Spontaneity in Still Life

“Wait a minute. What the …?”

Out of the corner of my eye, a familiar facial feature had caught my attention. It made no sense, though. Why would he be there?

The scene was a women’s apparel store in Oshkosh, Wis. My family was traveling to Green Bay (yes, where the Packers were holding training camp) for the weekend. We had stopped at an outlet mall 45 minutes south of the football mecca.

My wife, Tanya, was browsing in the store. I was hanging around, waiting. Suddenly, it hit me: Where did the kids go?

None of the three was in sight. I looked throughout the store. No sign of them. Where would they have gone?

I walked outside, pondering, when it happened. A toothy grin I recognized nicked my peripheral vision.

Huh? I turned around, and looked at the showcase window in the storefront.

Five mannequins stood inside – except, three looked exactly like my two sons and young daughter. The toothy smile? It belonged to my oldest son, Kennedy.

The three of them were standing stock still. The two real mannequins did the same. Where was this going? I had to know … so stepped back and watched.

Passersby slowed down to look at them. Many pointed. Some even took photos. You could read their minds: “Those are some realistic mannequins!”

The kids would finally break character and wave, or laugh. The bystanders were startled … then laughed back. Everyone enjoyed the joke. All in good fun.

After a short while, I collected Kennedy, Hudson, and Reagan to resume our trip north. Many family adventures awaited!

Back on the road, I asked why they were in the window. Their response? They just wanted to make people laugh. It was spontaneous fun, born out of opportunity.

I appreciated their seize-the-moment creativity. Even more so, their spontaneity.

Here’s some backstory: Up until a few years ago, practicality ruled my life. I would have been irritated at the notion of stopping at the outlet mall. My attitude would have been “We need to reach our destination!”

Tanya’s always believed in creating experiences … and she finally convinced me. I’ve learned the value of investing in quality time. The people you’re with make it worth having.

Thus, I’ve grasped the joy of spontaneity … and was so glad to see my kids doing the same. Life can be heavy, and tiring, and burdensome. Doing something unexpected - just because - breaks up the struggles.

Are you willing to embrace spontaneous acts, even occasionally? Going off schedule and living in the moment? It might not come naturally … but let things go, just once in a while.

You never know whom you might just give a reason to smile.

The Story Behind Her Story

One of the favorite parts of what I do is learning who people really are.

My work covers a lot of ground – international keynote speaker, longtime sales trainer, and founder of a rapidly-growing international ministry.

I meet a lot of people, some famous.

Riley Gaines is certainly one of them.

Riley, keynote speaker at the recent Summer Savior Summit, showed how wonderfully complex – and engaging – a person can be.

Her presentation exuded passion, fight, and fearlessness. She was bold and unapologetic about being true to God, and taking on those who called her every name in the book - transphobic, homophobic, racist, white supremacist, Nazi and more.

Why the attacks?

She dared to say only two sexes exist. The Bible defines males and females as created equally in God’s image. She wasn’t backing down from her beliefs.

Riley navigated a firestorm of controversy, and emerged strong and confident. She could have been angry and bitter, too. She wasn’t.

I’ve rarely seen someone be so kind to everyone she meets.

Prior to shooting the interview above, Riley introduced herself to every person in the room. She was appreciative, humble, and genuinely thankful to be part of the Summer Savior Summit.

She relates some of her experiences in this interview, and why she believes our society is returning to Godly principles and common sense.

She also warns against complacency. Dark forces tell us not to believe what our eyes see. Only engaged realists can hold them off.

You’ll pick up on her confidence. You’ll notice her humility, too. She’s on the front lines of an ongoing culture war - yet entirely unpretentious nor self-important. She sets an example for us all.

We need more like her.

Hear Demi-Leigh Tebow’s Keynote Address for Free!

The Summer Savior Summit is over … so on to the Fall Savior Summit!

The Oct. 15-17 event will have another dynamic prime speaker, and a new location.

Never let it be said that C-Suite for Christ rests on its laurels!

Demi-Leigh Tebow – yes, she’s married to Tim Tebow, a prominent friend of C-Suite for Christ – will deliver a passionate message of advocacy and hope in her keynote presentation. She calls upon us to love others selflessly. A former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, she’s also a relentless soldier in the fight against human trafficking.

Check this, too - the Fall Savior Summit will be held at a soon-to-be-announced location in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Part of “Covering the World in Christ” is taking our show to new and exciting places!

Want to help “Cover the World in Christ” … and see Demi-Leigh Tebow’s Oct. 17 keynote address for free?

Here’s how: Subscribe to the C-Suite for Christ YouTube channel. Send a screenshot – with the “Subscribed” button visible – to pneuberger@csuiteforchrist.com. I’ll send you two tickets to see Demi-Leigh Tebow in person at the Fall Savior Summit.

These free tickets grant you access to a morning networking event before her keynote address, seats at the presentation, and a follow-up panel discussion with questions from the audience.

Please know these tickets do not include the VIP meet-and-greet session with Demi-Leigh Tebow, which precedes her address. You can certainly meet her, though – just upgrade to a VIP package and enjoy all its added benefits.

Or, register to attend the entire Savior Summit, and devour its full menu of superb speakers and fantastic fellowship.

Subscribing to the C-Suite for Christ YouTube channel helps us spread God’s Word, too. The channel gains greater exposure on YouTube as its numbers of subscribers, and video views, grows.

Let’s leverage technology to bring people to Christ.

Either way, it’s win-win! Enjoy a day you’ll never forget at the Fall Savior Summit, and fresh faith-based video content that’s constantly updated.

Let’s be honest: A deal like this doesn’t come along every day!