faith and feelings

Don't ever allow your faith to follow your feelings.  Feelings are fleeting and unstable and can rob us from obeying God or sticking to we what we know is right in our hearts.  Instead, force your feelings to line up with your faith.

Be present to win

When I was younger I ran a 5k, collected my award and quickly headed home.  I was informed later by my friend who hung around after the race, that my name had been drawn for the Grand Prize which was a huge diamond ring!  The only problem was, you had to be "present" to win.  Bummer.  I think the same is true in life.  I know for me, with so many things going on, it's easy to be somewhere, but really not be there.  I could be sitting in my living room with my kids watching a movie, but be more focused on the person I am testing.  It's truly a battle for all of us in today's world.  The truth is, we must be present to win.  Wherever you are, be all there.  I personally don't want to rob those closest to me because I am always distracted.

You must be present to win.

vision creates space

If your vision is small, there is really no need nor room for others.  If your vision is BIG, you are going to need a lot of great people to help accomplish it.  This is how vision creates space.  Big vision creates opportunities for those with greater talent in certain area's to jump in and contribute to the vision.  How big is your vision?

the cows are in the soup

My daughter Kali is one of the most creative people I know.  From the crafts she designs and builds, to the crazy things she says.  She wrote a song the other day called "Aggressive Meatballs."  I realize that my job as a parent is to help wisely steward that gift.  I've begun trying teach her to play some instruments in order to be an outlet for her creativity.  As she gets older, I want to put her and my boys into circumstances where they will be stretched to grow.  But for now, I will continue to chuckle when I hear statements like, "the cows are in the soup."

Today

As an endurance athlete, there are times I look at a goal and almost feel there is no way that I can get there from where I am. The truth is, with dedication, practice, time and a lot of sore muscles, I could get there, but it will take a lot of work. With focused preparation, it is amazing what can be accomplished. The truth is, if we do what we can today, we will eventually be able to do what we can’t, tomorrow. Currently, I am training for a 100 foot race with a 30 hour time limit. When I started really training for it, I had a hard time running 7 miles. This week, my biggest day is a 28 mile run. Because I did what I COULD DO YESTERDAY, I am able to accomplish something GREATER TODAY.

trust your training

Currently, I am training for a 100 mile running race in August of this year.  The thought of running 100 miles can be overwhelming and can bring a lot of doubts.  When I have those moments, I always revert back to having to "trust my training."  In other words, I have done what the training required in order to put myself in the greatest opportunity to accomplish my goal.  This is not saying that it is going to be easy, but that I am equipped as much as possible to win this battle of mind and body.
There is a parallel spiritually here as well.  When we go through the dry spiritual times that we are all bound to face, we have to stick with our spiritual disciplines.  We will eventually get through this, but we have to keep feeding our souls even we don't "feel" hungry.   We have to trust our spiritual training...and more importantly..or TRAINER...the Holy Spirit.

nursing home

Today, my friend Steve and I went and ministered in 2 of our area's nursing homes.  You learn a lot when you share in their church service.  Things like, how to deal with distractions and surprises.  Today I walked away thinking, about the life I want to live and what I want to leave.  Most of the dear people there are in the final stages of their lives.  I often wondered what they looked like or who they were in the prime of their life.  The truth is, we will all be there someday and only what we have given away will continue to carry-on.  How can I live and give more effectively?  How can I use everything God has entrusted to me to give Him Glory?