When you start anything important in life, whether it’s getting a degree, getting married, having a child, starting a business, or even becoming a follower of Jesus, it always seems to start with great fanfare.
But the middle about kills you.
How to Miss Out on Your Destiny
I find myself faced with needing lots of amazing and gifted people to do the work God has called me to do…establishing a church. If I can be honest, sometimes I wish that wasn’t the case and I could do it all myself. The job would be so much easier, but then it wouldn’t be the job at all (Eph. 4:12).
The problem is people misunderstand, people get hurt easily, people can be selfish, people can be fearful, people at times are too needy and even greedy…things I’ve all seen in myself.
What If?
A Strategy for Beating Fear & Doubt
I have found myself repeating a phrase more and more these days. I’ve been saying it to myself as I face new challenges and long term ones. Every time I say the phrase my perspective starts to change and when my perspective starts to change so does my emotional state.
I firmly believe that managing our emotional state is a key to winning. The battle is won or lost in our mind way before we ever find an actual solution.
Crisis Behind a Mower
A Story of Life Change
This week I was able to spend a little time with my 82-year-old grandfather who lives in West Virginia. I can’t tell you what a joy it is that my children get to know their great-grandfather…a man who has shaped me in many ways including giving me a love for the outdoors. Fishing, hunting, honey bees, mushrooms…he instilled in me an appreciation about where our food comes from and how we get it.
During this last visit I hopped in his truck to go help him rob one of his bee hives. This career military veteran lacks the strength and stability of his younger years. It’s one of the most cruel ways time robs masculinity. Men relish being able to be the only one to open a jar of pickles.
If You Were A Little More…
What if there is only so much you can do and then the rest is out of your hands?
That’s one of the hardest realities to face in life…you can only do what you can do. Sometimes we start thinking that if we were just a little smarter, faster, more educated, better connected, younger, richer, or whatever our life would look a lot different. Ever felt that way? Thinking that way can get you on a hamster wheel going nowhere. Well, I take that back it will take you in a downward spiral of guilt and self-loathing.
The Problem with Trying
Most people don’t achieve their goals or dreams because all they do is try.
Think about a goal or dream that you have. How far are you willing to go to see it happen? What are you willing to do to make it happen? I’m not talking about breaking the law or committing a sin. I’m talking about pushing yourself and going beyond your comfort zone. I’m talking about having a singular focus that you would never give up no matter what.
Should You Make Your Child Go To Church
If you aren’t a Christian, first let me thank you for checking out my blog, secondly know that I’m directing this post toward those who say that they are.
Being a pastor I never get asked, “Should I make my child go to church?”
Instead, I’m usually told by parents why they aren’t making their child go to church anymore. The subject comes up when I ask them casually about how their child is doing, and then they misinterpret the question to mean: “Why isn’t your child in church?” The answers usually boil down to two:
The Struggle is Real
Ever noticed that when you finally get serious about making some changes it seems like everything conspires to keep you from making that change?
You finally decide to lose a few pounds so you join a gym, buy the workout clothes, and get your bag packed. The next day your boss needs you to stay late for an unexpected project or your child gets sick and needs you to get them from school early or your spouse has to stay late at work so you have to pick up the children. Goodbye gym. Goodbye new routine. Not to mention that every person you know seems to be having a party or a cookout with all of your favorite foods–testing your will power. Why is it so hard to get in shape?
Why You Won’t Find Great Friends At Church
...or anywhere else.
How many friends do you have? I’m not talking about your Facebook friends…FB really should call those acquaintances and not friends, because there is no way you can have 884 really close friends.
The type of friends I’m talking about are the ones that if you lost your job they would help you pay your mortgage or let you move in with them. The type of friends that if you died in a freak accident would raise your kids like you would. When you start classifying people like that…it’s easy for your friend list to shrink maybe even to zero.
Which creates a big question in my mind…How do you get friends like that? How do you find friends like that? Well, I tell you right up front that you won’t find friends like this at church. Yep! It’s true. You won’t find friends like that at work, on a sports team, in the gym, or with your children’s friend’s parents. In fact, you can’t find them anywhere because…
I’m Responsible
...and so are you!
One of the signs of a mature person is the ability to take responsibility for their life. They own their emotions, the direction of their life, and even their problems. In fact this is such a BIG part of winning in every area of life that I believe your greatest ability is responsibility. We are losing this sense of responsibility in our society. It’s always someone else’s fault. It’s my parents’ faults, the government’s, my spouse’s, my boss…you name it. When we fail to take responsibility we take on a victim mindset…I have no choice in what happens to me or the direction of my life.
No matter what happens in life you don’t have to be a victim. Being responsible means you are RESPONSE-ABLE…you are able to respond to whatever happens to you. You always have a choice. You always have a say in the quality and direction of your life. Victims respond to the negative of life by asking “Why me?” Victors know they are response-able and instead ask “What can I do to make this better?”
