To Be or Not To Be … Intentional
So, I figured out that I am becoming intentional (click here to see the post). I am not there yet; but, I am working on it. Now, it’s your turn, are you becoming intentional?
Take a moment and think about the things you have done and the conversations you have had over the last few days. Now, honestly think about which of those things you made a conscious effort to engage in and which ones just happened. And, one more question, were there some things that fell short of your expectations – maybe things that you wish you would have been more intentional about?
So, you are at a fork in the road. Will you, or will you not, be intentional? read more
The #1 Way To Change Your Day
Do you remember that feeling deep inside? That moment when you were feeling unsure about that thing? That time when things weren’t quite going the way you had hoped for? Or, even that day that you were just discouraged? And then…
Then, from out of the blue, someone called you, wrote a note to you, or made it a point to say something to you that changed your whole outlook completely. It just made your day, didn’t it?
What they brought to you was ENCOURAGEMENT! And, it sent your mind in a whole new, positive, vibrant, excited direction.
I love those moments! Don’t you?
Life Can Be So Discouraging
Have you ever had one of those weeks? Unmotivated. Discouraged. Responsibilities weigh heavy. Everything seems to be fighting against you. Defeated. Happiness and joy seem like distant allusive memories. You are left wondering how to get everything done, how to get out of that pit, how to get back to the life you desire…how to get through the day.
You will want to read this story… read more
In the Silence
What would you do if you found yourself in a place that was totally void of other people? An empty room, hall at the mall, park, or even an auditorium…
It seems like we are always surrounded by people, noise and clutter. A quiet, still moment is all but extinct in most of our daily routines.
Growing up, I had opportunities to be in my church when there were not a whole lot of other people around. What would I do when no one else was around? Run down the halls making weird noises that would generally get dirty looks? Ok, I’ve done that a few times. However, one of my favorite things was to go into the silent, dark sanctuary and sit down at the piano.
Imagine with me…
Does God Really Have A Plan For Me?
Most of us have heard thoughts like God knows every single one of the hairs on our head (all 140,000 of them) and that God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. But, do you still find yourself wondering from time to time if God has a purpose for you or if you are in the right place or the right time?
Sometimes it is easy to slip into a mode of wondering if God really spends much time on His plan for us – and it is easy to get discouraged at that point. I was recently reminded of how much God does love us, how well God knows us, and how specific God is when placing us in His plan. Think about this:
Your Best Introduction For…
How would you introduce Christ? Would you understate the case? Would you be timid or bold? What if you didn’t know the person you were speaking to? What if you were in front of a crowd? Check out Steve Harvey’s way…
I would love to say that this is how I would describe Jesus. Although, I know that I often change my tactics based on who I am talking to, what the situation is, and what my frame of mind is. But think, just for a moment, what would happen if we always took a stance that represented the awesomeness of Jesus?
How would you introduce Jesus? Would you go big, small, or not at all? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Do The Little Rocks Get In The Way?
How do you manage the different aspects of your life? “Put the big rocks in first” is a great principle, if used consistently, in helping us to get the right things done. Check out this video for Stephen Covey’s explanation.
Michael Hyatt recently wrote on this topic describing the big rocks that he makes important (Pursuit of God, Intellectual Growth, Physical Exercise, Your Spouse, Important Projects). For me, I find that, even with knowing that the big rocks need to take priority, the little rocks still get in the way and they seem to so easily side-track me from getting to the important things.
So, why do the little rocks still get in the way? Here are four reasons: read more
Are You Thankful for the Fleas?
Steven Cribbs 
Life 
Bible, concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom, difficult question, fleas, hope, problems, thankfulI have never heard of anyone being thankful for fleas…until I heard the story of a lady named Corrie ten Boom. Corrie, living in Holland during the 1940’s, was arrested and sent to one of the worst places on earth.
Corrie, along with many others, landed in one of the worst concentration camps in Nazi Germany. Her crime … helping Jews flee Hitler’s regime and escape to freedom. I can’t even begin to understand the conditions of her life and of the camp she was sent to. But, from the descriptions, the camp was worse than the worst place you can imagine. Lack of food. Lack of the basic necessities to sustain life. Lack of sanitary conditions – causing great risk to life. The labor was extreme. In a space created for 400 people, lived about 1400 women. And, this space was infested with fleas!
Failure Is Not An Option. It’s A Necessity.
No one likes to fail. In fact, most of us fear failure. We see failure as something that will keep us from accomplishing our goals, getting that perfect job or gaining the respect that we desire. And, much of the time, we fear that failure will ruin our reputation. Our culture tells us that failure is unacceptable.
But, have you stopped to think what life would be like if you never failed at anything?
So, what if we never failed? Life would be pretty sweet…wouldn’t it? We would never make mistakes and everything would always work out perfectly. But, would that really give us the life we want?
Life Without Failure
Life without failure would not all of a sudden become a string of excitement and triumphant successes. Instead, it would become a monotonous string of non-events that would leave us empty and apathetic towards everything. We would eventually stop trying to do anything – either because we are not willing to try something without a guarantee of perfection; or, because the thrill would be gone knowing the outcome would always be predictable. Without the struggle, the successes become meaningless.
And then we have to ask, in this world full of failure, can we just avoid failing? I guess we could try. But, if failure was not an option that we allowed, wouldn’t we then become so afraid of the possibility of failing that we would avoid anything with the potential to fail?
Think about this: if we never risk failing, all we really do is fail to ever really live.
A Tale of Two Teams: Which Are You?
Awhile back I sat watching a Monday Night Football game in which one of my favorite teams was playing. The game was intense – meaning that it was hard to watch my team begin to go down in flames.
Everything was going wrong. By half time, I was ready to give up and change the channel – especially since it looked like my team had given up. Then, my team emerged from the tunnel for the second half. As they began to play, you could tell something was different. My team began to take control and play like champions. They came back from a dismal start and won the game in total dominance.
In thinking about the game, there is one thing that really stood out to me. I was amazed at how they finished the game. They didn’t stop playing at half-time. They stayed in the game until the last seconds ran off the clock. Their passion, conditioning, preparation and an unwillingness to give up set the stage for them to overcome so much in order to be victorious. read more
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