Thanksgiving has come and gone, what now?
I'm glad we have a day in our country designated as a day to thank the Almighty for all He has done for us, but I trust it will not take a special designated day for us to be willing to live a life of thankfulness.
Some things in your life are not going great, but that is true for all of us. So how do you live a thankful life when things are not going as well as you wish.
The first thing is to take the time to say thank you for all the things you have been given.
The second thing is to go serve someone who is less fortunate than you are.
The third thing is to write a personal thank you letter to someone who has been instrumental in your life.
The fourth thing is to stop complaining and start singing - you alone determine how you respond to everything you encounter in life.
So. pretend like everyday is Thanksgiving and enjoy the life God has provided you!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Are You Ready For Thanksgiving?
People often ask the question, "Are you ready for Christmas?" We don't often hear the question, "Are you ready for Thanksgiving?" So, I'll ask you "Are you ready for Thanksgiving?"
To help you prepare for this wonderful holiday, take a few minutes and make yourself a simple little list. Make a list of ten things for which you are thankful. After you finish your list take the time to thank the person responsible for what you are grateful. For example, if you are thankful for the beautiful park in town, thank the men and women who work to keep the park looking good. If you are thankful for your loving spous, take the time to let them know how much you thank them - maybe even write them a love letter.
OK, now is the time to write your list.
1.______________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
3.______________________________________________
4.______________________________________________
5.______________________________________________
6.______________________________________________
7.______________________________________________
8.______________________________________________
9.______________________________________________
10._____________________________________________
Now the real fun, go thank those who are responsible. If you want to thank God just write Him a letter or say a nice, personal prayer to Him.
Happy Thanksgiving!
To help you prepare for this wonderful holiday, take a few minutes and make yourself a simple little list. Make a list of ten things for which you are thankful. After you finish your list take the time to thank the person responsible for what you are grateful. For example, if you are thankful for the beautiful park in town, thank the men and women who work to keep the park looking good. If you are thankful for your loving spous, take the time to let them know how much you thank them - maybe even write them a love letter.
OK, now is the time to write your list.
1.______________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
3.______________________________________________
4.______________________________________________
5.______________________________________________
6.______________________________________________
7.______________________________________________
8.______________________________________________
9.______________________________________________
10._____________________________________________
Now the real fun, go thank those who are responsible. If you want to thank God just write Him a letter or say a nice, personal prayer to Him.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Priority and Passion
Each of us has priorities and passions in life. Do you know what yours are? It really isn't that difficult to determine. Priorities are those things you intentionally take time for. You recognize them as items that are important and you make sure that you include them in your agenda.
For some your job is a priortiy. You realize that you have to have the job and the income it provides, therefore when the alarm clock goes off you get up out of bed and begin preparing to go to work. For others, family is a priority. You recongnize that you are given a responsibility to provide for them and care for them so you do the best you can each day. For some, God is a priority. You have been taught how important it is to recognize God in some way, so in some form or fashion He has become a priority for you.
I can make an argument that each of these mentioned above should be a priority for you. You should be faithful in your vocation. Your family should be provided for and cared for. And certainly God deserves to be the ultimate priority in your life.
What I hope you will see; however, is that there is something that must be connected to priority for you to experience real success in life, and that is passion. Priority means you know something is supposed to be important to you, passion means something really is important to you. Can you see the difference?
When you are passionate about your job you see it as your calling and you realize that as you go to "work" you are a living testimony to the calling that has been placed on your life. It doesn't matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, architect, engineer, sanitation department worker, or school teacher; you have a deep, burning desire to do what you do because it is a passion for you.
When you are passionate about your family you want to be with them. You realize that you have been divinely placed in your position within the family to have a positive influence on each member. You love them, not because you are supposed to love them but because you can't help yourself from loving them. You find yourself thinking about them and praying for them regularly.
The difference between a person who simply says "God is a priority in my life" and someone who says "God is my priority in life and I am passionate about Him," is that one typically acts out of religion and the other typically acts out of relationship. When you are passionate about God you are overwhelmed with a deep love for Him. You are drawn to Him and have such a desire to be with Him that nothing can keep you from loving Him, praising Him, and being in His presence. When you are passionate about God it will be evident in all you do.
So live with both priorities and passions! You need both to truly experience the success you were created to enjoy!
For some your job is a priortiy. You realize that you have to have the job and the income it provides, therefore when the alarm clock goes off you get up out of bed and begin preparing to go to work. For others, family is a priority. You recongnize that you are given a responsibility to provide for them and care for them so you do the best you can each day. For some, God is a priority. You have been taught how important it is to recognize God in some way, so in some form or fashion He has become a priority for you.
I can make an argument that each of these mentioned above should be a priority for you. You should be faithful in your vocation. Your family should be provided for and cared for. And certainly God deserves to be the ultimate priority in your life.
What I hope you will see; however, is that there is something that must be connected to priority for you to experience real success in life, and that is passion. Priority means you know something is supposed to be important to you, passion means something really is important to you. Can you see the difference?
When you are passionate about your job you see it as your calling and you realize that as you go to "work" you are a living testimony to the calling that has been placed on your life. It doesn't matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, architect, engineer, sanitation department worker, or school teacher; you have a deep, burning desire to do what you do because it is a passion for you.
When you are passionate about your family you want to be with them. You realize that you have been divinely placed in your position within the family to have a positive influence on each member. You love them, not because you are supposed to love them but because you can't help yourself from loving them. You find yourself thinking about them and praying for them regularly.
The difference between a person who simply says "God is a priority in my life" and someone who says "God is my priority in life and I am passionate about Him," is that one typically acts out of religion and the other typically acts out of relationship. When you are passionate about God you are overwhelmed with a deep love for Him. You are drawn to Him and have such a desire to be with Him that nothing can keep you from loving Him, praising Him, and being in His presence. When you are passionate about God it will be evident in all you do.
So live with both priorities and passions! You need both to truly experience the success you were created to enjoy!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Take Time For Life
A strange thing happened today. I woke up and realized that sometimes 2 + 2 simply cannot = 4. In my mind I'm still a young guy, maybe even a kid. No I don't have the Peter Pan Syndrome or anything like that. I simply love life and consider myself a kid at heart.
So, if I am still just a kid, how is it that when I woke up today I awoke to the reality that my oldest son is now twenty - truly a young man. Wow! I can remember the exact moment he was born (which is weird because I can't remember much about yesterday as I am still dealing with the affects of having a concussion during a car accident). I remember when the doctor said - "He's a boy!" I remember when the nurse placed him in my arms.
I remember teaching him how to ride a bike. I remember our walks in the yard and in the small town we lived in when he was born. I remember praying with him and hearing him pray out loud for the first time. I remember how excited he was when he found out he was going to be a big brother for the first time. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. And . . . well as far as we know that is the last time.
I remember him holding his mother's hand so he could protect her as he proudly walked beside her at church or at the store, or just out in the yard. I remember our family trips all over Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Washington D.C., Maryland, Washington, Idaho, North Carolina, and Arizona to mention a few. I remember watching him stand before a crowd and sing with an incredible voice and being so proud of him. I remember being with him on mission trips and watching him grow and mature as a young teenager, then a young man and more specifically as a man of God.
As I said, a strange thing happened today; I woke up and realized how thankful I am that my wife and I have taken time for life with each other and our children. If I could offer any advice to you it would simply be, take time for life. Everyday!
So, if I am still just a kid, how is it that when I woke up today I awoke to the reality that my oldest son is now twenty - truly a young man. Wow! I can remember the exact moment he was born (which is weird because I can't remember much about yesterday as I am still dealing with the affects of having a concussion during a car accident). I remember when the doctor said - "He's a boy!" I remember when the nurse placed him in my arms.
I remember teaching him how to ride a bike. I remember our walks in the yard and in the small town we lived in when he was born. I remember praying with him and hearing him pray out loud for the first time. I remember how excited he was when he found out he was going to be a big brother for the first time. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. And . . . well as far as we know that is the last time.
I remember him holding his mother's hand so he could protect her as he proudly walked beside her at church or at the store, or just out in the yard. I remember our family trips all over Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Washington D.C., Maryland, Washington, Idaho, North Carolina, and Arizona to mention a few. I remember watching him stand before a crowd and sing with an incredible voice and being so proud of him. I remember being with him on mission trips and watching him grow and mature as a young teenager, then a young man and more specifically as a man of God.
As I said, a strange thing happened today; I woke up and realized how thankful I am that my wife and I have taken time for life with each other and our children. If I could offer any advice to you it would simply be, take time for life. Everyday!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Shut Up and Do It!
Far too many people love to simply talk about what they want to do, or plan to do, or hope to do. Many are trapped by their own limitations by saying things such as "I would do that, if I only had the time, or money, or skill, or whatever that someone else has." You have what you have, and unless YOU do something different you may never have anything more than you have right now. The person you see fulfilling those great achievements may very well have had a whole lot less than you have of a lot of things. The one thing they have more of is focus. Passion and vision are desperately needed to achieve something great in life, but without focus it will simply be an idea you talk about and dream about.
Stop waiting.
Stop talking.
Do what you have been called to do.
Do not accept "no" for an answer except from God Himself.
Set your goal, develop your action steps, get off your butt, and do it.
Today is the best time to shut up and do it!
Stop waiting.
Stop talking.
Do what you have been called to do.
Do not accept "no" for an answer except from God Himself.
Set your goal, develop your action steps, get off your butt, and do it.
Today is the best time to shut up and do it!
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