To Open or Not?

Just because a door is there doesn’t mean that God has put it in front of us.  Be wise with which ones you open and walk through. 

What basics determine which way you want to go, and what you give some of your precious days to?   Remember that both home and prison have doors that someone walks through to be there.  It’s just that one place is much more difficult to leave once you’ve entered.

Have courage.  Choose well.

Will I Do It?

  I am grateful to know that however rocky and scary and messy the stuff of life is, I have a God who is with me, who will lead me forward, who will reveal Himself as I walk in faith, and who will put things right in the end (if not before).  I walk toward that day, trusting for this one.

Part of what has occurred is to decide what kind of person I want to be (character), what kind of life I am aiming for (what are the top priorities of how I want to live and what I want to “achieve”), and what I DON’T want to be driven by. 

I realized some years ago that fear was not helping me make good choices.   If I am in “survival” mentality, I will probably make some desperate (and unnecessarily stupid) moves that will likely complicate my life.  If, however, I believe that God is a mighty and good Father who will work good even from the most difficult days that a broken earth and our broken lives produce, then I can being to walk in trust and watch Him grow amazing things from the soil of my life.  I AM a garden. 

I can weed (and let Him weed things out of my life).  I can water (and received the watering He brings).  I can trust His timing and power (and see what opportunities come about as I obey). 

Be in the moment.

Trust Him in the moment.

Don’t start re-writing how He says to live, or justify with a million excuses (or even one) the reason that you can do it differently. 

Dive deep in believing Him—really living a life of trusting HIM. 

And your amazing life will begin to unfold.  You will be stunned when you start to see the fruit as it begins to be revealed. 

The seven basic steps that I have embraced for how I go about life are these:

1.  Trust in what God says about who He is and what He will do for healing, for restoration, and for you.

2.  Start to notice the opportunities in the day and become sensitive to His nudges to move here or there.  He is doing amazing things and I can be a part of His blessing in other’s lives, and be transformed in the process.

3.  Tithe, and watch how God will provide.

4.  Be firm with myself to not create excuses, but to live with integrity and let Him be my defender and provider.

5.  Play, by resting in His promises to care for me and to remember the amazing good Hands I am in.  It enables (though I am still learning a lot about this) an element of peace and fun instead of fear and worry.

6.  Pray without ceasing, not settling for “new normals” or “Plan B”s, when there is a God who heals and restores that is waiting for us to believe He will.  Dare to pray the biggest prayers your faith will muster, not the “2^nd best” ones because you are afraid He can’t do what you really long for.  

7.  I only have THIS time in ALL eternity to walk in faith, to trust for what I don’t yet see, to believe for His goodness and to discover what He will do as I offer my life to Him.  I am determined not to miss seeing His power intersect my life, and the miracles He will let me in on.

Bob!

Last Friday morning I had the privilege of hearing Bob Goff speak at a leadership event in Columbus.  (Thank you Maja and DeWayne for treating us!)  In this clip he shares some of the amazing stories we heard him talk about last week.  If you’ve never heard of Bob, or if you’ve read his book Love Does, or if you just want to take a chance on a half hour of your day by listening to this, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in your choice.  Take a listen, and then go do something!...

Men, You've Got This!

Little is more powerful on earth than a man who will pray for his family, who will pray with his family, who will lead well because he has allowed himself to be led by the most wildly creative, the most daringly adventurous, and the most tender hearted One in the universe.  Men are at their best when they know that there is a great Someone who has all the wisdom, answers, strength, and resources he will ever need, and who dares to rely on Him to access it all.

This God, who loves His kiddos with everything He is and has, is ready to pour out Himself over and over for you.  Go fight the battles, go get the victories that have your name on them.  You can’t do it without receiving from Him, but you have the ability to walk magnificently.   Go get the win!

Bring It

What if through the day today we tried to enjoy what God was doing in the moment before us?  What if it is an opportunity for speaking care?  To connect with someone eye to eye? To affirm?  To encourage? 

What if any inconvenience could be looked at for the possibilities we didn’t expect or plan for but could do something good in the situation anyway?  What if in the tension we could pause for a moment and consider (even ask!) what God might have orchestrated to let us be here to make a difference to carry some of His presence into? 

What if we could trust Him for all of it?

What if we could bring hope to someone else who hasn’t met Him yet?

What if?

The day before you will be full of opportunities.  Go find some and make them beautiful.

Be Courageous

Progress and restoration has never been stopped just because there are some torn or cut pieces and frayed edges.  Our lives have no elements that aren’t redeemable if we are willing to look at the damage, take responsibility for anything we’ve done, extend forgiveness, and mend all that we can.  Those things alone will leave our hearts in a far better place.  No, we can’t undo the past, but much repair hasn’t been done because we weren’t willing to do what we could.

There is beauty to be had and prizes to be gained for those who are courageous enough to look life in the face and take action. 

Choose wisely what you will do with the pieces in your life and go at it to make something beautiful.

The Call

My job is pretty simple…Believe what God says about Himself and His ways, and then follow His leading through life.  How I do it is the privilege I have every single moment.  It is to aim to keep my heart soft so that I can be shaped, and to then lean up and in to respond so that His work can become a reality in me, for me, and through me.

Preparing

Yesterday I posted about location.  This morning I was thinking about those trees that were spoken of in Psalm 1, which I quoted yesterday, and the small acorns that don’t give a clue about the strength potential that is in their tiny packages.  It isn’t until the right environment is present, the right tending has been made, the consistency over time of the necessary ingredients of soil and light and water that finally reveals what was going on.  You could see a little of it along the way, but only after years pass is it evident of its full potential.

Our lives are the same.  We each have the DNA for remarkable stuff.  We literally were made for it.  Unlike the acorn, which always and ONLY can grow into an oak tree, human lives, when given to the best environment have a gigantic array of what they can produce.  The atmosphere isn’t any less important for men, women, and children than it is for acorns. 

No matter the damage of the surroundings that you may have already been affected by, today can be a new beginning.  Just start where you are.  Say a prayer of thanks and ask God for help and direction and wisdom.  Read a passage of the Bible.  Even if you don’t have one, if you are reading this, you can get to a passage online.  Try the book of John if you don’t know where to start.  As you go through your day, be mindful that you are not alone and that there are miracles waiting to come as you watch for opportunities to respond and do good.   Sometime soon, carve out a few minutes to start envisioning the kind of person you want to BE.  The specific things you DO are, in some ways, far less important than determining the kind of character you want to be developed in you. 

Be humble.  Work on saying “I’m sorry” when you need to, and “I was wrong” when you were. Those words (when the times come) are like oil of our lives. We will dry out and harden if they are absent from our vocabulary. Take responsibility for your actions and repair what you can.  Listen to your conscience.  Those things are the soil, air, and water for our souls.  Prepare your life for the seed you are.  Guard against the things that can cause a seed to miss its life (Matthew 13). 

Go be the blessing you were designed to be.