outside our busy schedules and avoid waiting until a wedding, graduation or even a funeral to take notice of the special, influential people in our lives.

Not every person that you choose to “notice” has to be an old friend or family member. It might be that you choose to notice a Good Samaritan that changed your life or someone like Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King, whose sacrifice made a difference for you many years later. The important thing is that by noticing those who have made a difference for you, you not only acknowledge their contribution, but you may gain a new perspective on your own life.

For me, it’s too hard to decide who have been the most influential in my life. Well, that’s not true. It’s easy to name the top five: Mom, Dad, Mark, James and Rachael. But they’re certainly not the only ones who have made a difference in my life. And to be honest, while they’re the easiest ones to name, they’re probably the most difficult ones to describe in a paragraph or two.

So I’m going to look outside my family for my part of The Noticer Project. I’m going to tell you about five influential people in my life. Not the only influential people. And not necessarily the most and not in any particular order. Just five people who have made a difference in my life.

And by “five people,” of course I actually mean seven.

Amy Kanning was my Sunday school teacher in high school. She taught us, loved us and challenged us. I still remember some of her lessons – squirting toothpaste out of a tube to illustrate how you can’t take words back, making Valentines and holding them up for a Polaroid photo to remind us how much we are loved, and a heartbreaking talk about how sometimes if we don’t say the things we need to say, we won’t get a second chance.

I accepted Christ before high school. But He became real to me during those teenage years, and part of that is thanks to Amy’s teaching.

Dorothy Mullikin was my piano teacher from grade school until high school graduation. She saw in me a talent she deemed special and worth cultivating, and she never gave up on me. Even when I gave up on the piano. Even when I didn’t practice one minute between lessons. Dorothy took me to seminars, prepared me for contests and challenged me to learn more and better and faster.

You know how they say, “Never stop learning”? Well, for a time, I did. I left my days of music behind, burned out and disenchanted. But those things that Dorothy taught me and the love she showed me have never left my mind and heart, even if my fingers are a little rusty.

Brock and Julia were my Freshman Family Group leaders at the Baptist Student Union. They embraced their role as our leaders and mentors, even letting some of our group members jokingly call them “Mom” and “Dad.” I never did; I didn’t need new parents. But I did need them. I needed their knowledge, wisdom, accountability, leadership and so much more. We went through a lot in that group – both good and bad – but I credit making it through my freshman year, heck, my freshman WEEK, to those two juniors who chose to shepherd and love a group of freshmen. I may not have called them Mom and Dad, but they were my family away from home that year and for years afterward.

Carrie was one of my best friends my freshman year of college. She lived down the hall and was in the same university choir I was. She was also a cheerleader and the tiniest, cutest girl ever. She loved the Lord, loved to sing and struggled with figuring out what to be when she grew up. She went to Florida over spring break with some friends instead of going home to see her parents. The week after she got back, though, she drove home to see them. On her way, she was in an accident and died.

Loving and losing a friend like that taught me so much. That people my age could die. That life is short, fleeting, precious. That I shouldn’t blow off a friend just because I was spending time with another friend…the way I did the night before Carrie went home. That I should forgive myself for that. That nothing cements friendships like a tragedy. I miss Carrie. I wish we would have had more time together. But in just a few months, I learned a lot from her. And because of her, I am a different person.

Bob and Barb Archer were the leaders of our Adult Bible Fellowship class at church. And they were the leaders of the church plant that we were a part of following that class. The Archers are a couple that are so blessed and called by God to serve young married couples. They loved us, taught us, challenged us and helped us grow exponentially in our faith. I learned so much from them.

Like I said, these are just a few of the people who have changed me. I love them. I’m thankful for them. And I could never not notice the impact they’ve had on my life.

Who has influenced you?

In the past couple of weeks, Annalyn has learned how to be naughty. She’s starting grunting and hitting when she gets mad, or when you don’t do what she wants. (Or when you have the nerve -the Nerve! – to put your foot on the piano bench while she’s playing her masterpiece.) She’s decided that spitting is fun, and she’s so determined that she won’t stop no matter the discipline we hand out. She’s even learned every parent’s favorite word: NO.

So now, more than ever, I treasure the quiet moments when she’s my sweet baby again. Like last night when she actually sat still in my lap and let me read her a bedtime book.

I have a feeling that my feisty girl is going to test the boundaries, the limits, my patience for many years to come. But as long as I have can enjoy those sweet moments, I think we’ll make it through.

For more quiet moments and small treasures, visit Chatting at the Sky.

“Orange Beach, Alabama, is a simple town filled with simple people. But they all have their share of problems – marriages teetering on the brink of divorce, young adults giving up on life, business people on the verge of bankruptcy, and many of the other obstacles that life seems to dish out to the masses.

“Fortunately, when things look the darkest, a mysterious old man named Jones has a miraculous way of showing up. Communicating what he calls “a little perspective,” Jones explains that he has been given a gift of noticing things that others miss. In his simple interactions, Jones speaks to that part in everyone that is yearning to understand why things happen and what they can do about it.”

According to the book’s description, The Noticer is “based on a remarkable true story.” It blends fiction, allegory and inspiration to share several basic truths about life that often get overlooked or forgotten in the daily grind of living in this world.

As a reader, I’m not 100% sure which part of the book is true and which part is fiction. The author, Andy Andrews, writes as if it’s all true, as if he encountered Jones and has lived an extraordinary life because of the perspective – the advice – Jones gave him. Really, whether it’s true or not doesn’t really matter. Because the wisdom that Jones – the man or the character – shares is true, life-changing and perspective-giving.

The Noticer tells of Jones’ visit to Orange Beach and the people he visits. Always showing up at the most appropriate time, the old man points out different ways of looking at situations, changing not just a person’s outlook but also the direction of his or her life. He meets with the Wayward, the Lover Lost, the Worrier, the Lustful Youth, the Workaholic and the Useless.

And they hear what he has to say. And they understand. And their lives are changed.

This video shares a bit more about the book. Don’t worry – “full length” is less than 4 minutes.

Thankfully, I don’t have all the problems the folks in this book do. But I could identify with some of them. The most poignant insight that Jones shared – for me – was what he shared with an old woman who believed she’d outlived her usefulness:

“If you are breathing, you are still alive. If you are alive, then you are still here, physically, on this planet. If you are still here, then you have not completed what you were put on earth to do. If you have not completed what you were put on earth to do . . . that means your very purpose has not yet been fulfilled. If your purpose has not yet been fulfilled, then the most important part of your life has not yet been lived. And if the most important part of your life has not been lived . . . then there is proof of hope for more.”

That’s a good word, right there.

Starting tomorrow, April 28, you can buy The Noticer by Andy Andrews and read more of Jones’ insights and get a little perspective of your own.

I tend to believe I’m a pretty good Noticer myself, able to see what’s really going on in a person’s situation and look at it from a different, healthier, more productive perspective. And then there’s my own life – I’m not so good at getting perspective on that.

What about you? Are you good at getting a healthy, accurate perspective on your own life? Or do you find it easier to be wise when it comes to other people’s lives? And . . . has there been a Jones in your life? Has anyone ever helped you notice details and directions in your life that you might otherwise have missed?

This week, I’m going to talk about the Noticers in my life. You can do it, too. Check out The Noticer Project, and join the movement to notice the most influential people in your life. It can be public – your blog, Facebook, etc. – or private, whatever works for you. There’s no need to wait for a wedding, graduation or even a funeral to notice them. No need to wait to be tagged for this meme.

I am a big fan of the dance movie genre. Whether kicking it old school with Dirty Dancing or ghetto style with Save the Last Dance, I do enjoy watching the teen dance romance. So when I saw a preview for a sequel to Center Stage, I knew I had to see it.

Unfortunately, it was quite a disappointment.

Sorry to be so blunt, but there it is. The original Center Stage is not my favorite dance movie (I mean, it’s no Step Up), but I enjoyed it. And I don’t remember the actors being so bad at, well, acting.

The dancers playing characters in Center Stage: Turn It Up were just that – dancers. They were not actors, and sadly, that was evident from the beginning of the movie to the end.

On the other hand, a couple of the dance scenes were so spectacular that Smitty insisted we watch them again after we finished the movie. And I didn’t argue. Those kids may not be winning an Oscar, but they are talented dancers.

So if you can’t wait for the fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance, you can get your fill of dancing with this movie. Just don’t be expecting the actors to…umm…act.