One Love.

• 

  
  

Sit. Speak. Down. Come. All things that I have tought this sweet little creature in the picture above. With practice, she has mastered them all and happily performs for yummy treats. The most valuable quality that this wonderful little pup has is absolutely of her own accord though. It’s not something I could have tought or something that I could demand, but sure is something I am fond of; we’ll get back to this. Her name is Maggi, and today we were invited to the park closeby our house. We go there often, typically as a morning or evening walk, so we don’t often run into many other people. But today was an exceptionally beautiful East Texas day and we were meeting friends. We made the short walk, crossing over the barrier fence to enter into the park, and immediately were bombarded with joyful little children excited to play. I brought a 30 foot leash (responsible dog dad move) to be able to give Maggi the freedom of running and playing, but yet still being mindful of others space at the park. Before we could even make it to a picnic table, one little girl grabbed the leash and wanted to walk Maggi around because she’s “my dog now,” she said. I loved the ownership she had already taken in their quick introduction. We also had brought a frisbee, which began flying through the air as soon as we had been greeted at the fence. It soon became obvious that Maggi was not being confined to the leash, so with nobody seeming to mind, and the kids absolutely all for it, off came the leash to commence the real fun. One frisbee toss after another, Maggi kept on coming back for more, and the kids LOVED it.

Maggi is three years old and I like to think that we have been responsible dog parents in raising her to be a respectful, well behaved young dog. This visit to the park unintentially became Maggi’s biggest test of her young life in showcasing her obedience and intelligence. I should add, as a guy in my mid-20s with no kids, I was having a pretty proud dad moment. While I have intentionally made it a point to expose Maggi to many situations throughout her life, never before has she been exposed to so many all at one time. Kids were yelling her name, asking her to do two tricks at once, and even touching her on the face and in her eyes and ears, but she took it like such a CHAMP. I could not be more proud of my sweet Maggi Mae.

This brings me to the entire point of this post. Maggi’s greatest attribute absolutely comes natural. She LOVES. How similar is this to the pure innocence of small children? Who could disagree that this is one of the greatest human attributes that often gets lost as we become older, more aware individuals? Maggi and the children at the park share an innocence that makes the world a better place. This is an innocence that allows them to let down their guard, break down barriers, and unconditionally love those who they encounter at the park. Maggi’s first instinct is not that someone has offended her or has tried to make her feel foolish, but instead she has every intention to lick your face till it’s soaking wet and stare at you until you throw the frisbee she just dropped at your feet. No matter whether she has known you three years, three months, or three minutes she has nothing but love for you. I can’t help but believe that so many confrontations in our day to day lives would largely be eradicated if we could all do a better job of adopting the mindset of a three year old Austrailian Shepherd dog and a park full of kids. Could you imagine a more relatable quote to describe this mindset?

“Believe there is good in the world; BE the good in the world!”

While we all know that evil can be lurking around the corner, I still believe that it is the exception, rather than the rule. I still believe that people are not intentionally trying to be offensive to you. I still believe that the kids and my sweet dog get it right when they see no disdain for others. I still believe they get it right when they run full speed ahead with no fear of offending anybody or being offended. And I still believe that they truly get it right with their example of ONE LOVE for everyone they know, with no exceptions.

Switching Gears…

I know this is going to sounds ridiculous, but I have been trying to start my “other” blog for two weeks now. I have had an idea in mind, somewhat of a way to move forward, and honestly zero motivation to actually begin writing for it. I wanted to highlight the many facets of the word successful. I wanted to bring to the forefront people who are successful in ways that are often admired, as well as, ways that are not always so “awe-inspiring,” but nevertheless worthy of being admired. I still value that idea, but I realized that if I specifically branded a website that spoke only to the idea of success, that I boxed myself into a corner that I do not necessarily have as much passion about. I do find great joy in recognizing the success of others and continuously working on the never ending pursuit of personal success in my own life, so I believe that there is content to be produced along those storylines, but I do not think that is where I want to focus at on a regular basis. I feel that this is going to allow me to spread my arms out more widely and discuss topics along a much broader scope, while still being able to circle back to the idea of success and explore its many aspects when the chance arises.

This blog already contains some of my writings from my time in college. I do not want to delete them, because they represent wonderful times in my life that I look back on with a smile and I believe they are still relevant topics today, so I will just continue to add to them. I got away from writing for a bit, but I always seem to feel the most comfortable discussing things when I write. I do not speak exceptionally well when it comes to topics that are of the more weighty nature, which is ironic since I make my living talking to people all day, every day. There just seems to be a difference between my daily business conversations and the deeper, more reflective conversations that I hope to have here. If there are topics that you would like to discuss together, please feel free to contact me via the “Get in Touch” page.

Give Me a Break…and Them a Chance.

Just the other day, I heard that someone was beginning to be worried because their neighborhood was becoming increasingly populated with African Americans; the word “blacks” was actually the wording used to describe the new neighbors. They told me that they were concerned for their safety with the changing atmosphere of the neighborhood. I curiously responded, unsure of why that would even be a thought, stating that this is a great neighborhood, why would that even be a consideration? The response centered around past experience with a single individual, therefore developing a blanket statement of fear. This sets us up for a great conversation. A conversation that has undoubtedly been had numerous times, but one that also has immeasurable depth when considered beyond just what the eye can see.

First, let’s be clear, I left this conversation with opinions left unsaid, frustrations tamed to within, and emotions running high. The all encompassing blanket mentality used to make such a statement of fear was disheartening to me. I personally know so many incredible African American people who absolutely do not strike fear into me. In fact, they bring forth wisdom, experience, love, and Godliness. How fair is it to label them as scary, threatening, or intrusive simply based upon their skin color? Not fair at all!

I’m having a bit of a hard time with the direction I want to go with the rest of this blog. There are so many different emotions running in my head revolving around this topic.

1. Violence does not know color.

2. When your vantage point sucks, it’s hard to expect anything different.

3. Negativity and low expectations result in a continuous cycle of the same….

4. Abandonment, distrust, and misguidance build up nearly impenetrable walls.

5. Given the chance, and when understood correctly, a beautiful soul is revealed from the brokenness.

I truly do not believe the person in my conversation earlier meant to bring about a negative connotation, but simply was speaking their mind. It brings up the point though, that violence does not know color. Violence exists to great extents in any and all races. We must be careful not to generalize an entire race of people based upon our interactions with individuals of that specific race.

Let me ask you…those you fear, have you ever taken a chance with them? Not a chance to be victimized by them, but a chance to get to know them? Remember, this conversation has no color, as I discussed above, but rather, I would say, it has perspective? Have you ever taken the chance to understand their perspective on life? What battles they have faced? Granted, not every one will have the same story, but I believe you will find similarities. These similarities could include abandonment, lack of love, distrust, survival, misguidance, and an overwhelming LACK OF JESUS CHRIST! 

It absolutely breaks my heart to see so many young people, specifically teenagers, misunderstood and passed on because of a lack of understanding. I firmly believe that we are a product of our strongest influences; some positive, some negative. For many of us, the positive influences outweigh the negative, therefore positivity prevails in our lives. For others, unfortunately, negativity is rampant in their lives, winning the battle between positive and negative.
I would like for you to consider this:

From where have the strongest influences upon your life come?

Home? Family? Friends? Spirituality?

For many, we can absolutely say that we have been positively influenced by at least one of these (plus more) factors, but this can’t be said for all. In fact, having even one of these factors positively impact your life is rare for some. Do you see the problem? Who am I? Who are WE? Who are YOU to ignore the deepest outcries of those around us? What is it going to take for us all to step out and reach those who need us most? How can you rethink how you interact with those who you fear? Just as important, how can you understand more fully the struggles that have shaped someone into the person they are today?

To conclude, this reminds me of the story with Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus had the opportunity to go through town, and risk coming into contact with a Samaritan, or around town to avoid any contact. He chose to go through town because, well, that’s the way he does things. That decision though, led him to encounter a woman who undoubtedly had her life changed that day. That decision led to numerous people coming to believe in Jesus. That decision led to people showing people how Jesus loves. That decision left us an example of how Jesus treated those who may not live the most upright lifestyles. How does Jesus’ decision affect your decision?

What’s the Real Fight?

 
It has taken quite some time for my heart and mind to work together to form the words of this blog. Many different emotions go into this topic: defensiveness, offensiveness, sadness, frustration, disbelief, and love, believe it or not, to name a few. At the centerpiece of this locally debated discussion we find a name that represents arguably the most offensive movement in human history; the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The targeted sign in Hawkins, Texas appears to be the subject of a religious freedom debate, which of the like are becoming more common throughout the country. I don’t care about the politics of the situation though; I actually couldn’t care less. My focus in writing this blog points at the alignment of the community support throughout East Texas following the persecution faced in Hawkins because of this sign. In the months following this situation, one thing can certainly be said of East Texans: We don’t back down from a  challenge. As signs resembling the Hawkins sign made their way to surrounding communities’ city limits, on private property of course, I couldn’t help but ask myself why this was happening…. Why was this support so overwhelming? This looming thought as to why we became so enraged over this sign continues to nag me. Are we mad about the sign being removed because we love Jesus and it represents that love to others, or are we mad that someone has infringed upon our rights as Americans? Don’t you think Jesus stands for more than our constitutional rights as Americans?  Jesus calls us to turn from our sinful ways, pick up our cross, and follow him as we live for him daily. Following Jesus in biblical times led to execution…by the government. In this instance, following Jesus has led to the threat of removing a sign against our constitutional rights. What’s my point? My point lies in this question:

Does the sign supplement our evangelistic lifestyles, or does it serve to remove us from the front lines?

I would like to pose a second question:

Don’t you think Jesus can do without that sign?

The removal of the sign would be a sad occurrence, I understand that, but can’t we use this uniting cause for more than constitutional rights? I can’t help but think of each sign resembling the Hawkins sign as one of political agenda, rather than representation of the gospel. After all, as Christians we were never told we wouldn’t ever face persecution because of the gospel. Jesus is an offensive name to some; what he represents boldly tells people that they are imperfect. Without knowing Jesus, people do not understand that along with his bold message that reveals our sin, he also brings along the cure for our sins; forgiveness and love. This is where we come in. We have a larger role than an inanimate sign can fulfill. God has tasked us with the responsibility of sharing the gospel to people. He has placed us on the front lines to battle in the trenches. He has placed us to battle where our rights may be trampled and forgotten. But that is okay; we can know it is okay because he hasn’t left us, no matter the amount of persecution we face.

Finally, I have one last thought to leave you with.

If a non-Christian group from Wisconsin can drive a group of communities into support of a sign representing Jesus, can a servant of Jesus from within these communities evoke community wide support of Jesus’ cause?

What could communities do when challenged to unite in the name of Jesus? Not just for the name of Jesus, but in the name of Jesus? Uniting in the name of Jesus would mean outrage at the sight of homelessness, distress at the mention of child hunger, and heartache at the thought of sons and daughters growing up without mother or father role models. Uniting in the name of Jesus would be responding to the call to action Jesus has laid on our hearts for each of these situations and battling for those who cannot battle for themselves. What could happen if we saw a union focused in the NAME OF JESUS on eliminating tragedies such as these mentioned above? I CHALLENGE YOU, WHAT COULD HAPPEN? 

Beautiful song linked below:

Follow You – Leeland & Brandon Heath

Young Men of Faith

I’ve been really burdened this week by the weight of responsibility I feel towards the spiritual development of the young men of our youth group! It almost brings me to tears to imagine the potential impact of a MASSIVE group of young men who understand their purpose in life; who understand that their lives are not their own, but rather to be used by God, for his purposes. Think of the impact of a group of young men who are more than just strong individuals, but also best friends, classmates, teammates, and incredible leaders all at the same time. The burden on my heart is multifaceted, split between bettering themselves individually and bettering the world around them at the same time. I believe that God has placed this burden on my heart at the same time he has placed me in their lives, to empower them to reach for what God has planned for them. I am not the mastermind behind this plan, but rather a measly link to a much larger chain just striving to hold together my small part!
Can you imagine a high school filled with young men who realize their responsibility as young men of faith? Young men who respect young ladies? Young men who are nice and polite to their teachers, standing up for them when needed. Can you imagine a high school where young men took a stand against bullies in such a way that no violence was needed, but the point was expressed? Lastly, could you imagine a high school, better yet, could you imagine a community, where young men truly stood for what they believed; where they stood for, and demonstrated, what it means to be followers of Jesus, and I mean TRUE followers of Jesus. And don’t for a second let yourself believe that these young men are free of temptation; oh it’s there, believe me. Young men of faith though, should stand for what they have faith in, therefore having a firm foundation upon which to rest when tough times role their way. You see, young men of faith don’t rely on themselves, they rely on the power of the one who they have faith in, Jesus. Jesus was not the coolest guy. Jesus did not hangout with the coolest people. Jesus did not care if he was mocked and ridiculed; what Jesus cared about was standing for what is right and loving those who needed to be loved. Sometimes young men of faith will be laughed at and they won’t always be the most popular to those that are, but when young men of faith continue to “SAY YES” to Jesus, they will receive so much more than popularity could ever offer!

Lord, I pray for the young men of this world, for those I have the privilege of knowing, and those I don’t. Lord guide them to a life that points directly to you every second of the day. Lord I pray that these young men learn what it means to be YOUNG MEN OF FAITH amongst a world that is going to try in every way to keep them from doing so. Put it on their hearts to stand for you and for you only. I pray that you shake their world, Lord. Make the change in them so noticeable that nobody can help but to see the radiant light shining from their lives. Lord, thank you for these young men. I pray that you make them so much more than they ever imagined they could be, not for popularity, but for your ministry and your Glory. Lord, please hide me behind you in all success so you receive all Glory. It’s in your HOLY name I pray. AMEN. AMEN. AMEN.

**The Hypocrisy Epidemic**

Hypocrisy
noun: hypocrisy;
the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.

**Disclaimer**
I am not ignoring the fact that we are human. Yes, we will continue to sin. Yes, we will continue to ignore God’s call in our lives, at times. YES, I know some of you will read no further than this because I’ve already stepped on your toes; don’t worry, I’m stepping on my own too, but I won’t apologize for it.

In Romans, Paul acknowledges that we WILL fall short of God’s Glorious standard. It’s simply going to happen.

Romans 3:23
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

I want to move past this acknowledgement that we all will sin, because I don’t want it becoming an excuse for further sin.

What I want to discuss is this habitual hypocrisy that surrounds us in our daily lives. You can call it American Christianity if you wish, or maybe you prefer Self-Centered Christianity; either could be used to describe this epidemic that is crippling the Christian faith. To brief you on the issue at hand, there are people in our every day lives that are steering clear of Christianity because of this cloud of hypocrisy that meets them at the door of belief. Let me repeat myself: there are people in our every day lives that are steering AWAY from Christianity because they don’t see any difference between some Christians and themselves. There are people all around us that consider themselves Christians because they go to church or said yes to God at some point in their lives. These people believe that their lives reflect a Godly way of living, while living their life no different than others in the world. So, in reality, these individuals do enough good, or little enough evil, to fool themselves into thinking that they are true followers of Jesus. I’m SORRY to say, but that is just NOT enough, my friends. When are we going to wake up and realize that this is not how the Jesus of the bible lived his life?

I can’t tell you how many times a day that I hear God’s name stuck together in the same sentence as an **expletive** of some sort! That simply can’t be. What good does it do to call yourself a Christian, but yet act just as you did before knowing Jesus? James speaks on this issue in chapter 3, verses 9-12:
9 “Sometimes [our tongue] praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

A major point to be drawn from this scripture lies in the examples of stark contrast James provides. Does a fig tree produce olives? Or a fresh spring produce clean water one second and dirty water the next? No, these things simply don’t happen; in the same way, our mouths cannot both honor God and speak hurtful words of hate and destruction. We are designed to be creatures of Love. We are designed, by God, to love others. We are loved by God, therefore we return that very same love to others. Upon acceptance of Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are not physically separated from the world, but rather given a renewed purpose for our association WITH the world! Our purpose becomes focused on using our newfound love for other to share the love of Jesus with everyone we come into contact with. So I leave you with these questions:
1. Does your life reflect the life of someone who has been saved by the grace of God, or does it reflect the life of someone who has been roped into the ways of this world?
2. Do you care enough about your own faith that you will stand up for what it means to you?
3. Do you see a difference between yourself and someone who does not know Jesus?

More Than Just A Smile!

Do you ever catch yourself just looking at someone? I’m not talking about creepily staring at someone, but rather just glancing at them with no expression on your face whatsoever. I’ve become increasingly aware of my habitual glance that my face tends to have when I am not particularly being intentional with my expressions. Whether I am noticing someone walk into the room, or I accidentally meet eyes with someone as we walk past one another, I have realized that my face doesn’t naturally give off a welcoming expression. What does my expression say about who I am? About my openness to meet new people? About my mission to share God’s love? I sure would hate for someone’s first impression of me to be, “That guy doesn’t smile very much,” or “Man, I hope he isn’t mad at me.”

I bring this to your attention in hopes to get you thinking about your own facial expressions. Does your natural expression welcome interaction? Does it invite someone in need of seeing God’s love to seek it in you, or does it show them yet another face that will allow them to slip through the cracks? This isn’t an easy habit to tame, believe me, I’m battling with it now. I just believe that there is something to a smile that can speak more than any words ever could. I pray that a smile is your goal expression. I pray that you have an awareness of when someone really needs to see God’s love, and that your welcoming smile is just the beginning of them discovering the love they so desire to find.

Just imagine the impact a smile could have. A smile could be the difference between an individual searching further for God’s love and quitting their search right then and there. Think about that.

Give a smile.
Share God’s love.
Impact a life.

Is Love REALLY Not Enough?

God’s love for the people in my life has increasingly been on my heart for quite a while now. If you have kept up with any of my posts, you likely have noticed this trend. I’ve had a puzzling question on my mind tonight, and I believe it is the product of various circumstances and situations being brought together into one overwhelming question.

“Is love really not enough?”

I am just overwhelmed by the idea of Christians pushing people away because of their sinful, or so perceived, nature. It’s almost as if, for whatever reason, some people are just thought to have no lovable features about them, therefore being no reason to show them love. Romans 13:8 says, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law..” There it is, right there. Paul expresses that the obligation to love others cannot ever be filled. Love is the ONLY debt that can never be completely paid; you are never permitted to stop loving those who have been placed in your life. Referring to the Commandments of God, verses 9 and 10 say “…these commandments are summed up in this one commandment ‘Love your neighbor as yourself!’ Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” I have found myself becoming increasingly aware of occasions that I catch, either myself or others, failing to love as Jesus would love, and all I can think is, “WHY?”

So this brings me to my point. Why is it so hard for us to love those who need love? What reasons do we have to love them? Well I believe that verses 9 and 10 above answer these questions for us! All of the Lords commands are summed up in the single statement of “Love your neighbor as yourself!” Love does no wrong to others, therefore love fulfills the requirements of the laws! Did you catch that? LOVE. FULFILLS. THE. LAWS! Love is such an all encompassing word that it becomes more than just a word; it becomes an expression. When love is expressed to those around us it also becomes an act of service, which is pleasing to God. Is love not enough of a reason to love those around us? Does it not give us the ability to uphold God’s laws? Love is the law and conversely the law is love. So shouldn’t it be enough? You can only answer this question for yourself, so I ask you to answer for yourself, “Is love REALLY not enough?”

SAYING YES is not SHOWING YES

I’ll start by saying that it normally excites me to see symbols of Christianity proudly displayed on the back of vehicles, but today I must say I was deeply saddened.

To explain, I was assisting an upper middle age couple unload their mower when we noticed a very easily lost piece missing (due to the mower’s natural vibration!) The wife asks if there’s something wrong with it, to which her husband calmly answers “Eh, it’s not a big deal, they can replace it, or I have another one at home!” She then mightily remarks, “It’s probably the black guy who’s used it to mow our yard after my husbands surgery!” The husband then states further, “Hmm, ya he just doesn’t take care of nothing!” Then, as they were getting into their truck, she makes one final remark, “Guess we know he won’t be doing the yard anymore!” As I dismissed the comments I moved toward the back of the truck, and by this time, the husband had raised his tailgate, which revealed the Cross above stating “JUST SAY YES!”

What did this couple “SAY YES” to that led them to so proudly display their decision on the tailgate of their truck?”
Maybe some friends had asked them to dinner tonight, so they said yes.
Or, how about this, maybe they really loved bowling, so they agreed to go bowling tonight. Last one, check this out, maybe the devil had trickily tempted them to stray from CHRIST, and they said “YES.” You see, look here, what I’m getting at is when you “SAY YES” to CHRIST you can’t just be okay with saying it, you’ve got to “SHOW YES.” If you don’t “SHOW YES” to Christ by living in a way that represents The Gospel, then it is unclear as to what you’re saying “YES” to, just as I experienced with this couple today! Your actions must prove that you’ve said “YES” to Christ, and not just any other question!

Sure, I know what the Cross is referring to, and fortunately I know how it was misrepresented, but would my coworker have recognized the misrepresentation if he had helped them rather than myself, or would it have further proven to him why he chooses to stay away from Christianity? Before going further, let’s be fair though and cut the couple some slack; they’re human just as well as I am, you are, and everyone else is. We know we all are capable of misrepresentation of The Gospel, and unfortunately fall susceptible to it ourselves more than we would like to admit. With that said, I believe that God put me through this experience to check myself and call my fellow believers to a newfound awareness of our representation of The Gospel.

So I pose this question:

“Does your representation of The Gospel encourage a nonbeliever to seek a life with God and “SAY YES” to a new life in Christ, or does your misrepresentation of The Gospel remind him of why he doesn’t “SAY YES”, therefore choosing to remain lifeless away from Christ?”

I Hope This Makes You Mad!

Watch this music video for Matthew West’s song “Do Something.”

If you’re reading this, I hope that by the end of this you don’t feel comfortable with yourself. Or maybe I should say that I hope you do, because that would mean you are doing as God is calling you to do. So maybe if this does indeed make you uncomfortable, then you’re actually the one I am talking to; or the one God is talking to through me. I know the song linked above got me to thinking about myself; about the things I can do in order to do something!

So what in the world does it even mean to do something? I mean I’m pretty sure that I do some kind of something every day, right? Doesn’t that count for something? Let’s dive in a little here. In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of some things that will separate the sheep from the goats…those who did something from those who did nothing. He tells the sheep, the righteous at his right hand, “Come, enter the kingdom that has been prepared for you, for you fed me when I was hungry, you gave me something to drink when I was thirsty, you clothed me when I was naked, visited me when I was sick or in prison, and welcomed me into your homes when I was a stranger. The righteous looked at Jesus though and asked, “Lord, when did we feed you when you were hungry, give you something to drink when you were thirsty, clothe you when you were naked, visit you when you were sick or in prison, and when did we welcome you into our homes as a stranger?” Jesus tells them, “When you did any of these to even the LEAST OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, you were doing it to me.” BUT WAIT, that is the nice part of the story, the part where those who had done something received their reward; what about those who had neglected to do something that extends God’s Kingdom. Jesus says to the goats, the ones on his left, “Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For when I was hungry you didn’t feed me, I was thirsty and you didn’t give me something to drink, I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, I was sick or in prison and you didn’t visit me, and when I was a stranger you did not welcome me into your home.” After this they asked Jesus when they had seen him in these situations. Jesus tells them, “When you refused to help the least of these, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, you were refusing to help me.”

Still, you may be asking yourself, “So why exactly was this supposed to stir me up? I don’t get his point. What am I supposed to do?” Allow me to continue. Have you ever wanted to relax after a long day of work? What about take a nap after the exhausting Sunday morning of church? Or how about crawl up in bed and read a book? Well believe me, I have. I’ll admit it. I’m not saying these things are bad things, or that you can’t ever do them, but I am challenging you to ask yourself if there is something more meaningful you COULD be doing instead. You see where I’m going? From my experience, people tend to get slightly agitated when their personal time is invaded, when they’re asked to do something for free, or when they’re thrown off schedule from what they had planned! We all have a tendency to want to let someone else take care of something. We all think that God will take care of things without any effort from us, and that he wouldn’t really want us feeling uncomfortable. We simply throw things at him and go on about our business without ever thinking that maybe that’s why we are here…to be uncomfortable? To be in situations that push us to trust God more?

God calls us to serve others before ourselves. God calls us to invite the neighbors over for dinner. God calls us to start evening Bible studies when we’re tired from the day. God calls us to show compassion to the person we come across in the midst of our busy schedule, even if that means being thrown off schedule. God calls us to those situations that we find ourselves trying our hardest to ignore or not see. God calls us to a plan that is HIS; one that is certainly better than our own. So are you mad yet? Are you flustered that your day is beginning to look more like God’s day rather than your own? Are you sad that your couch or bed is beginning to look more like a place for actual REST, rather than simply a place for being LAZY?

So here’s the CHALLENGE: 1. Focus on actively SEEKING God throughout your day? 2. Who can you SERVE throughout your day? 3. How can you SHINE the light of JESUS throughout your LIFE?

When you seek God, and truly desire to see things through his eyes, he WILL open your eyes; when he opens your eyes, you WILL find yourself DOING SOMETHING!