Just Show Up

Kara Tippetts’s story was not a story of disease, although she lost her battle with terminal cancer. It was not a story of saying goodbye, although she was intentional in her time with her husband and four children. Kara’s story was one of seeing God in the hard and in the good. It was one of finding grace in the everyday. And it was one of knowing “God with us” through fierce and beautiful friendship. In Just Show Up, Kara and her close friend, Jill Lynn Buteyn, write about what friendship looks like in the midst of changing life seasons, loads of laundry, and even cancer. Whether you are eager to be present to someone going through a difficult time or simply want inspiration for pursuing friends in a new way, this eloquent and practical book explores the gift of silence, the art of receiving, and what it means to just show up.

In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. Let’s face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along. No matter how carefully we formulate a “script,” it is bound to change when we interact with people with scripts of their own. Improv Wisdom shows how to apply the maxims of improvisational theater to real-life challenges—whether it’s dealing with a demanding boss, a tired child, or one of life’s never-ending surprises. Patricia Madson distills thirty years of experience into thirteen simple strategies, including “Say Yes,” “Start Anywhere,” “Face the Facts,” and “Make Mistakes, Please,” helping readers to loosen up, think on their feet, and take on everything life has to offer with skill, chutzpah, and a sense of humor.

New York Times Bestseller! Iron Man Cal Ripken Jr.—the 19-time All-Star, World-Series winning legend, American League MVP, and record holder who played 2,632 consecutive games—outlines eight rules for the game of baseball and life, drawn from the lessons he has learned on and off the field. Cal Ripken Jr. is a baseball legend. But legends aren't born, they're made. For twenty-one seasons, Ripken took the field day in and day out, through cold, heat, rain, and sometimes snow, playing in more than 3,000 games for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1983, the revered shortstop helped lead his team to victory in the World Series. On September 6, 1995, Ripken did the seemingly impossible, he surpassed Lou Gehrig's unbreakable fifty-six-year-old Iron Man record, setting a new mark of 2,131 consecutive games—then played another 501 consecutive games. Throughout his career, Ripken was admired for his consistency, hard work, and loyalty. There were successes and failures, but above all was an old-fashioned sense of doing what's right, every single day. Since retiring in 2001, Ripken has enjoyed a successful career as a baseball analyst, entrepreneur, and author. Now, in Just Show Up, he reflects on his life and career to offer lessons for the next generation and those to come. Ripken speaks eloquently about the timeless values he has lived by: Life is a streak,play the long game; Success and money are not the same; Play fair,win fair. And he shares stories of his legendary father, Baltimore Oriole coach and manager Cal Ripken Sr., what it took to keep the streak alive, and what it meant to bring the World Series to Baltimore. Cal Ripken's message is simple yet poignant; wisdom essential to anyone trying to forge a successful life in times that are often chaotic. Blending insights from sports, business, and a life well-lived, Just Show Up is the story of an American legend and the principles he has lived by—standards our time needs.

If someone puts one more thing on my shoulders, I might collapse. Bestselling self-help book titles tell you that you’re brilliant, awesome, powerful—usually with an expletive thrown in, just to pound home the point. Do these affirmations feel accurate? Instead of blasting through projects and conquering the world, most of us feel like we’re crawling uphill. But Christians are still called to live a life that glorifies God and blesses others. How do we do that when we’re stretched to capacity? Just Show Up answers that question with a liberating message: God doesn’t expect you to do everything. And He certainly doesn’t expect you to do it all overnight. Simply showing up is often the most important thing. This book looks at present-day examples and also stories from Scripture of imperfect people used by God. Moses, by his own admission, wasn’t very eloquent, but he showed up and God used him to liberate and lead His people. We name churches and children after the disciples. But originally, they were just a bunch of uneducated nobodies with one thing in common: when Jesus said, “Follow me,” they showed up. With humor and candor, Dyck reflects on his own faltering progress while recounting inspiring stories of how God rewards the persistent presence of ordinary people. Just Show Up challenges readers to show up for God, family, community, and themselves. We tend to think it’s the big, bold moments that matter. In reality, it’s the steady accumulation of small acts of obedience to God that add up to a life of meaning and impact. –Dyck

In April 1988, I proposed marriage to my girlfriend Carey. She said yes! I’m not sure she said yes because she wanted to be my wife or she was shocked by the question and didn’t know what else to say as we had not dated long. Wow, now what do I do? Being that we met while serving in youth ministry, we were blessed to know some wise Christian counsel for premarital guidance and then started planning a wedding. Come next January, we were now an official family. That family grew eighteen months later to include our oldest daughter, Whitney. Jump three years ahead, Haley and thirty-six months after that, Casey. Within seven years, marriage and three daughters. I was excited, shocked, and overwhelmed by how all this unfolded. Some wise elders on both sides of our family offered insight in how to do family, but there was one thing I always wanted as a dad and husband, and that was to be there for all my girls.

Recognizing adversity can be the key to finding a way to live life in the magic of the present moment. Sometimes the ego sabotages our past and future thinking, and we must turn to the still small voice within to keep us in the present. We must strive to find the good in our lives, no matter where we are or what we have experienced in the past. In Just Show Up, author David Gregory provides a guide for staying in the present and focusing on the positive in your life. Through his authenticity and transparency, you can come to understand that you are not alone and that there is a reason for all of your challenging life experiences. You can also learn the art of painting your own canvas by tapping into the oneness that will always be with the higher power of your understanding. We all have our moments of learning, healing, and moving on. In the face of the dysfunction of his family of birth, Gregory offers a message of hope and truth, sharing how he changed his thoughts to change his life. Through years of showing up to his own life and dealing with the adversity of emotional rags, he found a way to access the enlightenment of spiritual riches. You too can move on to the best of the best and join in with the gifts of living in the now.

"Encouraging vignettes of how God uses a life committed to serving Him"--Cover

Just Show Up is a children's book for adults who think like children. After watching a series on Oprah about boys without fathers, and raising a son primarily on my own, this short book came to life. Being an adult who has thought like a child at times in her life, the thought of what seems so simple to most sometimes does not dawn on others in relation to simply being physically there for your children. With hope that one page or illustration in this book could help a parent have a better relationship with their children, make better memories, and avoid others, or just start the conversation of what it means to "just show up."