tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16692666376141154022024-03-23T06:14:43.335-04:00JOEL DELGADOAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-12582584795173060712018-08-15T07:52:00.000-04:002018-08-15T07:59:57.462-04:00What You Focus On Is What Moves<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdlOs6YT49Tua_tjKQivkPexlTemA1QWOMGhqdARMNuoVq-ICwOMU1xIYnsQjtxGGrySFyQR1HHFRSFU7FlD5B5sOG-IxmYUr4dLxF_T9iZWEABXn4xTWCPSWEl28lj8cHeNlsaln-NA/s1600/What+you+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdlOs6YT49Tua_tjKQivkPexlTemA1QWOMGhqdARMNuoVq-ICwOMU1xIYnsQjtxGGrySFyQR1HHFRSFU7FlD5B5sOG-IxmYUr4dLxF_T9iZWEABXn4xTWCPSWEl28lj8cHeNlsaln-NA/s320/What+you+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re reading this, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">thank God. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That means I finally published this thing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The seed for this article was planted by something Dave Ramsey said at one of our weekly staff meetings around the time I started here. Towards the end of that Monday morning gathering, he said, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What you focus on is what moves.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s it. Those seven words have gnawed at me and have been at the forefront of my mind for the last few months. I couldn’t get them out of my head. I wrote those words down in big, bold letters on the front page of my work notepad. I set it beside my desk as I worked as a reminder to focus on the task in front of me. It became sort of a mantra for me as I try to get on my feet here in Nashville.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew I wanted to write something based on those words, but what I thought would be a routine blog post turned into a huge struggle for me -- now I know how Apollo Creed felt in the first </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Rocky</i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> film, expecting an easy fight but then ending up getting pounded with body blows for 15 rounds. There’s just a little less blood involved when it comes to writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyways, I’d start writing, taking the post in one direction, but then I felt like I was going in the wrong way. I’d shift gears, but no matter which way I went, it just didn’t feel right. It felt like I was driving around a bunch of unfamiliar backstreets in the middle of the night and Google Maps wasn’t working. The more twists and turns I’d make, the more lost I became</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each time I sat down to write, the words just fell flat. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a disconnect, I felt, between what I was </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">writing </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and what I was </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">doing.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a writer, that is a </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dangerous </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">place to be</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s when life’s dashboard lights start flashing and it’s time to take inventory of some things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">But instead of dealing with that disconnect, I ignored it. I’d have opportunity after opportunity to face the problem, but I just didn’t have the courage or the heart to face up to it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s the problem: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t like to focus on the problems or issues we’re dealing with -- at least not for too long. We </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">know</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it’s a problem. We </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">know </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it needs to change. But it’s ugly. It’s messy. And we don’t like to look at ugly or messy things for too long -- especially if it’s something ugly in ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes it's fear that breaks our focus. Other times it's pride. Heck, it might be something as simple as laziness. Whatever that barrier is, we have to get over it. We can only hide or run from it for so long before we have to deal with it, whatever “it” is.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">What you focus on is what moves, yes, but first we have to be willing to actually focus on it. </b><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">To stare at it. Acknowledge it. And then lay it down at God’s feet, unpacking it brick by brick. Only then will it move. Only then will we see the progress and momentum we’ve wanted to see all along.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-28781191804512483032018-06-12T09:52:00.000-04:002018-06-12T09:52:26.327-04:00What Kind Of Home Do You Want?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_yt7LdD7x-KfiFMBYgui92HvurRXVFt6Usv9WUlZ5uoGRf_5ST5Wn0Nom2yDS1Zd4Ye3YmKhJQHN6Q4T8Jc2qinW0kX1MtSvsepkPXqV2tDAjcJ6zrw3cl249StppziRCNw01rW-USk/s1600/Home.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_yt7LdD7x-KfiFMBYgui92HvurRXVFt6Usv9WUlZ5uoGRf_5ST5Wn0Nom2yDS1Zd4Ye3YmKhJQHN6Q4T8Jc2qinW0kX1MtSvsepkPXqV2tDAjcJ6zrw3cl249StppziRCNw01rW-USk/s320/Home.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can still remember the moment I walked through the door of my new apartment in Nashville for the first time. There’s something simultaneously exciting and overwhelming about that first look</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The exciting part is the idea of getting to fill the place up however I see fit. The overwhelming part is thinking about all the work going into doing that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first thing that struck me was the emptiness. The off-white walls. The clean carpet. The stillness and silence.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">An empty apartment is basically a blank canvas</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span><span style="color: black; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"> You get to make it your own.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That emptiness was an invitation -- an invitation to fill all that empty space. It doesn't matter who or what was there before. It's </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>yours </i>now. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You get to arrange everything to your liking. You decide what your place is going to look like. <b>It’ll take a lot of work to get it to where you want it to be, but at the end of the day it will be </b></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your space</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, one that reflects who you are in a number of ways</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My first week in town was filled with conversations like </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s have the bed face that direction... I like the bookshelf on that wall... I guess we could use a new toaster that doesn’t burn the toast every time I use it. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm also pretty confident that I can sleepwalk through the Target near my place and find everything I need.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Little by little, piece by piece, what started out as an empty apartment began to look like home. It was very exhausting (and expensive -- if you’re planning on making a move in the near future, start putting some money aside </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">now!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), but it was also very rewarding, too. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But just because my apartment was starting to look</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">like home didn’t mean the work of creating a home was done. On the contrary, the real work was just getting started.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In many ways, I’ve looked at this move to Nashville as an opportunity to start over and create the kind of life I want to lead. And that goes a lot deeper than sofa placement or what brand of coffee maker to buy.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What you’re able to do in your own home is more important than what’s in it. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s in your home and how it’s arranged should point you to what is most important in your life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that most of the heavy lifting is done, I’m asking myself some questions:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li>What kind of home do I want? </li>
<li>How do I feel when I open the door after a long day at the office?</li>
<li>If I invited someone over right now, how would <span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feel when they walk in? </span></li>
<li>Am I able to create, learn and grow here? </li>
<li>Am I able to rest, relax and unwind here? </li>
<li>Am I able to worship, pray and reflect here?</li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is my home helping me live the kind of life I want to live?</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">This move and trying to answer these questions has helped clarify what's important to me and to remove some of the things that have been cluttering my life for sometime now. But you don’t have to move halfway across the country to take stock of where you are.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether you are just moving into a new apartment or you’ve been living in the same place for 25 years, take a look around -- not just at your space, but at your life, too. Take inventory of what’s there and what isn’t.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What needs to be added? What needs to go in the trash or sold in a garage sale? What needs to be rearranged -- in your apartment and in your calendar -- so you can focus on what’s important?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taking those little steps, no matter what situation you’re in, can make you feel like you’re home - no matter where you are. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com95tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-79793935974575970082018-05-26T15:33:00.000-04:002018-05-26T15:38:05.004-04:00I Don't Know. And That's Okay.<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author’s Note:</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> So the blog below popped up on my Facebook feed from six years ago. I wrote it back in 2012. The 21-year-old version of me was going through a lot of the exact same circumstances I’m going through right now. He had just moved to a new city far from home for a new job, feeling in over his head. Like Mark Twain once said: “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">He also desperately needed a copy editor, though, but don’t we all? I brushed things up a little. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think if we ended up in the same room and had a conversation without unraveling the fabric of the space-time continuum, we’d both laugh at how we pretty much ended up in an identical situation six years apart. I’d also thank him for being brave enough to take the leap and moving halfway across the country. That was big for us. I wouldn’t be as comfortable doing what I’m doing now if it wasn’t for that experience. I think he would be proud of all the progress we’ve made over the past six years. I think he would be surprised that we’ve ran three half marathons, traveled to Alaska and interviewed Martha Stewart for two minutes in the six-year gap between us! We’d be sad over some of the dreams that didn’t quite work out as well as we’d hoped, but he’d be happy to see how much more he is willing to take risks and put himself out there. He took that first, big one, though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think 21-year-old Joel would encourage the current me to be a little bolder, though. To get back to the heart of things. To chase after God a little more fervently and cling to Him a little more desperately, the way he did when he first moved to San Antonio. He’d say that some of the missteps, disappointments and struggles that have occured during the six years between us is over now. Let them go. Leave it behind. Charge ahead. Let’s make the next six years the best years we possibly can. I’d tell him that that sounds like a good plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sorry, that was kind of a long author’s note. Hope this post speaks to you the way it did to me just now. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7B19xe5a_61OGwCCuDFv3CIYdw9OLF9MTtbAHD-NgUJCJoDni8vltN6yHm6I7Io7_Fo_qwiDjpKKVELivnEfKqasCUfFeK9yTZJnsChJ4rplHTXf8fVQqqw7g1s9itkFI8DWyOQ1BVU/s1600/I+Don%2527t+Know.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7B19xe5a_61OGwCCuDFv3CIYdw9OLF9MTtbAHD-NgUJCJoDni8vltN6yHm6I7Io7_Fo_qwiDjpKKVELivnEfKqasCUfFeK9yTZJnsChJ4rplHTXf8fVQqqw7g1s9itkFI8DWyOQ1BVU/s320/I+Don%2527t+Know.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is what the Lord says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and will bring you back from captivity...'</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Jeremiah 29:10-14</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">* * * * * * * </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chances are you've heard Jeremiah 29:11, the part that I did not embolden in the scripture above. It's one of the most encouraging and popular verses in the Bible; a reminder that God is in total control, that He is good, and that He has a good plan for our lives — even when we don't always see it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I was brought to this passage a few days ago and I began reading </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">around</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the verse. I love verse 11, but what about verse 10? When the Israelites were exiled and put into captivity, I imagine there wasn't much hope in their camp. The Lord told them that when seventy years were completed in Babylon, then He will come and fulfill his good promise. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seventy years?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I don't know about you, but that's a long time to wait. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We love that God has a plan and future for our lives, but are we willing to wait on him for it?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Am I? Or do we want God to fulfill His promises and plans as long as they fit into our own plans and desires? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I like to plan ahead, or at least try to. All that seems to succeed in doing, however, is overwhelm me. Now don't get me wrong: having long-term goals is great. I have my own goals that give me a sense of direction for my life. But make sure that you don't take God out of that plan-making process. And sometimes, many times, the best course of action is to surrender the future to Him instead of trying to get into the little details of everything. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Embrace the vision God has placed in your life and just let Him take care of the details.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How long have we planned ahead for? A year? Three years? Five? Ten? We can make all the plans and charts and projections we want... but if God has another plan, are you willing to throw your own away? It's a choice we all have to make. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all have to answer the question God always seems to be asking of us: "Do you trust Me?"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then there's the couple verses after verse 11. There's a lot of action taking place in those couple sentences. Call. Come. Seek. Find. Listen. Pray. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our faith cannot afford to be inactive and passive. In order for us to realize God's plans for our lives, we have to move. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have to take action and take that critical step of faith. That's often the hardest thing to do. I don't want to be the person who doesn't take those steps. Sometimes it's easy to just sit back and take the easy route instead of making the kinds of sacrifices God is asking us to make... </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our faith needs to be fueled by action. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What it all boils down to is this: I don't know where God is going to have me in five years. Or 10 years. I really don't. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I do know that God is going to be with me through it all. And that's all I really need to know.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Proverbs 19:21, Psalm 20:4, Proverbs 16:3</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-53922069123958419012018-04-11T15:28:00.000-04:002018-04-13T17:45:11.894-04:00It’s Time To Go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Leaving Miami has been on my mind for some time now, but it wasn’t until last summer that it became clear that it was time to go. <br />
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I had just spent a great weekend with several friends in Orlando (Fact: Any weekend that includes SeaWorld is a great weekend), and as I was exiting the Orlando city limits and following the highway signs pointing me back toward Miami, an interesting thought flashed brightly in the forefront of my mind: I really didn’t want to go back.<br />
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I wanted to turn the car around, stay in Orlando and just start over there. As I fought back the urge to go A.W.O.L. and continued driving south, I started to reason with God and with myself on the idea that Orlando was where I should be: <i>The traffic is not as bad... and there’s SeaWorld! I can actually afford SeaWorld annual passes. Some of my closest friends live here now and it’s not too far from home. If I wanted to go home for a weekend, it’s only a four-hour drive away. This makes a lot sense.</i><br />
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Shortly after arriving back in Miami and getting my master’s degree, I applied for several job openings in Orlando… and then one in Nashville.<br />
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I’ll let you take a wild guess which one got back to me.<br />
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And that leads me to some personal news I’d like to share with you all: This weekend, I will be moving to Nashville, TN. Goodbye, Magic City. Hello, Music City!<br />
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I’ll be joining the writing team at<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/"> Ramsey Solutions</a>, which helps millions of people everyday get out of debt, set financial goals and build a legacy. And anyone who knows me knows I’ve been a huge Dave Ramsey fan for years, so this is an exciting opportunity for me! Their work has changed my life for the better, and now I get to create that content myself. It’s a dream come true.<br />
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There’s one thing that this whole process has taught me:<b> Our first choice isn’t always the best choice.</b><br />
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Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” We might have one idea, but God usually has a better one in mind. God sees the bigger picture. He sees things we often can’t even see for ourselves. And I am so thankful for that!<br />
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We can plan our journey and chart a course for ourselves all we want, but if we want to truly discover where we were meant to be, we have to let God lead the way and correct our course whenever He wants.<br />
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Whenever I’m facing a big decision or a dilemma, I pray a simple prayer:<b><i> Lord, close the doors you want to close and open the doors you want to open.</i></b><br />
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I’ve prayed that prayer a lot over the past few months. It’s a simple prayer, but not always an easy one, because that means consciously putting your first choice on the altar and being open to something else entirely. Praying that prayer means you’re looking for God’s will to be done in your life instead of your own.<br />
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There have been doors that I really, <i>really </i>wanted God to open, but they remain stubbornly closed. But then another door creaks open elsewhere. And walking through that door requires a lot more of us.<br />
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<b>God often opens doors that will force us out of our own comfort zone. </b>Walking through those doors will require us to trust Him more than ever before.<br />
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When God calls us to go, it’s time to go. And if I have questions and doubts and fears? Good! Now is the time to bring all of those to Him. If we want a faith that is strong, we have to let our faith be tested.<br />
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This move is going to require a lot more of me than a move to Orlando would have. I don’t really know anybody in Nashville. I’m leaving a job that I love at FIU,<a href="https://news.fiu.edu/2018/04/joel-delgado-blog/121195"> a university that has given me so much and has always felt like home</a>. And Nashville is 700 miles further away from home than Orlando is.<br />
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I feel like God was saying to me, "If you're going to do this, Joel, you have to go <i>all in</i>. Go the extra 700 miles."<br />
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Nashville is going to be a huge transition and transitions (change in general, really) have always been a big fear of mine. But transitions, if we let them, can the best thing that could ever happen to us.<br />
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My friend Paul Angone in his new book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/101-Questions-Need-Your-Twenties/dp/0802416918/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1523387100&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=101+questions+to+ask+in+your+twenties&psc=1">101 Questions You Need To Ask In Your Twenties</a>,</i> put it best: <b>“Transitions are not simply a bridge to the next important season of your life. Transitions <i>are</i> the most important seasons of your life.”</b><br />
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Transitions force us to change, to grow, to adapt. They force us to ask the big questions and define the kind of lives we want to live and figure out how to get there. They force us to ask for help, to take stock of the things we too often take for granted in our everyday lives. Transitions make us realize what is truly important to us.<br />
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There’s a verse that I clung onto when I moved to San Antonio right after college that I’ll be tapping into again this time around:<br />
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<b>“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9</b></div>
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Where is God calling you to right now? Where is he asking you to be strong and courageous in the face of the unknown? He’s reminding time and again that He is still right here with us, and He will be with us over there, too -- wherever ‘there’ is.<br />
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It’s time to go.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-83169344363985433612017-11-20T09:37:00.002-05:002017-11-20T09:41:11.360-05:00The Plant In The Parking Garage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Well, that’s strange.</i><br />
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Those were my thoughts when I saw this small, green plant that had sprouted out of a crack in the concrete of a parking garage near where I work recently. It surprised me so much I had to stop and admire the little thing (I’m easily amused, what can I tell you?).<br />
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A few questions ran through my head as I crouched down to get a closer look at it, but most of them boiled down to a simple one: <i>How?</i><br />
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Most of us can identify the type of environment where a plant can usually thrive. We would say some plot of dirt with good soil, access to water and ample sunlight would be ideal. A parking garage wouldn’t make my top 10 of ideal environments for a plant. And yet, there it was. <br />
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We should always be striving to grow, but there are times when you’ve probably felt like your growth has been stunted for one reason or another. I know I have. Maybe you’re stuck in a less than an ideal set of circumstances or a self-defeating mindset. <br />
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Yet, this little plant in a parking garage made it work. It didn't need much; just a crack in the concrete. It found a way to grow in a place it had no business growing in. So why can’t we?<br />
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There are certain things we simply can’t control and it’s nearly impossible to grow if we’re always fixated on them. It’s also impossible to grow if we wait for our circumstances to magically get better. <br />
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I've realized that I fall into the trap of waiting for 'perfect circumstances' way too often. If things aren't perfect at home/at my job/at church, my default is to choose a passive approach to growth instead of an active one if I'm not careful. <i>Well, maybe if I wait a few weeks or months, things will get better</i>, I'll think to myself. <b>But waiting for the ideal rarely makes it real. And it certainly won't lead to growth. </b><br />
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If you're in a season where you feel stuck or overwhelmed by circumstances, look for the cracks in the concrete. Sure, it might not be ideal, but it's still an opportunity for growth. <br />
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You can grow in whatever job you have now. You can grow no matter what your relationship status is. You can grow in whatever city or town you find yourself in. It might not be easy, but it is possible. <b>We don't need perfect circumstances to experience growth -- we just need a crack in the concrete.</b><br />
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</style>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-12770680516640400432017-10-05T09:51:00.000-04:002017-10-05T09:51:23.002-04:00Fight For The Words <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite movie speeches of all time is Al Pacino’s from <i>Any Given Sunday</i>.<br />
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It’s the one where Pacino – who plays a pro football coach beaten down by life – is talking to his turmoil-ridden team before a big playoff game toward the end of the film. <br />
<br />
The lines from that speech that standout are the ones about inches. About how life is a game of inches and how important those inches are. How those inches are difference between winning and losing (living and dying). How those inches are all around us all the time and how we need to fight, scratch and claw for those inches.<br />
<br />
<b>“If I am going to have any life anymore, it is because I am still willing to fight, and die, for that inch,” </b>Pacino says. “Because that is what living is: it's the six inches in front of your face.”<br />
<br />
It’s one of those speeches that make you want to run through a brick wall like an amped up version of the Kool-Aid Man with five Red Bulls running through his system.<br />
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Inches. In journalism writing, usually that’s how stories are measured. You get assigned a story and your editor tells you have six or eight or 20 inches to fill. But the inches have been getting harder for me to fill in recent months.<br />
<br />
Little bit of a confession here: I haven’t felt the urge to write on a personal level in a long while. It’s weird as a writer to admit that. Does an eagle ever lose its desire to soar in the sky? Does a fish ever not want to swim? I would imagine not. That’s kind of what they are designed to do. They fly. They swim. For a long time, I felt like I was born to write. So, why am I not writing like I used to? Where did the words go?<br />
<br />
Whenever I've tried to write for this space in the last few months, I’ll start writing and then the words just taper off, either because my train of thought seems to go nowhere or my heart just isn’t in it. It’s frustrating. It's like turning the key into the ignition of a car and being greeted with nothing. <i>That’s </i>what this feels like: It feels like I’m running on a dead battery. And you can’t run on a dead battery. <br />
<br />
It feels strange. And it goes beyond just wanting to write. I want to <i>want</i> to write. I want to wake up first thing in the morning and have the words just flow through my fingertips, through the keyboard and onto the screen. That’s not happening. But the truth is, that rarely happens. If it does happen, awesome. But if I'm waiting until I feel like that to start writing… well, that’s how I’ve ended up where I am. <br />
<br />
<b>You have to fight for the words. </b>You have to fight for the inches. Fight and struggle and scratch and claw until the words come out. And they might not be pretty words, but that’s okay. You can work with ugly, not-so-well-written words. But you can’t work with no words. <b>You can always work with something, but you can’t work with nothing.</b><br />
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<br /></div>
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So this is my "something." This is me grabbing the jumper cables and trying to recharge that dead battery. This is me trying to fight for the inches around me, because those inches are still there. The words are still there. They always have been, and they always will be. I just have to find them -- and then work harder to seize them. And that takes work. It was never supposed to be easy, I'm realizing now. It's supposed to be hard.<br />
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Pacino ended the “Inches” speech with a question: “Now, whattaya gonna do?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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As long as we have breath in our lungs, we’ll have the choice whether or not to fight for those inches or not. <b>Those inches can represent anything in your life that helps you move the ball down the field </b>-- the words you write, the sales you make, the paintings you draw, the miles you run, the songs you sing, the time spent with God. <b>What are those inches for you? </b><br />
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Lord, help me to keep fighting for those inches, even when I don’t feel like it. <i>Especially</i> when I don’t feel like it.<br />
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If it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna fight for<i> these</i> words and the ones to come. I’m gonna fight for the words. <style>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-89822597982081242032017-05-15T07:00:00.000-04:002017-05-15T09:59:35.653-04:00The Little Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12E3cQXzZ_ZAOvQvNCfUD3DchVZ8qofbcD4Q0Tg6xyMYy92fJbDgiUDhtmnIFyoKlV3mWbG9OUu3y4mrcSzZE9zgRvpilpuDe46fRpQaGcbnPscUAj_Le0nSVEg9n-KUH732BZSFSGkw/s1600/The+Little+Things.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12E3cQXzZ_ZAOvQvNCfUD3DchVZ8qofbcD4Q0Tg6xyMYy92fJbDgiUDhtmnIFyoKlV3mWbG9OUu3y4mrcSzZE9zgRvpilpuDe46fRpQaGcbnPscUAj_Le0nSVEg9n-KUH732BZSFSGkw/s320/The+Little+Things.png" width="320" /></a></div>
From the United Airlines fiasco to the Spirit Airlines brawl, it hasn't been a good month for U.S. airliners or air travel in general.<br />
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But it wasn't <i>all </i>bad. There was one particularly positive air travel story that recently captured my attention. </div>
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Last month, Mohamed Sanu, a six-year NFL veteran and wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, was traveling and went through his usual flight routine. He studied his team’s playbook (in April, four months before the season starts). He ordered healthy meals, snacks and drinks. He was kind to the people around him. </div>
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<br /></div>
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This was all standard operating procedure for Sanu. <br />
<br />
“I was just being myself, doing what I normally do on planes – either I’m going to take a nap or look at my plays,” Sanu told <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2017/04/30/mohamed-sanu-blown-away-family-letter/">TMZ Sports</a>. <br />
<br />
Little did he know, there was a family sitting behind him that recognized the receiver and observed his behavior throughout the flight. After landing, they left him the following note:<i><br /></i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hi! </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>You don’t know us but we wanted to thank you. Our son sat behind you on this flight and watched you. He saw you studying your plays, watched you make healthy choices with you snacks, food and drink. He watched how polite you were to everyone. He is only 10 but just made an elite hockey team and we are on our way to training in CT. You are an inspiration to children and for that you should be proud! </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Thank you and best of luck! </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The family that sat behind you :)</i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en">
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This definitely put a smile on my face. ☺️ the little things. <a href="https://t.co/OFKpwcho5H">pic.twitter.com/OFKpwcho5H</a></div>
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mo_12_Sanu/status/855596976573992961">April 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
The letter caught Sanu off guard in the best possible way.<br />
<br />
“That put a big smile on my face,” Sanu said. “It’s not everyday that somebody just recognizes you being you.”<br />
<br />
You never know. <b>You never know who is watching you. </b>It could be your friends, your family, your coworkers, your bosses or your neighbors. It could be a stranger sitting behind you on a bus you take everyday or a classmate sitting next to you that you barely talk to.<br />
<br />
They are listening to the words you’re speaking. They read what you post on Facebook. They see the choices, even the seemingly inconsequential ones, you make everyday. They see how you treat people – how you treat your teachers, your colleagues, and the people who can’t do anything for you. <br />
<br />
<b>It’s the little things that often make the biggest impact.</b> It’s the small choices, the ones we often think are the most mundane, that leave the biggest impression on the people around us. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Never underestimate the little things. </b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-71749845839923957862017-03-23T08:00:00.000-04:002017-03-24T07:52:40.053-04:00Viola Davis, Butterscotch Lattes and the Impostor Syndrome<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoFooz6r94bJuQI1d8U1qYF4-HFyTzfG4Rhi6LnUfF5LYrEPOrldlUQZR1LcP_xVUEhWEz6BwZ_i_e-4vTiWMq3_2cnYkifBtsLBZ5URqDJfO25oK2Wv9ANppNvY8GqQlPSWN_7OOv_M/s1600/Imposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoFooz6r94bJuQI1d8U1qYF4-HFyTzfG4Rhi6LnUfF5LYrEPOrldlUQZR1LcP_xVUEhWEz6BwZ_i_e-4vTiWMq3_2cnYkifBtsLBZ5URqDJfO25oK2Wv9ANppNvY8GqQlPSWN_7OOv_M/s320/Imposter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So imagine I’ve invited you to a Starbucks to catch up and and we find a table next to the window where we can sit and chat for a few minutes. There’s a 95 percent chance I order a butterscotch latte and I’m rambling about how much I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">love </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">butterscotch lattes and how Starbucks is dumb for only offering it seasonally.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seriously, since when is butterscotch </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">seasonal?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As I’m telling you about my plan to force Starbucks to make the smoked butterscotch latte a permanent fixture on their menu, I realize that your eyes are starting to glaze over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I take one last sip of my latte and decide to switch gears. After all, there’s a reason I wanted to talk with you.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE RANDOM GUY IN MY HEAD</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not long ago I was working on another blog post and as I was writing it, I couldn’t shake this feeling.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The post, which I’m hoping to publish at some point, is basically based around the premise that you don’t have to be an expert in order to be an example. Problem was, I’m not feeling like much of an example myself. Words like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fake, fraud </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">impostor</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> began to pop into the forefront with every word typed. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That last word struck me. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Impostor. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s such a strong word. I looked it up and it means “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>someone that assumes false identity or title for the purpose of deception</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” I got this image in my head of some guy in a crowd from an old black-and-white movie pointing at the camera -- at me -- and yelling “You, sir, are an impostor!” Worst yet, for a while, I believed him.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it came down to the heart of it, I felt unworthy of the words I was writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks, Random Guy In My Head.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn’t watch the Oscars this year. I usually don’t; I’m not a big fan of all these awards ceremonies. Besides, the only film nominated for Best Motion Picture that I watched was </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hidden Figures </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(amazing movie, by the way) and following the festivities on Twitter is more entertaining and informative than the Oscars themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While everyone was in shock over the “Moonlight/La La Land” fiasco (you can go in peace now, Steve Harvey), another Oscar-related headline on my news feed caught my eye</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><a href="https://gma.yahoo.com/oscar-winning-actress-viola-davis-says-she-struggles-125904895--abc-news-celebrities.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis says she struggles with 'impostor syndrome'</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Huh. I’m not too familiar with Viola Davis or her work (I know her best from the movie </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disturbia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the 1,023,632 commercials I’ve seen promoting the hit show </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How To Get Away With Murder)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but the headline captured my attention. How could an Oscar Award-winning actress, someone who has had such a successful career, feel like an imposto</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">r? I saved the link and told myself I’ll get to it later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">BEING FOUND OUT</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After having that mental crisis as I was writing that post I was talking about earlier, I went back to read that article and learned that the “impostor syndrome” means feeling a </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“sense of phoniness despite evidence of high achievement.”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A recent study showed that around 70 percent of people will experience this syndrome at least once during their lifetimes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it was initially believed that women were the ones who mostly suffered from this syndrome, it's apparent now that men do, too -- we just tend to hide it better. In fact, people from all kinds of backgrounds experience this feeling. No one is immune.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I still feel like I’m going to wake up and everybody’s going to see me for the hack I am,” Davis said after the Oscars. "I still feel like when I walk on the set, I'm starting from scratch, until I realize, 'OK, I do know what I'm doing, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm human</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.’”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">That fear of being “found out” is probably one of the most suffocating feelings we could ever experience. We’re social beings. Deep down, we long for connection with and the acceptance of those around us. We want to love and be loved for who we are.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we’re afraid that if they get too close, because we think if they see us for who we really are underneath the surface, that they will reject us and see us as we see ourselves: as impostors undeserving of success, of love, of acceptance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">And on a spiritual level, we fear the same with God. I know I do. We doubt ourselves like Moses did and ask “Who am I” to lead or to be used by God? We point to our weaknesses like Gideon, who said that he was part of the weakest clan in the tribe and the least in his own family. </span><i style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">You got the wrong guy, </i><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gideon probably thought.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m sure they felt like impostors, too. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But God called them to do something great anyway.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe not even in spite of Moses’s and Gideon’s weaknesses and shortcomings and doubts and their views of themselves, but perhaps </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">because</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of them. That seems to be God’s standard operating procedure: to take the very thing that we think is a weakness and repurpose it for His glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">God wanted to use them -- and did use them -- to accomplish great things. And he wanted to do so <i>as they were</i>. I know He wants to do the same for you and me, regardless of how we view ourselves. I'll take His word over my own every day of the week and twice on Sundays.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe we can cut ourselves a little slack now and then. Maybe we can celebrate who God made us to be and what He has helped us accomplish up until now. Maybe we can rest in the fact that He’s not finished with us yet. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t tear yourself down when God is trying to build you up.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"I know I'm not the best but I'm proud of myself," Davis said. "This is the first year I've allowed myself just a little bit, to see that, to realize that, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">self-deprecation is not the answer to humility</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">WRITING TO MYSELF</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before I write another word on another post, I want to make one thing clear if it wasn’t clear already: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I’m writing something to you, I’m always writing it to myself, too.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m challenging myself to put into practice the lessons and insights God is speaking into my life, even when I don’t fully grasp them myself. Along the way, the enemy will try and twist those challenges into accusations. He’ll try to convince me that I’m not good enough, smart enough, disciplined enough, </span><i style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">fill-in-the-blank</i><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"> enough. He’ll try to convince me that I am an impostor.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But in the face of the impostor syndrome, we can rest in the fact that God knows us, each and every one of us, more than anyone else can -- more than we know ourselves -- and He </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">still </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">loves u</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s. He still accepts us, wants to know us, wants to help us grow and wants us to know who He is. He says that I am enough. He says that </span><a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2014/03/three-words-you-need-to-hear.html" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you are enough</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we forget that, we can go right back to God's word. Read Psalm 139. He knows everything about you, from your inner-most thoughts and fears to what you’re going to say before you even say it. Nothing about our lives is hidden from Him, and yet His thoughts about us are </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">precious</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and when we wake up in the morning, He is still there with us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t have it all together. I don’t have all the answers. If I said I did, then </span><i style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">that </i><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">would make me an impostor of the worst kind.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m just trying to grow and learn and follow Jesus the best way I can. I don’t always feel like it and I’ll fail and stumble along the way. But t</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hat’s part of the journey and the process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">That doesn’t make you or me an impostor; that makes us real, broken people in need of a perfect and good God. Like Viola said: “I’m human.” </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-11168921320942646712017-01-05T09:52:00.002-05:002017-01-05T09:52:18.353-05:00Press Pause<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPfZKK6XDdza5dlsQuY8dER3pyTrVIV13GDJo7O8P6u0XynA_7IWvs_h-diHRlZa3TfJlY8JiVUWvJrm7BiEHmue3tPunFnWcfU_S_qra_dmv8xUmtAAhYvOdJN-i74vBKXRv2ueD34Y/s1600/Press+Pause+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPfZKK6XDdza5dlsQuY8dER3pyTrVIV13GDJo7O8P6u0XynA_7IWvs_h-diHRlZa3TfJlY8JiVUWvJrm7BiEHmue3tPunFnWcfU_S_qra_dmv8xUmtAAhYvOdJN-i74vBKXRv2ueD34Y/s320/Press+Pause+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven." </i></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- Ecclesiastes 3:1</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>* * * * * * *</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There was a lot I wanted to do in 2016, but there was this little thing called graduate school that kept getting in the way. <br />
<br />
<div>
Since starting last fall, I've had to make some adjustments. I’ve had to say “no” a lot more. I’ve had to step back from some responsibilities. “I’ll get to it later” seemed to become one of my new mottos. <br />
<br />
It was frustrating, because it felt like I failed or fell short in a bunch of areas where I was hoping to excel.<br />
<br />
It's easy to fall into the <i>I-have-to-do-everything-and-I-have–to-do-it-now</i> trap mentality, and I think I fell in head first into that trap last year. But that mentality, that feeling that if you don't do this activity or chase that dream now it will never get done at all, is a lie. As much as we would like to try, we can’t. In fact, <b>whenever we try to do everything all at once, we wind up not excelling at anything at all. </b><br />
<br />
Last year taught me the value of pressing the pause button. I wrote down a list. On this list are dreams I want to pursue, places I want to travel to, hobbies I want to take up, skills I want to learn. Out of the bunch, I picked two or three to chase right now. For the others, I hit pause. I can’t chase them right now, but eventually I will. I wrote them down and pinned them on my bulletin board so I won’t forget about them. They are there and will still be there whenever I'm ready. <br />
<br />
<b>Pressing pause is not failing.</b> There is no shame in stepping back in one area so that you can excel in another. Take a deep breath and take that pressure off of yourself. <i>You do not have to do everything all at once. </i><br />
<br />
We all find ourselves in different seasons and stages of life, and each season requires something different from us. At the moment, graduate school is my season. That’s my hustle. That’s the battle I’m trying to win right now. What’s yours? Are you willing to press pause on some things in order to win the fight right in front of you?<br />
<br />
Don’t be afraid to press pause. <style>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-39664599004732708702016-12-15T09:29:00.000-05:002016-12-15T10:26:58.443-05:00How Important Is It To You?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP5i_xopxBbBSiGcc6G59fDW4wFO_JxxZ4piVttJw1A888CHiRN4x0Rgi946wqMGMyHpiAqdkMiN495jAkWV63tF_0aq0JRKgbTaiWD9YWGhzT3Uv3gqmDCiRZ6xFF6gplzUF0XKEmZ0/s1600/How+Important+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP5i_xopxBbBSiGcc6G59fDW4wFO_JxxZ4piVttJw1A888CHiRN4x0Rgi946wqMGMyHpiAqdkMiN495jAkWV63tF_0aq0JRKgbTaiWD9YWGhzT3Uv3gqmDCiRZ6xFF6gplzUF0XKEmZ0/s200/How+Important+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a>Some questions I’ve been asking myself lately: <br />
<br />
<b>How important is it to you? </b><br />
<br />
Are you willing to get up a little bit earlier? <br />
Are you ready to go a little bit farther?<br />
Are you prepared to sacrifice a little bit more? <br />
Are you finished saying, “I’ll start tomorrow/Monday/next year”?<br />
<br />
Can you be a little bit more vulnerable? <br />
Can you reach a little bit higher?<br />
Can you let go of the things you’ve been holding on to?<br />
Can you grab hold of the promises God has made to you?<br />
<br />
<div>
If the answer to those questions is <b>‘yes,’</b> then say so. <i>But don’t stop there.</i> Back it up. <br />
<br />
Set the alarm.<br />
Run the extra mile.<br />
Say “no” to good so you can reach for greater. <br />
Start now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Break down your walls and <a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2016/10/the-last-page.html" target="_blank">pour it all before God</a> – <i>all of it.</i></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2014/05/permission-to-dream.html" target="_blank">Dream bigger dreams</a>. Set a higher vision for yourself. <br />
Let it go. Surrender your will for His. Every day.<br />
Write down His promises and circle them in prayer.<br />
<br />
If it's important to you, it will change the way you think. It will change the way you speak. It will change the way you live your life. It might change <i>everything.</i><br />
<br />
<b>How important is it to you?</b><style>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-84149225620558360892016-11-09T15:20:00.000-05:002016-11-11T12:04:10.371-05:00The Election Is Over. Now What?<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqg25QfkTvQU0RS_Bx4OoAmCPDG43_Wxrju73-9ONgFSNd_THpm2yb5jh4s3WIJ4SRQmt3P9o0AAEgQzftdYhzANHxZxpSI9llSHAGo5p8f_s_1_XWPZjTuf4ayAbKBGxBKNA8wZlWyQ/s1600/election+now+what.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqg25QfkTvQU0RS_Bx4OoAmCPDG43_Wxrju73-9ONgFSNd_THpm2yb5jh4s3WIJ4SRQmt3P9o0AAEgQzftdYhzANHxZxpSI9llSHAGo5p8f_s_1_XWPZjTuf4ayAbKBGxBKNA8wZlWyQ/s400/election+now+what.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It’s over, America.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We’ve watched almost two years of wall-to-wall campaign coverage, argued politics in Facebook comments sections for hours on end and endured an onslaught of political advertisements and random strangers asking us if we’re registered to vote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">And now we have chosen a new president. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Chances are, you’re not happy. You’re not happy with the candidate that won. You’re not happy with Uncle Bob or your friend Jane. You’re not happy with leaders you used to admire. You’re not happy with the media. You’re not happy with America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Maybe “you’re not happy” is an understatement. You’re probably sick and tired of all of it. Let’s go a little further, you’re probably <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mad as hell.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I’ve felt it, too. The anger. Disgust. Frustration. Sadness. Disappointment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Those emotions have led me to think, say and do some things I’m not proud of. I have strong opinions, I’m passionate about those opinions and I get emotional about them – not always a great combination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Don’t get me wrong – I have had some great conversations with wonderful people, many of whom disagree with me on just about everything. Those exchanges have helped me understand why people are thinking the way they are and have helped me shape my own stances on certain issues. I hope you’ve had some of those types of interactions, too. But I’ve also let my emotions run wild, both in person and on social media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Now it’s over. The votes have been cast, the winners announced, and the speeches delivered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">But it’s not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> over is it?</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> The wounds and divisions that have been caused by this election might take a long time to heal, if they ever heal at all. The anger is still very real and very much on the surface for all to see (just take a quick glance at Facebook or Twitter). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We’ve pitted ourselves against each other based on a wide variety of lines: race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, political party… the list goes on and on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The most disheartening thing for me has been the division among Christians in this election and how we’ve let two political candidates rip people of faith apart from the inside out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">We need to heal.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> We need to heal as a Church and as a country. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">But how?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I don’t have a lot of answers, but just some thoughts on how we might get started. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">STOP TALKING, START LISTENING <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Frank Luntz probably had the worst job in America over the last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Luntz is a public opinion analyst and he has been talking to hundreds of Americans in focus groups throughout the country over the past two years. He’s lamented throughout the year about the breakdown of civility in America, having seen it with his own eyes. The seeds of this anger and resentment were planted long ago, but they’ve sprouted rapidly and in an ugly way in the soils of this election cycle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-american-voters-on-trump-clinton/">A focus group conducted by Luntz for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">60 Minutes</i></a> just days before the election perfectly illustrated that. It’s worth the watch to get a better understanding of the political climate in America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">“There’s no self-censoring. So we now say exactly what we feel… and you’re gonna listen to me. And that’s really what it is right now,” Luntz said with an angry edge in his voice. “You’re gonna listen to me. I’m not gonna learn from you. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You’re</i> gonna listen to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">One of the focus group members summed up how we approach social media pretty well: “We don’t know how to listen to each other. You know, we go on Facebook all day and we just blast out messages into the ether<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. But we don’t actually take time to see what comes back.”</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We all need to take responsibility for our role in the deterioration of civil discourse. We have access to this megaphone called social media that allows us to express our opinions and disgust, but we don’t take time to listen to what other people are saying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">People are hurting. People are scared. People are concerned with issues that maybe we haven’t thought about. Why can’t we just listen and validate that? Why can’t we allow someone to share their experience without telling them they are wrong? Why can’t we just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">listen</i>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Bible states that everyone “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,</b> because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19-20).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I hope we can put that into practice from this point forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">SAY “I’M SORRY”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Chances are in the heat of arguments, we’ve said something to someone we probably regret. We’ve made assumptions about them or called them nasty things or labeled them a certain way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We need to show some humility, apologize and ask for forgiveness. We need so say “I’m sorry” to our family members, friends, coworkers and neighbors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">But I’m right! </span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Doesn’t matter. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sometimes it’s not just what you say, but about how you say it.</b> You’re not going to change hearts and minds in a shouting match, an angry tweet or a Facebook rant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Swallow your pride.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ask for forgiveness.</b> It’s the first step to mending the fences of our relationships, our communities and our nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">FORGIVE WHOEVER YOU NEED TO FORGIVE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">And speaking of forgiveness, we need to forgive people as well. There have been a lot of hurtful things said, both in person and online, and chances are you’ve been hurt by the words and actions of some “friend” or complete stranger on Facebook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Let it go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Apostle Paul urges us in Colossians to “bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (3:13). </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It’s not worth holding on to a grudge and carrying that anger around. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The person unforgiveness affects the most is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>. </b>And eventually those feelings of resentment and anger and frustration will boil to the surface and you will cause damage to your friendships and relationships. You will hurt your witness. And after a while, you’ll probably find yourself isolated in your bitterness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">There is no peace or unity where there is no forgiveness. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Please, let it go. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven. And move on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">BE GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE TO THE OTHER SIDE <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I deleted the Facebook app on my phone for Election Day and the morning after. I can’t take the “sky is falling” rhetoric, the name-calling and the gloating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Paul writes again that “as God</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">ʼ</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, <b>clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience</b>… and over all these virtues <b>put on love</b>, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12, 14).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If your candidate won, remember that there are people who are grieving the loss of the other. Show them the same compassion and gentleness you would have hoped to receive from them if it was the other way around. Don’t gloat. Don’t rub it in people’s faces. Show some integrity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If your candidate lost, remember that the sun is still going to rise in the morning. You’re probably feeling a combination of anger and sadness that makes it tempting to lash out at the world. Proceed cautiously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I have friends who voted for Trump. I have friends who voted for Clinton. I have friends, like me, who voted for neither. They are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> still my friends. I still love them. I don’t want to say or do anything that would contradict that and hurt the people I say I care about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">REMEMBER WHO IS IN CHARGE <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I was not going to be happy with the result from yesterday’s presidential election either way, for many reasons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But more than ever, and this is true after every election, I always need to remind myself that – no matter who is in the White House – Jesus is still my Lord, my Savior and my King. God is still in control and He wasn’t surprised by the results of this election. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Psalm 46 was an encouraging read for me this morning: “He says, ‘<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Be still, and know that I am God</b>; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’” (v. 10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">When we put our hope in anything outside of Jesus – whether it’s a politician, a job, a relationship or whatever – we will inevitably end up disappointed.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Jesus is the only thing worth putting our hope in. He is always true. He is always good. He is always faithful. And we have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everything </i>we will ever need in Him. Don’t lose sight of that in an election where everyone from our mother to the media is telling us the fate of the world depends on who wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Brant Hansen <a href="https://twitter.com/branthansen/status/795317276480307200" target="_blank">nailed it in a tweet</a> the other day: “If God wanted to, He could have sent us a Great Politician. But He didn't. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">He gave us a Healer, and a Savior, because that's what we need."</b></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">PRAY & GO<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I’ll end with this: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the most powerful thing we can do to change the trajectory of our nation, our communities and our own hearts is to pray</b>. There is no substitute. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">First, we need to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pray</i>. Pray for our leaders at all levels of government, regardless of what political party they’re from, for our country, our friends, our neighbors and ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">And then we need to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">go</i>. We need to love our neighbors like never before. We need to listen to others like never before. We need to become more thoughtfully engaged in the civic process than we ever have. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There’s an old saying that goes “pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you.” Now is the time to put that into practice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Despite all that’s happened, I still have hope for America.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> I still believe we can one day become the shining city on a hill we were meant to be. A people marked by love, liberty, compassion, integrity and virtue who put their trust not in man, but in the Creator who endowed us with certain unalienable rights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I hope we will not let ourselves as a people be defined by who is president, who is on the Supreme Court or who is in Congress. Our worth and value, and that of our fellow countrymen, always came from Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Love God. Love people. Let <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> be our guide moving forward.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-35879582351902576202016-10-27T09:26:00.000-04:002016-10-27T09:27:48.575-04:00The Last Page <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqprqbqtV-8CiiRIcveWGMuuQRCBcC8_LYGBHlFrsb-4UktHI2WavsU7SSLLQ3pJ1hMR3vUQTueRA0205x7oZ2shdwz0fe5qm3G7h-eowNNJYc3yqocTOg1tPErBM_fq2Z-RbXJ-8kI/s1600/Last+Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqprqbqtV-8CiiRIcveWGMuuQRCBcC8_LYGBHlFrsb-4UktHI2WavsU7SSLLQ3pJ1hMR3vUQTueRA0205x7oZ2shdwz0fe5qm3G7h-eowNNJYc3yqocTOg1tPErBM_fq2Z-RbXJ-8kI/s320/Last+Page.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The other day I reached the last page in the journal I’ve been writing in and tracking my life with for the last two and a half years.<br />
<br />
I decided to flip through some of the early entries I made in the journal – and many of those entries seemed pretty familiar to me. Some of the struggles I’ve had to work through are the same ones I’m wrestling with now. I had to double check the dates of the entry to make sure they read “2014” and not “2016.”<br />
<br />
After I closed the journal, leaving that final page blank for the moment, I felt a wave of discouragement and disappointment. How could I <i>still</i> be dealing with some of this? Why do I feel like I’ve made so little progress? Why is this taking longer to walk through than I originally hoped?<br />
<br />
A discouraging thought then popped up in my head: <i>God, You must be pretty disappointed with me.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * * * *</div>
<br />
Writing is how I process what’s going on in my life. The good stuff. The bad stuff. And everything in between. <br />
<br />
<b>Everyone processes life differently, but it’s critical that we find an outlet – or a combination of different outlets – where we can express ourselves honestly and completely. </b>We have to find a way to air out all of our junk and pour out our hearts before God and the people closest to us.<br />
<br />
For some of us, writing is that outlet. For others, it might be just talking it out. Maybe its artwork or music; exercising or building something. <br />
<br />
<b>I’m a huge believer in journaling.</b> As someone who is naturally prone to forgetfulness, it’s a great way to remind myself of that God is good and still faithful. God is. I can go back and remember all the answered prayers, all the times He walked me through a difficult situation, all the reminders to just trust in Him and find rest, peace and joy in Jesus and nothing else. <br />
<br />
My journals also a reminder that life is messy. It’s not always going to feel like I’m listening to “Walking on Sunshine” on repeat (although that gets old <i>really quickly</i>).<br />
<br />
Jesus said, <b>“In this world you <i>will </i>have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” </b>(John 16:33, emphasis mine). There will be moments where you feel like you’re in over your head. But Jesus is bigger than all of it. <br />
<br />
It helps to write all that down once in a while.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * * * *</div>
<br />
Going back to that discouraging thought I had when I reached the second to last page of my journal, that’s one of the false equivalencies I often make in my walk with God: If I’m upset or disappointed with myself, then God must be, too. <br />
<br />
But when I look at His word, nothing could be further from the truth. <br />
<br />
From scripture and my own journaling, I’m reminded that there is nothing that could separate me from His love; that His grace and mercy are never ends; and that there’s a clean slate every morning.<br />
<br />
<b>The great thing about journaling is that there is always a new page to turn to.</b><br />
<br />
That new page is always clear and empty and can be filled with the words we <i>need</i> to write. Sometimes those words are filled with pain and doubt and sadness, other times they are filled with joy and faith and hope. But as long as those words are<i> authentic</i>, as long those words come from right where we are, then those are the words God wants to hear. <br />
<br />
That’s the key to great journaling and great writing: authenticity. God doesn’t want us to put up a front. He wants us to come as we are and to pour out what’s in our hearts so that He can fill them up with something better. When we do that, we partner with God as He writes and guides our story. <br />
<br />
There will be times when we feel like we’re making progress and things are moving quicker than Michael Phelps swimming the 200-meter freestyle. And then there are moments when we’ll feel like we’re stuck in the mud and struggling to crawl two inches forward. <br />
<br />
Our struggles are all unique. Some might take days or weeks to conquer while others may take months and years. But all of our struggles serve the same purpose: they are opportunities to refine us and mold us into the men and women we were made to be.<br />
<br />
Whether you’re at the finish line or stuck in that mud somewhere near the halfway mark, God is still there with you. And He still loves you. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * * * *</div>
<br />
As I stared at that last page in my journal, I wanted to write something there that would help me chart a new course. <br />
<br />
A verse I flipped to that day seemed fitting:<b> “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” </b>(Psalm 105:4)<br />
<br />
I wrote it big and bold on that last page. That was how I wanted to close this chapter of my story and how I wanted to start the next one. Every time I go back to that journal, with all the bumps and bruises and joys in it, I want to go back to that last page and remember that it ended well. I want that last page to set the tone for the next page. <br />
<br />
Who am I going to look to? Whose face am I going to seek? Let it be Jesus. Always Jesus. <!--EndFragment--><style>
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</style>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-34159799131291681932016-08-30T08:00:00.000-04:002016-08-30T12:26:56.684-04:00Do Something That Scares You<div class="MsoNormal">
<i></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ltRxf5Ql32InFupbGBcW4Hts19VcxgRhAv8MYuFqxj0b_hmRccO4uzSuKr4p3YI7IaRCdSgEuOXtFO-3nQdJBurKY9-z3Ph6Rv42CQxiIkThEoISiyhY_lTV15ICf4vqZ2eLNEPhh4/s1600/Scares+You.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ltRxf5Ql32InFupbGBcW4Hts19VcxgRhAv8MYuFqxj0b_hmRccO4uzSuKr4p3YI7IaRCdSgEuOXtFO-3nQdJBurKY9-z3Ph6Rv42CQxiIkThEoISiyhY_lTV15ICf4vqZ2eLNEPhh4/s320/Scares+You.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>“Do not be afraid.”</i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i>“Fear not.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i>“Have courage.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Abraham needed that reminder. Joshua did, too. So did Paul,
the Apostles, Jesus’s mother Mary, and dozens of other characters in the Bible.<br />
<br />
So do we. A lot. At least I know I do.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Those phrases are repeated hundreds of times throughout Scripture -- the most repeated sentiment or phrase in the Bible -- and I don’t think that happened by accident. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Whenever I've read those verses commanding us to exchange our fear for courage, I used to think God didn’t want us to <i>ever</i> be afraid. I thought God meant that ever experiencing fear was an insult to Him. My solution: Play it safe. Stay in the shallow end of the pool instead of stepping up to the diving board on the deep end. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But what if we’re <i>supposed</i> to feel fear sometimes? Maybe God repeatedly tells us "don't be afraid" because we <i>need</i> to face something that scares us -- and then walk through it. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IF IT DOESN’T SCARE
YOU, IT WON’T HELP YOU GROW<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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If we’re honest with ourselves, fear is often the biggest
barrier we face to experiencing growth. But fear can also be an indicator that we’re close to doing something that we’re called to do in the first place.<br />
<br />
In one of Pastor Rick Warren's recent <a href="http://pastorrick.com/devotional/english%2fgod-grows-us-one-step-at-a-time1?roi=echo7-27731650259-48651892-35bf9f785d21fa6689e74c941ac05b05&" target="_blank"><i>Daily Hope</i> devotionals</a>, he writes that "there is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss." Whenever
we face a big decision that will cause some significant change and discomfort, fear pops up.<br />
<br />
Fear is uncomfortable. Fear makes us pump the brakes and tempts us to make a U-turn instead of charing ahead. But the goal is not to avoid fear<i>.</i> <o:p></o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sometimes we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need </i>to be scared. </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We need to experience those moments when we know we're in over our heads. It's how we respond when we reach those moments that matters and can help us build our faith. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>The goal isn't to avoid fear, but to conquer it. </b>When fear pops up and tells us we're not ready or qualified or equipped to face that thing, we invite God into our situation. We remind ourselves that God is bigger than our fears. We exchange that fear for faith. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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We have to do
something that makes us shake a little bit and doubt ourselves. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WHEN WE'RE SCARED, WE GO TO GOD<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Facing our fears gives God a chance to show up and speak
into our lives. Fear drives me to Him and make me realize I need to lean more on Him for support, guidance,
comfort, strength and reassurance. And when He walks us through it, there's no doubt about who gets the glory.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When you’re afraid,
God reminds you that he is your shield and your reward (Genesis
15:1), because He will fight for you (Deuteronomy 3:22), because He is with you
wherever you go (Joshua 1:9) and He will never leave you nor forsake you
(Deuteronomy 31:6). </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Many of the heroes of the Christian faith felt fear. They
had their doubts. They had their reservations about God’s plans. But they
decided that their faith in the Lord was bigger than their fears.
They made a decision that their fear would not prevent them from doing the
thing they knew God wanted them to do, and they were rewarded for their
obedience and faithfulness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Doing something that scares us will put us in a position to depend on God in ways we never have before. </b>And that's the best place to be. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WHAT MATTERS MOST OFTEN
SCARES US THE MOST<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Starting over is scary. Opening
up a business is scary. Becoming a parent is scary. Writing a book or
publishing your work for the whole world to see and scrutinize is scary.
Deciding to become a mentor or seeking out a mentor is scary.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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But all of those things are exciting, too. And they are all important. The most important things, the things that matter the most, are usually the scariest things we will ever do.<br />
<br />
The world needs more curious travelers, more creative innovators, more intentional parents, more fearless mentors and more people willing to share their voice and start a conversation
on issues that matter. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
So are you doing something that makes you a little nervous and a little afraid and makes you want to quit? Good! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Fear can sometimes serve as a signal that you are close to
doing something that might make a difference in this life and for eternity. </b><br />
<br />
But we have to be willing face those fear head-on. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TO GET RID OF FEAR, WE MUST FACE IT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I was speaking with a couple of collegiate divers recently who told me that the biggest obstacle they face is fear.<br />
<br />
For platform divers, the distance from the elevated platform to the water in the pool is 33 feet. <i>A lot can go wrong in 33 feet.</i> They know this perfectly well every single time they stand up there right before taking the plunge. How do they overcome it? They just have to do it. And then do it again and again.<br />
<br />
And after a while, they're standing up there on the platform and remember that because they've executed the dive hundreds of times, they can do it one more time.<br />
<br />
The great theologian John Wayne put it perfectly: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Courage is being scared to death and
saddling up anyway.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The only way to get
over the fear of something is
to actually do the thing. You can't get over fears you never face.</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> And every time we face a fear, the less afraid we'll be when we face them later. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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We can saddle up and take on any challenge, take advantage
of every opportunity and face every fear because after God says, “Don’t be
afraid,” He follows that up with “I am with you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When God says “Don’t be afraid,” how will we respond?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Getting scared isn’t a bad thing. It means you made a decision to get off your couch and do something. It’s how you handle that fear that will make all the difference. We have to get ourselves to the other side of fear by faith. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-70434674473309366442016-08-01T18:29:00.000-04:002016-08-02T08:26:07.983-04:00Throw Yourself A Convention<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWqPemH3HEo_9cvYKhqPoZBhYVn7xJ9xxuXIddvgFkDH0UCQwFs3U4mWWOph-QOZqwyGnsFrBD-hyDBTgBNSdaSdn7d_RsT2R_chbKbAwR6j2RVIqXsPYt0gijmchJ2fctadLd6xNAXk/s1600/Convention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWqPemH3HEo_9cvYKhqPoZBhYVn7xJ9xxuXIddvgFkDH0UCQwFs3U4mWWOph-QOZqwyGnsFrBD-hyDBTgBNSdaSdn7d_RsT2R_chbKbAwR6j2RVIqXsPYt0gijmchJ2fctadLd6xNAXk/s320/Convention.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two weeks ago, the Republicans held their party convention. Last week, the Democrats held theirs. Maybe this week should be our turn.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re a news and political junkie like me, chances are you were probably following the both conventions like a comic book fan follows Comic-Con -- except instead of jumping with joy over the new </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Justice League</i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> trailer, you probably watched the convention speakers with a mixture of anger, sadness and contempt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s very easy to put politicians and candidates on a pedestal they have no business being on. We either put all our hopes and dreams in them (or their plans) or we treat them like the harbinger of the apocalypse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there is a truth many of us forget about,</span></span><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> myself included,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the midst of an election year, the 24-hour news cycle and an increasingly hyper-politicized culture: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The President of the United States cannot fix your life or mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donald Trump is not going to wave a magic wand and deliver a job to your doorstep. Hillary Clinton is not going to come over to your house and help pay your tuition bills.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look, don’t get me wrong: politics are important. Presidential elections are important. We </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">should</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> care. We </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">should</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> be informed. We </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">should</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> be engaged. And we should be able to discuss the political issues that face our communities and our nation with friends and family members without it devolving into a fistfight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can vote for whoever you want, or vote for nobody at all.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But after the elections are over, you are still responsible for your own life</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> -- regardless of who wins.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeIMNDvYFaM" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;">A couple of weeks ago on his radio show</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Dave Ramsey said people should buy some red, white and blue streamers and confetti and throw themselves a convention in their living room. It’s actually a good idea.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You are the only one who is going to fix your life</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” he said. “None of those people have affected my life anything but negatively by taking my freaking money... Your destiny is in your hands. It’s not in the hands of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Thank God!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank God, indeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re looking to experience real hope and change for our own lives, we have a better chance of finding both in own living rooms instead of in Cleveland or Philadelphia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">* * * * * * *</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what would a “John/Jane Smith Personal Convention” look like? We can look to the actual party conventions to get an idea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the two main functions of party conventions that can help us guide our own: 1) they nominate the person who will be the standard bearer for their party and 2) they decide on what will be in their party’s platform (the set of goals that will guide them moving forward).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who will be the leader of your life?</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Psalm 121:1-2 says, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a contest between myself and God for control of my own life, it’s no contest at all. There is no one else I would rather put my trust in than God. No one else comes close.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whenever I choose to run the show for myself, I find a way to mess it up. Whenever I put my too much hope in someone else, I end up disappointed. And when my hope is in Jesus, I don’t have to stress over who is in the White House.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d rather humble myself and follow Jesus’ lead in </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everything</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> instead of trying to do it all on my own. We let him chart the course, and then we take our steps in faith.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What will be your personal platform? What are your own personal goals and objectives?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">A career change. Repairing your relationship with God. Finishing your degree. Saving for a future home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all have to choose what our priorities and goals will be and set a game plan for accomplishing them. No politician is going to do that for you or your household.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Something to remember: Proverbs 19:21 says,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t just build your platform on your own. Spend some time seeking God and asking those close to you to determine what will go into your own personal platform. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-68138903252771221232016-05-17T08:00:00.000-04:002016-05-17T14:00:35.259-04:00God Loves Us Too Much To Leave Us Alone<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><b>“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” </b></i><br />
<i><b>– Deuteronomy 31:8</b></i></div>
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* * * * * *</div>
<br />
I’ve tried running away from God. I’ve been angry with Him. I’ve questioned and doubted His plans. I’ve been frustrated with Him. I’ve wanted nothing to do with Him.<br />
<br />
And yet, in the midst of all of those times, I learned something valuable about God and who He is: <b>God loves me too much to leave me alone. </b>He stays. He remains. He’s faithful, even when I’m not, and He waits until I’m ready to turn back to Him so that we can start over again.<br />
<br />
He cares about us too much to leave us hurting and bitter and broken and empty. He loves us too much to let us go through it – whatever “it” is, big or small – by ourselves.<br />
<br />
<b>He loves us too much to give us what we <i>want</i> at the expense of what we <i>need</i>.</b> <b>He loves us enough to say “No” sometimes. </b>It doesn’t mean He’s not good. It doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. It doesn’t mean He’s not able. <b>It means there’s another way. A better way. His way. </b>I don’t always get it – at least not in the moment. In fact I usually don’t. But I’m not asked to “get it” – I’m asked to trust Him. <br />
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<b>He loves us as we are, wherever we are in life. But He also doesn’t want us to <i>stay</i> there</b>. And that means in the same way that God doesn't leave us alone, we shouldn’t leave God alone, either.<br />
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And just like God is continually pursuing us, we should never stop pursuing Him. God doesn't leave us alone, so why should we leave Him alone?<br />
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Philippians 4:6 says “Don’t worry about anything, but <b>in everything</b>, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, <b>let your requests be made known to God.</b>” Hebrews 4:16 adds: “<b>Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness</b>, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” <i>(emphasis mine)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We have an open invitation to come to Him with everything – from our praise to our pain; from our questions to our requests; from our doubts to our thanks! If you're a Christ follower, you serve a God who is deeply personal, intimate and approachable – not some detached deity.<br />
<br />
Got questions? God wants to hear them. Feeling angry? God wants to hear it. Need guidance? Ask God for it. And don’t stop asking until you get answers! Be the kid in class that doesn't stop asking questions. God can handle it. He <i>wants</i> to handle it. <b>Life is better when our stuff is out of our hands and in His.</b><br />
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I’m glad that God, despite my own emotions and failings and doubts, still won’t leave me alone. He is still there. He still cares for me. He still loves me. He still wants my heart and my trust. He still wants <i>me</i>.<br />
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And those truths keep me running back to Jesus, asking Him to soften my heart a little more each day. To help me have a little more faith today than I did yesterday. To help me just keep my eyes fixed on Him and not on anything else.<br />
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God won’t leave us alone. And we shouldn't leave Him alone, either. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-62002233635093136422016-03-25T14:18:00.003-04:002016-05-09T20:12:21.674-04:00What's So 'Good' About Good Friday?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfiXBCveDOhzAEq8W9Pb6kR3Z3_9wz3ws-4vhN51n2fsN81lpjl2UsU4dFN2o6x_btN6TXgljoWUp2U-qLS7GkgfucQRGf20gNnyrfQQHl5kOu7ojZSyZr6aJXcqpWRlS1Sb45_etfYI/s1600/Good+Friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfiXBCveDOhzAEq8W9Pb6kR3Z3_9wz3ws-4vhN51n2fsN81lpjl2UsU4dFN2o6x_btN6TXgljoWUp2U-qLS7GkgfucQRGf20gNnyrfQQHl5kOu7ojZSyZr6aJXcqpWRlS1Sb45_etfYI/s320/Good+Friday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I used to wonder sometimes why we called Good Friday, well, “good.” I mean, on the surface, it just didn’t seem very “good” at all. <br />
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In the span of about 24 hours, Jesus was betrayed by one of His own disciples and deserted by the rest before being sentenced to death and crucified. At the time, things weren’t looking very good at all. I’m pretty sure the disciples weren’t thinking there was anything good about this. I can imagine they were filled with fears and doubts, sadness and shame. <br />
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Not exactly what I would call a banner day.<br />
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Jesus wasn’t the only person being crucified that day. There were two other criminals who were led away to be executed with Him, one on His right and the other to His left. They both probably witnessed a lot of these events unfold throughout the day: from the crowd's call for Jesus’ death and Pilate’s failed attempts to release Him to Jesus being beaten and mocked mercilessly on the way to the cross. But they both responded to Jesus differently. <br />
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Criminal #1, after looking at all this and hanging on a cross next to Jesus, says: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!”<br />
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It appears that he was looking for a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card; a bailout from this pain and the situation. There’s no sign of remorse for his own actions. He sees Jesus potentially as some sort of genie who can wiggle him out of this jam and didn't seem to see his own need for grace. His heart was hardened, right to the end. <br />
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Criminal #2 responds to his companion's comment: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.”<br />
<br />
He acknowledges that he is in the wrong. He acknowledges Jesus’ innocence. He sees what is happening. And then he turns to Jesus and pleads to Jesus for one thing: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”<br />
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Before moving forward, there’s a truth here I don’t want us to miss: <b>We<i> are</i> the criminals in this story. </b><br />
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I struggle with this truth sometimes, to be honest. I think a lot of us do. We like to compare ourselves to other people and think we’re doing pretty well for ourselves. We’re pretty good at convincing ourselves that we’re pretty awesome. <br />
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But we are all in the same predicament. We are all broken people who have fallen short and made mistakes. We are all sinners who have missed the mark. We are all facing a death sentence. And we are all in need of a Savior.</div>
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The way Jesus responds to Criminal #2 should give all of us hope: <b>“I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.” </b><br />
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Before all of this went down, Jesus asked “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me — nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” He was anguishing over this decision to face not only death, but the excruciating pain that came with it. <br />
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But if He hadn’t gone through it, those two criminals never would have never met Jesus or had the opportunity to have their lives changed. They would not have been able to see who Jesus was. <br />
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Criminal #2 didn’t do anything to deserve grace. And that’s the whole point -- we can’t earn our way to grace. We can’t earn God’s mercy. It’s a gift, the only gift that can save us all. <b>Good Friday is good because we see God’s goodness, grace and mercy in full display.</b><br />
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In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul wrote that “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. <b>But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.</b>”<br />
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Jesus endured the pain, the humiliation and the cross on that day because of His love for those criminals, and for us. <b>Good Friday proves that no one is too far for God to reach, no matter who they are, where they are or what they have done. </b><br />
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And Jesus’ death isn’t the end of the story. Three days later, He rose from the dead to prove once and for all that He really does have the power to bring us from death and into life, as well. To restore what was lost. To forgive us and give us a new life to live. <br />
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There wouldn’t be an Easter Sunday without Good Friday. The Gospel, which means good news, wouldn’t be the Gospel if Good Friday didn’t happen. <br />
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That’s what makes Good Friday so good. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-44617544157104488182016-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:002016-01-15T10:39:32.601-05:00The 14.4 Minute Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtis_A1H2A6M7U8if8ad_0FZXC4-TSwLkAZ5F4_Wy4kTKzSCAz4oSum61Dbnzz88twIBGHwi2E-5ttPeYZjQxSFXuDkF_wGSLB5tmM8J7whxItR6DcDnLQe841GepG6iEZFoSIsmwmSnI/s1600/14.4+minute+challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtis_A1H2A6M7U8if8ad_0FZXC4-TSwLkAZ5F4_Wy4kTKzSCAz4oSum61Dbnzz88twIBGHwi2E-5ttPeYZjQxSFXuDkF_wGSLB5tmM8J7whxItR6DcDnLQe841GepG6iEZFoSIsmwmSnI/s320/14.4+minute+challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When it comes to math… well, let’s just say math and I are
not on good terms. There’s a reason I’m a writer and not an architect or an
engineer. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But sometimes, simple math can reveal to some profound
truths that can put things in perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For example: there are 1,440 minutes in a day. Multiply that by 0.01 and
you’ll get 14.4 minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In other words, 14.4
minutes equals <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one percent</i> of each
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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That realization changed things for me. The “I don’t
have time” excuses I had been making started to melt faster than a snowman plopped on South Beach in July.<br />
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“I don’t have time” is one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves. We <i>do</i> have time. We just have to fight for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Am I really telling myself that I don’t have 14 minutes and
24 seconds, one measly percent of my day, to spare for the things I say are important to me? Am I really
cutting myself that short? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And then I started to think
about how different my days would look if I spent just one percent of each day
on the things I said were important to me. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What if I started
setting aside the first 14.4 minutes of each morning to read a little bit from
my Bible? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How many more words
would I get written or how many more books would I read if I spent 14.4 minutes
during my lunch break writing or reading something instead of spending it on
social media? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How much healthier
would I be if I spent the first 14.4 minutes after I get back from work going
for a walk or a jog or a bike ride around the block?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I’m going to go Al Pacino from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Any Given Sunday </i>on you for a second. In that movie he gave one of
my favorite movie speeches of all time, talking about how life – and football – is a game of inches, and that those inches can make the difference
between winning and losing, living and dying. Those inches – those minutes and
seconds – are everywhere, all around us, and we have to fight for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Likewise, we have to fight for those 14.4 minutes that we often tell
ourselves we don’t have because, whether we feel it or not, those minutes are
there. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Maybe spending one percent of your day on something doesn’t
sound much or nearly enough to accomplish what you want to accomplish, or change
what you want to change. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But here’s the thing: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">one
percent won’t be enough to change everything, but it will change <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i>. </b>I’m no math wizard, but I
do know that something is always better than nothing. And that little something
could lead to something more later on.<br />
<br />
Those 14.4 minutes, and how we use
them, are where we get started. </div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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* * * * * * *</div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b><i>The 14.4 Minute Challenge</i></b><i>:
Pick one thing – running, writing, Bible study, painting, anything! – and for the next month, set
aside 14.4 minutes of each day to do it. </i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-75219558148472754812016-01-07T13:21:00.001-05:002016-01-08T23:06:00.869-05:00No Vacancy<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI42jzrpgRfgd62F1ZFIXsWSUNW7qWe0J6TeoSxZNrS0EwYyzZygj8P3k418jVURtpzsD4k4wV_m-aV7AM1DPQJmazm-Rp989PhcvK67o2hb67vjFPld25d46aHMVfHi74N2HZCL_CiZ4/s1600/No+Vacancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI42jzrpgRfgd62F1ZFIXsWSUNW7qWe0J6TeoSxZNrS0EwYyzZygj8P3k418jVURtpzsD4k4wV_m-aV7AM1DPQJmazm-Rp989PhcvK67o2hb67vjFPld25d46aHMVfHi74N2HZCL_CiZ4/s320/No+Vacancy.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i>“In those days a
decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be
registered. This first registration took place while Quirinius was
governing Syria. So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. And
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and
family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to
him and was pregnant. </i></i></div>
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<i>While they were there, the time came for her to
give birth.<b> Then she gave birth to
her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a
feeding trough — because there was no room for them at the lodging place.”</b>
– Luke 2:1-7</i></div>
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* * * * * * *<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I know we’re already a few weeks removed from Christmas, but
there’s still a part of the Christmas story that has stuck with me past New
Year’s and into 2016: I still find it hard to imagine how Jesus, the savior of
the world, was born in a feeding trough. I’m still baffled that He ended up being born in a place
that was probably the filthiest and least sanitary place in the entire town of
Bethlehem.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Why there? According the Luke 2:7, it was <b>because there was no room for them at the lodging place</b>. It was
full, a ‘No Vacancy’ sign probably plastered to the front door. There was no
place for Mary and Joseph <i>anywhere </i>in
Bethlehem, so they had to settle for a filthy manager and rest Jesus in the
same contraption that goats and sheep eat out of.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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No one in their right mind today would think that these conditions are suitable for anyone to be born in, let alone Jesus. Yet God allowed it to
happen, probably to show us something even more important.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE HYPOTHETICAL INNKEEPER <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We don’t know if there was an actual innkeeper, as depicted
in countless numbers of Christmas plays over the years, who turned Mary and
Joseph away from the ancient Israel version of Holiday Inn. But for some odd
reason, I've thought a lot about this hypothetical innkeeper over the Christmas
season. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The question that stuck with me is this: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If this innkeeper did in fact exist and did
turn Mary and Joseph away because all his rooms were booked, did this person
ever realize what they missed out on being a part of? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This innkeeper probably wasn’t a bad guy. For all we know,
the conversation could have gone something like “Hey folks, I’m really sorry
but I’m completely booked. I don't have any rooms available. Every place in town is
probably completely filled, too. There is a barn with a manger down the road that might have some room. Good luck!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He probably had no idea about Jesus, who He really was or
that His birth would be one of the most important events in the history of the
world. Yet, in this scenario, the innkeeper missed it simply because he didn’t have
any space to spare. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Throughout the holiday season, I thought I had become a lot like this innkeeper. I filled my life with so much stuff that there was
no space for Jesus anywhere. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sorry,
Jesus. I have all these final projects for school to do and this huge story I have to finish
for work and all this Christmas shopping to do and all these friends to visit and oh my
goodness, look at the time, I gotta go but we’ll catch up later,
okay-thanks-bye!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We make a huge mistake when we post a big ‘No Vacancy’ on
the doors of our lives when Jesus is knocking, because we will miss out on
something really special and not even realize it. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We miss out on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Him.</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back to the manger and the feeding trough for a second. Jesus
entered the world in, literally, the messiest situation imaginable. Imagine how chaotic that scene must have been: the pain Mary must have felt
while giving birth while goats and sheep and camels were milling about nearby, the smell
of a filthy barn thick in the air.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the innkeeper had opened up any space in that lodging
place, not even a guest room but maybe even the kitchen or the laundry room or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any </i>room, Jesus probably would have been
born at that lodging place instead of being placed in a feeding trough. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mary and Joseph weren’t looking for a presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton; they just wanted
an open door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jesus cares about you
more than He cares about how messy or crazy your life is at the moment.</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">He will come into the messiest, craziest, and </b><b>most chaotic</b><b> situations imaginable – if we allow Him to</b>. We don’t
have to turn Him away or wait until we clean things up before letting Him in.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In 2016, I want to
make sure there is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> room for
God to come in and work in me.</b> I don’t want to wait until the ‘perfect’
time to do so. There is no such thing as the perfect time and if we wait for it, it'll never come. I don't want to miss out on what He wants to show me because I didn't think I had any room left to spare. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>I’d rather have Jesus be in the middle of everything that’s going in my life, no matter how messy I think it is or how embarrassing it might be, than shut Him out altogether. </b><br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>He is the only one that can truly bring about lasting change and a lasting peace, and He can only do that when I take down my ‘No Vacancy’ sign and let Him in.</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-37668295975291647662015-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:002015-09-21T17:03:19.353-04:00You Can Always Come Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjutL1Xcs5gWk9l9wG38Kq4Npw0mo_JE4NJW2lOQYRb0C1QeNcqgnFeSNZz7rz6Y7wA1JjqVCtpr81CpW2LpV3MTt5HXAPVGocaaTil9k016s_QkHTwVJoZF41OiCPzq6x4D6MFIB0UW8/s1600/You+Can+Always+Come+Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjutL1Xcs5gWk9l9wG38Kq4Npw0mo_JE4NJW2lOQYRb0C1QeNcqgnFeSNZz7rz6Y7wA1JjqVCtpr81CpW2LpV3MTt5HXAPVGocaaTil9k016s_QkHTwVJoZF41OiCPzq6x4D6MFIB0UW8/s320/You+Can+Always+Come+Home.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There will be roads we run down in life that we think will lead to some magical place
flowing with milk and honey and endless Reese’s peanut butter cups (Look, they're my roads, alright? Stay with me here!)… but instead
abruptly end with a large sign that reads ‘Dead End.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hate those signs. They mean after weeks or months or even
years of walking down this road; praying and pleading with God to make things work out after a whole lot of sweat and even more tears… it’s over. There’s nothing
left here. Not even one Reese’s peanut butter cup -- maybe a wrapper, but that's it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can scream and kick at that ‘Dead End’ sign until you’re
blue in the face and your big toe starts to throb uncontrollably. But once
you’re done with that, the sign still remains. And you realize you have to turn
around and go back to where you started. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of those ‘Dead End’ signs popped up for me a few years
back, just eight months after moving out west to San Antonio for a job right
out of college. After a bit of a rough start, things were beginning to look great
for a while. I thought this might be a place I could call ‘home’ someday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God had another thing in mind. The job went south after some
transitions at work and after scrambling through job sites looking for a
position that would help me stay in Texas, I ran out of options and time. <i>“Dead
End."</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I remembered something that my friend and mentor, the
one who helped me get this job and who encouraged me to take this leap of
faith, said to me before I left Miami for San Antonio.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“You can always come
home.” <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through all of my questions and doubts and fears about
moving to a place where I didn’t know anyone for a job I wasn't sure I would be any good at, he told me those five simple words and they cut through all of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before hearing those words, I thought I would be jumping off
a cliff, hoping I could fly without a parachute. I was reminded that at least
there was a mattress at the bottom… a soft place to land on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my favorite authors, Paul Angone, put it perfectly in his book <i>All Groan Up</i>: “<a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2015/04/all-groan-up-7-truths-for-every.html#more" target="_blank">God gives us ledges of grace to land on</a>… He won’t let us fall all the way to our deaths. He’ll give us checkpoints along the way.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32),
that wayward son learned the same thing. The prodigal son ran into a ‘Dead End’
sign, too. He ran away and did things his own way and then he saw that the road
he was going down led to nothing. And soon, he had nothing left and no choice
but to come home, head hanging low, dreading how his father would respond. He even practiced a speech saying he wasn't even worthy to be called his son and would return to work around the house! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whenever I hit a ‘Dead End’ sign, I usually identify a lot
with this son – feeling guilty and ashamed of my own failures, humbled by the
circumstances I dug myself into. He knew the only place to go was back home, but thought his father would probably be
disappointed and angry with him, as much as he was with himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we see something completely different here as the son
starts coming home: <b>“But while the son was still a long way off, <i>his father saw
him and was filled with compassion</i>. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and
kissed him.” </b>(v. 20, emphasis mine)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The father brought out the best robe to clothe his son in,
got sandals for his feet and held a feast for him “because this son of mine was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” (v. 21) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so in this story, we see how God, our heavenly father, responds when we come
back home – not with judgment or with an “I told you so,” but instead with love
and compassion and great joy. <b>Jesus wants us to know that we don’t have to fear coming back home. When we feel lost, home is where we can be found again. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although I was feeling about as great as the dirt at my feet
in front of that ‘Dead End’ sign, coming home from San Antonio without a job
and right back at Square One, I could be assured that I had parents who still loved me enough to take
me in and let me regain my bearings. And, even more importantly, a God who
won't abandon me and would show me later that it would all be okay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since then, I’ve run into some more ‘Dead End’ signs, too,
and the heartbreak that comes with them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>But as I take the long walk home from those dead ends, wondering if
God will take me in again, I know He is ready to run out and meet me where I am – right there in my pain, shame and brokenness. And I know there is nothing – no failure, no
mess up, <i>nothing</i> – that can separate you or me from His love, His grace, His mercy and, above all, Himself. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We didn’t do a thing to deserve it, but God lavishes us with
all of this grace anyway. It's always there, at home, in His outstretched arms.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And you can always come home. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-12135054490556286832015-08-25T09:29:00.000-04:002015-09-01T15:06:35.764-04:00Looking For Whales In All The Wrong Places<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizx1V8O_QzwxnY3-fuYgyYA-kewk2HXIylbkTOjU-D4VqY6P5XYWK_EuJoBELoJBBrI2-NkTja2B9yGvanl-hS3HrBJZKEPKP4tRAN_E7m68irjlyGSYZgL0yLRNbfTwXEucQTHakzNSc/s1600/2015-08-06+21.22.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizx1V8O_QzwxnY3-fuYgyYA-kewk2HXIylbkTOjU-D4VqY6P5XYWK_EuJoBELoJBBrI2-NkTja2B9yGvanl-hS3HrBJZKEPKP4tRAN_E7m68irjlyGSYZgL0yLRNbfTwXEucQTHakzNSc/s400/2015-08-06+21.22.18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the last places I expected to go in 2015 was Alaska, but lo and behold, crazy things happen and a few weeks ago I found myself flying to Alaska for work.<br />
<br />
If you're open to it, God will take you to places you never thought you'd end up. Do yourself a favor and don't waste those opportunities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the first things I grabbed when I landed in Dutch
Harbor, Alaska – the place where Deadliest Catch is filmed – was one of those tourist pamphlets that tell you about
all the cool things you need to do while you're there. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The port of Dutch Harbor is located on the island city of
Unalaska (I don’t know why a city in Alaska is called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Un</i>alaska, so don’t ask me) and one of the things that caught my
attention in the brochure was that humpback whales hang out in Unalaska Bay, which
was right behind my hotel, in July and August before migrating south for the
rest of the year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have never seen a whale outside of SeaWorld so this was
kind of a big deal, and I was determined to see at least one during my eight-day stay in
Alaska.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One night, I walked over to the bay around 8:00 p.m. (During the summer, the sun doesn’t set in Alaska until
around 11 p.m. It’s weird.) and walked along the shore until I found a big rock with a smooth enough surface to sit on. I sat and looked out at this large body of water, my eyes fixed straight ahead to where the bay leads into the Bering
Sea. I didn't want to blink and miss a whale breach or come up for air or whatever else these playful humpback whales might do, so I tried to keep my blinking to a minimum. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then I waited. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few minutes passed by, then half an hour and then an hour
and now I started to feel the wind start to pick up and the temperature start to dip – 'flip-flop weather' for an Alaskan, which is somewhere in the lower 60s, is still chilly for most Miamians. And still, no sign of a single whale... and I started to think maybe all this whale stuff was a trick by the locals to attract tourists to their little island 800 miles away from Anchorage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I looked at my phone and saw that it was 9:15 p.m. and told myself if I
didn’t see a whale in the next 15 minutes, I’d call it quits and try again the next day. That’s when I heard
something off to the distance on my left, way out of my line of sight. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started to walk along the rocky shore towards the other
side and saw some people standing by the side of the read next to their
pulled-over cars, looking out towards this thin inlet that led into the bay.
Then I saw what looked like a puff of smoke coming out of the water accompanied
with a faint <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whoosh </i>– the sound that
had grabbed my attention moments earlier. And then another and another.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I knew it, I was looking at a pod of at least dozen
humpback whales swimming across the inlet into the far side of Unalaska Bay,
coming up for breaths of air on this early summer evening. Some of the whales,
as they prepared to dive deep, would reveal their flukes before disappearing
below the surface. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was mesmerized, watching from shore as these
magnificent creatures just hung out in Unalaska Bay, mere hundreds of feet away from where I stood. I couldn’t believe I was
here – just a few months earlier, this would have been a moment I never would
have imagined possible. Yet, here I was. It’s a memory I’ll never forget, and
one I’ll be thanking God for for a very long time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I never would have experienced that moment if I kept sitting on
that rock, focusing on the same spot of unmoving water with eyes and ears closed off to everything else happening around me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, we do the same thing in life – we’re looking for
something and we’re looking for it in a certain direction, expecting it to just show
up at some point and finding… nothing. More often than not, we lose a lot more than just an hour of time.<br />
<br />
I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I had my
sights focused on a particular thing when God was gently urging me somewhere
else to experience something else – something better. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Come and see what I’m doing over here. Come and see how I want to use
you in this area of your life right now. Come and see.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>We have to be willing to lift our heads, take off the blinders and look
around with eyes wide open and ears ready to listen. </b><b>Sometimes we're looking for the right things in the wrong places. </b> The
whales of our lives aren't always where we expect them to be. You never
know what might be hanging out around the corner. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-68121854918417412582015-07-30T14:45:00.000-04:002015-07-30T14:56:26.301-04:004 Ways To Refresh Your Goals <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9WeROQP7d2AtUo3LSjIixKt5VFRBNV50B-516vbMwPrfp7UE1u1ieM8KA2GSFfb5DyX5XkVsWtjZXaJ4hgOX8qajjgkChQDtPYqPOCrWqPmO56aKbINtMGGrtNKct5ADXRMIOQccO1M/s1600/refresh+your+goals+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9WeROQP7d2AtUo3LSjIixKt5VFRBNV50B-516vbMwPrfp7UE1u1ieM8KA2GSFfb5DyX5XkVsWtjZXaJ4hgOX8qajjgkChQDtPYqPOCrWqPmO56aKbINtMGGrtNKct5ADXRMIOQccO1M/s1600/refresh+your+goals+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” - Proverbs 16:3</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * * * *</div>
<div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Flashback: </i>It’s New Year’s Eve. I spent the last two to three weeks planning and brainstorming new goals for a new year. It’s usually one of my favorite times of the year: the promise of a clean slate and a chance to start over.<br />
<br />
And that was especially so for this New Year’s. I was hopeful that I’d make great strides forward spiritually, mentally, physically and relationally. And now I had a list of goals to strive for that would help me closer to where I wanted to be. It was gonna be awesome!<br />
<br />
<i>Fast forward a few months: </i>I glance up at that list for probably the first time in two or three months and I cringe looking over it. It was like making awkward eye contact with that person you were once great friends with but you’ve been avoiding for them, making excuse after excuse for not making it out to T.G.I. Fridays for endless appetizers.<br />
<br />
There’s good news, though: summer is the perfect time to revisit some of those dusty goals. Summer is our halftime. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ4JwLL9HOU">Katy Perry and Left Shark</a> are out on the field performing a few songs while we sit in the locker room, take a breather and make adjustments for the second half.<br />
<br />
Maybe the first half didn’t go as you hoped it did: There were some changes at work that you had to navigate through. Your car betrayed you and you had throw money at it or on a new car, putting a huge dent on your financial plans. Or, let’s be real, sometimes we just don’t feel like following through on some of those goals.<br />
<br />
If you’re on that "It’s-The-Middle-Of-The-Year-And-I’m-Way-Off-Track" island with me, we don’t have to toss all of our goals into the dumpster with last year’s goals.<br />
<br />
Whether you have three goals or 57 of them (if that’s you, you should probably trim that list a bit -- more on that later), go down your list and consider these four options for each goal. Hopefully it'll help you get your goals, and you, back on track:<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><b><br /></b>
<b>OPTION 1: Recalibrate The Goal</b><br />
<div>
<br />
I think there were a few goals I jotted down at the beginning of the year under the influence of a venti-sized Cafe Americano from Starbucks, unfiltered optimism and a dose of over-eagerness.<br />
<span style="line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 1.38;">Yeah, it’s good to aim high and push yourself, but then sometimes we think we’re going to get to the moon on a rocket made out of cardboard, crazy glue and paper clips.</span><br />
<br />
If I’ve never regularly jogged before, setting a goal of running 10 miles every single week is probably a little too much for me to handle right now. I’ll try, fail, undoubtedly get frustrated and, after a while, I’ll give up entirely.<br />
<br />
So I reset the goal to two miles per week instead. <b>Build up a routine, meet the goal, rack up a small victory and then work your way up.</b> Soon, I'll move up to three miles a week, and then four and so on.<br />
<br />
Then there were other goals where I kept it safe, however, and didn’t stretch myself. It was an easy target and I probably wasn’t as ambitious as I could have been. If I aim for the same low hanging fruit again and again, I’ll never see growth or progress in any area of my life. My goals have to make me feel at least a little bit uncomfortable.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sometimes when we set out goals, we don’t really know what we’re doing. We underestimate ourselves and our capability of reaching our goals while we stretch ourselves a little too much in others. Sometimes we just need to make an adjustment here or there.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>OPTION 2: Recommit To The Goal</b><br />
<br />
Then there are goals that don’t necessarily need an adjustment, but instead require us to recommit ourselves to achieving them.<br />
<br />
They are the goals that are still worth fighting for, but for some reason got left behind. Maybe it was laziness or things got busy. Maybe we just tossed them into a drawer, lost the key and forgot about them. Whatever it was, it's not too late to get back on it.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<b>The best way to recommit to a goal? Bring someone else in on it.</b> Have someone -- a friend, a spouse, a family member or a mentor -- there to hold you accountable to your recommitment to a goal. Even better yet, have them join you in chasing after it.<br />
<br />
Whatever it was, if it’s still worth fighting for and it’s still important to you, get back in the ring.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">OPTION 3: Replace The Goal</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
Priorities change. Circumstances change, too. Some things that were important a few months ago might not be anymore.</div>
<br />
Maybe your relationship status changed over the last few months. Or you've switched careers. Or maybe you’re moving to a new state where you might not have the same friends or the same community you’ve been surrounded with over the last few years.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Some goals are meant to be written in with a pencil, not etched permanently in stone. </b>We have to be flexible, changing and replacing our old goals with new ones according to changing circumstances.<br />
<br />
And if there are some goals you've already accomplished, awesome! Replace that one with a follow-up goal.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>OPTION 4: Remove The Goal -- At Least For Now</b><br />
<br />
If your list of goals reads like a short novel, you might need to cut some of them out altogether.<br />
<br />
A lot of times, the reasons why I don’t achieve a lot of my goals is because there are just too many of them. We only have a limited amount of time and energy to use to pursue things, and when we stretch ourselves too thin we lose our focus and end up not doing much at all.<br />
<br />
We have to be strategic, and there are situations that call for trimming down and removing some things from the equation. But removing a goal doesn’t mean erasing it from existence.<br />
<br />
King Solomon wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” <b>Removing a goal from your list doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad goal. It just might mean it might not be the time for it right now.</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
So maybe you’ve made a goal to purchase a new car by the end of the year and made another goal to cut your debt by a certain amount. Both are good, worthy goals to chase. But you only have so much money coming in. You might be better off attacking one of those goals like mako shark chasing a seal decoy on Shark Week and leaving the other for another day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There’s still a whole second half of footba-- er, I mean ‘half of the year’ left to accomplish what you set out to do. A whole half of the year to get closer to becoming more financially stable, to feed your faith, to reboot your dreams. Don’t give up on your goals just yet.</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-28576463472114745982015-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-01T09:14:09.170-04:00Find Your Subway: Why Your Small Platform Matters <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwem0_HNdc2zJsQhdQlia8jNcPG8yCjdkd2U_GUhXtM_1aVjyoMN26Y8c0qVEX_GyaPUdBFdttxKkaAs2n9a8HFfa3sDU1SbwSgh9AEYYeGVRDH6vVwjyke9QJVac0TNLZhbDZgSltwM/s1600/DSC00163-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwem0_HNdc2zJsQhdQlia8jNcPG8yCjdkd2U_GUhXtM_1aVjyoMN26Y8c0qVEX_GyaPUdBFdttxKkaAs2n9a8HFfa3sDU1SbwSgh9AEYYeGVRDH6vVwjyke9QJVac0TNLZhbDZgSltwM/s400/DSC00163-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Rico Albarracin </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I visited New York for the first time last fall, I could barely go more than a city block or a subway stop without running into an aspiring artist, musician or performer of some kind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">A guy belting out on a saxophone at a subway stop. A young opera singer performing under a bridge in Central Park. One older gentleman was even banging on a couple of large empty buckets like they were bongo drums.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people pass right in front of these subway musicians and street performers everyday. Most of them probably pay them little attention, street performers being as common as street lights in the city that never sleeps.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If the performers are lucky, a few pedestrians stop and listen for a few minutes until their train arrives. And if they’re luckier still, a fraction of those who listen will drop in some spare change and loose dollars.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m sure many of them dream about landing on a bigger stage. Or maybe they just love to play. Both could be true. Regardless, they found a subway or street corner and decided to let the world hear what they had to offer.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe your subway is a little online business you created, a blog you started or a little studio where you display your art. It could be the job you go to everyday.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you haven’t found your own subway yet, here’s why you should:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">IT GIVES YOU A CHANCE TO PUT IN SOME HOURS</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In his book </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Outliers, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Malcolm Gladwell cites a study conducted by a team of psychologists in Berlin, Germany in the 1990s that observed the habits of a group of violin students. All of the subjects, who began playing at five years old, were asked the same question: “Over the course of your entire career, ever since you first picked up the violin, how many hours have you practiced?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All the violinists performed roughly the same number of hours over the first several years of playing, but beginning at around 8-years-old the practice hours began to diverge and an interesting observation was made: the elite violinists of the group had put in 10,000 hours by the time they were 20 years old while the rest had played considerably less.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>10,000 hours.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That’s how long it takes to become an expert at a particular subject or skill. Put it another way: If, starting today, I decided to practice piano for two hours every day, it would take me about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13-and-half years</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to become an expert pianist.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Makes you kinda wish that download feature in <i>The Matrix</i> where Keanu Reeves learns kung fu in a matter of seconds was real, doesn’t it?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">In New York, I wondered how many days, months or even years some of those subway performers had been out there for. Some of them were extremely talented, capturing my attention and the attention of others who happened to walk by. That kind of talent and ability doesn't happen by accident. <b>Getting good at something demands a commitment to consistency -- a willingness to keep showing up in the same spot and keep putting in the work. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once we find out what we want to do and why we want to do it, we have to find a place to actually do it. <b>We can't become an expert unless we find our own subway -- a place where we can do our thing, receive feedback from others and put in the hours we need.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">IT GIVES YOU A CHANCE TO FALL IN (OR OUT OF) LOVE WITH YOUR CRAFT</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If 10,000 hours of doing X, Y, or Z sounds intimidating, that’s because it is. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in that subway of yours. And as you put in your hours, you’re going to realize one of two things: <b>you really <i>do</i> love that thing you’re doing... or you don’t love it as much as you thought you did. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t get me wrong, there are times where I don’t necessarily feel like writing and would rather do something else. There are even parts of the writing process I don’t really (e.g. I loathe transcribing interviews).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did I figure out writing was my thing?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I weighed what I loved and didn’t love about writing. The former outweighed the latter. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wrestled with my motivations and figured out my ‘why’ (honestly, I still regularly do this).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I figured out I can’t <i>not </i>write. It’s part of who God created me to be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2015/02/find-your-something-why-your-work.html" target="_blank">Writing is a part of my worship.</a> When I’m not writing, I feel like something is missing. That’s how I know this is what I want to do. That’s why I’m still working on my 10,000 hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe this thing you want to try isn’t for you. But maybe it is. The only way to find out is to go find a subway, and do your thing.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-44160697476575776032015-06-18T08:06:00.001-04:002015-06-18T09:49:32.339-04:00Going Jonah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’” - Jonah 1:1-2</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">God gave Jonah pretty clear instructions. He wanted to use Jonah. He called him out for this mission in order to warn Nineveh and give the city's people a chance to turn things around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But instead of doing what God asked him to do, Jonah went AWOL. He "</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ran away from the Lord</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">flee from the Lord</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">." (Jonah 1:3, emphasis mine)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I mean, Jonah didn’t even stop to ask God to send someone else or at least attempt to give God some reasons why he wasn’t the man from the job. He just looked for the nearest exit and booked it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t know why Jonah ran. Maybe it was fear; fear of what the Ninevites would do to him after delivering God’s warning to them. It could have been laziness; Jonah might not have felt like fulfilling this responsibility. Or it could have been indifference; maybe Jonah didn’t like or care enough about Nineveh -- </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If Nineveh’s going down, so be it,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he might have thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whatever the reason, Jonah decided he wanted nothing to do with God’s plan for Nineveh and took his chances going on the run.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But the reluctant messenger quickly found out that you can’t outrun God.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hopefully for most of us, it won’t take a giant fish or a whale to figure that out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many times, I’ll go Jonah on life. I’ll do exactly what Jonah tried to do and run from my responsibilities. Instead of doing what I know God has called me to do, or at least trying to find out what to do next, I’ll run as far and as fast as I can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">While you and I might not end up inside the belly of a fish, we’ll end up in the belly of something else -- maybe isolation, toxic places or relationships, or even just exhaustion from trying to running for so long with nowhere to run to. </span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we run away from where God wants us to be, we end up in places we shouldn't be.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, like Jonah, we have two choices when we find ourselves trapped in the belly of a difficult situation: turn around or stay there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry… When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple,” Jonah cried out from inside that fish </span><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Jonah 2:2, 7)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then God commanded the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land. And Jonah went straight for Nineveh. I think he got the message.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the belly of his dire situation, Jonah discovered what we all do when we run away: </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God is always right there. We can’t outrun His love, grace or mercy. We can’t outrun </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Him</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. God is not finished with you or me just yet. He never is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">He’s ready to take us into His arms again and steer us back on course once we turn back towards Him. Like the father in the prodigal son parable, He’ll meet us where we are and bring us back into the fold. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t just run to God; He runs to us, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where is your Nineveh? What job or responsibilities are you trying to run away from? Who are the people you’re called to love and serve despite not really feeling like it? What dream or side hustle have you been neglecting in favor of a modern-day Tarshish called “Netflix”?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s listen to God the first time around. Let’s do what He says. Let’s go to Nineveh. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-84541198845494590092015-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:002015-04-28T09:27:06.487-04:00Doing The Right Thing Doing the right thing was easy in elementary school. <br />
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Share your toys. Turn in that lost sweater you found in the cafeteria to the lost and found. Do your homework. Don’t bite the other kids in class. <br />
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Simple. Easy. At least most of it was. Things are a little different now.<br />
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Doing the right thing now means making hard decisions; decisions I was hoping I could dodge, delay or ignore.<br />
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Doing the right thing means swallowing that big ol’ pill labeled pride, even though chugging a glass full of Pepto Bismol seems like a more enjoyable experience.<br />
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Doing the right thing means letting go of things I never really wanted to let go of, accepting that <strike>some things</strike><i> a lot</i> of things are out of my control. <br />
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Doing the right thing means extending grace -- letting go of my right to be offended and angry and truly forgiving people, just as I’ve been forgiven for my own missteps. <br />
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Doing the right thing means saying "I was wrong. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"<br />
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Doing the right thing means owning up to the decisions (or non-decisions) and mistakes I’ve made and accepting the consequences that come with them.<br />
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Doing the right thing means staying put even though everything in me wants to run away. Or, on the flip side, stepping aside when I need to get out of the way. And knowing which option is the appropriate one. <br />
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Doing the right thing means rejoicing with those who are rejoicing, even though I don’t feel like rejoicing with them at all. <br />
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Doing the right thing means forfeiting comfort so that others might experience comfort for the first time. <br />
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Doing the right thing is somehow different now… it isn’t always going to be as obvious as not kicking the kid sitting next to me in kindergarten and stealing his crayons.<br />
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Doing the right thing isn’t as easy as it used to be. Sometimes it’s the hardest thing, because it requires me to surrender my own feelings, my own desires and my very self. It takes honor to do the right thing. It takes sacrifice. It takes courage.<br />
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And there's usually no expiration date on doing the right thing. It'll make itself known and then kind of sit there in our lives, waiting for us to act on it. If we don't, we can go weeks, months or years with the "right thing" weighing down on us. <br />
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<b>I have a choice. We all do. We can do the right thing, whatever that might look like in the circumstances we find ourselves in, or avoid it. </b><br />
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I hope I choose to do right, even when it’s hard. <i>Especially</i> when it’s hard. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10961688107864340996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1669266637614115402.post-82651734146765946002015-04-24T08:07:00.002-04:002015-04-24T09:30:05.836-04:00All Groan Up: 7 Truths For Every Twentysomething <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Figuring out life in our twenties can feel like searching for a specific marble while floundering in a swimming pool filled with marbles -- in the dark.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is this the career path I want to run down for the next 30-something years? Is this the person I want to spend the rest of my life with? Are these friends the kind of people I want to be more like or less like? Is this </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In his new book </span><a href="http://allgroanup.com/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All Groan Up</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, my friend Paul Angone shares his twenty-something journey in a way that is hilarious, honest and inspiring all at once. I laughed a lot and it even made me cry a little (Like, maybe a tear or two). It’s immediately become one of my favorite books and if you are a twentysomething, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Groan-Up-Searching-Freaking/dp/0310341353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429875371&sr=8-1&keywords=all+groan+up" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you should pick up a copy for yourself</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s a book filled with boulders of wisdom and truths that will help you navigate through this awesome, and sometimes intimidating, decade of life. Here are seven of my favorite truths (out of the approximately 1,723 I found) from the book: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1.</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Don’t ever go into a major life transition if you don’t like yourself… If you like yourself solely based on your ‘success,’ then you’re going to dislike yourself solely based on all the failure.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the biggest transitions I’ve been through was moving to Texas immediately after college graduation for a job. I didn’t know a soul for about a 400-mile radius and at the beginning I spent a few lonely Friday and Saturday nights at the beginning.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you’re friends and family are more than a thousand miles away and you have no one but yourself to keep you company, you start asking yourself: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do I like me? Do I honestly like the man I am? The man I’m becoming?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our answers will be tested by career road bumps and painful heartbreaks and self-doubt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">But how we view ourselves can’t be determined by our relationship status on Facebook or the crappy job we might currently have. We have to learn to view ourselves the way God does: We are are loved. We are cared for. If you have a pulse, you matter to God!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">We can’t just live with ourselves; we have to actually like ourselves -- even when things aren’t going great. You know the Golden Rule? The one that goes ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’? </span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, you can’t love your neighbor well if you don’t love yourself first. </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2. </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“If you’re not secure with </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">less, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you’ll be crushed by </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chances are you won’t be a millionaire by the time you’re 29 years and 364 days old. Sorry. Reality is, we’re probably not going to have many accolades or high schools named after us for quite a while.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s easy to get discouraged as we chant </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do we want? Success! When do we want it? Now! </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the truth is the elusiveness of success could be the best thing for us in our twenties -- if we attain success that our skills and character can’t sustain, we’re in for a world of hurt.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Maybe our twenties isn’t about looking for ways to microwave success, but about gathering the ingredients, tools and instructions necessary to have success later. </b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Paul calls it finding your </span><a href="http://signaturesauce.com/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Signature Sauce’</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instead of fretting about our lack of success or enviously looking over our fences at the success of others, start working with what little you have now so that it can turn into something awesome later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>3. </b></span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Maybe our twenties are not about things going as we planned, but about how we adapt, change and grow when they don’t.”</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m a planner. I love to-do lists and my Google Calendar. I like making plans and sticking to the plan and things going according to plan.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We make five-year plans and ten-year plans... but then </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">things</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> happen. Things we can’t prepare for. Things that punch us right in the gut, bring us to our knees and laugh at our carefully crafted five-year plans. How are we going to respond when those moments happen?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>4.</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“God gives us ledges of grace to land on… He won’t let us fall all the way to our deaths. He’ll give us checkpoints along the way.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2015/04/4-ways-to-fail-well.html" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">We’re all going to fall and fail</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at some point. It’s gonna happen. But the amazing thing about grace is that it never runs out. It’s always available to us. No matter how badly we mess up.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love how in </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All Groan Up, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul writes that God gives us “ledges of grace” to fall on. He’s vulnerable about some of the mistakes and hardships that marked his early twenties, post-college life. And yet, through it all, God was there, ready to pick him up in His arms and give him another chance. And another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grace is a gift we don’t deserve. Grace gives us a chance to move forward. Grace is always there to catch us when it looks like we’re falling towards a rocky death.</span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 1.38;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we see the good in every season only after the season is over, then we will never actually see any good… it’s impossible to step into the future if you’re obsessed with the past.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m guilty of this… I’ll sometimes find myself looking back at the past, to my college days or my few months in San Antonio or senior year of high school and say that those were ‘the best days of my life.’ But in the moment, did I realize it? Did I ever stop and really enjoy where I was at that stage in life?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is purpose in every season. There are blessings in every station we stop in. But it’s so easy to dwell on the negatives that we forget to stop and thank God for the amazing stuff right in front of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wherever you are in life, stop for a second. Take a look around and enjoy the view. Tomorrow it might be gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>6.</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I stopped waiting for a publisher’s permission to tell my story and just began sharing it.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like Paul, </span><a href="http://www.joeldelgado.com/2014/08/why-its-time-to-share-your-story.html" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you have a story to tell</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It doesn’t matter if you’re 23 or 57. Your story is just getting started, but you don’t have to wait for someone else’s approval to start telling it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to hear your story. We need to hear about your struggles. We need to come alongside each other and pull each other out of the muck. We need to hear how you are overcoming the obstacles of life, so that we might do the same. Someone out there needs you to get out of your comfort zone and share that story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. “You don’t wait for inspiration; you fight for it.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I waited until I felt like going to the gym, especially on Leg Day, I’d never do it. If I waited until I was inspired to write something, I’d rarely write. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More times than not, inspiration is something you work towards, not something you wait for.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You have to act your way into it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are you waiting for? Pick up a shovel and start digging!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul’s book All Groan Up came out on Tuesday, April 21 and you can pick up a copy at your local bookstores or via online sites like </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Groan-Up-Searching-Freaking/dp/0310341353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429875371&sr=8-1&keywords=all+groan+up" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>.</span></div>
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